A barbecue adventure, the saga unfolds.

I recently learned that beer-can burgers are a thing. There are a bunch of recipes online for inspiration, and this one-minute video from the BBQ Pit Boys gives you an idea of how they are made: Beer Can Burgers

The folks we had coming over for dinner all had different tastes, so no one recipe would make everyone happy. I ended up making three varieties; from top, sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese; tomato, basil, and home-smoked cheddar cheese; and adobo sauce, sautéed onion and jalapeño, tomatillo salsa, and Mexican blend cheese.

I didn't get any pics of the preparation, but I scaled down from the full-size beer can burgers. I found a glass in the kitchen that was just right to use with 8 ounce balls of ground beef. Starting with very cold beef and a chilled glass sprayed with PAM made the molding easy, and I'd pre-sautéed the fillings before the guests arrived. I used two strips of bacon around each burger, held in place with toothpicks. I grilled them over indirect heat (these don't get flipped), and it took a little under an hour to get them to an internal temp of about 150F. A little higher than I'd normally go for a burger, but I wanted to get the bacon a little more done before serving. I rested them for 5 minutes or so before serving.

People dove in so fast I didn't get any pictures of the burgers on the buns. The reviews were uniformly positive--everyone loved them! No leftovers

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Today's cook was intended to replenish by jerky supply, followed by a veggie smoke as a first step in making a batch of smoked salsa.

I sliced up 2.25 lbs of eye of round and cured it for 26 hours with Hi Mountain hickory jerky cure and seasoning. I usually use my own marinade and skip the curing salt, but the Hi Mountain product does make an excellent jerky. I had half a rack free in the smoker, so I filled that with 5 strips of pig candy, bacon coated in maple syrup and brown sugar, with a bit of chipotle rub to balance out the sweetness. We love pig candy.

The jerky and the pig candy smoke in just 2 hours at 200-225F, and since the smoker was already fired up, I'd planned to next smoke the veggies needed to make another batch of smoked salsa, including three types of peppers (jalapeños, rehydrated Hatch, and some unknown species from my neighbor's garden). The veggies also smoked for two hours (1 hour for the scallions). I've attaches pics of everything (except some spices) that went into the salsa, and another of the smoked veggies before they want in the food processor. The final product was excellent, good heat, fresh taste, and just the right amount of smokiness.

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BBQ at work day. I was the BBQ master.

Oh this is so frustrating. I can't upload images at all.
 
Last bbq contest of the season tomorrow. I competed in this one last year, but I’m judging this time.
 
Almost two months ago, I volunteered to judge at the Red, White, and Que contest, at which I competed the last two years.

I was told there were 70 names ahead of me on the wait list! Apparently around here, there are a lot more judges willing to eat BBQ than there are teams willing to cook it.
 
GaryM said:
Almost two months ago, I volunteered to judge at the Red, White, and Que contest, at which I competed the last two years.

I was told there were 70 names ahead of me on the wait list! Apparently around here, there are a lot more judges willing to eat BBQ than there are teams willing to cook it.
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I start looking for sign-up opportunities now, for next year. They fill up fast around these parts. I looked just now and there are contests open for judge sign-up that aren't scheduled until Sep 2024, most are starting to open for June contests.

Starting in Sep or Oct, I check the schedule once or twice a week and then sign up as soon as I can. This only bit me once, this year. There was a local contest that has always been on a Saturday, but this year they decided to have it on a Sunday. Nobody noticed that change until just before the contest and by then, a lot of people realized they had a schedule conflict. Some teams dropped out, and a lot of judges (me included) had to cancel. I would have my 30 contests after tomorrow, but now I'll finish with 29. Then next spring I'll get #30, get my Master CBJ, and double my pay. One of the judges at my table a couple weeks ago just finished her 300th.


edit: oh, yeah, and if you are doing KCBS sanctioned contests, pay close attention to the pork butt rules. Last year they dropped the requirement that the butt had to be cooked whole and couldn't be separated until it was "done" at 165. Most teams will cook to about 205, but would separate off the money muscle early to keep it from getting overdone. Because they dropped that rule, more and more teams are simply smoking a couple of money muscles. That seems to me like cheating. I guess I'm getting old, but c'mon, man. It's "pork butt" not "pork butt trimmings". I already complained to the rules people about this. This is kind of like, "Why do I need to know how to use an E6-B when all I need is ForeFlight?"

What I need to do now is start paying closer attention to those TV shows that feature KCBS BBQ contests. I wonder how they'll creatively edit the scenes that would normally show pork butts on the smoker when now it's nothing more than a couple pieces that are smaller than the tenderloin and cook almost as quickly.
 
