The Smoker Pit

Competition #2

2010-07-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

The second competition was forty miles outside of Prosser, Washington at McKinley Springs Winery. The competition was part of a benefit for Veterans. In order for a competition to be a qualifier for larger competitions (like the American Royal) there needs to be atleast 25 teams. Our team volunteered to split in order to make 25 teams, so Jeff and I made up Sibling Revelry and Dad and his friend cooked as Rub Em' Raw.
We quickly learned that competition is a lot of work but more fun than we could have imagined.
A typical schedule for a competition starts in the late afternoon the first night. After setting up camp for a couple of hours, officials come by to inspect your meat, fire extinguisher, and washing stations to make sure you don't kill the judges and then the prep starts. In the Pacific Northwest BBQ Association (PNWBA), the turn in order is pork, brisket, chicken, and then ribs. So naturally the first thing to be prepped is the pork followed by the brisket. At around 11 or 12 at night, the pork and brisket go on the smoker. You would think that one could get some sleep at that point, but it never happens. The next thing to be prepped is the ribs as they take about four hours to cook. We start that around 7 AM on the second day. The first turn in is at 11 AM and the last is 2 PM. We usually clean up a bit until the awards ceremony at around 5 or 6 and then we take down the camp and try to stay awake on the drive home. Ask any pitmaster if he/she regrets any of it . . .
We were very excited to have placed 13th overall and got 5th place ribs. The most fun I have ever had . . . until Coeur d'Alene.

Drumsticks

2010-06-29T21:17:00.001-07:00

My previous post mentioned the frustrations of chicken thighs, namely the time-consuming preperation, but drumsticks are my new best friend. I just rubbed em' (raw) and threw them on. One hour at 175 brought them to an internal temp of 190, then I sauced them and let them smoke another fifteen minutes. If you are feeding a lot of people, DO DRUMSTICKS.

Competition #1

2010-06-29T20:33:00.001-07:00

Shortly after the birth of this blog, the wheels were in motion to start a BBQ team. A few months of tireless work by myself, my brother Jeff, and my Dad, started a hobby that has since grown to something bigger than we had initially imagined. Today team "Rub Em' Raw" has gained sponsorship by Tim's Special Cut Meat, been featured in The Spokesman Review-Jeff even got interviewed on KVNI. If you know anything about Jeff, you know he could sell salt to a slug. So, as usual, he put in hours of research and networking time to get us an opportunity to rub elbows with Harry Soo at the Boise Music Festival July 24th. Contributing years of experience, two Weber Smoky Mountain Grills, and two Weber Performer Grills, Jeff is a huge asset to any team and we're lucky to have him.
My Dad, who will forever be prepared for any situation ever, has purchased a COM190, which he promptly modified to the envy of every Traeger owner that has laid eyes on it. A commercial smoker has to be towed and an equally modified motor home does just that as well as give us a kitchen and all the comforts of home for competition. Dad possesses the experience of Jeff and I combined and, needless to say, makes BBQing gourmet cuts look effortless.
Our first experience cooking together was at a Pacific Northwest BBQ Association class and competition. Some of the top competitors in the Northwest were kind enough to share some (very little) of their secrets to prepare us for competitions. After cooking all day, our products were judged by newly certified PNWBA judges. Jeff took grand champion and Dad took first in pork butt. We were hooked and optimistic.

Jeff on his Weber Smoky Mountain the day after the class . . .

Dad on the COM190 the day after the class . . .

The experience was great, but nothing like the competitions to come . . .

Brisket Success

2010-06-05T18:07:00.001-07:00

Today I cooked a brisket flat with great results. I've been looking for a brisket with the point on it for some time but for some reason the grocery stores in Salt Lake do not carry them. But despite the small size (4lbs) of this flat, it turned out moist and tender. The bark was very thin which meant the burnt ends weren't as good, but the in-laws loved it and so did Caity and I. While the brisket rested I did plain peppers, bacon wrapped peppers stuffed with cream cheese, and chicken thighs. It was worth the work and the sleep deprivation to make a great meal. Next project: Prosser and Spokane for competitions. Thanks to Jeff for showing me how to make the peppers and Dad for sharing his award-winning brisket recipe with me.

Best Ribs so far

2010-05-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

Since we had such good results with whole spare ribs in Coeur d'alene, I decided to trim them after they were cooked this time. My theory is that they stay more moist that way because these were the best ribs I've cooked (granted I've only cooked around a dozen). The texture was perfect and I used two different seasonings on each side which got some compliments from our guests! People ate the ribs more than the salmon so I take that as a good sign. I'll be out of town this weekend but look forward to next week when I do brisket.

