Ole Smokey's BBQ Weblog

HEY, REMEMBER ME?

2006-11-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that I have taken this long to update this blog. Things here have been super busy and I just have not been doing that much bbq. Sounds strange I know but I think I have a pretty good reason. Let me explain.

I have had a few health concerns since the spring and have spent my share of time in the doctor’s office. I have had three toe surgeries since May and hopefully I will not have to have anymore. It was all minor stuff but it did slow me down a bunch.

Earlier this year I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. After a couple of sleep studies my doctor prescribed a CPAP for me to use at night. One concern was my weight. I had ballooned to almost 260 pounds. I knew I was out of shape but I had no idea of the significance my weight had on my overall health. The doctor gave me a pretty good incentive to loose weight. Basically she said, “Stay the weight you are and sleep with a hose attached to your face for the rest of your life (how ever long that might be). Or, you could loose about 30 pounds and probably be able to do without the CPAP forever.” Now, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but it did not take me long to decide which option I liked better. Besides, those hoses are not as romantic as the name implies. Besides, I need to get in shape for next years’ thong season. (pigs being slaughtered, gotta get away!!!)

So I decided I needed to do something. My wife and I chose to begin a “diet and exercise” program. We started on October 16th. We determined that the Fat Smash Diet would be the best for our busy lifestyles and overall physical makeup. You may have heard of FSD. It is the same program used on VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club”. FAT SMASH is specifically designed to be a 90-day program with four phases that will ultimately re-wire your body and its relationship to food and physical activity for the rest of your life. At the end of the 90 days, you will have made small, but important adjustments not only in your food consumption, but your understanding and attitude towards food and the way you view the importance of physical activity in maintaining a healthy life. Each phase builds upon the previous phase like the levels of a pyramid that support the ones above it. The foundation and its integrity are what allow the peak to stand, so you must be careful in constructing the building blocks so that they might be as strong as possible to allow you to reach the top of your goals.

I have seen some pretty good results so far. At my last weigh-in I was down a total of 12.2 pounds in only 23 days. Since August I have lost an amazing 21 pounds and have been able to keep it off. In the past, I have never been able to do this.

So, for now, I have had to put the bbq on hold. Pork is not allowed until later in the program. Chicken and beef are allowed in smaller quantities than I am used to eating. What I am doing now is formatting recipes that allow me to eat the foods allowed on the FSD program and incorporates bbq.

Thanks for listening and understanding.

911 FROM MY EYES

2006-09-11T21:13:00.000-07:00

I was not in New York City, Washington D.C. or Pennsylvania 5 years ago this morning. I was, however, a police officer 5 years ago today and watched in horror as these events played out on my TV. I watched as the planes hit, the smoke rose and the towers fell. I saw many people screaming, most were crying and some were too paralyzed with fear to do anything. I spent my entire 8 hour shift that night guarding an entrance to our local military installation (recently closed by BRAC) waiting for National Guard troops to be mobilized to take over.

I look back on 9-11-01 and cannot help but reflect on how things have changed in our country. I have flown on several commercial flights since that day and, must admit, I look at everyone in a different light. I notice the person or vehicle next to me a little closer now. All of my daily actions and routines have changed. Some folks would say that this is a change for the bad. But some things have changed for the good. I hug my wife a little bit more than I used to. I turn off the TV and play with my two sons when they ask me to play instead of telling them “in a minute”. When I see them, I thank that soldier in uniform for his or her sacrifice and service that allows me to live in a free country. I thank God several times daily that the country that I live in is still free. Have faith in the power of freedom!

People who live in freedom always prevail over people who live in oppression. The people who inflicted this scar on the face of our land have not conquered us but have awakened a spirit of patriotism that had been dormant for much too long.

God bless each one we have lost, here and abroad, and their families. God bless all those defending our freedom and God Bless America.

BE BACK SOON

2006-09-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

In the next few weeks I hope to have this blog up and running again. Until then, please visit my friends and check out their blogs.

Remember, the 18th Annual Jack Daniels Championship is October 20-21, 2006. Should be another good one.

HAPPY 4TH AND AN UPDATE

2006-07-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

No, I am not dead , just in case you were wondering. I have not been able to post lately. I did get another computer to replace the dead dinosaur but travel and work have prevented me from posting and cooking as much as I would like. I can no longer access any blog or RSS news service from my work computer. (STUPID FIREWALL!) My part-time music commitments (playing bass and singing in a local group) have had me on the road every weekend for over a month and there will be no break until October. So much for cooking in or visiting an competitions this year. Did I mention it was part-time?

I hope everyone has seen (or will see) the Food Network special on the Mobile contest from March. I wish they would do more of these. Anyway, my partner (Kudzu) and I got a few frames in the show. Most of mine were “B-roll” with me in the background. The was me in the orange tie-dye shirt walking around the EZ-UP as Chris Lilly was getting DQ’d. But the winning shot was of Kudzu turning our chicken in with 3 seconds to spare. It made the show twice. I hear the execs @ Food Network were so impressed with his on camera persona that they offered him a new cooking show. A show name has not been selected yet but it will star Kent “CHICKEN BOOGIE” Lenox. Good bye Hazel Green – Hello Hollywood!

I probably will cook up some wings and a fattie on the WSM tomorrow. Got a lot going on and will not be able to do anything too time consuming. If I get a chance I’ll post some pics in the near future.

I hope everyone has a great 4th. Remember what we are celebrating. It’s not about the cooking, drinking or even having fun. It’s about celebrating our freedom. Love it or not our country is the best thing going. I hope each of you share that feeling. Of course, if you don’t think America is the best, you are free to find a better one.

Happy 4th. Talk to you soon

Ole Smokey

MEET MEALTIME BBQ

2006-05-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

I have not been doing a lot of bbq lately. Work and time-consuming projects have kept me from getting the WSM hot. I hope to do a little bit over the Memorial Day holiday (after I get off work that day).

So since I do not have any cooking stories to share, I want to take a moment and introduce you to two friends I have met along the bbq trail. Meet Terry and Cecil from Nashville, TN. Together, they make up the cooking team of Mealtime BBQ. These guys are super folks. If you are ever down this way at a contest look for their cook site. I believe Terry told me they were cooking in about 18 contests (at last count) so you are bound to run into them somewhere.

Mealtime has really put it together this year. With three top ten calls already this year things are looking pretty good for the guys. They got a 4th in Pork @ Winchester, TN in April. Then they started out May with a 1st in Chicken @ Huntsville and a 9th in Chicken in Pulaski, TN. A top ten call in overall points cannot be too far away.

I met Terry and Cecil through a mutual friend, Kent of Kudzu BBQ, at a contest in Decatur, AL last year. Cecil and I attended the same CBJ class in February so not only do we know how to cook, we know what good bbq tastes like (like that one Cecil?). It was a blast hanging out with them in Mobile earlier this year.

Terry and Cecil are a lot like most of the folks in competition bbq these days. Easy to talk to and get to know. I consider them my friends and look forward to getting together with them any time I can.

Take a bow guys, a big one!

NOT WHAT HE HAD IN MIND

2006-04-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here at work watching the Bush race that is taking place just down the road at Talladega. All of a sudden, Tony Stewart gets bumped and spins around and goes airborne, landing on his lid and sliding for one heck of a ride. Thankfully, Tony is fine. I am sure that when he crawled into his car earlier today he had different plans of how to finish the race.

Well, yesterday I had the same type of experience. I started out with one plan and goal in mind and got upended finishing in a way I had not planned. Allow me to explain.

We had a cookout yesterday here at work. Yours truly was the pit master for this event. One of our volunteer HazMat team members builds bbq pits on the side and offered to let us use one of his to cook. It was an old 120 gallon LP tank he had converted into an offset smoker. It looks like a pretty decent smoker. However, I soon found out he knew nothing about getting the proper air flow from the SFB to the stack. Before I took drastic measures, I put 3 FULL WEBER CHIMNEYS of Kingsford in the SFB and the temp at the opening to the pit did not get above 160°. WOW! This little ordeal ran me about 2 hours behind schedule. Did I fail to mention that there were no vents or the like to adjust?

Anyhow, my drastic measure ended up being this. I put a couple of chimneys of coals directly in the cooker and the temp held about 225-240 for the rest of the day. I smoked 6 beer can chickens much to everyone’s delight. They love this smoking stuff. I also made a fattie and passed it around. Gone in a matter of seconds. I should have done about 2 or 3 more. It made great munching while waiting for the chicken to finish.

All in all it went well. Everyone was full and we had some leftover. I thought you would enjoy the story. I would have paid good money to get some of bbBob's 400° from Mobile.

'NUFF SAID

2006-04-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

COOTER WINGS!

2006-04-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

I did not get a chance to fire up the smoker this weekend (too busy with life, you know how it is) but I did get a chance to make up a batch of wings on Monday night. I also got to do a little experimenting with a new rub. A co-worker of mine went to Gatlinburg a couple of weekends ago and went to this spice shop called The Pepper Palace. When he saw the bottle of Cooter Rubb on the shelf he knew he had to get me some. I had read about CR but had not actually used it. Their website says that it adds spicy zest to wings, meats and cooter (soft-shelled turtle). What other kind is there?

So I make up my normal batch of wings on Monday and decided that this would be a good time to break out the Cooter Rubb. Right out of the bottle, this stuff gets your attention. The mix of garlic, onion, basil, sage, SMOKED JALAPENOS and additional peppers really puts your taste buds on alert. There is also an unexpected heat factor that I really like. I do not like rubs or sauces that take you head off the moment they touch your tongue. I like to savor the flavors and then have the heat slowly intensify. To me, that is the perfect combination.

Anyway, when the Cooter Wings came out of the fryer I could not wait to crunch one of them. The wings were awesome and just the right amount of spice. The only thing I will do different next time is that I will not pre-bread the wings before adding the rub. I think this caused an uneven covering of the rub. The rub also burned some in the fryer but I’m not complaining. Now I want to make up a whole batch of Cooter Wings on the WSM. Might even be good on those chicken thighs and quarters I need to practice with for competitions.

Oh well, gotta go back to work today. Talk to you again soon.

BOB'S 400° WAKE-UP CALL

2006-04-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

Picture this. It is about 3-4 in the morning. Nothing is moving about. The wind has even died down and all is quiet. Until Bob wakes up. As he tells it, he could not sleep and had one of those feelings. You know the kind? The ones that eat at your gut and tell you something is wrong.

Bob woke up and, like any good pit master, went to check on his cooker. It was then Bob realized what was causing that bad feeling in his gut. His pit temp was holding steady at 400°F. I cannot repeat what I heard Bob say but that was my first indication that something was not right over at their site. The second clue was when I looked out from around our EZ-UP and noticed that a log propped up against the back of Bob’s cooker was on fire. I do not mean smoking, or smoldering or the like. I mean flames were rising off the log a foot or higher. I cannot repeat what I said under my breath when I saw that either.

Bob, being the professional that he is, was able to save the cook and get things back to normal. Bob is a super fellow (even if he is from Michigan). Hey, I lived there for about a year so I can talk about them. Bob, it was great to meet you in person. I have enjoyed your posts on the BBQ Forum and enjoyed the time we spent talking bbq.

Thanks for the cigar, too!

Ole Smokey

I WANT YOU...

2006-04-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

To cruise on over to my poker blog and check it out.

Click here!

L8TR Yall

TV CREWS EVERYWHERE - THE DOWNSIDE

2006-04-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

I am not sure whether this is the case at every competition with lots of media coverage but I did see it happen at Mobile. Sometimes in their effort to cover a particular aspect of a competition they can become an obstacle. I have worked on the media side of things in the past (Radio and TV) and I can understand their zeal to get the story. But when the “story” gets in the way of the competition, I have to ask where do we draw the line. Let me explain.

As most of you have heard by now, Chris Lilly was late with his turn in box in the brisket category. There are varying stories on how this came about but I think when it comes down to what really happened, the TV crew was a major contributor. From what I have heard, the Food Network crew wanted Chris to be the last one to turn in his box. This was most likely in an effort to set up commentary about how strictly the time rules are enforced and the pressure put on the teams to comply with this rule (IMHO). However, it backfired for Chris. He was late to the turn in table and was not allowed to enter his brisket.

As I said in an earlier post, Chris handled it better than anyone I know. But the fact still remains, the presence of the TV crew played a role in the outcome of the contest. Would the final results have been different if he had made turn in? No doubt about it.

The Food Network Crew even interfered with one of our boxes but not to the point of getting us DQ’d. When I was turning in our pork entry, I was so focused on not dropping the box or shaking the contents that I was not totally aware of my surroundings. As I was making my approach to the table, I saw Byron Chism (eventual Grand Champion) out of the corner of my eye. He was between me and the table so I slowed to allow him to cross in front of me. As I fell in line behind Byron, I almost ran over the FN cameraman and soundman who were following closely behind him. Had I not come to a complete stop I would have ran right into them destroying our turn in box.

Please understand me – I am not bellyaching about the media coverage. I welcome and encourage it. Could I have been a little more careful and noticed the camera crew? Yes. Was it Byron’s fault I almost screwed up my pork entry? Absolutely not! Was it FN’s fault? No! I am not trying to place fault on anyone. Just relaying thoughts.

