Barbecue Tricks

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Competitions

First Place Competition Chili

1st place chili recipe

I’ll be the first one to tell you I have limited experience in Chili cook offs.    But I tried my hand in a competition at my church this weekend and feel like I’ve come up with a trick for scoring first place in you next chili recipe competition.

Previously I posted a recipe for Third Place BBQ chili here.  Looking back to prep for my latest challenge I realized how lame it was.  Chili seasoning mix… pork loin… fresh tabasco peppers… It wasn’t very authentic (seasoning mix?) or practical (have you seen fresh  Tabasco peppers at the grocery?).

Chili powder ingedients

Chili powder ingedients

A quick call to Jack got me a great tip.  “Make your own chili powder.  You’ll have a better flavor profile than the store bought stuff,” he advised and sent me what had won for him in the past. I took his advice and am now convinced that using a hand crafted fresh batch of chili powder is a real game-changer.  I took first place against about twenty other chili’s I thought were really good too.

The Fist Place chili recipe is below but the real trick is the chili powder.  Fun and easy to make. Use those dried whole chilies you see at the store (you may want to mix and match if you cant find Guajillo, Arbol or Ancho) and toast /roast them briefly in a cast iron pan.  Be careful not to burn them and don’t choke on the potent fumes.  Pull the stems and grind with cumin seeds in a blender, coffee grinder, or spice grinder.  Simple.

arbol chili

Arbol Chiles

Try the recipe below and post in the comments how it fares for you.  It’s a winner. 2 oz. Ancho Chiles – dried and roasted 2 oz. Guajillo Chiles – dried and roasted 1 oz. Chile de Arbol – dried and roasted 5 tablespoons Cumin seeds – toasted and ground 2 tablespoons granulated garlic 4 tablespoons oregano 4 tablespoons smoked paprika Toast whole dried peppers and cumin seeds in a skillet until they slightly start to brown. Let cool and grind to a powder.

Add other ingredients and mix. Yields about two cups.

 

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First Place Competition Chili

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: 7 quarts or 20 cups

Serving Size: one to two cups

First Place Competition Chili

Home made chili powder is the tricks to making this chili a winner. Find the powder recipe at BarbecueTricks.com. Substitute other ingredients as needed.

This recipe is a chili cookoff first place winner.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon Cayanne pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons salt
  • 2 pounds pork (pulled or chunked)
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 cup homemade chili powder (see above)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 head of garlic, minced
  • 3 large fresh Poblano peppers, fire roasted, seeded
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 4 beef bouillon cubes
  • 2 cans (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 bottles (12 oz) of robust beer
  • 2 cans (15.5 oz) of pinto or kidney beans

Instructions

  1. Saute garlic and onions until translucent. Add 1/4 of the meat and chili powder and brown. Salt the meat while cooking. Repeat until all meat is added. Add all other ingredients and simmer for one to two hours.

Recipes

3/2/1 Ribs – A Pitmasters Trick

The 3-2-1 method for ribs seems to be very popular in competition circles.  It’s a barbecue trick that has really caught on.

321 ribs in foilThe trick is to follow the 3-2-1 as time frames.

  • Smoke ribs for 3 hours naked (the ribs naked… but you can be naked too if you want)
  • Wrap the ribs in foil and return to grill for 2 hours (add a bit of liquid maybe brown sugar)
  • Unwrap and put the ribs back on for 1 hour to firm up the crust or “bark”

That’s it.  It’s a simple road map but worth noting that “your mileage may vary” depending on the exact heat of the cooker (base numbers assume holding a stable 225 degrees F) and the size of your ribs.  Practice with your key smoker to get it like clockwork.

I put the method to music.  Give it a look… 2 minutes to brand 3-2-1 into your brain.

Featured

Special Sauce For Burgers – McDonalds Recipe Cracked

mcdonald's sauce ingredients

Mixing the Special Sauce

 

Everybody can recite the recipe of McDonald’s Flagship burger the Big Mac.

“TwoAllBeefPattiesSpecialSauceLettuceCheesePicklesOnionsOnASesameSeedBun.”

