The Offset Smoker Cookbook: Pitmaster Techniques and Mouthwatering Recipes for Authentic, Low-and-Slow BBQ 9781612439259, 161243925X

Citation preview

The

OFFSET

Smoker Cookbook Pitmaster Techniques and Mouthwatering Recipes for Authentic, Low-and-Slow BBQ Chris Grove

1

Text copyright © 2019 Chris Grove. Artwork copyright © 2019 Chris Grove except as noted below. Design and concept copyright © 2019 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Published by: Ulysses Press P.O. Box 3440 Berkeley, CA 94703 www.ulyssespress.com ISBN: 978-1-61243-925-9 Acquisitions editor: Casie Vogel Managing editor: Claire Chun Project editor: Claire Sielaff Editor: Lauren Harrison Proofreader: Jessica Benner Indexer: Sayre Van Young Interior layout and design: what!design @ whatweb.com Photographs: © Chris Grove Food stylist: Alexis Grove Interior artwork: pages 9 and 10 © Grafixo on Fiverr; page 13 heat © Suiraton/shutterstock.com; oxygen © mStudioVector/shutterstock.com; fuel © owatta/shutterstock.com; flame © Visual Generation/shutterstock.com IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands of the kamado grill or other trademarked brands or products mentioned within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products mentioned in this book. Take special note of the important safety warnings throughout this book, and always use customary precautions for safe food preparation, handling, and storage.

2

CONTE NTS Chapter 1

So, You Bought an Offset Smoker; What’s Next?....................7 Top 10 Takeaways.................................................................................................................................................................. 8 About Offset Smokers........................................................................................................................................................ 8 Anatomy of an Offset Smoker........................................................................................................................................ 9 Offset Smoker Configurations........................................................................................................................................ 9 Price Spectrum of Offset Smokers............................................................................................................................10 Operational Basics.............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Maintenance and Modifications................................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2

Light My Fire....................................................................................24 Start It Low and Let It Grow............................................................................................................................................24 Setting Up................................................................................................................................................................................24 Lighting Charcoal-Based Fires.....................................................................................................................................25 Grow the Fire..........................................................................................................................................................................28 Ain’t No Thang but a Dang Panang Wang..........................................................................................................31 Beef Chorizo–Stuffed Peppers...............................................................................................................................34 Orange Ginger–Glazed Cornish Hens with Wild Rice Pilaf.....................................................................37 Alabama Tenderloin (aka Smoked Bologna)...................................................................................................41 Fiery Smoked Turkey Legs........................................................................................................................................43 Smoke-Fried Wings with Hot Honey....................................................................................................................46 Chapter 3

I’m Nobody’s Fuel: Briquettes, Lump, and Wood...................48 Charcoal Briquettes............................................................................................................................................................48 Natural Lump Charcoal.....................................................................................................................................................49 Charcoal and Wood Combination................................................................................................................................49 Wood...........................................................................................................................................................................................50 Configuration of Wood.......................................................................................................................................................51 Soaking Wood........................................................................................................................................................................51 Seasoning Wood...................................................................................................................................................................51 Wood and Food Pairings..................................................................................................................................................52 Rolled Flank Steak with Bacon Jam and Smoked Gouda........................................................................55 Pork Belly BBQ Bites....................................................................................................................................................58 Spatchcocked Turkey with Orange Bourbon Glaze.....................................................................................60 Beef Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Chips........................................................................................................63 Smoked Sausage with Beer Cheese Dip..........................................................................................................66 Chapter 4

Burn Strategies and Refueling....................................................68 3

Burn Strategies.....................................................................................................................................................................68 Refueling...................................................................................................................................................................................70 Troubleshooting After Refueling..................................................................................................................................72 Smoked Spareribs with Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce................................................................................74 Spatchcocked BBQ Chicken....................................................................................................................................77 Smoked Chicken Stock...............................................................................................................................................80 Pulled Pork with State of Franklin Sauce..........................................................................................................82 European Street Cafe Pastrami..............................................................................................................................87 Slow-Roasted Suckling Pig.......................................................................................................................................91 Sweet Tea–Glazed Ham.............................................................................................................................................94 Chapter 5

Maintaining a Humid Cooking Environment...........................96 Why Humidity Is Important in a Smoker..................................................................................................................96 Moisture and Humidity in an Offset Smoker.........................................................................................................96 Applewood-Smoked Turkey Breast................................................................................................................... 100 Cheddar Chipotle Meatloaf..................................................................................................................................... 102 Pineapple Habanero Baby Back Ribs............................................................................................................... 104 Beef Back Ribs with Chimichurri......................................................................................................................... 107 Smoked Whole Pork Shoulder with Golden Mustard Sauce................................................................110 Chipotle Chicken Salad Sliders............................................................................................................................113 Bourbon Maple Canadian Bacon.........................................................................................................................115 Chapter 6

Smoke-Braising............................................................................ 117 Why Braise?..........................................................................................................................................................................117 Braising Essentials............................................................................................................................................................117 Fire-Roasted Green Chile Beef Enchiladas....................................................................................................119 Competition-Style Chicken Thighs..................................................................................................................... 122 Smoke-Braised Beef Shank.................................................................................................................................. 125 Pork Prime Rib with Cherry Bourbon Sauce................................................................................................. 129 Whole Smoked Brisket............................................................................................................................................. 132 Country-Style Pork Ribs........................................................................................................................................... 135 Chapter 7

Reverse Searing............................................................................137 Benefits of the Reverse Sear...................................................................................................................................... 137 How to Do the Reverse Sear...................................................................................................................................... 138 What Foods Are Good Candidates for the Reverse Sear?......................................................................... 139 How Does Reverse Searing Compare to Other Methods?........................................................................ 139 Reverse-Seared Beef Tenderloin Roast with Red Wine Stock Reduction..................................... 140 Thick Pork Chops with Spicy Apple Compote............................................................................................. 143 Jerk-Style Pork Loin Sliders with Taro Chips................................................................................................ 145 Porterhouse Steak with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Red Pepper Relish................................... 149 Brown Sugar, Bourbon, and Sorghum Bacon.............................................................................................. 152

4

Chapter 8

Using the Offset Pit as a Grill...................................................155 Grilling in the Firebox...................................................................................................................................................... 155 Grilling in the Cooking Chamber.............................................................................................................................. 156 Heat Shields and Fire Bricks...................................................................................................................................... 157 Green Chile–Crusted Flank Steak Tacos........................................................................................................ 158 Honey-Sesame Pork with Fried Rice................................................................................................................ 160 Brisket Burgers............................................................................................................................................................. 162 Hawaiian Cornish Game Hens with Pineapple Fried Rice..................................................................... 166 Chapter 9

This Is Getting Old: Aging Beef................................................169 Why Age Beef?................................................................................................................................................................... 169 Wet Versus Dry Aging..................................................................................................................................................... 169 Ideal Cuts for Aging......................................................................................................................................................... 170 No Little Critters................................................................................................................................................................. 171 What Is the Right Amount of Time to Age Beef?............................................................................................. 171 Dry-Aged Smoked Prime Rib.................................................................................................................................173 Competition-Style Beef Brisket............................................................................................................................177 Beef Tallow...................................................................................................................................................................... 183 Slow-Roasted Beef Strip Loin............................................................................................................................... 185 Ultimate Roast Beef Sandwich............................................................................................................................. 187 Chapter 10

Side Dishes....................................................................................189 Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes........................................................................................................................ 190 Deep-Fried Loaded Mashed Potatoes.............................................................................................................. 192 Smoked Poblano Mac and Cheese.................................................................................................................... 194 Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Chips.......................................................................................................................... 196 Bacon Honey Mustard Potato Salad................................................................................................................. 198 Tex-Mex–Style Pinto Beans...................................................................................................................................200 Chunky Hushpuppies................................................................................................................................................202 #1 BBQ Pit Beans.......................................................................................................................................................204 Rhonda’s Blackberry Margarita............................................................................................................................206 Smoked Game Day Mix............................................................................................................................................ 207 Chapter 11

Rubs and Seasonings................................................................. 209 NMT Beef Rub v.2........................................................................................................................................................ 210 NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning................................................................................................................... 211 NMT Ba’Cock! All-Purpose Poultry Seasoning............................................................................................ 212 NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub.......................................................................................................................... 213 NMT Steer Seasoning............................................................................................................................................... 214 NMT Umami Steak Seasoning............................................................................................................................. 215 NMT Cajun Beef Rub................................................................................................................................................. 216

5

Chapter 12

Sauces and Injections.................................................................217 NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce ............................................................................................... 217 NMT Pineapple Habanero Sauce ................................................................................................. 218 NMT Golden Mustard BBQ Sauce ............................................................................................... 220 State of Franklin BBQ Sauce................................................................................................................................221 NMT Bacon Jam .............................................................................................................................. 222 NMT Bacon Honey Mustard...................................................................................................................................224 NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection ................................................................................................... 225 NMT Pig Poke Pork Injection.................................................................................................................................226

References.....................................................................................227 Conversions.................................................................................. 228 Acknowledgments....................................................................... 230 About the Author......................................................................... 231

6

Chapter 1

So, You Bought an Offset Smoker; What’s Next? The first smoker that I ever had was a cheap offset smoker. It was a Father’s Day present and I was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning about firing up the pit. I couldn’t wait to make some incredible smoky, delicious barbecue. After assembling my new smoker, I loaded the firebox with a mountain of briquettes and dumped a glowing chimney full of live briquettes on top. The temperatures shot up quickly, I slammed the vents almost closed, and it went downhill from there. I was chasing temps and battling thick, white clouds of smoke. The afternoon ended in utter disappointment. I’m writing this book for people in that same predicament. You’ve just gotten a backyard-level offset smoker and you’re excited to get smoking, but you don’t know where to start. Or maybe you’ve had one for a while but it sits neglected, and you just haven’t used it much because you don’t feel confident with it. I hope this book will give you insight on how to get started with your smoker and a path for exploring all that it can do. The recipes, techniques, and tips that I share are things that have worked for me. There’s always more than one way to achieve something, and if you have a way that works better for you, then keep at it.

My then-seven-year-old son, Trevor, loading spareribs into the first smoker I ever had — a Brinkmann Smoke’N Pit Professional offset smoker.

7

Top 10 Takeaways Here is what you should understand even if you get nothing else from this book. These are the things I would emphasize if you asked for my help, but I had only 10 minutes to give you some pointers. Focusing on these areas should give you the best chance of success. 1. Start with a small fire and grow it gradually to get the heat you need. See Chapters 2 and 4. 2. Use a water pan in an offset smoker every time. 3. Use a charcoal basket for maximum airflow. 4. Start off using charcoal as your fuel base and wood splits for smoke flavor. Save the all-wood fires until you feel that you have mastered your smoker. 5. Smoke that makes barbecue taste good is invisible, or thin bluish-white. Heavy white smoke looks cool but tastes terrible. 6. Go by the cooking temperature at the level of your food grates, not the thermometers up on the smoker lid. 7. Use the air intake vent on the firebox to control your airflow and temperatures; leave the smokestack damper open in most cases. 8. Make small adjustments with your vents and controls. 9. Preheat all of the smoke wood and replenishing fuel. The closer they are to their ignition point when they go in the firebox, the better. 10. Practice and pay attention. When it comes to mastering an offset smoker, there is no substitute for experience using that smoker.

About Offset Smokers Legend has it that the offset smoker was born on the oil fields of Texas and Oklahoma. Oil workers with plenty of time and ingenuity began using what they had available to make smokers for themselves, friends, and family. Then, when oil took an economic downturn in the early 1980s, some of the companies working in the oil fields began selling the smokers commercially. A look at the growth of Oklahoma Joe’s, a widely available brand of offset smokers, shows how the popularity of these smokers took off. In 1987, Joe Davidson made a dozen of his offset smokers and took them to the Oklahoma State Fair in hopes of selling them. Sell them he did! He sold out and came home with orders for 100 more. It was the start of something big. Just seven years later, the business had gotten so good that Oklahoma Joe’s had to move into a facility staffed with 150 employees and the capacity to create 100,000 units a year. Things kept growing, and just over 10 years after that fateful state fair, Joe sold the company.

8

Temperature Cooking Smokestack Gauges Damper Chamber Lid Smokestack Firebox

Firebox Lid

Drain Cock or Valve Firebox Door Air Intake Vent

The demand for offset smokers has persisted. They fill backyards across the country and are in use all around the world. Ask someone in the general public what a smoker looks like; chances are they’ll describe the black steel, side-mounted firebox, and smokestack of an offset pit.

Anatomy of an Offset Smoker The above is the general layout of most offset smokers. The firebox can be on either side and can be other shapes. The smokestack can be mounted on the side, top, or back of the smoker. The air intake vent(s) can be a variety of designs.

Offset Smoker Configurations Smokestack Cooking Chamber 275 F

250 F

Firebox 300 F

Water Pan

230 F

Airflow Charcoal Basket

Horizontal offset smoker. In a standard or horizontal offset smoker, a fire of wood or charcoal burns in the firebox, which is “offset” lower to the side. The heat and smoke enter the cylindrical cooking chamber through an opening and circulate around the food. The smoke and heat exit the smoker through a smokestack on the opposite side

9

of the firebox. When this design is used with the smokestack attached high in the smoker, there can be significant temperature differences between the top and bottom, as well as the right and left sides of the cooking chamber. This is because the airflow can rise from the firebox opening, follow along the top of the cooking chamber, and escape out of the smokestack. I’ll address this in the Modifications section. A vertical offset smoker is similar; the cooking chamber, however, is in a vertical orientation. Some people prefer this configuration because it has a smaller footprint than a horizontal offset smoker and because this design allows for hanging ribs, sausages, and other foods. Smokestack

Cooking Chamber

Firebox Water Pan

Airflow Charcoal Basket

Vertical offset smoker. The reverse flow offset smoker is designed to tame the temperature variations in the cooking chamber. In this horizontal offset smoker, the smoke and heat are guided through the lower half of the cooking chamber by a baffle plate or a system of piping. Then the heat and smoke travel back across the top and out the smokestack, which is mounted on the same side as the firebox.

Smokestack

Cooking Chamber 275 F

270 F

Reverse Flow Baffle

Firebox 300 F

Water Pan

275 F

Airflow Charcoal Basket

Reverse flow offset smoker. There are also “combo” smokers that include a gas grill, side burner, and a small offset smoker that doubles as a charcoal grill.

Price Spectrum of Offset Smokers Offset smokers also vary greatly in quality and price, which are tightly correlated.

10

Entry level — Priced $200 and under. I won’t name names, but extremely cheap smokers are usually just that. The thin metal and undersized fireboxes often found on cheap offsets make them non-functional. I’m not saying that you can’t find a decent smoker at this price; sometimes you’ll find great deals on closeouts. Backyard level — Priced between $250 and $1,000. There are some fantastic, fully functional smokers in this price range.Examples include the Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow and the Yoder Smokers Cheyenne. There are some duds in this price range as well. Enthusiast level — Priced above $1,000. Examples include the Yoder Smokers Loaded Wichita, Lone Star Grillz 24" x 48", and Meadow Creek TS120. Pro level — Priced $10,000 and above. Examples include models from Jambo Pits, 4T Champion, and El Rey. So what’s the difference between a $500 offset smoker and a $12,000 offset smoker (besides $11,500)? Below is a chart that lists some features to expect, based on the price level. Enthusiast-level offset smokers exist somewhere between the two ends. In general, these features add up to mean that a higher-end offset smoker is going to have more stable temperatures, will burn longer, will consume less fuel, and will require less babysitting during cooks.

Backyard Level Metal ⅛ inch thick, doesn’t hold heat in as well. Fireboxes Single-wall thick. Lids and Doors Mostly fit but may have a few air gaps. No gaskets or clamps. Firebox door is simply cut out and has an air gap all around it. Air Intake Vent Controls One flat side vent held in place with a single bolt. Mostly tight but not airtight. Craftsmanship Spot welds, small burrs Cooking Grates Cheap porcelain-coated or maybe expanded metal Smokestack Small, 2- to 3-inch piping, one size fits all. Simple sliding flat damper on top. The stack may enter at the top of the cooking chamber. Bling Stainless-steel cool-touch handles

11

Pro Level Metal ¼ inch thick, better heat retention, stable temperatures. Fireboxes Double-wall insulated, longer burn times. Lids and Doors Exacting fit. Doors/lids have gaskets and doors clamp down for an airtight fit. Lids may be counterweighted for easy opening. Air Intake Vent Controls Precision control with either twist or screw control. Airtight when closed. Connections sealed with hightemp silicone. Craftsmanship Master-level welds, seams welded the full length Cooking Grates Thick-diameter stainless bars on slide-out trays for easy food access Smokestack Computer-designed length and width on the cooker’s dimensions to create the best draft, has rain caps, might even be chrome-lined. Stack opening is at or below the cooking grate level. Bling Mag wheels, trailer mounted, auto-quality paint, chrome lining, custom logos, and more.

Operational Basics I think the relationship between the pitmaster and the fire is more intimate with an offset smoker than other smokers. With high-efficiency smokers using computer-controlled blowers, like insulated box smokers and kamado grills, the fire is precise and tightly controlled, but you are less involved in the equation. Offset smokers require a hands-on approach. Their fires are more dynamic. To understand how to operate or control an offset smoker requires a solid understanding of the nature of fire.

12

Fire Triangle and The Smoker The fire triangle provides an excellent visualization for the process that we’re trying to manage in the firebox.

1 Oxygen Heat 2

3

Fuel

All three elements — fuel, heat, and oxygen — must be in place for a fire to occur. But the firebox reality is more complex than that because we want a specific fire that creates a specific amount of heat and a certain type of smoke. Our goal is to make sure that all three elements are in place in the right amounts to produce that fire. Let’s look at the three elements and the pitmaster’s role in each. Fuel — This is wood and charcoal. There has to be enough fuel present, but the pitmaster’s impact is more than just dumping a bag of coal in a firebox. The pitmaster chooses the type and quality of the fuel. The pitmaster arranges the fuel in the firebox. The pitmaster lights the fuel. The pitmaster decides when to refuel and how to do that. The pitmaster controls the timing of when wood is added for smoke. Heat — The pitmaster provides the initial heat in the form of ignition. I talk more about that in Chapter 2, but how you light your fire affects it from the start. After that, the heat comes from the chemical reaction of fire, but the pitmaster can impact that though the other two elements. Oxygen — A fire has to breathe, and this is where the pitmaster exerts the most influence by controlling the air intake vents and smokestack damper. You might notice that the fire triangle graphic isn’t exactly a triangle. I like using a Venn diagram instead because it highlights three potential trouble areas: Low fuel — In this situation, there is plenty of heat and oxygen, but fuel is burning down. At first, you will see temperature swings because, as fuel gets low, the coals aren’t making contact with other coals. At this point, it will be difficult to refuel because you aren’t going to have the heat needed to jump-start a big batch of coal. Adding a chimney of glowing coals will get you back in action.

13

Low oxygen: smothering or choking fire — The temps are up and there is plenty of fuel, but the fire is smoldering because there isn’t enough airflow. This could be because the smokestack damper is closed, backfilling the smoker with stale smoke and smothering the fire. Another cause could be that your air intake vent is closed too much, choking the fire by keeping air from reaching the heat and fuel. Or it could be that ash is clogging the airflow in the firebox. A lot of ash below and among the coals can significantly disrupt airflow. Low heat — This situation occurs when the coals have died down too much and a large amount of cold charcoal has been added to the firebox. You can stoke the fires by blowing on the area that does have live charcoal burning; this will increase the intensity while you try to recover your fire. If you have a gas torch or weed burner, you can jump-start the newly added coals by relighting the area of charcoal near the existing fire.

“There Is No Spoon” In a scene in The Matrix, a child prodigy tells Neo the secret to bending the spoon without touching it was to realize the truth that there is no spoon. Well, here’s a “bake your noodle” moment about what’s going on in your firebox: wood doesn’t burn. It took me a while to wrap my brain around that one the first time that I heard it. I mean, I can see the wood burning! What does happen is that we heat wood and other fuel to the point that it starts breaking down and releases vapors. It is those colorless vapors that burn. Famed pitmaster Aaron Franklin tells us it is the burning of those invisible vapors that accomplishes 90 percent of the smoking process. Everything that you see in smoke, such as water, carbon monoxide, creosote, and soot, is the product of incomplete combustion. So our goal is a clean-burning fire that approaches total combustion. To me, that means the best fire for an offset smoker is the smallest fire possible to support our cooking temperature, burning as hot as possible with as much air as possible. Let’s compare two fires to demonstrate what I mean.

Fire A

• 10 pounds of coal in the firebox. • Was lit in one spot. • A small fire is burning with glowing red coals in a compact spot, the rest of the coals are heating up but not ignited yet.

• Air intake vent can be open about two-thirds of the way. • Total heat output is enough to support a 250°F cooking temperature. Fire B

• 10 pounds of coal if the firebox. • Chimney of lit coals was dumped in randomly on top of cold coals. • A larger amount of fuel is burning, but not as hot. All the coals are lit or trying to ignite. • Air intake vent must be barely open to keep all of the coals from igniting at once. 14

• Total heat output is enough to support a 250°F cooking temperature. The resulting cooking temperature may be the same in both fire scenarios, but the situations are entirely different. In Fire A, fewer coals are burning hotter with plenty of air. It is an efficient fire with a high level of combustion. The exhaust will be clean, imparting good-tasting smoke to the food. The unlit coals adjacent to the fire will ignite cleanly because of the adequate heat and air. The fire is as stable as a controlled burn. In Fire B, twice the amount of coals are burning, but only half as hot. Lower heat and less oxygen cause incomplete combustion. The coals smolder, creating smoke with soot and particulates that we don’t want on our food. The coals struggle to burn efficiently, making them prone to temperature swings. The unlit coals have a harder time igniting because the lit coals aren’t burning as hot. The fire is burning but unstable. Fire A is burning the smallest fire possible, burning as hot as possible with as much air as possible. I will go into more detail on lighting fires, fuel choices, and fuel strategies in the next three chapters. For now, I will say that for a beginner to have the best chance of success, you should start by using a basket of charcoal that is lit in a single spot and then grown into the fire that you need.

Offset Smoker Controls The typical controls of an offset smoker are straightforward — one or more air intake vents on the firebox and a damper on the smokestack.

Smokestack Damper For backyard-level offset smokers, the damper is usually a metal plate that slides over the top of the smokestack opening. I recommend leaving that wide open unless you have a reason not to and, even then, don’t shut it more than halfway. Shutting the smokestack damper too much will stop the airflow and backfill the smoker with stale smoke. That stale smoke makes the food taste bitter and cools quickly, robbing your smoker of heat. Shutting the damper too much will at first make the cooking temperature spike because the damper has trapped the heat in the cooker. But then the reduced airflow will cause the coals to die down, resulting in a temperature drop. About the only time that I partially close a smokestack damper is on a windy day, when the wind will pull the exhaust out faster than usual.

Air Intake Vents This is a vent or vents on the firebox that control the airflow into your smoker. On most backyard models, this is a metal plate attached behind a hole in the firebox door. The vent slides open and closed to change the

15

size of the opening. Sometimes the vent may be a straight slide, like on the Oklahoma Joe’s Bandera, or pinwheel vents.

The function is basic: • If you open the vent more, then more air can enter, raising the temperature of the cooking chamber. • If you close the vent more, then less air can enter, lowering the cooking temperature. • If you shut the vent too much, the fire won’t get adequate air, and the fuel will start smoldering. Unfortunately, there is no magic guide for how to set your vents. I can’t say that to run 275°F, open your vent to 2.3 inches. That would be similar to saying that to drive a car at 70 mph you need to press the gas pedal down 2.3 inches — there are just too many variables involved. The key is to make small adjustments —  I call them nudges. Start with the vent wide open. As your cooking temperature gets within 50–75°F of your target, start adjusting the vent closed in increments. Wait a few minutes and watch how the temperature responds. Does its rate of increase slow down? Think of it like approaching a dock with a boat. It won’t stop on a dime; you have to slow it down and “coast” into your cooking temperature.

Firebox Door Turbo Bump The air intake vent has a limited range of travel, so it will only open so far. If you ever need more air, open the firebox door (not the lid) to give it a “turbo bump” of airflow. I do this during the first five minutes of startup or when I need to reach higher temperatures. Don’t leave it open and unattended, because the fire can get away from you in a hurry.

Practice Makes Perfect The trick to operating an offset smoker is simple: don’t adjust it too often but make small adjustments before you need to. It’s a paradox, but it is true. You can gain knowledge from reading a book, but there is no substitute for experience. You will learn the nuances of your offset smoker and how it behaves. Eventually, the knowledge

16

and experience will add up to barbecue intuition. That’s not some kind of mystical “be one with the smoker” B.S. either — it’s real. You will know when things are going smoothly and when something isn’t right. Here is a real-world example that I’ve seen more than once. Your cooking thermometer tells you that the smoker is cooking at 250°F. Your gut, however, tells you something isn’t right. The speed of the exhaust from the smokestack seems a little fast. You seem to be burning through coal faster than usual. You use a second thermometer to double-check and find that the first one has lost its calibration. Instead, you are cooking closer to 300°F. It’s better to find that out now, while there is time to do something about it. You can speed up the learning curve by being mindful and purposeful when you’re cooking on the smoker. Pay attention to how your smoker is cooking. Make mental or, better yet, written notes about how the smoker responds to changes. What is different from last time? What’s the same? Don’t just operate on a schedule mentality of “it’s been 30 minutes so it’s time to add a wood split” and ignore everything else. What else is going on with your smoker? What are your temperature gauges showing? Are temps trending up or down? How does the fire look? Do you have enough of a coal base? One thing I pay attention to every time is the exhaust from the smokestack; it is a telling sign about what’s going on. Color — Is the exhaust still running clear? If it starts to get smoky, you might need to nudge the air vent open a bit; check your cooking temperature.

Velocity — How fast is the exhaust coming out? If it is coming out clear and very fast, your temperatures might be overshooting. If the smoke comes out of the stack and lingers instead of continuing to rise in the air, the cooking temperature might be falling or the airflow may need some work. Aroma — Cup your hand over the exhaust and draw a bit of smoke toward your nose. Does the smoke smell clean-burning or does it have an acrid smell to it?

Maintenance and Modifications Every smoker or grill is going to need a certain amount of maintenance on a routine basis, and the offset smoker is no exception. The best thing you can do to keep your smoker in good shape is to use it frequently and keep it seasoned.

17

Seasoning If you treat it right, you will probably only have to fully season your smoker one time — before the first use. If you must wash the smoker for maintenance or painting, you should season it again afterward. 1. Brush or wipe a high-temperature oil on all interior surfaces. I use beef tallow, but canola, grapeseed, and peanut oils are suitable choices as well. 2. Build a fire and heat the smoker to 300° to 325°F. Maintain this temperature for three hours. 3. After shutting down the firebox, lightly wipe down the cooking chamber with a lint-free rag dampened with a little cooking oil. Use a paper towel to wipe off the excess. Tip: Use the blue shop paper towels when seasoning your smoker. They are heavier duty than the ones usually found in kitchens and don’t leave specks of lint all over your smoker.

Routine Maintenance I try to do these steps every time that I use one of my offset smokers. Racks and sheet pans — This isn’t maintenance, but it absolutely reduces the amount of maintenance you have to do. Using racks and sheet pans under your food goes a long way to keeping the inside of your pit clean.

Clean out the ashes — The quickest way to rust out your firebox is to leave ashes in it. It’s bad enough that ashes attract and hold water. But the water and wood ashes can form caustic chemicals that will eat the bottom of your firebox. Empty the water pan — It isn’t a great idea to leave moisture in a dark, closed environment. Plus, if you forget it’s full and you try to move your smoker, it will make a bit of a greasy mess on your deck or patio! Clean the cooking grates — Before and after each cook. Quick-season the smoker — Right after shutting the smoker down and when it is still warm, put a few tablespoons of high-temperature cooking oil, such as beef tallow or peanut oil, on a lint-free cloth and wipe down the cooking chamber surfaces. Once the flames are extinguished, use a spray oil (like Pam) to lightly spritz the top of the firebox, the firebox door, the air intake vent, and the inside of the firebox lid.

18

Peeling Paint Three words of advice: Get over it. At some point, the paint on your firebox will buckle and peel. It isn’t the end of the world. Scrub it with a wire brush and then smooth out the edges of the existing paint with steel wool. Then paint it with high-temperature spray paint. If you don’t want to repaint the surface, then you will need to re-season the sections that are missing paint after each use to keep it from rusting.

Modifications Backyard offsets work okay straight out of the box. But there are things you can do to fine-tune the performance. Most of these involve making the smoker more airtight or balancing the temperatures of the cooking chamber. It should be noted that these modifications usually come standard on higher-end offset smokers. You can find most of the parts online or fabricate the solutions yourself. There are also companies that sell modification kits online. You select the make and model of your smoker, and they have the exact kit you need. A tricked out backyard-level offset smoker with all of the modifications will heat a little slower than an unmodified one, but the payoffs are stabilized temperatures (fewer swings and spikes), even cooking temperatures (hot and cold spots balanced out), and longer burn times (more efficient system).

Install a Gasket

Installing a gasket for the cooking chamber and firebox lids will eliminate air leaks. Fixing those leaks will provide more stable temperatures and reduce the amount of fuel needed. Nomex gaskets work well for the cooking chamber. The higher temperatures of the firebox require woven-fiber gaskets and high-temperature adhesives. Make sure you clean the surfaces with a grease solvent before attempting to adhere a gasket to your smoker.

19

Install Lid Clamps The chamber and firebox lids on backyard models aren’t always an exact fit. Sometimes the curve of the door doesn’t match the curve of the smoker, resulting in an air gap. Putting latches on the smoker lets you clamp the door securely closed.

Extend the Chimney Down to the Grill Grate Backyard-model offset smokers will often have the chimney affixed to the top of the cooking chamber. Hot air and smoke rise from the firebox, along the top of the cooking chamber, and out of the smokestack. This high airflow creates upper and lower temperature differences. Backyard guys figured this out years ago and used metal ductwork to move the smokestack opening down to the cooking grate. After the modification is made, hot air and smoke fill the upper half of the chamber before starting to escape, and that balances out the temperature.

This custom-made extension lowers the smokestack entrance to the food level.

20

Install Baffle and Tuning Plates

The area where the firebox opens into the cooking chamber is a hot spot. This creates a significant temperature variation from side to side. A baffle and tuning plate redirect the outflow from the firebox and channels it below the food. A series of increasingly large holes slowly dose the heat out over the length of the cooking chamber. This balances out the side-to-side temperature variations. A heavy-duty baffle plate also adds a few pounds of thermal mass, which aids in stabilizing temperatures.

Lower Temperature Gauges to the Grate Level Most temperature gauges are mounted high on the cooking chamber lid. That means they are reading the temperature about a foot above where the food is cooking. That can mean a 25–50°F difference between what the temperature gauge says and what the temperature is.

Some users drill holes lower in the chamber lid and physically move the temperature gauges. I use a remote probe thermometer fitted with an air temperature probe that I mount directly on the cooking grate. This gives me latitude in where I place the temperature probe instead of a fixed location. Both methods work.

21

Accessories One of the accessories I use for almost every cook is a half-sized rack and sheet pan combination.

Wrap the pan in foil and place the rack on top to make it easy to clean. I use these pans from food prep through to the final rest. Since the meat stays on the rack and pan all the way through the process, it makes food handling easy. • Use for dry aging, allowing the air to circulate. • Use for dry brining. An 18 x 24-inch food bag will cover the sheet pan and the food so it won’t dry out in the refrigerator. • Use it in the smoker to keep the smoker clean. Here are some more traditional accessories that might make your time with the pit more enjoyable. Charcoal basket (with T-plates) — Buy one online or make one yourself from a 24 x 24-inch piece of expanded metal. I’ll discuss these more in Chapter 4, but they are baskets that hold your coal and improve the airflow in your firebox. Charcoal chimney starter — Having a backup starter is good. This is the quickest way to rebuild your coal base if it gets too low. Cold smoking device — Cold smoking is applying smoke without heat in order to flavor and cure foods. A cold-smoking tube or maze is a special container that holds sawdust, wood chips, or pellets. You light one end of the wood and the device allows them to burn slowly without creating heat in your smoker. A smoke generator is similar but has a small heating element that burns the wood chips. Hot box — A front-loading food pan carrier, like caterers use to deliver hot food to offsite events, is extremely useful for resting and holding the “big meats,” such as brisket and pork butt. Instant-read thermometer — Get a Thermapen; you won’t regret it. Long-handled grilling tools — Invest in a good-quality set. Long-sleeve heat-resistant gloves — Get good-quality Nomex-brand gloves or welding gloves. You will use these for every cook, so don’t skimp on price.

22

MAPpro torch or weed burner — My preferred option for starting fires; it is precise and quick. Meat-injecting syringe — Some units are metered so they inject a set amount with every trigger pull. The simple $5 syringes work too. Metal can with lid for coal ash disposal — A small galvanized trash can works. Remote probe thermometer — Look for models that log maximum and minimum temperatures and have multiple leads and wireless connectivity. Spray bottle — Make sure to mark it as “Food Safe Only.” Vacuum sealer — Barbecue means large batches of food sometimes. Save extra food from large batches by vacuum sealing and freezing it. This way leftovers reheat easily. Water pan — See Chapter 5 for ideas. Whisk broom — For cleaning out the firebox.

