Trekchicks Butt Rub - Page 4

Absolutely true, the oven is cheating. But for those days where you want to do something else in the afternoon (ie. the wife is nagging you about hanging around the smoker all weekend long) rather than checking the firebox every 1.5 hours it'll get er done.

So, who's bringing the tailgate party to the slopes?
We have so many here with great stuff to offer.
I'll bring the butt rub, and a veggie tray if you all bring the good stuff!!

Heck, if the meat comes out good and the taste knocks your socks off, I don't care how it was cooked!

There is a certain appeal to doing it the real way, and I appreciate that -- for instance yesterday at our family/neighbor picnic we did a whole pig in a cinder-block pit with hickory and white oak firewood. There were two pits actually, one with the pig where temperature was controlled, and one to burn the wood and make hot coals, which were then transferred over to the pig pit as needed. It came out great. I was really impressed with the system our neighbor rigged up, and the fact that he got up at 3am to start it going, on a day with 20-30 knot winds. That is some dedication.

On the other hand, for typical backyard BBQ, I think the convenience/control of using or switching to gas or oven is not to be scoffed at if the end result comes out good. Many of the BBQ recipes I use all end with a few hours of no-smoke low cooking, and that always seems like the perfect time to slam it in the oven to finish. That's also a great cue for me to get out of my smoky clothes and shower up before dinner, and relax for a couple hours.

Having done or been around all the various methods, I would say they all can produce great results, and they all can produce lousy results if something goes wrong. Pick the method that works best for you and enjoy it!

As for the metron analogy, let's extend it and see how many of you guys want to trade in your modern skis and go back to a late 80s skinny ski technology, or maybe go back farther to wood skis and beartrap bindings! Any volunteers?

So you say you can't grill on the balcony (fire code?) -- is the thinking here that an electric smoker would be OK?

Wherever you plan on putting this, be sure the smoke has somewhere to go. It can be pretty powerful.

Actually the electric smokers I've seen use a small metal basket of soaked wood chips rather than cut kindling to generate the smoke. So they don't generate as much smoke as the real thing by a long shot. It's one of the reasons I'm not as fond of electric or gas smokers, they cook more with heat than with smoke, so the flavor is generally not as good.

As far as the balcony goes, my guess is that you could get away at the average complex with an electric smoker if you were carefull and not doing this too often. If your complex is rigorously enforcing rules and/or you have crabby neighbors then you should take this into account.

For example I was looking at a condo at Copper Springs Lodge at Copper Mountain last year where there is a no barbecue rule. But the head of the HOA had a monster grill chained to his balcony...

skier219,

Yep, that's pretty much it. From our lease "Charcoal grills or simaler cookers may not be used on balconies. If used on our grounds, grills may not be used within 3 feet of the buildings."

My father is a firefighter, he inspects apartments all the time and sees people with grills under balconies, I understand the danger. I'm on the top floor with no roof over my balcony, but I still don't think I could get away with a gas unit. Code enforcement tends to drive through here every few days.

My thought with an electric device is no open flame, and no carbon monoxide. If it weren't for the smoke, I could do it right inside.

EDIT: I'm reasonably sure that neighbors wouldn't say anything, the people next to us have several noise violations and are on the verge of being kicked out, and due to the people below us, the lobby of the building reeks of pot.

Question is, did Queen Elizabeth stop by for a little colonial cooking... as long as she was in your neighborhood? I hear that British MI-6 monitors Epic, and those pics you posted of rib slabs should've been enough to warrant a drive-by!?

Somehow I can't picture the queen throwing down on a rib, but you never know! (the gloves can only help). I saw an interview with one of the local chefs that cooked for the queen, and he said they were very careful to use small, sensible portions -- I guess the queen and duke are not big eaters, but they still have to clean off their plates, you know, stiff upper lip and all. They did have a fancy lunch just down the street from me:

http://history.org/visit/eventsAndEx...ideshow_lunch/

(the photographer must have a sense of humor -- check out the pic with V.P. Cheney and all the muskets in the Gov. palace, there's a glint in his eye...). The menu sounds pretty good, the even managed to sneak in a Virginia pork product:

"The group with begin with organic greens with local asparagus, heirloom tomatoes, Virginia ham and a light citrus vinaigrette. An entrée of sauteed Chesapeake rockfish, seasonal vegetables and baby spinach in an herb sauce will follow. For dessert? A lemon cloud tart with fresh berries and rhubarb."

There are more pictures/videos from the visit here:

http://history.org/visit/eventsAndEx...ueensVisit.cfm

From what I saw during the visit, the queen was very friendly and gracious, and she was really engaged with the public and folks from Williamsburg and Jamestown. Next time I will definitely invite her over for ribs!

BarbeQE2 ?

Hey, didn't QE2 and the other Phil stop at Reagan's ranch for barbeque in the 1980's? Probably would have been Santa Maria too...

That Santa Maria stuff is pretty good. I'm in the mood for some smoked meats. I think I should fire up the barrel

Fajitas? Marinated smoked skirt steak and veggies on a tortilla.

I did some with flank steak marinated in a little red wine, olive oil, adobo, dried anchos, garlic and a little soy sauce with a bay leaf last Thursday (early Cinco).

Muy sabroso!

Marinade Question:

I have always been blessed with quality Meat. Because of this I've enjoyed my steak on the grill med, with no marinade and little or no seasoning.

