Discussion in the Bacon thread has spilled over into the realm of BBQ and rather than hijack that thread I thought I would be appropriate to have a place to discuss all things BBQ. I used the all mighty search engine but didn't find any BBQ specific threads so here we are. Sauces, Rubs, Meats, Smokers, Grills, Equipment, Techniques... It's all fair game.
I'll post a basic BBQ sauce recipe that was shared in the Bacon thread:
For a basic bbq sauce, experiment with varying ratios of molasses, cider vinegar & ketchup. Flavor with liquid smoke, salt, pepper & cayenne or other heat source. Minced onion and/or jalapeno are optional. It'll be better than most anything on the store shelf.
I really only use this for grilling chicken wings (cooked indirect first, then slathered on & direct grilled). Thick consistency & plenty of sugar makes it stick to the meat & caramelize really well.
When I'm really barbecuing (many hours in the smoker, 225F or so), sauce generally just gets in the way. Brisket & pork ribs require only a dry rub, though I usually make a thin vinegar & pepper sauce for smoked pork shoulder.
We've already come to the conclusion that many Goodjers enjoy Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauces. While I do love SBR's I am more of a dry rub fan with my sauce on the side, if at all. I've only slightly experimented in making my own runbs, and I'd like to do more experimenting this year. When using a store bought rub I really like BBQ 3000 or Galena Street Rib Rub, both from Penzey's.
We've actually got a Penzey's in Richmond, but the house make it impossible to get to on a weekday and I just never think about it on the weekend. I really wanna check it out though.
No dry dubs for me or my wife, gimme my Sweet Baby Ray's, thank you very much! Been a advocate of that sauce since circa 2000, probably earlier. Can't remember as I was probably drunk on the stuff for a while.
Sadly, I have a friend who doesn't baste on BBQ sauce when he grills. He just dips his plain grilled chicken in sauce, and man, basting it on makes a world of difference. He's missing out so much.
Also, don't ever spoil good meat with runny vinegar, please.
Also, don't ever spoil good meat with runny vinegar, please.
Tell me about it. I moved to the Raleigh, NC area 4 years or so ago and haven't garnered much of a palate for the vinegar based bar-b-q that is popular here.
Also, don't ever spoil good meat with runny vinegar, please.
Heathen!
Actually, you're right in almost all cases...but just a few tablespoons of it poured over a big shredded smoked pork shoulder makes all the difference in the world. It goes from delicious to orgasm-inducing.
There are so many bbq rub variations that you could spend years just trying them all out on different meats & tweaking recipes. Here's a good one:
http://www.pgabeef.com/Brisket_Seasoning.htm
You could go even simpler than that (salt, pepper, chile powder & brown sugar). The real flavor of a brisket comes from the smoke & slow cooking anyway. And people who put bbq sauce on brisket deserve to have their meat-eaters license revoked, and should spend the rest of their miserable days eating bean sprouts and lichen.
These days my go-to sauce is Sticky Fingers Memphis Original. My biggest complaint is its thin consistency.
I used to do my BBQ on a Weber grill, but got a Brinkmann's Vertical Smoker for Christmas. Oh mama... It makes easily as good BBQ as the best I've ever had in a restaurant (and by way of comparison, the best I've had is Oklahoma Joe's in KC).
I use this dry rub from said establishment. It is really, really good. I also make my own sauce, and give the top of the BBQ a single slathering of sauce for the last 20-30 minutes in the smoker. That's really all it takes, though my wife and mom still like to dip theirs in additional sauce.
My sauce is my tweaks of one that originally came from The Joy of Cooking. I don't really measure and just eyeball everything, so it changes sometimes, but basically I saute some minced garlic and onions in some bacon fat. When it's browned and sauted, I add around a cup or so of ketchup, about half a cup of water, and then the following in whatever amounts seem good to me at the time: worcestershire sauce, some hot sauce or thai chili sauce, apple cider vinegar, sugar or brown sugar, salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper ... maybe some other stuff that looks good. Lemon juice when I have it on hand. Next time I think I'll try jalapenos as noted in the OP. mmm that sounds yum! Not sure why I never thought of that.
