Four Versions of the Same BBQ

MSN City Guides posted an article recently exploring The Four Corners of BBQ. I've eaten bbq in Memphis, but Kansas City, Texas, and North Carolina are still on my list of "to do's".

I've had mustard sauced "chopped" bbq pork in South Carolina, and the combination K.C. and North Carolina-style vinegar flavored bbq that is popular at several out of the way locations in Middle Tennessee. Some were good and some were not so good, but all were distinctive and noteworthy interpretations of this all-American food.

I had ribs at Rendevous a few years ago. For me, Charlie Vergo's place is as much about the "experience" as it is the food. When our friend parked the car and started walking down what almost passes for an alley toward the unassuming entrance, I wasn't too sure I'd follow.

We were there on the weekend of the annual Arkansas vs. Memphis State football game and waited more than two hours for our seat. During the entire waiting period we were treated (or tortured) with the oink, oink, oink that goes with any rowdy gathering of Razorbacks.

I don't really remember many specifics about the ribs, but I enjoyed the visit overall. If you're looking for bbq in Memphis, you have to check out Rendevous.

Weber Smokey Mountain - Bargain Price

During the course of the last three years, I've noticed the price of WSM's inching up little by little on Amazon.com. I purchased my original smoker for $179.99 from a local hardware store in Winter Park, FL several years ago.

Just when I thought the days of cheap WSM's were over, Grill Doctor Online Store put WSM's on sale for $179 -- again. The Weber smokers have a 10-year warranty.

Ceramic Insulation for Your Offset Smoker

Are you looking for a method to increase the efficiency of your offset smoker? Want to use less fuel and hold more consistent cooking temperatures? Ceramic insulation may provide an answer.
In my upright smoker, I have 1 inch of insulation around the entire box -- including the cooking chamber. It really works wonders.

Why not insulate the firebox for your offset smoker? I'm not a welder or fabricator, but I'd bet it's possible to modify the existing firebox with some insulation to improve heat retention.

JR Enterprises Rotary Smoker RS 32-48

JR Enterprises is well known for large bbq pits, but recently the guys from Arkansas introduced a four shelf towable rotisserie smoker that looks very interesting.

The shelves are 10 x 44 inches and, according to the website, are capable of cooking 16 slabs of ribs or 20 pork butts. The smoker has a bottom drain for easy cleaning. Also, I have it on good authority that the smoker weighs 860 pounds and is available with optional 15 inch wheels and tires to make interstate towing a possibility.

You can learn more about it at JREnterprises.com.

Test Your BBQ Knowledge

1. What temperature is generally regarded as the "low and slow" bbq method?

a. 300-350 degrees
b. 140-165 degrees
c. 225-250 degrees
d. 450 -455 degrees
e. none of the above

2. What is the most popular type of bbq meat cooked in Texas?

a. pork
b. chicken
c. beef
d. lamb
e. both a and b

3. What temperature should meat be stored at immediately prior to cooking?

a. lower than 50 degrees
b. lower than 45 degrees
c. lower than 40 degrees
d. lower than 55 degrees
e. none of the above

4. When should bbq sauce be applied to the meat during the cooking process?

a. as a marinade prior to cooking
b. immediately after putting the meat on to cook
c. immediately after removing the meat from the cooker
d. during the last 10 - 15 minutes of cooking, as a finishing sauce
e. both c and d, depending on the desired effect

Confident you know the correct answers? Feel free to post a comment.

Improve Your BBQ with Aluminum Foil

Aluminum foil is a valuable tool for preparing bbq ribs, pork butts, and brisket. When used correctly, it helps improve consistency and predictability in barbecue preparation.

Some might call it "The Texas Crutch", but I'm not currently aware of any bbq contest winners that do not use it in abundance. I'm not saying you can't win without it, but I'd wager that 95% of all bbq contest champions are using it when they prepare their contest meats.

Here are some examples of how I use it:

For ribs.....I slow cook my baby backs for 2 1/2 hours at 225 degrees. Then I wrap them in a double thickness of foil with the meat side down with three ounces of apple juice or grape juice or a mixture of both, for 1 1/2 hours cooking at 250 degrees. After an hour, I remove the foil, brush on my favorite sauce, and cook for 30 or 40 minutes until the meat starts to pull away gently from the bones.

For pork butts...I slow cook the pork butts and briskets for 5 hours at 225 degrees and wrap in a double thickness of aluminum foil. I cook them until the internal meat temperature reaches 198 degrees as measured with a meat thermometer.

Using a double thickness of foil prevents the rib bones from puncturing the foil and the juice running out. When cooking bigger pieces of meat like briskets and pork butts, there is a lot of juice and aus jous that collects in the foil. A double thickness helps prevent leakage and preserves the juice for basting the meat later on, if desired.

