The Ironman - Greencastle, PA

"This is Intense!"  That is a direct quote from a former elite athlete.  A four year starter on a three time NCAA Champion Soccer team.  If I ever had a doubt that competition BBQ was a sport, they were erased in that one comment.  So, with a bang, the 2016 Three Dogs BBQ competition season started at the Go Naked Ironman BBQ competition in Greencastle, PA.

Why the name?  I am glad you asked.  The rules are a bit different for this competition.  You have two choices.  You can pay a ridiculous amount of cash to enter and be able to use all of your gizmos: electronically controlled forced draft devices, electric knives, Bluetooth temperature probes, and all the meat you want to cook.  Or, you can pay the standard fee to "Go Naked": no forced drafts, no electric temperature monitors or knives, and be restricted to seven pieces of chicken, one rack of ribs, one pork butt, and one brisket.  Get caught with any of the above and you either cough up the extra cash or get disqualified.  You were only allowed to have an electric Thermapen to temp your meats for food safety purposes.  A true test of a Pitmasters skill.  There was good and bad involved for sure.  Mess up that one rack of ribs or see a little skin blow out on your chicken and you had nothing to fall back on to put in your box.  On the good side, there was no fretting what went in the box.  What you cooked was turned in regardless of what you thought.  How did we do?  Well, ok I suppose for our first time in this format.

First up was our chicken:

A fine looking box with nice flavor, but dinged a bit from two judges on tenderness.  I figure those were the judges that received the larger thighs.  This box was good for 29th out of 54 teams.  The take away here is to trim the chicken just a little more uniformly so they are all the same tenderness.  

Next were the ribs:

Again, nice appearance and taste scores but a little low on the tenderness scores.  This rack of ribs could have used about another 15 minutes on the smoker as they were just a little tight.  This box was good for 26th overall.

Next up was our pork box:

Great appearance and taste scores, other than one judge who commented that the sauce was too sweet.  The same judge commented that the meat was a little chewy.  Both comments were fair.  Our pork placed 33rd.

Finally, our brisket:

Again, good appearance scores.  But, taste and tenderness is where scores are weighted the most. The flat was spot on tender.  The burnt ends, a bit chewy.  We also received a comment that there was an unknown, unpleasant flavor.  This box was good for 35th overall.  Add up all of the scores and our finish was 30th out of 54 teams.

For our first competition of the year, I was somewhat happy.  This contest was a bit of an experiment as we tried some new recipes.  With the judges comments we can adjust accordingly for our next competition.  I know where I went wrong with the burnt ends, so that can be corrected.  I think we are ready for our next time out in May.

I would be remiss if I did not thank Tim from Spittin Feathers BBQ.  He substituted for Hope this past weekend and I could not have asked for better help.  If you have a BBQ team and you have not cooked with a member of another team, you are missing out.  I learned so much from Tim this past weekend.  Sometimes it is good to get another perspective.  Tim was a big help and for that, I am in his debt.

I would also like to thank Jeremie and Matt (the soccer champion) for coming down to Greencastle and cooking our Peoples Choice wings.  You might not have placed but they tasted pretty good!

Finally, we need to thank Eric Forrester with Mason Dixon BBQ Services for the great hospitality and running a great competition.

Congratulations to 3 Eyz BBQ, our Grand Champion and to Brown Liquor BBQ, our Reserve Grand Champion.  Also, congrats to all who heard their name called.

Next up for us is the beginning of our New York swing at the Salt City BBQ Festival in Syracuse, NY
If you are in the area, stop on by and say hi.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Maple Bourbon Wrapped Smoked Turkey Breasts Stuffed with Cheddar and Poblano Peppers,

I had my eye on the weather towards the end of February.  After one of our short cold snaps, the weekend forecast was shaping up nicely.  70, sunny, no rain.  Ah yes, the benefits of an El Nino winter.  Or perhaps, the rat from Punxsutawney was right for once.  Either way, I was determined to take full advantage of the bonus February heat wave.  I had a taste for something with some smoke and maybe a little sauce.  Turkey breasts were on sale.  I had some cheddar cheese at home.  The plan was taking shape.  After a quick detour back to the produce department for a poblano pepper, it was time to rush home and get down to some smoking!

First, I whipped up a half batch of poultry brine and placed it in the refrigerator to cool overnight.  The next day, I placed the turkey in the brine for a two hour spa treatment.  While the turkey was tucked away in its briny bath, I thinly sliced some sweet onion, seeded and sliced my poblano pepper into strips, and for good measure, I thawed some home cured maple bourbon bacon.  Next, I lit my smoker and set the temperature for 250 F and fished some apple wood out of storage for my smoke flavor.

Once I removed the turkey from the brine, I rinsed thoroughly with water, patted them dry, then vented some stress by pounding the breasts to about 1/4-3/8" thick with a meat mallet.

Next, I placed a slice of sharp cheddar, a slice of onion, and one poblano strip off to one side of the breast.  Then I rolled up the breast and then wrapped the breast in bacon.  The final touch was a light dusting of Dizzy Pig Raging River Rub.  The maple flavors in the rub would complement the bourbon bacon nicely.

Once the assembly process was complete, I placed the breasts on a wire rack and placed them on the top rack of the smoker.  After 60 minutes, I checked the temperature of the breasts and they were right around 145 F.

Time for a BBQ sauce glaze.  You can use any sauce of your choosing.  I grabbed a pint of homemade sauce kindly given to us by our good friends at Red Valley BBQ and lightly glazed these packages of bacon wrapped goodness.

After 15 minutes, I lightly applied a bit of the sauce and then placed the rack back in the smoker for 15 more minutes to set the final application of sauce.