23

Chapter 2

Light My Fire Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu taught that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In barbecue terms, the journey to perfect barbecue starts with a single match. The quality of the fire for your offset pit is as critical a factor as the meat and seasonings that you use. It provides the heat that cooks and the smoke that flavors your food. So it follows that the way you start and build the fire is vitally important. In his book Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue, Tuffy Stone writes, “Flavor begins with building and keeping the right kind of fire.” The goal is to create a fire that provides a healthy base of coals and has good airflow. There are several methods for starting the fire in an offset cooker, not just one right way. Your choice of fuel has some bearing on which lighting techniques you use, because it is different for charcoal and wood splits. Your cooking strategy matters too. For example, if you are using a using a fuse burn (aka pattern, snake, or maze burn), you will need to use a pinpoint lighting method instead of just dumping in a bunch of hot coals. That said, how you light your fire is mostly about your preferences. The recipes in this section are relatively short cooks. Experiment with the different techniques that I share here and learn which one works best for you and your pit.

Start It Low and Let It Grow I opened this book with the story of the mistake that I made when first learning to smoke on an offset smoker. I would dump a chimney full of burning coals onto a pile of unlit coals in the firebox. Sure, the temps would get up quickly, but then I’d have a fully engaged fire and have to crank the vents and dampers to nearly closed, resulting in a big yet choking fire. That kind of fire is unstable and emits foul smoke full of particulates that make food taste acrid. Learning the hard way taught me to agree with Christopher Prieto, pitmaster of Prime BBQ. In the Southern Living Ultimate Book of BBQ: The Complete Year-Round Guide to Grilling and Smoking, he writes that it is much easier to start with a small fire or batch of coals and bring the temperature up than it is to struggle with a cook while trying to bring the temperature down. This is especially true with cheaper offset smokers that have a lot of air leaks.

Setting Up Before you strike that match, there are a few things you should do to get your offset smoker ready. Your firebox should be empty of leftover ash. Position the charcoal grate to create the most space beneath the coals. Keep in mind that space equals airflow. Fill up your water pan and place it in the cooking chamber near the firebox opening.

24

Lighting Charcoal-Based Fires The techniques for charcoal briquettes and lump charcoal are the same; lump charcoal, however, usually lights faster.

Charcoal Chimney A charcoal chimney is a popular tool used to get coals hot before adding them to the smoker or grill. It is typically a cylinder with a grate near the bottom and a handle on the side, like a miniature version of the burn barrels that old-school pitmasters use. 1. First, pour a chimney full of unlit charcoal onto one side of the firebox’s charcoal grate or charcoal basket, which will leave a small gap on the other side. 2. Refill the chimney and place two rolled-up sheets of newspaper, other crumpled paper, or fire starters under the chimney’s grate. Place the chimney on a fireproof surface, such as a concrete paver or a small grill, and light the paper. In 10 to 15 minutes, when the coals at the bottom are glowing red and the ones on top are turning white on the edges, the coals are ready to add to the pit. 3. Wear long-sleeved heat-resistant gloves and carefully pour the lit coals into the gap that you created in the firebox. 4. Begin growing the fire.

Be careful when using a charcoal chimney. • Always follow the manufacturer’s directions. • Don’t use it on flammable surfaces, like a deck. • Don’t use it in dry conditions; the plume of hot air will carry embers up into the air and they can spark fires where they land.

25

• When you handle a chimney of live coals, hot embers fall out of the bottom, so watch out below for pets, children, bare legs, and open-toed shoes. I like to hold a foil steam pan underneath it when moving a lit chimney.

Weed Burner or Gas Torch A weed burner is a flame-throwing wand that attaches to a propane tank and is used to kill weeds on the pavement. A gas torch is a small, handheld tool attached to a 1-pound propane or MAPpro gas cylinder, and it is used to sweat and braze metal pipes. You can find these at your hardware store, and either works well for igniting your fire. MAPpro gas comes in yellow cylinders and burns hotter than propane. Propane comes in blue cylinders and should be held upright because, when inverted, the propane will sputter. 1. Fill your charcoal basket or your charcoal grate with charcoal. 2. Ignite your torch and aim at one spot in the coal. Target an area of coal that is near the air intake vent and is about the size of a tennis ball. Move the flame around in that imaginary tennis ball-sized circle until the coals are glowing. This should take about 1 minute. 3. Begin growing the fire.

Lighting lump charcoal using a MAPpro gas-fueled torch. Unlike plumbing torches, which work fine, this model by JJGeorge is angled downward and works well lighting offset smokers. Gas torches are also useful for jump-starting coals after refueling your firebox.

Fire Starter Wicks or Fire Starter Cubes These are products made specifically for starting campfires and grills. They are often made with paraffin wax, knotted hay, or other dried combustible materials. 1. Fill your charcoal basket or your charcoal grate with charcoal. 2. Follow the starter’s manufacturer’s recommendations. Typically, that means nestling one or two of the cubes or wicks in the charcoal near the air intake vent and lighting them. They, in turn, will light the coals around them. For best results, arrange the cubes so that they are touching as much charcoal as possible without burying them. They need air to work.

26

3. Begin growing the fire.

Paper Towel and Oil Trick This is a replacement for when you thought you had starter cubes but are out. You are “MacGyvering” your starter wick out of a paper towel. This method works best with lump charcoal. 1. Fill your charcoal basket or your charcoal grate with charcoal. 2. Lay a paper towel flat and drizzle a tablespoon or two of high-temperature cooking oil all across the towel. Roll it up from one corner to the other to fashion a long wick. 3. Nestle the paper towel in the charcoal near the air intake vent, just like you would the starter cubes. Don’t bury it, but have the edges of charcoal touching it as much as possible. Light both ends of the paper towel. 4. Begin growing the fire.

Forced Hot Air Guns Hot air guns are a relatively new way of lighting a grill fire. Brand names include the Looftlighter and Bison Airlighter. These lighters blow a current of hot air (and a flame, in the Bison) to ignite coals. Some folks use a heat gun from the hardware store the same way. 1. Fill your charcoal basket or your charcoal grate with charcoal. 2. Follow the hot air gun manufacturer’s recommendations. This means turning on the device and pointing the end at a tennis ball–sized section of the charcoal near the air intake vent. Do this until the coals are glowing and flaring up. 3. Begin growing the fire.

Accelerants When I was a kid, and Dad rolled out the grill, the philosophy was the more lighter fluid, the better! Lighter fluid has fallen out of favor with many in the barbecue and grilling community because of a perceived offtaste and chemicals. One method that seems to be popular is using denatured alcohol as an accelerant.

Lighting Fires for Stick Burning Burning a clean, all-wood fire is a sign of a true barbecue pitmaster. Admittedly, that is not an easy thing to do on a backyard-level smoker, but it can be done with lots of practice and knowing your smoker. You also have much better chances of success with a fully modified backyard offset; I’ll go into that more in Chapter 3. Here’s how I prefer to light a wood-based fire. It’s the same whether I’m using my “Warthog” offset smoker (not commercially available) or an Oklahoma Joe; only the size of splits changes. Here’s what I do for a backyard-level smoker.

27

1. Select six 1 x 1 x 10-inch log splits. Look for splits that are evenly sized and well-seasoned; having splintering sides is a big plus. Splintered sides are good because they have a lot of edges exposed, which makes it easier to catch fire. Place these in the firebox in a cross-stacked arrangement, so it looks like a small log cabin. The gaps between the splits will provide plenty of airflow. 2. Light a chimney half-full of natural hardwood lump charcoal. 3. When the coals are ready, carefully pour them directly over the little log cabin that you made. 4. Another option for steps 2 and 3 is to stuff rolled-up butcher paper in between the splits on the bottom and light the edges of the paper. 5. Begin growing the fire using larger 2 x 2 x 10-inch log splits.

Grow the Fire Once your fire is lit, the best way to reach your target cooking temperature is to approach it gradually from below. If you race toward the desired temperature and then slam on the brakes when you achieve it, you are going to overshoot and have to choke down the fire to get the temperature back down. Instead of forcing the fire to do what you want, the goal is to let the fire burn at its natural pace and guide it gently to where you want it. 1. For the first five minutes, leave the firebox lid, door, and vents wide open while the fire catches hold. 2. Shut the firebox lid. Leave the firebox door, air intake vents, and chimney damper wide open until your smoker reaches a cooking temperature of 200°F. 3. When the smoker hits 200°F, close the firebox door and begin using the air intake vent to control the temperature. Pay attention to how quickly the temperature is rising. 4. As you get within 50°F of your target cooking temperature, start closing the air intake vent a little bit at a time so the rate of temperature increase slows and you coast up to your target. When the cooker’s thermometer first reaches your target temperature, let’s say 275°F, for example, that means the air immediately around the thermometer probe is 275°F. But some pockets of air may be hotter and some cooler. Air heats faster than metal, so your cooker walls are still much cooler. Give your smoker at least 30 minutes—ideally closer to an hour—to let everything heat up. Use this time to start preheating any smoke wood that you will be using. Watch your smoker during this time, paying attention to:

28

1. The temperature gauges. Use your air intake vent to keep the temperature within 10°F to 15°F of your target. Don’t panic and chase temps too much, but don’t let them get out of control either. This takes practice and knowing your cooker. 2. The color of the chimney smoke. It should transition from: • Heavy, dark smoke. This is caused by incomplete combustion as some of your fuel is still cold and struggling to catch fire. This smoke is full of soot and other particulates that make food taste bitter. • Heavy, white smoke. The fire is mostly going, but it still isn’t burning clean. • Thin gray or blue smoke. This is usable smoke. • Clear exhaust. The fire is burning at its own pace and has all the heat, fuel, and oxygen it needs. This is when wood is burning into its vapor state. Despite being clear, this is the ideal exhaust. 3. The velocity of the chimney exhaust. This presumes still or gentle wind conditions. • If the exhaust is slow and lingers or even falls when it comes out of the stack, then your temperatures are likely low, or the fire may need more airflow. • If the exhaust is coming out at a moderate pace and generally rises, then your fire is probably where it needs to be. • If the exhaust is rapidly coming out and shoots straight up in the air, your cooker might be on the verge of getting too hot, so keep an eye on your temperatures and air intake vents.

Notice how the smoke falls coming out of the stack. This is a visual cue that the smoke is cool and the fire is struggling or isn’t ready. Start adding smoke wood about 15 minutes before cooking. If your fire is hot enough and your wood seasoned and preheated, this should be a brief change and revert to either thin or clear smoke in just a few minutes. Now that the cooking temperature is stable and your smoke is running clear or thin, it’s time to get cooking. Experiment with the lighting techniques on these cooks. We will get more into fuel choices in the next

29

chapter. Unless you are an experienced smoker, I recommend using lump charcoal or briquettes for these first few cooks because it is easier.

30

Ain’t No Thang but a Dang Panang Wang I apologize for this recipe title. I couldn’t help myself. But make these wings, take a bite, and you will love them. They pack the heat and fury of a traditional hot wing but with an Asian flair. Panang curry featured at a Thai cooking class that a friend hosted in her home inspired this recipe. The sauce lit me up with fire and flavor, and I instantly thought that it would make for an amazing fusion wing. Wings need to be cooked hot and fast. The higher cooking heat renders the fat and crisps the exterior. Let’s face it, no one likes rubbery chicken skin. To get that high heat, start with a bed of lump charcoal and then add preheated hardwood splits (oak, hickory, or pecan) to get the intense heat. Makes: 20 wing pieces For the Panang Sauce 1 teaspoon high-temperature cooking oil, such as peanut, canola, or avocado 1 Thai chile, finely chopped ½ cup coconut milk ¼ cup Panang curry paste juice of ½ lime For the Wings 2 tablespoons high-temperature cooking oil, such as peanut, canola, or avocado juice of ½ lime 10 whole chicken wings, broken into drumettes and flats

31

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish 6 to 8 lime wedges, for garnish 1. Make the Panang Sauce. Preheat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and chile and sauté for 15 seconds. Add the coconut milk, curry paste, and juice from half the lime. Stir to combine and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to fully cool. Divide in half — one half will be for the marinade and one will be a final seasoning. 2. Make the wings. After the Panang sauce had cooled, mix one half with the 2 tablespoons oil and the lime juice. Toss the wings in this marinade and place the wings on a rack over a half sheet pan. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. This time will not only allow the marinade to work, but also it will air-dry the wings, which produces a crispier skin.

3. Preheat the smoker to 350°F at the grate level. Any smoker will burn charcoal faster at higher cooking temperatures. I used a full charcoal basket full of lump charcoal for this recipe. Use one of the lighting methods and leave the firebox door and air intake vent fully open until the smoker temperature rises to 250°F. Start preheating wood chunks or splits. Shut the firebox door and leave the air intake vent fully open until the temperature reaches 350°F. You can close the air intake vent slightly if needed to stabilize the temperature in this range, but it will probably need to be wide open to attain 350°F. Fill up your water pan. If you are going to add smoke wood, begin preheating that now.

32

4. Roast the wings. Put the wings in the smoker and let them smoke until they reach an internal temperature of 175° to 180°F, 60 to 75 minutes. If the cooking temperature falls below 350°F, add a preheated split of hardwood to give the fire a boost, or crack the firebox door open.

5. Sauce the wings. When the wings hit 175° to 180°F, place them in a large bowl, add the remaining half of the Panang sauce, and toss to coat. Place them back in the smoker for 5 to 10 minutes to set the sauce. 6. Remove the wings from the smoker. Serve topped with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Notes/Substitutions Normally, I would shut the door at 200°F, but since the target tempera­ture is much higher than the usual 250° to 275°F, I leave the door open longer. Thai chile — These tiny chiles are also known as “bird’s-eye” chiles and pack a serious punch. If you can’t find them, substitute a quarter to half of serrano chile. Panang curry paste — I use Maesri Panang Curry Paste from a local Asian supermarket; however, you might be able to find more mainstream brands such as Thai Kitchen in grocery stores.

33

Beef Chorizo–Stuffed Peppers Bacon-wrapped jalapenos are one of the most popular appetizers from the smoker for good reasons: They are easy to make, don’t take long to cook, and taste fabulous! Take a tray of these to the next party or potluck and watch them disappear. Makes: 20 4 ounces uncooked Mexican beef chorizo 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup shredded Chihuahua cheese ¼ to ½ teaspoon NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning (page 211, optional) 10 jalapenos, halved lengthwise and seeded 10 thin slices bacon, halved widthwise apple juice, for spritzing (optional)

34

1. Preheat the smoker to 250° to 275°F at the grate level. Place about two chimneys full of lump coal or briquettes on the charcoal grate or in the charcoal basket. Use one of the lighting techniques from this chapter and raise the temperature to 250° to 275°F. Place the water pan in the smoker. Begin preheating the smoking wood as well. For this recipe, I like using a combination of hickory and cherry woods; pecan, oak, and applewood also work well.

2. Make the stuffing. Brown the beef chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat, 5 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, place the cream cheese and shredded cheese in a large bowl. Pour the browned chorizo and pan juices over the cheeses. Stir until thoroughly combined. Taste and add NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning if desired. For me, the chorizo is usually enough seasoning. 3. Assemble the peppers. Stuff each jalapeno “canoe” with about a heaping teaspoon of the cheese mixture. It should fill the pepper and be level with the top edge. Wrap each stuffed pepper with a half slice of bacon so that the end of the bacon strip is on the bottom of the pepper.

4. Add smoking wood. Place a chunk or small split of oak or mesquite on top of a spot where the coals are burning, shut the firebox lid and wait for the wood to burn cleanly as evident by the smoke exhaust, 5 to 10 minutes. Add more smoking wood about every 20 to 25 minutes. 5. Smoke the peppers. If desired, place the peppers on a rack over a sheet pan to keep your smoker clean. Place the peppers in the cooking chamber and smoke until the cheese is bubbly and the bacon is crispy, 75 to 90 minutes. If the bacon starts to dry out at any time, spritz with apple juice.

35

6. Remove peppers and serve. I usually serve them as is, no dipping required.

Notes/Substitutions Chihuahua cheese — This is a mild, Mexican melting cheese that you can substitute with Oaxaca cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, or cheddar.

36

Orange Ginger–Glazed Cornish Hens with Wild Rice Pilaf Cornish hens are festive. Nothing says “special occasion” more than getting a whole bird on your plate. For my appetite, half a bird is plenty, so I’ll often share one. Cornish hens are most often sold frozen, so you will want to buy them or move them from your freezer into your fridge two days before you plan on cooking them. This recipe is fine cooking with charcoal only or a lighter-volume wood. Orangewood would be a good choice. Makes: 4 4 Cornish hens, thawed if frozen and rinsed 4 teaspoons canola oil ¼ cup lemon pepper seasoning For the Orange Ginger Glaze 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1 cup chicken stock 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 1 tablespoon sherry ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger 1 tablespoon cold water 1 tablespoon corn starch ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

37

For the Wild Rice Pilaf 3 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup diced sweet onion ½ cup finely diced carrot ⅔ cup white rice ⅓ cup wild rice ¼ cup golden raisins 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup water 1 cup chicken stock 1. Dry-brine the hens. Pat the hens dry inside and out. Wipe the outside with oil and season with the lemon pepper seasoning. Cross the feet and tie them together with butcher’s twine. Place them on a rack over a quarter sheet pan and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours.

2. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill a charcoal basket with charcoal or mound three chimneys of lump coal or two chimneys of briquettes onto the charcoal grate. Fill the smoker’s water pan. Light the coal near the air intake vent. Leave the firebox lid, firebox door, and air intake vent fully open for 5 minutes. Shut the lid. When the cooking temperature reaches 200°F, shut the firebox door and start gradually closing the air intake vent as the temperature rises so that the temps coast into and stabilize at 275°F. Preheat the smoking wood, if using. Refuel as needed.

38

3. Smoke the Cornish hens. Place a split or chunk of preheated smoke wood on an area of burning coals and wait until it is burning cleanly, if desired. Place the hens, rack, and quarter sheet pan in the smoker and cook until the hens reach an internal temperature of 145°F, 60 to 90 minutes. I recommend using a remote probe thermometer with its probe in the middle of one of the breasts to track the internal temperature.

4. Make the Orange Ginger Glaze. Place the orange juice, chicken stock, brown sugar, sherry, and ginger in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, but not a boil, and cook until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Make a slurry by whisking the cold water and corn starch together. Whisk this slurry into the saucepan and let it simmer until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt to taste. 5. Make the Wild Rice Pilaf. Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the rice and sauté until it becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the golden raisins, salt, chicken stock, and water and stir to combine. Cover, bring to a simmer, and let cook 20 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a low simmer. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. 6. Glaze the Cornish hens. When the hens reach an internal temperature of 145°F, use a silicone brush to apply some of the Orange Ginger Glaze all over them. Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 160°F in the breast, about another 30 minutes. Double check the temperature of all of the hens with an instant-read thermometer. Just because one is 160°F doesn’t mean they all will be.

7. Remove and serve. Remove the hens from the smoker and let them rest for 5 minutes. Serve on a bed of rice pilaf and drizzle with any remaining sauce.

39

Notes/Substitutions Lemon pepper seasoning — I used Meat Church Gourmet Lemon Pepper Seasoning.

40

Alabama Tenderloin (aka Smoked Bologna) At the first ever Big BBQ Bash in Maryville, Tennessee, one of the competitors gave me a delicious, smoky morsel and asked me to guess what it was. I was stumped and was then shocked to find out it was smoked bologna, mainly because I don’t like bologna. Smoking this ordinary lunch meat turns it into an overachieving cold cut. Our friend Matt Pittman, of Meat Church BBQ, calls smoked bologna “Alabama tenderloin.” I like that name a little better because it keeps first-timers from assuming they won’t like it just because it’s bologna. If you’re from Alabama, don’t get offended — Matt learned to cook from his grandmother in Alabama and he wears the Crimson. Makes: varies 1 chub bologna, 3 to 5 pounds 2 tablespoons yellow mustard ¼ cup NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) ½ cup apple juice, for spritzing ½ cup NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce (page 217, optional) 1. Preheat the smoker to 250°F at the grate level. Place about two chimneys full of charcoal on the charcoal grate or in the charcoal basket. Use one of the lighting techniques from this chapter and then bring the temperature up to 250°F. Place the water pan in the smoker. Begin preheating the smoking wood as well. I used small splits of hickory.

41

2. Prepare the bologna. Remove the red outer casing from the chub and wipe dry. Take a sharp knife and use the tip to score (cut shallow lines about ⅛ inch deep) a pattern on the outside of the bologna. You can do a series of lines at an angle and then reverse it to get a crisscross effect, or go at right angles lengthwise and sideways. 3. Season the bologna. You will want to wear food-safe gloves for this part; you’re going to get messy. Slather the mustard all over the bologna. Sprinkle the chub on all sides and end with the barbecue rub. 4. Add smoking wood. Place a chunk or small split of hickory on top of a spot where the coals are burning, shut the firebox lid, and wait for the wood to burn cleanly as evident by the smoke exhaust, 5 to 10 minutes. Add more smoking wood about every 20 to 25 minutes. 5. Smoke the bologna. Place the chub in the smoker and smoke until the outside is golden brown, about 2 hours. Spritz with apple juice after 1 hour. 6. Glaze the bologna (optional). Thin the barbecue sauce with a few tablespoons of leftover apple juice and brush onto the bologna. Add a fresh piece of smoking wood to the fire and cook 10 more minutes to set the glaze. 7. Cool and slice. You can eat the bologna hot, but I prefer to let it chill overnight and then thinly slice it for lunch meat.

Notes/Substitutions I can find chubs of bologna in the lunch meat case of my usual grocery store. If you don’t see it there, ask the deli department if you can purchase a whole chub of bologna.

42

Fiery Smoked Turkey Legs Smoked turkey legs are a star attraction on the midway at state fairs and festivals all over the United States. Part of the allure is the primal aspect of holding a club-sized drumstick and biting into it like a cave dweller. These mammoth treats aren’t just like a drumstick from the bird at Thanksgiving: The festival vendors typically soak the drumsticks in a powerful brine before smoking, giving this popular treat its unique flavor. This recipe ups the ante by adding a kick of heat. They’re are ideal for the game day buffet or, you know, the next time you throw a festival in your backyard. Makes: 4 legs For the Brine ½ gallon water ½ cup kosher salt ½ cup turbinado sugar 1½ tablespoons crushed black peppercorns 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1½ teaspoons dried minced garlic 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 bay leaf, crushed 4 pounds ice

43

For the Drumsticks 4 turkey legs 2 tablespoons peanut oil 4 teaspoons NMT Hot Ba’Cock! Spicy Poultry Seasoning (page 212) 1. Make the brine. Mix the brine ingredients, except the ice, in a large stockpot and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Add the ice and refrigerate until the brine is 40°F or below. 2. Brine the drumsticks. Place the drumsticks in a container large enough to contain the legs and brine. A 6-quart brining container is ideal. Pour the brine over the drumsticks, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours.

A small brine bucket fits the turkey legs well and comes with a lid for food safety in the fridge. 3. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Place about two chimneys full of charcoal on the charcoal grate or in the charcoal basket. Use one of the lighting techniques from this chapter and then bring the temperature up to 275°F. Place the water pan in the smoker. Begin preheating your smoking wood as well. About eight hickory or sugar maple splits or chunks would be great for this one. Fill your water pan. 4. Season the drumsticks. Remove the drumsticks from the brine and discard the brine. Rinse the drumsticks and pat them dry. Lightly coat with oil and then lightly season them with the NMT Hot Ba’Cock! Spicy Poultry Seasoning. 5. Add smoking wood. Place a chunk or small split of hickory or sugar maple on top of a spot where the coals are burning, shut the firebox lid and wait for the wood to burn cleanly as evident by the smoke exhaust, 5 to 10 minutes. Add more smoking wood about every 20 to 25 minutes. 6. Smoke the drumsticks. Place the drumsticks in the smoker and cook until they are golden brown or darker and reach an internal temperature of 185°F. Because turkey legs vary in size, cooking times will vary. The ones pictured averaged just under 1 pound and barely took 2 hours. I’ve had larger drumsticks weighing 2 pounds and those take more like 2 hours 45 minutes. As always, times are just an estimate, always go by internal temperature. 7. Remove and serve. Typically these are served as is, without barbecue sauce.

44

Notes/Substitutions Tame the heat — You can reduce the spiciness by cutting the red pepper flakes in the brine to ½ teaspoon and using NMT Ba’Cock! All-Purpose Poultry Seasoning (page 212) instead of the hot version.

45

Smoke-Fried Wings with Hot Honey Smoke-fried, or “smo-fried,” is a combination cooking technique. The most common target for smoke-frying is chicken wings because it gives you the best of both worlds: the flavor of smoked wings and the unique crispiness of fried wings. Smoke-frying also offers another advantage — the ability to hold the smoked wings at temperature and cook to order. Smoke the wings through Step 6. Then you can safely hold the wings at 140°F or above until you are ready to serve, then flash-fry them at the last second. Makes: 20 wing pieces 10 whole chicken wings, broken into drumettes and flats 2 tablespoons peanut oil, plus more for deep-frying 2 tablespoons NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) 2 tablespoons NMT Hot Ba’Cock! Spicy Poultry Seasoning (page 212) ½ cup honey ¼ cup chicken stock ¾ teaspoon Olde Virden’s Red Hot Sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped green onion, green parts only, for garnish 1. Dry-brine the wings. Pat the wings dry and lightly coat them with the peanut oil. Season with the NMT Southern Sweet and NMT Hot Ba’Cock! Spicy Poultry Seasoning. Place on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate for 2 hours.

46

2. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. I used a charcoal basket full of lump charcoal for my base fire, and then applewood splits for smoke flavor. Place the water pan in the smoker. Begin preheating the smoking wood as well. 3. Add the smoking wood. Place a chunk or small split on top of a spot where the coals are burning, shut the firebox lid, and wait for the wood to burn cleanly as evident by the smoke exhaust, 5 to 10 minutes. Add more smoking wood about every 20 to 25 minutes. 4. Smoke the wings. Place the rack of wings on the smoker toward the end near the firebox. Smoke the wings until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F, 75 to 90 minutes. Remove and rest for 10 minutes before frying. Alternatively, you can hold them at 140°F or above until you are ready to deep-fry them. I use a hot box for keeping them warm, but an oven set to 170°F also works.

5. Make the glaze. Heat the chicken stock, honey, and Olde Virden’s Red Hot Sprinkle in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until combined, about 5 minutes. 6. Fry the wings. Using a Dutch oven filled with 2 inches peanut oil or a deep-fryer, preheat the oil to 350°F. Work in batches to keep the oil temperature from dropping. Deep-fry the wings until crispy and golden, about 30 seconds. Remove them to the cooling rack. 7. Serve. Place the wings on a platter, drizzle with the hot glaze, and garnish with the green onions.

Notes/Substitutions Peanut oil — You can switch this out with any neutral-flavored, high-temperature cooking oil, such as avocado or canola. Olde Virden’s Red Hot Sprinkle — This is a unique blend of dried habanero, serrano, and jalapeno chiles. You can substitute red pepper flakes, which will have a milder taste and heat. But if you are a chilehead, get the Olde Virden’s or another custom dry chile blend.

47

Chapter 3

I’m Nobody’s Fuel: Briquettes, Lump, and Wood Offset smokers run well on charcoal briquettes, lump charcoal, and wood splits. Each type of fuel has its strengths, so this is another case where the right fuel to use is a matter of your cooker and your preferences.

Charcoal Briquettes Charcoal briquettes are what most people think of when they think of grilling or barbecue. According to Kingsford, briquettes were discovered in 1919 as an effort to use the wood byproducts from the construction of Henry Ford’s automotive plants by pressing reconstituted char into blocks to be used as fuel. Because of the manufacturing process, briquettes are consistent in composition, size, shape, and density. This consistency makes them predictable, and they provide a long, steady burn. The regular shape makes briquettes a good option when using fuse burns or the Minion Method (see page 68). The uniformity of briquettes also makes them a good choice for beginners. Some manufacturers offer briquettes that have varieties of wood chips integrated inside of the briquette. These are good for those who are learning to BBQ. It lets them experiment with various wood flavors without having to worry about the timing and process of adding smoking wood.

48

Briquettes do have their drawbacks, both real and perceived. Briquettes typically create considerably more ash than do wood or lump charcoal. That ash can accumulate in the firebox, especially in longer cooks, impeding airflow. The tradeoff for briquettes’ longer burn time is that they don’t get as hot as lump charcoal or wood. Some users report an off taste when using briquettes. At the same time, others swear by briquettes because they can’t get the same flavor with lump coal. For best results when choosing briquettes, look for 100 percent natural, hardwood lump briquettes; these don’t have additives, plus they burn hotter than plain briquettes and typically produce less ash. In my experience, hardwood lump briquettes still produce more ash than natural lump charcoal.

Lighting briquettes with integrated wood chips.

Natural Lump Charcoal Lump charcoal is wood that has been burned in a low-oxygen environment called a retort. This produces a lightweight, irregular-shaped charcoal. Lump charcoal lights quickly and easily, and it also burns cleanly, producing a light, fragrant wood smoke. This charcoal option also offers higher temperatures and produces less ash than briquettes. Regardless of what fuel you are using, lump charcoal is a great option to quickly re-establish a healthy bed of coals if yours burns down too much. Lump charcoal isn’t without its challenges, however. In my experience, it burns faster than briquettes and requires more refueling. The irregular shape of lump charcoal can lead to temperature variations if the fire doesn’t spread evenly through the firebox.

Charcoal and Wood Combination Using charcoal as the sole fuel source produces the least amount of smoke. That is good for when you want a light smoke flavor, such as with poultry, ground meats, or seafood. More often than not, however, I use the charcoal to maintain our bed of coals, providing the heat source, and add splits or chunks of preheated wood for the smoky flavor and supplemental heat.

49

Wood Offset smokers are also called “stick burners” because traditionalists like to fuel them with small logs or splits of wood. Stick burning is considerably easier to do on a higher-end smoker because of the larger, insulated, airtight firebox and air intake vents that have tighter tolerances. There are advantages to stick burning. Wood fires offer high heat potential, low ash production, and an additional degree of authenticity. But the main allure of wood fires, in my opinion, is that real wood-fired barbecue has an unmatched taste. So why doesn’t everyone stick to wood fires? There are some issues with the consistency of supply and managing your inventory of wood. But the main reason is that it takes an extra level of skill and experience to properly burn an all-wood fire, especially on a backyard-level offset smoker. The margin of error with a wood fire is narrower than with charcoal-based fires. Several-time barbecue world champion Chris Lilly wrote in his second book, Fire and Smoke: A Pitmaster’s Secrets, “Newcomers to barbecue should not start with an all-wood fire, and instead use a combination of charcoal and wood.”

Does that mean that you should stick with charcoal and never try stick burning? No! But I would recommend getting plenty of experience cooking on your smoker first. Here’s why: • You’ll learn your smoker’s strengths. • You’ll figure out how to either minimize or take advantage of its weaknesses. • You’ll start to become aware of when things are first starting to go awry and know how to head trouble off before it becomes a serious problem. • You’ll know what to expect from your smoker in different conditions. When you are comfortable with all of that, then I would recommend experimenting with the intricacies of stick burning. The following information should be your guide, whether you are adding wood to charcoal fires or burning an all-wood fire.

50

Configuration of Wood Chips — These pieces of wood are small, 1 inch or less. Usually they have lost all their natural moisture content, and soaking them doesn’t replace that moisture the same way. I use them for electric smokers or smoker boxes for grills, but I avoid them with offset smokers. Chunks — These are fist-sized pieces of wood. They are good for mixing in with your coals or adding to a burning bed of coals for smoke flavor. They are also good to add for a small bump of heat. I don’t like to use them for an all-wood fire. You can buy these at hardware stores, sporting goods stores, grill dealers, and online. Splits or small logs — The size of these depends on the size of the coal base in the firebox. If the split or log is too long, the ends will stick out beyond the coals, and they will smolder instead of burning properly. The bigger your firebox, the bigger the splits you can use, and that requires fueling less often. A large stick burner like my Warthog can burn splits that are 3 to 6 inches wide and 16 to 18 inches long. But for most backyard offset smokers, smaller splits about 1 to 2 inches wide and 8 to 10 inches long are more suitable.

Soaking Wood Soaking the smoking wood isn’t necessary. It doesn’t prolong the burn time or increase the smoke from a piece of wood, it only delays ignition. I used to think that soaking wood didn’t help, but didn’t hurt either. Famed pitmaster Aaron Franklin disagrees with this notion. In his book Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto, Franklin points out that to dry the soaked wood, some of the fire’s energy is diverted and that the evaporative process cools the combustible gases, making proper combustion difficult.

Seasoning Wood When wood is first cut, it is full of moisture and considered “green.” This wood is hard to get started and will smolder, creating less-than-desirable smoke. Wood that has been allowed to dry for three to six months is

51

considered “seasoned.” Seasoned wood has the ideal moisture content for smoking. If you don’t know when the wood was cut, signs that it is seasoned are: • Any bark is loose or pulling away from the wood. • There are cracks in the ends of the wood. • The split sides are beginning to splinter (this varies by species). If you buy bags of logs from a big-box store, chances are the wood was kiln-dried to prevent transporting invasive insects across state lines. As a result, this wood is much drier, milder in flavor, and burns faster and hotter.

