BBQ Brethren, the webs most popular BBQ User Community has their own online magazine called “Smoke Signals”

It is a great magazine and Hot Grill on Grill Action is excited to join the ranks of the likes of Myron Mixon, John Markus, Harry Soo and more as they review our book!  It’s another favorable review!

It starts on page 46 and you can see it here: http://www.smokesignalsmagazine.com/SSM/Issue8/index

We were the team spotlight in this issue of BBQ Mag Online.

Check it out: http://www.bbqmagonline.com/teamspotlight.html

The folks that attended our first event at the Bottomless Glass got to try these.  Those that had attended both events did not get to eat them the second time.  For this, I have caught a hat full of crap…  “Where’s those corn bread muffins maannnnn?”  “I can’t believe you didn’t make the muffins this time!”  The only way I know how to apologize for not having the muffins at our last event is to provide the recipe so you can make them yourself.  I know this doesn’t exactly fill your belly, but it’s gonna have to do.  Oh, and by the way, the folks that attended the GOBS dinner at the Bellevue Fire Hall enjoyed them on April 10th.  Should have been there if you weren’t!

1 C – Melted Butter

4 Eggs – Beaten

2 C – Whole Milk

1 Can – Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 C – Sugar

2 C – Cornmeal

3 C – Flour

4 tsp – Baking Powder

1 tsp – Salt

1 Can – Corn

In a large bowl mix together wet ingredients including corn.  In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients.  Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients 1 cup at a time to keep batter from clumping.

Muffins in the Oven

Place paper liners into muffin tins or greased muffin tins and spoon mixture into tins until about ¾ full.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake until a toothpick comes out clean - approximately 14 to 16 minutes.  Makes 36 muffins.

Immediately after removing from oven sprinkle with sugar.

Dutch Oven –  “old school”

Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 12” Dutch oven and spread evenly.

Place lid on dutch oven and bake using 10 lit briquettes on the bottom and 14 lit briquettes on the top for 45 minutes or until cornbread turns golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  To make sure you achieve even cooking rotate the dutch oven 1/3 of a rotation every 15 minutes.  You must also rotate the lid 1/3 of a rotation every 15 minutes as well.  This will aid in even cooking from both the top and bottom heat sources.

When done “dump” cornbread out of dutch oven onto a cookie to end the cooking process.  Flip right side up and sprinkle with sugar.

The following additions can be added to this recipe:

Diced Jalepeno, Diced Red Pepper, Bacon or Cheddar Cheese to name a few.  I’m going to try Bacon and Cheddar Cheese for the next side dish competition at one of our upcoming contests.  Or should we turn in slaw?

Serve with butter and honey.

Another positive review!

Check it out here: http://www.grillingwithrich.com/the-book-on-competition-barbecue

Check out our audition tape….it speaks for itself!  Send BBQ Pitmasters a note and tell em you want to see us again!

Big Wayner’s BBQ Blog Review of our book can be found here along with all kinds of other interesting topics.  This is quickly becoming one of the best bbq blogs on the web…you should check it out!

-Thanks Wayne for doing this!-

Book Review: The Book on Competition Barbeque

In the days leading up to the 2011 Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue, I did a series of articles highlighting teams that competed there.  One of the teams that I had the pleasure of highlighting was Hot Grill on Grill Action (click here for the review).  Today I’m here to talk about their eBook: “The Book on Competition Barbeque”.

About the Book

The guys at Hot Grill on Grill Action tout the book as much more than just recipes, and I have to concur.  While the book does contain many recipes that they use in the award-winning BBQ, it is a summation of knowledge chock full of tips and pointers collected over the years.  The level of detail in this book can only be rivaled by competition BBQ classes that are offered by many competition teams throughout the country, and I would venture to say that there is more detail in this book than many of those classes.

This book is written for a wide range of audiences — from the backyard guy looking to enter his first competition to the seasoned pro looking to break through for his/her first grand championship.  No matter your experience level, you will have no problem finding relevant material for you.

Making the Meats Count

Approximately half of the book (73 out of 159 pages) is dedicated to preparation of meats in the four KCBS categories (chicken, ribs, pork, brisket).  Every facet of preparation is covered — from meat selection to meat prep to the cooking process.  They even go into great detail about meat boxing and presentation.  The main thing they stress, however, is the importance of taste, and this is reflected by dedication of an entire section to this.

If you’re a firm believer in that a picture is worth a thousand words, then you won’t be disappointed.  Each section is full of colorful photos clearly outlining crucial steps in the process.  The guys at Hot Grill on Grill Action took great steps to make sure their points are clearly communicated.

