BBQ Secrets from a World Champion

Cancersuckschicago.com is giving away their bbq secrets in this Chicago Suburban News article.

After winning the Jack Daniels World Championship, people are beginning to listen when Scottie Johnson talks about bbq.

To summarize his prize winning tips:

• Start with a good cut of meat
• Cook it consistently
• Give it some flavor

Johnson recommends Sam's Club for meat purchases and is an advocate of using foil when cooking ribs to retain moisture.

These bbq tips sound pretty simple, but until you put them into consitent practice it's all just a theory. Folks, Scottie Johnson is proof that sometimes it's simple that wins bbq contests.

Ultimate Smoker and Grill

I received an e-mail today from a publicist for Oroweat, one of the sponsors of the Ultimate Smoker and Grill developed by Trace Arnold. His smoker/grill is so large, it requires a semi-truck to transport. He's developed a promotional concept that allows advertisers to promote their brand on a LARGE scale at fairs and festivals.

I've never seen this particular monster up close, but I have seen the Big Taste Grill a few years ago at the Taste of Grand Rapids (Michigan).

Dr. BBQ's Big-Time Barbecue Road Trip

Ray Lampe has written another quality bbq book. This book is available at Amazon.com.

Brisket Cook

Here's a picture of the brisket we cooked on Sunday. It was taken just before we wrapped it in aluminum foil for the final 2 hours. The internal meat temperature at this point in the cooking process registered 168 degrees.

I've found that wrapping in foil between 165 and 170 degrees helps speed up the cooking process and also helps retain moisture in the meat. I've tried them without foil and didn't like the results.

Brisket Barbecue

I'm cooking a packer brisket today that should be ready to eat just after the Indianapolis 500 finishes and just prior to the Coca-Cola 600 starting.

I prepared for the cook by purchasing a 12 pound packer brisket and trimming the biggest portion of the fat cap off.

My butcher always offers to perform the trimming for me, but I prefer to do it myself. By trimming myself, I end up paying for extra weight that ends up in the trash can, but in the end it's worth it because I can decide how much fat to trim off and how much to leave on. It's a delicate "grey area" because if you trim off too much, you risk drying out the meat. If you leave too much on, you will lose some bark formation on the meat itself.

I seasoned the brisket last night prior to bedtime and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. The rub included a generous coating of sugar, Kosher salt, Spanish paprika, black pepper, onion granules, garlic granules, oregano, and three other "secret" ingredients that make my spice rub a winner on the competition circuit.

I'm cooking in my Weber Smokey Mountain today with some apple wood chunks for seasoning.

If you would like to sample the brisket rub yourself, it's available for purchase at The BBQ Guy's web site. It's earned several top finishes for me and several of my bbq friends in KCBS competitions.

Monster Pig

An 11-year old boy killed a 1,051 pound hog near Anniston, AL with eight shots from a .50 caliber handgun. Click here for the complete story.

I've seen a lot of posts on discussion boards about the photograph being a "fake". I guess some folks have come to expect the worst from people, but I never doubted it for a minute. I've been around a lot of pigs in my life and had them for 4-H projects and on the family farm. We never had any that big, but I've seen some 400 pound boars and some maybe a little bigger.

For anyone that doubts the story, the Anniston Star, Fox News, and the taxidermist that mounted the hog for the family have help provide additional creditibility to story.

The boy's father, Mike Stone, estimates the hog will produce between 500 and 700 pounds of sausage.

Operation BBQ II

Ft. Rucker, AL will host the 2nd annual Above the Best BBQ and Music Festival bbq festival later in 20o7. According to the web site "donations of rubs, sauces, utensils, picnic supplies, music, and other BBQ essentials to create packages to send forward to soldiers currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan so that they too may have a taste of the Above the Best BBQ and Music Festival".

What a great idea. I applaud their efforts. My friend that served three years in South Korea with an Air Defense Battalion used to bbq on the weekends all the time. Based on the primitive conditions he was cooking in, the pictures of the ribs he sent back looked pretty good too.

