BBQ Pit Master Training Class in New York City!
It has been announced that BrooklynQ of WhiteTrash BBQ fame will be assisting Smokin’ Joe Mizrahi, proprietor of the 20-year-old critically acclaimed Smokin’ Joe’s True-Blue Texas Barbecue Inc. and Stephen Harkavy, his long-time BBQ buddy and fellow Pitmaster on the grounds of Staten Island’s bucolic Historic Richmond Town to teach the secrets of being a “BBQ Pitmaster.”
Take a one-day classes to learn the techniques of authentic wood-smoked barbecue. Complete BBQ meal is included (Slow Smoked Beef Brisket, BBQ Pulled Port Shoulder, Spare Ribs, Slaw, Pit Baked Beans and Cornbread). Participants receive an authentic “Pitmaster Diploma” and go home with your own “BBQ Bible”. Download the syllabus.
Class begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. $80 per person, Staten Island Historical Society members $75. Class size is limited. Reservations are required – (718) 351-1611, ext. 236. Or click here to register.
Both Joe and Steve are accomplished Pitmasters and Memphis in May (MIM) Certified Barbecue Judges. Each has judged at both the MIM World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and the prestigious Jack Daniels Invitational Barbecue Cooking Contest. In addition, Steve is a Kansas City Barbecue Society Certified Judge and Pitmaster for the award winning “Fuhgeddaboutit” BBQ Cooking Team.
Robert is the Pitmaster of the “WhiteTrash BBQ” team which competes on the Kansas City BBQ Society circuit, is a KCBS Certified BBQ Judge and author of the acclaimed blog WhiteTrash BBQ blog. Robert is also the founder and organizer of Grillin’ On The Bay; New York City’s only NEBS sanctioned barbecue contest. In addition to his numerous radio and TV appearances, his recipes have appeared in The New York Daily News and New York Magazine.
BBQ Ingredients: Lea & Perrins - Thick
I usually hate it when a classic food reinvents itself. Anybody else out there remember New Coke or Coke 2? We all know how well that turned out. If it ain’t broke why fix it huh?
So you can understand that I was a bit skeptical when I heard about the new Lea & Perrins - Thick. Why would they want to play with the classic and best Worcestershire sauce on the market? What the hell did they do to it to make it thick? Did they fill it with thickeners and other unnatural glop? I checked with their marketing folks and was told that “The new Lea & Perrins Thick Classic was inspired by the original Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, which is made using a 170-year old recipe. By blending the original Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce with ingredients such as tomato puree made from tomatoes grown from Heinz Seeds, roasted garlic and onion, we’ve achieved the thick texture and bold, yet balanced flavor, which makes the new Lea & Perrins Thick Classic perfect for dipping and topping.”
So with some apprehension, I gave it a try. And I was glad I did. The new Thick Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, tastes exactly the same as the original, but is thick like ketchup. No more thinning out your sauces!
Try it - you’ll like it.
The Best BBQ from Food Network Celebs
The folks at Food Network recently rolled out a new show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and after just one episode, I’m hooked. It’s like their celeb chefs … unplugged. Each episode, the Food Network personalities reveal their favorite things to eat, and places to eat them.
A recent episode highlighted their favorite BBQ joints around the country, covering spots from New York City to the deep South. Miss the episode? You can get all the details right here, including the addresses for each place they talked about. Did your favorite BBQ joint make the cut?
I kept waiting for something semi-local to make the list, yet wasn’t too optimistic since we live in New Jersey, not exactly the reigning BBQ capital of the country. But then Michael Symon gave his pick … Daisy May’s in NYC. You can bet I’ll be heading there very soon. Until then, drool on.
MUG® Root Beer - Spicy Brew-B-Q Sauce
This is my variation of the same recipe sent to me by MUG®. I kicked up the heat units by adding some Chipotle ketchup and smoked paprika.
1 cup MUG® Root Beer
1 cup Chipotle ketchup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons *Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar (3 tbsp if you like a sweeter sauce)
1 tablespoon medium or dark molasses
1 teaspoon smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Cool slightly. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead; keep refrigerated.)
Enjoy -
Chef Scott
*Generic Worcestershire sauce tends to be very bland and flavorless. I like Lea and Perrins for its depth of flavor and color.
