“BBQ
MADE SIMPLE”
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
By TexasBBQRub.com
For Those That Enjoy Cooking on Grills and Smokers
October 2004, Volume 18
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
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 your friends right now. They will thank you for it.
WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS ISSUE OF BBQ MADE SIMPLE
1.
From Texas BBQ Rub – Sorry, we missed a couple of newsletters
2.
A Word about our First Annual Q-Fest, October 2004
3.
Beef tenderloin – Try This Out on a Special Occasion
4.
Guest Writer – Ritchey Robin – www.gatorpit.net answering your questions
about pits and smokers
5.
Message Board/Forum – Join us NOW, We need you to participate
6.
What you will find in future issues of BBQ Made Simple
A SPECIAL OFFER FROM TEXAS BBQ RUB – WE MISSED A COUPLE OF NEWSLETTERS
I must apologize for missing a couple of the newsletters.
As many of you know I am a CPA and the last three tax deadlines of the
year just wiped me out. Seems a lot of folks were putting off filing
for 2003 till the end and then I got swamped. So, I do apologize for
not getting out the newsletters that we have promised you for every
month.
We are going to get out a couple in the next two weeks
to help catch us up a bit.
FIRST ANNUAL Q-FEST, OCTOBER 2004, CISTERN, TEXAS
Wow, we pulled it off. Q-Fest 2004 was held in Cistern,
Texas, October 21-24. We had a great group of guys who came from all
over America to come join in the fun. The theme of this years Q-Fest
was “Preserving the Heritage of Texas BBQ” and we took time to talk
and exchange ideas and to get to know one another. We cooked some barbecue
and for those that were interested in participating in a barbecue cook-off
several teams went to Cistern on Friday to set up and participate in
Czhilispiel. On Friday morning before everyone scattered to the cook-off
in Flatonia, Texas we visited Smitty’s in Lockhart, Texas. Smitty’s
is over 100 years old and they are still cooking barbecue like they
started in the 1930’s. The original pits are still being used and we
spent time talking to the pit master himself. We all came away with
a better respect for barbecue as it was cooked and served over 70 years
ago.
I would like to thank all of those that traveled to
Q-Fest and spent time with us. We have started to develop a very nice
family of guys who like to cook barbecue here and it was fun meeting
everyone. We are going to do it again next year so be waiting to hear
about it in future newsletters or on the forum.
If you would like to read a lot more about Q-Fest and
what happened there and get some of the inside information go to our
forum at www.texasbbqrub.com/phpBB2 and read
some of the post about Q-Fest. We are working on a picture gallery to
also post up about the event.
This brings us to our real topic for discussion this
month, cooking beef tenderloin (a whole beef rib-eye or as some would
call it a beef standing rib roast).
RIB ROAST (BEEF RIB EYE)
OK let’s say you just bought the entire rib roast with
the ribs on. You have cut off the ribs and have a beautiful rib roast
left to cook. How do you cook it?
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.
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 like 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 3 minute formula and get the roast
ready for the pit. But this is one piece of meat that I will let stand
in the frig overnight. It seems to be a little better this way but sometimes
I just rub and throw on the pit.
Anyway cook this again 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. 3 to 5 hours. You will want to check
the internal temperature on this piece of meat and it should be 145
or 150 degrees.
Now take it out and cut off 1 inch slices. This will
just melt in your mouth. So go ahead and cook one of these for a very
special occasion. This would be a great meat for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
GUEST WRITER – RITCHEY ROBIN – WWW.GATORPIT.NET - ON GRILLS, SMOKERS
Ritchey Robin has again continued answering your
questions concerning barbecue pits and grills in this issue of our newsletter.
If you missed any of the first 8 questions you can go to the July 2004
newsletter and find those questions and answers.
- 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 a 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.
- 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.
- 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
Ritchey
L. Robin,
President
Gator
Pit, LLC
11161
West Little York
Houston,
Texas 77041
www.gatorpit.net
Call
toll free 1-888-869-5166
TEXASBBQRUB.COM – MESSAGE BOARD/FORUM (Your BBQ Information
Source on the Internet)
We have reached nearly 400 users on our message board/forum.
Come join in the fun and learn about barbecue.
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.
In the next couple of weeks we will be sending out
a special newsletter discussing smoking a turkey on your pit. So be
watching your mail for this issue of the newsletter.
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 some of the finest BBQ you or your friends, neighbors, and
relatives have ever sank your teeth into. Go to www.texasbbqrub.com/ourrub.htm
and find out for yourself what you have been missing.
Here is what a couple of our customers have emailed
to us in the past month.
“Well
guys, you made another convert Labor Day weekend!! I took receipt of
my new
Party
Gator Pit (gatorpit.net) 09-04-04 and followed Rich’s instructions to
“Cure” the
pit.
By the way, this is my first wood smoker!!
After
the curing process, I followed Bill’s instructions for proper meat preparation
and
rubbed
my brisket and rib racks with Bill’s “TexasBBQRub.com”. Maintaining
the proper
Temperature
on the pit was tricky at first, but after a while, all was good!
When
I pulled the meat off the pit, I rubbed two of the rib racks with Pineapple
Habanero
and
Pear Habanero (texaspepperjelly.com).
Gentlemen,
I have found a new way to impress everyone who visits my backyard!!!
Thank
you
so much for all you do. My ten guests left my home with a new appreciation
for my
“Backyard
BBQ Skills” and are spreading the word as they travel back home to Louisiana!!”
Thanks again,
Kenny M., Katy, Texas
“Hi
Bill;
Our
ribs carried us to the overall championship in Viroqua Wisconsin this
weekend. We used one
of
the three slabs with Worchestire sauce and Texas BBQ Rub for turn in
and took the top prize.
You
have a great product and I am proud to be using it. It has taken our
BBQ to another level.”
Pork of the North BBQ Team
Larry S., Saginaw, Wisconsin
Find out what so many people have already found out.
Order TexasBBQRub. Order it right now. The link is www.texasbbqrub.com/ourrub.htm
Don’t put it off any longer. So go ahead and order NOW. With the holidays
coming up you better get two bags of rub for all of the holiday cooking.
By the way our rub makes a great present for those that love to cook.
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 go into
the heart of the holiday season we are going to send out a special newsletter
around November 15 discussing smoking turkeys.
We will get Ritchey Robin to write another article
for our newsletter and get some of his wisdom relating to barbecue pits
down on paper. By the way if you are in the need for a new smoker, grill
or whatever kind of cooker you can imagine, visit Ritch’s site at www.gatorpit.net
and look at what he builds. There is no better pit out there, period.
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.
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 us at bill@texasbbqrub.com
if you should have any questions or comments.