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“BBQ
MADE SIMPLE”
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
From TexasBBQRub.com
For Those That Enjoy Cooking on Grills and Smokers
If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter go to www.texasbbqrub.com/join.htm and take a few seconds and subscribe NOW.
Take just a couple of seconds and send this to 5 of
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WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS ISSUE OF BBQ MADE SIMPLE
1. From Texas BBQ Rub – Memorial Day May 30TH– Remember our servicemen and women
2. Cooking Pork Loins – Tenderloins, loins, and chops
3. Recipe of the month – Bill’s Cream Corn
4. Father’s Day – Bonus with your purchase
5. Information about pits and grills from Ritch – www.gatorpit.net
6. Message Board/Forum – Join us, we would love to have you join in the fun
7. What you will find in future issues of BBQ Made Simple
MEMORIAL DAY IS QUICKLY APPROACHING – MAY 30th - MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Memorial Day is May 30TH and it is the day to remember our troops who are currently serving in the military or who have served in the military in the past. It is a day to stop and remember all of those military men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. So please take a few minutes out of your busy day and say THANK YOU for those that have given so much for us. The 30th of May will slip up on you faster than you think so start planning now. Order at least 4 pounds of Texas BBQ Rub now so you will have plenty on hand. If you order by May 24th your order will be there in time of the weekend cook. (www.texasbbqrub.com/shopping.html)
Just keep it as simple as you can and invite over a crowd. Barbecue is party food. Cooking, talking, sitting around having a couple of cold ones with friends is just plain good fun. So go ahead, have a great party on May 30th.
Grilling and Smoking Pork
In reference to BBQ Grilling and Smoking, there are a lot of things, which can be done with Pork. Obviously ribs are the primary product, but don’t discount pork lions, pork butts, pork chops, even whole pigs or hogs and bacon. Bacon is after all a smoked product.
Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years:
· Pork Lions are exceptional. A good rubdown with some Texas BBQ Rub placed on your smoker for a few hours (depending on size and weight) and you’ve got just a great smoked roast for dinner. Very little waste in this cut of meat.
· Thick cut Pork Chops on the grill runs a close second to a good Texas grilled T-bone steak.
· And finally on cold winter mornings (we have one every now and then here in Southeast Texas) nothing beats some thick sliced hickory smoked bacon from the butcher. It's the ultimate comfort food.
In conclusion, pork has matured very well over the years. It’s readily available, in many cases it’s cheaper than beef and cooked right it’s very good. It's versatile, nutritious and healthier than many people think. Even us Texans are beginning to take it seriously and incorporate it into our smoking and grilling recipe collections.
Wall Street and Pork
One last bit of information for you to impress your friends with at the next BBQ outing. Did you ever wonder where Wall Street in Manhattan got its name? Personally it never crossed my mind, but once brought to my attention it’s very interesting. According to the National Pork Producers Council … “In the late 1700’s free-roaming hogs were famous for rampaging through the valuable grain fields of colonial New York City farmers. The Manhattan Island residents chose to block the troublesome hogs with a long, permanent wall on the northern edge of what is now Lower Manhattan. A Street came to border this wall -- named aptly enough, Wall Street.”
Now you have something to ask all of those people standing around watching you cook.
PORK – THE OTHER WHITE MEAT
OK the story of pork begins in the new world with the early explorers bringing with them pigs and they were turned lose in the Florida and worked their way up the East coast to the Carolinas and Virginia. The pigs ate on nuts and there were plenty of hickory nuts to eat in the area we now call the Carolinas and the surrounding states. So it is logical for the folks on the East coast to be the experts when it comes to cooking pork. They have been cooking pork since the early settlers began to settle these United States and it is in their blood like beef is in the blood of folks from Texas.
But the knowledge of cooking pork began to work its way through the south and into Tennessee and Missouri. The end of slavery spread the knowledge of cooking pork to wherever the former slaves migrated to. All through the South and into the Mid-West. Pork cooking spread as rapidly as the darn pigs were multiplying.
So the rest of us are learning just how good pork really is, we are behind the experts on the East Coast but we are catching on to just how good pork really is. We all have known about pork ribs but there are so many good cuts of pork for us to grill and smoke. We have loins and tenderloins, pork chops, pork butts, picnics etc. So lets learn about each of these and by all means give them a try in the near future. Pork prices are down so pork is an excellent buy right now.
