Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

Bill West

Butcher's Guide

Chicken Pops On An Electric Smoker

Plum Chicken Pops is my favorite recipe from my new book The Complete Electric Smoker Cook Book.  Chicken Pops are one of those things that are a bit of a trick to make therefore they’ll take a bit more time. As a result they are always more appreciated.  Check out the video to see the How To pluck the pops HERE.  


Chicken drumsticks have always been a BBQ favorite. We love them as a kid because they are tasty, hand held, portable, and fun. As an adult I can also appreciate the fact that dark cuts of chicken are easier to cook without drying out. Because dark meat is so affordable – heck inexpensive – my wallet is happy too.

Furthermore, the addition of this sweet and sticky plum sauce takes the drum stick to the next level of flavor. Plus, making the handle all fancy (a technique known as “Frenching”)  keeps your family’s fingers from getting too sticky.  The boys (young and old) will just like it because it looks cave man cool.

chicken popsPlum Chicken Pops

  • 12 chicken drumsticks
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pepper

 

For the plum sauce:

  • ¾ of a 16 oz jar of plum jam
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • chicken leg1 Tbsp minced onion
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • Salt & pepper to taste (less than i did in the video – whoops)

First of all make the plum sauce. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and remove from heat after reaching a boil. Set aside.

For the unique looking legs that I call pops you need cut the skin down to the bone just over the bottom end leg joint.  Stretch skin as much as possible on drumsticks and using a needle nose pliers, remove the thin, white tendons from each leg.  You’ll need to grip (I suggest using a paper towel to grasp the slick skin) the meaty end and then

chicken leg tendon

pull and  “pluck” the long tendons This can sometimes be tricky (and slippery) to do. Don’t panic if you lose a bit of meat clinging to the shoelace -like tendons. Grip the meaty end to help keep more meat in the process.

Sprinkle each with salt and pepper and head to the smoker.

I used cherry wood and smoked on a Char-broil Electric Smoker for 90 minutes at a steady 250 degrees F.  Look for the skin and meat to retract to create a nice looking ball at the end of your “chicken pop.”

Finally, I like to dredge the pops in the sticky sauce. However it’s really up to you.

 

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Lamb Recipe: Big Fat Greek Fatty

Big Fat Greek Fatty Lamb Recipe

A fatty is the BBQ world’s version of a meatloaf. We’ve made burger fattys before. This one is a lamb recipe. Add some slow roasting, smoke and spices and even a simple chub of sausage is taken to new heights.  This “Greek” fatty is inspired by the flavors of a classic Gyro.   The roasted lamb, cucumber, and onion flavors will have you asking for a second slice.  Pita bread on the side.

See The Greek Fatty Recipe VIDEO HERE:

Watch the video HERE to see some of the tricks involved with rolling a fatty .

This lamb recipe is also in the new book  http://bit.ly/Electric_Smoker_Cookbook

Don’t have an electric smoker? See this one on Amazon which I used to test a lot of these recipes: http://amzn.to/2vBXF6k

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground lamblamb recipe

1 lb ground beef

2 eggs

6 garlic cloves, peeled & minced

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp oregano

1 c bread crumbs

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

 

Filling

½ box cherry tomatoes, halved & drained well

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, seeded, strained & cut into julienne strips

 

In a large bowl, mix first 10 ingredients and blend well. Roll out flat on a baking sheet. Start on the left side and top with filling in rows: cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion and julienned cucumber. Repeat rows leaving a space at the end. Roll up tightly and grill approximately 1 hour (over medium indirect heat) until meat is cooked through to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.. To serve, slice and serve with pita bread points, halved cherry tomatoes and homemade Tzatziki Sauce (recipe below). Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

 

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cucumber, seeded & well drained

Juice from 1 lemon

3 garlic cloves, peeled & minced

2 Tbsp fresh dill

1 cup plain yogurt

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

 

Seed cucumber and roll in paper towels to dry before coarsely chopping. Stir chopped cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, dill and pepper together until well blended. Stir in yogurt and salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Featured

New Book is here!

 

I am so excited to announce that I have a new book coming September 26th!!

You can pre-order it now CLICK HERE!

The book is about how you can easily master smokin’ good BBQ, cheaply, conveniently, and deliciously while using any electric smoker. Recipes are designed for busy people to leverage all the convenience and simplicity of smoking on an electric cooker with authentic wood smoke flavor.

 

The Complete Electric Smoker Cookbook contains:

  • Expert Techniques―for every electric smoker including temperatures, times, wood types, rack placement, and more
  • Over 100 Finger Lickin’ Recipes―specifically designed for your brand of electric smoker, from popular meat and seafood recipes to side dishes and dessert
  • Handy Guides―for the perfect BBQ from start to finish with menus, recipe pairings, and whiskey recommendations

Take a look: http://bit.ly/Electric_Smoker_Cookbook

Don’t have a smoker? Watch me break in this new BBQ toy and heed my warning before your first smoke:
https://youtu.be/1YPq1m68lcI

Buy this one on Amazon which I used to test a lot of these recipes: http://amzn.to/2vBXF6k

Featured

Stuffing A Burger and Pimento Cheese How To

If you’ve ever tried stuffing a burger with cheese you know it can be challenging.

Here’s how to master stuffing a burger with pimento cheese (recipe below) without creating a burger mess. Stuffing with this kind of cheese works really well because the combination of cheeses tends to stay firm enough to keep from leaking out.


Pimento cheese is a southern delicacy sometimes called the “Caviar of The South.” I love it because it can also be used as a dip or spread on crackers. In fact – thanks to low carb diets – it has become trendy to serve with pork rinds.

