Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

Bill West

Recipes

4th Revision BBQ Rub – The Best Recipe

When you’re working on getting the PERFECT flavor for a BBQ competition recipes get tweaked and adjusted to perfection. Rubs are a little like the spelling of the word barbecue (try barbeque, B-B-Q, Bar-b-que, etc) there are a lot of ways to do it. This versatile barbecue rub has endured it’s fourth revision and it’s ready for the public.

A few special ingredients help for the “barbecue trick” here. The turbinado sugar (Sugar In the Raw is available with free shipping with Amazon Prime) may be tough to find but the large crystals don’t burn as easily on ribs and on other meats on the grill. The cumin is also something that adds a robust flavor that is this recipe’s secret.
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).

Featured

Almost Award Winning BBQ Sauce

This barbecue sauce recipe didn’t really come close to winning any awards with competition judges. Likely because of the strong kick of heat provided by a dose of chipotle and cayenne. It just crossed the line out of “mainstream” in the heat department. A few judges seemed to love it with high ranks for chicken and ribs and all of our B-B-Q Tricks home samplers were ready to take a bath in the stuff. It’s that good.

The best thing about this “Almost Award Wining Sauce” is that it’s a perfect sweet heat finishing sauce that will caramelize perfectly as the finishing touch to ribs and chicken. Feel free to temper the heat by dropping the cayenne or chipotle.

2 tbs. Vegetable Oil
1 large clove of Garlic (crushed/minced)
1 medium Onion minced
1 Chipotle Pepper (from can) minced
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Ketchup (we use Heinz)
2 tbs. Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)
5 tbs. Dark Molasses
3 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper
2 tsp. Hot Pepper Sauce (we use Texas Pete)

 

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Almost Award Winning BBQ Sauce

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 1 to two cups

Serving Size: 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Almost Award Winning BBQ Sauce

This is my Go-TO sauce for everything. Too spicy for a competition but it did win third in wings (no too shabby) but just right for my family. It has enough sugar to provide ribs and chicken with the perfect smoky char.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs. Vegetable Oil
  • 1 large clove of Garlic (crushed/minced)
  • 1 medium Onion minced
  • 1 Chipotle Pepper (from can) minced
  • 1 tsp. Chili Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 cup Ketchup (we use Heinz)
  • 2 tbs. Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)
  • 5 tbs. Dark Molasses
  • 3 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp. Hot Pepper Sauce (we use Texas Pete)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan and then add garlic and onions until they soften.
  2. Next add all peppers and heat for 20 seconds before stirring in the remaining ingredients.
  3. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes until thickened to your liking.
  4. If desired: When cooled strain to remove chunks (garlic and onion).
  5. Stores air tight refrigerated for approx. 6 days.

Competitions

Winning Your First BBQ Cook Off

It can be a bit daunting… These BBQ competitions look kind of intense even with all the beer and funny t-shirts there is an underlying seriousness to it all.

After getting though our “first time” this past weekend at a Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned event we have a few tricks to get you through the first big cook off.

First, know all the rules. Head strait to the website of the organization putting on the event. In my case it was http://www.kcbs.us/. Read all the fine print. The K.C.B.S. site also has a great “Your First Cook-Off” article here.

Ask questions… start at your nearest BBQ joint. I was lucky enough to be warned about having a sanitation station. In our case a clean cooler filled with beach-water and clean rags for surface cleaning; plus a fresh water cooler with push-button spigot (upright Gatorade type worked nicely) over a bus-tray as a hand washing station. Don’t forget the hand sanitizer, paper towels and soap.

You’ll need to have a fire extinguisher. No one checked ours; but we were in an amateur division and it was on the KCBS check -off judges sheet.

You’ll need gear. Don’t be intimidated by the huge rigs of the regulars on the bar-be-que circuit. No doubt those guys have it down, but I’ve heard big contests have been won on a couple of small Webber bullet grills. Our team used a single Brinkmann “Gourmet” Charcoal Smoker and it worked great. We only had two divisions (chicken and ribs) so one smoker was easy. For next time (with additional categories of brisket and pork-butt) we’ll add a second “bullet” smoker.

