Pork Barrel BBQ Blog - Award Winning BBQ Sauce & Dry Rub: June 2009

June 29, 2009

Pork Barrel BBQ Wins Big at Safeway National Capital BBQ Battle

We are proud to report that our mission of bringing championship BBQ into the backyards of all Americans took a big leap forward this weekend! We entered our first ever BBQ competition, and decided to try out our rub against some of the biggest and best BBQ'ers in the nation at the Safeway National Capital BBQ Battle - out of over 50 teams, we took 2nd place in the Best BBQ Sauce in the Nation competition and 4th Place for our Pork Shoulder covered in our All American Spice Rub:

We want to send special thanks to our family and friends who came to visit us and eat free BBQ. A special shout out goes to Rex with SavoryReviews.com:

And a HUGE thanks to Heath's parents for travelling from Jefferson City, Missouri and helping us out all weekend:

And here's the Pork Barrel BBQ family!

We stayed true to our backyard roots and cooked all our food on the Weber Smokey Mountain Cookers and only used our All American Spice Rub:

Here's our pork shoulder getting going:

And here's the finished product:

Here's of shot of Heath and his amazing brisket (look at that smoke ring)!

We had an amazing time and learned a lot from the great BBQ talent that was competing - thanks again to Safeway for hosting such a great event in Washington DC!

June 26, 2009

Come See Pork Barrel BBQ this Weekend at Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle

Pork Barrel BBQ hopes to see you this weekend at the17th Annual Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle, June 27-28 in Washington, D.C. The Barbecue Battle takes place between 9th and 14th Streets, on Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

Saturday June 27 is the Kansas City Barbecue Society Event and we will be preparing brisket and pulled pork.

Sunday June 28 is the Memphis in May Barbecue Event and we will be preparing ribs and pulled pork.

Come on down and say hi and enjoy the festivities. Admission for the event is just $10 for adults/$5 for kids ages 6-12/Free for kids 5 & under.

In addition to Pork Barrel BBQ's Competition Barbecue Team there will be top competition barbecue teams from around the country vying for over $40,000 in cash and prizes. The Safeway Demonstration Stage will host celebrity chefs who will share their secrets with you through cooking demonstrations. Stop by The Safeway Sampling Pavilion for free food samples and recipes. There will be vendors selling barbecue from around the country (Memphis Ribs - Carolina Chicken-Texas Brisket) for your dining pleasure. In addition to great barbecue, there will be over 30 bands performing on 3 stages all weekend long.

The best thing about the weekend is that it is for charity. Admission to the Barbecue Battle includes a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.

For highlights of last years Barbecue Battle check out this page on the2008 Barbecue Battle.

Great Washington Post Article on Smoking BBQ

We don't usually agree with much that is written in the Washington Post, but really enjoyed the article this week by Andreas Viestad, author of "Where Flavor Was Born" and co-host of the new public television series "Perfect Day." You can read the article at the WPs website here, or take a read below - if they keep writing great stuff about BBQ, we might just have to subscribe!

Where There's Smoke, There's Flavor

Why We Crave It, and How to Do It With Or Without a Grill

By Andreas Viestad
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Smoking isn't even half as bad as it has been made out to be. The 19th-century satirist and Know-Nothing Party activist George D. Prentice put it succulently: "Much smoking kills live men and cures dead swine."

Although smoking cigarettes has nearly become anathema in modern society, smoking foods is more in vogue than ever. Smoke, it seems, is like a fifth flavor (or sixth, if you allow for umami), with the ability to transform, contrast with and accentuate the food that has been exposed to it, whether that is salmon, pork, fruit, chili peppers or tea. In gastronomy, smoke is the door to another room, a lively, hazy space that is at once promising and almost limitless, yet also dark and dangerous.

Today smoking is done mainly for flavor, or rather for the distinctive aroma compounds it imparts. That has not always been the case. Smoking has been a part of our cooking for as long as we know. With an abundance of game and fish at certain times of the year and an acute, often life-threatening scarcity at others, our ancestors used smoke as a way to preserve food. By hanging meat or fish over an open fire, one would speed the drying process and keep flies away. After prolonged smoking, the meat would be not only dry but also coated in tarry substances with the dual ability to kill bacteria and form an impervious layer that sealed out air and hence protected against oxidation.

The flavor was only a pleasant side effect in a world where enjoyment always came second to survival. In my native Norway, where the smoking of foods seems to have been the rule and not the exception, it was not until the 18th and 19th centuries, when British and German "salmon lords" started visiting the country to fish its rich waters, that the ubiquitous smoked salmon was upgraded to delicacy status.