WATCH: Take a look at the video as i step through making the pimento cheese, stuffing a burger with it,  and grilling them up over charcoal.

The trick is to shape the cheese into a tube shape in parchment paper and freezing or chilling. Then cut the cheese into disks that can be pressed into hamburger cups. Working with COLD ingredients helps the process.

Stuffed Burger INGREDIENTS:

For Bugers:

2 lbs of ground beef 80 percent lean

salt and pepper to taste

For Pimento cheese:pimento cheese

2 cups extra sharp shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz. brick of softened cream cheese

1/2 cup mayo

4 oz. Jar of diced pimentos

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Featured

Bacon Crust Pizza How to Make Meat Lovers Pizza

Yes it’s a twisted concept: bacon crust pizza. Or maybe a woven concept.

Bacon as the crust of a pizza? Is it really necessary?

Yes. And it’s amazing.

WATCH The Pizza Video HERE

This came about in the search for low carb pizza options like the BBQ Cauliflower pizza here. 

The trick with a bacon crust -or any bacon – on a grill is avoiding flare ups. Go low and slow.

We used a Traeger pellet cooker for the bacon and always recommend using smoke and indirect low heat for bacon. In the home, a lot of people will now cook bacon in the oven instead of a skillet for similar reasons.

bacon crust pizza
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Bacon Crust Pizza

For low carb pizza fans. Or high bacon fans. The key to using bacon crust is in the weave.

Ingredients

  • 1 package grocery bacon
  • 3 tablespoons pizza sauce
  • ½ red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 3 whole (canned) tomatoes hand crushed
  • 1 cup fresh mozzarella
  • ½ green bell pepper (thinly sliced)
  • Fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Weave bacon on parchment paper for easy handling. Use chilled or refrigerated bacon for easy handling.
  2. Cut bacon weave square into a round using a second – cover- sheet of parchment and a medium to large bowl. Reserve trimmed bacon.
  3. Chop ¼ red onion and sautee with chopped remaining bacon until caramelized.
  4. Smoke bacon weave in smoker at 350 degrees F for an hour.
  5. Top bacon crust with additional ingredients. One initial thin bottom layer of cheese helps to minimize leaks and softness.
  6. Add fresh basil at end of cook.
  7. Allow 10 minutes to rest and allow bottom layer to firm up before serving.Makes 4 hearty slices

SMOKED BACON CRUST PIZZA

1 package grocery bacon

3 tablespoons pizza sauce

½ red onion (thinly sliced)

3 whole (canned) tomatoes hand crushed

1 cup fresh mozzarella

½ green bell pepper (thinly sliced)

Fresh basil

 

 

 

Weave bacon on parchment paper for easy handling. Use chilled or refrigerated bacon for easy handling.

bacon crust pizzaCut bacon weave square into a round using a second – cover- sheet of parchment and a medium to large bowl. Reserve trimmed bacon.

Chop ¼ red onion and sautee with chopped remaining bacon until caramelized.

Smoke bacon weave in smoker at 350 degrees F for an hour.

Top bacon crust with additional ingredients. One initial thin bottom layer of cheese helps to minimize leaks and softness. Add fresh basil at end of cook.

Allow 10 minutes to rest and allow bottom layer to firm up before serving.

Makes 4 hearty slices

Featured

White Castle Slider Recipe – How To Make on The BBQ

A White Castle Slider at home? Yeah, you can now buy them at the supermarket or on Amazon  but  its not quite the same.

I haven’t been able to get an “in store” white castle slider (or is it slyder?) since moving to South Carolina. The closest thing we have in the South is called Krystal and even that is a state away.  There are plenty of Burger tricks and tips out there but a slider is a bit different. This recipe calls for steaming the bun with a special onion mix. Here’s a perfect replica that we made even better by adding a spicy ketchup sauce!

 

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White Castle Slider Recipe

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 12 Sliders.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef½ cup dehydrated onions1 cup warm waterSalt & pepper to taste12 American cheese slices12 dill pickle slicesMustard12 small slider buns

Instructions

  1. Roll out ground beef very thin - to approximately ¼” thick.
  2. Cut into 2.5”x 2.5” squares and use a straw or wooden dowel to put 5 small holes in each. (Some shrinkage will occur in cooking.)
  3. Freeze patties for a minimum of 1 hour. This can be done several days in advance.
  4. When ready to cook, hydrate onions in 1 cup warm water
  5. Heat grill to medium-low. Using a cast iron skillet or grill sheet pan, spread hydrated onions over bottom, and top with frozen meat squares. Place the bun half on each and top with remaining bun to steam. Grill for approximately 5-6 minutes. Turn once and top with cheese.
  6. Build with mustard, pickle and Firecracker Ketchup (recipe below). Top with remaining steamed bun and enjoy!

1 lb ground beef
½ cup dehydrated onions
1 cup warm water

Salt & pepper to taste
12 American cheese slices
12 dill pickle slices
Firecracker Ketchup (recipe below)
Mustard
12 small slider buns (we found Cobblestone brand was a close match)

Roll out ground beef very thin – to approximately ¼” thick. Cut into 3”x3” squares and use a straw or wooden dowel to put 5 small holes in each. (Some shrinkage will occur in cooking.) Freeze patties for a minimum of 1 hour. This can be done several days in advance. When ready to cook, hydrate onions in 1 cup warm water and heat grill to medium-low. Using a cast iron skillet or grill sheet pan, spread hydrated onions over bottom, and top with frozen meat squares. Place the bun half on each and top with remaining bun to steam. Grill for approximately 5-6 minutes. Turn once and top with cheese. Build with mustard, pickle and Firecracker Ketchup (recipe below). Top with remaining steamed bun and enjoy! Makes 12 sliders.

Firecracker Ketchup
½ cup ketchup
½ cup creamy French dressing
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp spicy horseradish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
1 ½ tsp Cayenne pepper
½ tsp garlic salt

Stir together all ingredients until well blended and chill until ready to serve.

Featured

Kamander Charcoal Grill Unboxing

Kamander charcoal grillChar-Broil has released the Kamander Charcoal grill and it looks to be a big green egg killer.

It’s a double walled steel insulated “kamado style” charcoal grill that crushed the price of it’s green counterpart. The cost at amazon is around $350 but assembly is definitely required with the Kamander Charcoal Grill.

Construction was easy. But recommended for two people. It took about 90 minutes with just me.

I think you cant beat the price of the Kamander Charcoal grill compared to the ceramic cookers that seem so heavy and – perhaps – fragile with ceramic construction.

The Kamander Charcoal Grill’s best features:

  • It’s not too heavy (easy to move)

  • cool to the touch (even when approaching 800 degrees inside)

  • good looks and heavy duty latch / handle

  • held a nice low steady temperature

Take a look at the accompanying video and I time lapse unboxing and initial firing.  I was also impressed at how well the Kamander Charcoal Grill held a stable low 250 degrees.   Plus even at high temperatures (I got it over 700 degrees f ) the steel exterior remained relatively cool to the touch.

If you hate the thought of piecing together a grill like this I did discover Amazon has a service offering expert assembly for under $60.

The materials are solid.  The wheels on the Kamander are a nice, heavy, solid rubber.  The latch and front handle are also “heavy-duty” and chunky.   Nice seal on the rim too.

Still, the weight of the whole grill is said to be 115 lbs and easier to handle than i imagined for double walled steel.

We liked the sturdy stainless steel shelf and the stand are are included in the model. With the Big Green egg a lot of the extras – like a drip pan – are additional purchases.

A quick search of prices for Big green Egg vs others shows that the price for most Big Green eggs were close to a thousand bucks except a tiny version that was priced at approximately $650. Other brands like Kamado Joe are a bit lower priced vs Big green egg.

Fall

Homemade McRib – Debone Ribs How To

Here we have two tricks to a Homemade McRib.

mcrib is bacIf you’ve ever grown frustrated that the world’s biggest restaurant can’t find ONE little minced processed pork sandwich (It’s for a LIMITED TIME ONLY. Ugh) then this Homemade McRib experiment may interest you. We tried out a little trick or two to prepare a homemade mcrib – by removing the bones of a half slab of pork ribs.  It works like a charm.

Watch the Homemade McRib step by step video- HERE

Back in 1981 when all the fast food places just had burgers and – Micky d’s introduced the specialty.
It was dropped 1985 because it wasn’t selling. It came back in 94, the fast food behemoth tried again and found greater success with the McRib. In 2005 they started the whole limited time only thing – a tactic that works!

The store version is said to posses 70 different ingredients, the least innocuous of which are “pig bits like tripe, heart, and scalded stomach.”So here’s the trick to not only enjoying a boneless rib sandwich or Homemade McRib at home tricks that make the hand held half rack even better with simpler ingredients.

First step is a plan to remove the bones while still maintaining a “ribbed” shape. The mass produced sandwich presses the pork particles into the shape of a slab. Here’s our hand crafted hard way:
I have to note – I’m in what I will claim as the birthplace of the McRib: Charleston, SC.


Here’s why: McDonald’s Executive chef,Rene Arend, (at the time) has said he was visiting / traveling in the LowCountry of the palmetto state the city and had some BBQ sandwiches – usually pulled pork around here and he thought the flavors would work. So yeah – it all started here. Bragging rights.

  • So how do you remove the bones:
    Peel the membrane off the bone side of the slab by loosening the tough tissue at one end with a blunt knife and then grasping with a dry grip of paper towel. The trick is being able to grasp as much of the membrane end at once. It may take two peels but should come of clean.
  • Next, gently score the surface of the slab where the bones meet the meat. Use a sharp knife tip as shown in the video.  Trim the membrane close to the bone to give the “fall off the bone” process a helping hand.  This will allow the bones to “fall off the meat” or vice versa. You want to get the meat to pull away from the bones but not totally fall off and break apart.
  • Divide the slab into two halves and smoke at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes. Or use the 3-2-1 method.
  • Wrap tightly in foil and add ½ cup of liquid like beer – I used a domestic dark beer – or cola
    Cook an additional one to two hours at 300 degrees until bones protrude at the ends.
  • Add sauce and grill on high heat to char (preferred method) or dredge in sauce (traditional method) and place on toasted roll. Add slivered onions and hamburger dill pickles.

Another fun fact – did u know there were three McRib Farewell Tours, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. – now you no longer need to fear the limited time… make it at home.

