tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55314641921369784202024-03-13T00:49:30.660-04:00Three Dogs BBQA blog about competition BBQ, smoking, grilling, cooking in general, including recipes for beginners, and just all around Foodie stuff. We will also review the occasional restaurant and perhaps a product or two. Check back during the year for competition pictures and results.Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.comBlogger390125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-78675038146053303952019-01-20T14:31:00.003-05:002019-01-20T14:31:48.353-05:00My New Competition Addiction - SCA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In 2018, the Three Dogs team entered the world of <a href="https://www.steakcookoffs.com/" target="_blank">Steak Cookoff Association</a> (SCA) competitions. The SCA is a sanctioning body for steak cook offs and ancillary categories such as ribs, wings, dessert, Bloody Mary's, and much, much more. SCA is based in the Fr. Worth, TX area and sanctions contests in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan. The SCA is a great way to enter the competitive cooking world with minimal investment. Let's take a minute and delve into the pros and cons of competitive steak cook offs. <br />
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Pros:<br />
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Lower entry fees when compared to KCBS. Most entry fees for SCA run $125-$175 per contest. Most contests pay $1000 to the winner and usually pay out to the top five teams. Ancillary contests run about $25 to enter.<br />
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The contest provides the steaks. This is a bonus on many fronts. One, you do not have to go out and buy the best cut of meat to compete. The organizer provides you with two steaks, boneless ribeye, choice grade or better. Two, steaks are chosen via a randomly pulled draft. If you pull number one, you go first. Then your second steak is chosen in reverse order. A nice level playing field for all. No need to go spend $100+ on prime or waygu steaks, adding cost.<br />
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Competitions are only one day. You show up in time for the cooks meeting and steak draft, 8 am in most cases. Generally turn ins are at noon and they have you headed home by 4-5 pm. <br />
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A lot less equipment. All you need is a grill, your tools and knives, a cutting board, seasonings, a thermometer, a canopy for shade, and a cooler with lunch and drinks. 20 minute set up, 20 minute break down. What's not to like?<br />
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Low stress atmosphere. Mingling between reps, judges, and teams is encouraged. Everyone talks and has a grand old time. Then, about 30 minutes before turn ins, the judges disappear and you get down to cooking. As for turn ins, the window is 30 minutes. Easy peasy.<br />
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No garnish. No need to spend cash on kale, parsley, or lettuce. The steak goes into a 9x9 box with a foil disk on the bottom for cutting and to make sure the box doesn't melt. <br />
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Overall cost. We can do 10 SCA competitions for the total cost of two KCBS competitions. Win, win, win.<br />
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Cons:<br />
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No comment cards. Doneness for steaks is graded on the following chart:<br />
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Medium is what you are striving for. You can't cut your steak before turning in to be judged. If your score is anything other than a 10, you do not know if you were over or under cooked. Knowing would be helpful. Also, some general comments would be nice, but not needed. <br />
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Not many comps in the Northeast. But, that is changing. It is looking like in 2019, this will drop off of the con list. <br />
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As you can see, the Pros way outweigh the Cons. <br />
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In 2018, Three Dogs entered three SCA competitions. In our first two outings, we finished in the bottom 10%. <br />
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Our first steak was a bit under trimmed and my guess is that it was a bit overdone due to a raging hot grill.<br />
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In our second competition, our steak was trimmed a bit aggressively and perhaps a little underdone. </div>
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Some research was needed. I picked a few brains, hit the Internet for articles and videos, and held a few practice cooks at home. In September, all of the research and practice payed off...</div>
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Three Dogs won the first SCA event in the Pittsburgh area at the Grill Your Ace Off held by <a href="https://www.williamsacehardware.com/departments" target="_blank">Williams Ace Hardware</a> in West Newton, PA. With this win, we get to attend the World Steak Championships in Fort Worth, TX in October and perhaps the 2019 World Food Championships to cook in the steak category. </div>
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Over the past year, Three Dogs has found the SCA to be a nice, relaxing, low cost way to participate in the world of competitive cooking. We will never fully quit cooking KCBS competitions. But, considering the ever escalating cost to compete in the world of competitive BBQ, I think that over the next few years, we will be participating in fewer BBQ contests and transitioning into more SCA cook offs. </div>
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So, if you happen to see a SCA competition in your neck of the woods and you think you cook a mean steak, you just might want to throw your grill in the back of the truck, grab your seasonings, and see how your steak stacks up against the best. </div>
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Thanks for stopping by,</div>
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Bill</div>
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-36369350171709421562019-01-06T17:05:00.000-05:002019-01-06T17:05:30.688-05:00Back to our Regularly Scheduled Programming...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello everyone! We are back. I know it has been quite some time since we have posted. But, as stated before, life got in the way, we ran out of ideas, etc... But, people have asked where the blog went. It seems that people actually did read it from time to time. So, after the time off, I figured that now is as good a time as any to fire the keyboard back up. <br />
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2018 was a good year for Three Dogs BBQ. With 8 contests, we finished ranked 14th in the country in chicken, 116 in ribs, 41st in pork, and we won't talk about brisket. Overall, we were 114th in the country for KCBS. This is out of 2335 teams that competed in 10 contests or less. Not too shabby for a team just winging it over the summer. In addition we finished 4th in chicken and 5th in pork in the Mid-Atlantic Barbecue Association Team or the Year standings for Tier II (Best 5 scores out of 8 contests or less). <br />
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In addition, Three Dogs started competing in Steak Cookoff Association sanctioned contests. After a dreadful start, we did manage to win our final SCA contest in September at Williams Ace Hardware in West Newton, PA. That has earned us a trip to the SCA World Championships in Ft. Worth, TX in October 2019. We are definitely looking forward to that road trip!<br />
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So, as we re-launch the blog, we are open to ideas for content. We will be going back to recipes, restaurant reviews, etc... But, if you have any ideas, we are more than open to your suggestions. <br />
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Happy New Year!<br />
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Bill<br />
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-54094130489862746062018-02-17T09:33:00.000-05:002018-02-17T09:36:25.336-05:00Grilled Chicken Wing Dip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Super Bowl Sunday was upon us and I was feeling a little indifferent to the whole event. Our Steelers "spit the bit" as they are prone to do from time to time and we really didn't have a horse in the race. I wasn't rooting for the Eagles. More like, I was rooting against Darth Belichick and the evil empire known as the Patriots. I needed something to get me into the game. So, instead of the usual spread, I focused on preparing some dips for the evening. I had a hankering for some buffalo chicken dip, but I was looking for something other than the usual canned chicken, cream cheese, raw Texas Pete all mixed up kinda thing. So, as I am prone to do, I did a little experimenting. Off to the kitchen we go.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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Chicken Wings. Ultimately, I used 6. <br />
Adobo Seasoning with Pepper<br />
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For the Wing Sauce:<br />
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2/3 cup Texas Pete<br />
1/3 cup butter<br />
3 cloves of garlic minced<br />
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For the Base:<br />
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1, 8 oz pack of cream cheese, softened<br />
8 oz of sour cream<br />
2 tbsp of ranch dressing<br />
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The Rest:<br />
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2 ribs of celery, finely diced<br />
1/4 cup of carrot sticks, roughly diced<br />
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese plus more for topping<br />
Bleu Cheese crumbles for topping<br />
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The night before, I seasoned both sides of my wings with the Adobo seasoning, layered them in a pan, and placed them in the fridge to dry brine. <br />
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Dry brining removes the moisture from the skin, promoting crispiness when cooked. More on that in my next post. <br />
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The next day, I fired up my grill to cook the wings. While the charcoal was getting ready, I prepared my sauce, the dip base, and the veggies.<br />
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For the sauce, I melted the 1/3 cup of butter and lightly sautéed my garlic. Then I added the Texas Pete and let simmer for about 10 minutes to slightly reduce the sauce. When reduced, I removed the sauce from the heat and set aside for use later. <br />
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Next, I took the softened cream cheese and incorporated the sour cream, ranch dressing, and the wing sauce using my hand held mixer until the mixture was smooth. <br />
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When the grill was ready, I placed the charcoal off to one side for indirect grilling. I placed the chicken on the grill and covered with the lid, vents wide open. Every five minutes I came out and rearranged the wings so those that were close to the fire did not burn. I continued this process for about 40 minutes until the skin was crispy and the meat was cooked. <br />