I received a very unexpected email from Chris thanking me and complementing me on my entry about him @ Mobile. In my opinion, he is still one of the best. And, based on an entry in the BBQ Forum today, the DQ in Brisket is working to Chris’ advantage. At least the story has a happy ending.

TV CREWS EVERYWHERE - THE UPSIDE

2006-03-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

There was no shortage of media coverage for the Mobile contest this year. This was my first year to attend so I do not have anything to compare it to but it seemed you could not turn around without hitting a cameraman or soundperson. I counted two local affiliates, NBC15 and FOX10. Also, Food Network had a crew there getting footage for an upcoming bbq release this summer. Should be good. However, I have mixed emotions regarding media coverage at bbq events.

I feel there is not enough coverage of competition bbq on the TV as it is. In fact, it was Food Network’s coverage of the American Royal several years ago that wet my appetite for competition bbq in the first place. I wish all the events could be covered and broadcast on every cable and satellite system in the world. The local Mobile media spent hours at the fairgrounds getting interviews and B-roll footage of the cooking process, turn-ins and the like. They did not just show up, get about 2-3 minutes of footage and go to lunch. They really covered it thoroughly. And who can say that Food Network’s devotion to competition bbq has not been good for the sport? It has made the likes of Chris Lilly, Byron Chism, Myron Mixon and others household names to people who might not otherwise know them. Entire series’ devoted to barbecue such as Chris Lilly’s program on OLN has really opened the door to barbecue on TV. As far as I am concerned, the more bbq on TV the better.

Competition bbq is enjoying its moment in the spotlight. I say we milk it for all it is worth. How many more folks will be lured into this wonderful life only because they "saw it on TV".

In the next post I will cover, in my opinion, the bad side of media coverage at competitions. Until then, go smoke something.

Ole Smokey

P.S. I am also in the process of putting together my newest blog, Final Table Poker. It will be up and running soon. My passion for this game has quickly caught up with bbq. I see a good marriage between the two in the years to come.

Chris Lilly - A Class Act

2006-03-16T17:39:00.000-08:00

Of course, most of you probably already knew that. If you have ever had the opportunity to spend any time at all talking to Chris you’ve no doubt picked up on the fact that this man knows his stuff. I have had the opportunity to speak with Chris on several occasions and he has always been very gracious, humble and easy to talk to. That is huge considering his position in the world of competition bbq. Just to prove my point, try to walk up to any person who is considered the best at their craft (Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, etc) and engage in small talk. You probably will not get very far. Chris is a real gentleman and considers himself an ambassador for bbq, not a superstar. I went into the competition at Mobile with high regard and respect for Chris. However, his actions on Saturday solidified my belief that Chris truly one of the best.

Chris had camera crews following him all weekend. We were set up across the way from Big Bob Gibson’s space and had a front row seat all weekend. I watched as Chris gave of his time to talk with reporters and film crews to give them the finer points of good bbq. As Chris was preparing his boxes the cameras rolled. As he took the boxes to the turn in table he always had a cameraman in tow. His every move was being captured for all the viewing public to see.

Then it came time for the brisket category. I did not get to watch Chris during this time because I was preparing our brisket box. Our brisket entry was turned in with 3 seconds left before cut off. Yes, 3 seconds – and we were only two spaces away from the judges tent. More on that in another post. My first clue that something was wrong was when one of the nearby competitors said aloud, “they are not gonna let Chris turn in. He’s late.” When I turned around I saw Chris engaged in a very animated discussion with the contest rep. Chris was not screaming or causing a scene but you could tell he was diligently pleading his case. Several minutes later the lead contest rep entered the discussion and all three carried the conversation in a professional manner. But it was to no avail, he was DQ’d on brisket.

Now most folks (and probably me included) would have stomped back to their cook site with a scowl on their face making statements about how bad the reps were or how they should cut him some slack. I did not see this attitude in Chris. Speaking with him prior to the awards ceremony Chris told me that “it was on me. I was late and that’s my fault.” He had nothing but praise and support for the contest rep who had to make the unpleasant decision to DQ one of the sports all-time superstars. Chris even shook the reps hand and gave him a hug on his way to the stage to recieve one of his many calls that day. He told me that the rep made the right call. WOW!

Chris really showed some class in Mobile. Now don't get me wrong, Chris is a true competitor and his disappointment was evident. You could tell it was eating him up inside to have made this mistake. It is my opinion that the way Chris handled this situation will serve him a whole lot better than if he had reacted like most of us. Plus it will make for some good TV drama when the show airs this summer on Food Network.

Chris, my hat is off to you. Keep up the good work. You are truly a class act. Take a bow!

Ole Smokey

Man, that was fun!!

2006-03-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I got my first contest out of the way last weekend. Let me say right from the start that my hat is off to the men and women who do this on a regular basis. I have a newfound respect for these folks. I hope I can do enough contests to develop a pattern or game plan to make things go a little smoother. That is not to say that I did not have fun and enjoy the experience. Quite the contrary. I HAD A BLAST.

I cooked with my BBQ Forum buddy, Kudzu, under his teams' name "Kudzu BBQ". Kind of grows on ya don't it? Sorry! Anyway, we finished in the middle of the pack in Mobile. There were a total of 90 teams and we finished 42nd overall. Kudzu did get a call for his ribs (14th) - way to go partner. To be honest, we were hoping for a call in brisket too. However, that was not to be.

I have so many things that happened while in Mobile that I cannot possibly put them in one post. So I will make several posts over the next few weeks covering some of the things that went on. Here is just a brief list of things I will be writing about in the coming days:

- BBQ Bob's 400° wake-up call
- Wind, wind and more wind.
- Life, as I saw it, while set up next to HW and BBQ Bob.
- Turn in funnies. These are all true. It could not happen to anyone else.
- You sure that's chicken? Not everything tastes like chicken.
- Chris Lilly is a real gentleman.
- TV crews everywhere. Good or bad?
- Terry and Cecil from Mealtime BBQ. What a pair!
- Much more.

Ole Smokey

Getting Ready to Go

2006-03-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

I saw this picture posted on the BBQ Forum website and had to post it here as well. It is lovingly referred to as the "Double Bypass Burger" and rightfully so. It is sold at a place called The Heart Attack Grill in Tempe, AZ.

Now, let's talk some bbq. It is hard to believe that next weekend (March 10-11) I will be competing in my first KCBS cook off. My buddy, Kudzu, and I will be teamed up at the 2006 Mitchell Company BBQ Championship and Hog Wild Festival in Mobile, AL. Most contests have around 40-50 teams competing. I found out yesterday that Mobile has 80 teams with 10 on a standby list. That will be several more teams than anyone imagined.

Thursday, I started getting things together. I even practice packed the truck to make sure the stuff will fit. I will be taking my WSM and everything else I can fit in the truck. I think Kudzu will be bringing most of the things we need but some things you just cannot leave home without. I will be making my rubs and sauces ahead of time to make things a little easier at the cook site. I have a checklist already made out so maybe I won’t forget anything.

I am so excited about this first competition that I cannot stand it. I did not get to do as many practice cooks as I wanted but I feel pretty confident none the less. I look forward to the challenge of competing against some of the biggest and best BBQers around. Win or loose, it is going to be an experience that I will remember for a lifetime. It’s gonna be a blast.

I will get some pics and fill you in on all the happenings when I get back. If you live in the south and have nothing to do this next weekend, come down to Mobile. We’ll keep the party going till you get there.

Later,

I'm Back!! Sort of...

2006-02-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

Once again, I have fallen behind in posting to the blog. I have had several things going on lately that have prevented me from posting. I have had some health issues pop up along the way and the weather has not cooperated with my work schedule to allow me to cook too much. However, I do have some things to write about today so here goes.

This past weekend, I had the chance to attend a KCBS Certified Judging Class. It was held in Cartersville, GA and hosted by my new bbq friend, Donna St. Clair. I met Donna at the Jack Daniels competition last year (she is the short blonde in the picture). She has been very busy with her catering and competition bbq team, The Big Deal Texas BBQ Team. Not only did she organize this class, but she also is hosting a KCBS competition the first weekend in June in Cartersville. Check out their website. This should be a good one. If I am not mistaken, it is also a State Championship competition and a Jack Daniels qualifier. Way to go girl.

The class was wonderful. Ed Roith, dean of the judges, was the instructor. Ed did a fantastic job teaching the class. Every aspect of judging was covered and he took all the time needed to answer all the questions that came about. For me, the best part of the class was when we got to judge all four KCBS meat categories. We went through the steps just as we would at a competition. Then after each category was judged, we were critiqued on the scores we had given the entries. The quality of the entries were very controlled and they even threw in a couple of ringer boxes with obvious flaws (red tipped lettuce, pieces not cleanly cut, pooling sauce, ribs falling off the bone, etc.) If you gave a high score on a box that was supposed to be scored high, then you had better have a good explanation. Also, if you judged a box high that should have been scored low, be prepared to tell Ed why.

The two best surprise of the day came just after I arrived. When I walked in the building I saw Lee McWright of Music City Pig Pals. I took one of his cooking classed back in November and it was nice to be able to talk to Lee again. Then, I looked across the room and saw his beautiful wife, Bobbie. If you have been keeping up with the McWrights, you know that Bobbie has had a rough go of it the past few months. I had a chance to talk with Bobbie, one on one, and she seems to be doing great. The conversation was so good I will make another post just for it. Bobbie, it was great to see you out doing what you love best – supporting Lee and enjoying the wonderful world of barbecue.

I took some pictures but my digital camera is acting up on me so I was not able to get them downloaded to show you here. Maybe I can resolve that problem and get them posted soon.

So there you have it. That is what I did last weekend. I am now a Certified BBQ Judge with the KCBS. I took the class, took the oath, filled out the paperwork and am waiting on my certificate (with my CBJ #) and name badge. I am thinking of changing my name to Judge Smokey. Has a nice ring to it, don’t ya think?

Here comes da judge!

My New Competition Rig

2006-01-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

When my friend, Taztamer, sent me this pic today I just knew I had to share it here. It got me to thinking about all the work I still have to do to get ready for my first KCBS BBQ competition. My buddy Kudzu and I will be cooking at the Mitchell Company BBQ Championship in Mobile, AL on March 10-11. With over $20,000 in prize money up for grabs, I call this my “Baptism by Fire”! After all, I did tell someone that this is what I wanted to do. Me and my big mouth.

I am so looking forward to going to Mobile and competing but all the prep and practice is destroying my nerves. Every one I know that has competed in the BBQ circuit tells me to just relax because having fun is the main thing. Well, I understand the wisdom in their advice. However, I am a competitor and am very hard on myself when I don’t perform as well as I think I should.

Forget about the fact that I have been battling some health issues this month and have not had the strength or craving to do any practice smoking. Then, there is the matter of making sure I have everything I need for the contest. I do not have to bring the meat but I will need my WSM and all the gadgets and support staff that goes along with her. I will need to remember to bring enough wood chunks, charcoal, chimney starters, rub, sauce, cutting boards, etc. Oh, yeah – I will be up all night so I need warm clothing and a sleeping bag and a cot.

I was just about to stress out when Kudzu sent me an email. His words of wisdom calmed my soul. He said, “There's a store down the road, there's a store down the road, there's a store down the road, if I forget to bring anything to the contest, there's a store down the road.” I’ll bring everything I can. I’ll probably forget some things but there is a store down the road. I’ll have fun. Lots of fun. Cook the best pork and brisket I can and just have fun.

So, if you’re traveling south on I-65 from Birmingham to Mobile on the morning of March 10th and see a black GMC pick-up loaded down like this picture, honk and wave at Ole Smokey. I’ll be headed to Mobile to HAVE FUN!!!

Tag - I'm it? Why, you dirty.......

2006-01-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. My buddy over at The Hampton Smoker tagged me the other day and now it is my turn to respond. However, before I could get this posted, The Survival Gourmet tagged me too. Let a brother get up already! So, before anyone else tags me - here is my responses.

Four jobs you’ve had in your life:
1. Police Officer
2. Telecommunicator with local Emergency Management Agency
3. Saw operator at an aluminum plant
4. Singer/musician

Four movies you would watch over and over: (This is hard)
1. Any John Wayne western - like the ones with Dean Martin best!
2. Support Your Local Sheriff/Gunfighter (James Garner)
3. O, Brother Where Art Thou (Shakespear rolls in his grave)
4. A Christmas Story (did this over Christmas holidays)

Four places you have lived:
1. Oxford, AL
2. Addison, MI (I did not know we were free to leave Alabama until I was 18)
3. Weaver, AL
4. Oxford, AL - again!

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Paula Deen
2. Nip Tuck
3. The Sheild
4. Fox News

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Gatlinburg, TN
2. Orlando, FL
3. Myrtle Beach, SC
4. Savannah, GA

Four websites you visit daily:
1. BBQ Forum
2. The Hampton Smoker
3. White Trash BBQ
4. National Weather Service (work related)

Four of your favorite foods:
(My answers match up the Hampton Smoker on this one)
1. BBQ
2. Pizza
3. Chinese
4. Hot Dog/Sausage/Hamburger/steak...ya know, grilled stuff

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. Anywhere BBQing
2. Anywhere with the family
3. Where did I put my 2006 KCBS contest list?
4. At one of the many great bbq joints in KC (or anywhere else for that matter).

