The Perfect Rib (For a Day at Least...)

This past weekend, Three Dogs BBQ packed up the road show and drove up to Rochester, NY to take part in the festivities at the Roc City Ribfest.  There are two days of competitions at this festival.  On Saturday, the World Bacon Championship, a sanctioned NEBS grilling competition, and the Roc City Rib Cookoff, a non-sanctioned charity rib cook off, were held at the Genessee Valley Park.  All 86 professional teams are entered into the rib contest and we were joined by 30 backyard teams, 116 total teams, to determine the best rib in Rochester.  The rules and scoring system is KCBS, but the event is non-sanctioned.

Each backyard team pays $40 to enter and the public can pay to judge for $20.  All of the money raised for the rib cook off is donated to two charitable foundations in the Rochester area: Rochester Childrens Hospital and The Ronald McDonald House.

If you follow this blog, you know that ribs have been our nemesis over the years.  But, over the winter, we have put a lot of time into improving our rib scores.  Our prior entries have scored us a 74th and a 47th place.  So, this was our first try with the revamped recipe.  The only thing we did differently was we cooked our ribs 30 minutes more in foil than usual.  Other than that, the recipe was the same that has been posted here.  Why longer in foil?  I was told that for public judging, the judges prefer a rib with fall off the bone meat.  Remember, KCBS judges want their ribs bite through with a little tug. So, that is what we did.

Here was our entry.

Nice color.  Good shine.  How were they?  Well, I give you the perfect rib.  It wasn't a perfect 180.  We scored a 176.5716.  But, on this day, with these judges, at this event, it was good enough to be be perfect.  We are very happy and proud to say the Three Dogs BBQ are the Roc City Ribfest Rib Cook Off Grand Champions.

It is nice to know that hard work, tips from your friends (Chilebrown and Hutch, you have a little bit of this trophy), and patience can pay off in the long run.

Congrats to the Reserve Grand Champions, Shortsville Smokers.  You guys are a class act and fun to be around.  Also, the Rochester Childrens Hospital and Ronald McDonald House are winners as well.  As has been tradition in the past, the winning teams donated back their prize money for these great causes.  Finally, congrats to all of the participants of the Roc City Rib Cook Off.  We will see all of you next year.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Is this a Good Omen?

I got home from work today and my wonderful wife had the trailer packed and ready to go for the weekend.  All we had to do was tie down the smokers and turn the beast around.  Moving a 24 foot trailer in limited space can be a challenge.  But, I am full of myself after todays feat.

I backed that bad boy up in one swing between the well head and our dogwood.

Then I pulled forward and down the driveway.

In one swing, I backed the trailer into its spot, turned around and ready to go for tomorrow.

Hope was quite impressed with me.  So was I.  Is this a good omen for the weekend at the Roc City Ribfest?  Lets hope so.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Happy Anniversary Hope!

Three years ago today, I married my wife.  It was one of the best days of my life that I will always remember.  She is my partner and my best friend.  Best of all, she indulges me in my BBQ habit.  As a matter of fact, she may be more passionate than I am.  Last Saturday we went out for our traditional night on the town for a perfectly cooked steak.  This year we chose Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

We started off the evening with a perfectly dirty martini.

Then followed that up with carpaccio that is to die for.  Ruth's serves with a garlic aioli, torn romaine,  shaved Parmesan, and garlic crostini toast.  The thinly sliced tenderloin just melts in your mouth.

I also ordered a sampler of oysters on the half shell.  Good eats here.

The main course were perfectly rare (and mooing) ribeyes.

For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding that came with a message.

Our waitress, Kim, was top notch.  Just what you would expect from a high end steakhouse.

Is a steakhouse old school?  Perhaps.  Is it pricey?  A bit.  Is it worth it?  Absolutely.

Happy Anniversary Hope.  I love you.

Bill

Smoked Spam: The Great American Mystery Meat

Over Mothers Day weekend, I was looking for a quick appetizer idea.  A quick bite before the steaks were put on the grill.  Preferably, it would be something I could throw on the smokers as I was burning out the built up gunk on the inside before our next competition.

So, I took a quick inventory of the kitchen shelves for something quick, easy, and that would be good.  Low and behold, look at what I found.

Spam, that mystical, mystery meat from our childhood.  I had a lot of bologna and chipped ham sandwiches back in my childhood days, but occasionally Mom would slide in some Spam, or Spam's first cousin, Treat.  For those of you who do not know what Spam is, here is a quick summary of Spam.

Basically, Spam is spiced, canned ham.

I seem to remember the outside being encased in gel?  Is this a kinder, gentler, lower fat Spam now?Anyway, some joke that Spam is made from leftovers from the pig after processing.  Lips, hooves, everything but the oink.  My Mom usually pan fried slices and served on squishy white bread with sliced onion, perhaps a tomato, American cheese, and mayonnaise.  Others pan fry and serve with eggs.  I decided to try and elevate this premium ham product and go the smoked route.

So, I took the "fillet" of processed ham goodness and scored the top with crisscross knife slices.
Then, for the rub, I dusted all sides of the Spam with a liberal coating of Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head rub.

Hawaiians serve their Spam with grilled pineapple garnish, so why not a pineapple rub?

Then, I placed the Spam on the top rack of our smoker at 350 F with a piece of hickory wood in the ash pan for some smoke.

Thirty minutes later, the rub was forming a nice crust on the outside and the scored cuts were opening up, making this hunk of Spam look like a premium ham.

At this point, I squirted some Blues Hog Tennessee Red BBQ sauce on the top to glaze our Spam.

After adding the BBQ sauce, I let our appetizer cook for 15 more minutes to set the glaze.  Then, removed from the smoker, and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

How was it?  Surprisingly good.  The heat added a nice crispy crust on the outside.  The pineapple rub and tangy BBQ sauce provided this piece of Spam with a nice acidity to counteract the fattiness of the Spam.  One negative was that I forgot how salty Spam was.  Overall though, it was good.  This is not your Mothers Spam.

Don't be afraid, don't turn up your nose.  Embrace your childhood memories and give this recipe a try.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill