There’s quite a bit of history on the Kamado and it truly does it all–smoking, bbq’ing, grilling, oven, you name it. We’ve cooked turkeys, ribs, tri-tips, burgers, pizza, fish, and quite a bit more on it. Maintaining temps from 150 to 700+ degrees on it is pretty easy. The slow and lows are great for cooking briskets and pork butts. The higher temps are great for pizzas and steaks. They have serveral different sizes, and our larger one is the #7 and we’ve had 9 tri-tips on there before at the same time and they all came out perfectly. We also have a #1 for taking with us when we go camping. It weighs less than 100 pounds, while our #7 weighs in at about 600 pounds! There are 3 starting options–charcoal, gas, and electric. We have the gas option and use it to start the charcoal (we use extruded coconut for charcoal–check out this link for more than you’ve ever wanted to know about charcoal. We can cook at about 8 hours on a small basket of charcoal at 350 degrees!

The Kamado Charcoal Grill  has a great forum with useful recipes and tips. Compared to the inventory at Home Depot this is a big investment, but we’re major outdoor cooking fans and use it all the time. I can honestly say I’ve never made something on the Kamado that hasn’t been a hit. My personal favorite is my maple raspberry and chipotle tri-tip. Delicious! Although this may sound like an advertisement, I assure you I have no interest in Kamado. I just appreciate my Kamado Charcoal Grill and think it’s one of a kind. It’s also a great conversation piece when people are over. “What is that thing” is one of the first questions I get when we go outside.

This is a picture of both Kamados. They come in a wide variety of colors and textures too.

Here’s a picture of what’s under the hood. The thing I like most about my Kamado is that I can have 3 grills going at the same time. They sell optional lower/upper racks that you put grills on, and are then able to cook all sorts of stuff at the same time.

The temperature of the Kamdo is regulated by two things: The first is the top damper. Just a simple twist and you have modified the air flow which will raise/lower the temperature.

The draft door works in conjuction with the damper to control the temperature.

A thermometer is handy in maintaining just the right temperature.

A tri-tip after about 60 minutes on the grill.

I use a Thermapen for checking temperatures of the food I cook. At just under $100, it’s more expensive that some other options, but it’s deadly accurate and I’ve never had a problem. And if you like extremes, you can even get a remote sensor that you connect to your food and will beep inside the house when it’s at a certain temperature.

Cooked to perfection!

This article was originally submitted by Elk Grove Online member Divot Maker, proud Kamado owner and master griller.

Related posts:

1. Smokers and BBQs–Buying and Building

Related posts:

1. Pulled Pork Sliders with Cajun Slaw
2. Barbequed Green Beans
3. Gloria’s One of Everything Salad

When you put out food for a group it’s always a balancing act with quality vs. pricing. We must understand that most of the grocery stores, caterers, and restaurants lie. They will mislabel, represent previously frozen as fresh, and claim to use ingredients they do not. Here are some ways I cheat down the costs without sacrificing quality, and some things on which you must never cheat:

Seafood
Shellfish often freezes better than fish, if done properly which is either flash freezing on a factory boat or frozen in milk at home. If I am going to serve fish as an entree I will not serve anything frozen or previously frozen, period. Shellfish, specifically shrimp, can be OK. Clams and mussels and crabs, NEVER. They don’t freeze well. For smoking, I prefer fresh but will accept frozen in some cases depending on the variety, the texture, and the smell test. Other than Costco, I will not buy any seafood without a good whiff test. If there is the slightest presence of ammonia, the fish should have been sold yesterday, and you walk away. I reject about 1/3rd of the fish and shellfish at Bel Air, and they are as good as any non-specialty store.

Brining can cure a lot in seafood, specifically texture. Through simple osmosis, brining ejects the existing liquid and replaces it with your fresh ingredients. It can firm up a slightly mushy fish or shellfish nicely and properly and add flavor. What brining will not do is make old fish good. Old fish belongs in fishwrap.