Demon Pig BBQ Sauce

I completed a pulled pork barbecue test last weekend and tried a new bbq sauce from Demon Pig BBQ.

The Demon Pig bbq sauce is very good. It contains a mixture of catsup, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, tomato sauce, Worchestershire sauce, a little yellow mustard, and a few other choice ingredients.

It's good on bbq pork sandwiches, on plain pulled pork, and I can attest that it's pretty good straight out of the bottle. I think I'd like to try it on chicken also the next time we cook some thighs. I suspect it might just be my new favorite sauce for bbq chicken -- a little tangy, not too sweet, and a hint of Worchestershire sauce.

If you live near any of these locations in Minnesota, Iowa, Maryland, or Wisconsin, you can purchase it direct from the following retailers, or purchase it direct from the Demon Pig website:

Northern Food King, Pequot Lakes, MN
Schaeffer's Foods, Nisswa, MN
Shamp's Meat Market, Pine River, MN
Reed's Market, Crosslake, MN
Pelican Square, Breezy Point, MN
Chef & Company, Baxter, MN
Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe, Rochester, MN
Holmen Meat Maket, Holmen, WI
Northwoods Country Market, Sparta, WI
Gordy's Farm Market, Hermantown, MN
Flamingo Flats, St. Michaels, MD
Theilen Meats, Little Falls, MN
Hawgeyes BBQ, Ankeny, IA
Corner Meats-n-More, Stewartville, MN

I've also tried Demon Pig's Blaze Orange bbq sauce. It's a little hotter than the original and would work well on chicken wings.

BBQ Pork, Beef, or Chicken- It's All Good

A newspaper columnist for the Sun-Sentinel, asked me to join his bbq discussion at Sun-Sentinel.com. Mr. Cruz has a long standing feud with his friend Greg Lewis about the finer points of bbq and whether brisket wins out over pork for bbq supremacy.

Here's a re-print of the e-mail I received today from Ralph De La Cruz:

Hello, Brian.

My name is Ralph De La Cruz and I'm a Lifestyle columnist with the Sun-Sentinel newspaper in South Florida.

I wrote a lighthearted column about a local barbecue place that's trying to create a little peace on Earth by offering a mix of styles such as Texas beef and North Carolina pork.

That led to a fun blog item asking folks to weigh in on which style is best. So, when I came across your excellent barbecue site, I thought I'd invite you and your 'cue-versed readers to take part in the discussion.

If y'all care to educate us on the fine points of Memphis ribs versus Carolina pork or Texas brisket, come to Sun-Sentinel.com/ralphblog and sound-off.

Read my comment here, and feel free to share your own opinion.

Sixteen bottles of bbq rub and counting

TheBBQForum.com recently posted a survey about the number of open bottles or bags of bbq rub. I quickly responded without actually counting them and chose "six". My wife was reading the bbq forum this afternoon and asked me if I had responded to the survey.

I quickly said, "Yes."

Next, she asked, "How many do we have."

I quickly said, "Six, or seven. I didn't count them."

A few minutes later she counted them all and came up with the following list:

The BBQ Guy Original
The BBQ Guy Southern Rub
Smokin Guns Mild
Bad Byron's Butt Rub
Head Country
Willingham's Mild
Billy Bones
Blues Hog
Home BBQ Beef Rub
Home BBQ Rib Rub
Home BBQ Sweet Orange Habernero
Chef Paul Prudhomme's
Watkins Grill Seasoning
McCormack Grill Mate St. Louis Style
McCormack Grill Mate K.C. Style
Lawry's Chicken and Poultry

And a few others that may or may not be used for bbq cooking.

Wow, I had no idea. Truth be told, I'd like to try a few more!

Get started cooking BBQ contests

Do you have BBQ contest fever? In some parts of the country, the contests are in full swing and in others they're going to gear up in the next few weeks.

If you've every considered competing in a bbq contest I would encourage you to jump in and try it out. You'll have fun, you'll meet a lot of people, and you'll challenge yourself to improve you bbq cooking abilities. Best of all....it'll give an excuse to cook more often, because you're going to need to practice a lot. The neighbors will love you for it because there will be lots and lots of leftovers from the practice cooks and from the contests.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to do it either. A Weber Smokey Mountain and a kettle grill or two will get you started. A low budget set-up would be to purchase 2 WSM's and use your kettle grill for chicken, or if you're already an avid qu'er, you could purchase a Backwoods Party or Competitor Model if you prefer.

I've used a Backwoods Party and a WSM with pretty good results. I doubt that the cooker has very much to do with the quality of my contest results anyway.