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After removing the wings from the grill, I brought them inside and let them cool down for 15 minutes. Then, I pulled meat from the bones and roughly minced until I had two cups of meat. This amounted to six whole wings, deboned. I also included some of the skin as it was nice and crispy.<br />
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Next, I took the meat, diced veggies and 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella and folded into the cream cheese mixture.<br />
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Then, after spreading into a 8 inch pie pan, I topped with mozzarella cheese and bleu cheese crumbles. </div>
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Finally, I baked in a 350 F oven for 30-40 minutes when the mixture was melted and the cheese on top was brown and bubbly. </div>
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Then, I served hot with tortilla chips and crackers for dipping. The dip was everything I was looking for. The grilled wing flavor came through very well. All of the flavors mixed well. The celery and carrot were tender crisp and not over cooked. The next time around, I am going to add a little more wing sauce and perhaps a little more ranch dressing. I will be making this dip again.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by...<br />
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-73853126314045725872018-02-03T08:05:00.001-05:002018-02-03T08:05:40.499-05:00Checking out this Sous Vide Thing...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello everyone. We are back. New year, new computer that works in real time. Time to get caught up. While we were away, we were cooking and experimenting. One technique that we tried was Sous Vide on a nice, thick bone in ribeye that I picked up at Costco over the holiday season. <div>
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I had been wanting to try this cooking technique, but was hesitant to pull the trigger on a piece of equipment cost over $100 dollars without knowing how the process worked or if it was worth the money. Then, I remembered that The Oldest had cooked a Sous Vide venison back strap a few years ago using the hillbilly Sous Vide method. Hillbilly Sous Vide you say? Yep, one Igloo cooler and a tea kettle of hot water.</div>
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First, I lightly coated my steak with some olive oil and lightly seasoned with kosher salt, cracked pepper, and granulated garlic. The steak was then vacuum packed and placed in the cooler below. </div>
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Next, I filled up a tea kettle with water and heated it to a temperature of 150 F. To properly submerge my steak, it took about two tea kettles of water. Once the steak was swimming in its whirlpool, I closed the lid and walked away. Every 30 minutes or so I added more hot water to keep the temperature around 150 F. I allowed the steak to "cook" in the water bath for about 3 hours. Here is what the steak looked like after its spa treatment. <br />
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I had to admit, I was a little worried. The meat looked like boiled steak. But, I had my trusty grill heated up with a roaring fire. </div>
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I placed the steak over the coals and cooked for four minutes a side. Then I brought the steak inside, allowed the meat to rest for 5 minutes, then I cut it in half.<br />
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I am sold. This steak two and a half inch monster was perfectly cooked. Rare in the middle with the perfect crust on the outside. I think it is time to spring for a Sous Vide gadget and start experimenting more. </div>
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Thanks for stopping by,</div>
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Bill</div>
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-34312624329570200262017-10-01T09:35:00.000-04:002017-10-01T09:35:01.642-04:00Oinktoberfest 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last weekend, the Three Dogs roadshow pack up and headed to Clarence, NY for our final contest of 2017, <a href="https://oinktoberfest.com/" target="_blank">Oinktoberfest</a>. This was one final chance for a good showing in an already successful 2017. This was our first time back to the Oink after a two year layoff. Traditionally, the weather here has either been rainy, cold, or cold and rainy. This weekend was very strange in the weather category. Hot, sunny, and humid. Not your standard weather for Western NY in late September.<br />
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I am happy to say that the weekend was a success. For the first time, we won the chicken category and placed 6th in ribs, 7th in pork, and 18th in brisket for an 6th place overall. <br />
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Congrats to Shortsville Smokers our GC and to Smokin Boys and Hot Grills, our RGC. <br />
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That is it for our 2017 season. Thanks to Royal Oak Charcoal for keeping the smoke rolling. <br />
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Stay tuned for a more comprehensive season review in the coming weeks. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-55791014431115446742017-09-02T08:17:00.000-04:002017-09-02T08:17:11.236-04:00Mid-Summer Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
July and August saw our usual competition slowdown. July saw Three Dogs head up to Old Forge, New York to compete in The Great Adirondack BBQ Festival. In August, we made our yearly trek to the Hudson Valley area for the Hudson Valley Ribfest. <br />
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<a href="http://adirondackbbqfestival.com/" target="_blank">The Great Adirondack BBQ Festival</a>, Old Forge, NY<br />
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This was an addition to the schedule for 2017. We usually have a two month lay off between our last June contest and Hudson Valley. But, we wanted to stay sharp and started to look for a July comp to do so. This competition fit the description. Old Forge is a great mountain town about halfway between Utica and Lake Placid. It is a great place for a competition, other than keeping on the lookout for the occasional bear. Martie, our at the time 7 week old Springador puppy, made her debut there. <br />
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We had the typical Three Dogs, Three Meat Cook. 8th in chicken, 7th in ribs, 11th in brisket, and a deserved 27th in pork (ouch), added up to a 13th overall. I tell you, if competitions were three meats we would be rivaling Myron Mixon for most GC ever. Just kidding, but we would have at least one. But, champions seal the deal and we just haven't been able to put great product out for all four categories yet. No excuses. <br />
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Overall, Old Forge is a great contest. Beautiful scenery, cool weather in July, big payouts if you are lucky enough to walk top five, and the area is littered with lots of great little pubs.<br />
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I believe that Old Forge will be a regular in the Three Dogs rotation for years to come. <br />
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<a href="http://hudsonvalleyribfest.org/" target="_blank">Hudson Valley Ribfest</a>, New Paltz, New York.<br />
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Hudson Valley is an odd duck of a contest. Generally, you stay in your extended area for BBQ competitions. You know what judges like, why tempt fate? Hudson Valley, due to its proximity, pulls teams from New England, Western NY, and the Mid-Atlantic. It also pulls judges from all three areas. Good teams always rise to the top, but this convergence of different regions does add an X factor to the competition. Results are always interesting. <br />
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It all started here for Three Dogs back in 2011. At our first contest here, we got a walk and a check for the pizza turn in. Hope fell in love with BBQ at that point and the rest is history. We followed that up with a chicken wing walk the next year and our first KCBS call in 2013. This is the only contest we have attended every year since we started competing and we always will. The ribfest has grown a lot over the years, adding country concerts and lots of vendors. We have fun, but this contest has never been kind to us. Perhaps this would be the year. <br />
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Friday was load in day and we were one of the first to arrive. That gave us the opportunity to enjoy the oppressive humidity, constant rain, and the black flies and mosquitoes. I wouldn't have it any other way. Mental note, five tiki torches do keep the flies and bugs away. They also stay lit in driving rain. Bonus...<br />
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Saturday dawned and we sauntered over the Mort's Meat Mafia to assist with the NEBS grilling. I made our pulled pork pizza for Mort and Jeff. Yes, this was the pizza that gave us our first walk in competitive BBQ and has yet to disappoint. Mort took a 6th with this pizza, along with a 10th in steak, and a 9th in apple dessert for 19th overall. We won't talk about the wrapped in bacon turn in...<br />
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Afterward, we strolled back over to our site and prepped for the KCBS cook. Still oppressively humid, but there was a slight breeze and a front was moving in later that night. Perhaps it would cool off a bit. <br />
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When Sunday dawned, it was noticeably cooler and less humid, good cooking weather. Everything made it in on time and all we could do was wait for what I fondly call The Reckoning. Now, I thought we had a good cook. I didn't say that out loud because generally that means the judges will tear you apart. Yes, I am superstitious like that. Well, for once my hunch was right. 4th in ribs and our first category win with a 1st in pork added up to a 5th place overall out of 59 tough teams from all along the East Coast. <br />
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Next up, our final competition of the year, <a href="https://oinktoberfest.com/" target="_blank">Oinktoberfest</a> in Clarence, NY. Stop by and say hi. Hope to see you there. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-67950214467667907282017-07-01T09:42:00.001-04:002017-07-01T09:42:30.203-04:00Pork Steaks - St. Louis Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The pork steak. Beautiful slices, thick or thin, of porky goodness straight from the pork butt. Some white meat, some dark meat, all perfectly marbled with fat that just wants to be crispy. If you have ever surfed the recipes on this site, I have a love affair with pork steaks. This love affair started in Germany at a cook out that a colleague was having in his neighborhood one frosty November evening. Yes, a cold autumn cook out is a neighborhood tradition in the wine country of Germany. Trimmings from grape vines after they have been harvested for the upcoming wine making season make for a BBQ tradition. On this particular evening, the families from the block gathered in the middle of the street with a rag tag assembly of grills of all shapes and sizes, numerous bottles of last years Riesling, and a lot of sausage, chicken, and pork. The smoke from the grape vines imparts a nice sweet flavor to whatever is being cooked on the grill. Everything was good, but I was drawn to the pork steaks. These were sliced thick, about an inch if memory serves me correctly. They were marinaded in a mix of white wine, vinegar, rosemary, and garlic for 24 hours. Then they were grilled hot and fast. Crispy pork fat on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. The combination of the marinade and spices with the marinade hooked me for life. This is how my love affair started with the glorious pork steak. <br />
