Swine 'n Dine for Charity

Team Swine 'n Dine: Frank Fields, Rob Ford,
Mike Bonn. Not pictured, Preston Cornett.

I received an email from my friend Gwen Poth who requested I check out and review this BBQ team who use their BBQ to raise money for 24 Hours of Booty in Charlotte. I always love it when other BBQers use their ability for good and to raise awareness for a good cause. After all OTT is a great event I help with, so I’m always happy to spread the word for someone else. Rob, the spokes person for the team, and I exchanged a few emails so I could find out about the team. We set up a time for me to meet the team and try some of their porcine product.

The Team
In the emails we sent back and forth, Rob gave me the history of his team, Swine ‘n Dine. It is made up of four members; Rob Ford, Frank Fields, Preston Cornett, and Mike Bonn. They started to cook at their neighborhood festival and sold sandwiches and pork butts and all the proceeds went back to the neighborhood. They really enjoyed cooking together and decided to cook for the neighbors once again. Their neighbors liked what they were cooking and asked if they would do it again for a third year. The team went from cooking 150lbs of pork to 400lbs per cook.

WOOD SELECTION FOR SMOKING & GRILLING - By Bill Wight

I have been asked about what types of wood to smoke with and there are a lot you can use. Bill Wight over at BBQ by Dan blog has a great list. I posted it below. For the full post you can click here.

Q: Would someone please tell me what kinds of wood are suitable for grilling?
A: The traditional woods for smoking are HICKORY, PECAN and OAK.  Here is a list of woods suitable for smoking:
ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite.  When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy.  A very hot burning wood.
ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness.  Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash.  Good with all meats.
APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet.  Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor.  Good with fish and red meats.
BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple.  Good with pork and poultry.
CHERRY - Mild and fruity.  Good with poultry, pork and beef.  Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking.  Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.
COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor.  Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor.  Don't use green cottonwood for smoking.
CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood.
GRAPEVINES - Tart.  Provides a lot of smoke.  Rich and fruity.  Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods.  Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor.  Good with pork, ham and beef.
LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral.  Good with seafood and lamb.
MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet.  Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.
MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor.  Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game.  One of the hottest burning.
MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.
OAK - Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning.  All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking.  Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.
ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor.  Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor.  Much like apple.  Excellent with chicken and pork.
PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory.  Tasty with a subtle character.  Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese.  Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.
SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish.  The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.
WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple.  Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

How to: Pork Butt 101

I get questions from friends and family on how to cook a pork butt quite often. Questions like: What rub do I use? How long do I cook it? What temperature do I cook it at? Can I do it on a gas grill?

Well today I'm going to try to explain how I do it and hopefully answer some of these questions. There are lots of ways to cook butts and no one way is the "correct" way. Again this is how I do it. I like the results as do family and friends, but hopefully this will help some of you start cooking and experimenting with variations.

What you will need.

• If your cooking pork butt you need a pork butt. The pork butt is actually the shoulder of the pig. It is also called a Boston butt. The Virtual Weber Bullet site has a great section explaining what the pork butt is and where it comes from. A pork butt looks like this before it is cooked. 
• You will also need a cooker (gas, charcoal or wood burning). I prefer a combination of charcoal and wood as I get a good smokey flavor from it.
• Charcoal, wood or a full propane tank to cook with.
• Your favorite rub
• Mustard
• Honey
• Mop sauce (recipe below)
• Meat thermometer
• Oven thermometer
• Foil
• Large pan
• Food service gloves (I like these as they keep my hands clean and make clean up easier. I wear them when handling the raw meat.)
• Spray bottle
• Food brush
• About 6-8 hours to cook.

Thats the list of things you will need for the cook. Wait. What. No sauce? If done right, you don't need any sauce for the meat but can add it if you want. I would say get whatever your favorite type of sauce is and use it. I use homemade sauces. My mustard sauce is from Dr. BBQ's Big Time BBQ Cookbook and my tomato based sauce is from the Joy of Cooking.

Prepping the meat
Take your butt -pork butt that is- out of whatever packaging it is in. I do this over the sink, that way the juices that come out don't get everywhere. Set the butt in the pan fat-cap side up.

What is the fat-cap? The fat-cap is that big white thing on one side of the butt. That is all fat. DON'T trim it off.

Trim off any pieces of the pork that are dangling. You'll have to feel around the butt to do this. sometimes there are little pieces of meat that hang off that you will want to trim because they cook to fast and get tough and gross.

