Pork, Pork and More Pork

Despite the bad press pork has received over the years (not to mention the derogatory-named swine flu), it is the king of the barbecue.  Spare ribs, baby back ribs, country ribs, ham, shoulder, Boston butts, loins, sausages, tenderloins and chops.  Not to mention craiclins, bacon, pig roasts, and suckling pigs!  Basically everything but the oink is fair game for the honorable griller and barbecuer.

This weekend, I am firing up my kettle with Lazzari, adding some pecan chunks and then slowly smoking 12 pounds of boneless, brown sugar brined pork putt.  When it’s finished, it will be sliced, pulled, chopped, sauced and eaten. “Uncle John” will then send gifts of pork butt to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law who recently welcomed a pair of babies into the world; Quinn and Rowan, my 17th and 18th niece/nephew.

To prepare for a Sunday pork butt celebration, let’s pay homage to the humble pig.  From Bon Appetit:

Pork Recipes Slideshow

America’s pork is better than ever, thanks to the revival of traditional farming and the rediscovery of heritage breeds. These 20 recipes prove just how good it is. For more information on heritage pork, see our ingredient guide to Heritage Pork.

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Pork Chops with Leeks in Mustard Sauce

Photograph by Hans Gissinger

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BBQ Field Notes: 8-18-09

I practiced my rib recipe tonight, preparing for my next competition in September.  This year Team Grilladelic will be joining forces with my friend Harlan and his team Brazen Que.   Grilladelic will be responsible for chicken and ribs.  Brazen Que, brisket and butt.

SILVER LAKE SAND DUNES
APPLE & BBQ COOK-OFF FESTIVAL
Features a Sanctioned Kansas City BBQ Society Cook-Off

Here are my field notes from tonights practice:

• Warm and humid, light breeze.
• Coals lit at 2:23, ribs put on at 2:51
• Two racks of back ribs, bought at Meijers, 3. 49/lb.   Pretty nice slabs.
• Peeled membranes then coated with yellow mustard
• Dusted with  Rockford Rib, Butt and Bird Rub. Purchased at Hermans Boy.
• Weber Kettle with Lazzari lump and apple chips.  Charcoal purchased at Kingmas.
• Placed ribs in Weber rib rack
• Brown sugar massage followed by a tin-foil wrap at the 2-hour mark.
• Finished with Blues Hog Barbecue Sauce at the 3-hour mark.  Sauce purchased at Kingmas. First time.
• Back on the grill, wrapped in foil for 45 minutes then served

Results

• Ribs were incredibly tender.  Maybe too much for competition. Note:  cut back 15-20 minutes
• Nice smoke ring, but prefer pecan to apple.   Chunks to chips.
• Added the brown sugar a bit too early, had a little burn action on the bottom rack.  Note: add brown sugar at the 2:45 mark.
• Blues Hog Barbecue Sauce is incredible.  It could become my sauce of choice.
• I want a new rib rack.  Too tight, tough to pull ribs out without damaging the bark.
• Very close to championship caliber ribs.   Very close.  Try the same thing one more time using a St. Louis cut.  Then lock it in.

Silver Lake, here we come!

A Grilladelic Christmas- Perfect Gift #5

Perhaps the most versatile Christmas gift of all:  Lazzari Charcoal.

For the individual who has been good the past year, Lazzari will reward him or her with the best charcoal experience ever.

For the individual who has been bad the past year….well a lump of coal in their stocking says it all.

I can speak first hand about this charcoal.  The Outdoor Cook was the first store in Michigan to carry Lazzari and we were the first area distributor.  Now, you can buy Lazzari at Herman’s Boy in Rockford and Kingma’s in NE Grand Rapids.

Here is an excerpt from Lazzari’s website that outlines a little about their history:

Company History
Lazzari Fuel Company was founded in San Francisco in 1908. Originally located in the city’s Cow Hollow district, Lazzari’s earliest business was the sale of heating coal and firewood to San Francisco businesses and residents. Daily deliveries throughout the city were made by drivers using horse drawn wagons.

In the 1940s, Lazzari Fuel began importing mesquite charcoal from Mexico as a specialty product for cooking food. Roy Lazzari, son of company founder Hugo Lazzari, discovered the appeal of mesquite during a chance conversation with a railroad worker just recently returned from the Sonora Desert in Mexico – one of the main geographic regions where the gnarled mesquite trees grow. Mesquite’s exceptionally high and long-lasting heat made it a favorite among Bay Area chefs, who viewed it as the perfect fuel for searing meats and fish. As the gourmet grilling trend exploded in the late 80s and 90s, the general public got in on the act – backyard barbecuers eschewed the conventional, chemically-treated charcoal briquettes of the 50s and 60s, and instead sought out the hot-burning, premium performance of Lazzari 100% natural mesquite lump charcoal.

This upsurge in demand, both from foodservice and retail customers, has shifted Lazzari Fuel’s focus primarily to providing mesquite lump charcoal and high quality firewood for cooking. Now located just south of San Francisco in Brisbane, the company is the nation’s leading supplier of premium natural charcoal. Several hundred restaurants nationwide use Lazzari charcoal, including such high-profile venues as the Tadich Grill, Chez Panise, Zuni and The Slanted Door in the San Francisco area, as well as gourmet grills, Brazilian churrascarias, and Indian tandooris from coast to coast.

BBQ Blues

Even for a hardcore grilling machine like myself, I’ve had to raise the white napkin and surrender to the elements. It has been a brutal winter in Michigan. I have only fired up the Weber once since the new year. Even with the hot burning, Lazzari mesquite lump I use, I couldn’t bring myself to light the coals.

To make matters worse, the one time I did, I scorched (badly) six beautiful rib eyes. Beyond recognition. It was salad and potatoes for dinner. The steaks were sent over to my father-in-law for his German shorthair. That bad.

What happenned? I had the coals nice and hot. Glowing red. The grill was in the garage, sheltering it from the wind (it was still around 0 degrees). I placed the steaks on the grates but decided to leave the cover off while I went back inside to check on the kids. Typically I babysit steaks, not kids, but it was too cold. I was in for less than 6 minutes and when I looked back at the grill, it was a fireball. The nicely marbled rib eyes dripped their precious fat into the coals and created a roaring blaze. I rushed out but it was too late. It was so hot that it practically cooked the steaks through to well done, without even flipping the dang things.

Oh well…it was a rookie mistake made by an old master.

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