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Over the years I have gravitated towards the marinate and grill method. But, I have had a few conversations with the good folks over at The Good Que Crew about cooking the pork steak. They hail from St. Louis, another area where the pork steak is a staple of a summer BBQ. They cook them a little differently though. Dust them with rub, sear them on the grill, then finish cooking them while swimming in BBQ sauce, foiled in a pan. I happened to have some pork steaks in the ice cave a few weeks ago and I had a taste for BBQ. Non-competition BBQ that is. So, upon thawing my steaks, I set out to cook them St. Louis style. <br />
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Ingredients needed are:<br />
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4 Pork Steaks<br />
1 Bottle of Stubbs Pork Marinade<br />
Your favorite rub. I used Slabs Birds and Bones. A little sweet, savory, and no heat. Perfect to balance the heat from the Stubbs marinade.<br />
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce.<br />
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First, I placed the pork steaks in a vacuum seal bag, dumped in the marinade, then sealed the bag. Into the fridge they went for an overnight soak. Every time I opened the fridge, I flipped the bag. <br />
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The next afternoon, about 16 hours of marinade time, I removed the steaks from the pouch and placed them on a cookie sheet. I lightly dusted the top with my rub. After 30 minutes, I flipped them over and lightly dusted the other side with the rub. Then, I went outside to start my grill. <br />
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I set up the grill for two zone cooking. First, I give the steaks a good sear. About 3 minutes a side. <br />
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Next, I placed the seared steaks in a foil pan, added my BBQ sauce, then foiled tightly. <br />
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I placed the pan on indirect heat and allowed them to cook for 30 minutes, turning the pan 180 degrees after the first 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, I brought the pan inside, removed the foil, and served hot. <br />
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I gotta say, I think I like the St. Louis method for cooking pork steaks. A little bit of crisp, tender juicy meat, a nice thin glaze of sauce. Warning, the Stubbs marinade can have a little bit of bite, especially after 16 hours of marinading. If you don't like heat, I would suggest a different marinade. But it may not matter. Hope doesn't like heat, but she suffered through the bite because she loved the flavor. Your choice. <br />
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Have a great 4th of July. Thanks for stopping by.<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-11374406207810646352017-06-25T09:57:00.000-04:002017-06-25T09:57:29.690-04:00A Day at the Asylum: Almost Heaven BBQ Bash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last weekend, the Three Dogs BBQ road show packed up and headed off to the asylum. BBQ'er's are a little crazy to be in the world of competition BBQ. So, it was fitting that the 3rd annual Almost Heaven BBQ Bash was held on the grounds of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WV. <br />
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This building is the largest hand cut sandstone building in North America and the second largest in the world. I did not take any of the tours offered but from what I hear the history of this building, which dates back to the 1850's, is quite chilling. Bulk lobotomies, torture rooms, holding boxes. You get the picture. <br />
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The facility was finally shut its doors in 1994. Since then, the building has been purchased by a local businessman who is restoring the inside to its original state. Various historical and haunted tours are run and from what I hear, the former asylum is a must see on the list of haunted places to visit in the United States. Definitely a unique place to hold a BBQ competition. <br />
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So, with one eye on our smokers and one eye looking over our back for ghosts, we fired up our smokers and got down to the business of smoking meat. <br />
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To add to the craziness, this competition was an auto qualifier to the Jack Daniels BBQ Championship as this is the only sanctioned BBQ contest held in West Virginia. Win and you are in. No sweating out the Jack Draw in August. Consequently, this contest drew 57 of the best teams from east of the Mississippi. The field was the toughest we have ever competed against. How would we fare?<br />
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Well, the results were mixed. Overall, we were very happy with our results, but we did leave some points on the table. 29th place chicken, 3rd place ribs, 37th place pork, and 19th place brisket added up to an 18th overall. Our pork box was mixed. "Great pulled, rubbery slices" were the comments. We agree. We should have left the money muscle out of the box. The ribs were spot on, falling one taste and one tenderness point away from a 180. <br />
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But the brisket box is the story of the day...<br />
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The temperature was rising slowly on this brisket. I could not figure out why. When we pulled our brisket out of the foil, the flat split right down the middle. There was a time I would have panicked. But, we refoiled and let the brisket rest until turn in time. I started to formulate Plan B. Later, when we were building our brisket box, I did try to get some slices. No luck. Completely overdone. I believe that my temperature probe was right in the middle of a vein of fat. So, Plan B went into action. I pulled the flat, chopped it up, lightly sauced, and dusted a bit with rub. We threw it into the box with the burnt ends and crossed our fingers. I was betting on a lower 10% finish. You can't imagine our surprise when we came in 19th place. We were dinged a bit on appearance scores, but the taste and tenderness saved us for sure. We really appreciate that the judges scored what was presented to them and not what they expected to see. <br />
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Congratulations go out to Rocky Top BBQ, our GC and Wolf's Revenge, our RGC. We would also like to thank Royal Oak Charcoal for keeping the 270 Smokers rolling smoke. Next up is the <a href="http://adirondackbbqfestival.com/" target="_blank">Adirondack BBQ Festival</a> in July.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill<br />
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-42754745874955395372017-06-10T08:04:00.000-04:002017-06-10T08:18:07.199-04:00Catching Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It has been a busy few months around Three Dogs Headquarters. While I would like to be able to pay the bills by making BBQ, the reality of life is that I need a real job to pay the bills and fund this addiction, um I mean hobby. With new owners at work I have been firmly planted in front of a computer helping to carve out a small company from a huge multi-national conglomerate. So, sitting in front of a computer is not something I feel like doing in the evenings. But, it is time to get back in the swing of things and make this blog semi regular again. That being said, lets catch up. Shall we?<br />
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We have been competing. BBQ is my escape from work. I am happy to report, the results have been positive. The third weekend in May found Three Dogs BBQ at the 3rd annual Salt City BBQ Festival in Syracuse, NY. <br />
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While we like to take part in competitions in downtown urban settings, the old Clinton Square location for Salt City was lacking in space and had very questionable infrastructure. This competition was in danger of not having enough teams to be a qualifier in 2017. But, a move to the New York State Fairgrounds solved the space problem and improved the water and electric issues. With 44 teams participating this year, I think that Salt City may have a bright future. Toss in some very uncharacteristic Upstate New York weather for May and the weekend was shaping up nicely. Even George was enjoying the warm weather.<br />
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As for our cook, I was not happy with how our turn ins came out. I am happy to report the judges disagreed with my assessment. A 9th in chicken, an 8th in ribs, a 4th in pork and a 12th in brisket added up to a 4th place overall. A very pleasant surprise. What hurt the brisket was a lack of burnt ends in the box. They were mushy and just not good at all. But, we were very happy with the 4th place overall and the chance to walk a few times. Congrats go out to Good Smoke, our GC and to The Basic BBQ Team, our RGC. <br />
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Two weeks later we loaded up the trailer and headed up to the headwaters of the Allegheny River to Coudersport, PA to participate in the 2nd annual Conquer the Grill. This competition is held in conjunction the Gods Country Marathon. Why is it called the Gods Country marathon? A few reasons I suppose. One, it really is beautiful country up in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania. <br />
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Two, Coudersport is 50 miles from the middle of nowhere. It should be noted that I am told the Gods Country Marathon is ranked as one of the ten hardest in the world. That might have something to do with the four mile mountain right at the mid point of the run. But I could be wrong. <br />
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The BBQ competition is held by the finish line of the marathon. Last year that was in the town square. But, PennDOT decided that they had to rip Main Street, so the marathon finish and the BBQ was moved to the high school, just outside of town. <br />
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I started a rumor that if a member of a BBQ team finished the marathon and won the BBQ competition, there would be a $1000 bonus added to the prize money. Strangely enough, I could not get any of the teams to bite on that proposition. Instead, we tried to pass out 9:22 MABA shots at the water stations for the runners. Again, no takers. Such dedication. <br />
