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April 26, 2015 Featured

Texas BBQ Defined at Lockhart Smoke House

So 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 and 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.

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.

April 6, 2015 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 160° 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):

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Best Gift Ever

…

March 30, 2015 Featured

How To Get A Good Smoke Ring

A good smoke ring is a pit master’s point of pride. A beautiful deep rustic red outer layer of the meat that is so tantalizing it’s considered a badge of honor.Here, red meat does not mean rare or under cooked it means roasted low and slow and smoked to perfection.

So how you really get a good smoke ring? Here are a few quick tricks to perfect your smoke ring – win friends, influence people and delight cookout guests.

A good smoke ring is actually formed as a chemical reaction with nitrogen and chemicals in wood smoke reacting to the surface of the meat. I’m not convinced the actual creation of a ring tastes any different… But it’s coveted and looks great.

Here’s How you Can Make The Smoke Ring:

First, the “ring” likes lower temps. Start extra low and slow. When your meat tops 145 degrees bark forms and smoke ring formation ( that chemical reaction ) ends. If you want a darker ring you’ll need to ramp up slowly. After that you could even throw it in the oven.
Second. the “ring” likes it wet. Keep it moist with water pan and baste or sop with a mop sauce for first half of cook (or again until about 145f).
Trim fat. The smokering will not form or penetrate fat if it’s too thick (surprise on the brisket pictured here it did).
Use wood fire. More than just smoke, actual fire really develops the chemical reaction with the smoke & meat.
The cooker used in the video is spectacular for forming a great smoke ring. Traeger pellet cookers use small compressed wood pellets. It’s real wood in the little fire pot underneath the cooker. It allows you to cook at a consistent low temperature and then ramp up and really give a strong fire source. It is real wood. I’m using the hickory pellets in the video example here and the flavor you get from the smoke is deep and spectacular. I really think that’s why so many of the competitive barbecue pit masters use Traegers. It makes it easy, and in a lot of the competition rules you have to cook with wood and the Traeger passes that test. It features the assistance of an electric fan controlling your temperature so you take your eyes off the cook and relax a bit.

A Special Ingredient

I said earlier you don’t necessarily taste the smoke ring but if you really want to there are ways to kind of cheat the ring without a lot of smoke.

Try Morton’s Tenderquick. It’s a curing salt with nitrites and nitrates that you can use before cooking (warning: in a rub – a little goes a long way. You can also dust on for an hour and rinse off before cooking). The “whole food” foodies probably wont like it but it forces the chemical reaction on the surface of the meat. It’s one secret ingredient for getting a smoke ring.

There’s also a thing called Fab and/or Pink Salt that is also out there. You can even take a more natural route by using celery. Celery salt, celery juice, and celery seed in your rubs will add more naturally occurring nitrates.

Just a few tricks will showcase the ring…. My precious… If u have tricks share in comments and send along a bbq plate pic #grateplate – Head over to www.barbecuetricks.com

March 1, 2015 Butcher's Guide

Cuisinart Electric Knife What You Need To Know Before you Buy

You can spend a lot of money on grilling and BBQ gear especially if you’re getting into competitions… so before you buy here’s a few things you need to know before you buy an electric knife...

Black & Decker EK700 9-Inch Electric Carving Knife, White
Cuisinart CEK-40 Electric Knife

Hamilton Beach 74250 Carve ‘n Set Electric Knife with Case, White

Rapala Rechargeable Cordless Electric Fillet Knife

Some are less than twenty bucks so think about the following…

Cord length… it’s usually our first annoyance – look for a knife that wont force you to purchase an extender.
Blade length -7 & half inches may not “cut it” when it comes to large turkey… compare the length of the blade – not necessarily the length of the handle.
Can you remove the blades? That means is it easy to clean? Can you find Replacement blades ?
Finally – how is the Grip? – Hard to tell online but think about a slick finish…. remember hand could be greasy – and you really want it to be able to lock into the on position?