All You Want to Know

But the guys don’t limit their book to how they prep their entries.  They examine every element pertaining to a contest.  For example, they provide a general checklist of items to bring as well as a contest timeline of events.  Also included is a primer of various woods that could be used along with recommendations as to whether or not it should be used.  There’s much more in there, but I can’t give it all away here…

No matter how forthcoming a lot of teams are in classes, they always hold some info close to their chest that puts them over the top.  The guys at Hot Grill on Grill Action don’t do this; in fact, they are fully forthcoming in detailing what they believe gives them the competitive edge.

Because I have to Nitpick…

My job as a reviewer is to be as objective as possible when checking out a product.  As far as the content in the eBook goes, I could not find anything absolutely outrageous or objectionable.  The guys did a good job outlining the tips and tricks and plans that have been successful for their team.  In saying that, I do have some observations…

• Because this book is delivered in a PDF format, it would be super nice if the entries in the Table of Contents were clickable to go directly to their respective areas.
• Something that could be done as a benefit with purchasing the eBook would be access to a subscribers area that contains more in-depth info pertaining to the book.  A prime example would be videos for different methods of meat prep, for example.
• People may think the price point for the download — $39.99 — may be high.  However, if you are serious about competing, the price point is an outright bargain compared to the $500-750 one can spend on a competition BBQ class.

Conclusion

If you are looking to become a serious competitor on the BBQ circuit or to step your game up to the next level, I highly recommend purchasing this book.  The amount of information presented in there is well worth the price.

“The Book on Competition Barbeque” is available for purchase in PDF format for $39.99 at http://www.bbqrevolution.com.

• Book

1^st Annual Tri-Cities BBQ Contest – September 23, 2005

Here it is, the first BBQ contest.  Who would have guessed it would be the start of Hot Grill on Grill Action.  After digging up the pictures and looking at the date it’s hard to believe that what seemed like just yesterday was over 6 years ago.

My wife Tasha had helped me get set up that morning for what was a going to be a one day event.  She later returned for awards and to help clean up, but from raw meat to turn-ins it was all me.  The categories were ribs, chicken and Tri-Tip.  I felt pretty confident going into this event even though the Tri-Tip category was new to me.  I had spent several weeks getting my Tri-Tip right.  I had purchased several nice big Tri-Tip roasts from the local butcher and mixed up a few dry rub options and ate well for a few weekends in a row (I love Tri-Tip).  Getting the roasts done the way I wanted them was the real trick that I had to figure out.  There’s a fine line between just right and overdone and with such a small relatively lean piece of meat that window is pretty small.  I knew what I was going to use on my spare ribs and had my chicken process just where I wanted it.  Regardless, I practiced both a couple of times to make sure.

What I do remember is how stressed out I was to be going at this alone.  Why was this so stressful?  It’s supposed to be fun right?  Afterall, it was a georgeous 65 degree day and I was finally competing, something that I’d wanted to do for several years.  One can never be too prepared for a contest.

I had spent the whole night prior to the event loading up everything I thought I would need.  One of the things I find humorous about looking at these pictures is the lack of equipment and gear that I had.  It’s funny to think that this simple one day event had me stressed out so much.  I can recall pacing around in my garage and going through my totes numerous times making sure I wasn’t forgetting anything.  As most of us know, you’re going to forget something almost every time going into a contest.

After arrival on site it didn’t take long to figure out that this was clearly a first annual event.  Now don’t get me wrong, I was just as unprepared as the contest reps for this event but I had anticipated working with a group of reps that could provide a bit of guidance.  This certainly added to the stress levels especially since the only person present that knew what to do was the county health inspector which for whatever reason was brought in to assist.  Don’t get me wrong, food safety is surely important but this guy was a HUGE pain in the pork shoulder!

My set up was simple, two tables an 8’ x 8’ canopy an 18” WSM and a Weber Kettle.

I had prepared 12 boneless chicken thighs, 2 racks of ribs and 2 Tri-Tip Roasts.  The kettle and WSM both ran flawlessly.  I cooked the ribs on the WSM and had also started the Tri-Tip there to get a bit of smoke on it.  I had cooked the chicken on the kettle.  After the chicken was done I moved the Tri-Tip over to the kettle to get a sear on the outside.

