Cooking: American style BBQ

[Glaucus]

Been wanting to try some 8+ hour cooked brisket for ages like Americans do it, so yesterday I finally did.

Ingredients:
2.6 kilos of locally farmed organic brisket at a mere cost of £14.73 from my "local" butcher
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon onion salt
2 tablespoons garlic granules
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Been marinading for about 18 hours in the rub.

On the BBQ, just gone and flipped it as it's meant to be fat side up.

Been on about 1hr30

.

Phase two (4hrs in), just in case there wasn't enough meat. Same rub as used on the joint.

About 7hrs into cooking

Meat is now finished, the brisket has been flipped and that's the marinade side. It looks black, but it's literally a 2-3mm ring round the outside of the meat. If your wondering why the joint looks so much blacker, it has been flipped and that is the rub side. A nice dark flavoursome 2-3mm ring around the outside, in America they some times cut this bit off.

The joint was darn tasty, but omg the ribs, when it just falls off the bone.

 

[Glaucus]

Just a tad, about 15kilos. But it is a very large bbq. Had to refill 4 times. So you need somewhere else to get the coals hot and glowing white before pouring them in.

 

[Glaucus]

Looks awesome...

But, was it worth the effort?

Most certainly. TBH there isn't a lot of effort, just time.
Do some basting every half hour and chuck some more coals on to light every 1:45-2hours ish. Other than that it was sat around watching red dwarf and playing wii until people turned up.

 

[Glaucus]

did you eat it all yourself, like I'm sure americans do lol

6 of us got though about 1/2 the joint and two racks of ribs. So a fair bit. The rest is going to make some great rolls for work.

 

[Glaucus]

A BBQ thermometer would certainly make things easier and of course I was missing wood chips for smoke. As all the garden centres had there Christmas decorations out, instead of BBQ stuff Grr. Will be getting some of the internet for next time.
Could also do with finding out the exact meat cut. Americans use a triangular cut with a good fat layer on the top. I'm not sure if it is the whole brisket of just a part of it (you get a thin and a fat end). I think it may well be the fat end but it's certainly not the rolled joint I used though.

I don't see any Reggae Reggae Sauce.

who needs that rubbish. Made a red pepper and chilli ketchup.

 

[Glaucus]

you been watching man vs food? [/IMG]

Love that show, honest food done with care and expertise. Yeah the dipped rolls looted great as did that place who smoked there ribs for 24hours.

 

[Glaucus]

Pretty much gunk and easy to make, hardly expertise. I watch the show on a daily basis. I could whisk up some beans and toast and tell people that I put care and attention into making it.

just becuase it's cheese filled burgers does not make it dgunk.

The show is split into two halfs, one good local grub fest type places, the second half teh challenge.

Nearly all the places make there stuff on site, from scratch with fresh ingredients following traditional recipes and cooked in traditional ways. just look at the BBQ places he goes. 24hour smoked meats in there own smokers. The massive wood bbq pit. Chillis for burger/hip toppings made on site from scratch not using spice blends Even a lot of the burgers are made on site. Even one place that had a sour dough going for several decades which she makes bread from daily.

Looked fantastic until you burnt it .

it's not burnt. That is the rub and the bbq effects. It is the best part of it.
pic of it today from the fridge

 

[Glaucus]

So the charcoal ended up costing more than the meat?

about the same as the joint. About £15

 

[Glaucus]

I'm more of a ribs fan myself so I do all the dry/wet rubs, mop sauce, marinades & sauces aswell.

If you want a brilliant book on how to cook loads of different ribs I can personaly recommend this book by Steve Raichlen http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ribs-Steven-Raichlen/dp/0761142118/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285051270&sr=1-1

One difference is though I like to use loin ribs, they're smaller but have less fat than the back ribs you're using.

Thanks for recommendation, just got it today in preparation for new season. can;t wait.

will deff be trying some of the lamb, beef ribs. Don't think i have ever had them before.

 

[Glaucus]

I got it off ebay, took me a while to find one local enough to pick up. It was still a good hours drive each way though.

 

[Glaucus]

Lamb ribs, I've never had them but I could not think of anything more tasty, maybe with a BBQ marinade but with a hint of mint. Man I'm hungry.

There's a recipe for exactly that in there. I'll post it in a bit.

 

[Glaucus]

Here's the garlic and mint lamb ribs.

4 racks denver(spareribs),
coarse salt,
6 cloves garlic,
1/4 cup finely chopped mint,
1 lemon cut in half and seeded, +1lemon cut into wedges for serving,
1st cup extra virgin olive oil,
1/2 cup red wine vinegar,

1) prepare the ribs:
Place a rack of ribs meat side down on a work surface. Remove the thin, papery membrane from the back of the rack by inserting a slender implement, such as a butter knife or tip of a meat thermometer, under it. The best place to start is on one of the middle bones. Using a dishcloth, paper towel, or pliers to gain a secure grip, peeled off the membrane. Repeat with the remaining racks.

2) Place the ribs in a nonreactive roasting pan. Generously season each rack on both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the garlic and mint over both sides of the racks, patting them onto the meat. Let the ribs sit for 5 minutes. Squeeze the juice from the lemon halves over both sides of the ribs. Pour the olive oil and vinegar over the ribs, turning them several times to coat both sides. Cover the roasting pan and let the ribs marinade for at least 4 hours, or as long as overnight, turning them once or twice. The longer the ribs marinate, the richer the flavour will be.

3) Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to 350F. Place a large drip pan in the centre of the grill under the grate.

4) When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the ribs bone side down in the centre over the drip pan and away from the heat cover the grill and cook the ribs until well browned, cooked through, and tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, 40 minutes to 1 hour. When the ribs are done, the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about 1/4 inch.

5) Transfer the ribs to a large platter or cutting board and let them rest for a few minutes. Serve the racks, whole or cut into individual ribs, along with grilled vegetables and lemon wedges.

 

[Glaucus]

Or the handle or the chains for the lid, or the securing mounts for the drum, or a hinged section in the grill, or paint, or the spit.

It's a work in progress.

 

[Glaucus]

Anyone know how many kilos of charcoal the webber chimney starter holds. With my BBQ being so large I need a lot.

Also anyone got a kebab or rib rack. The nice curved webber kebab rack is £35 which is to pricey and I would need several need at least 12 kebabs on the go. The cheaper ones all look nasty and made out of wire.