Wordless Wednesday

The Meat Show

WhiteTrash BBQ takes on the media once again. Take a listen to my interview withKyle and Emily O'Brien over at the Meat Show while they talk with George Williams, Kansas City Fiorella's BBQ Expert, and Iron Works BBQ Catering Manager and little ol' me.

Listen in Live at The Meat Show

The Show starts at 6:30 Eastern, but can be downloaded starting tomorrow - 3/31.

Last Night's Reduction

Last night I made my first balsamic reduction. I have no idea why I've never made one before, but last night I lost my cherry.

I made a meat loaf for dinner. I don't usually make meat loaf. Meat loaf is the wife's territory. When I make meat loaf, which I don't usually, I usually top the meat loaf with diced tomatoes. Last night I was feeling frisky and I put the diced tomatoes into the meat loaf. But that little act of rebellion created chaos. What was I going to put on top of the meat loaf? Should I allow the meat to be presented naked? Nah, that's way too radical.

I have no idea why I decided on a balsamic reduction as a glaze for the meat loaf. Maybe I've been watching too many cooking shows, but it sounded like a good idea. I had no idea on how to make this so I just winged it.

I took one half cup of balsamic vinegar and put it in a pot and turned up the flame until the vinegar boiled. After it boiled and began to reduce I whisked in one tablespoon of butter. I reduced the heat and let the vinegar boil down until there was about 1/4 cup of liquid in the pot. This reduction was thick, sweet and luminous.

I then took this syrup and brushed it all over the meat loaf, which I had removed from the oven so that I could brush the loaf with abandon. Once said loaf was sufficiently covered in glaze, I put the meat loaf back in the oven and cooked it for about 5 more minutes.

That my friends was good eats.

How To: Smoking Multiple Types/Sizes of Meat

This came to me from the folks at Smoking Meat. It's a very good explanation of how to time your cook. Enjoy.

Smoking Multiple Types/Sizes of Meat

It never fails.. about 20 times a week I get an email with this question and it deserves a good answer in my opinion. How do you schedule the smoke time on various pieces of meat so that everything gets done at about the same time? Well there is a fairly simple answer and it is all based on proper planning.

The following is assuming the reader is smoking multiple briskets but could easily be applied to almost any other type of meat as well as various types at the same time.

The best thing you can do is to try and purchase briskets that are very similar in weight and size.

This will allow you to estimate a little better.

Ultimately, temperature is the indicator on when meat is finished and I highly recommend a good digital probe meat thermometer. I recommend 185-190 however some take it on up close to 200 for that fall-apart effect.

Having done my share of briskets, I have noticed that time relates to when a certain temperature will be attained most of the time.. there are always exceptions in smoking meat.

To get it down to a science, you want to allow around 1.6 hours per pound and then give yourself a few hours as a buffer. This figures out to be about 96 Minutes per pound and seems to be more accurate than the 1.5 hour/lb that we generally talk about.

It is easy to keep briskets hot for several hours once they are done.. it is not easy to keep people happy when they are waiting to eat so give yourself more time than you think you need and you will be glad you did later.

When you are smoking meat of different sizes, you have to look at each piece of meat separately to figure when it wil be done and this may mean using more than one thermometer to keep from poking and creating leak holes in the meat during the cooking process.

If you are not in charge of buying the meat and end up with various sizes, you can sort the briskets into 3 or 4 groups of similar sizes and put them into the smoker in intervals beginning with the largest group.

Allow yourself at least a 2 hour buffer for each group to be on the safe side.

It is no different when cooking different types of meat..

If you are cooking chicken, ribs and brisket and you want them all to get done at the same time then you would figure out your cook times and subtract the cook time from your finish goal time to know when to insert the meat into the smoker.

