A few weeks back, I was contacted by a fellow member from meetup.com, who noticed I belonged to one of the LA BBQ groups. Marcello checked out a number of pictures of my food creations on my profile page, and wanted to know if that was really my food. I replied in the affirmative, and to make a long story short, after further vetting me and seeing some of my Brethren posts, he revealed that he works for a marketing research firm, and was doing outreach to local BBQ chefs in various US markets to participate in a BBQ research study for one of their clients.
So the deal is they shop for all the ingredients with me, would buy all the food, help with prep. In addition, the whole experience would be documented from start to finish both photographically and through copious note taking, and interviewing our guests. The only condition was I had to invite at least 3 people and BBQ 3 dishes. That was no problem for me, and actually, I invited Brother Matt (Enkidu) who also brought along his buddy Chris. That plus the other cast of characters that live on our compound put the body count up to 10 people. Upon thinking what I should cook, I decided on dishes that would take about an hour, so I thought Roadside chicken, Tri-Tip, and ABT's would fit the bill. I kind of felt on the spot cooking for a bunch of people I've never met before, so I just decided to put my heart into it.
Before I go any further, I'd like to note that these pictures with the exception of the ABT money shot were taken by Marcelo, who kindly let me upload the pictures he took of the day's event onto my PC. I was too busy cooking and fielding questions to take many pictures. I also went through over 500 photos to narrow down what you see here.
So, without further delay, here's how it went down:
On the day of the event, I decided to have the crew meet me at our first shopping stop - Jim's Fallbrook Market in Woodland Hills. I just wanted to make sure they were OK and this wasn't an elaborate robbery or kidnapping scheme. My BS meter didn't register anything other than sincerity when I met Marcelo and his two team members Laura and Camilla, so it was time to get started on meat procurement.
Jim's also does Santa Maria style BBQ on the weekends:
The Meat counter at Jim's:
After picking out two tri-tips, the meat guy wrapped them up:
I also got three small chickens, which he cut up into pieces for me. Also picked up some jalapenos and tomatoes while I was there.
Our next stop was Trader Joes:
The plan at TJ's was to pick up stuff to make a Caesar salad and some fresh mozzarella and basil for a caprese salad. My three companions were all from Brazil, and had never been to a TJ's, so this was a real treat for them:
Fresh Mozz:
When I finished getting what I needed, I was about to go through check out, they asked why I didn't get any beverages. "Wow, you're covering booze as well"? Back to the wine and beer section!
Now that's more like it!
After checkout, they followed me home and we started unpacking everything. A few minutes later, Matt & Chris showed up.
I set up the Kingsford Oval, Weber 22 OTS, and the UDS:
Inside, I started on prep. First the Tri-Tips, seasoned with Rub Company Original and seasoned pepper:
Then the chicken, seasoned with a light dusting of Lawry's and black pepper:
As I was doing all of this, I felt a bit overwhelmed. I asked Matt if he knew how to make ABT's and he said yes. I decided to lighten my load a bit and asked if he wouldn't mind doing the ABT's and he jumped right in like a trooper. I've also never made ABT's - The Missus always preps them and I cook them, so I felt relieved to have some help. I also felt better about not manning three cookers at once, and as you shall see later, Matt turned out some world class ABT's.
While we were prepping, Chris, Matt, and I were fielded many questions about BBQ. It was then I realized that this study was not about traditional BBQ, but about the activity or event called a BBQ. Here you can see how riveted everyone is listening to me expound on the various styles of BBQ, which Matt and Chris also embellished on nicely: :becky:
I decided to snap a pic of the research team, along with Max and Daisy, our two Rat Terriers, who like to assist anyway they can:
When the ABT's were done, we all headed out to the courtyard to get some beverages. Here, Matt was facing the challenging decision about what kind of beer to select:
The questions kept coming:
I think Chris needs another beer:
I've been trying to sell Matt on the benefits of a 22 WSM for a few weeks now. Might as well show him mine!
Around 6pm, I fired up all three cookers. Here's one of the Kingsford Oval:
Matt putting the ABT's on, along with some hickory for smoke:
Roadside chicken getting its first mop:
Meanwhile, Jordan, one of my assistants prepared the salad caprese to perfection so we all could have an appetizer while the meat cooked:
Daisy hoping for some:
Matt's ABT's coming along very nicely:
Meanwhile, I decided to check on the Tri-Tip:
The chicken's looking good now and crispy goodness is almost complete:
Matt's ABT's looking awesome:
At this point, I asked Marcelo if he wouldn't mind if I took a pic with his camera, and he happily obliged. I wanted to make sure everyone saw this:
Timing worked out great- everything was pretty much done at the same time. Laura took the Tri-Tip inside for a rest:
ABT's off:
Tri-Tip inside resting:
Time for my buddy Karen to start on her delicious Caesar salad with homemade dressing:
Time to start serving:
The front table taking a rest before seconds:
The food came out great, especially the chicken and Matt's fantastic ABT's. The Tri-Tip just wasn't at the grade I usually like, but I got no complaints.
