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Ranking the BBQ Meats

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I visit many internet sites during the day and one of my favorites is Deadspin.  It is basically a sports website for people with little time to read or short attention spans.  They throw some humor in there as well and break stories about imaginary girlfriends and stuff like that.  Last week Deadspin had an article which ranked the best flavors of doughnuts.  It is not sports related, but I am a fan of doughnuts so I read to find out  if my favorite was near the top.  Vital information that I could not live without.  Little did I know that if this article was a BBQ contest I would be ostrasized for shiggin.  Yeah I am stealing the idea ( thanks Drew Magary ) and writing my own article ranking the BBQ meats.  I will list the meat first then give my reasoning as to why it is superior to the meats beneath it.

1.  Burnt Ends  (Brisket point)- This is my favorite thing to order at any BBQ restaurant.  I am from KC what do you expect.  Tiny little fatty morsels of beefy goodness.  If they were smaller I would swear this is what the fairies used for fairy dust. They are sooooo good.  Smothered in sauce with extra bark.  You just can’t beat them.

2. Brisket  (flat) -  If burnt ends were Miss America then brisket is a close runner up.  When done right it is better than prime rib to me.  The fat just melts in your mouth like butter.  Most people will have a brisket sandwich.  My question is,  Why do you need the bread?

3.  Spare Ribs (St Louis Cut) -  I specify the St. Louis cut because I do not like eating the rib tips.  Too much work for me.  I like the extra flavor these ribs provide in comparison to the baby back ribs.  Ribs are very versatile.  You can have them from spicy to sweet and they are always good.

4.  Turkey -  I already hear the gasps from the audience.  Yes smoked turkey.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I could eat turkey any day of the year.  Brine it, inject it, rub it and smoke it.  Always good.

5.  Pork Shoulder (Boston Butt) -  I had never had pulled pork till about 6 years ago.  My mom always called it a pork roast and roasted it in the oven seasoned with salt, pepper and caraway seeds.  Served with dumplings and brown pork gravy.  Wow it was good!  When I made my first shoulder I was amazed how much more flavor this cut of meat had when cooked in a smoker.  This cut of meat is literally a sponge for flavor.

6.  Pork Belly/Bacon -  Now this ranks this high on the list because of one thing BACON!  When I was five years old,  I ate a whole pound of bacon for lunch while my mom was visiting with my dad and his golfing buddy.  Kind of a badge of honor I think.  I have never had the rest of the belly, but hope to remedy that soon.

7.  Tri-Tip -  This is a nod to all my California buddies I met at the American Royal last fall.  This piece of meat is rapidly gaining popularity across the US.  It tastes like the best steak at about half the price.  My thanks to El Fuego Fiasco BBQ Team for the Santa Maria spice.  I have not forgotten that I owe you some Drapers AP Rub.

8.  Babyback Ribs – See spare ribs above.  These little guys have just a little less flavor than spares or they would be higher on the list.

beef

9.  Beef Ribs – Like brisket on a stick.  They are juicy and delicious and we fight over them at Christmas after the prime rib is carved.  Smoked on the BBQ they are even better.

10.  Chicken -  White meat or dark meat everyone loves chicken.  The trick is to keep it moist and get some flavor into that meat.  It rounds out the top 10.

11.  Pork Loin -  Living high on the hog as they say.  You can roast it whole or divide into chops.  Stuff it with apples or wrap it in bacon this makes a great dinner.

12.  Ham -  Most BBQ joints around KC do not cook a whole bone in ham.  They cook the processed ham loaf that you can get in any grocery store deli around town.  The process of making your own ham is very long.  It takes weeks and even months to get the ham cured and smoked.   That being said, it would be nice to have bone in smoked ham at a local BBQ restaurant.

13.  Pork Picnic -  Incomplete.  I have never had a pork picnic.  Hopefully some day I will travel down south and have some but until then we will have to rate it an incomplete.

Now, this list is not all encompassing.  I intentionally left off sausage and went with the cuts of meat vs combined elements of sausage.  If I had put it on the list,  it would have been pretty high on the list.  It is not good for me and I love it.  This is my opinion only and does not represent the views of Drapers BBQ ( with the exception of leaving mutton off the list).  You know what opinions are like…everyone’s got one.  So give them to me.  This post is meant to start a discussion.  Please post at the bottom of the article and tell me why you agree or disagree with me.  Use our new share buttons and get your friends to sound off on the subject or post it to your favorite Facebook group.  Lets discuss this cause I am sure pork picnic is too good to be left in the south and burnt ends are too good to be left to KC.

