The Recipe Thread

[DevilAlumna]

I made pulled pork the other night, and as ever, it was damn good. This is a great party recipe; it yields about 6 pounds at roughly 3 bucks a pound.

Recipe:

Get a pork shoulder or Boston Butt (it might also be labelled as a "picnic shoulder" or something similar). These cuts will generally be somewhere between 4 and 7 pounds. The ones at my local store are always right around 6 or 6.5 pounds, including a bone. You may or may not have a bone in yours; remember that if you do, it will up your cooking time a little. Happily, though, this is another of those recipes that's pretty hard to overcook, and that thrives on inexactness and "feel".

Trim any excess fat from the meat and rub the skin generously with the following spice mixture:

- 1/4 cup ground cumin
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (I usually toss in a bit extra for good measure)
- 1/2 cup paprika
- 2 tablespoons ground red pepper
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/4 cup fresh ground black pepper
- a dash (or two) of ground cloves
- a dash (or two) of cinnamon

The above mix will probably leave you with extra. Cut the ingredients down if you like; the general proportions are the important thing.

After you rub your meat down, brown it on all sides on the stove top with a couple of tablespoons of oil (this can be kind of tricky, and you may have to just stand there and hold it up with a fork while, for instance, the ends are browning). Be sure to brown all sides; this seals the juices in. Don't worry if it gets a little black on a side or two; this will only add good flavor later.
Then cover with a lid or foil and bake it at 325 for 4-4.5 hours.
It's best to brown the shoulder in pot that's safe for both stove top and oven use, so you don't have to transfer the meat and sully two vessels, but it's not too much trouble to transfer if you don't have such a pot. If you have to switch vessels, be sure and transfer any drippings or juice into the pot.
About halfway through the cooking, pour a cup of apple cider vinegar slowly and evenly all over the top of your shoulder.

While you're cooking, make your vinegar sauce (this is proper barbecue we're making here, folks):

- 6 oz. apple cider vinegar
- 6 oz. white or white wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste (I like kind of a lot)
- a few shakes of hot sauce, to taste

Put all of the above in a bottle or Mason jar and give it all a good shake. The longer you steep it all, the more your sauce's flavors will develop.

Check your shoulder at four hours' cooking time. If the meat kind of "crumbles" when you stick a meat fork in and give it a twist, it's ready...it should feel very tender. Transfer it to a bowl, shake in 3 oz. or so of your vinegar sauce, and skim off half a dozen or so tablespoons of the pan juices from your cooking vessel. I also like to squeeze in a few ounces of "regular" bbq sauce (KC Masterpiece or whatever). Your shoulder will be easy to shred with two big forks. Shred/stir it and get all of your juices and sauce evenly distributed, and you're good to go. I'll assume you all know how to properly serve and consume barbecue (for those of you who don't, it's on a lightly-toasted bun with a thin layer of sweet coleslaw, a shake of vinegar sauce, and five dill pickle chips).

BTTT - just found out my local grocery store was having a 40% off all meat sale, so bought me a huge hunk o' pork shoulder to try out this recipe sometime soon. ($1.97/lb - how could I pass it up!?) Wilson's recipe sounds absolutely fabulous, AND there's nothing resembling real NC BBQ anywhere within this time zone, apparently, so I can barely wait to get this going.

[wilson]

I am rather curious, how many folks here have eaten the uummmm, giblets (heart, liver, gizzard) of the chicken or turkey before?
Are you a fan or no? How were they fixed when you ate 'em?

Giblet gravy is the fucking truth.
I also love fried chicken livers. One of the oldest restaurants in Atlanta, the Colonnade, is a sort of upscale meat & three kind of place. I've been there about ten times, and never had anything other than chicken livers.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I bought a smoker at the flea market yesterday, 10 bucks for a Brinkmann Smoke 'N Grill. Tried it out on some ribs for dinner, worked great. My wife asked why I was buying it since I already have a larger one. I told her you can't have a collection unless you have more than one.

[bjornolf]

Is Brinkman a good brand? I've heard mixed reviews of them. I was looking at a Brinkman grill at Walmart. They have a lot of the features of more expensive grills, but cost a lot less. I liked it, but was a little wary.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Is Brinkman a good brand? I've heard mixed reviews of them. I was looking at a Brinkman grill at Walmart. They have a lot of the features of more expensive grills, but cost a lot less. I liked it, but was a little wary.

I have no idea, I only bought this one because it was 10 bucks. It seems to have been well used, and it still works great. All of the parts are there and in good shape. From what I've read they do cost less than others, and there are some sites that have suggestions on DIY modifications.