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As for our cook, I felt it was fair to midland. When all was said and done, we ended up with a 2nd in chicken, a 3rd in ribs, a 6th in pork, and a 3rd in brisket. That added up to a second place overall and our first Reserve Grand ever! Needless to say, the four hour drive home was much easier to take. Congrats goes out to Peace, Love, and Smokiness, our GC and their first as well. <br />
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We have been quite happy with our results this year. Hopefully we can keep the train on the tracks. Next up, Three Dogs heads down to the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash in Weston, WV. 70 of the best teams in the East will be headed to Weston with one goal in mind: winning the auto entry to the Jack. This will be a true test of our BBQ skills. Hope to see you there. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-35911990742424652652017-05-13T07:11:00.000-04:002017-05-13T07:11:43.356-04:00BBQ in the Valley - Jamestown, NY.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last weekend Three Dogs BBQ packed up the trailer and kicked off the New York portion of our BBQ schedule for 2017 by competing in a first year contest, BBQ in the Valley in Jamestown, NY. Rain was the main dish. Lots of rain. Cold too. If anything, I learned three things:<br />
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1. I'll take hot and humid over cold and rainy. <br />
2. Mud has a knack for getting in places that you would never think it could.<br />
3. Disposable cutting boards make for a clean place to stand while changing your muddy clothes in a muddy trailer.<br />
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Even George, who loves to come to BBQ competitions, was not having much fun. <br />
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But, enough about the weather. Let's talk about the competition.<br />
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BBQ in the Valley was a first year competition organized by the fine folks at Hidden Valley Camping Area. I must say, you could not tell it was a first year competition. Everything ran smoothly, from the Cinco de Mayo pot luck, down to having the tractor ready to pull teams out of the muck when the competition was over. I do like dedicated electric and water as well. It will be hard to improve upon this year, but I am sure Bill and his staff are up to the task. <br />
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As for our cook, we had another solid cook. 12th in chicken that could have been top 10 if not for the Table of Angels that slanted the results a bit, 13th in ribs (deserved), 7th in pork, and 7th in brisket add up to a 10th overall. <br />
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A better trim job on the ribs and we probably net a few more points. Details, details...<br />
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Time to soldier on, mop out the trailer, and get ready for the <a href="http://www.saltcitybbqfestival.org/" target="_blank">Salt City BBQ Festival</a> next weekend in Syracuse, NY. See you there.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-45613638850867426202017-04-22T07:56:00.000-04:002017-04-22T07:56:06.765-04:00Kings Mountain Firehouse BBQ Cookoff - Kings Mountain, NC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last weekend, Three Dogs BBQ kicked off their 2017 season with a round trip down to sunny Kings Mountain, NC to compete in the 21st Annual <a href="http://www.kmfire.com/406/Firehouse-BBQ-Cookoff" target="_blank">Kings Mountain Firehouse BBQ Cookoff</a>. <br />
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This was a very nice competition held in a field out behind the Kings Mountain Fire Museum. In a rarity for a competition, there was lots of space for 49 teams to spread out, enjoy the sun, and show off their BBQ skills in what was for many, their first competition of 2017 as well. <br />
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This competition is a fund raiser for the fire museum and other assorted needs that the fire department might have. One of the draws to the competition was a cover band, The Dukes and Smith Band, that was rocking the night as we were preparing to light our smokers. <br />
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On Saturday, the day dawned bright and warm. In a stark difference from New York BBQ, we did not have to deal with the elements. So weather would not be a factor for this cook. Very rare for spring BBQ. So, after day of cooking, it was time for awards.<br />
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There were two things that concerned us; recipe tweaks and cooking in an area where we had never cooked in the past. BBQ is BBQ, but tastes do change from region to region. What would be our fate? Our results were very encouraging for our first competition of the season.<br />
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First off, we practiced a lot in the off season to improve our chicken. The results from Kings Mountain are encouraging. The box below was good enough for 13 out of 49 teams. Chicken might be back!<br />
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Pork was another nemesis last year. But, after a 12th place finish at Kings Mountain, we are encouraged. Otherwise, our ribs finished 25th and our brisket 27th. I knew the ribs were mediocre at best. The brisket was spot on tender. I am guessing that the savory sauce for the burnt ends does not work in an area where a sweeter sauce is preferred. All of this added up to a 19th place overall. For a team that starts slow and was cooking in a unknown part of the US, we are encouraged. <br />
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Next up, we kick off our New York season in pursuit of the Empire State BBQ Championship at BBQ in the Valley in Jamestown, NY. See you there!<br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-50283414918301817852017-03-19T08:22:00.004-04:002017-03-19T08:22:57.281-04:00American Royal BBQ Pilgrimage Day 4: Christy's Tasty Queen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Day four of our American Royal adventure just happened to fall on a Tuesday. In Kansas City, Tuesday is Tenderloin Tuesday. At least it is for Rod Gray and his wife Sheri of Pellet Envy fame. Rod and Sheri spent most of 2016 canvassing the KC area in search of the perfect pork tenderloin sandwich. As luck would have it, the week before we left for the Royal, Rod declared that Christy's Tasty Queen was the purveyor of the best tenderloin sandwich in the land. Who am I to debate with such experts when it comes to all things meat. So, we loaded up the convoy and headed over to Christy's to sample this sandwich for ourselves. <br />
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Upon arriving at Christy's, the outside looked like any other roadside ice cream stand that you can find scattered all over Middle America. The menu inside contained your normal soft serve treats, but also had a menu of savory items such as burgers, hot dogs, and various fried treats. Our rag tag group of BBQer's from Canada and the US had only one thing in mind. Pork tenderloin. We placed our orders and retreated to the picnic tables outside to eat our bounty. <br />
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So, what is a pork tenderloin sandwich? Well, as you can see, it is a piece of tenderloin, pounded semi thin, breaded with what I believe to be corn flake crumbs. The cutlet is then deep fried, and served on a woefully undersized bun with lettuce, onion, and your choice of condiment (I went with mayo). This piece of pork was huge. Roughly 1/3" thick, 1/2" with the breading, and had the circumfrence of a household sandwich plate. The plan of attack for eating was simple, pick it up and start on a side. The sandwich was juicy and crispy. Overall a great sandwich. It compares very well with schnitzel I have had in Germany. My only knock is that the breading could use a touch of seasoning. Overall rating, 🐖 🐖 🐖 🐖 1/2 out of 5. The tots were an afterthought and definitely not needed at all. The sandwich itself is more than enough to fill you up. If we ever go back to Kansas City in the future, Christy's will be a mandatory stop. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill<br />
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-84946299298615208842017-02-26T09:07:00.001-05:002017-02-26T09:07:37.353-05:00American Royal BBQ Pilgrimage: Day 3 - Joe's Kansas City BBQ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Day three of our pilgrimage dawned sunny and warm. We were hunkered down in an RV park just outside Kansas City for the next few days until we could load into the speedway for the competition. The plan for the day was to hit <a href="https://www.joeskc.com/" target="_blank">Joe's Kansas City BBQ</a> for some lunch. I had some inside information that Joe's is in the conversation for the best BBQ you can get, period. I was drooling with anticipation. <br />
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There are a few Joe's locations in town, but we went to the original gas station location. Half convenience store, half BBQ joint. <br />
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As we pulled into the parking lot, a person was right by the red car "loosing his lunch" shall we say. I was a bit worried about right now. But we chalked up to a night of drinking and carried on like good soldiers. I went for a quick stroll around the building to check out the large iron pits, cranking out smoke and intoxicating smells while gently cooking their smoky treats within.<br />
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We walked inside the door promptly at opening time, 11 am, to a line that was almost outside the door. A very good sign for any eating establishment. <br />
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While the line was long, people dutifully picked up strategically placed copies of the menu for review. This ensured that the line moved at a steady pace. So, after about ten minutes of reviewing the menu and checking it twice, I was confronted with making my choice. Now, I can get pork and ribs in any BBQ joint back home. It might not be good, but I can get it if I so choose. Therefore, I found myself drawn to the brisket again. More specifically, the Z-Man. Joe's is well known for this sandwich. Smoked brisket, thinly sliced, served on a toasted kaiser roll, and topped with smoked provolone cheese, onion rings, and a light drizzle of BBQ sauce. I ordered one and for good measure, I also added a side of smoked chicken gumbo. I grabbed my tray and my bottle of IPA (hey, I was on vacation and it was noon somewhere) and scurried off to a table to sample my smoky bounty. <br />
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I straightened up my Z-Man and took the first bite. I think I started to hear harp music in the background. Outside of competition brisket, this was the best brisket I have ever eaten. It had the right amount of smoke and was perfectly cooked. Not falling apart and not like a rubber band. Just perfect. The toppings did not over power the taste of the brisket, but complimented the overall taste of the sandwich. Once the Z-Man was dusted off, I turned my attention to the throw in bowl of smoked chicken gumbo. In the biggest surprise I would have all week, the harp music got louder. While the Z-Man had the flavor meter at 100%, the gumbo broke the glass on the meter and pegged the needle. Best chicken gumbo I have ever had, period. Including any gumbo I have had in New Orleans. Ladled over a bit of rice this gumbo is rich and flavorful, loaded with tender chunks of smoked chicken and pieces of okra. Nirvana in a bowl. <br />