Spices and Seasonings
If they are used for sauces, you must have them fresh. I clean out my spices every 6 months and replace them. If available, I use a small coffee grinder for the freshest spices possible. For brines or marinades, you can definitely cheat here. Cheating for me is the Dollar Store or Big Lots for bulk seasonings like dehydrated onion, garlic, honey, and similar generic ingredients. Salt is something with which I never cheat. I use only sea salt or kosher salt because it tastes better and holds up to slow cooking better, and you use a third less of sea salt than table salt for the same recipe. Never use anything iodized. If I am doing a sauce or marinade that requires Soy, I only use Aloha Shoyu, but in brines I easily substitute less expensive Kikkoman. That’s the bottom for me. That awful strong Soy taste in many Chinese restaurants is from crappy, bulk soy. Don’t use it–it will bite your taste. I use a lot of maple syrup, and only 100% pure maple syrup will do. The artificial stuff breaks down and does not take heat well. I buy it at Costco in bulk and it’s not that expensive there.

Poultry
Both turkey and chicken are very forgiving for smoking. I am not picky about fresh or frozen, even for holidays. While I’d never use a frozen breast for an oven prep, you honestly cannot tell the difference when smoking or BBQing, and this makes a huge difference in cost. I prefer a Zacky’s previously frozen from Bel Air–never miss with those. Forget free range and all that hype for chickens when smoking or BBQing. Just make sure it’s fresh and the color and odor are right and buy on cost. Beer can whole chicken is a great smoky, greasy meal and I use the cheapest chickens I can find for it.

Pork
The only pork I do with any regularity is a Boston Butt for pulled pork sandwiches, and ribs. I buy butts mainly on price and appearance. It’s real junk anyway. The best butts/shoulders I’ve ever had are from SYSCO and sometimes I’ll tap a restaurant to sell some out the back door. Quality ribs are extremely critical. I will not buy any rib not in Cryovac, and getting good spares has become next to impossible during some seasons. I went one entire season with doing spares because the quality was so bad. I now buy nearly all my ribs at Costco, and I normally use baby backs. It’s hard to beat a good spare, however, if you can find them.

BBQ and Smoking Cheats
Basically there are none. It’s done when it’s done and a good quality digital thermo is your best friend. What I do use that virtually no one on the west coast does is curing salt for my brined items. Not only does it ensure that all bacteria is killed and your finsihed product is much less likely to spoil, it really adds some texture and opens up pores of tight grained poultry, fish, and some pork to receive the smoke better. Every trip to the South I go into a Wal-Mart (it’s common in the South) and throw a bag of Morton’s TenderQuick into my luggage. Never seen it here in California.

Most people have no idea of the risk they take by eating at a BBQ restaurant. As we cook at low temps, the chances of botulism are probably tenfold of anywhere else. Get nailed once and you’ll learn the hard way. I did at a place that uses initials. Pay close attention to the cleanliness and refrigeration if you can see it, because there is probably not one local BBQ joint that takes the extra step to cure meats.

For wood, NEVER cheat. Never use anything but seasoned hardwood. I beg and buy wood from all over the country for different flavorings, but the local white oak and cherry are my staple supplies. The best wood overall is Pecan, but the cordwood too expensive to bring in. I do use pecan chunkwood in my Cookshack for a few items. Avoid mesquite except for grilling wood. It’s too hot and too strong for anything but a big, tough brisket.

Related posts:

1. Smokers and BBQs–Buying and Building

This recipe uses fresh watermelon,  which ties in with the watermelon vodka. You can easily substitute the fresh fruit for your preferred vodka flavor, which can be blueberry, passion fruit, grape, and others. Just be sure to match the fresh fruit to the vodka flavor. All the other ingredients remain static.

INGREDIENTS:

•            1/2 (750 milliliter) bottle dry white wine

•            1/3 cup  watermelon flavored vodka

•            3 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

•            2 tablespoons white sugar

•            1/2 pound watermelon, seedless and sliced

•            1/2 cup  seedless red grapes, halved

•            1/2 cup  seedless green grapes, halved

________________________________________

DIRECTIONS:

1.            In a large pitcher, combine dry white wine, flavored vodka, lemonade concentrate and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add sliced fruit, red and green grapes.

2.            Refrigerate sangria until well chilled, at least 2 hours, or overnight to blend flavors. Serve over ice, and use a slotted spoon to include sliced fruits and grapes with each serving.