Top sellers:

Black& Decker EK7009 inch

Hamilton beach

Rival 1250

And Rapala makes a battery rechargeable version for about $100 –

Some competitive cooks that slice through a lot of brisket go cheap and consider them almost as a disposable item replacing often. We’ll put links to a few of the most popular in the notes here and for tips tricks and reviews find what you love at barbecuetricks.com.>See The Electric Knife Video Here

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February 7, 2015 Featured

Dry Ribs at Rendezvous

Dry ribs vs wet ribs is a big argument in barbecue. The winner of the debate (if there can really be ANY loser when it comes to eating BBQ ribs) is – without a doubt – The RENDEZVOUS.

Memphis Tennessee is the home of the blues – some say the birthplace of rock n’ roll, Beale Street, Graceland – Sun Studios and The Peabody Hotel (love the Ducks). And if you traveling are looking for the world’s best BBQ you can surely find contenders in this great southern city. In fact, down one aromatic alleyway is where You can find what some BBQ say are the worlds best Memphis dry rub ribs (or Memphis style dry ribs). Dry and savory – still juicy – with seasonings on top and a puddle of vinegar below.

Walk down this dark (just slightly scary) alleyway – just down from the elegant Peabody Hotel and Union Ave. and you’ll discover the world-famous Rendezvous… The mother church of dry ribs. Legendary Charcoal ribs they say. Watch Video of our Rendezvous
visit.

It’s certainly not fancy fare but definitely World class. You can smell the charcoal BBQ smoke as you enter the dark entrance down age old steps to the historic Rendezvous basement… There is not unusual to find people taking cell phone photos of their food and getting messy (you can eat up stairs too but make sure you take a peek at the history below).

One look inside you can see bow tied waiters with white shirts bow ties – the same waiters that have likeley work the room for decades -some over 40 years – and on the walls is memorabilia about visits from presidents and performers alike ranging from George Bush to… Elvis and even Jerry Lee Lewis.

Charlie “Mr. Downtown” Vergos opened this place in 1948. Sadly he passed in 2010 but some of the traditions in the restaurant and even menu items he’s menu items seem to remain today. The house appetizer is still a sausage and cheese platter.

The Rendezvous barbecue trick is roasting the slabs of ribs one to two feet directly over high heat from hardwood charcoal… For about an hour or 30 minutes per side… Then mopped with a light vinegar sauce and coated with a dusting of spices. It’s called rendezvous “seasoning” not “rub” because it’s sprinkled on not rubbed in…

The seasoning is paprika based but also features whole celery seed, yellow mustard seeds allspice and coriander too – get the detailed recipe at BarbecueTricks.com search rendezvous

The now coveted dry spices were influenced by Greek roots made its way to the ribs that we are for fire roasted over a charcoal shoot

And they go through a ton of ribs- One of the benefits of going to the restaurant in person he’s being able to see the magic happen in the hustle and bustle of the smoky open kitchen… ribs are tossed on bone side down to protect the meat – Charcoal broiled over high heat in a retrofitted coal chute. The fuel source is famous… 100% hardwood charcoal… flipped after about 30 minutes and constantly mop with a mixture of vinegar and spices in the end they get a good coating of rendezvous seasoning that sprinkled on not rubbed in… Featuring lots of Paprika some coriander Greek influences but less salt than you would expect from a barbecue rub it makes for the perfect bite–

Here’s a close recipe:

4 tablespoons American paprika
4 tablespoons powdered garlic
2 tablespoons mild chili powder
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons whole yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon crushed celery seed
half tablespoon whole celery seed
1 half tablespoon whole allspice seeds
1 dash ground allspice
1 half tablespoon whole coriander seed
1 half teaspoon ground coriander

It’s served with brown sugar and bacon baked beans and mustard tinged coleslaw…

Served on paper but with a white cloth napkin…

I ordered the large order of ribs it was about 19 dollars
And if you can’t make it to Memphis you can still get a taste of rendezvous via their lucrative website at http://hogsfly.com where they ship ribs across the country overnight via FedEx…

If you can plan ahead with a group call ahead and ask about their skillet of shrimp

The restaurant is closed on Sunday so be careful how you plan your weekend…

Dry Ribs at Rendezvous

Ingredients

4 tablespoons American paprika
4 tablespoons powdered garlic
2 tablespoons mild chili powder
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons whole yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon crushed celery seed
half tablespoon whole celery seed
1 half tablespoon whole allspice seeds
1 dash ground allspice
1 half tablespoon whole coriander seed
1 half teaspoon ground coriander

Instructions

The real trick here is to cook the ribs hot and fast over hardwood charcoal (Royal Oak?) and the seasoning is not rubbed in but adheres thanks to a flavorful splash of a light vinegar sauce. You may wish to crush the whole seeds in a mortar and pestle before blending.

