Cruisers Cafe 66 - Williams Arizona

We spent a few days in Williams, Arizona on vacation recently. Located on Interstate 40, the town of Williams is the homebase for many exploratory trips to the Grand Canyon.

After a day of sight seeing we stopped by Cruisers Bar & Grill on Historic Route 66 for supper. Cruisers was built in an old historic gas station located in downtown Williams. The decor and atmosphere were pretty cool. I didn't have ribs, but my father-in-law and mother-in-law gave them good reviews.

The ribs.

A view of the front patio.

The decor.

The grill.

A picture of the classic hot rod on the roof of the cover over what used to be gasoline pumps.

Memphis Championship Barbecue - Las Vegas

We spent several days in Las Vegas last week on vacation. On the way to the hotel from the airport we stopped by Memphis Championship Barbecue for lunch. We arrived at the location closest to the airport a few minutes before the restaurant opened at 11 a.m. on a Thursday and including us, there were four customers in line for 'que.

I had brisket and baby back ribs. Both were good. I loved the atmosphere. If you're in Las Vegas, I recommend stopping by one of the several locations in the area.

Food Inc Movie

No matter what your politics are, this is an important movie. Read more on the Food Inc. website. If you would rather hear a radio clip about the movie, National Public Radio recently hosted a feature piece on the movie with the creators. Listen here. It's not just the producer that impacts our food system. It's impacted by those that process the food too.

I've written on this blog a few times about labeling food properly. I'll go on record again that I believe imported food should be prominently labeled as such. I also believe the genetically modified food should labeled. The "food production system" needs to worry a little less about cheap and easy, and worry a little more about nutrition and health. After all, isn't that the real reason we eat it in the first place?

Looking at pictures of pigs from 20 years ago and comparing them to pictures of pigs raised today, it's easy to see that the genetics of hog farming have changed. It's also been documented that pork today doesn't taste like it did 20 years ago. It's much less flavorful. This has enabled a resurgence in heritage pork breeds and free range growing methods.

I urge you to support your local farmers. Buy local if you can and buy direct from the producer when possible. More money goes to the farmer and it's easier on the environment. Did you know that almost 50% of food costs are related to transportation expenses of moving it from farm to grocery store? Talk about saving fossil fuels.

It's a little more difficult and it might cost a little more to buy locally, but it's worth it. If everyone did this, we'd probably all be healthier too.

How to BBQ Brisket

Brisket has become one of my favorite foods to barbecue. A pencil width slice of properly cooked brisket lightly coated with some Blues Hog BBQ Sauce is hard to beat.

I prefer to cook briskets in my Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM). I receive quite a few e-mails asking for help with barbecue brisket and thought I'd share some questions I received today.

Do you cook brisket with direct or indirect heat?
I use indirect heat and cook the brisket slowly at a temperature of 225-250 degrees.

Do you cook with fat cap up or fat cap down?
I begin cooking the brisket fat cap up for the first cooking segment. I don't flip until the brisket reaches 130 degrees or so. That's the point when the bark starts to harden a little bit. Then I flip it to fat side down. I used to skip this part but wanted a little more bark and found that this method will promote more bark formation.

Do you use foil?
I wrap in foil when the internal brisket temp is 165 degrees or if it's been cooking for at least 5 hours. Most of my briskets are completely done in 8 hours or so. I cook to an internal temp of 196-198 degrees and hold them in an Igloo cooler for a few hours to "rest" before slicing.

I hope this helps.

How to bbq ribs

Linda took some pictures as I prepared 8 slabs of ribs for the neighbors birthday party.

First, I trimmed the extra meat at the "knuckle" to create a St. Louis cut.

Then I removed the membrane. Some people leave it on, but it makes the ribs tough to chew.

Next, I sprinkle the ribs with the "secret" dry rub. In this case, I used my "Southern Rub" that I originally developed for brisket.

And finally, I cooked them in my red bbq smoker for 5 1/2 hours.

Weber Smokey Mountain Pulled Pork

Championship BBQ.TV has a nice "how to bbq" video for preparing pork butts for smoking in the Weber Smokey Mountain.

When you place the bbq rub on the pork butt, I wouldn't waste too much time putting rub on the bottom side (fat side) of the butts. Most of the fat will render out when cooking, so there's little use in putting rub on the fat cap.

The video is a testament to the capabilities of the WSM and how it will perform in cold weather.