Once the butt is trimmed you are ready to paint the mustard on it. In a little bowl mix about 1/2 cup of mustard with a 1/8 cup of honey to make a honey mustard sauce. Paint the entire butt with this mixture. This helps the rub stick to the butt and I think it helps the bark set up better.

What is bark? Good question. When the butt cooks it creates an outer "shell" from the rub and mop on it. It is YUMMY. My bark tends to be dark but it can range from a nice mahogany red color to a dark brown, almost black. When the pork is pulled you mix it in with the inside meat and it gives it great flavor. See the picture below.

After the butt is slathered with the honey mustard you need to put the rub on it. Shake it all over the butt so the whole piece of meat is covered with rub. Even on the fat-cap side but you don't need as much there as you probably won't eat much if any of that, it's fat after all.

Once this is done make sure it is sitting fat-cap side up and put it in the fridge over night… or you can leave it out for an hour before putting it on the cooker. I do this part the night before I cook and put the butt in the fridge over night to let the rub pull out the juices and settle on the meat. I pull it out of the fridge before I get the fire going on the cooker and add a little more rub to it. This is about an hour before I'm ready to put it on the fire.

Cooking the meat
To cook the butt we are going to use indirect heat. Indirect cooking means the fire isn't directly under the meat. On a gas grill you would only light one side of the cooker. On an offset smoker you just use the fire box and on a charcoal grill you will need to se the coals on one side of the grill to keep the meat from getting burned. If you have a bullet cooker you will have a water pan between the meat and the fire to help regulate the temperature.

If you do have a charcoal cooker I recommend the "Minion Method" to get your fire set up.

Patio Daddio BBQ has a great article on his blog about smoking using gas. If you are using a gas grill I recommend reading it.

Place your oven thermometer on the side you are going to be cooking on. You want your cooker to get up to 225º and stay between 225º-250º while cooking. This is the temp you want on the side away from the fire.

Once you reach temperature you can put your meat on the cooker. Remember put it on the side without the fire with the fat-cap up. Close the lid and relax. The hard parts over… or is it.

Why do you put the fat-cap up? Glad you asked. As the meat cooks the fat renders both inside and outside the meat. As it renders, it drips down the meat, imparting more flavor to it. It also drips onto the hot metal of the cooker and the smoke created imparts more flavor to the meat.

I check fire and mop the meat every hour. Remember though "if you're lookin', you ain't cookin'." I try to check the temp and mop it at the same time and do it quickly. That's why I use a spray bottle to mop.

The mop I use is a 1/2 cup each of:

• Worcestershire sauce
• soy sauce
• apple cider vinegar
• olive oil
• water 
• apple juice 

Shake it all up, put it in a spray bottle and spritz the meat every hour.

If your temperature is dropping you will need to add some fuel to the fire. Not a lot. I usually add about 4-6 briquettes to keep the fire going. Some cookers will take more fuel then others and the outside weather conditions will affect the heat output and fuel consumption. Experimenting is the only way you can figure out what works best with your cooker… or joining an online forum and asking others who have similar cookers.

Is it done, yet?
After about five hours I will check the temperature of the meat. Pork is done cooking at about 160º but if you pull the butt off the fire then it will be too tough. You want the internal temperature of the meat to be around 195º. At that temp it is ready to pull and should pull nicely. You can go higher to 200º-210º but I like 195º.

If after five hours, it is not near 195º I would check the temperature in another 2 hours. Some butts can take 12 hours to cook. I have never had one take that long but others I know have. Also there is a time when the temperature of the meat stalls. It maintains an internal temperature for awhile and doesn't get hotter. It's ok, just let it keep cooking and keep mopping it.

YEAH! It's done.
Now that the internal temperature is at 195º get some of your foil and wrap the butt up in it and let it rest for about 30 minutes. It will continue to cook due to the heat of the meat but it also allows the juices to redistribute in the meat. The meat will be hot when you unwrap it. I will let it sit for another 30 minutes unwrapped before I try to pull it so it cools some.

Pulling the butt.
The first thing you want to do is pull out the bone from the butt. If the meat is done the bone should be showing more as the meat has pulled away from it. grab it and pull it out. It should remove easily. If it doesn't the meat wasn't quite hot enough. No worries, as long as it is over 165º it is cooked to eat. It won't pull as easily but it should taste good.