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Boy Scout Feast – A Fish Story

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If you have read my posts in the past, you know that my son’s are both involved in scouting.  My oldest son’s troop has an annual feast camp-out in the month of November every year.  Last year, when we were considering joining Troop 10, we were guests at this camp-out.  This year we were full fledged participants.  I brought my GMG Daniel Boone and a salmon recipe given to me by Steven Hartsock of Sock’s Love Rubs prepared for a long day of work and long evening of feasting.

The Grub-master told me I would be cooking turkey breasts and salmon for the feast.  I have done turkey several times before and think I make a really good smoked turkey.  Salmon on the other hand scares the heck out of me.  I really have never cooked a piece of salmon that I would be proud to serve to someone.  I am not a big salmon fan in the first place so anything I am going to serve will have to knock my socks off.  I asked a lot of BBQ friends what they did to salmon.  I received a lot of different answers.  Wet Brine?  Dry Brine?  160 degrees?  225 degrees?  What to do?  I finally settled on a recipe that was given to me by Steven Harsock creator of Sock’s Love Rubs.  It was a wet brine with some unique savory ingredients that just said “autumn season” to me.  The recipe contained brown sugar, whole all spice, clove and peppercorns.  These are things that I never would have thought to put into a brine for fish.  After 2-3 hours in the brine we took the salmon out and rinsed it off making sure none of the brine ingredients clung to the fish.  After rinsing the fish, we let it air dry for 1-2 hours.  When the fish was dry I gave it a good sprinkle with some Drapers AP rub.  I knew that the flavor profile of Shane’s rub would reinforce the flavor of the brine.  I also gave the fish a good coating of brown sugar.  The recipe also gave me instructions on how to make a baste, but I was so busy that I decided to go with just a heavy coating of brown sugar instead.

Salmon fillets after brining on the Green Mountain Grill

I had a little over 2 hours to smoke the 4 large pieces of salmon which was just enough time.  I put them on and set the GMG at 225 degrees and let them sit in the smoker.  Of course I had to open the GMG multiple times to show off the salmon, so it probably would take a little less time to make this at home when you are not looking so much.  I cooked the salmon to a temperature of 140 degrees.  Then placed the salmon in our hotbox for about 30 minutes before serving.

The buffet line was filled with a large variety of delicious meats and side dishes.  We had chuck roast that was cooked all day in dutch ovens, tur-duck-ens that were flown in from Louisiana, sausages made from exotic game meats like deer and alligator, turkey breasts, brisket and 2 whole pigs roasted for us by a local meat market.  It was really quite the spread.  I was hoping my salmon would be a favorite of the crowd.

Salmon fillets after smoking and ready to be served.

As the people got in line and began to fill there plates you could hear comments about everything.  The people loved everything we had on the table.  I tend to go get my food last when I cook usually because I have sampled my product before it hits the table and am a little less hungry because of that.  My buddies pushed me into the line and said I needed to eat with them after I had cooked all day.  When we reached the salmon, only enough for 4 small portions remained.  One serving for me and my 2 buddies and then 1 left for someone else.  The line was only about halfway done.  The Grub-master underestimated how popular the salmon would be.  We went to our table and began to eat and a lot of people went out of their way to compliment me on how good the salmon was.  I was really amazed as this was my first try at smoking salmon.  The ultimate compliment came about an hour later.  I was packing my spices back into the car and I overheard to men talking about how good the salmon was.  It was an hour later and they were still talking about it.  What a compliment!

I have never had a piece of salmon that I cared for very much.  Most salmon I have had has been palatable, but the it never has been something that I crave or have to make.  I find it is usually dry and very fishy tasting.  It is not one of my favorite foods.  That being said, this salmon was moist, savory, sweet and not fishy tasting at all.  It was the best piece of salmon I ever had (sorry for the brag) and would actually request this again.  I would like to thank Shane Draper and Steven Hartsock for all the help last week.  Without those 2 men, I would not have received all the praise that I did.

 

 

 

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The BBQ Hall of Fame and Guy Fierri.

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Guy Fierri and Johnny Trigg at the BBQ Hall of Fame Ceremony.

On Saturday night, in Kansas City, MO, Guy Fierri along with Johnny Trigg and Henry Ford were inducted into the BBQ Hall of Fame.  Henry Ford was inducted for his work in the creation of the charcoal briquette.  Johnny Trigg was inducted for the many years he has competed on the BBQ circuit and all the championships he has won.  Guy Fierri was inducted for a variety of reasons.  First and foremost, Mr. Fierri is active in the world of BBQ.  His team, Motley Que Crew, won the American Royal Open BBQ contest last year and he has been competing since before he was famous on Food Network.  Second reason is that he has star power and the KCBS hoped it would add a little prestige to the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  Mr Fierri’s history with the sport of competitive BBQ is not as long as Mr Trigg’s or some of the other inductees but I do believe that he has a passion for the sport of BBQ and enjoys the environment very much.

