"Low and slow", yea that is the motto of BBQ smoking. Low temperature over a longer
period of time. In smoking and BBQ a low heat between 180 - 250 degrees over a
longer period of time breaks the connective tissues down creating a tender piece of
meat. Well this "time" can take all day some times, and with that kind of time some
might add a few lagers, and some brotherly chatter. Combine all of them and now
you have a culture. Yes the world of "smoking and BBQ" is a culture. Here we will
learn some of that culture. Within the culture of BBQ it is very serious, and rhetoric
of determining who's BBQ is best.
Some low and slow lingo:
Bark - is the darkened exterior of the meat resulting from caramelization
of the dry rub on the outside of the meat.
Brine - a seasoned salt solution that adds moisture to a protein before it is
cooked. A protein is soaked in this solution which is high in
salt and low in acid.
Cowboy BBQ - is cooking over an open pit
Cold Smoke - smoking that occurs between 80 - 120 degrees. Cheeses and
fish are the main focus of this type of smoking, however
spices like smoked paprika and herbs can be smoked
Dry rub - is a combination of spices that is applied or rubbed on the
outside of the item to be smoked, that contributes to a
concentration of these flavors
Finishing Sauce - this is the sauce that completes the smoked protein
dish, depending on where you are will depend on the type of
sauce you would finish with.
Log burner - someone smoking that is using pieces of wood or logs rather
than charcoal and wood chips
Kansas city bbq sauce - this is the one we are most familiar with, although
store bought ones are sweeter than the classic.
Pit: Closed - a barrel, heating oil container, a box or something enclosed
that smoke is allowed to circulate through the
chamber interacting with the product
Open - some form of pit, often cinder blocks stacked up with a
grate over the top, the cooking is done over low
heat a few feat above the heat
Pit master - is the on site expert, this person can identify the needs of the
pit: too hot, or needs wood, needs sauce, or if the meat is
done.
Memphis style ribs - using a dry rub only no finishing sauce
Mop - applicator of the sauce, usually a paint brush looking vessel
Mopping sauce - is a thin vinegar based mixture that is basted on to the
meat to keep it moist, cool
Pig pickin - is where a whole pig has been cooked and people sit around
just pickin what they want to eat.
Pig Sauce - served with
Pit master - is the on site expert, this person can identify the needs of the
pit: too hot, or needs wood, needs sauce, or if the meat is
done.
Smoke ring - is a pinkish color that surrounds the interior of the bark, the
flesh yields the depth that the smoke has penetrated the meat.
Smoke stack - a chimney that protrudes from a closed pit that channels
smoke
Kansas city bbq sauce - this is the one we are most familiar with, although
store bought ones are sweeter than the classic.
The Sauces regions of SouthCarolinas -
Northern East South Carolinas :Vinegar with red pepper flakes
Northern Hills: Tomaty Vinegar based,
Western Carolina: similar to KC
South Carolina Gold: a mustard based sauces from Columbia
to Charleston.
East North Carolina - Vinegar with red pepper flakes
Western North Carolina - thin piquante tomato, with vinegar
Piedmont Lexington style - ketchup, vinegar, pepper sauce
Texas Sauce - thin tart, chili powder, vinegar, cumin, onion, touch of
ketchup. Used as a mop and finishing sauce, penetrates meat.
Better for Beef
Tennessee Bourbon Sauce - molasses, ketchup, bourbon, vinegar
Low and Slow Styles
Eastern Carolina style - hickory smoked pork shoulder, or pork bbq,
pulled, served on white roll with sweet coleslaw
Western Carolina style - smoked pork shoulder or pork bbq, with tomato
based sauce with heavy vinegar over tones.
Texas style - mesquite smoked brisket with texas style sauce listed above
Kansas City style - spare ribs, beef brisket, tomato vinegar based sauce
Memphis style - ribs, pulled pork, pulled pork is mixed with a sweet
tomato based sauce. Dry ribs are the most common.