Four bloggers you are tagging:
Since it took me so long to respond to this tag, all of the folks that I would have tagged have already been tagged except for one - Taztamer . Take it away Taz!

A Little This - A Little That...

2006-01-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

Not much going on the last few days (bbq wise that is). I bought an 8 pound brisket last night and will throw it in the smoker Monday so look for a report on that next week. The Mobile competition is getting ever closer and I still need to nail down a few things on my brisket cooks.

I did not get a chance to bbq this week but I did want to share some of my most favorite reads from this past week. Since this will be the first year that I will compete in competitions, Joey Mac’s Competition Blog for Newbies is a must read. He is a relative newbie also but you cannot tell it from reading his columns.

My buddy, White Trash from New York, had a chance meeting with the one and only Chris Lilly from Big Bob Gibson’s recently. What was Chris doing in the Big Apple? You have to read the blog to know!

BBQ Junkie has made some wonderful New Year’s Resolutions that we all could live by. Might just have to do a few of those myself.

I also enjoy reading other food blogs that are not necessarily bbq related. I think after you check them out you will see why. Here they are listed in no particular order.

The Survival Gourmet

Soul Fusion Kitchen

FoodPorn Watch (not what you think)

Mona’s Apple (NYC Dining Blog)

I let you check these great spots out while I get that brisket going. See you next week. Oh, in case you are wondering, the picture is one I took looking out over Lynchburg, Tn from BBQ Hill. Wouldn't you love to wake up to that view every morning?

Christmas Recap

2005-12-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas. I know that with all the going on this time of year it is easy to loose focus on what the holiday is really about. I hope you took some time to reflect and remember why we celebrate Christmas.

Things were very busy around our place this season. Christmas supper at the in-laws on Saturday night (after work of course). My brother in-law broke in his new Cajun fryer by cooking up a huge crab boil. This was a pleasant surprise to say the least. Everything came our tasting great. I tried to talk him out of the cooker but he would not budge. Oh, well. Sunday, my parents came over and we did Christmas all over again. I prepared a Glazed Ham with Dijon-Pineapple Sauce, Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese. My wife fixed the cornbread casserole and green beans. Sorry for not getting any pics this time. Mom brought a pot of Strawberry Dumplings (my childhood favorite). I’ll eat them when they are hot but I love them after they have been in the fridge overnight and get all chilled and thick. I was able to coax some of the recipe out of her while we were eating but did not write it down. Gotta get that recipe on paper soon.

I was fortunate to get some pretty cool bbq gifts this year, too. My youngest son, Jacob, gave me the “Ultimate Tabasco Grilling Gear” gift set. It included a basting brush and bottles of South Louisiana Style Steak Sauce, Garlic Sauce Grillin’ Marinade and Caribbean Style Steak Sauce. I hate to break the seal on these but you know it’s gonna happen. My oldest son, Brandon, gave me a Black and Decker Smart Grind Grinder for grinding my spices. I can see this one getting a lot of use. My wife gave me a Black and Decker Handy Chopper (guess she wants some homemade salsa pretty soon). My parents gave me a Hitch Hauler for my truck. I will use this to haul my WSM when I go to comps or cook away from home. They also gave us a Coleman rechargeable family lantern. This baby will definitely be used on overnight cooks and at comps.

All in all, Christmas was very kind to all of us. The main thing is we were all relatively healthy this year. We were able to all be together and celebrate life.

My Wish for You...

2005-12-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

New Favorite Snack

2005-12-21T10:22:00.000-08:00

Today’s entry will be short and sweet but I wanted to share this new recipe with you. At least, it is new to me. Big Boy posted it on The BBQ Forum back on December 12th under the topic of Christmas Eve Snacks. It is very simple to make and tastes oh so good. I made up a couple of batches last Sunday for our class and they loved it. One batch was pretty tame but I jacked up the other batch with a little cayenne pepper. Even the guy in our class who is a caterer was impressed. These will be made again. Thanks Big Boy for the recipe.

Here is what you need:
2# Little Smokies
2# Bacon
4 cups of brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
¼ cup favorite bbq rub
Toothpicks

Here is what you do:
Cut the bacon into 3” pieces. Wrap the smokies in bacon and stick with a toothpick. Place on a foil lined baking sheet (with sides). Sprinkle with bbq rub then top with the brown sugar. Bake in a 400-degree oven until bacon is done. *Mine took about 12 minutes. This recipe makes about two batches.

I will also be cooking Christmas dinner for my family this year. So far, the menu includes Glazed Ham with Dijon/Pineapple Sauce, Roasted Red Potatoes with bacon and cheese, green beans, corn casserole and a fruit salad. My mother will be bringing the desserts. I hope she makes my childhood favorite - strawberry dumplings.

Merry Christmas from Ole Smokey!

Butts O' Plenty

2005-12-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got around to cooking some of the pork butts that have been in my freezer for a few weeks. I was going to do them last week but the weather prevented me from firing up the smoker. This time I wanted to try a little experiment. I am trying to nail down a game plan for my competition pork for next season. After all, that is why God created winter, right? So we could all practice for next season?

Both butts had a pre trimmed weight of 11.46 pounds. After opening the cryo I noticed that these butts did not have a lot of fat on them to trim off. After trimming I would estimate the total weight to be right at 10 pounds or so. Here was my plans for these nice hunks of meat.

Butt #1 -

Marinated overnight in Jack's Old South Meat Marinade. I found this recipe on the Virtual Weber Bullet Site. After marinating, I would rub the butt with Jack's Old South BBQ Rub (also found on TVWB).

Butt #2 -

No marinade for this one. I just rubbed it with a mixture of salt, garlic powder, black pepper and Bobbie McWright's BBQ Seasoning and Rub.

The wood of choice for this smoke was apple and I used Kingsford Charcoal for heat. Here are the results with pictures.

Butt #1 -

The marinating did not do that much for me on this one. The meat did not taste like what I think bbq pork should taste. The flavor was good but not what I was expecting. The bark, however, was superior to any I have created. I might just stick to this rub for the bark. I want to see if I can duplicate it. The smoke ring was beautiful (almost 1/2" on estimate). I think the marinade might have helped with the smoke ring but I was not totally satisfied with the taste. This is very good table bbq but I would not put it in a turn-in box. Next time injecting might be the route to take.

Butt #2 -

Definitely the best tasting one of the two. It was probably the best tasting so far. I put the spices on, in order, as taught by Lee in MCPP cooking class. Lee teaches that this is the stage where you are trying to create a barrier for the meat in order to get a moist product. We want the spices to dissolve into the meat, so we layer them to achieve this starting with the most water soluble ingredient - salt. Followed by the granulated garlic, black pepper and their rub.) I used a tad too much pepper this go around. Will be more careful next time. The bark was nowhere near as attractive as #1.

Final observations - if I can replicate the taste of butt #2, coupled with the bark of butt #1 - then I will be on to something. I have two more in the freezer. I think I will use the Jack's Old South Rub on one and inject it. On the other I will just use the rub.

Alternate Plans

2005-12-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

Ole Smokey (center) with the members of Jack's Old South Competition BBQ team

Our area of Alabama is supposed to have some pretty hefty storms over the weekend and possibly into Monday and Tuesday. So I have decided that I will fix a few comfort foods from kitchen this weekend. However, on Wednesday I will be smoking a couple of pork butts that have been thawing out. More on that later.

First of all, on Sunday I will be cooking up a batch of hot wings – Ole Smokey style and some fried dill pickles. I have been craving some good wings for a while. I have yet to try wings on the WSM but I plan to before too long. This batch of wings I will make in the deep fryer. I like to coat mine with a blend of flour and cayenne pepper and other spices before placing them in the fridge for an hour or so. I have found that this helps the coating stick to the chicken skin better that just coating them and throwing them in the fryer. I then cook them at 375°F in the fryer for about 7 minutes. Comes out money every time. My wife likes my homemade teriyaki sauce so I guess I will make some for her. Gotta keep mama happy! Tabasco has come out with a new sauce that I want to try on my wings. It is called “Sweet n Spicy”. Can’t wait to taste this one.

Monday will be homemade spaghetti night. Tuesday I will be on the road all day so we will most likely just make some burgers and dogs and call it supper.

Wednesday, I plan on experimenting with pork again. I have two butts in the fridge, a total weight of almost 12 pounds. I plan on putting two of the hottest teams on the KCBS circuit against each other for this one. Get ready for Jack’s Old South vs. Music City Pig Pals.

On the first butt I plan on marinating it overnight in Jack’s Old South Meat Marinade found on TVWB. Then I will cover it with mustard and Jack’s Old South BBQ Rub, also found on TVWB. Butt #2 will not be marinated for this experiment. I will use some of the techniques taught by Lee at their cooking class. First I will lightly cover butt #2 with salt. This will be followed by a coating of granulated garlic followed by a covering of pepper. Finally, I will cover the butt with a coating of Bobbie McWright’s Rub Seasoning. Both butts will be cooked over Kingsford and apple chunks. Pics and recaps to follow.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Go smoke something!

Post Thanksgiving Thoughts

2005-11-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

Picture compliments of Keri C. in Oklahoma. Check out her recipe for this turkey.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. I also hope that among all the distractions that accompany this time of year (getting the turkey right, getting the house ready for family, thinking about going shopping early Friday morning, etc) that you took time to think about all the things you have to be thankful for. Although I had to work on Thanksgiving Day I still had time to ponder all my blessings and be truly thankful for them all.

OK, enough of the mushy stuff – let’s talk some ‘que!

Turkey Talk: I had the chance to smoke two turkeys the past week. I did one at home for practice and then did one at work (for real). I brined both birds in Keri C’s Apple Brine and smoked them on the WSM using Kingsford and apple chunks. On the one at work I used a couple of packets of BBQr's Delight cherry pellets toward the end. I also smoked a ham to go with the turkey and really thought the ham would be gone first and I would have some turkey leftovers. Much to my surprise, the turkey was gone and I took some ham home for sammies. That’s why I am not getting paid to think.

Brisket Blunder: I smoked a brisket on the WSM Tuesday night. I had a 12-14# packer that I brought home from the MCPP class on the 12th. I trimmed it down and covered it with a mixture of ground black pepper with garlic powder and Bobbie McWright's Rub Seasoning then put it on the bullet. I removed it at around 165°F and basted with a combination of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and apple juice before foiling and returning to the cooker. Took it off at 195°F, foiled and coolered it for about 90 minutes before slicing. Sounds pretty much routine, right? WRONG! Check out the details here, maybe here or even here.

Pork Project: I took one of the 11# pork butts from the freezer this morning and put it in the fridge to thaw. I, most likely, will try to do it next week if the weather holds out. We are supposed to have some pretty hefty storms blow through Sunday and Monday then I go back to work on Wednesday. If I do get to smoke the butt, I’ll post some pics and let you know how everything ended up. I’m planning on experimenting with a new molasses brine.

Cooking Class Review

2005-11-16T10:00:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, I had the chance to attend a competition barbecue cooking class put on by Music City Pig Pals. If you have even half-way kept up with competition bbq over the last 15 years or so you have heard of MCPP. They hail from the Nashville, TN area and are some of the most wonderful folks I have ever met. Lee and Bobbie McWright are super competitors and have come up with a system for competitions that has proven to be very consistent. They have been one of the top 5 teams for the last several years with many Grand Championships and Reserve Grand Championships to their credit. Due to Bobbie’s recent health issues, she was not able to attend. However, Lee did a superb job and even I learned a thing or two.

This was my first ever cooking class so I was not sure what to expect. It started at 7am and by 7:30am we all had on gloves and were trimming briskets and butts to go in the Ole Hickory smoker to use later in the day. BTW, those knives were sharper than the ones I use at home. I have a scar to prove it. Anyway, Lee then took several briskets off the pit that had been smoking for a while. We then discussed several techniques that can be used prior to foiling and putting them back on the smoker. We used several of the recipes given in the class (no I am not gonna give them away. You have to attend the class to get them). However, I will share this. One item that a lot of teams are using these days on their brisket that really surprised me was “Parkay”. Apparently teams are using this and having some success in doing so. On to the pork butts where we experimented with different injections, rubs and techniques. Later we worked on turn-in boxes that were judged by real KCBS judges (all but one). We did boxes for brisket and pork.

That is one thing I really liked about this class. It was very hands-on. We were not lectured, talked down to or belittled. We actually got in there and did the work. Everyone that attended came in with varying degrees of experience. Some were caters. Some were competitors who had only competed in a handful of contests. One couple was there to just learn more about bbq so they could outdo their neighbors on the weekends. I think everyone walked away with more than they expected. I know I sure did.

Over the next few weeks I would like to take little nuggets that Lee taught us about brisket, pork and presentation plus a few other things and expound on them in this blog.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Bobbie McWright is finally home!!!

