BBQ MADE SIMPLE

A MONTHLY BBQ NEWSLETTER
From your friends at TexasBBQRub.com

For Everyone Who Enjoys Cooking on Grills and Smokers

Take just a couple of seconds and send this to 3 of your friends right now. They will thank you for it.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS ISSUE OF BBQ MADE SIMPLE

1. Smoking and Grilling Chicken including a couple of recipes for chicken
2. A message from Ritchey Robin on pits and grills (www.gatorpit.net)
3. Testimonials from our customers
4. Message Board/Forum – Join us NOW, We need you to participate
5. What you will find in future issues of BBQ Made Simple

CHICKEN – The Yard Bird – The Secret Meat for the Smoker

Chicken has become one of the mainstays for diet conscious people. Heck it has become a staple for all of us. The reason is chicken are lower in fat and cholesterol than most other meats. The fact is the marketing folks for the poultry industry are doing one fantastic job promoting their products to us. And we cook chicken in such a wide variety of ways, we can eat it all of the time and always change the looks and taste of the chicken. Chicken is really one meat that we can cook almost in any manner and it comes out great. It can be smoked, grilled, fried, and baked. It is great in salads and in casseroles.

Two kinds of meat – dark and light

Chicken is generally thought of as having two distinct kinds of meat: dark and light. The dark meat comes from the leg and thigh portions of the chicken. The dark meat contains more connective tissues and fat and thus requires a longer cooking time.

The light (white) meat comes from the breast and wing of the chicken. The light meat contains less connective tissue and fat and therefore cook quicker than does the dark meat.

To Brine or not to Brine

One of the questions we get a lot of and something that is talked about on our Forum is the question of brining a chicken or not. I personally do not brine chickens but many people believe that brining a chicken makes for a juicier piece of meat. If you would like to see some of the questions and answers about brining a chicken you can simply visit http://www.texasbbqrub.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3271 for a discussion on brining. This is a sample of what the forum is used for. Come join us.

Chicken and Safety

Because chickens spoil easily, there are some serious safety concerns that need to be noted. Most of the things about preparing chicken and cooking them are techniques we practice as a rule of thumb; but it goes without saying every now and then we need to be reminded. Just about every article or cookbook will have some mention of chicken safety issues. That’s okay, they are written to help keep us and our guests from getting sick so I’ve included a few chicken safety reminders.

· When working with raw chickens, you need to constantly wash your hands in order to prevent cross contamination. Also be sure to clean any surface with soap and hot water or better yet with a bacteria killing cleaner after you have prepared the bird.

· When thawing chicken keep it in the refrigerator. A whole chicken will take approx. 12 hours to thaw depending on size. If you need a quick thaw use your microwave.

· There is nothing in chicken recipes that call for Rare to Medium Rare Chickens, They need to be thoroughly cooked to the bone. There are various ways to tell when a chicken is done – clear juices, joints that move easily and of course the use of a meat / poultry thermometer.

Avoid “Burnt Cinder” Chicken – It is Easy to Avoid

Have you ever been to a barbecue and had what I call “burnt cinder” chicken. “Burnt cinder” chicken is black, crusty, dried out and taste terrible. It is the end product of high heat and applying barbecue sauce to the meat during the entire cooking process. We are going to teach you how to avoid the “burnt cinder” chicken doldrums.

Most people tend to grill skinless chicken breasts. However, most people are drying out the chicken breast in the process by overcooking the chicken.

Try slow smoking chicken using indirect heat. Lower the temperature of the grill or pit to 200 to 225 degrees. And sit back and get ready to enjoy the finest chicken you have ever sank your teeth into.

The secret to grilling or smoking great tasting barbecued chicken is to keep the temperature of the fire low and leave any barbecue sauce you might be using off until the last few minutes on the pit. As with all meats, cooking at lower temperatures will produce tender, better tasting, and juicier meats. High heat will cook the meat quicker all right, but it will dry out a piece of chicken in a hurry. So lower the heat and add some cooking time to the bird.

All of the flavor added to the chicken will come from the rub that has been applied to the bird from the beginning of the cook and from the smoke flavor of the fire. Both of these taste will penetrate the meat during cooking and add the flavor to your chicken.

Smoked Chicken – This One is Hard to Beat and is Simple

One of the most flavorful things you can smoke is chicken. Smoke takes to chicken like a duck to water. The key to successful smoking chicken is to cook low and slow, use a great rub, add a little oil before the cook, add some wood flavor to the fire, and leave the dang old chicken skin on the bird during smoking.

I know you are getting tired of me saying this, low and slow cooking on the pit. Yes, even the dang old yard bird needs to be cooked low and slow.

