25 Top Recipes including Chateaubriand for you high faluting folks out there.

This comes from Derrick Riches at about.com. He has listed 25 of his favorite recipes. I know, this dish is not real barbeque, but I have a weakness for beef tenderloin so I figured Chateaubriand ought to be at least mentioned!

Top Twenty-Five Barbecue and Grilling Recipes

Traditional Chateaubriand

From Derrick Riches,Your Guide to Barbecues & Grilling.

From the time of Napoleon comes this recipe for a great meal. Chateaubriand is not a cut of beef, like many think, but a recipe for a grilled beef tenderloin.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 pounds beef tenderloin

* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter

* 1/2 cup watercress

* 2 tablespoons minced parsley

* 1 tablespoon lemon juice

* salt and pepper

PREPARATION:Trim beef tenderloin of unnecessary fat. The tenderloin should be about 1 inch thick, so if it's too thick, pound to flatten. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and coat over the surface of the meat. Season with black pepper.

Preheat grill. Meanwhile melt remaining 1/2 cup of butter in a sauce pan. Add parsley, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Pour into a small container and refrigerate.Place the tenderloin on hot grill and sear on each side for about 4 minutes. Reduce heat and continue grilling until it reaches the desired doneness. Remove from grill and slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Serve garnished with watercresses and butter mixture (called Maitre d'hotel butter).

Traditional Chateaubriand - Grilled Beef Tenderloin Recipe

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The Barbeque Institute. Wow!

What I like about this site is that it is a "how to" place. It has lots and lots of pictures and really does a great job of educating. Now, while I might beg to differ on some of the techniques they use on sauces, they have the awards to prove it and I just have satisfied eaters.

However, I really love this site and highly recommend you go check it out. Besides, they're from Montana, so that makes them ok in my book.

How to BBQ Ribs ~ BBQ Institute, How to Barbeque, Barbecue

Our Award Winning
St. Louis Style Barbecue Pork Spare Ribs

The instructions that follow show a full "Packer Cut" rack of spare ribs that has been trimmed to St. Louis style.  We prefer to buy packer cut ribs and trim them ourselves.  That gives us better control of the finished product and rib tips make for some excellent eating.  We only buy fresh pork that does not have "solution added".  The best prices and selection is normally found at the big warehouse stores or a meat wholesaler. We normally buy Swift or IBP which is owned by Tyson, brand ribs and win contests with them.  We find no advantage to using a butcher.

Pork ribs normally come sized over 4 pounds or under.  We prefer the smaller size that comes 3 packer cut or 4 St. Louis trimmed racks to a vacuum package.  Raw vacuum packed pork freezes just fine and I often buy a case and freeze the ribs I'm not cooking right away.  We have won many awards with frozen pork.

If your not competing and you want your ribs to fall of the bone as a pile of meat and bones, remove both membranes and cook the last hour or two wrapped in foil to an internal temp of 200°f~205°f and open the foil over the serving platter so the meat can fall out. 

Click on the pictures for a larger version

First remove the outer membrane, if you remove the second inner membrane the bones will fall out. In this picture the outer membrane has been removed from the right three ribs and the second is in place.  Start the first membrane by scrapping the corner (lower right in this picture) with your thumb nail.  The membrane is very slippery and a paper towel makes gripping it way easier as you pull it off.

This little flap under the knife blade is the skirt aka diaphragm and it needs to be trimmed off

Skirt removed and the flap from the narrow end with no bones in it removed. 
All these trimmings are seasoned and cooked as "Tasters"

This little surplus flap (top left picture) needs to be removed for even thickness and therefore even cooking

The flap from the above picture removed and the rib tips removed.  I scribe a line with my fingers where the bones end and the use a sharp Chef's knife to cut along the indent from my finger.  You don't need a saw or a clever to cut through the cartilage. You will have some fat sitting on the ribs it will scrape off with a spoon and that is recommended. Don't go nuts with a knife,  just what will scrape off with a blunt old spoon.

A very thin translucent layer of mustard is applied, the less the better.  We prefer a spicy brown deli style of mustard.  My wife does not like mustard and can not taste any mustard after I'm done cooking.  The mustard does contribute to the final flavor just not a mustard flavor.  The Rub is applied like a heavy layer of "salt n' pepper" although only rub is used.  If you are making your own rub or buying commercial rub you can experiment with the cut off tasters to try the various rubs. Stick different number of toothpicks in each piece of meat and right down which number of toothpicks corresponds to which rub so when you are down cooking it will still all make sense.

Low and Slow in the Klose with lots of  "Tasters".  Opening the lid as little as possible is better and when you do use a spray bottle with apple juice to baste.  Cook between 200°f and 250°f with 225°~235°f being the target.  Hotter temps (235°f) with ribs seem to keep them moister than cooler (200°f).  Temperature is at the cooking grate not the top of the dome or barrel in an offset where some manufacturers put thermometers.  Up high tells you nothing about the temperature where the meat is. Wood smoke should not be visible or a thin blue trail.  Ribs are cooked bone down the whole time.  I move ribs around in my offset to get cooking every two hours in between leave the lid closed.  In a Weber Bullet you do not need to move them around leave the lid closed.  To increase capacity I use rib racks.  For the Bullet the Weber rack is OK, the best rack for a all pits is made by Dave Klose from stainless steel.  In a pit that is not tuned at the factory to run within 3°f top to bottom and left to right like a Klose I rotate the ribs hourly spinning the rack 180° one hour and the ribs end over end the next hour.  In a tuned pit or a Weber Bullet I just leave them alone the fat trimmed end up and spray with apple juice hourly.

Peeking is BAD! It lets the heat out.

They are done when a toothpick goes between the bones like it's going through butter.  Time can vary from 4 hours if your smoker is running hotter than you think to 6 to 7 hours.  Time is a tool, not a rule.  We have sliced off one rib per half hour towards the end as a learning experience.  While the meat was cooked at 4 hours it was far more tender at the 6 to 7 hour mark.  This was in a Klose pit with a thermometer mounted at grate level.  The thermometer had been in boiling water to check calibration at 212°f (adjust reading lower if you are above sea level). Only add sauce at the end.  First layer of sauce is painted on 20 minutes before removal and the 2nd layer 10 minutes before removal.  There is so much sugar in sauce it will turned to black carbon if applied early.  For clean slicing place on a cutting board and slice bones up so you can see where the middle is between ribs.  Some folks start carving at the end some in the middle.  A very sharp 12" slicer knife is highly recommended.

How to Cook Barbecue Baby Back Ribs

Back Ribs in a Klose rack on a WSM

Now that you know how to cook barbeque spare ribs mastering baby back ribs is a breeze. 

Baby back ribs are the filet mignon of pork ribs.  The trick is find baby back ribs that have not had the meat on top of the ribs trimmed off by a butcher.  The worst ribs I've ever had were at the Pickled Parrot in Minneapolis.  The only meat was dry and between the bones, there was not a scrap of meat on top of the ribs.  The best place to find good baby backs is at the large warehouse stores and at meat wholesalers.  Baby back ribs also know as loin back ribs.  The technical difference between baby back ribs and loin back ribs is blurred to the point of redundancy in modern usage.  We normally buy Swift or IBP (which is owned by Tyson) brand ribs.  Almost our awards have been won with these two brands.

Just as beef filet mignon does not have a lot of flavor, pork back ribs do not a lot of flavor.  To get the most out of them a marinade is a really good idea and mopping also helps.

Prep is much simpler than for spare ribs.  Remove the outer membrane as detail above and your done.  Then you can get on to the marinade, mustard, rubs and mops.  One very successful method of cooking baby back ribs is 2-2-1. The times are approximate.  Lower weight or higher cooking temperatures will shorten the time required.  Two hours at 225ºf to 275ºf with smoke to form a nice crust and get the smoke into the ribs. Two hours in foil to tenderize the ribs.  One hour to firm up the crust.  Add BBQ sauce at the very end of the final hour.