Too much food

2010-05-24T10:26:00.001-07:00

This weekend I did pork, apples, corn, and salmon. Luckily I have people who will eat it because Caity and I can't! Tonight I'm doing ribs and salmon so I'm getting some good practice.

This was my best pork butt yet thanks to Dad and Jeff.

Apple Dessert

2010-05-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

I was surprised a few months ago when I smoked a whole apple and it turned out really good. Just poke a hole in the top and cook at 250-300 degrees for a half hour. Tonight we tried them with cinnamon and cream cheese frosting and cinnamon and vanilla ice cream. Next time we'll put some granola or nuts on top. It's nothing much but it's a good starting point. I'm also working on an apple crisp. More to come . . .

Coeur d' Alene BBQ class

2010-05-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Had a great weekend with my Dad and brother taking a BBQ class on Saturday and cooking a ton on Sunday. I learned a ton and now I need to practice. Thanks to Jeff and Dad for all their work and advice. I'll post more on this later.

Bacon and Hashbrowns

2010-05-13T20:48:00.001-07:00

We tried some breakfast on the smoker and it turned out pretty well. The potatoes were especially good- just potato shavings and olive oil. More breakfast projects will come . . .

Chicken Thighs

2010-04-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've been reluctant to try chicken thighs because I've never liked them and I didn't think that anyone else would. On the other hand, I need to practice the preperation and cooking for competition. So I tried them and they were surprisingly good. I'd like to improve some things, but I am shocked they turned out so well the first time. Thighs are cheap and really good for lots of people, but preparation is time consuming-I spent four hours preparing and cooking these (a time I hope to reduce as I get better at prep).

Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-09T15:48:00.001-08:00

For the Super Bowl I took the smoker to my brother-in-law's house and grilled up a storm. Salmon, chicken, pineapple, apples, burgers, and brats was more than enough to feed everyone! I have never done fruit on the smoker and it turned out to be easy and really good, so smoke em' if you got em'.

Pork Shoulder

2010-02-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend I did a bone-in pork shoulder and it turned out ok. I injected it with apple juice and some spices, marinated it in a mixture of mustard and honey and rub over night and smoked it for nine hours. It was good for my first time, although I could have smoked it longer because I couldn't pull all of it. So I pulled some of it and mixed it with bbq sauce and sliced some of it.

Cutting Spare Ribs

2010-02-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

My first try at cutting spare ribs.

The briskets

The ribs

Salmon, Chicken, and King Crab Legs

2010-01-25T18:52:00.000-08:00

This was my first time doing salmon in the smoker and it turned out great. Thanks to my Dad for the tips. I used olive oil on the fish and the grill to keep it from sticking and it worked well. Other than that, a little seasoning and some butter was all it took. The king crab legs were pre-cooked from the store so all I had to do was warm them up and they picked up the smoke flavor really well. I sprayed all of it with apple juice and I'm convinced that apple juice makes everything better in the smoker.

Pulled Pork

2010-01-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

Dry Rub (for 1 large pork butt)

1 cup paprika
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dark chili powder
1/2 cup dry mustard
1/4 cup dry oregeno
1/4 sea salt
2 tbs coarse black pepper
2 tbs red chili flakes (less if you don't like spice)
2 tbs coriander
2 tbs cumin
2 tbs dry lemon peel

This rub will make a very dark bark - don't be afraid! Careful with your cooking temp, or the brown sugar will burn.

Mix rub ingredients together and apply to dry pork butt - set in fridge for 12-36 hours.

BBQ - Place butt on smoker away from any direct heat - BBQ at 220-230 F for 11-14 hours until deep internal temp reaches 195 F. If desired, mop butt every hour or so with mixture of red wine vineger, apple juice and a small handful of the dry rub. Skip the mop if you can't do it without seriously lowering your temp. I use a mix of apple, hickory and oak for smoke flavor. Other sweet woods are also good with pork - try peach, plum & apricot.

Carolina Mustard Sauce (the only way to eat pulled bbq pork!)

1 cup yellow prepared mustard
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbs Worstershire sauce
1/2 tbs red chili flake
1/2 tbs white pepper
1/2 tbs black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Ribs-Round 2

2010-01-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

I was watching BBQ Pitmasters (see link) and I decided to give some of their techniques a try. It's probably common knowledge but I learned some cool things.
1. Apple juice
All of the pitmasters use a spray bottle and apply apple juice to all of their meats every fifteen minutes. I tried this with my ribs and some chicken breasts and the difference was amazing. I found that I could cook longer and keep the meat moist the whole time. I also noticed a better flavor in the chicken breasts.
2. Foiling
Another method that the pitmasters use is foiling. They won't give away their secrets on the show or online, but after some research I found a good rule of thumb. The 3-2-1 rule is to divide your cooking time into six equal parts-use three of the parts straight on the grill (spraying every fifteen minutes with juice), 2 of the parts in foil, and then straight back on the grill while you apply your sauce. On the show, they cooked them for six hours so each part was one hour. I used more of a 3-1-1 rule because I was cooking my ribs for four hours, so I smoked the ribs straight for 2 hours, spraying them every fifteen minutes, then I wrapped them in foil with plenty of apple juice for one hour, took them out of the foil and spent the last hour applying sauce. It made a very noticeable difference in tenderness.

