wood
not
gas
Last Sunday, our schedule kept us from traveling home for a family Easter cookout, so we did the next best thing...we BBQ'd in our backyard. The photo above is the first step in a couple hours worth of BBQ fire management. I only grill or BBQ with real wood, so step one is placing chunks of oak in the starter thingie and firing it up.
For those of you who like gas grills...well, they're cute...kind of like today's crop of "sports utility vehicles" that you wouldn't really, ever think of taking offroading. Really, they're adorable...just not the real thing.
(note to self: last week I offended all pitbull owners, this week the gas grillers and sissy SUV owners...must think of new group for next week...)
sss
mo
kin'
The dead animal part of the menu was pork spare ribs and pulled pork sandwiches. I overcooked as usual and we actually got several meals out of this smoky escapade. The meat cooks slowly for hours over indirect heat and gets a vinegary basting along the way. It's a lot of work...actually a lot of monitoring is more truthful. Lucky for me, my woodshop and garden are right next to the grill and firepit, so I can putter around while the smoke does it's magic.
fi
ni
The BBQ gloves above are a skin saver and a much appreciated Father's Day gift from my crew. The red and black thingie is one of those new silicone basting brushes and works great.
The full menu was Selmo's salad, macaroni and cheese, BBQ ribs, pulled pork sandwiches (Jr.s request), fruit salad. Later, and it was totally superfluous, there was one of those great lattice crust grannysmith apple pies from Sam's bakery...with vanilla ice cream. Enough!
The ribs and pulled pork came out tangy, juicy, and delicious...
...I just hope I didn't know this pig.
18 comments:
I'm glad I read this before eating breakfast. If not, I'd be goin' back for seconds. Did you make your grill/smoker?
"The ribs and pulled pork came out tangy, juicy, and delicious..."
That's the important part. As long as people say that (as they help themselves to seconds), then it doesn't really matter if the equipment was traditional, or "cute and adorable" :)
Thanks for the tip on the "red and black thingie". I'm going to order one immediately.
Girl,
It too was a father's day gift about 4 years ago. It's just a Brinkman grill/smoker from Wally World, but it's sweeet!
Hal,
You are right about the grills of course...I just like to tease.
As for the baster, I am really pleased with the new crop of heat proof silicone products. My wife has a couple of silicone rubber cake pans that work great.
I was doubtful when they first came out.
I enjoy your barbecuing enthusiasm, even if I don't eat red meat or pork. That's a fine looking barbecue set up.
Okay. I have heard of "pulled pork," but I don't know what it is. So, what is it? (Besides pork, of course.)
Your post almost made the cold rain falling here bearable. Ah, the thoughts of smokey barbecue and pulled pork, which I love. Glorious!
We are supposed to get snow so it will be while before somebody pulls the gas grill out of the bushes (where the wind blew it along with the greenhouse) puts on a new tank and cooks anything. Oh, well.
Silicone??? That's the BBQ equivelent of a digital camera. Gimme a good clean paint brush anytime. Just kidding, I'm waiting 'till my old brush wears out so I can get a new one.
You did touch a nerve with the wood only thing. I do the cooking for work (we have the best grill/smoker ever made). When we had everyone there we were cooking 54 slabs of ribs and 10 chickens. All in 5 hours. We use charcoal, no way could do that with wood. I've had several people tell me they were the best ribs they've ever eaten (I don't know, they weren't the best I've ever eaten). I have to agree with Hal, if people come back for more, it doesn't matter what your BBQ was cooked on.
As for your SUV/Jeep debate, the last real Jeep was made in 1979. Since then they've aluminum transmissions, you know, the 5-speeds and automatics with overdrive, and softened the ride for the wannbe offroad guys. Lately, they've come back with some factory offroad Jeeps though.
RD,
If you had been here, I'd grill up some blackened fish for ya'.
Hoss,
Take a chunk of pork, cook it so slowly that it literally falls apart without cutting. Let it cool, shred it by clean hands and pile onto bread for a sandwich. Along the way, it was basted in a vinegar,garlic, redpepper, etc marinade.
Threecollie,
Snow? Shorts and T-shirt here today. Snow?
