The Bar-B- Que Pit

[catesta]

I grilled some babyback ribs last weekend.

Marinated for 6 hours before in a beer brine. 

Chris,

What's the secret to the brining? I made up some sauce this past weekend... heavy on the onion and granny smith apples with a bit of zing... and so much vinegar that you can't stick your head over the pot while it's cooking down. Got a big jar left over and would love to do up some ribs just like the Hole In The Wall. Never did ribs at home as I've always considered it to be a holy grail of sorts.

Vint, this was the first time I tried this particular recipe, and I must admit they came out pretty damn good. The next day they were even better, the key is the indirect heat while cooking. If you've got a charcoal grill throw a drip pan in the middle and place the coals around the outside.

Another recipe I saw advised to cook them in tin foil for the first hour or so. They always say the success is in how they are cooked, and not to put the sauce in until the last 5-10 minutes of grilling.

I'll post the whole recipe for you tommorrow as I'm not sure if I can remember all of it.

I'll also post the other recipe ( ribs in foil) as well.

The brine goes something like this.

36 oz. beer of your choice, I used Sam Adams.

3 tbsp Brown Sugar

3 tbsp - Kosher Salt

1 tbsp - Celery Seeds

1 tbsp - Ceyenne Pepper

1 1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 tsp Liquid Smoke (optional, but I did it.)

Cut the ribs into two piece portions, throw them in a big zip-lock bag, pour the brine over and let them site for 6 hours in the fridge.

More tommorrow, and I'll make any corrections to the above if I'm not right on.

Grill covered for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours until tender.

Edited May 27, 2004 by catesta

[catesta]

VG,

This is the other one.

Hickory Smoked Baby Back Ribs

2 cups hickory wood chips

2 tbsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

Soak the wood chips in water for about an hour.

Combine the samt, chili powder and spinkle evenly over the ribs.

Wrap the ribs in heavy foil, wrap for double thickness.

Grill over medium heat, cover and cook for 50 minutes turning once halfway through.

Unwrap and discard juices and foil.

Drain the wood chips and sprinkle over the coals. Put ribs back on, brush with your sauce and continue to cook covered for another 10 minutes or so, brush and turn as necessary.

[Jazzmoose]

I'm too darned lazy to search through this whole thread and see if restaurants are discussed, but just in case...

There is a new franchise (at least out here) called the RIB CRIB. Do not under *ANY* circumstances enter this foul stench of a restaurant, unless you are under some sick compulsion to discover how NOT to barbecue meat. The wife wanted to check it out to compare it to our normal barbecue destination (Armadillo Willy's; it ain't home made, but it ain't bad, you know?) so we went. Pure shit. I'd say they should be exterminated for abuse of good meat, but as they used shitty meat, they escape on a technicality. The beans were a cross between chili style beans and baked beans (make up your friggin' mind!), fries and onion rings appeared to come from the frozen food section at the local Safeway...in general, it was one of the worst dining experiences of my adult life.

Just thought you oughta know...

[catesta]

[Eric]

One serious culinary shortcoming in Manhattan is the lack of decent barbeque restaurants. There's a place ill-traveled New Yorkers swear by in Times Square called Virgil's - if you come to visit, don't be deceived. It's not offensive (which ranks it higher than most bbq spots in town) but it's far from impressive. I agree that you have to go south (or buy your own bbq grill and pick up someone's cooking secrets) to get the best bbq. However, if you find yourself with a craving for bbq and you happen to be in Portland, OR, there's a place called Tennessee Red's that's very impressive.

PS: If any NYers reading this know of good bbq places in the city, by all means share yoiur knowledge.

PPS: Had some DELICIOUS jerked pork in Jamaica this week.

you know, I have lived most my life in KC and North Carolina, and favor myself as a bit of a BBQ snob ... but I really think Virgil's is pretty decent and not just by NY standards ... I have maybe 5 times and always enjoyed ...

[maren]

PPS: Had some DELICIOUS jerked pork in Jamaica this week.

Jamaica Queens????

If so, do tell...

[catesta]

Going to grill some shrimp wrapped in prosciutto, salmon, and cherry tomatos after the sun goes down.

[SEK]

Going to grill some shrimp wrapped in prosciutto, salmon, and cherry tomatos after the sun goes down.