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So here I stand, Monday afternoon and I have jumped the BBQ shark. Nothing was going to beat this the rest of the week when it came to BBQ. If you are in the Kansas City area and you like BBQ, you have to schedule a visit to Joe's Kansas City BBQ. You will not be disappointed. Overall rating, 5 stars out of 5. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-68190926086147844692017-01-08T09:10:00.001-05:002017-01-08T09:10:40.984-05:00American Royal BBQ Pilgrimage: Day 2 - Plowboys BBQ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Day two of the American Royal BBQ pilgrimage started in downtown St. Louis with sunny skies and temperatures made for shorts. The RV was hitched up and we piled inside for the short jaunt across Missouri to Kansas City. Along the way we stopped at our next dining establishment, Plowboys BBQ.<br />
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Plowboys has won many awards as both a restaurant and as a competition team. As you can see below, their trophy case is well stocked. </div>
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The menu contains your basic BBQ staples: ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and brisket. But, they also add some items that I cannot get at a BBQ joint back in Pennsylvania: turkey and hot links come to mind. They are also known for their BBQ Nacho platter. The platter was so big, I saw one feeding a family consisting of two adults and two children with some leftover. It looked really delicious as well. I might have ordered this monstrosity of chips, cheese, jalapeños, and BBQ meat of choice had I saw an example when I walked in the door. But, based upon having been voted the best burnt ends in KC for 2014, I decided to try the Burnt End Platter with sides of Cheesy Corn and Cole Slaw. I also picked up an order of their smoked beef sausage for public consumption at our table. </div>
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The slaw was ok. A little bland, but the cabbage was crispy and not mushy or swimming in dressing. I am just used to slaw that has a nice and tangy dressing. The Cheesy Corn is another thing. Where have you been all my life? Have you ever made stovetop mac and cheese? The kind where your boil your macaroni, then dump in back in the saucepan with milk, butter, cheese, and slowly heat and stir until the mixture is melted and combined thoroughly? This is how I think Cheesy Corn is made. As a matter of fact, a Cheesy Corn entry won the vegetable category later in the week at the Royal. I can see why. </div>
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The burnt ends were good, but not life changing. I had some that were perfectly cooked, some that were a little on the dry side, and some that were a bit rubbery. That may have been a function of sitting in a warmer behind the counter. The sausage was on point. Not too fatty, seasoned well with just the right amount of smoke and the all important snappy skin. </div>
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There were four sauces to choose from on the table. I focused on the Sweet 180 and the KC Sauce. The sweet sauce was a little too sweet for my taste, but I was drawn to their KC Sauce. A hint of smoke with a good balance of tangyness and sweet. It paired very well with both the burnt ends and the sausage. </div>
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This visit to Plowboys was a good start to our BBQ tour. The service was friendly and efficient. The food was good, but not outstanding. If I lived in the area, I would come here once a month for lunch. But, I don't think I would drive out way of my way for the burnt ends. Maybe for the sausage though. Overall rating, 3.5 out of 5 stars. </div>
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Thanks for stopping by,</div>
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Bill</div>
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-19364609649815899382016-12-18T08:38:00.000-05:002016-12-18T08:38:36.459-05:00Caramelized Onion Smoked Meatloaf, Finished on the Grill<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The balmy winter of 2015-16 is a thing of the past. The 2016-17 winter is shaping up to be like any other winter around here. Windy, cold, and snowy. This year I have plowed and shoveled as much if not more than I did last year. Time to think about some comfort food. <div>
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One dish that I have not had in a very long time is meatloaf. I had a craving for some on a recent cold and windy Saturday. I have been wanting to try cooking one on the smoker for quite some time now. With the Girls baking Christmas cookies in the kitchen on this day, making this meal on the smoker and grill kept me out of the kitchen. A plan came together.</div>
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Caramelized Onion Smoked Meatloaf</div>
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2 lb ground chuck. I used the 80:20 as I was going to lose fat during the smoking and I didn't want to dry it out on the grill</div>
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1/2 large sweet onion, diced</div>
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1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Used as a binder for a gluten challenged friend.</div>
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1 tbsp dried parsley</div>
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1 tsp ground pepper</div>
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First, I diced the onion and slowly caramelized the over low heat until half of the onions were caramelized and half were still tendercrisp. Then I placed the ground meat and the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl and incorporated the onions. Next, I placed the mixture into a well greased loaf pan. Once the loaf was formed, I placed the pan outside into the 20 F weather for about 40 minutes to firm up the meat so it would slide out of the pan in one piece. </div>
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I set up my smoker to run at 300 F and added some pecan chunks to the firebox for some smoke. I slid the meatloaf out of the pan onto a cookie sheet, then I placed the cookie sheet into the smoker. </div>
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I was shooting for 135 F as an internal temperature for the meatloaf. After an hour, the temperature was 140 F. So, I removed the cookie sheet and let it sit outside in the cold weather to firm up for slicing. While I was waiting on the meatloaf to cool, I fired up a chimney of lump charcoal to grill off my slices. </div>
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I apparently did not get all of the air out of my meatloaf before cooking as I did have some splitting after the smoking. </div>
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But, I was still able to get some slices out of the loaf. As you can see, it was still pink in the middle. Just was I was shooting for.</div>
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I then took the slices of meatloaf out to the grill for a quick sear. The fire had gone down in intensity a bit, so I ended up grilling them off for about 4 minutes a side. Yes, the picture is not the best...</div>
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I served the meatloaf with some gravy, roasted garlic, dill, and feta mashed potatoes, and some oven roasted broccoli. </div>
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I decided on the grilling step as I generally do not like smoked ground beef. It has a tendency to dry out and have a grainy mouth feel as well as become over smoked. But, this meatloaf was good stuff. The smoke flavor was not overpowering. The taste was a blend of the taste you remember from the meatloaf you had as a child, along with that good char you get from the grill. I need to tweak the spices in the meat. But, I deem this a successful first pass. How do I know? The leftovers were gone the next day. </div>
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Thanks for stopping by,</div>
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Bill</div>
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-3283563617204499902016-12-10T09:05:00.001-05:002016-12-10T09:05:35.601-05:00Imo's Pizza - St. Louis Style Pizza<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This past October, Hope and I were lucky enough to be invited to travel to Kansas City, KS with our good friends from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Red-Valley-BBQ-166493993550/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Red Valley BBQ</a> to help them compete in this years American Royal World Series of BBQ. It was a week long adventure with numerous culinary adventures. The trip out to Kansas City started early one Saturday morning and was broken up over two days. We spent the first night in St. Louis. <br />
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I told everyone that I did not care where we ate during the whole trip. But, I wanted to try out this St. Louis Style Pizza that I had read about on the Internet. So, on night one of the great BBQ tour, we had pizza for dinner. Go figure.<br />
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What is a a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis-style_pizza" target="_blank">St. Louis Style</a> pizza you ask? Well, it is a pizza made with a dough that does not contain yeast. Also, when they slice the pizza, it is done so by cutting squares out of a round pie. Crazy. After some consultation with some BBQ friends that used to live in St. Louis, we were steered towards <a href="https://www.imospizza.com/" target="_blank">Imo's Pizza</a>, a local chain of some renown. <br />
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Other than the dough, the St. Louis pizza is just like any other pie. Red sauce and any topping that your heart desires. For one pizza, I chose bacon and hot banana peppers. <br />
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The other pizza was a traditional pepperoni and sausage. </div>
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The sauce was perfect. Savory with just a hint of sweet. Almost like Pizza Hut from my younger years before they changed their recipe and added a boat load of sugar. As for the crust, this pizza is the ultimate thin crust. Very crisp, very tasty. The topping to dough ratio is about 50:50. Due to the lack of dough, you could probably down a whole pie on your own. You definitely do not feel bloated walking away from the table after eating this pizza. The best description of this pizza I heard was that it was like eating a pizza made on a saltine crust. Overall, I give Imo's and the St. Louis pizza experience four stars out of five. </div>
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Stay tuned over the next few weeks. We will be reviewing some of the traditional hot spots on the Kansas City culinary scene. </div>
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Bill</div>