Kevin,
Who knew silicone had other uses besides...
To me charcoal is wood dude. I use it, but not when I've got the remains of a giant turkey oak to use before it rots. Bring your truck and I'll load you up.
1979 Jeep...was that still the AMC days? I had a gremlin as you recall and AMC was not exactly the most reliable car company.
I was really teasing about the $30,000 carish, low ground clearance "suv"s out there. Who'd dare take one off road?
Kuwait when?
Shucks, missed out on your BBQ - my room mate and I tried to BBQ a few weeks ago - he is a master cook outdoors but with his bad arm I had to stand in for the basting - getting detailed instructions every step of the way.
Like your BBQ set up.
We grilled out some pork tenderloin this past weekend! Thanks for the tip on "MOJO" marinade, it's fantastic!
I have both an SUV and a gas grill but I wasn't offended the least!
You're right about the taste difference between the gas and the wood, I've had both and there is no comparision. I would add that meats on the charcol grills have a better taste than the gas grills do.
We often bring our charcol grill with us when we take the boat out to some of the islands around here, it makes all the food taste lip smackin good.
As for the SUV debate, my hub USES his vehicles... he'll take his 4x4 truck or our ford expedition off road in a heartbeat. Fortuantely I haven't had to help dig out of the sand or mud out in a long time.
That meal sounded delicious! May your leftovers be twice as good. :)
Oh, STOP IT!!!! There's not a decent pulled pork sandwich within 800 miles of here. McClards in Hot Springs Arkansas has a pretty good sandwich, but the best was Old Steve's outside Clarksville, Tennessee....plenty of hickory wood stacked outside of the place. But alas, Steve ran off with some woman and the place is now closed.
One of the bad things about living in the north - no decent barbecue, and I'm just not a griller.
We do have some fantastic pork chop sandwiches around here - Fay's catering does a good job.
Do you use fresh pork shoulder for the pulled pork?
BLOGGER being bad, I must be on the server from Hades....
You know I had a post for ya'.
Hope this comment works...holding breath...crossing fingers...cutting foot off rabbit...
Have you tried using lump charcoal? It's real chunks of burnt wood. It burns really hot and really fast, great for steaks, not so good for slow cooking, at least without a lot of adding more charcoal.
Speaking of extra wood, I have 2 large hickory trees already cut (not split) in my back yard. If you need any come and get it.
I leave for Ft. Sill, Ok around June 1st and for Kuwait in Sep. A total of 16 months. The money is good but everything else...well, you know.
I remember the Gremlin, what a ride! I think AMC was still making the Jeeps then. Chrysler took over shortly after that and made them more road cars. They softened the suspension among other things. I agree about the city SUV's. The H2's and H3's are about the biggest waist of money on 4 wheels. The real HUMMV's are pretty stout, true off road vehicles. They are also really uncomfortable and loud.
Yummy...you've got me hungry now.
Honey, fire-up the old gas grill!
Gas grilling is just more convenient for us. We can eat quicker...I know, I know...it just doesn't taste as good as wood, but like I said it's just quicker and handier for us old folks.
I don't own an SUV, or a Pitt bull...and I'm too old to be insulted by a young whipper snapper as yourself. *LOL* You can't drive me away that easily...your blog is just too interesting & today it's making me hungry.
Kevin,
Sounds like you won't be at the class reunion.
Can I dance with Kelly?
...wait, wait a minute...is that a blackhawk landing on my front yard?
Abandoned,
Hey, convenience is a strong selling point on a gas grill. I've had a few and immediate grill gratification was a handy thing after a day at work.
Thanks for the kind words.
Wowsers! I just got a couple of racks of baby back pork ribs at the store today. My plan was to smoke 'em long and smoke 'em hard. I'll have to try your recipe for marinade, seeings how I have Selmo's salad at least 3 times per week at lunch and a coupla times for dinner. (I like the lighter vinegars better than balsamic).
Hick,
Not much for girly fruity vinegars, but I love plain ol'red wine vinegar in Selmo's. The ribs sound great. I'll have to post the book I got the recipe from. Not home at the moment :)
Post a Comment