Hot For Teacher: Paul Kirk teaches you to 'que!

Volume 1 in a series. Chef Paul Kirk, one of the world's foremost bbq ambassadors teaches you the how-to's of bbq. I will be posting these videos in a series. I'm a big fan of his restaurant in New York City, RUB, who sponsors the Grillin' on the Bay contest each year. I haven't seen these posted elsewhere before...

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Vacation Time: Barbecue n' Bagels, Anywhere USA

Presenting a few pictures of some recent cooking shenanigans. We've cooked alot of country style ribs, chicken and brisket recently and had fun coming up with ways to use up what we've cooked without eating 'bbq' every night. More on that coming next...There's also been a fair amount of baking going on, which leads us to the bagels...

This was something that I had wanted to do for a long time, but just hadn't found the time or the confidence to attempt. But since we got our bread machine last year I've had visions of all kinds of doughy grandeur that have yet to coalesce into much more than a few (increasingly promising) loaves of bread. I was enthusiastic at the time, and without considering the limited opportunities I would have for baking at home when I started my new job, I overbought (seriously!) on bread flour and yeast at one point (remarkably still viable yeast...) and had wondered when it would be used.

Well, being home all the time recently has led me to experiment more and 'bagels!' popped into my head one day. They have always seemed daunting because the good ones are so rare and the process involves not only making a good dough and baking it well, but multiple raises and boiling before baking the signature rings. Somehow, the time was right.

There are various recipes that I've come across that are more involved (and time consuming) and using extra gluten or Malt (dry and syrup) and other ingredients that probably yield a more 'complexly' flavored end product, but this recipe is straight forward and quickly assembled with the readily available ingredients I had on hand-- bread flour, yeast, dried garlic, dried onion, salt, water, eggs, and sugar in just a few hours. And they were pretty darn tasty...

Bread Machine Bagel Dough Recipe

1 Cup Water (80 degrees F)
1.5 T Sugar
1.5 t salt
3 Cups Bread Flour
2 t Active Yeast

For Glaze: One Egg Beaten

Select Dough Cycle for 1.5 Lb batch. When dough is ready, bring 2 quarts water to a boil and add 2 T sugar. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

On Floured surface, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and poke a hole in the center of each with your thumb. Gently pull to make a 1" hole. Place the dough pieces on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let them rise in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Place a few bagels in the boiling water at a time. Boil them for 3 minutes, turning once, then remove them with a slotted spoon back to the greased baking sheet.

Brush each bagel with egg and bake them for 20-25 minutes or until done. Cool on a wire rack and serve. If you would like to top the bagels with sesame/poppy seeds, dried garlic or onion, etc...do so after egg glaze and before baking.

Bagels: Post Bath

And, the finished product waiting for cream cheese:


Today's Tune For Q'n...Courtesy of: Evan Johns + The H-Bombs

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Back on the Chain Gang: Recent bbq pictures and life

Hello.....is there anybody out there?

Sorry to be absent the last few days. Life's been busy and, well, that's all. The camera was out of commission for a little while there (dang batteries!) and I finally had a chance to get my pictures uploaded.

Smoked, then grilled Skirt Steak. A new favorite of ours. I cooked this for my brother and my dad. It was marinaded in a combination of Yoshida's and Garlic paste.

This knife kit was a gift from my friend Anastasia. She is a talented chef and baker that I went to high school with in Brooklyn. She's married now and lives in Ohio.

Here're two looks at some delicious pulled pork that Hiroshi and I made. I brought this in to work with some ribs and chicken for lunch with my friends. It was so moist and tasty as you can see in the pictures.

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Love Is In The Air: The Food Maven Gets RUBbed

Arthur Schwartz, one of New York City's venerated food experts (he's more than a critic) dined recently at Paul Kirk's RUB and had some glowing things to say about the food coming out of Pitmaster Scott Smith's kitchen.....Take it away, Arturo....