More Recipes at BarbecueTricks.com

January 27, 2015 iTunes

Trick to Peeling Roasted Peppers (it’s in the BAG)

If you’re a fan of great bbq you already know fire roasting does something magical to food. It brings out deep rich flavors in everything from meat to veggies – in fact these days one of the most popular foods to fire roast is the sweet bell pepper.

But fire roasting and peeling roasted peppers at home can be a pain.. Lots of picking and sometimes you’re forced to rinse off flavor along with pesky skin under the tap… we stumbled upon a little trick that can help make the process easy and a less of a mess. All you need is a paper lunch bag.

One of the things hat make bell peppers so popular is the great color they bring to a dish…. We love the red but green Orange… Even purple work too… They store great in the refrigator crisper drawer too… Red peppers area also a favorite because they pack a nutritional punch from ripening on the vine longer. -loaded with vitamin a and c along with folate – all good for pregnant women (so we hear)..

Once you fire roast these guys you get an intensely rich, sweetness with a juicy – almost velvety texture…
You can bake them in a hot oven -400 degrees or so- but since we like to work with live fire – we recommend cooking right on top of live hardwood coals… It’s ok to let them get really black and rotate them around with tongs to char on all sides…

The only thing that’s cooler than cooking directly on live coals is watching your bbq guests react in shock to the scene of you tossing their dinner into the fire! Roasting with this kind of direct high heat really enhances the char on and under the skin The pepper skin is actually pretty resilient…

And once you’re convinced you have unlocked some of the deep flavors – shake, tap or brush off any residual embers or ashes. And drop the pepper into a regular old lunch bag... Or for some of you that would be the ba from the liquor store… Seal it up and let it rest or for ten minutes… Long enough to let the steam do its trick…
Pretty simple… You can shake it up and and just use the bag to pull the skin off — nice and easy… You won’t believe how easy it peels right off and keeps the trashy skin right in the bag…

Fire Roasted sweet peppers peeled easily with no picking with this paper bag trick… With easy clean up too.

Got a better way to peel a pepper… share in the comments please!

October 12, 2014 Featured

How To Grill Lettuce for a Grilled Salad

Yes you can actually grill a salad… not just the chicken for the salad or a meat on top! Take a look and lettuce know how we did!

Some grilled salad tips:

Start with cold lettuce.

Use a halved whole head (we use iceberg in the video but romaine is also popular see radicchio below)

Grill the cold wedge on a clean searing hot grill grate

Baste with a oil based dressing first to encourage charring…

There are lots of different veggies to cook on a grill. Below some others….

The Best Vegetables to Cook on the Grill
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Terry_Retter]Terry Retter

Every time the weather starts to warm up, my grill also starts to get busy heating up. It’s so fun making it possible to cook just about anything on it either inside the kitchen or at the backyard. Summer days for us are also grilled days and among the most favorite foods to grill are vegetables. Like me, perhaps you also believe that grilled veggies do not only give you healthier side dishes, but they are also quick and fun to make. If you are planning to make your summer grilling a lot more fun with your kids, let me share our most favorite vegetables we have so much fun of cooking on the grill.

Zucchini or Summer Squash

Grilling these vegetables over an intense heat loosens excess moisture concentrating the delicate spring flavor and aroma of the squash. I like the way it grills the inside thoroughly without burning the outside skin, making it super delicious.

Peppers

Even without the sun, we like grilled peppers. After seeding, I cut them into halves and put on the grill. My children like wrapping them in foil after drizzling with olive oil. The blend of the locked in moisture, flavor and aroma makes the whole side dish powerful and very appetizing you sure would be asking for more.

