Showing posts with label The Tools of the BBQ Trade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Tools of the BBQ Trade. Show all posts
July 20, 2009
Pork Barrel BBQ Tools of the Trade: Rib Rack
We love to cook ribs - in fact, I just smoked two slabs yesterday - they are so easy to cook, and with a little bit of Pork Barrel BBQ's All American Spice Rub - they are guaranteed to be a big success at the party. A big part of grilling or cooking is space management. We've talked about a lot of important tools on this blog - if you bbq a lot, epecially bbq ribs on your bbq smoker or grill - a rib rack is a key tool of the trade! We use the 22.5 inch Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, and always use the rib rack to make sure we can fit all the ribs we are smoking. There are a lot of good choices - make sure you get a heavy duty kind, I've seen some that bend at the mere site of the ribs we cook!
June 13, 2009
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
May 26, 2009
Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker Assembly
Pork Barrel BBQ recently acquired two Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smokers for use in several upcoming events we'll be participating in. Over the Memorial Day Weekend I put mine together and tried it out for the first time. The following post hits on the highlights of assembling the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker.
The Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker comes in a large box and is relatively easy to assemble. It took me about 25 minutes to go from an unopened box to a smoker that was ready for service.
The Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker comes in a large box and is relatively easy to assemble. It took me about 25 minutes to go from an unopened box to a smoker that was ready for service.
The first step in the assembly of the smoker is to attach the three legs to the heat shield that goes under the smoker - this is a heat shield and not an ash catch.
Next you attach the bottom of the smoker to the three legs and heat shield.
After you've installed the legs to the bottom of the smoker install the charcoal grate and ring.
Next put the body of the smoker onto the base of the smoker.
Next put the first of the two grill grates into the smoker.
Place the lid onto the smoker and you have a finished product!
The Finished Product with its protective cover!
Next you install four brackets to the inside of the base and place the water bowl inside the base.
Next put the first of the two grill grates into the smoker.The final step is putting the second grill grate into the smoker.
Place the lid onto the smoker and you have a finished product!The Finished Product with its protective cover! We have heard nothing but great things about the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker and can't wait to try ours out. Check back soon for a post on how the maiden smoking with our new grills went.
May 21, 2009
The Tools of the BBQ Trade - Pig Grill
We are always on the look out for interesting BBQ gadgets, dry rubs, bbq sauces, grills and smokers. A loyal supporter of Pork Barrel BBQ sent us this picture from a hardware store in Midland, TX of a pig grill (and in the background you can see a bull grill). We have to admit that this has been placed on the Pork Barrel BBQ wish list, but we aren't quite prepared to drop the $1,599.00 necessary to put this beauty in your backyard.
If you find any interesting BBQ gadgets, dry rubs, bbq sauces, grills, smokers or anything else related to barbecue that you think would make a good post on this site email us the details at porkbarrelbbq@gmail.com.
May 7, 2009
The Tools of the BBQ Trade - Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker
It's a big day for Pork Barrel BBQ - we just acquired two Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smokers! Check it out!
We have a number of events and BBQ competitions coming up and we needed the capacity to cook a lot of great BBQ! What is really amazing about the Smokey Mountain Cooker (we got two 22.5 inch models) is that it can hold 8 slabs of ribs, 4 pork shoulders, 2 briskets, even 2 turkeys! I smoke a lot of BBQ on my Chargriller, but to be honest it takes a lot of work keeping it fired up. With the Smokey Mountain, I can put lump charcoal and some wood chunks in the bottom and come back 12 hours later and it will have maintained a perfect temperature - you can't beat that.
We came to the decision to buy these thanks to the great web site - The Virtual Weber Bullet - its really one of the best BBQ sites I have ever seen. Thanks to the folks at the Virtual Weber Bullet site for helping us make a great decision - we'll keep you posted on our smoking success!
April 21, 2009
The Tools of the BBQ Trade - Hardwood Lump Charcoal
The great thing about grilling is that you don't need too many tools to be successful. If you have a grill and a fuel source you pretty much have all you need to take a few ingredients and turn them into a delicious meal. We've already done a couple posts on grills and smokers so we thought it was time to take a look at charcoal (our preferred fuel source for grilling and smoking). The two main types of charcoal you'll see at the store are hardwood lump and briquettes and we believe your best bet for a great fuel source is hardwood lump charcoal.
HARDWOOD LUMP CHARCOAL
Lump charcoal is the end product of the process of burning chunks of hardwood in the absence of oxygen. It is almost like your sticking a piece of oak or hickory in the grill so it is the most natural and pure form of charcoal you can buy. We think lump charcoal gives food a much better flavor than briquettes and it lights easy (don't forget to use the charcoal chimney to light your charcoal - if you don't want your food to taste like lighter fluid don't use lighter fluid), burns hotter (and is very responsive to the oxygen flow you provide making it easier to control your fire's temperature), and produces far less ash than briquettes.
CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES
CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES
Charcoal briquettes are made from sawdust and other wood by-products that are compressed and held together with a binder and other additives (Additives that don't make your food taste very good like limestone, borax, mineral carbon, sodium nitrate, brown coal, paraffin or petroleum solvents!). Briquettes are cheaper than lump charcoal, but is a few pennies saved worth imparting your meal with a chemical taste and smell?
So next time you head to the store to stock up on charcoal give hardwood lump charcoal a try - we think you'll be pleased with the results.
March 16, 2009
The Tools of the BBQ Trade - Meat Thermometer
I used to think that the best BBQ'ers could tell when the meat their cooking is done just by touch, or some special BBQ ESP. That's true to some degree (my steaks always cook to a perfect medium rare), but when cooking a pork butt, or a chicken, an essential tool is a good meat thermometer.