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-28647507728412497092016-11-20T09:09:00.000-05:002016-11-20T09:09:25.848-05:00The Smoking Cow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Earlier this year, The Grilled Cheese Academy ran their yearly grilled cheese contest on the Book of Faces. $10,000 was to be awarded to the winner. That would finance a lot of BBQ competitions for sure. So, I decided to meld my love of BBQ into a gooey grilled cheese sandwich. After some deliberation, I decided upon a pulled beef sandwich with a buffalo twist. I give you The Smoking Cow.<br />
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First, I took a chick roast and seasoned liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic. I brought my smoker to a temperature of 250 F and added some pecan chunks to the fire to use as my smoking wood. I placed the roast in an aluminum pan and placed the pan in the smoker. After the roast reached 175 F, I covered the pan tightly with aluminum foil and brought the roast to a temperature of 205 F. I then removed the pan from the smoker and allowed the chuck roast to rest on the counter for one hour while still covered. Then Hope pulled the meat off of the bone. I gotta tell you, it was hard not to eat all of the pulled beef at this point. It was that good.<br />
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The rest of the sandwich goes like this.<br />
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Buffaloed Cole Slaw<br />
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1, 1 lb package of pre made cole slaw mix that contains carrot<br />
1 celery rib, finely diced<br />
1/4 cup of finely diced sweet onion<br />
1/4 cup of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese<br />
1/2 cup of your favorite buffalo ranch wing sauce<br />
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I mixed the ingredients together to use as a topping for the grilled cheese. By the way, the slaw is so good, you could use this as a stand alone side dish. I loved the spiciness of the dressing mixed with the creaminess of the Gorgonzola cheese. The celery and onion just helped to add that buffalo flavor. <br />
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Next, it was time to build and grill the sandwich. For bread, I used asiago cheese bread from Pepperidge Farm. You could use any bread of choice. I would probably use something nice and crusty the next time around. <br />
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I buttered the outside of the bread and placed two pieces of thinly sliced provolone cheese on each piece of bread. Then, I placed a generous helping of pulled beef on top of one half of the sandwich. <br />
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Next I topped the meat with the buffalo ranch cole slaw and placed the other half of the sandwich on top for grilling. <br />
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Hope and I pulled out our trusty cast iron skillet and grilled the sandwich over medium high heat. <br />
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I really love how this sandwich turned out. All of the flavors came together nicely. Spicy, creamy Gorgonzola, melted provolone, crispy cheese bread. We uploaded our entry in anticipation of doing well in the contest. <br />
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Unfortunately, we did not win this year. Perhaps we will have better luck next year. But, we did have fun creating this sandwich. I suggest that you try this grilled cheese at home. You won't be disappointed. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill<br />
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-83968142542768470642016-09-18T19:11:00.002-04:002016-09-21T17:22:21.294-04:00Chicken Shawarma Pizza<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm not the type to go out to lunch too often. I usually brown bag leftovers from the night before. If I went out to lunch all the time, I would be broke and weigh 350 pounds. But from time to time, the guys in the office go out for lunch when we need some time away from the rat race. Occasionally, we head to this great Lebanese place close to work by the name of <a href="http://www.aladdinseatery.com/" target="_blank">Aladdin's Eatery</a>. They serve a healthy, diverse menu that doesn't break the bank. One of my favorites is the Chicken Shawarma Pita Wrap. Marinaded grilled chicken, wrapped up in a pillowy fresh pita with tomatoes and greens. I also add black olives, crumbled feta, onions, and a dab of their outstanding hummus. It really is good stuff. <br />
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One night earlier this summer, I was in the mood for hummus, but we were having pizza for dinner. I decided to get creative and see if I could turn this pita wrap into pizza form. <br />
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First, I took a boneless, skinless chicken breast and marinaded in a mixture of olive oil, the juice of a lemon, some kosher salt, and a teaspoon of Balti seasoning.<br />
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My mom turned me on to this seasoning with some spectacular pork tenderloins. It is a mild curry type blend. Not too hot and definitely not lacking in flavor. After marinading the chicken for about an hour, I grilled the breasts until done. After cooling, I cubed into bite sized chunks.<br />
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While the chicken was marinading, I whipped up a batch of hummus. My hummus recipe is also from my mom. I do not know where she came up with this recipe, but I would definitely put it up against any hummus served at a restaurant. Here is the recipe:<br />
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Three Dogs BBQ Homemade Hummus<br />
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2, 16 oz cans of chickpeas<br />
Juice of 2 lemons<br />
1/4 cup of tahini (ground sesame paste)<br />
3 garlic cloves, minced fine<br />
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil, plus more for when serving<br />
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt<br />
Dried Parsley for garnish<br />
Fine diced red onion for garnish<br />
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Drain the water from the chickpeas and reserve.<br />
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Process the above ingredients along with enough of the reserved chickpea water to obtain a soft, creamy consistency. Add salt as needed to taste. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil along with pita or tortilla chips. I also add some dried parsley and diced red onion as well. <br />
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I couldn't pass up a little snack while I was waiting on the pizza dough to rise...<br />
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So, after Hope stretched out the pizza dough, I assembled the pizza. I took the hummus that I had made and thinned it out a bit with some olive oil so that it could be spread across the dough. Then I added in no particular order:<br />
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The grilled chicken breast<br />
Thinly sliced Roma tomatoes<br />
Thinly sliced red onion<br />
Black olives<br />
Crumbled feta cheese<br />
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Then, the pizza went into the hot pizza oven. Since there was not a lot of cheese to look for the "brown and bubbly" mark of being ready, I kept an eye on the crust. When it looked brown and crispy, I pulled the pie from the pizza oven. <br />
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I declare this experiment wildly successful. I was worried about how the hummus would turn out after being exposed to high heat. But, it did not separate and had a nice roasted flavor. The next time I am craving some Middle Eastern flavor, I am making this pizza again.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-2653258095209558232016-09-17T08:50:00.001-04:002016-09-17T08:50:05.633-04:00End of the Summer Season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It has been too long since our last post. You know how it can be. Life gets in the way, interests and hobbies suffer. Rest assured though, we have been hitting the competition trail this summer. Let's look back and see what has gone on since Roc City.<br />
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First after Roc City was a trip to Covington, Va for the Covington Cork and Pork Festival. <br />
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The competition was held the same weekend that the flooding was taking place just 20 miles away in southern West Virginia. As a result, all of the teams donated their leftover food to <a href="https://operationbbqrelief.org/" target="_blank">Operation BBQ Relief</a> to feed first responders and those in shelters in the White Sulphur Springs area of West Virginia, one of the hardest hit areas. I've always known that BBQ people have the biggest hearts. This just confirms what I already knew. As for our results, we came in 17th overall, including a fourth place rib entry. We have always wanted to win one of the cutting board trophies. Mission accomplished. <br />
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Next up was the first annual Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest in Salamanca, NY. The hot, humid, and rainy theme for summer 2016 continued. Even George was looking for some high ground. <br />
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Results for this competition were mixed with an 8th in pork and a 7th in brisket. <br />
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We had some issues with the other categories, leading to a 21st place overall finish. <br />
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Next up was one of our favorite competitions, the Hudson Valley Ribfest in New Paltz, NY. Again, it was hot and humid, with a 100% chance of flies. Lots of them. <br />
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Chicken has historically been one of our best categories. So, our low scores this year were a bit of a head scratcher. But, after Salamanca, I sat down and thought through what we were doing. I realized that I had left out a few small, but important details. As a result, we scored an 8th place chicken call with a 28th place finish overall. <br />
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So, since reexamining the process worked with the chicken, I reexamined our process with our other meats before competing at the Finger Lakes Fire and Smoke Festival in Geneva, NY over Labor Day weekend. <br />
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Our first competition of the year with cool and dry conditions. Very refreshing after the hot and sticky summer. The attention to detail paid off with chicken placing just out of the top 10 with an 11th place finish, 5th place ribs, and 5th place brisket adding up to an 8th place finish overall. <br />
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So, that sums up the summer season. I've taken some more notes to capture the little things and we are ready for our last competition of the year in three weeks at the <a href="http://www.keystoneinternational.state.pa.us/page/barbequecontest.aspx" target="_blank">Keystone Classic BBQ Competition</a> in Harrisburg, PA. Hopefully the upward trend will continue. <br />