THE MEAT IS HOT AND CONTAINS FAT DEPOSITS WHICH ARE HOTTER.

You will also want to remove the fat-cap. It should slide right off. I pick through that because there is some really good meat hiding in the layers of the fat. I also like to take some of the bark that was created from the fat-cap and mix it into the pulled pork for extra bursts of flavor.

You can use your hands or two forks and pull the meat apart and put it in the pan. I have a pair of silicon gloves I use for this. they are great. Keep the bark mixed in with the rest of the meat because that adds punches of flavor throughout. Once it is pulled you are ready to serve it to all the drooling people at your house.

If you have any questions about this post a comment and I will try my best to answer.

TV Show Review: Best in Smoke

Best in Smoke
Food Network TV
Premiered: Sunday May 08th, 2011
Contestants:

• “Famous Dave” Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) – Founder, Famous Dave’s of America
• Chris Hart (Boston, MA) – Winner, Jack Daniels’s Invitational World Championship BBQ 2009, IQue BBQ Team
• Sara Horowitz (El Paso, TX) – 2nd place, Versus National BBQ Championship Series
• Matt Lang (Brooklyn, NY) – Former Head Chef, Fette Sau
• Chris Lilly (Decatur, AL) – Vice President, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q Restaurant
•  Brad Orrison (Ocean Springs, MS) – Founder, The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint

From Side Dish

As you may have heard, the new Food Network series Best in Smoke on which Tim Love will be one of the judges, premieres Sunday, May 8th at 9 pm CST (it will air at 8:00 pm CST in subsequent weeks), and it features six of the best barbecue masters in the country. The contestants meet in New York to face off for a $50,000 grand prize and the right to claim the title of Best in Smoke. This competition tests the competitors’ endurance and skill as they take on multiple challenges in a day with limited resources and cook for vastly different audiences. From barbecue desserts to single bite hors d’oeuvres, no food is off limits. Contestants show off their personal style and quick wit throughout the competition, but a final mad dash to three separate venues around Manhattan and Brooklyn will determine which competitor will be awarded the coveted title of Best In Smoke.

The first episode is “Best Bite in BBQ” and the six teams are challenged to create their best “single bite” for the judges panel, which includes Tim Love. Once the clock starts, it’s an all-out scramble to the meat truck, and the competitor who cooks up the best “single bite” wins immunity from elimination and joins the judging panel for the next round. Then, the competitors devise the ideal BBQ hors d’oeuvre for an upscale art gallery opening. The fate of the finalists hangs on the opinions of the gallery guests who decide which competitor is safe from elimination.

Overall I enjoyed the show. The name of the show isn't "Best in BBQ" it is "Best in Smoke" while BBQ does fall into that title so does salmon, sausage and many other yummy tid bites. While many are looking for a strictly BBQ show, this is not it. This is more of an "anything but" type show.

The pitmasters are top of their game and most are familiar to those who follow the BBQ circuit. Each brings a different perspective and a different take on how BBQ should be done. It will be interesting to see how the show progresses and who can stay in it.

One thing I really like is how each of the contestants is friendly to each other but at the same time very competitive and wanting to win. I’ve noticed this in most BBQ competitions. Most of the BBQers are willing to help you out if you forgot something and great fun to hang out with and talk to but are still very competitive about their meat. I have found that BBQ competitors tend to have some of the best sportsmanship of any sport.

I also found it interesting to hear about the main ingredients of some of the rubs and some of the challenges the cooks found trying to cook and how they solved them; heat issues, cooking too quick, rain etc. It will be interesting to see how they handle the different challenges and other obstacles that rise along the way.

Overall it is a fun cooking show. Not strictly a BBQ show but a show about smoking. I would give it a 3/4 rack of ribs*. I would like to change my review, after watching the whole season to a 1/2 rack of Gibbs Ribs. The entire show came down to tofu which I thought was silly along with some of the things mentioned in the comments. As a cooking show, it was good. As a BBQ show, it was not.

I have also found out there is a new show coming called "The Ultimate BBQ Showdown" on May 28. More information is at Grilling.com.

*When I do reviews, books or otherwise, I will rate the items with ribs (they are my favorite BBQ dish). A full rack is great and a single rib is poor.