But what about that “special sauce” recipe?

McDonalds Special sauce recipe

Even more special on a home made hamburger.

I don’t have any connections at the golden arches… but I did eat a BigMac today and then I  jumped on the internet to find the closest knock off I could find.

There are a bunch of options but this one seemed the closest.  After mixing up

a dozen different BBQ sauces this week this sauce stands out as something… well special.   It was a real treat on a homemade burger.

But after 12.50 in ingredients maybe I should have just gone to McDonalds.   Still, give this McDonalds Special Sauce Recipe Knockoff a try.

It rocks.

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Special Sauce For Burgers – McDonalds Recipe Cracked

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 6 minutes

Yield: Under one Cup

Serving Size: 1 or 2 Tablespoons

Special Sauce For Burgers – McDonalds Recipe Cracked

This Micky D's Knockoff nails the taste of the real thing.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 Cup Real Mayo
  • 1/4 Cup Miracle Whip
  • 3 Tablespoons Creamy French salad dressing
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Sweet Pickle Relish
  • 1 and 1/2 Tablespoon Dill Pickle Relish
  • 1 Teaspoon Whit Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon Dried Minced Onion
  • 1 Teaspoon Distilled White Vinegar
  • 1 Teaspoon Ketchup
  • 1 Dash of Salt

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a plastic microwave safe bowl and mix
  2. Microwave for 30 seconds
  3. Mix again
  4. Refrigerate until serving

 

Featured

Chinese BBQ Sauce

sweet chinese barbecue sauceThere’s something exotic about a good Hoisin Sauce. It’s hard to tell what ingredients make it so unique. The soybeans? Garlic? Plums? It’s the Chinese ketchup and it’s the starting point to making our U.S. knock-off of a Chinese BBQ Sauce.

The fresh ingredients make this sauce really zippy.   I mean if you put fresh garlic, Hoisin, and fresh ginger in my Elmer’s Glue I would probably eat it… but in this blend of fresh sweet and tangy ingredients it’ll make you want to eat it like soup. But save some for everybody.

This Chinese BBQ Sauce Recipe is especially good on chicken and nice and sticky for spare ribs. Another good thing is it wont have to simmer long… ginger and garlicshould be ready in five/ten minute.

Serve this sauce with fresh green onion garnish.

 

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Chinese BBQ Sauce

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: One cup

Serving Size: 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Chinese BBQ Sauce

This American version of a Chinese BBQ Sauce has a freshness you can't get in bottled brands that comes from the sherry, fresh ginger, and garlic. Perfect to give an average backyard cook out a bit of an international flair. For a dynamic dipping sauce add one and a half tablespoons of smooth peanut butter.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 Cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons dry sherry
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger
  • 5 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 small cloves of minced garlic (pressed in garlic press)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • One finely minced green onion

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients except oil and simmer for five minutes.
  2. Add sesame oil at end.
  3. Stir and serve.

Featured

Kansas City BBQ Sauce Recipe

BBQ Sauce kansas CitySome folks consider Kansas City the epicenter of American BBQ.  Fans of South Carolina Mustard sauce, Carolina Vinegar Sauce, and Texas Sauce  would surely beg to differ. KC has a good argument.  Kansas City BBQ Sauce is one of the most popular off the shelf sauces in grocery stores and the Kansas City Barbecue Society is the largest and most influential sanctioning organizations in existence.

Mainstream America loves a super sweet smokey thick sauce and that’s exactly what Kansas City, Mo specializes in.  The style of sauce has been commercialized under the brand KC Masterpiece.   A man child psychologist named Rich Davis developed the recipe in 1977 originally with only five ingredients.  Since then it has been purchased by Kingsford and has become one of the top selling barbecue sauces in the Nation.

Our version of Kansas City sauce has that same deep rich tomato undertone with a sweet smokey finish.  It’s the perfect sauce for both chicken and pork as it literally defines the phrase “sticks to your ribs.”

 

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Kansas City BBQ Sauce Recipe

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 3 cups

Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons

Kansas City BBQ Sauce Recipe

This thick tomatoey sweet and thick sauce is a mainstream American favorite for ribs, sliced pork, and chicken. Serve extra on the side.

