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RIb Sampler - Photo: Pigtrip.net

I don’t usually lead readers to articles on other sites, but I think you’ll enjoy reading this one. Mark Maynard-Parisi sits down with The Atlantic and reminisces on the beginnings of Blue Smoke, one of Manhattan’s oldest barbecue restaurants, where it is today and where it’s going in the future. It’s a great read.

Bringing Barbecue to Manhattan: On 10 Years Running Blue Smoke

Recently, HarperCollins offered me two copies of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Food From My Frontier. One was for me to review, the other to give away to a reader.  Well, things didn’t quite turn out that way.

Last month, I ran Grillin’ On The Bay which is NYC’s original barbecue contest, which included a new category this year, the Nancee Gell Memorial Award. This award is in memory of Nancee, who cooked as The Purple Turtle Caters on the competition barbecue circuit. Nancee and Greg were the living image of what competitive barbecue teams strive to be. They were loving, giving  and completely open. If you needed to know anything about how to cook, Nancee and Greg would help you out.  My best and worst memories from the circuit can be tied to Nancee.

Well, Purple Turtle Caters were the winners of the first Grillin’ On The Bay, and Nancee loved cookbooks. So, instead of offering the book here, I gave it the winners of The Nancee Gell Memorial Award, RxCellent Q.

As for The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Food From My Frontier, this is a beautiful cookbook and perfect for beginning cooks. Every step of every recipe is fully documented both in word and in pictures. It will be hard to screw up one of Ree Drummond’s recipes.

While this is not a cookbook dedicated to the ‘Que, it does provide some inspiration. I will be converting her crock pot version of “Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork,” to a version more suited to the pit.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Food From My Frontier, Harper Collins, $29.99

So, I lit a fire the other day. I whipped out my trusty Weber Smokey Mountain, loaded it up with some Kingsford and chunks of cherry and oak and let it burn. I tried a new method of lighting the fire that really pleased me. Maybe it was just the fact that I was building a fire, but I was pleased.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had picked up 16lbs of beef back ribs; well, I finally got my chance to cook them. As my cooker was getting settled temperature wise, I skinned the ribs and rubbed them down. I made new rub of Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a little cumin. I have no idea what the measurements of any ingredient is. It’s all by eye and feel.

I put a generous amount of rub and all sides of the ribs and let them sit out on the counter for about an hour as I cursed and crashed through the house as I unsuccessfully looked for my thermometers. “How as I going to cook this if I can’t find my thermometers,” I cried. Barbecue is all about temperature control. After what seemed like hours, I abandoned my search. “Screw it,” I thought, “I’m going boy scout.”

When I was kid in the scouts, I was taught that you could tell the temperature of a fire by holding your hand above the coal bed. Here’s the explaniation from ehow…

Test the temperature of the grill to make sure it is at the right temperature for your meat. The grill is at low heat (225 to 250 degrees F) if you notice a thick ash covering and light orange coals. If you hold your hand 4 inches over the coals, you should only be able to stand the heat for 11 to 14 seconds. For medium heat (325 to 350 degrees F), the coals will be a glowing orange, and you should only be able to hold your hand 4 inches above the coals for 6 to 8 seconds. At high heat (450 to 650 degrees F), the coals will be bright orange and you will only be able to stand the heat for 2 to 3 seconds.

But, that’s not how I did it. I’ve learned over the years where the vents should be for the Weber Smokey Mountain to hold the right temperature, so I locked down the bottom vents so that they were barely open and let the cooker settle into temp. Now, I don’t recommend this, but I came out and put my hand on the lid of the hot cooker. Then I moved my hand into the hot smoke coming from the top vent. Yep, this felt about right.

I loaded up the cooker and went inside to make a mop. I mixed a very beefy beef-broth with some butter, a little vegetable oil and some agave nectar. No salt, as there was enough on the ribs. I tasted it, hated it, but I knew it was right for this cook. I boiled it and kept it warm. Every hour I basted the ribs with the mop.

7 hours later, the ribs were loose and ready to come off the cooker. I’ve never seen my mini-dachshund so freaked out. As I transferred the ribs from the cooker to plate he was circling me, hoping, praying if that’s possible, that I’d drop a rack!

I let the ribs sit as I prepared the rest of the meal. The dog paced and yelped and begged. Finally, we all sat down for dinner. As we ate, the dog begged, whined and stalked the table, looking for the ribs. Now the cat joined in by hopping up on the empty chair next to my wife. At one point the cat bit my wife’s elbow.

