Orion BBQ Cooker

I had a close up look at the Orion cookers a few years ago. They looked interesting, but weren't really my cup of tea so to speak. My opinion might be changing.

I was checking out Old Dave's bbq blog and things on the Po Farm are getting interesting. Check out Old Dave's review of the 70 minute spare ribs cooked on the Orion cooker. Nope...that's not a mis-print. He really did cook some pretty good looking spare ribs in 70 minutes. I'm sure the Blues Hog and honey helped things along pretty well, but Dave posted some very nice looking pictures.

I've already got 3 smokers...why not four? The more the merrier right?

Turkey Fryer Fire

Please don't let this happen to you. If you choose to use a turkey fryer, please be careful. I've fried two turkeys this year so far and I will be frying another one on Thanksgiving. This video is a good example of what can happen if you are not careful.

HomeSafetyCouncil.org provides some turkey fryer safety tips on their website to help reduce the chance of a turkey fryer fire.

My biggest tips include:

1. pick a location away from the house or garage

2. concrete is preferred versus a wooden deck

3. don't leave the turkey fryer unattended

4. use a thermometer to measure the oil temperature

5. turn off the fire before adding oil and before s-l-o-w-l-y adding the turkey

6. wear protective gloves

7. wear long sleeves and pants

Smoking a Turkey on the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM)

I usually deep fry our Thanksgiving turkey, but I'm ready to learn some new tricks this year so I decided to smoke a turkey this weekend on trial run. The goal was to smoke the bird low and slow at 250 degrees or less and prevent it from drying out to compete with the moist and tender deep fried birds we've been eating for the past several years.

I started out at Publix and purchased a Fresh Not Frozen turkey.

Next stop...Ace Hardware for some Cherry Smoking Chips.

The turkey was injected the night before smoking with Shake's Honey Brine and refrigerated.

I started by making a "smoking pouch" for the chips and placed them on the charcoal resulting in instantaneous smoke. Tip: Soaking them in water overnight will help them burn a little slower and the smoke will last longer.

Another tip: If you have access to cherry wood "chunks", you'll achieve more smoke flavor. I had to settle for the cherry wood "chips" this time.

After reading a few of the posts at The BBQ Bretheren, I decided to drape some bacon on the bird for a little insurance, but I was hopeful to avoid a turkey that tastes like bacon. Tip: If I do this again, I'll start the cooking process without the bacon, which will help achieve golden brown skin on the bird. Bacon is effective, but could be added after the turkey has been cooking for a couple of hours.

I started the water pan with a 1/2 gallon of apple juice mixed with a 1/2 gallon of water. I stuffed the turkey cavity with five or six apple halves and smoked the bird on my WSM at temperatures hovering consistently between 240 - 250 degrees. I pulled the turkey off the smoker when the temperature in the breast reached 170 degrees. I've read a lot of "guides" recommending cooking the birds to 180 degrees as measured in the inner thigh as well.

After looking back through my pictures tonight, I noticed that I failed to take a picture of the finished product.

My smoked first smoked turkey was a semi-success. I achieved tender and moist white meat, but the bbq turkey was not quite as satisfying for me as the deep fried turkeys I'm more accustomed to.

Will I do it again? Definitely yes. I love a bbq challenge.

Have You Read Thin Blue Smoke Yet?

If you are looking for bbq gifts for hard to buy for friends and relatives you can't go wrong with Thin Blue Smoke. I read it cover to cover when it first became available on Amazon.com. But, don't take my word for it - there are currently 17 positive reviews from readers on Amazon.

It sounds like a bbq book and certainly talks alot about Kansas City BBQ, but it offers so much more than that. It's a book about life, about Kansas City, and about forgiveness. I think the chapters that focus on the character Ferguson Glenn could be spun off into a stand alone novel. If a movie were made based on this fictional Episcopal clergyman, I'd be the first in line to purchase a ticket and some popcorn.

Congratulations (again) to Doug Worgul for a fine work. I can't wait for his next novel.

The Good One on Facebook

O.k., I'll admit it...I'm not a Facebook user. I say that with a certain amount of shame because these days it seems like everyone I meet is on Facebook. I was surfing the web today looking at several bbq smoker sites (Stumps, Superior, and The Good One as examples). And low and behold I discovered that The Good One Smokers has a Facebook page.

