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bbqpro — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 02:51:10 +0000

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Recipe: BBQ Holiday Ham

bbqpro — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:08:04 +0000

Recipe: BBQ Holiday Ham

Recipe type: Entrée

Author: David Hill

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 6 hours

Total time: 6 hours 20 mins

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

A 12 lb Bone-in Ham (Smoked or Unsmoked)
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
3–4 Tbsp Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust or Pineapple Head (alternate rub recipe below)
3 Cups Apple Juice
9 x 13″ Aluminum Foil Pan

Instructions

Remove ham from it’s packaging, rinse & pat dry. (See notes below on our suggested hams.)
Score a Criss-cross pattern in ham with a small paring knife – you can cut through the fat and a little into the meat in about 1 1/2″ squares.
Drizzle olive oil and rub over meat. This will help the rub to stick to the meat. Combine rub ingredients (see below) or measure out the rub and apply rub to the meat. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight in order for the flavor to penetrate.
Set up grill for indirect cooking and stabilize temperature of the grill at 250°F. Fill aluminum pan with apple juice and set below grate. Add grate to grill.
Set ham on grate, suspending it above the apple juice.
Cook ham for about 5 hours or until meat registers 165°F internal temperature.
Remove from heat and wrap in foil to rest. Let rest for at least 20 minutes.

Notes

Ham Suggestions:
We suggest a non-spiral sliced bone-in cured ham from the butt (vs the shoulder). It can be smoked or not – the smoking involved in most commercial hams is fairly minimal.

Alternate Rub Recipe:
(Careful of the salt here, most hams are cured or brined with salt and are plenty salty!)

1/4 Cup Turbinado (raw) Sugar
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Cayenne (or to taste)
Additional spices that would go with ham – use the combination you like:
Mustard Powder, Ginger, Allspice, Cloves, Chili Powder or Chipotle powder (watch this if you are using Cayenne).

Happy BBQing!

Recipe: Home Cured and Smoked Bacon

bbqpro — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:36:07 +0000

Home Cured and Smoked Bacon

Recipe: Home Cured and Smoked Bacon

Recipe type: Cooking Technique

Author: David Hill

Cook time: 5 hours

Total time: 5 hours

Serves: 10

Bacon cooked on the grill (especially the EGG) is sublime. Home cured and smoked bacon cooked on the grill takes sublime to a new level.

Ingredients

7 lb. Pork Belly (unsliced)
1/4 cup Turbinado Sugar
2 tablespoons Maple Sugar
1 cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup Course Ground Black Pepper
Airtight Container for Curing
Chimney Starter
Lump Charcoal to fill Chimney Starter
• One Chunk Hickory, one Chunk Apple wood

Instructions

To Cure the Bacon: (This will take several days.) Cover the pork belly with sugar, salt, maple sugar and black pepper. Put the belly in non-reactive container with a rack to keep the belly off the bottom of the container. Allow for air to circulate on all sides. Every morning remove the bacon slab from the container and drain liquid from it. Rinse it out. Repeat this every morning for at least five days. Seven or more is better. Sprinkle more salt to the bacon each day as this is what draws the moisture out of it. After the five or more days, rinse the pork belly thoroughly and then re-rub fully to prepare for smoking.
To Smoke the Bacon: Use a chimney starter at the bottom of the EGG instead of the cast iron charcoal grate. Fill chimney with lump charcoal. Add one chunk of hickory and one chunk of apple. Light the chimney and stabilize temperature at 145°F. The chimney burns the charcoal correctly and efficiently but uses a smaller fuel source that can control the temperature and cook for many hours. Smoke until bacon reaches 140°F internal temperature or about 5–6 hours.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Wrap and store in the refrigerator.
Slice as needed and cook as with packaged bacon.

Notes

Curing and Smoking time: While the hands on time for this recipe is fairly minimal, please allow 5 days of curing and most of a day for smoking.
Pork Belly Sourcing: Sometimes pork belly can be a little difficult to find. We get ours from Restaurant Depot, but Roseville Meat Company, Corti Bros. or your local butcher should also be a source for some of our EggNation members. A whole belly typically weighs around 15 pounds and butchers may cut it up to make it more saleable. Expect to find around a five pound piece at a store.
©2012 The BBQ Pro.