I just need to figure out how to make the sauce a bit more spicy and these will be excellent ribs. Any suggestions are welcome.

Tenderize and Grill Thick Cut Top Sirloin

2010-01-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

I started a video on how to tenderize beef but the video camera ran out of batteries before I finished , so I will just write it out this time and I'll do a video next time I cut steaks. After I explain the tenderizing process I will also describe how I grilled the steak. BTW, I like to tenderize all of my steaks at once...right after I cut them. (See video on how to cut your own steaks below). You can toss them in the freezer when you are done, and they are ready to grill when you need them.

For tenderizing you will need:

1) Thick cut Top Sirloin Steak (1-2 inches thick)

2) Sea Salt

3) Fresh Ground Pepper

4) Favorite dry rub (I use Costco's Sweet Mesquite Seasoning)

5) Johnny's Seasoning Salt (*optional)

6) Meat tenderizer (*optional)

First: pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Then we can begin seasoning our steaks on both sides. The key ingredient for tenderizing is the Sea Salt. It is the salt working with the temperature of the meat that actually begins to breakdown the tissue and tenderize the meat. You can use this method on any fleshy meat -- especially beef. It works best on thicker cuts, however.

So, liberally coat the steak on both sides with Sea Salt first, then add other seasonings to suit your taste. Basically everything except the Sea Salt is optional. As added insurance, I also use Adolph's Meat Tenderizer and Johnny Seasoning Salt on my steaks. Surprisingly, they are not too salty when the meat is done. The salt flavor seems to deplete itself during tenderizing process (trust me).

Once the steaks are seasoned, TURN OFF THE OVEN and put the steaks inside for about 15-20 minutes. This time will vary depending on you oven's ability to hold temperatures stable.

Here is the deal... and this is very important... we want to raise the internal temperature of the meat up above 95 degrees, but we cannot go over 120 degrees. Meat begins to work with the salts to naturally tenderize itself at 95 degrees, but the natural tenderizing process stops at 120 degrees. Once the meat hits 120, it won't tenderize any further. So watch the temps closely. I check my steaks often to ensure that I am not going over 120. If the oven starts to cool before reaching 95 degrees, you can turn it back on at 250 degrees for a few minutes at a time until you get the desired temperature. The steaks in the picture below had reached 100 degrees when I took them out -- that is perfect. I let them rest uncovered for another 15-20 minutes, while I started the coals for my grill.

You will notice that the meat expelled a lot of liquid into the pan. I turn the steaks over a couple of times while they are resting and they re-absorb much of that liquid.

At this point, I start my charcoal. I used a chimney starter full of Kingsford Charcoal and started soaking my Mesquite wood chunks (about 20 minutes, while the charcoal was getting ready). I built the fire in the smoke chamber of my smoker/grill because I was grilling relatively quick this this time.

When the coals are grey and ready I place my Mesquite wood on the coals and put the steaks on a grill that was about a foot away from the flames, and closed the lid. Don't be tempted to sear the meat upfront.

Go ahead and cook with indirect heat and smoke for 15 minutes on the first side. You may want to adjust your times based on various conditions. For instance, you will want to use the above time if the steak is at about room temperature to begin with, and outside temps are spring-like. If the steak has been thawed out and is still a little cold or frozen in spots, just go an extra five minutes on the first side. Likewise, if it is a hot summer day, you might want to cut the time back a little. Turn the steak over and let it go another 10 minutes on the second side.

Check the temperature often. For medium rare steak, cook to internal temp of 140-145. For medium steak (slightly pink) cook to 150, but not over. About 155 is the highest you will ever want to go, and that satisfies most well done steak lovers. If someone wants their steak a little more done, throw it over the coals and sear it uncovered for about 3-4 minutes on each side. That should get you 160, and hopefully prevent your meat from drying out. I cooked the steak in the (blurry) picture below to about 148 degrees at resting temperature. It is pink, but not raw.

