Here's a lamb leg I grilled earlier.

Wow It's Been A While

It's been about ten months since I last bumped this thread, and I've made a lot of progress.

I left you last only a month or two after I bought my first real smoker, an El Cheapo Brinkmann. Certainly the thing does some stuff better then a Weber grill, the air control and temperature control is a bare! I did my first competition with that smoker last fall and took a prize over 20 other cooks! I was really happy, especially with the fact I was fifteen years younger then anyone there. I also had some good cooks on that thing.

Also started vending at the high school for organizations and clubs, and it's been great! Keep getting rave reviews from students and teachers alike! Hopefully it'll get me into a better college! :D

I finally found the need to upgrade to something bigger, easier to control, while still affordable. I jumped on a used 30 inch Chargriller smoker, and I scrubbed/scraped down the inside, painted the outside. She'll be a much better cooker renovated and a firebox is coming from a Brethren.

I was late to entering competitions but look to compete at New Holland and Barrington, and maybe Staten Island and Victory BrewBQ in Downington. Hope to see any of you there!

Cooking two racks of ribs tomorrow and making andouille rib tip sausage! Will try to update this more.

Till next time,

BBQ Apprentice

Long Time

Sorry guys I haven't posted recently. Been cooking some on the weekends but sadly have my dishes turn out terrible while the others have been spectacular. Made an awesome oven roasted chicken three weeks ago but the following week screwed up smoked squash ravioli from scratch. Ehhh...

Well yesterday I noticed a new Southwestern restaurant in town, a favorite cuisine of me, which got me thinking what would I serve in a restaurant of mine in ten or fifteen years (a goal)

First thing that came to mind was St. Louis style pork ribs, as I've placed very well with them in my most recent competition, a non KCBS event down in Camden.

Now, I'd usually hit them with my original chili-espresso rub (another post, but it's excellent) and then baste with my citrus-hickory sauce midway through, which people really like a lot. But I wanted to try something different, so I slathered them in mustard and cayenne and marinated them for two hours before hitting them with a sugarless version of my original rub.

Because they were pretty thin, I cooked them for 3 1/4 hours (an hour less then usual, which really alarmed me). I usually foil 'em to get them more tender but again I was experimenting. Two chunks of maple smoke gave some light smoky flavor in the finished product. When the ribs were looking like crap I hit them with a brine of sorts, vinegar + plenty o' brown sugar + teaspoon of salt. Gave them a little carmalized texture. Oh well for the dry ribs.

Made up a sauce, with 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of chili powder, a couple tablespoons of ketchup, and a teaspoon and a half of dried mustard. Strong but delicious. Doesn't outpace my citrus sauce but it'll be a second option when our club is selling BBQ in January at school.

Cut them up, and served them with some of my strong, finely ground red cabbage slaw (why it looks so odd) and some classic homefries, salted and peppered. Decided this'd be my first menu option but with the citrus sauce. They weren't falling off the bone like usual, which I liked for a change. Tender but with a little chew.

Here's some pics! I think they're better then usual.

Thanks for looking~ Hopefully weekly posts coming again!

Sorry folks, I was away/fevered last week. Vacation was fun on Cape Cod as I got to smoke some bluefish and striper on a ezBQ. This weekend I'll post the story which I must say is pretty funny. But then driving back on Sunday, I got a sore throat, and a three day 101 F with the inability to talk/swallow. Arghh. Man it has not been a fun last seven days. But today was alright, because I got back to the grill with some massive pork chops, sausage and rice stuffed peppers, and a grilled cherry tomato and pickled onion salad. The pork chops were massive and my balsamic honey glaze worked absolutely perfectly. They were great. The peppers would good if not a little bland and I really should have boiled the peppers.

Pics!

A Busy Weekend

I had one busy weekend trying to fit as much smoking/cooking into two days.

I won some Hi Mountain Canadian bacon cure, go here if you want to read, and go to www.playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com to show some support for thirdeye, the guy who gave the stuff to me. It'd take a lot of words to go through the process again so just head over to Brethren.com and read it. Good stuff. I'll post a few pics here anyways.

Then I made a BLT the next day. Sorry for the bad quality pic, can't see the bacon. But just to prove I used some of it.

Then tonight I made sausage + peppers, with a new rub I made up... best I've ever made. Not many people put a rub on sweet italian sausage, but it added some zing (Old Bay) and some pepper. Also paprika, cumin, and dried mustard in there.

I cooked them till they were thoroughly done but moist. No one wants an undercooked sausage.

Peppers and onions.

Finished product, under low light.

Hope you guys enjoyed your weekend! I'll see you guys next weekend for a small shoulder (to freeze) and some spares!

Until next time,

Very Sorry Guys

I'm sitting in bio class and it's been five days since I've touched a grill or smoker. I may be going through smoke withdrawl, but I've got some pork chops and buckboard bacon to cook this weekend. Plus, I may do a shoulder to freeze for the week. I'll take pictures, of course, but I understand I've been inactive. I'll be back this weekend.

Inconclusive Victory for BBQ!

Here's some pics from the ribs I did last night. I believe I won 2-1, after someone waffled back and forth, but we may have confused plates. Mine were moist (surprising since they were smoked, not boiled, with a modern sauce, and smoky, tender but with some chew. They liked that the others tasted like their Mama's (go figure; probably boiled till extremely tender then sauced using some bottled stuff) but I must admit they were very, very tender and sweet with the Hickory sauce. Still didn't beat my crust and my ribs though!