Don't ever under estimate the benefits of simplicity.

Bamabuzzard

is Blowin Smoke!
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No matter how much older I get (currently 34) I still learn a lot from older and more experienced BBQ'ers. Many of us have our rubs, sauces, injections etc. that we use to make our Q. We spend long hours and time coming up with these recipes and techniques.

But sometimes the most powerful "recipe" is simplicity. I had some ribs the other day cooked by an older gentleman that was simply some of the best I've ever put in my mouth. I asked what kind of rub or seasoning did he use because it was outstanding. He said "You want the recipe?" I was like "You're going to actually give me the recipe?" He said "yeah". He got a piece of paper and scribbled for about five seconds, folded the paper and handed it to me. I opened it up and it had three ingredients.

1. Salt
2. Pepper
3. 'Lots of Love

And he said honestly that's all that is in the rub. He said "Son, salt, pepper and a good fire is all I need. Keep it simple, perfect your ability to make and maintain a good, clean fire and you'll always put out some great Q."

Always learning something new. I love Q'n!!! :eusa_clap
 
I use the same recipe for nice steaks. (I hate when I see someone "doctoring up" a spice for a nice NY strip or anything prime dry aged). The better the main ingredient... less other ingredients are needed.

Now I gotta go find that old guy making those ribs.:razz:
 
K I S S

Yep, simple salt and good ole black pepper, great place to start and many times a
great place to come back to (touch base every once in a while).

Honestly, I'm approaching 49 and I still learn something new every day. Many days
it has to do with BBQ. That's why I find it so funny that younger 20-something kids
coming in thinking they're the best that's ever been. Sadly, not only do they
consistently finish DAL and get trounced unmercifully, but worse is rarely do they
ever learn anything from it. They just go away saying some stuff about "judges dont
know squat, it's rigged".

Live, and learn!!!

Merry Christmas buzzard.
 
WOW.... there is some serious wisdom we can all learn from. thanks for the post. I think we need to be reminded of this more often. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to 'kick it up a notch' with random seasoning, and it blow up in my face. Sometimes simple is better - let the flavor of the food come out. For example - I'm a huge beer can chicken cooker. And twice i have brined the chicken overnight - I've learned my lesson twice. It's a waste of seasoning - i can never tell the difference between brined and unbrined.
 
One of my first ribs were Dirty Dalmatian rubbed,I didn't really tasted a big difference between that rub or another basic rub that I made after the ribs were smoked.
 
That clean fire part was important too. That's where the experience and love comes in.
 
Clean fire, clean quality meats, lots of care and carefully selected spices and herbs. I don't want to eat just salt and pepper ribs all the time, but, it is good to go back and revisit a simply flavored meat, it checks all the other things you need to do.
 
What's clean fire?

Clean fire... an established, small, hot fire that's been burning about 45-60 minutes... with signs of light blue smoke. A common mistake is putting the meats too early.. when the fire still churning out white (bitter aftertaste) smoke.
 
Clean fire... an established, small, hot fire that's been burning about 45-60 minutes... with signs of light blue smoke. A common mistake is putting the meats too early.. when the fire still churning out white (bitter aftertaste) smoke.

Thanks bro',I was thinking if it was the same as blue smoke.
...thought I missed out something important these last couple of months.
 
You want to talk about something simple and old school? Take a rack of ribs with just salt,pepper and if you have to a touch of granulated garlic and go back in time and throw them on the Weber charcoal grill direct for a few minutes then indirect till done about forty minutes. A totally different taste other than smoked ribs. Not sure if many people just grill a rack anymore.
 
Beaky - Could not agree more - had some ribs last week at a friends house and they were like biting into a stick of rub - I like the flavor of the meat not just paprika or cayenne.
 
yep, i've said it before, i used rubs and other stuff and found that s&p was the best for me. when i get crazy i'll add some garlic.
 
When I first started cooking I took all the spices I planned on using and put them on the counter... My Dad looked at them, handed me the S&P and said 'You have to walk before you can run' and turned away...

I miss him.....
 
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