Outdoor Cooking Hacks to Elevate Your BBQ Game to the Next Level

The 5^th cookbook from American South BBQ author, Bill West,offers timesaving tips and tricks to get smokin’ hot results from your grill. Packed with succulent smoked and grilled meat cooking, sizzling choice fish and seafood, decadent slathering sauces and toppings, plus savory side dishes, herbs, spices, and condiments.

We have a new book coming out on the 17th! It’s the Big Book of BBQ Tricks and it’s loaded with over 101 tips, tricks, recipes and more.

Order here NOW

The 5^th cookbook from American South BBQ author, Bill West, offers timesaving tips and tricks to get smokin’ hot results from your grill. Packed with succulent smoked and grilled meat cooking, sizzling choice fish and seafood, decadent slathering sauces and toppings, plus savory side dishes, herbs, spices, and condiments.

Rub, mop, chop, and smoke your way to finger-lickin’ backyard greatness. In this book:

• Tips, Tricks & Techniques
• 114 Tested & Tasty Recipes          
• Cool Tools
• Handy Meat Cheat Sheet
• “Talking Chop” Interviews with Pros (transcribed from the audio book)
• Types of Grills & Smokers
• Secret Ingredients
• Tasty Side Notes for Pairing Side Dishes

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The other Red Meat

The USDA defines “red meat” as “all meats obtained from mammals,” but for this post I like to think bigger. Red meat includes beef, lamb, and even wild game. And YES BISON!

Red meat plays a starring role in American barbecue. We eat about 25 billion pounds of beef a year in the United States. Believe it or not, per capita, Uruguay and even Argentina actually consume more. Now I see why the new Brazilian steakhouses are so popular. They have the meats!

The most popular red meat BBQ recipes to grill at home are usually beef. But I have been seeing BISON and BUFFALO pop up on my meat seeking radar. I recently connected with The HONEST Bison and I’ve been really enjoying their meat. I should note I was provided the bison for this article. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking my links.

Take a look at what The Honest Bison has to offer HERE

Why Bison?

Bison is seeing a surge in popularity in North America due to the sustainable farming craze, and because it is considered a healthier protein choice. It’s interesting to note that a bison is not the same as a buffalo, although it is sometimes incorrectly used as a nickname. Bison is a much leaner meat than beef so the trick is to keep it moist, since there is very little fat to render.

Bison Is Better For You

First thing that I really like about bison is the fact that Grass fed meat is better for you than your average factory grain fed beef.

Supermarket beef these days is plumped up with grain.  Seek out meat that is labeled grass-fed or finished. Although grass-fed meats have a little different flavor profile, grass-fed beef is prized mainly for its health benefits. It is also considered more humane for the animals. Grass-fed and finished beef comes from cattle that are pasture-raised and fed with only grass, not grain. It’s a more expensive process with real dietary benefits. Grass-fed beef has healthy Omega three fatty acids. Also, it is higher in antioxidants, vitamins, and a beneficial fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) that is known for its improved immunity and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Same goes for the Bison from The Honest Bison. It’s hormone-free, organic meat (Hey, when I was a kid, everything was organic!)  Honest Bison delivers the meat right to your door. They take their meat seriously, and I highly recommend them.  Another smoked cut of meat you will like is their ELK. Wait!?! My auto correct really wants to give you an “Otter Smoked cut of meat!” I’m thinking that would be unusual…

They call it: Food you can trust. Naturally.

The Honest Bison was founded on the notion that they believe you should be able to trust what you eat. When they saw how hard it was to find unprocessed, humanely raised, quality meats in stores, The Honest Bison was born. Here’s more from the company website:

“We started out with just 100% grassfed bison but have since branched out to include a curated selection of other high-quality meats as well. As we continue to expand, our mission still remains the same – to bring trust back into today’s food system.”

Also, on the Honest Bison website it is inspiring to see them spell out their truths: Transparency, Respect and Purity.

Transparency

Transparency. We believe everyone deserves to know exactly where their food comes from: how it’s raised, how it’s processed, what’s in it and who’s handling it. We follow our meat every step along the way and know everyone involved personally. And we will always answer any questions you have honestly.

Respect

Respect. Everything we do starts from a place of respect – for our animals, our land, our partners, our customers and ourselves. Our holistic approach to ranching helps replenish the lands naturally and allows the animals to roam freely in large, grass pastures. Our animals are always treated humanely, in both life and the slaughter process.

Purity

Purity. Our meats are processed as minimally as possible to allow the natural flavors and nutrients of the animals to remain intact. Any ingredients we add are real, whole foods and are always clearly labeled.

