Pretty neat idea. Grilled Lemonade recipe from Kingsford. Worth a try I'd say!
HOW TO: Make Grilled Lemonade A Great Recipe by Kingsford |
A blog dedicated to my passion for travel and great BBQ. Spreading the word on that sweet smoked swine.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
BBQ Sauce Battle Part 1
As promised my first BBQ Sauce battle is in the books. Just a reminder, I will randomly pick two different sauces each week and compare them against each other based on the following criteria..
Sauce A was a hit according to my scoring system as you can see. Moe's Original is truly a solid and TASTY BBQ sauce. The taste had just the right amount of sweet and kick to really set the ribs off without totally taking away from the ribs themselves. The color on the ribs complimented the rub (Smokin' Trigger) perfectly and really gave it a wonderful dark mahogany coloring that was appealing to the eye.
The sauce was so good that I found myself dipping the ribs in more sauce as I went along. I rarely do that so it really means something. I enjoyed the sauce so much that I had to let the family taste it as well. My son was hooked immediately and has requested it with every dinner since. He even uses it to dip his potato chips in now. I use my 7 year old as an example only because he is very picky and if he likes something that much, you know it's got to be good!
The only place where I dinged it, if you can really call it that, was in the originality department. While I did feel the sauce was delicious and capable of not only backyard, but competition BBQ, I just felt there really wasn't anything much there to really make it stand out compared to other sauces. While I would put the appearance and taste up against any sauce on the market, there was really not anything there to make me say that was "different or "original".
Overall score: 9 out of a possible 12
Sauce B was not quite the hit that we had with Sauce A. As you can see, according to my scoring system, Pit Barrel Carolina Vinegar didn't quite hit the mark in the taste and appearance categories. Before you go on to say, that this is a Carolina vinegar sauce and Moe's Original is more of a tomato based sauce and you really can't compare the two, let me remind you that this is a completely random taste test based on popularity of commercial sauces. And while I agree that one sauce may be a hit in one part of the country and one in another, I tried to leave any regional biases out of it and strictly focus on the taste, appearance and originality. Might I add that I am a big fan of Carolina vinegar based sauces.
That being said, let's jump into the breakdown on Pit Barrel Carolina Vinegar. While the taste was good, I just didn't get the WOW factor that I got with Moe's Original. It had a good flavor and the right amount of vinegar base in my mind. Like I said, it was a good sauce as far as flavor goes, there just wasn't anything that blew me away with it.
The color was a little on the lighter side and did not give you the overall dark mahogany color that one might be looking for with a competition sauce. For a backyard cookout that might be fine, but I wanted to find the sauce that was perfect for not only my backyard but also competition. I suppose with a vinegar based sauce you would not expect the same dark color of a traditional sauce, but I still had to ding it none-the-less.
Where Moe's Sauce was lacking was where I thought this sauce shined. While the taste and appearance didn't receive as high of marks as Moe's did, this sauce truly was unique and original in my mind. This was a vinegar based sauce and it definitely hit the marks you would look for with a vinegar sauce, but there was something a bit more to it. It had a nice kick that I couldn't really compare to other vinegar sauces I had tried. It really was unique in that sense.
Overall a good sauce and definitely hit the original marks for me.
Overall score: 7.5 out of a possible 12
So as you can see Moe's Original Sauce wins the first round of BBQ Sauce Battle. I truly would recommend this sauce to the backyard novice as well as the competition smoker. Moe knows BBQ and it really shows in this quality sauce.
More reviews and BBQ sauce battles to come. Stay tuned!
As always please leave comments and let me know if you have a favorite sauce that you would like me to review!
Enjoy!
Taste (scale of 1-5)
Appearance (scale of 1-4)
Originality (scale of 1-3)
As in competitions, taste will be weighed more heavily followed by appearance and then originality. I will start with well-known sauces. I want to find the very best commercial sauce on the market so if you have suggestions or there is a sauce you would like me to try please let me know.
My first battle was Big Moe Cason's Original Barbecue Sauce vs Pork Barrel Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce.
I took 2 sets of ribs and used Sauce A (Moe Cason) on one rack and Sauce B (Pit Barrel) on the other. The ribs were prepared exactly the same; same rub and same cooking length and temperature. The only difference was the sauce that was added in the last hour of smoking using the 3-2-1 method for ribs.
I didn't want to narrow my results to ribs only as sometimes I find certain sauces are better on certain proteins. The sauces were also applied to chicken thighs. Again, with everything else being equal and only changing the sauce used.
The ribs before going on the pit.
Ribs on the left to be slathered in Moe's Original and left Pit Barrel.
Chicken thighs after sauce was added. Top 3 using
Moe's Original and bottom 3 using Pit Barrel Carolina Vinegar.