Recipe: Pretzel-Bacon Crusted Brownies with Caramel Wine Sauce

bbqpro — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:08:12 +0000

Pretzel-Bacon Crusted Brownies with Caramel Wine Sauce

Recipe type: Dessert

Author: Jennifer Hill

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 8

When we bake on the EGG, we like to set it up for indirect cooking, burn off most of the white smoke to control the smoke flavor and create desserts that have a bottom crust or layer (like an upside down cake) to block the main part of the dessert (in this case a brownie).

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Crushed Pretzels (I used a Cuisinart)
1/3 Cup Melted Butter
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp of Cooked, Crumbled Bacon
1 Package Brownie Mix
2 Tbsp Cocoa
1 Tbsp Jack Daniels (optional)
2 Eggs
2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup Water
9 x 13″ pan (foil if cooking on the grill)
Caramel Red Wine Sauce*
Whipped Cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F or stabilize the grill for indirect cooking at 350°F.
Mix the crushed pretzels, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Press into the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F until crust is just set.
Sprinkle cooked bacon over the top evenly.
Make Brownies according to directions with eggs, oil and water and adding the cocoa and optional Jack Daniels. Mix until just combined.
Spread brownie batter evenly over the top of the crust.
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the brownies are baked (a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
Let cool and serve with Caramel Red Wine Sauce (see below) and whipped cream.

Notes

Caramel Red Wine Sauce:
Mix 1 1/2 Cups Sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp Light Corn Syrup and 1/3 Cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until golden brown (but not burnt!) Cover the pot with saran wrap during the simmer (or a tight lid) and the sugar crystals will melt from the sides of the pan. Remove the wrap with tongs to avoid burning yourself. Add 2 Cups of Cabernet Sauvignon and cook down until reduced by about half. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Recipe: Praline Bacon Candy

bbqpro — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:07:56 +0000

Praline Bacon Candy

Recipe type: Dessert

Author: David Hill

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

Many praline bacon recipes call for nuts but we find that the crunch of well cooked bacon is all you need for texture.

Ingredients

1 lb. Sliced Bacon
1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp Maple Sugar
1/2 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder (or to taste)
Grill Topper or Cast Iron Griddle (our preference)

Instructions

Set up Grill for indirect cooking and stabilize at 350°F.
Mix Sugars and Chili Powder. Set aside. (Or add to a shaker for even distribution.)
Add bacon to griddle in 1 layer and cook until fat starts to render. Pour off fat and return bacon to grill.
Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly to the top of the bacon and continue to cook (be careful here, the sugar can burn easily).
Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Eggfest 2012 – Bacon-A-Rama

bbqpro — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 21:44:53 +0000

This past weekend we attended our seventh Eggs by the Bay and I am moved to muse about the event for a couple of good reasons: Eggfests are events that feature our favorite cooking device – the Big Green Egg, and at this one there were 350 attendees enjoying the most original and creative food from thirty EGGS. Thirty people cook all kinds of BBQ dishes for about 300, trying to entice votes for a “peoples choice” popularity contest. Our results notwithstanding, we had a great time because we enjoy meeting the people who come.

We have been to all seven of these Eggfests and many of the people that cook have been “repeat offenders” as well. These folks have become friends and the bond between all of us is what keeps us coming back: Great food and great company. Whether it’s at the cocktail party the night before, chatting during the event or in the hotel hot tub afterwards, the time we spend with our friends talking about cooking (and eating) is what it’s all about.

At this event we cooked two incredible dishes that featured bacon: We cured our pork bellies and smoked the bacon low and slow for many hours before slicing and using it in our dishes.

Home Cured and Smoked Bacon Recipe (coming soon)

Praline Bacon Candy Recipe

Brownies with Pretzel Bacon Crust and Caramel Red Wine Sauce

Our bacon was a huge hit with the crowd and the compliments are wonderful but for me, it all gets back to the joy of just being with people having a good time and enjoying food. Sharing my food and teaching others about barbecue is my favorite thing to do. I encourage you to fire up your grill and have some friends over and enjoy each others company over some great BBQ.

Day Tripping Coastal Cuisine

bbqpro — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:30:55 +0000

David and Chris in front of Hog Island Oyster Co.

On a recent trip to the coast, we found ourselves on Highway 1 along Tomales Bay. Never been there and had no idea we had stumbled into the oyster capital of the West. I’ve shucked, slurped and grilled oysters but have never given any thought to where they come from. We learned that there is this totally cool cultural experience revolving around oysters.