2005-11-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

I will move this to other updates about Bobbie in a few days but I wanted everyone who logs onto this site to see and read this first. Lee posted this on The BBQ Forum late this afternoon. This is wonderful news!

"Bobbie return home after 36 days this afternoon. She'll start the Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Center at Vanderbilt's Bill Wilkerson Center on Monday. The Pi Beta Phi Center is one of the tip five rehabilitation centers in the United States. Over the next two months Bobbie will be focusing on speech, physical and occupatioal therapy. Bobbie is already working without the walker and doing a number of occupational taaks. Her neurological function is slowly starting to come back. The doctor notes that in some cases it my take 4-6 months or longer to recover from traumatic neurologically based disorders. Bobbie's strenghts are still her smile and big heart.Phone calls and emails are great therapy. So let the phones ring and the emails roll.Again thanks for the thoughts and prays. We're humbled by the cards, flowers, calls amd prayers."

Thanks,
Bobbie & Lee McWright
615-746-9986 home
615-330-4137 cell
bobbiejm@chater.net

PS: We'll both see you in January at the Awards Banquet

Cooking Class this weekend

2005-11-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, I will have the chance to go to a competition bbq cooking class in Huntsville, AL. The class is being put on by Music City Pig Pals from Nashville, TN. This class will cover all the aspects of competition bbq cooking and presentation.

MCPP teaches 2 different classes throughout the year. One class is centered around Ribs and Chicken. The one I am going to features Pork and Brisket. I even paid a little extra for a brisket of my own to bring home. Hard to find good brisket around here.

Cameras are not allowed during the actual class but I plan on taking good notes, asking a bunch of dumb questions and bringing home a bunch of new techniques and ideas. All I can say is those 2 eleven pound butts in my freezer better get ready. Daddy will be smoking' when he gets home.

I also have a 12# turkey drying in the fridge to go on the WSM tomorrow. This will be my only practice bird before smoking one for work on the 18th. More on that and some pics to come.

Now stop reading and go smoke something.

Good News from the McWrights

2005-11-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

Posted by pigpal on November 03, 2005 at 11:37:38:

A very special thanks from Bobbie and I for all the prays and thoughts. Bobbie is starting week five with continaul improvement. She walked for the first time this morning without her walker and her arm strength is about 25%. With her physical condition on the upswing now the focus will shift to the neurological and speech therapy. She's starting to show a little progress in these areas. We talked this morning and set our fist goal, to be home by Thanksgiving.

It would have been impossible to have gotten through this without our friends. Your continaul prays are greatly appreciated. Starting this evening Bobbie is going to try to start talking on the phone, and we welcome calls (after 7:30). I would like to keep the questions limited for the next week. The basic how you doing, and is Lee treating you okay. Our hope is this will start renewing lost memory. The addres and phone;

Nashville Rehabilitation Hospital
610 Gallatin Road

Nashville, Tennessee 37206

615-226-4330

Room # 145
Cell # 615-347-0242

I would like to thank Carol and Randy Bigler for being the best friends in the world, and Arlie Bragg who's always been a member of our family. These three have been personally instrumental in helping me with daily responsibiities, that have created more time I can spend with Bobbie. People change lives, not thinks.

Thanks,
Bobbie & Lee McWright

Mike Mills

2005-10-31T22:00:00.000-08:00

While at the Jack Daniels contest last week I had the pleasure of meeting several folks from the barbecue community. Some of those folks I knew ahead of time would be there. A few were surprises to see. Such is the case of meeting and getting to talk to Mike Mills the author of “Peace, Love and Barbecue Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales, & Outright Lies from the Legends of Barbecue”.

Mike is a legend when it comes to competition barbecue. Competing under the team name “Apple City Barbecue” from 1989 to 1994, Mike competed in 69 competitions winning 64 first place awards, 22 second, 9 third and a whopping 32 Grand Champion awards. Several sauce awards also go to the teams’ credit. 2 first places and 1 Grand Champion awards at Jack Daniel’s. But here are the most impressive numbers to me. 2 perfect scores at Memphis in May (first time ever). 4 time World Champion at MIM. 3 time Grand World Champion at MIM (only team ever to do this). Now, Mike is involved in several bbq restaurant ventures and hosts a competition each year in his hometown of Murphysboro, IL. Accompanying Mike this weekend was his daughter, Amy Mills Tunnicliffe, who also coauthored the book with her father. She also referrs to herself as "The Barbecue Heiress".

I noticed Mike standing near the hay bales in the picture during the parade prior to the party on Friday evening. I did not have to do a double take, look twice or what ever they call it where you are from. One look and I knew it was Mike Mills. I have spent so much time with my nose stuck in that book I knew him the moment I saw him. Unfortunately, I was only able to spend a few minutes with Mike and Amy but I think I could have talked with them most of the night. This man has forgotten more about barbecue than I will ever know. Mike was nice enough to pose for a picture.

I did not have my copy of the book handy but he said he would sign it Saturday however that was not to be. Even though I didn’t get his autograph, Mike left an impression on me. I now have two more goals in life. Number one is to eat at one of Mike's restaurants. The other is to sit down with him and just talk.

There are still a few good people in this world. I'm beginning to think they are, in some way, associated with barbecue.

Update on Bobbie McWright

2005-10-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

From The BBQ Forum - Posted by Carol Bigler

Day 22-Bobbie McWright
Bobbie has been moved from Northcrest Medical Center in Springfield to Nashville Rehabilitation Hospital in Nashville. She was moved yesterday, and started a vigorous physical, occupational, and speech therapy program. She has come through a very rough time and is doing fine. She continues to improve each day, but still has quite a hill to climb to a full recovery. As Lee stated earlier to me, he feels she is the stronger of the 2 McWrights and she will fight to get through the obstacles in her path now. As always prayers, calls and cards are always welcome. We believe strongly in the power of prayer and realize with God’s help she has come this far. We thank all for the many prayers said on her behalf. There is no visitation during the week and limited visitation on the weekends. Below is the address and visiting hours. Again, we want to thank you for caring so much and for all of the encouraging letters, notes, cards, and calls. In time all of them will be answered by Bobbie herself. She reads every card, letter or note she receives and enjoys getting them. Her address follows:

Bobbie McWright

Nashville Rehabilitation Hospital

Room 142

610 Gallatin Road

Nashville, TN 37206

Visiting Hours-

Saturdays---- 1-8pm

Sundays----- 12-8pm

Thank you, Lee, Randy and Carol

Saturday @ The Jack - Recap

2005-10-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

I got an early start Saturday morning. Got up a little after five and by the time I got a shower and a cup of java it was almost 6 and time to leave. This is really my favorite time of the year. The colors are starting to change and there is that certain “nip” in the morning air that says fall is coming. Add to that the scenery of the rolling Tennessee hillside and the smoke from 65 or so cooking sites and I am in heaven. This is where I am supposed to be.

I have tried to do a couple of Audio Blogs from Lynchburg but I guess the signal was not strong enough. When I listened to it the sound quality was not very good. I had a backup plan but that fell through also. Oh well, there’ll be other times.

Today was not supposed to be as hectic as yesterday. Most everything had already been done. All we needed to do was be there at the busy times of the day. The rest of the day we had to ourselves. This allowed me to mingle about and really soak up the sounds, smells and traditions of the Jack. And that I did. After checking in with “The Gang” I decided it was time to walk.

While walking around I located Dr. BBQ doing some cooking at The Big Green Egg tent. A few months ago I did a review of his cookbook on this site. Catching Ray at a slow moment worked to my favor. I was able to speak with him and get him to sign my copy of his latest book “Dr. BBQ’s Big Time Barbecue Cookbook”. Ray was super. I had only spoken with him via email prior to meeting him but he was very cordial and open to conversation. Here is a pic of Dr. BBQ doing his thang!

I then made my way around several of the cook sites to try to glean a thing or two from the masters. I was able to see Myron Mixon from Jack’s Old South putting the finishing touch on his ribs before turn in time. Congratulations to Myron and the gang for winning first place and $1000 in the whole hog category. After the last turn in, Myron displayed his hog and offered samples to the folks that passed by. Needless to say I parked it there for a while and ate some wonderful whole hog.

Then I wondered over to buttrub.com’s site and was amazed at how much time and effort they put into their spot. Also, congratulations to Byron and the gang for winning the “Happiest Home in the Hollar” award this year on the US side. Other cook sites that caught my eye were Squeal of Approval and Whoop-de-Que from right here in Alabama.

Then it was time for me to make my way to town and check out things there. Music rang from just about every direction. Here is one of the groups performing for the folks in attendance. I also noticed that the Lynchburg Fire Department had their “Jack Daniels Fire Brigade” truck on display and just had to get a picture. I then made my way back to the pavilion for the awards ceremony. Congratulation to all the teams who got their name called.

I wondered around enjoying this wonderful atmosphere the rest of the day. I have not been to many of the cookoffs on the BBQ trail but I can say this one thing. Lynchburg and BBQ were made for each other.

2006 Jack Daniels World Championship BBQ Results

2005-10-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Grand Champion: Boys From Tornado Alley

Reserve Champion: Britt’s Barbecue

Overall Rankings
1. Boys from Tornado Alley

2. Britt’s Barbecue

3. Cooking With Attitude

4. Smoker’s Wild

5. Bar-B-Quau

6. It Ain’t Prime

7. Four Men and a Pig

8. Lotta Bull BBQ

9. Let’s Kick Some Ash

10. The Major Players

Chicken
1. Smoker’s Wild

2. Lotta Bull BBQ

3. Smoking Clones BBQ

4. World BBQ Team Switzerland

5. Bar-B-Quau

6. Cooking with Attitude

7. Buttrub.com

8. Boys From Tornado Alley

9. Jerry King-Midland, TX

10. Grub Rustlers

Ribs
1. I Smell Smoke!!!

2. Let’s Kick Some Ash

3. J-Mack Cookers

4. Buttrub.com

5. Lotta Bull BBQ

6. Boys from Tornado Alley

7. Rockin’ Ronnie’s Butt Shredders

8. Smoke a Fat One BBQ

9. Mad Cows BBQ

10. Back Fourty Cookers

Pork
1. Four Men and a Pig

2. I Que

3. Long Hollow Cooking Crew

4. J-Mack Cookers

5. Smoker’s Wild

6. Smokin’ Triggers

7. Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q

8. QN4U

9. Cooking with Attitude

10. Britt’s Barbecue

Brisket
1. It Ain’t Prime

2. Otis and the Bird

3. Pink Flamingo BBQ

4. The Major Players

5. Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q

6. Grill Ueli

7. Jack’s Old South

8. Long Hollow Cooking Crew

9. Boys from Tornado Alley

10. Let’s Kick Some Ash

Whole Hog
1. Jack’s Old South

2. Britt’s Barbecue

3. 2 Fat Larry’s

4. Oink, Cackle & Moo

5. The Major Players

6. Salzburger Barbecue Bull

7. World BBQ Team, Switzerland

8. Grill Ueli

9. Swinefellows

Sauce
1. Lone Wolf BBQ

2. Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q

3. The Heat is On

4. Otis and the Bird

5. Dizzy Pig BBQ

6. 2 Fat Larrys

7. Bid Daddy’s BBQ

8. Let’s Kick Some Ash

9. Smoking Clones BBQ

10. The Major Players

Chef's Choice
1. Grub Rustlers

2. Smoker’s Wild

3. I Que

4. Buttrub.com

5. Bar-B-Quau

6. Britt’s Barbecue

7. Jack’s Old South

8. Rub Me Tender

9. Smoke a Fat One BBQ

10. Pink Flamingo BBQ

Home Cooking FromThe Homeland
1. Grill Ueli

2. Black Forestg

3. World BBQ Team, Switzerland

4. Sazbirger Barbecie Bull

5. The “A”ustralian Team

6. Radio 101 Croatia

7. Swine Fellows

8. Los Carbones da la Vida

9. Mad Cows BBQ

10. Great Bulgarian BBQ

Dessert
1. Boys from Tornado Alley

2. Britt’s Barbecue

3. Pink Flamingo BBQ

4. Buttrub.com

5. Jack’s Old South

6. Whoop-De-Que

7. Grub Rustlers

8. Bar-B-Quau

9. Salzburger Barbecue Bull

10. Ulcer Acres BBQ
Shade Tree Division

"Shade Tree" Overall
1. T & H Bar-B-Que

2. Tyrannasaur-A-Que

3. Hickory Critters

4. Hickory Barn Bar-B-Que

5. Bwana Butts

6. En Fuego

7. Backyard BBQ

8. Ts Smoking Something

9. Double A BBQ

10. B & D Grilling

Chicken
1. The Green Team

2. Off the Sauce Cookers

3. Mainland America

4. Hickory Critters

5. No Name BBQ Team

6. Tyrannasaur-A-Que

7. T & H Bar-B-Que

8. Check Out My butt

9. Bwana Bitts

10. Cornbread and BBQ cooker

Ribs
1. En Fuego

2. T & H Bar-B-Que

3. Tyrannasaur-A-Que

4. Hickory Barn Bar-B-Que

5. Double A BBQ

6. All Wrapped Up

7. Hickory Critters

8. Backyard BBQ

9. T’s Smoking Something

10. Bwana Butts

Congratulations to all the teams who got their name called at this years Jack Daniels Invitational. Already getting ready for '06.

