Wednesday, November 26, 2008

There are two sure fire ways to get me to stop working...


Invite me fishing, or tell me it's time to get grilling-- like today. Thanksgiving got off to an early start on my patio this afternoon. We've got our Turkey in the brine getting ready for tomorrow's grilling and right now I am one hour into grilling Mike Mill's championship ribs for my daughter tonight. Can you tell we're hooked on this low and slow thing? Ribs are her favorite and she thought our oven baked and only grilled at the end were good! I can't wait to see what see thinks and it gave me an excuse to leave the office early and get the Weber fired up! To top it off this month's issue of the BullSheet from the Kansas City Barbecue Society comes in the mail. Glad I called it an afternoon. Time to grab another cold beverage, check the coals, see if the ribs are sweating, etc.

Friday, November 14, 2008

You Know You're a Yankee

if you have only grilled and never barbecue'd. It finally dawned on me that even though I've lived in the South for 15 years, I've never slow cooked anything unless I was running out of fuel. I certainly took to eating barbecue when we moved south, but I have never done the low and slow thing. After attending a couple of Barbecue competitions recently I've developed a great admiration and appreciation for the low and slow crowd and the wonderful way they practice their art.So when one of the real legends, Mike Mills gave me an assignment to barbecue ribs on my Weber Grill (using GrillGrates of course) I took it to heart. I followed his instructions carefully. It was a great excuse to stay close to home and tend the coals. I also promised Mike, no more charcoal fluid or matchlight either, or pre-baking ribs in the oven... I have to admit that I have new admiration for my Weber Grill too. I (me the Yankee) held my temp in the low 200's for over 4 hours and we had championship ribs. Mike's book even divulges the recipe of his Magic Dust and his 5 Bean side. Word got out around my buddies and I'm having a repeat performance tomorrow, now the pressure is on.

Peace, Love, & Barbecue is a fabulous read and I wholeheartedly agree with the statement that this book is the only barbecue book you'll ever need. Now I have to hide it from my Q buddies, because its their holiday gift if I can keep the secret til then. Thanks Mike and Amy- Peace, Love, & Barbecue!

Here's how I worked the Weber:
  • 1/2 chimmney of lump charcoal.
  • Holey Smoker Box filled with soaked apple chips served as a dam for the coals.
  • Re-start 1/2 chimmney every 45 minutes and wait to add.
  • I had my infrared temp guage and learned how to shoot through the top vent to get temp at the GrillGrate.
  • I refrained from adding coals too often and sometimes the chimney would need re-fueling before the Weber Kettle did.
  • Rotate the meat away from the hot side.
  • Sprinkle Magic Dust during as the Ribs sweat
  • Limit beer consumption to 1 per hour if possible

Monday, November 3, 2008

Peace, Love, and BARBECUE


It's the title of a book and well sums up the world of competitive barbecue and backyard grilling too. It also sums up the weekend we spent at the "Best of the Best" Barbecue competition in Douglas, GA. GOD smiled on us (and Douglas, GA) because we got to meet and learn from some of the best. We grilled all kinds of pizzas and sold GrillGrates while the competition and demonstrations swirled around downtown Douglas. We get some wonderful feedback and ideas made a lot of new friends.

Mike Mills and his daughter Amy literally wrote the book and I was thrilled to hear Mike's ideas and thoughts about GrillGrates. He and another legend, Rocky Danner were sharing their knowledge and doing grilling demonstrations throughout the weekend. Rocky actually grilled with GrillGrates on a Big Green Egg. He grilled a pork loin that he sliced less than 1/2" thick and cut a pocket in one end which he filled with cheese. Then he rolled up the loin and wrapped it in bacon. Rocky said he had over a pound and a half of bacon on the grill and no flare-ups. The pinwheel loins were beautiful and delicious. I'll post photos and recipes as soon as I get them. Such a refreshing weekend to meet so many authentic and friendly people. Peace, Love & Barbecue!