After passing several oyster farms we just had to stop and check one out. Let the party begin! Again, we had no idea what we were getting into and were un-prepared but the good folks at the Hog Island Oyster farm were happy to help at every turn. We were set up with a bag of oysters, a knife and found a picnic table and grill. As the fire started, I shucked the oysters and we chose some different sauces to doctor up our little friends before grilling.

The prep tray.

Starting the fire.

4 minutes over direct heat on the grill. Technically, that’s all there is to it but there is so much more to the experience. Hog Island has about 20 tables and they are packed with fun, freindly people drinking wine and beer and sharing food and stories with new friends on their tables. Many groups came totally prepared with other tasty goodies to grill and others, like us, were all about the oysters.

The picnic site is a big party/cookout.

Food is supposed to be social – bringing friends together and our day at Hog Island oyster farm was a great time. It’s everything we stand for at the BBQ Pro: Good food, good friends and good times, give it a try soon.

For more info:
http://www.hogislandoysters.com/farm/picnic

A Visit to Mansmith’s

bbqpro — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:03:02 +0000

On our way to the 2011 Eggfest in Santa Clara, we decided to take a small road trip to Mansmith’s Gourmet in San Juan Bautista. We had been using Mansmith’s rubs for years and wanted to pick up our latest order in person. These guys are not only veterans on the BBQ circuit, their family has been BBQing in California’s Central Coast area for generations.

It’s unusual to be a California family with such a rich BBQ history. It’s even more unusual for that family to be in the business of sharing their long history of BBQ spices and recipes and allowing the rest of the world in to experience flavors unique to California. We’re so on board with this.

Tucked away past fruit stands and pastures, we pulled up to the BBQ Outlet Store and met Juanita and John, the owners and spicemasters of Mansmith’s Gourmet. We swapped stories and checked out the store, especially intrigued by their BBQ Paste: a BBQ sauce base that creates a universe of BBQ possibilities when any liquid is added. As Jimmy Buffet says: “It was so simple, it plum evaded me…”

Mansmiths Original Grilling Spice, Poultry Spice and Barbecue Paste

They took the time to answer some of my questions:

Your family has been barbecuing for generations in California. When did the family actually start barbecuing?

About 1960, as a teenager, I started on the pit crew at the San Juan Bautista Mission Fiesta where we grilled 5,000 chicken halves every year. This was an all night event. We also grilled steaks every year at the Saint Francis Retreat Center for their annual fund raising event. By 1970 I was a member of the California Young Farmers organization where I was recruited to the barbecue committee, cooking Top Sirloins, Pork Chops and Sausages for various events. In about 1985, by popular demand, we started bottling our seasonings. The catering business evolved from demonstrating our seasonings at street fairs, etc.

I’ve always been intrigued by authentic California barbecue. Since you have such a long history with it, what defines California barbecue for you?

Open pit grilling over an oak wood fire. Seasoned with local traditional herbs like Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano and Garlic.

Tri-tip is prominently featured in your menus and is your specialty in catering. Have you always cooked Tri-tip or is it recent (as in the last 20 years)?

We started cooking Tri-Tip about 1985. It took me about a year to perfect my technique of slow cooking over an open fire. We only cook untrimmed Tri-Tip with the fat cap still on the meat. We cook it for 2 hours, high above the fire in order to produce a rare and juicy product, seasoned of course with Mansmith’s Original Grilling Spice.

When did you first start competition barbecue?

We did a few competitions in the late 1990′s when the California BBQ Assoc. first started. There were not very many competitions in our area then and we didn’t have the time to travel, so it was not a priority with our business. We just got back into it last year and were surprised at the evolution of the sport. We only participate in 3 or 4 a year now but are having a lot of fun.

You have won an enormous amount of awards for your rubs and sauces. How has this affected the rubs and sauce you offer for sale? Are you constantly changing the formulas, or do you have more of a “don’t fix it and let everyone catch up to you” philosophy?

1991 – Mansmith’s Low Sodium Grilling Spice won “Best on the Planet” at the American Royal International BBQ competition in Kansas City.

1993 – Mansmith’s Original Grilling Spice won “Best on the Planet” at the American Royal International BBQ competition in Kansas City.

At these same competitions Mansmith’s BBQ Paste gathered numerous awards in the sauce categories. It was diluted with various liquids and entered into all 14 sauce flavor categories that were in the competition. We have since been banned from future competitions with this product due to a change in the rules.