When finished, I grabbed an adult beverage, a knife and a fork, and sat on the deck, enjoying the warm February weather.  This little experiment turned out just right.  Moist and tender, cheesy with a little bite from the pepper and the sauce.  Oh yeah, the bourbon bacon was a nice touch as well.  I should have turned this turkey breast in for the World Bacon Championship last year.  Oh well, not much I can do about that now, right?

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Pork Tenderloin with Grapes on the Grill

Getting away from the "same old, same old" could be the title of this post as well.  For most of us, we make the same stuff, the same way, from rote memory.  Why?  Well, it is probably a combination of a few reasons: quick, easy, cheap, we like the recipe, yada, yada, yada...  But, it can get tired and boring.  There are only so many ways you can marinade, season, and cook the same piece of meat.  I had a pork tenderloin, green seedless grapes, and Hope was out of the house for the evening.  Hope is always supportive of my experimentation.  I would say my success rate runs about 75%.  But, I have learned what she likes and therefore, my boundaries are defined.  On this evening though, the kitchen was all mine.

After going out and lighting a chimney of charcoal for the Weber kettle, I came inside and started my preparations.  I removed about four cups of green seedless grapes from their stems and placed them in a bowl.  To the grapes I added the following:

2 Tbsp of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp kosher salt

A generous grinding of black pepper

I mixed it all up, set it aside, and turned my attention to the pork tenderloin.  

I lightly massaged some olive oil into the tenderloin and seasoned with salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme.  I grabbed my #12 Griswold cast iron skillet and placed the tenderloin in the middle.  Then, I took my grape mixture and placed it in the skillet on either side of the pork.  

Next, I went outside and spread my burning coals along one side of my Weber kettle and added one piece of apple wood for some smoke flavor.  Once the apple wood was burning, I placed the skillet on the grill grate opposite of the burning wood and coals, put the lid in place, and walked away.  

After 30 minutes, I came back and rotated the skillet 180 degrees so that the grapes on the other side of the pork had an opportunity to caramelize and roast.  

I put the lid back in place and walked away for 30 more minutes.  After a total cook time of one hour, I grabbed my skillet and brought it inside.  I covered loosely with foil and let the whole mix rest for ten minutes.  

The smell was outstanding.  It was hard to wait for the entire ten minute rest.  But, after exactly ten minutes, I removed the pork from the skillet and sliced.  

I usually try and cook my pork tenderloins to an internal temperature of 145-150 F for something that is a hair past medium.  This one made it to 160 F.  But, it did not suffer.  Cooking in the pan with the grape juices kept the meat nice and juicy.  I served the pork and grapes with a side of rice pilaf.  

Final verdict?  The pork was tender and moist.  Just a hint of grape flavor.  The grapes though, wow.  Sweet, savory, slightly caramelized.  The grapes and onions soaked up the pork juices.  Good, very good.  Some things that I will try next time:

Direct heat and less cooking time.  Hopefully this will put more caramelization on the grapes.

More onion and garlic.  This mix was good.  A little more will be better.

The pan sauce created from the pork and grape juices was outstanding.  Perhaps some mashed potatoes on the side as a carrier for this sauce.  

Finally, maybe a splash or two of white wine is in order when mixing the grape mixture.  

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Pulled Bacon Potato Chowder

I was rummaging though the Ice Cave a few weeks ago.  You know, the never ending battle with trying to keep your freezer neat and orderly.  As I was rotating older inventory I stumbled upon a package of the pulled bacon I made with a pork butt earlier in the year.  It was time to make something with the pouch of frozen bacony goodness I was holding in my hand.

As I went upstairs, I started scouring through the pantry and a plan came together.  Bacon, potatoes, chicken broth.  Potato chowder it is.

I have this Chicken Corn Chowder recipe that I have made for years.  The original recipe is from Cooking Light.  But, I have modified it so much, I use it as my own.  I also borrow a bit from my mothers old Potato Soup recipe.  Here is what I did for this particular batch.

Pulled Bacon Potato Chowder

1 lb of Pulled Bacon.  Recipe and method in the link above.  You could substitute store bought with the fat drained from the cooked bacon.
6 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 ribs of Celery, diced
2 Carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium Sweet Onion, roughly diced
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 tsp of dried Tarragon
1 tsp of dried Parsley
A drizzle of oil for sautéing
8 cups of Chicken Broth.  I make my own and skim the fat off.
1/2 cup light Half and Half.  You could grab the brass ring and use Heavy Cream.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

First, I roughly minced the pulled bacon to eliminate any large chunks.  Then, I took my 8 quart dutch oven and put a very small amount of olive oil in the bottom and heated to a medium high heat.  I added the oil only because the pulled bacon has a very low fat content.  I didn't want it to burn before I loosened up what fat remained.  Once the bacon was sauteing nicely, I added parsley and tarragon along with the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic mixture.  I sautéed for about 10 minutes on medium high heat until the veggies where just past tender crisp.

Then, I added the chicken broth and potatoes, and brought the mixture to a boil.  Once boiling, I lowered the heat and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.

At the end of the simmer, I added the 1/2 cup of half and half, then I took my stick blender and pureed the mixture until about 1/3 of the mixture was smooth.  I tasted the soup and added salt and pepper to taste.  Then, I let the soup simmer for about 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Done.  I ladled into soup bowls.  I topped mine with some shredded CoJack cheese.  Hope did the same and added a dollop of sour cream as well.

This chowder had smoky bacon in every bite, but it was not overpowering.  Pureeing the soup added a creamy component that made up for the light half and half.  This chowder was good food.  The best part was flooding the lunch room at work the next day with the smell of smoked bacon while reheating.  I always get in trouble when I do that because I never bring samples...

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill