Barbecue Swords - The BBQ Grills, Pits and Smokers Story

Before we get started...I just want everyone to know that this blog is suited perfectly to be written in emojis....but unfortunately that isn't going to happen. Anyways, waking up yesterday was one of those days that you wake up and didn't know how you got there....damn you Sab...trying to act like I'm 21 again... Lets fast forward to Sunday at noon, so the story of briskets, monsoons and ninjas can be told.

There we were; Cody, James, Clint and I had planned smoking a brisket and kicking it for a few weeks and a hangover, a Texas monsoon and spoiled broccoli wasn't going to derail any of our intentions. Speaking of broccoli - broccoli is a lot like anal, you won't like it if it's forced upon you as a kid....whoa, did I go to far there? 0_o Back to the brisket. This bad boy is a monster, got it all rubbed up and ready to be smoked. This is where the fun starts; I soaked the wood a bit to much in lighter fluid so it caught the smoker on fire, that was intense - damn near caught the fence on fire. The fire chilled out, got the temperature down to 210 and threw the hunk of meat on the smoker. Everything was great at this point, the sun was out, beers were flowing and my hangover didn't seem to bad. Things were going great....and then it happened. A freaking monsoon came storming in. "Great Oden's beard this a ton of rain, are we going to need our floaties" says James. Clint said something about Vin Disel being in gay porn which was kind of strange considering we were in the midst of what seemed like a category 4 hurricane, but whatever. Anyways, it's raining and these jackasses are watching me set up a make shift tent while getting pelted by sheets of acid rain.

We get the table, smoker and our cigarettes somewhat protected from the rain, continue our bullshitting and hangout for the next three or four hours while the brisket is smoking. At this point, Cody, James and Clinton are all drinking there beers while my hangover kicks into full gear. It wasn't fun....like getting kicked in your nuts multiple times by Ronda Rousey type not fun. A few hours pass and the rain is still coming down in buckets, freaking Texas spring this year. Cody, James and Clinton are tired of waiting on the brisket to finish smoking and leave around hour five of the smoking process....leaving my hungover ass to finish it by my lonesome. At this point there is literally nothing exciting about smoking this brisket. My brother and friends bounced out, I'm hungover and it's still raining....La Nina, you're such a whore. Hour six passes by and all I want to do is eat....Hour seven arrives and goes and finally it's time to pull the brisket off the smoker. I get the brisket off the smoker, take it inside to cut it up to devour a pound or two of what once was a cow.

I ran to my room to wash my hands and get my mind right on what would be an adventure just in cutting the brisket. I walk back into the kitchen and to my surprise a god damn ninja had cut up half of the brisket for me. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty freaked out that I had a ninja stalking me and cutting brisket in perfect slices. This coupled with a god awful hangover still didn't detour me from giving two shits about a ninja. I finished what the ninja turtles, Bam-Bam, Rocky and Cole didn't....cutting the rest of the brisket.

After eight hours of wanting to lay on the couch and sleep, the brisket was finally completed. I added five or six slices of brisket on my plate and added some Stubbs BBQ sauce....sweet heat whaaaaa.

Game Over.

Brisketology: The Smoking Four - BBQ Smokers, Sauces and Rubs

It's that time of the year again. March Madness is in full force so this article will talk about a little bit of basketball and a whole lot of smoked brisket. What's the best part of a brisket? Some say indulging in the succulent tenderness of what once was a cow, but others enjoy the prepping and smoking process. Regardless of what a carnivorous person enjoys, here is how to prepare and smoke a brisket. It will a BBQ Smoker, Sauces and Rubs to name a few items.

Grocery List
- Preferably a fresh 7-11 pound brisket although frozen works perfectly fine!
- Mustard, Mayonnaise or both.
- Spices (this varies depending on the rub that is being used, but a recipe will be in the article as well).
- Aluminum foil.
- Beer, plenty of it!

Recipe for Brisket Rub
- 3 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole cumin
- 2 tablespoons mustard powder
- 2 tablespoons chili or ancho powder and 1 tablespoon New Mexico chili pepper powder
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons olive oil

Prepping the Rub for the Brisket
Ideally, start by grinding the peppercorn down with a grinder, whether it be a coffee or spice grinder. Using already grinded peppercorn is fine, but the taste and aroma that is put off by grinding peppercorn yourself is noticeable. Once the decision has been made on whether to grind the peppercorn or not, the next thing that needs to be done is to add the rest of the spices together and mix thoroughly.