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Matthew said:
….edit: oh, yeah, and if you are doing KCBS sanctioned contests, pay close attention to the pork butt rules. Last year they dropped the requirement that the butt had to be cooked whole and couldn't be separated until it was "done" at 165...
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That’s heresy.
 
TCABM said:
That’s heresy.
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Yeah. It’s another example of how contest cooking differs from back yard cooking.

And here I am, in an empty park where I was all set to judge a contest, only find it was canceled because only 15 teams signed up. I don’t know when it was canceled but I wasn’t told about it. Oh, well, it’s a beautiful day for a drive and to see the colors in the trees starting to change.

I’m seeing a trend in fewer teams at contests this last year. Fuel and meat prices are probably having a big effect.
 
Matthew said:
…I’m seeing a trend in fewer teams at contests this last year. Fuel and meat prices are probably having a big effect.
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Chili contests are making a comeback though.

ETA: last month Texas Monthly did a piece on the falling economics of retail barbecue. Interesting read.
www.texasmonthly.com

Is Texas’s Barbecue Bubble Ready to Burst?

Too much heat, too-expensive brisket, and too much competition are stressing barbecue joints, leading to a less profitable year for many.
www.texasmonthly.com www.texasmonthly.com
 
TCABM said:
Chili contests are making a comeback though.

ETA: last month Texas Monthly did a piece on the falling economics of retail barbecue. Interesting read.
www.texasmonthly.com

Is Texas’s Barbecue Bubble Ready to Burst?

Too much heat, too-expensive brisket, and too much competition are stressing barbecue joints, leading to a less profitable year for many.
www.texasmonthly.com www.texasmonthly.com
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We have a local chili contest that's been going on for decades and has, usually, around 150 teams.

BBQ contests here (KC area) seem to have peaked. There were always the big contests, but smaller, local contests were also pretty popular. It seems like the local contests are now paying the price. The bigger contests can absorb a decline in teams, but the smaller contests can't. That's causing the local contests to get canceled. Plus, some simply didn't survive the Covid shutdown. My local contest, it's great because it's only a few miles from my house, managed to survive Covid pretty much by luck. It was scheduled for mid-March, and the day of the contest was the day the world closed. Rather than tell everyone to pack up and go home, they had the contest anyway and everything was fine. The following year, the shutdown was lifted and the contest went on as scheduled and everything was fine. Other contests had to be cancelled on year one, and then didn't reschedule for year 2 because they didn't know when the shutdown would be lifted. I think that also affected teams, I think many teams just decided that maybe all that travel, expense, and trouble just wasn't worth the effort after all. I dunno, but I also see a lot of older teams, like mine, that are hitting the age where we just have to give it up and let the younger bunch take over, but the younger bunch isn't nearly as enthusiastic about it and the number of replacement teams don't seem to be keeping up with the retirement teams. Another thing I see is that competitions are getting more "commercialized"(?) if that makes sense. The top teams are really in it for the money now, where until maybe 5 years ago they were in it for the pride. Those were simpler days, and the dark horses were able to sneak in and win a contest every now and then. It's still the case where a team like mine can win a top 10 ribbon in a category, but getting a top 10 overall finish is pretty much not going to happen. I wonder if a lot of non-pro teams are just not that interested in always having to compete for 15th place? Or maybe it's just the case that bbq competitions have had their day.

I'm not going to quit bbq, but I retired from competing now.
 
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For not enough space in the breakroom fridge, I guess this is a good problem to have.

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Three tri tips, fat trimmed and seasoned with Stubb's.

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Well there we go, on the Q.

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Finished product. I also grilled the sausages as requested. Bockwurst and German hotdog (R) and vegan (L).

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The U2 flying overhead practicing approaches at KMHR. It flew back to Beale after the photo shoot.
 
That breakroom fridge looks like my garage fridge but the meat:beer ratio is inverted.
 

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Sac Arrow said:
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For not enough space in the breakroom fridge, I guess this is a good problem to have.

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Three tri tips, fat trimmed and seasoned with Stubb's.

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Well there we go, on the Q.

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Finished product. I also grilled the sausages as requested. Bockwurst and German hotdog (R) and vegan (L).

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The U2 flying overhead practicing approaches at KMHR. It flew back to Beale after the photo shoot.
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See, you can post pictures after all. We l knew you could do it.


We’re so proud of you.
 
Sac Arrow said:
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For not enough space in the breakroom fridge, I guess this is a good problem to have.


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Finished product. I also grilled the sausages as requested. Bockwurst and German hotdog (R) and vegan (L).
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Lower left in the fridge - great beer... you can get it at Trader Joe's - it gets a Ventucky two thumbs.