COOKING PORK – EASY AS 1-2-3
Pork Loins
The loin actually refers to an area of the pig. This piece of meat comes from the back of the pig. It is this area of the pig that gives us the leanest and most tender pork cuts.
There are three main parts of the loin itself. The blade end, which is the portion of the loin that is closest to the shoulder and tends to be fatty. The sirloin end, which is located closest to the rump and tends to be bony. And then there is the center cut which comes from the middle and is lean, tender, and tasteful and the most expensive of the loin cuts.
My favorite of the loins is naturally the center loin cut. There are actually two different center loin cuts; the center cut loin and the tenderloin. The tenderloin is located just underneath the center loin and is attached to it by a strong silvery membrane. If you buy tenderloin and there is a silvery skin running along the tenderloin you need to remove it before cooking.
The Center Cut Loin
The center loin cut is approximately 4 to 5 inches in diameter and approximately 2 feet long. These will weigh approximately 8 to 10 pounds in the full center cut. Usually these are divided up into pieces that are typically 6 to 8 inches long. A piece of center loin is very lean with a small fat cap running along one side of the loin. The fat cap is approximately ¼ inch thick. This piece of pork is great on the grill or the smoker. Cook with the fat side up and cook to an internal temperature of approx. 155 to 160 degrees. Let the piece of pork stand for a few minutes before cutting. You can cut perfect slices from this cut of pork and serve them on a roll, a bun, or just bread with a nice sauce. Cut them to your desired thickness.
The Tenderloin
The tenderloin is a much smaller piece of meat. It is usually 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter and tends to tail down to a very small piece at the end. These are usually sold in pairs. They will weigh about a pound each. This is the easiest and most delicious piece of pork to grill or smoke. It has a very short cooking time. Cook this piece of meat to an internal temperature of approximately 155 degrees. Cooking times for this are 30 minutes on the grill to approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours on the pit at low temperatures.
Pork Chops
I love to cook pork chops on the grill. This cut of pork is tasty, not too fatty, easy and fast. There are in fact several different cuts of pork chops. There are rib chops, sirloin chops, and loin chops. The best chops for grilling are ¾ to 1-inch thick chops. As for the pit, this piece of meat does not seem to find it’s way to cooking well on the low and slow method. Best done on a grill using direct medium heat. They cook very quickly in 8 to 12 minutes using direct medium heat. For grilling meats I suggest using Texas Grilling Magic available on our web site.
A nice finishing sauce or sauce to eat on the side of your pork loins or chops is Texas Pepper Jelly. We have arranged another nice discount for our readers.
Texas Pepper Jelly (my personal favorite is pineapple habanero) can be ordered from their web site. Visit their web site at www.texaspepperjelly.com and type in the word “pork” in the discount code section and you will receive a nice 10% discount on your order. (by the way this special is only available thru Fathers Day).
THIS MONTHS RECIPE – BILL’S CREAM CORN
OK this month’s recipe idea is Bill’s Cream Corn. And if you have a recipe to share with us just send to it me and we will get it online for you.
I have cooked this Corn recipe for about three years now. It is a great side dish for any barbecued foods of anything you cook on the grill. We served this corn recipe along with last month’s recipe for potatoes to more than 800 people who came by our booth at the Houston Rodeo Cook Off. I want you to give this simple recipe a try.
I am going to give you the recipe for ½ size aluminum-serving pan.
What you will need:
1 - ½ size aluminum-serving pan – this will serve about 25 folks
1 - gallon size can of whole kernel corn (or 2 pounds of frozen whole kernel corn)
2 - 8 oz bars of cream cheese
4 oz of margarine or butter
¼ cup of picante sauce (or a small can of Rotel tomatoes)
1/8 cup of Texas BBQ Rub
1 cup of shredded cheese (I prefer Colby jack shredded)
A dash of paprika for color on the cheese topping
If you are using frozen corn take the corn out of the freezer and let it thaw. If you are using the gallon size can of whole kernel corn, open the can and drain off the juices in the can.
Spread the corn out is out in the pan.
