“BBQ MADE SIMPLE-SPECIAL EDITION”



A Monthly Newsletter

From your friends at TexasBBQRub.com


For Everyone Who Enjoys Cooking on Grills and Smokers


December 2005

Special Release

Take just a couple of seconds and send this to 5 of your friends right now. They will thank you for it.


WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS ISSUE OF BBQ MADE SIMPLE


1. Merry Christmas from Texas BBQ Rub to you and yours

2. Order Texas BBQ Rub for Christmas and receive a FREE Jar of Award Winning Texas Pepper

Jelly as a gift from Texas BBQ Rub

3. Smoked Prime Rib for Christmas 

4. Smoking and Frying Turkey

5. Bill’s Recipe for Cornbread Dressing

6. Message board/forum – Join us for some fun, we need you to participate

7. What you will find in future issues of BBQ Made Simple



MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR


The staff at Texas BBQ Rub wants to wish each of you a special Happy and Merry Christmas. We are going to share the holiday with our family and friends and know each of you will enjoy your holiday in your own special way. If you are traveling to family or friends houses, please drive or travel safely.



So from Carrie, Blake, Matt, and Bill we wish each of you a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year.


We thank each of you for taking a few minutes to read our newsletter and being a part of our BBQ family.


GIFT GIVING IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS

If you are like me you always have some folks on that Xmas giving list you can never figure out what to give them. Maybe it is an office party, a gift to the boss, an uncle, or just a real close friend that you wish to give to and never can find the perfect gift. Here are some ideas that will please anyone on your holiday list.

Texas BBQ Rub (www.texasbbqrub.com)

Why not givethat hard to please someone on your list a two-pound bag of Texas BBQ Rub. They will love it. They will be talking about you when they cook up some BBQ and heck they may even invite you over for some great food.

Just for our newsletter family we have a great deal for you for the Christmas holidays. Order two-2 pound bags of Texas BBQ Rub for only $21.77 plus our normal shipping of $7 and as our special gift to you we will send you a 61/2 ounce jar of the 2006 Scovie Award winning Pineapple Habenero pepper jelly from our friends at Texas Pepper Jelly. The jar of jelly is yours ABSOLUTELY FREE. This is a gift valued at nearly 6 bucks. You can’t beat this offer anywhere. To identify our subscribers and know you read about this offer in our newsletter you will need to type in the word “Jelly” in the comment section of your order so we can include the jar of this great award winning pepper jelly with your order.

Remember this offer is only available to our newsletter members and only when you buy two – 2 pound bags of Texas BBQ Rub. (This offer is only available from December 7th thru December 18th) These orders will be shipped out to you via Priority Mail to ensure delivery prior to Christmas.



Also check out our unbelievable deal on BBQ gloves that are perfect for a stocking stuffer as well as our Texas Grilling Magic, the perfect spice for grilling meats on the grill.


So don’t hesitate one more second, go to www.texasbbqrub.com/shopping.html and place your order for two-2 pound bags of Texas BBQ Rub and receive your FREE jar of Texas Pepper Jelly.


Texas Pepper Jelly


Our good friends at Texas Pepper Jelly (www.texaspepperjelly.com) are offering some great pepper jellies, salsas, and some new grilling sauce that will sure to please anyone on your Christmas list. Craig will be putting up on his site by December 12, some great gift baskets as well. So go over and take a look for some Award Winning pepper jellies. These pepper jellies can be used as a snack on Christmas Day or for New Years parties. Simply pour your favorite pepper jelly over cream cheese with some of your favorite crackers for a mouth-watering appetizer. You can also use your favorite pepper jelly as a finishing sauce for your turkey. Just spread it over the turkey the last 30 minutes of cooking for a fantastic taste. These jellies, salsas and grilling sauce make great gift ideas for Xmas.


Gator Pit – The Ultimate BBQ Smoker


If you are in the market for a barbecue smoker check out our good friends at Gator Pit (www.gatorpit.net) and order yourself the ultimate gift, a new smoker or grill custom made for you. These are quality built pits and smokers that will last you a lifetime. Each smoker is built to your specifications and Ritch and his crew will always give you friendly courteous treatment. They will work to ensure you get the best smoker built just for you.

RIB ROAST (BEEF RIB EYE) aka PRIME RIB OF BEEF

OK let’s say you just bought an entire rib roast (Prime Rib Roast) with the ribs on (most of the time you will find these with the bones already cut off). Rib roast without the bones will run in the 13 to 15 pound range. You have cut off the ribs and have a beautiful rib roast left to cook. How do you cook it?

On the Grill


We can do a couple of different things with the rib roast (ribs off). This is what you will usually find in the store. Most people buy them in whole and have the butcher or they will cut the rib roast into 1 to 1 ½ inch thick steaks. These are the rib eye steaks that have such a great flavor and cook up so well on the grill.

You should be able to get about 10 to 13 rib eye steaks from the rib roast.

My Preference and a Very Special Meat Dish – Smoked Prime Rib

If you want a really special dish cook the entire rib roast on the smoker. It makes a very special dish for a special occasion or if you just want to try something new. The rib roast is more tender and tastier than a brisket, but they cost about 4 to 5 times as much as well.

Again, I usually cook my rib roast the same way as I cook most of my meats. I use the simple 1-2-3 method for preparing the meat (using Texas BBQ Rub) and getting it ready for the pit. However, this is one piece of meat that I will let stand in the refrigerator overnight. It seems to be a little better this way but you can just rub it down and place it on the smoker.

Cook the rib roast at a low temp. You can get on up to 225 to 250 degrees for this piece of meat but the lower the temperature is the better. This particular piece of meat is best cooked to a medium rare point so the cooking time is somewhat less than other pieces of meat. It should be done in approx. 4 to 5 hours. You will want to check the internal temperature on this piece of meat and it should be 140 or 145 degrees.

Now take it out and cut off ½ to 1 inch slices. This will just melt in your mouth. So go ahead and cook one of these for a very special occasion. I’m cooking one of these for Christmas so why don’t you.



SMOKING THE BIG BIRD – TURKEY

Smoking a turkey is a fantastic way to cook a turkey. You don’t have to hold off smoking a turkey on just the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, smoke it any time you wish. This is an easy and fun thing to cook anytime of the year. Of course the costs of the birds are a little higher during the off seasons but you can still find a nice bird to cook at around a buck a pound out of the prime turkey seasons.

Important points to remember about smoking a turkey

Food safety is a primary concern when smoking a turkey. Turkeys are great for smoking but it is usually best to choose a whole turkey weighing 10 to 12 pounds for your best results. Larger turkeys stay in the danger zone of bacterial growth too long when you choose a turkey that weighs above 12 pounds. Remember the safety zone is below 40 degrees and above 140 degrees. Larger turkeys placed on the pit will stay in the range between 40 and 140 degrees just a little longer than we like to expose meat to bacterial growth. So be careful.

Never stuff a turkey you are going to smoke on the pit. Again, it takes too long for the stuffing to reach the safe temperature range due to the slow smoking temperatures you are using. So keep the dressing/stuffing for the oven.

To thaw a frozen turkey there are three recommended ways you should thaw the turkey. First, if you buy a frozen turkey, keep the bird in the freezer until you begin the thawing process. Thaw a turkey under refrigeration, in cold water, or in the microwave oven.

· Refrigeration- Allow about 24 hours per 5 pounds to thaw in the refrigerator

· In cold water- allow approximately 30 to 45 minutes per pound to thaw in cold water. You will need to change the cold water about every 30 minutes or so. NEVER USE WARM OR HOT WATER to thaw a turkey. And always change the water every 30 minutes. Once the turkey has thawed out you may refrigerate it. Keep the temperature of the turkey under 40 degrees until you are ready to use it.

· Microwave- Follow the directions of the microwave’s manufacturer, as each microwave oven is different in the power. One point is that once you have thawed a turkey using the microwave oven you cannot put it back in the refrigerator and store it. You have to use it immediately.

If you elect to use a fresh turkey, which is preferred, you will need to store it under 40 degrees until you use it. Don’t try to keep it for several days, always get the fresh turkey the day before you will need it. You should check with your butcher or store to see if you can order the fresh turkey in advance then pick it up as late as you can before cooking.

How much turkey to buy?

How much turkey do you need? Generally, you will need one pound of turkey for each person you are going to serve. This will allow for a meal with some leftovers for the next days turkey sandwiches.