Here is my scorecard below...
Sauce A (Moe's Original)
- Taste 4.5 (on a scale of 1-5)
- Appearance 3 (scale of 1-4)
- Originality 1.5 (scale of 1-3)
Sauce A was a hit according to my scoring system as you can see. Moe's Original is truly a solid and TASTY BBQ sauce. The taste had just the right amount of sweet and kick to really set the ribs off without totally taking away from the ribs themselves. The color on the ribs complimented the rub (Smokin' Trigger) perfectly and really gave it a wonderful dark mahogany coloring that was appealing to the eye.
The sauce was so good that I found myself dipping the ribs in more sauce as I went along. I rarely do that so it really means something. I enjoyed the sauce so much that I had to let the family taste it as well. My son was hooked immediately and has requested it with every dinner since. He even uses it to dip his potato chips in now. I use my 7 year old as an example only because he is very picky and if he likes something that much, you know it's got to be good!
The only place where I dinged it, if you can really call it that, was in the originality department. While I did feel the sauce was delicious and capable of not only backyard, but competition BBQ, I just felt there really wasn't anything much there to really make it stand out compared to other sauces. While I would put the appearance and taste up against any sauce on the market, there was really not anything there to make me say that was "different or "original".
Overall score: 9 out of a possible 12
Sauce B (Pit Barrel Carolina Vinegar)
- Taste 3 (on a scale of 1-5)
- Appearance 2 (scale of 1-4)
- Originality 2.5 (scale of 1-3)
Sauce B was not quite the hit that we had with Sauce A. As you can see, according to my scoring system, Pit Barrel Carolina Vinegar didn't quite hit the mark in the taste and appearance categories. Before you go on to say, that this is a Carolina vinegar sauce and Moe's Original is more of a tomato based sauce and you really can't compare the two, let me remind you that this is a completely random taste test based on popularity of commercial sauces. And while I agree that one sauce may be a hit in one part of the country and one in another, I tried to leave any regional biases out of it and strictly focus on the taste, appearance and originality. Might I add that I am a big fan of Carolina vinegar based sauces.
That being said, let's jump into the breakdown on Pit Barrel Carolina Vinegar. While the taste was good, I just didn't get the WOW factor that I got with Moe's Original. It had a good flavor and the right amount of vinegar base in my mind. Like I said, it was a good sauce as far as flavor goes, there just wasn't anything that blew me away with it.
The color was a little on the lighter side and did not give you the overall dark mahogany color that one might be looking for with a competition sauce. For a backyard cookout that might be fine, but I wanted to find the sauce that was perfect for not only my backyard but also competition. I suppose with a vinegar based sauce you would not expect the same dark color of a traditional sauce, but I still had to ding it none-the-less.
Where Moe's Sauce was lacking was where I thought this sauce shined. While the taste and appearance didn't receive as high of marks as Moe's did, this sauce truly was unique and original in my mind. This was a vinegar based sauce and it definitely hit the marks you would look for with a vinegar sauce, but there was something a bit more to it. It had a nice kick that I couldn't really compare to other vinegar sauces I had tried. It really was unique in that sense.
Overall a good sauce and definitely hit the original marks for me.
Overall score: 7.5 out of a possible 12
So as you can see Moe's Original Sauce wins the first round of BBQ Sauce Battle. I truly would recommend this sauce to the backyard novice as well as the competition smoker. Moe knows BBQ and it really shows in this quality sauce.
More reviews and BBQ sauce battles to come. Stay tuned!
As always please leave comments and let me know if you have a favorite sauce that you would like me to review!
Enjoy!
Friday, August 29, 2014
Friday, July 18, 2014
Making Perfect Brisket, Low and Slow
A nice article by Rocky Stubblefield on making the perfect brisket...
Making Perfect Brisket, Low and Slow
Making Perfect Brisket, Low and Slow
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
BBQ Sauce Battle
As I continue to get more and more involved in the world of competitive barbecue, I need to find the perfect sauce for competition. What I've decided to do is pit two sauces against each other in a battle to see who really has the best sauce out there! I will pick two different sauces each week and compare them against each other based on the following criteria..
Taste (scale of 1-5)
Appearance (scale of 1-4)
Originality (scale of 1-3)
Just as in competitions, taste will be weighed more heavily followed by appearance and then originality. I want to find the very best commercial sauce on the market so if you have suggestions or there is a sauce you would like me to try please let me know.
My first battle will be Big Moe Cason's Barbecue Sauce vs Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce.
We will start with Big Moe's famous Raspberry Chipotle Sauce vs Pork Barrel's Carolina Vinegar Sauce. I'll be cooking up ribs this week using both sauces and comparing the two. Look for my review to come...
