Was that you?

Your first post really reminded me of that guy.

You are my new favorite poster. This brought a little tear to my eye.

Yes. Texas for beef and Texas hot links (different than Chicago style). North Carolina for whole hog or pork shoulder usually with a thin, vinegary sauce (in the Carolinas, BBQ means pork shoulder), Memphis for dry rub ribs. Kansas for a sweeter sauce and pork, beef, and chicken.

we need a SOMBie night out where Binko holds a seminar/BBQ Tasting

Binko should school all of us on BBQ

ever catch Alton Brown? that guy knows how to dissect a cow. He visited a lot of places in the south last yr that spealized in BBQ.

i learned about brisket from Good Eats not too long ago

Man, I used to love this show. Better than porn.

I have yet to make a brisket. It's a bit daunting. Brisket, being a leaner meat, is not as forgiving as something like a pork shoulder and when you buy a packer cut of brisket, you end up with about twelve pounds of cow. That's a lot of cow to screw up! That said, supposedly while it's difficult to do very well (the window of time between not cooked and overdone is fairly narrow for this type of BBQ), it's not too hard to get a serviceable brisket. I'm nowhere near a BBQ expert, just a very avid amateur.

Oh, and I have submitted a restaurant to review for Check Please (Xni-Pec, a Yucatecan joint in Cicero) in April and they actually gave me a call to feel the waters two weeks ago. Somehow, I doubt I'd be a good personality fit for the show, but it's cool that they actually called. They also called Xni-Pec the next day (I found out from the owner), so they are sniffing it out. Would be weird if somehow I got on there.

brisket... lean... I didn't think that was the case. And damn. it's near impossible to overcook it. Just throw tons of onions in, some ketchup, some beer, some paprika, garlic, some potatoes, maybe some other stuff, and cook it forever.

yum. You don't have to make all 12 pounds of it either. They'll cut you a reasonably sized piece of meat at the butcher.

Sorry, lean as compared with pork shoulder

edit: Specifically, the "flat" of the Packer cut brisket is a cut that pretty much devoid of intramuscular fat, which makes it somewhat difficult to cook well using a dry cooking method. Pork shoulder is marbled and fatty throughout. The "point" cut of brisket is a bit more well-marbled. The Packer cut consists of both the flat and the point. The Packer cut is traditional for Texas BBQ, and you usually have a choice of whether you want the leaner flat cut or point cut on your plate/in your sandwich.



Ah. I see. I'm talking about smoking it (BBQ), in other words, using a dry method of cooking. It's very easy to overcook it this way.

put me as #1 then. even though i've been veg for like 7 years now i still didn't like heckeys when i ate meat. it was always really greasy and nasty fatty low quality meat to my eyes. fucking bougie ass merles was way better in my eyes, plus i knew a good chunk of the staff at the time too, so they'd always hook it up extra good. those tombstone taters are still something i pine for every now and then, even though i haven't had a meal there in probably 10 years.

This thread has my mouth watering. I'm totally going all out this weekend.

Chuck's on 79th and Central in my old home town of Burbank has the best Q on the southside. Wings, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, everything there is delicious.

Thank me later.

DISQUALIFIED

*cough*

On the Southwest Side. Chuck's is an awesome place, and Chuck Pine is one of my favorite restaurant owners in the city. What a great dude. However, the folks in the real South Side (read: predominantly African-American) might take exception. The area around 76th & Cottage Grove seems to be a mecca for good barbecue.

But, please, everyone should go to Chucks! It's a gem in the culinary drabness of the far Southwest Side.

good idea, lets bash and negate the vegetarian's take on meat. very helpful and original.


just cause i choose not to eat meat doesn't mean i can't appreciate the fuck out of a choice piece of animal.

Well, let's not get too technical here. South side, southwest side...whatever. When people are talking about Q joints in Evanston or the North side of the city, anything south of the Loop is considered "south side". There's no need to get so picky.

While I haven't had anything from 76th and Cottage Grove, I can confidently say that Chucks is awesome.

For a chain joint, Famous Dave's is okay, as is the Patio, but don't go to The Pit in Hickory Hills. Yech. It was the first time in my life that I've ever had flavorless BBQ.

True. I make distinctions because living in the Southwest Side, there is a definite different cultural and racial difference between living here (where all the Polacks, Bohemians, and some Irish used to live and now it's a mix of Polacks and Mexicans and leftover Irish) and South Side (which is predominantly black or Mexican depending how far up the South Side you are [with a pocket of Irish, of course]). I objected because saying Chucks is the best barbecue in the South Side sounds funny to my ears--There's two big barbecue traditions in Chicago: South Side and West Side, and they have both been built up by the African-American populations. Chuck's does make the best barbecue in that part of town. But not the whole South Side, and his style of barbecue is not representative of South Side Chicago barbecue.

edit: OK, I'll make it clear. To me, South Side barbecue means black Chicago barbecue. While I understand you haven't been to the Cottage Grove BBQ joints, it seemed just the littlest bit dismissive of a predominantly African American tradition that was built up over many generations. I was trying to be diplomatic and put Chuck's in a category (best Southwest Side BBQ) that would give Chuck credit for his excellence, while still keeping in mind the great truly Chicago places in the deep South Side.