Remember too, that we are going to see some great deals on turkeys during the holiday periods so buy two or three and keep them frozen. A frozen turkey will keep for up to one year. So buy a couple of extra this holiday season and then you will have a couple to cook during the year. They are great during the summer when we start thinking about turkey but the price has gone up and we don’t feel like spending the money for one then. You can also buy a couple and try cooking them in different ways to see what you like the best. Smoke one on the pit and then either cook one the conventional way in the oven or try frying one.


OK Let’s Smoke a Turkey – It is Easy and Taste Great

What you will need:

1 turkey (10 to 12 pounds)

1 bottle Italian Dressing – I prefer Wishbone

1 cup of Texas BBQ Rub (or the rub of your choice)

1 or 2 onions (optional)

3 stalks of celery (optional)

3 whole cloves of garlic (optional)

1 Reynolds turkey-cooking bag (optional)



1) Clean turkey – wash the turkey inside and out, remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey. Set aside to dry or pat dry if you wish. If your turkey comes with a built in internal meat thermometer remove it.

2) Take the bottle of Italian dressing and pour it into a glass pan or bowl. To this add ½ cup of Texas BBQ Rub and mix well. (You should have a nice looking mixture that turns a light brown color) Work some of the Italian-Rub mix under the skin of the turkey without removing the skin. Use your fingers to get the Italian-Rub mix into all the areas under the skin of the bird (try not to tear the skin). With the remaining Italian-Rub mix coat the outside and inside of the bird.

3) Apply the remaining ½ cup of Texas BBQ Rub over the Italian-Rub mix on the outside of the bird.

4) Your smoker should be set up for indirect smoking at a temperature of 225 degrees to 250 degrees.

5) If you are using the celery, onions, and garlic cut the celery stalks into two or three pieces and put in the cavity of the turkey before smoking. The onions can be cut into quarters and placed in the cavity. The garlic should be used to your taste but cut the cloves and place in the cavity as well.

6) I personally use a Reynolds turkey cooking bag and place the turkey in the bag. Follow the directions that come with the bag except I cut about 10 slits in the bag when using it for smoking. The bag will allow for a nice smoke flavor (but not too much smoke) and it will help speed up the cooking time a bit and help maintain great moisture for the turkey. The bag will also keep the turkey from turning a really dark brown color. If you use the bag you can place some celery, onion and garlic in the bag.

Put the turkey on the smoker and there will be no need to baste the turkey. Cook at 225 to 250 degrees until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 160 to 165 degrees. Check the internal temperature of the turkey in the thigh area. Approximate cooking times will be 5 to 7 hours. The cooking time is basically twice as long as a traditionally cooked turkey. When the turkey reaches 160 degrees take off the smoker and set aside for approximately 20 to 30 minutes before you carve it up.


Beer Can Turkey

Another option for those of you who like to cook beer butt chicken is to try a beer butt turkey. Use a can of Fosters beer, the big can to set up the turkey on. Use Italian dressing to cover the outside of the turkey and cover with Texas BBQ Rub. Set it up on the pit and cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 to 165 degrees.

Fried Turkey

In the south and spreading all over the country, and we must give credit for this to the Cajuns in Louisiana, we have begun to enjoy fried turkeys. Personally speaking, my family may like this best of all the ways to cook turkey. To fry a turkey you will need some special equipment. The initial investment in the equipment can costs up to 75 dollars but you can always use the gas cooker to cook fish and chicken later. Or heck you might even want to try your hand at boiling some crawfish when they come back in season. Or another option is to get several neighbors together to split the costs of the equipment and oil.



What you will need:

1 - 10 pound turkey (big turkeys will not fit in the cooking pot)

Approximately 5 oz. of your favorite Cajun seasoning or Texas Grilling Magic™

1 – meat injector

Injector spice (or make your own, see below)

Usually 4 to 5 gallons of peanut oil


You should never fry a turkey inside the house or even inside the garage. The high temperature cooker you will be using is extremely dangerous is the oil spills out of the pot and starts a fire. So give yourself plenty of space in the open before you fry the turkey.


