The Great Thanksgiving Day Turkey Smoke!

Avast Ye Smoke Crazed Lubbers,

As we look forward to the Thanksgiving Holiday I wanted to take a moment to pass along this Great Rub recipe I made for the guest turkey. If you like a sweet rub this is one you will enjoy for years to come.

Last week I made turkey breast that was a Great test for this rub. I used my ECB (el cheapo brinkman) with oak hardwood lump charcoal and pecan wood for the smoke and a combination of 50/50 orange juice and water in the water pan.

The Rub:

4 Tbl Sp Dark Brown Sugar
1 tea Sp Italian Seasoning
1 tea Sp Chipotle Pepper
2 Tbl Sp Sweet Paprika
2 Tbl Sp Garlic Salt w / parsley
1 tea Sp Onion Powder
1 tea Sp Cumin
1 Tbl Sp Kosher Salt

Just mix and use. I gave the breast a light coating of yellow mustard and a generous coating of the rub. Let sit for a couple of hours and began the cook. Three hours later out she came. Moist, dark in color from the smoke and tender. I wrapped the breast is heavy foil and let rest for about 30 min before cutting.

 This was an easy and delicious way to make a juicy Sunday meal.Topped off with some baked potatoes and veggies and you're ready to eat!! 

 Arr, Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Till next we meat again, Matey. May the wind be at yer back and the sea be calm as ye pursue the "Q"

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Ribs, Glorious Ribs!!

Now that you have tasted your Best BBQ Ever you will want to try to make Ribs!! When you go to a party that the host serves ribs are you glad or after tasting them are you disappointed?

  Well to help you have the best party's where your friends are asking who did the catering? You can tell them that it was you and blow their taste buds to the next level!

 The first thing you will want to do is select a set of ribs to serve. I prefer the spare rib for the extra meat and better texture than the baby back. We'll talk about the beef short ribs another time. You will want plenty for each person to enjoy at the least a half rack or full slab depending on their appetite.

 Once you have selected the ribs you will want to prepare them for the rub to marinate them overnight. Select the rub you like the best or make one of your own and lets begin. You will notice a membrane on the back side of the ribs. This you will want to remove. It will not do you well to have a great tasting set of ribs ruined by the membrane on the back getting stuck in your guests teeth.

 To remove the membrane lay the ribs flat on the surface and using a blunt knife to insert it under the edge of the membrane and separate a small area from the end. The flap that you create can be then grabbed with a cloth towel and pulled off. Just grab and pull. The towel will keep the membrane from slipping out of your grasp.

 Once removed then use a small amount of yellow mustard on both sides of the ribs and coat both sides of the ribs with you rub. The rub will penetrate into the ribs when you let them marinate overnight in the fridge. You can let the  ribs marinate for less time if you wish or have a short time to prepare. Wrap the ribs in clear plastic and put into the fridge or a cooler. If you choose to shorten the process you will want to wait at least 3 hours to marinate the ribs allowing the flavors of the rub to penetrate as far as they can.

 When they have marinated to your satisfaction, pull the ribs out and let them come up to room temp. Go and start your smoker and get it up to temp. Select your wood for the flavor you like and get prepared for the best ribs ever! I prefer to use pecan, but apple and hickory work great as well. 

Depending on your equipment and how hot you get your fire you will be enjoying your ribs in as little as 3 hours or about 6 hours at the latest. You will want to keep the temp at about 250 degrees and have your smoke for about half of the cook time. Keep your ribs moist by applying either a spray mixture of apple juice and water, 50/50 is good, or make a thin mop to baste with. You will want to apply the mop or spray about every 30 minutes after the first hour of cooking.

 Your ribs will be done when you attempt to pick them up and there is a slight bend to them in the middle and the meat has pulled back from the ends of the bones. The temp of the meat will be about 160 degrees.

 Now I'm not a big fan of sauces, but I came across a recipe that is wonderful with ribs. I'll share the sauce at another time. If a rib is done correctly it should have enough flavor and moisture not to need a sauce. A sauce should compliment the meat and not cover it up.

 I hope you enjoy making Ribs, Glorious Ribs!

How to get started in Making the Best BBQ Ever!

 Lets begin with the basics. I got the BBQ bug several years ago when I was with the Chamber of Commerce in Springville, AL. and we held a KCBS sanctioned competition and Wild Game Cookoff. I saw so many different styles and equipment I did not know which way to go next but, I was inspired!!

 Before I began to make my own BBQ I did a lot of online research to find the best ideas I could. I went to a lot of cookoffs to ask questions about equipment and rubs and sauces. My funds were limited and I did not want to waste any of my hard earned money. What I found out was that there are MANY, MANY, MANY different ways to make BBQ. What type of smoker, wood, charcoal, rubs, mops and special  secret ingredients. How Confusing!!

  So to get started I just bought an inexpensive horizontal smoker that I made a couple of minor modifications to to allow for better temperature consistency. This cooker served me well for a couple of years until I found a Great deal on another inexpensive upright bullet style cooker which I fell in love with. I have better heat control and longer burn times with the upright than the horizontal. I'm all about less effort for a great result.

 In making my first Boston Butt, Pulled Pork, or just plain BBQ, I made the Rub in the last post and took a small amount of yellow mustard and spread it on the meat and then applied the Rub to it. The mustard will not add any flavor to the meat but gives the Rub something to stick to. Let it sit overnight wrapped in plastic wrap in the ice box. This will allow the spice flavors to incorporate into the meat and give it a lot of flavor.

  Next take the meat out of the ice box about two hours before you put it on the smoker to get up to room temp. This will stop the meat from stealing some of the heat from the cooker when you put the meat in to cook. Add just a dusting of the Rub once again before you place the meat on the cooking rack. Get the smoker up to about 250 degrees. Use a mix of water and apple juice in the water pan of the smoker. Place a couple of chunks of either a fruit wood, like cherry or apple, or pecan on the coals for the smoke. Put the meat in and LEAVE IT ALONE!! There is a saying amongst competitors that goes "If your lookin you ain't cookin". It will take about 10 to 18 hours or more for the Butt to cook thoroughly. You will want to use the chunks of wood for smoke for about the first four hours.

 You will want to check the temp of the meat with an internal thermometer at the thickest point of the meat near the bone if there is one in it. It should get above the 180 degree mark when it is done. The temp will sit at about 160 degrees for a long time. Don't worry or rush it. Let it get there naturally. You want it to look like a meteor when it comes out of the smoker!

When you take the Butt off the smoker you want to wrap it in tin foil and a towel and let it rest for a while to let the juices inside to return to their place deep in the meat.  The meat will continue to cook for a short time when you wrap it. It is normal to see a rise in temp of the meat. Don't worry just prepare yourself for some of the Best BBQ Ever when you eat. The smoke ring inside the meat should be a reddish color that is approx 1/4 to 1/2 inch into the meat.

 After it rests for about 25-30 minutes you can begin to Pull it Apart. CAUTION - the meat will be very HOT!! Use a pair of large forks, like bear claws,  to pull it apart or some heavy duty bbq gloves and get in there and pull by hand! The meat will just fall apart if it has completed cooking and you will have some of your Best BBQ Ever!!

 Friends and family will be impressed and you will be making some new friends when the word gets out about how good you make Your BBQ!!

Making A Rub for All Yer "Q" and Other Such Things...

 For several years I to traveled extensively for work and liked to to the places that the locals thought were the best. The smaller the hole in the wall the better the food. And the big chain places were, well, just the same ole, same ole.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and left thinking "I COULD HAVE DONE GETTER THAN THAT!" Just like we all can make a better burger than the fast food places you can make Better more Flavorful Tasting BBQ at home too!!

 The Rub is the main character in the production. If you have favorite spices you like to use then by all means use them in your Rub. Most rubs will be sweet, zesty, HOT, aromatic or unique in some way.

You can buy some very good rubs sold by Competition BBQ teams or you can make your own. I have done both with AWESOME results. If you make your own you can control the amount of HEAT and Sweet in your rub. And a good balanced Rub can be used on everything from fish, vegetables, beef, chicken and pork.

 If you try to experiment with a Rub try to use amounts that will convert to larger sizes well. You know, Teaspoon to Table Spoon. 1/4 cup to a Full cup and so forth. The only caution I will give is if you are SALT sensitive then adjust the amount you use when you make your own Rub.

 Here is a Rub that I use the most often. It is slightly Sweet with subtle HEAT:
TBL = Tablespoon
Tsp = Teaspoon

1 TBL spoon Paprika - Spanish or Hungarian. Sweet works well too.
1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper - Adjust to HEAT your tolerance
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1 1/2 Tsp Salt - I use the large ground Kosher Salt
1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
2 1/2 TBL Dark Brown Sugar
1/8 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Tsp Ground Cloves
1/8 Tsp Ground Nutmeg

 So fire up the old pit and enjoy your adventures in BBQ and let the Good Times Roll!!

Food For Thought or Think About your "Q"

One thing that I have learned from doing my own Low and Slow BBQ at home is that I can control the flavor of the meat better than the BBQ Shacks in town. I get to choose the meat, the rub, the wood for the smoke and the combination of liquids to add to the water pan for my smoker to enhance the flavor to the fullest!

 Do you like your BBQ sweet? Or do you prefer a sharper flavor? Do you like aromatic flavors or subtle ones? When you smoke your own meats you decide how it will turn out. The local BBQ shack does not give the general public much thought when it comes to flavor. Yes, they will use a rub that they create and sell, and use the same wood all the time for the sake of consistency, but they don't step out on the limb and give BOLD and FLAVORFUL tastes!!

 I like the meat I put into my mouth to say "Wake Up"! "Can you guess what the secret ingredient is this time"? Never be intimidated by the process of smoking your own Pulled Pork, Ribs, Brisket or Chicken. Be adventurous! I know how you feel. Scared to death to ruin the meal. But, what I found out was that the process is much simpler than I thought it was. Yes, I made some mistakes, but the meat I chose was forgiving to a beginner like me!! The meat made ME look GOOD!

 The first time you attempt to smoke a pork butt you will feel both scared and exhilarated. The pork butt takes a while to get past the 160 deg threshold that it hangs at before getting to the 180 deg you need to get to for the meat to pull apart easily. This is normal and will make you think that you did something wrong. You did not! You will then taste the BEST BBQ you ever put into your mouth bar none!

 Experiment with the rub and the wood. I prefer a pecan or apple wood for a mild smoke flavor. You can use a hickory for bold or mesquite for a bolder taste. Mix up the spices according to your tastes and favorites. Be creative and you will enjoy your BBQ better than the shack in town!! Who knows you may even be asked to make more for family and friends once they get a taste of your BBQ!! 


 Arr, Come, Lets Begin Our Journey Together!!