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Finally, I have been cooking and have some new recipes to share. I promise in the next few weeks to post more regularly. Life has just gotten in the way.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-55205445835743601602016-07-27T18:16:00.003-04:002016-07-27T18:16:57.238-04:00Grilled Venison Backstrap with a Balsamic Marinade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few weeks ago, The Oldest called me up late in the week and wanted me to smoke 30 pounds of assorted venison and goose meat into jerky. I didn't have any firm plans, so I told him to bring beer and charcoal and we would fire up the smokers. The day passed and on Monday, Hope called me at work to tell me that The Oldest had also brought over a venison backstrap for me to grill one night for dinner. Let's call this, "Payment for Services Rendered".<div>
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The backstrap is the Bambi equivalent of the fillet on Elsie the Cow. I've cooked a few fillets in my time, but never one from a deer. I do know that you can dry them out quickly if not cooked properly. I have had them prepared via a sous vide method and loved how they turned out. Very juicy and tender for a very lean piece of meat. But, after a day at work, I didn't feel like rigging the beer cooler for Redneck Sous Vide Mode. Internet, here I come.</div>
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I was looking for a marinade that could add some flavor and some acid to help tenderize the meat. A quick search led me to an old Dr. BBQ recipe posted on <a href="http://www.oneilloutside.com/Recipe_BalsamicMarinatedGrilledVenisonTenderloins.html" target="_blank">O'Neill Outside.com</a>. Ray Lampe can't steer me wrong. Right? Champion griller and pit master. So, I gave it a shot. Hope whipped up the marinade and the backstrap had a chance to marinade for a good 10 hours. </div>
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Balsamic Marinade for Venison Backstrap</div>
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1 Venison backstrap, about 2 pounds</div>
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1/3 cup soy sauce </div>
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1/4 cup balsamic vinegar</div>
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1/4 cup vegetable oil </div>
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2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce </div>
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2 tablespoons honey </div>
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4 cloves garlic, crushed</div>
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2 teaspoons sesame oil </div>
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1 teaspoon black pepper </div>
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Venison backstrap has a tendency to run on the smallish side. Usually closer to the size of a pork tenderloin than that of a beef fillet. Perhaps the 10 hour marinade time would be too long for such a small piece of meat. I could not have been more wrong. I had no idea how large this piece of meat was until I pulled it out of the plastic bag.</div>
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After lighting a chimney of charcoal and setting up the grill for a two zone fire, removed the backstrap from the marinade and placed it over direct heat for searing. </div>
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What genetically engineered monster of a deer did this piece of meat come from? We rarely see deer this big around here. Then, I remembered. This venison fillet must have come from the doe The Oldest shot with time ticking down and the sun setting on last years season. She was one monster doe. I would say this backstrap weighed in at over four pounds easily. Anyway, I digress. </div>
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I seared both sides of the backstrap over direct heat for about seven minutes a side. Then, I moved the meat to indirect heat and covered the grill. The grill temperature at the dome was around 550 F. I checked the temperature of the fat end of the fillet every ten minutes, flipping the meat every time I checked the temperature. After the 14 total minutes of searing and 20 minutes at 550 F, the backstrap was at an internal temperature of 135 F. Time to pull, rest, and slice. </div>
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Perfect. The meat ran from medium to medium rare depending on the thickness of the meat. It was tender and very juicy. The honey in the marinade caramelized just a bit on the outside of the meat, forming a nice crust. This marinade tasted so good, I am going to try it on beef, chicken, and pork. This fall, after you have harvested your deer, you just might want to give this recipe a try. </div>
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Thanks for stopping by,</div>
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Bill</div>
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-5123370207602962992016-07-18T18:22:00.000-04:002016-07-18T18:22:34.690-04:00Garlic Lovers Grilling Sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A couple of weeks ago as I was scrolling through my Flipboard feed, I saw this tasty looking garlic grilling sauce posted from the <a href="http://datenightdoins.com/" target="_blank">Date Night Doins</a> website. I clicked on the link and I instantly liked what I saw. Four simple ingredients; garlic, canola oil, lemon juice, and salt are combined to make a sauce that you can brush on meats and veggies while grilling for a nice garlicky glaze. So, Hope whipped up a half batch and we started experimenting. <br />
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Here is the <a href="http://datenightdoins.com/garlic-lovers-grilling-sauce/" target="_blank">recipe</a> from their website. The process is quite simple. Remove the garlic cloves from their skin, turn to a paste along with the salt in a food processor, then slowly add the oil and lemon juice to form a thick emulsion. <br />
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Our half batch made about one pint, plus a little more. As you can see, the sauce is quite thick. To start, I brushed some on a steelhead fillet and seasoned with some salt and pepper.<br />
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Next, I grilled the fillet over indirect heat to promote caramelization of the sauce. <br />
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With the slow grilling, the garlic had that mellow, sweet flavor that you get with roasted garlic. Pretty tasty stuff. <br />
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We have used the sauce as a base for a white pizza that worked very well. I also seasoned the sauce with basil and oregano and brushed on some grilled chicken that turned out perfect. I would venture to guess that you could use this sauce as a base for some garlic bread or perhaps a seafood scampi dish. Needless to say, this sauce is very good. We will be keeping some of this in our refrigerator at all times. More to come in the future as we experiment further with this great find. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill<br />
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Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-21190784093463267322016-06-18T08:45:00.000-04:002016-06-18T08:45:46.755-04:00Grilled Hasselback Potatoes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have always been horrible with potatoes on the grill. I have made many a foil wrapped package of sliced tater that came out one of three ways: too mushy, burnt, raw. A few weeks ago, I had a request for a grilled spud that was not baked. I wracking my brain for the next potentially disastrous foiled potato episode. Then, I remembered Hasselback potatoes. It has been many years since I have made these treats. The Hasselback potato is kinda baked, yet nice and crispy. So, I dug through the spud bin and pulled out two of the biggest red potatoes I could find and went to work. <br />
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After washing and drying the potatoes, I grabbed a knife and sharpened the blade for fine knife work. I laid the potato on its side and started making slices about 3/4 of the way through the potato. Each subsequent slice was as close to the last slice as I could make it and still make a slice. We will say 1/8th inch slices overall. The idea is to be able to fan the potato so that it can expand during the cooking process. Here is what the potatoes looked like after slicing.<br />
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Next, I drizzled the potatoes with olive oil, making sure to coat the surface of the potato thoroughly and to also get as much of the oil between the slices as possible. Then I seasoned them. You can choose your seasonings to pair with your main course. These spuds were sides for some nice steaks, so I added granulated garlic, onion powder, a bit of thyme, salt, and pepper. You could also put some grated cheese on top if you like. I have since I made these potatoes and it makes for a nice crispy cheese coating. <br />
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I placed the potatoes on indirect heat on my grill, put the lid on the grill, and walked away for 20 minutes. <br />
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After the first 20 minutes, I turned the potatoes 180 degrees and put the lid back on the grill and walked away for another 20 minutes. Halfway through the cook, these potatoes were starting to look nice and brown. <br />
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After 40 minutes of total cook time, I placed the potatoes as far away from the fire as possible to keep them warm and grilled my steaks. <br />
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These potatoes were pretty good. They were perfectly cooked the whole way through. They also had that nice crispy coating on the outside. I placed a dollop of sour cream on top of my potato. I think I am done with foiled potatoes.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-53811952411317474352016-06-07T18:33:00.000-04:002016-06-07T19:00:14.092-04:00The Smoking Bacon & Hog Cookbook - Award Winning Grilled Pork Chops<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A month or so ago, the fine folks over at Page Street Publishing Co. sent me a copy of The Smoking Bacon & Hog Cookbook by Bill Gillespie. <br />
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Bill and his team Smokin' Hoggz BBQ, which also includes his wife Shaune and their friend Alan, are an accomplished competition BBQ team. Over the years, they have won many competitions at both the regional and national level. Signature wins include the American Royal Invitational and the Jack Daniels World Championship. I have known Bill for about five years now. We cross paths with him a few times a year on the KCBS competition trail. He is a class act and knows how to BBQ. If I had any problem with him, it is that he is a Patriots fan. But, nobody can be perfect, right? <br />
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The sub title of the book states, "The Whole Pig & Nothing but the Pig BBQ Recipes." After reading the table of contents, I think the only thing Bill hasn't covered is the Oink. Recipes range from how to cook a whole hog, how to cure and smoke bacon plus numerous recipes that you can use with your bacon, how to make homemade sausage, and how to prepare and either smoke or grill ribs, chops, loins, hams, etc... He even covers sauces, rubs, various types of hog breeds, smokers, and wood chip selection for any flavor you might be looking for in your smoked hog. He's got you covered for sure. <br />
