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September 24, 2020 Butcher's Guide

Cooking Bison vs. Beef and How to grill it on the BBQ

BISON curious? Time for some red meat! Ever wonder how cooking bison compares to beef on the BBQ? Here’s my review and how I cooked fresh bison meat on the grill and smoker.

The other Red Meat

The USDA defines “red meat” as “all meats obtained from mammals,” but for this post I like to think bigger. Red meat includes beef, lamb, and even wild game. And YES BISON!

Red meat plays a starring role in American barbecue. We eat about 25 billion pounds of beef a year in the United States. Believe it or not, per capita, Uruguay and even Argentina actually consume more. Now I see why the new Brazilian steakhouses are so popular. They have the meats!

Large chest = Large Ribs. Photo: Unsplash

The most popular red meat BBQ recipes to grill at home are usually beef. But I have been seeing BISON and BUFFALO pop up on my meat seeking radar. I recently connected with The HONEST Bison and I’ve been really enjoying their meat. I should note I was provided the bison for this article. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking my links.

Take a look at what The Honest Bison has to offer HERE

Why Bison?

Bison is seeing a surge in popularity in North America due to the sustainable farming craze, and because it is considered a healthier protein choice. It’s interesting to note that a bison is not the same as a buffalo, although it is sometimes incorrectly used as a nickname. Bison is a much leaner meat than beef so the trick is to keep it moist, since there is very little fat to render.

Bison Is Better For You

First thing that I really like about bison is the fact that Grass fed meat is better for you than your average factory grain fed beef.

Supermarket beef these days is plumped up with grain. Seek out meat that is labeled grass-fed or finished. Although grass-fed meats have a little different flavor profile, grass-fed beef is prized mainly for its health benefits. It is also considered more humane for the animals. Grass-fed and finished beef comes from cattle that are pasture-raised and fed with only grass, not grain. It’s a more expensive process with real dietary benefits. Grass-fed beef has healthy Omega three fatty acids. Also, it is higher in antioxidants, vitamins, and a beneficial fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) that is known for its improved immunity and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Same goes for the Bison from The Honest Bison. It’s hormone-free, organic meat (Hey, when I was a kid, everything was organic!) Honest Bison delivers the meat right to your door. They take their meat seriously, and I highly recommend them. Another smoked cut of meat you will like is their ELK. Wait!?! My auto correct really wants to give you an “Otter Smoked cut of meat!” I’m thinking that would be unusual…

They call it: Food you can trust. Naturally.

The Honest Bison was founded on the notion that they believe you should be able to trust what you eat. When they saw how hard it was to find unprocessed, humanely raised, quality meats in stores, The Honest Bison was born. Here’s more from the company website:

“We started out with just 100% grassfed bison but have since branched out to include a curated selection of other high-quality meats as well. As we continue to expand, our mission still remains the same – to bring trust back into today’s food system.”

Also, on the Honest Bison website it is inspiring to see them spell out their truths: Transparency, Respect and Purity.

Transparency

Transparency. We believe everyone deserves to know exactly where their food comes from: how it’s raised, how it’s processed, what’s in it and who’s handling it. We follow our meat every step along the way and know everyone involved personally. And we will always answer any questions you have honestly.

Respect

Respect. Everything we do starts from a place of respect – for our animals, our land, our partners, our customers and ourselves. Our holistic approach to ranching helps replenish the lands naturally and allows the animals to roam freely in large, grass pastures. Our animals are always treated humanely, in both life and the slaughter process.

Purity

Purity. Our meats are processed as minimally as possible to allow the natural flavors and nutrients of the animals to remain intact. Any ingredients we add are real, whole foods and are always clearly labeled.

How I cooked my Bison

So lets look, specifically, at what bison cuts I grilled/smoked and just how I approached cooking bison.

I quick grilled my ground bison as burger patties.
The bison short ribs tasted great slow smoked on my pellet grill.
I cooked bison brisket with simple seasoning and “low and slow” smoke.

All three of these cuts cook differently so I’ll look at them separately below. You can also choose from steaks and roasts so think of this as a BBQ focused look at how to cook bison.

Ground Bison Burgers

First, I grilled it as ground bison – in burgers. Bison often appears darker than beef. The burger patties I made were a beautiful, rich red color thanks to the mineral-rich nature of game meat. I cooked bison patties along side typical beef patties (80/20 grain fed). The uncooked beef was a bit more grey. But when cooked they really looked the same.

Cooking bison as ground meat is essentially the same as ground beef. The flavor is a bit more robust and rich. I saw on the website that The Honest Bison also offers pre-pressed bison patties as well as 90/10 ground bison. 90/10 may be too lean for what you want in a burger. The standard “ground bison” I grilled(I think it was 80 percent lean or 80/20) was perfect. I just added Montreal steak seasoning and grilled the same as the beef. If you are a fan of a rare internal temperature on your burger cook the bison just as you would beef. Bison does cook differently with streaks and roasts… more on that in a bit.

How Bison tastes vs Beef

The flavor of bison was really good for burgers. Just slightly different then the beef burgers. Slightly.

There was what I would call a grass fed flavor (mostly with the brisket and the ribs) but with the ground bison I could barely discern a difference from beef. And I could just slightly notice a bit of a wild flavor on occasional bites as if it was from different flecks in the grind. Just enough to know it was something different.

Cooking Bison Short Ribs

Bison ribs are something BBQ fanatics will enjoy cooking. If you are looking for something a little more exotic (but not too exotic) this is great for a grill and smoker. The typical cut is bison “short ribs.” These are like “English style” beef ribs where the bones are cut into three to four inch segments.

With the look of the animal, I had envisioned GIANT “Fred Flintstone” bones. When you look at the BISON… It’s hard not to marvel at the massive chest and the stocky front half of the beast.

But in reality the bison ribs looked (and cooked) a lot like beef back ribs. I noticed the color being a bit darker then beef before cooking.

Again game mammals are true “red” meat. The protein, myoglobin, holds oxygen in the muscle, and gives the meat a darker color.

I also noticed that my bison ribs have less fat then beef short ribs. But they were really similar in size and shape… I cooked them on the wood pellet smoker like beef ribs.

Bison ribs are best when slow-cooked or braised until the meat falls off the bones. So I smoked for 3 hours and wrapped them with foil and a bit of apple juice to keep them moist. Then, I continued to cook at 225, wrapped in foil for two or three more hours. I finished them, unwrapped, and sauced them up for the last hour over direct heat.

It’s also good to spray or “spritz” the meat to keep things steamy before you wrap it in foil. This keeps is moist and enhances the smoke ring. Just beware of opening your smoker too often in colder weather (it can really lower the temperature in the smoker and extend cook times).

I enjoyed the beefy yet wild taste of the bison. These are also very similar to their beef counterpart. But because they are more lean you will really want to marinate (or inject with a marinade) and wrap with foil to keep them from drying out. Sauce as you would with beef ribs.

Trim off the silverskin

When I cook beef I try not to over trim off the fat – but, when cooking bison, you will want to use a sharp knife and get all the excess silver skin and membrane on the top and back of the bone. I, mistakenly, did not remove some of the top layer and I really should have. The white membrane looked like it was a layer of fat (on the meaty side of the rib bone) so I left it alone. I discovered that’s where a lot of the gamey flavor came from. After cooking I was still able to remove the top membrane and it eliminated the stronger flavor.

Nonetheless, I always pull the membrane of the back side of the ribs anyway (beef and bison is tougher than pork). Here’s my video on how you can pull the rib membrane more easily.

Also, to minimize gamey flavors in wild meats like bison, venison, elk and boar, some hunters also eliminate any excess blood. Other marinades for game meat call for an overnight soak in a buttermilk solution with salt or vinegar, and sugar or other spices as desired.

Cooking Bison Brisket

Lastly, Bison Brisket was a cut I was really looking forward too.. because my thinking was it would be massive like the whole packer beef briskets Im used too… and the bison was definitely leaner… you THINK looking at the bison it would be a meaty brisket because the meat comes from the chest… but I it’s really too lean for my taste on the smoker… you’ll want to smoke it for a couple of hours… then wrap it and continue to braise it in it’s own juices… I would even recommend using slow cooker after you get a couple of hours of smoke on it.

Grass fed bison brisket is just like grass fed beef brisket. They are better for other cooking methods. It’s not going to have the thick fat layer that a lot of pit masters love about grain fed beef brisket. If you’re looking for a fatty brisket experience you may want to try a different cut.