You just can't tell by time or sight - I've had pork butts take an hour longer than expected - and without a thermometer I would have never known!
Here's the recommended Minimum Internal Cooking Temperatures:
Fresh ground beef, veal, lamb, pork 160 degrees F
Beef, veal, lamb-roasts, steaks, chops
Medium rare 145 degrees F
Medium 160 degrees F
Well done 170 degrees F
Fresh pork-roasts, steaks, chops
Medium 160 degrees F
Well done 170 degrees F
Ham
Cook before eating 160 degrees F
Fully cooked, to reheat 140 degrees F
Poultry
Ground Chicken, Turkey 165 degrees F
Whole Chicken, Turkey 180 degrees F
Breasts, roasts 170 degrees F
Thighs and wings Cook until juices run clear.
Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird) 165 degrees F
Egg dishes, casseroles 160 degrees F
Leftovers 165 degrees F
Information courtesy the U. S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service
March 15, 2009
The Tools of the BBQ Trade - Chimney Smoker
Besides your grill, the single most important BBQ tool is a chimney smoker! What's a chimney smoker you ask? A chimney smoker lets you quickly start your charcoal, without having to use any starter fluid. Simply put your charcoal in the chimney, place some paper in the bottom and in 15 minutes your coals are ready! There are several benefits: 1) its faster - your coals are in an instant; 2) your don't have to use lighter fluid - meaning your food won't taste like fuel and you can help out the environment by not burning excess fuels. Bottom line - you're cooking faster and it tastes better! They cost about 20 bucks and last 1-2 BBQ seasons depending on use - so go pick one up today!
February 22, 2009
The Tools of the BBQ Trade - Char-Griller - A Good Cheap BBQ Grill and BBQ Smoker
Now I love Weber Grills as much as Heath, but I have been the proud owner for the last five years of a Char-Griller grill and smoker (http://www.chargriller.com/). This is a really great starter bbq grill and bbq smoker. I bought it for about $150 at Lowe's and have been very happy with the purchase. I always thought that I would upgrade, but my wife and friends always ask for seconds when I grill, so I figure I'd better not mess with success!
What I really like is that the folks at Char-Griller offer a wide selecton of add-ons and replacement parts. Any grill that gets used as much as mine is going to need things replaced, and they have everything you could possibly want! Char-Griller does it up right.
There are a wide range of grills out there - share with us your favorite grills! Please be sure to try our All American Spice Rub!
February 20, 2009
The Tools of the BBQ Trade - The Weber Kettle Grill
Today marks the first in a series of blog posts on "The Tools of the BBQ Trade!" The great thing about BBQ is you only need a few items to make great BBQ.
The most important tool in any griller's arsenal is their bbq grill. You can go fancy and spend thousands of dollars on a professional grade smoker that will allow you to cook for half the town or you can go simple and inexpensive and get the grill that will be as loyal to you as your dog - that grill is the Weber Kettle Grill by Weber.
In the early 1950's backyard griller George Stephen, Sr. was determined to build a grill that would enable him to cook year around in all kinds of weather. He was part owner of Weber Brothers Metal Works in Chicago who among other products made sheet metal buoys for use on Lake Michigan. Stephen cut one of these buoys in half and created a dome shaped grill with a round lid and the Weber Kettle Grill was born. His grill became such a hit that he formed a barbecue division of the Weber Brothers Metal Works and eventual bought the Weber Brothers factory focusing the company on producing and selling the Weber Kettle.
As a proud owner of several Weber Kettles I fully endorse it and encourage you to look into one for your next grill. It is simple to use and diverse in its functionality. Whether you are simply grilling hot dogs and burgers or smoking a brisket or turkey the Weber Kettle won't let you down. It comes in several sizes, but even the most common 18.5 and 22.5 inch surface area sized Kettle's can accommodate a meal for a small dinner party. The best part is all this versatility can be yours for under $100 and will last the most avid of BBQ'ers 10 good years. 10 bucks a year isn't bad for such an essential BBQ tool!
Check out the Weber site at http://www.weber.com/us/.
The most important tool in any griller's arsenal is their bbq grill. You can go fancy and spend thousands of dollars on a professional grade smoker that will allow you to cook for half the town or you can go simple and inexpensive and get the grill that will be as loyal to you as your dog - that grill is the Weber Kettle Grill by Weber.
In the early 1950's backyard griller George Stephen, Sr. was determined to build a grill that would enable him to cook year around in all kinds of weather. He was part owner of Weber Brothers Metal Works in Chicago who among other products made sheet metal buoys for use on Lake Michigan. Stephen cut one of these buoys in half and created a dome shaped grill with a round lid and the Weber Kettle Grill was born. His grill became such a hit that he formed a barbecue division of the Weber Brothers Metal Works and eventual bought the Weber Brothers factory focusing the company on producing and selling the Weber Kettle.
As a proud owner of several Weber Kettles I fully endorse it and encourage you to look into one for your next grill. It is simple to use and diverse in its functionality. Whether you are simply grilling hot dogs and burgers or smoking a brisket or turkey the Weber Kettle won't let you down. It comes in several sizes, but even the most common 18.5 and 22.5 inch surface area sized Kettle's can accommodate a meal for a small dinner party. The best part is all this versatility can be yours for under $100 and will last the most avid of BBQ'ers 10 good years. 10 bucks a year isn't bad for such an essential BBQ tool!
Check out the Weber site at http://www.weber.com/us/.
In future blog posts we'll give you some tips and hints on how to get the most out of your Weber Kettle Grill. Be sure to try out our All American Spice Rub!
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