Endive and Raddichio

Endive and radicchio are bitter by nature and are tempered by the intense heat of the grill while cooked with the leaves together. But this makes me one of my best salads. I just leave the lettuce in wedges for a more composed presentation and chop the leaves before tossing the rest of the ingredients together. I toast walnuts in a dry pan until fragrant and make a fantastic nutty, citrus vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese to offset the bitter lettuces in my grilled vegetable salad.

Eggplant

Full of fiber and antioxidant and promoting phytonutrients, I too consider eggplant a staple and a very effective meat substitute. Simply brush slices with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then grill. We sometimes rub minced garlic all over the eggplant for a fabulous garlicky tasting side for dinner.

Asparagus

Fresh asparagus brushed with a little sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper gets its very best flavor and crunch as it is grilled cooking the asparagus quickly over high heat. Since the stalks easily fall down between the grill grates, we make it fun lining them up and use toothpicks to put them together in two places, top and near the bottom, or I use my grill pan.

Potatoes

Potatoes are amazingly comfortable. I partially cook mine by simmering them before grilling so they only need to be seared over direct heat to create a golden brown crust. Grilled this way, the potatoes will have almost the texture of French fries by the time they’re done. Who wouldn’t enjoy golden on the outside, fluffy and cakey on the inside?

Have you tried combining slices of just the available veggies you have in your pantry, put them in a grill pan, toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar then grill for a couple minutes on each side? Trust me; you will not only get veggies nicely marked by the grill, but a taste that you will keep relishing time and again.

Make the best grilled vegetables, find Cast Iron Grills at [http://yoursmartkitchen.com/cast-iron-cookware/cast-iron-fry-pans-and-grills.html/]Your Smart Kitchen. Your online source for quality cookware, bakeware, cutlery, appliances and related kitchenware at reasonable prices. Specializing in the highest standard Chasseur Cast Iron. Sign in for the [http://www.Chefwannabee.com/]Chef Wannabee Newsletter and avail of discounts off all Chasseur Items.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-Vegetables-to-Cook-on-the-Grill&id=6425406] The Best Vegetables to Cook on the Grill

September 21, 2014 Cook

Bic FlameDisk Disposable Fire Source Review

Ever need a fast source of heat or fire in a portable and disposable form? The Bic Flame Disk may be for you. This giant sterno in a pie pan is perfect for fast fire for tailgating or camping as a charcoal alternative.

I know we have a lot of charcoal purists out there. But BBQ Tricks has always been about making things a bit easier. Sometimes that MAY mean taking a short cut to really be able to enjoy the moment. Remember grilling – especially during tailgate season – can be hot and fast as well as low and slow.

The Bic FlameDisk is pretty affordable too – get it here (this is not a paid endorsement but via amazon you will support this site) BIC Charcoal Alternative FlameDisk, 10-Pack.

The fuel inside the sealed tin (like a jiffy pop full of vaseline) is a solid white sterno-like substance. It’s a corn alcohol based fuel (i’m sure sterno is a brand name but it smells the same). The flame/fuel did not add any discernible taste to the food we cooked. Unlike “match light” charcoal.

Sure you could actually save a few bucks with a few sterno tins but the form factor here was really nice. High heat and a super wide flame base due to the evenly spaced holes across the tin’s surface.

http://youtu.be/tfw0zBXLVFE

September 14, 2014 Featured

Hot Dogs – A BBQ Go To

Hot Dogs – From Slur To Delicassy!

By Jay Bateman

Everybody has had a hot dog at one point in their lives. It’s unthinkable to live out your life without ever having had one. Same goes for cheeseburgers, by the way. But let’s face it. The hot dog was here a lot earlier. It’s got decades of history behind it and it’s hard to dethrone ‘the dog’. We all know they are the best thing since slice bread. But you know what makes them even better? If you put them on sliced bread!

There are many different kinds of names for the hot dog. Some people call them red hots, yet others call them frankfurters (although this name is better suited for thicker sausages). Some people call them out for what they are: weiners! I personally think hot dogs deserve to be called just that! And would you believe that at one point that very name used to be a slur?