Mike Mills, Carolyn Wells and John Willingham at the BBQ Hall of Fame induction ceremony

 

Saturday’s induction ceremony was outside at the American Royal stage and it was pretty cold that night.  Most of the inductees were at a black apron dinner that had ended right before the induction ceremony was about to begin.  The inductees came out 1 by 1 onto the stage and were placed in there assigned spots.  Most came out to little or no applause as I think most of the people there were not aware of the BBQ history that was sitting in front of them.  When Guy Fierri came out to take his spot the crowd erupted with applause and the flash bulbs started popping as fans were anxious to get a picture of Mr Fierri.  Mr. Fierry was very gracious with the fans taking time to talk to a few that spoke to him from the crowd and made a few special poses for the crowds pictures.  Once the ceremony started, the host, Roger Twibell, said a little bit about every inductee saving Guy Fierri for last.  After this, Guy Fierri was the only inductee to stand up and make a statement.  This is what I give Mr Fierri most credit for.  His speech was not about himself and how great he is.  His speech wanted to recognize Henry Ford and most of all Johnny Trigg.  It was a very nice gesture from a celebrity that could have taken the spotlight all to himself.

On Sunday, after the turn ins were done for the American Royal Open contest, Mr Fierry left his cook site and made his way to Johnny Trigg’s cook site about half way across the parking lot.  There were no film crews, no newspaper writers just a few fans of Mr. Fierri that wanted to catch a glimpse of him this weekend.  In a very touching moment, the two men, Guy Fierry and Johnny Trigg, spoke for a few minutes and gave each other a team shirt which each put on at that moment.  Guy was wearing a Smokin’ Trigger’s polo and Johnny was in a  Motley Que T-shirt.  Guy also gave Mr. Trigg a photo that his photographer took Saturday night at the Hall of Fame ceremony framed and everything.  As Mr. Fierri left Johnny Trigg’s cook site he took time to sign autographs for people as he made his way back to his own cook site.

Johnny Trigg and Guy Fierri after turn ins Sunday at The American Royal BBQ contest.

 

I would like to commend Guy Fierri for all that he did this weekend in Kansas City.  Congratulations on your induction into the BBQ Hall of Fame and a huge thank you from all of Kansas City.  Mr. Fierri you could have big timed this event and flew in the day of and out the night after but you did not.  You spent 3 days in KC with your team, Motley Que Crew, made yourself available for your fans and paid homage to BBQ legends at the Hall of Fame Ceremony.  I also might add that you stopped by the BBQ Pitmasters set Sunday to talk and to wish your friend ( I will not give away the name) good luck competing that day.  You sir are a class act all the way around.

I would be remiss in my duties if I did not list all of the inductees in the BBQ Hall of Fame so here they are.  Rich Davis creator of KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce, Fred Gould, Speed Herrig, Mike Mills of 17th St BBQ, Carolyn Wells creator KCBS, Gary Wells creator KCBS and John Willingham BBQ Legend, Henry Ford, Guy Fierri and Johnny Trigg congratulations on your inductions.  It will be great to have you all in Kansas City forever.

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My thoughts about The American Royal.

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The greatest weekend of BBQ in Kansas City is now done for another year.  Congratulations to Shiggin and Grinning for winning the American Royal Open contest on Sunday and to Big Poppa Smokers for winning the American Royal Invitational on Saturday.  They had lots of great competition but came out on top.  They also went up against some classic Missouri weather.  Lows at night were in the low 30′s and highs during the day were only in the 40′s until Sunday when the sun finally came out in time to warm everyone up for turn ins and the taping of BBQ Pitmasters.

For those of you that have never made it to KC for the American Royal here is how the schedule works.  Teams arrive early in the week, usually before Friday.  They get there spot set up and see the town.  Friday is party night at The Royal.  Some teams are hired by companies to cater large parties with music and drinks.  There is even an award for best party.  This is the day with the largest attendance numbers.  The parties end around 11 or so and the invited teams (all previous grand champions this year)  get ready to begin cooking for Saturdays Invitational contest.  After turn ins on Saturday, the teams must again begin to get ready to cook for Sunday’s Open contest.  Most teams invitational teams do compete in the open although some with longer trips home chose to leave before the open contest.  All in all this makes The American Royal (in my opinion) the toughest BBQ contest in the world.