For the record, this recipe is for one 7-11 pound brisket, so obviously with multiple briskets there will need to be some basic math done to figure out the rub for the brisket.

Setting Up the Smoker
When setting up your smoker, there's plenty of different ways to go about it. Here is one method that seems to be simple, yet very effective. First off, decide on what you want to use: wood chips, wood logs charcoal briquettes or a combination. If using wood chips, soak a handful or two in warm water for a half hour before placing on top of the charcoal briquettes. Add a drip pan of water beneath the meat to help keep the temperature of the meat consistent. Once the grill is set up, light it up and maintain a temperature of 225-250 degrees Ferhenheit during the duration of smoking the brisket(s).


Brisket Preparation
Pull the brisket out of the fridge or freezer. If it was in the freezer, let it thaw completely before doing anything with the smoker. A brisket has a fat cap that should be a quarter (1/4") thick. The fat helps the meat become more tender during the smoking process. The fat cap shouldn't be to thick or else the smoke won't penetrate into that side of the brisket nearly as well. For this recipe, mayonnaise is lathered onto the outside of the brisket - think of it as an added layer of fat. Nom nom. When rubbing the brisket, it is a good idea to put a layer of the rub on before and after the mayonnaise has been lathered on. Mustard is another good substitute as well. Regardless of whether mayonnaise or mustard is used, it will help the rub stick to the meat so much better!

Smoke That Brisket!
At this point, the preparation of the brisket is complete. Now it's time to smoke the brisket! Again, the smoking temperature should be 225-250 degrees Ferhenheit. There are ton of different ways to smoke a brisket, but this method requires smoking the brisket for two hours with no aluminum foil. After the two hour time span is up, pull the brisket out of the smoker and wrap it in aluminum foil for the duration of the smoking session (4-6 hours). This is when it's good time to bust out the cooler of beer, kick back and watch the madness that comes in March; the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This weekend (4/1-4/4) is the Final Four so there will be plenty of time to watch the games and polish off a beer or two....or a case while your watching the games.

Ready to Destroy a Cow 
Now that the brisket has been smoked, let's eat! If the brisket is for a later time then just throw it in a cooler and let the insulation keep it warm. It'll be waiting for you to enjoy!

Hope this was helpful for anyone that's never smoked a brisket before. Anyone that has any thoughts or would like to critic or add ideas or comments, feel free! I'm more than open to any thoughts in order to improve a brisket!

Barbecue Maintenance and Parties

When barbecuing the most important thing aside from the actual dish is a barbecue grill. Since it is important, anybody that is an owner of a barbecue grill should be conscious of the little maintenance that is necessary for a successful barbecue. Taking care of a grill (aka: Barbecue Maintenance) can add years to the grills life span as well as tons of memories. Whether its a family get together or a barbecue party, keeping a grill cleaned and in good condition should always be a top five priority aside from the obvious - meats to be cooked, alcohol and of course friends and family. Who was to cook on a janky ass barbecue grill?!

When cleaning your grill, whether it be propane or charcoal doesn’t really affect the cleaning process. Cleaning the grill takes a wire grill brush. Some believe that other items are needed to clean a grill such as sponges, dishwasher liquid, steel wool pads and dry baking soda, but I personally feel that once a fire has been lit, the fire burns everything off and makes brushing with the wire grill brush so much more easier and effortless, just watch ya fingas! Ideally you’ll want to clean your grill after you’re finished grilling. Totally understandable if you don’t cause you were getting “turnt up” with your friends. If you do get “turnt up” with your homies and don’t clean up your grill then next time you spark the grill up just take your wire grill brush and clean the grill free. If you’re about to grill something, it isn’t a bad idea to to use cooking oil spray either. After you’ve finished grilling, another barbecue maintenance tip would be to throw on a barbecue grill cover......let the grill cool down first!