Most common BBQ meats and approximate smoke or
low oven temp:
Beef brisket: 8 - 10 hours
Pork Shoulder(pulled pork/chopped pork): 6 - 8 hours
Baby back pork ribs: 90 min. - 2 hours
Pork spareribs (st. louis style): 2 - 3 hours
when buying ribs they are sold by weight 2.5/down means 10 - 12 ribs
per 2.5lbs.
Links: sausage: 30 min. - 60 min.
BBQ Sauce traditional:
1 tsp. roasted garlic
1 oz. dijon mustard
1 oz. molasses
2 oz. cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
10 oz. ketchup
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1. dissolve sugar and molasses in vinegar, add
mustard
2. add remaining ingredients, if too thick adjust with
some iced tea, orange juice, or apple juice.
3. refrigerate any unused.
Liquid lightning BBQ:
1 each scotch bonnet pepper (dried or fresh), cut in 1/2
1 each anaheim pepper (dried or fresh), cut in 1/2
1 each jalepeno (dried or fresh), cut in 1/2
1 cup orange juice
12 oz. stout beer
4 oz. chili sauce
1/2 spanish onion finely chopped
1 green pepper finely chopped
6 sliced bacon
4 oz. cider vinegar
2 tsp.Dry mustard
1 tsp. freshly ground cumin (dried would be ok)
1 tsp. freshly ground coriander (dried would be ok)
1/2 tsp. cinamon
1 pinch nutmeg
4 oz. molasses
2 oz. dark brown sugar
1 oz. molasses
1 oz. worcestershire sauce
24 oz. ketchup
1. pour beer, orange juice and chili sauce into a stock pot with
jalepeno, anaheim, and scotch bonnet peppers or
whatever peppers you can get your hands on. Simmer
ingredients together for about 1 hour, keep it liquid
like. Add stock , water or tea if necessary.
2. dice bacon, cook in sauce pan when 1/2 way done (about 2 -
3 minutes) add with peppers, and onions. Cook until
done, strain off fat.
3. Add vinegar, worcestershire, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar,
mustard, and remaining spices into a sauce pan with
step #2. Warm up.
4. strain mixture from step #1 into step #3, and continue to
simmer.
5. simmer until flavor and desired thickness is reached. If you
want it hotter add more peppers to step #1
6. refrigerate any unused.
South Carolina Gold BBQ sauce: used in the middle of South Carolina
1 T. tomato paste
1 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 T. roasted garlic puree
2 T. clover honey
2 cups yellow mustard
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1. blend tomato paste, vinegar, worcestershire, roasted garlic,
honey, heat to a simmer, dissolve sugar, 3 - 4 minutes.
2. wisk in remaining ingredients adjust seasonings, as needed.
3. refrigerate any unused.
Dry rub: this is a ratio, if you use Tablespoon as your measure this yields
about 4 oz.
1 salt
1 ground pepper
2 smoked paprika or regular paprika
1 chili powder
1 ground cumin
2 brown sugar
1 white sugar
1. use this as a ratio, then the measure could be tsp.,T., oz, cup,
quart, etc. Mix them all together. Save leftovers.
this rub is great for ribs, or brisket, even pulled pork
shoulder
Variations: add 1/2 cayenne pepper for pulled pork rub.
Pig Sauce: this sauce is used as a complimentary sauce to pulled pork . It gets
mixed in and served on pulled pork in the Eastern Part of the
Carolinas.
1 cup cider vinegar
1 T. red pepper flakes
1 pnc. salt & 1 pnc. table grind pepper
1. This is it in its simplest form, mix,
Variations: personally I cut this with 2 - 3 oz. of apple juice, however die
hards may add tobasco to the above ingredients.
Texas Beef Brisket:
1 Beef Brisket 8 - 12 lbs.
2 cups dry rub depending on the size of your brisket,
recipe above your favorite wood,
1. rub brisket with dry rub, place your brisket into a smoker at
225 degrees.
2. smoke for 8 - 10 hours, keeping an eye on the temperature,
rotate periodically
3. when done remove from smoker, trim remaining fat. slice
against the grain.
Variations: brush the brisket with BBQ, about 3/4 way through cooking
process. you can get some smoke flavor on your brisket
and then finish in your oven as an option. If youre
oven is convection this could cut your cooking time.