Exactly what makes smoked foods so appetizing to us is still a scientific unknown. Like smoking cigarettes, it just doesn't make sense: Why would we deliberately expose ourselves -- and with such great pleasure -- to the impurities left on our food by fire? Perhaps it is genetically implanted in us from a time when all cooked food was slightly smoked and all uncooked food was unsafe.

Smoked food does allow for more and different flavors. Few savory dishes do not benefit from the addition of a little bacon. But the smoking process itself seems inaccessible and mysterious to many home cooks.

I discovered the joy of smoking (food) by chance about 10 years ago, on a visit to the basement of the apartment block where I was living. There, in searching for the water main, I found a dark room, one of those places that give you the shivers but also a vague, exciting feeling that a treasure might be nearby.

And so it was. After I flicked the light switch, the room remained nearly as dark as before: The walls were completely covered in tar. I had come across the smoking room of a long-abandoned butchery. The smokers there still seemed to work, so I bought some wood shavings, returned and started a fire. On my trial run, I set off the fire alarm at 11 p.m., resulting in a rear court full of sleepy and worried neighbors.

But after I started closing the door more efficiently, I quickly progressed. With professional-grade equipment, smoking was not difficult, and in the following months I exposed everything but my neighbors to my new hobby: curing my own bacon and smoked salmon and also lamb shanks, cheese and even an ice cream base, in a strange and not altogether unsuccessful attempt at smoked vanilla ice cream. (It was just as good when I simply cured the vanilla bean.)

The most surprising result was a green apple that managed to remain as fresh as ever, its characteristic cool, crisp acidity combined with deep, rich smokiness reminiscent of an Islay malt whiskey.

Smoking without special equipment can be more of a challenge. But it is far from impossible. The most important thing is to know your limitations. Broadly speaking, there are two main techniques. One is cold smoking, in which the food is smoked at temperatures under 100 degrees Farenheit (37 Celsius), often at specific, even lower temperatures. That is how most smoked salmon is produced and how the flesh manages to keep that silky, uncooked texture.

According to my experiments and all the experts and books I have consulted, cold smoking is very difficult without the right equipment, such as an abandoned smoking room in the basement. You can build your own smoker from cheap or free parts, such as an old metal pipe and a refrigerator. But it will take hours of construction and calibration for it to work properly and for you to be able to control the temperature.

Hot smoking, on the other hand, can be the simplest thing in the world, a re-creation of any Stone Age meal. An open fire will do. If you have a grill, you can throw a handful of sawdust or wood chips on the burning coals and cover it with a lid to concentrate the smoke. (In a gas grill, you need to place the sawdust on a metal tray directly over the burners.)

A couple of years ago, we were filming a segment on smoking for an episode of my television series "New Scandinavian Cooking." The location was a remote, road-less farm, and there was no room for the smoker in our helicopter; all we had was a camping stove, a pot and some wood shavings. By throwing those shavings into the bottom of the pot and hanging small river trout from the top, we managed to achieve the same perfectly cooked and smoked fish that our smoker would have produced. But I am afraid the pot will never be the same again.

The idea of smoking food indoors is intriguing but impractical; there is almost no way to flavor your food without also seasoning your home. Before you try, you might want to ask yourself how much you really hate being outdoors and whether you would allow a dozen people to smoke a pack of cigarettes in your kitchen if they promised to stand near the kitchen fan or window.

I have tested several indoor contraptions, and even though I quit smoking cigarettes 15 years ago, you would never guess it if you visited me the weeks after these experiments. Enough smoke managed to seep into my kitchen to give it a real pre-smoking-ban-dive-bar character. (For gadget enthusiasts, there is a small, hand-held smoker called the Smoking Gun, available from PolyScience for $80. The amount of smoke is so limited and controlled that it is easy to contain; on the other hand, there is not enough for the food to be properly smoked, just lightly seasoned.)

But you can always cheat. If you do not want to smoke but want more or different flavor from what can be achieved by adding smoked salmon, bacon or smoked salt to a dish, liquid smoke is an alternative. I had always felt that the bottles of often-overpowering condensed smoke were the result of some sinister process, like the manufacture of artificial vanilla (a byproduct of cellulose production). But Kent Kirshenbaum, an associate professor in chemistry at New York University, tells me liquid smoke is completely natural, insofar as putting smoke into a bottle can be natural.