After dinner, the cat was given some meat and the dog a meaty bone. The beef back rib bone was bigger than him. I sat back content. I haven’t lost my knack for barbecue. No tricks, no fancy tools, hell not even a thermometer. I can still cook. It’s a good feeling.

I’m attributing my abbreviated sleep schedule to this year’s Grillin’ On The Bay and The Brooklyn Chili Smack Down. NYC’s original BBQ contest was held yesterday on the ground of St. Mark school in beautiful Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn. Once again I didn’t take any pictures.  But,  I’m sure I can get some from some of my friends.

Here’s the results of this year’s Grilin’ On The Bay and The Brooklyn Chili Smack Down…

Grillin’ On The Bay – Overall Rankings

1. Q Haven
2. Carmel Street Pit Crew
3. RxCellent Q
4. Three Men and a Baby Back
5. BBQ Billy’s
6. The Meatwave
7. Ribs Within
8. XX Factor
9. Smoke in da Eye
10. Beer Belly Porkers
11. The Smoke’n Pit
12. Pearl Lee Q’s
13. Smokin’ Bulldogs
14. Uncle Jed’s BBQ
15. New York Steak of Mind
16. Silk Road Barbecue
17. Robbie Richter‘s Mysteriously Vanishing Q

Grillin’ On The Bay – Vegetable Category

1. Q Haven
2. Three Men and a Baby Back
3. XX Factor
4. Carmel Street Pit Crew
5. RxCellent Q
6. Pearl Lee Q’s
7. The Smoke’n Pit
8. Smoke in da Eye
9. Ribs Within
10. BBQ Billy’s
11. Smokin’ Bulldogs
12. Beer Belly Porkers
13. The Meatwave
14. Uncle Jed’s BBQ
15. New York Steak of Mind
16. Silk Road Barbecue
17. Robbie Richter’s Mysteriously Vanishing Q

Grillin’ On The Bay – Chicken Wing Category

1. The Meatwave
2. Uncle Jed’s BBQ
3. Carmel Street Pit Crew
4. Ribs Within
5. Pearl Lee Q’s
6. Q Haven
7. RxCellent Q
8. BBQ Billy’s
9. Beer Belly Porkers
10. XX Factor
11. Smokin’ Bulldogs
12. Smoke in da Eye
13. The Smoke’n Pit
14. Three Men and a Baby Back
15. New York Steak of Mind
16. Silk Road Barbecue
17. Robbie Richter’s Mysteriously Vanishing Q

Grillin’ On The Bay – Chef’s Choice Category

1. The Meatwave
2. Three Men and a Baby Back
3. BBQ Billy’s
4. RxCellent Q
5. XX Factor
6. Carmel Street Pit Crew
7. Q Haven
8. Beer Belly Porkers
9. Ribs Within
10. Pearl Lee Q’s
11. The Smoke’n Pit
12. Uncle Jed’s BBQ
13. Smoke in da Eye
14. Smokin’ Bulldogs
15. New York Steak of Mind
16. Silk Road Barbecue
17. Robbie Richter’s Mysteriously Vanishing Q

Grillin’ On The Bay – Pork Ribs Category

1. Smoke in da Eye
2. Smokin’ Bulldogs
3. BBQ Billy’s
4. Ribs Within
5. Carmel Street Pit Crew
6. Q Haven
7. RxCellent Q
8. The Smoke’n Pit
9. The Meatwave
10. Uncle Jed’s BBQ
11. Three Men and a Baby Back
12. XX Factor
13. Beer Belly Porkers
14. Pearl Lee’s Q
15. New York Steak of Mind
16. Silk Road Barbecue
17. Robbie Richter’s Mysteriously Vanishing Q

The Nancee Gell Memorial Award – Anything with Crab Meat

1. RxCellent Q
2. Smoke in da Eye
3. Uncle Jed’s BBQ
4. BBQ Billy’s
5. Q Haven
6. Ribs Within
7. Smokin’ Bulldogs
8. The Meatwave
9. XX Factor
10. Silk Road BBQ
11. Pearl Lee Q’s
12. Beer Belly Porkers
13. Carmel Street Pit Crew
14. The Smoke’n Pit
15. Three Men and a Baby Back
16. Robbie Richter’s Vanishing Q
17. New York Steak of Mind

The 2012 Brooklyn Chili Smack Down Results

1. Ribs Within
2. Big Apple Steak of Mind
3. Scooter’s Chili
4. Lisa’s Chili
5. Carmel Street Pit Crew.

A big THANK YOU to all the teams, judges and table captains who came out to Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn to make this event possible. I hope you had fun; I know I did.

