I keep practicing my BBQ Technique - Ribs, Brisket, Pork, Chicken

[PaulstheRibList]

I've been BBQing about 2 years now. After a while I figured out I needed a smoker, so I got a 22.5" WSM. I picked a recipe and technique, from AmazingRibs.com, and have been practicing without changing recipe's, so that I can get my technique down pat. Once I know meat selection, fire control, and such, I figured then I could mess with the recipe once solid technique is in place.

I added a Offset stick-burner in the last month or so. Oh, and I converted a large commercial dryer to a rib smoker in the middle, and added a 2nd 22.5 WSM.

I'm getting happy wit my technique. My cooks are more and more consistent, and the appearance, taste and tenderness are getting better. I've done St. Louis cut Ribs the most. I figure I've smoked 150-200 racks in the past couple years. Then I've cooked chicken thigh's and pork butts quite a few times, and I've cooked 10 or so briskets. Brisket has proved the hardest. I've done about 10 of them, and am still learning...but the learning has been tasty and my friends love it!

Here's the cooks from this week and last. I wanted to share to THANK GUYS LIKE YOU who help newbies with encouragement and advise as we get started. Keep helping and sharing! For me, that kind of encouragement has helped me become a decent little BBQ cook.

We had ten 9th grade girls at our home this weekend for a church retreat. Last year we had 10th grade boys, and I cooked ribs for them, and they loved it and bragged. So, it's now a tradition! Here are the Ribs on the WSM
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UIvMsTnlRnI/VPNu213G3mI/AAAAAAAAXSw/8WfkFS3OQBQ/w631-h841-no/IMG_0878.JPG

And the cut ribs from the WSM
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AAEoio4Twvs/VPNu8nH6M7I/AAAAAAAAXS4/JSDJqVMkaEc/w1121-h841-no/IMG_0888.JPG

And the ribs on my Stick Burner
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uVxQFlKHOSs/VPNuz6_-pdI/AAAAAAAAXSg/YTpCf24Jk5s/s841-no/IMG_0886.JPG

And the cut ribs...I love this smoke ring!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZCIB0Ief7kA/VPNvMJ5ny0I/AAAAAAAAXTY/hngXSN_KfLc/w1121-h841-no/IMG_0893.JPG

Last week, I cooked 4 Picnic's to share with my employees, and cooked Brisket, Ribs and Chicken for my friend's 40th Bday Party. I separated the Point and Flat, and trimmed too much fat off, so it was drier than it could have been, but was tasty and looked great!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RbTlHVuoYEw/VOqzTYMunbI/AAAAAAAAXPY/_m-mnK_S_d0/w631-h841-no/IMG_0802.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y96Lxlu6QXM/VOqzR6HBTyI/AAAAAAAAXPI/78piMUAWBb0/w631-h841-no/IMG_0807.JPG

Here's my smile, when my friend's enjoyed the BBQ!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7Gnuv4sudBA/VOqzSh5bjYI/AAAAAAAAXPU/wW4UI6TWHhw/w631-h841-no/IMG_0806.JPG

The chicken was great! I don't know why BBQ joints don't prep chicken like this?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MwYOsFYP2NI/VOpkRwUs-ZI/AAAAAAAAXOQ/ynK1L20o0O8/w1121-h841-no/IMG_0777.JPG

I forgot to take pictures of the Picnic's, but I did snag one of this pulled-pork sammich I made with it!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-c67R2_wlZHQ/VPPAVI5JPeI/AAAAAAAAXUY/6cLHrb1xvKc/w1121-h841-no/IMG_0851.JPG

So, KEEP SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE, the results are tasty when noobies like us listen, learn and cook!

Paul

[Blythewood BBQ'er]

Looks great man!

[bbqwilly]

Very nice

[Shagdog]

Food looks great, but I wanna see this dryer! Please share, we love home made cookers!

[Jason TQ]

Food looks great, but I wanna see this dryer! Please share, we love home made cookers!

Ditto! Want to see the dryer :clap2:

[juslearning]

Great job. Now start experimenting with different rubs, or make your own.

[Decoy205]

After all those cooks I think it's official you're not a noob! Great looking food!

[PaulstheRibList]

The Dryer!