It doesn't list a date for the Ft. Rucker event, but last year's contest was won by Lotta Bull BBQ with Munchees Smokehouse and Woodhouse Grill finishing 2nd and 3rd overall. Last year's event was KCBS sanctioned, but it appears this years event might be unsanctioned at this point.

This Memorial Day weekend, I'd urge everyone to take a moment and consider those who serve in the armed forces and those who have served previously.

Ole Hickory BBQ Pit for Sale

There's an Ole Hickory BBQ Pit mounted on a tandem axle trailer for sale at PurpleWaveAuction.net . Based on the pictures on the auction site, it looks a little rough. The current bid is at $1,450 and the next required bid is $1,500. If I'm reading the web site correctly, this is an internet auction that ends on June 5. The winning bidder will need to make arrangements to pick-up the smoker in Witchita, KS.

Imported Meat and Food Hazards

In previous bbq blog articles, I've written about some of the suspected dangers of imported beef from Canada and other countries. Here's some more articles for your consideration regarding beef, pork, and other foods:

Chinese Catfish
Canadian beef
Chinese rice protein
Chinese wheat
Peru jalapenos
Imported feed ingredients fed to U.S. pork supply

I think all imported food or food made with imported ingredients should be labeled prominently to make consumers aware of the "imported" status. Then consumers can chose to buy it, or not buy it based on an informed decision. A more agressive food lableing law would allow consumers to vote with their checkbook.

Would you knowingly purchase imported beef, pork or chicken to feed your family if you knew it was "imported"?

Holiday BBQ Smoking Plans

It's a 3-day weekend and the weather's perfect for cooking 'que!

Linda brought home a packer brisket today that I'm going to cook in the WSM on Sunday while watching the Indianapolis 500. (Go Danica!) It should be done just in time for a nice brisket feast during the Charlotte 600 later in the evening. (Any Dale Jr. fans out there?)

I used to cook brisket flats from Sam's Club exclusively, but when they didn't have the flats one day I picked up a packer brisket as a substitute. The whole briskets ruined me for brisket flats ever since.

Don't get me wrong....the flats are more affordable, but if there's one thing I've learned in the past 5-years chasing my bbq obsession....good barbecue isn't cheap!

I'll post some pictures later in the weekend.

Build an Offset Barbecue Smoker

If you're mechanically oriented and are a good welder, or know someone who is, you can build you own offset bbq smoker. It's common to see offset smokers made from propane tanks.

Here are some links to websites that can help get you started in the right direction:

Where to put the axle
Offset Smoker Build
BBQ Smoker Plans
Forum Discussion

Here's a picture of the end result as built by Rob Bagby aka "Rub" of Swamp Boys BBQ.

Florida BBQ License Plate

I received my new personalized bbq license plate this week.

Mike Mills Apple City Barbecue Team

I ran across this video featuring Mike Mills, co-author of Peace, Love, and Barbecue and proprietor of the 17th Street Bar and Grill in Murphysboro, IL.

The video provides an intimate look "behind the scenes" at the restaurant founded by the Apple City Barbeque multi-time Memphis in May World Champion (1990, 1992, 1994) and creator of "Magic Dust" barbecue rub.

The director, Mark Dolan, has produced several other bbq oriented videos you might also enjoy.

Restaurant Management Toolkit!

WSM Smoke Day

VirtualWeberBullet.com announced the 3rd annual International WSM Smoke Day scheduled for May 26, 2007. They've got t-shirts on sale via Cafe Press to commemorate the event.

To date 251 people have announced their plans to participate in the event. Join in the fun and register today.

Virtual Weber Bullet is one of the first bbq websites that I visited back in 2000 when I decided to learn how to barbecue. The information provided on the website convinced me to make the Weber Smokey Mountain my first bbq smoker.

Mothership BBQ Nashville Tennessee

Calling all bbq fans in Nashville....

Mothership BBQ has been featured on my bbq blog earlier this year and the restaurant has received rave reviews from the Tennessean, several local publications, and even a mention in the Washington Post.