Take the cream cheese and the butter (or margarine) and in a small saucepan melt the two together over low heat. Be careful. Stir this mixture as it can burn easily. Once it is all melted and blended together add the Texas BBQ Rub and the picante sauce and stir these two ingredients into the mixture.
Take the melted mixture of cream cheese, butter, Rub, and picante sauce and pour over the corn. Mix into the corn till it is evenly distributed over the corn. Smooth the corn out in the pan and top with your shredded cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and you can heat this in the oven at 225 degrees for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (till all the cheese melts) or I stick mine on the pit and melt the cheese on the pit. Sprinkle with paprika to give it color.
Take out of the oven or pit and remove the cover and serve hot.
Order Texas BBQ Rub or Texas Grilling Magic right now so you will have it in the pantry for that next time you cook ribs, brisket, butts, or loins. 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.
FATHER’S DAY PROMOTION – JUST FOR SUBSCRIBERS TO THE OUR NEWSLETTER
Father’s Day is June 19th and we wanted to do something special for all of those fathers out there. So we have purchased a limited number of single bladed pocketknives of various lengths and sizes and for each order that we receive from our subscribers we are going to throw in a knife (retail value of these knives is $6 to $15) with your order. These knives have a stainless steel blade and a limited lifetime warranty from the manufacturer. These are great to keep with your cooking tools or for your hunting box or tackle box.
For this promotion you will need to put the word “NEWSLETTER’ in the comment section of our order form and we will send you one knife with each order placed. Since there are different sizes and shapes of the knives the larger (4 and 5 inch bladed) knives will go to the orders of 4 pounds or more.
Again, this is limited to the people who are on our newsletter mailing list and who write in the word NEWSLETTER in the comment section of our order form. We have a very limited number of these knives available so please rush in with your orders as the knives will be given out in the order that the orders are received.
Our way to say “Thanks” to all of our subscribers. And to all of the Dad’s out there “Happy Father’s Day”!
PITS AND GRILLS
SPECIAL GUEST WRITER – RITCH ROBIN – THE GATOR PIT MAN
Ritchey Robin, the owner of Gator Pits (www.gatorpit.net) is continuing the discussion he started last month 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.
There are so many factor that one needs to consider when choosing the smoker that best fits their wants and/or needs and of course the old pocketbook. I will attempt to keep it short and simple so feel free to contact me via email or by phone. My contact information is included below for your reference.
Question 1: What is the pit made out of?
Typically, you want a carbon steel pit with a minimum wall thickness of 3/16”. The wall thickness will provide better heat retention and will burn less wood for the cook. There are a lot of pits that are of lesser wall thickness steel that cook great and turn out some fantastic BBQ. However, you will find yourself having to work the pit harder to maintain temperature and the pit’s longevity are minimized. Thinner wall pits will have a tendency to burn-out/rust-out quicker and therefore will last only a couple of years.
There are some pits that have stainless steel doors on them and occasionally you will even see a pit constructed of all stainless steel. Stainless will last a lifetime and is really nice to clean. However, stainless is a heat transmitter and does not hold heat like carbon steel. So if you have a door made of stainless or a pit made of stainless your pit heat is typically being lost thru the stainless and not being retained. Stainless can also discolor under high temperatures and then it begins to get ugly.
Question 2: Is it portable?
Portable, meaning hitch and/or trailer mounted or if it is of the backyard variety, does it have some wheels for easier moving from one location to another.
Decide whether or not you will need to take your pit on the road for family gatherings, company get-togethers, competitions, catering gigs, or if you simply want a pit for the backyard. If you don’t expect to use your pit away from the house often, you may want to consider having the ability to simply load your pit on a utility trailer and haul it to where you would like to use it.
However, if your intent is catering, competition, etc., then consider spending additional money for a trailer-mounted smoker. They come in various styles and designs from are called “pull-behinds” and “walk-ups or walk-ins”. Pull-behinds are simply pits mounted to a trailer frame and you “work” the pit from the ground level (standing on the ground). Walk-ups are pits that are typically “worked” while standing in the trailer floor.
There are many other factors to consider in selecting a pit. If it is a backyard unit you need to think about the size and types of tires on the pit and how easy is it to move around. Remember, if you choose a backyard pit they can weigh as much as several hundreds of pounds.
Question 3: Is it large enough to serve my needs?