Related posts:

1. Mango Salsa in 4 Minutes
2. Damn Close to Sonic’s Diet Cherry Limeade
3. Barbequed Green Beans

Fish tacos are a favorite of many, yet so many of the recipes are neither authentic nor tasty. I’ve discovered that when trying to emulate food from a different culture, first consider the ingredients they have readily available. In Mexico, for example, any place but the most urban areas has limited selection of foods and ingredients, so it’s usually safe to assume their delicious fare  is made from relatively and simple ingredients. As you will soon see, the “secret sauce” is……not.  At BBQ4Dummies we always try to keep things simple and healthy. This  fish taco recipe is taken directly from our San Carlos charter boat, as I simply watched the mate cook our fresh fish and prepare the best fish tacos.

Fish: Mahi mahi is best, snapper, true cod, or redfish. Cut to McDonald’s Chick Nugget size, dip in milk or raw egg then dredge them in a dried bread crum coatings. Use Dixie Fry or Panko as a coating–I prefer Dixe Fry for fish tacos. Fry them in plain cooking oil. FRY means they should be covered with oil all the time while they are cooking, as in deep fat fry. An option is grilling, but although healthier I think pan fried tastes better.

Tortilla: Corn. Lightly coat with butter, then grill quickly for warming.

Secret Sauce: Mix a little mayo with some salsa; that’s the ’secret sauce’ for most true Mexican fish tacos. It’s about a 40/60 mix. It ’s not exact, and largely by taste, but start with 2 parts mayo to 3 pasts salsa.

The grill marks are inside the tortilla, not outside. Spread your salsa/mayo mixture throw in the fish, add some more salsa, top with a sliced cabbage, add a good sqeeze of fresh lime,  and you’re good to go.

Related posts:

1. Catfish Santa Fe
2. BBQ Pork Ribs Done Right
3. Essential Outdoor Cooking Gadgets: Marinade Turbocharger

Erik and I hadn’t fished in the salt for at least 30 years, and I had arrived in Garibaldi, OR  at the agreed upon time. I-5 traffic around Seattle had slowed him and his son Nick down, and I had some time to kill. The local store had everything we needed for a boat lunch the next day. We’d be in rough water, so it needed to be portable and easy to eat. Pastrami, turkey, some wheat bread, mayo, Dijon mustard, dill pickles, bag of chips, and I was done. Oh, and a couple of Bud-Clamato 22s to down during the wait.

Erik’s a good Norwegian. Short on words about opinions of others, very clear about his own, he’s as flexible as a steel post, and doesn’t apologize for his convictions.  A perfect combination for our usual discussions about politics, business, skirts of yesteryear, and the 25 or so years we both have left to argue, laugh, fish, and punk each other the entire time we fish together and that’s what we do.

The truck door flew open, and Nick first emerged. The kid has made a real name for himself as a professional comedian, and I hadn’t seen him since he was about 14. Wasting no time in throwing verbal punches, I helped them unload the truck, transferring most everything into our taudry hotel room. We were talking about the other characters staying there, including some  suspect looking women who we figured were there to work the charter boat guests, when he stopped, fixated on something on the table.

“Why did you get gay mustard? WTF John! ”  I looked at him, attempting to not appear totally stupid, but my expression spoke to the void of understanding. “GRAY POUPON???  Jesus! You’ve been in California WAY too long, man. It’s French’s. Mustard was not intended to be fancy. It’s intended to taste like mustard, not some mixed marriage of wine, herbs, seasonings and other stuff that belongs in a roof garden in ‘Frisco. That’s gay mustard. It’s just wrong!”

Reflecting on our “lively” political conversation the last time we fished together a few weeks ago, I was reminded that Erik is a good Democrat, an Obama supporter, free thinker, pretty much consistent with most of Western Oregon and Washington. He’s making a point abut food, no code words here, and it got me in the experimental mode.

Back home, it was time to experiment with some “non-gay” mustard, which I hadn’t tasted for probably 10 years. Armed with a squeeze bottle of French’s Yellow Mustard, I set out to replace my “Gay Poupon” as he called it,  in several applications.  First, I used it as a coating for a whole chicken. The effect was pleasant. While I could never taste the dijon, which was intentional, the slight odor of mustard seed was pleasant. Next, I mixed it with the same barbequed chicken that I chop into a chicken salad. BBQ4Dummies strongly favors low fat, healthy barbeque, and mustard is an excellent substitute for mayonnaise in most cases. I liked it. It was pungent, and next time I’d cut back, but the depth was noticeable. Last, I added some to my cajun cole slaw, and it totally improved it over the dijon.

