Americans, give me your BBQ secrets.

[ThirstyKenny]

One from down under- Marinate your steak with beer while its cooking also prawns marinated in ginger,garlic and lil soy sauce on kabab sticks-only take a few minutes-beautiful. (prawns are what the rest of the world think we call shrimp. Shrimp are tiny compared to good sized prawns and are generally used as bait for freshwater fishing )

 

[resinryder]

Figure out how you want and what you want in your dry rub. Remember that for every cup of sugar, no matter brown, white, or raw, you will need to add 1 cup of salt, such as onion, celery, garlic, seasoned salt, or plain white salt. Then add in your spices to compliment your dry rub.
Get your pork shoulder. You can trim off the skin or leave it on the top. If you trim it off, trim off just the skin and not the fat. The fat will keep your meat juicy as it cooks instead of being dried out. Liberally coat your shoulder with the rub and rub it into the meat really well. Now use yellow mustard to coat the shoulder with. Just slather it all over the shoulder. Put in a tin foil pan, cover with foil, and stick it in the fridge over night. Next morning, before you go out to start the smoker remove the meat from the fridge and let it come up to room temp while you are prepping everything.
Put a water pan/aluminum foil pan under the grate your meat will sit on. Add it about 1/4 the way full with apple juice and a beer
Get your coals started and keep the temps at 225 -250Degrees F--107.2 to 121.1 degree C
Now when your smoker is holding the temp, I use a mix of wood. I use 60% Apple wood, 25% oak, and 15% Hickory soaked in water so they don't just burn up. Use either chips or chunks. Chunks need to be soaked a lot longer than chips. Just like the flavor profile along those proportions.
Now start with adding a chunk of apple wood to the coals. when you get a good smoke going add your meat to the grill surface. Sprinkle on some more rub before you put it on the grill, skin side up. it will take about 1 and a half hour per pound to smoke a shoulder like this. RESIST THE TEMPTATION OF OPENING THE LID TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN TO ADD COALS AND WOOD CHUNKS/CHIPS, OR BASTING.
Now keep the temps in the range listed above. Slow cooking turns the fat into collagen which makes the mean moist instead of staying fat at higher temps and running off.
Don't keep A LOT of smoke going. Just enough to keep a steady flow of smoke basking along the meat. You can add the oak and hickory in with the apple. Now what's important is to only smoke the shoulder for about the first 3 hours. If you smoke it much longer than that the smoke flavor will take over and ruin your meat. Remember-a little smoke goes a long way.
When you have about 4 hours left mix in a 2 quart/8 liter pot, about 3/4 full with half apple juice and half apple cider vinegar, about a cup of ketchup, and some of your rub mix<when you think you've added enough, add a bit more, lol . Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally. Use this once per hour to baste your shoulder with. Best time is when you open the lid to add coals.
What this does is caramelizes the meat and adds a flavor element that seals the juices inside the meat.
Continue to maintain your temp range given above until the meat registers 165 degrees f or 74 degrees C. At this point the large bone in the meat should pull right out.
You won't need a sauce for this on its own. But if you want a sauce put it on the table to be used AFTER you pull the pork apart. Let the sauce be added by your guest as they see fit. Adding sauce to a cooking piece of shoulder or any other piece of meat for that matter just covers up the flavor of a poorly cooked cut of meat. Do it right and you won't need the sauce unless you just want to add another layer of flavor. JUST DON'T COAT THE MEAT WITH IT AS YOU COOK IT!!!
And learn to NOT use aluminum foil wrap during the cooking process. It's a crutch for not smoking it right to start with. <<<Just a dig at those who like to use it, lol
You can use this same process with shoulder, ribs, and brisket.
Sorry, not giving you the recipe to my home made rub.

 

[whiteberrieS]