In the example above, If I wanted to have the meat ready by 2:00 PM on Saturday, I would place my 10 pound brisket in at 8:00 PM on Friday night which gives me 16 hours based on 1.6 hours/lb + a 2 hour buffer, the ribs would go in at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning which gives me a good 6 hours + 2 hours wrapped in foil and in the igloo cooler for further tenderizing. The chickens would go in promptly at around 9:30 AM on Saturday to allow about 4 hours + some good resting time.

The formula is S=F-C:

F= Finish Time
S= Start Time
C= Cook Time

All in all.. practice really does make perfect and if you want to perfect your smoking then you just have to get out and do it. In my opinion, even mistakes are usually still pretty tasty and what other hobby can say that?

'SWINE'S FLESH' OFF THE MENU

Here's an interesting story about Charley Romani, a BBQ restaurateur out in Oregon who changed his religious beliefs and how it has effected his business. While I don't adhere to his version of Christianity, you certainly have to admire him for following his convictions.

Of Belief and Barbecue
Barbecue restaurant owner finds business fading due to religious beliefs

Charley Romani has learned that religion and barbecue don't always have room on the same plate.

Romani, owner of Charley's Barbecue in Roseburg, built his business up from a renovated espresso cart in the Kmart parking lot. He cut slabs of meat from the back of a trailer and sold sandwiches year-round, often in the cold, rain and wind. He developed enough of a following to open a restaurant on Harvard Avenue in 2004. The business was sustaining itself financially for its first two years. It didn't take long for Romani to hire a staff of eight, allowing him to work less and enjoy time away from the smoker.

In the last eight months, however, he's watched business decisions based on his conversion to the Seventh-day Adventist Church adversely affect the restaurant.

Charley's Barbecue is closed on what were its busiest days because Romani observes the Sabbath -- sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Catering jobs on those two days now go elsewhere as well. Pork, a barbecue staple, was taken off the menu. "I had to weigh the risk of what I believe God said to do in the Bible versus the way I run my business," Romani said.

That risk has not paid off financially. The restaurant's staff has been cut in half. Romani had to sell his river boat. His home is on the market.

The business is also for sale. Romani believes it could be profitable again under new ownership, but he has to find a new calling for himself.

"Faith is doing something you don't understand all the time," he said. "God will take care regardless, even if it's to my own harm."

'SWINE'S FLESH' OFF THE MENU

Adam and Eve, Romani said, were vegetarians. Heaven is a vegetarian place.

Romani said the church teaches that earth can be the same way. It's not mandatory to swear off meat, Romani said, and he hasn't done that completely. "It's kind of hard to be a vegetarian working in a barbecue restaurant," he said. "It's kind of like an alcoholic still working in a bar."

He no longer eats pork, though, and took it off his menu. Romani said pork had been the restaurant's favorite dish, selling more than "anything else combined." When he took it off the menu, some customers took it personally, storming out of the restaurant.

Romani was even told to his face that he was committing "financial suicide."

It was important to Romani, though, to follow what he believes is taught in the Bible. In a pamphlet from the church called "God's Free Health Plan," pork's banishment from the dinner menu is made clear.

It references the Bible in stating that "swine's flesh" is "unclean," an "abomination" and those who eat it "will be destroyed with fire at the coming of the Lord." "When God says to leave something alone and not eat it, we should by all means obey him," the pamphlet states.

Romani replaced pork with smoked pastrami. He also started offering vegetarian options.

It didn't help. By summertime 2006, Romani put the business up for sale.

Romani said he still owes three investors from the startup of his business. In selling it, he's looking to fulfill his financial obligations.

He doesn't want to get rich from it, nor does he expect that. At the same time, he would like to see the business continue.

Romani said a new owner who opens up the restaurant again on weekends and again caters for weekend events like weddings and parties will again make the business profitable.

He said he's had some interest from potential buyers, but he might soon be forced to cut his losses. "I don't know how much longer I can keep my doors open," he said.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Barbecue How to's and Two BBQ Recipes

(Bloggers note: I'm feeling very snarky today. Here's a recipe that came into my in-box the other day. When I first glanced at it, it seemed OK. Now I just want to rip it apart. I'm tired of reading recipes on how to barbeque, when the person writing it has absolutely no idea what he's talking about.)