Use a great rub. Texas BBQ Rub works great on chicken adding flavor and some sweetness to the chicken.

Add a little oil to the chicken before cooking. I use Italian dressing as a basting before placing the chicken on the pit. First I baste the chicken with Italian dressing and then apply Texas BBQ Rub. This combination works fantastic and the Italian dressing adds some flavor as well as some oil. Some folks use butter for their oil and butter works well also.

Add some wood flavor to your fire. If you are cooking with charcoal add some chunks of wood for the smoked wood flavor. The two biggest things adding flavor to the chicken are the wood flavor and the rub.

As I said, low and slow is the key to keeping the bird from drying out. Cook at 200 to 225 degrees. Cooking time for 200 is approximately 5 to 6 hours and cooking times for 225 degrees is approximately 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours. Cook the chicken until the juices of the chicken run clear, approximately 170 to 175 degrees internal temperature. If you are using an internal thermometer do not let it hit the bone of the chicken, as you will get a false reading. Test the temperature at the thickest part of the chicken breast.

I prefer to pick a whole chicken and cut it in half for cooking on the pit. I like to lay the chicken down with the breast side up on the pit and all you have to do is let it sit there and cook. You can cook whole chickens if you like, but add a little more time for cooking.

TIP: One thing you can certainly use in smoking and grilling are chicken quarters. This is simply the leg and thigh cut of meat off of the chicken and you can find these at Wal-Mart or at many super markets, in 10 pound bags for like 37 cents a pound. These are great to smoke or grill and they can be smoked in about 2 hours.

Smoked chicken will stay good in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. It is fantastic to make chicken salad with and it is great in salads. Smoked chicken will freeze nicely if you have a vacuum packer or can wrap the chicken really good to protect it in the freezer.

Below is my recipe for “Bill’s Simple Chicken”. Give it a try. This little bird has won a few trophies.

RECIPE: BILL'S EASY SMOKED CHICKEN

What you need.

1-Whole chicken ( I usually cut mine in half)
or as an alternative you can use chicken breasts or cut up whole chicken
¼ cup of TEXAS BBQ RUB
¼ cup of Italian dressing (any brand will do)

Take your chicken and put it in a glass-baking dish. Cover the chicken with some Italian dressing. Make sure you cover the whole bird. Next, sprinkle the chicken with TEXAS BBQ RUB. Cover both sides of the chicken lightly with the rub.

Tip: Leave the skin on the chicken.

Tip: Use your finger with some rub on it and work it under the skin of the chicken.

The chicken is now ready for the cooker.

Place the chicken in your cooker. You need to use the indirect method of cooking and make sure you add smoking wood to the fire. Place the chicken with the outside of the chicken facing up, skin on side up. If you are using chicken breasts place the breasts with the flat side down on the grill. Cook at a low temperature until the chicken is done. Examples of cooking times for whole chickens are as follows: (chicken breasts will cook faster)

200 degrees - about 5 to 6 hours
225 degrees - about 4 to 5 hours

Cook the chicken so the juices of the chicken run clear if you punch a hole in the side of the chicken or to 165 degrees internal temperature. Do not over cook the bird it will dry it out.

That is it. These chickens turn out to be moist and have a great taste.

Tip: By the way, if you are new to smoking meats you can practice your smoking techniques using chickens. The techniques are the same and it is a much quicker cooking period and the costs for chickens is less than other meats. Use chicken to learn a new pit or practice with the taste of different woods.

RECIPE: BEER CAN CHICKEN (OR BEER BUTT CHICKEN)

What you will need:

· A whole chicken.
· One can of your favorite beer (or your favorite soda)
· About ¼ cup of Texas BBQ Rub
· About ¼ cup of Italian Dressing

All you need to do is simply:

Take a few sips of the beer or soda you are using. If you are using a beer you can add about 1 tablespoon of Texas BBQ Rub to the beer. Rub the chicken with Italian dressing and the remaining Texas BBQ Rub making sure to get the rub and the dressing up under the skin of the bird. Stick the can up in the cavity of the chicken and carefully balance the can on your pit. Cook for approximately 4 to 6 hours.

It’s great! By the way there have been concerns and studies regarding whether or not there’s any harmful emissions from the beer can or it’s labeling. To date there is no official indication of a safety hazard. This is because the heat is not high enough to affect the characteristics of the metal can.

GRILLING CHICKEN

Most people when they talk about barbecuing chicken are really talking about grilling chicken. Most people will grill either chicken breasts or parts of the chicken.

The biggest problem people are seem to have with grilling chicken is to dry out the chicken or apply a barbecue sauce on the chicken and burn the sauce on the chicken. My thought is most people are so afraid of not cooking enough that they tend to overcook it.