Enjoy!
Rob
Friday, July 11, 2014
Getting started...
This crazy BBQ thing is really starting to take off for me. Last weekend I competed in my first BBQ competition and had a blast doing it. I took home the Reserve Grand Champion after finishing 2nd place in three categories. I had so much fun competing and hanging out with the other teams. I officially have the BBQ BUG now.
After a phone conversation with an old friend yesterday, I will also officially be judging in a Rib competition Saturday near Ankeny, IA. I see this as a great opportunity to continue learning and growing my barbecue palate. Getting the opportunity to eat some great ribs and drink free beer isn't a bad perk either...
More posts and updates to come including a recap from my first BBQ competition and judging event. For now I leave you with my new team logo designed by my sister-in-law, Amy Williams. Check out Amy's work at http://amywilliams-design.blogspot.com/
That's right, my new team name is "Bugeater BBQ, Co." The name pays homage to my other passion, Nebraska Cornhusker Football.
For those who don't know, before 1900, Nebraska football teams were known by such names as the Old Gold Knights, Antelopes, Rattlesnake Boys and the Bugeaters. In its first two seasons (1890-91), Nebraska competed as the Old Gold Knights, but beginning in 1892, Nebraska adopted Scarlet and Cream as its colors and accepted the Bugeaters as its most popular nickname until the turn of the century. Named after the insect-devouring bull bats that hovered over the plains, the Bugeaters also found their prey in the Midwest, enjoying winning campaigns in every year of the 1890s until a disappointing season in 1899.
After a phone conversation with an old friend yesterday, I will also officially be judging in a Rib competition Saturday near Ankeny, IA. I see this as a great opportunity to continue learning and growing my barbecue palate. Getting the opportunity to eat some great ribs and drink free beer isn't a bad perk either...
More posts and updates to come including a recap from my first BBQ competition and judging event. For now I leave you with my new team logo designed by my sister-in-law, Amy Williams. Check out Amy's work at http://amywilliams-design.blogspot.com/
For those who don't know, before 1900, Nebraska football teams were known by such names as the Old Gold Knights, Antelopes, Rattlesnake Boys and the Bugeaters. In its first two seasons (1890-91), Nebraska competed as the Old Gold Knights, but beginning in 1892, Nebraska adopted Scarlet and Cream as its colors and accepted the Bugeaters as its most popular nickname until the turn of the century. Named after the insect-devouring bull bats that hovered over the plains, the Bugeaters also found their prey in the Midwest, enjoying winning campaigns in every year of the 1890s until a disappointing season in 1899.
Monday, July 7, 2014
BBQ Sweepstakes - Ready Set Ribs!
I had a blast this Summer working with BBQ Pitmasters Tuffy Stone and Moe Cason for the Ready Set Ribs promotion. We worked with the National Pork Board as well as Smithfield-Farmland in order to bring you great Rib recipes and grilling tips from two of the best in the business!
With Big Moe Cason repping the 515!
Go to www.ReadySetRibs.com for grilling tips and recipes from Moe and Tuffy all summer long! You can vote for your favorite recipe and/or grilling tip and be entered to win some great prizes including a Cooking Class from Tuffy Stone at one of his Q Barbecue Restaurants in Virginia.
Enjoy!
Rob
Go to www.ReadySetRibs.com for grilling tips and recipes from Moe and Tuffy all summer long! You can vote for your favorite recipe and/or grilling tip and be entered to win some great prizes including a Cooking Class from Tuffy Stone at one of his Q Barbecue Restaurants in Virginia.
Enjoy!
Rob
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Enter the Red Gold Summer Grilling Party 2
Enter the Red Gold Summer Grilling Party 2 for chance to win a big green egg!!
Friday, July 4, 2014
Famous Dave's Unleashes BBQ's Dark Secret: Burnt Ends Revealed [Infographic] | Grilling with Rich
Famous Dave's Unleashes BBQ's Dark Secret: Burnt Ends Revealed [Infographic] | Grilling with Rich
I love burnt ends. I love Famous Dave's. Grilling with Rich shares Dave's secret for burnt ends.
Enjoy!
Rob
I love burnt ends. I love Famous Dave's. Grilling with Rich shares Dave's secret for burnt ends.
Enjoy!
Rob
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
The first Puerto Rican chef to be named a Food & Wine "Best New Chef" - Jose Enrique
Pork Foodservice Newsletter - Jose Enrique: The first Puerto Rican chef to be named a Food & Wine Best New Chef, Jose Enrique Montes takes traditional Caribbean flavors to new heights.