I am a firm believer that cows eat grass and I eat the cow, ergo, that makes me a vegan - right? But, I have to ask, what Vegan bratwurst are those? The few that I have tried just don't cut it - with my vegan guest.
 

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Ventucky Red said:
Lower left in the fridge - great beer... you can get it at Trader Joe's - it gets a Ventucky two thumbs.

I am a firm believer that cows eat grass and I eat the cow, ergo, that makes me a vegan - right? But, I have to ask, what Vegan bratwurst are those? The few that I have tried just don't cut it - with my vegan guest.
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Yes, a German pilsner was my request. I asked for Bitburger (not my very favorite but normally readily available) and got the Weihenstephan instead. It was pretty good. One of my favorite pils is Trumer - and it's even brewed locally. There was also a mini keg of Hofbrau Marzen. I'm not a big fan of marzens but it wasn't bad.

As far as the vegan brat, I'll have to ask the next time I'm in the office. I didn't bother to look at the label. They were reported to taste fairly good as these things go.

The tri tip came out perfect. I shoot for medium rare. Too rare and it's tough and chewy. Too done and it's dried out. Otherwise I like most steak cuts, whether sirloin, ribeye or NY strip to be in a condition where a good vet could still save it.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Yes, a German pilsner was my request. I asked for Bitburger (not my very favorite but normally readily available) and got the Weihenstephan instead. It was pretty good. One of my favorite pils is Trumer - and it's even brewed locally. There was also a mini keg of Hofbrau Marzen. I'm not a big fan of marzens but it wasn't bad.

As far as the vegan brat, I'll have to ask the next time I'm in the office. I didn't bother to look at the label. They were reported to taste fairly good as these things go.

The tri tip came out perfect. I shoot for medium rare. Too rare and it's tough and chewy. Too done and it's dried out. Otherwise I like most steak cuts, whether sirloin, ribeye or NY strip to be in a condition where a good vet could still save it.
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I cook the tri-tip to 120-125 internal temp, then pull it off and wrap it in foil for about 10 to 15 minutes... then serve... Hasn't failed me yet... AAMOF, just got back from Costco with some, I'll journalize the adventure tonight and share.

If you want to try a good pilsner, you can usually get this at Bev-Mo... TJ's used to have it, along with Spaten but no more...




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Ventucky Red said:
I cook the tri-tip to 120-125 internal temp, then pull it off and wrap it in foil for about 10 to 15 minutes... then serve... Hasn't failed me yet... AAMOF, just got back from Costco with some, I'll journalize the adventure tonight and share.

If you want to try a good pilsner, you can usually get this at Bev-Mo... TJ's used to have it, along with Spaten but no more...




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Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh, I hatred Urquell

I usually do pretty good by feel. Just as the tri tip starts to lose the jello rebound when tapped, it's ready to pull off.
 
Yesterday I smoked a cherry-glazed prime rib (er, rib roast, it wasn't prime beef). Sides included smoked olives, sausage and cheese-stuffed mushroom caps, sausage-wrapped shrimp, and popovers, plus a spinach casserole, not pictured. We were very happy with how everything turned out. With tonight's leftovers, I'm putting a couple of the smoked olives in a martini.
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So the story on the ribeye - the store had some one-bone prime rib roasts of slightly over 2.5 pounds. It's almost too small to roast, and almost to big to grill. I thought about cutting it in half first to grill it as two steaks, but realized that being a one-bone that isn't happening unless I cut the bone off. So, I just grilled it. But, I like super rare, so it ended up being perfect in the center.
 
Sac Arrow said:
So the story on the ribeye - the store had some one-bone prime rib roasts of slightly over 2.5 pounds..
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I smoke those at 235* to 120 then sear at 650* to finish. Takes a little over an hour, usually.
 
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Had a celebration a few weeks back and smoked a rib roast.
 

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Tomorrow morning a rack of St Louis cut ribs goes into the green egg. Non traditional meat to be served with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and all of the traditional sides.
 
I've done a couple more cooks recently. In late November we entered another BBQ contest, this one's theme was Thanksgiving Leftovers, which had to be incorporated into the entry. This was a virtual contest, so judging was based on the description of the cook, plus the plating and photography. This was our entry:

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We had leftover cherry-glazed prime rib, and sausage-stuffed mushrooms from a BBQ dinner shortly before Thanksgiving (described earlier in this thread), so for my entry I included a few mushrooms, and cubed a bit of the prime rib and served on toothpicks with a topping of very hot (Inglehoffer) horseradish sauce. I had also smoked a pan of olives, coated with garlic and spices, so I wiped a few of the green olives clean of the oil and spices and used them in a vodka martini. They imparted a wonderful, subtle smokiness to the drink.