Award Winning "How to Barbecue" Ribs Cooking Tips:

• BBQ It's about the rub.  Great BBQ tastes great without sauce.  The sauce is the finishing touch.

• Buy pure meat nothing added. Certain percentage of anything added such as brine or salt water is not desirable.

• Remove the first membrane on the back side of ribs.

• Apply a BBQ spice "Rub" not more than 2 hours before cooking.

• Use wood smoke.  Be very careful with oak and mesquite they can easily. overpower pork ribs.  You only want thin blue smoke coming from your smoker, not thick white smoke. Cherry is our favorite choice for ribs.

• Cook the meat with indirect heat, not directly over the charcoal or propane burner.

• The meat is done when a toothpick goes throw the meat like it was warm butter. Internal Temperature will be 190°f to 200°f .

• Don't sauce until the ribs are cooked, apply one or two coats of sauce in the last 15 to 30 minutes on the cooker.  For a sweeter glaze add some honey to you BBQ sauce.

How to BBQ Ribs so they are falling off the bone tender

The secret of how to barbecue ribs until they are falling of the bone tender is foil.  Cook the ribs until they have a nice crust. Wrap in foil with a little apple juice and cook to 200f internal temp.  They will be cooked and falling apart tender.  If you want to sauce your ribs roll back the foil but leave it under the rack for support, sauce and put back with indirect heat for 15 minutes.

BBQ Do's	BBQ Don'ts
Use a dry rub for no more than 2 hours before cooking	Don't use Lighter Fluid
Cook Low & Slow or Indirect	Don't use match light charcoal
Use the oven if your grill won't cook low and slow to finish after getting a nice crust	Don't boil your meat (you are making stock and the flavor is in the water)
Marinate for flavor	Don't put sauce on the meat Before Cooking
Use a light coat of mustard before applying the rub for a more complex flavor.	Don't guess if the meat is done, use a thermometer
Use a charcoal chimney	Don't tell people burnt is perfect caramelization
Sauce only for the last 15-30 minutes once the meat is cooked and tender	Don't Cook Tofu
Use an internal thermometer for food safety	Don't believe that there is only one way to cook great BBQ

Rib Success:

• Both our Montana State Championships were won with 1st place Pork rib wins.

• Our Nebraska State Championship was won with a true perfect "180" Rib score where all six judges gave us perfect scores. When combined with our Pork shoulder score we also brought home the "Best of Pork" award.

• Our first visit to the American Royal Invitational World Championship in Kansas city cooking against the best of the best had us coming home with a 10th ribbon.

1st Place Ribs Montana State BBQ Championship 2002
1st Place Ribs Montana State BBQ Championship 2003
Perfect 180 Ribs Nebraska State BBQ Championship 2003
"Best of Pork" Nebraska State BBQ Championship 2003
1st Place Ribs, Evergreen (WA) State Fair, 2004
2nd Place Ribs, "Cruzin' to Colby" -
Washington State Championship 2004
2nd Place Ribs, Factoria BBQ Championship 2003
2nd Place Ribs, St. Paul BBQ Championship 2002
3rd Place Ribs, Washington’s Best Chicken & Ribs Championship 2002
3rd Place Ribs, Olympia Tournament of Champions 2002
3rd Place Ribs, “Big Chill” BBQ Championship, Lake Tahoe 2003

technorati tags:pork, barbeque, beef, championship, Kansas, City, ribs, awards

As I learn about festivals around the country I will post them.

International Bar-B-Q Festival: Owensboro, Kentucky

I thought this looked like a fun festival. Here is the link if you want to check it out. The spring is coming soon and you will want to pick your favorite destination.

technorati tags:festival, barbeque, beef, beer, pork, sauce

Can't you just picture the celebration back then?

Being from the South, (Texas that is) I have enough childhood memories to be able to draw a picture in my mind's eye of the type of celebration they describe here. I would have loved to taste these Barbeques!