[TNTDevil]

Is Brinkman a good brand? I've heard mixed reviews of them. I was looking at a Brinkman grill at Walmart. They have a lot of the features of more expensive grills, but cost a lot less. I liked it, but was a little wary.

I have no idea, I only bought this one because it was 10 bucks. It seems to have been well used, and it still works great. All of the parts are there and in good shape. From what I've read they do cost less than others, and there are some sites that have suggestions on DIY modifications.

While I'm by no means an expert, I'll add my two cents worth to this topic.

Brinkman grills are one of the few remaining "big" players in the grill business and, other than Weber, the only ones still making any type of charcoal grill (there may be others out there making those crappy "grills" you see in the grocery stores, et al. but no "serious" players). There's also the "Big Green Egg" that uses charcoal.

I now use, for home grilling, a Bar-B-Chef that I purchased at Barbeques Galore three years ago. I'm not a big advocate of "uni-taskers" in cooking tools and, as such, don't believe in owning a smoker and a grill.

However, I still own, and use, three Weber grills- The "Smokey Joe Silver" (14.5 inch), the "Smokey Joe" (18 inch) and the "Performer" table grill (21" with work surface and storage, no gas ignition). The Smokey Joe(s) are my primary tailgate grills.

Brinkman makes a good grill but, IMHO, they don't hold up quite as well as Webers (my Performer is over 14 years old and looks brand new). I like some of the Brinkman features but, they've never been strong enough to warrant that I purchase one.

The best overall grill I own, if forced to choose, would be my Bar-B-Chef. The Weber(s) excel as smokers and for indirect cooking (excellent temp control) however, they are merely adequate as grillers (mainly due to the fact that you can't adjust the grate height). My Bar-B-Chef, which I chose because I needed a much larger cooking surface, excels as a grill- the heavy cast iron grates (excellent grill marks) and adjustable fire table make this grill the best for straight-forward grilling. As a smoker, I would give it an 7.5 out of 10. It has too many vents (many of which can't be closed in order to adequately shut-off air flow). However, between the size, and the adjustable fire table you can, with practice, control the temperature well enough to go "low and slow". The door provided for access to the fire table is especially helpful when smoking large hunks o' meat.

Here's a (stock) photo of my Bar-B-Chef. I have the stainless finish instead of black.

[bjornolf]

Good info, thanks. The Webers are just so much more expensive than the Brinkmans, at least what Brinkmans you can get at Wal-Mart, for the same features. Also, I consider myself a pretty good griller, thank you very much, but I know NOTHING about being able to adjust the grates. Wow, how does that work? I wouldn't even know how to use it. Sounds cool. ;)

[TNTDevil]

Good info, thanks. The Webers are just so much more expensive than the Brinkmans, at least what Brinkmans you can get at Wal-Mart, for the same features. Also, I consider myself a pretty good griller, thank you very much, but I know NOTHING about being able to adjust the grates. Wow, how does that work? I wouldn't even know how to use it. Sounds cool. ;)

I'll not defend the expense of the Weber grills but, I can assure you, they will last f-o-r-e-v-e-r! My first, simply a Weber "Kettle" (the classic) survived 5 hard years of Iowa weather. I would still have that bad boy today had my wife not mistakenly sold it (for $25!!!!) at a yard sale. As close as I've ever come to committing spouse-i-cide .

A friend of mine has the Brinkman similar to CB&B's and though it's only about five years old, it's looking pretty ragged, even though he's not a big grill user and does a good job of protecting it from the elements.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Also, I consider myself a pretty good griller, thank you very much, but I know NOTHING about being able to adjust the grates. Wow, how does that work? I wouldn't even know how to use it. Sounds cool. ;)

Some grills come with adjustable fire grates. Mine large "barrell" grill has one, but to load the coals you have to move the grates above it (not that hard and I have a tool to pick up the hot cast iron grates with). TNT's looks like it has an easy access door on it, which would be nice. The adjustable fire grates can be raised and lowered to adjust the temperature of the heat on the meat.

[TNTDevil]

Also, I consider myself a pretty good griller, thank you very much, but I know NOTHING about being able to adjust the grates. Wow, how does that work? I wouldn't even know how to use it. Sounds cool. ;)

Some grills come with adjustable fire grates. Mine large "barrell" grill has one, but to load the coals you have to move the grates above it (not that hard and I have a tool to pick up the hot cast iron grates with). TNT's looks like it has an easy access door on it, which would be nice. The adjustable fire grates can be raised and lowered to adjust the temperature of the heat on the meat.

Yes it has an access door that allows you to add fuel without having to open the lid.

The fire table basically cranks up and down (allowing great flexibility) via the barely visible handle to the right of the door (the little chrome bar).