My daughters don't like it so hot so I used Sweet Baby Ray's sauce for them. Interesting that that sauce appears so popular, before I started making my own sauce that was the mainstream storebought sauce I decided I liked the most as well! been using it for years.
next time I smoke I'll take pictures. Man does it come out good. You may consider it cheating but mine is a propane smoker for ease of use. It was only $150 at Home Depot, and has pretty solid reviews everywhere. It's not huge, but it holds enough for 1-2, maybe 2-3 families worth of BBQ at a time.
I buy packs of spare ribs at Costco (2 slabs for $15, hard to go wrong). The morning I'm going to BBQ, I trim them to the St. Louis cut, coat all pieces with dry rub, cover with wrap and put in the fridge for about 4-5 hours. They come out of the smoker so tender it melts in your mouth, but it doesn't fall off the bone. When you bite into the ribs it comes clean off the bone, but the bark on the outside holds the whole thing together and keeps them from falling apart. It's awesome!
I've tried many different homemade sauces and store bought ones. I always go back to Sweet Baby Ray's Original.
Also, don't ever spoil good meat with runny vinegar, please.Tell me about it. I moved to the Raleigh, NC area 4 years or so ago and haven't garnered much of a palate for the vinegar based bar-b-q that is popular here.
When I lived in Texas some years back, I had the same reaction to what the locals called barbecue but what was in fact beef brisket. It was good. It just wasn't barbecue.
You might want to try to Lexington style. Some folks swear to like one over the other because there's a much higher meat-to-everything-else ratio, and there's catsup in the sauce. Me, I like 'em both.
When I lived in Texas some years back, I had the same reaction to what the locals called barbecue but what was in fact beef brisket. It was good. It just wasn't barbecue
Barbeque brisket. Viola.
Since I'm avoiding work right now, here are a few BBQ tips:
1. Get a smoker with an off-set firebox. The thicker the better, for heat retention--lifting the lid should involve some muscle. I use this one.
2. The sweet spot for temperature is 225 F. Aim for 1.5 hours/lb cooking time, though some meats (like turkey) require less. If your smoker is heavy enough to retain heat well, once you get the air flow set you'll only need to add fuel every couple of hours to keep that temperature.
3. It does not take much wood to give great flavor. In fact, it's easy to overdo it & end up with a bitter flavor--or worse, that mouth-numbing sensation from heavy smoke, which comes from naturally-formed creosote. I use mostly charcoal as a heat source, adding wood chunks as necessary to maintain a light, white smoke. Once the meat gets that very dark brown color (usually not more than 4-5 hours), pull it out, wrap it tightly in foil, & finish cooking.
4. Time matters. Calculate cooking time based on weight, and stick with that. If you were to take an internal temperature reading, it would show that it's done after only a few hours. But it wouldn't be very good--time is needed to fully liquefy all the connective tissues in the meat. When a brisket's done right, you don't need a knife to cut it.
5. Type of wood matters. Strongly flavored fruit woods will require much less contact time before wrapping in foil than more neutral woods. Pecan wood is definitely my favorite for brisket, and I like apple wood for pork ribs.
Damn, I'm hungry now.
I'll chime in and share one ingredient of my dry rub. Chicory. It departs a wonderful exotic flavor
While I love the taste of Sweet Baby Ray's, the wife and I are trying to go HFCS-free, as the first baby step towards eating better. And of course, it's the first ingredient in the Baby Ray's, which means that once the bottle we have is done, there won't be any more in our house
While I love the taste of Sweet Baby Ray's, the wife and I are trying to go HFCS-free, as the first baby step towards eating better. And of course, it's the first ingredient in the Baby Ray's, which means that once the bottle we have is done, there won't be any more in our house
Jonman, I'm not sure how often you get downtown, but you should try Hole in the Wall BBQ on James (only open during lunch for a few hours on weekdays). St. Louis-style ribs are fresh out of the smoker on Thursday at 11AM.