How to Make Perfect Pork BBQ with Pitmaster Chris Lilly
This is a great video from Epicurious and legendary Pitmaster Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q. Chris was in New York City at the Big Apple Barebecue Block Party and did this great "How To" video on perfect pulled pork. Chris is an amazing pitmaster as well as a great ambassador of Pork! Make sure to check out Epicurious and if you want to see how to make perfect pork then check out this video!
Enjoy!
Rob
The sign from in front of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, AL
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Walmart Fires Up “Dibs on My Ribs” Contest | www.Pork.org
Walmart Fires Up “Dibs on My Ribs” Contest | www.Pork.org
With our current rib promotion, "Ready Set Ribs!" currently underway, I decided to take a bit of a trip down memory lane and look at my first rib promotion, "Dibs on my Ribs!"
The attached link is to an interview I did for the Pork Checkoff back in 2012. It features information about the promotion as well as plenty of quotes from yours truly.
Enjoy!
Rob
With our current rib promotion, "Ready Set Ribs!" currently underway, I decided to take a bit of a trip down memory lane and look at my first rib promotion, "Dibs on my Ribs!"
The attached link is to an interview I did for the Pork Checkoff back in 2012. It features information about the promotion as well as plenty of quotes from yours truly.
Enjoy!
Rob
Johnsonville Sausage Survey the Popularity of Sausauges | Grilling with Rich
Johnsonville Sausage Survey the Popularity of Sausauges | Grilling with Rich
It was 4 years ago this summer that Johnsonville launched their Brat and Italian Patties with the help of the National Pork Board. The "No Ordinary Burger" promotion at Walmart truly set the standard for our summer retail promotions at the Big W.
Check out the article above from Grilling with Rich that discusses America's current love for Johnsonville brats. Add some spice to your grill this summer by trying one of the great flavor of traditional brats or brat patties available from Johnsonville and don't forget to read the attached article. It truly is No Ordinary Burger!
Enjoy!
Rob
It was 4 years ago this summer that Johnsonville launched their Brat and Italian Patties with the help of the National Pork Board. The "No Ordinary Burger" promotion at Walmart truly set the standard for our summer retail promotions at the Big W.
Check out the article above from Grilling with Rich that discusses America's current love for Johnsonville brats. Add some spice to your grill this summer by trying one of the great flavor of traditional brats or brat patties available from Johnsonville and don't forget to read the attached article. It truly is No Ordinary Burger!
Enjoy!
Rob
Monday, June 30, 2014
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Moe and Tuffy live from the Kentucky Speedway
We had a great time at the Satellite Media Tour for Ready Set Ribs. Check out the link below for one of the interviews Moe and Tuffy did at the Kentucky Speedway! Great tips and information for all BBQ enthusiasts!
Restaurant reviews to come!
I will be reviewing barbecue restaurants along with other random dining establishments from all over the country starting in my backyard of Des Moines, IA. If you're not from this area, you may not realize all of the great barbecue here in the pork state. Stay tuned and we will be reviewing the best!
Factoid of the day: Did you know there are more pigs in Iowa than people?! Iowa is the #1 pork producing state in the union. With all that pork here, there was bound to be great bbq to go along with it, right?!
Cooking on the Big Green Egg: Tip of the week
Always be sure to cook with your egg's dome lid closed. Your Big Green Egg was designed to remain closed while cooking.
Remember, if you're looking, you're not cooking!
Visit our website ReadySetRibs.com for great barbecue recipes, tips and prizes!
We have a great promotion going on this summer with Pitmasters Moe Cason and Tuffy Stone. They offered up their secret recipes and barbecue tips that are sure to help everyone cook bbq like a pro. It's easy as 1-2-3! Visit www.ReadySetRibs.com and check it out!
We had a great time at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot in Chicago, IL. Check out some of the behind the scenes photos after the jump!
Moe giving direction to the food stylists at the ReadySetRibs photo shoot.
Food stylists at work making sure the ribs look just right.
Editing photos at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot.
Getting the next shot ready at the photo shoot.
Moe showing that BIG personality on camera.
Tuffy's signature red 'Cool Smoke' shirts getting steamed and pressed.
Some ribs getting prepped at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot.
Moe and Tuffy showing off their rib recipes at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot.
One of the special recipes being ready for the camera.
Editing photos at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot.
On set at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot in Chicago, IL.
On set at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot in Chicago, IL.
Editing images at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot.
Tuffy giving some direction to the photographer.
More ribs getting prepped at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot.
Moe and Tuffy showing off their rib recipes at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot.
On set at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot in Chicago, IL.
One of the special recipes being ready for the camera.
On set at the Ready Set Ribs photo shoot in Chicago, IL.
Now that you've seen behind the scenes, be sure to check out www.ReadySetRibs.com and go buy some ribs at Walmart this summer!
www.readysetribs.com
Friday, June 27, 2014
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