My wife and I got started with a total cash outlay of about $1,500 and then budgeted about $500 per contest for entry fees, gas, meals, and contest meat. In the beginning, the odds of winning grand champion are not very good unless you're on top of your game, but....you should have some fun and learn alot. Best of all, you'll meet a lot of really nice people.

With the price of gasoline, our current budget is closer to $650 per contest depending on how far we're driving to the event, which explains why we've had to cut back on the frequency. During one particular stretch in 2004 we cooked five contests in five weeks and loved it.

Mail Order BBQ Brisket

I just about dropped my laptop in the floor tonight while visiting Taste of Texas Barbecue.com. They'll mail you "5 lbs, give or take" of smoked brisket for $79.95. The website says the brisket will feed up to 15 people for $5 each.

I've been going about this bbq thing wrong for all these years...I've been giving it away.

Grill It! With Bobby Flay on the Food Network

I received this press release today. I don't share all the e-mail I get like this, but I thought someone might be interested in trying out for this series on Food Network.

Are you a Master Griller? Are all barbeques held at your house? If you're a serious griller (charcoal or gas) and have the skills to prove it, then live out your culinary fantasy on Bobby Flay's new half hour GRILL IT! series on the Food Network.

To apply, please create a 3-minute VHS Tape or DVD in which you cook us your favorite dish. Tell us how you created the recipe and the ingredients you use. All applicants must have a terrific personality and must illustrate why you'd make a fantastic candidate for GRILL IT! with Bobby Flay! Unlike "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" there's no winners or losers, instead Grill IT! shows people how to grill with a well-stocked kitchen.All applicants must live in the U.S and be 18 and over (although quick-witted teenagers with parents' permission can apply).

To be considered, please mail your submission tape, original recipe and photo of yourself to the address below no later than March 15th.

ATTN: GRILL IT!
110 Leroy Street
New York City, NY 10014

What Your Cooker Says About You

I make my living working for a car company, so a news item published on Forbes.com today caught my eye. It was an article titled "What Your Car Says to the Opposite Sex". That gave me an idea for writing a blog post about what our bbq cookers say about us.

When I moved to Tennessee 16 years ago, my first exposure to low and slow cooked bbq was at an all night pig roast near Fairview. They burned wood down to the coals all day and then cooked the pig all night and served it for a family reunion. The "cooker" consisted of several concrete blocks holding a wire frame that held old mattresses on antique bed frames. The cooker was born from necessity....it was what they had available at the time.

A few years later, I purchased a Weber Smokey Mountain, WSM for short, at a local hardware store for $179. I added a larger water pan to increase the capacity to two gallons for extended cooking times and started cooking my own bbq pork and brisket in the back yard.

The WSM holds temperature very well, you can use charcoal instead of wood coals, and the end result is very consistent. The cooker was relatively cheap, easy to use, and I still use it today. I could have purchased a bigger, fancier, and more expensive cooker, but I'm a "back to basics" kind of guy. The WSM is all that you really need to prepare better bbq in your backyard than you'll ever eat in a restaurant.

I don't own a pellet cooker or an offset smoker, so I won't comment on what those cookers say about their owners. But, if you own either type of cooker, I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

The Brisket Basket

I had lunch at The Brisket Basket today, in St. Petersburg, FL.

The restaurant is an old drive-in restaurant with standing room only inside, where you place your order, with seating at picnic tables outside. Or, you always just eat in lunch in your car or truck.

I had the Homerun Slider Sampler Platter, which includes pulled brisket, chopped brisket, brisket meatloaf, and a brisket burger. (I liked the meatloaf and burger the best.) The entree comes with your choice of sides, which includes french fries, German potato salad, legumes, green chile hominy, hotsie totsie slaw, or a Caesar side salad.

The company just opened it's second location and preparing to begin franchising this fresh, new concept.

Florida Barbecue Association

The competition at Florida Barbecue Association events is heating up this year.

I’ve noticed a trend during the course of the past few weeks as some well-known KCBS teams have traveled to Florida to compete in a few winter bbq contests. Music City Pig Pals, J-Mack Cookers, Bill & the Dixie Chicks, Smokin’ Triggers, Lotta Bull BBQ, and Jacks Old South have competed head-to-head this winter at contests sanctioned by the FBA and KCBS at events in Lakeland, FL, Sebring, FL, Winter Haven, FL and Felda, FL. The FBA teams are holding their own, and in many cases placing ahead of the KCBS teams that are known on a national level.

HomeBBQ.com, the perennial FBA powerhouse, has been successful in KCBS events for several years and earned previous births in the American Royal Invitational and Jack Daniels Invitational. If the first few events of the year are any indication, HomeBBQ.com has plenty of competition this year and there is a lot of parity among the Florida teams with the category and event wins spread among more than just a few teams.