After dinner, my buddy Major got the fire pit going:
Then went into the rec room to shoot some pool:
We closed the evening with a group shot:
All in all, it was a fabulous experience and everyone really clicked. Special thanks to each and every person present who did a great job in helping to create a memorable experience! :clap2:
So the deal is they shop for all the ingredients with me, would buy all the food, help with prep. In addition, the whole experience would be documented from start to finish both photographically and through copious note taking, and interviewing our guests. The only condition was I had to invite at least 3 people and BBQ 3 dishes. That was no problem for me, and actually, I invited Brother Matt (Enkidu) who also brought along his buddy Chris. That plus the other cast of characters that live on our compound put the body count up to 10 people. Upon thinking what I should cook, I decided on dishes that would take about an hour, so I thought Roadside chicken, Tri-Tip, and ABT's would fit the bill. I kind of felt on the spot cooking for a bunch of people I've never met before, so I just decided to put my heart into it.
Before I go any further, I'd like to note that these pictures with the exception of the ABT money shot were taken by Marcelo, who kindly let me upload the pictures he took of the day's event onto my PC. I was too busy cooking and fielding questions to take many pictures. I also went through over 500 photos to narrow down what you see here.
So, without further delay, here's how it went down:
On the day of the event, I decided to have the crew meet me at our first shopping stop - Jim's Fallbrook Market in Woodland Hills. I just wanted to make sure they were OK and this wasn't an elaborate robbery or kidnapping scheme. My BS meter didn't register anything other than sincerity when I met Marcelo and his two team members Laura and Camilla, so it was time to get started on meat procurement.
Jim's also does Santa Maria style BBQ on the weekends:
The Meat counter at Jim's:
After picking out two tri-tips, the meat guy wrapped them up:
I also got three small chickens, which he cut up into pieces for me. Also picked up some jalapenos and tomatoes while I was there.
Our next stop was Trader Joes:
The plan at TJ's was to pick up stuff to make a Caesar salad and some fresh mozzarella and basil for a caprese salad. My three companions were all from Brazil, and had never been to a TJ's, so this was a real treat for them:
Fresh Mozz:
When I finished getting what I needed, I was about to go through check out, they asked why I didn't get any beverages. "Wow, you're covering booze as well"? Back to the wine and beer section!
Now that's more like it!
After checkout, they followed me home and we started unpacking everything. A few minutes later, Matt & Chris showed up.
I set up the Kingsford Oval, Weber 22 OTS, and the UDS:
Inside, I started on prep. First the Tri-Tips, seasoned with Rub Company Original and seasoned pepper:
Then the chicken, seasoned with a light dusting of Lawry's and black pepper:
As I was doing all of this, I felt a bit overwhelmed. I asked Matt if he knew how to make ABT's and he said yes. I decided to lighten my load a bit and asked if he wouldn't mind doing the ABT's and he jumped right in like a trooper. I've also never made ABT's - The Missus always preps them and I cook them, so I felt relieved to have some help. I also felt better about not manning three cookers at once, and as you shall see later, Matt turned out some world class ABT's.
While we were prepping, Chris, Matt, and I were fielded many questions about BBQ. It was then I realized that this study was not about traditional BBQ, but about the activity or event called a BBQ. Here you can see how riveted everyone is listening to me expound on the various styles of BBQ, which Matt and Chris also embellished on nicely: :becky:
I decided to snap a pic of the research team, along with Max and Daisy, our two Rat Terriers, who like to assist anyway they can:
When the ABT's were done, we all headed out to the courtyard to get some beverages. Here, Matt was facing the challenging decision about what kind of beer to select:
The questions kept coming:
I think Chris needs another beer:
I've been trying to sell Matt on the benefits of a 22 WSM for a few weeks now. Might as well show him mine!
Around 6pm, I fired up all three cookers. Here's one of the Kingsford Oval:
Matt putting the ABT's on, along with some hickory for smoke:
Roadside chicken getting its first mop:
Meanwhile, Jordan, one of my assistants prepared the salad caprese to perfection so we all could have an appetizer while the meat cooked:
Daisy hoping for some:
Matt's ABT's coming along very nicely:
Meanwhile, I decided to check on the Tri-Tip:
The chicken's looking good now and crispy goodness is almost complete:
Matt's ABT's looking awesome:
At this point, I asked Marcelo if he wouldn't mind if I took a pic with his camera, and he happily obliged. I wanted to make sure everyone saw this:
Timing worked out great- everything was pretty much done at the same time. Laura took the Tri-Tip inside for a rest:
ABT's off:
Tri-Tip inside resting:
Time for my buddy Karen to start on her delicious Caesar salad with homemade dressing:
Time to start serving:
The front table taking a rest before seconds:
The food came out great, especially the chicken and Matt's fantastic ABT's. The Tri-Tip just wasn't at the grade I usually like, but I got no complaints.
After dinner, my buddy Major got the fire pit going:
Then went into the rec room to shoot some pool:
We closed the evening with a group shot:
All in all, it was a fabulous experience and everyone really clicked. Special thanks to each and every person present who did a great job in helping to create a memorable experience! :clap2:
