Big Apple BBQ Recap

It was a scorcher out there today at the Big Apple BBQ at nearly 95 degrees. This did not stop folks from coming out to try some great BBQ from around the country, myself included. The lines were long, but the food was well worth the wait. I had set a goal to make sure that I ate pork, brisket and ribs before the day was done.


The first stop was Salt Lick BBQ from Austin Texas for some beef brisket.

Their offering was a plate consisting of a brisket sandwich, piece of smoked sausage and coleslaw:

The brisket had a great smokey flavor to it. I thought it could have been a little bit more tender, but it was definitely good. The sausage was juicy and had an almost crispy outer crust, making it the highlight of the plate. The coleslaw was vinegar based which I prefer to mayo based and was a great palate cleanser after eating the flavorful meats. The line for this was so long that I left my friends to go search for some pulled pork, leading me to to my next stop at Ubon's of
Yazoo, MS.














I'm sure the people of Yazoo City must eat well because the pork shoulder from Ubon's was amazing!
















I quickly tossed away the roll because the meat was so delicious and flavorful that to interfere with it's goodness would have been criminal. The pork was moist and tender with a great spice rub and a dynamite sauce. The sauce was sweet and tangy, most likely from a combination of brown sugar and vinegar. I wish I could make it myself, but my guess would be that the folks at Ubon's keep that recipe safely guarded. The coleslaw was great too, with just the right amount of mayo.

Having gathered together our spoils of victory we sought out shade as quickly as possible as it had become unbearably hot. It was unfortunate that it wasn't a slightly cooler day because after awhile it was hard just to be outside. We took a pretty long breather at which point I summoned the energy to make one more trip out into the heat to complete the last leg of my mission, pork ribs. I made my way over to 17th Street Bar and Grill of Las Vegas, NV.

















I had to wait about 30 minutes in line but I was rewarded with some top notch ribs and the best baked beans I have ever had in my life.
















Again, I tossed the bread aside. I was already feeling pretty full and did not want to waste valuable room with bread. The ribs were outstanding, with the meat falling right off the bone and a smokey sweet flavor that did not require any BBQ sauce at all. The beans were a mix of many different kinds of beans in a tangy sauce which complemented the ribs perfectly.

Here are some other shots from the day:














A gorgeous beef brisket right out of the smoker waiting to be sliced and served.















A view inside the smoker of Salt Lick BBQ. Hats off to the pitmasters and crew who worked tirelessly to prepare and serve some great BBQ in scorching heat.

















Racks of ribs rotating in the smoker at 17th Street Bar and Grill. The perfect end to a great day of BBQ.

While I love to make my own BBQ, it is always great to go out and sample BBQ from different places. It is an excellent to pick up new ideas and try things that you may not be able to make at home. I will certainly be back again next year, hopefully it won't be so not next time.

Going Hog Wild

Sorry for the lapse between posts. Don't think I haven't been working on some new things though. As I mentioned before I planned to test out the concept of flavor injection. That is, using a syringe like device to inject liquid marinades deep into meat prior to cooking. With memorial day around the corner, I opted to go with the classics and make some pulled pork along with a homemade BBQ sauce.

I also was able to find a bone in pork shoulder at the supermarket. This was especially nice because I have heard a lot about how the bone flavor the meat during the cooking process. Let's start with the Pork.

Ingredients
1 bone in pork shoulder (about 4-5 lbs)
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
1 tablespoon of water
1 tablespoon of honey
4+ tablespoons of your favorite bbq rub

You can make your own rub if you like. I usually buy my own because I'm pretty limited on space but I have made one quick recipe which works fine.


In a bowl or measuring cup, mix the Worcestershire sauce, water, liquid smoke and honey until even blended. Fill your flavor injector up as shown above and push the needle into a thick part of the pork shoulder and press down on the syringe to release the flavor into the meat. I recommend making about 5 to 6 insertions. Pour the remaining liquid over the meat and turn it a few times to make sure it is evenly coated. Apply your dry rub even over the meat and put the meat in your crockpot on low for 12 hours.

If you have been able to find a bone in pork shoulder (this recipe works fine with a pork butt or pork loin) you will be able to literally pull the shoulder bone out cleanly as can be seen above. Take the pork out of the crockpot (be careful as it will fall apart) and use two forks to shred the meat. Using a spoon or turkey baster, apply the juices left in your crockpot to the meat to add back little moisture.

You can pick up a flavor injector at any kitchen store for about $5-7 and it is definitely a worthwhile investment. If you don't have one on hand, pouring the mixture over the meat works fine as well.

Now for the sauce...

Ingredients
2.5 cups of ketchup
1.5 cups of brown sugar
5 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of molasses
1 tablespoon of honey
3 teaspoons hot sauce
1 small onion chopped

Saute the onion in a pan with olive oil. Mix together all the remaining ingredients until evenly blended. Pour the mixture over the onions and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir one final time and pour the sauce into a bowl and container and put in the fridge for a few hours to cool. Definitely a little wiggle room here. I like spicy food so if you prefer a sauce that is a little sweeter, you may want to cut back a little on the mustard and hot sauce and taste test your sauce until it suits you.


Here are my results. While I didn't wind up with any leftovers to take home, as long as people enjoyed it that is good enough for me.