YUMMM!!!

[catesta]

Going to grill some shrimp wrapped in prosciutto, salmon, and cherry tomatos after the sun goes down.     

YUMMM!!!

That's what I said.

I put everything on skewers, the crowd loved it.

[Free For All]

What? A whole month has gone by and no BBQ stories?

Starting today I'm officially on vacation (for a couple weeks). The yard is mowed and the grill is heating up. Soon the ribs will be bathing in hickory smoke and the sweet corn (which really starts to get good this time of year) will be following on the grill. It's about 80 degrees, low humidity and I've got a stack of RVGs and some cold Shiner Bocks to keep me company while I cook.

Life is good today.

[SEK]

The yard is mowed and the grill is heating up. Soon the ribs will be bathing in hickory smoke and the sweet corn (which really starts to get good this time of year) will be following on the grill. It's about 80 degrees, low humidity and I've got a stack of RVGs and some cold Shiner Bocks to keep me company while I cook.

Life is good today.

That sure sounds happy, delicious, and inspirational!

[catesta]

What? A whole month has gone by and no BBQ stories?

Starting today I'm officially on vacation (for a couple weeks). The yard is mowed and the grill is heating up. Soon the ribs will be bathing in hickory smoke and the sweet corn (which really starts to get good this time of year) will be following on the grill. It's about 80 degrees, low humidity and I've got a stack of RVGs and some cold Shiner Bocks to keep me company while I cook.

Life is good today.

For you!

I grilled two pizzas yesterday along with some Italian sausage.

I topped the pizzas with prosciutto and fresh tomato. A nice thin crust is my favorite.

It was 112 outside in the shade, I was sweating my arse off, but it was well worth it.

[Free For All]

I've never grilled pizza. Sounds great. Do you put them on a pan or right on the grill? Isn't the crust too soft initially to do the latter?

Also, a couple of recommendations:

First, if you haven't tried "beer can chicken" yet, you should. It involves cooking the chicken on the grill while propped up on a can of beer- the beer "steams" the bird and gives it a great flavor (you can also add herbs/spices to the beer). First you rub the bird with a little olive oil and spices of choice- make sure you get under the skin. Now, I've heard that some of the inks used in the printing on the can can be bad for you when they get too hot, plus it's tricky to keep the chicken from falling over while cooking, so I bought a little stand that holds up the bird and has a little reservoir for the liquid. It works great. The skins gets real crispy.

Secondly, if you ever use smoking chips, if you can find 'em, try the Jack Daniels wood chips. They're chopped up pieces of the oak barrels used to age the booze and they are really great! Not an overwhelmingly strong flavor (I don't even drink bourbon) but a really nice touch for chicken, pork, whatever. Soak 'em in water for a while first (when I did this the water almost became bourbon!).

[catesta]

I've never grilled pizza. Sounds great. Do you put them on a pan or right on the grill? Isn't the crust too soft initially to do the latter?

It can be difficult, I highly recommend getting a pizza peel and grilling the pizza on a stone.

The stone heats up real nice and cooks the crust in about 10-12 minutes on a medium to low heat. Make sure you put down some semolina and brush the bottom of the crust with a little olive oil.

[Free For All]

OK, I've been doing a lot of smoking and grilling this summer for various guests (including a jazz camp feed for 20+). That seems to have became part of my summer hang repertoire. If you can cook, you become indispensible to your friends as well as your spouse. Instrumental skills apparently come in second to cooking skills.

I'd have to say my favorite new product for this summer is McIlhenny's Tabasco in new CHIPOTLE flavor. It's EXCELLENT! Good for marinades as well as sprinkling on fajitas (or whatever). Nice smoky flavor. Check it out.

EDIT: Here's a question for our friends in Europe. How come barbecue never has caught on over there? My guess is that there seems to be a lack of enthusiasm for meat that's thoroughly cooked. My experiences over there include "rare" bacon (I just don't get it) -it seems to be a cultural "rift". I would think BBQ might be a desirable thing in your basic meat-eating countries. The Aussies seem to be fans of the grill, but beyond that, I don't know- educate me, please.

Edited August 9, 2004 by Free For All

[Soulstation1]

i just burned the !@#$ outta one side of my ribs

one side looks yummy, the other side looks like charcoal

damn ...damn....damn.....