Tips for grilling chicken:

· If you are cooking pieces of a chicken, leave the skin on the chicken while grilling.
· Add some fat or oil to the chicken before you put the chicken on the grill
· Lower the temperature of the grill
· Use a great rub or spice (such as Texas Grilling Magic) on the chicken as the barbecue sauce will not add much to the flavor during cooking
· Add wood to the charcoal or gas to give a wood flavor to the chicken
· Use the indirect method of cooking if possible
· Only put any barbecue sauce you want to put on the chicken the last few minutes while it is on the grill
· Do not overcook the chicken

Leaving the skin on the chicken will give the bird necessary fat located under the skin to assist in keeping the chicken moist during cooking. So do not use skinless meat on the grill. If you want to take the skin off, take it off prior to eating the chicken.

You should add a little oil or butter to the bird before placing on the grill. You can even baste the bird once or twice during the grilling process with butter or apple juice or your choice of basting liquid. Only use this if you are cooking direct heat method. And be careful. Fats and butter can cause flare ups of the charcoal and create hot spots under the chicken you are cooking so you will need to be careful to watch for the flare-ups.

Lower the temperature of the grill. Don’t cook over direct coals at the highest temperature you can get. Let the charcoal cook down a bit or lower the gas and cook at lower temperatures. Cook with the indirect method if possible.

Use a great rub. Texas Grilling Magic is designed to work on the high temperatures of the grill and works fabulously on chicken. Remember, the flavor will come from the wood flavor and the seasoning not from the barbecue sauce.

Add wood chucks to the charcoal or the gas grill to add smoke flavor.

If you want to add barbecue sauce on the meat, add it the last 5 minutes the chicken is on the grill.

Cook the chicken to 170 to 175 degrees internal temperature or until the juices of the chicken run clear. Do not overcook the chicken, as it will dry it out. Grilling times for indirect medium heat are about 30 to 40 minutes for the breast and wing pieces and 40 to 50 minutes for the thigh and leg pieces. Remember the leg and thigh pieces contain the connective tissues and thus require a longer cooking time.

Order Texas BBQ Rub right now so you will have it in the pantry for that next time you cook chicken. 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.

SPECIAL GUEST WRITER – RITCHEY ROBIN – ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT PITS AND GRILLS

Ritchey Robin, the owner of Gator Pits (www.gatorpit.net) is continuing the discussion he started the last two months about what to look for in a barbecue pit. Ritch is a custom builder of barbecue pits and smokers and he builds one heck of a pit. We are fortunate to have him write and give us some insight into what to look for in any pit you have or are thinking about purchasing. If you are in the market for a backyard smoker or even a big trailer rig give Ritch a call and he will be happy to talk pits with you.

I am going to try and answer some of the common questions some of you may have regarding pits. If you remember I listed a lot of the common questions I hear everyday so I thought we could answer some of them here for all of you. We have covered the first 8 questions in last month’s newsletter.

9. What about the maintenance of the pit, painting and cleaning:
It is simple to maintain your pit for years of great cooking. Always clean the ash out of the firebox. Ash, combined with moisture, is very acidic. If you don’t, you will prematurely rust-out the pit and find yourself needing to replace the firebox or buy a new pit. This can be costly, depending on the pit. Use a clean-out rake or other tool to scrap the ash out. If equipped, keep the grease drain open to allow juices to drain out of the food chamber of your pit. You can use clean water to rinse the pit out and leave the doors open so that the pit can dry-out and then you can close the doors for storage. Some retail store bought pits offer covers. Covers will assist in protecting your pit from the elements. If possible store under cover like a patio or garage. Whether you have this option or not, periodically touch-up the exterior of your pit. Wire brush or fine sand any areas that have begun to rust. You can use soap and water to wash the exterior of your pit. Once dry, brush or spray paint a high heat BBQ paint. This can be found at most hardware stores. Make sure the paint is high heat paint for BBQ grills/smokers/stoves. I also recommend using a cooking oil, such as peanut or olive oil, and coat the exterior and interior again. This will assist in premature rust and will add in helping your pit look new and last longer. In short, clean out the ash and every couple of months touch up the paint.
10. How long should a pit last:
There are many factors that influence how long a pit will last. One is the previous question. Wall thickness, quality of construction, type of paint, maintenance, etc. will determine the longevity of your pit. I will keep it general. The thicker the wall of the pit the less likely it will burn-out and the longer it will take for rust to take it’s toll on the pit. Maintain it as I stated above and the thinner, less quality pits will last you years. Do the same to the thicker wall, better quality pits and they can very well last you a lifetime. Custom-made pits, generally, will last you a lifetime due to the fact that they have a minimum wall thickness of ¼” and the quality of construction is much greater than that of a store bought, bolt-together pit that comes in a box.
11. Where can I find good replacement parts when needed:
Always contact the manufacturer of your pit. They should carry or be able to provide you with replacement parts. Ask the question and/or research the manufacturer to see if they are able to supply parts if needed. You may find that it is easier and more costs effective to simply buy a new pit in relation to the time spent finding the part and the cost of it. You will find that custom-made pits are less likely to require replacement parts due to their construction. Parts that may require replacement on custom pits will be pretty much limited to wood/charcoal grate, temperature gauge, drain valve, wheel/tire. All of which should be offered thru the custom-maker. The internet is a great way to find what you need. Search the world wide web. It is a great source.
In the next issue, we will continue to answer questions. If you need assistance, please feel free to contact the Gator Pit facility info@gatorpit.net. My staff and I will be more than happy to assist you. Thanks, Ritch

