Game Day Ribs!

 Most people I know head straight to the produce section when entering a grocery store, not me. I always head straight toward the catsup, sauce and pickle aisle. Drives my wife nuts.

 Last Friday while strolling Caputos on Bloomingdale Road, I couldn't help but notice that they stock Head's Red BBQ Sauce. Spotting this delight on the shelf served as the inspiration for this cook.

Now, I usually don't stray too far from Mike's Meat Market in Villa Park, but thought I'd give Wheaton Meat Market a try. Wheaton Meat Market stocks pork loin backs. Some say there is no difference between baby backs and pork loin backs, but I differentiate the two by the amount of loin left on the rib. These were meaty. The quality was good.

Some folks cook ribs with the membrane on - they say they like the snap... not me, so off it went.

 I started using EVOO as my base before applying rub. Typically I use yellow mustard kicked up with a liittle soy and/or worchestire, but thought EVOO might not only keep them better moist but possibly help create a better crust. I can never taste either after they've been smoked anyways.

Knowing I was going to be using Head's Red BBQ Sauce for this cook, I thought I'd create a new rub to compliment the sauce. I used brown and white sugars, onion powder, sweet paprika, Lawry's, garlic salt, cinnamon, cumin and few other ingredients. I was happy with the end result. I accomplished what I thought was a sweet, salty and smoky flavor profile. 

(I've also learned to put my rub in shaker. For one, it keeps it from becoming contimated by dirty fingers and two, it sprinkles on nice and even.)

Today was about 30* and the old Smoky Mountain Smoker held steady at 250*. Woo Hoo!

I used apple (rear) and hickory (front) for the smoke.

Ahhh...there she is puffing away. This smoker cost me about $150 bucks 6 years ago and has been worth every dime. I may have to invest in a few welding blankets to better insulate the cabinet though.

After about 3 hours, these ribs are looking mighty good...still got a few hours to go...

 After 5 1/2 hours I applied the sauce. Head's Red BBQ Sauce is a delicious sweet and tangy sauce with a very small hint of worchestire - which I like very much. It's flavor is deep and savory, not overly sweet and comes with a touch of heat. The sauce stuck to the meat and glazed up nicely.  Hadn't I been lazy I would have fired up my Weber OTG and charred these babies. Maybe next time.

I pulled and cut them up. Within minutes "POOF!" they were gone. Don't think Doug Henning could've made them disappear any quicker. I really enjoyed the sauce as did the fellas. It's one of the few sauces that is litearlly finger lickn' good. I'll be making beans with the second bottle I bought next weekend.

Happy Friday and thanks for lookn'!

Quick and Easy Grilled Shrimp Cocktail!

 Came across these wild caught 15ct gulf shrimp and decided to do me up a grilled shrimp cocktail for my first cook of 2012. 

Two things I have found that really add  nice flavor to shrimp when grilling are 1) a brine and 2) leaving the shells on.

First, you got to remove the mud vein. My mother-in-law had once made paella forgetting to remove the mud veins from the shrimp. As great of a cook as she is, I couldn't eat it. Here, I simply cut a slit down its back and with a small paring knife pulled the vein out. Simple.

Next, I trimmed up them little legs. Did this solely for presentation as the wife don't like lookn' at em.

Made a simple brine. In this case, I used sugar, salt and lemon juice and after all the shrimp had been cleaned, I brined them for 1 hour in the fridge.

Grilled over medium direct 4 minutes a side.

And while still warm, tossed them in EVOO infused with lemon zest and garlic. Oh, and I snipped off some chives in there too for added color, texture and taste.

Served em up with a homemade cocktail sauce consisting mainly of catsup, freshly ground horseradish (lots of it), lemon juice, a dab of Siracha and worchestire.

Easy peasy and absolutely delicious. Not sure why anyone would buy those no taste, pre-cooked jumbos at Jewel or Dominick's when  in less than 1 hour you can have fresh, juicy, plump shrimp. These were really good eats! The only thing missing was a Beefeater and garlic stuffed olives.