David Slone -- January 31, 2007

Barbecuing is a widespread and honored tradition. Three out of four American families own a barbecue grill and use it, on average, four to five times per month. What better way is there to have fun with friends and family than to have a barbecue? (But do they barbecue or grill four to five times a month? There is a difference you know.)

Before putting the meat on the barbecue it is a good idea to set it out of the refrigerator for about an hour to let it warm up. This will make the meat cook quicker and it will be juicier.

Food safety is an important issue so always be sure that you cook the meat thoroughly. Cut (CUT? WTF? DON'T DO IT - you'll loose all the meat's juices!) the meat in the thickest part to be sure that the juices are clear to be sure that it is completely cooked. (Use a thermometer dude!) Always be sure to keep utensils used to handle the raw meat separate from those you use to handle the cooked meat. Cross contamination of bacteria can be as dangerous as eating raw meat. You want your barbecue to be both fun and safe for everyone so always be careful.

Barbecued Spare Ribs are a classic American barbecue meal, made from pork. (Umm, spare ribs are only found on a pig. What else would they be made from?) This version is cooked in the oven, not on a barbecue, and uses a barbecue sauce with a distinct Asian flavor, featuring soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic. (Whoa Nelly, both your recipes call for using a grill - not an oven. Did your recipes get mixed up in some strange editing brew-hah-hah?)

Remember to give your barbecue a good cleaning after each use. If you have a gas grill, you can turn the grill on for ten or fifteen minutes to allow it self clean. Charcoal grills need to be cleaned with soap and water using a stiff wire brush. (Thanks for the tip on cleaning my grill - but since this recipe calls using an oven, what does this have to do with anything? Got any tips on how to clean my toilet?)

Here are a couple really good barbecue recipes you can try at your next barbecue. (Can you tell me why you're giving us a recipe for grilled pork chops first when you just setup an article to talk about barbecued spare ribs?)

Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 4 thick rib pork chops, (1" to 1 1/4" thick is best)
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• Large pinch dried and crumbled rosemary
• Large pinch dried and crumbled marjoram
• 1 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1/2 cup minced sweet onion
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• salt and/or pepper to taste

Directions:

• Make several shallow cuts in each pork chop with a knife.
• In a large bowl mix the breadcrumbs, herbs, butter, onion, garlic, and salt.
• Stuff the mixture into the cuts you made. (I've never heard of stuffed pork chops where the stuffing is put into several shallow cuts. Usually one large pocket is cut into each pork chop, and that pocket is filled with stuffing. Why do I have the feeling that the stuffing would fall out of these "shallow cuts.")
  
• Grill the pork chops at medium to high heat for ten minutes on each side side. To make sure the chops are evenly cooked they should be turned several times.
  
• Grill them for five minutes or so then turn them over and let that side cook for 5 minutes.
• Repeat this process two or three times or until the chops are grilled to your satisfaction.

Barbecued Spare Ribs

Here is a classic American barbecue with a twist. This version uses a barbecue sauce that has a distinct Asian flavor, featuring soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork spare ribs
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons hoisen sauce
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoons sake
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground white pepper (I have to buy another pepper grinder just for the white pepper? Use the pre-ground stuff.)
  
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock
• freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste (I guess that the pork chops don't rate, they didn't get freshly ground black pepper!)

Directions:

• Put the spare ribs in a large casserole dish in one layer.
• Using a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients.
  
• Pour this mixture over the spare ribs being sure to completely coat the meat.
• Let this marinate overnight, (Where? Should I do this on a table? In the refrigerator? Should the dish be covered? What about food safety?) baste occasionally unless the meat is completely covered.

