woodburner

I suggest hooking up with a team next year, and participate. Most teams welcome any volunteer help they can get. I know a few of the guy's on the team that placed second at the contest "IQue" is the team name. You'll eat some fine viddles for a day's work. woodburner

Competitors at most if not all bbq competitions are encouraged not to give out food. Number one they are normally not health certified to give or sell food to the general public. The vendors at these events have been or should be health department certified. Best way to taste competition bbq, is to become a KCBS judge, which is really farily simple. woodburner

Thanks Susan. Cooking a passable brisket, involves various small techniques that can make or break it. Look at the image below, and you can see a small break in the top part of the flat on the lower right. I made that small insicion with a knife after examing the meat grain in the raw state, I knew that I would be cutting slices perpendicular to that cut. Cutting in the opposite direction would have caused the brisket to shred. woodburner

Thanks, Ian and Ron. Not only was it fun, it was pretty good woofies. woodburner

This specimen, came off the cooker when it registered 188ºF internal temperature. Final gauge of course, is when a sharp pronged fork, slides thru the brisket like hot butter. After a short rest, wrapped in foil and set in a beverage cooler I took two test slices, good to go. woodburner

In one of John Willingham's bbq books, he builds a rub using brown sugar which has been set in the top half of a double boiler and slowly dried, removing excess moisture which then makes it easy to apply to meats without clumping. Here, I've taken my personal collection of ground chile's, and incorporated the sugar into the chile powder. After the 4 hour mark and during the brisket stall, I re-rub the outside of the brisket on both sides with my "sweet-heat", chile/sugar combination, and put it back on the cooker woodburner

Cooker has been running steadily at or near 225º for about three hours now. Internal temperature is at 160º, been cooking fat cap up the entire time. Crust is just starting to appear around the perimeter of the flat. woodburner

Local market mis-priced brisket flats, .99/lb. Normally $3.99/lb. Naturally I bought all they had, and ended up with 25 lbs of flats. Rubbed one up just a bit a go. Into the smoke bath: hickory and oak woodburner

Chicken soaked overnight in buttermilk, spatchcocked and about a dozen thighs Hard Neck Garlic on the left side of the picture, close to harvest, with one bottom leave just starting to wilt. Time for a dip After a six hour smoke bath woodburner

I fell for a hankering of barbecue beef ribs and chicken. These IBP halved beef ribs use to come packed in dueces at the local market, now they are singles, they probably thought I lost my appetite, Most important to pull the membrane on these, before applying a rub I use a rub consisting of paprika, and my own smoked chile powder, pepper and salt. Lightly dusted both sides I've got the Backwoods cooker coming up to heat Fairly simple in operation, it's a typical insulated wall cooker, with a water pan directly above the fuel source. As the fuel burns, it travels up the inside wall of the cooker, and the heat enters the cooking chamber from the top, and vents from the bottom of the chamber up through the chimney. I'll keep the direct heat off these, and cook near the bottom of the chamber. more later more later woodburner

golden syrup = cane juice = jus de canne = cane syrup = sugar cane juice = light treacle Notes: This amber-colored liquid sweetener is popular among British, Caribbean, and Creole cooks. It's made by evaporating sugar cane juice until it's thick and syrupy. Lyle's Golden Syrup and Steen's Pure Cane Syrup are popular brands. Substitutes: Combine two parts light corn syrup plus one part molasses OR equal parts honey and corn syrup OR maple syrup (This is thinner, and not as sweet.) OR dark corn syrup (This is thnner and not as sweet as golden syrup. If you like, try reducing the corn syrup in a saucepan to thicken it.) OR light corn syrup (This is thnner and not as sweet or flavorful as golden syrup. If you like, try reducing the corn syrup in a saucepan to thicken it.) woodburner

I like to marinate beef ribs in : MOJO CRIOLLO 8 cloves garlic 1 cup orange juice 1 quarter cup vinegar 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 quarter teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1 quarter cup olive oil -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chop and cream garlic with salt. Blend all ingredients except olive oil together and set aside to allow flavors to blend 15-30 minutes. Just before using marinade, whisk in the one quarter cup olive oil, pour over meat. Marinate for 2-6 hours. Which is more like a mild brine, to me. Go light on the smoke for the first hour or so, at about 225ºF. You've got the time, perfect. woodburner