This year was a little different .  Usually, Saturday night’s entertainment is some local band playing country music to a much smaller crowd that Friday night.  This year in addition to the band, KCBS had the first ever BBQ Hall of Fame inductions.  The Hall of Fame has been around for a few years now but KCBS purchased the rights to the Hall of Fame and hope to make it a grand occasion every year at The American Royal.  The KCBS invited the previous seven inductees which included the likes of MIke Mills, Dr. Rich Davis, Carolyn Wells and John Willingham along with the 3 new inductees Henry Ford (representative), Johnny Trigg and celebrity chef Guy Fierri.  It was a nice ceremony that honored all that attended.

For the first time ever, The American Royal had a Sunday event.  The Destination America show BBQ Pitmasters was taping an episode in Kansas City.  John Markus, Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone and Aaron Franklin were all on hand for the season 4 taping.  I got to speak with all of 4 of them personally and talk about this season and BBQ in General.

For the BBQ fan this had to be the ultimate weekend event.  So many big names were in Kansas City, Mo that you would have trouble listing them all off the top of your head.  Let me tell you some if my impressions of the event.  First off, the contests, I have no idea how much organization it takes to put this on but the American Royal staff did a heck of a job.  I heard no complaints from any cooker I spoke with about how the event was run.  I have never had this kind of access to the Royal and was really impressed with the organization of it all.  Awards were late (they always are at any contest) and the Hall of Fame Ceremony was a little late due to set up issues with the stage.  Really neither was a big deal at all.  Second, the Hall of Fame Ceremony was well thought out.  The KCBS gave credit to all the previous inductees who were not privileged enough to have a ceremony when they were inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Nice touch KCBS!  Attendance at the ceremony was very sparse.  Saturday night never has the attendance that Friday does, but some huge BBQ names were up on stage being honored.  I did not see that many BBQ teams up by the stage area watching as ,The Godfather, Johnny Trigg was inducted.  At 7pm that night at least some of the cookers should have shown up for the people that have paved the way for them to do what they do.  The KCBS could have promoted it better than they did as well but there were over 500 teams at the Royal and I do not think there were 500 people at the ceremony.  Hopefully Kansas City can do a little better next year.  Sunday was BBQ Pitmasters Day with free admission to all.  Once again not really advertised very well.  The Pitmasters started at 7:30am and announced the winners at 6pm.  Do not ask me for spoilers I purposely did not stay until the end so I would not have to keep a secret.  I would have thought a lot a backyard cookers would have come down to watch that event and the crowd was small.  I enjoyed talking to all the judges and creator John Markus.  They were more than nice and obliging for my son Tanner and I.  Overall a great weekend.

My final thoughts about The American Royal are this.  This is the best contest in the US because of the setup and level of competition.  I am a little biased, being from KC, and I have not been to Memphis in May or The Jack yet.  Second, when KCBS and The American Royal have special events on Saturday and Sunday for the public they should do a better job of letting the public know of them.  I wish more people could have been there for the Hall of Fame ceremony.  The amount of BBQ knowledge on that stage that night was astounding.  Third and last, if Destination America want to really push the BBQ Pitmasters show then they should promote the tapings on the network.  Let people know why you are showing the previous episodes that a taping is coming up and where people can go to see it.

I will have more articles later in the weeks to come about some great experiences I had this weekend.  Let me congratulate both Grand Champions crowned this weekend and thank everyone who I got to speak with this weekend.

 

 

 

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Eating out of the Box.

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We all seem to find ourselves in a rut sometimes. Whether it is the clothes we wear, the work we do or the places we go out to eat.  Living in Kansas City gives us numerous opportunities to go out for really great BBQ.  Literally hundreds of BBQ restaurants are located in the KC metropolitan area.  Why is it that we tend to migrate to only 2 of them?  When my family goes out for BBQ we tend to go to 2 of the biggest names in KC BBQ Oklahoma Joe’s and Fiorella’s Jacks Stack.  We love them both, get great service and terrific food, but what about all of the others?  Through Facebook, I got back in touch with a friend from high school.  He noticed some of (most of) my posts are related to BBQ.  We wanted to meet up for dinner and he suggested a BBQ joint that I had never been to.  I did not even know it existed and I drive by the area every day on my way to work.  This is not a review of the restaurant, as I did not sample enough off of the menu to give a full review.  This is just about the experience of going to a new place and having things that you would normally not have.  Eating out of the box and getting out of my rut.

