Competition BBQ Secrets

Archive for May, 2008

Hello:

     I want to tell you about a great cookbook entitled “Foods of the Southland” by a fellow BBQ enthusiast. They came down from Tennessee a few weeks ago and met me at the Boss Hog Cookoff in Waynesboro, GA. Dave and Betty are two of the nicest people you will ever meet! And I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy of their cookbook today. For all the details, click on the link below…
http://www.bbq-book.com/store/html/foods_of.html
Thanks,

Bill Anderson

Bill,
Thank you for keeping me abreast of what’s happening
in the world of grilling and food services.  I have a
question for you, when using chargoal, as you know the
fire start out very hot once the coals turn white with
visible redness when cooking.  How do you get the
temperature to cook on a medium to level without
burning your food?

Hi Bill:

I have a question…what is the best way to start the wood in a smoker. Some say to use “instant light” briquets and then add the wood when the coals turn white. Some use regular charcoal with a lighter fluid. Finally, I heard that some use wads of paper with regular charcoal and then  add the wood.

What do you recommend for the best fire and the best taste. I do a lot of pulled pork and want to bring it up a notch. I also do a lot of ribs.

Thanks for your help.

Carl

Bill I got your book and tried  the ribs today.  I am 48 years old and never have I made ribs as good as these but I have also never had them as good.  I am reccomending this book to all my freinds, Thanks so much!!!!!!

Dave

Greenville, Texas

Hey Bill , I was wondering about whether or not the judges at a competition are concerned about how tall a slice of brisket is. I know about the thickness of the slice , but I bought a brisket (12 lb) over the weekend that turned out excellent , and I sliced up the flat and I think the tallest piece was maybe 1 1/4″ tall. It was a whole brisket . 

                                                                           Thanks
                                                                            Buddy

Bill,
Attached are some pictures of a trailer mounted wood smoker I am currently working on. I have purchased your book and have had some success, although it seems that this smoker I have trouble burning the meat closest to the fire box. It also seems that I am throwing wood away all day for no reason. With a smoker like this, would I consider putting two dual propane gas elements so I can heat the “box” consistently and use the firebox only for smoke?
Steve

Howdy Bill

 I have had your book for about 6 months now. I am impressed with it. Today I was doing a practice run for a compition that I am going to in about two weeks. I was cooking some pork ribs and chicken also. I got this idea to try this. I put your ketchup, honey and raspberry vingerette  glaze on the brisket part of the rib that I cut off them. Well  to me it turned out great. I put it on for the last hour of cooking. My wife was not quit sure about it but I thought they came out great. Just was wondering what your thoughts was on this and have you tried doing that before.

Thanks

 Chris Zordel

Yep
Bar-B-Q ed the best chicken that I ever have today Sun. May the 25th
I have been doing it for over 50 years. I followed your instructions
word for word what a success. The only thing that I did different  was the  glaze. I
make a sugar free cranberry preserves. I took some and  ran it through the
blender and added it to my Bar-B-Q sauce to make the glaze. Betty will not lie to
anybody. If I do something that is not worth a S she will tell me in a minute .
She says that it was the best B-B-Q ed chicken that she had ever eaten.
Thanks and
Hi to Jocel.
DAVE FRANKS
The Lill’ Red Barn Bar-B-Q

Bill, mine started last weekend when my wife and I went down to the World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest where they had around 270 teams cooking to see who had the best piece of meat and we had a great time.
Then on Saturday I went to Costco and bought a three (3) pack of their Loin Back Baby Back Ribs and marinated them overnight in my special sauce then put them on the grill on Sunday around 11:30 AM cooked them over indirect heat for 7 1/2 hours and between my wife me & my Mom, they were gone in no time and were absolutely delicious.  I injected my BBQ sauce in between each one of the rib bones and with the apple wood chips during the last few hours of cooking, put a really nice smoke ring into the ribs.
To finish it off, we had some of my Grandma’s famous luscious Banana caramel pie, yum, yum.
Take care and have a nice holiday weekend.
Chris

Hey Bill-
For a first time pit master to get a 12th out of 30 ain’t bad at all.  Don’t be so hard on yourself =)  Seein’ as you were in GA, it may have been a regional taste differences thing in part. 

I’m not one to talk, don’t compete anymore, never did on the circuit.  I’ve done BBQ and Chili competitions here in CA, and also in Reno a couple of times, but I think there’s too much of a fix on for the regulars, and the people I’m concerned about pleasing are my friends and family… not a bunch of yahoos I don’t sit down and break bread with.

Your brisket and butt both look pretty dang good tome, I was wondering if you kept them in the positions shown in your photo through the whole cook, or did you move them around any in the smoker (closer to the coal box or further away)  at any time?  I find the temperature differs quite a bit within the cooking chamber form left to right, even from front to back on the grid. There are 4 distinct “heat zones” in mine:  Front Left, Rear Left, Front Right, Rear Right.   If I cook different types of cuts simultaneously, I tend to rotate them around the surface at least twice during the cooking.

So… commercial rub, or home made?  And different rubs for brisket and butt?  Same rub for butt and ribs??  Just curious… Likely you’re like me, you’ll never pass along your rub recipe, but you will share a few things =)  I definitely use a different mix for beef and pork, but not a ton of differences.  And yep, I spice my ribs and butt differently too.
Good luck on round two, and keep us posted.

Tomorrow is Pork Butt… Sunday is Ribs (St Louis Style and Baby Back)… Monday is Chicken, Turkey Legs, and Salmon!!

Larry