If music were bbq…

This is bbq music. Rich in tradition. Honest. Quality ingredients. Genuine.

What do you think? What music is more “bbq’ than this? C’mon, comment.

http://www.amazon.com/Dirt-Farmer-Levon-Helm/dp/B000VG7M0O/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1197778108&sr=8-1

The Art of the Butt (aka- pulling pork)

I seasoned and barbecued a 6 lb. pork butt tonight in about 4.5 hours.  That is against many bbq “truisms” which generally state that “low and slow” is the only way for good bbq.  I was (and am) one of the purists too, but I also keep an open mind and experiment quite a bit.

Tonight, after seasoning, I double-banked some Lazzari Mesquite Hardwood Charcoal, and got it red hot.  I mean hot.  I am guessing 350-400 degrees with my kettle lid on.  I placed the butt in the middle and let it rip (adding a generous handful of both pecan and apple chips).  The smoke was billowing out of my wide open vents.  The fire was raging.  The butt was in an inferno!   After about 90 minutes, still very hot, I pulled it.  The exterior was crispy, a little burnt, but not bad.  I partially wrapped in heavy duty tin foil and then added about 2 cups of apple juice and then crimped shut.

Because lump charcoal burns so much hotter, and a Weber kettle is not the most tightly sealed grilled known to mankind, the fire still raged- even with the vents closed.

This was now about 6:30 and I planned on another 3-4 hours of just setting in the grill.  But at 8:00, I checked the internal temp…201 degrees!  I pulled it from the grill and let set for 30 minutes, then easily shredded it with a fork.  The bone pulled out clean as a whistle.

High temperature BBQ is a reality.  I am not saying it is better than low and slow, but it is still good and makes a large butt less than time consuming on a work night.

I am finishing it with Big Ricks BBQ Sauce for an office pot luck on Tuesday.

Big Ricks—IMHO, the best commercial BBQ sauce on the market.

http://www.bigricks.com/ 

Pulled Pork

This show represents how you season, bbq, and finish a small butt (5-7lb) on a kettle.  A bit simplistic but you begin with a slather of yellow mustard, season w/your favorite rub.  Place on a grill, indirect heat.  Add several chunks of wood (pecan, apple, cherry, sassafras are my favorites) and slow cook.  Traditionally you would do about 1.5 hours per pound.  I cook a bit higher and faster on the kettle because of the grill and hardwood charcoal I prefer.  A bit non-traditional.

I bbq for about 3-4 hours until it looks “good” (art, not science) and then foil.  No liquids added, but I might in the future.  Wrap tight for another 2-3 hours, until internal temp hits 195 +/-.  Take off and let set.  You should be able to slice, chop and/or pull depending on your preference.  Sometimes pulling is the only option.  It is an imperfect art.  Still tastes good.

I sauce it after I pull/chop/slice.

Tasty…had a few ribbons in my time…no trophies.  Yet.

Award winning brisket

Here is a picture my daughter took of Grilladelic’s winning brisket, trophy and ribbons at the Silver Lake BBQ Competition this September. The Silver Lake competition is a sanctioned BBQ Kansas City Barbecue Society tournament. We ended up 6th place overall. Not bad for my first tournament in a few years! Even more satisfying was using only two Weber kettles.

In future posts I will share my recipes and techniques for not only brisket, but everything I create on the grill.