Smokin' Gumbo

This week is our ASC fund raiser at work. One of the annual traditions for it is a chili cook off. Last year I entered and won. So, of course this year I had to defend the title. The theme of the fund raiser this year is Mardis Gras, so, of course, the food was to be Cajun or Creole.

I tossed around a few ideas and decided to make a gumbo using smoked chicken, smoked andouille sausage and smoked peppers. The only gumbo I have ever made has been a quick version that I don't really think qualifies as gumbo but more as a soup.

I went online and searched for a recipe to use and found one on Food Network. It is one of Emeril Lagasse's gumbo recipes. I used the main part of it but altered it to suit my needs and style of cooking. 


Ingredients
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped Roasted bell pepper
• 1 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound smoked chicken removed from the bones.
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Directions
Combine the oil and flour in a large stock pot over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4 to 5 minutes, or until wilted. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Stir until the roux mixture and water are well combined. Bring to aboil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Add smoked chicken. Simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and green onions. Remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls over rice.

How I did it
That is the recipe I used. I made my stock also and smoked my chicken, sausage and peppers which bring a nice flavor to the mix. I followed the above directions after I had smoked my meat and peppers.

I butterflied the chicken and took the backs, necks and gizzards, put them into the stock pot and covered them with water, chopped celery, garlic, onions slat and pepper and brought it all to a boil. I then put the lid on  and let it simmer over medium heat while I cooked the meats and peppers (about two hours).

Butterflied Chickens

Chicken stock cooking

I smoked the chicken as I talked about in my "Smoked Chicken" entry. It took about two hours for it to be ready. I added the andouille to the smoker about half way through so it would cook for an hour. 

The smokin' meats

Done cookin'

I let the chicken cool down and then carved it. As I carved the meat off the bones I added the bones and some of the skin to the stock. It gave it that extra punch of flavor. 

Once that was all done I strained the stock into another bowl so I wouldn't have any chunks in the broth. I then started the roux. Roux takes time, but is worth it to make it right. It is not difficult but you do need to watch it carefully so it doesn't get too dark, too quick.

The roux

After the roux was done I added the "Holy Trinity" onions, celery and the roasted peppers.

The roux and the trinity

Then the andouille sausage was added.

Marrying the flavors

Once it was all combined I added the stock and let it simmer. 

Flavors combining into a happy mess.

After simmering for an hour gumbo and the chicken was combined and it simmered for another two hours with the flavors getting all happy.

Ready to serve.

I made the gumbo on Saturday for our Thursday event so the family taste tested it to make sure it was all good. This also allowed the gumbo to sit in the fridge to let the flavors get more integrated. 

The final product

Thursday I served it all up and ended up tying for first place. It was a good time and good food. I would make this dish again just because the flavors are so good. 

Smoke-Grilled Pizza

Tonight I tried a first. Making a pizza on my cooker. I have heard about it but never tired it. All I can say is WOW! It was great. It had all the yumminess of a pizza with the extra flavor that smoke adds to food.

I made two types. One of them I made the dough from scratch and cooked it directly on the grate. For the second one we used crescent roll dough and cooked it on a stone. I liked the way the homemade crust came out but it got a little charred. The one on the stone didn't cook all the way through which was disappointing.

Next time I make pizza on the cooker I think I will make the dough and cook it for a but on the stone, add the toppings and let it finish cooking.



Here is the recipe I used for the dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Place 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add 1/2 cup water and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Combine by gradually incorporating the flour into the olive oil and water, adding a little extra water if necessary. (Alternatively, combine the mixture in a food processor.)

Transfer the dough to a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, 5-7 minutes.



Our toppings.



The dough spread out waiting to cook. I cooked it directly on the grill for a bit and then added the toppings.






The pizzas on the cooker.



The final product.

A Very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas all.

For Christmas I fired up the smoker for the traditional smoked turkey and tried some new things. I made ribs and moink balls.


I have only made ribs at competitions and one other time so I had some fear for making them for family. My fears were unjustified though. I used the 3-1-1 method and the ribs were awesome.

What is the 3-1-1 method you ask? Well... After putting the rub on the ribs and they get all happy (the rub brings the juices to the surface giving the ribs a nice red sheen), put them on the cooker for three hours with the temp between 225°-250°. After the three hours remove the ribs, pour some liquid over them (soda, beer, etc. I used Granny Smith Woodchuck Cider) and wrap them in foil. The ribs go back on the cooker foil wrapped for another hour.


