Competition BBQ Secrets

Archive for April, 2009

Bill, read about your method of cooking spareribs using the 311 process instead of the 321 method and can only say that the spareribs I BBQ in my Weber smoker this past weekend were the best I have ever made. Tender, juicy with a nice bite!! What method would you use for babybacks, 211 since they do not take as long as spareribs? Congratulations on your championship win!! I really enjoy getting your news letter and all of the other information on your site!! I will be ordering your book soon. I am on a fixed income and have to watch my money very closely so I save up for things that I want.

Thanks Bill
Dave (Boise, Idaho)

Bill,

Just purchased and perused your book. What an excellent guide for 1st timers like me and my team. Can you offer any help on the turn-in box for the KCBS rules. We’ve heard that some teams can make their lettuce/cilantro look like a putting green and we have NO IDEA what to do.

If available, some pictures would be helpful too.

Thanks for putting this out there for folks like us. We look forward to many years of learning and making new friends while doing something we love.

Warmest regards,
Austin

Bill,

My BBQ team is in Memphis in May, and we are competing in shoulder. We have never presented shoulder to judges before. I am the one who does the presentation, and don’t want to lose because of my lack of knowledge. Any help or advise that you have would be great. Also please help me on how to identify the “smoke ring”.

Thanks,
Matt

If you are looking for a good citrus rub, look no further than Herring South. Keith Herring is owner of a BBQ catering outfit in Jacksonville, FL. This citrus rub is just bursting with flavor and would do well if you are looking for a citrus flavor for your chicken. Give it a try at www.herringsouth.com

Bill

Dear Sirs,

I’m an Irish man living in Brazil, married to a beautiful Brazilian women and I’ve had the pleasure of trying smoked BBQ ribs, brisket & chicken while I was in Memphis on business. Brazilian’s love meat, they eat so much but they don’t smoke it, they bbq it with lump coal. I want to open a restaurant Read the rest of this entry »

Spring time is here which of course means grilling season isn’t too far behind. Now that the weather is getting nicer, it’s time to sweep up your patio, clean off the grill and uncover your outdoor furniture in preparation for a busy season of BBQ-fun. This season you owe it to yourself to invest in a barbeque smoker. Smokers are a great way to enhance the flavor of your meats and veggies. Here’s a helpful guide on the ins and out of barbequing with a smoker.

What Does a Smoker Do?

Food smokers essentially use low heat and slow cooking to provide whatever foods you are smoking with a rich, delicious and smoky flavor. Smokers are specially designed not to overcook or dry out your foods, leaving them juicy and full of flavor. Different types of food take longer to cook – for instance, pork ribs can be cooked in about 2 hours, but other meats can take up to 24 hours.

Different Types of Smokers

Charcoal and wood smokers are cylindrical in shape. The cylindrical chamber contains a cooking chamber as well as a firebox, which is used to burn the fuel and wood. Charcoal and wood smokers typically contain 1 – 2 cooking racks, ventilation vents and a thermometer. A larger smoker might contain additional cooking racks or meat hooks, allowing you to cook more at once.

Another option for you to consider is a propane smoker. With a propane smoker, you must light a gas burner located directly underneath a steel or iron box containing wood or charcoal. If you have a power source handy on your patio, an electric smoker might be your best option. You can also purchase a barbeque grill that can also be used as a smoker, sometimes called chargrill smokers. For indoor use, consider a stovetop cast iron smoker.

Whether you choose to use a charcoal, gas, wood or electric smoker is up to you. Some enthusiasts rave about charcoal barbecue smokers, claiming that they are best for smoking meat and fish. In all honesty, if you’re just looking for that delicious smoky flavor, any of the options work fine. That signature flavor comes from the wood chips that you place on the heat source.

Choosing The Right Wood Chips

Mesquite, hickory, pecan, maple, alder or apple – the flavors you want in your smoked foods are completely dependent on the kind of wood chips you choose. It’s recommended that you purchase wood chips especially made for barbeque smoking, as other wood chips could ruin your food, not to mention your smoker.