Research presentation and “turn in.” Timing matters. Can you keep the meat hot up until turn-in? You’ll be given official numbered turn in boxes for your team’s entries. I’ve seen some teams use insulated pizza delivery delivery bags to help retain heat.

I had a tough time finding clear tips online. Here area few starting points:
Don’t get too drunk. Not a problem for us… but seeing that we were warned by more than one cooker… and looking at a few of the teams… It must be a common hazard.

Do a test run at home. Use exactly what you’ll be using at the competition. We didn’t used colored cocktail tooth picks (to pin down the skin on our chicken) at our home test. To our horror the green and red toothpicks we used on-site added big green and red spots in the flesh of the chicken. Green spots have got to cost some “appearance” points! We got creative with a knife and sauce.

Don’t forget the little things. There’s potentially a lot. Again KCBS has a great list to get you covered HERE under “First Cook off.” It’s a good idea to start with a hometown (but sanctioned) contest. Out of town travel creates another level of planning. You’ll be amazed how many competitions are in the state of South Carolina alone!

Be prepared. Anything can happen. It will probably rain. They won’t let your car back on the grounds. Through all of it take a few notes for next time. Plus get the judges score sheets to track your future adjustments.

Misc

Award Winning Potato Salad

Emeril just wrapped up a big contest/feature on “Good Morning America” where he named the “Best Potato Salad Ever.”

The recipe they chose broke from tradition for us at Barbecue Tricks. We’re not used to much bacon in the mix. But when it’s there most BBQ lovers DO like the flavor.

Here’s the recipe followed by the runner up with a bit more tradtional and creamy salad. The third runner up was different too… she oven roasted the potatoes… neat idea.

Ingredients:
8 large red potatoes
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 lb. bacon
1 large white onion, chopped
2 c. mayonnaise
1 c. sour cream
3 tbsp. milk
2 ½ c. shredded lettuce
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 c. Shredded cheddar cheese
1. Wash and boil potatoes until tender. Let cool.
2. Chop and cook bacon and onion together, until bacon is crispy. Drain grease into a bowl and reserve.
3. In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, bacon drippings and milk. In a large bowl, combine potato, eggs, and the onion-bacon mixture. Add mayo mixture to potato mixture and toss. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
4. Served topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.

Recipes

Kickin’ Cheese Biscuits

Need a quick side to cap off a BBQ feast? This is a quick cheese biscuit recipe that has an emphais on quick. You could roll the dough and cut into neat rounds (trick: use an old clean soup can with both ends out for perfect round cuts) but these “drop” buscuits are a bit rustic and taste just as good.

  • 2 cups bisquick baking mix

  • 2/3 cup milk

  • 1/4 Sour Cream

  • 3/4 cup Kraft Mexican Cheddar Jack with Jalapeno

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • pich of salt

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Heat oven to 450. Mix baking mix, milk, & cheese until a soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cooking sheet. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Mix butter & garlic powder. Brush garlic mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm. Makes 12.
Serving Size: 4

Sauces

Bring On The Hot – Or Not – BBQ Trick

There are two worlds of Barbecue lovers. One world loves heat. One world keeps it cool. Here’s a quick barbecue trick that tempers or livens up the heat in your next sauce or salsa or whatever you’re cooking up with high octane peppers.

Lets start by saying there’s no taming peppers like habaneros or scotch bonnets. Scoville units measure the amount of capsaicin in a pepper and habaneros are in the 100,000 to 300,000 range.

A lot of capsaicin is in the white “core” or membrane of the pepper. y scooping out the seeds and white center of the pepper you can cut down the intensity.

Still Too Hot? Another tip is NOT to slug back water to cool off the heat. That will just spread the fun. Milk or Yogurt coat the mouth and that can help slow and block some heat. A good chew of something bland like break or rice can also help pull away the pain.

Worth noting the pain in your mouth is much more pleasant than the burn of other tender tissues. Wash your hands whenever handling peppers. The oils are there even though you may not see them.

Misc

Eating Around The Web


It’s great to get to know new fans of barbecue and all types of food. Blogging seems to be a great way! Hello to my new friends joining in from the Great Cooks BlogRoll and SimpleDailyRecipes.com. Recipes look pretty budget friendly! Explore their sites and you’re sure to find some good eats.