My friend, Mike Anani, and I had been trying to meet up for dinner for well over a month and something always seemed to come up.  Finally we found a clear Saturday and made plans.  He knew I really liked BBQ and so did he.  He actually eats at a lot more BBQ restaurants than I do.  He said he had been coming to a new place for a few months and really liked it and wanted to share it with me.  Brobeck’s BBQ is the name of the place. Mike said it was in my neck of the woods.  My neck of the woods?  I had never heard of the place and was very sceptical if I would like it.  How could it be any good if I had not heard of it?

Saturday came and I managed to find Brobeck’s.  It is not really off the beaten path but is tucked away in the back of a strip mall, hidden from the major road I use to get to work.  The parking lot was full.  That’s a good sign that the food is good.  Mike and I walked in and got one of the last tables available and Mike began to tell me about a Ham Salad appetizer they had there.  Ham Salad I thought?  Yuck!  That sounds like something old people eat.  I had never had it before.  We ordered some.  The waitress who was very very sweet, brought it to the table in a bowl about the size you would use for cereal in the morning.  It was a huge portion.  The Ham Salad was served with crackers and Brobeck’s very own potato chips that they make at the restaurant.  It looked good. So I spread some on the crackers and dove right it.  It was fantastic!  I did not ask but I think they used BBQ smoked ham in it.  It was so good if I could get the recipe, I would make it at home and have it every day for lunch.  This was very unexpected.  I never wood have thought that I would have liked that.

After the appetizer, the waitress came over to take our dinner order.  She explained that they were famous for there ribs.  Famous I thought?  I have never heard of you but if it is the best thing you make I am all in.  I ordered a half slab of spare ribs with beans and fries.  The waitress explained that the ribs will come out dry (with no sauce at all) because they are so good you do not need the sauce.  This showed me the pitmaster is very proud of his ribs.  The waitress stated they had 2 sauces on the table Brobeck’s original which is sweet and tomato based and also Brobeck’s mustard sauce if we chose to use sauce.  She continued to say that they had a BBQ sauce bar.  Yes a BBQ sauce bar.  Brilliant idea.  This was a table next to the kitchen loaded with a number of sauces from KC Masterpiece to sauces from many local restaurants including Oklahoma Joe’s and Jack’s Stack.  Honestly, even though it is a great idea and I would like to get Draper’s Smokin Sauce on that table, I did not use it because I wanted to try Brobeck’s Original sauce.  It was tangy, and sweet with good flavor.  Good sauce overall.

Our meals came and my plate was overflowing.  Six meaty spare ribs with a serving of beans and a side dish of steak fries.  Outstanding.  I tried the ribs dry first and the waitress was right, they stood on their own with no sauce.  You could taste the smoke and the rub as very mild.  Not a lot of heat in the rub.  A good solid rib.  I tried it with the original sauce and the sauce  enhanced the flavor slightly but I preferred the dry rib.  What really made the dinner was the amount of meat and the flavor of the rib.  Out of the six ribs I could only eat three and took the rest home for lunch the next day. Overall it was an excellent experience for me and I would not hesitate to go back and try other things off of the menu.  The Ham Salad was fantastic and I would go there just for that item alone.  Maybe get a to go order for lunch during the week.  It is really addictive.

I know everyone has a favorite BBQ joint to go to but with all of the great ones out there you may be missing something special just down the road.  Something you drive by everyday and would never know it was there if someone would not have told you about it.  Look around, slow down and stop and smell the smoke once in a while.  Get out of your BBQ rut and try someplace new.  You may find a hidden gem or a diamond in the rough.

I would be neglecting my duty if I did not give you some info for Brobeck’s BBQ.  Their website address is http://www.brobecksbbq.com/.  Their address is 4615 Indian Creek Parkway Overland Park, KS 66207.  If you are in KC, check them out.

 

 

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Product Review: C-Dub’s BBQ Rub

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I had the honor recently of trying out a rub created by one of the competitors of BBQ Pitmasters Season 3 on Destination America. C-Dub’s BBQ rubs are the creation of Charles and Allegra Wilson of Puyallup, WA.    I cooked some grilled, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for dinner using C-Dub’s BBQ Rub.  I have also been supplied samples of his Hot Wang and VooDoo rubs and I will review those at a later date.  All of C-Dub’s rubs are all natural, organic and hand made with no preservatives, MSG, gluten and no anti-caking agents.

Appearence

C-Dub’s Original rub has a nice color and aroma to it and you can see many of the different ingredients to the rub.  Even though Charles puts in no anti-caking agents the rub does not clump and comes out of the shaker easily.  This is not a finely ground rub but is not the coarsest I have seen.  It falls somewhere in the middle.