You may recall that several weeks ago I went to RUB, on W. 23rd St. between Seventh and Eighth Aves. in Chelsea, to taste their pastrami. A friend had asked me to contribute a dish to his list of 100 Things You have To Eat Before You Die. I said Katz’s pastrami. He retorted that I could say that only because I’d never tried Rub’s pastrami. Of course, after eating the meat in both places, he had to agree: Katz’s is better. Still, I was so impressed with Rub’s other smoky offerings we tasted that day, I couldn’t wait to get back and eat more.

I have to say Rub’s ribs are great – deeply smoked, succulent and tender, not steamy and falling off the bone as too many are. Rub’s ribs only succumb when they reach your teeth. Then they melt. I love Rub’s bacon, too. You say “Bacon?” Yes, they deep smoke bacon slabs, slice them thickly, put the slices on the grill, then cut them into chubby chunks. The bacon is served, like everything else at Rub, in paper boats, which is totally in keeping with a b-b-q- joint – I wasn’t a bit offended by the lack of china -- saves the restaurant money, and allows the prices not to be crazy. Of course, bacon is such a fatty indulgence that you think you will merely nibble a chunk or two, but this bacon is so addictive I bet you can’t eat just three.

Rub has delectable smoked brisket, too, but the night I was there they didn’t have any deckle, otherwise known as “second cut” and “thick cut.” To my mind that’s the best part, or at least my favorite part of the brisket – juicy with streaks of fat and a coarser and more satisfying texture than the leaner, tighter grained so-called “first cut.” You can order just brisket ends, however, and so we did. Against our better judgment, we wiped out a paper boat full of those, too.

I even love the mayo-dressed potato salad and cole slaw. And the barbecue chicken, although not my first choice on this mostly meat menu, is pretty damned wonderful, too.

The bill -- with beers, sodas, tax and tip -- came to about $35 a person. But we really did order more than we should have – including their silly batter-fried Oreos for dessert -- and we ended up taking home enough food for two for lunch the next day. Now I have to go back and work my way through the rest of the menu. And hope they have deckle.

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The Best is Yet to Come

This past Sunday Hiroshi, The Wife, and I catered a party for 80+ people in Brooklyn. It was a birthday party for my cousin who is fighting Cervical Cancer. Friday was her birthday, and Monday she went back into the hospital for another 4-day Chemo treatment. We were happy to donate our time for her. She's a great kid and a cool musician, as well.

Large Marge had just gotten all her repairs done and she was ready to cook and smoke again. This was a great opportunity to see what she could do because we had a wide array of items to cook-- Salmon steaks, Spareribs, Babyback ribs, Beef ribs, white + dark meat chicken, baked beans, grilled vegetables, hamburgers and hotdogs.

It was great to have the grill fired up to have the option to finish the chicken and salmon with a glaze of sauce over higher heat while we were grilling the vegetables, hotdogs and hamburgers.

While we were cooking a few people tried to buy food from us, which was a great compliment (it really did smell great out there!). We also had a few people ask for business cards or just stop to ogle the bbq pit. It was cold, but the whole experience warmed our hearts.

Here are a few pictures-- didn't have time to get many.

Getting set up and warming up the pit:


Working on some vegetables while the grill heats up:


Cooking dogs and finishing some chicken:


UPDATE @ (1:10pm):
My man Hiroshi has some awesome cell phone pics from Sunday up on his brand swanky new blog, On The D/L so click anywhere on this text to stop by and see him. Tell him we said hi!

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Where Do The Children Play?: BBQ Plans and whatnot

Hello friends and readers-- here's another quick and brief update. I promise a more fullerer update to come soon with pictures and some "how to" information on how we made our smoke dried apple slices and stuff, but this week is super busy. Work has had my attention-- 9-5 work, ya know.

We have a birthday to cook for in Brooklyn this upcoming weekend, and Large Marge is in today to have repairs done on her trailer. Her coupler and jack were wounded after the Paul Kirk class in a gruesome jacknifing incident. For those that don't remember her, here's Marge in a svelt moment in the sun.
I miss cooking on Marge. Wubby usually gets all the attention. Marge only gets to eat fire when we need to cook food for a really big crowd-- 75 to 100 people or more. She's really a great cooker and I've barely gotten to know her, so I'm looking forward to giving her another chance to shine this weekend.