Recipes

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce

North Carolina and South Carolina are an odd pair. Yankees almost see the duo as the same State… “Carolina.” But there are differences… especially when it comes to barbecue sauce.

It’s somewhat regional but everyone has his or her own favorite. Up North East they like a close to pure vinegar version of an ultra thin sauce. I’ve even seen it clear (although usually using cider vinegar).

South Carolina has it’s hands in different styles… but their claim to fame (thanks to Maurice Bessinger and family) is a tangy sweet mustard based sauce.

In the Piedmont area… or out West it’s also vinegar. But there’s a good squirt of tomato or ketchup in the mix.

We’ll cover all of them here… but first

Here’s a Barbecue Tricks version of a Western Carolina Vinegar sauce. Tart, hot and a 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.

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Carolina Pride Vinegar BBQ Sauce

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 16 oz. of Sauce

Carolina Pride Vinegar BBQ Sauce

A Western Carolina favorite. This tart and tangy vinegar sauce is thin but bold.

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup Ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (secret: McCormick's Worcester's flavored)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 tablespoon Plum Sauce (option: substitute dark molasses)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. I like to pick up a full 16oz. bottle of good cider vinegar for this sauce. Get it in the glass bottle so you can funnel the finished sauce back in. Get a good sized kitchen funnel. You'll have some vinegar left... so you may choose to double the amounts and make extra sauce to serve and have a full bottle to save for later.
  2. Simmer ingredients in a small to medium pot for ten minutes. Let cool before serving:

vinegar sauce bbq
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North Carolina 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.

Ingredients

1 cup cider vinegar1/2 cup ketchup1 Tbsp crushed red pepper1/2 tsp black pepper (secret: McCormick's Worcestershire flavored)1 tsp kosher salt1/2 tsp ground mustard1/2 tsp celery salt1 tsp plum sauce (or dark molasses)1 tsp brown sugar1 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.

 

Gadgets

How To Use a Chimney Starter

One of the quickest ways to fix that funky fuel taste in backyard barbecue is to ditch the charcoal lighter fluid. Cooks are too often overzealous with the fuel (hey, we’re guys) and it imparts a bit of an aftertaste if you’re not careful. If you DO use lighter fluid make SURE it’s all burned off well before cooking. Better yet… try a Charcoal Chimney Starter.

Chimney starters looks like a jet engine with a handle on the side. They cost about $20 and they’re really easy, safe, and environmentally friendly way too start charcoal.

They do come in different sizes (large is about 7.5 inches in diameter). If you have a small grill stick with the smaller Charcoal starter. Remember with a chimney starter no lighter fluid needed…

Here’s How to light it up:
  1. Find a clean, clear non flammable area to place the Chimney Starter. You could use the grill but you’ll still need a non flammable place to set the RED hot chimney once you’ve filled the grill. A little caution goes a long way. Use gloves.
  2. Fill the larger compartment in the Chimney (the top) with regular or hardwood lump charcoal (recommended!). Match Light or instant lighting (fuel soaked) is not needed.
  3. Compress two large sheets of newspaper loosely into the bottom chamber. The whole key is getting air to everything so don’t pack it in to much.
  4. Set the starter upright on the lower grate on your grill (remove the top one) and ignite the newspaper through the bottom holes using a lighter or match. That’s it.
  5. After about 20 minutes your charcoal should be ready. Wait until the coals on top show some white ash.
  6. Carefully pour and arrange your coals on the grate. Yes Gloves… and be careful where you place that chimney it’ll be blistering hot for about 30 minutes.

Tricks

Perfect Measuring Trick

Creating the perfect sauce for barbecue often involves some sort of syrupy sweet ingredient that can make of break the secret flavor. I just saw Pat Neely of the world famous Neely’s BBQ on TV and he had a great trick for measuring heavy syrups and thick liquids like honey or molasses (two common sauce staples).

The next time your measuring corn syrup, honey, or even maple syrup just give the measuring cup a good spray of PAM or a similar non stick oil spray. Not only will it keep your measurements consistent… there’s less waste and it makes post sauce clean-up a bit less sticky!