Barbecue maintenance is important because the better kept BBQ grill will last much longer and never cause a party foul. Speaking of party fouls, lets talk about super rad barbecue parties. Lets talk about Themed BBQ parties such as Southern Style BBQ, Hawaiian, Halloween and any kinda of themed party. Grilled meat goes well at 2AM when you have the munchies. When talking about a certain theme, everyone is encouraged to dress the part and since it’s a BBQ….eat the part too. For example, a Hawaiian themed barbecue party would have traditional Hawaiian food on the menu such as:

    - Beef, Chicken or Pork Short Ribs

    - Shrimp, Lobster, Crab, Etc

    - Mahi Mahi, Tuna or whatever you prefer

    - Fruits: Bananas, Pineapple, Mangoes, Papaya, Limes, Strawberries etc

    - Veggies: Onions, Mushrooms, Zucchini, Scallions, Tomatos etc


Make shiskabobs out of all these ingredients or go caveman and catch the meat sweats at 2AM…it’s your barbecue party, get crazy with it! As in any themed party, generally people play the role of the theme. For a Hawaiian themed party you should have tiki torches, a Tiki Bar, blow up or real palm trees, hawaiian button down shirts, leis, hula skirts, patio lights and lamps and so much more. Those are just some ideas, be creative with it!

A barbecue should be a party regardless of whether someone is cooking for themselves or a large group of people. You’re outside around a fire…mine as well get some music going and enjoy yourself. When it comes to barbecue maintenance and parties, these two go hand in hand so don’t let a neglected grill ruin your party! Boom! So enjoy yourself with friends and family, but don't forget to maintain your barbecue grill!


If you have any tips or comments about barbecue maintenance and parties, feel free to share your thoughts.


-Smokethatbbq

BBQ Grills and Smokers and The Art of Living the Dream

Gooday mates,

BBQ grills and smokers come in many shapes, sizes and burning formulas. From Rectangular, round, square, cylindrical, oval and platinum or gold grills

"Let me see ya grill, let you see my, what? Ya, ya grill ya, ya, ya grill Rob da jewelry store and tell 'em make me a grill" haha

<--- Nelly








Alright, lost my train of thought....back on it. The size of your grill is essentially personal preference, unless you're trying to cook enough meat to feed all of Ethopia....and Somalia....and Kenya....for Christs sake, all of Africa. Thank some oil tycoon for Texas for paying someone to make a barbecue pit big enough to accommodate to an entire continent...

This grill is obviously overkill, but generally if a person is grilling for five to ten people, a circular Weber grill will do just fine.

So with any hobby, you're out there enjoying yourself with a 30 pack of stones (Keystone Light) while your meat is getting cooked to perfection. Again, personal preference plays a huge role in this so....are you a charcoal or wood kinda guy/gal or do you prefer the convenience of propane? It's your BBQ, so you pick. As for me, I personally enjoy charcoal. The process of setting up charcoal is like jumping out of a plane....psyche...I just really enjoy setting up my grill that way....weird, right? The reason I'd rather use charcoal or wood is because of the flavor it adds to whatever is being cooked. So obviously there's pros and cons to using charcoal or propane, but since this is my blog, there's no Cons to Charcoal or Wood :P Yeah, I said it....and you better like it!

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Man...The Legend. That guy....livin' the dream..

Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed making it. o_0 If anyone wants to have a blog rap battle using only Nelly lyrics on my comments, that's cool. If you want to talk about barbecue, that'd be even cooler and lets do it. I mean, talk about bbq, not...

-Smokethatbbq

Grilling Tools - Bro Downs and House Fires

Grilling Tools - Bro Downs and House Fires

It was a Sunday afternoon, Sunday Funday, Tank Topalooza or whatever you want to call it. For the sake of naming this 1 Sunday out of the 52 Sundays a year, I'll call it Sunday #32. On this day, my brother, our friends and I were having a day party at our house; grilling out, playing beer pong, flip cup, beersbee and other totally legal things >:] Anyways, the group of eight or ten of us begin to get hungry and fortunately for us, there is a ton of meat marinating in the fridge from chicken, sausage, steaks, pork chops, you name it. We're gon' grub hard during and after our bro down. Of all the people to be on grill duty, they put myself at the helm....good job guys...We're using the big grill instead of the Weber (God I love that Weber). I layer the charcoal and add some mesquite wood for some added flavor - I looked like a GD Subway sandwich artist except with a BBQ grill and charcoal/mesquite. Without anyone else seeing (which is why I call myself a jackass) is to add two bottles of lighter fluid to soak the charcoal and mesquite....good job. After 20-25 minutes of the soaking process, I finally finish off the last bottle of lighter fluid and throw a match on the grill. Since it wasn't gasoline, I wasn't expecting any type of crazy combustion, but I was at the very least expecting the charcoal to light. I attempted to light the grill two more times. It was frustrating to me because at that point I was like "damn, it's to soaked...I just wasted so much lighter fluid and charcoal/mesquite". I walked inside like a puppy in trouble and was going to tell my brother that someone needed to go get more lighter fluid and charcoal. His girlfriend at the time, Mexhee as we liked to call her saw me and was like, "what's wrong". Before I could say anything, her eyes went from drunk to pooping out of her face. I didn't know what had happened, but I noticed she was looking past me. I turn around and the grill that I had walked away from 15 seconds earlier is now engulfing the house in flames. The house ended up looking like this..