When I prepare pork butts I prefer to wrap the pork in aluminum foil when the butts reach an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees. This will reduce the amount of dark black coloring on the outside of the pork butts.

I hope you enjoy it.

Top 10 BBQ Blogs

Wendy Taylor, of Sixapart.com, asked me to contribute my list of Top 10 BBQ Blogs. Sixapart is well known for creating the popular Typepad Blogging software.

Here's my list of favorites (in no particular order):

Ulika Food Blog
Written by a professional bbq contest competitor, this bbq blog is a reliable source of information for the bbq community in Nashville, TN. The blog includes articles about bbq restaurants and compeitions in the area with lots and lots of pictures.

Martin's BBQ Blog
If you've ever thought about starting a restaurant, or specifically a bbq themed restaurant, Pat Martin's experiences chronicled on his blog might make you think twice, or three or four times. He has documented the entire experience from start-up to full operation on his blog.

Fat Johnny's Front Porch
Wonderful food pictures, recipes and good music. Need I say more?

White Trash BBQ
I visited this blog initially for the catchy name, but I keep going back for the recipes and insight into the New York bbq scene. The site features reviews and news about New York restaurants - not just bbq ones.

Q Haven BBQ Blog
A documentary for New England BBQ contests, this site is also filled with tasty bbq recipes and pictures. There is a fair amount of KCBS bbq competition results too.

Bucky's Barbecue and Bread
This site is a wonderful source of recipes with a fair amount of bbq recipes and pictures sprinkled in. I've met the author several times on the bbq contest trail. As we say in the south, he's good people.

BBQ Blog
This blog is an extension of the world reknowned BBQ Forum created by Ray Basso. Contributors include serious bbq enthusiasts from all areas of the country giving their own unique view of bbq.

Old Dave's Po-Farm
Dave cook's just about anything in a bbq smoker. He provides pictures, recipes, and an overall bbq philosophy that is refreshing and rewarding. Pizza, corn bread, pork butt, ribs, and chicken. You can tell he loves to cook.

Cowgirl's Country Life
This cowgirl knows how to cook. Tons of pictures, recipes, and country cooking - bbq and otherwise.

All Things Barbecue
This is the blog for one of the winningest teams on the professional Kansas City Barbecue Society cooking circuit. If you're into bbq contests, this site is for definitely for you. Not too heavy on bbq recipes, but very large on bbq contest information, pictures, and all the contest happenings.

Gateway City BBQ Festival

Gateway City BBQ Festival
St. Louis MO
July 3-4, 2009

The Gateway City Barbeque Festival will take place July 3-4, 2009 at the Old Rock House in downtown St. Louis. Entries are now being acccepted, but are limited to 20 spaces, so first come first serve. Be sure to sign up before the June 25, 2009.

Grand Champion Takes Home $500

Pork (shoulder/butt)1st - $300
2nd- $200
3rd- $100
4th -$50
5th- Case of beer

Rib1st - $300
2nd- $200
3rd- $100
4th -$50
5th- Case of beer

Pork Steak
1st - $300
2nd-$ 200
3rd- $100
4th - $50
5th- Case of beer

Peoples Choice Award- 2 Cardinal Tickets and one night free hotel stay

For information and an applicationEmail: Melissa.payne@oldrockhousestl.com

Advantages of Grass Fed Beef?

I grew up on a small farm and we sometimes slaughtered cattle for our family to consume. As far as I knew at the time, all beef was "grass fed". As I got older and traveled to different areas of the country, I learned that the majority of beef we purchase from a supermarket is not grass-fed but rather grain fed - on feed lots.

According to this article published on IdealBite.com, we should all consider eating more grass fed beef. "Grass-fed beef, bison, and lamb have less total fat, cholesterol, and calories than grain-fed. And grass-fed is a good source of potentially-cancer-blocking conjugated lineolic acid." Not to mention that grazing is usually better for the environment versus feed lots.

Click here to find places to purchase grass fed beef.

BBQ Road Trip

I am planning a road trip from Las Vegas to Albuquerque to Amarillo next month. It's a driving vacation that includes a visit to the Grand Canyon. I'm looking for ideas for bbq restaurants we should check out along the route.

A Google search brings up quite a few, but I'd like to weed out the contenders from the pretenders before we leave for the trip.

