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.

BBQ Themed Aprons

I wish we'd have known about Irene Shurson's AllOccasionAprons.com when we were putting together our bbq team shirts and aprons for our competition effort a few years ago.

Here are two sample pictures:

Mike's Smokehouse BBQ & Grill in Tampa

Linda and I ate lunch at Mike's Bar-B-Que in Tampa recently. It's located at 7117 N US Highway 301 near I-4. The restaurant has seating for 30-35 inside and room for another 20-25 on an outside patio.

Mike Andrews used to have a 2nd location in Brandon, but that restaurant is now closed. The St. Petersburg Times featured an article titled "The Ripple Effect", which included a few paragraphs about Mike's. According to the newspaper article, the restaurant that used to employ 28 now has 5 employees.

I urge you to support your local restaurant owners. After reading the newspaper article, I think I'll be going back to Mike's again soon. If you're in the area, stop by for lunch.

I had the pulled pork plate with fried okra and hushpuppies. The okra is breaded on the premises and the hushpuppies were good. The place was packed for Saturday lunch. I'm glad to see it.

Spicewine Smoker

BBQ Food Safety

Nothing can ruin a fantastic day of barbecuing faster than someone getting sick after eating food you prepared. Whether you are grilling in the back yard, catering for a group of friends and family, or preparing bbq food in a restaurant for hundreds of customers each day, you need to follow safe food preparation techniques.

Keeping it cold

When shopping for food, purchase meat and poultry just before you leave the store. Food in the grocery store is stored at temperatures of below 40 degrees and needs to maintained below 40 degrees whenever possible. Food should be referigerated after the drive home as soon as possible. Allowing the temperature of the food to rise above 40 degrees for any length of time increases the possibility of bacteria growth.

Vacuum seal bulk purchases

I often purchase food in bulk to save money. Meat that is not going to be consumed within a couple of days should be frozen. I like to vacuum seal large quantities into smaller packages. For example, if we buy a package of 16 pork chops, I split the chops into packets of 4, vacuum seal them, mark the package with the date, and then place it in the freezer until we are ready to prepare them.

Avoid cross-contamination

As meat begins to thaw, juices can sometimes escape the packaging and cross-contamination can occur. Vacuum sealing is another way to help prevent cross-contamination between meat and poultry when storing or transporting food. When handling chicken, thoroughly wash your hands and any knives and utensils with hot, soapy water before using the utensils to cut other meat.

Marinate Properly

Always marinade meat and poultry in the refrigerator. Contrary to some advice I've read recently on a very popular bbq forum, never, never, allow meat to marinade at room temperature. Meat should be marinated in the refrigerator. When removing marinated food from the refrigerator, place it directly on the smoker or grill for cooking.

Cooking temps

Pre-heat your cooker to ensure that you attain a 140 degree internal meat temperature within 4 hours. Do not allow meat to remain in the danger zone (i.e. greater than 40 degrees and less than 140 degrees) for more than 4 hours.

For more food safety tips and information, there's a nice article on the USDA website that should help.

Frisco BBQ Challenge

BBQ contest announcement:

When: June 19 and 20, 2009
Where: Frisco, Colorado
Entry fee: $200
Prizes: $15,000
Sanctioning and Rules: KCBS

This long running contest (16 years) is a state qualifier for the Great American BBQ, American Royal, and Jack Daniels World Invitational Championship.

HIGH SPRINGS CASI CHILI COOKOFF

I received a notice today regarding a CASI chili contest in High Springs, FL and wanted to share it for anyone that might be interested.

WHEN: Saturday March 28th 2009
WHERE: O’Leno State Park, High Springs, FL
The park is located 6 miles north of High Springs on Hwy 41.

Entry fee is $20 per team.
CASI rules apply.
You can find the rules at WWW.CHILI.ORG

I've been threatening to compete in a chili contest for a few years, but for some reason I've never made it a priority. Who knows, maybe this is THE year to do it. It sounds like fun.

Dale Watson: A Real Country Song

I just love this guy.

BBQ on the Internet

The more I learn about bbq, the more I feel compelled to share it with others. What better medium than the internet? All I need is a key board and an internet connection.

As this website approaches 700 posts, I feel the need to say thank you to everyone who reads or visits this blog. Whether you are a long-time reader, casual observer, or you arrived here via a link from another bbq website for the first time - thanks for making my blog one of the most popular blogs about bbq on the internet.

I started this blog to share my experiences competing in bbq contests. We don't compete as often as we'd like to anymore, but until we can get back to it with more regularity, I've enjoyed sharing more general information that ranges from grilling, southern cooking, favorite products, bbq books, and equipment, etc.

I'm toying with the idea of hosting an "online bbq contest" later this spring. The traditional categories of taste, tenderness, and appearance would revert to appearance alone, since they haven't quite figured out how to teleport bbq samples over the phone lines. Instead of four entries, we'd keep it simple and limit it to one - your choice. Judging would include a documentation of the process and recipes used to prepare the entry. Winners would be determined by a reader vote.

Rules:

1. cook one bbq entry -- chicken, ribs, pork butt, or brisket

2. submit the recipe and pictures documenting the process of preparing the entry

3. entries will be posted here on the blog and readers will vote for the winning entry


What do you think? Anyone want to join me?

BBQ Contest at Auburn University

If you are an amateur or professional bbq team and you live within driving distance of Auburn, AL, there's a bbq contest March 27 and 28 that you might be interested in.

Here's some more information about Boda Getta BBQ:

Participating Teams

Applications

Schedule

BBQ Photos

Thin Blue Smoke BBQ Novel

I offer my congratulations to Doug Worgul. His novel, Thin Blue Smoke, is now available at Amazon.com. For those that read The BBQ Forum, you may remember that Mr. Worgul posted his progress on the first draft of the novel online for everyone to read. If my memory is correct, I believe the original working title was Smoke Meat.