Did I mention that the meat was provided?  Upon entering the contest I was excited to not have to pick up the meat from the store.  Unfortunately when I picked up my meat from the reps I was handed partially frozen chicken thighs, two racks of Baby Back ribs with one rack having broken bones in it and two really small Tri-Tip Roasts.  In an effort to thaw out my chicken I left it sitting out on the table in its package which sparked the interest of the health inspector.  This guy was comical.  I simply explained that they were being left out to thaw a bit before cooking them which he wasn’t having.  At this point I decided to request new chicken and figured I’d go for some new ribs as well hoping to get some that didn’t have any broken bones.  Having received neither I continued along my process of thawing the chicken which really chaffed the health inspector.  He began to pick on me by asking where my hot water was and threatened that if I didn’t have hot water in the next 30 minutes I was going to be asked to leave the contest.  I ignored this request after having taken a quick glance around to see if anyone else had hot water on site which only one team did.  Also, I had no way to heat water?  I surely wasn’t giving up my cooking space to heat water, I was there to compete.  When the inspector came back 30 minutes later to no hot water he was furious.  Just as I was going to point out the fact that I wasn’t the only one without hot water the neighboring team had overheard the previous conversations and had put a pot of water on his firebox for “us to share”.  Ahh, the camaraderie of BBQ cooks runs deep!  This had satisfied this point with the inspector but the chicken was still a problem.  I threw the chicken in the cooler to satisfy him until he left then took it back out and placed in my tote with my BBQ supplies.

After the Chicken and Rib categories were complete I thought I was going to “own” this little event.  Everything had gone as planned with these categories and were done to my liking.  Then came the Tri-Tip.  The roasts that they had provided were much smaller than those that I had practiced with.  I remember throwing one of them that was a bit bigger on 30 minutes earlier than the smaller of the two.  This attempt to get them done properly gained me nothing.  I should have put them both on at the same time in hopes that one would be done perfectly.  Both came out over cooked and I knew that this was not my day for Tri-Tip.  This just goes back to practice and in this case the lack thereof.  You can never practice too much for these things.

There were 11 teams consisting of competitors from the local casinos, the police, fire department and radio personalities.  Overall, I came in 7^th with the local DJ coming in first followed by one of the casino teams.  This was a great event and a memory that will last forever.  Most importantly to me, it was the birth of who we are and what we represent today.  Hot Grill on Grill Action!!

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef

Brisket is a tough meat to master for many competition and backyard cooks. You may or may not have noticed that brisket can have different grades from the USDA.  Below are the grades you may run into and a quick course in the differences.

Select Grade: This is the second lowest grade of brisket I have seen available. There are lower grades such as standard, cutter, etc.  These cuts contain the least amount of fat and will be firmer. Do not use these in competitions if you can avoid it. These are usually seen in grocery stores.

Choice Grade: This is the most common grade you will see and the most used grade in competition. Sam’s, Costco, and many butchers will carry these.  They will have more marbling than select and standard.  It is very important use the basic factors such as size, thickness, marbling and feel to find the correct choice brisket. They all may be labeled Choice, but some are clearly better.

Prime:  This is actually a choice brisket that has received the highest mark of the choice cuts. Typically they will have a little more marbling and will have a softer feel to them.  If you keep your eyes peeled, they are often mixed in with the Choice grades  at Sam’s and Costco. Look fat side of the packaging and you will see a USDA Prime stamp. You can talk to the butcher and the above resources and they can order prime for you.

Wagyu- Referred to as the American Kobe beef.  The USDA does not grade Wagyu.  It’s actually a different breed of cow originating from Japan and uses a different grading system. The Kobe breed of cattle used in these cuts produce a well-marbled brisket. The biggest deterrent is price. They can be up to 5x the price of the above briskets, and often you have to pay a hefty shipping cost as they need to ship refrigerated. We cooked a few of these and they produce a slightly different taste and seem to cook faster. If you can cook them correctly, they are just fine. However, reports of low scores using Wagyu are common, due to unfamiliarity of the judges and the difficulty to cook.

CAB Certified Briskets:  Beef branded as Certified Angus Beef® has a higher amount of marbling and an exceptionally tender, juicy flavor. Only some USDA Prime beef and top grades of USDA Choice beef are sold under this brand name.

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef

I was able to get my hands on something that I’ve been wanting to try for a very long time.  The Kettle Pizza attachment unit for the 22″ Weber Kettle Grill!  As you may know, pizza on the grill is one of my favorite things to cook and I’ve written a few articles about it here on BBQ Revolution.  Our family loves to eat pizza and I really don’t think there is any better way to eat it.

First and foremost, if you like pizza, and particularly, wood fired or grilled pizza, you need to do yourself a favor and pick one of these up ASAP.  After running just a few ‘tests’ on this unit, I am convinced I could put my product against the best pizza joints in Omaha and there are some good ones here.  The final product is simliar to what you’d get for $13 (cheese only) - $20 (a few topppings) for a 14″ pizza at a fine wood fired pizza joint, only it tastes just as good, if not better, and it’s a fraction of the cost, with as many toppings as you’d like – PLUS – you’ll love it even more because YOU cooked it and know exactly what is in it!