 

Nah, I'm just kidding haha but for real, the grill was completely on fire with the lid down and the house was charred. Back to the story...I ran outside. While running outside I grabbed a coat (thinking quick on my feet during a stressful moment) and that was how I moved the grill without burning my hands. Once the grill was moved, we sprayed the house down with a water hose and all drunkenly laughed to the point of crying. Don't worry, the portion of the house that had turned a bit black from the fire was painted over. So the fire is under control and away from the house....the next issue was that the fire was so hot, it actually began to remove the black paint from the grill. Learned a couple of lessons that day. So now we're at the point where the fire has died down. We throw the steaks and other meats on the grill, but because it was so hot, they were off the grill not long after. The grill must have been 700 degrees! With careful observation over the meats, everything finally came off the grill and we devoured some serious amounts of protein.

Grilling tools bro downs and house fires seems to make for quite the exciting Sunday afternoon. If anyone has ever had a similar situation to this, tell us about it in the comments area. 

- Smokethatbbq.com

BBQ Tool Set Tips

The key is not to purchase more bbq tool set grill than you require. To do this right, you'll have to decide before you shop how your new grill will be utilized. How frequently will you cook on it and for what number of individuals? Will you need to sear and saute' or cook on a rotisserie? In the event that you need to have the capacity to do an assortment of errands, you'll need gear that can deal with them. On the off chance that you simply need to flame broil canines and burgers, there is no compelling reason to spend gobs of cash for a unit that could profound sear Big Bird.

Gas grills might be filled either by fluid propane (LP) or characteristic gas. Pick characteristic gas on the off chance that you have an adjacent regular gas supply hookup since it will dispense with the need to purchase or refill LP tanks--and you'll never come up short on fuel amidst a grill party. In the event that regular gas isn't promptly accessible and you need to keep the attach straightforward, pick fluid propane.

On the off chance that you infrequently stimulate extensive gatherings, you're in an ideal situation selecting a grill with a medium-to-substantial barbecuing area--490 square crawls is sufficient space to cook from around 25 to 30 burgers on the double. A littler barbecue, say 350 square creeps, will handle cooking around 15 burgers at one time--more than enough for most family social events.

Grills that cost from $500 to $1500 frequently have a rotisserie burner and for the most part have from 450 square crawls to 850 square creeps of aggregate cooking surface. Those evaluated under $500 will probably offer from 350 to 600 square creeps.

Additionally remember that, in the event that you need a grill that can deal with huge group, you'll require a lot of readiness range and you might need a unit that incorporates side warmers and/or warming racks to keep a few dishes toasty while you're barbecuing others.

Most grills have from one to four traditional burners that, contingent on the model, are appraised together at from 25,000 to 60,000 BTUs. As a standard of measure, a 44,000-BTU unit is viewed as "hot." A 60,000-BTU model is bursting. Side burners are regularly from 10,000 to 12,000 BTUs. Burners are commonly solid metal, steel or stainless steel. Stainless steel is viewed as first class. Most barbecues accompany electronic igniters.

On the off chance that it would seem that the one you're considering will require a designing degree, you might need to settle on another model or get some information about purchasing an as of now collected floor model. Who knows, you may even get the floor model for a rebate, especially in the event that it's somewhat shopworn.

In the event that you think you might need to sear nourishment's on a rotisserie, make certain the grill you're considering accompanies or will oblige a rotisserie set. The hood ought to have a temperature gage that is anything but difficult to peruse. Fold-up tables are superb for counter space when you require it. Likewise consider a stainless-steel meat thermometer and topping/utensil.

- SmokeThatBBQ.com