Wood and Food Pairings The chart below shows the common pairings of smoking wood and types of food. This chart can be a helpful guide, but don’t stress over it. Use whatever smoking wood you have on hand. At Kingsford University in 2011, we had an informal discussion about this with pitmasters, barbecue book authors, and barbecue bloggers. There was some good-natured back and forth, but Meathead Goldwyn of AmazingRibs.com challenged the group with this hypothetical question: If six pork butts were cooked identically except for the type of wood and we did a blind taste test, would we be able to tell which type of wood was used for each pork butt? Everyone admitted that we probably wouldn’t, and that ended the debate that night. Experiment with fuel sources with these recipes. Pay attention to how your smoker responds to different options. Species Alder Qualities Very delicate, light, and sweet Food Pairings Fish, seafood, poultry Species Apple Qualities Mild, sweet, fruity Food Pairings Poultry, pork, ham, game birds Species Ash Qualities Light, distinctive

52

Food Pairings Red meats, oily fish Species Birch Qualities Mild, slightly sweet Food Pairings Pork, poultry Species Cherry Qualities Mild, sweet flavor, good for adding color to meats Food Pairings Beef, pork, poultry, fish Species Cottonwood Qualities Very subtle in flavor Food Pairings Best used as a fuel with other wood as flavor Species Grapevines Qualities Tart, rich, and fruity Food Pairings Poultry, red meats, game, lamb Species Hickory Qualities Strong, sweet with slight bitterness Food Pairings Pork, beef, poultry (used lightly), wild game Species Mesquite Qualities Sharp, pungent, acidic Food Pairings Good for open pit grilling Species Oak

53

Qualities Moderate, nutty Food Pairings Beef, pork, poultry, wild game, lamb Species Pecan Qualities Moderate, similar to hickory but milder Food Pairings Beef, pork, poultry Species Sugar Maple Qualities Mild, sweet Food Pairings Ham, pork, poultry — especially turkey

54

Rolled Flank Steak with Bacon Jam and Smoked Gouda Flank steak is an excellent cut of beef that doesn’t get a lot of attention. It has a rich beef flavor and is perfectly tender when cooked medium-rare. I fancy this humble steak up a bit by rolling it with bacon jam and smoked Gouda cheese. This recipe cooks well with just lump charcoal, but the flavors are hearty enough to handle some smoke, so feel free to add smoking wood — perhaps oak or pecan. Makes: 6 servings 2 pounds flank steak 1 tablespoon peanut oil or other high-temperature cooking oil 1½ teaspoons NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) 1 cup NMT Bacon Jam (page 222) 4 ounces smoked Gouda cheese 1. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the charcoal basket or the charcoal grates with 5 pounds of charcoal and three chunks of smoking wood, if using. Fill the water pan. Light the coal using one of the techniques from Chapter 1. Shut the cooking chamber and firebox lids. Leave the air intake vent and the firebox door fully open until the smoker reaches 225°F. Shut the firebox door and start gradually closing the air intake vent until the smoker cruises up to 275°F.

55

2. Butterfly the flank steak. Place the flank steak on a cutting board. Wear a cut-resistant glove on your non-cutting hand and press down on the flank steak to hold it in place. With a boning knife or the sharpest knife that you have, make a shallow incision along the length of one side of the flank steak. Start folding the top half of the steak back and keep repeating, making shallow cuts until you have reached about ¾ inch from the other edge. Now open the flank steak all the way so that it lays flat like an open magazine, cover with plastic wrap, and use a meat mallet to pound the butterflied steak flat to an even thickness of about ½ inch.

3. Season the flank steak. Flip the flank steak over. Pat it dry with a paper towel. Lightly oil the surface and then season all over this side with the NMT Beef Rub v.2. This might seem a little heavy, but we are only seasoning one side. 4. Stuff the flank steak. Flip the flank steak back over, so the seasoned side is facing down. Spread the bacon jam all over the flank steak except for a 2-inch strip along one of the original long sides. The strip should run lengthwise with the grain of the meat. Top the bacon jam with slices of Gouda cheese.

56

5. Roll the flank steak. Cut six (18-inch) pieces of kitchen twine. Begin tightly rolling the flank steak toward the bare edge until it is completely rolled up like a cigar. Lay the pieces of kitchen twine on the cutting board about 2 inches apart and place the rolled flank steak on the middle of them, seam-side down. Secure the steak by tying the twine.

6. Cook the flank steak. If desired, place the flank steak on a rack over a sheet pan. Place in the cooking chamber. Cook until the flank steak has a golden crust and reaches an internal temperature of 127°F; this should be right at 1 hour, but go by the temperature. 7. Remove and rest. Rest the steak for 5 to 7 minutes before slicing across the grain into 1-inch pinwheels.

Notes/Substitutions Bacon jam — If you don’t want to make bacon jam, the world-famous Blackberry Farm now sells their bacon jam in some retail locations.

57

Pork Belly BBQ Bites The phrase “pork belly burnt ends” spurs a bit of controversy in the barbecue forums. They’re fighting words. Advocates say these delicious cubes of smoked, rendered pork belly are a fitting tribute to their beefy namesake. Opponents, on the other hand, feel that using the “burnt ends” moniker is an abomination that steps all over barbecue history. Me? I don’t take offense to someone using the term “pork belly burnt ends.” Yeah, it’s not the same thing as “burnt ends,” but neither are today’s “burnt ends.” The original burnt ends were the end scraps and bits that were cut off the brisket before slicing. Kansas City is the home of burnt ends, and in an article in 2013, the Kansas City Star mourned the passing of burnt ends. That’s because burnt ends today use the entire brisket point cut into cubes and doused in sauce and are just an interpretation of the original. They’re good, just not the same. Whatever the fuss, both sides agree that these wiggly bits of pork belly are delicious. They’re mouthwatering just as they are, but are also delicious crushed into tacos, on pizza, or on top of burgers. To make them a little more refined, put one on a cocktail pick with a grape tomato and a rolled-up piece of lettuce to make a BLT bite. Makes: about 40 4 pounds skinless pork belly 2 tablespoons high-temperature cooking oil, such as peanut, canola, or avocado ¾ cup NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213), divided ½ cup apple juice, for spritzing

58

4 cups vegetable stock 1 cup NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce (page 217) 1. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Have a water pan placed near the firebox opening. Start preheating the smoking wood. I used a base of briquettes and then added hickory and applewood splits to maintain a good bed of coals. For my offset, this was two preheated wood splits (8 x 2 x 1 inch) every 25 to 20 minutes with the air intake vent about three-quarters open. 2. Prepare the pork belly. Cut the pork belly into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in the cooking oil until evenly coated. Season with ½ cup of the NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub. Place on a foil-covered quarter sheet pan with a rack over it.

3. Smoke the pork belly cubes. About 15 minutes before putting the pork belly cubes on the smoker, add some applewood to the firebox. Place the tray of pork belly cubes in the smoker, spritz with apple juice, and smoke until deep red or brown, about 3 hours. Spritz the cubes with apple juice every 30 to 45 minutes. To increase the smoke flavor, time the spritzing to be done just after adding smoking wood. 4. Braise the pork belly cubes. Place the cubes in a half-sized steam pan or other suitably sized pans, such as casserole dishes. Pour in enough stock to cover halfway up the sides of the cubes. Cover tightly with a lid or foil. Return to the smoker and raise the cooking temperature to 300° to 325°F. Cook until the pork belly cubes are fully rendered, about 2 hours. The cubes are done when they are jiggly, tender, and at an internal temperature of 200°F or above. 5. Sauce and “dirty smoke” the pork belly cubes. Add a split or chunk of wood to the firebox to create fresh smoke. Pour off the stock from the pan and reserve (see Notes/Substitutions). Re-season the cubes with the remaining ¼ cup of NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub. Drizzle the NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce over the cubes and toss to coat. Place the uncovered pan in the smoker for 8 more minutes. 6. Remove and serve.

Notes/Substitutions Reserve the liquid from Step 5. If you are substituting a thick barbecue sauce, such as Blues Hog Original, you can use a small amount of liquid from Step 5 to thin the sauce out.

59

Spatchcocked Turkey with Orange Bourbon Glaze To spatchcock poultry means to remove the backbone and flatten the bird out, similar to butterflying. Spatchcocking makes the turkey more exposed to the smoke and heat, so it cooks more quickly and evenly. As a side benefit, the spatchcocked turkey also makes a nicer presentation for a holiday table. Poultry is susceptible to being oversmoked, so lump charcoal is a good choice here because it burns cleanly and creates a light smoke. Makes: 12 servings 1 turkey, 12 to 14 pounds 1 cup NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection (page 225) ¼ cup NMT Hot Ba’Cock! Spicy Poultry Seasoning (page 212), divided 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted For the Orange Bourbon Glaze ⅔ cup chicken stock ⅔ cup honey 1 ounce bourbon juice of 1 orange salt

60

1. Spatchcock the turkey. Remove the turkey from the packaging and remove the giblets and neck from the cavity. Place the turkey breast-side down on a cutting board. Use a pair of poultry shears or a sharp butcher’s knife to cut out the backbone by cutting along each side of it. You will be cutting through the rib bones so this will take some force. Save the backbone and neckbone to make stock (see page 80). 2. Inject the turkey. Shake or whisk the NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection to make sure it is mixed. Use a meat syringe to inject the solution into the turkey. Inject 20cc (4 teaspoons) into each wing, leg, and thigh. Use a few injection points for each part; don’t put all of the injection into just one spot. Inject the remaining solution (about ½ cup) into the breasts of the turkey. Use a paper towel to wipe off any excess solution and dry the skin a bit. 3. Dry the skin (optional). Place the turkey skin-side up on a rack over a half-sheet pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour. This will dry the surface and help create a crispy skin. 4. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Start preheating the smoking wood. I used a base of lump charcoal and added pecan splits for smoke flavor. 5. Season the turkey. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the NMT Hot Ba’Cock! Spicy Poultry Seasoning on the back (non-skin side) of the turkey. Flip the bird over, drizzle with the melted butter, and slather all over the skin. Finely grind the remaining poultry seasoning and sprinkle it liberally all over the top of the butter-bathed bird. You may not need all the rub depending on the size of the turkey. 6. Smoke the turkey. Place the turkey, still on the rack and a half sheet pan, in the middle of the smoker. You want to smoke to flow evenly over the turkey. Position the turkey so that the legs and the tapered end of the breast are pointing toward the source of the smoke. In a regular offset, that will be toward the firebox, and in a reverse-flow, it will be away from the firebox. Add a pecan split or chunk every 30 minutes, and add more fuel as needed. Smoke for about 2½ hours, until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 150°F. 7. Make the Orange Bourbon Glaze. Place the chicken stock in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Stir in the honey, bourbon, and orange juice and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with a few pinches of salt. 8. Glaze the turkey. When the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 150°F, use a silicone brush to apply the glaze all over the turkey. Repeat when the turkey hits 155°F. Be quick with your glazing to minimize the loss of cooking heat.

61

9. Remove the turkey and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. When the turkey breasts reach an internal temperature of 160°F and the thighs register 175°F, pull the turkey from the smoker and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes/Substitutions Have leftover turkey? Use it and homemade turkey stock to make Smoked Turkey and Wild Rice Soup! We have a recipe for it on my blog Nibble Me This.

62

Beef Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Chips A staple in Central Texas barbecue, beef short ribs are like brisket: luscious, tender, and rich in beef flavor. One of the best at making beef ribs is John Lewis of Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, South Carolina. John honed his skills in Austin, Texas, working side by side with Central Texas legends like Aaron Franklin and LeAnn Mueller. John’s beef short ribs were the best thing I ate at The Certified Angus Beef Brand BBQ Block Party in Nashville, Tennessee — they practically melted in my mouth. Outside Texas, finding beef short ribs for barbecue can be challenging. They are commonly packaged as 3-inch sections or flanken style, which are the thin strips used for Korean barbecue ribs. If you see those in the display case, ask your butcher if they have a whole, untrimmed rack of short ribs in the back — either plate (three bones) or chuck (four bones). A rack weighs about 5 pounds. These are huge, so plan on only one rib per person. Beef ribs are robust and can handle the smoke, so this recipe is a good candidate for learning to use a woodbased fire when you are up to it. Just swap in wood fire for Step 2. Makes: 6 to 8 ribs 2 racks whole, untrimmed beef short ribs 2 tablespoons peanut oil or other high-temperature cooking oil ¼ cup NMT Steer Seasoning (page 214) or NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) 1 cup apple juice, for spritzing ½ cup beef stock Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Chips (page 196)

63

1. Prepare the beef ribs. Trim off any excess surface fat from the tops of the ribs. Flip the ribs over and remove the white membrane. To do this, start by using a dull knife to separate the membrane at the corner. Use a paper towel to grab onto this membrane tab and pull it up and toward the other end until it comes off. Pat the ribs dry and then wipe the peanut oil all over. Season evenly with the NMT Steer Seasoning or Beef Rub v.2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Once you get the membrane lifted in the corner, grab with a paper towel and firmly pull it up and off. 2. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Start preheating the smoke wood. I used a charcoal basket full of lump coal and added pecan splits for wood smoke, but you can also use splits of oak or hickory. Ten minutes before adding the meat, add a split or chunk on top of the hot coals. 3. Smoke the beef ribs. Once the smoker temp has stabilized around 275°F and the smoke is light or clear, place the ribs in the smoker. Cook the ribs until the crust is dark and the internal temperature reaches 165° to 175°F, 4 to 5 hours. During this time, add splits or chunks of wood every 25 to 30 minutes and replenish the fuel when needed. Spritz the ribs hourly with apple juice.

4. Wrap the ribs (optional). Cut four (18 x 24-inch) pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Once the ribs have a dark crust and have reached an internal temperature of 160° to 170°F, place each rack of ribs on two sheets of foil. Cup the edges of the foil and pour ¼ cup of beef stock around each rack. Wrap the edges of the foil up and over the rack to form a tightly sealed packet. If using a remote probe thermometer (recommended), stick the probe through the foil and into one of the thicker sections of the ribs. Place the ribs back on the smoker and continue cooking until the ribs reach an internal temperature of 200°F or higher and are “probe-tender.” That means when you stick a thermometer probe or skewer into the ribs, it goes in with almost no resistance, like warm butter. This should take about 1 to 2 hours.

64

5. Hold the ribs to rest. Preheat a hot box (aka Cambro) by pouring a pot of boiling water in a hotel pan on the bottom rack. Store the racks of ribs, still wrapped in foil, in a hotel pan on an upper rack. If you don’t have a hot box, you can rig one: Pour a large pot of boiling water in a cooler and close the lid for 20 minutes. Dump the water out, quickly dry it, place the ribs in the cooler, cover them with a large towel, and shut the cooler lid. Ideally, let the ribs rest for 1 hour, but I won’t judge you if you cheat at 30 minutes. 6. Make the sweet potato chips. While the ribs rest, make the Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Chips. 7. Remove and serve. Remove the racks from the hot box or cooler and carefully open the foil packets, watching out for steam. Place the ribs back in the smoker for 10 to 15 minutes, just long enough to crisp the crust back up. Slice between the rib bones and serve one rib on a bed of sweet potato chips per person. Sauce is not usually served with beef ribs.

Leftover beef short ribs make great quesadillas.

Notes/Substitutions Beef short ribs, chuck or plate — Your butcher may try to sell you beef back ribs, which come from the rib eye. Those are delicious too, but a different experience. If that’s all they have, hop over to page 107 and try the Beef Back Ribs with Chimichurri. Wrapping the ribs — If you opt not to wrap the ribs, continue cooking until they reach an internal temperature of at least 200°F and are probe-tender.

65

Smoked Sausage with Beer Cheese Dip One of the easier things to cook on a smoker is sausages. They don’t take long, don’t require much attention during the cook, and their audacious seasoning holds up to even a strong smoke. You almost can’t go wrong in picking link sausages for the smoker. You can buy presmoked sausages that only need to be warmed up on the smoker, purchase raw sausages that need to be fully cooked, or even grind your own from scratch. Texas “hot links” made with beef or Georgia “red hots” made with beef, chicken, and pork are reliable favorites on the smoker. I like to serve my smoked sausage with beer cheese dip. Makes: 1 small party platter 2 to 3 pounds hot links or Georgia red hots apple juice or beer, for spritzing For the Beer Cheese Dip ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter ½ cup finely diced onion ¼ cup finely diced carrot ¼ cup finely diced celery ¼ cup all-purpose flour 8 ounces beer 1 cup chicken stock ¾ teaspoon paprika

66

½ teaspoon dry mustard ¼ teaspoon chili powder ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese 1 cup Velveeta, cubed ¼ cup diced cooked bacon 1. Preheat the smoker to 250°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Start preheating the smoking wood — I used pecan, but post oak would be good too. Add a chunk or split of wood on top of burning coals about 10 minutes before cooking. 2. Smoke the sausages. Place the sausages in the cooking chamber and let them smoke until they are firm to the touch, dark golden brown, and have an internal temperature of at least 160°F, 90 minutes to 2 hours. Spritz with beer or apple juice while the sausages cook as the surfaces dry out.

3. Make the Beer Cheese Dip. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until the flour becomes fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the beer and stock while continuously whisking. Stir in the paprika, dry mustard, chili powder, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the Velveeta in small amounts, letting each batch melt before it adding the next round. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 4. Remove and serve. When the sausages are done, remove them from the smoker and allow them to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Slice into 2 to 3-inch chunks and serve with the Beer Cheese Dip.

67

Chapter 4

Burn Strategies and Refueling In Chapters 2 and 3, we looked at ways to light fires and types of fuels. Now we put the two together by looking at different strategies for burning fires. Fire sometimes seems fickle or like it has a mind of its own. However, fire follows patterns of behavior and is predictable. Burn strategies are simply ways of arranging your fuel that trick fire into doing what you want.

Burn Strategies These aren’t the only burn strategies, but they are the more common ones.

Basic Startup Start by placing unlit charcoal in the firebox, usually a chimney or two’s worth. Then dump a chimney of lit coals on top of that. The lit coals will gradually start the unlit coals as they burn down. This method gets the temperature up fast. However, the shotgun approach of dumping a chimney of live coals on a bed of unlit coals can get too much fuel burning at once. Then you are starting off fighting the fire instead of guiding it, choking down the air intake vent and/or smothering the fire with the smokestack damper. I struggled with this when I had my first smoker.

Minion Method If the basic startup is a shotgun, then the Minion Method is a rifle. Named after Jim Minion, not the cartoon characters, this method targets putting the live coals in a specific spot. This limits how much hot coal is touching cold coal, so the fire grows in intensity gradually, under your control. You will also get a longer burn time.

68

To use the Minion Method in an offset smoker, put two chimney’s worth of coal in the firebox. Arrange the coals on one side as shown above. Pour a chimney of live coals into the gap and leave the fire door open for a few minutes.

Charcoal Baskets I highly recommend using a charcoal basket for a backyard-level offset smoker. Using a basket of charcoal for fuel and adding wood splits for smoke is the method that gives home barbecue cooks the best chance of success. Here’s why: If you dump a load of coal into your firebox like below, air can flow under the grates and above the coal — but it can’t flow around the coal.

A charcoal basket lets you shape your load of coal. It is the same amount of coal, but now it is held in a square shape and air can circulate all around it.

If you fully load a charcoal basket and then use one of the pinpoint lighting methods from Chapter 2 (gas torch, charcoal starters, etc.), then that is nothing more than the Minion Method on a precise scale. A charcoal basket makes your cooks easier, more consistent, and more predictable

69

Fuse Burn If basic is a shotgun and the Minion Method is a rifle, then the fuse burn is a guided missile, because we’re telling this fire exactly where to go! (You may also hear a fuse burn referred to as a pattern, snake, or maze burn.)

To create a fuse burn in an offset smoker, add a few T-plates to a charcoal basket to create a maze for the fire to follow. Place smoking wood on the path. When the red coals near the wood, it will start to preheat.

Refueling How often you need to refuel depends on many factors: type of fuel, weather conditions, how airtight your smoker is, and how hot you cook, to name a few. The time to refuel is while you still have a substantial coal bed so that the new fuel can catch fire cleanly and easily. For charcoal fires, it’s time to fill back up when your coals have burned down two-thirds of the way.

Preheat The general rule of thumb for refueling your offset smoker is to preheat everything. When you add cold fuel to a fire, two things are going to happen: • The cold fuel is going to cause cooking temperatures to drop. The live coals are expending energy trying to warm the cold fuel up to the ignition point. That takes away from their ability to keep heating the cooking chamber as effectively, so the temperatures are going to fall. • The cold fuel is going to smolder.

70

Preheating Methods • On top of the firebox — The flat warming shelf on top of many offset fireboxes is an effective preheating area. Place the smoke wood on top, and the rising heat will warm it through. If you slide it to the front, it is not as hot. If you slide the fuel toward the back of the plate, the wood can get hot enough to start igniting. Don’t leave wood on the shelf unattended.

• In the firebox — If it’s raining or the weather is extremely humid, using the warming shelf might not be an option. If there is room, you can place wood splits inside the firebox to preheat. Just position the splits on the cooler side of the firebox and so that they aren’t touching any live coals.

• In the cooker — Placing wood inside of the cooking chamber isn’t ideal, but it can be done. It requires opening the chamber more often, which releases cooking heat. Use this only as a last resort. My Warthog pit has a warming cabinet that I rarely use for food, so it makes a fantastic fuel warmer.

71

Ways to Refuel Everyone knows that “when you’re lookin’, you’re not cookin’” in the cooking chamber, but the same goes for the firebox. Every time the firebox lid is open, that escaping heat comes at a cost to the cooking chamber. When it’s time to refuel, work purposefully and swiftly. Have all the equipment you think you might need — gloves, tongs, chimney, and things like that. The point is, don’t stand around with the firebox lid propped open while you decide what to do.

Chimney Adding a chimney of lit charcoal is simple, and it gets the job done because introducing that many hot coals at once is most likely going to cause temperature spikes. Let’s say that you got distracted and your coal bed has substantially died down. Just adding fuel isn’t going to help at this point because you don’t have the heat to ignite it. Using a chimney of lit coal is fantastic for jump-starting or quickly rebuilding your bed of coals.

Shift and Backfill This method is an effective way at refueling that keeps the “start small, grow the fire” mentality. When the fuel has dropped to about a third of its original volume, use a large, long-handled spatula to compact the bed of coals to one side. Then place preheated charcoal in the large space that you just created. Now you’re back to having a small, tight fire with an adequate fuel supply to keep burning gradually.

Refueling Wood When running an all-wood fire, refueling is almost as simple as adding wood. Don’t just haphazardly throw the wood in, but be purposeful and place it in a way that will provide the most airflow. Usually that would involve cross-stacking, the same way that you built a fire.

Troubleshooting After Refueling Pay close attention to your fire, smokestack exhaust, and temperatures after refueling. Watch to make sure that the temperature rebounds and your smoke stays clear or light. Be patient — things tend to even out with just a little bit of time. But also be responsive when you see trouble brewing. Experience will teach you which is which. • Thick smoke, smoldering — If you get dark smoke, especially if it is slow moving, then there’s a good chance that you smothered your live coals with cold coal. First, check your coal base and try using tongs to move the offending fuel off of the live coals so that the embers can breathe. Open

72

the smokestack damper all of the way — you want to keep that bad smoking moving out and not sticking around in the cooking chamber. Open the air intake vent to allow more airflow to displace the foul smoke and stoke the coals. Keep a watchful eye and start closing the vent back down as the temperatures start to rise. • Temperatures drop — That’s normal. You just had doors open and were moving fuel around. Give the fire 10 to 15 minutes to steady out. If the temperatures do not slowly start climbing, then begin making small adjustments, opening the air intake vent in increments. • Temperatures spike — That’s normal, too. Two minutes ago, you were stoking the fire, and it had plenty of oxygen, so it got excited. Usually, it will settle back down in a couple of minutes. If not, make small closing adjustments to the air intake vent, watching to see how the fire responds. Experimenting with these different setups and burn strategies will help you figure out which ones work best for you and your smoker.

73

Smoked Spareribs with Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce Spareribs are one of the classic barbecue dishes that makes guests drool when they see those mahogany racks coming off the pit. These meaty ribs come from near the pork belly and are rich with fat and flavor. In competitions, we use the St. Louis–style cut, which means the ribs are trimmed into a neat, rectangular shape. It used to be that you needed either to have your butcher trim them or to do it yourself. But these days several producers, such as Smithfield and Cheshire Pork, offer prepackaged St. Louis–trimmed ribs. This recipe calls for Parkay Squeeze Margarine, which is what most pro competition teams use. In a pinch, you could use melted butter, but the result won’t be the same. Spareribs are agreeable with a wide range of smoke wood flavors. Hickory, apple, pecan, oak, and cherry are all fitting choices. My personal favorite is a combination of two parts hickory for flavor and one part cherry wood to build deep color. Makes: 4 to 6 servings 2 racks spareribs, trimmed St. Louis–style and membranes removed 2 tablespoons peanut oil or other high-temperature cooking oil ½ cup NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213), divided 1 bottle Parkay Squeeze Margarine ¼ cup honey 2 tablespoons brown sugar

74

1 cup NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce (page 217) ¼ cup apple juice, plus more for spritzing popcorn salt or another fine salt, to taste 1. Prepare the ribs. Remove the ribs from their packaging, rinse them off, and pat dry. Place the ribs, meat-side up, on a rack and half-sized sheet pan. Lightly rub oil all over each rib. Lightly stretch each rack out lengthwise to maximize the surface area. Season each rack with 2 tablespoons of the NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub. Allow the ribs to rest while you prepare the fire. 2. Preheat the smoker to 250°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Start preheating the smoke wood. Refuel and add smoking wood as needed to maintain the temperature. Add smoking wood about 15 minutes before putting the ribs in the smoker. 3. Smoke the spareribs. “Freshen up” the rub by lightly sprinkling the ribs with about another tablespoon of the NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub each. Give each rib 2 or 3 spritzes of apple juice. Now compress the ribs from the ends (opposite of stretching them in Step 1) to make them compact. Place the ribs in the smoker and cook for 3 hours. Spritz the ribs about every hour.

4. Braise the ribs. Remove the ribs from the smoker. Wearing heat-resistant, food-safe gloves, lightly press in between each set of bones. This won’t seem like it’s doing anything, but it will cause the meat to start releasing.

75

Stack two (18 x 24-inch) sheets of foil directly on top of each other. Squeeze 3 lines of Parkay, about the length of a rack of ribs, down the center of the foil. Drizzle 3 lines of honey the same way. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons brown sugar down the center of the foil. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon NMT Southern Sweet BBQ rub down the center of the foil.

Spritz one rack of ribs 2 to 3 times with apple juice and place it meat-side down on top of the foil. Repeat the Parkay, honey, brown sugar, rub, and apple juice on the boneside of the ribs. Bring the two edges of the foil up together and fold them down on top of the ribs. Fold the two ends inward to form a tightly sealed package. Repeat with the second rack of ribs. Place ribs back on the smoker for 1 hour and 45 minutes. 5. Make the rib glaze. Place the barbecue sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk in ¼ cup of apple juice. Heat until warm and thin. 6. Sauce the ribs. Add fresh wood to the firebox. Remove the ribs from the smoker. Carefully open the foil packets, watching for escaping steam, and remove the ribs from the packet. The bones should be sticking out about an inch and the ribs should be very flexible. Glaze both sides of the ribs with the glaze. Place the ribs, meat-side up, back in the smoker for 15 minutes.

7. Slice and serve. When the glaze has set, remove and slice the ribs. Taste one for seasoning. Season lightly with fine salt, as desired.

76

Spatchcocked BBQ Chicken There is something about tangy, juicy barbecue chicken that takes me back to the cookouts of my childhood. It makes me want to walk barefoot in the grass on a summer day. Cooking chicken with this mop gives you that classic barbecue taste by building up layers of sauce rather than covering it in thick, goopy barbecue sauce. I started out spatchcocking, or reverse-butterflying, whole chickens for grilling, but that has carried over to the smoker. Spatchcocking evens out the chicken, makes it aerodynamic so the smoke can flow over it, and makes it easier to apply the mop to 100 percent of the chicken. Don’t throw out your scraps when trimming. Save them and the carcass to make homemade smoked chicken stock. Chicken is a good choice to try out a fuse or maze burn because of the relatively short cooking time. Makes: 4 servings For the Mop 1 cup apple cider vinegar ½ cup lager beer ½ cup sweet BBQ sauce, such as, NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce (page 217) 1 ounce hot sauce 1½ teaspoons black pepper 1½ teaspoons kosher salt For the Chicken 1 whole chicken, 5 to 6 pounds

77

1 tablespoon peanut oil or other high-temperature cooking oil 1 to 1½ tablespoons NMT Ba’Cock! All-Purpose Poultry Seasoning (page 212) 1. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Start preheating the smoking wood. I used a charcoal basket of lump charcoal and used small hickory splits for the smoke wood. 2. Make the mop. Whisk together all the mop ingredients in a medium bowl. 3. Spatchcock the chicken. Rinse and dry the chicken. Place the chicken breast-side down on cutting board. Use poultry shears or a sharp butcher’s knife to cut a straight line up the back, immediately next to the backbone. Repeat on the other side and remove the backbone. Save it to make stock. Flip the chicken breast-side up with the back slightly open. Place the heel of your palm on the center of the chest like you are about to perform chicken CPR (it’s too late) and forcibly press down. You should hear rib bones snap and the bird should flatten out. Fold the wingtips behind the shoulder.

4. Season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and apply oil all over. Season with the NMT Ba’Cock! AllPurpose Poultry Seasoning. It will seem a little heavy-handed, but some of the rub will wash off with the mopping. Also, don’t forget to season the back of the chicken. No one is going to eat that part, but the flavors will permeate during cooking.

78

5. Smoke the chicken. Place a piece of preheated hickory in the fire about 10 minutes before starting to cook. Place the chicken on the smoker. I have a habit of positioning the legs toward the heat source as a buffer for the breast. Cook the chicken for 1½ hours. Then use a silicone basting brush to apply the mop every 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 160°F and the thighs 170°F. This is chicken, so I check the temperatures of both breasts and both thighs. The skin should be mahogany, and the leg joint should give when you twist it. Depending on the size of the chicken, this can take a total time of 2½ to 3½ hours at 275°F. 6. Remove and rest for 10 minutes. Barbecue restaurants usually quarter the chicken for serving.

Notes/Substitutions Cook once, eat twice — If you’re cooking one chicken, you might as well cook two! Shred the meat from the second one and you’ll have 3 cups of chicken for dishes like enchiladas, chicken alfredo, or chicken salad.

79

Smoked Chicken Stock There are so many good reasons to make homemade chicken stock with your leftover trimmings and chicken carcass. Making the most use of the animal is respectful. There’s the whole reduce, reuse, recycle thing. It is inexpensive. But the best part is that homemade smoked chicken stock tastes infinitely better than the stuff in a box, elevating your sauces, soups, and casseroles. Put a gallon-size zip-top freezer bag in your freezer and start collecting your vegetable trimmings. Onion scraps, celery that has seen better days, pieces of carrot, herbs, garlic peels — straight into the bag. Avoid strong-tasting vegetables like asparagus, cabbage, and broccoli. Then, when you have cooked a chicken, such as Spatchcocked BBQ Chicken (page 77), pull out your veggie bag and make rich chicken stock. Makes: 3 to 4 cups cooked chicken carcass, skin discarded vegetable trimmings, rinsed and checked for dirt or debris 1 teaspoon black peppercorns ½ teaspoon dried thyme leafy tops from carrots and celery 1. Prepare the stock. Place the chicken carcass in a stockpot. Add about half by volume as much vegetable trimmings. Reserve leafy parts, like celery tops, for Step 3. Cover with 1 to 2 inches of cold water.

80

2. Bring to a gentle but steady simmer over medium heat. Do not boil or stir. Leave uncovered. Maintain a simmer for 2 hours. If the water level drops far enough that food sticks out, gently add more cold water. As fat and impurities bubble to the top, use a spoon to skim them off and discard.

3. Season the stock. In the last 30 minutes, add the peppercorns and any leafy tops from your veggie bag, such as parsley, carrot tops, celery leaves, and herbs. If you don’t have any herb scraps, add the dried thyme. 4. Strain the stock. Carefully remove and discard the solids. Strain the stock though double-folded cheesecloth or a very fine mesh sieve. 5. Chill the stock. Pour the stock into clean, glass quart jars and place in an ice bath to cool them quickly. Gently stir a few times to speed up the cooling. Then refrigerate overnight. 6. Skim the fat. The fat will float to the top and solidify. If you were attentive with the skimming, there might not be much. Remove and discard (see Notes/Substitutions). 7. Store the stock. The stock will keep in lidded jars for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. If you repackage and freeze it, it will last for months.

Notes/Substitutions If I’m using the stock the next day, I’ve been known to keep the fat with the stock rather than discarding it. I think that it adds more flavor and a velvety texture when I use the stock in a recipe.

