Baby Leah is here!

Mom and Baby are doing Great! Leah was quiet and mellow after birth, that did not last long. She can get loud and fussy when she is hungry.

I am in awe of Karen, I do not know how she does it. Little sleep, lots of feedings, recovering from delivery, coaching Dad... She is AMAZING.

And WOW, Baby Leah... HAPPINESS, INCREDIBLE, WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL, it is difficult to find the words (all of you that are Parents can laugh at me now).

What a Great Christmas, I am GRATEFUL and BLESSED to have Karen and Leah in my life.

Christmas Baby

I think we are ready for the Baby, but she is not ready for us yet. We have are bags packed for the hospital, the house clean, everything possible washed, and baby gates in place. Yeah, I know, a new born is not going to be wondering around the house. And we have all the Christmas decorations up!

But there is no sign that the Baby is ready to come. So we are on the count down to thursday, when Karen is induced. Until then, it's Christmas Music and playing lots of cards...

Diaper Pail and Mr. Coffee

This Christmas is going to be Great and different. We are down to a few days until the Baby's due date. Karen is definitely ready for the Baby to be born, and I am too. I'm excited to see her and to hold her and to help out the New Mom.

So this Christmas under the tree for me, is a Diaper Pail and Mr. Coffee! Thank you Ladies of the North (Mom, Mary, Jane) for the MR. Coffee.

Karen and I decided to use cloth diapers. Part of what influenced this decision was the Star Trek Washing Machine we have, it came with a DVD on how to operate it. The Star Trek Washing Machine has a Sanitize setting that so far has worked great, we'll put it to the test with the Baby's diapers.

So in a few days, I will be keeping up with Baby, keeping up with New Mom, and keeping up with Diapers! Thank you again, Ladies of the North for the Mr. Coffee.

BBQ 003 - Bullet Smoker

White Wine Turkey Butt!

Ok, I am not actually bbqing the butt of a turkey. White Wine Turkey Butt is actually a 5# turkey breast that I am bbqing on an upright Can Roaster that Ali and Scott got me for my birthday. I am putting White Wine in the Can and placing the turkey breast over the Can. The Can (with White Wine) is up the Butt of the turkey, thus White Wine Turkey Butt. Yeah, I know, not the most savory of images. I did not create the expression, but it is fun to say to Karen and Liz who find the expression a little disgusting.

I will bbq in my Water Smoker (Bullet Smoker), which is great for smoking and keeping the bird moist!

Turkey Preparation:

Brine the turkey as mentioned in previous blog.

Drain, and rinse the turkey breast in cool water.

Turkey Rub:

¼ cup Olive Oil
¼ cup Lemon Juice
1 tbs Thyme
1 tbs Pepper
½ tbs Ground Garlic

Mix Rub in bowl. Rub turkey breast all over and under skin. The Turkey Rub keeps the bird from burning in the Bullet Smoker.

Smoking the Bird!

Fill the Charcoal Pan of the Bullet Smoker with Kingsford Charcoal, light and about 20 minutes later you are ready to BBQ! I place a large soup can in the middle of my Charcoal Pan, to put hickory chunks in for smoking. With the Water Pan full of H2O, I put the Bullet Smoker body in place over the Charcoal Pan.

Set the Can Roaster, with turkey and white wine loaded, on to the Bullet Smoker grill. Cover smoker with lid and about 1 ½ to 2 hours later... Waa Laa, White Wine Turkey Butt!

Just a few notes about the Bullet Smoker:

There are two grills in the Bullet Smoker, lower and upper grill. Usually I bbq on the upper grill, but because of the height of the Can Roaster, I bbqed on the lower grill. However, there is little difference in heat between lower and upper grill. Using the upper grill just makes it easier to get to the meat and add water to the Water Pan.

And I usually put wine or apple juice in the Water Pan. The meat you are bbqing takes in moister from the Water Pan liquid, and it is a great way to add flavor to the meat. Since the Can Roaster was loaded with white wine, it was not necessary to put white wine in the Water Pan. But you always want to have liquid in your Water Pan to keep meat moist, hence Water Smoker (Bullet Smoker). Water Smokers are also called Bullet Smokers, because they are shaped like a Bullet.

A final note on Bullet Smoker BBQing... USE BBQ MITS WHEN WORKING WITH SMOKER GRILL! Liz gave me a great BBQ mit for my birthday, and it is a must when working with HOT Smoker Grills.