For charcoal use, Hasty Bake units are very well built, and should last a lifetime, when cared for in a reasonable manner, but they may not suit your budget, or space requirements at the present time. Weber also makes the 18 1/2" charcoal kettle which may fulfill your requirements at present, monetarily and space. It's most likely the least expensive way to go. For starting lump charcoal, which many serious users perfer, purchase a stand alone propane turkey fryer burner, for starting your charcoal, using a chimney. Pretty much instant heat, and you should be able to grill a steak within 12-15 minutes tops. 18 1/2" weber grill and turkey fryer, should be under $200.00 woodburner

Fifi my friend, that is one of greatest restaurant reports I've ever read, and I really mean that. Every photo and description tempted me out of my seat to head for my local fishmonger, for shrimp. Great job. woodburner

It's not selling it that I see as a problem, its the use of it at the table. Would you be saying the same thing if you had dinner at Jean Georges and were handed one of their bottled dressings for your dinner? ← That's exactly the point of bbq. To each bbq establishement is much ado concerning "signature" whether it be the brisket, pork or sauce. Dino markets their own sauce and marinades. What could be the issue of keeping various sauces on the table, for the patrons to try at thier own leisure. How can a comparison be made between Jean Georges and a bbq joint? woodburner

Smokestack Lightning is an excellent book by the way, I would encourage anyone who admires bbq, to track a copy down. woodburner

Bumping this back up, for further discussion I had a terrific cup of Pasta e Fagioli today at lunch. Chunks of a nice skinless pork sausage, which I could not determine it's origin. woodburner

The cafe still does jazz on Friday evenings, it changes on a regular basis as to performer(s). As far as the food goes, business seems to be healthy. woodburner

Cafe Capriccio purportedly is offering one of the finest dinner's in the city of Albany right now. Prices are $65/pp plus tax and gratuity. Taken from thier website: "Chef's Table will Now Be Offered Each Tuesday Evening at 6:30. Each Program will Feature Restaurants and/or Recollections from our Recent Travels in Italy, Portugal and Spain. Tuesday, Café Capriccio" Cafe Capriccio. 47 Grand St., Albany, NY 12207–Reservations:465-6822 The Tuesday Menu collection in online, and displayed up through April 05. woodburner

I'll start off. Yeah, people need to understand and know every inch of bbq before they review it. BBQ is a revelation, gathering if you will, friends sitting down to eat meat cooked over hot wood coals to be exact, that will include some inclusive side dishes which might include mac and cheese, greens, maybe cornbread depending upon which state of the union you cut your teeth. The dino need not worry a bit, in my opinion regarding a couple of rag reviews. Meat that cooks for 12-16 hours will certainly have variability in taste, flavor, and mouthfeel, maybe daily. That's part of the mystique. These two review's are small potatoes. carry on woodburner

I'm in your camp with the coarse chop at the most, but for me just some thumb tip size chunks, and mix in some crunchy seasoned bark. woof woof woodburner

thanks dave woodburner

Variations of serving style are dependent upon final internal meat temperatures of pork. For instance sliced pork, is cooked to approximately 170ºF, this would never allow the meat to be "pulled or shreded" only sliced. A small portion of the internal fat will not have fully rendered yet at this stage. For pulled pork, you need to finish with an internal temperature over 185º but more up near 200ºf, leaving most, if not all of the internal fat rendered. Pull and then chop to desired meat size. Cooking to this final temperature would not allow you to slice, as it would just fall apart. woodburner

Looks great. You've listed 1/2 cup achiote paste, what ingredients do you use? I say that because most of the other ingredients listed comprise an achiote paste, but equal more than one half cup. Looks great nonetheless. woodburner

I would suggest using a large chuck roast, and substitute bananna leaves if the advacado leaves are unavailable. woodburner