Not recommended for BBQ competition.
Pulled/Chopped Pork:
1 each 4 - 6 lb. pork shoulder ( boston butt)
1 cup dry rub recipe above
6 each kaiser rolls
1 pint coleslaw recipe to follow
1 pint pig sauce
1. rub pork shoulder with dry rub, cook at 225 degrees in smoker
for 6 - 8 hours. Until tender.
2. shred pork or chop depending on your preference, serve on
kaiser, top with 1 T. pig sauce, and 1.5 T. coleslaw on
top.
Variations:you can get some smoke flavor on your brisket and then
finish in your oven as an option. If youre oven is
convection this could cut your cooking time. Not
recommended for BBQ competition.
BBQ Baby Back Ribs: serves 6
see variations for a grilled rib recipe
3 racks of baby back ribs
2 cups dryrub
1. remove the white membrane on the bone side of the ribs.
2. rub the ribs with the dry rub
3. smoke in smoker for about 70 - 90 minutes
4. you can tell when it is done when you bend the ribs, the meat
releases or begins tearing the more the ribs are done.
When you bend the ribs and they show a lot of
resistance they need more time.
5. Serve Kansas City style with no sauce, or brush with BBQ sauce
Variations: if you don't have a smoker, you can grill baby backs. Turn your
grill on low. You may need to cut them in 1/2 depending on space.
You will need to keep rotating them, to protect them from
burning.
Another method would be to cook them in your oven
for about 60 to 80 minutes or just before done, finish
on grill
For St. Louis ribs, if you have a smoker they will take
about 3 hours in your oven or you could cook them in
your oven for about the same time, you could finish
them on the grill, they take up more room than baby
backs.
Traditional Coleslaw:
dressing
1 cup mayonaise
2 oz. cider vinegar
2 T. honey
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. tobasco sauce
1 oz. cream (optional)
1 head cabbage
1. cut cabbage in 1/2
2. wedge out the core
3. shred, grate, or slice in 1/8 in. ribbons.
4. blend vinegar, lemon juice, tobasco, worcestershire sauce,
honey, whisk together.
5. blend in mayonaise
6. taste dressing, adjust.
7. combine 1/2 cabbage and dressing, add more cabbage as needed.
8. mix cream into coleslaw as needed
Pastrami Smoked Salmon on Cedar Plank:
1 side of salmon, skinned, boned, pin bones removed
4 oz. molasses
2 oz. pastrami rub
1 untreated cedar plank shingle, or cedar boards
1. rub salmon with molasses
2. sprinkle pastrami rub on salmon
3. place salmon or salmon portions onto cedar
4. cook on your grill with the lid closed on medium heat, on
the board, boards can be washed and reused 4 - 5 times.
5. cook until salmon is just done
Variations: used brisket, duck, or even shoulder with this recipe. You
wouldn't cook on a cedar plank though it would burn in
the time it takes to cook them
4 fresh ground peppercorn
2 fresh ground mustard seed
1 fresh ground white pepper
2 dried ancho chili powder (or whole grated)
2 paprika or smoked paprika
1/6 garlic powder
1/6 allspice
5 dark brown sugar
5 white sugar
1. Blend the above, reserve any unused
Chili Citrus rub rub: this is a ratio
2 garlic powder
2 salt
1 fresh ground pepper
1 chili powder
1 cumin
1 coriander (ground)
1 orange peel (dried ground)
1 lemon peel (dried ground)
1. mix thorough
Smoked Chicken:
1 roasting chicken 4 - 5 lbs.
1/2 cup chili citrus rub
1. prepare chicken, wash cavity, rub with chili citrus rub
2. smoke in smoker for 2.5 - 3.5 hours at 225 degrees.
Smoked Vegetables:
Smoke tomatoes - either whole or cut in 1/2 place in
smoker with your favorite wood for 1 hour
Onions - either whole or cut in 1/2 place in smoker
with your favorite wood for 1 hour
Peppers - either whole or cut in 1/2 place in smoker
with your favorite wood for 1 hour
Jalepeno - either whole or cut in 1/2 place in smoker
with your favorite wood for 1 hour