81

Pulled Pork with State of Franklin Sauce Have you ever heard of the State of Franklin? It’s now known as the upper east part of Tennessee, but way back in 1784, it declared itself as an independent state. Six years later, the counties decided to reunite with North Carolina. A decade or so after that, the region became a permanent part of Tennessee. So the State of Franklin is a mix of Tennessee and North Carolina. State of Franklin Sauce is a mix of Tennessee and North Carolina too. It combines an Eastern Carolina–style vinegar barbecue sauce with Blues Hog Tennessee Red. The result is a thin sauce that is less piquant and smoother than a straight vinegar sauce but still has that twang. I use this as a finishing sauce for pulled pork sandwiches, but its main use is for when I make chopped pork. It makes the pork highly seasoned, but it doesn’t scream “vinegar.” I serve my chopped pork like this at events with a barbecue sauce bar set up on the side so people can choose their favorite finishing sauce — sweet, smoky, mustard, or vinegar — to top it off. People usually don’t even realize the vinegar sauce is in there. I’ve had people who tell me that they hate vinegar sauce say this was the best pork they’ve ever had. Makes: 16 regular or 12 large pork sandwiches 1 pork butt, about 8 pounds ¾ cup NMT Pig Poke Pork Injection (page 226) 2 tablespoons peanut oil or other high-temperature cooking oil ½ cup NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) 1½ cups apple juice, for spritzing

82

1 cup State of Franklin BBQ Sauce (page 221, divided) hamburger buns, for serving For the Wrap ¼ cup melted butter or Parkay Squeeze Margarine ¼ cup local honey For the Glaze ½ cup NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce (page 217) ¼ cup apple juice 1. Inject the pork butt. Use a meat syringe to inject the pork butt, using about a 1-inch grid pattern all over. Inject 10 to 15cc or about two teaspoons NMT Pig Poke Pork in each site.

2. Dry-brine the pork butt. Pat the pork butt dry and apply the oil all over. Season the entire exterior of the pork butt with the NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub. Save any leftover rub for re-seasoning the pork just before cooking. Place the pork butt on a quarter-sized rack in a half-sized steam pan (optional), cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 12 hours.

83

Tip: When seasoning, hold your hand 8 to 10 inches above the meat to provide a more even distribution of the seasoning and avoiding clumping.

3. Preheat the smoker to 250° to 275°F at the grate level. For this cook, I used lump charcoal as the fuel in a charcoal basket with a maze or fuse burn. You can use briquettes or straight wood instead. This is a long cook, so use plenty of fuel. Fill the water pan and start preheating hickory wood splits. If you cook at 250°F, plan on about 1½ hours per pound; at 275°F, plan on about 1 hour per pound. 4. Smoke the pork butt. When the smoker is preheated and stable, after about 1 hour, add a small split of hickory wood. Fifteen minutes later, remove the plastic wrap from the pork butt and place the steam pan, rack, and pork in the center of the smoker. Give the pork butt 3 to 4 spritzes of apple juice. If using a remote-probe thermometer (recommended), place the probe so the tip is in the center of the pork butt. Quickly spritz the pork butt about every hour, minimizing the time you have the cooking chamber open. Add smoking wood about every 30 minutes. Smoke until the pork butt is deep red or mahogany in color. This takes 4 to 5 hours and is when the pork butt reaches an internal temperature of around 160°F.

84

5. Wrap the pork butt. Work quickly and purposefully to minimize the time the pork butt is out of the smoker. Place the pork butt in the center of a single 18 x 36-inch piece of foil. Drizzle with ¼ cup each butter and honey. Heavily spray the pork butt with 8 to 10 spritzes of apple juice. Fold the short edges of the foil up and over the sides of the pork butt and then fold the long sides over to cover. Place this sideways (turned 90 degrees) on a second 18 x 36-inch sheet of foil. Cover the pork butt with the long edges and fold the short ends upward to seal the pouch. Place back in the steam pan and into the smoker. Reinsert the temperature probe carefully to avoid tearing the foil too much. Cook until the pork butt reaches an internal temperature of 200°F, about another 4 hours. 6. Check the pork butt. When the pork butt reaches 200° to 203°F, carefully open the foil and check for doneness. The blade bone should be loose if you try to wiggle it. Stick a temperature probe or skewer into the roast and it should penetrate easily, like warm butter. If not, reseal the foil and let cook another 30 minutes and check again. 7. Preheat a hot box or cooler. For a hot box, pour a half gallon of boiling water in a hotel pan on the lowest shelf and close the hot box. For a cooler, pour a half gallon of boiling water in and shut the cooler. Just before using the cooler, empty the water and wipe the cooler dry. 8. Rest the pork butt. Place the foiled pork butt in the hot box or cooler and allow to rest for 1 to 2 hours. 9. Glaze the pork butt. Put a new split of wood in the firebox. Thin the NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ sauce with apple juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm. Carefully open the foiled pork butt — the steam or juices will still be hot enough to burn you. Remove the pork butt from the foil and place it back in the steam pan. Pour the glaze over the pork. Put the pork butt back on the smoker for 10 to 15 minutes to get one last kiss of smoke and to set the glaze. 10. Shred or chop the pork. Place the pork butt on a large cutting board. Pull the blade bone out from the side. Wear heat-resistant food-safe gloves (I wear cotton gloves with nitrile food gloves over them) and break the pork up into bite-size pieces. Discard any large pieces of fat or gristle. Drizzle about ¼ cup of the State of Franklin BBQ Sauce over the pork and toss to coat lightly. If chopping the pork, I go a bit heavier with the sauce, about ⅓ cup. 11. Serve the pork. Serve the pork on plain hamburger buns. Serve additional State of Franklin or other sauce on the side.

85

Notes/Substitutions Fat cap up or down? — The pork butt has a noticeable fat cap on one side, and the debate over fat cap up or fat cap down on the smoker is age-old. Some folks say it’s better to have the fat cap facing up so the rendered fat “bastes” the pork. Other folks say the fat cap should be facing down so that the pork develops a better crust. I say neither. There is plenty of fat inside the pork. I trim the fat cap off, which lets the smoke penetrate better and gives you more beautiful bark.

86

European Street Cafe Pastrami The first time that I had pastrami was at a quirky, Old World deli in Jacksonville, Florida. I was blown away by the robustly seasoned, tender, bright pink beef. The fatty beef was luscious and the parade of flavors intense. The cafe had little crocks of bright orange spicy mustard on each table, and I would spread some of that on the sandwich — perfection. Now I live over 500 miles away, so when I crave magical pastrami, I cure and smoke it at home. I list the amount of pink curing salt by volume and weight. Go by weight, if possible, because it’s more accurate. Makes: 4 pounds For the Brine ½ gallon distilled water 1 cup kosher salt ¾ cup turbinado sugar 3½ teaspoons pink curing salt (Prague powder #1), 17 to 21 grams by weight 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, crushed 1½ tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper 1 tablespoon dry mustard 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 1 cinnamon stick, crushed 2 teaspoons ground allspice

87

4 bay leaves, broken into pieces 4 garlic cloves, smashed 2 teaspoons ground dried ginger 4 pounds ice For the Brisket 1 brisket flat, about 6½ pounds 2 tablespoons peanut oil or other high-temperature cooking oil 1 cup beef stock, for spritzing For the Pastrami Rub 4 tablespoons extra-coarsely ground black pepper 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic 1 teaspoon mustard seeds ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1. Make the brine. Place all the brine ingredients except the ice into a stockpot over high heat and bring to a strong simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the ice. Refrigerate until the brine is 40°F or below. 2. Brine the brisket flat. Use a non-reactive container that is just big enough to fit the brisket and deep enough to hold the brine. Rinse the brisket and place it in the container. Cover with the cold brine and store refrigerated for 6 days. The meat must stay fully submerged; weigh it down with a heavy plate if needed. Flip the brisket once daily. On the sixth day, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse it. Tip: If you are going to be wet-curing often, it would be good to buy a large, lidded polycarbonate food-storage container from a food service store. 3. Preheat the smoker to 250°F at the grate level. I used a charcoal basket of lump charcoal for the coal base and 2-inch oak splits for the smoking wood. Fill the water pan. Start preheating the wood splits. 4. Season the brisket. Crush all the pastrami rub ingredients in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, put the ingredients in a heavy-duty freezer bag and crush with a kitchen mallet. Lightly oil the rinsed brisket. Heavily season with the rub, firmly pressing it into the brisket (don’t rub it, just press it). Place the brisket, fat-side down, on a rack over a half sheet pan. Insert a remote thermometer probe into the side of the brisket so that the tip is in the center mass.

88

5. Smoke the brisket. Place the brisket in the smoker. Replenish the smoking wood every 30 to 45 minutes and refuel the smoker as needed. Spritz with beef stock hourly. Cook until the flat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F, about 5½ hours. 6. Make a steaming basket for the brisket. Wrap a quarter-size cooking rack with foil to create a base and place it in a 4-inch-deep steam pan. Fill the pan up to the bottom of this base (that’s not very deep) with simmering water. Place the brisket and the rack from the smoker on top of this foil-wrapped base. The temperature probe should remain in the brisket, but keep its wire out of the water. Turn a second steam pan upside down to make a lid and cover the brisket. Tightly seal the edges with foil.

The goal is to have a shield between the brisket and water so that it doesn’t over-steam the bottom of the brisket. 7. Steam the brisket. Put the steam basket in the smoker. Higher heat is the aim, so take advantage of the smoker’s hot spots. Raise the smoker temperature to 300°F. Using a few preheated oak wood splits will get the temperature up quickly. Cook until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 200°F, about 90 more minutes. 8. Chill the brisket. Take the steamer basket out of the smoker and carefully remove the brisket and top rack to let it cool for an hour. Then place the brisket and rack in an 18 x 24 food-safe bag or loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 8 hours. 9. Slice the brisket. Slice the brisket using a sharp slicing knife or a radial meat slicer; the thickness is up to you. I like mine thin for sandwiches but pencil-thick for eating on a plate. Pastrami freezes well in vacuumsealed bags.

89

10. Serve the brisket. You can use the brisket as a cold cut, but the flavor and richness are optimum when steamed through before serving. For reheating the frozen bags, place the sealed bag in a pot of simmering water, turn off the heat, and let sit for 5 minutes. When you open the packet, the warm brisket will be steamed, moist, and tender. A superb way to enjoy pastrami  is in a sandwich. Make spicy mustard with ¼ cup yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon chipotle purée, and ¼ teaspoon paprika. Slather some mustard on slices of Italian boule bread. Place ½ pound steamed pastrami, Swiss cheese, and spicy pickles between the bread. Cook on a skillet like grilled cheese.

Notes/Substitutions Brisket flat — I use flats because brisket points are hard to come by. The fattier point of the brisket makes incredible pastrami. Whole coriander seed — Avoid substituting ground coriander; the crushed coriander makes a difference in both taste and texture.

90

Slow-Roasted Suckling Pig Each May the barbecue world descends on the banks of the Mississippi River for the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. The event draws 250 teams and over 60,000 attendees each year. I compete in the whole-hog category with the Grilla Grills team, led by my friend and barbecue guru Shane Draper. I’m proud to be associated with these whole-hog cooking experts who have earned top-10 bragging rights for the past several years. I try to do my best impression of a sponge and absorb the barbecue wisdom from these talented pitmasters. A small suckling pig is strikingly different from cooking a whole hog. It isn’t just a matter of size; the physical nature of the meat in a younger pig is different and the flavor is milder. But we can still take some of those ideas, roast a suckling pig on an offset smoker, and create a spectacle for guests to behold. State of Franklin BBQ Sauce (page 221), NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce (page 217), or NMT Golden Mustard BBQ Sauce (page 220) are all good choices for serving. Makes: 8 to 10 servings 1 suckling pig, 25 to 35 pounds 1½ cups NMT Pig Poke Pork Injection (page 226) 1 cup peanut oil, divided ¼ cup Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub ½ cup kosher salt, or as needed 1 cup apple juice, for spritzing

91

1 tablespoon finely ground NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) greens, fruits, and vegetables, for garnishing (optional) 1. Prepare the suckling pig. Remove suckling pig from the packaging. Thoroughly rinse and dry it. Tie the pig in the sitting position as shown, if it wasn’t already shipped that way.

2. Inject the suckling pig. Use a meat syringe to inject the NMT Pig Poke Pork Injection, mainly concentrating on the shoulders and hams (the upper part of the hind legs). There won’t be a lot of meat elsewhere on a pig this size.

3. Season the suckling pig. Apply ½ cup of the oil to the inside cavity and all over the pig, including ears and snout. Season the inside of the cavity with the Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub, being sure to get all the nooks and crannies that you can reach. Season the outside with kosher salt. Roll the pig to get the sides first and then season the top. 4. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Go big with the water pan because you probably won’t be able to refill it easily. I used a charcoal basket full of lump charcoal and refilled as necessary using the shift and backfill method. Start preheating hickory splits for wood smoke.

92

5. Smoke the suckling pig. Begin adding smoking wood 15 minutes before putting the pig in the smoker. For ease of movement, I placed the pig on a half-sized rack over a half sheet pan and a quarter-sized rack over a quarter sheet pan. You can also place the pig directly on the grates if you like. Place the pig in the center of the smoker, so its rear is facing the hotter part of the smoker. Spritz with apple juice hourly. If you are using a remote-probe thermometer to monitor the cooking temperature, place the probe so the tip is in the thickest part of the shoulder. Smoke until the pig is starting to turn golden and the internal temperature in the shoulder is 175°F, 4½ to 5 hours. 6. Crisp the skin. Cover the pig ears and snout with foil. Baste or spritz the pig with the remaining ½ cup oil. Open the air intake vent to raise the cooking temperature to 325°F. Cook until the skin is crispy and golden brown, another 45 to 90 minutes.

7. Rest the pig. Remove the pig from the smoker and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes. You can hold the pig warm for up to 2 to 3 hours in a preheated cooler. 8. Dress the pig. Garnishing the pig is optional, but if you went to the trouble of smoking a suckling pig, you might as well make it spectacular. At the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, our team displays the hog on a bed of greens in the now-cool smoker. Use colorful fruit and vegetables for garnish. 9. Serve the pig. Cut or break open the sides and pull the tender, succulent meat from the hams and shoulders. Season it to taste with finely ground NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub. Serve with sauce on the side; you don’t want to overwhelm the delicate flavor of a suckling pig.

Notes/Substitutions Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub — You can substitute NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub mixed with ¼ teaspoon cayenne and ¼ teaspoon white pepper.

93

Sweet Tea–Glazed Ham Boneless hams are a wonderful insurance policy when you aren’t sure if you are going to have enough food for a big dinner party or event. They are relatively inexpensive, feed a lot of people, and if you don’t end up needing it all — ham sandwiches for a week! Makes: 16 to 20 servings For the Ham ¼ cup packed brown sugar ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon ¾ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon ground allspice 1 boneless Black Forest ham, 8 to 10 pounds 2 to 3 tablespoons yellow mustard 1 cup sweet tea, for spritzing For the Glaze ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup sweet tea ½ cup honey 1 tablespoon corn starch

94

1 tablespoon cold water 1. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. One fuse burn should probably last the duration of this cook. Fill the water pan. Begin preheating wood splits; hickory, cherry, or apple are fitting. 2. Season the ham. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, and allspice in a small bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this seasoning for the glaze. Slather mustard all over the ham. Don’t worry, this is just a binder, and no one will know it was there. Season the ham all over with the seasoning mix. 3. Smoke the ham. Add a split of smoke wood to the fire 15 minutes before adding the ham. Place the ham on a rack over a half-sized steam pan (optional, but it saves a mess) and place in the center of the smoker. Spritz with the tea at the beginning and again after 1 hour. Cook for a total of 15 minutes per pound, 2 to 2½ hours. 4. Make the glaze. Place the brown sugar, sweet tea, honey, and the 2 tablespoons reserved seasoning in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Make a slurry by whisking the cold water and corn starch together in a small bowl. Whisk the slurry into the sauce and simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. 5. Glaze the ham. Thirty minutes before the end of the cook time (1½ to 2 hours, depending on the size), use a silicone brush to glaze the ham. Do a second coat 15 minutes later. 6. Slice and serve. Slice the ham. Feel free to drizzle any leftover glaze over the slices.

Notes/Substitutions You can use the same glaze and rub with spiral-sliced hams. Just follow the ham packer’s instructions for time and temperature.

95

Chapter 5

Maintaining a Humid Cooking Environment A humid smoker is a happy smoker. I figured that much out long before I understood the “why” behind it.

Why Humidity Is Important in a Smoker A moist cooking environment does three things: • Keeps the meat from drying out. The humidity slows the evaporation of the moisture in the meat. • Speeds up your cooking time. Two factors are going on here. 1) Less evaporative cooling — When Meathead Goldwyn presented his explanation for the dreaded “stall” in barbecue, the culprit was the cooling effect of moisture evaporating off the meat. Since humidity is reducing the evaporation, there is less cooling effect and the meat cooks faster. 2) Water is a better heat conductor — Why can you stick your arm in a 210°F oven and it just feels warm but sticking your finger in 210°F water will burn you? Air does a poor job of transferring heat, but water in the form of humidity makes it much more effective. • Causes a more effective transfer of smoke. The vapors from smoke bind more easily to a wet surface. The moisture helps nitrogen compounds in the smoke go through a few changes and become nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is what will penetrate the meat, bond with the protein myoglobin, and create that classic smoke ring.

Moisture and Humidity in an Offset Smoker Offset smokers have more air flowing through them than high-efficiency cookers like drums, kamados, and cabinet-style smokers. On the one hand, that’s good because that allows healthier doses of smoke. But at the same time, that airflow is also carrying humidity out with it. Fortunately, there are several ways to offset (dad joke, sorry) this potential drying effect. These techniques involve adding moisture to the air, in the meat, and on the meat.

Add Moisture to the Air Using a water pan should be a default setting for an entry-level or backyard offset smoker. As its name implies, this is simply a pan of water or other liquid that rests in the cooking chamber near the firebox opening. The liquid heats up and the resulting steam boosts the humidity in the chamber.

96

Types of Water Pans A water pan can be just about any pan that fits and holds water. The larger the pan, the longer it will take to heat up, but you will fill it up less often. Pans with thicker walls, such as ceramic and stoneware, can also act as thermal mass for helping to balance temperature swings. Examples of things I have used or have seen used include: • Casserole dishes • Custom-made metal pans • Hotel pans (large rectangular trays you see at steam tables) • Loaf pans • Steam pans • Stoneware

Filling a steam pan on an Oklahoma Joe’s Smokers Longhorn Reverse Flow.

Water Pan Placement Place the water pan in the cooking chamber next to the firebox opening. Arrange the pan so that it’s not impeding the air flowing into the cooking chamber. The pan rests on charcoal grates and below the cooking grates. Avoid placing food directly above the steam pan because that can steam your food instead of smoking it. When I have an offset smoker that is fully loaded with meats, I will use a narrow water pan to take up less space, such as a loaf pan or a third pan (a hotel or steam pan that is one-third the size of a fullsized hotel pan).

Flavored Liquids Some folks swear by putting more exciting liquids in their water pan, like beer, apple juice, or wine. Regardless of what you put in the pan, only water vapor is coming out. The flavor stays in the pan as a reduced liquid. Therefore, my take on using alternate liquids is that I don’t think that it does anything extra. It’s just a waste of good beverages. On the other hand, I don’t think it hurts anything either, so if it is what you like to do, knock yourself out.

Enhance Moisture in the Meat Enhancing the moisture in meat is an insurance policy against too much moisture evaporation.

97

Marinades — Soaking meat in an oil- and acid-based marinade is a surefire way to add flavor to the surface of the meat, but marinades are like beauty, just skin deep. Brines — Salty solutions and dry brines do more than get the meat wet. They physically alter the meat, making it more receptive to holding liquid. • Wet brining involves soaking meat for long periods in a salt solution, usually about 30 grams of salt per quart of water. Using a wet brine is effective but takes up a lot of refrigerator space and can dilute the meat’s flavor. • Dry brining is coating meat with a salt-based seasoning and letting it rest. At first, the salt draws out the moisture in the meat, but once the moisture interacts with the salt, it penetrates back into the meat, taking flavor with it. Kenji López-Alt points out that while dry brining retains slightly less precooked weight compared to wet brines, it uses the meat’s own juices, which retains more flavor. Injections — Injecting flavored solutions directly into meat with a syringe is a quick way to add moisture and flavor to barbecue meats. • At home, injections should enhance flavor, not mask it. So, I like simple injections used in moderation. My NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection (page 225) is a good example — stock and salt for moisture retention, butter to provide fat, and honey to complement the natural sweetness of poultry. • Competition barbecue is an entirely different matter, where cooks are pushing the envelope with hightech injection solutions containing phosphates. But that is an extreme scenario where we’re chasing “one-bite barbecue” to impress a judge who’s tasting 24 samples in two hours.

Add Moisture on the Meat Adding moisture on the meat is where the rubber meets the road. Moisture on the surface of meat makes the smoking process more efficient.

Mopping — This technique is dabbing a flavorful solution onto barbecue meats with a small cotton or silicone mop. The advantages of this method are that your mop sauce can be highly seasoned and loaded with ingredients. On the flip side, physically touching the meat’s surface can knock off your rub and impact the development of your crust or bark.

98

Spritzing — This method adds moisture and flavor to meat surfaces by spraying or misting flavored liquids in a squirt bottle or pressure sprayer. Spritzing is quicker than mopping and doesn’t disturb the rub. However, since the liquid must pass through the squirt bottle’s mechanism, the liquid must be relatively thin, limiting the type of ingredients the liquid can have. • Initial spritz — Spritz the meat when you first put it on. Give it several sprays until the entire surface is moist. A hearty spritz helps the smoke start working right away. • Spritzing during the cook — In general, spritz about once an hour. Doing it too often slows down the cooking. • Garnish spritz — Barbecue starts to dry out as soon as it is cut up and the air gets to it. Do what barbecue competitors do and give it one last light spritz before presenting it to your “judges.” It will make it glisten and freshen up the flavors. These two techniques can be counter­productive to the cooking process. First, the longer you have the cooking chamber open to mop or spritz, the more humidity and heat you lose. Second, both methods have a cooling effect on the meat and can slow down cooking times. Be quick and purposeful when working inside the cooking chamber. Coordinate tasks inside the chamber (visual checks, spritzing, etc.) to do them at the same time. If a task is going to take more than two or three seconds, it is often better to pull the food out, shut the door while you do the work, and then return the food to the smoker. Let’s try out these techniques on some food!

99

Applewood-Smoked Turkey Breast It’s a shame that turkey is just a holiday meal for most people. Turkey is high in protein and low in fat, making it ideal for many of today’s popular diets. Because it is lean and mild in flavor, turkey greatly benefits from a moist cooking environment. This recipe uses a water pan and spritzing to maintain humidity in the cooker, and a salty-sweet butter injection keeps the meat juicy. Makes: 6 to 8 servings 1 bone-in turkey breast, 6 to 7 pounds ½ cup NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection (page 225) 2 tablespoons high-temperature cooking oil, such as peanut, canola, or avocado 2 to 3 tablespoons NMT Ba’Cock! All-Purpose Poultry Seasoning (page 212) ½ cup apple juice, for spritzing 1. Preheat the smoker to 325°F at the grate level. Place a water pan near the firebox opening but not blocking the airflow. Add two applewood chunks 5 to 10 minutes before you put the turkey breast into the smoker. Then add preheated wood as needed to maintain the temperature. 2. Prepare the turkey breast. Remove any pieces or packets from the cavity. Rinse it inside and out, then pat the turkey dry. 3. Inject the turkey breast. Whisk the NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection and put the solution into a meat syringe. Imagine a 1-inch grid pattern on the front of the breast, opposite the backbone. Inject a small amount of NMT Bird Shot, 5 to 10 mL, at each grid point.

100

4. Season the turkey breast. Wipe the turkey breast dry. Lightly apply the oil all over the outside skin. Work a finger or two under the turkey skin near the top of the breast. Form a pocket on each side by separating the skin from the meat. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the NMT Ba’Cock! All-Purpose Poultry Seasoning down into each pocket and spread evenly. Sprinkle the rest of the seasoning all over the turkey breast. 5. Smoke the turkey breast. Place the turkey in the middle of the smoker so that the slanted side is facing toward the firebox end. Spritz it with apple juice. Insert a remote probe thermometer so that the tip of the probe is in the center of the thickest part of the breast. Close the lid and cook until the turkey breast turns golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 160°F, about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Spritz as needed every hour.

Notice the water pan between the breast and firebox; it is also acting as a shield from direct heat this way. 6. Rest the turkey breast. Let the bird sit for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Notes/Substitutions I prefer a light smoke and crisp skin on my turkey breast, so this recipe cooks at a high temperature with a small amount of wood. If you like a heavier smoke, cook at a lower temperature (250° to 275°F) for longer (2½ to 3 hours) and use more wood. Just keep an eye on your exhaust stack to make sure the smoke is clean and moving.

101

Cheddar Chipotle Meatloaf Meatloaf is the perfect comfort food. Whether it’s stacked on mashed potatoes and covered with onion straws or topped with cheese on a sourdough roll, meatloaf is like a hug from Grandma. Keeping moist cooking conditions in your offset smoker is especially important when cooking ground meats in the pit. Ground meat lets its water evaporate easily, but highly humid air will lessen that. Let the water in your pan get hot and steamy before putting the meatloaf in the smoker. Using a pot of simmering water to fill the water pan will cut that wait time to zilch. Ground meat is also a pushover for smoke, so be judicious with the amount and type of smoke. For my tastes, plain lump charcoal does the trick with this recipe. If you’re adding wood, be sure to have it preheated. For the barbecue sauce in the glaze, I used Big Moe Cason’s I-20 Sauce. Makes: 8 servings 3 pounds ground brisket blend (page 162) or ground chuck 1 pound ground pork belly ¾ cup bread crumbs 1 fire-roasted red bell pepper, chopped 1 cup chopped onion, sautéed until tender 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese 1½ tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

102

1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried parsley 2 eggs 1 tablespoon chipotle purée or 1 canned chipotle, seeded and minced For the Glaze 1 cup sweet barbecue sauce 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon chipotle purée 1. Preheat the smoker to 325°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan with steaming water. If you have difficulty hitting 325°F with the air intake vent fully open, crack the firebox door open a bit. 2. Prepare the meatloaf. Put the brisket, pork belly, bread crumbs, bell pepper, sautéed onion, cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, and parsley in a large bowl. Beat the eggs together with the chipotle purée. Pour into the bowl with the meat mixture and mix well. Rinse your hands with cold water before mixing and handle only long enough to get the ingredients combined. If you overwork the meat mixture it will become dense. Press this mix into a 9 x 5½-inch loaf pan. 3. Smoke the meatloaf. Place meatloaf in the smoker and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 4. Make the glaze. Whisk together the barbecue sauce, honey, and chipotle purée in a small bowl. Carefully drain off the liquid in the loaf pan. Invert the meatloaf onto a quarter-sized rack over a sheet pan. Carefully lift off the loaf pan, leaving the shapely loaf. Brush the glaze on the top and sides. 5. Finish the meatloaf. Place the meatloaf, rack, and sheet pan back on the smoker. Cook until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 160°F, about another 40 minutes. 6. Slice and serve.

Notes/Substitutions Ground pork belly — You can substitute plain ground pork or mild breakfast sausage. Chipotle purée — I make my own with a can of chipotles in adobo sauce. Just remove the stems and seeds and then process it in a small blender. Store this in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks and use it with eggs, sauces, soups, and spreads. You can substitute a whole chipotle, seeded and finely minced, for a tablespoon of purée.

103

Pineapple Habanero Baby Back Ribs These ribs make me think of summer. The sweet pineapple, tender pork rib, and spicy chiles give these a tropical luau vibe that makes me feel like my feet are on a sandy beach. Technically, these are loin back ribs, or pork cut 422, according to the USDA’s Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications. Traditionally, “baby back” rib was just a marketing term for a small loin back rib under 2 pounds. Thanks to a certain advertising jingle, these days markets often label any loin back rib as “baby back” regardless of their size. The USDA has three categories ranging from 1½ pounds at the low end and up to anything over 2¼ pounds. The rack pictured weighed in at 3 pounds, a 100 percent difference from the low end! The takeaway? Pay attention to the weight of your “baby back” ribs and adjust your cooking times accordingly. Pork loin ribs come from the rib section, higher up on the hog than where pork chops come. They are leaner and thicker meat than spareribs. Because they’re leaner, we give these babies a dry brine to help them retain moisture and then use pineapple juice for spritzing. Anytime you put fruit juices in a squirt bottle, pour it through a fine mesh sieve first to remove pulp that would jam the sprayer. Makes: 2 to 4 servings per rack, depending on appetite 2 pork loin back ribs, membranes removed 2 tablespoons peanut oil or other high-temperature cooking oil 2 tablespoons Wassi’s Vintage Sunshine Rub and Seasoning 1½ cups strained pineapple juice, for spritzing Parkay Squeeze Margarine 1 cup NMT Pineapple Habanero Sauce (page 218)

104

fine salt, for seasoning 1. Dry-brine the ribs. Lightly coat each rib with 1 tablespoon oil. Season on top and bottom with the Wassi’s Vintage Sunshine Rub and Seasoning. Place on a rack over a half sheet pan, lightly cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours. 2. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill your water pan. I like a light smoke for this recipe and use plain lump charcoal. If you want to add smoke wood, I would suggest something fruity and mild like orange wood. 3. Cook the ribs. Remove the plastic wrap from the ribs and give them a good spritzing with strained pineapple juice. Place in the smoker with the meat-sides of the ribs facing up and cook for 2 hours. 4. Press between the bones. Take the ribs off the smoker. Use gloved hands or a dull knife to lightly press inward on the meat between each set of bones (see page 76). Don’t push hard enough to break the meat, just enough to encourage the meat to start letting go of the bone. It won’t seem like this accomplishes much, but it will. 5. Braise the ribs. Squeeze a line of Parkay, about the length of the ribs, down the center of an 18 x 24inch piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Heavily spritz one rack of ribs with pineapple juice and place meatside down on top of the margarine. Squeeze another line down the back side of the rib and spritz again. Fold the edges of the foil inwards and tightly seal the foil packet. Repeat for the other rib. Place back in the smoker for 90 minutes. 6. Finish cooking the ribs. Carefully remove the ribs from the foil packets. The ribs should be pliable but not falling apart. Place them back in the smoker, meat-side up, for 15 minutes — no spritzing. 7. Glaze the ribs. Heat the NMT Pineapple Habanero Sauce over medium-low heat until warm, about 5 minutes. Brush the sauce onto both sides of the racks of ribs. Cook until the sauce is set and the ribs are tender, about 15 more minutes.

8. Slice and serve. Slice the ribs between the bones into either 3- or 4-bone sections, or individual ribs. Taste a rib for seasoning and add fine salt if desired. Give the ribs one last spritz of pineapple juice, grab a cold adult beverage with an umbrella in it, and enjoy a tropical getaway.

105

Notes/Substitutions Wassi’s Vintage Sunshine Rub and Seasoning  — You can substitute Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head Sweet Tropical Rub or another tropical-type seasoning. Work quickly and purposefully on Steps 4 and 5. Have everything ready before you start and minimize the time the ribs are out of the smoker. Fall off the bone — For barbecue judges, the proper doneness for a pork rib is that you should be able to bite into the rib and cleanly pull off only that one bite, exposing a clean bone in its wake. “Fall off the bone” ribs in competition are considered overcooked and receive a poor score. If you’d prefer for your ribs to fall off the bone, leave them in the foil packet another 15 minutes.

106

Beef Back Ribs with Chimichurri Argentinians love and know their beef. I can’t think of a better pairing for beef back ribs than the robustly flavored condiment chimichurri. Beef back ribs are the same bone that you see in bone-in rib eye steak. Beef back ribs are the result of cutting the rib bones off to make boneless rib eye steaks, the way they are most commonly sold. The butchers want to sell as much of this profitable meat with the steak that they can. Therefore, the ribs are usually scrappy little guys, especially when compared to big beef short ribs (see Beef Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Chips, page 63). In the meat case, the beef back ribs look big and meaty, like they would feed an army. After cooking, however, there won’t be a lot of meat on the bone. Plan on two or three ribs per person. Makes: 4 servings 2 racks beef back ribs, 3½ to 5½ pounds 2 tablespoons peanut oil or other high-temperature cooking oil 4 tablespoons NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) 1 cup beef stock, for spritzing For the Chimichurri 1 cup packed parsley leaves 1 cup packed cilantro leaves 12 cloves garlic, minced 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

107

2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 to 2½ teaspoons kosher salt 1. Dry-brine the beef ribs. Remove the membranes on the back of the ribs (see Notes/Substitutions). Lightly rub oil on the ribs. Season on both sides with the NMT Beef Rub v.2. Place on a rack over a half sheet pan, lightly cover with plastic wrap or place in a food-safe bag, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. 2. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Preheat oak splits for smoking wood. 3. Smoke the beef ribs. Place preheated oak splits in the firebox 15 minutes before putting the ribs in the smoker. Remove the wrapping from the ribs. Freshen up the ribs with a light sprinkle of some more NMT Beef Rub v.2 if desired. Give the ribs 2 or 3 spritzes of beef stock and place them, still on the pan, in the smoker. Add smoking wood as need and spritz every hour. Cook until the ribs are dark, the rib bones are sticking out an inch or two, and the ribs are easily flexible when handled, 3 to 3½ hours. Remove when done.

4. Make the chimichurri. It is easier to make the chimichurri in the food processor, but don’t. It tastes and looks better done by hand. Very finely chop the parsley and cilantro and place in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, vinegar, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Slowly pour in the oil while whisking until combined. Add salt to taste. If you have never had chimichurri, it will taste very strong on its own, but it transforms on the beef. 5. Slice the ribs. Use a large butcher’s knife to slice between the rib bones. Depending on how much of the chine bone was removed or left by the butcher, it may be difficult to cut through at the end. Cut as far as you can and then use the two bones to split that joint apart to separate the ribs. 6. Serve the ribs drizzled with some of the chimichurri.

