UpSouth BBQ

Grilled pineapple is always one of our favorites and it is so easy.  Just take fresh pineapple marinate it in brown sugar for about 30 min and then grill it on high until it is nice and warm and AWESOME.  It a perfect side with any BBQ.

As for the ribs they turned out great once again. It’s getting so easy to make them now.  I still have to plan it all out but that’s half the fun of it.  With my new rib rack I can double the amount of ribs I get to cook each time.

We are even using the left overs to make incredible enchiladas and burritos. I am even going to use some left over brisket in my chili recipe at the end of the month.

Wow what a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.  I decided to go ahead with my plans to go for  the Pulled Pork and I am so glad I did.  We have some great friends unexpectedly drop in and I am so glad we had some great food to share with them.  I made up a large batch of my new rub and it not only rocks on ribs but on the pulled pork too. I am going to try it on some chicken and see how it does.

This cook was for my wife.  She has waited for me to do a brisket.  So because she has been under the weather lately I decided to  pick her up with a tender smoked brisket.

All went very well. Great flavor but not as tender as I was hoping for. I think it I pulled it too soon. Another 20 min or so would have been just right.

It was on the small side; just a flat.  I really need to find a place to get a full brisket with the flat and the tip.  I made my own rub for it and it turned out great.  Next time I’ll give it more time.  It was good and tasty and with a side of grilled pineapple it hit the spot.

Here is the latest Master Piece.  It was so good.   I’m planning to make BBq Chicken Sandwiches with the left overs.

The buttermilk brine added alot of moisture and a great tang to the chicken while the lemon pepper rub took it ot the  next level in flavor.

Alright, I am getting ready for my next BBQ assignment. Much like my last post on Smoked Chicken Mojo Criollo but instead of a marinade we are going to brine the chicken halves and them BBQ them.  The recipe is straight forward and looks easy enough.  This is the las lesson on chicken and next I’ll start pork ribs.

Just on a side note I used the leftover Chicken from the last lesson to make hot pulled chicken sandwiches on last weekend’s camp out with the Scouts at Givens Hot Springs.  They were so good.  I am beginning to think that leftovers will be as good in other recipes as the BBQ it’s self.

WOW!!! This was so good.  I am following the lessons from the book LOW & SLOW and it was much easier than I thought it was going to be.  I really had to fight the urge to open the lid and see what was happening. 1.5 hrs in the Weber Smoker and we had extremely moist flavorful chicken.

If you want to learn how to do this get the book.

After looking at a lot of cookers.  I decided that a WSM 22.5 in. was the way to go.  It can hold a lot of food and even wins at competition BBQ events all the time.  It did not break the bank and I’ll eventually add a Stoker from Rock’s BBQ later.  I have also found one of the best books for beginners “Low and Slow“.  I love this book.  It simply breaks down BBQ into 5 lessons each one developed to teach a different principal building on each other until you have a firm grasp of BBQ and your cooker.  The author even has a forum devoted the the lessons and lots of tips and answers.  If you are just starting out or even a semi-pro get the book.  It’s great.  I will be posting lesson one in the next few days.

Here is my criteria for a BBQ/Smoker

Criteria

1. I love my wife so this cant be so expensive that she would leave me or get steaming mad.  My hope is that the cost of the smoker will be forgotten or forgiven with one bite of brisket.  So it’s got to cook great BBQ and not break the bank. (For now)
2. I like my sleep.  So my thinking is this. “Can the smoker last most, if not all, of the process with out a lot of reloading of the fire box.
3. From what I can gather one of the biggest areas of concern is temperature control.  So we really need to keep it simple and accurate, for both the pit and the meat temperatures.
4. Size.  Its got to be able to cook for a crowd and be viable for the competitions too.  That may mean multiple cookers at a competition. So once again we need to refer to #1 on the cost.
5. Then there is the cool factor.  There has to be something about the pit that is just cool.

I think that’s a good list.  As I look into the options I may add to the list but for now I think this will be good enough.  My next posting will be on what I find and how it compares to my list.

For 2010 I decided to forgo the usual new year’s resolutions and decided to dedicate the next year to BBQ. I have always been good with food. Cooking it. Eating it. Sharing it. I also love learning about it.

My fascination with BBQ started because of the look on anyone’s face when they bite into a great piece of BBQ. I mean the kind of bite when you stop chewing and your eyes rollback into your head and you’re struck silent and at best your words are reduced to a mumbled cry of “Nom nom hmmm.” Where our ancestral genes are triggered and all thoughts of utensils are abolished and fingers are better because they’re faster. That’s real BBQ and that’s what I want to learn to make.

BBQ is everywhere but Real BBQ is a quest. Living in Idaho makes such a quest even harder.  Don’t get me wrong we love BBQ here in Idaho and we have some great places to eat but it is not a traditional BBQ region. My goal this year is to not only learn about BBQ but I want to go beyond the backyard and even compete.

So in this Blog you’ll find my journey from finding the right cooker. To the recipes I’ll try. To good and bad. So if you BBQ pros out there have any good tips for me please let me know. This is my journey but you are all invited to come with me.