Coleman Natural Foods

Is Coleman Natural meat the secret to the success of the Mr. Bobo's Traveling BBQ All-Stars? It could be a contributing factor for sure, but I'm sure they have a lot of other secrets that didn't make it into their bbq blog. Congratulations to Mr. Bobo's for 1st place in the Brisket category at the Jack Daniels World Championship BBQ contest. What a wonderful accomplishment!

Here's a description of the Coleman Natural products from their website:

Coleman is committed to providing premium products that nourish the health
and well-being of your family. We never add anything to our products that nature
did not create: no nitrates/nitrites or other chemical preservatives and no MSG.
We never use fillers. Coleman’s passion for natural and organic extends to the
ecosystem, focusing on sustainable land, water, and soil conservation for future
generations.

Jack Daniels World Championship BBQ Contest

Shigs in Pit competition bbq team broadcasted the awards ceremony live via Stickcam.com. Way to go guys! I had the opportunity to attend a few years ago, but couldn't make it back this year. The Stickcam made it "the next best thing to being there". I hope this can be done more in the future. Isn't technology amazing?

You can read more about the Jack Daniels Invitational here.

2009 Results

Grand Champion - I Que

Reserve Grand Champion - Jack's Old South

Chicken:

1st place - The Heat is On

Ribs:

1st place - Four Men and a Pig

Pork:

1st place - Swamp Boys

Brisket:

1st place - Mr. Bobo's Traveling BBQ

For a listing of the complete Jack Daniel's results, click here

Community Supported Agriculture

I was invited to attend a new member orientation at Gamble Creek Farm in Parrish, Florida this morning. We joined the farm membership program to ensure that we have a reliable source of locally grown vegetables.

The farm has a large variety of hydroponically grown vegetables with weekly harvests beginning within the next couple of weeks. It was eye opening to see the large quantity of strawberries, egg plant, lettuce, okra, squash, and so many others that are available.

There is also a sister farm - Geraldson Community Farm - located closer to Bradenton, Florida.

If you are concerned about the way your food is grown, then check out your local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms. Local Harvest.org provides a search function to help you locate a farm nearby your home.

Superior Smokers

I recently discovered a new bbq smoker manufacturer - Superior Smokers. I don't own one and haven't seen one up close, but based on research conducted via their website here's a run down of the basics:

• insulated
• vertical design
• gravity feed charcoal chute
• grease pan collector
• heat deflector
• D-ring tie downs

I believe Munchees Smokehouse uses one and is currently performing pretty well in FBA competitions.

BBQ Pork with Bad Byron's Butt Rub

Sunday I cooked some pork for sandwiches later in the week. I forgot to take a picture after we pulled these, but here is a picture from early in the cooking process.

I injected these the night prior to cooking with a mixture of apple juice (4 cups), bbq rub (4 tblsp), and 3/4 cup of honey. I applied a liberal coating of rub and refrigerated overnight.

BBQ Sauce and Rub

I usually don't like Mesquite flavored bbq sauce (middle), but this Pendleton sauce is pretty good. Papa Jake's (right) is good on steaks and I had some yesterday on some buffalo burgers. The mesquite flavor complimented the steaks well.

I haven't tried the other Pendleton sauce in this picture (left), but I cooked 12 lbs of pork butts and have at least 9 lbs of pulled pork vacuum sealed in the freezer for sandwiches later this week.

Hot Rod BBQ Grill

The photograph of this "grill" was taken at the NHRA O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals in Madison, IL a few years ago.

BBQ and drag racing....what a great country we live in.

Grilled Steak

Tonight I grilled a New York strip steak and a rib-eye from Carlton Farms.

The steaks arrived via UPS delivery last Saturday. They spent the week in the freezer and thawed in the refrigerator yesterday. Today I rubbed them with Papa Jake's Best in the Northeast Gourmet BBQ Spice (also from Carlton Farms).

A good rule of thumb for applying rubs to steaks is to marinate them 1 - 1 1/2 hours per pound, depending on the rub you're using. If your rub is hot, then the longer you marinate the hotter things will probably get. If you have a salty rub, then the salty flavor will probably be stronger the longer you marinate. Papa Jake's ingredients include salt, cracked black pepper, dried garlic, allspice, and mace.