Taste

Initially, I put a small amount of rub on my finger to try it out before putting it on the chicken.  At first, I tasted a sweet and salty mix that just popped in my mouth.  My mouth was watering for more.  Once the taste of sweet and salty were gone a mild amount of heat came threw at the end.  The heat was not overpowering but you knew some kind of pepper was in there.  I then applied it liberally to all 4 of my boneless skinless chicken breasts and added a little kosher salt on top.  (Yes I love salt.  I put it an everything)  Not that the rub needed more salt but I just love kosher salt on all meat.  Here is what they looked like after C-Dub’s rub was applied.

I cooked the chicken to 165 degrees.  I sauced two with a BBQ sauce I will let you in on in a few days and left one “naked” as C-Dub says.  I wanted to see if you could use just this rub for all your BBQ flavor and if a sauce would cover up some of the nice flavor profile C-Dub has working here in his rub.  It also gave me an excuse to eat 2 chicken breasts.  I began with the sauced breast.  I cut a nice big piece off and savored the flavor.  I could taste the chicken.  It was not covered up by the rub. The initial sweetness of the rub and the sauce came through and it finished with the heat again.  The heat was even less noticeable once applied to the meat but was still there.  The sauce I used complemented the rub very well.  My 7 year old son, who is a very picky eater, had his chicken grilled with just salt.  He prefers his chicken in nugget form.  After I took my first bite, he said, ” Dad that looks good.  Can I try it?”  I cut up about half of my chicken for him and it disappeared from his plate.  Then he asked for the other half.  So for me, it was on to the naked breast.  It tasted great as well.  Once again, all the flavors were still there, sweet with a little blast of heat at the end.  You really can eat it “naked” as Charles would say.

Conclusion

I was really happy Charles was so accommodating by giving me samples of all 3 rubs.  I have not tried the other 2 yet but am looking forward to trying them soon.  The C-Dub’s Original BBQ rub was well balanced between sweet and heat.  With a flavor your whole family can enjoy.  I recommend that you pick some up for your family.  Shop on line for this outstanding rub at cdubsrub.com or if you live in or around Washington state check the website for a store near you.

 

 

 

 

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A Boy and his Grill

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I was not involved in Scouting as a child.  I was that kid that was allergic to anything outside and did not venture outside of his backyard much.  Now as an adult, I find myself now going on Boy Scout camp-outs on a regular basis thanks to 5 yrs of allergy shots.  Most camp-outs are canoeing, bike riding and fishing.  These are not really in my skill set since I do not have experience or fitness level to excel at these activities. I muddle through and make the best of it.  So this weekend, I had the great pleasure of participating in Boy Scout Troop 10 Mustang Camp-out  2012.  This is a camp-out for all 1st year Boy Scouts in Troop 10 to refine their camping skills before a 10 day summer camp-out later in the month.  As a requirement for this camp-out, the boys (my son Tanner being 1 of them)  must cook 3 meals over and open wood campfire.  This camp-out was right in my wheel house!  Most 11 year old boys have trouble making microwave popcorn and this weekend they have to cook 3 entire meals?  It was a daunting task for sure but my son loves to BBQ with me and I hope something has rubbed off over the last few years.

We planned the meals together, bought the food and discussed what he was going to do when he was cooking.  The menus consisted of BLT’s for lunch, steak fajitas with grilled corn and potatoes for dinner and scrambled egg, ham and cheese bagel sandwiches for breakfast on the last day.  All the meals were fantastic but the fajitas were really the best meal of them all.  The wood smoke made the beef taste fantastic!

Cooking over wood was a huge challenge for everyone.  I usually use lump charcoal when I cook with my Good One smoker.  So I do not have any experience using just wood.  We just picked wood off of the ground at the campsite so there was no consistency to the type or dryness of the wood.  The fire flared up often and the heat was very uneven.  The wind would shift and you would get a huge face full of smoke.  All of the boys were impatient waiting for their creations to be done so they could feed the adults and get some reviews.  The adult leaders also wanted the boys to have conversations with them and explain how everything was prepared.  My son and I also talked about knife skills as he chopped the onions and peppers for the fajitas.  Tanner was so comfortable with the whole process that he woke up early the last day and restarted the fire with another scout without the help of an adult.

It was such a rewarding weekend watching my son grow in experience and confidence.  As he moves up the ladder with scouts his skill set improves and he is not afraid to try anything.  If it was not for scouting, I do not believe that this opportunity would have come up.  So whether or not your son or daughter is involved in scouting  go camping with them.  Cook with them.  Leave the electronics at home and get back to nature.  It is an adventure you and your child will not forget.