How I cooked my Bison

So lets look, specifically, at what bison cuts I grilled/smoked and just how I approached cooking bison.

• I quick grilled my ground bison as burger patties.
• The bison short ribs tasted great slow smoked on my pellet grill.
• I cooked bison brisket with simple seasoning and “low and slow” smoke.

All three of these cuts cook differently so I’ll look at them separately below. You can also choose from steaks and roasts so think of this as a BBQ focused look at how to cook bison.

Ground Bison Burgers

First, I grilled it as ground bison – in burgers. Bison often appears darker than beef. The burger patties I made were a beautiful, rich red color thanks to the mineral-rich nature of game meat. I cooked bison patties along side typical beef patties (80/20 grain fed). The uncooked beef was a bit more grey. But when cooked they really looked the same.

Cooking bison as ground meat is essentially the same as ground beef. The flavor is a bit more robust and rich. I saw on the website that The Honest Bison also offers pre-pressed bison patties as well as 90/10 ground bison. 90/10 may be too lean for what you want in a burger. The standard “ground bison” I grilled(I think it was 80 percent lean or 80/20) was perfect. I just added Montreal steak seasoning and grilled the same as the beef. If you are a fan of a rare internal temperature on your burger cook the bison just as you would beef. Bison does cook differently with streaks and roasts… more on that in a bit.

How Bison tastes vs Beef

The flavor of bison was really good for burgers. Just slightly different then the beef burgers. Slightly.

There was what I would call a grass fed flavor (mostly with the brisket and the ribs) but with the ground bison I could barely discern a difference from beef. And I could just slightly notice a bit of a wild flavor on occasional bites as if it was from different flecks in the grind. Just enough to know it was something different.

Cooking Bison Short Ribs

Bison ribs are something BBQ fanatics will enjoy cooking. If you are looking for something a little more exotic (but not too exotic) this is great for a grill and smoker. The typical cut is bison “short ribs.” These are like “English style” beef ribs where the bones are cut into three to four inch segments.

With the look of the animal, I had envisioned GIANT “Fred Flintstone” bones. When you look at the BISON… It’s hard not to marvel at the massive chest and the stocky front half of the beast.

But in reality the bison ribs looked (and cooked) a lot like beef back ribs. I noticed the color being a bit darker then beef before cooking.

Again game mammals are true “red” meat. The protein, myoglobin, holds oxygen in the muscle, and gives the meat a darker color. 

I also noticed that my bison ribs have less fat then beef short ribs. But they were really similar in size and shape… I  cooked them on the wood pellet smoker like beef ribs.

Bison ribs are best when slow-cooked or braised until the meat falls off the bones. So I smoked for 3 hours and wrapped them with foil and a bit of apple juice to keep them moist. Then, I continued to cook at 225, wrapped in foil for two or three more hours. I finished them, unwrapped, and sauced them up for the last hour over direct heat.

It’s also good to spray or “spritz” the meat to keep things steamy before you wrap it in foil. This keeps is moist and enhances the smoke ring. Just beware of opening your smoker too often in colder weather (it can really lower the temperature in the smoker and extend cook times).

I enjoyed the beefy yet wild taste of the bison. These are also very similar to their beef counterpart. But because they are more lean you will really want to marinate (or inject with a marinade) and wrap with foil to keep them from drying out. Sauce as you would with beef ribs.

Trim off the silverskin

When I cook beef I try not to over trim off the fat  – but, when cooking bison, you will want to use a sharp knife and get all the excess silver skin and membrane on the top and back of the bone. I, mistakenly, did not remove some of the top layer and I really should have. The white membrane looked like it was a layer of fat (on the meaty side of the rib bone) so I left it alone. I discovered that’s where a lot of the gamey flavor came from. After cooking I was still able to remove the top membrane and it eliminated the stronger flavor.

Nonetheless, I always pull the membrane of the back side of the ribs anyway (beef and bison is tougher than pork). Here’s my video on how you can pull the rib membrane more easily.

Also, to minimize gamey flavors in wild meats like bison, venison, elk and boar, some hunters also eliminate any excess blood. Other marinades for game meat call for an overnight soak in a buttermilk solution with salt or vinegar, and sugar or other spices as desired. 