Amarillo, TX

A. Dyer's Bar-B-Que - (806) 358-7104
B. Cattle Call Express - www.cattlecall.com - (806) 331-1227
C. Desperado's BBQ & Steaks - (806) 372-3030
D. Texas Roadhouse - Amarillo - www.texasroadhouse.com - (806) 352-7427
E. Big Daddy's BBQ - (806) 383-9731
F. Jerry's Famous Pit Bar-B-Que - (806) 376-9932
H. Wesley's Bean Pot & BBQ - (806) 381-2893
I. Hickory Stick Barbecue - (806) 373-3322

Albuquerque, NM

A. Rudy's Country Store & Bar-BQ - rudys.com - (505) 884-4000
B. Quarters BBQ - www.thequarters.com - (505) 843-7505
C. County Line BBQ - www.countyline.com - (505) 856-7477
D. Robbs Ribbs
E. Powdrell's Barbeque House Mr - (505) 345-8086
F. Golden Pride BBQ Chicken - www.goldenpridebbq.com - (505) 294-5767

Any suggestions?

Good Morning America Best Barbecue Challenge

Good Morning America Weekend’s Best Bites series continues tomorrow with the Best Barbecue Challenge. Viewer selected finalists are Dinosaur BBQ (Syracuse, NY), Cousin’s BBQ (Ft. Worth, TX), Woody’s Smoke Shack (Des Moines, IA), and Archibald’s BBQ (Northport, AL).

Voting begins after our segment on the finalists airs tomorrow morning on ABC (8am ET – check local listings elsewhere).

Click here to vote.

Michigan BBQ Rib Contest Seeks Competitors

Novi, Michigan - Hot and tasty summer family fun is on the menu for the first annual West Oakland Rib Cook Off and Family Fest, Sunday August 9 at the Rock Financial Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave in Novi , MI. The all day event will feature as many as fifty BBQ Rib teams, live music, local restaurant tastings, family activities including a furry creature petting zoo, and much more!

“Experience West Oakland ”, a committee of the Novi Chamber of Commerce, was recently granted a sanction from the Memphis Barbeque Network for their inaugural event, which will offer BBQ competitors the chance to compete for Prize Packages totaling $10,000. A panel of 40 professional and amateur judges will determine the contest results. The Grand Prize Winner will be invited to compete in the “ Memphis in May” Barbeque Network Finals, May 2010. More information on the sanctioning body can be found at www.MBNBBQ.com

Registration information for interested contestants can be found at www.experiencewo.com

For more information, please call 248.486.3424.

Truth In Advertising - Part 2

When visiting restaurants I often chuckle when I see bbq on the menu. As an example, Saturday night we tried out a local restaurant in a nearby town that has a very popular buffet. Two people can eat all they want for less than $20. You pay as you enter and then you don't have to worry about finding a waitress later when you're ready to leave. However, the bbq ribs were not bbq at all. They were most likely oven cooked, or worse...boiled. Then they brushed some bbq sauce on them and called them "bbq ribs". The meat wouldn't even stay on the bones long enough to bite into it. Not my kind of bbq ribs at all, but very popular at this restaurant.

QSRmagazine.com has another example of the truth in advertising issues I'm beginning to despise. Maybe I'm just getting old and my cynical side is taking control, but it's borderline ridiculous.

Kentucky Fried Chicken is advertising a new "grilled" chicken product this week. I've seen the ads every time I've sat down to watch a little TV this weekend. El Pollo Loco, a chain that also serves chicken, has taken exception with the KFC advertising campaign and makes an interesting observation - How can they call it grilled chicken, if they don't cook it over a flame?

Suffice it to say that El Pollo Loco's new advertising slogan - "See the fire, taste the flavor." - is no accident and is likely in direct response to KFC's attempt to cash-in with a "me too" product.

Antibiotics-free chicken?

I never purchase Tyson's chicken anymore. The last few times I did 5 or 6 years ago, it didn't turn out well for bbq. Well, based on this article it will likely be a lot longer than 5 or 6 years. (It might have to freeze you know where first.) While the label might be "legal", it's still not right. In my opinion, right is right, and wrong is wrong. You can't have it both ways.

Jamie Geer BBQ Pit For Sale

I was surfing around on e-Bay this afternoon and ran across this bbq pit for sale. The $20,000 starting bid is pretty steep, but this is a serious cooker for a serious cooks.