Ingredients

  • 1 fifteen oz. can crushed tomato
  • 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Add the butter to a small non reactive saucepan and melt. Add vinegar and remaining ingredients and stir until blended. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Clean the stove.

 

Featured

Danny’s Glaze For Pork and Ribs

Danny Gaulden's GlazeI first heard of Danny Gaulden’s Glaze when shooting a GrateTV episode on Twice Smoked Ham with Jack Waiboer.  He used this glaze on other occasions too and said it was the best around.  After looking for the best glaze recipe to share Gaulden’s name kept coming up.   It’s interesting to note that I found several variations on this same recipe!

So I went to the source… http://dannysbbq.com where Gaulden actually has a 2003 update on his original 1999 version (the original had a beer option in stead of the vinegar).  Jack Waiboer suggests a bit of Southern Comfort in lieu of some vinegar.   Meathead at Amazing Ribs suggests “amping” it up with some hot sauce.

The basic 4 parts brown sugar, 1 part mustard, and 1 part cider vinegar seems just right to me.  Gaulden suggests using it on ribs IMMEDIATELY after pulling them off the grill.  Check out his site and give his recipes a try.

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Danny’s Glaze For Pork and Ribs

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Just over one cup

Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons

Danny’s Glaze For Pork and Ribs

This is the go-to glaze for many a pitmaster originated by Danny Gaulden at Dannysbbq.com

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup Yellow Mustard
  • 1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar

Instructions

  1. Mix together ingredients cool. Then simmer. Baste ribs immediately after pulling of the grill.

Notes

Perfect for pork like a ham glaze and ribs and also good on beef.

Recipes

Coffee Mop Sauce Recipe – Texas Style

Coffee Mop Sauce

Coffee Mop Sauce

When barbecuing big slabs of beef like Brisket or Tri-Tip the Texans know a secret trick.   Slather on the sauce early and often throughout the low and slow cooking process to layer on Texas sized flavor.

In fact, the unique sauce they use inherited a new name and BBQ classification.  The thin sauce is called a “Mop” because it’s typically too thin to hold on to a regular basting brush and requires a “mop” type floppy cotton yarn brush to soak up the liquid and baste over the beat.  It’s a sloppy process.

History has it that President Johnson’s barbecue master Walter Jetton (yep. he had a BBQ master) made the mop famous in his 1960’s era book.

When used in Texas sized PITS sometimes a real household mop is re-purposed for this task to handle the huge quantity.   More likely you’ll want to use sa normal sized brisket and a commercially available “drawer sized” bbq mop like the one shown (or this Sauce Mop and Bucket Set from Amazon).

 

Use this peppery coffee mop sauce liberally on large cuts of beef to layer on flavor and keep the moisture in the meat.  Over time the mop will facilitate a rustic sweet bark on the surface of the meat.

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Coffee Mop Sauce Recipe – Texas Style

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 2 cups sauce

Coffee Mop Sauce Recipe – Texas Style

Try this peppery slick sauce or "mop" with your next brisket. Douse meat often during low and slow cooking process.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Dark/Strong Coffee
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup Catsup
  • 1 full tablespoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Mix ingredients in large pot or sauce pan with enough room to place mop without overflow.
  2. Simmer lightly for 20 minutes. Sauce "(mop) should be used thin to baste meat. Allow to thicken for a spicy "sop" to serve plate side. 



 Recipes 
Spicy Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe


mustart cooking sauceIn the hunt to find a traditional mustard based sauce that South Carolina is known for… I came across this notable tangy mustard sauce that Pitmaster Jack Waiboer called ‘ “The Best mustard sauce” he’s ever had.   He passed this recipe along and we plugged it into the Barbecue tricks test kitchen and decided it is indeed a winner.


The finished color ends up more rusty than mustard yellow but the mustard flavor cuts through nicely.  The last moment addition of the butter and the soy sauce adds a bold richness that sets it a part from our traditional South Carolina Mustard Sauce.  It deserves a category of it’s own.