Cooking Bison Brisket

Lastly, Bison Brisket was a cut I was really looking forward too..  because my thinking was it would be massive like the whole packer beef briskets Im used too… and the bison was definitely leaner… you THINK looking at the bison it would be a meaty brisket because the meat comes from the chest… but I it’s really too lean for my taste on the smoker… you’ll want to smoke it for a couple of hours… then wrap it and continue to braise it in it’s own juices… I would even recommend using  slow cooker after you get a couple of hours of smoke on it.

Grass fed bison brisket is just like grass fed beef brisket. They are better for other cooking methods. It’s not going to have the thick fat layer that a lot of pit masters love about grain fed beef brisket. If you’re looking for a fatty brisket experience you may want to try a different cut.

Cooking Bison is a great conversation starter

In summary, I recommend you give The Honest BISON a try. It’s just fun to offer it up as something adventurous for friends. Check out their latest offer here (20 percent off).

Top reason I think it’s just exotic enough for “all American” tastes. It’s just such a cool animal. By the way I also love their logo at The Honest bison. It pays tribute to how majestic these animals are.

If you are having a cookout with friends its not too much of a stretch to get them to try something “wild.” Cooking bison is a unique conversation starter too.  I don’t think anyone would get upset trying it thinking it was beef and not knowing it was a different animal… Yeah that happened to me once with Rocky mountain oysters…lol.

Many Americans love cooking Bison and Elk because It’s a healthier meat than grain fed beef. I mentioned the Omega 3s… on top of being healthy… whole 30 and Keto fans love bison and grass fed meat. Honest Bison treats the “meat” with respect: their holistic approach to ranching helps replenish the lands naturally and allows the animals to roam freely in large, grass pastures. Always treated humanely (in life and the slaughter process).

Next – the wild and rich flavor is something really satisfying… and in brief you cook certain cuts a little differently.

Tricks for cooking bison

When you veer off the basic barbecue path with bison, you can keep these tips in mind for best success:  

•  Trim off all visible silver skin and rib membrane
• Marinate: I used some cider vinegar in a marinade for the ribs that helps mellow the wildness.

• Other ways to boost moisture (that I didn’t do here but you may want to try) include basting, and larding or barding (inserting slivers of fat or wrapping in bacon). 

Also, the company sends along an insert thet they use to advise you generally of how to treat BISON… as well as other leaner game meats… they say FIRST… cook for one third of the time and temperature of beef… and that’s maininly referring to the steaks and cuts you will serve rare… NOT the ribs and brisket I tried… so make that distinction.

One third of the time and that would be the “doneness/internal” temperature of beef. I think that’s hard to understand,  but think of it as approximately one third of the “doneness temperature of BEEF in degrees. Beef is rare with a red center at 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Beef is Medium at 145.

So for the steaks and cuts like bison tenderloin they suggest

• Rare being 115 degrees F to 120 degrees F
• Medium Rare being 121 to 125 degrees F
• And Medium cooked BISON should have an internal temperature between 126 degrees F and 130 degrees F.

Lastly, remember to Rest bison steaks and roasts as temperature will continue to rise while resting. So you should remove the bison from heat when thermometer registers 5-10°F lower than desired doneness.

The post Cooking Bison vs. Beef and How to grill it on the BBQ appeared first on Barbecue Tricks.

Do you want to impress family and guests with your barbecuing skills?

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Where can you find the secrets of successful barbecuing?

In this innovative barbecue book we go behind the scenes at the world’s most popular BBQ pits. You’ll read details about Scott’s BBQ and see inside the smoke house. Plus, learn about the underground charcoal roasting chutes at Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous in Memphis (and get secrets behind the recipes).

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I’m a huge fan of their bone in Ribeye, it tasted as good as it looked in the video. They have a variety of meats – but I actually now have a NEW favorite cut of meat for grilling thanks to Porter Road (more on that below).

About Porter Road

And not just any meat. They only offer pasture raised beef, pork and chicken. The pork is the heritage breed. Duroc and and Berkshire pigs. These breeds offer a flavor that is just unmistakably better than what we’re getting like in Walmart and Costco these days. I encourage you to check Porter Road out just for the heritage breed pork. I don’t think they make as big of a deal out of it as they should. It’s really, really great flavor from either the bacon and the pork chops.

Not Necessarily Frozen

When you get the meat be aware that it’s not going to be rock solid frozen when you open it at home.

First, some notes on my package: I got this on a hot summer day. 90 degrees outside in August in Charleston and I got to it after about four hours and it was still a quite cold. Some of the ground meat was frozen, the ice packs were still half frozen. The meat is typically going to come fresh, actually not frozen. There are a few cuts that are exceptions.