While I love the taste of Sweet Baby Ray's, the wife and I are trying to go HFCS-free, as the first baby step towards eating better. And of course, it's the first ingredient in the Baby Ray's, which means that once the bottle we have is done, there won't be any more in our houseJonman, I'm not sure how often you get downtown, but you should try Hole in the Wall BBQ on James (only open during lunch for a few hours on weekdays). St. Louis-style ribs are fresh out of the smoker on Thursday at 11AM.
Rarely, unfortunately. I work out of Boeing Field, so downtown's a bit of a trek for lunch. For lunch at work, I often get my BBQ cravings met at Peco's Pit on 1st.
My sauce is my tweaks of one that originally came from The Joy of Cooking. I don't really measure and just eyeball everything, so it changes sometimes, but basically I saute some minced garlic and onions in some bacon fat. When it's browned and sauted, I add around a cup or so of ketchup, about half a cup of water, and then the following in whatever amounts seem good to me at the time: worcestershire sauce, some hot sauce or thai chili sauce, apple cider vinegar, sugar or brown sugar, salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper ... maybe some other stuff that looks good. Lemon juice when I have it on hand. Next time I think I'll try jalapenos as noted in the OP. mmm that sounds yum! Not sure why I never thought of that.
Every Labor Day and Memorial Day i spend the day experimenting with my own BBQ sauces that start off similar to this. I also like using dill pickle juice as one of my ingredients.
I normally use it on shredded pork shoulder.
Every Labor Day and Memorial Day i spend the day experimenting with my own BBQ sauces that start off similar to this. I also like using dill pickle juice as one of my ingredients.
I normally use it on shredded pork shoulder.
Even better, use homemade pickle juice. I like adding the spicy carrot pickle juice to sauces.
Anyone have a good recipe for blackening rub, nothing too spicy hot, just needs a little kick and great flavor. Ever since Backyard Burger moved out of my town I have craved a blackened chicken sandwich and hamburger; it's been years since I have found a good one. Yes a fast food restaurant's blackened sandwich is what I compare all others to.
Oh, and smoked bologna. God's gift to man.
Truly a local delicacy of the Czech-ohomans that is perfected at Leo's BBQ factory.
Damn, now I'm longing to wake my Weber from hibernation, but there's like ten inches of snow on my terrace. Perhaps a winter BBQ is in order, haven't tried that so far...
Anyone have a good recipe for blackening rub, nothing too spicy hot, just needs a little kick and great flavor. Ever since Backyard Burger moved out of my town I have craved a blackened chicken sandwich and hamburger; it's been years since I have found a good one. Yes a fast food restaurant's blackened sandwich is what I compare all others to.
I use a combination of Dijon mustard, honey and olive oil, with a bit of salt.
While I love the taste of Sweet Baby Ray's, the wife and I are trying to go HFCS-free, as the first baby step towards eating better. And of course, it's the first ingredient in the Baby Ray's, which means that once the bottle we have is done, there won't be any more in our house :(
HCFS the first ingredient? That ain't BBQ sauce.
The Latin Macho Burger. It's damn good.
Ingredients* 3/4 pound ground sirloin
* 3/4 pound ground chuck
* 1/2 pound raw chorizo, casings removed and crumbled
* 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
* 1 large onion, grated
* 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 large yellow onions, finely sliced
* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1/2 cup bottled and sliced jalapeno chiles, drained
* 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
* 2 medium jarred roasted red bell peppers, drained
* 3/4 cup mayonnaise
* 6 slices Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella
* 6 hamburger rollsIn a large bowl, mix thoroughly by hand the ground beef, the chorizo, the adobo seasoning, the grated onion and the bread crumbs. Form the burgers into 6 patties without pressing them too much or they can become tough. Line a baking pan with waxed paper and put the burgers side-by-side in a single layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This will help the burgers hold together. If you make more than you need just separate with waxed paper and insert into a storage freezer bag for future use.
To make the Caramelized Onion and Jalapeno Relish:
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Add the jalapeno chiles and the brown sugar. Saute for 15 minutes or until the onion and the chiles are caramelized and soft. Set aside.