This is probably the hardest question you will ask yourself. How big of a pit do I really need? Well, ask yourself what type of meats you like to cook and for how many people do you generally cook. Once you have answered those two basic questions, I would recommend getting the next largest size pit because you will find that your neighbors will start coming over, your co-workers will ask you to bring some “Q’ to the office and it just goes on from there. Look at the diameter and length of the pit, shelf clearance, whether or not there is an upright smoker box or not, etc. All this is dependent on what and how you like to cook.
Again, let me say this. Decide on the size pit you think is big enough, and then go bigger. Incremental costs of a bigger pit are not nearly as costly as having to buy a bigger pit.
Question 4: Typically, there are cheaper smokers and then there are custom smokers. What is the difference?
The less expensive smokers can be purchased at just about any hardware store, Wally World, the big home improvement warehouses, etc. If you are new to smoking meats, you may consider starting out with one of these retail purchased smokers. They typically have thinner walls and the firebox will bolt to the cooking chamber in the offset smokers. They are naturally not made as well as a custom pit and you can expect the pit to last only a couple of years. But they can cook some decent “Q” for you and a small group.
Custom pits are a world apart from these store bought smokers. Quality, engineering, design, features, etc. are offered on custom pits that the store bought pits never even think about. However, expect to pay more for a custom-built pit than a store bought pit assembly-lined pit. A true custom-pit designer/builder can design and build a pit to fit your specific wants and needs. Custom-made pits are not generally an “in-a-box/bolt together” pit, but completely assembled welded pits and are much beefier than a store bought pit. A good custom pit will last you over 10 years.
Question 5: How thick should the steel be in the smoker?
Smokers vary in wall thickness from the food chamber to the firebox. This can generally range from 1/8” wall and greater. Store bought smokers are usually around 1/8” in wall thickness, with the exception of a few manufacturers that construct their pits up to ¼” thick. Most custom-built pits are a minimum of 3/16” thick. Thicker wall means better heat retention, less fuel burned, and increased longevity of the pit. Costs vary based on thickness and features offered with the pit whether from a retailer or a custom-builder.
Ritchey L. Robin
Gator Pit, LLC
11161 West Little York
Houston, Texas 77041
Office: 713-896-0144
Toll Free: 1-866-869-5166
Voted “Best Mobile Barbecue Pit” HOUSTON PRESS
TEXASBBQRUB.COM – MESSAGE BOARD/FORUM (Your BBQ Information
Source
on the Internet)
We have a message board/forum on 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. This is a great place to learn. Our family on the forum has grown to well over 600 people and it has been called the best BBQ forum on the net. 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.
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 my name is Gilbert V. I ordered some of your great Rub just in time for Easter this year.
And I wanted to drop you all a couple of lines. First of all thank you and your staff for providing
such a great product. I used your famous Rub and smoked two big briskets, pork ribs, beef ribs,
chicken leg quarters, etc….over night and let me tell you, this was the first time my BBQ came out
this delicious. Our family and friends enjoyed it very much and of course I didn’t have any BBQ left
afterwards. I was asked over and over again what I had put in the BBQ this time around which made
it taste soo good? All I said to them is that I had some help from TexasBBQRub.com. And one more
thing, your web site is very informative. Well put together. So keep up the good work and look
forward to seeing me and my family and friends order Rub from you in the future.”
Thanks, Again! Gilbert V., Texas
Find out what thousands of people have already found
out. We have shipped Texas BBQ Rub to all 50 states, Canada, and overseas.
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. So go ahead and order NOW. Memorial Day is coming May 30th so order
some rub right now to use on Memorial Day and Father’s Day, better yet
order 4 pounds so you will have enough for the entire party. And remember
the bonus knife offer for each order you place with us.
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.
A GLANCE AT THE NEXT ISSUE OF BBQ MADE SIMPLE
Well that ends this month’s newsletter. As we begin the get BBQ season we want to talk pork again next month. We will talk about pork butts, perhaps the easiest of all the meats to cook on the pit. We are also going to give you a couple of recipes for pork loins.
Ritch will continue answering all of your questions about BBQ Smoker Pits.
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 5 of your friends right now. They
will thank you for it and I will too.
Keep on Cook’ in
Bill
You can contact me 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
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