Throw (As in fling?) the ribs on the grill and let them cook to your satisfaction. Turn them several times during the process and baste them with the marinade sauce a few times. (With all that sugar in the honey and hoisen sauce you better be prepared to turn and FLIP your ribs. A lot! Sugar burns very quickly over direct flame of a grill. Following David's directions will give you burnt and inedible meat. It would be best to cook these ribs over an indirect fire and only char them slightly at the end.)

Be sure to check out the Barbecue Recipe Collection for delicious barbecue recipes. (Remember the quality recipe you found here. I wonder if the rest of them are this bad.)

BBQ Around the World: Pakistan

I found this in the Daily Times, A New Voice for Pakistan. I don't know much about Islam, but if eating barbeque is part of the religious holidays, I've got to get to know more!

The Eid mentioned in the article is Eidul Azha when the faithful slaughter a goat, sheep, cow, buffalo or camel to emulate the example of the Prophet Abraham and his son, Ismael or Ishmael. Affluent Muslims perform Hajj a day before Eidul Azha by traveling to Mecca for the annual pilgrimage.

Sharpening knives and barbeque grills, all set for Eid

By Imran Naeem Ahmad

ISLAMABAD: In a small shop, sparks fly off Tahir Mahmood Qureshi’s grinding wheel as he sharpens knives and choppers all day.

With Eidul Azha approaching, Qureshi is overworked in the busy Aabpara Market. Hundreds of knives of all shapes and sizes lie next to him on the floor, and after grinding each, he holds up the respective knife to see the end product. The knives he sharpens will soon be used to slaughter animals and chop meat.

The workload in the run up to Eidul Azha is such that Qureshi expects to sharpen between 3,000 to 4,000 different knives in the last two days before the event. “It is a lot of work but this is the time of year when we make good money,” he says as a meat shop attendant arrives with four big choppers. “I worked on 700 knives today and this number may increase to about 4,000 later on,” said Qureshi.

As he continues with his work, elsewhere in the market brand new knives, skewers, barbeque grills, coal and wood chopping blocks are up for sale. Qamar Zaman manages one such shop and says, “The business is good and knives and grills are selling well.”

With sacrificial meat being distributed and exchanged in abundance for Eid, there is barely a household without a surplus of mutton or beef. Hence people like Amir Raza and Iftikhar Khan, both government employees, opt for barbequed meals.

“We look forward to this every year. The children particularly enjoy it and it is good fun for them,” says Amir, while Iftikhar narrates how his family went to Simly Dam last year to grill the meat: “It was a day out my children still remember.”

However, for those wishing to avoid this hassle, some restaurants also offer to roast meat. This is a good bargain for those with a few hundred rupees to spare. “We have many people bringing in their meat,” says a restaurant manager.

Indeed Eidul Azha provides a good chance for many to earn quick money, be they cattle owners selling their animals at the H-11 Market, shopkeepers at centres like Aabpara, coal sellers or butchers.

BBQ Recippes: Six Hour Pork Roast

I got this from Lisa over at Champaign Taste who got it from Cynthia at The Sandwich Life. This is another example of a recipe for indoor cooking that can really benefit from time spent in the smoke. Hell, even the oven temperture recommended is just over where I usually keep my pits when I barbeque.

This recipe reminds me of a recipe for pork (fresh ham) that my Abuela used to make. She always used a picnic instead of a Boston butt, but this sounds remarkably similar. Unfortunately my grandmother passed away without sharing her recipes, so I can't give you her version; but in another post I'll give you my version of her Cuban style roast pork.

Six-Hour Roast Pork from Mimosa, Los Angeles, CA 1999

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
10 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt (Note from Cynthia: I found this a bit too salty the first time I made it—I now use 1 T)
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (6-1b) boneless pork shoulder Boston roast (not tied)

Preheat oven to 275°F.

Blend together sage, rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper in a food processor until a thick paste forms. With motor running, add wine and oil and blend until combined well.

