According to my soon to be 12-year old son, my 009 does not produce "real redneck BBQ." He says all you do is put the meat in and press a button. I pointed out to him that you have to move a dial. He said real BBQ requires a person to tend the fire half the day and read a magazine. I asked him what type of magazine and he said cars and tractors. My wife added that motorcycles would be a good magazine for rednecks.
This past weekend (Saturday) I made three slabs of pork loin ribs on my off-set New Braunfels Oklahoma Joe. I cut them St. Louis style. I used three different sauces for a blind taste test. I will say the ribs turned out great. I used Sweet Baby Ray (store bought), TGIF Jack Daniels (recipe from the internet), and Bourbon BBQ for Ribs from Chatham Artillery BBQ (Chathamartillerybbq.com) September's newsletter. The favorite order was Chatham Artillery BBQ, Sweet Baby Ray, and TGIF Jack Daniels. The winning recipe is below.
Bourbon Barbeque Sauce for Ribs
¼ cup Wild Turkey Bourbon
2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup Apple cider vinegar
¼ cup Pineapple juice
3 teaspoon Molasses
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon Lemon juice
1 teaspoon Salt
Mix all ingredients and simmer on stove until sauce thickens.
Today (Sunday) I smoked a packer's trimmed brisket and Boston Butt. The brisket was slightly bigger than the butt. I will say it was the best brisket and butt I've ever made. My wife says not to mess with anything in the future. I will point out a few things that I think made for a great meal.
1) Use small cuts of meat. For groups, just purchase more cuts vs. fewer larger ones.
2) I did not trim the fat from the meats. I wanted the fat to keep the meats moist. I had the fat side up on the brisket.
3) I put a small jar of apple juice on the bottom shelf for some apple steam.
4) I used two small pieces of cherry and one small piece of hickory. I split the wood and placed the flat side on the bottom of the wood box.
5) I let the meat come to room temperature before I washed it off, dried it and applied my home-made rub. I go easy on the rub.
6) I put both cuts on the top shelf.
7) I broke a Cookshack rule and opened the unit twice. I sprayed both cuts of meat with apple juice each time I opened the unit. Yes I know I had the jar for steam, but it did not steam like I thought it would.
8) I always marinade my meats, but I was to busy this time. I found out the meat was better without the marinade so now I'm thrilled I can save all that time by not making my marinade. Those magazines are calling me.
9) I picked a bigger brisket than Boston Butt. I knew the butt would be done first, and I wanted the brisket on the medium rare side.
10) I set the unit to 230 degrees and smoked for 4 hours. Then I turned the unit up to 250 degrees for one hour (5 hours total cooking time).
11) I went easy on the wood. I did not want a real thick bark on the meat.
Best butt and brisket done to date according to my wife and I. My son refused to try it because it was not "real redneck BBQ." The hot dogs I made him received a great review.
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