[bjornolf]

That would be why I'm not familiar with them. I adjust the heat by turning the little dials on the front. Ever since I discovered that my wife couldn't breathe within 50 ft. of a charcoal grill and that they're REALLY bad for the environment when compared to propane, I've been using gas, and I find that I like it a lot. Plus I like the fact that I can just walk outside, spin a wheel, light the sucker, and I'm ready to grill in about five minutes. I grill twice a week in the warmer months thanks to that little convenience. I have an old Fiesta that my wife, then girlfriend, bought from BBQs Galore for me over 10 years ago. It looks like hell cause I had to leave it at a friend's house for a couple years when I was living in my apartment. I told them they could use it since they were keeping it for me, and they abused the you-know-what out of it, but it still works well. It has a 50000 BTU H burner. You read that right. 50000 BTU. I'd never heard of that for a grill. Cooks great though, but I almost never cook anything on high. Anyway, it's finally starting to fail, so I'm looking at a new one in the next couple years or so.

[captmojo]

I was gifted this one...http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none, last year. Mine is stainless though. I've done well with it. I replaced the vapor drip cover on the left end burner with a chip smoker box. Like all others, it takes a little getting used to. You might get along easier with it's high temp output of 52,000 BTU.

[bjornolf]

That's a pretty sweet gift. You must have been extra nice. ;) That's 52000 BTU over four burners, or 13000 per burner, though. My little Fiesta gets 50000 BTU on that little H double burner, so that's 25000 BTU per burner. It BLOWS through a propane tank. I like the perfect flames, but they're just so expensive. I've also been salivating over those Char-Broil Commercial Series babies. Those are pretty sweet. ;)

[DevilAlumna]

Speaking of BTU's, we just got one of these:

http://www.lacrawfish.com/Bayou-Cooker- ... -P289.aspx


It's got 185,000 BTUs!

Ymmm, crab boil!

Recipe - swim after a few red rock & dungeness crabs, pick up the males, size them, throw away the small ones, bring 'em to the surface.

Fill the pot with sea water, bring it to a boil. Pull the top shells off the crabs and throw them in the pot. (Add in some new potatoes if you want.) Cook 10-15 min. for the crab, then scoop out and get cracking! Goes great with just about any beer.

If anyone wants to join in on a 4th of July crab feast, you're welcome to join the party!

[devildeac]

Speaking of BTU's, we just got one of these:

http://www.lacrawfish.com/Bayou-Cooker- ... -P289.aspx


It's got 185,000 BTUs!

Ymmm, crab boil!

Recipe - swim after a few red rock & dungeness crabs, pick up the males, size them, throw away the small ones, bring 'em to the surface.

Fill the pot with sea water, bring it to a boil. Pull the top shells off the crabs and throw them in the pot. (Add in some new potatoes if you want.) Cook 10-15 min. for the crab, then scoop out and get cracking! Goes great with just about any beer.

If anyone wants to join in on a 4th of July crab feast, you're welcome to join the party!

Damn, first the temptation of massive meat sammiches from bjornolf and now this. SO many eats, so little time...

[bjornolf]

Okay, DD, unless you're talking about Chutzpah, I don't want anything to do with a massive meat sandwich involving you. No offense. ;)

[captmojo]

Ymmm, crab boil!

Recipe - swim after a few red rock & dungeness crabs, pick up the males, size them, throw away the small ones, bring 'em to the surface.

Fill the pot with sea water, bring it to a boil. Pull the top shells off the crabs and throw them in the pot. (Add in some new potatoes if you want.) Cook 10-15 min. for the crab, then scoop out and get cracking! Goes great with just about any beer.

If anyone wants to join in on a 4th of July crab feast, you're welcome to join the party!

I can't leave before 8:00 tonight. (I've been looking for an excuse to use this one)

The boil sounds wonderful.

[devildeac]

Okay, DD, unless you're talking about Chutzpah, I don't want anything to do with a massive meat sandwich involving you. No offense. ;)

Trying to find the Chutzpah reference and having no success. Is that the name of the deli in NOVA that is supposed to rival/exceed the Carnegie?

Anyway, I was referring to the ginormous corned beef and/or pastrami sammiches and NOTHING else. :oops:

[cl15876]

Okay, DD, unless you're talking about Chutzpah, I don't want anything to do with a massive meat sandwich involving you. No offense. ;)

Trying to find the Chutzpah reference and having no success. Is that the name of the deli in NOVA that is supposed to rival/exceed the Carnegie?

Anyway, I was referring to the ginormous corned beef and/or pastrami sammiches and NOTHING else. :oops:

DD - check this out.... http://washington.dc.diningguide.com/data/d103654.htm

[cl15876]

DD - directions from my house 15876 Jester Court, Dumfries, va to 12214 Fairfax Town Center Fairfax, VA 22033