Here is the coolest pic, the middle-of-the-night from her 2nd competition in October!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sv3XUanSnsM/VPPR4aB1sSI/AAAAAAAAXWY/6AdE-i5A4cI/w473-h841-no/Grove%2B2014-5.jpg

This is at our fist compeition, right after retrofit!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-s-jgki6vBOo/VPPSSGeEO4I/AAAAAAAAXXQ/Km_n4JG19mQ/w631-h841-no/IMG_6903.JPG

And Under construction!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dp5RqBWDnzE/VPPSDQ13BmI/AAAAAAAAXWo/vayfoPl0YPA/w631-h841-no/IMG_6704.JPG

I have a larger dryer waiting for conversion now...it will be our whole-hog smoker!

[Brew-Bq]

Awesome!

[ttix]

Smoke on man, smoke on. Looks good

[THoey1963]

Nice looking cooks and very creative with the dryer.

[twatsonr1]

Awesome looking food!!!

[Ron_L]

The dryer looks cool! Does it tumble the meat while it is cooking?

:-P :-P :-P

[PaulstheRibList]

Well, it could tumble, but I have the drum secured.

On the upcoming, larger dryer, I would like to have it tumble. I'm thinking how to secure the pig so it will slowly rotate, like the outdoor pig cooks I've seen on large rotating spits. They squeeze the pig between two wire screens, and I think I can figure out a way to do that in the dryer drum.

Now I'm getting excited about that project, too!

[rwalters]

WOW! It all looks outstanding.

Curious to hear more about your chicken. Do you season with rub or marinade? How do you cook it? Indirect the entire time? What temp?

And the pulled pork? Oh my! I have seen a lot of PP sandwiches... yours is one of the most appetizing I have seen. Looks chopped, not pulled... I like it! What are you saucing it up with after pulling/chopping it?

Inquiring minds wanna know ;-)

[FC BBQ]

Looks like all of that practicing is working.

[tish]

I love the dryer! That would be so cool if you could tumble a pig! :cool:

[Bludawg]

OK now I'm Hungry!

[cowgirl]

Everything looks great! Lookin' forward to seeing your dryer pig cooker in action.

[1buckie]

OK now I'm Hungry!

Yep....nice bark & crust / coatings on everything.....that's half tthe battle a lot of times & it's appears your way getting the hang of it !!!!

[PaulstheRibList]

Thank you all!

Since this BBQ thing has begun, I keep eating at BBQ joints, all the local ones, and wherever I travel.

The pulled pork is always tender, but I just don't ever see much bark at all. I LOVE MRS BROWN and she is a mandatory guest at every BBQ meal! And the pork is often long strings, which can make it more work to eat. So I've been making sure I get a good bark, and sometimes I'll split the Butt so I get even more Bark to share.

With this penchant for more Beautiful Bark, I've tried to not move the meat at all once I put it on the pit. Every move means more Mrs. Brown falling off into the abyss...NO!!!!!

I make my rub, mostly using Meathead's Memphis Dust for the pork, and apply it heavy.

I find that in a lot of places BBQ chicken means a very-much-cooked-in-an-oven, nice and tender chicken, with BBQ sauce on it. That's nice and all...if you are getting a roticerie chicken at the grocery store on the way home from work. But NOT if you are BBQing it on the pit! So, I'm doing an oil-herb rub for chicken, again, Meathead from AmazingRibs leading me on here. It came out nice on the WSM's. But the new Offset stick burner has amped up the chicken! Cooked theses on closer to the firebox side, about between 275 and 300 degrees, until internal temp was near 200. Can't wait to practice more with the Chicken!

Isn't this fun!!!

The rotating Pig Cooker is going to be so cool when I finish it!

[PaulstheRibList]

I just stumbled onto a pic with the dryer all loaded up with Ribs!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SIUoW_32PII/VPZ9ljqujjI/AAAAAAAAXZA/Tz-nvApsUjE/w1121-h841-no/IMG_7043.JPG

[toddrhodes]

Keep on keepin' on man, food looks outstanding and you get massive kudos for your ingenuity!!

[mcgrew6188]

great bark! are you foiling at all? what temp are you cooking at?

[PaulstheRibList]

Mcgrew6188, I foil only Brisket so far. I love bark way too much to foil my ribs, or butts. And I'm going to keep practicing on brisket to get a good cook on it without foiling as well. I've been trimming too much fat off to do a long cook with no foil.

I cook between 225 and 250 (chicken higher, if possible).

Listening to a lot of the brethren, and the competition peeps, there is a lot to be said for foiling and adding butter, agave, honey etc in that process. But I haven't done that much, and for doing 10 racks of St. Louis in my WSM at a time, I'm not sure how I could foil and cook that many at a time.

This BBQ thing is fun! I was having a tough day today, so I stopped and got 10 chicken thighs, and they are on the offset at 300 RIGHT NOW!