A big THANK YOU and a hug to the folks from The New England Barbecue Society. Sandra, Michelle, Andy and Jared kept this contest running like a well oiled machine. I couldn’t ask for better contest officials.

Another HUGE THANK YOU, to Andrew, Julia, Scott, Celeste and all the folks at RUB BBQ for their continued financial and emotional support in putting on Grillin’ On The Bay each and every year.  Without them, this event would never have happened.

My deepest gratitude to Ned Berke, Alana Fatone and Katie McNish at Sheepshead Bites, Peter DeNat at Yelp, Nancy and Pasquale at Ridgewood Savings Bank and finally to Sam Barberrie from The Waterfront Ale House. Each one of you helped make Grillin’ On The Bay and the Brooklyn Chili Smack Down the great Brooklyn event it is.

Thank you to Michael Davis, Donna Wash and the rest of the team at St. Mark School. You kept the beer flowing!

And finally, a thank you to my co-founders of this event; Robbie Richter and Matt Fisher. Who knew that a late night phone call and a little conversation in Barnes & Noble would lead to all of this. Great job, men.

One of the reasons I enjoy Paul’s book is that it’s not just a “here’s a recipe – make it,” cookbook. This book is much more of a teaching and motivational cookbook. And yes, I can call him Paul. We’ve known each other for years. I, along with Matt Fisher and Andrew Fischel of RUB brought Paul to NYC way back on October 21, 2006 for his first ever cooking class in New York

Chef Kirk comes to the forefront in this book. Chef Paul the mentor is ever-present on every page. While he does provide “recipes” a lot of the book is dedicated to technique. He provides a list of ingredients and then walks you through the steps to create. What flavors work together? Which oppose each other? How do you get the combination that achieves the flavor profile you’re seeking? This book walks you through all that and it’s very much how Paul teaches his class.

When Paul was in NYC back in 2006, Matt and I teamed up to create a rub that would be used throughout the class on chicken, ribs and pork shoulder. Paul opened up his magic spice rack and laid out about 70 different herbs, spices, salts and peppers for us to taste. After tasting the spices, we started to devise a rub. The first task was to put it all down on paper. We had to write out precise measurements of each seasoning we were going to use. Once that was done, Paul would critique each creation.

Matt and I approached the Baron of Barbecue with our recipe and waited in anticipation for Paul’s comments. He read over the list, which I wish I still had, and made a couple of recommendations, “add more of this.” or “loose that.” But one line stayed with me to this day, “You Yankees sure love your Bay. It’s not a barbecue spice and I wouldn’t use it, but hey, it’s your rub.”

A little disappointed with the Baron’s comments, Matt and I returned to our table and mulled over Paul’s remarks. Matt and I mulled it over for a while, should we take out the Bay (ground dried bay leaf)? I like the flavor of Bay. Matt liked the flavor of Bay. We went back and forth with it for about 15 minutes before we finally said “Fuck it. Leave it in.” We mixed up the rub, tasted it and were pretty pleased with ourselves.

So we mix up the rub, season up some ribs and smoke them. Nervously we presented  a rack of ribs to Paul for review. He looks at them and declares them under-cooked. (Let me explain something here. He didn’t mean that they were still raw. He meant that they hadn’t reach that perfect spot where you could bend the rack together so that the ends almost touch, without the meat breaking.) Paul took a couple of bites, said the rib had a good texture. He put the rib down, wiped his hands and mouth and finally declared, “Pretty good rub.”

Even with expert advice, sometimes it’s best to just follow your gut. Matt and I defied the advice of the Baron of Barbecue and created a rub that pleased even him. Trust your instincts. I remember another time in creating a rub where I added ground up chocolate sprinkles. Damn that was a good rub. The chocolate added just the perfect amount of depth that rub needed.

So what’s the moral of this story? Go – play with your food.

On Saturday evening, on the coldest night so far in the fall of 2011, I and my old friend Dan, lit a fire. I know that for most of my friends and neighbors, the grilling season is long over, but I’m funny that way. The grilling and barbecue season never ends for me. It’s not defined by weather, I contemplated cooking in the snow storm last week, it’s defined by desire. Saturday, for the first time in a long while, I had that desire.