Cooking Bison is a great conversation starter

In summary, I recommend you give The Honest BISON a try. It’s just fun to offer it up as something adventurous for friends. Check out their latest offer here (20 percent off).

Top reason I think it’s just exotic enough for “all American” tastes. It’s just such a cool animal. By the way I also love their logo at The Honest bison. It pays tribute to how majestic these animals are.

If you are having a cookout with friends its not too much of a stretch to get them to try something “wild.” Cooking bison is a unique conversation starter too. I don’t think anyone would get upset trying it thinking it was beef and not knowing it was a different animal… Yeah that happened to me once with Rocky mountain oysters…lol.

Many Americans love cooking Bison and Elk because It’s a healthier meat than grain fed beef. I mentioned the Omega 3s… on top of being healthy… whole 30 and Keto fans love bison and grass fed meat. Honest Bison treats the “meat” with respect: their holistic approach to ranching helps replenish the lands naturally and allows the animals to roam freely in large, grass pastures. Always treated humanely (in life and the slaughter process).

Next – the wild and rich flavor is something really satisfying… and in brief you cook certain cuts a little differently.

Tricks for cooking bison

When you veer off the basic barbecue path with bison, you can keep these tips in mind for best success:

Trim off all visible silver skin and rib membrane
Marinate: I used some cider vinegar in a marinade for the ribs that helps mellow the wildness.

Other ways to boost moisture (that I didn’t do here but you may want to try) include basting, and larding or barding (inserting slivers of fat or wrapping in bacon).

Also, the company sends along an insert thet they use to advise you generally of how to treat BISON… as well as other leaner game meats… they say FIRST… cook for one third of the time and temperature of beef… and that’s maininly referring to the steaks and cuts you will serve rare… NOT the ribs and brisket I tried… so make that distinction.

One third of the time and that would be the “doneness/internal” temperature of beef. I think that’s hard to understand, but think of it as approximately one third of the “doneness temperature of BEEF in degrees. Beef is rare with a red center at 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Beef is Medium at 145.

So for the steaks and cuts like bison tenderloin they suggest

Rare being 115 degrees F to 120 degrees F
Medium Rare being 121 to 125 degrees F
And Medium cooked BISON should have an internal temperature between 126 degrees F and 130 degrees F.

Lastly, remember to Rest bison steaks and roasts as temperature will continue to rise while resting. So you should remove the bison from heat when thermometer registers 5-10°F lower than desired doneness.

July 11, 2020 Cook

Unboxing Porter Road Beef Ribs and Other Dry Aged Meat

Porter Road is an online butcher that is fairly new on the scene. I recently did an unboxing (see it below) and I wanted to share a quick overview of what they do. I’m pretty excited about what they have to offer. I really liked the product. Especially the Porter Road Beef Ribs!

I’m a huge fan of their bone in Ribeye, it tasted as good as it looked in the video. They have a variety of meats – but I actually now have a NEW favorite cut of meat for grilling thanks to Porter Road (more on that below).

About Porter Road

First a little bit about Porter Road. They are a based originally in Nashville. They have been a butcher shop in Nashville for years and now they’re branching out. In fact, they bought a slaughterhouse a few years ago and now it’s enabled them to serve customers nationwide throughout the continental United States. Their whole thing is shipping fresh to your home.

And not just any meat. They only offer pasture raised beef, pork and chicken. The pork is the heritage breed. Duroc and and Berkshire pigs. These breeds offer a flavor that is just unmistakably better than what we’re getting like in Walmart and Costco these days. I encourage you to check Porter Road out just for the heritage breed pork. I don’t think they make as big of a deal out of it as they should. It’s really, really great flavor from either the bacon and the pork chops.

Not Necessarily Frozen

When you get the meat be aware that it’s not going to be rock solid frozen when you open it at home.

First, some notes on my package: I got this on a hot summer day. 90 degrees outside in August in Charleston and I got to it after about four hours and it was still a quite cold. Some of the ground meat was frozen, the ice packs were still half frozen. The meat is typically going to come fresh, actually not frozen. There are a few cuts that are exceptions.