The ground “Beef versus Bacon” was delicious. I made some taco meat out of it and it was better than fantastic. I’d suggest getting it and trying it where you use ground beef or sausage. The next level flavor of the dry aged beef and heritage breed pork is something unique that could be considered a secret ingredient.

The Korean short ribs are the best thing I’ve had in a long time. They are my new favorite.

The bone in Ribeye was fantastic. Dry aged 14 days. I also tested the dry aged hotdogs that were also really good.

The Packaging

The cold shipping box and packaging of Porter Road keeps cold by using sealed ice packs and green foam insulation. Porter Road aims to ship quality meat fresh (not frozen) unless it’s a meat that’s not gonna be affected (the texture of the meat) by freezing. For the most part all the meats are fresh and arrive quite cold.

Don’t worry, the meat stays “preserved” just fine. Everything I got was nicely cold to the touch, just like you’d get in a grocer’s freezer. In fact, probably better, despite sitting in Carolina heat for hours.

Porter Road says you should either consume or freeze your meat within seven days of its arrival. They suggest for poultry, to consume it or freeze it as soon as possible. Within four days.

The pork should be consumed or frozen within five days of delivery. Lamb(yes they have lamb!) should be eaten or frozen within seven days and they say beef is a little unique the whole muscle roasts, not ground meat, should be eaten or frozen within 10 days of delivery. That being said, they suggest beef can last longer as long as the meat doesn’t smell sour or feel slimy.

Pasture not Grass

I really like Porter Road because they’re up front on what they do. They specialize in selling pasture raised beef. The company does not promise grass fed and finished (like Butcher Box). I like that Porter Road works very hard to cover all the humane and hormone free angles, but it’s not pure grass fed or grass finished.

One thing Porter Road does that is over the top for flavor is the dry aging. I think they dry age for 14 days. I believe that makes a flavor difference that’s really, really unbelievable. When it comes to the steaks like the bone in ribeyes that i tried (awesome flavor) definitely shop for dry aged over grass fed!

Shipping

So you order your cuts right from the website, they ship them to your door, For standard shipping expect two to three consecutive business days for delivery.

Express shipping: allow one to two consecutive business days.

If you need it right away, standard shipping orders must be placed before 2:00 PM central time on Wednesday for delivery by Friday. If you need it by the weekend, you’ll have to get your order placed before 2:00 PM central time on Wednesday.

They take a lot of care in every stage and the insulation in the box is definitely “eco friendly.” They call the foam in the box “green cell foam” and they say it can be safely burned in your fire pit. You can use it to start a charcoal barbecue or dissolve it in your sink in less than 60 seconds. The box in it’s tape are made of 100% recyclable materials, so you can easily recycle it. It’s a nice touch. If you don’t care about a bit of styrofoam check out Omaha Steaks.

Korean Short Ribs

My new favorite cut of meat is now the Korean short ribs that were in my Porter Road box and I cooked them two ways.

Both cooking methods ended up delicious. I can’t think of beef, beef ribs without thinking of Fred Flintstone. He’s the original pitmaster, right? His giant slab was so heavy, it tipped over his car!! That’s how I have always prepped Porter Road beef ribs (I think they used to sell these as “dino ribs” according to commenters to the video). If you cook the whole rib you are going to be like Fred.

However, by definition, beef short ribs are a shortened portion of the entire rib bone. You can make them a little easier to handle and serve by making them or serving them flanken style or cut across the bone about half an inch thick or even in two inch or shorter links. You can also cook them English-style, which the bones are in a six inch lengths. I’ve got recipes in my electric smoker book for the low and slow versions. HOWEVER the Korean style is my new favorite and are only a quarter inch thick. You can cook them hot and fast with ease!
In fact, the first thing I did, was a high heat hot and fast cook with one strip just to see what it would be like. I really just wanted a quick little snack. I dusted it with Montreal steak seasoning and it was phenomenal. You’ll definately want a few slices for a whole meal but there’s plenty for four dinner guests one of these packs from Porter Road.

By the way, Canadian spike or spice seasoning or Montreal spice is coarse sea salt, onion, coriander, garlic, and black pepper.

Low and Slow Porter Road Beef Ribs

I did a batch of the Porter Road beef ribs low and slow as well. I sauced them up and smoked them so it was almost like beef bacon. Sweeten and Saucy. The thin beef ribs were pretty versatile and it is awesome just to have the little bones to nibble on.

If you prefer doing Low and slow Porter Road Beef Ribs “low and slow” you may opt for a thicker beef rib (sometimes called English style or larger).