Now, I get it. There’s something to using basic, focused spices and condiments that can provide a stepwise progression of taste sensations, as opposed to the cacophony sometimes created by ingredients that can be overly complex for the food item. If  you’re like me and assume that dijon is your go-to mustard, pick up a bottle of French’s Yellow and try it. You might find that you’ve missed that basic odor and taste more than you thought.

No related posts.

This is a very basic recipe, and lends itself to a myriad of variations with spices and peppers. Our entire household eats beans and rice as a staple, and two of the three of us (not I!) are averse to peppers and onions,  although  they are shown here, save for some dehydrated onions I sneak in. This is fairly mild, and you can hot it up with some jalapenos or serranos, and add some fresh onions and bell pepper for more flavor. Another variation is the beans. Feel free to substitute black beans or red beans. Whatever you choose, don’t use canned beans, use dried and cook them yourself. It’s much healthier and they taste better.  And it’s cheaper!

Ingredients (about 10 –1/2 cup servings)

Package of pintos or red beans

2 cans of diced tomatos (14 oz. each)

1-1/4” slice of ham–about 1/3rd lb. , diced

2 tbs chili powder

2 tsp cumin

Celery

4 tbs diced onion

3 tbsp diced garlic

Rosemary

Louisiana hot sauce

Pepper

½ tsp salt

Instructions

Empty a package of beans into a colander, and wash thoroughly. Put beans in a large saucepan, add water to twice the height of the beans, and soak overnight.

The next day, drain the remaining water from the beans, and add about one cup of fresh water. Add the diced tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add the other ingredients and let boil gently for about 10 minutes. Transfer to crock pot or let simmer for 4-6 hours.

Related posts:

1. Gloria’s One of Everything Salad
2. Barbequed Green Beans
3. JR’s Smoked Rice

First, a little about the cut itself. A pork shoulder consists the upper portion of the hog’s front leg. There are  two parts to the shoulder, the pork butt, sometimes referred to as Boston Butt,  and the picnic. The picnic is often used for making ham, thus the term, “picnic ham.”

Often the cuts are not distinguished properly, so if we hear pork butt or Boston Butt or pork shoulder, it’s going to be one of the two parts. The pork butt is the traditional cut for pulled pork, but this time I’m using a picnic. It was $.98 per pound from Wal-Mart, and I like the slightly “hammy” taste of a picnic over a butt. I am using 10 lbs. pre-cook weight, bone in. I can’t think of any cut of meat where bone-in isn’t better for BBQ.

Ingredients

Pork Shoulder, butt or picnic as detailed above, about 10 lbs.

Yellow mustard

Molasses

Pork Rub

Cheap, soft white hamburger buns. Basic, nothing fancy.

Cole Slaw (see below for recipe and ingredients)

Barbeque Sauce, vinegar based, thin consistency. If you don’t have this, don’t want to make it up, or can’t find it, you can thin out any sauce with some white vinegar. Put some BBQ sauce in a saucepan, heat to medium, and slowly add white vinegar until the consistency is very fluid, not much thicker than water.

Prep is simple. After working the picnic over well with my Marinade Turbocharger, I first trimmed off about 3/8ths inch of the fat cap. We need some fat to retain moisture in low and slow cooking, but as is often the case with untrimmed brisket, there’s too much fat for any beneficial use. After the fat is trimmed, simply coat the pork with a light film of yellow mustard, then a generous coating of molasses, and then cover with a good pork rub.

It’s best if the fat cap is facing up when cooking. That way the fat will actually run through the  meat rather than simply be rendered down to the bottom of your pit.

Now that the shoulder is cooking, it’s time to make the cajun slaw. You can refrigerate it for as little as 6 hours, but overnight is even better if you’re an advanace planner. Here’s the recipe:

Cajun Cole Slaw

INGREDIENTS FOR REMOULADE SAUCE:

•            1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

•            1/2 cup Creole mustard (I use Grey Poupon )

•            1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

•            1 tsp hot sauce

•            1/2 cup Heinz Hot & Spicy ketchup (I used Chili Sauce, seemed to work).