After that hour pull them off and baste them with your favorite BBQ sauce and put them back on for another hour. Once they are on for the hour they should be ready to eat. You can re-sauce them or eat them as is.

The moink balls are something I have heard many BBQers talk about but had never experienced. Everyone who had them loved them. One friend said, "They're like mini-cheeseburgers without the cheese."

Moink balls are named such because of the main ingredients in them, beef and pork. Making them is really simple. Purchase a bag of frozen meatballs and a pack of bacon.






Let the meatballs thaw out enough so you can put a toothpick through it. Take each meatball and wrap a half strip of bacon around it then stick a toothpick through it to hold it together.





After they are made sprinkle liberally with your favorite rub. After they are rubbed put them on your 225° smoker and let them cook for about 2 hours or until the bacon is done. Then baste with your favorite BBQ sauce. Let cook for another 15 minutes and take off and serve.


These little meatballs pack a huge flavor punch and are very yummy.

Enjoy these and try some out for New Years!

A Smokin' Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving smoked a lot of meat. I did two turkeys, a 20lb and a 15lb, an elk roast, venison steaks, three pork butts, venison ribs and a partridge in a pear-tree. Ok, I didn't real smoke a partridge or a pear-tree, but I did cook the rest.


Wednesday night before Thanksgiving I was exhausted. In had been up all night helping to cook 250 turkeys for needy families in our area. When I got home I needed to make the brine for the turkeys and a marinade for the elk and venison steak. It was a difficult task to do as I kept forgetting what I was doing. But I made it.

I don't remember falling asleep but I do remember waking up at 5 am thinking,"I need to get the fire going for the turkeys."

We were planing to eat at 1:30 so it gave me a good seven hours to make sure the meat was cooked properly to 160+ degrees.

By six I had the turkeys on and by ten I had the elk on. The elk only took about two hours to cook to 140-145 degrees.


I ended up grilling the venison right before we went to my sisters so they would be fresh. I used my Texas grill to cook everything on so once the turkey and elk was done I added some wood and heated up the grill to grilling temp and put the steaks on.

The other meat I listed I actually cooked on Friday for a party that night.

The venison ribs I smoked for 2 hours, wrapped them in foil with Strongbow apple cider for an hour and then glazed them with some BBQ sauce and put them on the cooker for another 45 minutes.

Everyone enjoyed the flavors of each of the meats.

The brine for the turkey is as follows:
1 gallon of water
2 cups salt
1 Woodchuck apple cider (I use Granny Smith)
1 Tablespoon pepper
1 Tablespoon favorite rub
1/2 cup brown sugar

I don't use a brining bag as they are expensive but I do use either a roasting bag or a garbage bag to hold the liquid and the turkey and stick them in a cooler with some ice for at least 12 hours. I get the cooker to about 275 to cook the turkeys.




The marinade for the elk was:
2 cups red wine (if you wouldn't drink it don't cook with it)
Half a large onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic crushed
2 Bay leaves
1teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons favorite rub

I let the elk roast and venison steaks marinade in this mixture for 12 hours also. Since the elk is lean I made a bacon lattice to wrap it in. I put it on the cooker with the turkeys for about two hours (140-145 degrees).









Here are the finished products.

Holy Smoke!

This weekend I was asked by Lakeshore Christian Fellowship to smoke 280 lbs of pork for a youth fund raiser. I personally don't own a smoker big enough to handle that amount of meat (32 butts) so I contacted my friend who owns the Catchafire for Q BBQ team and borrowed his Lang smoker.

I enlisted the help of my wife and daughters. We went over to the church Saturday night and rubbed all 32 butts and took them out to the cooker. I got the fire going and by 10 had the pork on the cooker. They needed to be ready by 9:30 am to go to another campus and be ready for when first service was finished at 10:15 Sunday morning.

Before my wife left for the evening she asked me twice if I had enough wood for the cook. Of course I did.

The plan was to add wood every hour to keep the temperature between 225-250 degrees and spray the meat with a mop sauce (1 cup Apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup worcestershire sauce, Soy sauce, water and olive oil). Oh yes, and to stay awake all night.

With that amount of meat on the cooker, it was full and difficult to keep the temperature where it should be. I started to use more wood than anticipated. About 1:00 am I realized that I would run out of wood before the cook was done. Around 3:00 am my spray bottle broke so I could no longer mop the meat. Looking at the meat at 3 I wasn't pleased with it's progress. It should have been farther along so the only solution was to cook hotter which required more wood.

