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BBQ (The Noun, not the Verb) - Favorite rubs, sauces, methods
After the discussion on Christmas dinners in another thread in this section, I thought I would throw out this space for those of you who do barbeque/barbecue and your favorite rubs (wet or dry), sauces and share your methods along with pics of the same.
'Q or 'cue can consist of any of the hoofed population (pork, brisket, mutton, mule deer, elk, moose or bear) or winged (chicken, quail, turkey, duck or goose). We'll leave fish in the sea for now.
Include pics of your units/smokers and a little background history on your craft. Backyard/competition hobbyists only please.
Here is my rig: a tow-long 500 gal drummer with dbl chimneys on a single MH axle with 14.5x7s Loadstars. 24x24 3/4" steel firebox, a 4' x 5' grated cooking surface and separate 2' x 5' rib rack, plus two camp stove units and propane hookups. Gas piston lid lifters. Built in 2009 for $1300.
Last edited by btw; December 30th, 2016 at 06:41 AM.
Nice pit! I have a basic approach to my out door cooking.
I have a gas grill and a weber kettle grill. We like pork shoulder, or a rack of pork ribs and beer butt chicken. A simple dry rub of a few ingredients like, Lawrys seasoned salt,onion and garlic powder. We don't use much sauce if any. I most always use the indirect method with the heat low and slow for these items.
I'll suggest you try some pizza on the grill. If you watch it carefully and rotate timely, you'll get some awesome pie.
Sounds great! I'm doing a case of STL ribs and some whole chickens this weekend. I've mixed up a dry rub that features some pecan-flavored ground roast coffee, sea salt, paprika, cinnamon and brown sugar for the ribs. Got the coffee from a local coffeehouse that had leftovers on the cheap.
Here are some backstrap I did a couple of weeks ago:
Yummy
That is a nice looking Grill too. Need some SSII wheels on it.
Thanks Jim.
Because of that axle, I can't run SSII. However, the next cooker I build will feature either a SSII setup with redlines, or some old school painted steelies with center caps and stainless lugs on whitewalls.
Last edited by btw; December 30th, 2016 at 06:42 AM.
Bring that rig to H/O Day in May (if we can work out having it) and we'll throw down!
I tend to be a bobbycue purist meaning pork and chicken, with the occasional beef brisket thrown in just for something different, and using an Eastern-Carolina style vinegar and red pepper sauce. But truth be known I won't turn up my nose at bobbycue of any kind!
I forgot all about brisket. I haven't done one for a couple of years now. Sounds good.
Another favorite of ours is bacon wrapped asparagus. I place it in a fish basket for easy turning, over a good amount of heat. If I want to get fancy, I'll weave the bacon between stalks.
Honorable mention for cabbage. Qtr. one head, and season with salt, pepper and butter. Place those four pieces wrapped in foil, over soft heat until its done to your liking. An hour or two.
Bacon wrapped anything boys! How about some bacon-wrapped jalapenos stuffed with smoked gouda and shallots and slow smoked on pecan? And some bacon-infused bourbon as a chaser? Anyone? Anyone?
I've got a Weber Smokey Mountain that I occasionally mess with. I like it quite a bit.
I've gotten pretty consistent results with tri tip, ribs and pulled pork. I haven't had good luck with chicken, I think it's because I've been smoking too cold (250-275F instead of 325F); tried a turkey two months ago and it was horrible.
Attached some pics of the smoker, some beef short ribs we did, and some chicken that didn't taste as good as it looked.
I haven't had good luck with chicken, I think it's because I've been smoking too cold (250-275F instead of 325F); tried a turkey two months ago and it was horrible.
Attached some pics of the smoker, some beef short ribs we did, and some chicken that didn't taste as good as it looked.
Luke:
Are you using a water pan with those birds? Are you injecting them?
I smoke my non-injected birds at 250* and generally have excellent results with moist meat every time. I do stuff the cavities with some well-washed herbs (rosemary and thyme) and a white onion.
Don't give up on the WSM for all good bbq!
Last edited by btw; January 3rd, 2017 at 11:45 AM.
I didn't use a water pan with the birds, nor did I inject. The chicken picture I showed actually turned out okay... I guess I was comparing it to some chicken we grill with indirect heat that turns out fabulous, and the smoker was a step down from that, so I guess I classified it as a failure, when it probably wasn't close to that. However, the turkey was genuinely terrible, came out rubbery and tough. It was a cheap, frozen deal, and I think I had to overcook it to get the center up to temperature, even though I brined it first overnight.
I didn't use a water pan with the birds, nor did I inject. It was a cheap, frozen deal, even though I brined it first overnight.
You had me at cheap and frozen. Those birds don't tend to react well to the slow smoking process and the breasts, well - not something you want to write home about.
Have you tried cornish hens, duck or goose? The two latter tend to react very well to a smokebox treatment. Being in Kansas, you are in the flyway for bigger ducks and geese heading toward Canada. And some pheasant would be awesome too, come to think of it.
I'm big on pecan and I've found it stokes really well with a little bit of cherry, particularly with small game birds like quail and grouse or a Cornish hen. I like to soak the pecan really well in a 50/50 cheap bourbon and water mix (McKenna is great for this). You can then strain the mix, add some warm cherry juice and have it neat, sitting on the porch while Mr. Weber does all the work.
I've seen the weekend forecast for your area and a warmed bourbon cherry pecan cordial would be swell.
Last edited by btw; January 4th, 2017 at 07:16 AM.