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In This House That I Call Home: BBQ Teasers

Sorry folks, life has been getting in the way of blogging. There's lots to catch up on with you-- last weekend's barbecue goodies (including smoke dried apple chips!), this past weekend's eating-- Donovan's Pub in Woodside for burgers (voted best in New York year in and year out), and sausage sandwiches with smoked mozzarella for the Stupor Bowl, which we didn't even watch.

For now, just two images to hold you over-- spareribs and apricot glazed chicken. The chicken was marinated in a combo of chipotle mojo and salad dressing before being smoked. The glaze has apricot preserves, paprika and jalapeno tabasco included in the ingredients.

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New Car Smell: KCBS rolls out new logo

As part of efforts to transform the Kansas City Barbeque Society into "KCBS," a higher profile, national organization capable of attracting big money sponsors (read: major corporations) and potentially position itself as a sponsor of a more broad range of events outside of barbeque, a new logo has been introduced. Cue chanting choir of angels. What do you think?

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When It Began: The N.C. BBQ Trail

Most of the bbq histories I've read discuss the introduction of the pig to the Carolinas and the role that played in the creation of what we now call barbecue in the United States. As folks moved on from the Carolinas in search of new opportunity elsewhere around the country, they took the bbq with them.

Well, the North Carolina Barbecue Society has connected the dots of their culinary history and created the official North Carolina Barbecue Trail. There are 25 stops on the trail that runs from Eastern North Carolina all the way to Tennessee.

While many establishments have moved away from the traditional methods of cooking over open fires w/ wood (mainly hickory down there) embers, the locations on the trail all maintain the old way of doing things and all proudly display an emblem that identifies them as purveyors of the lost art of wood cookery.

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, here's a piece about his one and only visit to Seattle. Interestingly enough, he ate bbq in Seattle. Good choice.

Martin Luther King Jr. arrives for his sole Seattle visit on November 8, 1961.
HistoryLink.org Essay 673

On November 8, 1961, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), the great civil rights leader, arrives for his only visit to Seattle. He speaks at the University of Washington and at Temple de Hirsch on Thursday, November 9, and at Garfield High School and the Eagles Auditorium on Friday, November 10, 1961. A reception follows at Plymouth Congregational Church.

Reverend Samuel B. McKinney invited him to be part of a lecture series sponsored by the Brotherhood of Mount Zion Baptist Church. McKinney was pastor of the church and a friend and classmate of King at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Racism at First Presbyterian

Arrangements were made for Dr. King to speak at First Presbyterian Church because Mount Zion would not be large enough to handle the numbers expected. First Presbyterian Church canceled the oral agreement to rent the sanctuary to Mount Zion just weeks before King’s scheduled arrival and shortly after advertisements of his lecture were circulated. The reasons ranged from construction work to other commitments but McKinney attributed it to racism. He appealed to First Presbyterian church leaders, but this only produced other excuses such as the use of the sanctuary only for religious meetings and the reluctance to have proceeds go not to Mount Zion’s building fund but to King’s enterprises.

Local organizations and churches denounced the cancellation. The Christian Friends for Racial Equality, Grace Methodist Church, the Baptist Ministers Conference of Seattle and Vicinity, and the Capitol Hill Ministerial Association voiced shock and disapproval. Even the Presbytery of Seattle commended King to its member churches.

Other venues were offered immediately. King arrived the evening of November 8 and checked into the Olympic Hotel. He gave his first lecture at the University of Washington on Thursday, November 9, in the old Meany Hall before 2,000 students. They gave him a standing ovation. That evening he spoke at Temple de Hirsch. On Friday, November 10, he spoke at Garfield High School and that evening at the Eagles Auditorium, now (in the twenty-first century) ACT Theater. A reception followed at Plymouth Congregational Church.

Creative Protest

In his lectures, the civil rights leader stressed creative protest to break down racial segregation and discrimination, and called on President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) to use the executive order to declare all segregation unconstitutional. All of his talks were inspirational and promoted the concept of brotherhood.