The ground “Beef versus Bacon” was delicious. I made some taco meat out of it and it was better than fantastic. I’d suggest getting it and trying it where you use ground beef or sausage. The next level flavor of the dry aged beef and heritage breed pork is something unique that could be considered a secret ingredient.

The Korean short ribs are the best thing I’ve had in a long time. They are my new favorite.

The bone in Ribeye was fantastic. Dry aged 14 days. I also tested the dry aged hotdogs that were also really good.

The Packaging

The cold shipping box and packaging of Porter Road keeps cold by using sealed ice packs and green foam insulation. Porter Road aims to ship quality meat fresh (not frozen) unless it’s a meat that’s not gonna be affected (the texture of the meat) by freezing. For the most part all the meats are fresh and arrive quite cold.

Don’t worry, the meat stays “preserved” just fine. Everything I got was nicely cold to the touch, just like you’d get in a grocer’s freezer. In fact, probably better, despite sitting in Carolina heat for hours.

Porter Road says you should either consume or freeze your meat within seven days of its arrival. They suggest for poultry, to consume it or freeze it as soon as possible. Within four days.

The pork should be consumed or frozen within five days of delivery. Lamb(yes they have lamb!) should be eaten or frozen within seven days and they say beef is a little unique the whole muscle roasts, not ground meat, should be eaten or frozen within 10 days of delivery. That being said, they suggest beef can last longer as long as the meat doesn’t smell sour or feel slimy.

Pasture not Grass

I really like Porter Road because they’re up front on what they do. They specialize in selling pasture raised beef. The company does not promise grass fed and finished (like Butcher Box). I like that Porter Road works very hard to cover all the humane and hormone free angles, but it’s not pure grass fed or grass finished.

How is Grass fed beef different?

Grass fed beef not only tastes different from beef that’s grain fed but it also has different nutritional benefits to the final consumer. Grass fed and grass finished beef offers a better profile of Omega 3 Fatty acids. It also has a different flavor profile compared to gain fed or mixed feed beef. I prefer the “mixed feed” end flavor from Porter Road beef. However, If you’re into a super “clean” Keto diet, Omega 3’s and such, I suggest checking out Butcher Box HERE.

One thing Porter Road does that is over the top for flavor is the dry aging. I think they dry age for 14 days. I believe that makes a flavor difference that’s really, really unbelievable. When it comes to the steaks like the bone in ribeyes that i tried (awesome flavor) definitely shop for dry aged over grass fed!

Shipping

So you order your cuts right from the website, they ship them to your door, For standard shipping expect two to three consecutive business days for delivery.

Express shipping: allow one to two consecutive business days.

If you need it right away, standard shipping orders must be placed before 2:00 PM central time on Wednesday for delivery by Friday. If you need it by the weekend, you’ll have to get your order placed before 2:00 PM central time on Wednesday.

They take a lot of care in every stage and the insulation in the box is definitely “eco friendly.” They call the foam in the box “green cell foam” and they say it can be safely burned in your fire pit. You can use it to start a charcoal barbecue or dissolve it in your sink in less than 60 seconds. The box in it’s tape are made of 100% recyclable materials, so you can easily recycle it. It’s a nice touch. If you don’t care about a bit of styrofoam check out Omaha Steaks.

Korean Short Ribs

My new favorite cut of meat is now the Korean short ribs that were in my Porter Road box and I cooked them two ways.

Both cooking methods ended up delicious. I can’t think of beef, beef ribs without thinking of Fred Flintstone. He’s the original pitmaster, right? His giant slab was so heavy, it tipped over his car!! That’s how I have always prepped Porter Road beef ribs (I think they used to sell these as “dino ribs” according to commenters to the video). If you cook the whole rib you are going to be like Fred.

However, by definition, beef short ribs are a shortened portion of the entire rib bone. You can make them a little easier to handle and serve by making them or serving them flanken style or cut across the bone about half an inch thick or even in two inch or shorter links. You can also cook them English-style, which the bones are in a six inch lengths. I’ve got recipes in my electric smoker book for the low and slow versions. HOWEVER the Korean style is my new favorite and are only a quarter inch thick. You can cook them hot and fast with ease!
In fact, the first thing I did, was a high heat hot and fast cook with one strip just to see what it would be like. I really just wanted a quick little snack. I dusted it with Montreal steak seasoning and it was phenomenal. You’ll definately want a few slices for a whole meal but there’s plenty for four dinner guests one of these packs from Porter Road.