Kirshenbaum says he initially was repulsed by the product. But after researching it for a recent Experimental Cuisine Collective workshop in New York, he found it to be little more than carefully controlled smoking of water (a few brands also add molasses, sugar and vinegar; that is stated on the label). The problem of liquid smoke is mostly one of scale; it is very easy to use too much, rendering food almost inedible.

And whereas all smoke, as we know, contains carcinogens, the controlled smoking plus an ensuing filtering process has removed if not all, then most of these compounds. So, at least from a health perspective, the best approach might be to pretend that you are smoking rather than to actually light up.

Andreas Viestad, author of "Where Flavor Was Born" and co-host of the new public television series "Perfect Day," can be reached at http://www.andreasviestad.com or food@washpost.com. His Gastronomer column appears monthly.

Grant Random TV at the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival

Check out the latest video from our buddies Ben and Grant - we even make a cameo appearance in this one. The video is of the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival that Pork Barrel BBQ participated in last week.

All we can say about this video is that Grant is hilarious and as always Ben has put together a professional quality video.

Check it out now!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rti5mfwqVLk

Pork Barrel BBQ on WFNR 1500

Heath got up early this morning to be on WFNR 1500 to talk about Pork Barrel BBQ and the 17th Annual Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle that we will compete in over the weekend.

Check out the interview at www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=15&sid=1705339.

If you are looking for something to do this weekend come on down to Pennsylvania Ave., NW between 9th and 14th Street and check us out in our first competition. The Battle runs from 11:00 to 9:00 on Saturday and 11:00 to 7:00 on Sunday.

We hope to see you there!!!!

June 21, 2009

Thanks to All Who Visited Pork Barrel BBQ at Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival!

Thanks so much to all our family and friends who came to visit us at the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival! We had a great time, and gave out over 1,500 samples of pulled pork with Pork Barrel BBQ's All American Spice Rub. The best compliment of the day came from a BBQ'er of over 40 years, who said he has never purchased a BBQ dry rub (always made his own), but liked ours so much he had to buy a tin! It's moments like that that keep us going - thanks so much! If you want to taste what he is talking about - please be sure to buy a tin of our All American Spice Rub by visiting this link.

Of course, the REAL question is what does a BBQ company do after a long day at a Beer and Bourbon festival? Go for a well deserved drink and some more BBQ of course! Here's Pork Barrel BBQ's President Heath Hall:

Heath's Secret Brisket Recipe (How to Cook Brisket)

We have a lot of folks ask us via email, twitter, or at food shows how to cook brisket. Heath, with his Kansas City roots, is excellent at making brisket - here's his secret BBQ brisket recipe:

Heath's Secret Brisket Recipe

1 7 lb brisket

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4-6 tablespoons Pork Barrel BBQ’s All American Spice Rub

6 cans of beer

1 aluminum drip pan

5 chunks of hickory wood

3 chunks of oak wood

1 Bag of Lump Hardwood Charcoal

Get your BBQ smoker’s temperature up to 225-250 degrees. When lighting your coals, be sure to only use lump hardwood and always start with a chimney starter. If you are using a BBQ grill, you can still smoke! Just place the coals in a pile on one side of the grill, and plan to place the meat on the other side.

While smoker gets to temperature rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the first side of your meat and then rub 2-3 tablespoons of Pork Barrel BBQ’s All American Spice Rub into the meat. Repeat on opposite side. Allow meat to rest with rub on it for at least 30 minutes (this can be done ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours).

Place your drip pan into the smoker and pour the beer into it directly under where the meat will be sitting on the BBQ grill grate. If using a grill, simply put your beer into a disposable aluminum pan and place under your pork. Since we are both from Missouri, we always grill with (and drink!) Bud Light!

Here you can see our perfect foam - ready to make some great BBQ brisket!

Place the wood chunks onto the hot coals in your smoker and then place the grill grate in the smoker. Place your meat directly above the drip pan and close your BBQ smoker. If cooking in a smoker, I just mix the wood into the coals, but if I'm cooking on a BBQ grill, I soak the wood for 30 minutes to allow it to have a longer smoke (you can't go wrong either way!).

Make sure the temperature remains in the 225-250 degree range throughout the smoking process. Every couple of hours make sure you have enough fuel on your fire to maintain the desired smoker temperature. A brisket should remain in the smoker for 7-9 hours.

And here's what it looks like when its done! The internal temperature (always use a meat thermometer) should reach 175 degrees F - be sure to wrap it in foil immediately after cooking and let it rest for at least 30 minutes (its temp will rise to 185 degrees F) - this is one of the keys to juicy brisket!

Once its had a chance to rest, slice the brisket with a good knife - BE SURE to cut against the grain!

I serve on with a slice of white bread and some sauce - enjoy!!

June 14, 2009

How to Cook Pulled Pork (aka Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt) - Easy Pulled Pork Recipe

We have a lot of folks ask us via email, twitter, or at food shows how to cook or smoke pulled pork - if you want a more complex recipe - check our Brett's Secret Pulled Pork Recipe. However, we almost always make the following BBQ recipe - its simple, and turns out perfect pulled pork BBQ every time! We are big Kansas City BBQ fans, but this recipe should make folks from all BBQ regions happy!

Easy Smoked Pork Shoulder / Pulled Pork Recipe

1 7 pound pork shoulder (also known as Boston Butt - bone in or boneless work great)

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4-6 tablespoons Pork Barrel BBQ’s All American Spice Rub

6 cans of beer

1 aluminum drip pan

5 chunks of hickory wood

3 chunks of oak wood

1 Bag of Lump Hardwood Charcoal

Here you can see our perfect foam - ready to make some great BBQ pulled pork!

And here's what it looks like when its done! The internal temperature (always use a meat thermometer) should reach 195-205 degrees F - be sure to wrap it in foil immediately after cooking and let it rest for at least 30 minutes - this is one of the keys to juicy pulled pork!

Once its had a chance to rest, it should pull very easily - I just use some forks and pull away! Don't throw away the brown exterior shell - its the best part - known as "bark" it tastes like candy!

I serve on a kaiser or potato roll, with a side of slaw or some sauce - enjoy!!

June 13, 2009

Food (and DRINKS!) We Love - Tizane Beverages

At the Food and Wine Festival we had the pleasure of being next to the fine folks from Tizane Beverages - put simply - these are AMAZING organic, agave sweetened, infused drinks that are perfect for any occasion - we loved them so much we bought a case (and they are almost gone!). Please be sure to visit our fine friends at http://www.tizane.com and tell them Pork Barrel BBQ sent you!

Pork Barrel BBQ to Participate in Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival at the National Harbor

Pork Barrel BBQ will be participating in Beer, Bourbon & BBQ next Saturday, June 20, at the National Harbor just outside of Washington, DC from Noon to 6:00p.m. The event promises 60 beers, 40 bourbons & lots of BBQ so we can't think of a reason you shouldn't head down and enjoy the day with us.

The website for the event says:

"Join us at the festival for a great day of beer sippin', bourbon tastin', music listenin', cigar smokin', and barbeque eatin'. Your admission buys you a sampling glass so you can enjoy an ALL-YOU-CARE-TO-TASTE sampling of beer and bourbon. Some of the best barbeque vendors are on-site (that would be us) if you get hungry all while enjoying seminars in the tasting theater and LIVE music all day."

In addition to beer, bourbon, BBQ and live music there will be a mechanical bull at the show, a demonstration stage, the Ms. Bar-B-Q-Babe Contest and the World BBQ Bean Eating Championship - who wouldn't want to see that?

Admission is $50 for VIP Tasting Glasses valid from Noon to 6:00pm; $30 for Regular Tasting Glasses valid from 2:00pm to 6:00pm; Designated Driver Tickets are $20 and kids 12 and under are FREE.

Come on down and see Pork Barrel BBQ at this years Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival at National Harbor!!

Know Your Pork - Heritage Breeds of Pigs

We're pretty crazy about our Pork at Pork Barrel BBQ and we thought it might be interesting to give you a quick run down on some of the breeds of heritage pork that is available today.

Berkshire - The most popular breed of heritage pork is the Berkshire from England. The Berkshire is known for its sweet and well marbled flesh.

Duroc - A local favorite in the eastern United States, the Duroc provides juicy and full flavored meat.

Ossabaw - The Ossabaw is a feral bread of hog that comes from Ossabaw Island, Georgia. The bonus with this hog, whose meat is a bit gamy in flavor, is that it is packed with monounsaturated fat.

Red Wattle - The Red Wattle is a rare pig that comes from the South Pacific island of New Caledonia. This hog has a good meat to fat ratio that makes it great for curred meats and salumi (and who doesn't like good salumi?).

Tamworth - The Tamworth, another heritage breed from England, is also great for curred meats and sausages. Maybe most importantly, this breed is said to make the best bacon of any hog variety.

