Competition BBQ Secrets

Archive for June, 2008

Bill do you know where I can find a good recipe to make barbecue hash?

Bill,

      I just bought your book and I know it is going to help me cook better BBQ. I am a novice and just bought my first offset smoker. A Char Broil Silver. I know it is not the greatest or most expensive cooker in the world but I figured if I can learn to cook decently on this one maybe I will upgrade in the future. My question is how long should I add smoke during the cooking process of the butt. I noticed you did not disclose that info in you book or what type of wood you used. I am sure this is probably a guarded secret but if you could point me in the right direction it would be a great help. Thanks, Sean from Ft. Myers Fl.

 Bill i have decided to find a good wireless monitering system to use with my smoker.I don’t care about the price , i just don’t want to waste my time with worthless junk. I have been looking at other opinions of the maverick system and have found numerous complaints from buyers of the product on different sites that sell it.
  The following site is just one example if you would be  interested in reading some opinions. http://www.smarthome.com/asp/ReviewRead/ReviewRead.asp?itemnumber=3219
  If you have used this unit enough to personally vouch for it then let me know how their claims compare with the actual performance of the product,range,temp.reading accuracy etc.
  If in your opinion the unit dosen’t stand up to their claims then recommend a good unit to me reguardless of the price if you know of one.                      
                                                                                                  Thanks
                                                                                                  Bill Ryle

Hello: 
     Are you ready for your 4th of July BBQ? This month’s newsletter is about baked beans. Bush’s baked beans in particular. I have included two great baked beans recipes and information about how you can win prizes by voting in Bush’s Perfect Pair video contest (featuring yours truly). So to watch my video and see how you can win a mini-grill or a Omaha Steaks gift certificate, just visit the web page below….
Baked Beans -
www.bbqsuccess.com/bbq-baked-beans
BBQ Newsletter archive – www.bbqsuccess.com
BBQ Blog (archive of all your BBQ questions) – www.bbq-book.com/blog
I hope you find the information useful! Feel free to link to any of these web pages if you want to.
Bill

Bill,
I just bought the book on Ebay and read it entirely through.  You get right to it.  Good book.  Definitely not a lot of filler – which I like.  I am building my own smoker right now for my first pig roast in September.  Can’t wait and now I feel much more ready to have a party with my smoker.  
Do you have some rubs and mops that you recommend?  If so, I greatly appreciate it. 
Thanks again.  
Scott

Hi Bill:

I have your cookbook and use it often. I have tried several of your recipes, and suggestions, and just love the results. Now comes a big question,and I hope you can help.

We purchased a half of an Angus beef from a friend who owns a ranch in West Texas.We split it, with other family members as it was too much for my wife and I. The meat is extremely lean, and is tougher than shoe leather. We tried a rib-eye the other night and could not eat it. We tried again, with a marinade over night and it was a little better but still tough. Can you give us a marinade that would help us tenderize this monster?I have asked a couple of meat cutters at the super mkts. and they are no help at all. They are stumped as to why the meat is so tough.

We talked to our friend who we purchased the meat from and he too has tough meat. The steer was cured for a week.

I hope you have a solution to our debacle. Incidentally, the hamburger is awesome.

Thank you in advance for ant help you can give us.

Sincerely;

Dick

Argyle TX

thanks Bill,  I was thinking the cooking chamber was limited to less than 212 with a water pan.

I thought your news letter on how to cut and prepare ribs was really good by the way.  You might be as good at marketing as you are at BBQ.  

thanks,

-Darrell

Hi, Bill. First let me just thank you for the best BBQ tips I’ve ever gotten anywhere. I’m still figurin’ things out but the ribs are getting better. If you don’t mind, though; would you answer a couple of questions for me? When trimming the ribs “St. Louis style”, how do you prepare and serve the rib tips? Just rub and smoke ‘em along with the rack? I’ve found that this section is particularly thick and takes a much longer time to cook, so do you just save the tips for another time and/or tratment? Thanks for everything.

Ken

Davis, CA

Bill,

Your correct it is not totally the heat of the smoker at 225 to 250 degrees but the internal temps of the meat like 180 degrees for poultry and 170 for veal, beef, lamb and pork well done or 160 degrees for ham or beef medium. Also in poultry the juces should run clear and the joints should be loose. This is why I took the course from Iowa State University on meat handeling and cooking. I use digital thermoneters in checking my meat internal temps, and I look at the meat like ribs and when it is starting to draw back on the bone I check the temps and see if it is done. Chicken legs do the same thing when they are close to being done but checking that temp is a must. Keeps the bad bugs away from the folks your cooking for and yourself.

Keep Smoking That Meat,

Lee

Is it possible to over smoke meat?  I have noticed the last few times that
the meat has tasted like a house fire.