Give Ritch a call if you have any questions or if you are in the market for a nice smoker or grill. He builds a quality pit.

Ritchey L. Robin
Gator Pit, LLC
11161 West Little York
Houston, Texas 77041
Office: 713-896-0144
Toll Free: 1-866-869-5166
http://www.gatorpit.net/
Voted “Best Mobile Barbecue Pit” HOUSTON PRESS

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.

TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS

We here at Texas BBQ Rub want you to cook the best tasting, juiciest BBQ you have ever cooked. We have spent the last 8 years developing a system to make BBQ’ing the easiest it can be. We want to save you time, money, energy, headaches, and heartbreaks.

We have the easiest method of preparing BBQ ever revealed. It is tried, it is tested, and it works. It works on every kind of meat. It just does not get any better or easier than this.

And on top of all of that, This Simple 3 Step Method produces the finest BBQ you or your friends, neighbors, and relatives have ever sank your teeth into. The link to our order page is www.texasbbqrub.com/shopping.html so go there right now and order the best rub in the market.

We here from customers every month about what they thought about Texas BBQ Rub and here are a few of the comments we received last month.

“ Hello Bill ; I just bought some rub about a week ago. I used it for the first time on 6/4/05. The
rub was excellent just enough bite and just enough sweet. I smoked ribs a brisket and a pork shoulder.
They all came out beautiful. I know now the best rub is in TEXAS.”

Thanks again,
Richard H.

“ Bill two thumbs up on the Texas BBQ Rub! We did a catering for a wedding. We used a Latin rub (at the
request of the bride), a koser salt, pepper, and garlic rub, and Texas BBQ Rub. We let them sample all
3 during the first run thru the line. All I heard was “give me the Texas.” A number of people commented
it was the best pork they’d ever had. Again two thumbs up!

Steve Preston
Come N Get It BBQ
Florida

“Boy what a great product you guys produce!!! My dad and I have just started competing and I have
been using your rub and grilling magic. This past weekend was our second contest and guess what
GRAND CHAMPS!!

I couldnt believe it. We placed 1st Pork 2nd Ribs 3 Brisket and ended up winning the Oregon State
Championships. We are still in a state of shock.

Everyone that came by our stand asked for our secret and I told them it isnt a secret here it is and
showed them the 2# bags and told them why re-invent the wheel when you find somehting you like
stick with it!!

Thanks again for the great service and getting the product to us so fast. We will be on the horn soon
to get more.”

Doug

By the way congrats to Doug and his father for winning the Oregon State BBQ Championship and earning a spot in this years American Royal.

Find out what thousands of customers have already found out. You can’t find a better rub anywhere. So order TexasBBQRub. Order it right now. The link is www.texasbbqrub.com/shopping.html . Don’t put it off any longer, and remember you will be the talk of the pit. Who knows you may be our next State Champ! So go ahead and order NOW.

If you have a comment or want to send us your testimonial please feel free to do so. Send it to Bill@texasbbqrub.com and we will feature you in an upcoming newsletter or on our site.

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.

A GLANCE AT THE NEXT ISSUE OF BBQ MADE SIMPLE

Well that ends this month’s newsletter. As we get into the beginning of football season and some cooler weather ahead we want to talk about some ideas for tailgating or football parties you have at the house. We will have a few recipes and we will some up the discussion on pits and grills from our friend Ritch at (www.gatorpit.net).

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 us and our country.

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 month’s issue of BBQ MADE SIMPLE. Do me a favor and pass this along to 3 of your friends right now. They will thank you for it and I will too.

Keep on Cook’ in
Bill

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

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