Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

Archives for April 2015

Featured

Texas BBQ Defined at Lockhart Smoke House

Sequence 01.Still004So just what is Texas BBQ?  We paid a visit to a Lockhart Smoke house near Dallas to watch them do it right… It’s the home of Jalapeno Sausage (via Kreuz Market).

It’s beef it’s brisket-it’s butcher paper it’s jalapeno peppers… Texas BBQ just what makes it special? Plus a trick to the sauce… Just outside of Dallas at Lockhart BBQ and yes… my test its you CAN smell smoke!

Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas ft worth – helps define some things… The meat is beef… Brisket is the headliner And the smoke – although many think mesquite- post oak -rules here— and why not think local — post oak is white oak tx cueand native Texas tree with a name that refers to it’s popular use for fence posts…

Texas BBQ is also aligned with fresh smoked sausage- here the juicy snap of a fresh smoked jalapeno sausage is a specialty – and here they tip their Texas hats to the best -Lockhart smoke house is the area’s exclusive purveyors of Kreutz Market sausage- Kreuz is Texas BBQ royalty since 1900..

But alas a 4 hour drive away from Dallas so – Fortunately
-here they show off the connection to Kreuz on the walls and on the trays with that incredible Jalapeno sausage.

How many times you been here?: “Too many times to count… I have been in and out of this state up and down the country and have not found better BBQ.
They Do allow sauce at Lockhart – and unlike Kreuz they DO allow sauce and forks.

The sauce in Texas is tangy and dark red with ketchup and Worcestershire and sometimes served hot like this – at Eddie Deen’s Crossroad’s BBQ near Cowboys stadium…. A real treat -This is one of the few places you can actually get the sauce hot right out of the cooker. In fact the bbq trick is to serve the sauce hot on the side – it adds a definite zip of freshness that sends tongues into overdrive. See our whatsthishere sauce recipe video for a close impostor.

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Next – typical Texas ‘cue is served and sometimes even cooked in butcher paper

Along with mega jars of jalapeno peppers and pickled red onions… Ribs, Occasionally shoulder clod and chicken its the full combination mixed with oak smoke and a lone star flag that truly defines Texas BBQ –
Tell us you favorite BBQ joint in the comments or tag is in a #grateplate and
For more on BBQ from Memphis watch here.

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The Right Tomato for Your Recipe

Choose the Right Type of Tomato for Your Recipe

tomato2By Noelle Renee Allen

Which Tomato is the Right Tomato?

There are six different types of tomatoes to eat, and they vary in taste. Learning about the different types will help you choose the right one for your next recipe.

Cherry

This miniature tomato comes loaded with nutrition and flavor. They resemble a cherry but are the color of a tomato. When eating this type, you will immediately notice how sweet it is, compared to other varieties. They are perfect for a salad or to enjoy on their own.

Globe

Globe tomatoes are the ones that many people think of when they hear tomato. Many supermarkets call this type beefsteak or slicing tomato. These have a subtle flavor and aren’t as juicy. They are great for recipes in which you want a fresh tomato taste without it overpowering the rest of the meal.

Heirloom

Whenever gourmet chefs cook with tomatoes, they often choose the heirloom variety because they have a juicy, strong taste. These are the most flavorful, so it’s best not to use too many of them in a recipe unless it’s for a tomato dish.

Pear

These tomatoes are not as common, but people still use them quite often in salads or eat them by themselves. They are shaped like a pear but are only the size of a cherry.

Grape

These oval shaped tomatoes taste similar to the cherry variety but are just a bit bigger. People usually use them in salads, but they cut them in half. They aren’t as juicy as cherry tomatoes, so they don’t get as messy when cut.

Roma

Roma, or plum, tomatoes are not juicy, and they have fewer seeds than other types. People use these tomatoes for Italian dishes.

Fresh Dishes and Cooked Dishes

If you want to prepare a salad, cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes tend to be the most popular, but you can really use any type. Although, if you choose to use a bigger variety, be aware that there will be more cutting or slicing involved. When cooking, use globe, heirloom, or Roma. For a strong flavor, use heirloom or Roma. Use globe tomatoes if you want a mild flavor. This, however, does not mean you can’t use cherry or grape tomatoes in cooking. For example, if you cut grape tomatoes in half and saute them in some olive oil, garlic and chopped basil, you will have a very tasty bruschetta-like topping or sauce!