Pig Daddy's Night on the Town at Chicago q!

I've been meaning to get on over to Chicago q for over a year since they've opened and last night was the night.  Chicago q is located at 1160 N. Dearborn and is in the heart of Chicago's Gold Coast. 

Chicago q is an upscale BBQ place, akin to Fiorella's Jack Stack in Kansas City, which I've also dined. There is no question that this has got to be Chicago's most elegant, urban BBQ joint. The best I can describe the interior is modern day plantation style.

Chicago q's menu features typical Q fare like pulled pork, chicken and ribs, but what had peaked my interest aside from their huge selection of bourbon was the Kobe beef brisket and what they refer to as "competition ribs." Neither entree comes cheap at $21 and $35, respectively. That being said, having BBQ'd for years and having sacrificed many a sleepless night and early mornings hoping to finish a 12-14 hour smoke by dinner or turn-in (not including the prep-time it took to get it to the point of cooking it), I can truly appreciate the passion, patience, craftsmanship  and knowledge of a pitmaster who has learned to properly transcend a tough cut of meat into a heavenly smoked, tender piece of goodness.  And I don't mind paying the extra bucks for it - SO LONG as it's TOP QUALITY. 

Now, for those of you who have ever watched TLC's series "BBQ Pitmasters" you may have heard or seen Lee Ann Whippen competing against the likes of Johnny Trigg, Myron Mixon, Hary Soo and Tuffy Stone.  Well, Whippen is chef/partner of Chicago q and any BBQ being offered for sale by a pitmaster who has stared on TLC's "BBQ Pitmasters," who has won numerous awards on the circuit, runs an already successful restaurant in Virgina and even beat Bobby Flay in a pulled pork throw down better be TOP QUALITY! Or worst case, I guess I write it off as team research and development and never return.

They started us with  homemade chips sprinkled with Whippen's signature "Pig Powder" as well as hand cut bread and butter style pickles with garlic and onion. These were gratis and kept coming so long as we ate them. The Pig Powder was sweet with a bit of heat, the pickles were fresh, savory and crunchy. Each complimented the other in flavor and texture very well and set the tone for what we were to expect the rest of the evening.

(No sooner than when we arrived they dimmed the lighting to  "bar tone." Due to the low lighting, my pictures do not properly capture the true view of the food as put before us)

As an appetizer, we ordered the house bacon hush puppies with chipotle aioli. Chicago q smokes its own bacon from fresh pork belly, which is then used to make these. In fact everything but their deserts are made in-house. I've had lots of pups in my time and these were very good. They were perfectly cooked, smoky in flavor and not greasy whatsoever. The chipotle aioli served as a nice compliment.

For our entree, we ordered the Kobe beef brisket with cornbread as our side.  Next to chicken, brisket is probably one of the hardest categories to cook for competition. This brisket was very good. What I liked most about it was that it had exceptional graining. And keeping brisket moist after slicing is challenging and although this brisket was lean, it was served moist. It also possessed a good beef flavor and the perfect amount of smoke flavor. What I liked least was that there was some larger fat pockets left on it (as you can see in the photo) and it could have been ever slightly more tender. The cornbread was the best I've ever had.

Although very pricey for a slab of spares, we couldn't resist ordering the "competition spare ribs." I am not certain why a BBQ joint would offer two qualities of ribs - best and better than best? Why not just put forward your best 100% of the time? This concept seems strange to me, but then again I am not a marketing major. But then yet again, the menu item and pitmaster association worked - getting me to buy them. Well, whatever the case may be, these were very good. They were perfectly seasoned, and perfectly smoked. They came glazed and had a subtle hint of sweetness. I think many BBQ joints as well cooks forget that smoke, rub and sauce should be used as ingredients and not the main flavors. In my opinion, these ribs had a nice balance of flavor where I could even taste the pork! What a concept!