 

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Homemade McRib

Yield 2

When you're out of McDonald's Limited time you can turn to this trick for de-boning your ribs for a succulent BBQ sandwich.homemade mcrib

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 Slab of pork spare ribs (avoid “shiners”)
  • 2 French rolls
  • Hamburger Dill Pickles
  • ½ small onion, slivered
  • 2 cups BBQ Sauce
  • 1 cup dry BBQ Rub

Instructions

So how do you remove the bones?:

  • Peel the membrane off the bone side of the slab by loosening the tough tissue at one end with a blunt knife and then grasping with a dry grip of paper towel. The trick is being able to grasp as much of the membrane end at once. It may take two peels but should come of clean.
  • Next, gently score the surface of the slab where the bones meet the meat. This will allow the bones to “fall off the meat” or vice versa. You want to get the meat to pull away from the bones but not totally fall off and break apart.
  • Divide the slab into two halves and smoke at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes. Or sue 3-2-1 method (3 hours at 225, then 2 hours wrapped in foil, last hour undrapped to sauce and tighten up)
  • Wrap tightly in foil and add ½ cup of liquid like beer – I used a domestic dark beer - or cola
  • Cook an additional one to two hours at 300 degrees until bones protrude at the ends.
  • Add sauce and grill on high heat to char (preferred method) or dredge in sauce (traditional method) and place on toasted roll.
  • Add slivered onions and hamburger dill pickles.

What’s This Here BBQ Sauce2 Tbs vegetable oil1 large clove of garlic, minced1 medium onion, minced1 Chipotle pepper, minced1 tsp chili powder1/4 tsp CayWorcestershire sauce½ tsp fresh ground black pepper2 tsp Texas PeteHeat the oil in a deep sauce pan and add garlic and onions until they soften. Add all peppers and heat for 20 seconds before stirring in the remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes until thickened. When cool, strain out onion and garlic “chunks” if desired.enne pepper1 cup ketchup2 Tbs Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)5 Tbs dark molasses3 Tbs

What’s This Here BBQ Sauce
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 Chipotle pepper, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp CayWorcestershire sauce
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp Texas Pete
Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan and add garlic and onions until they soften. Add all peppers and heat for 20 seconds before stirring in the remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes until thickened. When cool, strain out onion and garlic “chunks” if desired.enne pepper
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbs Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)
5 Tbs dark molasses
3 Tbs

4TH REVISION BBQ TRICK RUB
• 4 Tablespoons Paprika
• 1/2 Tablespoon Chili powder
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cayenne (optional for heat)
• 3 Tablespoons Tony Cachere’s Cajun Seasoning
• 4 Tablespoons Sugar In The Raw
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cumin
• 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend thoroughly with forks, slotted spoons, or fingers (eliminating all lumps).

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Whole Hog at Scott’s BBQ with Rodney Scott

whole hog at scott'sWhole Hog  at Scott’s BBQ is a thing to behold.  Perfection on a plate.  Now, with the planned addition of a Charleston, SC location of Rodney Scott’s Scott’s BBQ it’s time to get ready for whole hog that’s a lot easier to get to!

The secret to whole hog at Scott’s is roasting the whole animal.  As simple as it sounds Rodney says most people don’t want to deal with it.

Take a look at the new video interview with Rodney Scott HERE and give a listen to a separate PODCAST interview with Rodney Scott below (also transcribed below).

vinegar sauce bbq

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Scott's Knock Off Vinegar Sauce

North and South Carolina are indeed different entities. One difference is in sauce appeal. Cross the state line headed north and things get a lot more sour in the the form of Western Carolina Vinegar sauce. Tart, hot, a li’l bit sweet, but thin enough to mix quietly into a pile of pulled pork without getting in the way of the smoke in the meat. 

Rodney Scott's sauce is more Eastern North Carolina and unlike the "Scotts" commercial sauce in stores (no carb/different Scott) Rodney's sauce has a bit of sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vinegar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp red pepper
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper 
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1 tsp dark molasses
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Use an empty 16oz bottle (from cider vinegar or the like) for this sauce to store and serve. Simmer ingredients in a small to medium sauce pan for ten minutes. Let cool before serving.

Cuisine BBQ

It doesn’t get anymore country than the innards of South Carolina. If you’re ever in the Myrtle Beach area (actually this isn’t even very close to Myrtle Beach). Hemingway, South Carolina, the home

of real country. It doesn’t get more country than Hemingway, South Carolina, and today our guest is from the world-famous Scott’s BBQ. At least whole hog at Scott’s is famous in my book. Sometimes on this podcast we’re going actually be talking to country singers, but also we can delve into real country food.

Again, nothing’s more country

Getting the spaceship tour from Mr Scott!!

than whole hog at Scott’s with Rodney Scott of Hemingway.  Without any further ado, let’s check in with Rodney, Mr. Scott. Thanks for being here.


Rodney Scott:
My pleasure.

Bill West:
Rodney is world renowned in the world of whole hog BBQ pit cooking, and his store in Hemingway, South Carolina, which I love is, I would say—how long did it take you to drive here? An hour and 15 minutes?

Rodney Scott:
About an hour and 40 minutes.

Bill West:
Depends how fast you drive. Definitely worth a Saturday morning road trip, not only because of the pork, but you also do a mean, what was it a ribeye?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. We do rib eyes on Saturday, a little something I came up with.

Bill West:
Something special. Have you ever done a book?

Rodney Scott:
Never done a book.

Bill West:
So, you just have been on all these BBQ shows. What’s all the national TV exposure you got?

Rodney Scott:
We’ve been featured on CBS Sunday Morning. We’ve done Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern’s show. We’ve done Kimberly Simply Southern. We’ve done Man Fire Food. Those are the ones that I know about. There have been several little spots that we’ve appeared on like BBQ Paradise or a little something like that.

Bill West:
They roll in and do it and—

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. They just give you a quick glance of Scott’s BBQ and other BBQ pit masters.

Bill West:
What are your hours over there at the store?

Rodney Scott:
Our hours in Scott’s BBQ, we’re open Wednesday from 9:30 until 6:00. Then, we’re open Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 9:30 until about 8:00.