So many people in the area rave about that place. I've been there twice. Terrible, terrible barbecue. Simply awful.

I don't belong here. Just being a curious cat.


As you were.

Okay, Binko, I'll buy that. Sorry if I offended.

No, no, I wasn't offended at all. I just wanted to make sure everyone gets their props.

Let's be fair here. Your vegetarianism negates your opinion on anything.

i am hardly a self righteous vegetarian by any means (i just admitted to the wonders of eating meat fer chrissake!!!!), but anti-veg. humor is about as unfunny as it gets. humans have been electing to not eat meat for years. get over it.

Binko, what took so long for you to share your knowledge of BBQ?

you have my vote for SOMBie Rookie of the Yr

This vegetarian could kick your ass. grrrr. Let's get him Hans! Attack!

Not all vegetarians are pacifists.

AND skittles are not that great.

BOOYA!

Rookie? I've been here since at least 2002, possibly earlier.

Anyhow, I think I've briefly delved into BBQ before on these boards, but I don't think anyone ever flat out asked about BBQ in Chicago.

Apologies! i just saw you didnt have that many posts
you're just a great SOMBie period!

you find me some good BBQ, and i'll grab the beer

I dunno, have you seen Two and a Half Men?



I doubt there are many vegetarians out there who couldn't.

You know who else has some good stuff? Russell's in Forest Park. Actually, the best thing there is the fried Mac n cheese. The ribs and other meats are just so-so, but the fried MnC is the tits. Your arteries will be screaming in protest but that's some good shit.

My taste buds are watering while my arteries are clogging.

This thread is a heart attack waiting to happen.

I ate here once, and did not care for it at all.

I went there after a soccer game in second grade!

Nothing to get too excited about.

can't let this thread die

How can you smoke ribs at home?
how long should u smoke them?

anyone have experiences making their own bbq sauce?

Stove Top Smoker Box



How long you got? 15 minutes for some pork chops on a stovetop, up to 20 hours for a whole hog in a slow smoker.

I'm sure at least 5-10 of us have.

i don't get enough credit for starting awesome threads

(aka thnx freddie!)

Big Ups to you Deej.

Freddie, i know you're one of the better cooks on here
gimme a quick recipe of BBQ sauce that u enjoy making

This is where I started.

This is assuming that "at home" you mean you have a backyard and neighbors who don't mind the smell of smoke occasionally.

For steak or fish, a stovetop smoker (which I've never tried) should probably be okay. For longer smokes, I'd be hesitant to try it.

A rack of ribs generally takes 2 1/2 - 5 hours, depending on the cut and the smoker temp. Baby backs, being leaner than spare ribs, cook a bit faster and can withstand higher temps better than spare ribs. Spare ribs, in my opinion the more flavorful and meatier rib, have a lot more collagen and fat in them that needs to be broken down at lower temps.

The basics to good barbecue is:

1) Start with good, well marbled meat
2) Fire Control
3) Air flow

(Somewhat less important, but still important, is choice of charcoal [I like lump hardwood] and wood [always chunks for long smokes, I prefer white oak and hickory, with the occassional apple or cherry]).

Ideally, what you want to do is create an environment where the temp hovers at 225-250 (+- 25 degrees), and there is airflow which carries the smoke out of the cooking vessel. You DO NOT want the smoke to linger, especially the initial white, billowy smoke. In a stovetop environment, it might not make much a difference, but during long cooking times you will basically get soot on your meat, (technically, creosote). Creosote tastes awful--bitter and burnt. I once got one of those cheap $50 Brinkman water smokers. Almost gave up smoking because of it--no vent on the top! I smoked some ribs and, I kid you not, it tasted like I had just finished smoking a pack of cigarettes. My throat was scratchy and I was coughing. Needless to say, those ribs went to the garbage.

However, now knowing what I know, I'd drill a few holes on the top of the Brinkman, and I'm sure I'd be able to make a decent BBQ with it. I've made 'Q on worse, but you have to learn the technique and fire control first. Starting on something like a WSM and following Gary Wiviott's site (linked to above) will teach you all the basics.

As for BBQ sauce? I don't really know. The most I'll do is a finishing sauce for pulled pork (cider vinegar, salt, hot pepper flakes). The Weber website has some pretty good recipes for this.

There are different sauces for different uses (marinades, mops, glazes, finishing sauce, etc), and variations between regions for each sauce, but I like a basic Catsup based sauce for most things:

1 Cup Catsup
2 t each Brown Sugar, Soy Sauce, Vinegar
1 t each Worchestersheestershyster Sauce & Chili Powder
Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Combine & bring to a boil and immediately bring down to a low simmer 'til well heated.