BRINED AND SLOW ROASTED TURKEY

Dave's BRINE!

1 c....Sea salt, coarse
½ c....Molasses
½ c....Maple Syrup
½ c....Lemon Juice
¼ c....Black pepper
2 tbs..Onion Powder
2 tbs..Ground Garlic
1 gal..H2O

Brining Turkey in Ice Chest, Keep it Cool!

I brine my Turkey in an enameled large Stock Pot, a large plastic bucket (like a pickle bucket) works great too. Place thawed (fridge temperature) Turkey in Stock Pot. Most store Turkeys have the giblets removed, or the Turkey giblets are packaged in plastic bags, make sure to remove this. With Turkey in Stock Pot, add Brine. If necessary, you can place a small plastic container filled with water (and sealed) on top of Turkey to keep whole Turkey submerged in Brine. Place lid on Stock Pot and put in large Ice Chest. Fill Ice Chest with ice. Depending on outside temperature, you can fill Ice Chest with ice half full or up to top of Stock Pot to KEEP YOUR BIRD COOL!

Brining Times:

Whole Turkey (18 to 20 lbs) 12 to 24 hours
Turkey Breast (8 to 10 lbs) 5 to 10 hours

Brine Preparation:

Mix Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Onion Powder, Ground Garlic and a quart of water in a pot and bring to a low rolling boil. Take off the heat and add Molasses, Maple Syrup and Lemon Juice. Stir all together. Let cool to room temperature.

Tip: With Turkey in Stock Pot, first add half gallon of water. Then add prepared Brine mixture. Add more water to completely cover bird.


Dave's Slow Roasted Maple Turkey!

I use a Roaster Oven to cook my Brined Turkey. A Roaster Oven self bastes, so you just set temperature and let it go.

Turkey Preparation:

Remove Turkey from Brine and drain. Place Turkey on cooking grate in Roaster Oven. The cooking grate lifts the Turkey about one inch off of the bottom of the Roaster Oven.

I mix one small bottle pure maple syrup (room temperature) and one stick of butter (melted), to make Maple Butter.
Pour Maple Butter over top and sides of turkey.

Set Roaster Oven temperature to 225F, place lid on Roaster Oven, and let your bird Slow Roast!

An 18 to 20 lb Turkey takes around 5 hours to Slow Roast. A Brined Turkey roasts faster, so depending on Brine strength, the roasting time can vary. Use a Meat Thermometer to check in thickest part of breast (not touching bone) for a minimum internal temperature of 165F. For more information about Turkey preperation and cooking, check out USDA

When your Turkey is done roasting, remove from Roaster Oven, and let stand about 20 minutes. Then carve and serve...

A GREAT THANKSGIVING TURKEY!

BBQ 002 - Grocery Grill!

Grocery Grill BBQing featuring Hunk A Chuck!

First up, Indirect Grilling & Smoking:
On one half of Charcoal Pan, large heavy gauge aluminum foil pan (Water Pan) to hold liquid (apple juice or red wine). On the opposite half of charcoal pan, 40 Kingsford charcoal briquets (Kingsford gives a consistent burn). In the middle of the charcoal I place a Soup Can with a chunk of hickory (apple wood, mesquite) inside.

Note: I modified my Cooking Grill by cutting an opening in one half (middle), see picture above of Cooking Grill. This opening allows me to place wood in the soup can (below the Cooking Grill opening).

Lighting the Fire and the Cooking Grill:
I use Kingsford charcoal for it's even burn. Whatever charcoal you use, make sure it is not made with lighter fluid in the briquet (quick light charcoal), this will ruin the taste of the meat you are bbqing. That being said, I do soak my charcoal briquets with lighter fluid, 2 minutes ahead of lighting.
Put charcoal briquets, Soup Can (empty) and Water Pan (at least half full of liquid) in place. Put Cooking Grill, with cooking side over charcoal in place. Light the charcoal, after a few minutes when it has burnt down, use a wire grill brush to scrub clean the Cooking Grill. After about 20 minutes: the lighter fluid is burnt off, Cooking Grill is clean, and charcoals are glowing. Flip the Cooking Grill so that the opening – hole is over the Soup Can and the cooking side of the grill is over the Water Pan. Place a chunk of hickory inside Soup Can, within 5 minutes it will start to smoke. After wood starts to smoke, place meat on grill over Water Pan. Close Grocery Grill lid and enjoy the smokey goodness aroma!
WARNING! ALWAYS USE BBQ TONGS AND BBQ MITS WHEN COOKING WITH A CHARCOAL GRILL! Add wood to Soup Can with BBQ Tongs. Add liquid to Water Pan with BBQ Mits. ALWAYS!