Bill West:
That’s the dream. Actually, sometimes, that’s Thursday, Friday, Saturday hours. I’m like, that’s a great life. But there’s more to it than just those hours, because y’all are cooking and prepping. What’s that part of it look like?

Rodney Scott:
Oh, my God. Prepping is pretty tough. You have to start cutting wood to carry you throughout the week. You have to clean the pits every week. Just getting all of the hog count together and everything, preparing. It’s pretty physical, both preparing as well as cooking, because everything’s done manually the way that we do it. It starts as early as Tuesday morning, getting ready for Wednesday.

Bill West:
Does the wood come to you chopped?

Rodney Scott:
No. I wish.

Bill West:
You don’t do that anymore, right? Or do you—

Rodney Scott:
Well, I rarely get a chance to go and cut wood, but the guys that still work with us, they cut most of the wood now, and they cut it, bring it in, chop it, and keep the yard stocked up.

Bill West:
Well, I made a visit a couple weeks back and did some video. Just the burn barrel you have, it looks like it’s melting under the heat. That gets pretty intense, right?

Rodney Scott:
That heat is very intense. We get a lot of visitors in the wintertime, especially when it’s freezing.

Bill West:
That’s where people hang out?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. That’s the hangout spot. Free heat. You just stand around and it’s comfortable.

Bill West:
This podcast started a couple weeks back. It’s about country music, country cooking, country food, which I don’t know that you can get more country than Hemingway, South Carolina, right?

Rodney Scott:
Oh, man. It’s pretty rural out there.

Bill West:
How would you define country cooking? Or country kitchen?

Rodney Scott:
Country cooking in my opinion is basically what you had around the farm or what you had available in your area. For example, you would take a whole hog that you’ve been raising for a while and you would BBQ later on, maybe around harvest season. Garden foods that you grew. That’s my opinion of country cooking. Basically, everything that’s around the house that was in the immediate area that you had to work with.

Bill West:
It almost sounds like farm to table kind of thing, right?

Rodney Scott:
Pretty much.

Bill West:
Which I guess with South Carolina has been pioneers with that, with Sean Brock is a friend and fan of yours, right?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. Great friend, great guy.

Bill West:
When it comes to sourcing hogs and the things that you do, how hard is that to try and get local? What’s going on in that world? Because everybody’s talking organic and probably I would guess the BBQ world is probably later in the game, maybe, on paying attention to that sort of thing.

Rodney Scott:
Well, we try to keep a little focus on it ourselves. There’s one farmer that we dealt with for years, and because we weren’t able to go to the next farmer, so to speak, to move up, that left us to deal with this old-school guy that still fed his hogs by hand, that was still doing thing the way that he used to do way back. It benefits now because he has the most consistent when it comes to the yield of meat per hog, the flavor, the growth. His hogs come to me pretty healthy all the time, and he’s the only guy that I deal with.

Bill West:
How much difference is there? I grew up in Chicago, and to me, when I have a baby back rib or slab of baby back ribs that I remember in Chicago or spare ribs, it almost seems like a different animal to me, because I thought the bones where I was growing up were more spindly, for lack of a better term. They seemed maybe bigger boned down here in the South. Is that just the different breeds in where you get them?

Rodney Scott:
It can be breeds, and it also can be the age of the hog. Sometimes the older the hog is, the longer the bone or the bigger the bone. It’s usually a little tougher. Again, it’s the breeds. It all depends on which ones you get. A lot of times, you get a nice, like the Mangalica crossed with the Berkshire. He tends to grow pretty good. He’s tender, juicy, cooks real well. I cooked one just a few weeks ago and it came out awesome.

Bill West:
Tell me about those hogs, because that’s something I’m learning. I’ve obviously heard of Berkshire hogs.

Rodney Scott:
We’re all still learning. From what I know, that Mangalica is pretty much a bigger hog and more hairy, kind of like a wooly pig. He tends to grow a lot of intermuscular meat, which is more looking like a steak than pork when it’s raw. He cooks totally different than what you would see here grown just in the South. More of a heritage bred hog, more purebred.

Bill West:
And all that’s becoming more talked about these days? And you can get the information these days, because we have the Internet now and we can all look whole hog at Scott’s up. Your dad started the business, right?

Rodney Scott:
My dad started the business, yes.

Bill West:
Was he doing whole hog?

Rodney Scott:
He was doing whole hog. Whole hog was all we knew. We did the whole hogs from start to current date, and that’s the only thing I ever knew. When it came to cooking shoulders and quarters and halves, that was a whole new ballgame for me, because I was so used to cooking whole hogs.

Bill West:
Part of me says doing whole hog would be the most economical. You just get the whole thing there, but I’ve heard not really. You buy Boston butts or hams and you can pack more on a grill. You can ship more. What’s the reality? Is it more efficient to do a whole hog?

Rodney Scott:
In my opinion, flavor-wise, it’s more efficient to do the whole hog. Of course, you can get a little more meat with the butts, but there’s something that I’ve noticed about cooking a whole hog. Somewhere in that backbone area, that flavor comes out of those backbones when it’s all joined together. That’s just a little different than it is with just a butt by itself or with just a half of a hog split down the middle, even. It’s a big difference when you keep the whole hog together.

Bill West:
Really?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. It’s amazing. It sounds crazy, but I’ve come to notice it in the last few years that, when you’ve got it all together, it tastes a whole lot different.

Bill West:
I was watching you the other day, mixing things up as you go and adding the sauce. I think there’s something to that as well, just paying attention to it. I remember you saying the bones, the bone-in cooking like that and we’ve all heard that before, like steak bone-in, there’s something that it—

Rodney Scott:
Something different.