By the way, Canadian spike or spice seasoning or Montreal spice is coarse sea salt, onion, coriander, garlic, and black pepper.

Low and Slow Porter Road Beef Ribs

I did a batch of the Porter Road beef ribs low and slow as well. I sauced them up and smoked them so it was almost like beef bacon. Sweeten and Saucy. The thin beef ribs were pretty versatile and it is awesome just to have the little bones to nibble on.

If you prefer doing Low and slow Porter Road Beef Ribs “low and slow” you may opt for a thicker beef rib (sometimes called English style or larger).

However you “slice them” the beefy – dry aged- flavor of this cut from Porter Road is exceptional. Kind of like a little thin steak with the bone in. On top of all that there is a little amount of flavorful fat on each slice. So again, it’s like beef bacon. Really succulent has the perfect sizzle coming off the grill. I am definitely going to be ordering more of these from Porter Road soon. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/porterroadBBQ

July 7, 2019 Book

Just Announced: Smoking Meat 101

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Wondering what kind of smoker to get? Curious how to best season your meat? Want to know how long to smoke a turkey? Get the answers to all of these questions, plus suggestions for wood selection, pantry stocking, and more. Top things off with 75 simple and delicious recipes, and you’ve got the ultimate beginner’s guide to smoking. Fire it up!

Smoking Meat 101 includes:

75+ recipes for smoking meat―Smoked Turkey Legs, Foolproof Baby Back Ribs, Maple-Smoked Wild Alaskan Salmon―get recipes for all your favorite proteins, plus savory sauces and rubs.
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Troubleshooting tricks―Smoking Meat 101 has your back with tons of solutions to the most common problems and concerns you’ll encounter during cookouts.

Make sure your next backyard barbeque is the best you’ve ever cooked up with Smoking Meat 101.

Click Here for More and to PreOrder

October 9, 2018 Cook

Top BBQ Cookbooks

I’m in the process of releasing my next BBQ cookbook (more HERE) and I’ve been looking back at some of my top BBQ cookbooks of all time. Since i did the video on my top ten there’s been a few big cook books released (including Meathead’s notable tome, Franklin’s books, and the latest TOP TEN in outdoor cooking). I updated the list below – But I still think this is a great batch of over ten top BBQ cookbooks. The number one may surprise you.

Let me know about your top BBQ cookbooks in the comments!

Scott Ackerman
flickr.com/photos/sterlic/

Quick Links to a few of my faves:

The Smoking Bacon and Hog Cookbook – Bill Gillespie

Mrs Wilkes

Manifold Destiny

Ratio

10-BBQ 25 Adam Perry Lang

9-Charleston Receipts

8-Tea Time at The Masters

7-On Food and Cooking Harold McGhee

6-Cook’s Illustrated Guide to Grilling

5-Williams Sonoma Grilling

4-Southern Livings Ultimate BBQ

3-Secrets to Smoking on a Weber Bill Gillespie

2-BBQ USA Steven Raichlen

1- The Pat Conroy Cookbook

I know Pat Conroy really isn’t know for BBQ but I just really liked his writing and stories. A different kind of cook book for sure but I reccomend it especially if you have a soft place in your heart for the state of South Carolina or any of the late author’s classic books (Prince of Tides and many more). Got an obscure cookbook? Tell me about it.

March 31, 2018 Cook

Sous Vide Grilling Is A Slick Trick

Netflix and chill? How ‘Bout Sous Vide Grill!

Every once in a while we stumble upon a trick that launches a revolution. Sous Vide grill techniques have made their way to the home; and thanks to low cost appliances and one new book it’s really catching on!

My friend Greg Mrvich from YouTube’s Ballistic BBQ has just released a deep dive cook book on Sous Vide grilling called “Sous Vide BBQ” and it’s a great introduction to the technique. The publisher’s notes say cooking meat sous vide offers precision temperature control that means you’ll never have to worry about dry, overdone steaks, ribs, or chicken ever again—and don’t worry, you can finish them all under the broiler or on the grill so you don’t miss out on that perfect smoky sear.