How to cut cheap but awesome steaks

2010-01-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

In the above video, I bought a Top Sirloin Butt at Costco for about $35, or $2.35 per pound. Most grocery store butchers would probably sell you a whole top sirloin butt for a couple of bucks less per pound than you would pay for pre-cut and packaged steaks. However, the Costco deal is the best price I have ever found. Most of the time you pay about $5- $8 pound for pre-cut and packaged Top Sirloin steaks. Another good reason to cut your own steaks is that you control the thickness of the steak, which important when you are grilling. Thicker meats are easier to keep moist and tender on the grill. You'll see in the video that I like to cut what a friend of mine calls "Fred Flintstone" steaks because they grill up perfectly.

Grilled striped bass and asparagus

2010-01-16T10:22:00.001-08:00

I thought I would give this a shot last night... I was at Costco doing my monthly meat stockpile and came across fresh (farm raised) striped bass. I used to catch these when I was kid fishing on the sloughs around Skaggs Island when my Dad was stationed there in the 70s. The ones I caught were much bigger, but I figured what the heck, I wanted to try grilling one.

I looked up a quick recipe at Cooks Illustrated for grilling sea bass. It was simple: Scale and clean the fish, make a series of shallow cuts through the skin and into the flesh, about two inches apart, rub the fish in a light coating of olive oil, and season with your favorite spices. The Cook's Illustrated recipe called for grilling directly over the coals (or hot part of the grill) uncovered for six minutes on each side. That certainly would have done the trick in warm summer temperatures, but I wanted to add some smoke and it was only 45 degrees out, so I altered the recipe a bit.

I cleaned the fish up and scaled it, cut my slices and seasoned with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, Johnny's Seafood Seasoning, and a healthy dose of Lemon Pepper seasoning. I soaked about a cup and a half of hickory chips (I would have used apple wood if I had some) for about 15 minutes. I only needed a small amount of wood smoke because the cook time is short, otherwise I would have soaked the wood chips much longer.

Meanwhile, I steamed the fresh asparagus (*see tip for preparing fresh asparagus below) for about 4 minutes and then took them off the heat and into an ice water bath to stop the cooking. I drained it and patted it dry, then coated with olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Notice in the picture above, I laid my asparagus out on a pan covered in holes that will allow the smoke to reach the bottom and top of the vegetables without having to worry about them falling through my grill rack. You could use a cake rack or anything with small enough holes to prevent the asparagus from falling though. (BTW, Sue wanted me to clarify that the pans and colander used in those pictures are solely for my smoker. She keeps the nice stuff indoors)

Preparing the grill, I used a starter chimney full of plain Kingsford charcoal. When the coals were grey, I poured them out onto a rack in far left of the smoke chamber on the smoker grill. When I grill meats as opposed to smoking them I like to build my fire in the smoke chamber instead of the fire box and I usually cook with indirect heat when I am adding smoke to the recipe. The left side of the photo below is the front of my smoker/grill (it was dark, so it is hard to tell).

I placed the fish closest to the fire and the asparagus was situated directly below the smoke stack on the cover of my grill. I do that to maximize the amount of smoke is pulled across the food as it cooks. Finally, I threw the soaked wood chips on the coals and closed the lid.

Because I cooked the meat indirectly and the temp was 45 degrees outside, I increased the amount of cooking time on the grill. I went 10 minutes on the first side (until the smoke stack was only slightly smoking, which indictaes the wood chips are almost done smoking) and flipped the fish for another 8 minutes on the other side side (make sure to oil your grill before cooking and use two spatulas to flip the fish). Then I moved the fish over the coals and cooked uncovered for another four minutes on each side. I also moved the asparagus closer to the fire to stay warm while finished.

The fish is done when the meat flakes away from the bone, and the asparagus takes almost exactly the same amount of time.

While the fish was finishing over the coals, I whipped up a sauce for the asparagus on the stove. You can use almost anything you like, but I decided to try a simple Balsamic recipe. I used two tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of soy sauce and one teaspoon of Balsamic vinegar. I heated it on the stove and then turned off the heat and added the asparagus to keep it warm while I plated the fish. (I also cooked a boxed wild rice and mushroom dish while I was grilling the fish).

To serve, as with any whole fish, I peeled off the skin first and flaked the meat away from the bone with a fork. You have to be especially careful and pay attention to the bones. Sea bass has a lot of sharp bones. I missed an entire fin last night and wound up with a mouth full of bones. Thanks goodness Sue's didn't have near the bones I had.

BTW, next time I cook this, I am going to fillet the fish to avoid the bone issues. The only difference in cooking fillets as opposed to whole fish, is that you don't ever flip the fish. You cook it skin side down (with no oil on the grill) until the meat flakes with a fork and then you can lift the meat off of the skin with a spatula and use your grill brush to clean the skin off the grill later. I'll demonstrate that technique soon with a couple stealhead fillets I picked up yesterday as well. Below is a picture of the finished fish without the skin...