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One weekend, I was staring at some pork chops and was tired of the same old, same old. After digging through the chop section, I was drawn to the Award-Winning Grilled Pork Chop recipe. According to the book, this recipe was Bill's first first-place trophy in competition BBQ. Could I go wrong? Probably not. After a quick check of the pantry, I confirmed that we had all of the ingredients. Off to the kitchen we go...<br />
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Award-Winning Grilled Pork Chops by Bill Gillespie/Smokin' Hoggz<br />
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1 cup apple butter<br />
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar<br />
1/2 cup Smokin' Hoggz All-Purpose Rub<br />
4 double-boned pork chops, frenched (I used thick, single cut chops as it was all I had available)<br />
1, 12 oz bottle of steak marinade. I used the recommended Lawry's Steak & Chop Marinade<br />
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In a bowl, combine your first two wet ingredients and 1 tbsp of the rub, mix well, and set off to the side for use later. <br />
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Next, I placed the chops in a plastic bag along with the marinade and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. <br />
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The next day, I removed the chops from the marinade, patted dry, and applied a generous coating of the rub. <br />
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I let the chops sit at room temperature while I started a chimney of coals and set the grill up for indirect grilling (coals off to one side). Allowing the chops to sit allowed the rub to adhere to the meat, forming a nice coating. <br />
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Next, I grilled the chops for three minutes a side over direct heat. Then, I moved the chops into the indirect grilling zone and applied a generous coating of the sauce. The lid was placed on the grill and the chops checked for temperature after 10 minutes of cooking. The recipe calls for 20 minutes of cooking or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 145 F. Since I only had thick, single cut chops, I kept a close eye on these chops. After 10 minutes, they were around 130 F, so I applied a second coat of the sauce and covered the grill. After about seven more minutes, I reached my target temperature of 145 F. <br />
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We sat down to dinner and dug into these great looking chops. I was wary of how Hope would react as she is not a huge apple butter fan. After about two bites, she declared these chops a success. I would agree. Tender, moist, and juicy, this chop recipe brings a lot of flavor to the table. Count this recipe added to our do over list.<br />
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I can't wait to try some of the other recipes in this cookbook. Everything looks very good. This cookbook may even motivate me to purchase a meat grinder to make sausage. If anyone out there is looking for a Fathers Day gift for the backyard BBQ enthusiast, this cookbook is just what you are looking for this year. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-11254553684480000432016-06-05T16:14:00.000-04:002016-06-05T16:14:05.828-04:00Roc City Rib Fest 2016 - Rochester, NY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last weekend, the Three Dogs BBQ roadshow packed up the trailer and headed to the 2016 version of the Roc City Rib Fest in Rochester, New York. This competition is one of our favorites for many reasons. But, I would say one of the biggest reasons is that this competition is sort of like the Super Bowl for New York BBQ. This test of a pit masters skills attracts top teams from all over New York, the Mid Atlantic, and Canada. <br />
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Another wild card can be the weather. Three years ago Roc City was a complete mud fest with rain dominating the weekend. Last year was sunny, but it was so cold that dishwater was freezing in everyone's pans overnight. This year? Mother Nature dialed up an August weekend with temps in the shade running in the 90's and inside trailers at 100+. Sports drinks and bottled water kept everyone going during the hot muggy days. George was a trooper though, sleeping through the muggy days in the shade between his numerous drive-by pettings from passers by.<br />
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The KCBS competition was on Saturday night through Sunday afternoon, so the day on Saturday was spent catching up with friends, slowly prepping meats, building parsley boxes, and maybe pulling a prank or two on our unsuspecting Canadian friends.<br />
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So, after a long night and morning of cooking, it was time to turn in the boxes. Here is the Lil General in action from Old Virginia Smoke. Kim runs the boxes as Luke is definitely not built for speed.<br />
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Lets got to our boxes, shall we? <br />
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The chicken box above came in 19th out of 50. This entry did win the "Table of Death" this table was labeled the TOD as all entries scored no higher than our 19th place, with most scoring in the 30's. <br />
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Our rib box came in 19th overall. This table consisted of scoring that was clumped between 19 and 30. <br />
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For every TOD, there is also a Table of Angels. This pork box, while finishing third on the table came in eighth overall, with scores skewed toward the high end of the judging. <br />
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Finally, our brisket box. What used to be our worst category is turning out to be our most improved this year. This entry came in second overall, with scoring on the table being evenly distributed from top to bottom. <br />
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All of the above added up to a fourth place finish overall out of fifty teams. To be honest with you, I was not expecting much after our cook. Mostly because we have never been able to manage a call in any of our previous four times at Roc City. Perhaps the hard work and practice is starting to pay off dividends. We shall see as the season progresses. <br />
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Congrats to our Grand Champion, Insane Swine, owners of one of the best logos in competition BBQ. Congrats also go out to Old Virginia Smoke, our Reserve Grand Champion. <br />
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Finally, we would again like to thank Brian, Kelly, and their entire crew for making Roc City run smoothly. They always do a great job and this year was no exception. <br />
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Next up for Three Dogs BBQ is the <a href="http://covingtoncorkandpork.com/" target="_blank">Covington Cork and Pork Festival</a>, in Covington, VA. We hope to see you there. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531464192136978420.post-15619797708514053652016-05-24T18:23:00.001-04:002016-05-25T21:16:44.967-04:00Salt City BBQ Festival - Syracuse, NY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last weekend, the Three Dogs BBQ Roadshow packed up the trailer and headed to Syracuse to compete in the <a href="http://www.saltcitybbqfestival.org/" target="_blank">Salt City BBQ Festival.</a> We were looking forward to this competition as this was our first New York competition of the year. Since we mostly compete in New York, it was a chance to catch up with old friends after the long winter layover. <br />
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We were also looking forward to this weekend for a few other reasons as well.<br />
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First, it was mine and Hope's fifth wedding anniversary. I had some friends order a surprise cake on the sly to surprise Hope. We loved the design! To top it off, the cake even had cannoli filling. <br />
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Second, we added a new member this year for some of our competitions. Our friend Dennis was a man without a team this year. So, when his schedule permits, he is cooking with the team. Dennis, you were a big help this weekend and we are looking forward to the rest of the year. <br />
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Finally, if you read this blog, you know that we lost two of our furry kids this past year. When looking for a new rescue, we decided that we wanted a younger dog that would be trainable so that we could bring them to a competition. Well, we found that dog in George. He is a Lab Pointer (?) mix that is almost five months old. He was great over the weekend. Well behaved, polite, and a heart breaker. A Rock Star was born this past weekend.<br />
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So, after dinner and some social time, it was time to get down to the business of cooking the standard KCBS meats consisting of chicken, pork ribs, pork butt, and brisket. Here were our boxes.<br />
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We were happy with everything we cooked. The chicken flavor was outstanding if not a little ratty looking. We moved to thighs this year and my trimming is a bit rusty. I promise they will look better as the season moves on. The ribs were confusing. Once comment card said it was the best rib they had ever had. But, another said they were undercooked with a strange flavor. We were not happy with the pork. These butts took forever to cook for some reason and did not have the proper amount of time to rest. We had to hunt for acceptable pieces to place in our boxes. Finally, the brisket. this was our best category of the weekend from a scoring standpoint. I also think that is the best looking brisket box we have ever built. <br />
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Overall, we finished 18th out of 32 teams. Not our best showing, but not our worst either. Time to tweak some things and get ready for this week at the <a href="http://roccityribfest.org/" target="_blank">Roc City Rib Fest</a> in Rochester, NY. <br />
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We would be remiss if we did not thank the owner of the building where our trailer was parked. Let's just say that while Salt City is a good competition, they are logistically challenged at times. We were 400 feet from the nearest water with 100 feet of hose. The gracious building owner allowed us to run a hose through his building so that we could find a water source that worked so we could fill out tanks. Thank you very much!<br />
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Finally, congrats to The Basic BBQ Team, our Grand Champion and to Good Smoke, our Reserve Grand Champion. Also, a shout out to Holy Smokes for the strong showing!<br />
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We will see everyone this weekend at Roc City. Stop by and say hi to George.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by,<br />
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Bill</div>
Three Dogs BBQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847143283779102007noreply@blogger.com0