History

The American South In the Southern United States, barbecue initially revolved around the cooking of pork. During the 19th century, pigs were a low-maintenance food source that could be released to forage for themselves in forests and woodlands. When food or meat supplies were low, these semi-wild pigs could then be caught and eaten.[4] According to estimates, prior to the American Civil War Southerners ate around five pounds of pork for every one pound of beef they consumed.[5] Because of the poverty of the southern United States at this time, every part of the pig was eaten immediately or saved for later (including the ears, feet and other organs). Because of the effort to capture and cook these wild hogs, "pig slaughtering became a time for celebration, and the neighborhood would be invited to share in the largesse. These feasts are sometimes called "pig-pickin's." The traditional Southern barbecue grew out of these gatherings."[6] In the rural south, slaves were given the less desirable parts of the pig, (such as the ribs and shoulders) which they would cook by either smoking or pit barbecue.

Barbecue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

technorati tags:barbeque, south, sauce, pigs, pork, beef, ribs

From A Sacred Fire Pit to Bar, Beer and Cues !

I found this at Wikipedia and am fascinated by the image and the history. "Bar, Beer and Cues" would be my kind of place!

Barbecue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The origin of both the barbecue cooking activity and term are somewhat obscure. The word itself varies in spelling; variations include barbeque, BBQ, and Bar-B-Q. Most etymologists believe that the word barbeque ultimately derives from the language of the Taíno people of the Caribbean"barabicu", which translates as "sacred fire pit".[1] In one form, barabicoa or barbicoa indicates a wooden grill or a mesh of sticks; in another, barabicu, it is a sacred fire pit. Traditional barbicoa implies digging a hole in the ground putting some meat (goat is the best, usually the whole animal) on it with a pot underneath (to catch the concentrated juices, it makes a hearty broth), cover all with maguey leaves then cover with coal and set on fire. A few hours later it is ready. There is ample evidence that the word and technique migrated out of the Caribbean and into and through other cultures and languages (with the word itself moving from Caribean dialects into Spanish, then French, then English in the Americas). This would mean that the word "slowly evolved from barbacoa to barbecue and barbeque and bar-b-que and bar-b-q and bbq."[2] In the Southern United States, the word "barbecue" is used predominantly as a noun which specifically refers to roast pork (which is then chopped, pulled, or sliced, depending on region, and served with a tomato, vinegar or mustard-based sauce). A folk etymology states that the term BBQ resulted from when roadhouses and beer joints with pool tables advertised "Bar, Beer, and Cues." According to the tale, this phrase was shortened over time to BBCue, then BBQ.[3]

Barbecue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

technorati tags:barbeque, origin, sauce, beef, beer, pork, grill

Today I want to talk about rubs

I'm from Texas (5th generation I might add) and so I'm partial to a great tomato (where's Dan Quail when you need him?) based sauce. But, rubs have their place and I found these that I think are worth taking a look at. I found them at TexasBarbeques.com and I'm going to give them a try! Now, I know, cooking fish is not barbequeing, it is grilling. But, I thought you might want the recipe as long as eveyone knows there is a difference between barbequeing and grilling. Big difference! Now that we got that straight, have a look.

Dry Rub Recipes for a Great Start Barbeque Start

There has always been a debate among barbeque pros whether a Dry Rub is really necessary or not. Without a doubt, I would have to say..."I don't know". It seems to be great for some meats and marginal for others. One thing is for sure, however. A dry rub does not "hurt" anything.
I tend to use them myself. You can taste the difference in the meat and if, at the end, it needs more flavor, more seasoning can be added. Needing more seasoning is rare because barbeque that is cooked right can usually stand on its own. I would even go as far to say it never needs much seasoning if done right. But unless you're a bbq pro, go ahead and use a dry rub. It may foolproof your meat.

Here are some basic dry rub recipes that I have found to work best on certain cuts of meat. Give them a try and adjust them to your taste if you like to experiment.

One trick that really brings out the flavor of the seasonings is to put all the dry ingredients from a recipe into a coffee grinder and "pulse" it a few times.
This dry rub recipe seems to work best on either a beef brisket or a beef roast.
1/2 cup Kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coarse ground pepper
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup dried garlic
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons turmeric
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Mix all ingredients together and store in the fridge. It makes enough for 2 or 3 "well rubbed" briskets.