First, you will need to measure how much peanut oil you will need to put into your cooking pot. The way to do this is to place the turkey in the pot and then fill the pot with water and cover the turkey completely plus 1 inch over the top of the turkey. Remove the turkey and make a mark or measure the pot to see how full the pot should be filled with peanut oil. Pour out the water and completely dry the inside of the cooking pot before adding the peanut oil. Fill the cooking pot with the appropriate amount of peanut oil and place on the high temperature burner. (Remember get out of the house or garage, get in the open air to do this in case there is a fire) Turn on the gas burner to get the temperature of the oil up to 350 degrees. This can take up to 45 minutes so please plan accordingly.


While the peanut oil is heating up (or you can do this step the night before) prepare the turkey for frying. Make sure the turkey is completely dry. You may wish to inject the turkey with a marinade or spice of your choice. There are several flavors in the market. Or you can make your own injection flavoring with melted butter and a couple of ounces of Texas Grilling Magic™. Just melt one pound of butter in a sauce pan and add Texas Grilling Magic™ to the melted butter and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Continue to cook and mix together. Be careful not to burn the mixture. For best results pour the Texas Grilling Magic turkey marinade thru some cheesecloth to remove any of the large particles in the mix as these can mess up your injection needle. Place in the meat injector and inject the turkey in several places. Don’t be shy with the marinade. If your turkey cooker is not outfitted with the turkey stand you will need to run a wire hanger thru the neck area of the turkey so you can remove the turkey from the pot when it has cooked.


Cover the turkey with a liberal amount of Texas Grilling Magic™ and when the temperature of the peanut oil gets to 350 degrees you will be ready to take your turkey and place it in the hot peanut oil.


TIP: First turn off the gas to the burner this will keep you from having a fire incase the peanut oil spills over on the burner.


TIP: Wear good grease and heat resistant gloves to protect your hands from the splashing hot peanut oil and keep your feet away from the cooker. You should also wear clothing that is not baggy so it does not catch fire.


TIP: Lower the turkey very gently into the peanut oil. It will take a couple of minutes to completely submerge the turkey into the hot oil as the oil will boil vigorously as you lower the turkey down. You may have to lower the turkey down a few inches in the oil and then let the oil settle down a bit and then lower more of the turkey down in the oil a bit more until the turkey is submerged in the boiling oil. If your cooker has a basket put the turkey in the basket and lower into the oil very gently. Please be careful and never drop the turkey into the hot oil. You should put neck end (big cavity of the bird) of the turkey into the oil first and lower down with the butt area and legs facing up in the pot.


Light the fire back under the pot and let the turkey cook.


Cooking times for frying a turkey are fairly fast. You can count on 3 ½ to 4 ½ minutes per pound of turkey. So a 10-pound turkey will need to cook for at least 35 to 45 minutes. Remove turkey and apply melted butter and seasoning (Texas Grilling Magic™) to the outside of the turkey while it is still hot. Serve hot.


Order Texas BBQ Rub right now so you will have it in the pantry for smoking that turkey and to have on hand for the holidays. You can order it at www.texasbbqrub.com/shopping.html . Trust me you will love it and our 100% money back, no questions asked guarantee is the best in the industry. You owe it to yourself, so go ahead and order some now. You have nothing to lose, if you don’t like our rub, just send us and email and we will cheerfully refund the money you paid for the rub.


BILL’S HOMEMADE CORNBREAD DRESSING

A good cornbread-dressing recipe is hard to find. I am going to share with ya’ll the best cornbread dressing I have ever made. I will be making this Xmas to go along with our turkey and prime rib.


What you will need:


3 cups of toasted breadcrumbs

3 cups of cornbread

About 1/3 cup of butter or margarine

Salt and pepper

3 bell peppers

2 onions

5 or 6 stalks of celery

2 or 3 fresh jalapenos (optional)

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning

3 to 4 cups of chicken (turkey) broth

A 9x9x4 inch pan (I use a ½ size aluminum pan)


Note: All ingredients in this recipe should be added when they are cool (not hot) in order for the recipe to work.

To make the breadcrumbs, toast white bread slices and pinch off pieces of bread approx ¾ of an inch big. After you have pinched the bread apart put in baking pan and let cool down. I use almost an entire 1½ pound loaf of bread for this.

Bake the cornbread (I use cornbread mix) and this recipe usually takes two batches of cornbread. Let the cornbread cool down before you break it up and add to the bread in the baking pan. Mix the bread and cornbread in the pan.

TIP: You can cook the cornbread and toast the bread the day before and put in the frig. To keep till the next day.