You most likely won't find these variates in your local grocery store or butcher shops, but thanks to the Internet you can order them online.

Check out the following websites for more information and to order these and other heritage breeds of pork.

Flying Pigs Farm - www.flyingpigsfarm.com

Heritage Foods USA - www.heritagefoodsusa.com

Heritage Pork - www.heritagepork.com

Preferred Meats - www.preferredmeats.com

June 12, 2009

Pork Barrel BBQ Launch Party Video

On Sunday, May 31, more than 100 Pork Barrel BBQ fans and supporters showed up at Fort Ward Park in Alexandria, Virginia to celebrate the official launch of Pork Barrel BBQ. Over 150 pounds of pork shoulder, beef brisket and vegetables were smoked and grilled with Pork Barrel BBQ's All American Spice Rub. A big Pork Barrel BBQ thank you to everyone who showed up to show their support - we couldn't be doing what we are doing without your support and advice.

At the end of the picnic we were able to donate several trays of pork shoulder, pickles, potato chips and several watermelons to the Carpenters Shelter in Alexandria, Virginia.

June 11, 2009

Pork Barrel BBQ Crosses 10,000 Followers on Twitter

Thanks to all our friends and supporters who have followed us on Twitter - we appreciate the chance to update you on all that is going on!

We are just having fun on Twitter - but think its pretty cool that under the #food listing on Wefollow - http://wefollow.com/tag/food - we have just passed Tyler Florence and are on the heels of the LA Times - see here:

June 8, 2009

Websites and Blogs About Food That You Should Know - Savoryreviews.com

We made a lot of new friends at this years Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor and one of those new friends is Rex who runs a food blog at www.savoryreviews.com. If you don't go check out his blog you are going to miss some great food reviews.

Make sure you check out his post on the Food & Wine Festival! Thanks for the mention Rex!!

June 7, 2009

Pork Barrel BBQ Meets Top Chefs at the Food & Wine Festival at the National Harbor

Pork Barrel BBQ made its Food & Wine debut this weekend at the National Harbor just outside of Washington, D.C. One of the highlights for us was getting to hang out for a bit with Season 5 Top Chefs Carla and Ariane. What a thrill it was for us. How cool is that? And I can't even begin to tell you how cool they were!! You guys rock!!!!!

Thanks so much for all the tips and pointers on making it in this business. Your encouragement meant a ton to us and best of all the fact that you liked our All American Spice Rub and our pulled pork made our day!!!

Best of luck to you guys in your future endeavors! We look forward to crossing paths in the future!

Be on the lookout video of our encounter with Carla and Ariane! And don't forget to visit us on our website.

June 5, 2009

Music Fog - Go Check These Guys Out!!!

When you have ghosts in your house you call Ghostbusters. When you need tips on BBQ you call Pork Barrel BBQ. When you have only a couple days to write, film and produce a 5 minute video that could have huge implications on the future of your business you call MUSIC FOG!!!!!

A million thanks to our friends at MUSIC FOG for doing us a solid favor by filming and producing this video for us on such short notice and with such professionalism. I'm pretty sure a couple of smoked briskets will be forthcoming as a token of our appreciation!!

If you like music and your looking for some great new artists to add to your iPod check out their website at www.musicfog.com. I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

Thanks Ben!!! Your friends at Pork Barrel BBQ!

June 3, 2009

Recipe - Pork Barrel BBQ's All American Spice Rub Grilled Vegetable Ratatouille

All American Spice Rub Grilled Vegetable Ratatouille

2 zucchini squash, cut into quarters lengthwise
2 yellow squash, cut into quarters lengthwise
2 eggplants, cut into ½ inch think rounds
2 red onions, cut into ½ inch think rounds
4 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange, & 1 green), stemmed, seeded and cut into quarters
2 pints Baby Bella mushrooms
1 pint cherry tomatoes , left whole
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons Pork Barrel BBQ’s All American Spice Rub
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Preheat your grill to a medium-high temperature. We prefer charcoal, but you can also use a gas grill. Place all of your cut vegetables and the mushrooms and tomatoes in a large bowl and pour the ½ cup of olive oil over the vegetables (toss and coat thoroughly). Season vegetables with Pork Barrel BBQ’s All American Spice Rub (toss and coat thoroughly). Place vegetables on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes per side (tomatoes should be removed when you turn the vegetables over). On a cutting board coarsely chop your vegetables and move them to a large serving bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, oregano and basil to the grilled vegetables in the serving bowl and gently mix together. Serve at room temperature.