BBQ Sauce
Let’s get this out of the way, barbecue is not sauce. Barbecue is a method of slow cooking meat over low heat and smoke. You can’t put “barbecue” sauce on a carrot and call it Barbecue. The sauce is just a condiment on hopefully good meat.
That being said, let’s talk a little about barbecue sauce. Most Americans prefer their barbecue to be accented with some sort of barbecue sauce. According to The Praxi Group: Beef Flavor Preference Study, October 2005; funded by The Beef Checkoff, 45% of Americans want barbecue sauce on their beef.
So what’s the flavor break down of the barbecue sauces?
- 31% of us want it to be smoky/hickory flavored
- 32% want it to be sweet (Preferred by Caucasians, woman and those in North, Central and the South)
- 22% want a hot/spicy sauce (Preferred by consumers 18 to 34, Asians, Hispanics, African Americans and men)
- 13% want a tangy or vinegary sauce (Preferred by Caucasians, and consumers 55 and up)
MUG® Root Beer - Brew-B-Q Sauce
1 cup MUG® Root Beer
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon mild-flavored (light) molasses
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Cool slightly. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead; keep refrigerated.)
10 BBQ Joints by Bon Appetit
If you don’t want to get out the grill and smoke up your yard, here are 10 restaurants recommended for their barbecue by Bon Appetit magazine’s July issue.
- Stacy’s Smokehouse BBQ in Phoenix at 1650 E. Indian School Road
- Bulldog Barbecue in North Miami at 15400 Biscayne Blvd.
- Rolling Bones BBQ in Atlanta at 377 Edgewood Ave., SE
- The Joint in New Orleans at 801 Poland Ave.
- Zingerman’s Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Mich., at 2501 Jackson Ave.
- Fette Sau in Brooklyn, N.Y., at 354 Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg
- Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Mass., at 244 Huron Ave.
- Slows Bar BQ in Detroit at 2138 Michigan Ave.
- The Pit in Raleigh, N.C., at 328 W. Davie St.
- Martin’s Bar-b-que Joint in Nolensville, Tenn., at 7215 Nolensville Road.
There you have it folks, BBQ from the folks at Bon Appetit.
Nothing in Texas? South Carolina? Alabama? There’s some great names on their list, but some leave me scratching my head. Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge isn’t even listed on Pig Trip which is the definitive guide to barbecue restaurants in Massachusetts and their website doesn’t even mention barbeque. Get real here.
I wonder what the criteria was for their selections. Personally, I don’t think that Fette Sau belongs on this list, you can do much better in NYC, even in Brooklyn. Where did they find some of these folks? C’mon folks.
MUG® Root Beer - Brew-B-Q Sauce Winners
These 5 gentlemen were submitted as Brew-B-Q Dads in their family. Each one had a different story to tell, yet one fact remained the same, the term “#1 Dad”.
Mr. Courrier _ I was not given his first name - just “Dad”
Romney WV.
Jim Killian
Herndon Va.
Phil Fisher
Martinsburg, WV.
Paul Dean
Edinboro, PA
Jerry Lawson
Kearneysville, WV
I want to thank everyone for submitting their stories, letters and insights.
Congratulations - Enjoy your kits!
Chef Scott
My New Favorite Spice
McCormick Spices Worcestershire Ground Black Pepper Blend.
I’ve been using this stuff for the past couple of weeks wherever I’d use Worcestershire sauce. I’m very very happy with it.
I bought mine at the local Stop and Shop, but according to the McCormick website, it is available nation wide. Try it out!
Upcoming BBQ Events
Now that the weather is finally starting to get warm, grills are getting fired up on a regular basis, and with them, grilling and BBQ events abound. I mean, really, barbecue and summer just go hand in hand, so why not hit the road and celebrate it a bit? Here are some of the more popular BBQ events coming up around the country:
Tennessee Funfest, June 17-20, Lakeland, TN
BBQ Ribfest, June 18-21, Fort Wayne, IN
Mo Blues and Barbecue, June 19-20, Sedalia, MO
National Capital Barbecue Battle, June 27-28, Washington, DC
Pig Gig, August 6-9, Bay City, MI
North Star Blues & BBQ Festival, August 7-8, DeForest, WI
Capital City Ribfest, August 13-16, Lincoln, NE
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