Friday @ The Jack

2005-10-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying if you have never made the trip to Lynchburg, TN for the Jack Daniels BBQ Cookoff – you need to do so. This was my first visit to the Jack but it will not be my last. There are things there for the entire family to do and all the bbq related fun you can handle.

I met my buddy Kent Lenox (Kudzu on the BBQ Form) at his home in Hazel Green, AL and then followed him to Lynchburg. Initial plans were for me to use his camper but with the possibility of some storms coming in we decided against that. Kent allowed me to stay at his house. He has a wonderful family and their hospitality was amazing.

When we arrived in Lynchburg, Kent took me to the volunteer tent where I was allowed to volunteer for the entire weekend. Most of the work was done on Friday. Supplies had to be issued to the international teams (more on them in a later post), several areas still needed to be set up for Friday and Saturday use. A few of us made the trip to BBQ Hill and set up for the party to be held later Friday night.

After everything was ready the teams participated in the ceremonial “Parade of Teams”. All the teams competing this weekend paraded from the contest site through downtown Lynchburg to the Jack Daniels Welcome Center. There they would board busses and be taken to the party on the hill (teams were judged on their spirit and enthusiasm and the top team was awarded a cash prize at the ceremony Saturday afternoon. Bad Byron's team buttrub.com was this year’s winner). The volunteers were also allowed to go to the party. Pack in several dignitaries and special guests and we must have had 300 or more in the pavilion for the party. A local catering company provided the meal.

Some folks stayed most of the night at the party but we left early. Our boss, Big Ed, said he needed us back at 6:30am to get things going. What Big Ed wants, Big Ed gets. We were back at 6:30am.

Stay tuned for Saturday's recap.

Smoke 'em if you got em.

GETTING READY FOR THE JACK

2005-10-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well, that time is almost here. This weekend I will be headed out to Lynchburg, TN and the 17th Annual Jack Daniels World Championship Cookoff. Teams and spectators will be rolling into the small Tennessee town as early as Monday or Tuesday transforming this town of 361 into a city of 20,000 – plus.

The competition field will consist of about 50 teams from the US along side about 16 or 18 international teams. Their website says 64 teams but I have heard there might be almost 70 by now. The team that won it all last year (Mad Cow’s BBQ) hails from Kent, England. They will compete for the title of Grand Champion to go along with their cash and trophies. In one day, more than 3,900 pounds of pork, beef and chicken will be dressed up and served up to Kansas City Barbecue Society and celebrity judges. Along with the cookoff are all kinds of games and entertainment.

I plan on heading up either Thursday night after I get off work or early Friday morning. A BBQ friend of mine who lives in Hazel Green, AL has offered me the use of his camper for the weekend. I hope to find a place at the nearby state park but I will not know that until Thursday. Thanks Kudzu - You Da Man!

Friday is “Party Night”. This is a time when all the competitors and fans get together and have fun for most of the night. Although the smoke will already be rolling for contest entries the teams still find time to party. I hope to meet with several of the teams and get some audio blogs from the night. I will also post some pics for your enjoyment.

If you have time, surf over to the BBQ Forum and check out the pod cast with Tana Shupe. She is the manager of Guest Services with Jack Daniels and gives the listener some insight on how the contest came about and how the teams are selected.

Have a great week and I’ll talk to you from the Jack.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

2005-10-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally decided to go all out and do my first overnight cook on Tuesday night. I knew that sooner or later I was going to have to get this one behind me. With everything I had read about the WSM and how it excels on cooks like this I just had to see for myself. Well, let me tell you what I discovered. Everything I had read, heard and learned about this wonderful smoker was true. A full load of Kingsford gave me a steady cook of 240-260 degrees for almost 10 hours and I still had plenty to go. I probably could have gone another couple of hours before having to add any fuel. I had to mess with the vents early on to get the temp to level out. I ended up with them set at about 1/3 open for most of the cook.

The process started at about 2:45 pm Tuesday afternoon when I took the 7.2 pound pork butt (bone-in of course) and covered it with yellow mustard. There is no other way to do that except to just dive in and get your hands dirty. After the slathering I put on a good coat of Modified Armadillo Willy’s Rub and then put it back in the fridge.

The butt went on the smoker at approximately 10:20 pm and was taken off at 8:52 am the next morning after hitting a temp of 200. A good sign that things had gone right – when I was removing the butt from the smoker it was breaking apart. Some of the juiciest, most tender meat I had ever seen. In my cooking notes I stated that the bark was not as prominent as I had hoped but was better than I had seen in some restaurants. The meat had a very pronounced smoke ring that I attempted to capture with a picture, to no avail.

My initial plan was to foil the butt at 165, then turn up the heat a little and make a run for 195. However, the butt hit 165 a little earlier than I expected at 2:45 am. I still had about 10 hours before I had to take it off the smoker and it was then I made the transition from “Follow the recipe” cooking to “Cooking by the seat of your pants”. I decided to just let it ride out the entire time without foiling. Turned out to be a good move. A more detailed discussion can be found by clicking here.

All in all, I was very satisfied with my first overnight cook. I learned a lot of things this time that will help me on future cooks. I made some simple mistakes but next time I will know better. Here are a few notes from my cooking log:

Must order the Brinkman water pan from Mike @ Hawgeyes BBQ. I ended up filling the WSM pan 2 times and if the cook had gone for another hour or so I would have had to do it a third.
For some reason, I put the butt fat side down – instead of fat side up. Not sure if it makes a difference but will be more careful next time.
WSM ran a little hotter than expected (250-260 with a spike of 271) but I think that helped with the shorter cooking time (a little over 10 hours vs. 14-16 hours.). The temp variations did not adversely effect the meat. Still very juicy and tender.

Have a great week and enjoy the great outdooes by smoke something this weekend. I am looking forward to going to the Jack Daniels cookoff next weekend in Lynchburg, TN. I will post more information about my trip soon.

SPECIAL PRAYER REQUESTED

2005-10-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

The following updates on Bobbie McWright's condition have been taken from the BBQ Forum. Anyone wishing to send a card can do so. Please send them to:

NorthCrest Hospital

100 NorthCrest Drive

CCU Room 5

Springfield, TN 37172

***********************************************************************************

HERE IS THE BEST NEWS OF THE WEEK REGARDING THE CONDITION OF BOBBIE McWRIGHT:

10/20/2005 Posted by Daffy:
Bobbie has asked Lee to marry him again------Lee is very grateful for everyone’s prayers... Lee expects Bobbie to be out of ICU today--then rehab... The PIGPAL trailer is at the JACK and MUCHO thanks to a large number of volunteers to help Randy --- Lee hopes to make a few appearances.....please come by and visit. daffy--I will be cooking the RIBS see ya there

10/19/05 9:59 A.M. Posted by Steph:
Lee just called and said "Day 13 and Ms. McWright is breathing on her own!" Things are getting better and better!

10/18/05 2:41 P.M. Posted by Daffy:
Spoke with Lee---Bobbie is out of her coma---tired and confused.She is still on the respirator and fighting to remove it..she is STILL CRITICAL ----the recovery will be slow---probably 2-3 weeks.. daffy--music city pig pal--gopher//

10/17/05 8:1 A.M. Posted by Randy and Carol:
I would be remiss if I didn't thank everyone for all the prayers on behalf of Bobbie and Lee. I know for a fact that Lee is comforted by the outpouring of concrn for Bobbie's recovery. Randy and I are doing our best to see that Lee is getting as much rest as possible and taking care of himself during this time. What follows is a message form Lee.

“Although Bobbie is still listed as critical and guarded, she is holding her own. There has been no significant change in her condition, but no setback either. Monday and Tuesday will be used to run a vigorous regimen of tests. I expect to have those results in a few days. Please continue to keep Bobbie in your prayers. As always all telephone calls are welcome. Thank you again for all the prayers.” Lee

10/14/05 5:00 P.M. Posted by Arlie Bragg:
Just spoke with Lee and he wanted me to thank each and everyone for their prayers and thoughts. He asked that I post that Bobbie is receiving some new medicine that will take 72 hours to get fully in her system. Their are in hopes this will start the road to recovery. I will update you all if their are any changes or on Monday evening.

10/14/05 11:27 A.M. Posted by Sheri:
I called the hospital and talked to Carol and she said there has been no change. She is still in a coma, but they are optimistic that she will recover. Let's all keep this family in our prayers and hope she wakes up soon!

10/13/05 12:36 P.M. Posted by RibDog:
I just talked with Lee on the phone. He said that Bobbie is stable but still in a coma. The doctors are confident they have the septic condition under control and now are dealing more with the neurological side of her condition. Bobbie, get well!!!

10/12/05 1:29 P.M. Posted by Steph for Lee:
First, let me start off by saying Thank You. Thank you for all the cards, calls and prayers on Bobbie’s behalf. I know she will be overwhelmed by the outpouring of concern and support for her. All of you know Bobbie would love to talk to each and every one of you if it was at all possible. This will probably have to wait for just a while longer. With this in mind, I know her friends want to show their support by stopping by the hospital. While I have no problem receiving visitors, there is a limited amount of space allotted to the CCU waiting area and there are other patients to be considered. For that reason, I would ask that if you are going to visit, to please, call first. You can call my number or call 256-426-9385. Please keep Bobbie in your prayers,
Lee McWright Music City Pig Pals

10/11/05 10:21 P.M. Posted by Randy and Carol:
Just left the hospital and Bobbie is resting. We had a pretty uneventful day today. There were no changes, but there were no set back either. She continues to fight, so please keep them in your prayers.

10/12/05 7:18 A.M. Posted by Randy and Carol:
Lee is handling everything fine. Although he doen't leave the hospital, he rests at night in an area provided close to Bobbie and he has access to her room all night, which is a comfort to him.

10/11/05 11:46 A.M. Posted by Lynn Bruce:
I talked with Lee this about 11:00 A.M. morning, Bobbie is "holding her own", she had a restful evening. Still a very ill lady, hopefully they'll have test results today from the lab test blood was drawn for yesterday afternoon. Lee is fully expecting her to come out of this fighting, ready to cook some 'Que. Please keep them in your prayers.

10/10/05 8:39 A.M. Posted by Arlie Bragg :
Lee Called ...Monday morning and blood pressure is stable. He said there still aren’t any changes but hoped she improves throughout the day. They will try to get her off the breathing machine in the next 24 hrs too.

10/09/05 9:30 P.M. Posted by Randy and Carol :
Randy and I just left the hospital for the evening. Lee is doing fine and trying to get some much needed rest this evening. Bobbie is resting comfortably. As mentioned in Arlie's update, she did show a slight improvement today. We continue to talk to her and tell her all the prayers that are being said on her behalf. I told her it will keep her busy reading all of them. Keep up the prayers that she will respond to our conversations with her in the next couple of days. Lee sends his thanks to all.

10/09/05 9:29 A.M. Posted by Arlie Bragg :
I just spoke with Lee and there has been no change. He is holding up the best he can with support from family, their bbq family along with Randy and Carol who are with him at the hosiptal. He ask that prayers continue and that although visitors would be greatly appreciated he ask that we all just keep them in our prayers and thoughts at this time. I will keep you updated!

10/08/05 3:47 P.M.

It has come to our attention that Bobbie McWright of Music City Pig Pals is in the hospital in guarded condition. I had the honor of meeting Bobbie and her husband Lee at the Decatur cookoff a few weeks ago. I don't believe there are any finer folks in the world of bbq than these guys. Please pray for them during this time.

Here is the post on the BBQ Forum made just a while ago.

"To all of Lee & Bobbie's friends in the barbecue community!!! I received a telephone call from Lee within the past 5 minutes requesting me to make a post on The BBQ Forum with a special request. Lee asked me to tell you that Bobbie is in the hospital, in guarded condition, and is in a semi-coma. She initially was in a coma, then came out of the coma and then because of her condition the doctors induced another coma. The request Lee asked me to make of each of you is that you keep Bobbie and Lee in your prayers!!! Right now Bobbie needs a special touch from the Great Physician. Your prayers are needed and will truly be appreciated. I'll post additional information when available.

Ronnie"

I will post any updates as they become available.

Chili and Cake

2005-10-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

As I last posted, today was “Chili Day at the EMA” and I was the head chef and bottle washer and everything else. It had been a while since I had made chili but everything went very well.

I have used a chili recipe I found on the Tabasco website and have tweaked it a little bit. To the original recipe I have added chili beans, tomato paste and cayenne pepper to taste. The only thing I was concerned about was that when I make chili at home it is usually for just the wife and me. This time I had to up the recipe to about 24 servings. So what did I do? I went to the Fruit from Washington website and used their ingredients conversion program putting in the original amounts and WHALA – I had the amounts needed. Ain’t computers wonderful?