A Progressive City

After the last lecture, he requested that McKinney take him to a barbecue restaurant in the Central Area where they spent several hours eating and talking and reminiscing. He left on Saturday, November 11, impressed, according to McKinney, by the progressive attitude he saw in the city, especially in the African American community.

The internationally known leader’s legacy in Seattle is reflected in its landmarks.

In 1974, Harrison Elementary School was renamed Martin Luther King Elementary School.

In 1982, after a long struggle by businessman Eddie Rye, Empire Way was renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.

On February 24, 1986, the King County Council passed Motion 6461 redesignating the namesake of King County to commemorate Dr. King rather than William Rufus DeVane King, the Vice President-elect for whom the county was named in 1852. A bronze memorial plaque to commemorate this change is located on the first floor elevator lobby of the King County Courthouse at 3rd Avenue and James Street in Seattle.

In 1991, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at South Walker Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way was dedicated.

In 1998, a bronze bust of King by Jeff Day entitled “Speaking Out” was placed in the Allen Theater of the Act Theater complex. It was dedicated by the board of directors of the theater and by the Benefit Guild, a black women’s service organization. The bust commemorates his speaking engagement in the same auditorium space on November 10, 1961.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.


Sources:
Mary T. Henry, Tribute: Seattle Public Places Named for Black People (Seattle: Statice Press, 1997), 39, 41, 42; Ferdinand M. DeLeon, “When King was in Town,” The Seattle Times, January 16, 1994, pp. L-1, L-4.

By Mary T. Henry, January 08, 1999

http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=673

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A Fox in the Henhouse: New Year Cooking

Happy new year, my friends. I hope that you had a nice holiday season and have emerged rejuvenated and well. Let's hope the best days of 2006 are the worst of 2007.

Here's a look at some of the cooking we did over the New Year's weekend. We kept it a bit more simple-- a couple of chickens, a brisket flat, a piece of beef shoulder that we cooked and shredded, a pork loin cut in sections, 2 sausage fatties (bulk sausage rolls), a few pounds of cold-smoked white cheddar and a bunch of pizzas. The shoulder and the brisket were actually cooked for 24 full hours(!). The last 6 or so were in the oven at a low temperature. They were moist and tender, like you wouldn't believe. The brisket was probably overcooked by competition standards, but I don't care. It was amazing.

Beef Shoulder


Brisket


A small, hot fire with an onion for aromatherapy







Golden brown bird







Pizza


Pork Loin






Vertical and horizontal sections of Wubby at same temperature. Sweet!

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Time Has Come Today: Recent BBQ Exploits

I've been lucky enough to be cooking some holiday meals for some friends. The last few weekends I've been smoking up a storm while the weather has remained uncommonly mild in our neck of the woods.

This past weekend, I cooked two turkeys, 2 tri tips, a few pounds of kielbasa, a pound of cheddar cheese, 2 racks of spareribs, a clove-studded, honey glazed ham, and more. The weekend before that was more turkey, a beef tenderloin, more ribs and some ribeye steaks. I've been using a mix of hickory and cherry on everything and even have made some cherry wood lump charcoal of my own. Here're some pictures of the goodies.

Wubby in the sun


Honey-glazed ham


Spareribs


Smoked kielbasa


Fire-roasted Beef Tenderloin, Smoked Turkey and Spareribs












Homemade Charcoal and 10 pounds of Pulled Pork

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Home on the Range: Podnah's Pit, Portland, Oregon

The wife and I were out in Portland, Orgeon for Thanksgiving, which was an absolute blast. We spent a few days in and around Portland, and a few days on the coast. What a beautiful place. While the weather seemed to switch from sunny and mild, to grey, windy, wet and cold and back to sunny in the time it took to blink, it was still quite lovely.

Portland is an eater's city. It has a wonderful array of ethnically diverse, inventive restaurants that focus on fresh, high-quality, local ingredients. They really support their local farmers and strive not to compromise flavor to chase foodie fads as much as it seems chef's in NYC will attempt. All of that being said, my highlight meal, not surprisingly, was at a new bbq joint called Podnah's.