If you can’t tell, I love this thing and I decided ‘why wait’ to tell you what I think until the end of the review.  Read on and get all the details about how it comes packaged, assembly, recipes and how to cook on it – but you may want to go order one first at www.kettlepizza.com so it’s on the way.  When you finish reading this, you’ll want one immediately.

I couldn’t wait for the Kettle Pizza to arrive and when my wife told me it was at the door step, the first thing I wanted to do was to come home and try it out.  However, for the sake of this review, I thought I’d take some time to explain how it came in the package and assembly so you know what to expect and can be ‘locked and loaded’ the minute yours comes to your door.

Here’s the box it arrived in.  I felt like Ralphie in the Christmas Story with the Red Rider BB gun opening it. 

The contents looked nice and professional and were in perfect shape and included instructions, a wooden pizza peel, a stoneware pizza pan, a pizza stone, the stainless steel ring, a thermo, handles for the stainless ring and the hardware and a nice wooden rolling pin.  I kind of thought the rolling pin would take a back seat to my expensive kitchen aid rolling pin, but it RULES.  It’s nice and long and works much better than the kitchen aid in terms of the dough sticking.

To assemble, you don’t need any tools.  Simply attach the 2 stand off bolts to the stainless steel ring with the wingnuts inside the ring, and the same for the handles, just like the pic below.  The kettle lid will be resting on the top bolt, along with the two handles and provide good support.  The bottom bolt and handles will rest on the base of the kettle and also provides good support.  The bottom wingnuts, inside the ring, will be the support for the kettle grate that will hold the pizza stone.

Once you’ve attached both bolts and the two handles, attach the kettle pizza thermo the same way, right below the nifty ‘HOT” sign on the front of the unit.  Here’s the finished assembly….easy peasy.  Took me about 3 minutes, including picture time.

Remember, the wingnut on the inside of the ring is going to support the kettle grate.  Turn all of them horizontal, like the pic below and then set the grate inside and place the entire unit on top of the kettle base, like the other pic below.  You are almost ready!

Here’s a recipe and some pics for what we do in our house.  The crust recipe is the same for all pizzas and we put our favorite toppings on it.  Be creative and do what you like.

For the dough, you’ll need the following ingredients per pizza:

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpopse flour
• 3/4 cup of hot water
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon of active dry yeast

To make the dough:

• Put the hot water in a measuring cup, along with the sugar and yeast. 
• Mix with a spoon until it is all dissovled and let set for five minutes
• Put the flour in a large bowl and form a crater in the center
• Pour the hot water / sugar / yeast mixture into the crater and mix with a fork until all the flour and water is blended well
• Cover with a cloth and let set aside for about 5 hours, so the dough rises.

Here are a couple pics for the dough:

While that is resting, you can prep all the rest of your ingredients.  Here are just a few we used and the videos will show a few more.  Below you can see the cheese, ground chicken, pepperoni, sauce and green pepper.

Once the dough has rested for 5 or more hours, you’ll have to knead the dough so it is stretchy.  Using your fist, simply punch the dough down many times (over 25) and add flour along the way so it isn’t sticky.  It also makes it easier.

To roll out the dough, flour a large cutting board or smooth surface and use the wooden rolling pin that came with your unit, like so:

Next, take your pizza peel and cover it with corn meal so the dough will slide off easily when putting on the kettle and then transfer the dough to the peel and form your edge crust like so

Now you can top it with whatever you’d like!  Here is one of our pizzas pre-cook:

We’ll get to the setup and cook videos in just a minute, but first I wanted to point out a few things for prepping your kettle that I learned:

• Start with a fully lit chimney starter completely full of coal. 
• Place the lit coals at the back of the kettle, away from the opening.
• You must use real wood to get temps above 500.  I used a pecan / pear mix.
• You must make sure that the pizza stone is fully up to temp to avoid the dough sticking.  I use water drops to test if the stone is hot enough.  If water sizzles when you toss it on the stone and disappears quickly, you are all set.

Here you can see where I placed the coal and wood:

In this video, you can see all the steps I take to getting the kettle ready for a cook, which should tie everything together for you:

Finally, this next video will show you how amazing the Kettle Pizza is by demonstrating in a non-stop video, a full pizza being cooked in just over 4 minutes:

Here are a couple of our finished pizzas.  We had a New Year’s Eve party this year and churned out many of these and the entire thing was a hit!  From the cook itself (everyone had fun watching) to the eating (everyone LOVED the pizza).

The bottom line on this product:  BUY IT!  It works better than advertised and is the perfect home pizza making device.  Honestly, if I were to open a pizza restaurant, I’d love to have a way to run a whole bunch of these to turn out pizzas for the customers. 

It is amazing and worth every penny.

As always – let us know if you have any questions on how to run this unit @ info@bbqrevolution.com