 

 

 

 

 

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Newbie Guide – Recommended Resources

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In the past few years since purchasing our Tucker Cooker I have been on a mission of barbecue information gathering, learning, practicing and the overall betterment of myself as a pit master and cook.  I have noticed from talking to other Tucker owners that, even though the Tucker is a larger pit, it is often the first real pit / smoker they have ever owned.  With those things in mind, I thought it would be helpful to put together a resource guide to assist people in their education process.  The lists contained here should not be considered a complete work, but rather a starting point.  These are just my favorites and my personal recommendations.  Take the time to explore and  use these resources to find your own favorites.

Requirements….or are they?

There are just a few real requirements in the barbecue game.  They aren’t difficult, but they are undeniable.  First and foremost, you must have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.  That is the single most important thing you can bring to the table and will serve you better than any other trait.  Second, you must be willing to tinker with things, such as recipes and cooking methods.  Be willing to take these things and see if you can make them work, adapt them, change them and call them your own.  Finally, keep a note pad and pen handy and take copious notes.  In hind sight, this is probably as important as the thirst for knowledge.  Jotting down times that meat goes on the pit, what temp, how long it cooked, at what temp/time you injected, etc will prove to be invaluable as you grow.  The sooner you adopt the idea you must take notes about everything, the faster you will improve.

Having noted all of these requirements, I am reminded that this crazy culture of barbecue was built by men and women who have accepted that there are really no actual rules, but a lot of strongly suggested folk lore.  This lore, as with most things of legend, is meant to be tested, challenged, changed and changed again. So, I think my greatest suggestion must be to find what works for you. I can only hope some of the things I mention here aid you in finding the magical combination of things that will help you become a true pit master.

The Wide World of Web Info

The Internet is always the first resource I recommend.  It is a pretty obvious one given the age of information we live in…not to mention it’s free. Anything and everything you need to know you can usually find online. The real question then becomes where to find the best, most helpful info. Since the sheer amount of information on the web can be overwhelming, to say the least, the majority of the hints here will help start you on the right path to finding the information you want on-line.

Seek and Enjoy

You can, of course, go with a search engine like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.  You just have to be willing to type a question into the search engine and see where it takes you.  General questions like “best internal temperature of a pork shoulder” typed into Google will keep you reading for hours, if not days.  The drawback with  this method is that you may well find yourself flooded with too much information.  It may also turn you onto 15 great sites that you become a long term fan of. Be patient! Pick a site that looks interesting to you and see where it takes you. User mileage may very, but never underestimate the power of the almighty search engine.

Finding Your Forum

Forum’s are probably the single best source for the new barbecue pit master.  These jewels of the Internet are loaded with nothing short of experts in the field and you can learn a lot in a very short amount of time.  Be warned though, as with most activities with a learning curve, most forums have little patience for newbies asking the same question over and over.  Take the time to read the FAQ sections of all forums before posting questions.  Be sure to use the search functions of the forum to help find answers.  Take the time to post an introduction telling everyone who you are, where you live, what cooker you use and what you like to cook now. The barbecue community is, by and large, chock full of friendly, helpful and knowledgeable folks who are more than happy to help.  If you follow these few tips you will find yourself welcomed and the volumes of information available to you vast.  

Here are two I personally recommend (although there are literally hundreds to choose from):

BBQ Brethren - Probably the most comprehensive barbecue forum on the Internet.  A vast source of information, a wide ranging cast of characters and a lot of bantering.

BBQ Bug - A  fantastic resource that includes  tons of step by step instructions for just about everything you can think of in barbecue.

Blog Jam

I really love a number of blogs and read them daily.  What I find so compelling about blogs and newsletters is that they are typically written by fans turned experts.  You get several levels of expertise; everything from someone who has never barbecued who just wanted to write about their experience to actual experts who have been brought on by a company to write for them.  Each type of writer has things to bring to the table and each is worth reading.  Blogs and newsletters are great because you can subscribe to them and have every updates emailed to you as they are released.  This allows you to catalog the information and recall it at will.  Some of the resources I subscribe to are:

Amazing Ribs

Big Wayner’s BBQ Blog

Grill Grrl

Grilling With Rich

How To BBQ Right

Nibble Me This

Patio Daddio BBQ

Listener Supported

Lately, my favorite source for barbecue information are Internet radio shows,  also known as podcasts.  These shows are hands down some of the best entertainment for the barbecue pit master.  I know, it sounds a little bit odd at first using your computer to listen to the radio, but just think of these shows as Pandora for barbeque.  Then there is the whole idea of listening to a show about barbecue. Doesn’t  it seem a little bit self indulgent? Well maybe, but the shows really are a great way not only to learn, but to get a real feel for the whole barbecue culture. I understand this may not be for you but I still suggest you give it a try.  Like me, you may find yourself addicted to it.  I love that I can listen to these resources live and participate in the audience or I can download the podcast of the show later and listen on my phone while driving to and from work.  