Podnah’s Pit’s owner, Rodney, may look familiar to locals. He formerly was the pitmaster for Low's bbq which was a favorite of many visitors to Portland 's Farmers Market where he used to park his pit and serve up the 'que. Recently, Rodney and his partner, Ken, split up the Low's team. Ken now is serving food at Ken's Place and Rodney welded himself a new pit and parked it out back of this petite new space and started burning some logs. Podnah's focuses on a Texas-style cue with straightforward rubs and bold sauces which stray from the 'universally popular' sweet and sticky.

Our meal started with an unexpected highlight-- the iceberg lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing, which had a nicely tangy dressing with a robust blue cheese flavor that was not overly twangy or too rich. Everyone at the table loved it, but we were there for the meat.

Of the main event, the spare ribs and the brisket were the real stars. The pulled pork was doused in a vinegary sauce that became a bit too sour after a few bites, and was lacking in the crunchy outside flavoring (known as bark). The larger chunks of inside meat, while generally moist, were slightly under seasoned and somewhat lacking in tenderness.

The ribs, on the other hand, were wonderfully smoky and moist, with meat that came off the bone cleanly without being mushy or overcooked. They had a pleasant rub and didn't need any of the sauce that came with them. We tried both the tomato-based and mustard sauces that were on our table. Both were strong and distinctive, but the mustard sauce seemed to be missing something to round out the flavor. It was a bit too much like just plain yellow mustard.

Also outstanding was the brisket, which was among the best bbq restaurant brisket I've ever had. It was sliced wonderfully, and was moist, tender, smoky and beefy, and not overcooked. It was fork tender, but not stringy and didn't have the boiled, pot roast-like texture and flavor from overcooking brisket in foil or liquid. The sides, ultimately, were all forgettable, unfortunately. Two people at our table mentioned their potatoes in the salad were actually undercooked and still crunchy. The pintos also could have used a little more 'jazz'-- maybe some bacon or green peppers. They were a bit flat. The corn bread, however, was a nice accompaniment.

They have a nice a nice, if limited, selection of beers and pop and are offering specials including smoked prime rib by the inch and, potentially, lamb ribs. Call them for more info.

If you are a bbq lover in the PDX area, you owe it to yourself to get over to Podnah's and chow down on some brisket and ribs. Rodney's handmade offset smoker is out back and is a beautiful thing to behold-- especially when the sweet blue smoke is rolling.

Podnah's Pit
1469 NE Prescott
503.281.3700

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Freefallin': Podnah's Pit in Portland; Grill Kings Fallout

Some big news brewing in the local bbq community, folks. As reported by WhiteTrashBBQ, the Grill Kings contest has been cancelled. This was a pretty big contest (one of a few NY state championships sanctioned by KCBS) that was held on Long Island each year. The main reason being whispered about in the last week or so was the harsh criticism that the contest received after last year's debacle. Apparently bloggers and bbq forum members had been too mean in their comments and accusations and the contest's main backer (a wealthy businessman) opted to pack up his marbles and hit the road. Sad.

Even more sad is the toll this has taken on at least one local area team that also hosts it's own national bbq discussion forum. The team and website's founder put a lockdown on discussion of Grill Kings-- particularly negative comments, which has caused the team to splinter and two members to exit the group.

It's unclear whether a new contest will arise to fill the gap left by Grill Kings, or whether there will be additional fallout. I will say that the amount of intrigue fueled by rumours and 'backroom' discussions has been nearly comical, were it not for the fact that so many hurt feelings have been caused. It's only bbq people. Right?

Lastly, I've been holding off on a review of a new Portland, Oregon BBQ joint named Podnah's since Thanksgiving. I'll have the full review up tomorrow, but let me just say that anyone in the vicinity of Portland should get their (pork) butts over to Podnah's Pit real fast for some tremendous oak-smoked ribs and brisket.