I later ran into a small problem. The large pot that I was using (belonged to the EMA) would not hold everything. The liquid was almost to the top and I had not even added the ground beef yet. Thankfully, a fellow employee lived close by and she went home and got hers and brought it to me. Now I had two pots of chili on the oven.

Unknown to me, the boss invited his wife to have lunch with us. He told her we served at 12 but I had told everyone 12:30. I served them before anyone else came down and was sweating bullets until they were finished. My boss had 3 bowls and his wife had 2. I guess they liked it. I rang the dinner bell and the stampede to the kitchen was on. Everyone seemed to have a great time and was very complimentary towards the chef.

I was also surprised with a birthday cake from the group. Saturday is my birthday and the staff was nice enough to get me a cake. Thanks guys.

Have a great weekend

2005-10-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Here in central Alabama it is raining (and has been for a while now with T/S Tammy on the Atlantic coast) but a cold front is coming through and we should see highs in the low 70's for a while. Making a fat man happy!

I am hoping to finally get to do my first pulled pork attempt on the WSM while I am off next week. A lot of you get to do your stuff on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. With my work schedule, I am off Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and every other Wednesday. So while I am at work you are getting to "Q" - but I get the same treat while you are at work. Anyway, if the weather (rain) holds out I will give it a go. Will take lots of pics and have a post next week.

I am also experimenting with Audio Blogger. My plan is to use it mostly when I go to a competition and get to talk with the "Pros". I intend to try to get some blogs from The Jack Daniels BBQ Cookoff on Oct 21-22. Fifty of the worlds greatest bbq teams will be competing at the Jack and I hope to get to talk with most of them.

My co-workers talked me into cooking today. Since it is raining I am cooking my homemade chili and several of the others are bringing the "fixins" as we call them down here in the south. I think we might even have some mexican cornbread and dessert.

Take care this weekend and "smoke 'em if you got 'em".

Got Tagged!

2005-10-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. My blogger buddy (or so I thought) up in NYC, The Backyard Chef, tagged me the other day via email. Now, most of you are probably like I was – what the heck is a tag. Keep reading:

Here are the instructions/reference for whoever I tag next:

"It’s the 23/5 meme. The blogger tagged has to go to their 23rd post, find the 5th sentence and then write something interesting about it on their blog. So delve into your blog archive and locate your 23rd post (or closest). Then find the 5th sentence (or closest). Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas…then tag 5 people to do the same."

So here goes – thanks Matt. I owe you a big one!!

Sentence #5 – “Maybe things will dry out this coming week.” From the post “Rain, Rain go away” dated July 16, 2005.

New Link Added

2005-10-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Along with my love for BBQ, I also enjoy a good chicken wing from time to time. Several of the bbq sauce experiments I have conducted over the last year have centered around the wing.

Here is a link to a blogsite dedicated solely to the chicken wing. Check it now and check it often. Let me know what you think.

Also, I will be updating the links section over the next couple of days so pardon the mess while I do a little housecleaning.

Audio Blog Test

2005-10-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is a test of the Audio Blogger feature. It will be deleted shortly.

American Royal

2005-10-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

I just got the results from The 26th Annual American Royal held September 30 and October 1st. Here is a link to the a thread on TVWB. Ray Basso has posted some pics over on the forum. Congratulations to all the teams who got a call. Might just have to go to this one one day.

Grand Champion: $10,000 and Kingfisher Kooker and an automatic invitation to the AR for the next 5 years - Great Grills O Fire
Reserve: $6,500 Lotta Bull BBQ
2nd reserve $4,000 Grillin Granny

Chicken:
1st Great Grills O Fire
2nd Lotta Bull BBQ
3rd Smokin Mother Ruckers
4th Parrothead Smokers
5th Cookin with Attitude

Ribs
1st Buttrub.com
2nd Great Grills O Fire
3rd Parrothead Smokers
4th It Aint Prime
5th Smokin Poobahs

Pork
1st Daisy May's BBQ
2nd Smokin Triggers
3rd Smokin Clones
4th Pyros
5th Buttrub.Com

Brisket
1st Feeding Frenzy BBQ
2nd Big Daddys Grill
3rd Boys from Tornado Ally
4th Smokin Elvises
5th Sedalia Master Basters

Got Chicken?

2005-09-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

Well, as predicted, I tackled a couple of Beer Can Chickens and some chicken thighs Monday. This was my first multi-meat cook on the WSM so I was a little anxious. All in all, things went pretty well. Here is a breakdown of the prep and cook.

For BCC#1, I River City Rubs chicken rub. I did not have any beer or apple juice to put in the can so I used some pineapple juice.

For BCC#2, I used Dr. BBQ’s Big Time BBQ Rub. This is my “go to” rub right now. I have used it on ribs, chicken and put in my baked beans. Basically I have put it on everything except a Tylenol and that might not be too bad either. Anyway, I put some Italian dressing and Moore’s sauce in the can for this one (remember, no beer or apple juice?)

The thighs were divided up and soaked overnight in different marinades. I put a couple in some homemade teriyaki sauce – these were for Mrs. Smokey. Then I threw a couple in some Soakin’ Sauce. I picked up this sauce in Helen, GA a while back but had not used it yet. No time like the present. The last three thighs, I put in a mixture I got from River City Rub. It consisted of part Italian dressing, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. I think I like this one.

I fired up 2 chimneys of Kingsford and foiled the water pan but did not use water. I was shooting for a temp of 325-350 for this cook. I cooked each BCC on the bottom grate, then threw the thighs on the top afterwards. The first BCC took a little over an hour and a half at a grate temp of 325. After putting on the second chicken, the temp never got above 300-325 even with all three vents at 100%. This one took a little over 2 hours. I then put in another lit chimney of Kingsford and removed the water pan. The temp shot up to 375-400 and the thighs cooked in less than an hour. I cooked them 20 down, 20 up and sauce for 20.

Here are my observations from my cooking log:

- BCC#1 had little effect from pineapple juice substitute. Skin was a little better this time. Very juicy and had a great smoke flavor.
- BCC#2 was also juicy and smoke flavored. Breast meat on both was very white while the darker meat had a reddish color from the smoke.
- Thighs were a little better this time. The skin did not shrink up as much as the quarters did. This is most likely due to the quarters being brined and the thighs being marinated.
- Thighs appeared to be charred a little on the bottom. Next time will move them around between step 2 and 3 to keep even browning.
- Basting sauce was a hit. Great combo – this time the honey did not overpower the sauce. Sweet and sticky. The rub also helped. Experimenting with Sweet Baby Rays, honey dry mustard and some bbq rub.

HAD ME A GOOD TIME!

2005-09-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to attend my first official KCBS competition last Saturday in Decatur, AL. I also had my wife and youngest son along with me for the ride. The event was held at Ferris Rhodes Park on the banks of the Tennessee River. I got a little turned around with my directions but when we got near the Holiday Inn I could smell the smoke and knew we were close.

Once inside, I was immediately and eternally “hooked” on competition BBQ. About 50-60 teams were competing for the top prize. There was a strong family atmosphere in the air and the event had lots of stuff for kids and other visitors to take advantage of when you were not walking around the competition grounds.

I was able to meet some of the best pit masters and BBQ'ers on the circuit. These folks are very approachable. I was able to get pretty close to them while they were preparing their entry boxes. This allowed me to watch and learn. I tried not to disturb them but did return a "hello" or "how are you" when they sent one my way. I was content to save my socializing and questions for after turn-in time. I most enjoyed watching Myron Mixon of "Jacks Old South" BBQ team. This guy is a master when it comes to BBQ. I was also fortunate to be able to meet Bobbie and Lee McWright of "Music City Pig Pals". These folks talked to us like they had known us for years.

The competitors were not allowed to sell their food. However, this did not keep them from placing their “extras” on a plate or in some foil and setting it near their site. I believe they called it SAMPLES! Hats off to Blindog’s Outlaw BBQ Gang for a mighty tasty rib (or two…).

Of all the things I saw at my first contest, there were several things I did not see. I did not see any selfishness on the part of the competitors. Although there was alcohol consumption I did not see any behavior that required me to steer my child in another direction. The two things I expected to see, but didn’t, were flies and thermometers. I did not see the first fly and do not remember seeing anything even closely resembling a thermometer. Go figure.

Here are the winners from Decatur:

Chicken - Neighbors Brewin' and Quein
Ribs - Bar-B-Quau
Pork - J-Mack Cookers
Brisket - Bar-B-Quau
Sauce - Mealtime BBQ

Grand Champion was buttrub.com - congrats to Bad Byron and all the gang.

Reserve GC was Team Top Chick - I think Ron has a keeper on his hands (and they're from Alabama, too).

Click here for a list of the top ten in each catagory as posted on the BBQ Forum

Gonna do some beer can chickens and possibly some thighs next week. Stay tuned!

Do you know Jack?

2005-09-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a final list of teams drawn to compete in the 2005 Jack Daniels Invitational in Lynchburg, TN. The contest is scheduled for October 21-22. This list was origionally posted on the KCBS website.

First Contest

2005-09-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

NO, I AM NOT COMPETING...YET. I am, however, attending my first BBQ competition this weekend in Decatur, AL. Several of the top teams will be competing in this contest and I just cannot wait to get in "amongst" them.

Will try to get some pics while there. The wife and youngest son will be with me so it sould be a great trip.

Good luck to everyone competing. See you there.

Help with chicken

2005-09-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

O.K. all you experienced WSM'ers out there, help a brother out. What did I do wrong? I smoked some chicken quarters earlier this week. I brined them overnight then dried them out in the fridge before putting on the cooker. I was very pleased with the overall taste and flavor of the chicken. My problem was with the appearance. Not sure what went wrong.

Here is what I did:
* started with 1 lit chimney poured over 1 unlit with hickory chunks.
* placed skin side up in center of top grate for +/- 1.5 hours. Grate temp never got above 300.
* at 45 minutes, the skin had a nice color but was starting to separate from the meat. Pic #1
* at 1.5 hours, the chicken was up to temp but the skin had almost rolled off the top. Pic #2

As I said, other than the appearance, the chicken was wonderful. It had a great smokey taste without being overpowering. Excellent color and texture once you got past the skin. I also mixed up some 5:1 KC Masterpiece/Honey and used it as a dipping sauce. MIGHTY TASTEY!!

Send me your ideas on what I should do to help the appearance of my chicken. Post a comment or send me an email.

Smoke 'em if you got em.

Help Hurricane Victims, Please

2005-09-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have not gotten to this sooner. I have been busy the last few days helping our agency (Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency) get housing ready for 1000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees that will be coming to our area in the next few days. They will be housed in a former barracks area on the now closed Ft. McClellan. Work crews have been going all week getting the place ready.

Do what you can to help these people. Click on the banner below to donate to the American Red Cross. Let's show the world how much Americans (especially the BBQ community) can do when it is our own that is hurting.

Thanks in advance,

Ole Smokey

A Labor of Love...

2005-09-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

St. Louis Style Spareribs and BBQ Beans

Monday, I took advantage of a holiday and smoked some ribs. Pretty tasty if I say so myself. Here is the 411.

What I used:
* 2 - racks of St. Louis style spareribs (2.7# and 2.9#).
* Dr. BBQ’s Big Time BBQ rub
* Dr. BBQ's BBQ Beans
*3 medium chunks of Mesquite smoking wood
*Kingsford Charcoal

Filled charcoal ring a little over half full with unlit charcoal. Placed 3 chunks of Mesquite wood (the only wood I had left), then covered to the rim of the charcoal ring with more unlit Kingsford. Poured 1-lit chimney of charcoal on top of this and assembled WSM.

Cooking summary:
1203 - Placed meat on smoker at 240°F bone side up. Let stand for 2.5 hours.
1433 - At 2.5 hours, flipped to bone side down and let stand another 1.5 hours.
1603 - At 4 hours into the cook, checked for doneness. Basically done and time to apply sauce for next 15 minutes.
1608- Apply sauce and spritz.
1613 - Same as above
1618 - Ready to serve. Total cook time of 4 hours 15 minutes.

Picture links:
Here is a pic of the ribs ready for the smoker.
Here is a shot of the new Nu-Temp at work.
Here are the ribs after the first 2.25 hours. Looking good in the neighborhood!
After 4 hours, 15 minutes, here is what they looked like.
Here is another look at the finished product.

Observations:

1.Do not put anything to cook into the smoking chamber until it is up to temp. I put beans in when I assembled smoker and the temp could not get above 213°F. Took them out and put them in the oven. Temp rose to 240°F with no problem.

2. After putting ribs on the grate, the temp spiked to 268°F. I was supposed to wait until 30 mins into the cook before touching vents but I backed all 3 down to about 50%. Temp held at 250°F steady the rest of the first 2.5-hour cycle.

3. At 2.5 hours the ribs looked almost done; pulling away from the bone on two racks. Flipped bone side up and spritzed with apple juice and took 1 pic. Will check again in 90 minutes. Grate temp dropped to 147 but quickly rose back into the 240-250 ranges within 5 minutes.

4. Think twice next time about the amount of unlit charcoal in bottom. Can probably get by with just ½ chamber to ¾ chamber of coals with wood. This might account for the cruising temp of 250°F instead of 225°F.

