Interview with BBQ Pitmaster Judges Tuffy Stone and Moe Cason

Just before I disappeared on vacation last week, I had the opportunity to briefly interview Tuffy Stone and Moe Cason, about how to liven up the BBQ in your own back yard this summer.

They are both judges on the popular show, BBQ Pitmasters on Destination America, as well as fierce competitors on the BBQ circuit.  Sorry about the audio being a little noisy - as you can see they were at the race track during the interview.



The website they mention is ReadySetRibs.Com.

Thanks Tuffy and Moe!

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Red Pepper and Chive Sauce

This might be burger month but sometimes I like a grilled chicken sandwich as much as any burger.  Here's one that I recently made as a quickie one weeknight.

Red jalapenos are hard to find fresh and they are only ready late in the summer but you can find jarred red jalapenos all year.  That's what I used for this recipe.   I used dried chives because I like to crumble them into smaller pieces but you could finely dice fresh chives instead.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Red Pepper and Chive Sauce
www.nibblemethis.com
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 8-10 minutes

Reverse Seared Strip Steaks with Veggie Stir Fry

I have written about using the reverse sear technique a good bit but someone recently asked me how to do that on a gas grill.  It's really not much different - start with a slow roast at low temperatures and then finish over a high temp sear.  

I did a reverse sear recently for a post over at Char-Broil Live when I made these Reverse Seared Strip Steaks with an Oyster Mushroom and Asparagus Stir Fry. 

Here is the basic setup that I used on my Char-Broil Gourmet TRU-Infrared grill.

This is the set up at the beginning - only the left burner was on, so the steaks roast with low indirect heat.  When they hit 5 degrees less than my desired final internal temp - I remove them, turn up the heat, and let the steaks rest until the internal temp stops rising.  Then it is back on the grill for a quick sear.  

For full details and the recipe, hop on over to my post at Char-Broil Live.

Event Announcement: Porkopolis - Eggfest in Cincinnati

One of the things unique to the Big Green Egg subculture is the "Eggfests" that Eggheads have.

There is the big Eggtoberfest hosted in Atlanta by the company but there are smaller regional Eggfests throughout the year that actually have more fun. Eggfests are a celebration of our love of cooking on the Big Green Egg kamado grill. 

The typical Eggfest works like this.

• Friday night pre-party -  We can't talk about this, oaths have been sworn and pacts made.
• Saturday morning - a group of volunteer Eggheads show up to cook on brand new Big Green Eggs supplied by a local distributor.  These cooks are unpaid and they pay for all of the food they are cooking.  It's not a competition (well, officially) rather it is one huge demonstration cook.  So every Eggchef brings his or her favorite recipe to show off their skills.
• Late Saturday morning through afternoon - Sampling.  The next group of people ("Tasters") show up and get to eat all of this wonderful food made by the cooks.  You walk around finding out who is cooking what and more importantly, when they expect it to be done so you can be there when the food comes out.  In the mean time, there is lots of entertainment, socializing, and maybe an adult beverage or three.
• Demo Egg Sale - These Eggs that have been used just once are now cleaned up and sold on site for a greatly reduced price, still covered under warranty.  
• Saturday After-Party -  More pleading the 5th.  Or was that drinking a fifth?  

Eggfests are a great event to check out if you are even thinking about buying an Egg.  You get to see them in action first hand, talk to volunteer Eggsperts about how to use them, and even buy one on sale if you wish.

Like I said, they are all over the country (Full List here) but in just two weeks from today, I will be attending Porkopolis in Cincinnati, OH.  If you have a copy of my book, The Kamado Smoker and Grill Cookbook, bring it and I'll sign it for you. 

If you are in that region, come on down and check it out. The last time I checked they still have Taster Tickets available.  You don't have to have an Egg, in fact, these are especially great for people who don't.  You'll taste some amazing food, meet some friendly people, and if you aren't careful, you might just become an Egghead yourself!

Rocky Top BBQ Cook-Off - A Rookie's First Competitive BBQ Experience

Do you remember that feeling in your gut an hour before your first REAL date?  The nervousness and the excitement were trying to wrestle each other into submission while your brain was just trying to think rationally about the situation. 

That's how I felt the Thursday night before the Rocky Top BBQ Cook-Off here in Knoxville a few weeks ago.  Sure, I've been going to competitions for a few years.  I have played small roles, on other people's teams, using other people's equipment, using other people's recipes, and following other people's direction.

For the first time, it was all on us.  Our team, our equipment, our recipes, and we were calling the shots.

Our team consisted of myself, Alexis, and our neighbor, John.

Going into it, we had 3 pretty realistic goals.

1. Have fun,
2. Get everything cooked and not missing any turn in deadlines, and
3. Not finish DAL.  (Dead Ass Last)

#2 is harder than it sounds because you have to cook long cooking "big meats" like brisket and pork shoulder and shorter cooking meats like ribs and chicken, timing it so they are all ready to turn in at 12, 12:30, 1, and 1:30.  You have a 10 minute window for each turn in time and if you miss it, you're DQ'd.

Here's how it turned out.  You'll have to excuse the pictures - I didn't even bring my camera so these are all phone shots.

Friday Morning - Load In

We're local so we didn't bother to set up until Friday morning.  Out of town teams often show up Thursday evening.  We were able to get everything in two vehicles for a pretty easy set up.

We had a 10 x 20 space and took just 1 EZ-Up, our gear, The Warthog and a kamado.

The view outside of our pop-up.

Team banner

I had a while before we had to prep anything so I walked around to get shots of some of the other teams getting set up.  

Our neighbor on our left side.

Smoked Chicken & Bean Burrito and the Big Kahuna Wing Festival

Question:  Where can you sample 30 chicken wings from 30 competition teams for only $10, plus get a day full of entertainment?

Answer:  The Big Kahuna Wing Festival in Knoxville THIS SATURDAY benefiting the Empty Stocking Fund and the Ronald McDonald House.

More about this cool event in just a minute, but first let me share this recipe for smoked chicken and bean burritos that we made from leftovers the other day, because they were delicious.  This recipe would also work exceptionally well with leftover rotisserie chicken.

Last Sunday, John and I were running some temperature tests on The Warthog (our trailer mounted BBQ pit) after we had made some modification.  The testing involved running the smoker with about a half dozen temperature probes to check for hot spots in the cooking chamber.  We weren't intending to cook anything but the smoke smelled so good we decided to through some chicken in there while we tested.

The wires are for the temperature probes.

Memphis In May 2014

A little less than a month ago, Alexis and I attended Memphis In May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest.

In the world of BBQ contests, Memphis in May (MIM) is one of the four majors along with The Jack Daniels BBQ Invitational, American Royal, and Houston Rodeo.  It is a spectacle that has to be experienced in person but I'll try to share the feel of the event through some pictures.

Teams, Banners, and Booths

One of the first things I like to do at MIM is walk around and behold the amazing team "booths".  At most contests, team booths are just a pop up canopy or two but at MIM,  team spaces are more appropriately called "structures".  I also like to see what teams are there and check out the fun names and logos.

Two large "booths"...not exactly 10 x 10 Ez Up canopies, right?

US Army Corp of Engineers

Most of these multi-level structures are built with scaffolding but I hear they have to be permitted or reviewed by a city inspector.  You'll see why load ratings are important later.

The fabled "porkapotamus".