From our Thanksgiving dinner, I sliced leftover baked sweet potatoes then used a small drinking glass to cut medallions out of the center of each slice, topping all with a scoop of the brown sugar compound butter

The cranberry sauce beneath the croquettes was homemade, but what I really feel makes my version stand out is a healthy amount of both fresh grated ginger and orange zest. They really make the flavors pop.

The Day After Thanksgiving Croquettes were my wife's brilliant idea...I'd have never thought of it, and they were so, so very good. We diced some of our leftover turkey and formed meatballs by mixing in leftover stuffing. We settled on 'our' stuffing recipe years ago...it starts with the bread, spices, and sauted celery and onion one would expect. It also contains pecans, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and fried andouille sausage. The 'other' ingredients make up the bulk of the stuffing...by weight, only about 1/3 of it is bread. The turkey/stuffing balls were then coated in beaten egg, rolled in panko breadcrumbs-repeating twice, to build up a thicker coating. Then they were pan fried in about an inch of oil, rolling them around constantly for maybe 8 minutes until the outside was crisp.

I was really happy with the entry, and expecting another first place finish, but there were other really strong entries. We ended up second in the judges voting.

Just yesterday, I smoked a ham, starting with a commercial, spiral-sliced ham but dispensing with the glaze packet and instead coating the individual slices with maple syrup and rub. I was using a homemade clone of the commercial Jeff's Original rub. The ham smoked for 4 hours over hickory and cherry wood. It was our 100th cook on our Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. It proved to be a pretty good Christmas present, 9 years ago.

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I’m going to do something I don’t do: indoor ribs.

I had this slab of back ribs taking up freezer space and we’ve had a really bad winter. Rain and fog here for three solid days with more to come. I figured this would be a good day to experiment.

1 slab back ribs, membrane peeled.

Rub with a light layer of plain yellow mustard.

Rub with JDQ Sweet. It’s a local KC rub recipe that’s really popular here and on the bbq contest circuit.

The accommodation I made for cooking in the oven was a light dusting of smoked paprika.

300F until 160F internal, then wrap and finish to 200F (I will add brown sugar, honey, a little more rub, and maybe a couple TBS butter when I wrap). Then I’ll open the foil, paint with sauce, and back in the oven another 10-20 minutes to set the sauce.

Basically, doing the same thing in the oven that I do on the smoker except: 300F instead of around 250-275, and using the smoked paprika.

I see my oven probe cycles between 310 and about 300, so I’ll reset the oven to 295.

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Took about an hour and 40 min to reach 160.

I added a nice thick layer of honey and brown sugar to both sides, and dusted both sides with some extra rub. I wrapped them, meat side down, and topped the bone up side with about a TBS of butter before I closed up the foil.

Now, wait for 200.


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Done.

Letting it rest now before I find out what it looks like inside.

It’s glazed with Blues Hog, then got 10 extra minutes in the oven, then I painted more sauce on top.

As you can see from the picture, it smells awesome.

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Ok, final report:

They were done just right. KCBS rib scoring profile is for the meat to pull cleanly off the bone with a light tug. “Fall off the bone” ribs are overdone, and if there’s any meat left behind then they are underdone. High scores for these.

Appearance: smoke rings are not to be judged because nitrates (nitrites?) in rubs and other seasonings can create an artificial smoke ring. Well, these had zero smoke ring. They did look good from the outside, and they did look nice and moist. The meat was shrinking back off the ends of the ribs. They met all those criteria but I dunno, they just looked a little bland.

Tenderness: already covered in the earlier description. They were cooked well, not dry, not tough. Pretty good ribs.

Taste: this is where they fail a contest. There is no smoke flavor and the rub just doesn’t seem to work. I suspect Josh, the “JD” from JDQ, balances the flavor profile to complement or be complemented by the flavor of the smoke. There’s just something that doesn’t work. I used Blues Hog Original as a glaze and that really worked as a finishing sauce. At the table I had Blues Hog Competition sauce on the side. That stuff is awesome, by the way.

Overall: don’t pretend it’s bbq. You can call it “oven baked back ribs in the style of bbq”, but don’t call it bbq.

I’ll probably do it again sometime.

Times at 300F:

1 hr 40 min to 160F, then doctor it up and wrap

1 hr to reach 200F, remove from foil and paint with sauce

10 min to set the sauce

Coat with another layer of sauce and rest.

Almost 3 hrs plus rest time.

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