Cut up all of the vegetables (bell peppers, onions, and celery and the jalapenos if you add them) and sauté them in a pan with the butter or margarine. Cook them till they are tender. Set them aside so they cool all the way down. Once they have cooled down, stir them into the bread/cornbread mix.


Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them. Add the beaten eggs to the bread/cornbread/vegetable mix.

Add the poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

You are now ready to add the turkey (chicken) broth to the mix. I love to use either the turkey broth I have made with the neck and gizzards of the turkey or the best to use is the actual broth from the baked turkey itself. This takes a lot of broth so I always make broth with the neck and gizzards of the turkey so I have plenty on hand. You can always buy chicken broth at the store and use it but it just does not have the flavor of the natural broths. Add enough broth to the mix to make the mix turn mushy. Then add a bit more so the dressing will not dry out during cooking.


Bake the mix at 400 degrees for a total of about 2 hours. The first 1 ½ hour covered with foil and the last 30 minutes uncovered. Remember you are only getting the dressing hot so watch it carefully so it does not dry out.


A COUPLE OF VARIATIONS OF THE ORIGINAL DRESSING

A couple of variations to the original dressing for some exciting taste. I add approximately 3 tamales to the bread mix to add a nice Mexican taste to the dressing. Or I will add approximately 12 raw oysters to the original dressing and cook them into the mix.



Heck, think about what you might want to add to your dressing to add a different taste to the meal.

TEXASBBQRUB.COM – MESSAGE BOARD/FORUM (Your BBQ Information Source on the Internet)


We have a message board/forum to our web site. The link is www.texasbbqrub.com/phpBB2/ and we want and need each of you to come to the message board and join us in the fun. We would love to hear your questions, comments, suggestions, and just talk BBQ with all of our members. If you have not already done so, please click the link above right now and join in the fun.



Don’t be shy. All questions are good questions and we have a lot of pros to answer you questions or make suggestions for you. Remember we will all learn from each of your comments. That is what we are all about here, learning how to BBQ or passing along our thoughts to others. Whether you are just beginning to learn how to Q or you consider yourself a pit master come visit our forum today. We need everyone to jump on in there. It is FREE to join and takes just a few seconds to get registered, so do it now. We all will be happy you did.


WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

Remember this is your newsletter, so we want you to send us any suggestions or comments you have about the newsletter. If you think we need to add another section let us know and we will work on it. We want you to be a part of this. It is for YOU. So keep us informed.

If you are interested in a particular topic for future newsletters send me an email at bill@texasbbqrub.com with your suggestions. We want to hear what ya’ll are interested in hearing about.

A GLANCE AT THE NEXT ISSUE OF BBQ MADE SIMPLE AND 2006

Well that ends this month’s newsletter. As we move toward the Christmas Holidays and New Years and the weather cools off even more we are planning some really big announcements for the upcoming year. So in the January newsletter we are going to be explaining more about these huge announcements.

We appreciate everyone signing up for the newsletter and we hope you find it informative. We have grown our family of friends to over 18,000 subscribers in a few months and we want to thank you for your trust in us.


SOME FINAL THOUGHTS

Remember that we still have many of our troops in both Iraq and in Afghanistan protecting our freedom and helping others achieve their own freedom. Keep them in your prayers and hearts for the many months to come. They are there serving our country and us.


Cooking is a great way to get the family interested in doing something together. Kids make great helpers around the grill and let them feel like they made a difference. Always include your children when cooking (if they are old enough). They will grow to love it and they will always want to help you out. Ask them to help and give them important jobs to do, like rubbing the meat, be the fire attendant, or running errands for you. PASS ON THE ART OF COOKING TO YOUR CHILDREN…..YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID AND SO WILL THEY.



That concludes this Special Edition of BBQ MADE SIMPLE. Do me a favor and pass this along to 5 of your friends right now. They will thank you for it and I will too.





Keep on Cook’ in

Bill


You can contact us at bill@texasbbqrub.com if you should have any questions or comments.

Contact Information:

Bill Cannon

BBQ Made Simple

Real Texas BBQ Rub, Inc.

10701 Corporate Dr., Suite 295

Stafford, Texas 77477

Phone – 281-240-7110

Fax – 281-240-7111

Email addresses: bill@texasbbqrub.com

texasbbqrub@hotmail.com