Start a Catering Business

Have you ever wondered how to turn your interest in cooking into a part-time and eventually a full-time business?

I'm sure you'll find "Starting a Catering Business" business kit very useful. The kit contains many of the nuts and bolts involved in starting and running a professional and profitable catering business. From health regulations to sample forms and contracts to use when signing up customers, this kit contains a lot of valuable "insider" information.

You will benefit from this kit if you are:

-considering starting your own home-based catering business
-already worked for a catering service before and now are ready to start your own catering business
-ready to take your knowledge and experience of working with food and people and applying it to your own business
-thinking of making an income while working from home and being your own boss

This kit was designed to guide you with the information you will need to start and run a successful catering business. It offers many pointers that even experienced caterers will find useful.

Ted's Montana Grill - Eco Friendly Restaurants

I just finished reading Call Me Ted, the autobiography about Ted Turner. Besides being the man behind the successful launches of TBS, TNT, CNN, and Headline News on cable television, he is also the owner of the Atlanta Braves and remains the largest private land owner in the U.S.

A few years ago, Ted Turner got into the restaurant business as one of the co-founders/owners of Ted's Montana Grill.

The closest location to me is in Bonita Springs, FL, so I haven't eaten there yet, but it's worth noting that Ted's has helped launch an awareness in the restaurant industry that is helping restauranteurs focus more on sustainability and eco-friendly practices. Ted's uses paper straws and bio-degradable materials for their plates, to go boxes, etc. providing a lesson for us all.

You may or may not be a reader of books, but if you are....Call Me Ted is a worthy read. Not knowing much about him before reading the book, it changed my impressions 100%.

Honey for Barbecue

More and more bbq enthusiasts are using honey in their barbecue sauces and in various glazes they use to "finish" their barbecue meats just before serving.

All honey is not created equal. Honey in the grocery store and honey purchased from a local producer are potentially very different. Commercial honey production and importation is difficult to regulate.

There are regulations administered by EPA regarding chemical usage and pollution and also regulations enforced by the FDA that regulate contamination of honey by illegal or unapproved chemicals, along with various state agencies that administer their own food safety programs. In my personal opinion, purchasing honey from a commercial producer incurs more risk that from a local producer.

Know your beekeeper--

If possible, perform a visual inspection of the honey bee-hives and make note of their location, proximity to industrial manufacturing plants, proximity to fresh water, etc.

It stands to reason that honey from a local producer whose hives are located in a rural area near fresh water streams, with fresh vegetation and lots of blossoms is of higher quality than honey from hives located near a chemical plant that spills various polutants into the atmosphere.

At the same time all local producers are not created equal either. Are the hives located next to a crop that is routinely sprayed with insecticides? Does your beekeeper observe commonsense when preparing honey for bottling? How is his or her cleanliness during this process? Under what conditions is this process performed?

These are just some considerations that should be made when making the decision to purchase honey from a local producer versus an unknown entity overseas.

I don't know about you, but I feel more comfortable dealing with a local source.

J & R Manufacturing

Like many bbq enthusiasts, I've spent the last few years dreaming, thinking, and researching different types of equipment to use in a future bbq restaurant. I've always thought Ole Hickory to be the gold standard as far as bbq restaurant equipment goes, but the more I explore the offerings from J & R Manufacturing, the more I think I might change my mind.

They make three types of bbq smoker ovens:

The Little Red Smokehouse
The Oyler Pit
The Smokemaster Convection Oven

The pits are wood fired with electric assist available to add consistency, predictability, and to reduce costs. According to their website, the electric assist also will not taint the taste of food like a gas assist pit will.

The pits are NSF and UL listed. And, they also have an impressive listing of professional chefs and bbq restaurants that use their wood fired pits.

I've not seen one up close yet, but I want to. I see that Jimbo's Pit Barbecue in Lakeland, FL uses one. I might have to make a road trip soon.

Eat BBQ and Get College Credit

Some students at Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama have figured out a way to get college credit for eating bbq. The Southern BBQ Boys are going to spend 17 days eating bbq and studying pork bbq in the southeast.

Their creativity has generated a lot of media coverage for the project. They are documenting everything via videos published on their bbq blog. Fox 5 in Atlanta, Birmingham Weekly, Lexington Dispatch, and Tennesean have featured the boys in recent stories/articles.

BBQ Tour: Columbus, GA que restaurants

We traveled to Columbus, GA this weekend. Sunday afternoon we made up our own informal tour of bbq joints in the area.

We stopped by Chester's BBQ, Hog Rock BBQ , Fat Freddy's, and Thorton's BBQ to name a few. I'm not quite sure where the folks of Columbus eat bbq on Sundays, because most of the joints were not open for business, but that turned out perfectly to snap a few pictures.


Chester's Bar-B-Q with locations on Veteran's Parkway and Northstar drive has a storied business history in Columbus dating back to 1939. The restaurant is previous People's Choice Award winner as the favorite bbq joint in town. (See more pictures here.)

Here's a view of the front door at Fat Freddie's Bar-B-Q on Hamilton Road.

Hog Rock BBQ, on the 280 by-pass in Phenix City, AL, across the river from Columbus gets my vote for the best bbq logo and paint scheme.

Mike & Ed's on Crawford Road in Phenix City looked busy on Saturday afternoon, but they were closed when we stopped by on Sunday.

Next to Kansas City or Memphis, I've never seen more bbq restaurants in a single community. I'd be willing to wager that Columbus, GA might hold the record for Most BBQ Restaurants Per Capita compared to most any medium to large sized city in America.