•            1/4 cup minced red bell pepper

•            1/4 cup minced yellow bell pepper

•            1/2 cup minced celery

•            1 tbs finely minced garlic

•            1/4 cup minced parsley

•            1/2 tbsp lemon juice

•            salt and cracked black pepper to taste

INGREDIENTS FOR SLAW:

•            4 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

•            3/4 cup shredded red cabbage

•            3/4 cup Remoulade sauce

Mix together well, and refrigerate

Pork shoulders are a tough piece of meat, and this one took 8 1/2 hours to finish, keeping the BBQ temperature around 225 degrees with an internal  temp reading of 185 degrees. You can let it get to 200 degrees and it will be fine; don’t pull it until it’s at least 185 however. It’s safely cooked at 170, but this cut needs to be thoroughly cooked in order to pull it easily in shreds.

Double wrap in foil, wrap a beach towel around it, and place in insulated cooler for at least two hours. If you skip this step your pork will not have the flavor depth you desire. By “letting set,” we’re letting the juices re-disperse throughout the roast.

When the resting time has passed, place the roast on a cutting board ,and first check to see if there is a fat cap that can be easily removed. You’ll know–poke around with the broad edge of a knife blade, and if it’s there the knife will pick it up easily. Then, grab a fork, and start sheading! You can’t over do it, just dig in and pull hard. When you’re done you’ll have a platter full of shreaded pork, and that’s pulled pork!

Here’s the order of prep.

1.  Lay each side of the bun face up on a plate.

2.  Brush some BBQ sauce on each bun

3.  Spoon on a healthy portion of pulled pork on the bottom bun

4.  Add a little BBQ sauce, maybe a tablespoon

5.  Spoon on some slaw right over the pork.  A heaping tablespoon or two will do it.

6. Slap on the top bun, and serve

You’re done!

Related posts:

1. BBQ Pork Ribs Done Right
2. Essential Outdoor Cooking Gadgets: Marinade Turbocharger
3. Stylie’s Grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs

Steve Raichlen is a nationally known expert on BBQ. He is a prolific author, runs BBQ University for hands on learning (at a fancy price too), and a few years ago developed the Steve Raichlen Marinade Turbocharger.

The purpose is to penetrate the meat to be marinated or brined quickly with needle-sized penetrations so as not to allow the existing fluids to drain from the meat, nor to provide large escape holes for fresh brine, which may happen when a kitchen knife is used for the same purpose.

A 15 lb. turkey can can be fully penetrated in less than 30 seconds, and a pork butt in 15. I use the Marinade Turbocharger for nearly all poultry, large cuts of pork, and always for tri tip and brisket. It has stainless steel needles, and is dishwater safe. I have no negative comments on this gadget. It does as Raichlen claims, and looks as good as new four years later. It’s highly recommended for anyone cooking large,  tough cuts of meat, and essential if you do any production cooking. About $25, widely available on the internet.

Related posts:

1. Pulled Pork Sliders with Cajun Slaw
2. World Class Tri Tip Steak on a Budget
3. How To Lower Food Costs and Retain Quality

Ingredients

12 oz. Sierra Mist Diet Lemon Lime soda (you can try others–Sierra Mist seems very close to the real thing)

2 tablespoons diet  cherry syrup (available at BevMo or some grocery stores)

2/3rds of a fresh lime, sliced in half (2-1/3 slices)

1 packet Slenda

Crushed ice

Instructions

Fill a 16oz glass about 2/3rds full with crushed ice. Dump the ice in a blender. If you don’t have an ice crusher, use the blender as a crusher (you may have to break up the ice with a hammer with the ice in a towel first)  then test the quantity by filling the glass 2/3rds full prior to adding the other ingredients. To the blender with crushed ice, add the soda, syrup, 1/2 a packet of Spenda, and squeeze the juice of 1/3rd of a lime into the mixture. Blend on the pulse setting, just enough to mix everything well and crush the ice a little more. Pour the finished limeade into the glass, squeeze the remaining 1/3rd lime into the glass and drop it in. If you need additional sweetening, add the remainder of the Splenda, and stir in quickly.

No more of those “emergency” trips to Sonic!

Related posts:

1. Gloria’s One of Everything Salad
2. Catfish Santa Fe
3. Mango Salsa in 4 Minutes