1998 – Mansmith’s Original Grilling Spice, Low Sodium Grilling Spice, and Dry Fire each win first place medals in all 3 of the dry rub categories at the National Barbecue Conventions “Awards of Excellence” in Arlington, Texas.

Nothing needs to be fixed here! Nothing is offered until they are perfected. All new products come from the evolution of flavor profiles. Mansmith’s has the best customer loyalty in the business.

What’s next for Mansmith? Any events coming up that you want to share?

Two more Street Festival events this year: San Juan Bautista Flea Market on August 14, 2011, and the Taste Of Morgan Hill, in Morgan Hill, CA on Sept. 24 and 25, 2011 where we will be cooking our world famous Tri-Tip sandwiches.

Check their website at www.mansmith.com for all their weekly BBQ locations.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Mansmiths and have always enjoyed Mansmith’s rubs and taste profile. If I were going to name a BBQ rub business, “Mansmith” would cross my mind. As it turns out, it really is their name – it reflects the absolute authenticity in everything they do.

Jennifer Hill

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Learn from a BBQ pro to make authentic Santa Maria Style Tri-tip and all the fixings at our Santa Maria style Tri-tip BBQ Class

Far Western Tavern

bbqpro — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 05:08:18 +0000

As a BBQ freak, I am always on the prowl for good eats. The more I learn about the history and culture of BBQ, the more I have sought out and studied this kind of cooking from the different regions of our country. Most BBQ fans can define Carolina Pork (North and South), Kansas City Ribs and Texas Brisket but what if I asked you about true California BBQ? That, my friends, would be Santa Maria Tri-tip. And the quintessential place to get classic California eats is the Far Western Tavern in Guadalupe. A few miles west of Santa Maria in the Nipomo Valley along California’s Central Coast, this region has a long history of cattle ranching and dairy farming. This restaurant and bar both catered to the cowboys and got great beef from them.

David and Chris in front of the Far Western Tavern

The Far Western Tavern is a restaurant that grew out of a ranch and serves the best beef I have ever eaten. Now I may be a bit biased as I am a fifth generation Californian and this Central Coast area is where my family is from. We are still doing some digging, but it may be that the Manetti family that runs the Far Western may have got their start on my great, great grandpa Hardie’s ranch in Cayucos, just up the coast.

Chris’ eyes must be closed in meat-induced bliss. That is cow hide on the door.

Even if we aren’t related, this is truly the best beef in the west. Nothing fancy, but great aged beef with the right seasonings for each particular cut. I spent a fair amount of time going over recipes and beef cuts with Chef Barbara Abernathy and soon realized that she had forgotten more about cooking and beef than I will ever know. The combination of great quality beef and an amazing chef turns out spectacular results.

If you can’t make it down to Santa Maria to have some delicious eats don’t worry. The family recipes have all been handed down and put into seasoning rubs and sauces by daughter Susan and marketed as Susie Q’s. Straight up Santa Maria style rubs, glaze and especially the famous Pinquito beans and bean seasoning.

Pinquito beans are grown only in the Nipomo Valley and are a cross between a “little pink” bean and a pinto bean and are absolutely essential to a true Santa Maria BBQ meal. Chef Barbara gave me a secret lesson on how to cook these beans the way they do at the Far Western and I would be happy to pass that along to all that come by our store. Did I mention that we are the only ones in Northern California to carry the full line of Susie Q’s BBQ products? We are honored to share the absolutely best of the true California BBQ culture. Come on by and look into it.

Learn to cook authentic Santa Maria style BBQ: Eggnation July Santa Maria Tri-tip Class

Far Western Tavern: www.farwesterntavern.com

Susie Q’s Brand: www.susieqbrand.com

David Hill
The BBQ Pro

Welcome to BBQ Pro Online

bbqpro — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:55:06 +0000

Welcome to all fellow BBQ enthusiasts out there. We are excited about our new website and are looking forward to providing you with the tools you will need to create great barbecue from grills to charcoal to unique sauces and rubs.

Store Location: 10140 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, CA (in Fair Oaks Village.) Map it!

New Hours: Monday (by appointment only) Tuesday through Friday: 10am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 5pm.

Upcoming BBQ Classes: Check out our BBQ Classes page for more information.

Please email: eggnation@bbqproonline.com to book a class.)

For more information, email us: david@bbqproonline.com
or call 916-595-7444

Come on in and visit!
David Hill
the BBQ Pro