Wow, that sounds fabulous, thanks for the input. Do you spatchcock the hens or cook them whole? I would like to give this a shot as long as the weather cooperates. We are starting the process of moving, and once we get resettled, I'm looking forward to having time to fire up the WSM regularly.
I tend not to butterfly but there is no reason you can't, just make note that your cooking times will be shorter if you do. If you do cook whole with a hen and plan on using the soaked pecan mash, add chopped lemon, onion and a tart apple to the cavity. I've found pecan and tart apple pair well together.
If you spatchcock, squeeze the lemon over the hen, let it soak in before you add your dry rub.
And post some pics! Good smoking Luke!
Last edited by btw; January 4th, 2017 at 07:18 AM.
Brian, where are you finding quail? For something that used to be ubiquitous round here we're having a hell of a time getting them reestablished. Extension Service is setting up eggs and incubators for those who want them, but the habitat has been destroyed by development in the county.
Grade school years I'd go hunting and bring in a brace of birds, and my parents would invite neighbors for quail supper. Then after I had hunted and cleaned the birds the neighbors would have quail and I'd get a damn hot dog! One neighbor in particular galled me as he would eat you out of house and home, yet never reciprocated at all.
I haven't done a cornish hen in some time. They can make the perfect little meal with sides. Hmm...good.
Just a few years back, it was popular for farmers or retired gentlemen to raise domestic quail. I think that market died off though. I don't see them anymore, around these parts.
One thing not mentioned is Kabobs. We do these often in the summer usually with pork tenderloin, onion,bell pepper and mushrooms. I like to take the leftovers, chopped fine and heated with melted cheese on a big toasted roll.
Love some brats! and thanks for posting up your photos.
Glenn: I've had success in quail and her cousin grouse in the mountains of WNC, just above Hiawasee, GA. Sometime it is slim pickings in the valleys but any reason to head out that way in October is appreciated by my crew. Sometimes the trip is a bust but other times I've had success.
What I really miss is taking some pheasant. The OBX are all but dried up.
I tend not to butterfly but there is no reason you can't, just make note that your cooking times will be shorter if you do. If you do cook whole with a hen and plan on using the soaked pecan mash, add chopped lemon, onion and a tart apple to the cavity. I've found pecan and tart apple pair well together.
If you spatchcock, squeeze the lemon over the hen, let it soak in before you add your dry rub.
And post some pics! Good smoking Luke!
Thanks Brian! I'll get it planned out and put pics up this weekend.
I understand you are moving/relocating this weekend: what better way than get the furniture placed than to light the WSM with this concoction and get that smoke moving throughout your 'hood.
We're suppose to get snow Friday night/Saturday morning which is yet another good reason to fire up the smokebox! If I pull it around by the doors to the Olds garage I can get some work done on the D88 and stay warm at the same time. Nothing like the glow off 3/4" plated steel.
Thanks to Brian's motivation and input, I gave some Cornish hens a shot today.
They came frozen, so I brined them for 24 hours in the fridge. I cut up lemon, apple, and onion to stuff the bird cavity, then sprinkled these pieces using the Simon and Garfunkel rub recipe from Amazing Ribs (details here: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_...unkel_rub.html). After removing the birds from the brine, I stuffed the cavities, squeezed lemon juice over the top, then sprinkled the Simon and Garfunkel rub on the skin. I decided not to butterfly them.
The birds went on the smoker once it hit 250F with a mix of pecan and cherry wood chunks on the charcoal. I didn't have the opportunity to bourbon soak the pecan or make the cordial (next time for sure). My Maverick probe decided to quit functioning halfway through the smoke... after 2-1/2 hours, the hens were at 145F, and I was in a time crunch, so I finished them in a 350F oven, which only took 15 min or so.
The results - absolutely delicious, tender bird with great flavor. Definitely something I'll make again. Sorry for the length, figured I'd throw out all the details for any other amateurs that struggle through this like myself.
I don't remember ever having pheasant. I'm told it's very good. Closest I've come to eating wild bird in last 30 yrs is W's had wild turkey for Christmas dinner this year.
Fellow a couple miles from me was trying to establish a pheasant population a few years back and had them in a covered pen. He'd sell them off as they matured and the pen worked great till we had a big windstorm 2 yrs ago that took the roof off the pen, and his whole flock got loose.
I was cutting grass and came round back side of the house and there was this big pheasant **** standing there like he owned the place. Didn't move or get up at all and stood there for ten minutes or so while I got within 20 feet of it with the mower. It started heading for the open garage so I headed it off, and then the neighbor's idiot Lab spotted it and it was off to the races. Dog didn't get it but it did pull a couple of tail feathers off while the bird was taking off.
So, in spite of efforts to reestablish these birds, things have a way of thwarting them. I think they're having better success in the midwest and Plains states.
As folks are looking forward to spring thaw and getting outside with their Oldsmobiles, it is also time to think about those afternoon gatherings and parties when your Olds and non-Olds friends come over for lunch or dinner.
I was desperate to smoke something after moving, so we did ribs this past weekend. It was pretty much a mess... we were out of some of the spices I needed for our preferred rub, so we ended up using some generic seasoning from a famous KC bbq joint.
Ran the baby backs for about 6 hours at 225 with apple chunks on the Weber smokey mountain. They were not getting done in time for dinner, so I ended up wrapping them in foil for an hour, then they ended up a bit overcooked. You can see how one of the racks fell apart when getting picked up.
I have a brisket wet aging in its packaging in the fridge, that will probably be a project in two weekends. Haven't done one yet (helped a friend), so it should be an experience.
December 29th, 2016, 07:14 AM