I like this dry rub on pork ribs, either spareribs or baby-back ribs. This will do a couple of racks of baby-back ribs.
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Paprika
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients. Apply to meat and regrigerate for at least an hour before cooking. Save any unused portion in a zip-lock back in the refrigerator.

This recipe works well with pulled pork barbeque(bbq pork butt).
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons course ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Same as others. Mix together well. This one makes rub for just one butt, but you can double it if you need more.

Use this one on one whole chicken, or double for 2.
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons course ground pepper
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
Rub on chicken directly or coat in a plastic storage bag. Make sure chicken is dry before putting on the rub. Put on low heat on your grill for about one hour until golden brown.

Here's an interesting one for grilled fish, Cajun Style. Rub onto catfish or any "firmer" fish.
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
Mix well and cover catfish filets or whole fish with this rub. Cook quickly over high heat to get that delicious "blackened" effect.

All of these dry rub recipes are very flexible and adjustable. And the types of meats to use each one for are just general guidlines. Most rubs will work well for just about any meat. Experiment with them and enjoy your barbeque!

American Eats Barbeque

A very informative show that has lots of cool facts about barbeque, the origins of it and the different regional tastes.

technorati tags:barbeque, History, Channel, American, Eats

Barbeque has gone mainstream

I was watching the History Channel today and the program America Eats was on. The entire hour was about Barbeque and how it has evolved to become quite the cultural phenominon and is "hot" now.

Who'd have thunk it? Well, anyway it had some great information about barbeque contests, organizations, the difference between grilling and barbequeing, grills, sauces and much, much more. I thought it was very cool and it gave me some ideas about attending a barbeque contest close to me. It also has me fired up to create my own sauce. Yeah, BABY!

Anyway, here is the link to it.

http://www.history.com/shows.do?episodeId=179885&action=detail

Here are two of the recipes found in the previous post - Now we're talking

If you want to try your hand at making your own barbecue sauce, the following are from Diana Rattray's "Your Guide to Southern U.S.-Cuisine," and were found online at about.com.These recipes have not been tested by the TimesDaily.

MEMPHIS-STYLE-BARBECUE SAUCEThis is a flavorful sauce, on the sweet side. Add the lower amounts of sugar and molasses if you like your sauce a little less sweet. You can always add more while you're simmering the sauce.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter¼ cup finely chopped onion

1½ cups ketchup¼ cup chili sauce

3 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar

3 to 4 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon liquid hickory smoke flavoring

½ teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black-pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

Dash cayenne pepper or to taste

Preparation:In a saucepan, slowly sauté the chopped onion in butter until soft and just beginning to turn yellow. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.Delicious on chopped pork sandwiches or use with chicken.

HONEY BARBECUE SAUCEA flavorful barbecue sauce for grilled chicken pieces.

Ingredients:

¼ cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ cup vegetable oil

Preparation:Combine all ingredients and let stand for 1 hour before using. Baste broiled or grilled chicken. Makes about 1 cup.

BBQ sauce | TimesDaily.com | Times Daily | Florence, AL

technorati tags:Memphis, Style, Barbeque, Sauce, recipes, chicken, cuisine, southern, guide

Proof that sauce doesn't have to come out of a jar

There's plenty to go around - Times Daily (subscription)

Here are a couple of great recipes for sauce! What I love about this article is that it shows what can happen when you throw out the bottled sauces and create what tastes right to you. The road to Grill Miesterdom is paved with your own sauce.

There's plenty to go around Times Daily (subscription), AL - Dec 13, 2006 When a co-worker and I went looking for items for a recent taste--testing, neither one of us could believe how many national brands of barbecue sauces that ...

technorati tags:Barbeque, sauce, Grill, Miester, recipe, sauces, rubs

Home Barbque Sauce

I'm going to be barbequeing ribs this weekend and will be making my own sauce. Anyone that has a recipe they want to share please let me know. I will be putting mine up and will let you know how it tastes. (Of course, no true Grill Miester tells all his secrets, but I'll do my best :)