I just love picnics.....it's the romantic in me.

I actually smoked this for the camping trip because I was concerned about not having enough bbq...boy was I wrong...hehe, I had so much pulled pork left over after the camping trip I didn't know what to do with it all. The raccoons down at Arbuckle may find themselves a bit fatter after our camping weekend.

I had wanted to just do a shoulder butt; however, this was all the Wal-Mart had. I was pretty unsure about it but said, "Heck, with enough sauce and smoke on it no one will tell the difference. I prepared this pretty much like I did before, I just had to be a little more careful when placing the thermometer so that the probe wasn't hitting the bone. I also added more wood this time so I could get a bit more smoke into the meat.

I started this on a Sunday night and just let it go all the next day while I was at work (thank you BBQ Guru.) I pulled the butt off the egg around 6 pm (it was @ 190) and let it sit in some foil to rest for a bit. Man, this one turned out really awesome, much better smoke and it pulled so easy, man was it good. Oh did I mention I had to sacrifice some in the name of science...for dinner.



Smokin!!!

--The Alfster

Babybacks...

I got some pics out of order, but here's some Babybacks I did a few weeks ago. They turned out pretty good. I used version of the 3/2/1 method, but by the time they came out of the foil they were falling apart so I didn't grill them for too long.

I also tried reheating the next day and they were no where near as good as right after I pulled them from the grill. I've since read that after the foiling you can just cool them down and then reheat the next day for the last step.

I over rubbed them, but they still tasted really good. My BBQ Master (Skee) gave me a little recipe for a glaze that was really awesome. I can't wait to try these again. I need to make some more to practice for 4th of July...

Next time less rubbin my ribs...


Smokin!!!

--The Alfster

How about a little dessert!

Well, I really wanted to work on a desert for my little BBQ dinner on Sunday. I had recently purchased some fresh blackberries and thought, Blackberry Cobbler!

I basically just did the lazy cobbler (or dump cobbler) like for a camp out. My camping buddies told me about this and I quickly found a recipe on the internet. Basically the recipe is this: 2-3 cans of blackberry (or other fruit) filling, 1 package of Jiffy Yellow Cake mix, and 1 12oz can of Sprite. I used the blackberries I had fresh and the night before I prepared them with a little sugar and left them in the fridge overnight. Then added the ingredients just as listed and put on the egg @ 350 degrees F for about and hour (just until it started browning.) I also added some butter on the top for fun...hehe

Well, it turned out pretty decent. No smoke flavor, just a hint of something from the egg, it was good, we dished it out in bowls and topped with a little ice cream, I'll play with this some more!

Smokin'

--The Alfster

MMM....Brisket

Well, I talked about it all week so I thought I had better put my money where my mouth was and smoke a brisket. This will be my first attempt, and I'm not going all fancy with rubs and whatnot, i just made a blend of salt and cracked black and white pepper and rubbed it down with little mustard thrown in there.

Set the smoker up @ 225 degrees F and loaded with a little cherry and hickory for smoke. Inverted plate setter, and a drip pan filled with half apple juice and water. I hope it turns out okay, I'm pretty nervous on this one.

Started it today at 2pm and I'm going to hold off until I hit a temp of 195 to see what happens.

Sorry for not having any pics, my camera is MIA since the camping trip. Perhaps I'll find it by the time the brisket comes out of the smoker. Until later....

Update: I pulled the brisket at 190 degrees around 7:30 AM Sunday Morning. wrapped in foil and left it in a cooler until lunch time. It looked awesome!

attempt, a little on the dry side, but not too bad. I'll have to talk with my BBQ Mentor (Skee) about what I should change, here are some pics anyway. I also smoked some bologna and hot links. Good stuff all in all though, and for a first attempt I amAt Lunch I unwrapped and sliced it, it was pretty good for a first happy. I can't wait to try this again.

Smokin!

--The Alfster

Smokin a Fattie

Or two! I tried a couple this weekend. I picked up a maple flavored and a regular flavored sausage. On the Maple flavored one I pressed it out into a big patty and sprinkled it with a little brown sugar and then rerolled it up. The regular flavored one I pressed out and stuffed it with a little pepper jack cheese and some diced jalepeno, then rubbed it with a little Head Country Rub.

Brought the egg up to 350 degrees F, added a little hickory and cherry wood for smoke and cooked them indirect until they reached an internal temp of 155 degrees F a little over 2 hours. Let me tell you that was some good eaten! I can't wait to try these again.

Smokin!!

--The Alfster

A.B.T.'s

Otherwise known as Atomic Buffalo Turds, basically halve and seed a jalepeno, stuff with cream cheese, a little smokie, and wrap in bacon (none of that sounds bad), then on the egg at 350 degrees F for 45-60 min, and oh man they are delicious!

Smokin!

-- The Alfster

Let's Smoke a Butt

My BBQ Jedi Master has been talking to me about pulled pork sandwiches, so I thought I would give it a try. I went over to Sam's and bought two 7+ lbs Boston Butts, they come in a package of 2 at Sam's which is good because I wanted to use one for sandwiches and then another one to vacuum seal and freeze for a big camping trip I have coming up in a couple of weeks. When I first saw the meat in the butcher case I was like, OMG, those are some narly looking pieces of meat. Didn't look very appetizing at all, but after remembering the wise words of my master I picked out a two pack of butts and headed for the checkout.


Once I got them home I rubbed them down with Head Country Rub, and then a liberal amount of yellow mustard. Yes, you heard right, the cheap plain ol' yellow mustard. I prepared my fire in the Egg for a long cook, did I sort and stack the lump? Nah, I just threw a bunch in there and hoped for the best...hehe This cook was also going to be the inagural run of the BBQ guru. I reread my instructions and got it all ready and lit the fire. I let the BGE get up to 300 before I put the butts on the grill. Once at 300 degrees F, I loaded the Egg with my brand spankin new plate setter (Thanks to Niki) and then added a drip pan with a bout an inch of Apple Juice. Then placed each mustard and rub covered butt on the grill, leaving a little space between the two for a little air circulation. Set the guru up for 225 degrees grid temp and 190 meat temp...and then it was just a waiting game.


I put these on around 7:30PM Friday and they hit 190 around 2:30 PM Saturday. During this entire time I never lifted the lid of the egg. That may have been the toughest part! I so wanted to look and check on the meat in the smoker, but listening to all the Egg wisdom out there I resisted. Well needless to say when I finally did open the lid I took a step back, sitting on my grill were two big hunks of frozen space poo. At least that's the best way I can describe it, they reminded me of the "meteor" lump from the movie Joe Dirt. I was thinking as I transferred them to my cookie sheet to bring them inside that I ruined this cook. They really look not so appetizing.


Well, I said, remember the wise words of my BBQ sensei and go ahead and remove the fat cap that remained and see what's under all that crusty, black, exterior...And Oh Man! I'm glad I did, underneath that nasty meteoric exterior was juicy, perfectly cooked Pork, and man it was unbelievably good. I wrapped one of the butts up in foil and towels and set in a cooler until I could pull it later that afternoon, the other, I shredded and made some sandwiches. All I can say is pulled pork sandwiches may be the best thing since cheap white hamburger buns....hehe It was really awesome and my first big cook turned out really well, I can't wait to do this again!

Smokin!

--The Alfster