As they were making the coals and heating up the rocks I asked them how they cooked the meat. This interested me because growing up my father would barbecue meat in a pit (but that’s a whole other post). What I learned was that they cook not so much with the coals as they do with the heated rock and the steam that is created from the vegetation that they add into the Imu. There are enough coals in the cooking process to add a nice smoky flavor to the meat. I asked them what kind of wood they were using and they told me it was kiawe, the Hawaiian equivalent of mesquite. So, as with anything, a little information in the wrong hands can become quite deadly.

Afterward I researched recipes for kalua pig, but most of the ones that I came across called for a Crock Pot and the use of liquid smoke. That just wasn’t going to work for me, seeing how I own a smoker and all. So here is what I did…

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I documented my brother-in-law, Big George, making this feast last Fourth of July. He has a couple of shortcuts that seem to work very well. Beer can chicken is always moist and the skin is always crispy. Enjoy.

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I’ve had the BBQ book Peace love and Barbecue for some time now and haven’t dedicated myself to its content nearly enough. Today, the 4th of July 2006, I have. There is a recipe for pork butt included in this book that has garnered so much attention and picked up a few awards around the BBQ circuit that I had to give it a try.

I am speaking of Big Bob Gibson’s championship pork shoulder recipe.

I followed the recipe to the letter, except for the fact that I used pork butt instead of shoulder, and have found the results to be fantastic. I wouldn’t usually post a recipe from a book on this site, but his method is the worse kept secret in the world of barbecue. It can be found all over the Internet and on television.

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There are many variations to this wonderful little creation. One of them actually made national headline news back in January as the Bacon Explosion. This simple fatty requires a little less effort to make and there isn’t any weaving involved.

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I’d been using my 22″ Weber kettle grill a lot at the time… experimenting with chicken thighs and getting ready for the Viejas BBQ competition. Cooking on that grill brought back memories of what it was like before I purchased a dedicated smoker and how I used to make excellent BBQ ribs on just that one simple piece of equipment. However, not everyone has a smoker, but most folks have a kettle-style charcoal grill of some sort to cook on.

So in honor of the standard charcoal grill and making delicious BBQ Ribs, here is a little something for you to try.

The main thing to remember here is to have all of your coals on one side of the kettle. You don’t even need that many briquettes, just one charcoal chimney full is about all you’ll need. I only had one rack of ribs, but you can quickly do up to four on your kettle if you use a “rib rack” … not to be confused with a “rack of ribs.” A rib rack will hold your ribs vertically on your grill or smoker to maximize the horizontal space.

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I’d usually suggest smoking your turkey, which gives your BBQ turkey a delicious smokey flavor.
I’ve smoked many turkeys on my Weber Smokey Mountain Roaster, but last year I decided to smoke it on my Weber Kettle. I was very pleased with the results. The Weber Kettle Grill achieves higher temperatures easier than my smoker, thus the skin crisped up quite nicely. You won’t even sacrifice any authentic smoked flavor in your BBQ turkey by using the kettle grill. One more fantastic reason for barbecuing your turkey is that it frees up your oven for other important things like pies, casseroles, dressing, and yams.

The second step for a delicious BBQ turkey is the brine. I have brined and bought pre-brined turkeys for a while now with mixed results. The smoked turkey meat is always juicy when you brine your bird, but the skin doesn’t always come out crisp. I read an article last year by Russ Parson on dry brining turkeys and was inspired to try it on my smoked bird. I have to mention that the turkey came out delicious, especially the skin. This is now my default way of making BBQ turkey.

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