A little while ago, I was sent two bottles of Professor Becker’s BBQ Sauce to try out.  I’ve never heard of Professor Becker, nor his legendary chicken barbecues, but the arrival of this sauce became an excuse for a party.

Old friends, a roaring fire and a new barbecue sauce to try out. Who could ask for a better way to spend the evening?

According to the press release..

Walter G. Becker was a devoted and adored professor in the Poultry Science Department of Farmingdale State College for more than four decades. But perhaps his greater claim to fame was when he traded in his professorial garb for a pair of overalls and an apron, and left his chalk at the blackboard and picked up his spatula, basting brush and tongs as the head chef at Farmingdale’s legendary annual campus barbecues.

Now, Prof. Becker’s sauce is available to the masses in 11 oz. bottles. Each bottle sells for approximately $3.79 each. Proceeds from the sale of each bottle will go to establish a scholarship fund in Prof. Becker’s name and other Farmingdale Alumni Association programs.

So, on this cold evening, in a location about a 10 minute drive from the Farmingdale campus, we glazed our grilled chicken and steaks with Prof. Becker’s hot and mild sauces. The meat was then served to 10 folks aged from 49 to 7. The verdict? It was a hit. Both sauces are tangy, crisp and tomato-ey. The mild sauce is a bit sweet for my tastes, but I was the only one complaining. The hot sauce was too hot for some palettes, but I enjoyed. This sauce worked better with the chicken, than it did with the beef, but would probably be ideal for pork.

But, this sauce was developed for chicken…

Prof. Becker had been around chickens since his childhood – he raised them to sell their eggs – it was natural that not only did he teach poultry science and start a poultry club on campus, but that he would be enlisted to create an annual campus-wide barbecue at Homecoming with chicken, made on grills built by the college’s industrial arts students and faculty, as the main course. And with an entire campus to please, Prof. Becker set out to create the best barbecue sauce he could for this chicken. He tested dozens of recipes, until he struck the formula for which he became known, related Walter, Jr., who by age 11 was his father’s helper.

“One of my jobs was to take the hot chickens off the spits and put them in giant buckets until we were ready to cut them up,” he recalled. “My father always said that one of the secrets to his great barbecue chickens was letting them sit in the bucket with their juices running on top of each other for about 20 minutes before cutting them up.”

Now, that’s an interesting technique!

Professor Becker’s BBQ sauce is only available on line at www.farmingdale.edu/alumni. Pick some up today. All proceeds go to support SUNY Farmingdale.

I didn’t light a fire last night.  We spent the entire day and a good part of the evening putting the final touches on a project that has been consuming my time lately; A Taste of Sheepshead Bay.

On October 27th, I along with SheepsheaBites.com and Il Fornetto Restuarant are presenting A Taste of Sheepshead Bay.A Taste of Sheepshead Bay is a gathering of 21 of our local food purveyors, from restaurants to bakeries to candy makers to cooking schools, all gathered under one roof.  They will be serving up samples of their best dishes for the residents of the Bay and our friends.

When you arrive, you’ll be feasting on dishes like Miso roasted black cod, braised lamb shanks over truffled mashed potatoes, mussels stuffed with pine nuts and currants, home made cheese cake, baklava, samsas, stuffed mushrooms, eggplant rollatini, Buffalo wings, heroes, flank steak, Chinese roast pork, mango madness rolls, hand made chocolates  and much, much more.

Information on the event can be found here. I hope you can make it.  It’s going to be a blast

I’ve been away from the fire far too long and last night it got to me. I was reading on Facebook about all the people I know and some I don’t about their experiences at The Jack. I’m happy for everyone’s success, but the walks didn’t keep my attention. What made me melancholy were the posts about just being there. The posts about doing something you love with others who share your passion moved me.

Last night at about 2:00 a.m. I was walking across Sheepshead Bay Road. There were no cars on this usually absurdly crowded street and 95% of the businesses were shut for the night. The night air was redolent with the smell of the ocean and the crispness of fall was in the air. As I walked, my mind took me to the hill in Lynchburg, although I’ve never been. There was something in the air and stillness of the evening that reminded me of getting up to check your fires in the predawn morning of competition. All the air needed was the scent of wood smoke and it would have been perfect.

This morning I awake to face the problems and tasks that have plagued me this year. As I plow into another day of drudgery there’s a little glint in my eye and a spring in my step that hasn’t been there in months. Even though I didn’t light a fire, didn’t rub my meat or even eat any food, for a brief instance last night my mind put an end to all this shit and transported me back to my happy place.

I will light a fire today.