[Brownian Motion]

I'n partial to North Carolina style 'cue myself, having lived there on and off throughout my life. Hickory smoked pig on a bun with a large dollop of cole slaw--nothing better than that! Hard to find decent barbecue in Central PA, but no matter: I make my own now in a crock pot, thanks to a recipe collected by the good Episcopalian ladies of Elizabeth City NC.

[.:.impossible]

This is what bbq looks like where I'm from.

I had Arthur Bryants this summer. I'm a fan. I also like brisket and think that the KC style is very similar to the Texas style, generally, when compared to the East Coast styles. We don't do much brisket. Virginia and NC have the market cornered if you ask me. Don't make me choose though. Sometimes I'm craving the tomato based sauces, other times I just want that vinegar!

Collards and corn puddin, hush puppies.

And that's sweet tea by the way. I don't know what else you'd drink with bbq unless the other option is beer.

Looks like y'all are just talking about "grillin' out" if you ask me!

[Spontooneous]

KC friends: A hearty recommendation here for the Woodyard Bar-B-Que, 3001 Merriam Lane in KCK.

(But it's closed Mondays, as Tom and I found out the hard way.)

[kenny weir]

Here's a question for our friends in Europe. How come barbecue never has caught on over there? My guess is that there seems to be a lack of enthusiasm for meat that's thoroughly cooked. My experiences over there include "rare" bacon (I just don't get it) -it seems to be a cultural "rift". I would think BBQ might be a desirable thing in your basic meat-eating countries. The Aussies seem to be fans of the grill, but beyond that, I don't know- educate me, please.

Free For All: I have pondered the lack of American-style BBQ in Australia myself.

*There are probably millions of BBQs in Australia, but by that we mean the contraption itself. For many decades the food cooked on the barbie was poorly made sausages, lamb chops and maybe some chicken or steak. No smoking, no sauces (except ketchup after cooking), lousy smashed-lettuce salad and no sides such as baked beans etc. The meat was cooked until black - I'm only exagerating a little. In recent years, there has been a semblance of sophistication coming through, but it is mostly Asian or Middle Eastern-inpired.

*If one ever sees ribs on a restaurant menu - outside of Chinese, where ribs are a whole nutha ball game - the result is invariably lousy. I have been unable to work out if this is the result of different butchering methods or different breeding practices for cattle/hogs.

*I sure wish, based on only limited eating in Texas and New Orleans (great food but piss poor BBQ) that somebody started doing some real BBQ here. But that apart, Australia - or at least its cities - seems to be going its own merry way, drawing on marvellous produce and Italian/Greek/Thai/Chinese/Vietnamese/Malaysian/Indonesian/Middle Eastern/Eastern European influences and more. No BBQ here, but foodie heaven nevertheless

[Soulstation1]

just bought some baby backs, got them in the oven now

gonna throw them on the grill with some chix breasts and 2 apple sauages

[catesta]

Kicking of the 2006 season with some Italian Sausage (Hot and Sweet) from Bari's.

I brush the bread with a little olive oil and grill it after the sausage has been taken off.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

dat snausage sammich looks good!!!

just an aside ...

Last year my kid's got me a bottle of this for Father's Day.

They thought the label was cool AND it had a free rubber skull!

Had not uncorked it til the other night w/ some leftover beans and rice and grilled pork tenderloin. I put a couple dribbles on the plate and mixed it with the rice and then proceeded to eat like a bandit. After the meal I had a good cup and a half of yogurt followed by two glasses of milk - all to no avail. Did a bit of research and see that this is not even the hottest sauce that "Blair's" makes. He must free-base down habeneros to get this stuff so hot.

Not a ridiculous hot sauce experience by any means but this kind of stuff better not get into the hands of terrorists!!

[7/4]

How could you resist the free rubber skull?

[JSngry]

Try this instead:

The original Blair's Death Sauce is my favorite hot sauce, bar none. For my pallate, it's the most perfect blending of heat and flavor on the market. There's apparently a market for what I think of as "stunt sauces", stuff that's hotter than almost anybody can handle, but hey - if it ain't got flavor, what good is it as anything other than a gimmick?

But this original Blair's, man, it's perfect!