Notes/Substitutions To remove the beef rib membrane, place the rack of ribs meat-side down. Use a dull knife to lift the corner of the white, tough membrane on the back of the ribs. Use a paper towel to grab that corner and hold the ribs down with your other hand. Firmly pull upward, peeling the membrane as you lift.

108

109

Smoked Whole Pork Shoulder with Golden Mustard Sauce The first real barbecue that I ever ate, the barbecue that started my obsession with smoked meats, was smoked whole pork shoulder. I specify whole because many folks think of a pork butt as a shoulder. A whole pork shoulder comprises two sections: the pork butt and the pork picnic shoulder. For this cook, I brought out The Warthog, he first big offset smoker that I ever bought. I call it that in part because it resembles an A-10 Warthog ground attack aircraft with its slanted nose and twin smokestacks. But mainly it’s The Warthog because it is mean and cantankerous like the wild pig. It’s drafty, has no shortage of hot spots, and fights me every step of the way — and I still love cooking on this beast. Makes: 6 pounds pulled pork 1 whole pork shoulder, 14 to 16 pounds (not just a pork butt) 1½ cups NMT Pig Poke Pork Injection (page 226) 3 to 4 tablespoons high-temperature cooking oil, such as peanut, canola, or avocado ½ cup NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213), plus more to taste 2 cups apple juice, for spritzing hamburger buns, for serving 1 recipe NMT Golden Mustard BBQ Sauce (page 220)

110

1. Trim the pork shoulder. There is a section of skin around the picnic end of the shoulder that can either stay on or come off. I leave it on if I’m making the Puerto Rican dish pork pernil, which features crispy skin. But for barbecue I prefer to maximize the amount of bark, so I trim it off.

2. Inject and season the pork shoulder. Use a meat syringe to inject the NMT Pig Poke Pork Injection every few inches across the entire shoulder. Wipe off the excess injection and apply a light coat of the oil all over the shoulder. Season with the NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub. Place in an 18 x 24-inch food-safe bag, or loosely wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours. 3. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Start preheating wood. I used an all-wood fire of hickory and apple logs. It is a long cook, so feel free to use briquettes for their long burn times and add hickory and applewood for smoke. 4. Smoke the pork shoulder. Remove the shoulder from the food bag or wrap and place it on a rack over a half sheet pan. Spritz with apple juice and place it in the smoker. Plan on about 1 hour per pound for the cooking time, 14 to 16 hours total. Spritz the shoulder about every hour and add water to the water pan as needed. 5. Wrap the pork shoulder. Wrapping is optional, and I did not wrap it for the pork pictured here. It is a judgment call based on the color of the shoulder. If you like a golden-red or mahogany crust, wrap the shoulder in foil when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F and has the color that you like. If you like a dark bark, aka “black gold,” cook it until you get the color that you want. 6. Preheat a hot box or cooler for the rest period. When the pork is near done, preheat a hot box (aka Cambro) by pouring a pot of boiling water in a hotel pan in the lower position. Latch the door until ready to add the pork. If using a cooler, it needs to be large enough to fit the pork shoulder but not much bigger than that. Your goal is to have the least amount of air possible. Pour a pan of boiling water into the cooler and tightly shut the lid.

111

7. Check for doneness. Whole shoulders tend to be done at a slightly lower internal temperature than pork butts. Look for these three elements: The internal temperature is between 195° to 199°F; the blade bone sticking out of the square pork butt end of the shoulder is loose and wiggles; the meat is tender and provides little resistance when sticking in a skewer or thermometer probe.

8. Rest the pork. Wrap the pork shoulder in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place in a hotel pan in the hot box shut the door. If using the cooler, empty the water and quickly wipe the interior dry. Place the shoulder in the cooler, cover it with a beach towel, and shut the lid. Let the shoulder rest for a minimum of 1 hour but up to 4 hours. 9. Pull the pork. Remove the shoulder from the hot box or cooler. I like to use my hands to pull pork because you get a feel for the meat, but it will still be very hot to touch. I wear inexpensive cotton gloves covered by a pair of nitrile food gloves. This provides heat protection but still gives you the dexterity to feel. Pull the pork into chunks, removing any stiff bark or any bits of connective tissue. 10. Season and serve. Taste the pork and season lightly with additional NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub, if desired. Serve on hamburger buns topped with NMT Golden Mustard Sauce.

Notes/Substitutions NMT Golden Mustard BBQ Sauce — If you don’t like mustard, I get it. Feel free to use either State of Franklin BBQ Sauce (page 221) or NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce (page 217) instead.

112

Chipotle Chicken Salad Sliders Boneless, skinless chicken breast is notoriously easy to dry out. But split chicken breasts, which have the skin and bones still on, can turn out wonderfully juicy in an offset smoker. When these breasts are on sale, I will smoke a batch for the sole purpose of making chicken salad. The spritz for these chicken breasts is a little unusual, but I learned this trick from the competition barbecue circuit. We use the spray I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. The skin doesn’t cover the entire breast, and I think the spray “butter” helps keep any of the exposed chicken breasts from drying out in the smoke. Makes: 12 sliders ¼ cup NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) 1 to 1½ teaspoons ground chipotle 4 pounds split chicken breasts, skin on, bone in I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray, for spritzing 1 cup mayonnaise ½ cup finely chopped celery ½ cup coarsely chopped sweet onion ¼ cup finely chopped green onion 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 24 spicy pickle chips, for serving 1 head green leaf lettuce, for serving

113

12 slider buns, for serving 1. Make the seasoning mix. Mix the NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub with the ground chipotle in a small bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon for the chicken salad. 2. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. The chicken doesn’t need much smoke, and just charcoal is fine. If you want to smoke, pecan would be a good choice. 3. Season the chicken. Lightly spritz the chicken with the “butter” and then season the chicken with the seasoning mix. The chicken skin will probably be loose so lift it while seasoning to get the prepared rub under the skin as much as possible. Then stretch the skin back out to cover as much of the meat as you can. Sprinkle any remaining seasoning (not the reserved tablespoon) on the tops and bottoms of the chicken breasts. 4. Smoke the chicken. Place the chicken on the smoker. Spritz at 1 hour into the cook. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, about 2 hours total. 5. Rest the chicken. Let the chicken cool for 30 minutes. 6. Shred the chicken. Remove the skin and discard it. Peel the meat from the rib bones and break it into 1-inch chunks. 7. Make the chicken salad. Place 3 cups of the chunked chicken in a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, reserved 1 tablespoon rub mixture, celery, and onion. Pulse to the desired consistency. Add the green onion and pulse 2 or 3 times. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste. 8. Make the sliders. Build sliders with green leaf lettuce, ¼ cup of chicken salad, and two spicy pickles each.

Notes/Substitutions Ground chipotle  — You can substitute cayenne pepper.

114

Bourbon Maple Canadian Bacon Canadian bacon is easy and inexpensive to make at home, so I make a batch about twice a year. This bacon is more like a pork loin ham, but if it tastes this good, you can call it whatever you like. This recipe does make a lot of bacon, but it freezes well and thaws in a jiffy. You’ll need a cold-smoking tube, maze, or generator. Makes: 8 pounds bacon For the Brine 12 cups water 1¼ cups kosher salt 1 cup packed brown sugar ½ cup bourbon maple syrup 1 tablespoon black pepper 16 grams pink curing salt (Prague powder #1) For the Pork 1 boneless pork loin, about 8 pounds, trimmed of exterior fat and silverskin 1 tablespoon peanut oil 3 tablespoons NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) 1. Make the brine. Place brine ingredients in a large stockpot, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the brine is 40°F.

115

2. Brine the pork loin. You can cut the pork loin in half crossways to make brining easier. Place the pork in a large nonreactive container, preferably with a lid. Pour the brine over the pork loin. Weigh the pork down with a plate if necessary to keep it submerged. Refrigerate for 7 days, flipping the loin over each day. 3. Remove and rinse. On the seventh day, remove the pork loin and rinse off the brine. Even if you aren’t ready to smoke it yet, you need to stop the curing process at this point. 4. Season the cured pork loin. Pat the loin dry, lightly coat with oil, and season with the NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub. 5. Cold-smoke the pork loin. On a cool or cold day, place the pork loin into the smoker cooking chamber. Fill a smoke tube with applewood pellets or chips. Light the open end and place it on the cooking grates near the pork loin. Let it burn for 1 minute to make sure it is started before shutting the cooking chamber door. Allow to cold-smoke for 3 to 4 hours. 6. Remove pork loin and preheat the smoker to 250°F at the grate level. Remove the smoke tube. Fill up the water pan. I used briquettes with embedded applewood for fuel and smoke. 7. Smoke the pork loin. Place the pork loin back into the smoker. Insert a temperature probe in the center of the pork loin and smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F, about 2 to 2½ hours. Remove from the smoker. 8. Age the bacon. Allow the pork loin to cool in the refrigerator for a few hours. Then vacuum-seal it and refrigerate for 1 week to let the smoke balance out. 9. Slice the bacon. Thinly slice the bacon by hand or with radial meat slicer. Layer and vacuum-seal in bags for freezing.

Notes/Substitutions Recipe scaling — If your pork loin is bigger or smaller than 8 pounds, be very careful in altering the proportions of this recipe. Use Professor Blonder’s Wet Curing Calculator on AmazingRibs.com to recalculate the amount of pink salt and time needed to cure the bacon safely. I use the calculator’s 150 to 200 ppm settings. Calculate your salt using grams instead of measuring spoons, if possible. Different brands of curing salt have different densities, so a teaspoon of Brand A isn’t necessarily equal to a teaspoon of Brand B, but 10 grams is 10 grams. Cold smoking — Cold smoking is easiest to do on days when the ambient temperature is 40°F or below. Smoke adheres better to cold meat but this is more about food safety. You shouldn’t leave meat sitting in the “food danger zone” (between 40°F and 140°F) for more than 2 hours. If the ambient temperature is above 40°F, you can place the meat on a rack over a steam pan full of ice to keep it cool.

116

Chapter 6

Smoke-Braising Braising and barbecue are similar cooking methods. Both are ways of taking tough cuts of meat, laden with connective tissue, and transforming them into something delectable by converting collagen into gelatin. Braising is a two-stage cooking method that combines dry and wet heat. Stage 1 is browning the meat, usually by searing, to begin creating color and flavor. Stage 2 involves slow-cooking the meat, partially submerged in liquid, in an enclosed container of some type. Aromatics such as onions, shallot, garlic, and herbs are often added as well. In smoke-braising, we use smoking for the first stage.

Why Braise? So if the two methods are similar, why bother adding braising to the barbecue process at all? Braising offers several advantages. • Braising speeds up the cooking process. Air is an inefficient conductor of heat and energy. Liquids are more effective at transferring the heat into the food. • Braising stops evaporative cooking. We know that moisture evaporating from food slows down the cooking process. In barbecue we see that in “the stall.” The sealed container stops the evaporation, which also accelerates the cooking. • Braising offers the chance to create additional layers of flavors. Using flavored liquids and aromatics gives us another opportunity to create and overlap tastes. You can also use the liquids to create rich sauces because of the gelatin captured in the cooking process.

Braising Essentials It’s a rather simple process. First, smoke the meat until it has the desired color. Then braising in barbecue can be as simple as wrapping the meat in foil and adding some liquid and aromatics. • What kind of liquid? Braising liquid can be about anything, like water, beer, stock, wine, broth, or fruit juices. Often in barbecue, we add fat to the liquid in the form of butter or butter substitutes. Using stock is a safe default choice.

117

• How much liquid? The general rule is that you should use only enough liquid to come about halfway to two-thirds up the side of the meat. Don’t cover the meat; this isn’t poaching. So the answer depends on the size of the cooking vessel.

• What kind of aromatics? Garlic, onion, shallot, and herbs are classics. In barbecue we also use things like chiles, more barbecue rub, dried minced onion, and tomatoes. • What containers work well? The criteria for a braising vessel are that it should be a snug fit for the meat and able to be tightly sealed to keep the steam inside. A snug fit ensures that you don’t have to use a lot of braising liquid. Aluminum foil is a type of container itself. Foil steam pans are commonly used, and the resealable lids are convenient. Casserole dishes, stoneware, and metal hotel pans work well too. If you’re going to put glass or ceramic in the smoker, spritz it with spray oil first — it will make the cleanup much easier! Tip: Use warm liquid to avoid delays. Your cook will go faster if you start with a warm braising liquid instead of waiting for the smoker to heat it. One potential downside to braising is that it can make the bark on the meat soggy. Make sure that your crust is fully developed before starting the braise portion; this is important since braising stops crust development. Remove the meat from the liquid and put it back into the smoker for 15 to 30 minutes after braising to crisp up the bark. Because braising is happening in a closed container, you don’t have to add smoke wood during that portion of the cook. The closed environment also lets you take advantage of your smoker’s hot spot to speed up the cooking process further.

118

Fire-Roasted Green Chile Beef Enchiladas Chuck roasts are the quintessential meat for barbecue and braising — a tough cut, loaded with connective tissue and full of flavor. When chuck roasts go on sale, I load up on them because they taste great and freeze well. For this cook, we take advantage of the hot spot in the offset smoker to roast the beef. The chuck roast can handle the heat, and slow-roasting a chuck roast would take hours longer. Makes: 5 servings For the Green Chile Chuck Roast 1 chuck roast, about 3½ pounds 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other high-temperature cooking oil 2 tablespoons NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning (page 211) For the Braising Liquid 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes ½ cup beef stock 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped ½ jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped ½ cup chopped onion ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

119

For the Enchiladas 3 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese, divided 10 (4-inch) white corn tortillas 1½ cups beef stock 3 cups prepared green chile chuck roast 3 green onions, chopped 1. Dry-brine the chuck roast. Pat the roast dry and then lightly apply the oil all over it. Season the roast with the NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning. Place the roast in a food-safe bag or loosely wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. 2. Preheat the smoker to 300°F at the grate level. I used an all-oak wood fire for this cook. Normally I only use mesquite for open-pit grilling, but this is a short cook. You can use a charcoal base with mesquite wood for smoke. Fill the water pan. Start preheating the wood. 3. Smoke the chuck roast. Start adding smoking wood 10 to 15 minutes before adding the meat. Place the chuck roast in one of the smoker’s hot spots, typically near the firebox opening. Smoke the roast for 1 hour. Flip the roast and smoke for 1 hour more. 4. Braise the chuck roast. Remove the chuck roast and place it in a half-sized steam pan (with no rack). Add the tomatoes, beef stock, garlic, jalapeno, and onions to the pan around the roast. Insert a remote thermometer probe into the roast and then tightly seal the steam pan with a fitted lid or aluminum foil. Place the roast back into the smoker and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 200°F and it is fork tender, about 1 hour more.

The liquid should come halfway to two-thirds up the sides of the chuck roast. 5. Shred the beef. Carefully open the steam pan. Remove the roast and reserve the pan’s contents. Use a pair of large forks to shred the beef chuck, discarding any unrendered fat and connective tissue. 6. Make the enchilada sauce. Pour the contents from the steam pan into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.

120

7. Make the enchiladas. Mix 2 cups of the cooked chuck roast with 1 cup of the Colby Jack cheese. Spread 1 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a greased casserole pan. Heat the beef stock in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Dip a tortilla in the stock long enough to become tender, about 5 seconds. Lay the tortilla flat and top with ¼ cup of the beef and cheese mixture. Roll the tortilla and place it seam-side down in the casserole pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Drizzle the stock remaining in the skillet (about ½ cup) over the enchiladas. Pour 1 cup of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and top with 1 cup of shredded cheese. 8. Fire-roast the enchiladas. Increase the smoker temperature to 350°F. This is hotter than some smokers like to burn, so you may have to crack open the firebox door a bit. Place the casserole in the smoker, uncovered, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. 9. Serve the enchiladas. Serve two enchiladas per plate, drizzle with enchilada sauce, and top with more shredded cheese and chopped green onions.

121

Competition-Style Chicken Thighs Competition teams usually use chicken thighs or legs for their chicken category turn-ins. Thighs are evenly shaped and withstand the heat better than chicken breasts. Cooking competition-style chicken is a bit of a process. Our team uses a higher cooking temperature because the judges are looking for “bite through” skin. No one likes rubbery chicken skin, so the judges expect to be able to take a clean bite of chicken without the skin stretching or completely pulling off of the chicken. For that reason, we scrape the fat from the back of the chicken skin and then put the skin back on the thighs. To be honest, this is a gross task, and no one on any barbecue team ever wants to do it. The results however, are undeniable. Most competition teams braise their chicken in butter and butter substitutes to keep it from drying out. I have found that the NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection, with its buttery, salty, and sweet flavors, is an excellent braising liquid. Makes: 12 thighs 12 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on, evenly sized 1½ tablespoons NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) 1½ tablespoons Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub 3 cups NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection (page 225), divided 2 cups NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce (page 217) ½ cup apple juice ½ tablespoon tamarind paste (optional)

122

1. Trim the chicken. Carefully remove the chicken skins and reserve. Use a sharp butcher’s knife to cut through and remove the protruding knuckle bone. Square off the thinner flaps of meat on the top edge. Remove any visible exterior fat, especially on the sides; there will normally be a patch of fat right where you would bite.

2. Scrape the skin. Use a sharp, flat-edged knife to scrape the fat from the backside of the chicken skins. It helps if they are cold so that the fat is firm. Carefully place each skin over a trimmed thigh and tuck the skin underneath the thigh.

3. Season the chicken. Season chicken on top and bottom with the NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub and then the Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub. 4. Inject the chicken. Use 1 cup of the NMT Bird Poultry Injection Shot to inject 15cc (1 tablespoon) into each side of each thigh with a meat syringe.

123

5. Preheat the smoker to 290° to 300°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Start preheating hickory and cherry wood splits. 6. Smoke the chicken. Add a split of hickory to the firebox 15 minutes before putting the chicken on the smoker. Alternate between hickory and cherry wood when replenishing smoke wood every 30 minutes. Place the chicken thighs, skin-side up, on a rack over a half sheet pan. Place this in the smoker and cook for 90 minutes. The chicken thighs should be 155° to 160°F after this part of the cook. Keep the sheet pan and rack to use later. 7. Braise the chicken. Place the chicken thighs into two half-sized steam pans, skin-side up. Pour 1 cup of the remaining NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection into each pan, taking care not to pour it directly onto the thighs but around them. Tightly cover with a lid or foil. Place back in the smoker until the thighs reach an internal temperature of 180°F. Expect this part of the cook to take 1 minute for every degree the temperature has to increase. For example, if the chicken is 160°F, then it should take about 20 minutes to reach 180°F. Remove from the heat. 8. Sauce the chicken. Mix the NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ sauce, apple juice, and tamarind paste in a small saucepan over medium heat until combined, about 10 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve. Dip each thigh into the sauce and set on the rack and sheet pan from Step 6.

9. Final smoke. Add a piece of cherry wood to the firebox. Place the thighs into the smoker for 10 minutes to set the sauce. Remove from the smoker and serve with traditional barbecue sides.

Notes/Substitutions Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub — You can substitute with NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) mixed with ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper.

124

Smoke-Braised Beef Shank Serving a whole beef shank makes a heck of an impression. Its sheer size and the way that the meat renders down the shank bone are jaw-dropping. An uncooked beef shank is brimming with tendons, connective tissues, and tough muscles. When you smoke and braise this cut, however, the collagen breaks down into gelatin. The meat of braised beef shank is delectable — richly beefy, lush, and tender. The rendered broth transforms sauces, stews, and soups. Unless you’re shopping at food service stores, you probably won’t see a whole beef shank in the meat case. But if you see the store selling sliced beef shank for the classic dish osso buco, ask the butcher for a whole, untrimmed beef shank. This recipe indicates to serve the meat with rice or mashed potatoes, but it’s also great on sliders, in barley soup, and in quesadillas. Makes: 6 to 8 servings 1 whole, untrimmed beef shank, 8 to 10 pounds 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other high-temperature cooking oil 4 cups beef stock, divided cooked rice or mashed potatoes, for serving For the Dry Rub 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1½ tablespoons black pepper 1 tablespoon chili powder

125

1½ teaspoons ancho chile powder 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar 1 teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1. Trim the beef shank. The shank is surrounded by a layer of fat and silverskin that needs to come off so that the flavors penetrate and the crust can develop. Pull on the fat cap and it will start to separate from the shank; peel it back. Use a sharp boning knife to remove the cap fully. Then work the knife under the silverskin to slice it off in strips.

2. Dry-brine the beef shank. Mix the rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the seasoning. Lightly rub the oil all over the beef shank and season it with the rub. Place in a food-safe bag or loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Begin preheating pecan or oak splits. Put a split on the fire 10 to 15 minutes before adding the beef shank.

126

4. Smoke the beef shank. Place the shank on a rack over a half sheet pan. Refresh the seasoning with the reserved rub. Place 1 cup of the beef stock in a spray bottle and spritz the shank 3 or 4 times before putting it in the smoker; spritz hourly after that. Refuel as needed and replenish the smoke wood every 30 to 45 minutes. Smoke until the exterior of the beef shank is dark and the internal temperature is about 160°F, about 6 hours.

Beef shank after 6 hours of smoking on a reverse flow offset smoker. 5. Braise the beef shank. Spray a casserole dish with spray oil for easy cleanup. Place the beef shank in the casserole dish and add the remaining 3 cups beef stock. Tightly cover with foil. Place the dish back into the smoker near the hot spot. Stop adding wood unless you are using it for fuel. Cook until the beef is probe-tender, about 2 hours. When the beef is done, inspect the bark. If desired, remove the shank from the pan and place it by itself back into the smoker to firm the crust. 6. Rest the beef shank for 30 minutes. 7. Shred the beef shank. Use a pair of large forks or your hands to break the tender beef into bite-size shreds. Remove any bits of remaining connective tissue. Place the meat back into the pan juices.

127

8. Serve the beef. Serve with the juices over rice or mashed potatoes.

Beef shank quesadillas

128

Pork Prime Rib with Cherry Bourbon Sauce This recipe isn’t technically a smoke-braise. It is more of a smoke “power baste” used to flavor and keep the pork prime rib mouthwateringly juicy. To get a pork prime rib, tell your butcher that you want a center-cut, bone-in pork loin roast with the chine bone and feather bones removed. You can leave the rib bones as they come, but I like to “French” them just for looks. To French a pork chop means to use a sharp knife to remove the meat from the tapered end of a bone-in pork chop, exposing the bone. When we cook briskets and pork butts, the window for getting smoke on the meat is hours long. We have hours to develop color and flavor. But for short-duration cooks like this, it’s important to hit the pork with smoke early and often. Stay on top of replenishing the smoke wood on these shorter cooks. Makes: 8 servings For the Basting Sauce ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup chopped pitted fresh cherries ¼ cup bourbon 1½ cups chicken stock 1 cup packed brown sugar salt

129

For the Seasoning 3 tablespoons NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground allspice For the Pork 1 bone-in pork loin roast, about 5 pounds, chine bone removed, bones Frenched 2 tablespoons peanut oil or other high-temperature cooking oil 1 green onion, green parts only, sliced, for garnish 1. Preheat the smoker to 290° to 300°F at the grate level. Preheat cherry wood splits. Add a cherry wood split on top of burning coals about 15 minutes before placing the roast in the smoker. 2. Make the basting sauce. Melt all but 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chopped cherries and bourbon and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken stock and brown sugar until combined. Pour into a half-size steam pan or medium casserole dish. 3. Season the pork roast. Mix the NMT southern Sweet BBQ Rub, cinnamon, and allspice in a small bowl. Pat the pork loin roast dry and apply the oil all over the roast. Season the roast all over. 4. Smoke the pork roast. Place the basting sauce directly above the hot spot by the firebox. Place the pork roast in the center of the smoker. Replenish smoke wood 15 minutes later. Cook until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 110°F, about 75 minutes. 5. Baste the pork roast. Move the roast into the basting pan. Spoon the basting juices over the roast every 15 minutes. Cook until the roast reaches an internal tempera­ture of 140°F, about another 45 minutes. Remove from the heat.

6. Finish the sauce while the pork rests. Pour the pan juices back into the small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt as desired. Remove from the heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon cold butter and swirl it into the sauce to combine. 7. Serve. There are two options: If you had the chine bone removed, you could slice between the bones. Otherwise, slice along the contour of the bones to remove the roast from the ribs and then slice the meat into half-inch slices. Drizzle with the cherry bourbon sauce.

130

Notes/Substitutions Pork loin roast — You could do this with a boneless pork loin roast, but expect the cooking times to be shorter.

131

Whole Smoked Brisket A masterfully smoked whole brisket from an offset smoker is a work of art. Really, it’s an art collection. The “black gold” bark, the deep red smoke ring, the deliciously smoky aroma, the way the slices relax when held, the peppery beefy taste, and the velvet mouthfeel are all exhibits at the brisket art museum. The “Texas crutch” technique is the most famous example of the smoke-braise technique. This age-old method involves smoking a brisket until it develops its bark and reaches a certain internal temperature, and then wrapping it in foil, often with liquids. This recipe uses a simple beef stock injection because I want the brisket to taste like brisket. The rub is mostly salt and pepper for the same reason. I cook brisket several different ways, but when someone wants me to teach them to make it, this is the one I start with because it is the easiest and produces the most consistent results for me. Makes: 10 to 12 servings 1 whole brisket, 15 to 18 pounds ¼ cup peanut oil ½ cup NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) 1½ cups low-sodium beef stock, divided For the Injection 2 cups low-sodium beef stock 1 teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon granulated garlic

132

¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, for thickening (optional) 1. Select the brisket. It all starts with a quality brisket. Be picky. I look for USDA prime or choice grade. I like Certified Angus Beef Brand because the USDA grading program uses an additional set of 10 quality criteria called a G-schedule, which is above and beyond the standard grading process. I look for briskets that have a thick, flexible flat (the meaty side that you can see) that is even in thickness at the end. On the other side, I expect the fat to be white, not yellowing, and the point to be smooth, full, and round. I avoid briskets that look pale or have a purple tint to them. 2. Wet age the brisket. Leave the brisket in the shrink-wrap packaging and refrigerate between 33° and 36°F for 30 days from the harvest date. 3. Make the injection. Bring the beef stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer until reduced in volume by half, about 20 minutes. Whisk in the salt, garlic, and xanthan gum, if using, and simmer for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and fully cool to 40°F. 4. Trim the brisket. First, trim any exterior fat from the top of the flat. It is easier to trim if you use a sharp boning knife and lift the brisket with your free hand so that it is bent upward. Next trim the hard, white fat between the point and flat so that it fits the contour of the brisket. Finally, lay the brisket fat-side up and trim this to an aerodynamic shape so the smoke will roll over the brisket. I don’t trim as aggressively at home as I do for competition brisket.

5. Inject the brisket. Use a meat syringe that either has a scale on the side or has a set dose per pull. Inject 10 to 15cc per injection site in a grid pattern about every inch. Inject the needle in the same direction as the grain. 6. Dry-brine the brisket. This lets the seasoning penetrate and helps retain moisture. Pat the brisket dry. Lightly apply oil all over the brisket. Heavily but evenly season the brisket all over. I usually season lightly in one direction and then again in the opposite direction to ensure an even application. Place the brisket on a rack over a half sheet pan. Loosely cover with an 18 x 24-inch food bag and refrigerate for 12 hours. 7. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill a large water pan. Begin preheating pecan or oak splits. Add splits 15 minutes before putting the brisket in the smoker.

133

8. Smoke the brisket. Remove the brisket from the bag and lightly re-season it with more rub. Have the brisket fat cap facing down on the rack. Spritz 3 or 4 times with beef stock. Place in the center of the smoker with the point oriented toward the hotter end. Insert a remote thermometer probe so the tip is in the center of the flat, where the flat overlaps the point. Spritz hourly. Replenish the smoke wood as soon as the last piece is dying, about every 30 minutes. Smoke until the brisket reaches an internal temperature above 160°F and has become dark all across the top.

9. Wrap the brisket. Cut heavy-duty aluminum foil into three 18 x 30-inch sheets. Stack two together and place the brisket in the center. Pour ½ cup of beef stock around the brisket. Place the third sheet of foil on top of the brisket. Grip the three sheets together on one side and crimp them together by rolling them tightly toward the brisket. Repeat on the other three edges until the brisket is sealed tightly inside. Place this foil packet back on the smoker, reinsert the thermometer probe through the foil, into the same place in the brisket, and continue cooking until the brisket is done. The brisket will be done when: (1) It is over 200°F, which is when I start checking doneness; it could end up going to 208°F before it is ready. (2) It feels like warm butter if you stick a skewer or thermometer probe in it. If you are unsure about it, then it probably needs a bit longer. (3) It feels loose and flexible when you hold it (recognizing this will come with experience). 10. Rest the brisket. Preheat a hot box or warm a cooler by pouring a large pot of boiling water in it and closing it for 15 minutes. Dump the water, wipe it dry, and lay a towel on the bottom. Place the brisket on the towel and wrap the towel edges over the brisket. Top that with another towel, shut the lid, and let the brisket rest for 1 to 2 hours. 11. Slice the brisket. Remove the brisket from the foil package. Use a sharp 12-inch knife and slice the flat against the grain, in pencil-thick widths. Stop when you get to where the flat almost ends and turn the point sideways. Slice into pencil-thick widths.

134

Country-Style Pork Ribs Country-style pork ribs aren’t ribs, but they are delicious. They’re pieces cut from where the pork shoulder and blade end of the loin come together, so they’re a lot like pork butt. They have a lot of connective tissue to be broken down, which makes them an ideal choice for smoke-braising. This recipe uses the braising liquid and rendered juices to create the glaze for the ribs. Makes: 6 to 8 servings 3 tablespoons yellow mustard 5 pounds country-style pork ribs ¼ cup NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) 1 cup apple juice, for spritzing ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce For the Braising Liquid ¾ cup packed brown sugar 1 cup tomato sauce 1 cup chicken stock

135

For the Sauce pan juices ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Start preheating hickory or apple splits. Add a split of wood 15 minutes before adding the pork. 2. Season the pork ribs. Slather the yellow mustard onto the ribs. Season with NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub. Place on a rack over a half sheet pan. 3. Smoke the pork ribs. Place the pan of ribs in the center of the smoker and spritz 2 or 3 times with apple juice. Spritz hourly. Replenish smoking wood every 30 minutes. Refuel as necessary. Cook until the pork ribs are colorful, starting to become tender, and reach an internal temperature of 170°F, about 3 to 3½ hours. 4. Braise the ribs. Place the ribs in a half-sized steam pan. Sprinkle them with the brown sugar. Mix the chicken stock and tomato sauce and pour over the ribs. Cover tightly with foil and return to the cooker for 1 hour. 5. Make the sauce. After an hour, remove the ribs and check them for doneness. They should be forktender and have an internal temperature above 195°F. If not, continue braising them. If they are done, strain the pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve and into a small saucepan. Cover the ribs and keep them in a warm hot box (aka Cambro) or a 170°F oven. Season the sauce with salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. 6. Sauce the ribs. Make sure you still have wood burning or add a split to the firebox. Brush the sauce onto the ribs and return them to the smoker. Smoke them until the sauce is set, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.

7. Serve with leftover sauce on the side.

136

Chapter 7

Reverse Searing Benefits of the Reverse Sear Reverse searing is a grilling technique that involves slow-roasting the meat first and then finishing with a high-temperature sear. It has become immensely popular in the past several years because it’s reliable and offers several benefits.

• Reverse searing provides even cooking. By slowing bringing up the temperature of the meat, reverse searing cooks the meat through at a more consistent temperature. It will deliver medium-rare (if that is your target doneness) from edge to edge. Hot and fast grilling cooks the outer sections faster than the center, so you end up with your outer edges cooked medium or medium-well while just the center is medium-rare. • Reverse searing makes it easier to hit your target internal temperature. Imagine you’re in a car driving and I ask you to stop in a 20-foot-long target. Would it be easier to do that if you’re driving 25 mph or 50 mph? Of course, it’s easier when you are moving slower because you have more time to judge and react. The slow-roast portion of the reverse sear is just like driving at 25 mph — you’re going to have more time to judge and react when it’s near the target temperature. Reverse searing is a more forgiving technique than direct grilling. • Reverse searing lets you cook and hold the protein. This is helpful in times when you aren’t exactly sure when dinner needs to be ready. For example, our team served the Reverse-Seared Beef Tenderloin Roast with Red Wine Stock Reduction (page 140) at the 2019 Chain of Lakes Eggfest in Winter Haven, Florida. We slow-roasted the meat in the morning before the gates opened at this food festival and kept it warm in a hot box above 140°F (like an oven on low). Then, when it was time to serve, we would sear the roast off just to set the color, and we could be serving the food within 5 minutes. You can do the same with unpredictable dinner times.

137

• Reverse searing allows tenderizing enzymes to work more efficiently. Two of the enzymes that make meat tender, calpains and cathepsins, are more efficient at warmer temperatures up to 105°F and 122°F, respectively. Harold McGee, author of the classic On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, goes as far as to refer to the time spent cooking under those temperatures as “accelerated aging.” Offset smokers are well-suited for the reverse sear technique because of their design. With a kamado grill, you must take out parts to switch from indirect heat to direct heat and then bring up the temperature. With an offset smoker, your cooking chamber is the slow-roasting section, and your firebox is your sear station, ready to go.