I first saw one of these pits in Brooksville, FL several years ago and I've been drooling over them ever since.

There's a long list of cooks waiting for new Jambo Pits, but here's your chance to jump to the head of the line so to speak and take one home now.

Bidding ends in 3 days, so get out your piggy bank.

BBQ Contest on GMA

Good Morning America recently announced a bbq contest.

You can enter an essay of 300 words or less explaining why you like a particular bbq restaurant. Good Morning America will visit the restaurant and feature the restaurant on the air.

Grilled Bison Burgers

Tonight I grilled some bison burgers for supper. If you've never eaten bison, you're missing out.

Bison has a flavor signature that differs from beef, in that it has just a hint of sweetness. I also think it's a slightly heavier taste than traditional beef. I have no scientific proof, but my gut tells me that since bison has much less fat and grease than a hamburger, you taste more of the actual meat.

If you try some, please don't over cook it. Since it has less fat than hamburger, you don't need to cook it as much.

I took these pictures during a trip to Mount Rushmore two years ago.

BBQ Art

Dade City Florida Jack Daniels Qualifier

I received this announcement from the Florida Barbecue Association today.

When: April 3-4, 2009
What: Orange Blossom Special BBQ Fest
Where: Dade City, FL (FBA)

This contest is a State Championship and a Jack Daniels Qualifier.

Who: East Pasco Habitat for Humanity - 15000 Citrus Country Drive - Suite 420 - Dade City, FL 33523(352)-567-1444 or e-mail: for information

The contest is looking for a few more competitors.

BBQ Contest Strategies

We've been competing in bbq contests for almost 5 years now and have had some small successes here and there. When I decided to start competing in Florida Barbecue Association events, I started out cooking with another team. I mainly did the dishes and served as a "go fer", but I learned about the equipment I would need and I also learned just how hard it is to win a bbq contest.

I learned that organization and planning ahead are key to turning in good bbq samples. Any time that I cook bbq I try to do it the same way I would if I was at a contest. It's kind of become second nature now, but I try to use the same sauce, spices and meats. If I do decide to change something with the hopes of improving the product, I try to only change one thing at a time, so I can better track the effects.

I make a schedule for everything that we do when we compete. I try to arrive at the contest sight at the same time, prep the meat at the same times. Get some sleep at the same times, start my fires, begin cooking, etc. at the same basic times. That way it becomes systematic and I can track the results accurately.

I started cooking on a Weber Smokey Mountain water smoker because it was very affordable and since it was an upright style, when I decided to look at bigger models for competing, I naturally gravitated toward the upright-style smokers such as the Backwoods Smoker.

I use a Party model to cook my chicken and I cook the briskets in the WSM. I cook ribs and butts in my other upright--the 2 x 2 McCullough smoker made for me by James McCullough of New Smyrna, FL. James is a great guy and has been cooking bbq and making smokers for more than 20 years. He also makes large trailer mounted rotisseries that are used by competitors and caters around central Florida.

I think the upright smokers allow me to concentrate on the bbq product more and less on maintaining heat and adding wood. My uprights are basically trouble free. They are very efficient and require only about 25-30 lbs of charcoal to cook a contest.

I purchased a very good bbq video set last winter: Inside The World of Championship Barbecue, and BBQ Secrets: The Master Guide To Extraordinary Barbecue Cookin’.

I watched the videos and took notes and tried to relate what I was doing to the video advice and made a couple of adjustments that have really helped our results.

Inside The World of Championship Barbecue takes you inside a major championship competition. Filmed at the American Royal Barbecue in Kansas City, you will gain solid tips from among the top barbecue cooks in this sport. Loaded with valuable information covering the entire (KCBS style) competition process, this movie is intended to help new competitors chart a winning course to victory.

In BBQ Secrets: The Master Guide To Extraordinary Barbecue Cookin’, 3 world champion barbecue competition cooks, and restaurateur’s, share their unique approaches to barbecue cooking. Learn how to apply the authentic “low and slow” methods to making pork ribs, shoulder, chicken, whole hog, beef brisket, and more. Master the art of making spice rubs and marinades, and how to use different woods for proper flavoring. This award-winning DVD offers a wealth of expert knowledge not readily available from other sources, and includes the champion’s own private recipes.

The video set comes with a recipe booklet that has a lot of the recipes featured in the video. I got some good ideas from the recipe book. One in particular has more than paid for the cost of the videos.