(*Asparagus Tip: When preparing to cook fresh asparagus never use a knife to cut the woody ends off the bottom. You want to snap them instead. Simply hold the raw asparagus with your fingertips and snap the bottom off. The break will naturally occur where the woody portion of the stem ends. It is a fool proof way to ensure tender asparagus every time.)

Pork Chops

2010-01-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

I've found pork to be one of the least expensive and easy meats to smoke. Pork seems to be forgiving when it comes to temperatures and cooking times and its bacteria die at a lower temperature than beef or chicken. Tonight I did a pork chop and it came out great with little effort. Traeger makes a spice sample kit that contains rubs for common types of meats and I have been impressed with all of them. So I just grabbed the pork at the grocery store, rubbed on the spices, and threw it on the smoker until it reached temperature. Pork seems to always
come out juicy and tender and takes the smoky flavor really well, so it is perfect for a fast and easy dinner.

Jerky

2010-01-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to making jerky. I got my local butcher to cut me strips of a cross rib slab and it was surprisingly cheap. First I seasoned and cured the meat and left it in a container over night in the fridge.

Then I set my smoker to the smoke setting that stays around 150 F. I thought it would take four to five hours but due to the thin strips the butcher gave me, it only took two hours. Next time I will have the butcher cut thicker strips because some of the strips got done in about fifteen minutes and were too crispy. For my first time, it was a success overall.

At about a half hour in:

The final product. This started out at about three and a half pounds of meat.

The "Madden" Burger

2010-01-08T20:51:00.001-08:00

If you haven't had a good heart attack in a while, this burger will give you one:

You need:
Hamburger Meat
Cream Cheese (in stick form is easiest)
Bacon
Sliced Pastrami
Your Favorite Cheese
A Doctor

The preparation:

Before you go flattening a regular ol' hamburger patty to throw on the grill, try rolling it into a ball, poke a hole, and add a dab or two of cream cheese in the middle. THEN flatten it out into a patty. This will make your hamburger delicious, more juicy, and give you heart disease (but you'll die happy). Next, cook some bacon until almost done. Smoke your burgers at 300 F (or medium setting for Traeger users). When the burger has ten minutes to go, put on the bacon, a couple slices of pastrami, and top it off with a slice of cheese. I like it with fry sauce (ketchup mixed with mayonnaise) but just the burger on a bun is excellent. The chest pain that radiates to your left arm is normal.

Baby Back Ribs

2010-01-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple recipe for great smoked ribs:

BBQ Sauce

1 1/2 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup tomatoe paste
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (hickory)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for one hour until the sauce is thick. Preheat your smoker to 300 degrees (medium setting for Traeger users). The ribs take me about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to smoke so I start brushing the sauce on at about an hour into smoking and then brush them every ten minutes until done. This keeps them moist and juicy and by the time you're done, there are several coats of baked on sauce. The last five minutes of cooking I turn my smoker all the way up to sear that sauce on the outside. Make sure that the pork gets to an internal temperature of about 165 F and remember that meat continues to cook after removed from heat so I take mine out at 160 or so and let them sit for ten minutes.

Check out how the pitmasters do it: http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/bbq-pitmasters-what-makes-good-ribs.html

http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/bbq-pitmasters-bbq-rib-secret-ingredient.html

My Traeger

2010-01-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

I thought I would start things off by describing my smoker. I have a Lil' Tex Elite Grill made by Traeger. The box to the left of the grill, as is the case for all Traeger Grills, is the hopper in which the wood pellets are stored. From the hopper, an auger carries the wood pellets into a small fire pot located in the bottom of the grill. In the middle of the fire pot is a hot rod: a metal rod that gets red hot in order to ignite the wood pellets. Once the pellets are ignited, the hot rod is no longer heated and the auger maintains a steady supply of pellets to keep the fire going. When the temperature knob is turned up, the auger simply spins slightly faster to feed more pellets into the fire. The 20 lb. pellet bags are around $20 and you can choose Alder, Apple, Cherry, Garlic, Grapevine, and Hickory-each impart their own distinct flavors to the meat.

I am most impressed by the convection-like cooking style of this grill. Since it uses indirect heat, the grill temperature is relatively uniform throughout and a grease guard ensures that juices don't increase the flames and burn your food.

Of course the most important point of wood cooking is for taste . . . and you won't taste anything like this on a propane grill.

We hope that you find this blog informational and we welcome you to share your tips and recipes.