Grocery Grill Running HOT, Running Cool:
Grocery Grill lid vent should always be wide open. This is important for proper smoke circulation. Again... TOP LID VENT ALWAYS WIDE OPEN! Smoke is a seasoning, it will roll over the meat on its way out the top vent. This constant movement of smoke over the meat on its way to escaping out the top vent allows for proper smoke flavoring of the meat.
I use an Oven Thermometer sitting on top of the Cooking Grill (near the meat) to monitor Grocery Grill temperature. Target temperature is 225F. If Grocery Grill temperature is running hot, above 250F, I will close bottom (Charcoal Pan) vents to bring temperature down. If Grocery Grill temperature is running cool, below 200F, I will open bottom vents to bring temperature up. Adjust bottom (Charcoal Pan) vents to keep Grocery Grill temperature between 200F and 250F. Check Oven Thermometer temperature at 30 minutes and again at 60 minutes. You do not have to be super crazy about temperature, as long as you are between 200F and 250F.
Typical bottom (Charcoal Pan) vent settings:
Charcoal first lit – bottom vent open.
After meat is added to Grocery Grill – bottom vent closed.
At 30 minutes – bottom vent half open.
At 60 minutes – bottom vent open.
TOP LID VENT ALWAYS WIDE OPEN!

Prep and Technique:
The night before bbqing, I season a thawed (fridge temperature) 5 pound chuck pot roast with my favorite dry beef rub (any dry beef seasoning works). I placed the seasoned Hunk A Chuck in a plastic container in the fridge to keep until bbq time.
The Water Pan keeps the meat moist while it is cooking. The meat absorbing moisture is a chance to add flavor. I like using apple juice, or red wine adds great flavor to beef.
A 5 pound chuck takes 2 hours to bbq. At hour 2, add another chunk of hickory to Soup Can. Check Water Pan, if it is below a quarter full add more liquid. When adding more liquid, you can add water at this point.
TIP: Do not peek, keep Grocery Grill lid closed! Every time you open the lid, you lose smoke and heat.

BBQ Controversy (a BBQ Dave technique):
At the end of hour 2, I remove the Hunk A Chuck from the Grocery Grill and place it in a Crock Pot. Prior to adding the chuck, I put ¼ to ½ inch of apple juice (or red wine) in the Crock Pot. Let it cook in Crock Pot (on LOW) another 2 hours, and PRESTO! The Best Beef You Ever Had!
BBQ Dave's Crock Pot Technique is not acceptable to most Master BBQers. For true bbqing: cook chuck in Grocery Grill until meat reaches internal temperature of 160F (check with meat thermometer). Remove chuck from Grocery Grill, wrap in tin foil and let stand for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from foil, cut and serve. For Pure BBQing and for Great BBQ information, check out Blue Smoke BBQ and The Virtual Weber Bullet.

And that is BBQing on a Grocery Grill!!!

BBQ 001 Intro

In bbqing, if it is going well, you will see Blue Smoke coming out of the top of your Smoker Grill. Blue Smoke is a sign that tasty meat is on the way. Seeing and experiencing Blue Smoke brings you satisfaction and inner peace, the BBQ Gods have blessed you. Thus the Quest for Blue Smoke...

To bbq you need smoke and heat. And the ability to balance smoke, heat, chunk of meat, and a pan of apple juice or wine. Equipment to do this undertaking for the backyard bbqer can range from a $20 Grocery Grill to $2000 plus Barrel Offset Smoker. And the Smoker Grill you use needs to be vented at the charcoal pan and have a lid with a vent.

Let me say up front, that you do not need an expensive Smoker Grill to bbq. My $20 (modified) Grocery Grill works great! And on any given weekend of bbqing, I get a 4 to 5 pound hunk a chuck beef (one of the least expensive beef pot roasts), a bag of Kingsford Charcoal, a jug of apple juice or a bottle of red wine (grocery cabernet or merlot - $3).

Of the methods of bbqing, I like the combination of Indirect Grilling and Smoking. Basically, on one half of your grill is charcoal and a lump of hickory (or mesquite, or apple wood) and on the other half is a pan of apple juice (or wine, or water). On the grill above the pan of apple juice you place your chunk of meat. You close the grill lid with the GRILL LID VENT ALWAYS WIDE OPEN and close or slightly open the bottom vents according to the temperature of the charcoal.

