Barbecue Tips

April 28, 2008

It's time to get outside and enjoy Spring. Of course, that also means enjoying the smell and taste of food cooked on a bar-b-q grill. I thought I would go to the experts and get some tips to pass along so that we all can cook out on the grill and not turn everything into a cinder or have the meat holler at us when we go to cut it.

Now, when I say expert...I mean expert. I visited my good friend Chris Lilly at Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur to get the tips and a couple of recipes. Chris is the Head Chef of Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q team...the same team that has won many championships including,Grand Champion at Memphis in May twice, 5 times best pork shoulder, plus best sauce there.Chris and his team also took best ribs at the Houston Round-up...it's unheard of a team from east of the Mississippi to win out in Texas...their sauce has won practically every KCBS competition there is and Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q was named best in the nation in a competition held by the New York Times. Actually they have won so many titles, it would take two days to list them all.
Anyway...Chris and I had a great time talking about the differences between grilling and Barbecuing and sharing some recipes.

Speaking of recipes...here's a couple Chris sends along for you to try out at home...believe me,
you will love them and remember..it's ok to experiment with them. By the way, if you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share with our viewers, please feel free to send them to me so that I can post them.

Here you are...Enjoy!!!

Grilled Chops with Apple-Cranberry Maple Glaze

Experts Note: This can be made with either bone-in pork chops or boneless pork loin cut about 1 inch thick. The Apple cider brine will ensure your chops will not dry out when grilled over hot charcoal. The fruity sweet glaze made from Apple sauce, cranberry sauce, and maple syrup is a perfect compliment to the brined pork. For a healthier entrée, try the chops without the sweet sauce.

Makes: 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 12-24 hours for brine
Cook time: 16 minutes

Ingredients:

6 Bone-in Pork Chops or Boneless Loin Chops (1 inch thick)

Brine
2 cups water
2 cups apple cider
2 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon thyme leaves (dry spice)
3 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (dry spice)
6 allspice berries (dry spice)
1/2 bay leaf

Sauce
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup cranberry sauce
½ cup apple sauce
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/16 teaspoon red pepper

Mix Brine ingredients and stir well. Place chops in brine and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

In a small pan add sauce ingredients and mix well. Heat until mixture is warm. Reserve ½ cup of sauce for plating.

Build a charcoal fire for direct grilling. Grill chops directly over coals (approximately 450 degrees F) for 8 minutes on each side. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, baste both sides of the chops well with sauce. Internal temperature of chops should reach 150-155 degrees prior to removing from grill.

Drizzle reserve sauce over chops when serving or serve warm on the side.




Sweet & Spicy Pineapple BBQ Ribs

2 slabs of baby back ribs or St Louis cut spare ribs

Dry rub marinade
¼ cup dark brown sugar 1 ½ cups pineapple juice
¼ cup paprika
3 TBL garlic salt
1 TBL onion salt finishing glaze
1 TBL chili powder ½ cup Big Bob Gibson Championship Red Sauce
½ TBL cayenne pepper 2 TBL Honey
½ TBL black pepper
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp cumin

Raw Preparation
Place slab of ribs bone side down on table. Slide knife under the membrane an against the end bone to separate the two. With a dry paper towel or rag, grasp the edge of the thin membrane and pull. The entire membrane should separate from the rib.

Combine rub and mix well or use Big Bob Gibson Seasoning and Dry Rub. Generously apply rub onto the front and back sides of ribs. Gently pat to ensure that rub will adhere. Preheat smoker to 250 degrees. Place ribs meat-side up on grate and cook for 2 hours 15 min.

Remove ribs from smoker. Place each rib meat-side down on its own doubled aluminum foil square. Foil should be large enough to completely wrap rib. Mix the marinade. Pour ¾ cup of pineapple juice over each rib. At the same time wrap and seal each rib tight. Place back in smoker for 1 hour.

Remove wrapped ribs from smoker. Remove from foil and apply a light shake of rub to the meat-side of the ribs. Place uncovered in the smoker meat-side up for 30 min.

Remove ribs from smoker. Brush finishing glaze on both sides of ribs. Place ribs in smoker for 15 min., or until sauce caramelizes. (yields 4-6 servings)


Recipes provided by Chris Lilly – www.bigbobgibson.com
For more helpful tips and recipes visit www.mealstogether.com