Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

Archives for February 2011

Featured

Pulled Pork Barbecue Spaghetti

pork spaghettiWhenever I make pulled pork I have extra. You can freeze it in small batches for quick dinners, you can make BBQ Grits, which are awesome and I will describe in a separate post, or you can make Pulled Pork Barbecue Spaghetti. Here is the recipe:

Pulled Pork Barbecue Spaghetti

2 cups pulled pork barbecue
2 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
3 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce (or use recipe below)
Spaghetti

Homemade BBQ sauce for spaghetti:
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 apple cider vinegar
5 Tbsp sugar
5 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 Tbsp ground mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Mix sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Saute’ green pepper and onion in olive oil with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir pulled pork and veggies into sauce until heated through and serve over spaghetti.

Featured

Grilled Corn on the Cob

silver queen corn

Photo: Flickr.com/Aimee Steen

I love corn. I mean I love corn any way –  grilled, fried, baked, creamed, in a casserole, muffin, pudding or soufle’, etc. But one of the best ways to serve corn in the summer when you can get that really good Silver Queen corn on the cob, is on the grill.

There are also many ways to cook it on a bbq grill. You can pull the husks back, remove the silks, wash and replace the husks to grill, or you can remove all the trappings, season and wrap in foil. Either way, just make sure you have some oil-based product on them before sealing them up to grill. It will turn out juicy and packed with flavor.

I recommend coating each ear with mayonnaise – I know, what? It doesn’t have a mayo taste once it’s cooked, it just preserves moisture.

So, back to the mayonnaise. Once you have a real mess on your hands, literally, and have them slathered up really well, sprinkle with chili powder for a little sweetness (or you can just use sugar) and salt. Lastly drizzle a small amount of lime juice on each ear and then wrap and seal tightly in aluminum foil and place them on the grill for about 20-25 minutes. Yum! It doesn’t matter what you serve with that – it’s gonna be the main course!

Photo —  http://www.flickr.com/photos/43387439@N02/5420704391/

Recipes

Grilled Parmesan Onions

There are lots of ways to serve onions, but for a treat I like to serve Grilled Parmesan Onions. You can do this in the oven too, but they’re great on the grill.   The addition of a lick of smoke makes this vegetable taste incredible.

Start with sizable onions (preferably Vidalia, or at least sweet onion). Cut off both ends and peel the onion without cutting in half. Take a pairing knife and cut a gouged out top hat or lid, like you would when carving the top of a pumpkin. Go as deep as you can so you can put your ingredients towards the middle of the onion. Push a chicken (or beef) bouillon cube as far down into the onion as you can. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese down in the onion on top of the bouillon cube. Then pack to the top with butter. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese. Place top of onion back in place and press to secure. It won’t fit perfectly with all the goodies you have in there, and boy will that be worth it. Next, wrap each onion tightly in aluminum foil and grill for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the size of the onions). Then just unwrap and eat; no need to do another thing to these.

If you’re grilling over live fire or charcoal try adding an additional layer of foil wrap and then place the onion DIRECTLY ON THE COALS!    This makes for quite a show with guests and it shortens the cooking time quite a bit.

As I said, this can also be done just exactly like this in the oven. Or, another variation to feed a crowd is to take several onions, cut them into chunks and place in a baking dish. Crush 3 or 4 bouillon cubes of your choice and sprinkle over the onions. Cut up a stick of butter into slices. Top the onions with grated Parmesan cheese and spread the butter around in the dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Cook

BBQ Rib Prep Tips

Video thumbnail. Click to play
Click to Play
Spare ribs are often considered one of the crown jewels of BBQ.  Many times, when you buy a large slab at a store like Sam’s or large groceries, will come vacuum packed as one slab with a large additional portion still intact.  This piece is typically trimmed away for competition barbecue to create a more attractive and showy “St Louis” cut.  Basically trimmed to a long and uniform rectangle of ribs.
After the cook removes the membrane they apply the rub.   Check the video Pitmaster Jack Waiboer displays a quick trim and rubdown.
Two tricks / tips:  Dont trim off excess on the ends.   Use these to taste test to see if they’re done.  Also keepand prepare the rib tips or brisket portion for an additional taste test (or snack).
Here’s a look at Rib prep with Carolina Pitmaster’s Jack Waiboer. Basic St. Louis cut.
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