The Carlton rib-eye was perfectly marbled, which made it extremely easy to grill. The New York strip was loaded with flavor. The rib-eye I received was a little larger, but according to their website the steaks are approximately 16 ounces.

I mean it when I say this....these were the best steaks I've ever eaten!

Allegro Vintage Marinade, Raspberry Chipotle

I grilled some pork chops tonight using Raspberry Chipotle Marinade from Allegro. Linda picked it up at Winn Dixie earlier this summer.

It's no longer available on the manufacturer's website - perhaps it's a seasonal item - but I'd buy some more if I could. It gives pork chops a hint of heat accompanied by a hint of fruit for a wonderful combination.

I marinaded the pork chops for 4 hours and grilled them for 20 minutes to an internal temperature of 163-164 degrees.

Bubba Ques - Brandon Florida

In early July we received a newspaper insert announcing the Grand Opening of Bubba Que's in the Brandon-Valrico area. The restaurant is located on Hwy 60 near Wal-Mart.

We had lunch at Bubba Que's recently. The tables provide a choice of 6 different bbq sauces for your bbq entree or sandwich.

The bbq was pretty good, but we especially liked the restaurant's atmosphere and decor. As you might expect, with a name like Bubba's, there's not a lot of fancy fixin's or fancy furniture. They even use Igloo coolers for seating at some tables.

Their website is also uniquely different, although I had trouble accessing the online menu. I also enjoyed the banana pudding for desert.

Barbecue Brisket Weekend

Finished product. I cooked a 13 lb brisket for 8 hours with apple wood and sauced lightly with Blues Hog BBQ Sauce.

Weber Smokey Mountain cooking at 225 degrees.

Stem thermometer through the lid to monitor the temperatures.

Oregon Bounty Contest

TravelOregon.com is hosting a contest. You can check their website beginning 8/24/09 for all the details.

-Entries are open 8/24 – 9/18
-Judging will take place the week of 9/21

-Winners will be notified the week of 9/28

Best of the Butts

The town of Bell Buckle in Tennessee is hosting the Best of the Butts bbq competition on Saturday, September 5. The contest is sponsored by George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey. Awards start at 2 p.m.

What a wonderful excuse to visit Bell Buckle, a historic community a few miles north of Manchester, Tennessee and conveniently located off Interstate 24.


From the press release:

Contestants check in on Friday, September 4th from Noon until 6 PM. A mandatory cook.s meeting will follow at 6:30 PM. The Cook-off grounds will be open to the public at no charge beginning Saturday, September 5th at 9:00 a.m. We will have official judging on the BBQ determining tenderness/texture, taste, and appearance. Winners will be announced on the
stage at 2:00 PM and $600 in cash prizes will be awarded. A People.s Choice Award will be given to the contestant deemed best by taste testers that would like to try their culinary skills on the pork butt competition.

Win a Free WSM

Instructables.com is hosting a Low and Slow BBQ Contest with the chance to win a Weber Smokey Mountain cooker. Runners-up (maximum of 10) will win a signed copy of Low and Slow by Gary Wiviott.

From the contest rules on the website:

"We're looking for recipes, techniques, and even ways to build your own BBQ. Just make sure to take plenty of mouth-watering photos and provide helpful text so others can follow in your footsteps. Impress us and you'll win a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker and a signed copy of Low & Slow BBQ to ensure that your BBQ reign continues."

Visit the website to submit your entry today.

Food Inc Movie

I've posted about it before, but Linda and I drove down to Lakewood Ranch today and watched Food Inc. at the theatre. Three things in the movie impacted us greatly:

1. Barbara Kowalcyk's story about her son Kevin and her attempts to get Kevin's Law through congress
2. The plight of soybean farmers that want to save back soybeans for seed
3. Working conditions at packing plants and the plight of the labor force that works in them

Here are some links for your further exploration:

• Genetically engineered food
• United Farm Workers
• Kevin's Law

If you make the effort to watch the movie (it's in limited release), I predict that you'll never look at America's food system the same way again.