My favorite shows?  That’s easy, check these out:
BBQ Central Radio Show - This show is also live every Tue, 9pm EST on the Outdoor Cooking Channel  Greg Rempe does a great job of balancing fun and barbecue information and is considered the pioneer in barbecue radio shows.

BBQ Super Stars - Darryl Mast has many shows on his network and does a live call in, free format sort of show that allows anyone to call in and talk Q.  BBQ Super Stars as a site is much more than just a radio show though, check it out as it is a great source for all sorts of barbecue information.  Check out the Tucker Cooker section on the main site, there are some videos there that were shot during the last Memphis in May.

Whiskey Bent BBQ’s “In The Pit” - Is one of the shows on the BBQ Super Stars network.  This show is headed by Chad Ward of Whiskey Bent BBQ, a fantastic up and coming competition team out of Florida.  Chad’s main focus is competition barbecue and the show is always informative and entertaining.  

Birds of a Feather…..Twitter Together

What makes the barbecue community so powerful is the sharing of information and the direct access we have to the “stars” of our field.  It’s impossible to be at every event, competition or show with your favorite barbecue star but if you have a Twitter or Facebook account you have what almost amounts to a 24hr backstage pass with them.  Not every star has or maintains their Twitter or Facebook feed, but the one’s who do are fantastic sources of information. I suggest you follow them and don’t be afraid to interact with them and ask questions.  A word of advice: Remember that these are real people, with real lives, real families, real jobs and real problems.  Be polite, be real, be courteous and, above all, be a friend, not just someone who is trying to gain something from them.  If you do that, you will go a long way towards making some great friends.  In fact, some of my closest barbecue relationships started on Twitter and grew into real world friendships that I consider invaluable.  

So who do I follow?  All the people I have mentioned in his article have websites, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Take the time to look them up even if I don’t explicitly list them all below.  I follow and recommend these folks because they are great at Twitter in particular, all links are to Twitter, but you can find links to Facebook from there:

Brian Henderson

Danielle Dimovksi (aka DivaQ)

Hanneke Eerden

Jay Prince

Kevin Kelly

Larry Gaian

Neil Stawder (aka Bigmista)

Ray Lampe (aka Dr. BBQ)

Wilfred Reinke

There are many, many others. You can do a search in Twitter for #bbq or #barbecue and see what turns up. Don’t be afraid to Follow someone for awhile to see if you like their content.  If you don’t you can always Unfollow them later.

Reading Is Fun-da-mental

If more traditional sources are your cup of tea, there are, of course, tens of thousands of barbecue books out there for you.  I really like barbecue books because they are as much instructions manuals as they are recipe books.  Some include a bit of history, behind the scenes access to legends and some fun tall tails.  One of my first barbecue books was by Ray Lampe.  His book was an integral part of inspiring me to start making my own barbecue sauces.  I would recommend reading much more than just barbecue books though.  Be willing to expand your purview and find inspiration from many types of books.  One of my favorite things to do is find a recipe that has nothing to do with barbecue and take it, rework it and make it my own by putting my own barbecue slant on it.  

I have included a few of my personal favorite books in the list below.  One of which was written using a Tucker (Championship BBQ Secrets).  Each are great books in their own right and for different reasons.  Check them out, cook along with them and see where they take you.

BBQ Makes Everything Better

Championship BBQ Secrets for Real Smoked Food

Dr. BBQ’s Big-Time Barbecue Cookbook

Peace, Love and Barbecue

If you are looking for a great list of barbecue book reviews, check out  AmazingRibs.com.  Meathead Goldwyn does a good job reviewing some of the best books available.  

It’s All Perspective

While I find myself writing “rules” or “recommendations” for the new barbecue fan, I have to admit there are no actual rules.  Every time a rule has been created in barbecue it has been challenged, changed, rewritten or reinvented.  Some will swear by low and slow while a new breed of pit master is all about hot and fast cooking.  Some will say you can only get great flavor by burning wood while the next guy is steadily winning with charcoal or pellets.  In the end, my earlier premise holds true: this culture of barbecue was built by men and women who have accepted that rules are made to be broken and the folk lore is meant to be tested, challenged, changed and redone.  There is, however, one truth that we cling to:.  No matter what you cook on, cook with or how long the cooking takes, when the meat tastes great, you have cooked with love and passion.  Remember that, and you will have a great dish every time.

 

 

 

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