Bill West:
That it gives it, and I’m sure the spine that’s in there, there’s a surface area all down that backbone. You think even when you have a half a hog, it’s different?

Rodney Scott:
It’s still different. It’s still a little different. The flavor’s still good, but someone who eats hogs as much as I do would kind of notice the difference in the hog cut in half versus him butterflied. Butterflied being just split down the spine, not completely apart.

Bill West:
No doubt, I think the flavor, when you go whole hog, there’s just nothing like it. The easy argument with that would be, of course, because you’ve got ribs in there. You’ve got the pork tenderloin. When you buy a whole hog, you’re paying for the ribs, too. In that regard, if somebody’s just doing a pulled pork BBQ, they would probably save money just by doing butts and shoulders.

Rodney Scott:
Exactly.

Bill West:
Okay. When you get Scott’s BBQ, you’re getting the bacon in there and everything, which just—

Rodney Scott:
You’re getting everything.

Bill West:
Makes it all just taste great. Have you ever done a commercial sauce? I know you sell it out of the store, but mass marketed?

Rodney Scott:
We’ve never done a commercial sauce, no. Never. There is a sauce out there with Scott’s name on it, but that is not us. The only sauce that we sell is right there at the store.

Bill West:
The Scott’s that I see, because I asked you the same thing. I saw a yellow-red out of North Carolina. In fact, the news guy just popped his head and said, oh, I love that sauce. That sauce is great and it’s a good low-carb thing. Your sauce is similar, but describe your sauce.

Rodney Scott:
Our sauce is vinegar and pepper based, of course. Same as that sauce, but we don’t have quite as many ingredients as Scott’s BBQ sauce with the red and yellow label. The ingredients that we have is not more of just dumped in, but there’s a technique to the way that we make our sauce. There’s a certain point when you add this to that. I’m not going to tell you exactly what it is. When you add it all together, that gives it a different flavor. It’s basically somewhat of the same ingredients, but less ingredients than the red and yellow label, but totally different flavor.

Bill West:
People can come by the store in Hemingway and pick up a gallon or half-gallon, I think I saw in there.

Rodney Scott:
Oh, yeah.

Bill West:
Is that something you want to do down the road, do a commercial sauce, or are you even worried about that?

Rodney Scott:
It’s still a thought. I would love for everybody to be able to get their hands on it. At the same time, I’d love for everybody to come out and see what we do, how we do it and enjoy the experience of visiting a rural BBQ spot out in country, and kind of see what it was like to see us as we grew up in the country, cooking whole hogs, eating pork. Then, you get to buy your sauce and your pork all at the same time, get an experience, and go back.

Bill West:
Yeah. Do a lot of people take a tour, or is that just whoever asks?

Rodney Scott:
Man, quite a few people come through wanting to walk through the pits, and of course I walk them through.

Bill West:
You don’t mind?

Rodney Scott:
I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all.

Bill West:
That’s a great experience, and actually, I saw the article in the newspaper six months ago, Charleston paper, about it being a whole new pit. It is space-age greenhouse meets smokehouse. What happened to the old smokehouse, and who designed this new thing and how’s it been working?

Rodney Scott:
Well, the old smokehouse was made out of cinderblock. There were three feet of cinderblock and the rest was wood. The insides were made out of a metal, an FRP material, and we had a fire. Pit fire led to the whole building catching and burning, and had to rebuild. Before we rebuilt, we consulted with some good friends, one of them being Reggie Gibson. He designed the new BBQ pit that you see now.

Bill West:
Any regrets? Anything you could change at this point?

Rodney Scott:
No regrets, none at all. I appreciate the pit itself. It’s different. It’s a lot cooler, a lot more spacious. It’s great to work in, and it has a sound system.

Bill West:
Yeah, yeah. Do you have to deal with noise ordinance out there?

Rodney Scott:
No. That’s the beauty of the country.

Bill West:
You were rocking and rolling when I was—I said I heard Clarence Carter stroking.

Rodney Scott:
Got to be stroking. Got to be stroking.

Bill West:
You have any plans to open up another location?

Rodney Scott:
Yes, definitely. Definitely want to open up another location. Being very cautious about where I go and what I want to do and how I want to do it. I would like to do it the same way I do it in Hemingway. Of course, my first choice is still Charleston.

Bill West:
Right. Would you look downtown, or would you look on the outskirts?

Rodney Scott:
Wow. Kind of torn. I love it downtown. There was one thought of having a rural feel to it, even in the city where there’s a little trip, but not too far. It’s kind of in between that right now.

Bill West:
Right. Y’all heard it here. Of all the big chains, what would you recommend—who does really good BBQ on a large scale?

Rodney Scott:
Really good beautiful on a large scale? Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ. I don’t see them as a chain. I see them as a family.

Bill West:
And you know those guys, right?

Rodney Scott:
I know those guys very well.

Bill West:
They certainly do it right. I always said, if you don’t smell smoke when you go by, there’s an issue, and you definitely—

Rodney Scott:
Something’s wrong.

Bill West:
You smell smoke there, and actually there’s a lot of guys in town that do it the right way. Once you get out of South Carolina, though—

Rodney Scott:
It gets a little different. It gets a little different.

Bill West:
All of the greatest BBQ joints across the country, what would you say, what are in the top five?

Rodney Scott:
Wow. Of course, I just mentioned Jim ‘N Nick’s. Sam Jones over in North Carolina. Winterville, North Carolina. Great friend of mine. You got Pat Martin over in Tennessee. You got 4505 out in San Francisco. Those guys are great.