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Welcome to the Jungle: BBQ in New York City

Here's another roundup of NYC bbq joints. They include a bunch of grilling places in with the bbq and one place has already closed (sadly, Big Lou had to give up his much lauded concession in Queens). Nevertheless, the nice folks at Gridskipper put this out there:

The Sweet Char of Success: NYC's Best BBQ

Due to laws banning smoke pits in the city, it's hard to find authentic BBQ in New York (unless the restaurant buys an expensive smoke diffuser). However, with so many transplants from BBQ capitals in the south and Midwest--not to mention enthusiasts from South America and Asia--we still have a lot to choose from. Just don't expect to stumble onto it.

RUB : Righteous Urban Barbeque--or RUB--has the craziest BBQ pig-out in the city. First of all, they bought a smoke diffuser and have three customized pits. More importantly though, they serve a whole pork butt rubbed with spices and smoked for hours. It'll for you about $90 but when else are you going to eat a whole pork butt? Other highlights are the burnt ends and short ribs.

Kang Suh: Korean and Japanese BBQ places are more focused on grilling than barbeque, since smoke is not usually involved. However, there are over a dozen excellent Korean joints on 32nd St. where you can cook your own meat at the table. A good place to start is Kang Suh, which has excellent bulgogi and a friendly staff.

Big Lou's Breakfast and BBQ: "Big Lou" Elrose recently opened his cart in Ozone park to counteract the shortage of good BBQ in Queens now that infamous Pearson's has closed. He smokes pulled pork, brisket and chicken over fruitwoods and makes his own BBQ sauce and coleslaw.

Dinosaur: Fans of the original BBQ in Syracuse know this is a serious place for BBQ. The pork ribs are smoky and fall right off the bone. Way uptown, it can be a little out of the way and is always packed, but its well worth the trip.

Daisy Mays: DM has been satiating Midtown and Downtown office workers with stellar pulled pork for years. The sandwiches are delicious and sure as hell beat the salads at Cosi. If you go to their restaurant on 11th Ave., the barbequed rack of lamb is the best in the city.

Pies N Thighs: Their fried chicken is perfectly salty, the pulled pork, juicy and slightly spicy. This little kitchen, outfitted with a few stools, serves up the best BBQ and baked goods in Brooklyn.

Yakitori Totto: This is the place to go for excellent grilled chicken on skewers. The chicken is smoked over Bincho-tan, an incredibly expensive charcoal made from bamboo. It is almost smokeless and burns at a high heat. Every dish is great except the chickendoodledoo.

Smoke Joint: This new BBQ spot in Fort Greene is serving up some real barbeque, meaning the meat is cooked over wood at a low temperature for a long time. It's not perfect yet but the beef short ribs are excellent.

Churrascaria Platforma: One of the most well known churrascurias in NYC, you can definitely get your fix for grilled meat here. The deal is you pay about $50 for an all you can eat Brazilian feast of pork ribs, short ribs, rib-eye, sirloin, flank steak, brisket, top round, special top round, pork loin, and lamb.

Ihawan: This large and friendly restaurant in Woodside is the best place for outstanding Filipino BBQ. The recommended dish is the "Pork Belly Meal": two skewers of marinated pork belly with rice for $5. The pork is brushed with a thick sweet syrup and has a slightly smoky flavor. Be adventurous and try some of the other Filipino food while you're there.

[Text: Amanda Kludt Photo: tlmoore/ Flickr]

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Foggy Mountain Breakdown: Eating Leftover BBQ

Well, folks, with my mom being so sick and everything being up in the air, I haven't been getting out and cooking much recently, which has led me to indulge in take-out/delivery food and leftovers. I was saving up frozen 'que to have a big dinner party with friends, but that's looking less likely to happen any time soon.

My mom's cancer has progressed into her lymph nodes and she has an inoperable tumor on her liver. Most likely, she couldn't recover from surgery because she is already so weak. So, we cross our fingers and pray for the chemo to do the job. Sometimes the cure can be worse than the sickness. The whole situation leaves me feeling far away and dazed, afraid and useless. As I watch her, I fuel up on kaleidoscopic emotions that have no destination, and try to find a place to pack them away.

My mom, Memorial Day, 2006

Without any appetite, really, I pulled some smoked sausage and smoked, chopped chuck out of the freezer the other day. Tasted like the summer day when I cooked them. I was happy for a few bites.

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