I use an Oven Thermometer for checking the Smoker Grill temperature. You want your Smoker Grill to be at a bbq temperature of 225 F. Over the time of bbqing your Smoker Grill temperature will swing from 200 F to 250 F. The type and thickness of meat, outside weather temperature, and Smoker Grill temperature swing, affects the length of bbq time. Use a meat thermometer to determine when meat is done.

This is a humble over view of what I call BBQing. I am still learning, I think you always are in BBQing. And I must confess, I often use a technique of a couple hours smoking, then a couple hours in the Crock Pot (with apple juice or wine) for great moist meat. True Master BBQers would frown at this, but it saves time and gives great results. For Master BBQer information and techniques, check out these 2 sites: Blue Smoke BBQ and The Virtual Weber Bullet.

More in the future on bbqing with a Water Smoker (Bullet Smoker) and more BBQ Dave techniques, I'll get into the specifics.

Tribute to Casey

Many of you know that Casey is gone. His kidneys were failing and we did not want him to suffer, so we had him put down. He was 11 plus in years and had, I think, a pretty good life. He was a Golden Retriever (pure blood) with a red feathery coat. In his prime he weighed 85 pounds, but thought he was a lap dog. He is the Original Big Orange Dog! To him, everybody was a friend. Though his number one fan and buddy was Murphy (the Little Orange Dog). Casey was Happy – go – lucky and at times goofy, at the park he would attempt to steal all the other dogs toys, and often came close to doing so. His crowning achievement on that particular endeavor was stealing 3 tennis balls and 2 fetch sticks – jammed in his mouth all at once.

Casey was Great and brought me much Happiness, above are a few pictures of the Big Orange Dog.

15 pounds

A good friend of mine, who I shall refer to as Mr. X (to protect his innocence and identity), asked about smoking a 15 pound ass since he did not have a Boston Butt. I hope this clears up the confusion of pork cuts, and as always all questions are welcome.

The following is from the National Pork Board...

In pre-revolutionary New England and into the Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or "high on the hog," like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment. The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston Butt." This name stuck and today, Boston butt is called that almost everywhere in the US,… except in Boston.

"Picnic ham" is a little challenging. Generally, the shoulder is smoked, they say, which gives it a very ham-like flavor. Since picnic shoulder/ham is an inexpensive substitute for real ham (which only comes from the hind legs), they speculate that it would have been considered a good cut for casual dining — such as a picnic — rather than for use at a formal family dinner, such as Easter or Thanksgiving.

THE 3

I was informed by THE 3 that this is “Blog O Month” or “National Month of the Blog” or was it “Flog a Blogger Month.” Anyway, THE 3 (Karen, Liz, & Ali) were telling me that your supposed to blog often this month, perhaps even every day.

This is timely and brings up an important announcement! BBQ Dave blogs weekly. That is, once a week. Due to life's goings on (mainly things generated by THE 3) and of course BBQING, I am able only to create one wonderful literary masterpiece – a week.

I hope you understand and appreciate the tremendous undertaking it is to keep up with THE 3 and BBQING and blog about it.

Your kindness and patience is appreciated, BBQ Dave

Oh, and there will be more on the savagery existence of THE 3 in future blogs...

Murphy's watching

Murphy, the little orange dog, is keeping an eye on things.

BBQ

One meaning of BBQ is a gathering of Family and Friends. Our gathering, my wife Karen and I, started with a small group on Sunday. An informal get together, with me bbqing 4 to 5 pounds of chuck beef. Karen had purchased an on sale $20 grill from the grocery. I was skeptical at first with this grocery grill, but with some modifications (more on that later), it worked great. As weekends and BBQ's past, our get together was nicknamed "Hunk A Chuck Sunday."

For my birthday, Karen got me a Water Smoker (more on that later)! Now I had the ability to bbq even bigger hunks of meat. Which led me to bbqing 10 pounds of pork shoulder (Boston Butt). The Water Smoker is great for bbqing Boston Butt. And my grocery grill is great for bbqing chuck. Pork and Beef, the best of both worlds in bbqing.

Our Family and Friends now look forward to the barbecued meat (except for Liz - more on that later). And getting together on the weekend is a Great Time, a BBQ!

Hello and Welcome

A gathering of Family and Friends...

Big chunks of Beef...

Boston Butt...

Indirect Grilling...

Smoke...

BBQing!