If necessary, trim fat from top of pork, to leave a 1/8-inch-thick layer of fat. Make 3 small incisions, each about 1 inch long and 1 inch deep, in each side of pork with a small sharp knife, and fill each with about 1 teaspoon herb paste. Spread remaining herb paste over pork, concentrating on boned side, and tie roast with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals.

Put pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan and roast in middle of oven 6 hours. Transfer roast to cutting board and let stand 15 minutes.

Discard string and cut pork roast (with an electric knife if you have one) into thick slices.

I might try this for New Year's Day. Happy Eating!

White Trash Recipes: 3 Bean Chipmunk Chili

In the spirit of our WhiteTrash Christmas and Bob River's 'Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire,' check out this recipe for 3 Bean Chipmunk Chili that I found over at Twisted Christmas. If you get going with this now, come spring you can have some fine eats. But wait a minute -- don't chipmunks hibernate?

First, you are going to need about 10 or so fat chipmunks - best thing to do is capture the little buggers and fatten them up. This way you can make sure they are disease free. Also, you can monitor what they eat. Unless you don't care then, just go out and hunt down 10-15 chipmunks. If you use a shotgun, please make sure to remove all shot from the meat first. IF you use any "Road Meat" chipmunks, please make sure they are fresh kills - makes it easier to peel the fur off.

Use a cat capture cage, bait it with peanut butter. Once you have captured about 10 to 15 of the little guys, set them up in large cages (each cage should measure 4 x 4 at least). Do not put more than 1 or 2 to a cage. Give them bird houses to live out of.

Now for the next 2-3 months, feed those little guys. Plenty of veggies, (carrots apples, etc.) nuts, (walnuts, etc. shells off) fresh water (put some vitamins into the water), oatmeal. Keep the cages clean.

When the day comes, just shoot the little buggers right there in their cages. Make sure you decapitate them right after and strip their fur off. Hold them upside down to make sure all the blood runs out.

Save the fur - you can make a nice pair of gloves with them later.

With a sharp knife, de-bone the little guys, but save the bones. Once you have your pile of bones, put them in a 2 qt pan and boil them. You will use this as your stock for your chili.

Chop up meat into fine pieces or grind.

• 2 lb. Chipmunk meat pieces
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 2 cans (16 oz. each) Dark Red Kidney Beans, undrained
• 2 cans (16 oz. each) Pinto Beans, undrained
• 2 cans (16 oz. each) Black Beans, undrained
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
• 2 envelopes chili seasoning mix 1/2 tsp.
• Ground Cinnamon 1-1/4 cups Sour Cream

Use your broth you made from the bones to boil the meat in a large sauce pot on low heat.

Make sure you do this slowly, use a slow cooker to make the meat tender. Cook for about 3 hours on low heat. Then let it set for 30 minutes and skim off any fat.

Add onion and green pepper; cook until tender, bring up to a low boil on medium heat, stirring frequently.

ADD all remaining ingredients except sour cream; mix well. Bring to boil; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

SPOON into soup bowls; top with sour cream.

Great Substitute:Prepare as directed, substituting 2 pkg. (16 oz. each) thawed
frozen Ground Turkey

There you have it.
Photo of the squirrel courtesy of exzooberance

WhiteTrash Christmas Eve Dinner: Prime Rib

Funny thing Christmas Eve Dinner. I've never had a traditional food for the holidays. Many of my friend know exactly what they're going to eat on every holiday because they've always eaten the same things. Me, I never know. I think I'm cursed because I like to cook and I like to experiment. The only tradition we have is that there has to be a lot of food. So I just decided what I'm going to make tomorrow night. Now I just hope the butcher has some Prime Rib left.

Here's a link to an interesting twist on Prime Rib - Salt Crusted Prime Rib that my friend Curt posted on Get Your Grill On. But if you don't feel like surfing, here's a few recipes for Prime Rib that I've found on the net. I'll probably do something similar, but as you know, I never follow recipes exactly. They're just starting off points. The first two are from our friends over at Texas Barbecues.