To make the Red Pepper Mayonnaise:
Drain the roasted red peppers and put them in a blender or food processor. Add the mayonnaise, and season with salt and pepper. Puree the mayonnaise and roasted red peppers until well combined and the mixture is smooth. NOTE: This may be done up to 2 days ahead of time, and in fact the flavor will be more complete with an overnight chilling.
To cook the Latin Burgers:
Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan on the stove top over medium-high heat. Place the burgers on the hot grill or pan until cooked to desired doneness. Due to the raw chorizo in the recipe, at least medium-well is recommended, approximately 10 minutes on each side. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, top the burgers with the slices of cheese so it can melt. If your grill has a lid, putting it on briefly will help the cheese melt quickly and evenly.
To serve:
Spread about 1 tablespoon of the red pepper mayonnaise on both sides of the rolls. Lay a burger on the bottom halves, and top with a couple of spoonfuls of the caramelized onion and jalapeno relish.
Cant remember if posted it in the bacon thread or not but i actually like to sprinkle brown sugar/cayenne/paprika over the bacon and let it bake over a grated cookie sheet. The grease drops down to the sheet and the bacon fries up nice and has this carmalized spicy goodness on it.
This years experiment will be expanding on that to the pork shoulder
Jonman wrote:While I love the taste of Sweet Baby Ray's, the wife and I are trying to go HFCS-free, as the first baby step towards eating better. And of course, it's the first ingredient in the Baby Ray's, which means that once the bottle we have is done, there won't be any more in our house :(
HCFS the first ingredient? That ain't BBQ sauce.
Yea. BBQ sauce starts with cider vinegar and mustard
On BBQ, I don't have a smoker, so my pulled pork gets roasted in the oven. Still low/slow, but I'd love to have a smoker for brisket and pork shoulders. I too am a firm believer in the dry rub; mine is brown sugar, cayenne, chilli powder, garlic powder, black pepper and a bit of salt. Pretty basic, but very tasty. Briskets I'll slice as is, but pork shoulders I'll hand shred and sauce with a carolina style sauce I got from my grandmother. It's cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, worcestershire sauce, cayenne and black pepper. Properly cooked pork soaks it like a sponge and it has an awesome sweet vinegar taste that I'm utterly addicted to.
For ribs, I'm a bit different. I cook em hot and fast. I'll usually hit em with a dry rub and wrap em in plastic. Then they go in the fridge overnight. On the grill, I'll flip em about every 30 minutes for a couple hours, then hit em up with a more 'normal' bbq sauce. That's sauteed onion, garlic, molasses, ketchup, cayenne, black pepper and maybe some other stuff, I can't remember it off the top of my head. Anyway, sauce goes on one side prior to flipping, then on the other side afterwards and both sides get some time sauce down. I had a guy who had gone through culinary school pronounce them in the top 5 ribs he'd ever eaten
I love this thread. recipes on the way....!
Cant remember if posted it in the bacon thread or not but i actually like to sprinkle brown sugar/cayenne/paprika over the bacon and let it bake over a grated cookie sheet. The grease drops down to the sheet and the bacon fries up nice and has this carmalized spicy goodness on it.
This years experiment will be expanding on that to the pork shoulder
Bacon and BBQ - they are the Yin/Yang of American philosophy?
Yea. BBQ sauce starts with cider vinegar and mustard :P
Blasphemy!
AnimeJ wrote:Yea. BBQ sauce starts with cider vinegar and mustard :P
Blasphemy!
You must be a transplant into that state.
Quintin_Stone wrote:AnimeJ wrote:Yea. BBQ sauce starts with cider vinegar and mustard :P
Blasphemy!
You must be a transplant into that state.
Forgive him. He knows not how he sins.
He does make good hushpuppies, though.
Quintin_Stone wrote:AnimeJ wrote:Yea. BBQ sauce starts with cider vinegar and mustard :P
Blasphemy!
You must be a transplant into that state.
Oh most definitely. I do, after all, live in Cary.
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