Prior to throwing your wood chips into the smoker, it’s recommended that you soak them for at least 30 minutes. This process will prevent them from bursting into flames before they smoke your food. Some people like to soak their chips in beer, fruit juice or wine, instead of water for added flavor.

If you own a Bradley Smoker, the manufacturer makes flavored Bisquettes which are made from hardwood chippings. Bradley Bisquettes release flavor right when they start to burn, burning off every twenty minutes or so, which produces a clean smoke flavor without that woody aftertaste.

Smoker Accessories

Once you purchase a smoker, there are tons of available accessories on the market for you to add-on to your smoker experience. From weather proof covers that allow you to store your smoker on your deck all year round to a cold smoke adapter which allows you to smoke cheeses and Norwegian-style smoked fish, you can make your smoker perform double and triple duty!

Smoker bags also are great options if you don’t want to spend money on an expensive, brand new smoker. A great single use product, a smoker bag can be used on either a grill or a firepit. Smoker bags from Camerons, for instance, keep the wood chip flavoring inside, sealed between 2 bottom layers of foil. The whole thing is held together with natural wood syrups, so the entire process is seamless and mess free.

This spring, as you get your patio ready for outdoor entertaining, consider investing in a brand new smoker or some smoker accessories. Smoking your meats and veggies is a great way to add that smoky flavor, while keeping your foods succulent and delicious.

Bill, I went and competed this weekend at the BBQ and Blue Grass in Thomaston Ga. I will tell you that is a lot of work on one man, my so call team let me down, but I went down fighting.. I did not expect to win and i didn’t. I finished 28 th over all out of 31 teams. I met a lot great people and had a lot of fun. The people were great and shared a lot of information, everyone loves to talk BBQ, and help me with presentation. I used three of your recipes, I thought they were good, the judges are pretty Tough. They were pretty consistent except for the pork, four judges gave me 9′s and 10′s, the other two gave me 7′s and 8′s. The good thing is I beat the guy beside me over all, he had been doing this for about two years. I also seen something that I think that hurt me. I use a stick smoker, everyone who placed except for one guy in chicken who placed 9 th, also cooked with wood. Everyone was using Gravity fed smokers except three guys who were using green eggs. I tasted a lto food food that was cooked on the gravity fed smokers, there was a lot of tasting I did not need those snacks I took, There was no smoke flavor. Everyone that tasted my food said it had a great wood flavor. I spent this morning on the internet look at this design of the gravity fed smoker, it looks more like baking with charcoal, not smoking. Let me know what you think of this, the judges do not taste this. I also noticed some of the cooks use alot of sauces. I am not going to let this stop me, I will compete again. Are you going to be in Barnsville Ga on the 24 of apirl.
 
Thanks Rodney

Hello- I’m totally new at this stuff, but I’ve gotta learn cuz it’s an obsession. I want to purchase my first unit, outside of my big cheif smoker, and weber kettle. I don’t need a trialer unit obviously, and I wanted to get some advice on a good starter!!! Can anyone help?

Bill,  My BBQ partner and I are starting construction of our second BBQ trailer.  The trailer will have two tanks. One tank will be for flat grilling. The second tank will be a “convertible”  rotisserie. It is a 300 gallon round diesel fuel barrell that can be changed to one of three types of grills. A rotisserie with trays for butts, ribs, brisket, etc. A second rotisserie for cooking whole hogs, and the third is expanded steel grills for flat grilling.

We are looking for plans and pictures of an inexpensive rotisserie that will be durable and dependable. The mechanics of the trays going around for hours in a hot tank are our main concern. Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks, Jeff St. Louis

Bill:
Congratulations on your recent championship.  After reading Competition BBQ Secrets, it is no surprise that you won.  I can’t express how much I appreciate this book.  Although competition is not my interest, ultra quality smoked meat is my passion.  With your guidance the meat from my smoker has fed hundreds of people, and average gatherings have become wonderful events.  Last year I added a vacuum packer, and now I’m able to ship to friends all over the country.  Your book should be in the library of all who desire to create great barbecue.
 
Kurt
Denver, Colorado