How to Do the Reverse Sear The basic reverse sear process consists of three phases. • Slow-Roast — This involves slow-roasting or smoking your protein at 250º to 275°F until your protein is 5 to 10 degrees (depending on size) away from your final desired internal temperature. I like to serve a beef tenderloin around 130 to 132°F, so I’ll stop the slow-roasting phase when the internal temperature reaches about 124°F. • Rest Period — This is a key step in the process according to the originator of the reverse sear, and I agree. When you take the meat off the smoker, it will continue to cook itself from the heat it has absorbed — this is called carry-over cooking. It is important to let that carry-over cooking finish and reverse that momentum. It is helpful to have a remote probe thermometer that has a max temperature data-logging feature so you know when that carry-over cooking has peaked and the internal temperature begins to fall. Otherwise, you will have to keep a constant eye on the temperature until it starts to decrease.

Notice the max temp in the upper left corner. When the current temperature has fallen 1 one 2 degrees below that max temp, it’s time to sear. • High-Temperature Sear — This phase is all about adding color for presentation and bolstering the flavor by creating a beautiful crust on the exterior. The cooking has already finished, and the internal temperature won’t rise by more than a degree because we reversed that momentum during the rest. You are relatively free to cook as hot as you can for as little time as you can, sometimes less than a minute per side.

138

What Foods Are Good Candidates for the Reverse Sear? The meats most commonly used with the reverse sear technique include: • Thick steaks — Rib eye, filet, strip, and porterhouse steaks more than 1 inch thick • Thick chops — Pork chops more than 1 inch thick • Roasts — Rib roasts (aka prime rib), bone-in pork roasts, whole beef tenderloin, strip loin roasts

How Does Reverse Searing Compare to Other Methods? This isn’t a judgment of other techniques; all of these are viable options. These are just some of the differences you would see compared to reverse searing a 1½-inch rib eye, for example. • Normal Grilling — This would be faster than reverse sear by about 1 hour. The steak is going to be well done around the edges and have varying degrees of doneness by the time the center is 124°F. The reverse seared steak will likely be slightly more tender. • Sear/Roast — This requires you to wait for the cooker temperature to drop after the sear. This is a bigger issue with kamado grills because it’s time-consuming to get cooking temperatures to drop. With an offset smoker or kettle grill, such as a Weber, you can quickly go from the sear to the roast because you can switch to indirect cooking almost instantly. • Sous Vide — This involves putting the steak in a vacuum-sealed bag and cooking it for hours in a lowtemperature circulating water bath and then searing it. The steak will look beautiful and be very tender, giving the reverse-seared steak a run for its money. But the reverse-seared steak gets the benefit of an hour of fire-roasting and smoke, giving it noticeably more flavor.

139

Reverse-Seared Beef Tenderloin Roast with Red Wine Stock Reduction A center-cut beef tenderloin is the star of a special occasion meal. Aptly named, the beef tenderloin is the most tender cut from the entire steer. Meat scientists (yes, that’s a thing!) use something called the WarnerBratzler shear device to establish this fact, but your guests can use a fork to reach the same conclusion! While it’s the ultimate in tenderness, the tenderloin is also mild in flavor. So I use the mushroom goodness of NMT Umami Steak Seasoning with the dry-brine technique to impart flavor before grilling. We build on that flavor by using the same seasoning, finely ground, as a finishing seasoning. Tenderloin roasts are complemented by a sauce such as the red wine stock reduction used here. Makes: 8 to 10 servings 1 beef tenderloin roast, 3½ to 4½ pounds, trimmed, silverskin removed, and the roast tied (tying the roast is explained in step 1) 1 to 2 tablespoons high-temperature cooking oil, such as peanut, canola, or avocado ¼ cup NMT Umami Steak Seasoning (page 215) ¼ teaspoon finely ground NMT Umami Steak Seasoning (page 215) ½ cup beef stock, for spritzing For the Red Wine Stock Reduction 2 cups beef stock 1 cup sweet red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or port

140

¼ teaspoon finely ground NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210), plus more for seasoning ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, for thickening (optional) finely ground salt and pepper (optional) 1. Dry-brine the tenderloin. Tie the roast with 15-inch pieces of kitchen twine about every two inches to keep it uniformly shaped. Pat the roast dry and lightly apply oil all over. Place the roast on a rack over a half sheet pan. Place this in a food-safe bag or loosely wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or longer.

2. Temper the roast. One hour before cooking, remove the roast from the refrigerator and leave out at room temperature. 3. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Tenderloin has a mild flavor that can be overpowered by smoke. I like to use lump charcoal for fuel and then oak or pecan splits for smoke flavor. Fill the water pan. Start preheating the smoke wood. Add smoke wood to the fire about 15 minutes before placing the roast in the smoker.

141

4. Roast the tenderloin. Place the roast in the center of the cooking chamber with the thicker end facing toward the hotter end of your smoker. For regular pits, that will be towards the firebox, and for reverse-flow pits, it should be the opposite end. Insert a remote probe thermometer in the center of the thicker end of the roast. Spritz the roast with beef stock. Close the cooking chamber. Roast the tenderloin until it reaches an internal temperature of 130°F for medium-rare. Depending on many factors, this should take from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check the roast at about 45 minutes to see how the crust is developing. Spritz it if the surface is drying out.

5. Make the Red Wine Stock Reduction. While the roast cooks, bring the stock and red wine to a steady simmer in an uncovered medium saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with the NMT Beef Rub v.2 or fine salt and pepper. Whisk in the xanthan gum, if using, until combined and the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat. 6. Rest the tenderloin. Remove the roast from the smoker and let it rest on the resting rack at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. 7. Slice and serve the roast. Carefully remove the butcher twine from the roast. Slice the roast into ½-inch medallions. Lightly season them with ¼ teaspoon of finely ground NMT Umami Steak Seasoning. Drizzle with a light amount of the red wine stock reduction and serve the rest on the side.

Notes/Substitutions You can use a half roast instead of a full tenderloin. You can also use a top sirloin petite roast if your butcher carries them.

Butcher’s Tip: When buying a beef tenderloin roast, you’ll often find them one of three ways: PSMO (peeled, side meat on), fully trimmed, or center-cut. All three produce the same result, it’s just a matter of how much work you do versus the butcher. Plan on 6 ounces per guest. $ PSMO will usually still be in vacuum-sealed packaging. You save a few bucks by trimming it yourself, plus you get to keep the trimmings, which are great for beef tips, tacos, or grinding with fattier beef for burgers. $$ Fully trimmed will save you time by having the side muscles and silverskin removed. $$$ Center-cut is a fully trimmed tenderloin with the two tapered ends removed, so it is a perfect cylinder of deliciousness.

142

Thick Pork Chops with Spicy Apple Compote These thick pork chops are part sweet, part savory, and 100 percent delicious. A compote is simply fruit simmered in syrup. It was originally a sweet dessert, but this compote is more complex, adding in the warm notes of cinnamon and the slight sting of cayenne heat. Thick pork chops benefit from slow-roasting, but the golden crust from grilling adds a ton of flavor. So I think thick pork chops are best when cooked with a combination of techniques. This could be a reverse sear, a sear and braise, or in this case we sear and then fire-roast the pork chops. Makes: 4 servings 1 tablespoon NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) or another sweet barbecue rub 1 tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning or other Cajun seasoning 4 bone-in pork chops, 1½ inch thick or more 2 tablespoons peanut oil ½ cup apple juice, for spritzing (optional) For the Spicy Apple Compote 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and finely chopped 1½ teaspoons Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning or other Cajun seasoning 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar ½ teaspoon kosher salt

143

1 ounce apple jelly ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ cup cinnamon-flavored moonshine 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh parsley 1. Dry-brine the pork chops. Mix the NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub and Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning together in a small bowl. Wipe the pork chops dry and then apply a light amount of peanut oil all over them. Season them with the dry rub mixture. Place the seasoned pork chops on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. An hour before grilling, take the pork chops out of the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature. 2. Preheat the smoker to 300° to 325°F at the grate level. This cook will take less than an hour, so you won’t need a full firebox of fuel. I used about two chimneys of lump coal. 3. Place a grill-safe skillet on a grate in the firebox. Let the skillet preheat for 5 minutes. Grill-safe means no plastic parts, all metal, and you don’t care if it gets a little stained. 4. Make the Spicy Apple Compote. Melt the butter in the skillet, which should only take 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the chopped apples and cook, occasionally stirring or tossing, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the Cajun seasoning, turbinado sugar, salt, apple jelly, cayenne, and cinnamon moonshine. Cook until the sauce becomes syrupy, another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, and cover with a lid or foil to keep warm. 5. Grill the pork chops. Place the pork chops on the grill grates and grill 4 minutes per side. If you want cross-hatch marks, rotate the chops 90 degrees about 2 minutes into each side’s cooking time. 6. Fire-roast the pork chops. Remove the chops from the firebox, place them in the cooking chamber, and let them roast until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F, 15 to 20 minutes more. If they start to dry, spritz with apple juice. 7. Remove and rest the pork chops. Remove the chops from the smoker and let them rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with apple compote on top.

Notes/Substitutions There are a few options for substituting the cinnamon moonshine. You can add a few pinches of cinnamon to apple pie–flavored moonshine, or you could use cinnamon-flavored whiskey, such as Fireball. To avoid alcohol, use apple juice mixed with several pinches of cinnamon. If you see the surface of the pork chops start to dry while grilling or roasting, spritz them with some apple juice. Spritzing will help keep them moist and build flavor. Whether you use an instant-read thermometer or a remote probe thermometer, stick the probe in from the side and try to get the tip in the center of the pork chop.

144

Jerk-Style Pork Loin Sliders with Taro Chips Did you know that a pork loin roast has fewer calories, less fat, and less saturated fat than a skinless chicken thigh? These sliders prove that high protein and low fat don’t have to be boring; the bold marinade makes sure of that. Speaking of the marinade, don’t be afraid of the long ingredient list. There are many elements, but it’s a simple preparation. The chiles indicated are for medium heat. For a milder marinade, use just one seeded Scotch bonnet; use three unseeded for hot. Makes: 12 large or 16 smaller sandwiches For the Marinade 1 cup chopped white onion ½ cup white vinegar ½ cup orange juice ¼ cup lime juice ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup avocado oil ¼ cup chopped green onion, both white and green parts 3 Scotch bonnet chiles, seeded and chopped 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons granulated garlic 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

145

1 tablespoon rubbed sage 1 tablespoon ground allspice 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme 1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper 1½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper ¾ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon For the Pork 1 boneless pork loin, about 4 pounds 12 to 16 sandwich buns, for serving For the Chile-Lime Mayonnaise ½ cup mayonnaise zest of ½ lime 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper pinch of ground allspice pinch of granulated garlic salt For the Taro Chips 3 to 4 pieces taro root, peeled, and shaved to ¹∕₁₆-inch on a mandolin peanut oil, for frying popcorn salt or other fine salt 1. Marinate the pork loin. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. If desired, tie the pork loin with six or seven 20-inch long pieces of butcher’s twine to make a more uniform shape for even cooking. Place the pork in a large zip-top bag and pour the marinade over it. Press out the excess air and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 10 to 12 hours.

146

2. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Authentic jerk uses pimento wood, which can be ordered online but is generally difficult to find in the U.S. otherwise. Using lump charcoal is fine. You can also add a blend of hickory and cherry smoking woods. Fill the water pan and preheat the smoking wood. 3. Smoke the pork loin. Add smoking wood, if using, and wait until the smoke runs thin white or clear, about 10 minutes. Remove the pork loin from the marinade and reserve the marinade. Place the pork roast on the smoker, use a remote probe thermometer to track the internal temperature, and smoke until it reaches 100°F, about 90 minutes. 4. Baste the pork loin. Immediately after you remove the pork from the bag, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring it to a heavy simmer over medium-high heat. Let simmer, and almost boil, for 5 minutes. Cool and then pulse in a blender or food processor. Once the pork hits an internal temperature of 100°F, baste the roast with the jerk marinade 2 to 3 times while it finishes cooking.

5. Finish cooking the pork loin. Let it continue cooking until it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F, a total cook time of about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Remove and let it rest, watching the carry-over cooking until it begins to fall. Open your air intake vent to let the cooking temperature rise. 6. Make the Chile-Lime Mayonnaise. While the pork cooks, in a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice, cayenne, allspice, and garlic. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of salt if desired. 7. Deep-fry the taro chips. Heat a deep-fryer or a Dutch oven filled with peanut oil to 350°F. Carefully deep-fry the chips in batches. As soon as each batch comes out, place them on a cooling rack and lightly season with popcorn salt or another fine salt. 8. Sear the pork loin. Once the pork’s internal temperature has begun to fall, make sure the fire in the firebox is still so hot that you can only hold your hand above it for 2 or 3 seconds. Place a grill grate in the firebox and sear the pork loin on all four sides, just long enough to get a brown crust, about 1 minute per side.

147

9. Slice the pork loin. Slice the pork loin ⅛-inch thick. Serve on buns brushed with the chile lime mayonnaise and with the taro chips on the side.

Notes/Substitutions Marinade — If you don’t feel like tracking down all of these ingredients, some grocery stores now stock Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, which has a good reputation. Scotch bonnet chile — You can substitute habanero chiles, which seem to be easier to find in the U.S. Try lightly brushing the Chile-Lime Mayonnaise onto grilled chicken in the last 2 to 3 minutes on the grill.

148

Porterhouse Steak with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Red Pepper Relish Whether at home or a restaurant, a thick porterhouse steak is one of my favorite indulgences. This big brother to the T-bone steak is two steaks in one — the filet from the beef tenderloin and a loin strip steak. Weighing in at over 3 pounds, it’s a steak that was built for sharing. Makes: 2 servings 1 porterhouse steak, 40 to 55 ounces 2 tablespoons avocado or peanut oil 2 tablespoons NMT Umami Steak Seasoning (page 215) For the Chanterelle Mushroom and Red Pepper Relish ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter 2 cups chanterelle mushrooms, chopped 1 medium shallot, diced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped ½ cup dry red wine 1 cup beef stock ⅓ cup chopped roasted red bell pepper ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, for thickening (optional)

149

2 green onions, green parts only, chopped 1. Dry-brine the steak. Pat the steak dry and lightly coat with the oil. Season on all sides with the NMT Umami Steak Seasoning. Place on a rack over a quarter sheet pan, lightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. 2. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. Begin preheating the smoking wood. For this cook, I used a reverse-flow backyard offset smoker with a charcoal basket filled with lump charcoal and pecan splits for smoke wood. About 15 minutes before putting the steak in the smoker, add wood splits to the firebox. 3. Smoke the steak. Place the steak, still on the rack and sheet pan, into the cooking chamber. Insert the temperature probe through the side that has the New York strip (the longer side) so the tip is in the center. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 7 or 8 degrees below your target temperature. Pull at 120°F for rare, 125°F for medium-rare, or 132°F for medium. Remove and let rest. Watch the temperature, so you will know when the carry-over cooking has peaked. For the 55-ounce steak pictured, it took almost exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes to hit 125°F.

4. Make the Chanterelle Mushroom and Red Pepper Relish. Preheat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook until the moisture has almost dried up, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the red wine and simmer until reduced in volume by half, about 5 minutes. Add the beef stock and roasted red bell peppers, and simmer until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. If your sauce is slow to thicken, sprinkle in the xanthan gum. Remove from the heat, stir in the green onions, and cover to keep warm.

150

5. Sear the steak. Once the internal temperature has begun to fall, after about 15 minutes, open the air intake vent all the way and get the firebox hot. Place a cooking grate in the firebox and use the hand test (see page 156) to make sure the firebox is hot. Sear the steak on both sides until the crust is dark gold or mahogany brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove from heat.

6. Serve the steak. Use a sharp knife to slice along the inside edge of the bone to remove each side of steak. Slice each steak in ¾-inch-thick slices and replace next to the bone on a serving dish or board as pictured. Top with the mushroom and red pepper relish.

Notes/Substitutions Skillet — Instead of using the grill grate, preheat a cast-iron skillet over the firebox coals. Add 2 tablespoons beef tallow, a crushed garlic clove, and a sprig of fresh rosemary and sear the steak in the skillet, basting with the herbed beef tallow. NMT Umami Steak Seasoning — You can use NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) or another beef rub instead. Chanterelle mushrooms — Other mushrooms that would work are hen of the woods, oyster, shiitake, or porcini. Xanthan gum — You can substitute a slurry made with 1 tablespoon each cold water and corn starch whisked together.

151

Brown Sugar, Bourbon, and Sorghum Bacon Hold up—are we going to reverse-sear bacon? I thought that was low and slow! Yes, you’re right. But the process is similar; we’re going to use two phases of smoking with this one: cold and hot. Hot-smoking a cured pork belly gives it only two to three hours in the smoke at 200°F, but it deserves better than that. The solution is to cold-smoke the pork belly first. In The Kamado Smoker and Grill Cookbook, I shared how to make a cold-smoke generator that would work for this. This time, however, we utilize a smoke tube filled with wood pellets for our cold-smoke. It’s easiest to do this during cold weather so the pork doesn’t sit at unsafe food temperatures while cold-smoking. If it’s a mild day, you can place your pork belly on a rack over a full-sized steam pan full of ice to keep it cool. The cold-smoking does more than provide additional time in the smoke. According to Harold McGee, coldsmoking makes more use of sweet-spicy phenolic elements in the smoke than hot-smoking does. So coldsmoking is giving the bacon a better smoke too. Makes: about 6 pounds, depending on slice thickness 7 pounds skinless pork belly (see Notes/Substitutions) 10 grams pink curing salt (Prague powder #1), about 2 teaspoons 4 tablespoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons brown sugar 3½ tablespoons chicken stock 3 tablespoons sorghum syrup 1½ tablespoons bourbon

152

1. Dry-cure the pork belly. Rinse and dry the pork belly. Whisk the curing salt, kosher salt, and brown sugar together in a small bowl. Wear nitrile gloves and cover the pork belly with the dry mix. Focus on getting this evenly distributed by doing two things: first, hold your hand 8 to 10 inches above the pork belly while lightly dropping the seasoning. This minimizes accidental clumping if you have fumble fingers. Second, make two light passes per side instead of one heavy one. Apply half of the mix for one side by seasoning lightly back and forth. Apply the other half in a second pass going from side to side. Repeat on the other side of the pork.

A sheet cake carrier or a full-sized plastic hotel pan are ideal for curing bacon because of their shape, plus they are nonreactive and can be fitted with lids. 2. Apply the wet ingredients and allow to cure. Place the pork belly in a non-reactive (glass or plastic) container. Mix the stock, sorghum, and bourbon together in a small bowl and drizzle over the pork belly. Cover and refrigerate for 5½ days. Flip the pork belly each day. 3. Dry the pork belly. Rinse the cure off the pork belly with cold water. Pat dry and place on a rack over a half sheet pan. Refrigerate uncovered overnight to dry and form a pellicle (a thin skin). 4. Cold-smoke the pork belly. On a cool or cold day, place the pork belly, still on the rack and pan, into the smoker cooking chamber. Fill a smoke tube with applewood pellets or applewood chips. Light the open end and place it on the cooking grates near the pork belly. Let it burn for 1 minute to make sure it has started before shutting the cooking chamber door. Allow to cold-smoke for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the pork and the smoke tube from the smoker.

153

5. Preheat the smoker to 200°F at the grate level. Maintaining a temperature this low can be tricky in an entry-level or backyard offset smoker. There is a narrow range between being able to keep it burning and keeping it from taking off and getting too hot. Using a T-maze (see page 70) helps maintain consistent low temperatures. The easiest way to preheat smoking wood at these low temperatures is to bury applewood chunks in the coals. This way the chunks will preheat as the fire approaches them through the coals and minimize smoldering. With a watchful eye and the air intake vent open just enough to support the fire, you can do this. 6. Hot-smoke the pork belly. Return the pork belly to the smoker and use a remote probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. Smoke until the pork belly reaches an internal temperature of 150°F, about 2 to 2½ hours. Remove from the smoker and allow to cool.

7. Age the pork belly. After the pork belly has cooled, cut it in half crossways. Vacuum-seal each half and refrigerate for a week to allow the smoke to balance out. This is optional, but I prefer to take the extra step. 8. Slice the bacon. Use a very sharp slicer knife or a radial meat slicer with a 10-inch blade to slice the bacon to the desired thickness. This bacon freezes well. I layer the bacon in batches of 12 to 16 slices, vacuum-seal, and freeze for later use. The thin packages thaw in just 20 minutes when submerged in warm water.

Notes/Substitutions Recipe scaling — If your pork belly is bigger or smaller than 7 pounds, be very careful in altering the proportions of this recipe. Use Professor Blonder’s Wet Curing Calculator on AmazingRibs.com to recalculate the amount of pink salt and the amount of time needed to cure the bacon safely. Calculate your salt in grams instead of measuring spoons, if possible. Different brands of curing salt have different densities, so a teaspoon of Brand A isn’t necessarily equal to a teaspoon of Brand B, but 10 grams is 10 grams.

154

Chapter 8

Using the Offset Pit as a Grill The offset pit was designed for smoking, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it as a grill as well. Most entry-level and backyard models even offer extra grates for this purpose. The majority of offset smokers have two options for use as a grill: the firebox and the cooking chamber.

Grilling in the Firebox You’ve already seen how to use the firebox for searing in the previous chapter, so it only makes sense that there would be a way to grill on it too. Keep in mind that there are some functional differences between the firebox as a grill and a kamado or good kettle grill: • Airflow control — Your ability to control airflow is limited to the air intake vent on the side, rather than multiple vents designed for even grilling. Don’t expect to be able to hold precise temperatures; you’ll instead work with temperature ranges. The fire will likely be hotter nearer the vent, so moving food closer to or farther from the vent will give you some control over the temperature. • Adjustable grates — Some grills offer adjustable cooking or charcoal grates to allow for temperature control by changing the distance between the food and coals. The firebox doesn’t have that feature. Instead, you can change the orientation of your charcoal grate to raise it higher or lower for grilling. Turn it lengthwise and it rests lower in the cooking chamber. Turn it crossways and it will sit higher in the cooking chamber.

155

• Thermometer — You won’t find a thermometer on most fireboxes, and most remote probe thermometers have cables that aren’t designed for high grilling temperatures. Unless you install a thermometer yourself, you’ll have to rely on your senses. Carefully hold your hand 2 to 3 inches above the cooking grate and time how long you can hold it there before it gets too hot. 0–2 3–5 6–7 8–9

seconds seconds seconds seconds

10+ seconds

High Medium-High Medium Medium-Low

500°F and above 400–500°F 350–400°F 300°

Is this thing on?

275°F and below

Lighting Lighting the firebox for grilling is slightly different than for smoking. With smoking, you start with a small fire and grow it low and slow. With grilling, you want to get all the coals burning quickly, so light them in at least four to six different places.

Grill Grate Placement If the offset smoker came with extra grill grates for the firebox, and many do, then they will likely fit in one position — on the seam where the two halves of the firebox fit together. If the smoker did not come with extra grates, check to see if one from the cooking chamber will fit in the firebox. If they don’t fit there and you have a charcoal basket, see if they will rest on top of that. If not, measure the size that you need, check online, and you’ll almost surely be able to find a close fit. GrillGrate makes custom grates for any dimensions, and these are the popular searing grates that pros use on kettle grills and kamados.

Grilling in the Cooking Chamber When some people see an offset smoker they think, “Wow, look at all of that grilling space!”

Yes, you can grill in the cooking chamber of an offset smoker. Honestly though, if you have another alternative for grilling, I would strongly consider that option for two reasons. 1. Grilling in the cooking chamber isn’t the best grilling setup. There is no real ability to control the airflow near the fire, and there isn’t much control over the distance between the coals and your food.

156

2. Grilling in the cooking chamber isn’t the best for your smoker. Grilling in the cooking chamber will burn off the seasoning that is so valuable to a smoker, and it will likely blister the paint on the bottom of the cooking chamber. That said, I have done it out of necessity when cooking for big crowds. If you must use the cooking chamber as a grill, here are a few tips: • Keep it short. Grilling in the cooking chamber will use a lot of coal, and refueling it is a bit of a pain. So plan a short-duration cook — steaks, burgers, chops, dogs, skirt steaks, chicken breasts, and things like that. • Raise it up. Use charcoal grates to keep the coals off the bottom of the cooking chamber. This will improve airflow, help protect the cooking chamber, and keep your coals a steady distance from the cooking grates. I have extra grates so I can line the length of the chamber with grates. Often these smokers only come with one or two charcoal grates, so you might need to buy more if you plan to grill in the cooking chamber. • Light it up. A cooking chamber full of charcoal is a lot to get started at once. One option is to light spots about every 8 to 10 inches around the perimeter of the charcoal. Another is to light two chimneys at once and pour the live coals onto unlit coals across the length of the cooking chamber. • Keep an escape space. Since direct airflow control is nonexistent in the cooking chamber, keep one section free of coals. That way, if you have a flame up, you can shuffle the meat to a safe space so it won’t burn while you deal with the flame. • Clean and re-season quickly. As soon as you can safely do it, remove all of the ash from the cooking chamber and re-season it to protect against rusting.

Heat Shields and Fire Bricks Most entry-level and backyard-style offset pits are not designed with frequent grilling in mind. It is a good idea to reinforce the lower part of the firebox. Some manufacturers offer a heat shield accessory, with or without the grate, like the one pictured below. Another option is to line the inside bottom of the firebox with firebricks, which offer the added benefit of thermal mass for stable temperatures. You can do the same thing for the cooking chamber.

157

Green Chile–Crusted Flank Steak Tacos In 2018, my wife, Alexis, and I were honored to be asked to cook at the Wincrest Angus ranch as part of a Certified Angus Beef Brand’s 40th-anniversary celebration. We were cooking for 100 guests, and my only grill was an offset smoker. We had no choice but to use the cooking chamber, but for just one flank steak, the firebox will do just fine. Flank steak is lean and high in protein, which is ideal for today’s popular diets. This also means it is best cooked to medium-rare or rare. If people want more well-done meat, give them slices from the two ends. Flank steak also has long fibers, much like brisket, so it’s important to thinly slice the steak perpendicular across the grain. Makes: 6 to 8 servings 2 pounds flank steak 2 tablespoons high-temperature cooking oil, such as peanut, canola, or avocado 3 tablespoons NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning (page 211), divided 16 (4-inch) corn tortillas For the Pico de Gallo 1 pound cluster tomatoes, diced ⅓ cup diced white onion 1 serrano chile, seeded and finely diced juice of 1 lime ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

158

1 teaspoon NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning (page 211) salt 1. Prepare the flank steak. Score the surface of the flank steak by lightly dragging the tip of a sharp knife in a crisscross pattern, making ⅛-inch-deep cuts. This opens the steak up to receive more seasoning and adds texture to the cooked slices. Lightly coat the steak with the oil and then season with two tablespoons of NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning. Loosely cover the steak on a rack over a sheet pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours. 2. Make the Pico de Gallo. Mix all the ingredients together in a large nonreactive bowl, seasoning to taste with salt. This is best when it is allowed to rest, refrigerated, for 2 hours. 3. Re-season the steak. Remove the steak from the refrigerator and season it with the remaining tablespoon NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning. 4. Build a fire. Pour one chimney of lump charcoal in a charcoal basket or into a mound on the charcoal grate and light in six to eight spots around the edges. Have the air intake vent fully open. Place the grill grates in the firebox and leave the firebox door open. Wait until the grill is about 500°F, 10 to 15 minutes. Spread the coals out evenly. 5. Grill the flank steak. Place the steak on the cooking grates and grill until it reaches an internal temperature of 125° to 130°F, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the steak to a resting rack for 5 minutes. 6. Grill the tortillas. Place the tortillas on the grill until slightly charred and air pockets start to swell. At this temperature, it will be only a few seconds per side. At the event we would start turning the first tortilla as soon as we put the last one down on the grates — it’s that quick. Tip: Store your cooked tortillas in a tortilla warmer to keep them flexible and prevent them from drying out. If you don’t have a tortilla warmer, keep the cooked tortillas inside a folded kitchen towel. 7. Slice the flank steak. Thinly slice the flank steak against the grain. To make tacos easier, slice again two or three times lengthwise to break the long slices into bite-size pieces. 8. Assemble the tacos. Place a few tablespoons of flank steak and about half that much pico de gallo on each tortilla to serve.

Notes/Substitutions If making this for a large crowd, to save refrigerator or cooler space, roll the flank steaks up after seasoning. You can fit two in a gallon zip-top bag or four an 18 x 24-inch food bag.

159

Honey-Sesame Pork with Fried Rice The humble pork tenderloin is lean, high in protein, budget-friendly, and quick-cooking, plus it’s the most tender cut on the hog. For this cook, I took advantage of a backyard offset’s hot spot. I was using a standard offset without tuning plates or modifications, and I used the area immediately next to the firebox opening. The heat there is almost the same as direct grilling, but it’s slightly more forgiving and let me get away with using a sweet glaze that could burn easily over red-hot coals. Makes: 6 to 8 servings For the Marinade ¼ cup rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ cup peanut oil For the Pork 2 pork tenderloins, trimmed and silverskin removed, about 1 pound each ¼ cup sliced green onions, green parts only, for garnish 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, for garnish

160

For the Honey Glaze 2 cups chicken stock ½ cup honey 2 tablespoons gochujang For the Fried Rice 3 tablespoons peanut oil 1 clove garlic, smashed 1 small onion, diced 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed 4 cups cooked sweet jasmine rice, cooled ¼ cup chicken stock 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 scrambled eggs, chopped 1. Marinate the pork. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a gallon zip-top bag. Add the tenderloins, press out excess air from the bag and seal. Refrigerate for 8 hours. 2. Make the Honey Glaze. Simmer the chicken stock in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to ½ cup, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the honey and gochujang. Simmer, occasionally stirring, until the sauce coats the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes. 3. Preheat the smoker to 350°F. Skip the water pan because it will steam the meat instead of roasting it. I used lump charcoal for this cook because of the higher cooking temperature required. 4. Fire-roast the tenderloins. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and pat them dry. Place in the cooking chamber immediately next to the firebox opening. Cook until the fat end of the tenderloin reaches 130°F, 15 to 20 minutes, turning the meat every 5 minutes. 5. Make the Fried Rice. This can be done in a wok over high heat on a stovetop or gas grill burner. Place oil and garlic in a hot wok for 30 seconds and then discard the garlic. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the peas and carrots and cook another 2 minutes. Add the rice, chicken stock, and soy sauce and stir-fry another 90 seconds. Stir in the chopped scrambled eggs. Taste for seasoning and add more soy sauce if desired. 6. Glaze the tenderloins. Brush the honey glaze onto the tenderloins and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F, about 10 more minutes. For those who don’t like any pink in their pork, cook to 140°F before glazing and then until they reach an internal temperature of 150°F. 7. Remove and serve. Garnish the tenderloin with sesame seeds. Slice into ¾-inch slices and layer on a bed of fried rice. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Notes/Substitutions Gochujang — This Korean chile sauce is similar to sriracha or Thai chile paste, but gochujang is sweeter and has a miso base.

161

Brisket Burgers When brisket prices dip, I pick up extras for making ground beef at home, because it’s cheaper and better than the store-bought stuff. For about the price of ground chuck, you can have USDA prime ground brisket instead. We get about 70 percent yield from the raw weight before trimming. No, you won’t eat 10 pounds of fresh ground beef before it goes bad. When I do a fresh grind, I make batches of spaghetti sauce, chili, and cottage pie filling and then freeze them to eat later. I use the rest for burgers.

Kitchen Sanitation Not only is it a matter of food safety, but ground beef will last much longer if you work in sanitary conditions. With a big cut like brisket or rib roast, the danger is from microbes on the surface of the meat, which will be killed almost instantly when put into a 275°F fire. But when you grind the meat, you’re mixing those exterior pathogens into the meat, which is why you can eat a steak cooked to 125°F with no consequences, yet a burger cooked to 125°F is a big gamble. Take these safety measures to minimize the inherent risk of ground meat. • Sanitize the outside of the brisket. Carefully rinse the outside of the meat with boiling water. This will turn the outside gray, but that won’t matter once it is ground. • Sanitize the grinding parts. Use tongs to dip the grinder parts in boiling water for 5 seconds.

162

• Sanitize all surfaces before grinding. Wipe down the counter, cutting boards, and meat grinder or other food contact surfaces with a sanitizer. We use a commercial sanitizer, but you can make your own using one tablespoon of chlorine bleach per gallon of water.

Break Down the Meat Separate the brisket flat from the point (see Competition-Style Beef Brisket, page 177). Trim off the exterior fat and reserve for making beef tallow (see Beef Tallow, page 183). Trim the meat into pieces small enough to easily fit in the throat of your grinder, about 1 inch for home grinders.

Chill Out The beef should be cold and firm while grinding, so the fat doesn’t break down; we want to save that for the cooking process. • Spread the beef out in a single layer on a tray and place in the freezer for 30 minutes before grinding. • For any grinder parts that will touch the meat, put them into the freezer for 30 minutes before grinding. If using a stand mixer accessory, assemble it before putting it in the freezer. • In general, don’t leave anything out for long. Keep your ground meat as cold as possible at all times.

The Grind • Use the coarse die first (the disc with the bigger holes) and process the cold cubes through the grinder for the first pass. • Re-chill the grinder pieces if they got warm during the grinding. • Use the finer die and process the coarse ground meat through a second time. If I’m doing some for chili, I usually grind it using the coarse die both times.