However, I tend to use some of the marginal/lower quality cuts with a marinade or rub for a few hours then grill.

When is is appropriate to use a marinade or rub respectively?

I would assume, like my grandma used to say, Its a crime to spoil Good Meat with that junk!

......uuuunnnnggggghhhh........ resist the urge...... nope, not gonna do it!

I send a brand new jar of Bad Byron's Butt Rub to the first 6 people who PM me!

When and what to marinate...

You have to look at a marinade or rub as adding flavor, not just to tenderize. We are talking sirloin here, not sauerbraten. A lot of the cuts that were too tough for grandma have actually improved in quality as well, since they are not always coming from old milk cows. So for many cuts, you only need to marinate for a half hour or so (but you can also do this much longer). Rubs or marinades are ok on even the most expensive cuts of meat like filet if you don't over do it. A type of "rub" is used for example in making the classic French steak au poivre.

One of my favorites is baja style carne asada, which is very thin sliced top round or sirloin which is marinated and then done for a very brief time on a grill. Recipes for carne asada are very different, since everyone's mamacita has her own special twist. Carne Asada is very tasty, flavorful and tender if not overdone, and the marinade helps to keep it moist.

Another really great marinade is the traditional Cuban mojo, especially for pork. Lots of crushed garlic with lemon and orange juice, olive oil, crushed black pepper, oregano and onion. Yum.

Cuts which generally improve from marinating include especially top round, blade, skirt and flank steaks. But most of these should not be overcooked or they will be tough, and you generally want to slice them on the bias.

Round and Blade are the two I tend to marinade.

The rub is actually a nice flavor for Burgers, and also veggies.
I love Butt Rub on my potatoes.

Change of plans... The flank roast is marinating in some lime and spices, but got a nice 5 lb pork shoulder roast, and that is what's smoking tonight. Started at about 2:30. See ya at dinner.

That wouldn't happen to be a boston butt, would it? (Let's hope those red sox fans don't see this...)

Boston Butt? I'd have to ask Irul&ublo.
Its a safe bet that its not a Yankee (pot) roast.

I'm up to my ears in plum after cutting some large limbs, so its smoking on pecan and plum. Smells good.


Oh yeah, DIBS on the Butt Rub!

Congratulations on the quality meat! (That cracked me up, it's a pity DKN beat me to the first reply -- I was going to quote Paula Deen of FoodTV fame describing how she "beats her meat" to tenderize it).

Anyhoo , add brining to the list of prep techniques that can make a huge difference, generally with any lean/white meat that would dry out otherwise. I brine chickens and pork loins before subjecting them to grill duty, and it helps significantly. But note that many packaged chickens and pork loins may be brined already, in which case you can proceed directly to applying a rub. I don't think you'd want to marinade a brined piece of meat (at least not for a long time), seems like it would defeat the purpose of both to some extent.

Back to the steak, for the heck of it I applied a southern BBQ rub to a steak once, and it was damn good. I would not hesitate to do this again and I recommend giving it a try. Care needs to be taken not to burn, since many BBQ rubs contain brown sugar; I might actually reduce the amount of brown sugar next time I put a rub on a steak, just for an extra margin of safety. I think I was tasting/liking the spice/heat aspects of the rub in that case anyhow. But yeah, a southern BBQ rub on a good piece of quality meat kicks butt!

apologies to the takers of the free Butt Rub.
I got caught up in my trip to A Basin, and completely let it slip my mind
The packages went out today.

If you want some, I still have two jars available!!!

My Favourite Butt Rub Recipes:
Chicken on the grill:
Ingredients
Whole chicken (about 4 lbs)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbs Butt rub
1 Can Vernors

Mix Brown Sugar and Butt rub
Clean Chicken thoroughly
Do I have to say "remove the giblets"?
Pat the bird dry, then rub a portion of the mixture inside the chicken, put a drop of olive oil in your hands rub together then rub the outside of the chicken and use remaining butt rub mixture to coat the outside of the bird.

Pour 1/2 can of vernors in a glass, put the Chicken Butt down on the remaining vernors in can.
But The chicken on a grill prepared for medium indirect grilling,
It should be done in 1 1/4 hrs. Check the vernors and add as needed to maintain moisture.
Vernors can be substituted by any gingerale or beer.


Potato Skins:The best you'll ever have!!!
Use brown sugar butt rub mixture as in the chicken recipe.
Slice potatoes any way you enjoy them, lightly coat them with olive oil, then the butt rub/brown sugar mixture and bake on a baking sheet for 15-18 minutes at 375*

Phil probably didn't have any idea what he started when he wrote this review.
This thread has been a great source of summer grilling information. AND, I also think its a good source of information on the necessary tools for the job.
How's it going in your back yard/patio this summer, all!
Thanks Phil for starting all this fun.

Bump for a good BBQ weekend. Last final is done @10am tomorrow, I'm drinking and grilling all day.

Cirque,

What is on those ribs above?

Damn, caught me again with this thread title.......

This is pretty decent with flat iron steaks (if you can't find them your butcher should be able to cut them).

1/2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. paprika
2 tbl. Chili powder
1/2 tbl. cayenne
1/2 C. salt
2 tbl. black pepper
2 tbl. garlic powder
combine all incredients and rub on meat.
Cook direct heat fairly high heat. These are somewhat thinner cuts of meat so they don't take to long to cook at medium rare.

where can one get a butt rub over here