I have had success turning my regular Weber charcoal grill into a sort of improvised smoker. The temperature was a tad higher than what a pro or super-enthusiast would probably want, but if you keep on top of things and stay diligent you will get excellent results. I made some spare ribs a couple weeks ago that came out great (very nice smoke rings, etc,), and have also had success with chickens this way.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what it means.

It's too bad we're not closer to the Hickory Log in Dexter, MO. Southeast Missouri isn't exactly a culinary destination (or any kind of destination, really), but those are the best ribs I've ever hung a lip over. If you've had better, well, the state slogan is "Show-Me" for a reason.

Yes. You can absolutely smoke on a Weber grill. Like you said, temp control will be a bit more difficult, but if you know what you're doing, you'll be fine. For others who want to try it, just rake the coals over to one side of the grill, and cook on the other side. Keep the bottom vents almost closed (to lower the temp) and the top vent is always always open. Use about two or three fist-sized chunks of wood in the fire. This is one application where briquettes would work better than lump charcoal (briquettes run cooler and burn longer than lump hardwood). One chimney starter full at a time should be enough. Just refill the grill with fresh charcoals every so often (I'm guessing 1 1/2 hours or so).

Yeah, you have to keep reloading the charcoal. I usually use a mix of bricquettes (as the "base") and then throw some wood chunks on top.

After the coals are hot, push them against one side of the grill, and then put the meat over the other side. Like Binko said, keep the bottom vent closed almost completely. I usualy leave it about an eighth of the way open, but the top I leave about half way open. The important thing it to position that top vent so that it is above your meat. This will cause the air to circulate in a manner that actually smokes your meat.

man, best thread

Excellent, excellent point. I would also add to rotate and flip your ribs every 45 min - 1 hour. Chicago style BBQ is actually cooked a bit hotter than most Southern styles (which tend to be in the low 200s)--I believe the aquarium smokers usually run at around 275-300. So this method would actually be closer in duplicating the slightly more grilled flavor of Chicago BBQ.

I turned an old propane grill (charbroil) into a smoker with great results. My variation is more for jerky as it has a very low temp and lots of smoke (jerky is meat that has been dried out really well). Took everything out and then scraped it down REALLY well since it had been out of use for a while and still had drippings on it. Then i plugged all the holes with little balls of foil, covered the bottom in foil, put about 6 pieces of charcoal onthe bottom, put a small aluminum tray on top of the charcoal, wrapped the extra foil around the coals up to the edges of the wood chips leaving some air vents to keep it going. The regular rack was about 8" from the heat, but I raised it to about 15" so there would be very little direct heat and most of the smoke would cool before getting to the meat. Because it's almost completely airtight (have trouble around the back where the hinges are, would love suggestions..) and warm, the air/smoke inside is really dry and perfect for jerky. It's also really easy to use for regular smoking with higher temps. Just add more charcoal and put the food on the lower rack. There will still be the same smoke but it will BBQ much better.

I have a few BBQ sauces of my own, but I don't really have a written recipe so I will list ingredients and estimate.
Haid's BBQ sauce/glaze!
2T unsalted butter (salted can work, but keep testing to make sure it's not too salty)
2T butter
1/4c soy sauce
1.5t sesame oil (really powerful, be careful)
1.5T Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1T lemon juice
1.5T white vinegar (I like rice wine vinegar, myself)
3/4c honey (important ingredient!)
2T brown sugar (varies a bunch, you could also add molasses if you don't want the sauce getting too sweet)
1/2 t mustard (ground powder... has a dull yellow color and has a cornstarchy texture)
1/2t onion powder (powder is good for the sauce consistency because it won't add liquid and is easy to gauge the amount of flavor)
1/4t garlic powder
1/4t ground cayenne (red pepper powder, sometimes I will add more or less depending on mood)
Variations: some teriyaki (about 2T), add in some Cajun Essence (Emril), if you don't have red pepper try well ground black pepper or maybe white pepper (cayenne is best)
To put it together: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once butter is all melted, add the flour and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to bubble (it's called a roux and will thicken the sauce so you can baste on the grill). Quickly add in the soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar while whisking. Be careful to keep stirring during this step and to do it shortly after the roux bubbles or the roux will burn and leave chunks in the sauce. Next add the brown sugar and then the honey. Once that is mixed in, add the other dry ingredients. I keep my recipe in my head so my measurements aren't exact, so add each ingredient one at a time and taste to make sure there isn't going to be too much or too little of something for your taste. With everything all together and well whisked, let the sauce get to a simmer, then turn of the heat and let it cool so the starch from the roux can thicken the sauce.

I wouldn't recommend using this as a marinade because it will be too thick, but marinade in some soy, vinegar, lemon juice, and some of the dry ingredients to prep the meat (if you want the flavor throughout). Sometimes it's good to just not marinade so you can taste the meat and then the sauce on top. I like the sauce on steaks the best, goes well with chicken and even corn, too. Haven't tried it with ribs, but it would work for them as well. When you put the meat on the grill, put the sauce on top of the meat (fairly liberally), then when you flip, baste the new top. That should be all you need, but if you want more, you can save sauce on the side for when the meat is done cooking.