163

Blends The cool thing about grinding your own beef is it lets you make custom blends. For this batch, I ground just under 10 pounds of brisket with 5 pounds of sirloin flap. Other cuts that work well are chuck, short rib, oxtail, hanger steak, and flank steak.

Left to right: Spinach, Bacon, and Gouda burger; Ham, Egg, and Cheddar burger; and All-American burger. Makes: 4 servings 2 pounds ground brisket blend 4 brioche hamburger buns 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 teaspoon finely ground NMT Umami Steak Seasoning (page 215) desired toppings 1. Make the burger patties. Divide the meat into 4 (8-ounce) portions. Rinse hands with cold water and form into 4-inch patties. Keep covered and cold in the refrigerator until ready to grill. 2. Build a fire. Pour one chimney of lump charcoal in a charcoal basket or into a mound on the charcoal grate and light in six to eight spots around the edges. Have the air intake vent fully open. Place the grill grates in the firebox and leave the firebox door open. Wait until the grill is about 500°F, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Toast the buns. Lightly brush the inside of the buns with the melted butter and put buttered-side down on the grates (or griddle or skillet) until toasted golden brown.

164

4. Grill the burger patties. Place the patties on the grates and let cook until droplets of meat juices (myoglobin — it’s not blood!) appear on top, about 4 minutes. Flip and season with the finely ground NMT Umami Steak Seasoning. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes, topping with any cheese in the last 2 minutes.

5. Remove and serve. Let the burgers rest on a rack for 2 minutes and then assemble on the buns with your favorite toppings.

Notes/Substitutions For a crazy good burger, try the NMT Bacon Jam (page 222) and a good cheddar sealed between two 4-ounce patties. If using a griddle or skillet in Step 4, preheat the cooking surface on the grates for 10 minutes. Follow the instructions for the grate method, cooking the patties for 3 minutes per side.

165

Hawaiian Cornish Game Hens with Pineapple Fried Rice Huli-huli chicken is a Hawaiian grilled teriyaki chicken that was created (and trademarked) by Ernest Morgado in the 1950s. Its moniker comes from the Hawaiian word for turn (huli), referring to having to flip the chicken over a smoky mesquite fire frequently. To replicate the “turn turn” method, I use a grill basket stuffed with Cornish game hens. The average weight of chickens has doubled since Morgado created the dish, so I opted to use the smaller Cornish hens and spatchcocked them for easier cooking. I used an offset smoker and gas grill combination unit for this recipe, cooking the dish in the cooking chamber of the smoker and a grill basket to make flipping the birds easier. The grill and charcoal grates are fixed in place, and I needed a bit more distance from the coals to cook the birds more gently. I created this space by resting the grill basket on two splits of wood set off to the side. Makes: 2 to 4 servings For the Basting Sauce ¾ cup pineapple juice ¼ cup teriyaki sauce ¼ cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar ½ tablespoon soy sauce

166

1 clove garlic, very finely minced ¼ teaspoon grated fresh ginger ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes For the Cornish Game Hens 2 Cornish game hens, spatchcocked (see page 78) 2 tablespoons peanut oil 1 tablespoon NMT Ba’Cock! All-Purpose Poultry Seasoning (page 212) ¼ cup chopped green onion, green parts only, for garnish For the Pineapple Fried Rice 3 tablespoons peanut oil 1 clove garlic, smashed 1 yellow onion, diced ½ cup diced bell pepper ¼ cup diced jalapeno ½ cup crushed pineapple, drained 4 cups cooked jasmine rice, chilled 3 tablespoons chicken stock 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 scrambled eggs, chopped 1. Make the basting sauce. Mix all the basting sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and frequently stir until the sugar fully dissolves, about 5 minutes. Set aside. 2. Prepare the Cornish game hens. Remove the backbones using a pair of poultry shears. Brush the oil on both sides. Season both sides of the hens. If using a grill basket, place the hens in the basket. 3. Preheat the grill. Mesquite lump charcoal would be a good choice for this. Alternatively, you can use hardwood lump coal and add mesquite wood chips to the fire for smoke. Light the coal and wait until it is about 350°F. 4. Grill the hens. Place the grill basket with the birds either on the grates or on any risers you have fashioned to add distance from the coals. If you don’t have a grill basket, you will need to use tongs. Cook until it they reach an internal temperature of 135°F, about 40 minutes, turning every 5 minutes when the breasts are facing up and 3 minutes when the breasts are pointing downward.

167

5. Baste the hens. Once the hens reach 135°F, baste after each time you flip them. This lets the sauce cook for a few minutes before facing the direct heat of the coals the next time you flip the chicken. Keep turning on the 5/3-minute schedule and basting until the chickens hit an internal temperature of 160°F in the breast, 15 to 20 more minutes. Remove from the heat.

6. Make the Pineapple Fried Rice. Preheat a grill-safe wok over high heat on a stovetop or grill side burner. Add the oil and garlic and let it cook for 30 seconds, then discard the garlic. Stir-fry the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add the pineapple and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Stir in the rice, chicken stock, and soy sauce and stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked eggs and remove from heat. Taste and season with more soy sauce if desired. 7. Serve. You can serve half a hen per person or a whole hen for heartier appetites. There is enough rice for four portions. I like to plate the rice in a shallow, wide bowl and put the chicken on the rice. Garnish with green onions and serve with remaining sauce on the side.

Notes/Substitutions Lazy method — Cook the chicken over indirect heat at 350°F and start basting when it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F.

168

Chapter 9

This Is Getting Old: Aging Beef Aging meat has been around ever since Caveman Ogg decided to stash the leg of an auroch (ancestor of today’s cattle) in a cool and mildly humid cave to save for later and found it was more tender and had a complex taste. The process has been practiced and perfected since Ogg’s time. This chapter is not intended to be a comprehensive technical guide on how to age beef; it’s far from that. Rather, this is a primer to pique your interest and give you some ways to start experimenting with aging beef at home.

Why Age Beef? As Ogg discovered, accidentally, when beef ages in the right conditions it becomes more tender and develops more savory flavors. What Ogg didn’t know is that while that beef leg hung out in that 33º to 36°F cave, two enzymes called calpains and cathepsins were busy breaking down muscle fibers into bettertasting, smaller molecules like amino acids, glucose, and fatty acid. It just turned out that cave had 70 to 80 percent relative humidity that was evaporating the moisture from that auroch leg, concentrating the beefy flavor. Today, unless you slaughter and butcher the steer yourself, all beef is aged from the time it is packaged until it is on the shelves at your local Ogg’s Meat Market. But that is called wet aging. What is the difference?

Wet Versus Dry Aging There are several differences between wet and dry aging. I attended the Zoom in on Aging breakout session at the 2017 Certified Angus Beef Brand Annual Conference, and they explained the differences rather well.

169

Wet Aging

• Large cuts called “primals” are stored in vacuum-sealed packages at an air temperature of 33°–36°F. • Gives the enzymes time to break down some of the structures of the meat. • Does not allow evaporation of moisture from the meat. • Pros: • • • • •

Easier to get started. Improves tenderness. Does not lose 15–20 percent of its weight. Does not require special equipment. Does not require humidity control.

• Cons: • Does not concentrate the flavor. • Does not give beef that unique “nutty” taste of dry-aged beef. Dry Aging

• Primals are stored unwrapped on racks, allowing airflow around them at an air temperature of 33°–36°F. • Gives the enzymes time to break down some of the structures of the meat. • Allows for dehydration of the beef, concentrating the flavor. • Pros: • Improves tenderness. • Concentrates flavor. • Oxidization gives the classic nutty or “funky” taste of dry-aged beef.

• Cons:

• 15–20 percent shrinkage due to evaporation. The is entirely water loss; all nutrients remain with the meat.

• Equipment is needed to control the 70–80 percent relative humidity and maintain airflow.

Ideal Cuts for Aging Because of the process and the amount of loss due to trimming, it is best to stick with the larger primals. Boneless or bone-in rib eye, strip loin, and brisket are ideal for aging. I’m intrigued by aging things like beef short ribs or perhaps a beef shank. You rarely see dry-aged beef tenderloin because it is already the most tender cut and won’t benefit as much from the process.

170

A prime brisket in the original vacuum-sealed package.

No Little Critters Because you are going to be holding this beef for weeks and weeks, you don’t want to introduce any unfriendly microbes to the party. Food safety is critical. Before breaking the original vacuum-sealed package open to start the dry-aging process, be very particular about sanitizing everything that will touch the beef. Sanitize your hands, the outside of the package, all contact surfaces, and, for good measure, your hands once more.

What Is the Right Amount of Time to Age Beef? This answer is part guideline and part preference. The first part is knowing when the clock started. It isn’t the day you bought it or the expiration date. Enzymes start doing their job as soon as harvest, and that is the date you want. Ask your butcher if he or she can tell you the harvest date. Most stores are on a box delivery program, and the harvest date is printed on the label of the case but not on the individual pieces of meat. If all else fails, you can use the retail average to figure that it has already wet aged 10 to 13 days before you bought it and work from there. Beef can be wet aged for up to six weeks in the original vacuum-sealed package. For my tastes, I wet age briskets for 28 days. The timelines for dry aging are more open-ended. Back in the 19th century, renowned French chef MarieAntonie Carême said the mortification process should be taken “as far as possible.” Inspired by the likes of Adam Perry Lang and Thomas Keller, my friend Craig Tabor recently aged a boneless rib eye roast for 100 days! Craig said that the roast, “was so tender that the fat melted in my warm hand. Very intense beefiness with minimal amount of funk.” Those are extreme examples; most offerings from butcher shops seem to be between 28 and 60 days. In 2015, I had the opportunity at the Certified Angus Beef Brand Culinary Center to sample differently aged steaks side by side. They cooked strip steaks identically, so the only difference was the length of dry aging — from 28 days to the upper fifties. I found out that, despite my love for funky flavors like blue cheese and nutty tastes like Manchego cheese, when it comes to dry-aged steaks, I like the lower end of the spectrum — 28 to 33 days.

171

What’s your number? The best way to find out is to start trying your hand at aging beef. Here are some recipes to give it a shot.

172

Dry-Aged Smoked Prime Rib One concern with aging beef is space. If restaurants, grocery stores, and homes all had infinite refrigeration space, beef would be dry aged more often. But most homes only have one refrigerator that has plenty of other foods in it. You don’t want those foods taking on the aroma of the beef, and you don’t want the beef to adopt the odors of the other foods. There are special semipermeable food bags made for this exact purpose that I have used with success. They let the moisture escape from the beef but prevent odor exchange. The bags are designed for dry aging an entire primal, but not many people need an 18-pound rib roast in one sitting. No worries. Dry age the entire primal and then, after trimming off the exterior, break the rib eye into the size roast that you desire. Break the remaining rib eye into thick steaks, vacuum-seal them, and freeze for later. Serve this prime rib with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (page 190) for a perfect pairing. Makes: 8 to 10 servings 1 whole boneless beef rib eye, in original vacuum-sealed package 2 tablespoons peanut oil 2 tablespoons NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) or NMT Umami Steak Seasoning (page 215) 2 cups beef stock, for jus 1 cup beef stock, for spritzing finely ground NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210), as needed

173

1. Prepare the rib eye for dry aging. Clean and sanitize all contact surfaces before starting, including the outside of the rib eye bag. Cut open one end of the bag and drain out any accumulated juices, which should be minimal. Set the open end upright and partially roll the bag down. Slide the dry aging bag over the rib eye and original bag. Flip this over, pull the original bag out, and discard. Place the special membrane in the opening and then vacuum-seal the dry aging bag according to the manufacturer’s directions. 2. Dry age the rib eye. Make room in your refrigerator for a rack over a half sheet pan. The rack is necessary to let air flow around the entire rib eye. Ideally, this should be in a cooler spot in the refrigerator and toward the back where the rib eye will be less impacted by the opening and closing of the refrigerator. If you have kids who stare into the refrigerator with the door open, ship them off to boarding school until the dry aging is done. I exaggerate, but do try to keep the door closed as much as possible. Keep a refrigerator thermometer close to the rib eye and adjust the fridge settings to maintain temperatures. A temperature range of 29° to 39°F is acceptable, but 33° to 36°F is the sweet spot. Use a hygrometer (humidity meter) to make sure the humidity in your refrigerator is about 70 to 80 percent. The number of days for which you age is up to you. If this is your first time, I would recommend 28 days as a starting point. 3. Don’t panic. As the process gets underway, your meat will change. It will start to look dull, and then the color will shift from red to brown to deep dark mahogany. As the roast shrinks, it may also pull away from the bag some, that is okay too. 4. Trim the rib eye. The waiting is done and the big day is here! Cut open the dry aging bag and discard it. Shave off all the dark brown exterior crust to reveal the gorgeous red roast below. I write shave because you only want to trim off what is necessary. I start with a large 10-inch butcher knife to remove large swaths and then use a semi-flexible knife to get any remaining pieces. Pull off the fat cap from the top. Trim the lip or tail off — look at both ends and see where the elliptical shape of the rib eye ends and the white fat of the lip starts. Imagine a line from that point at each end and slice through that line. Save the lip for tallow.

Aged rib eye before (top) and after (bottom) trimming

174

5. Portion the rib eye. Estimate ½ pound per person for a boneless rib roast. I had a 12-pound roast after trimming, so I cut it in half and used one portion for this recipe and saved the second portion for another use.

6. Dry-brine the rib roast. Tie the roast using six (24-inch) pieces of butcher’s twine. Lightly apply oil over the roast and season all over with the NMT Beef Rub v.2 or NMT Umami Steak Seasoning. Place on a rack over a half sheet pan, loosely cover with plastic wrap or an 18 x 24-inch food bag, and allow to rest, refrigerated, for 8 to 12 hours. Take out and leave at room temperature for 2 hours before cooking. 7. Preheat the smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. I used a charcoal basket full of lump charcoal for the base and added preheated pecan splits for the smoking wood. A mix of hickory and cherry wood works well too. If using straight wood for fuel, I would opt for pecan splits as well. 8. Smoke the rib eye. Place the roast, rack, and sheet pan in the smoker. Spritz it with beef stock. Insert a remote probe thermometer so that the tip is dead center in the roast. Spritz the roast again each hour until it reaches an internal temperature of 124°F for medium-rare or 129°F for medium. It should take about 2½ hours for medium-rare and 3 hours for medium, but go by the internal temperature.

175

9. Rest the rib eye. Remove the roast from the smoker and let rest until the carry-over cooking has stopped. Watch the internal temperature. When it stops rising and begins to drop a few degrees, it will be time to sear. Open the air intake vent all the way. Check the coals in the firebox to make sure you have enough left to sear in about 20 minutes. If you’re going to have to add coal, do that now so it will be ready.

10. Make the beef jus. Put the beef stock in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a firm simmer until the volume is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Whisk in any drippings from the sheet pan that was under the roast. Taste for seasoning and add finely ground beef rub as needed. 11. Sear the rib eye. Place a grate over the fire in your firebox. It should be hot enough that you can only hold your hand above it for a second or two. Place the roast (no rack or pan) on the grate and sear just long enough to get the depth and darkness of color that you desire. This should be about 1 minute per side (but don’t sear the ends). Use long-handled tongs to hold the roast upright when searing the narrow edges.

12. Slice the rib eye. Remove the butcher’s twine. Use a sharp knife to slice the roast into ¾-inch slices. Serve the beef jus ladled over the roast.

Notes/Substitutions Dry-aging bags — You will probably need to order these online ahead of time. We used UMAi Dry which sells kits sized for rib eyes and strip loins, complete with instructions. Weights and measures — This specific rib eye began at just over 18 pounds of raw weight. After dry aging, it weighed in at 14 pounds 5 ounces. After trimming, it weighed 12 pounds, 9 ounces. So I had about 30 percent shrinkage.

176

Competition-Style Beef Brisket As a competitor and Certified BBQ Judge, my favorite category at barbecue contests is beef brisket. As a competitor, it is my strongest category. As a judge, that one bite of perfectly tender, ridiculously luscious brisket makes me melt. Competition is a long process, but the results are worth it. A lot of cooks on the competition circuit wet age their briskets for a month before the competition. The wet aging improves tenderness but doesn’t have the weight loss or taste influences that dry aging does, so I think it’s a safer bet for competitions. The Obie-Cue, Smokin’ Guns BBQ, Blues Hog, and Butcher’s are commercial sauces and seasonings that are used by many on the circuit and available at pro-level barbecue stores. You can also find them online. I prefer to use a Certified Angus Beef Brand USDA prime brisket for competition. This is because the USDA graders also use a G-schedule of 10 additional quality factors for grading Certified Angus Beef Brand products. If one of those are not available, I look for a USDA prime brisket. Wagyu beef briskets are also an excellent choice for competition brisket, but be ready for sticker shock when you see the price. This isn’t my exact process. My process evolves, and there are some secrets that I can’t divulge because they aren’t mine to share. But this timeline covers 95 percent of what you need to know to make competition-style brisket like mine in your backyard. The timeline is for a typical Kansas City Barbecue Society contest brisket turn-in time of Saturday, 1:30 pm. Makes: this process will create 1 turn-in box for competition and a half-size steam pan of leftovers 1 Certified Angus Beef Brand USDA prime whole beef brisket, 17 or 18 pounds 1 cup Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce, divided

177

½ cup Blues Hog Tennessee Red Sauce 2 to 3 tablespoons peanut oil ⅓ cup NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210), divided ⅓ cup Obi-Cue’s BigBull’s Texas Brisket Rub, divided ⅓ cup Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub, divided 1 cup apple juice, for spritzing 4 cups beef stock, divided 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes, divided 1 teaspoon finely ground Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub popcorn salt or fine table salt For the Injection 2 cups distilled water ½ cup Butcher BBQ Original Brisket Injection ¼ cup Butcher BBQ Prime Dust ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, for thickening (optional) 18 days before 1. Purchase whole beef brisket (aka “packer”). Look for a 17-pound brisket with a thick, even flat (the red, squarish part that you can see) and a bulbous point (the round, narrow end). Ask the butcher for the harvest date if known. Chances are it is about 10 days old. Refrigerate at 33° to 36°F. Wednesday before 1. Make the injection. Place the water and Butcher BBQ Original Brisket Injection and Prime Dust in a blender and blend until combined and there are no clumps. Add the xanthan gum, if using, and pulse a few more times. Store in the refrigerator. This will allow time for the bubbles to dissipate. 2. Make the burnt end sauce. Mix ½ cup of the Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce and the Tennessee Red together. Store in the refrigerator. 3. Trim the brisket. Dave Bouska of Butcher BBQ has a free video online of how to do this, but the short version is to split the point from the flat and trim the exterior fat. • Find the “nose” where the flat and point come together. Use a sharp boning knife to start slicing through that fat seam and follow it downward, curving under the flat.

178

Boning knife pointing to where the flat and point comes together. • When you get 4 to 5 inches under the flat, turn the knife blade straight down and remove the point from the flat.

Separating the flat (top) from the point (bottom). • Trim the exterior fat from the point. • Trim the exterior fat and silverskin from the top of the flat. Flip and trim off the fat as needed to create a smooth, aerodynamic surface.

Flat (left) and point (right) trimmed. • Store the trimmed point and flat in the refrigerator in an 18 x 24-inch food bag or another airtight container. You cannot season, inject, brine or otherwise prepare the brisket until the contest official inspects your meats at the contest site.

179

• Keep the hard white fat for making tallow. Friday, 2 p.m. 1. Inject the point and flat. Use a meat syringe to inject the injection mixture into the brisket. Try to insert the needle in the same direction as the grain of the meat (slanted for the flat, straight across for the point). Work in a 1-inch grid pattern, so the injection is evenly distributed. Don’t panic if some leaks back out. 2. Season the brisket. Wipe the brisket dry and lightly apply the oil to both the flat and point. Lightly season the brisket top and bottom with ¼ cup each of NMT Beef Rub v.2, then Obi-Cue’s BigBull’s Texas Brisket Rub, and then the Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub. 3. Refrigerate the brisket. If you are trying this at home, you can just loosely wrap the brisket with plastic wrap and refrigerate. At contests, you will be using a cooler and ice melts, so be sure to store the brisket in something water-tight. I usually double bag it in two 18 x 24-inch food bags.  Saturday, 12 a.m. 1. Preheat the smoker to 290°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan. When I used my Warthog offset smoker trailer at barbecue competitions, I ran an all-wood fire of hickory and oak logs. For a backyard-level model, a charcoal base with added smoking wood is easier. Saturday, 2 a.m. 1. Brisket goes on. Wrap a half sheet pan and a quarter sheet pan with foil for easier cleanup. Place the flat, fat-cap down, on a rack over the half sheet pan. Place the point on a rack over the quarter sheet pan. Place these in the center of your smoker away from hot spots. 2. Spritz the brisket. Spritz the brisket with apple juice when it first goes on and every hour after. Saturday, 7 a.m. 1. Wrap the brisket. When the brisket is evenly dark, about an internal temperature of 160° to 170°F, it is time to wrap in foil and then place back onto the smoker. Cut five sheets of 18 x 24-inch heavy-duty aluminum foil. Work quickly to avoid lost cooking time. • Flat — Stack two sheets of foil on the counter and place the brisket on the center. Pull the edges up slightly to form a bowl. Sprinkle about two-thirds of the dried onion flake on top and pour ½ cup of beef stock around the brisket. Top with a third sheet of foil and roll the edges of the bottom sheets inward, crimping it to form a tight seal. • Point — Stack two sheets of foil on the counter and place the point on top. Sprinkle with the remaining dried onion. Pour ¼ cup of stock around the edges and fold up the edges to seal it: Fold the bottom flap up, then the left flap in, then the top flap down, and the right flap in and over the brisket. 2. Preheat a hot box (aka Cambro). Pour a large pot of boiling water in a hotel pan in the bottom position and close the hot box latches. For a cooler, pour the boiling water in and close the lid. When ready to use, dump the water and quickly dry it out before adding the foil-wrapped meats. If using a cooler, cover the meat with a towel when you place it in the cooler.

180

Saturday, 9 a.m. 1. Begin checking for doneness. The point and flat are done when they are 200° to 209°F and probetender. That means if you stick a skewer or thermometer probe into the brisket, it goes in easily like stabbing warm butter. Chances are the point will be done an hour or so before the flat. When they are done, remove the brisket pieces from the smoker and store them in the warm hot box or cooler. 2. Prepare the burnt ends. Slice the point into 1-inch or smaller cubes and place them in a half-size steam pan. Pour beef stock into the steam pan until the liquid comes over halfway up the sides of the burnt ends. This might not require all of the remaining stock; go by the height of the liquid relative to the burnt ends. Tightly cover with foil and place back in the hot box until later. Saturday, 11 a.m. 1. Braise the burnt ends. Take the sealed steam pan and place it in the smoker near the firebox. Saturday, 12:30 p.m. 1. Warm up the burnt end sauce. Pour it into a small saucepan over low heat for 10 minutes. 2. Remove the burnt ends from the smoker. Carefully open the steam pan, letting the steam escape. Pour the liquid into a fat separator. 3. Glaze the burnt ends. Brush the burnt end sauce all over the burnt ends in the steam pan. Saturday, 12:50 p.m. 1. Create a heavier smoke for one last “kiss of smoke.” Add a cold split or chunk of smoke wood to the firebox to create a visible white smoke. You don’t want it “dirty,” but you do want a heavier smoke than you would normally use. 2. Everyone back in the pool! Remove the brisket flat from the foil. Put it and the uncovered burnt ends pan back into the smoker. The heat will reset the crust of the flat, which got soft sitting in the foil. 3. Make the glaze for the flat. Thin the remaining ½ cup of Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce by whisking in some of the beef stock from the fat separator. It is a ratio of about four parts barbecue sauce to one part stock. Saturday, 1 p.m.  1. Remove the brisket from the smoker. 2. Finish the burnt ends. Taste a burnt end. Does it need a little salt? Sprinkle it with popcorn or fine table salt. Does it need a kick? Lightly sprinkle the burnt ends with the finely ground Smokin’ Guns BBQ Hot Rub. Pick the out the six or seven best, most similarly sized burnt ends. 3. Finish the brisket flat. Slice the flat, against the grain, into pencil-width slices. Once you slice the flat, the slices will start to dry out immediately. Keep them pressed together to protect the sides in a half steam pan with the rest of the warm beef stock from the fat separator. Taste a slice and adjust seasoning. Pick the best six or seven consecutive slices (so they are all shaped the same). Trim off the fat strip on the bottom. Trim the edges so that the slices fit in the box, which is how the meat is served in competition. Apply a light coat of the glaze to each slice.

181

4. Build the box. Fan out the slices, starting from the back, so that the smoke ring is showing. Place the burnt ends in a row across the front. If you are just doing this for home and have no aspirations of competing, you can use a platter. But if you are practicing for competition, you need to practice building the box just like you will at the event.

182

Beef Tallow Dr. Phil Bass is an associate professor at the University of Idaho. I had the pleasure of taking a meat trimming class from Dr. Bass several years ago. He got into the ethics of meat consumption, and he said something that stuck with me: “Every single person in the meat community has a responsibility to use every bit of this animal.” Ever since then, I have done my best to keep all the hard, white fat left over from trimming briskets, rib eyes, and other beef roasts to make tallow. You can freeze the trimmings and make tallow later. What is tallow? Tallow is the beefy equivalent to lard. It is neutral-tasting and has a relatively high smoke point, like canola oil. Tallow is clean cooking, so it is excellent for frying eggs. It was supposedly the secret behind McDonald’s crispy fries back in the day. It is also fantastic for seasoning cast-iron skillets and offset smokers. Makes: about 3 quarts from the fat from 1 brisket hard, white beef fat trimmings 1. Go through the trimmings and remove any spongy fat or bits of red meat. 2. Cut the fat into 1-inch sized pieces. The smaller size will help them render faster. 3. Place in a wide, heavy pan such as a big stockpot over medium-low heat and let it render for 2 to 3 hours, occasionally stirring. At first, it will look like the fat is just sweating, but after an hour or so, you will see liquid tallow. Before long, the solid pieces will shrink and turn light brown, and you will have more liquid.

183

4. Remove any remaining solids with a slotted spoon. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, fine cheesecloth, or a grease filter. 5. Tallow is shelf-stable, but I keep mine in mason jars in the refrigerator. It will turn from an amber liquid into a white solid.

184

Slow-Roasted Beef Strip Loin The boneless beef strip loin is the primal cut that gives us the New York strip steak, but people often overlook its value as a roast. It’s a lean, tender, and full-flavored cut of beef. They seem to go on sale more often than their steaky counterparts, and when they do, I snap them up. They are well-suited for aging, so if I’m not ready to use it when they are on sale, I’ll just wet age it for later. A whole boneless beef strip loin gives you options — steaked out, cut into roasts, or a combination. One end of a boneless beef strip loin contains a part of the gluteus muscle and connective tissue. Look at both ends, and you’ll see one end has an odd-looking cross-section. Use that end for your roast and save the other end for steaks. This recipe starts with wet aging a strip loin for 28 days to let the natural enzymes tenderize it from within. Then using the dry-brine technique builds penetrating flavors and ensures it will stay juicy while getting the final touch — a smoke session in your offset smoker. Makes: ½ pound per serving 1 beef roast, about 11 pounds, in the original vacuum-sealed packaging 1 to 2 tablespoons high-temperature cooking oil, such as canola, peanut, or avocado ⅓ cup NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) 3 cups beef stock, divided ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste finely ground NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210), as needed

185

1. Wet age the beef. Leave the strip roast in the packaging and refrigerate at 33° to 36°F for 28 days from the date of harvest, if known. If the harvest date is unknown, then assume it was 10 to 13 days before the date of purchase, and wet age it for another 15 to 18 days. 2. Dry-brine the roast. Remove the roast from the packaging and pat it dry. Lightly coat the roast with oil and then season it all over with the NMT Beef Rub v.2. I do not season the ends of the roast, just the edges. Wrap in plastic wrap or a food-safe plastic bag and refrigerate for 18 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before smoking. 3. Preheat the offset smoker to 275°F at the grate level. Fill the water pan and start preheating the smoking wood. For beef roasts, pecan, hickory, and oak are good options. 4. Smoke the roast. Place the roast on a rack over a half sheet pan. Insert a remote probe thermometer so the tip is dead center in the roast. Put 1 cup of the beef stock in a spray bottle and lightly spritz the roast. Place the roast in the smoker and spritz every 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the roast when it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F, about 2½ hours. If you prefer your roast on the rare side, you can pull at 117° to 120°F. If you want it closer to medium, remove the roast when the internal temperature reaches 130° to 135°F. 5. Rest the roast. When the beef roast hits the desired temperature, remove it from the smoker and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. 6. Make beef jus. For a simple beef jus, simmer the remaining 2 cups of beef stock in a small pan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Whisk in the drippings from the roast’s sheet pan. Taste and add salt as desired. 7. Serve the roast. Prepare your cutting board by sprinkling it with finely ground NMT Beef Rub v.2. Cut the roast into ½-inch slices and serve the beef jus on the side. Only slice as much as needed and leave the rest of the roast whole. Refrigerate that overnight, slice thinly on a radial meat slicer the next day, and you’ll have the ultimate deli-style roast beef.

186

Ultimate Roast Beef Sandwich Do food memories stick with you? I still remember the first proper roast beef sandwich that I ever had. It was at a long-forgotten sports bar in Florida. This sandwich came with thin-sliced roast beef piled high on a toasted onion roll with a healthy dose of horseradish. I reveled in the taste. That became my measuring stick for roast beef sandwiches. I made this sandwich with leftover slow-roasted beef strip loin and it broke the measuring stick. It is a crispy onion roll, a hearty mound of the best roast beef, melted provolone cheese, and Cajun gravy. Grab a handful of deep-fried “tobacco onions” and stack them on top for the ultimate roast beef sandwich. Makes: 4 sandwiches For the Cajun Gravy beef jus left over from the Slow-Roasted Beef Strip Loin (page 185) plus enough beef stock to make 2 cups 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons NMT Cajun Beef Rub (page 216) salt For the Tobacco Onions 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210)

187

3 eggs 1 ounce cold water 3 medium yellow onions, sliced ⅛-inch thick on a mandolin fine salt For the Sandwich 1½ pounds thick-sliced Slow-Roasted Beef Strip Loin (page 185) 4 ultra-thin slices provolone cheese 4 onion rolls 1. Make the Cajun Gravy. Bring the jus and stock mixture to a strong simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the NMT Cajun Beef Rub. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup, about 20 minutes. Preheat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the butter, and as soon as it melts, whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking until the roux turns from light to dark brown. Whisk the jus and stock into the roux in small batches until it is all incorporated. Season to taste with salt. 2. Make the Tobacco Onions. Preheat a deep-fryer to 350°F. Mix the flour and NMT Beef Rub v.2 in a medium bowl. In a second medium bowl, beat the eggs with the water. In batches, dip the onion slices in the flour to coat them, then in the egg wash, and back in the flour. Place on a rack over a half sheet pan. In batches, deep-fry the coated onions until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a resting rack and immediately season each batch with a few pinches of fine salt. 3. Assemble the sandwiches. Preheat the oven’s broiler. Slice the onion rolls and place them cut-side up under the broiler until toasted. Top each bottom bun with 6 ounces of roast beef and a slice of provolone cheese. Place back under the broiler until the cheese is melted and then remove. Top each sandwich with a handful of the tobacco onions. Slather a tablespoon of the Cajun gravy on the cut side of each bun top, and you are ready to feast!

Notes/Substitutions Cajun seasoning — Feel free to use another Cajun seasoning, but commercial versions are a good bit saltier than mine, so add in small amounts and taste first. Stovetop method for tobacco onions — Fill a Dutch oven with 2½ inches of high-temperature cooking oil. Place the Dutch oven on a burner over medium-high heat and heat to 350°F. It is best to use a deep-frying thermometer to monitor the temperature.

188

Chapter 10

Side Dishes

189

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes What better side dish is there for Dry-Aged Smoked Prime Rib (page 173) than mashed potatoes? It is a short list for sure. This is one of our favorite versions of mashed potatoes. For a rustic version, leave a few pieces with the potato peel on and coarsely mash the potatoes using a large fork. For a smoother variation, use a potato ricer or use a hand mixer to do the mashing. Makes: 6 to 8 servings 1½ teaspoons kosher salt 5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened 2 tablespoons roasted garlic paste ½ cup sour cream 1 tablespoon NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste chopped parsley, for garnish 1. Boil the potatoes. Fill a large stockpot 6-inches deep with water and add the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the potatoes and boil until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes after the water starts boiling again. Drain in a colander.

190

2. Smash the potatoes. Immediately return the potatoes to the empty stockpot while very hot. Add the butter, garlic paste, sour cream, and NMT Beef Rub v.2. Mash the potatoes to the desired consistency. Taste and season with salt, being sure to mix the added salt in thoroughly. 3. Feeling fancy? For a presentation that will stand up next to a beautiful rib roast, go the extra mile: put two-thirds of the potatoes in a medium-sized casserole dish. Put the rest in a piping bag with an open star nozzle and decorate the top of the casserole. Put this under a broiler or use a kitchen torch to brown the tips. Garnish with parsley.

Notes/Substitutions Yukon gold potatoes — If these are unavailable, use another rich and buttery type such as Red Bliss.

How to Fire-Roast Garlic Cut the top third off a whole head of garlic and discard. Drizzle the bottom with a little olive oil and season with a pinch or two of NMT Beef Rub v.2. Place in a 350°F grill or smoker until the top of the bulb is golden brown and fragrant, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes and then squeeze the pulp out, removing any garlic peel that gets into the paste. Store refrigerated for up to a week in an airtight con­tainer. Use with mashed potatoes, compound butters, or anything calling for garlic.