Best Prime Rib Recipe - Oven Version
Remove roast from the fridge and let stand for about an hour.

• 8 to 10 lb. Standing Rib Roast(bones in)

Mix together:

• 2 Tablespoons onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons dried rosemary
• 2 Tablespoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon tarragon1 Tablespoon rosemary
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup salt(I like Kosher salt for a nice crust)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

If rib roast is dry, wet hands slightly and pat down roast before you put the dry herbs on.

Rub dry herb mixture all over and into the rib roast.

Place roast on a wire rack inside a roaster pan, and with the ribs down. Put the meat in oven and roast uncovered for 1 hour. After the hour turn off the oven without opening it.

In about 4 hours, turn on oven to 370°F and roast 30 minutes more for a medium rare, and a little less for rare. Remove the roast from oven and let it rest for about 30 minutes before carving into steaks. Serves 10 people.

Best Prime Rib Recipe - Smoker Version

Herbs and spices stay the same. I do rub the roast down with oil with the herbs. The actually cooking times and methods differ this way:

Get your smoker preheated and ready with soaked wood inside. I like to use hickory or mesquite, and apple will work great too. Push a meat thermometer into the meat but not against a bone. A thermometer with an external reading is best so you won't have to open the smoker to look.

Place the roast on a grate in the heated smoker. Put the lid on and when the thermometer shows 130 degrees it is rare. Pull it off the smoker and let rest 30 minutes. Yes, you guessed the next step. Carve and eat.

*Here's another recipe from my old friend Phil Rizzardi. I've had this numerous times in the past and it's pretty good. It's a fairly confusing recipe, but knowing Phil, I know what he means. I'll try to simplify it, or I should say translate it for you. All measurements are approximate.

Phil's Prime Rib

• 1 cup Teriyaki Sauce
  
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
  
• 1/2 small bottle gravy master
• 1/2 small bottle kitchen bouquet(or you can use a whole bottle of either if ya cant find one or the other).
  

Combine all ingredients and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then pour this all over the roast and rub it in. Pierce the beef with a wide blade fork in several spots to allow the marinade to get into the heart of the meat a little bit. If your prime rib has heavy fat cap, use a knife to slice it open in a few spots to allow the sauce to penetrate through the fat to the meat.

Besides the sauce, you will want to to rub your Prime Rib with 2 cups or more of Turbinado Sugar (you will want to use a heavy hand with the sugar when seasoning the meat) and 3-4 Tablespoons of Montreal Steak Seasoning. Rub the meat well and let sit for about 5 minutes. When the roast is covered with rub and you find it dissolving, then some additional rub on the roars. You will want a layer of wet rub and a layer of dry rub on your meat before cooking. Let the roast sit for about half hour, covered.

Cooking Instructions:
During the first half hour to 45 minutes of cooking, place your roast in the hot spot of your cooker where it is at 375 to 400 degrees. As soon as you put the meat in the cooker, damper down your vents so that your cooker temperatures drop slowly to 275degrees. Leave the meat and your cooker alone until internal temperature of the meat reaches between 90 and 100 degrees, approximately 40 minutes. Move the roast to your normal cooking spot in your cooker where the temperature is about 275 and cook until the meat reaches an internal of 125 degrees.

At this point, either remove the roast from the smoker, cover it loosely with tin foil and let it rest until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Or, I prefer to roll it around over hot coals, searing the meat to make a crust. Bring the meat to an internal temperature of 130 degrees or so, but no higher than 135. Then take it off and let it sit, wrapped loosely in aluminum foil. Let the meat rest about 20-30 minutes.

The internal temperatures of the roast will continue to climb into the 140s. This will yield a prime rib with rare meat on the inside and medium meat on the outboard slices.

I hope that makes sense. Good luck and enjoy folks. Merry Christmas!