You can read more about the situation on the Mothership bbq blog. But, as so often happens with a start-up restaurant, things are getting pretty tough.

Mothership could use your support. It would be great if you could take a few friends along with you when you visit. After all, we barbecuers have to stick together.

If you've ever thought about owning a bbq restaurant, albeit a minority ownership I'm sure, here's your chance.

BBQ Restaurant Business Plan

Looking for a bbq restaurant business plan?

The folks at AllBusiness.com are offering a business plan for starting a barbeque restaurant at $25. The executive summary is posted on their website.

The Virginia Small Business Development website has a success story posted about a restaurant start-up effort. This story could serve as a checklist of sorts for things to ensure are incorporated into any type of bbq busines plan you may end up developing.

The S.C.O.R.E. website also has a success story about Bo's Barbeque.

Both of these stories seem to emphasize talking to those who've "been there, and done that" before jumping into a new restaurant business.

I ran across a Central Missouri BBQ restaurant this weekend that's seeking a working partner. The owner has an illness and is unable to devote the time required to operate the business. It would be a nice opportunity for someone who lived close by.

Restaurant Management Toolkit!

BBQ Franchise Restaurants

Are you thinking about opening a bbq restaurant? Here's a list of bbq restaurant opportunities for your research.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchise
Locations in Texas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee

Bono's Bar-B-Q franchise
Locations in Florida, Michigan and Colorado

Fat Jack's BBQ franchise
Several locations and expanding

Restaurant Management Toolkit!

Parade Magazine's Guide to Outdoor Cooking

This weekend's edition of Parade has several articles about grilling. They call it barbecue, but regular readers of this bbq blog know that they're really referring to grilling. As a reminder and for reference when reading the rest of my post: "Hot and fast" = grilling; and "low and slow" = barbecue.

According to an article titled You Can Grill Anything! by Leslie Pepper, 70% regularly grill hamburgers, 89% marinade steaks prior to cooking, and 47% grill hotdogs. According to the article 56% own a gas grill.

(For the record, I don't own a gas grill and don't plan to buy one. To me, cooking with gas is "cheating" and I really don't think it meets the true definition of "barbecue" or "grilling".)

This same issue of Parade also includes an article by Jeff Foxworthy titled Why Real Men Grill! Among other reasons, Foxworthy points that men like the danger of grilling. "If there's not a chance of calling 911, men don't want to bother cooking it!"

Joanna Prisco shares some tips for preparing potatoes on the grill and bananna's too in her article titled Hot Tips for a Fun Feast.

Sheila Lukins also shares her favorite bbq sauce recipe.

If you haven't picked up your Sunday newspaper yet today or if you didn't read Parade, check it out.

$100,000 National Chicken Cooking Contest

The National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association co-sponsor the $100,000 National Chicken Cooking Contest. The first contest held in 1949 paid $250 for the winner. This year's event, the 47th annual event, promises a $100,000 first place prize. Read more...

This year's winner hailed from Eagle, Idaho cooked a Thai-themed stuffed chicken breast with slaw.

Start planning for next year's event by keeping tabs at ChickenCookingContest.com . Fifty-one contestants will receive an all-expense paid trip to the event.

Also read EatChicken.com for chicken recipes.

BBQ Contest Digest

2nd Annual Ridgefest
Friday, Oct. 12, and Saturday, Oct. 13
East Arkansas Community College

This contest will be held without the whole hog category this year and will focus on porks butts and ribs. The organizers hope to add whole hog back to the event next year with the addition of Memphis in May sanctioning. Read more...

MIM World Championship
Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18
Memphis, TN

The annual MIM World Championship of bbq is being held this weekend in Memphis, TN. Professional bbq cooks gather from around the world to compete in this long standing event. Read more...

KCBS Minnesota Championship
Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18
Austin, MN

Minnesota's biggest KCBS sanctioned bbq competition wraps up today at the Mower County Fairgrounds. Read more...