It was well over a hundred years ago that the very first dogs were being sold on Coney Island, New York. At one point, this tasty sausage snack was being sold in other places throughout the country and the competition became bigger and bigger. Various cities were competing against each other when it came to who was selling the very best dog.

At one point, comic writer Tad Dorgan decided he was going to turn on the original New Yorkian hot dog. So he wrote a comic in which he crassly implied that Coney Island sausages on a bun contained dog meat. And that’s how the name ‘hot dog’ was born. It used to be a slur, before it became the name of the snack that everybody loves to eat the most at baseball games!

It was considered to be such a slur, that the name was illegalized by none other than the chamber of commerce. And it remained an illegal term for a long time to come. It wasn’t until a few decades later that ‘hot dog’ became the name of preference for a sausage on a bun. And we’ve been calling them like that ever since.

If you’ve got a good hot dog, you can rest assured that it won’t contain any dog meat. Not unless you’re living in China that is. But I don’t think China eats a lot of hot dogs. Dogs from the good ole’ USA are mostly made of pork or beef. Sometimes a combination. But cheaper dogs are sometimes made of chicken or turkey. These aren’t the real dogs as they were meant to be. But if you’re on a budget, and you’re willing to put up with a lesser dog…

Beef and pork remains the very best ingredient for a good dog. And I stand by that remark! Of the two, beef is definitely the better one. It’s a matter of taste, I know. But I strongly feel beef gives you a more rich and solid flavor.

But it’s not all about the type of meat. A good sausage must be cased, which means it has a small skin around it that’s made of a sheep’s intestines. Sure, it sounds a little gross. But if you’ve ever had a sausage, 9 out of 10 times it was cased. Which means you’ve already had sheep’s intestines before and you didn’t toss your cookies!

It’s a dog’s casing that gives it that pop the very moment that you sink your teeth into it. This is what causes the flavory juices to come bursting out and give you that feeling of satisfaction from eating a good dog.

Next to the type of meat and the casing, it also pays off to think about what seasoning you want for your dog. You can either go for garlic, salt, or any other kind of herb that you personally prefer. It’s all a matter of taste. There are plenty of suggestions to be found on the Internet. Browse around if you haven’t already made up your mind about your preferred hot dog seasoning!

You can prepare hot dogs in about a million ways. And by million I actually mean about half a dozen ways. You can grill them, you can cook them. You can boil them, you can broil them. You can fry them, you can steam them.

And the last one, the steaming, just so happens to be my personal favorite. In my humble opinion, there is nothing like a dog on a bun that have been steamed together. Don’t you just love to see a dog steam when you’re holding it in your hand? Now that’s the genuine baseball game kind of dog that made America the great country it is today!

Nowadays, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home in order to enjoy a good dog. You can simply steam them at home with a home hot dog steamer. These are plentiful on Amazon these days and you can get them for a handful of dimes. Even if you’re only a moderate dog lover, it’s a pretty good investment if you ask me!

If this article has aroused your appetite and you want to enjoy a good hot dog yourself right in the comfort of your own home, then I highly recommend you read the following article:

http://www.squidoo.com/home-hot-dog-steamer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jay_Bateman
http://EzineArticles.com/?Hot-Dogs—From-Slur-To-Delicassy!&id=8219975

August 31, 2014 Featured

SlotDog Gator Skin Wieners with Oscar Mayer

Check out what you can do with this nifty BBQ Grillin’ Gadget called the SLOTDOG. Kinda like this Outset Spiral Cutter for Hot Dogs and Weiners – 4 Pc on Amazon – a gadget custom made for customizing your hot dog. It’s a BBQtrick we used a while back on GrateTV called Hot Dog Dogs — > HERE The SlotDog Worked for me right away and gave my Oscar Mayer wiener a Gator-like tire tread look. I figured Oscar Mayer would be a “typical” hot dog for testing purposes. Dont have a slot dog cutter and you’re in a hurry? Well – try to do a spiral cut like shown HERE. Either way it’s a fun conversation starter at your next BBQ and kids would probably love it. Top this! Tell us how you can do a better hot dog in the comments… #topthis

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Here’s How you Can Make The Smoke Ring:

A Special Ingredient

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