What do you Need to Sous Vide Grill?

The sous vide circulators are the “most important component” according to the author Mrvich. Below are some of his Pros and Cons with links to the products. Some links may be affiliate links that provide us commissions at no added cost to you.

Joule by Chefsteps: The author’s favorite. Sleek and fun with blue tooth app control. But could be useless without the app controlling device. $179
Anova Sous Vide Precison Cooker: A great buy and very easy to operate. Bluetooth/Wifi models available but look for this model with the temperature dial (Greg’s favorite feature) on the unit for easiest control. $108.99 (also an Amazon Choice).
Vacmaster SV1: Powerful and a workhorse geared more for commercial use. The drawbacks are size, and no wireless control. $249
Travellor Sous Vide Immersion Circulator: Innexpensive and accurate but more difficult to set. Lowest price at just $86

Fun Extra Accessories

You can make things a bit easier with a few key accessories detailed and recommended in the book.

Sous Vide Balls: These ping pong ball like orbs help minimize evaporation in long cooks. Because they are made of a special plastic they help bring the water temperature up quicker.
Sous Vide Tub: Sure you can use any container, but a large clear tub can be important to spot what’s happening inside of the bath (like a bag that’s leaking). Recommended in the book: Everie and Cambro.
Vacuum Sealer: Sous vide literally means “under vacuum” in French. Greg uses a FoodSaver brand. See the book for the detailed immersion technique for sealing the bags.
Sous Vide Clamps: These clamps help when using zip-top bags as well as keeping bags from drifting.

The sous vide and grill trick can scientifically help you nail the perfect steak “done-ness” temperature.With options for finishing outside in your smoker or on the grill, the book’s 50 recipes cover everything from backyard classics to gourmet creations, including Barbecue Beef Brisket, Perfect Burgers and Santa Maria Tri-tip.

Sous Vide BBQ: Delicious Recipes and Precision Techniques that Guarantee Smoky, Fall-Off-The-Bone BBQ Every Time is available now HERE

February 6, 2018 Butcher's Guide

Omaha Steaks vs Butcher Box

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack

If you are looking to buy quality steaks online you’ll want to compare Omaha Steaks vs Butcher Box. Unboxing vids below.

The online grocery battles are just starting but Omaha steaks has been in the business of shipping steaks for years. Omaha steaks differs from Butcher Box in that they seem to specialize in one time gift giving whereas Butcher Box is aiming to cultivate a monthly subscription starring “green” grass fed beef.

The three big differences between Omaha Steaks vs Butcher Box are:

Quality
Price
Subscription

Quality: First, the quality of both are good. Taste is excellent for both. In this comparison the Butcher Box quality is focused on hormone free grass fed beef. Omaha steaks has been selling grain fed beef for one hundred years and, with a lot of marketing, they have developed a respected brand and reputation for quality. They have more recently started selling select grass fed meats with an explanation of some differences. Omaha Steaks also offers a premium level they call Private Reserve. However, I was not able to find any disclosed level of quality for Omaha Steaks.

Butcher Box has put it’s main “quality” focus on Grass-fed & Grass-finished Beef, Heritage Breed Pork, and Free-range Organic Chicken that is all certified humane, all free from added antibiotics and hormones.

Price: Simply put, the prices for grass fed, humane, no antibiotic, no hormone is significantly more for Butcher Box. They aim for six dollars per meal. Find out more about Butcher Box here and for a limited time they are offering free bacon for life here. Omaha steaks can offer some jaw dropping sales prices (we’ve received the best offers after the first purchase via special offer mailings). The “value packages” they offer can be found for around fifty bucks. They’ll add a bunch of “filler” like burgers, hot dogs, stuffed potatoes, and apple tarts but it’s all great tasting and great looking (we have never NOT consumed the extras. The potatoes and apple tarts are fantastic.

Subscription: Butcher Box has you sign up for a monthly delivery box either curated by them or you can pick and choose. You can cancel at any time, but it’s different from Omaha Steaks single purchase arrangement (they will bombard you monthly with sales in the mail).