To stay awake I had my laptop with me and watched a few movies and also set the alarm on my ipod for each hour. I dozed here and there but never really fell fast asleep, so that was good.

At 5:45 I called my wife. "sorry I woke you but I need to get more wood." No "I told you so" or anything from her but a quick "we'll be there in a few." She is awesome!

By 6 I was worried the meat wouldn't be done on time. And had three sticks of wood left. My wife showed up a little after that and I put the remaining wood on the fire to stoke it up and we went to the store room and got some more wood.

With more wood and the cooker hotter the meat started to look like I thought it should. By 8:30 I was able to pull off eight butts that were closest to the fire and move the rest forward to get more heat.

After that everything went well. The church youth, my wife, and I worked to pull the pork and run the trays to the servers. The kids who helped were great and did a great job. Each of them was interested in learning a bit more about BBQ and the terminology used when talking about it.

Many of the people that ate thanked me and complemented me on the pork they ate. A few asked if I had a restaurant (I don't) and a couple wanted to buy full butts to take home. Thankfully there was enough that they were able to.

From a cookers perspective the event was a success even with the hic-ups we had.

So what did I learn from this?

• Always listen to your wife
• Take more wood than you think you'll need
• Take a back-up mop bottle
• More wood
• Don't forget the charcoal to start the fire
• Wood
• Take more sauce than you think you need
• Did I mention wood?
• Have fun

Ewe... No its Goat

This weekend was a first for me. I smoked a goat for about 60 people. A scary prospect as I had never done this before. I searched the Internet, my cookbooks and asked people who had cooked goat before for any help. I found the recipe I used in the Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book. It was good.

The night before the cook, I needed to do some prep work. I needed to rub some pork butts I was going to smoke, make my BBQ sauce, BBQ mop and the Barbados baste so the next day everything would be ready to go.

We were over at the cook site by 7am to get the fire going. While I was starting the fire, my wife and brother-in-law finished cleaning the goat my other brother-in-law had butchered. Goats are hairy beasts and the meat had picked up some of that hair when it was butchered.

After the meat was cleaned we rubbed the goat with suya mix. Suya is a street food you can buy in West Africa. It is beef or goat coated with a spicy mixture of ground up peanuts, pepper and other spices. I had the four goat legs and a couple of other smaller pieces of goat that needed to be cooked. The four legs and the pork butts all went on at the same time as they would take about eight hours to cook at 225 degrees.



Every hour I would add wood and spray the pork butts with the mop. After the first three hours of cooking I started to baste the goat with the Barbados baste every hour.



Around 12:30pm I put the rest of the goat and the chicken on. My plan was to start to pull the smaller pieces off at 5pm and keep them in the warmer.



5pm came around and the chicken was ready. I pulled it off and dipped it in BBQ sauce I had been warming and put it in the warmer to be served at 6. The pork and larger pieces of goat weren't quite ready so I started to pull off the smaller goat pieces and slice them up. Of course I had to take a taste sample. It was good.



By 7 we had all the meat off, cut up and many happy diners. Those who had eaten goat before complemented me on doing a great job of cooking it.










My mop:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water

New Toy!

My wife and family ROCK!!

One of my brother-in-laws had some 55 gallon drums. One day I mentioned to him it would be cool to turn one into a smoker. I wasn’t sure when I was going to do it but I kept thinking about it but had other things to do and bigger butts to smoke.

Well, my other brother-in-law thought it would be cool to surprise me with a smoker for my birthday (which is in July) so the BILs talked it over and decided they would build me a smoker from the drum. The contacted my wife and asked her if she could get them information about how to build it.

She listened as I talked and heard me talk about the BBQ Brethren forum and started to nose around the site. She found a link to instructions on how to build one and then read some of the comments and modifications people recommended. She passed all this info on to the BILs and they created my new smoker.

It was almost finished but they had a few questions none of them could answer so they had to surprise me early. They showed me what they had and I was totally SHOCKED!!

I showed them the modifications they were asking about and later that weekend I had a new smoker in my back yard. I’m sure the neighbors love that. Guess I need to make them some BBQ. ;-)

I think this is one of the coolest and best presents I have ever received. It was a total surprise and a very thoughtful gift but I think they had some ulterior motives, more BBQ.

Thank you to my family for this wonderful gift.