First Smoke on WSM

2005-09-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally had a chance to take the new WSM on her maiden smoke voyage. It was delivered late Monday afternoon but due to winds from Hurricane Katrina I was not able to use it Tuesday. I wanted the first smoke to be something easy but tasty. I decided to try a recipe for chicken thighs that I saw posted on the Virtual Weber Bullet board. Brad Morrell of Baby Got Rack posted the recipe.

Everything went very well and to say that I am impressed with this unit is an understatement. This thing is super. I cannot wait to fire it up again over the Labor Day holiday. Probably will so some St. Louis spareribs that are sitting in the freezer. Here are some pics from the cook.

First Smoke

Ready to go

20 minutes in

40 minutes in

77 minutes and done

Close-up pic (blurry)

Keep ‘em smoking.

A New Daddy...

2005-08-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

All of the folks at Ole Smokey BBQ would like to congratulate Steve on becoming a father (for the 4th time). Steve’s newest bundle of joy arrived at 4:40 P.M. (CST) on Monday, August 29, 2005. She weighed in at a whopping 48 lbs and measured 41x19x19 and was delivered by Dr. Brown. She was sent home with a beautiful heavy-duty vinyl cover.

The yet unnamed addition to the Ole Smokey BBQ family was quickly unpacked and assembled and placed next to older brother, “Ole Smokey”. He was a little standoffish at first but by the end of the day he had accepted his new little sister with an open firebox.

New baby and dad are both doing fine. Click here for a pic of Steve and his newest arrival. This is gonna be good!

Check out Hampton Smoker Blog

2005-08-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

This morning I was looking thru some of the comments folks have been leaving regarding this site. I saw one posted from Matt in NYC and he listed his site in the comment. I checked it out and it is awesome. When you get time, surf over to www.backyardchef.blogspot.com and get a load of Matt's site, The Hampton Smoker. Great pics and how-to stuff on this one.

I also posted a link to Matt's site on my favorite links section to the right of the page.

The WSM is on it's way to Oxford. Should get it Monday, as promised.

Keep 'em smokin'

My New Toys...

2005-08-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share my new BBQ toys with you. I have already posted pics of the WSM and will post some of the assembly and first cook pics soon.

Along with the WSM, I ordered the Nu-Temp NU701 Wireless BBQ thermometer. With it I ordered 2 of the remote transmitters (NU-751) allowing me to continuously monitor three temps at one time. Click on the pic below for a better view of this unit.

I really must give credit to Nu-Temp and their customer service. I ordered these on Saturday, August 20th and received them on Wednesday, August 24th. Also, I used this link from The Virtual Weber Bullet website that enabled me to save a total of almost $57.00 just on this order alone. I am not sure how long this offer will be running but if you need some new probe thermometers, now would be an excellent time to get these. I will post information regarding the use of these thermometers in the days to come.

Still waiting on the WSM and the hardware. I am ready to SMOKE!!!

Emails and such...

2005-08-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Several things have been going on in the last few days. Here is something I thought you might like.

Recently (07/08/2005), I posted a review of the book "Peace, Love and Barbecue" written by Mike Mills. Well, the other day someone posted a note on The BBQ Forum wanting to get more information about this book. I replied with a few good words and included a link to the review on this site. Much to my suprise, Mike's daughter Amy (who co-authored the book with her dad) sent me a very nice email. Here is a little piece of what Amy wrote:

Dear Ole Smokey,

A friend forwarded the nice blog entry you wrote about my daddy's new book! I will be sure to print this off and show it to him (he's not too computer savvy! ;-) He will be very touched by your kind words.

Amy
the barbecue heiress

Amy was also nice enough to invite me to visit any of their restaurants in Southern Illinois and Las Vegas and their yearly BBQ competition they host in Mikes hometown. Click on their website to get more infomation http://www.17thstreetbarbecue.com. Amy also let me know that the link I had posted had been removed from the BBQ Forum. I went back and, sure enough, it was gone. Now that is something I just do not understand. I will have to go back and re-read the rules of the forum to see if I violated anything. I do know that several forum members make posts with links back to their personal websites. I am not talking about business sites that advertise on the forum. I am talking about sites that have pictures, recipes, and bbq related items on them that are generated, maintained and owned by a person. I do not see where their links are being removed. If, after checking the rules, I find that I am in error then it will be a non-issue. However, if I have done nothing wrong I will have to get with Ray Basso of the forum to get a clarification. Either way I will continue to support the BBQ Forum and what it stands for.

On a lighter note: I ordered my first WSM Saturday and it should be delivered by August 29th, just in time for a Labor Day cookout. I also ordered some other goodies. Watch for upcoming posts about assembly and the first few cooks on the WSM.

Until next time, keep 'em smokin'!

Another good cook at the EMA....

2005-08-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today, we had another cookout at work.. things went a little smoother today than last time. The menu for today was pork spareribs, baby back ribs, pork chops, chicken breasts and the basic burger and dogs. Side dishes included corn on the cob, my baked beans, coleslaw, boiled and fried cabbage, texas caviar, (I’m getting dizzy), macaroni and cheese and two very sweet desserts. I used two grills and “Ole Smokey” to get the job done. Everyone was pleased and we ended up rubbing our bellies afterwards because we had eaten way too much.

I had a couple of folks take pictures today. Here are some of the pics...

Logo Land

2005-08-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been attempting to come up with a logo. Here is what I have come up with so far. What do you think?

BBQ Ramblings...

2005-08-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, by the end of this month, I will be the proud new owner of a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker (hereafter lovingly referred to as WSM). I still plan on keeping the Chargriller offset but after reading all the reviews about the WSM I just have to give it a try. I don’t think I will be disappointed.

I did some research on the WSM and like what I have found. I have been on several discussion boards on the Internet and most all of WSM owners give rave reviews. There is even a site dedicated exclusively to the WSM. Check it out. It might just make you a convert also. If it does make you buy one, let me recommend another site. This site takes the new WSM user through a 5 step program where you start out very basic (chicken with all vents open) and work your way up (pork shoulder with vent and fuel changes) in 5 simple cooks. The main goal of this site is not to teach you to cook the different types of meat but to teach you the basics of fire control for your cooker. After the 5 steps, you are able to use the fuel and vents to control the fire so you can cook anything you want. I plan on trying my hand at this one. Everything extra you can learn helps.

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post. I will try to do better in the future (yeah, right). I have been busy with things other than bbq the last week and it is just about time to get back to business. Although I have not been cooking here of late, I have been able to get caught up on my reading. Currently, I am reading two great bbq books, Dr. BBQ’s Big Time BBQ Cookbook and Peace, Love and BBQ by Mike Mills. Check out my posts on these books in the archives.

Take care and we will be smoking soon!

Pneumonia and Chicken

2005-08-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Strange title, ain’t it? Let me explain. Back on 07/23/05 I posted about our cookout at work. Well, I wasn’t feeling too good that day but I attributed it to the heat (heat index over 100) and pressure of cooking for the guys for the first time. Not too long after I got home I started coughing and running a fever. To make a long story short, I went to the doctor and learned that I had pneumonia. In fact, everyone in my house is sick. My wife also has pneumonia and my two sons are getting over bronchitis. Needless to say, “Ole Smokey” has not been uncovered for a while.

Feeling much better after taking well over $100 in medication, I decided I would try to do something because the withdrawals were getting the best of me. I decided on doing something simple so I cooked a couple of BCC’s last night. This time I felt like experimenting. Here is what I did. I made up two different batches of rubs and decided to cook them, head-to-head, and see which one I liked better. Now, my wife does not like anything too hot so I tried to find something that we both would eat. I decided to make up a batch of Mike Mills' “Magic Dust” (this has chili powder and cayenne) for me. You can find this recipe and others in Mikes book, “Peace, Love and Barbecue”. For my wife’s chicken, I decided on River City Rub’s basic chicken rub. I found their recipe in “Big Daddy’s Zubba Bubba BBQ” book. Both rubs are very simple but different.

I smoked the chickens at 325-350°F for a little over an hour. Used soaked hickory chunks and Kingsford. I sprayed them every few minutes with straight apple juice. Both came out with crisp skins and amazing color. As I thought, the chicken with the Magic Dust was a little warmer that the one with the River City Rub. I could not pick a favorite. They both tasted wonderful. I guess it is back to the drawing board. Anyway, it was good to smell the smoke and get back into the swing of things.

Next up – pulled pork.

Why?

I just gotta do it!!!

My Newest BBQ book

2005-07-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you one of the best bbq books I have found in quite some time. The book is “Peace, Love and Barbecue” written by Mike Mills. I just simply love this book. I made a post on the bbqforum several months ago (and even blogged about it on June 8th) stating that I was looking for a book that told a story about bbq. I have enough recipes. I have recipes I will never be able to cook I have so many. I just wanted a book that chronicled the life of someone who loved and lived bbq. I have found it in this book.

I must confess that I had never heard of Mike prior to picking up this book. He retired from the competitive bbq circuit in 1994 after racking up an unbelievable stash of awards and championships. Competing under the team name “Apple City Barbecue” from 1989 to 1994, they competed in 69 competitions winning 64 first place awards, 22 second, 9 third and a whopping 32 Grand Champion awards. Several sauce awards also go to their credit. 2 first places and 1 Grand Champion awards at Jack Daniel’s. But here are the most impressive numbers to me. 2 perfect scores at Memphis in May (first time ever). 4 time World Champion at MIM. 3 time Grand World Champion at MIM (only team ever to do this). Now, Mike is involved in several bbq restaurant ventures and hosts a competition each year in his hometown of Murphysboro, IL. Based on this, I guessed Mike had a story to tell. And tell it he does.

The format for the book is simple. It starts with Mike’s earliest recollections of his dad digging a pit in the ground and cooking meat all day. That instilled a love for food in Mike. Mike then traces his steps through adulthood to where he is now. Along the way he meets with some of the bbq elite. Folks like Don McLemore and Chris Lilly from Big Bob Gibson’s, Paul Kirk (a.k.a. The Baron of Barbecue) and many others. And it has some darn good recipes, too!

This book reads like no other bbq book I have found. Like it says on the cover, “Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales and Outright Lies from the legends of barbecue. It is co-written by Amy Mills Tunnicliffe, Mike’s daughter. I won't spill any secrets here but do yourself a favor and get this book.

Cookout at the EMA (Long)

2005-07-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday we had a cookout at work. I had tried a few weeks ago to get up a family fun day for our employees and their families but the interest was just not there. Therefore, going into Thursday I was not sure what to expect. I must say I was surprised. I loaded up “Ole Smokey” and brought everything I thought I would need to do hamburgers, hotdogs and brats. That was the menu…or so I thought!

When I arrived at work and began unloading I found out things had changed. I walked into the kitchen and saw country style ribs, a family pack of chicken thighs, budan (sp?) and lots of other things I was not expecting. I tried to play it cool but my mind was already working overtime. I knew I would not have enough time to smoke the chicken thighs like I would at home and I had never even attempted to do anything with country style ribs. I had already decided I would throw the budan in the pot with the brats, beer, onions and butter.

I went to my computer and attempted to solicit the help of my Barbecue Bible Forum friends. I made a quick post describing my dilemma over the ribs and that I needed help fast! Here are some of the issues that I had:

- Never cooked country style ribs before.
- Did not have any of my rubs, spices or such to put on the chicken and did not have the resources to make a rub.
- Have not grilled chicken in a long while, just smoking. Did not have my meat thermometer to know when chicken was done.

Anyway, after making the post I had a few work related things I had to do before the cooking started. My coworkers all helped out by taking turns filling my spot in the EOC while I was prepping the food and fire. Thanks guys!

Like I said, I had not planned on anything but burgers and dogs so I did not have what I thought I needed to do the food right. I started rummaging through the cabinets and found some salt and pepper, generic seasoning salt and Lawry’s. I opted for the Lawry’s. I washed and trimmed the chicken and rubbed them down with the Lawry’s. They were starting to look pretty good. After a while, I checked the forum to see if any responses had been posted. “Susan Z” from northern Virginia had stepped up to the plate, so to speak, and had posted 4 different recipes for me. Thanks Susan. She provided some great ideas for this type of meat. Click here to go to the forum to read her recipes. You will also see a post from “January Bride” describing a very tempting oven cooked recipe for the country style ribs. Tip of the hat to you, Bride.

Long story short, I ended up grilling everything. I added to that my homemade baked beans and potato salad making for a full plate when served. That was Thursday and I was still getting complements on Friday and even this morning when I arrived at work. I’m glad everyone was pleased. Maybe this will make it easier to do something like this more often since this one went so well. My wife even liked what little leftovers I was able to bring home.

Sorry for not taking any pics. Planning on doing two BCC on Monday. Will definately have some pics from that. Until then, smoke on!

Rain, Rain go away!!

2005-07-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the end of another week. I was looking forward to smelling some smoke this past week but the weather kept me from fulfilling my desires. I live in Alabama and we had a visitor last week (cousin Dennis blew through). We are still getting some rain from this storm almost a week later. Maybe things will dry out this coming week.