And on a separate note….the FBA recently sanctioned a contest in Panama City, Panama with great success.

Three cheers for the FBA!

BBQ Sausage

We prepared barbecue sausage on the Weber Smokey Mountain yesterday. It's a cheap, easy, and tasty lunch.

1. Start with sausage links, red pepper, green pepper, and onions.

2. Cook the vegetables and sausage for 1 hour at 220 degrees.

3. Remove the vegetables and continue cooking sausage for an additional 45 minutes.

4. Slice vegetables into strips and keep warm.

5. Cook sausage to an internal temperature of 175 degrees.

6. Serve on a sausage bun with your favorite mustard.

BBQ lunch doesn't get any easier than this.

Roadside Barbecue

For some barbecue hobbyists, setting up a roadside barbecue stand sounds like a winner; however, it's not as simple as it sounds. There are rules and regulations that must be followed to protect the public interest.

When I checked into this in Florida a few years ago, I was told that I needed a commercial kitchen to clean and sanitize equipment, a commissary to store supplies, and approval from the local county health department before putting any plans in place to open a business. There were forms to fill out and fees to be paid and there's the question of liability insurance. In Florida, mobile food establishments are regulated by the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation. Here's a link the pages of their website that explain the requirements for mobile food businesses. And here's another link regarding the availability of rest rooms for take-out or carry-out businesses.

As Nancy Krohngold from Sarasota, FL discovered recently, it's not a good idea to go out on your own and open a barbecue stand without following those guidelines. This article on the HeraldTribune.com says that Florida, "officials told her the law requires stands like Krohngold's to be inside a building with nearby bathrooms and sinks for cooking and cleaning."

It's not meant to crush the entrepreneurial spirit, as Krohngold contends, but more to protect those who eat her food and to protect her if someone gets ill while eating it.

Some people have attempted to start personal chef businesses that prepare bbq. According to the guide to catering on the Division of Hotels and Restaurants web page, that is acceptable in Florida if the following guidelines are met:

1. Personal chefs include individuals contracted to prepare and serve food at a private party or for a single household utilizing privately owned, onsite equipment
2. Personal chefs must not prepare food prior to the event

Florida State Fair BBQ

Linda and I visited the Florida State Fair today in Tampa. The Iowa Pork Producers had a booth near the livestock barns that was selling several different pork sandwiches and lunch items including pork chops, pork burgers, and pork loin to go along with pork bbq sandwiches.

We made a special point to eat at their booth. As bbq enthusiasts we like to try pork bbq from various concession vendors whenever we get the chance. In this case I wish we'd skipped the bbq pork and had pork loin or pork burger instead.

The bbq pork sandwich was a big dissapointment. It was too mushy, too saucy, and it reminded me of the type of food that comes from a can. I've got a suggestion for the Iowa Pork Producers -- either take bbq off the menu, or learn how to prepare it better.

Red White and Que

MMA Creative and Altura Productions are teaming up to launch a new television barbecue challenge to benefit the troops overseas.

From the MMA Creative website:

"The show will feature two national champion bbq teams, in cooperation with two teams comprised of American troops, in a duel for the taste buds. The show will be produced on site at an undisclosed military base overseas, and it will follow competition judging standards created by the Kansas City Barbeque Society."

It sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to watching and learning more about this new barbecue promotion.

Spicewine Smokers

I've been looking at the Spicewine Smokers manufactured by Spicewine Ironworks in Columbia, MO for about a year and a half. Jay Curry and his crew build insulated upright bbq smokers in a variety of styles and colors. (I took this picture in Grand Rapids, MI a couple of years ago. The smoker belongs to Big Creek BBQ from Pleasant Hill, MO.)

The small smoker weighs 500 lbs with a 4 gallon water pan and three 16.6 x 12 inch cooking shelves. The large smoker weighs 800 lbs with an 8 gallon water pan and three 34 x 25 inch cooking grates. Extra grates can be added based on the customer's requirements.

Spicewine Smokers also makes single and dual axle trailer models and will custom build almost anything the customer can dream up.

If you're thinking about purchasing a new bbq smoker, you'll probably enjoy this pod cast interview that features Jay discussing the Spicewine products.

Here's a newspaper article about their products in the Columbia Tribune. However, I must point out that the article does contain an error about their only being two manufacturers of insulated bbq smokers. I know of at least four others besides Spicewine -- Stumps, Backwoods, McCullough, and Dominizer -- and there must be others besides those.

I also found a photo album that shows some close-ups of the cooking chamber.