Also the use of both white pepper and black pepper gives the sauce some additional heat.    We used freshly ground black pepper for our test batch but if you are heat sensitive stick with standard issue black pepper.  It really makes a difference.


Try this Spicy Mustard BBQ Sauce recipe the next time you are pulling pork.  It’s also flavorful enough to use as a dipping sauce.



    

    

      

        
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Spicy Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe

      

      
Rating: 51
       
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

      
Yield: 2 cups sauce
Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons

      

      

    

			  Spicy Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
			
Use this rusty colored kicked up mustard sauce for your next pork or chicken dish for a hint of Carolina with kick of spice.
Ingredients
  • 2/3 cup mustard

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

  • 1 cup cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons chili powder

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon white pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

  • 5 drops Tabasco sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
  1. Mix all but soy and butter in a sauce pan and simmer for fifteen minutes.  Add Soy and butter to finish and serve.


 Recipes 
Blue BBQ Sauce Recipe


dried blueberriesFeeling BLUE?  This is just the thing to brighten up your day and spiff up your barbecue.  A Blue BBQ Sauce Recipe that is unlike anything you’ve tried before. 


My wife was skeptical.  “It won’t work it will look bad and you need tomato,” she said.


True it’s not really a Smurf blue color… but that’s probably a good thing. The color is subtle (in fact hard to see in some of these photos). The “blue” comes from the rich blueberry sweetness that you immediately recognize when you drip the sauce on your favorite barbecue.    Sweet, tangy, fresh, and slightly fruity… it really works.

Perfect for beef or chicken.  A side of blue potatoes?


The added bonus is there is a nice  hint of blue in the sauce and it’s a great conversation starter.


blue sauce strain


 


Team this Blue sauce up with our almost award winning red sauce and a unique Alabama White sauce and you have a RED, White, and Blue  patriotic BBQ.


If you are looking for more blue color double the mustard and steep the dried blueberries an additional ten minutes.


Try the Blue BBQ Sauce this weekend!



    

    

      

        
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Blue BBQ Sauce Recipe

      

      
Rating: 51
       
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes

      
Yield: 1 cup sauce
Serving Size: 1 tablespoon

      

      

    

			  Blue BBQ Sauce Recipe
			
This rich barbecue sauce is more blueberry than blue in color.  If you desire a more blue appearance increase the mustard and allow the berries to steep in liquid longer.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups water

  • 1/2 cup tomato catsup

  • 1/2 cup dried blueberries minced

  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sriracha

  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • Salt and pepper

  • 

Instructions
  1. Add water, blueberries and vinegar to sauce pan and simmer for five to ten minutes.

  2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat until desired thickness.

  3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.   Strain out blueberry pulp using spoon to force out additional liquid.  Discard pulp.


 Recipes 
CocaCola BBQ Sauce Recipe


cocacola sauceSome BBQ sauce mixologists have a secret ingredient they’ll never real.  In this BBQ sauce recipe the secret ingredient isn’t very secret. The trick is right there in the name. Cocacola is the secret ingredient in the CocaCola BBQ sauce and it’s super easy to make.


This sauce is a great addition to an everyday cook out.  The distinct cola flavor actually fades away in the mixing and simmering so your guests will be left wondering what the secret ingedient is.


Feel free to experiment with your beverage of choice. Root Beer and regional favorites like Cheerwine are common choices. In fact, the Dr. Pepper company actually mass produces a Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce.


The 90 minute to two hour simmer will allow this sauce to thicken as much as you like, and as most sauces do, it will thicken more when cool.



    

    

      

        
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CocaCola BBQ Sauce Recipe

      

      
Rating: 51
       
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes

      
Yield: One Pint
Serving Size: Two to  Four Tablespoons

      

      

    

			  CocaCola BBQ Sauce Recipe
			
Ingredients
  • 2 Cans Coca-Cola (12 oz. each)

  • 1 and 1/2 Cups ketchup

  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar

  • 1/2 onion, minced

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

  • 3 tablespoons salt

  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients in medium saucepan and simmer for one to two hours or until desired thickness.  

  2. For a less chunky sauce strain out remaining minced onions.