That being said, for an item labeled "competition ribs," that come in at $35 a slab, I think they were slightly overcooked, a tad too tender as they lacked a perfect bite through, some of which came right off the bone with little or no pull.  Now, I understand that ribs can't be cooked to order and these ribs like any other BBQ joint are pre-cooked and kept warm for who knows how long, which must affect tenderness, but they are advertised as "competition ribs" after all.

 

Chicago q serves its sauce table side, which  we used solely as a compliment to the BBQ because it sure didn't need any. Starting at the top and moving clockwise, original mild (tomato based, rich and sweet), South Carolina mustard, spicy (tomato-based and bold wit red pepper flake) and an Eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce. The best mustard sauce I've ever had was at a BBQ joint in Virginia called Old Glory, Whippen's mustard sauce comes in a close 2nd. It was very good and complimented both the brisket and pulled pork extremely well. The other sauces were good - nothing to write home about.

Now, saving the best for last...

You know, honesty before visiting I had my doubts about this place. I figured it'd just be a hyped, upscale BBQ restaurant using a famous pit master's name in sake in an attempt to get me to spend my $. I even joked with my colleagues about Lee Ann Whippen probably not even knowing the address. Well, much to my surprise I was DEAD WRONG and although stuffed, I was forced make room to eat my words.

When seated in the dining room, I happened to see a blond woman who resembled Whippen from my seat performing what appeared to be quality control in the kitchen. Our waiter confirmed this was Whippen. The next thing I knew, she came out, introduced herself and invited us for a tour of her kitchen. Needless to say, I was shocked and tongue tied. Many of the questions I would have wanted to ask her just never got out.

 Chicago q uses Southern Pride Smokers. Fuel of choice here was hickory and white cherry. However, they use other woods for different foods like fish and chicken.

 Below is a picture of Whippen showing us her meat locker.  In her hand is a Kobe beef brisket. She was very personable, cordial and without any prodding engaged us in Q conversation. Like any other Q'er I know, she's the type that if she had not been busy would have sat down and talked Q with us all day long. She is very passionate and knowledgeable about BBQ. No doubts about it!

After shamelessly plugging the Glen Ellyn Backyard BBQ (some more), I had my buddy snap a photo of me and Whippen so I could brag to all my BBQ buddies including you all. And boy, if I weren't married.... 

I have many other places to try and am hoping to start covering them now that winter is upon us and I won't be cooking as much. All-in-all, I'd pay to eat at Chicago q again, no questions about it. The Q was very good and our service was outstanding. It was a great evening!

Fusion: Peruvian Tamales with Pulled Pork and Brisket!

My father-in-law is from Peru and is an excellent cook.  Every year for Christmas he makes traditional  Peruvian dishes like Papa a la Huancaina, Lomo Saltado, Ceviche and Anticucho de Corazón.  But my favorite are his Peruvian tamales.  Peruvian tamales are wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks, are more flat than round, are traditionally stuffed with chicken or pork and are a bit more on the spicy side. 

This year I invited the master to teach me how to make these heavenly bundles to which he agreed. I studied, took notes, asked lots of questions and ended up putting my own twist on what otherwise is a fabulous latin dish.

We started with guajillo chile paste, garlic paste, pork stock, pork lard (all of which we made) and a big ol bag of banana leaves...

First, we melted pork lard in a pan...

Next, we fried the guajillo chile paste, garlic paste and cumin in the pork lard...

We then added this fried goodness to the masa...

We also addded pork stock. Masa is somewhat bland and benefits from added layers of flavor and moisture.

We mixed well and set aside...

Next, we placed the banana  leaves above a burner sweating the leaves making them more pliable and easier to fold...

We then spread the masa on a banana leaf and filled it with leftover smoked pulled pork, sicilian black olives and a roasted serano chile cut on the bias...