Anyway, I thought Tuesday would be my best shot at getting in some “Q-time”. My wife had bought a family pack of chicken thighs and I figured I would give them a run. I marinated them in Italian dressing overnight Monday. While my chimney of charcoal was heating up (got a new Weber chimney Monday – better than anything else I have seen) I rinsed off the thighs and applied a generous amount of Dr. BBQ’s Big Time Rub. I had tried it on ribs and fell in love with it. Dr. BBQ said it was good on any kind of meat so I thought I would use it on the chicken. And what Dr. BBQ says, I does! After putting the rub on the thighs, I went outside and put the lit chimney of coals in the SFB. I then went back inside to get the rest of the stuff ready while the smoker heated up. Then it happened!

I heard a loud clap of thunder off in the distance. I ran outside to see a very strong thunderstorm headed right for me. I have not had much practice cooking in the rain so I thought for a minute I might try it. I moved my picnic table with its umbrella near Ole Smokey to try to keep as much rain off of her as possible. I looked and she was purring nicely at 200° and almost ready to go to work. Then the rain started. The umbrella would not hold off all the tropical rain still left from Dennis and in about 5 minutes the temp went down to about 150°. I closed off all the vents to put the fire out with plans of firing her back up again after the rain blew over. But that was the problem. The rain did not blow over.

Here I am with 10-12 thawed chicken thighs covered with rub and nothing to smoke them on. So I did the next best thing. I preheated the oven to 350° and just put them in there. They came out wonderful. Probably the only thing I would have changed would be to lighten up on the rub just a touch. Although the chicken was great, the chili powder in the rub was a little overpowering given the amount I used. Note to self!

No pics this time. We are going to cook out at work next Thursday. I hope to have a post and pics from this next weekend. Until then, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

Back from Vacation...

2005-07-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a few days R & R with the family. We decided to head to the mountains this time and we spent 4 days in Gatlinburg, TN. I had not been there in about 12 years so it was just like the first time all over again. My wife and two sons along with my parents made the trip and had a wonderful time.

So that I can keep this BBQ related, I wanted to tell you about a restaurant we had several meals at while in Gatlinburg. The name of the place is Bennett’s Pit BBQ. It is located on River Road in downtown Gatlinburg. Check out their website and plan a trip that includes Bennett’s.

Unlike a lot of BBQ restaurants, Bennett’s serves breakfast, a very good one at that. They offer an unbeatable full breakfast and fruit bar for those of us who just like to “graze”. They also offer a complete breakfast menu featuring old fashioned pancakes, omelets, B & G (that’s biscuits and gravy for you northern readers), and several breakfast platters. All are reasonably priced and you can even print off coupons from their menu page that will save you 10% on your meals. Print off several and use them on each visit.

The best meal that I had at Bennett’s was dinner. There were so many things on the menu that I wanted to try but could not decide which item I wanted most. Would it be the hickory smoked ribs? Maybe the ½ hickory smoked chicken? Man, the brisket sure does sound good. Then I found it! The word every BBQ lover likes to read on a menu; “Sampler”. I ordered their Texan Sampler. This comes with a generous amount of chopped BBQ pork, beef brisket, sausage, chicken and pork spareribs. Sides included BBQ beans and coleslaw and a toasted bun. All this for $17.99. Everything on my plate was wonderful. All the meat had an awesome hickory smoke flavor without being overpowering. The smoke ring on the brisket was amazing. Great skin on the chicken and the chopped pork was possibly the best I have ever had. I do not know what Bruce puts in his sauce but it is out of this world. The spare ribs were a little dry and tough but they did not bring down the overall quality of this dish. Overall, I would give Bennett’s a 9.0 on a scale of 1-10.
So, the next time you go to Gatlinburg, check out Bennett’s. They have a great child’s menu along with serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ll go back!

Monday's results

2005-06-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I cooked the menu listed for Monday. Man was it good. In a nutshell, here is what went down. The weather was pretty but boy was is hot. The air temp was at about 88°F but with the heat index it went to 95°F. Note to self: need to build a cover over the smoking area soon. A light southern wind at 5 mph was a well-accepted blessing. I’ll skip all the negative things that happened as I was trying to get the chimney lit. I have been having problems with this one for a while. I have tried everything I know to do and it still will not light. Even placed vegetable oil on the paper wicks this time. Still no go. The only thing I can think of is I might be putting too many coals in and there is not enough room for ventilation. I also have just about decided that there is a Weber Chimney in my immediate future. Possibly two. I placed a chimney of unlit coals in the SFB and when the finally lit chimney was ready I poured them on top of the unlit coals. Placed 4 chucks of hickory in the mix and things were looking good.

While everything was getting hot I had time to get to know my ribs a little better. I have been guilty of not having my own special rub that I use. I have tried store bought. ‘Nuff said. I have tried several variations that I have found online at places like BBQ Forum and Barbecue Bible and others. Everyones tastes are different and I still had not found the one that “hit the spot”. That was before this time.

I made a post the other day about Dr. BBQ’s new book. This one is a keeper. I decided to give his Big Time BBQ Rub and his Thick and Sticky BBQ Sauce a run around the block. I am not a big fan of chili powder (and this rub has 2 TBS) but I think it made the difference in this rub. It not only gave the ribs a deep dark color before they even hit the heat, but it also pushed the taste into the “oh so good” category.

Anyway, with “Ole Smokey” fired up and ready to go, I placed the pan of BBQ beans on the charcoal tray of the CG. Then I placed the ribs over the beans so that the beans would catch all the juices that fell. The temperature gauge was holding steady at 225°F and the smoke smelled real good.

At the 2-hour mark, I removed the beans and gave them a good stir and placed foil over them and stuck them in the oven to hold their heat. I also removed the ribs and checked temp for the first time. Those babies were readying 155°-160° and some of the meat had already started pulling away from the bone. I decided to go ahead and foil them. Due to the already high temp I knew they would not last the remaining 2 hours of my 2-1-1. Because I did not want them to dry out I poured some apple juice in the foil and sealed them up. Placed them back on the grill for about 40 minutes then pulled them again. They were dead on 170°. I removed them from the foil. I took several of the burning coal from the SFB and placed them on the grill side of the smoker. After moving the grates over the coals I placed the ribs over the coals and grilled them for about 10 minutes covering them with the thick and sticky sauce. These dudes were looking good. Add some cornbread casserole and baked sweet potatoes and you have a plateful of “Surely goodness and have mercy”.

All in all this was a good cook. Still fighting a problem getting the coals lit. Still want to make some grill mods to the CG but I am very pleased with my product. Check out the pics and let me know what you think.

1) Ribs and Beans

2) Ribs with Dr. BBQ'a Big Time BBQ rub

3) Ribs on smoker

4) Finished ribs

5) Finished beans

Good eats on Monday

2005-06-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Just decided what I am gonna fix on Monday. Check out this menu. I will let you know how it goes.

*Ole Smokey's Thick-n-Sticky Baby Back ribs
*BBQ Beans
*Cornbread Casserole
*Ole Smokey's roasted sweet potatoes

Now I'm smokin'

2005-06-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

Things are starting to get back to normal around here. After taking care of my father for a few days I finally got to fire up “Ole Smokey” and do some low and slow this past weekend. None of the places where I buy my meat for BBQing have had anything that looked good here of late. The baby-backs have been less than attractive. At over $5 a pound I have to be choosey. I knew I would not have enough time to do a brisket or butt. I did find a good deal on whole chickens and decided I would do the, now famous, Beer Can (or Butt) Chicken.

I picked out my bird and found a recipe that I liked and got started. I did not follow the recipe to the letter. I wanted to experiment and try to stumble onto something better than good. My base recipe was taken from Rick Browne’s Original Beer-Butt Chicken. You can find this basic recipe and many others on Rick’s website at http://www.barbecueamerica.com/. The one part of this recipe that I followed verbatim was Rick’s Basting Sauce. This combination of apple juice, olive oil, warm beer, hot sauce and balsamic vinegar did the trick. Put that concoction in a spray bottle and make you bird happy. After cleaning the bird and getting the smoker ready it was now time to cook. The smoker was cruising at 225-235°F and the smoke from the combination hickory and apple chunks was just right. On went the chicken.

To make a long story short, in about 2 hours I had produced one of the most delectable chickens I have ever eaten. The moisture content was just right. The skin had that dark brown smoke look and I could not restrain myself any longer. I did have to pull the chicken off the smoker a little low on temp due to a thunderstorm that snuck up on me. But I wrapped it in foil and stuck it in the oven. You would never know the difference.

I will be tweaking this one for some time. You know me; I am never completely satisfied. I hope to have some pics up soon.

Later.

Hospital Ribs? Surely you jest...

2005-06-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not updating this blog sooner. Last Saturday, my father had to be rushed to the ER with chest pains. We later found out that he had a small heart attack but thanfully there it did not damage his heart. He underwent a heart cath and it showed he had an artery that was 95% blocked and another that was 60% blocked. Two stints were inserted into the 95% blockage and the other will be treated with medication.

This series of events prevented me from getting outside and firing up the ole smoker. I have been craving some good wet and sticky backs for quite some time and was hoping to get to sink my teeth into a few of them this past weekend. However, the cafeteria at the hospital broke out some pretty decent ribs on Tuesday for lunch. They were not wet or sticky. They definitely were not baby backs. However, they were eatable and only served to increase my craving for ribs done right.

With my dad home from the hospital now I can try my best to get out to the smoker and get those ribs I have been longing for. I can also get back to updating my blog. Who knows, I might just put my secret rib recipe on here.

You will just have to wait and see.

L8tr g8tr,

Does Alabama need a BBQ Association.

2005-06-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

I am sending this via email to the blog to see if the link works. If you are reading it I guess it works.

I have been thinking lately about starting a BBQ association in my neck of the woods here in Northeast Alabama. To my knowledge there are none in this area. I have emailed several associational presidents to get their input on the matter.

Here in Alabama, as with any other region of the south, we have been saturated with bbq restaurants. If I want to get some bbq I do not have to drive too far to get some. The only things we have more of than bbq joints are car lots and pawn shops. Don't think there is a connection between the car lots and pawnshops.

There are a lot of people in this area who could benefit from an association being created. When I get more information about this I will post it.

Until then, smoke 'em if you got 'em.

Found Me a Book...

2005-06-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

I went to my local Books A Million store today to check out their books about BBQ. Several books caught my eye but the one that garnered the most attention was written by Ray Lampe (A.K.A. Dr. BBQ). It is entitled, “Dr. BBQ’s Big Time BBQ Cookbook”. I am such a fan of the good doctor that I just had to sit down and consume the books contents.

For some time now I have been looking for a certain type of book regarding BBQ. My ideal BBQ book covers mostly techniques and tips, stories from the various competition BBQ trails and even reviews from some of the best BBQ joints in the country. So far I have not found what I am looking for. Go into any bookstore and checkout the books about Q. Most all of them have 1 or 2 chapters about techniques and tips and the other 9-10 chapters are nothing but recipes. If you check as many as I do you will soon realize that most of the recipes are the same, from the same people.

But Dr. BBQ’s book was different and it didn’t take me long to realize that. In fact, he covered it on the first page. What he does with this book is simply a work of genius. Or is it just simple? Instead of going into detail about techniques and tips (like I thought I wanted), Lampe used the first pages of the book to cover an ongoing debate over “traditional BBQ”. Good stuff here! He uses the remaining chapters to weave the techniques and tips that I had longed for around the great sounding (and smelling – yes I could smell the ribs and brisket there in the bookstore) recipes of pork, beef and everything you could think of.

Go to the bookstore and buy this book. When you do check out my favorite recipes that I have listed here. Then, find some and make them your favorites.

*Dr. BBQ’s Championship Ribs
*Backyard Championship Ribs
*Fast Freddy’s World Championship Ribs
*Not sure of the name on this one but it covers smoking a brisket in about 6 hours versus 12-15 hours
*Big Time BBQ Rub
*Thick and Sticky BBQ Sauce
I still think there is a book out there that covers what I am looking for. But until I find it, I’ll enjoy this one.

"Thinking about Q..."

2005-06-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

I am sitting at work staring at my workstation doing what I normally do...thinking about BBQ. I have a lot of downtime at work so that allows me to surf the Internet for all kinds of stuff. Still, I can't wait until my next set of off-days so I can get in a good cook. Can't ever get enough practice.

I am not sure what I will be cooking this week. I waited too long to take advantage of the Memorial Day meat sales in my area so the freezer is looking bare. I wanted to smoke some baby backs but the place were I get them was out. I might do some wings and such. I am sure I will find something to do.

Oh, well. So goes the random thoughts of a rambling mind.

Welcome to Ole Smokey BBQ

2005-06-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Let me take this opportunity to welcome all of you to my BBQ Weblog. This is something new for me so I will ask you to be patient as I get all the bugs worked out. Feel free to post and make comments on anything you see or read here. I do ask that all posts be kept clean. If you want to curse and talk trash, go do it on someone elses site.

Please feel free to send me your favorite BBQ recipes to olesmokeybbq@yahoo.com. They will be posted to this site as soon as possible. With that said, let's get to it!!