However you “slice them” the beefy – dry aged- flavor of this cut from Porter Road is exceptional. Kind of like a little thin steak with the bone in. On top of all that there is a little amount of flavorful fat on each slice. So again, it’s like beef bacon. Really succulent has the perfect sizzle coming off the grill. I am definitely going to be ordering more of these from Porter Road soon. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/porterroadBBQ

The post Unboxing Porter Road Beef Ribs and Other Dry Aged Meat appeared first on Barbecue Tricks.

The setting mentioned above is just one of the typical barbecues that all of us would love to have. Having the company of your friends and family while munching down on grilled meat and barbecue is the best celebration for any event. However, there is one thing you can add that will make your celebrations even better. And that is wine.

When you talk about wine, elegant dinners, rich people, and fancy gatherings always comes to mind. However, wine can be enjoyed in every celebration. It also doesn’t take a six-figure monthly income to enjoy the exceptional experience of wine. It’s not really a fad, but it’s not uncommon to see someone sip wine during a good old fashioned barbecue in the backyard.

Barbecue and wine go well together. The wine can significantly enhance the taste of the tender grilled meat as it enters your mouth. Although beer is a staple during grill-outs, wine can make it even better. Here are some barbecue dishes and wine pairings that’ll guarantee to make your barbecues a blast:

Chianti and Carolina-style Pork Chops

A tangy vinegar-based sauce is the signature of most Carolina-style barbecues. For this dish, you can use two large or medium-sized pork chops. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the pork chops and grill them over hickory hardwood. The hardwood creates a sweet bacon-like flavor to the meat.

Chianti is a full-bodied wine that can highlight that sweet aroma in the meat. The wine doesn’t overpower the meal as it works by emphasizing the tangy richness of the sauce and flavors of the barbecued meat.

Chardonnay and Kebab-style Chicken Skewers

Let’s start the list light with tender, grilled chicken skewers. Grab a few barbeque sticks and set them aside. Prepare a whole chicken fillet and cut them into bite sized cubes. Don’t try to cut them too small as you’ll quickly burn them when you put them on the grill. With the barbecue skewer, slide the chicken cubes along with fresh baby tomatoes, white onions, and slices of lemons.

The acidity from the tomatoes and lemons compliment the meat of the chicken and the aroma of grilled onions. Since this dish has a little bit of acidity in it, it best goes with Chardonnay. Chardonnay is perfect for white meat dishes such as chicken, fish, and seafood.

Malbec and Grilled Sausages

Sausages are another favorite go-to when it comes to grilling. Sausages are made from ground beef, poultry, pork, any meat product, or a combination of all of them. The ground meat is then mixed with strong aromatic herbs. Garlic is a favorite in most sausages. The mixture is then placed in a sausage casing that’s either made out of the intestines or skin. Artificial, edible casings can also be used.

Since sausages and other cured meats have strong flavors to them, you should pair them with Malbec Wines. Young Malbec wines have a fruity taste to them, which helps balance the potent herbs used in most sausage mixes. Malbec is also best paired with pasta that uses thick, sweet tomato-based sauces.

Dry Rosé and Barbequed Lamb Chops

Lamb chops are also a favorite on the grill. Most people sprinkle generous amounts of salt and pepper and a small sprig of rosemary on a lamb chop. To add more flavor and smokiness, you can put in a few vegetables such as zucchini and peppers on the grill. Medium Bodied wines such as Dry Rosé compliment the rich flavor of the lamb chop.

Dry Rosé has a dry acidity to it and often has a mild fruity flavor. The texture of the lamb, coupled with the dryness of the Dry Rosé is perfect for any backyard barbeque meal.

Syrah and Pepper Steak

Most of the time, barbecues are ideal during the summer. A favorite for a summer grill-out is Pepper Steak. For this dish, you can use sirloin steak, strip, t-bone, or porterhouse steak. Get a bowl, then combine the pepper, onion salt, garlic salt, and paprika. Apply the dry rub to both sides of the steak. Depending on the level of doneness you want, you can cook the steak for 8-10 minutes, each side.

Pepper steak is a classic favorite that brings an earthy aroma to the palate. Since Syrah is a full-bodied wine with moderate levels of alcohol and sharp acidity, pairing it with a pepper steak doesn’t ruin the flavors of the meat. In fact, the earthy smell from the pepper complements the Syrah’s lean and elegant taste.

Takeaway

Although beer is the typical drink most people associate with barbecues, wines can be even more satisfying. Having the right pairings can significantly enhance the flavors of each meal, making for a beautiful dining experience.

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