In Summary:

If you are very conscious of your meat sourcing and antibiotic use you’ll find a great service in Butcher Box. Their packaging is even more “eco-friendly.” Butcher Box is shipped in recycled biodegradable material and Omaha Steaks is packed in Styrofoam. Both always arrive solid frozen in dry ice and vacuum sealed. Take a look at the unboxing videos of Omaha Steaks vs Butcher Box both below. If you are looking for good quality and taste often at a big value I recommend Omaha Steaks. Both are great ideas for gifts too.

Other options include Snake river Farms Wodagyu, and D’Artagnan

Snake River Farms is one of the only Competitive BBQ meat providers we’ve found. If you need American Kobe (Snake River Wagyu beef) brisket they are the most trusted source. They’ve also created a Snake River Farms Wagyu Brisket club for best pricing. See my Unboxing Snake River Wayu Beef HERE

D’artagnan offers a wide variety of gourmet meats including Wagyu, and specialty beef.

Spend $99 and Get Free Rack of Kurobuta Pork Spare Ribs and Free Standard Shipping at Snake River Farms, code SPARES18, exp 12/31.

Wodagyu is a small Texas farm specializing in American Wagyu. A great option for brisket or unusual beef cuts. See the specials section.

Butcher Box Unboxing:

Omaha Steaks UnBoxing:

February 1, 2018 Cook

Char-Broil Introduces Modular Outdoor Kitchen

Looks like we may have a new way to get a super affordable modular outdoor kitchen. Char-Broil has just announced this special set that looks like a turn key Modular Outdoor Kitchen . The set is great looking and seems to be affordable. I’d definitely say drool-worthy!

I had been using a modular kit from Sam’s Club and like the ease of buying a modular unit like this. The gas grill was the work horse (loved the infrared searing burner and rotisserie). The mini-fridge and sink didn’t get much use. Still it was three pieces for a good price. Stainless steel held up nicely outdoors.

Now Char-Broil has entered the field and it looks like they have all the goodies you’ll want plus a few more you may not have even thought about. I’ve always liked Char-broil’s build quality in the Kamander and their Electric Smokers are great.

The new Modular Outdoor Kitchen is an affordable, collection ranging from a 5-Burner TRU-Infrared™ Gas Grill ($1,499) to a bar top ($449).

Full press release below. Find other items at the Char-Broil Amazon Store (affiliate link) or at Charbroil.com

Char-Broil Ignites Backyard Entertaining with Introduction of Modular Outdoor Kitchen

Available exclusively at Lowe’s, this line includes gas grills, a stove top, entertainment module and more.

COLUMBUS, G.A. Char-Broil has made the dream of owning an outdoor kitchen an affordable reality with the introduction of the Modular Outdoor Kitchen. It features a 5-Burner TRU-Infrared™ Gas Grill, Outdoor Stove Top, Refrigerator, and more. Char-Broil is taking kitchen capabilities outdoors to create the ultimate outdoor cooking and entertaining experience.

“We are dedicated to innovation in the outdoor cooking space and aim to deliver luxurious, high-quality products at an accessible price so anyone can enjoy the satisfaction of outdoor entertaining,” says Char-Broil Gas Grills Product Manager, Robert Hawkins.

Listed below are product modules. Additionally, unique, high-end features like stainless steel construction and granite countertops provide durability.

Product Modules:

5-Burner TRU-Infrared™ Gas Grill ($1,499): Equipped with TRU-Infrared™ cooking technology, this 5-Burner Gas Grill boasts even heat, prevents flare-ups and delivers up to 50% juicier food every time. Made of premium stainless steel.
3-Burner TRU-Infrared™ Gas Grill ($1,099): Experience the benefits of the 5-Burner Gas Grill on a smaller scale to suit your grilling needs and better fit your outdoor space.
Outdoor Stove Top ($599): Bring the convenience of an indoor kitchen outdoors and prepare an array of side dishes and sauces in mini-pans or 40-quart pots.
Outdoor Gas Griddle ($599): Whether you’re in the mood for grilled breakfast, lunch or dinner, cook a variety of foods simultaneously on the Griddle’s large surface area.
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September 10, 2017 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.

Plum 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
1 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

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.

August 28, 2017 Cook

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 lamb

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.

December 29, 2016 Cook

Whole Hog at Scott’s BBQ with Rodney Scott

Whole 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).

2 votes

Scott's Knock Off Vinegar Sauce

Author Bill West

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