Bill West:
Are they doing hog? Are they doing their own thing?

Rodney Scott:
They’re all doing hogs. You’ve got Pegleg Porker over there in Nashville as well.

Bill West:
Really? There’s probably only a handful of people that are doing whole hog, though, right?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah.

Bill West:
Here, I guess probably Sweatman’s. I guess they’re doing whole hog.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. I think Sweatman’s is still doing whole hogs.

Bill West:
Around here, of course, yeah. But really not that many.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. When you leave the Southeast, it tends to get a little smaller as far as whole hogs go, from my travels. If they’re out there, they’re hidden. I’d love to find them and see what they’re doing and enjoy somebody else’s BBQ as well, but I have no idea who’s all doing whole hogs other than in the Southeast.

Bill West:
All right. I’ll wrap it up here. First of all, we brought the Heinz—you mentioned Sam.

Rodney Scott:
Sam Jones. Sam Jones, everybody.

Bill West:
Had you seen this before?

Rodney Scott:
I’ve seen it online. I’ve seen a couple of pictures, and Sam Jones is a great guy, very funny guy. Another guy that’s very into music like I am.

Bill West:
He’s into, you said, into the classic country.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. He’s mostly into classic country.

Bill West:
We’ll get Sam on at some point. We need to talk to him about some country music.

Rodney Scott:
You’d love Sam Jones. He teaches me country music.

Bill West:
We mentioned, I’m holding in my hand, Heinz, they have a four-pack of four different sauces that were endorsed by regional guys, and the Carolina vinegar tangy was Sam Jones’s. He’s the partner there. So, kind of cool. All right. Real quick questions. I’m going to try to do rapid-fire. I have a feeling I know that we’re going to go down a rabbit trail here. What would you say the best place to get a hotdog is?

Rodney Scott:
Wow. Best place to get a hotdog? My favorite hotdog that I’ve had?

Bill West:
Yeah.

Rodney Scott:
Out in the county, in Pleasant Hill, there’s a little store called W.T. Owens. It’s about eight miles from my place in Hemingway. I will drive all the way out there just to get a hotdog.

Bill West:
Good answer. Favorite cheese?

Rodney Scott:
Favorite cheese? A lot of folks in my area call it hook cheese, which is basically a sharp cheddar. It’s sold in a round, wooden case, and it has a red rag around it. That’s how it’s recognized in my area, as a red rag. I have to say sharp cheddar.

Bill West:
Sharp cheddar. Lastly, your favorite chef? You got a favorite TV chef? Or real-life, real-world chef?

Rodney Scott:
Man, it’s so many. It’s so many favorite cooks out there. Friends, chefs, man that’s a toss-up.

Bill West:
You’ve kind of seen them all.

Rodney Scott:
I’ve seen quite a few. Quite a few. There’s quite a few that I know, guys from New Orleans. Don Link, Steven, Ryan, these guys out of Herbsaint and Peche down there. Nick Pihakis, great guy.

Bill West:
That’s Jim ‘N Nicks, right?

Rodney Scott:
That’s Jim ‘N Nicks. BBQ as well as some of his even Greek dishes, amazing. The list can go on and on. Sean Brock, Mike Lata. All of these guys.

Bill West:
A lot of these guys are right downtown.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. These guys right around town here. They’re just great. If I go to your spot more than once, I like your food. Trust me.

Bill West:
Finally, what’s on your playlist in the smokehouse?

Rodney Scott:
Wow. My playlist in the smokehouse ranges from Clarence Carter to Michael Jackson. A lot of old-school hip-hop with Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, Fat Boys. A lot of Anthony Hamilton. One of my favorite artists, Anthony Hamilton. You may hear him. Then, there’s another list that I have. You may hear Smokey and the Bandits theme song by Jerry Reed. You’ll hear Conway Twitty.

Bill West:
Favorite country song was?

Rodney Scott:
Oh, man. I have to say The Gambler. The Gambler would have to be one of my favorites, but Johnny Cash, oh my God. Johnny Cash.

Bill West:
You said you kind of know some of the Rucker fam, but you said—

Rodney Scott:
Wagon Wheel, yeah. Darius Rucker, Wagon Wheel, as well as the song with Lionel Richie that he did. What’s the title of the song?

Bill West:
Was it Stuck on You?

Rodney Scott:
Stuck on You, yeah. That one as well.

Bill West:
Man, I appreciate you giving us some of your time. It’s Scott’s BBQ. Hemingway, South Carolina, if you’re ever running through. You need to get that mail order business going.

Rodney Scott:
Oh, man. I’m working on it.

Bill West:
I know the guys at Rendezvous in Memphis. They do a crazy business with that. Of course, they’ve got the FedEx hub right there in their backyard.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. They’ve got everything going, all the FedEx planes are in Memphis.

Bill West:
But go stop by and see Rodney Scott in Hemingway, South Carolina and keep an eye out for him all over the place. How do people get ahold of you if they want to find out more about all the stuff you got going?

Rodney Scott:
If you want to find out everything, I’m on Twitter @RodneyScottBBQ. I am on Facebook, Scott’s BBQ. You can also reach out to me. Hey, call the shop. 843-558-0134, basically how you’ll find me.

Bill West:
You’re there running things.

Rodney Scott:
I’m doing the best I can.

Bill West:
Rodney Scott. Bud, thank you for coming.

Rodney Scott:
Thank you.