How to Use Tasti-Lee Tomatoes

The quick answer is in any way! Tasti-Lee tomatoes are vine-tomatoes, ripened by Mother Nature. They are perfect for sandwiches and other fresh dishes but also work well cooked! Perhaps roasted? If you’d like to take a look at some Tasti-Lee tomato recipes, visit http://tastilee.com/recipes.php.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Noelle_Renee_Allen
http://EzineArticles.com/?Choose-the-Right-Type-of-Tomato-for-Your-Recipe&id=8483382


Featured

Warning: New Pork Temperature Safe USDA Guidline

Under cooked barbecue… what you don’t know may just hurt you! and Bill West recently the temperature guidelines for cooking pork have changed in america’s USDA guidelines….

The good news is today’s pork producers are making things much safer when it comes to undercooked food transmitting harmful bacteria — in 2011 USDA Lowered the “doneness” or pork’s safe temp to 145 from 160…  We recommend using a quality meat thermometer probed in the thickest part of the meat.  ( See info on the popular thermapen below.)

Chicken is a bigger culprit for transmitting bacteria want to undercurrent that temperature remains a more strict porktemp160° beef stayed the same at recommended 145.

Here’s a bigger tip if you are cooking a low slow barbecue favorite:  Pulled Pork…

Pulled pork is a whole different deal…and and it’s recommended that you cook two between 195 and 210° not for food safety reasons more for pull apart tenderness…

Other tools to help include the Pellet Grill with temperature probes shown in the video from http://www.traegergrills.com/ where you can remote control the fire in synch to the internal temperature of the meat.

Note: we have added and just updated our temperature guide at the top menu… come back if you ever need to check the “rules”.  Also see http://safety.gov for all sorts of kitchen and food safety information from Uncle Sam.  They have actually compiled some very BBQ friendly information including picnic and grilling specific tips.

Also we love the Thermoworks THERMAPEN electric thermometer we use in the video (not the round sundial above – those are inexpensive but temperamental).   See below for the ThermoWorks Super-Fast Thermapen (Gray) Professional Thermocouple Cooking Thermometer

on Amazon (we highly recommend it):

Best Gift Ever

Best Gift Ever

…

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Five Ways to Pork Up Your Rotisserie

Grilling season is just around the corner and now is the time pick up some new skills and ideas so you don’t get stuck in the same old burgers and hot dog rut.

One great way to add some variety to your grilling sessions is to break out your rotisserie.  r2Now BarbecueTricks.com has already shown you how to do a classic rotisserie chicken.  We’ve even showed you how to use a rotisserie to make a beautiful spiral cut roasted pineapple!

Here’s a way to get even more fun out of your rotisserie by letting you know that rotisseries are incredible for anything that you would want to slow roast.  Lucky for us that opens up most of the world of pork!

The perfect piece of pork for the rotisserie is a 3-5 pound pork loin. You will want to r3roast this with indirect heat for around two hours or until it hits an internal temperature of 150F.  To make sure the loin stays juicy you can brine it overnight or simply inject it with some Creole Butter.  Make it look amazing by scoring the fat in a diamond pattern before roasting.

 

Another piece of pork that is amazing on a rotisserie is a pork butt.  No joke; you can use a rotisserie to make amazing pulled pork!  I slow cooked this butt on a Weber gas grill for around eight hours and it turned out incredible.  Some friendly advice…make sure you truss the butt since it does get fall apart tender!r4

If you ever come across a bone-in pork roast you know what you need to do with it…that’s right, spin it on your rotisserie!

If you want to take a break from “low and slow” barbecue ribs you can season them up, weave them onto a rotisserie and roast them until the skin is crispy with just a little char.  These are spectacular with a little squeeze of lemon juice.

 

Last up on the list is a rotisserie pork belly!  I use a standard rotisserie basket when roasting bellies.  Simply score the fat, season with garlic, salt and pepper then spin that belly until it hits 160F.

I promise the smell will be so incredible it will make you weak in the knees.  I will slice the belly thin for r5sandwiches and cube some up to add to roasted veggies.

 

I hope these ideas inspire you to break out your rotisserie and get a little freaky with your grill this summer. rq

In addition to rotisseries here is a link to a few other great grill accessories to bring a little more grilling joy to you life!