Figure out how you want and what you want in your dry rub. Remember that for every cup of sugar, no matter brown, white, or raw, you will need to add 1 cup of salt, such as onion, celery, garlic, seasoned salt, or plain white salt. Then add in your spices to compliment your dry rub.
Get your pork shoulder. You can trim off the skin or leave it on the top. If you trim it off, trim off just the skin and not the fat. The fat will keep your meat juicy as it cooks instead of being dried out. Liberally coat your shoulder with the rub and rub it into the meat really well. Now use yellow mustard to coat the shoulder with. Just slather it all over the shoulder. Put in a tin foil pan, cover with foil, and stick it in the fridge over night. Next morning, before you go out to start the smoker remove the meat from the fridge and let it come up to room temp while you are prepping everything.
Put a water pan/aluminum foil pan under the grate your meat will sit on. Add it about 1/4 the way full with apple juice and a beer
Get your coals started and keep the temps at 225 -250Degrees F--107.2 to 121.1 degree C
Now when your smoker is holding the temp, I use a mix of wood. I use 60% Apple wood, 25% oak, and 15% Hickory soaked in water so they don't just burn up. Use either chips or chunks. Chunks need to be soaked a lot longer than chips. Just like the flavor profile along those proportions.
Now start with adding a chunk of apple wood to the coals. when you get a good smoke going add your meat to the grill surface. Sprinkle on some more rub before you put it on the grill, skin side up. it will take about 1 and a half hour per pound to smoke a shoulder like this. RESIST THE TEMPTATION OF OPENING THE LID TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN TO ADD COALS AND WOOD CHUNKS/CHIPS, OR BASTING.
Now keep the temps in the range listed above. Slow cooking turns the fat into collagen which makes the mean moist instead of staying fat at higher temps and running off.
Don't keep A LOT of smoke going. Just enough to keep a steady flow of smoke basking along the meat. You can add the oak and hickory in with the apple. Now what's important is to only smoke the shoulder for about the first 3 hours. If you smoke it much longer than that the smoke flavor will take over and ruin your meat. Remember-a little smoke goes a long way.
When you have about 4 hours left mix in a 2 quart/8 liter pot, about 3/4 full with apple juice, about a cup of ketchup, and some of your rub mix. Bring to a boil while stiring occasionally. Use this once per hour to baste your shoulder with. Best time is when you open the lid to add coals.
What this does is caramelizes the meat and adds a flavor element that seals the juices inside the meat.
Continue to maintain your temp range given above until the meat registers 165 degrees f or 74 degrees C. At this point the large bone in the meat should pull right out.
You won't need a sauce for this on its own. But if you want a sauce put it on the table to be used AFTER you pull the pork apart. Let the sauce be added by your guest as they see fit. Adding sauce to a cooking piece of shoulder or any other piece of meat for that matter just covers up the flavor of a poorly cooked cut of meat. Do it right and you won't need the sauce unless you just want to add another layer of flavor. JUST DON'T COAT THE MEAT WITH IT AS YOU COOK IT!!!
And learn to NOT use aluminum foil wrap during the cooking process. It's a crutch for not smoking it right to start with. <<<Just a dig at those who like to use it, lol
You can use this same process with shoulder, ribs, and brisket.
Sorry, not giving you the recipe to my home made rub.

Jesus Christ don't add a cup of salt for every cup of sugar...Maybe if you like it to taste like some fresh french fries but a cup of salt to a cup of sugar will ruin your 75 quid BBQ.

edit: even in a dry rub I'd go 1 cup sugar to every quarter cup of salt...That's still a bit much. I like it sweet with heat though not sweet and salty...Asian BBQ maybe 1:1.

 

[Harry Gypsna]

This is great, many thanks to all who have given me ideas so far...keep em coming guys....

 

[Seismic]

First thing is to ditch the electric smoker and either get a weber smokey mountain if you are on a budget, or if you got some $ to play with try something like a klose/gator pit or other quality offset for a true wood burning experience. Or if you want to kick back while the smoker is doing it's thing get a vertical like a backwoods or stumps, where it can be left alone for 6-10 hours.

If you want an all around grill and smoker, do like others said and get a green egg/primo or similar ceramic.

If going with wood burning smoker, go with what resinryder said as far as temps and wood mix. I also use a 50/25/25 mix of white oak/almond/plum myself. Best thing is to use oak as a base since it is dense and has a long smoking time, and play with your fruit and or nut wood ratios.

If you want a killer grill only, google santa maria pit, and have a local metalshop whip something similar up. Get yourself some red oak and you will be golden.

Best of luck and welcome to the start of a lifelong addiction

 

[BlueThumbGreen]

One thing to remember is that is it easy to burn sugar in a rub, especially refined white sugar. Many recommend using raw sugar, aka turbinado sugar for such applications.
Also, if pulled pork is what you are shooting for, you'll probably want to smoke the pork until it reaches 190 degrees. At 165 the pork is good for slicing, but in order to pull it into strands you'll have to go a bit farther. Here's a link to a great website for fans of the Weber Smoky Mountain smoker, but most of the information pertains to making good BBQ in general regardless of which brand or type of smoker that you use.
http://virtualweberbullet.com/pork1.html

 

[resinryder]

Jesus Christ don't add a cup of salt for every cup of sugar...Maybe if you like it to taste like some fresh french fries but a cup of salt to a cup of sugar will ruin your 75 quid BBQ.

edit: even in a dry rub I'd go 1 cup sugar to every quarter cup of salt...That's still a bit much. I like it sweet with heat though not sweet and salty...Asian BBQ maybe 1:1.

LOL. Everyone has their likes. They balance each other out a bit. Remember sugars and salts come in many flavors. In the end they are neither too sweet or too salty. Doesn't ruin anything....unless you don't know how to construct a rub.
This is for a large batch of rub. But equal amounts are the norm. But we all have different taste, likes, and dislikes.

One thing to remember is that is it easy to burn sugar in a rub, especially refined white sugar. Many recommend using raw sugar, aka turbinado sugar for such applications.
Also, if pulled pork is what you are shooting for, you'll probably want to smoke the pork until it reaches 190 degrees. At 165 the pork is good for slicing, but in order to pull it into strands you'll have to go a bit farther. Here's a link to a great website for fans of the Weber Smoky Mountain smoker, but most of the information pertains to making good BBQ in general regardless of which brand or type of smoker that you use.
http://virtualweberbullet.com/pork1.html

Sorry bout the temp. Meant 175 degrees. Forgot to proof it. Still good for pulling and not to dry not too. There comes a point where it gets over cooked.
Correct about easy for sugar to burn.
Should have mentioned that all my pork, ribs, brisket, etc is indirect heat. So no burning here. Sure do get a pretty glaze on it when it's done.

 

[gloryoskie]

Having cooked in several BBQ places here in the US
south, nothing tastes so good as slow cooked meat.
Hickory is my wood of choice, natch

Sous-vide is do able in most home settings,
but even a crock pot can give you good meat.

Never tried smoking at the house, but its a good
hobby to be sure.

I'll dig through my book and post some secret
rubs for ya'. Sauce is sauce, find one you like
and notice the different types for pork, beef
and chicken. And some decent beer too.

Find some cornbread and collards recipes.
Mac and cheese and cole slaw as well.

But yeah, get that smoker up and running.

 

[watts]

where i'm from we eat pork BBQ, not beef like brisket. I prefer pulled pork sandwich and pork ribs the most. You really should get some pork ribs if you're going to BBQ. Some people do dry, some do wet, and some do both. Hickory wood is king here. You don't need a lot of wood, use less to begin with. Get the chunks if you can, bit better than the chips. Also don't soak the wood, well that's arguable.

 

[resinryder]

Find some cornbread and collards recipes.
Mac and cheese and cole slaw as well.
.

There's 2 kinds of cornbread and collards---good and bad. Being from the South I've surely had both.
My mom makes a mac and cheese pie that is to die for. Good eats.

 

[Papulz]

check out good eats episodes on youtube, good eats features alton brown if your not familiar, dudes in georgia.
such as season 7 episode 2 entitled, "Q"

side note:

often times when we are making a pork butt or brisket... ribs what have you we finish it in the oven after imparting the level of smoke desired.

 

[lost in a sea]

some great info in here guys!

thanks,, keep it coming, we only get to bbq twice a year if we're lucky, even then in between the rain clouds lol, so your "hard" learned knowledge is invaluable

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Neanderthal Steak

The main thing you need for this is Mnt. Mahogany. Don't know what the EU equivalent would be... you need something that when it burns in a pit, it breaks down into little coals that build up in a layer and burn for a while. Has to be a hard wood. We use worm drive electric hand saws with carbide tipped blades to cut this stuff... it'll dull a chain saw blade in seconds, literally.

If it doesn't float in water... it's probably a candidate for this method. LOL

Build a fire... keep adding wood until you have at least a 6" bed of coals going.

Take a large piece of good meat around 2.5-3" thick and slather it with mustard then roll it in coarse salt. (Not kosher flake... the big chunky salt)

Throw it directly on the coals and let it sit for 45 minutes.
Turn it and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Pull it off and scrape off the char... then slice it against the grain.

Wow! So glad I got to enjoy this method when I didn't know how badly red meat messed up the A blood type. LOL (lamb and goat are ok for some "A's" but not my type of "A")

Fruit wood chips soaked in water can be thrown on the coals, just before the steak is thrown on... for additional flavors.

Enjoy and...

Stay Safe!

 

[Rainman]

As a southern boy I may be able to give yousome pointers on this most favored subject. Next to growing its my passion.

Cuts of meat.....
Babyback ribs
Pork shoulder/Boston Butt(blade in) - I prefer the bone in butt as it carries the most flavor and moisture for low and slow. Ignore any and all instructions for trimming fat or listening to anything Alton Brown has to say on the subject.
Chicken wings or boneless thighs are best for grillin/flavor.
I make my own grillin sausage from scratch but there are great dogs/links already made from the grocer.
Thin sliced Flank steak if you like carne asada from the grill.