Bill West:
Hey, that’s a wrap for me. It’s Bill West, BBQTricks.com; also NashFM969.com, if you want to find out more about us. Also, I’ve got to thank the crew over at NashCountryDaily.com for sharing out the podcast. Make sure you subscribe there. Jump online to iTunes or audioBoom and make a comment, make a rating, and follow us. It definitely helps spread the word about all the good country music. Plus, I’m taking some select reviewers and rewarding you with some music and things like that. More about me. Jump over to my website, BBQTricks.com. I just released a book called the BBQ Blueprint. I would love for you to check that out. If you don’t want to take the plunge a purchase that book just yet, how about a freebie there, which is a free book called BBQ Sauces and Sides just for checking in. We’d love to give that to you. Thanks again to Rodney Scott, Hemingway’s Scott’s BBQ. If you’re ever in the area out there, in the whole state of South Carolina, make a run up the road and see Rodney for the best whole hog that you will ever find. Also, by the way, the BBQ Blueprint book, I chat more in depth with how Rodney cooks his whole hogs. I’m going to leave you with a last words today from the late, great actor Humphrey Bogart, who once said, a hotdog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.
END OF RECORDING

Gadgets

Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill Review

Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill Review

weber performer deluxeBy Devendra Mali

Weber have been making grills for a long time, but they’re not regarded as an old-fashioned company, because everything they do is so innovative. As the market for grills continues to grow, they keep responding with new pioneering designs to keep buyers interested. One of these designs was a bowl shaped cooking area which is now well-known and easily recognizable worldwide. Another huge Weber success was perfecting the art of grill grate manufacture, and both of these are present on the Weber Performer Deluxe 22-Inch Charcoal Grill, which has become Weber’s standout product. We’re going to discuss it here; taking a tour through all the features and identifying some potential flaws. Ultimately after reading this review, you’ll have an idea about whether a purchase would be right for you.

Pros:

  • 363 square inches of cooking space
  • 22-Inch cooking bowl
  • Easy Set-up
  • Porcelain-enameled surface for ease of cleaning
  • Removable timer
  • Excellent grates

Cons:

  • Design could have been more visually pleasing
  • Inaccurate lid-thermometer

Size/Portability

The Performer Deluxe weighs 99 pounds, but they’ve installed great wheels, so you’ll be able to roll it out into the back garden with very little effort. The measurements are 41.2 inches in length by 28.5 inches of width and the height is 50.2 inches, so it’s a pretty big unit, that offers lots of space for all your cooking needs, but if you want to transport it you’ll have to take the Performer apart and re-assemble. Fortunately the assembly is doable in 15 minutes, following the instructions in the manual, so you’ll be able to take it with you for camping trips and tailgating parties. If you recognize the bowl, that’s because it’s the same design Weber used on the Original Kettle Grill, with the difference here being the inclusion of the wheeled cart with extra space for food preparation. The shopping cart style design could have been a little more pleasing to look at, but it would be harsh to labor this point, because this is one absolutely incredible grill, for reasons I’ll explain in the performance section.

Performance

I mentioned the bowl was the same as on the Original Kettle, and while this is true, when it comes to design and how it looks; there’s more to it than that. In gas grilling, BTU output and grates determine a products success, whereas in charcoal grilling, grates are all-important. Grates retain heat, and disperse it outwardly, enabling food to cook, and the speed at which they do this, along with how evenly they hold heat inside, is the difference between greatness, and an average taste. Weber did something magical here with the grates; they’re the perfect thickness, are made of solid cast-iron, and cook food in a way Weber have tried to re-create on other grills like the Original Kettle, but never quite succeeded. These grills are very good, and with the Performer, you get magical moist flavor-filled end results that have no parallels. When you pair these grates, with the added benefit of the bowl system enabling you to cook whole chickens and turkeys, as well as stake and ribs, you get outrageously good value.

Have you ever started cooking, and you got called inside almost immediately, only to run back out fearing your food might be burnt? Have you ever been grilling, and felt like you’d rather be watching TV until the food is done? Usually, you’d be risking an imperfect dinner, but Weber have helpfully included a detachable timer, so you can take it with you wherever you go, and always be in full control of your barbecue. This is classic Weber, to have an idea of what specific things would make grilling easier for customers, and adding them on.

In this same vain, the ash-catcher on the Performer Deluxe, will also please customers. Isn’t it annoying to see ash flying around as you cook? Well, the Performers ash-catcher is enclosed so none escapes, and ash will stick to its surface at the bottom. When you want to clean it out, the ash will simply fall into a garbage bag. The whole grill is just as easy to clean, with Weber’s porcelain-enamel coating, so one wipe will completely clean the grill, ready for its next use. This way you can enjoy your 363 square inches of space, rather than worry about how long it’s going to take to scrape all the debris off it.

The only thing I’d say against the Performer is that they tried to sweeten the deal by including a lid thermometer, but it doesn’t work very well and isn’t all that accurate. Fortunately though, the Performer does heat up quickly and reaches temperatures of over 470 degrees; just don’t rely on the thermometer to tell you that.

Conclusion

These are the best grates in existence, outside of commercial grills used at restaurants. Weber have also provided 363 square inches of space, an easy to clean surface, detachable timer, a great ash-catcher, and extra space to prepare food. This is a phenomenal grill, and that’s why it’s so popular, even though it does have an unreliable thermometer. The Verdict: A supreme new high in grill manufacture.

For more grill reviews, comparisons and guides please visit: http://divinegrill.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Devendra_Mali/1791050 http://EzineArticles.com/?Weber-Performer-Deluxe-Charcoal-Grill-Review&id=9492698