Repeated...but used leftover smoked brisket, a roasted serano chile and some homemade apple bourbon bbq sauce...

We then wrapped each tamale, tying them with kitchen twine...

These tamales will be boiled rather than steamed, so we  wrapped them tightly in aluminum foil as to not end up with soggy masa...

We dropped them in water and boiled 30 minutes...

Final product: pulled pork tamale with some hot sauce...

Fnal product: beef brisket tamale...

Me eating these things like there's no tomorrow.

The banana leaves impart a steeped tea-like flavor into the masa, which is really different from corn husks. Like I had mentioned, masa is somewhat bland and benefits from added flavors. The smoked meats penetrated the masa imparting a hint of smoky flavor throughout and the roasted seranos added a slight hint of spice, ok a lot of spice. The masa was extremely moist. This is one of the best dishes I've ever made and tpossibilities are endless.

Thanks for looking!

Say Hello to Mr. Brown...

With last Sunday's temperature near 40*, I decided to cook me up some pulled pork. Pulled pork freezes well and will last 3-5 months frozen. I often use leftovers for tacos, beans, chili, hot pockets, soups and nachos. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Saturday I started the prep-work.  I mixed some apricot nectar, salt, sugar and a few other ingredients to create an injectable brine.

I inject my shoulders using a one-inch grid patter and go heavy in the money muscle and around the horn. Here, I am pushing the brine in as I pull the syringe out. 

I then wrapped it in plastic wrap and threw in the fridge overnight...

On Sunday morning, I made a very basic rub consisting of turbinado and brown sugars, Hungarian sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and freshly ground cracked pepper. I used yellow mustard as a base...

As far as I am concerned, there is no substitute for natural charcoal - whether briquettes or lump. The flavor charcoal produces on foods is far superior to propane. But given as cold as it has been, I thought I'd use my Smoky Mountain Smoker for this cook.  It's much easier to regulate the temperature compared to my Chargriller and less demanding of my time - particularly on football Sunday. 

Typically when I plan on using propane to grill or smoke in cold weather, I place the canister in my garage the night before where it's a bit warmer. It seems that below freezing temps affect the pressure in the tank creating less efficient flow.

Knowing that this shoulder would take every bit of 12 hours, I woke up at 5 AM to get the smoker warmed up and ready to go by 6 AM.  The outdoor temperature was approximately 30* and for some reason I had a very hard time getting the smoker up to 225* let alone 250* (where I wanted to be).  Although the metal on the Smoky Mountain Smokers are paper thin, I've held 250* when it's been colder. After two hours of messing around and a few choice words, I discovered that the propane nozzle had become slightly dislodged from the burner. After fixing it, she held steady at 250* all day.

Of course I can't waste space, so I threw in some some spares I had trimmed up St Louis style.  This is after about four hours into the cook...

...and after about 8 hours...

Typically I foil my shoulders after they reach an internal temp of 160*, but because I had injected it, I thought I would not use foil thus allowing the bark to develop more prominently.  At about 8 PM when the butt had reached an internal temp of 195*, I removed it from the smoker and let it rest.  Not only did I get fabulous bark, but the pork was extremely juicy and tender without the foil as you can see from the photo (click on the photo for a close-up).

Pulled pork just ain't complete without slaw and my best friend's mother makes the best damn slaw I've ever tasted. I've known Tom since the sixth grade - over 3 decades. He was my best man, as I was his, and we are the godparents to each others children. Through good time and bad times, our bond is tight. Despite being the equivalent of his mother's 4th son, my version of her gifted recipe never quite tastes the same...hmmmm.   Well, I made her recipe using green cabbage. I also made a homemade bbq sauce. I modified a recipe I have been working on using some rice wine vinegar, hot sauce and Blues Hog Tennessee Red and I'm extremely pleased with the end result. This will be my new go-to for pulled pork - no question about it.

Thanks for lookn'!