Grills.......
I use 3 different kinds.
The Weber is the main que grill for most of my cooking. You can go low and slow or grill hot.

An upright barrel smoker I made from a metal drum that burns wood and smokes perfectly.

A smaller weber for tailgaiting at the games. Basically dogs and small cuts.

Sauces.......

You can experiment with your own recipe. Where im from they are tomato or vinegar based. I start wit Sweet baby Rays and add my own spices to this already tasty sauce. I simply dont want to reinvent the wheel so its easier to start with a favorite sauce and add.

Dry rubs.......

Some are better for pork and others for chicken. I tend to use a basic rub and add for either type of meat Im cookin. I add brown sugar to the rub if it for a butt and no brown sugar for chicken.

Brown sugar
Cumin
Sea Salt
Fresh cracked Black Pepper
White pepper
Lawrys seasoning salt
Garlic powder(not salt)
Rosemary - To preferred taste

This is a base for my rub but add to it for your own preferences.

I will post some pics of my barrel smoker made with a metal drum. Easy to make your own and a great way to smoke meats. Good luck!!

 

[Rainman]

Homemade style!!

Where im from grillin is a way of life and life is good!!!

 

[diggdugg]

Oh this is also one of my passions. Looks like you have some good pok recipes already so here is the way to make the best brisket EVER!
Find a good untrimmed brisket (12 TO 16LBS), dig through the ones at the store until you find one that folds in half the easiest.
Apply a good rub to the whole thing (I just use garlic,pepper,salt most of the time) and let sit in the fridge for a few hours
Get your smoker making as much smoke as you can, I use dry mesquite with no bark on it. Set your brisket in the smoker with the fat side up and smoke the hell out of it for 1 1/2 hours and keep the heat around 200 degrees. Now flip to fat side down and smoke another 1 1/2 hours. IMPORTANT- get some heavy duty rubber gloves! Do not use a fork or anything but your hands to flip and handle that brisket. You do not want it tearing apart.
Now tightly wrap the whole thing in foil and be sure to remember which side is the fat side. Put it back on with the fat side up and poke a few small holes in the bottom side of the foil. This lets fat drip out because you do not want the brisket to "fry". Bring the heat up to around 225 degrees and let it cook for 6 to 8 more hours.
When you think it's ready open the pit and unwrap the foil. Let it rest and cool for about an hour. Use your gloves and gently "thumb" away the top fat layer. Slice 1/4" thick slices against the grain.
It's a sin to put what's commonly called bbq sauce on this. You should have meat requires nothing else. But, I will use a "mop" sauce sometimes just for kicks. I mix water and white vinager 50/50. Add a couple squeezes of ketchup, brown sugar,salt,pepper,worstechire,cyanne and wisk it all together. Bring it to a simmer and just dunk the brisket or whatever bbq and serve. Serve that with pinto beans that have been simmering for 10 hours, potato salad etc..
Keep in mind that all of this is best when done with a steady amount of cold beer and good weed.

 

[Seismic]

side note:

often times when we are making a pork butt or brisket... ribs what have you we finish it in the oven after imparting the level of smoke desired.

A much easier way, which most people use, is to wrap the butt or brisket in foil after a little while in the smoker, and put it back in. The foil will allow it to continue cooking without overdoing the smoke. Then when almost done, you take the foil off gently and place back in the smoker for 30min or so to let the bark reform and get a good crust on the meat.

 

[Harry Gypsna]

Homemade style!!

View Image

!

Nice drum, this is basically what I am going to build, although mine will be powered by an electric hotplate, simply because it is easier to control the temp, but as I progress I will probably build a charcoal burning smoker too. The wood is what provides the smoke and heat is heat-is my view right now, but who knows it may change.
I would love to just buy a Smokey mountain, but generally, things imported from the USA end up costing pretty much the same number of pounds as the number of dollars in the states, it is around £330 for the Smokey mountain here in Blighty compared to under £60(Not including beer for uncle to cut with his angle grinder LOL) to build my electric(I know , sacrilege) smoker.


Many thanks to all who have replied with some ideas for me....
Keep em coming.

 

[midwestHIGHS]

Yall check out bbq pit boys on youtube, I've got alot of recipes from these good ol boys! Great to watch!

I like to smoke using fruit woods, apple always goes good with pork.

 

[HidingInTheHaze]

Has anybody here ever tried a clay pot smoker? This is Alton Browns diagram, I know he makes some good looking food, might be worth trying out some time.