191

Deep-Fried Loaded Mashed Potatoes This scandalously delicious appetizer is inspired by one of my favorite places for pub food in Knoxville — Big Kahuna Wings. Despite their name and wing prowess, their menu also features things like real wood-smoked pork, thick burgers, and their crazy good deep-fried mashed potatoes. BKW serves their deep-fried mashed potatoes four to a plate as a shareable appetizer, with a spicy mango sauce on the side. That is a fine way to serve them. But I couldn’t help myself from putting one of these potato cakes on one of their killer burgers — it was amazing. These potatoes are also a tasty base for topping with smoked brisket, chili, pulled pork, a fried egg, you name it. Have fun with this one. Experiment with what you put in and on it! Makes: 12 potato cakes 4 cups Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (page 190) 1 cup shredded smoked cheddar cheese ½ cup crushed or crumbled cooked bacon ¼ cup finely chopped green onion, green parts only 1 egg yolk peanut oil or another high-temperature oil, for frying For the Red Chile Dipping Sauce ¾ cup red chile jelly ¼ cup rice wine vinegar

192

2 teaspoons soy sauce For the Coating 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) 1 egg plus 1 egg white 2 tablespoons cold water 1. Make the patties. Mix the potatoes, smoked cheddar, bacon, green onion, and egg yolk until well combined in a large bowl. Form into 12 (3 x 1-inch) patties. Place the patties in the freezer for 30 minutes. 2. Make the Red Chile Dipping Sauce. Stir the red chile jelly, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes, and then remove from the heat. 3. Coat the patties. In a medium bowl, season the flour with the NMT Beef Rub v.2. In a second medium bowl, whisk the egg and cold water together to make an egg wash. Dip each patty, on both sides, in the flour, then in the egg wash, and then back in the flour. Put back into the freezer for 30 minutes. 4. Fry the patties. Fill a deep skillet or Dutch oven 1-inch deep with oil over medium-high and heat the oil to 350°F. It is best to use a deep-frying thermometer to monitor the temperature. Working in batches, carefully place the patties in the oil and cook 3 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip the patties and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the patties to a resting rack while you finish the others. Leaving them on paper towels or a plate can make them soggy.

5. Serve the patties with the Red Chile Dipping Sauce.

Notes/Substitutions Mashed potatoes — You can substitute your favorite mashed potato recipe as long as the potatoes are moderately coarse. If they are too thin, the patties might be difficult to form. NMT Beef Rub V.2 — You can swap this out for another beef rub, or season to taste with salt and pepper. Red pepper jelly — I use AlbuKirky Seasonings Roasted Red Chile Jelly. Braswell’s Red Pepper Jelly also works well in this sauce.

193

Smoked Poblano Mac and Cheese This is my favorite Tex-Mex version of the cheesy comfort food classic. I love serving it to a crowd, and it was a part of the menu that my wife and I created for the Wincrest Angus barn painting celebration. We were catering a meal at this ranch for Certified Angus Beef Brand and we wanted a hearty side dish to go with the Green Chile–Crusted Flank Steak Tacos (page 158) that we were serving. Don’t stress too much about getting all the charred skin scraped off the poblano; a little bit of char in there adds character. This is a recipe for a crowd. If you want a smaller batch, you can cut the recipe in half and cook it in a greased cast-iron skillet in the smoker. This fire is on the hot side for backyard smokers so your vent may be wide open. If the weather is cold or your cooker is struggling to keep the temperature up, try leaving your firebox door slightly open for a turbo boost. Choose whatever smoking wood that you like for this, or none at all is fine. Makes: 24 servings 1 poblano pepper 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups milk 2 pounds Velveeta, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 teaspoon black pepper ¼ cup diced roasted red bell pepper

194

1 teaspoon AlbuKirky Seasonings Green Chile Rub ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste 2 pounds dry, large elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese ¼ teaspoon chili powder 1. Preheat the smoker to 350°F. Fill the water pan. Fill the charcoal basket with lump charcoal and light one end. Leave the firebox lid, firebox door, and air intake vent open for 5 minutes. Then shut the firebox lid. When the cooking temperature reaches 300°F, shut the firebox door and start gradually adjusting the air intake vent closed as the temperature approaches 350°F. It probably won’t have to close much. Start preheating the smoking wood. 2. Fire-roast the poblano. Place the poblano chile directly on the red coals of the firebox and leave it there until the bottom skin chars and blisters, about 1 minute. Flip and char the other side. Remove and rest the chile in a zip-top bag for 5 minutes. Slice the large end off and split the chile lengthwise. Scrape out all of the seeds. Flip the chile and use a knife to lightly scrape off the charred skin. Finely dice the chile. 3. Make the cheese sauce. Heat the cream and milk to a low simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. In small batches, stir in the Velveeta, waiting until each batch is melted before adding the next. Add the stick of butter and frequently stir until melted and combined. 4. Season the cheese sauce. Add the poblano chile, black pepper, roasted red bell pepper, and AlbuKirky Seasonings Green Chile Rub and stir. Check the seasoning and add kosher salt to taste. 5. Assemble the mac and cheese. Lightly grease a half steam pan. Stir the hot pasta and Gouda cheese into the cheese sauce. Pour this mixture into the steam pan. Top with the shredded Colby Jack cheese and lightly sprinkle the top with the chili powder. 6. Smoke the mac and cheese. Add a preheated split of smoking wood on top of the burning coals and wait 10 minutes. Place the mac and cheese in the smoker and let it cook until bubbly and starting to brown on top, 30 to 45 minutes. 7. Remove and serve.

Notes/Substitutions Poblano — The flavor won’t be as bountiful, but you can use a 4-ounce can of diced green chiles in a pinch. AlbuKirky Seasonings Green Chile Rub — If you already have NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning (page 211) made, that would work just as well.

195

Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Chips Sweet potatoes have nutritional value, but let’s be honest — deep-fried sweet potato chips aren’t the next superfood. But they are a tasty alternative to traditional potato chips, and they pair well with barbecue. The seasoning gives them a sweet, earthy, and spicy profile that you don’t get from an ordinary chip. Makes: 4 servings 2 large sweet potatoes frying oil such as peanut oil, tallow, or canola oil For the Seasoning ¼ cup packed brown sugar 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon ground allspice ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1. Prepare the chips. Peel the sweet potatoes and use a mandolin or slicer to cut into ¹∕₁₆-inch slices. 2. Mix the seasoning. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. 3. Preheat the oil. Heat a deep-fryer or a deep skillet filled with 2 inches of oil to 350°F.

196

4. Deep-fry the chips. Carefully add the chips to the hot oil in small batches so the temperature doesn’t drop. Separate any chips that are stuck together. Deep-fry until crispy and just starting to turn brown, about 1 minute. 5. Season the chips. Remove the chips using the fry basket or a slotted spoon and place them on a rack over a sheet pan. Immediately sprinkle each batch with the seasoning as they come out of the fryer.

197

Bacon Honey Mustard Potato Salad This is one of my all-time favorite potato salads. To peel or not to peel? That is the question. I like to leave the skins on the potatoes because of the texture, flavor, and extra nutrients. But make it the way that you prefer. Makes: 8 servings 3 pounds small Red Bliss potatoes 1 tablespoon salt, plus more for seasoning 1 cup NMT Bacon Honey Mustard (page 224) 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped 2 tablespoons finely diced celery ¼ cup finely chopped green onion ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon seasoned salt 1. Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat and cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool for 10 minutes. 2. Cut the potatoes into eighths or quarters, whichever size you like. Place in a large bowl. 3. Assemble the potato salad. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.

198

4. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

199

Tex-Mex–Style Pinto Beans When we make homemade bacon, the whole slab is about two inches too wide to fit onto our radial meat slicer. So I square off the edges and cut those into cubes (aka lardons) to cook with things like collard greens and this great pinto bean recipe adapted from our friend Mike Vrobel. Mike is the author of the Rotisserie series of books and the food blog Dad Cooks Dinner. Makes: 6 to 8 servings 1 pound dried pinto beans 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more for seasoning 2 quarts plus 2 cups water, divided ½ cup lardons or chopped thick bacon 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced 1 tablespoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1 tablespoon beef tallow 1 bay leaf 4 cups vegetable stock

200

1. Soak the beans. Place the beans, 1 tablespoon of the salt, and 2 quarts of the water in a large stockpot and soak overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse. 2. Render the bacon. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the lardons or bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 tablespoons of fat renders out, 8 to 10 minutes. 3. Sauté the aromatics. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, remaining ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Cook, occasionally stirring, until it smells fragrant and the vegetables are starting to become tender, about 5 minutes. 4. Pressure-cook the beans. Place the rinsed beans in a pressure cooker. Add the lardons or bacon and vegetables from the skillet. Add the bay leaf, tallow, vegetable stock, and the remaining 2 cups water to the pressure cooker. Secure the lid, follow manufacturer’s directions, and cook for 30 minutes on high heat. Check to see if the beans are tender enough. If not, reheat the pressure cooker and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. 5. Taste for seasoning and serve.

201

Chunky Hushpuppies Do you like your hushpuppies round or long? I was in a barbecue joint the first time that I saw oblong hushpuppies and was taken aback because that wasn’t how Mom made them. I was used to hushpuppies the size and shape of a ping pong ball. Now the elongated version is my preferred shape, because you get a balance of crispy crust to offset the soft, steamy inside. These hushpuppies are loaded with the good stuff — fire-roasted corn, onions, fire-roasted red bell pepper, and green onions. Makes: about 24 1 cup self-rising yellow cornmeal mix 1 cup self-rising white cornmeal mix 3 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon dry mustard ½ teaspoon chili powder ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ⅓ cup finely chopped onion ¼ cup fire-roasted corn

202

¼ cup finely chopped fire-roasted red bell pepper 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion, green parts only 1 cup buttermilk 1 egg peanut oil, for frying fine salt, to taste 1. Mix the yellow cornmeal mix, white cornmeal mix, sugar, baking soda, salt, dry mustard, chili powder, and cayenne together in a large bowl. Add the onion, corn, red bell pepper, and green onion and toss. 2. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. 3. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry. Whisk only enough to combine; this will result in a lighter texture. Don’t overwork the batter. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. 4. Preheat a deep fryer or a Dutch oven filled with 3 inches of oil to 375°F. 5. Put the batter into a piping bag with a ¾-inch round tip. Carefully squeeze the piping bag to press out about six 2-inch pieces of batter into the hot oil. Let the pieces float for about 15 seconds and then use a heat-resistant, long-handled slotted spoon to start rolling them over to cook their lighter sides every 10 to 15 seconds until crispy and golden brown, about 1 minute total. Remove the hushpuppies with slotted spoon or fry basket to a resting rack. Season lightly with fine salt as soon as they hit the resting rack. Repeat for the remaining batter. 6. Keep warm on a resting rack in a 170°F oven until ready to serve.

203

#1 BBQ Pit Beans This is the recipe that earned my wife, Alexis, her first first-place call at a barbecue contest. I must give credit to Christopher Prieto of Prime BBQ because he’s the one who convinced me that fruit in barbecue beans is okay. I’ve had peaches and things like that in beans, but never cared for them. His barbecue beans were the best I have ever tasted, and one of his secrets is pineapple. To get the rest of his secrets, you’ll have to take one of his classes — trust me, it will be worth it. If using this for a barbecue competition ancillary entry, garnish the individual plates with a burnt end to put it over the top. Makes: 24 servings 2 (28-ounce) cans Bush’s Original Baked Beans ½ cup diced onion ¼ cup diced green bell pepper ¼ cup diced red bell pepper 1 fire-roasted poblano ¼ cup Gentry’s BBQ Cakalacki Gold Mustard Sauce ½ cup NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce (page 217) 1 cup chopped brisket, preferably point 2 tablespoons NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) ½ cup crushed pineapple

204

¾ cup packed dark brown sugar, divided brisket burnt ends, for garnish 1. Mix all the ingredients except for ½ cup of the brown sugar and the burnt ends in a half-sized steam pan. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of brown sugar over the top. 2. Place in the smoker, preferably below pork butts or briskets in their last few hours, and smoke for 2 to 3 hours until rich and bubbly, and the brown sugar on top is crispy. Remove from the smoker. 3. Garnish each serving with a brisket burnt end.

205

Rhonda’s Blackberry Margarita Barbecue is a game of waiting. Waiting for the smoker to preheat. Waiting for the dry brine to finish. Waiting on “the stall.” Waiting for the meat be done. Having a cool, adult beverage during those times is nice. This is a refreshing cocktail that my sister — and barbecue teammate — came up with while we were cooking one afternoon last year. Makes: 2 servings ¼ cup blackberry jam 3 ounces tequila 1 ounce Grand Marnier ½ cup fresh lime juice 1 ounce simple syrup coarse Hawaiian red salt or another rim salt blackberries and lime slices, for garnish 1. Warm the jam in a small saucepan over low heat until it is liquid. Allow to cool slightly. 2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the jam, tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously. 3. Salt the rim of two highball glasses. Fill the glasses with ice and strain the shaker contents into the glasses. Garnish with a blackberry or two and a slice of lime.

206

Smoked Game Day Mix This mix is always popular at tailgates and get-togethers, but we’ll often make a batch to have around the house for snacking. It will hold for about a week in an airtight container. Makes: about 12 cups 3 cups Wheat Chex 3 cups Rice Chex 3 cups Corn Chex 2 cups Cheez-Its 1 cup halved pretzel sticks 1 cup roasted peanuts ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning (page 211) 1. Preheat the smoker to 250°F. I don’t use a water pan for this recipe because you need the damp mix to dry out. Start preheating hickory wood splits and add one 10 minutes before placing the mix in the smoker. Replenish the smoking wood at 30 minutes. 2. Mix the cereal, Cheez-Its, pretzel sticks, and peanuts in a full-size steam pan.

207

3. In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter and mix in the Worcestershire sauce and NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning. 4. Drizzle the butter mixture over the snack mix and toss thoroughly to coat. 5. Place the pan in the smoker for 1 hour, stirring the mix at the 20- and 40-minute marks. 6. Remove from the smoker and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container for 5 days.

Notes/Substitutions Use a spicy peanut variety instead of the regular roasted for a stronger kick.

208

Chapter 11

Rubs and Seasonings Follow these tips to up your rub and seasonings game: Use dustless, 16-mesh or “restaurant grind” black pepper. This means the ground pepper has been sorted through a mesh to get even sized pieces. This eliminates the finely ground “dust” and the extracoarse chunks that deliver too much of a pepper bite. The evenly sized bits of pepper provide a consistent amount of flavor and heat. I buy mine at a restaurant supply store, but you can also find it online. Invest in a dehydrator. Drying your ingredients will give you a steady supply of specialty items like dried mushrooms, peppers, and shallots. It lets you control the quality and saves you money.

Finely grind your favorite rubs as a finishing seasoning. Put your favorite homemade or commercial rub in a pepper mill or spice grinder and grind it into dust. In addition to using the regular rub, sprinkle this seasoning over the final recipe and it will absorb quickly (no appearance issues) and boost the flavor. Don’t settle. Rubs have ingredients that will settle, throwing off the balance. Shake the rub jar back and forth and up and down to redistribute the seasonings evenly before using. Another option is to pour some of the rub in a bowl and sift the rub with your fingertips several times to balance out the ingredients Following are some recipes from my grilling and BBQ blog, Nibble Me This.

209

NMT Beef Rub v.2 This beef rub is a streamlined version of our original. It features the simplicity of Texas-style Dalmatian rub with a few extras in there to enhance the flavors of beef. This is excellent on beef roasts and steaks. It’s also a superb general-purpose seasoning, so we make it in large batches. Try it on eggs! Makes: about 1¼ cups

½ cup coarse kosher salt ½ cup ground dustless black pepper, 16 mesh (coarse) 1½ tablespoons granulated garlic 1 tablespoon coarsely ground dried shallot 1 tablespoon coarsely ground dried red bell pepper 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Notes/Substitutions Coarsely ground dried shallot can be replaced with coarsely ground dried onion. Coarsely ground dried red bell pepper can be substituted with 1 teaspoon paprika, but the bell pepper makes a difference. Commercially available substitutions — Meat Church Holy Cow BBQ Rub and Gentry’s BBQ Beef Brigade BBQ Rub.

210

NMT Green Chile Steak Seasoning This Southwestern-style steak seasoning is a fun departure from the same ol’ steak seasoning.The unique flavors rock for steaks and beef roasts, but try it on chicken and pork too. It’s best when applied to steaks and roasts and refrigerated for 8 to 12 hours before cooking to allow the seasoning to act as a dry brine. Makes: about ¼ cup

2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt 2 tablespoons ground dustless Malabar black pepper, 16 mesh (coarse) 1 tablespoon Hatch green chile powder 1½ teaspoons granulated garlic ¾ teaspoon coarsely ground dried shallot ¼ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground coriander 1. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Notes/Substitutions Hatch green chile powder can be substituted with any dried mild green chiles. Ground dried shallot can be substituted with ½ teaspoon onion powder. Commercially available substitutions — AlbuKirky Seasonings Green Chile Rub.

211

NMT Ba’Cock! All-Purpose Poultry Seasoning

This basic poultry rub is good as is for whole roasted chicken, wings, or pieces. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and chiles to take it Southwestern. Throw in paprika, brown sugar, ground onion, and such to make it a barbecue rub. Makes: enough for 1 whole chicken

2 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar 1 teaspoon dried lemon peel 1. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Notes/Substitutions Commercially available substitutions — Thunderbird Chicken Scratch.

NMT Hot Ba’Cock! Spicy Poultry Seasoning Make NMT Ba’Cock! All-Purpose Poultry Seasoning and add a ¾ teaspoon of Olde Virden’s Red Hot Sprinkle. This is a blend of dried jalapeno, serrano, and habanero chiles and is available online. If you don’t have time to order it, use 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes instead. A fantastic commercial alternative is Thunderbird Fiery Hot Chicken Scratch.

212

NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub

This is my go-to rub for a traditional barbecue seasoning. NMT Southern Sweet starts sweet, transitions through some savory flavors, and finishes with a mild kick of heat. It provides a bright color on pork, ribs, and chicken. Makes: a little more than ½ cup

2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons paprika 1 tablespoon honey powder (optional) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon celery salt 1 teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon granulated garlic ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon white pepper ½ teaspoon ground coriander 1. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Notes/Substitutions The honey powder can be substituted with and an extra teaspoon each of brown sugar and white sugar. Commercially available substitutions — Meat Church Honey Hog BBQ Rub, Meat Church Deez Nuts Honey Pecan BBQ Rub, or Kosmo’s Q Killer Bee Honey Rub.

213

NMT Steer Seasoning The secret to this rub is beef bouillon powder to amplify the beef flavor. NMT Steer Seasoning also creates extra-flavorful beef jus. Makes: ½ cup

2 tablespoons kosher salt 3 tablespoons ground black pepper, 16 mesh (coarse) 2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon or 2 cubes ground beef bouillon 2 teaspoons granulated garlic ¾ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Notes/Substitutions You can use either NMT Beef Rub v.2 (page 210) or NMT Umami Steak Seasoning (page 215) in place of Steer Seasoning.

214

NMT Umami Steak Seasoning This steak seasoning uses the power of natural flavor enhancers in mushrooms to intensify the flavor of beef. Dried mushroom powders are pricey, so when mushrooms are on sale, I often dehydrate them; they last just about forever. Then you can finely grind them for this rub or reconstitute in hot water to use in other recipes. Makes: about 1 cup

½ cup kosher salt ½ cup coarsely ground black pepper 1½ tablespoons granulated garlic 2 teaspoons coarsely ground dried shallot 2 teaspoons ground dried shiitake mushrooms 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground dried porcini mushrooms 1 teaspoon ground dried portobello mushrooms 3/4 teaspoon ground dried red bell pepper ½ teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon ground dried ancho chile ¼ teaspoon ground dried guajillo chile 1. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Notes/Substitutions You can get by with just one of the three mushroom powders. If using only one, go with shiitake because, in addition to a having a natural version of MSG, shiitake mushrooms also contain a second flavor enhancer — guanosine monophosphate.

215

NMT Cajun Beef Rub When I think of Cajun seasoning, I think spicy and flavorful but not necessarily hot. This also goes well with chicken if you up the salt to 1 tablespoon. Makes: about ¼ cup

2 tablespoons smoked paprika 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons onion powder 2 teaspoons granulated garlic 1½ teaspoons white pepper 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon black pepper 1. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

216

Chapter 12

Sauces and Injections NMT Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce This is a Southern-style, tomato-based barbecue sauce, with plenty of sweetness and a mildly spicy finish. It makes pork, chicken, and ribs shine. Makes: about 2 cups

1 cup ketchup ½ cup packed brown sugar ¾ cup honey 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce ¼ teaspoon dried minced garlic ¼ teaspoon dried onion flakes 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¾ teaspoon chili powder ¾ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 ounce single-barrel bourbon 1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, mix the ketchup, brown sugar, honey, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, dried garlic, and dried onion and simmer for 10 minutes. 2. Use an immersion blender and blend the sauce until there are no large pieces of garlic or onion. 3. Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. 4. Either use right away or store for later. If using later, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Warm before using; if it is a little too thick, thin with a tablespoon or two of apple juice.

Notes/Substitutions For more of a Kansas City–style sauce, eliminate the bourbon, cut the amount of honey to ¼ cup, and add ¼ cup of molasses. Commercially available substitutions — Blues Hog Original or Smoky Mountain Smokers Original BBQ Sauce

217

NMT Pineapple Habanero Sauce

Failures are often just road maps toward success. This sauce started as a failed attempt to make pineapple habanero jelly; it just wouldn’t firm up despite using the right amount of pectin. I tweaked it and axed the pectin altogether to make this great sauce for ribs, chicken, wings, or pouring over fireroasted brie. This recipe makes a lot of sauce, but is excellent for home canning. Makes: 8 cups

1 cored pineapple 2 habaneros 1 red jalapeno ½ orange bell pepper ½ cup rice wine vinegar ¼ cup mirin 2 cups sugar 1 heaping teaspoon Wassi’s Vintage Sunshine Rub and Seasoning 1. Cut the pineapple into slices and grill over high heat until slightly charred, about 3 minutes per side. 2. Char and blister the habaneros, jalapeno, and orange bell pepper over high heat. Place them in a paper bag for 5 minutes, then slice them open and discard the stems and seeds. Flip and scrape off the charred skin that comes off easily. Leave the rest. 3. Cut the pineapple slices into chunks and put into a food processor with the chiles and bell pepper. Pulse until broken up into small pieces. 4. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rice wine vinegar and mirin and bring to a strong simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. 5. Stir in the sugar and Wassi’s Vintage Sunshine Rub and Seasoning. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. 6. Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

218

Notes/Substitutions You can substitute Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head Sweet Tropical Rub for the Wassi’s Vintage Sunshine Rub and Seasoning. Commercially available substitution — Robert Rothschild Roasted Pineapple and Habanero Sauce.

219

NMT Golden Mustard BBQ Sauce Mustard-based barbecue sauces are most often associated with South Carolina, but my love for them started in Florida in the ’90s. A barbecue restaurant near my office had these gold sauces on their tables, and they grew on me. Mustard-based sauces are piquant, like North Carolina vinegar-based sauces or Alabama white sauces. This sauce is savory, tangy, and ideal for pork and chicken. Makes: 1½ cups

½ cup apple cider vinegar ½ cup plain yellow mustard ½ cup packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard 1 ounce apple pie moonshine 1 teaspoon chipotle purée 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon white pepper ¼ teaspoon cayenne (½ teaspoon for extra heat) ¼ teaspoon ground coriander 1. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until well combined, about 15 minutes. 2. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes/Substitutions You can substitute half of a chipotle with adobo sauce, very finely minced, for the chipotle purée. You can substitute quality apple juice for apple pie moonshine. Commercially available substitutions — Gentry’s BBQ Cakalacki Gold Mustard Sauce, which won first place at Memphis In May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, is excellent.

220

State of Franklin BBQ Sauce Much of East Tennessee was briefly known as the State of Franklin. It was eight counties ceded by North Carolina that would eventually become Tennessee. So when I mixed my eastern North Carolina vinegar barbecue sauce with Blues Hog Tennessee Red Sauce and loved the result, I immediately dubbed it State of Franklin BBQ Sauce. It is a fabulous sauce, almost more of a dressing, for pulled pork. Makes: 2 cups

½ cup apple cider vinegar ½ cup white vinegar ¾ teaspoon kosher salt ¾ teaspoon black pepper ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¾ teaspoon sugar ¾ teaspoon hot sauce 1 cup Blues Hog Tennessee Red Sauce 1. Whisk the all ingredients together in a medium bowl. 2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Shake before using.

Notes/Substitutions If you have your own favorite eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce, then you can just mix a cup of that with the Blues Hog Tennessee Red Sauce.

221

NMT Bacon Jam

In 2016, I had the pleasure of being taught to make bacon jam by Ms. Mozell Brown at the Smithfield Inn in Smithfield, Virginia. Mozell has been making her world-famous ham biscuits at the quaint inn for over 50 years. This recipe isn’t adapted from her bacon jam, but it was inspired by it. It is delicious on burgers, ham biscuits, English muffins, stuffed in a grilled pork chop, or probably even on a flip-flop! Makes: 1½ cups

1 pound thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, cut into ¼-inch strips 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ¾ cup finely diced yellow onion ½ cup packed brown sugar 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced ¼ cup maple syrup ¼ cup cola 1 ounce apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon bourbon 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 1 tablespoon NMT Southern Sweet BBQ Rub (page 213) 1. Brown the bacon in a cast-iron skillet or heavy pot over medium-low heat until crispy, about 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel. 2. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease and add the butter. Add the onions and brown sugar and cook, occasionally stirring, until the onions are tender, about 15 minutes. Pay close attention to the heat and reduce the temperature if needed. 3. Add the bacon and the remaining ingredients to the skillet. Bring to a simmer, occasionally stirring, until thickened, about 30 minutes. 4. Remove the skillet from heat and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. 5. Use a small food processor to pulse the jam to a coarse consistency.

222

6. Store refrigerated in an airtight jar for up to 1 week. When ready to use, warm the jar in a small saucepan with hot water for 5 minutes to loosen the jam.

223

NMT Bacon Honey Mustard This is a cross between one of my mom’s recipes and a salad dressing a restaurant where my wife, Alexis, and I frequently dined. It rocks as a salad dressing, condiment, or dipping sauce. Try brushing it on grilled chicken. This is also the base for Bacon Honey Mustard Potato Salad (page 198). Makes: about 1 cup

2 slices bacon 1 tablespoon bacon fat ½ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup honey 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 2½ tablespoons yellow mustard ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1. Cook the bacon until crisp in a small skillet. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat. 2. Pulse the cooked bacon to crumbs in a small food processor or blender. 3. Add the remaining ingredients and reserved bacon fat and pulse until combined. 4. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

224

NMT Bird Shot Poultry Injection

Injections add flavor and moisture to your meats. Competition teams use wild concoctions and commercial injections that add tenderizers and even phosphates to their meat. I like this simple poultry injection because it gets the job done without going overboard. Makes: about 1 cup, enough for 2 small chickens or a turkey

1 cup chicken stock ½ cup honey ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter 1 teaspoon sea salt 1. Place the chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Measure to ensure it is only ½ cup stock. Keep simmering if not. 2. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the butter, honey, and sea salt and stir occasionally until the salt dissolves and the butter melts. 3. Allow to cool to room temperature before using. Whisk or shake vigorously to redistribute the butter before injecting. 4. To inject, use a meat syringe to inject about 5cc (about 1 teaspoon) per injection site. 5. If you make ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator and warm it up in a hot water bath until the butter liquefies again.

Notes/Substitutions You can add ¼ to ½ teaspoon xanthan gum as a stabilizer. Commercially available substitutions — Meat Church T-Bird’s Chicken Injection or Butchers BBQ Bird Booster Original Flavor.

225

NMT Pig Poke Pork Injection Injections are helpful for thoroughly seasoning big hunks of meat like pork butts, shoulders, and roasts. Marinades, rubs, and brines only penetrate so far and take time. Injections are deep and immediate. This pork injection gets seasoning through and through and brings out the natural sweetness of fresh, quality pork. Makes: 1½ cups, enough for 2 pork butts

1½ cups apple juice 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon granulated sugar ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1. Whisk all the ingredients together until the salt and sugar dissolve. 2. If making this ahead of time, store refrigerated for up to 5 days and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours before using. 3. Use a meat syringe to inject 10cc (about 2 teaspoons) every inch or so in a grid pattern.

226

References Eckert, Dave. “The Passing of Burnt Ends in Kansas City.” KansasCity.com, June 26, 2013, https://www. kansascity.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/chow-town/article322071/The-passing-of-burnt-ends-in-KansasCity.html. Franklin, Aaron, and Jordan McKay. Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2015. Goldwyn, Meathead. Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016. Heckathorn, John. “How to Make Hawaii-Style Huli-Huli Chicken.” Hawaii Magazine, June 5, 2009, https:// www.hawaiimagazine​.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2009/6/5/make_huli_huli_chicken. Kingsford. “An American Story.” Kingsford, February 22, 2019, www.kingsford.com: https://www.kingsford. com/country/about-us. Liu, Evie. ”Why Chickens Are Twice as Big Today as They Were 60 Years Ago.” MarketWatch, January 6, 2017, https://www​.marketwatch.com/story/why-chickens-are-twice-as-big-today-as-they-were-60-yearsago-2017-01-06. López-Alt, Kenji. The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking through Science. New York: W. W. Norton, 2015. McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. New York: Scribner, 2004. McGlynn, William. “Guidelines for the Use of Chlorine Bleach as a Sanitizer in Food Processing Operations.” Oklahoma State University, retrieved from http://ucfoodsafety​.ucdavis.edu/files/26437.pdf. Pork Checkoff. “Compare.” February 22, 2019, https://www.pork.org/cooking/nutrition/compare. Southern Living, ed. Southern Living Ultimate Book of BBQ: The Complete Year-Round Guide to Grilling and Smoking. Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor House, 2015. Stone, Tuffy. Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2018. United States Department of Agriculture. “Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications.” https://www.ams. usda.gov/grades-standards/imps. Yancey, Janeal. “Aging Beef.” TheMeat​WeEat.com, August 20, 2018, https://meatscience.org/ TheMeatWeEat/topics/fresh-meat/article/2018/08/20/aging-beef.

227

Conversions Common Conversions 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups = 128 fluid ounces = 3.8 liters 1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups = 32 ounces = .95 liter 1 pint = 2 cups = 16 ounces = 480 ml 1 cup = 8 ounces = 240 ml ¼ cup = 4 tablespoons = 12 teaspoons = 2 ounces = 60 ml

Temperature Conversions Fahrenheit (°F)

Celsius (°C)

200°F 95°C 225°F 110°C 250°F 120°C 275°F 135°C 300°F 150°C 325°F 165°C 350°F 175°C 375°F 190°C 400°F 200°C 425°F 220°C 450°F 230°C 475°F 245°C

Volume Conversions U.S.

U.S. equivalent

Metric

½ fluid ounce 2 fluid ounces 3 fluid ounces 4 fluid ounces 5 fluid ounces 6 fluid ounces 8 fluid ounces 16 fluid ounces

15 milliliters 60 milliliters 80 milliliters 120 milliliters 160 milliliters 180 milliliters 240 milliliters 480 milliliters

1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons)

¼ cup ⅓ cup ½ cup ⅔ cup ¾ cup 1 cup 2 cups

228

Weight Conversions U.S. Metric ½ ounce 1 ounce 2 ounces ¼ pound ⅓ pound ½ pound ¾ pound 1 pound

15 grams 30 grams 60 grams 115 grams 150 grams 225 grams 340 grams 450 grams

229

ACKNOWLE DG M E NTS First and foremost, I must thank my wife Alexis for her unwavering support on this project and in life. You mean the world to me. Thanks to my parents for raising us to respect the people who grow our food and being my first culinary instructors. Thanks to my barbecue team. Cooking alongside you guys at contests and food festivals makes all the hard work worth it. Let’s see if I can name them all in one breath: Rhonda, Sean, John, Anna Mae, Laurie, Carson, Scott, Carrie, and Jeff. Thanks to my barbecue friends, both online and in real life. There are far too many to name, but you all inspire me and stoke my creativity every day. Thanks to all the barbecue masters who have taught and inspired me: Chris Lilly, Tuffy Stone, Danielle Bennett, Moe Cason, Mike Mills, and so many more. Thanks to the entire team at Certified Angus Beef Brand for being such a fabulous resource. I couldn’t ask to be associated with a finer group of people. Thanks to Beth Bamford and the entire team at work. I couldn’t have taken the time off to write this book if I didn’t have complete trust in you all.

230

About the Author Chris Grove is a perpetual student of the art of barbecue. He is the creator and publisher of the longtime barbecue and grilling blog Nibble Me This. Chris and his team cook at food festivals, competing in barbecue contests and teaching grilling classes. Chris and his wife are also certified food judges for steak cook-offs, barbecue contests, and the World Food Championships. His years of working with national food and grilling brands have given him unique opportunities to learn more about how and what we grill. Chris shares what he has learned from those experiences in his first book, The Kamado Smoker and Grill Cookbook, and now The Offset Smoker Cookbook.

231