really nice Burt, thanks for posting the pics.

Head's Red BBQ wrote:the guy that was across from me at Westmont works for Royal Oak..he gave me a a bag of the Canadian stuff (blue bag) ..havent had a chance to use it yet.

That's Royal Oak Star Grill lump charcoal, packaging is in both French and English, I've been using it for a few months, typical Royal Oak high quality.

G Wiv wrote:

Head's Red BBQ wrote:the guy that was across from me at Westmont works for Royal Oak..he gave me a a bag of the Canadian stuff (blue bag) ..havent had a chance to use it yet.

That's Royal Oak Star Grill lump charcoal, packaging is in both French and English, I've been using it for a few months, typical Royal Oak high quality.

Gary, you must sleep with your finger on a camera shutter button don't you?

I swear there isn't a topic you don't have have a picture of, and whats even more amazing, is how quickly you seem to access them!!

looks outstanding Burt

finally got my offset smoker back on my deck, also got my menu straight for this Saturdays smoke on ol' reliable.

- Spares (Jewel has them on sale for $1.99 untimmed, or $2.99 trimmed. I dont usually buy meat @ Jewel, but it is on the way home, and Brookhaven isnt having a sale on spares. I will probably buy the untrimmed spares, & trim them myself, and cook up the trimmings and tips as snacks).

- ABT's, gonna try stuffing the peppers by removing the tops, and smoke the ABT's standing up vs the canoe method I usually use. However I may do the canoes if I want to stuff them with somehthing other than just cream cheese.

- Honey, brown sugar almonds(or some other nut) done on the smoker. A new attempt, and another snack for the cook.

- beans, same recipe from 2 weekends ago,

I am actually looking forward to getting back to using my offset after over a month of using the WSM that was generously loaned to me.

pics to follow of prep, and finished items for sure.

nuts were too damn expensive, so Ill do those another time.

spares were trimmed with the tips in the package, still $1.99. I did make a call to a Morris, IL. butcher who says he usually offers only 4 slabs of spares a week. Untrimmed price $2.49. He hets 2 whole hogs a week, and that accounts for the low availability. more folks like BB ribs... He said if I call early in the week he will reserve the spares for me, and I plane to take him up on this. Supporting a local business is what I am all about.

Beans will have some somked pork, bacon, onion, smoked garlic, brown sugar, and Open pit like last time..


ABT's as mentioned on the tobiko thread will be smoked garlic cream cheese, whole shrimp, orange tobiko, and a slice of bacon. Pushing the envelope but thats all good.

Smoking all with apple wood, maybe a touch of mesquite.

Should be a nice weekend, smoke em' if you got em'.

Breakfast

G Wiv wrote:Breakfast

funny thing, I just had the same thing. muched on some cold spares while chopping up the meat for some fried rice later.

proimised some pics from Saturdays smoke.

Did spares:






tips:




Beans:


ABT*:


great dinner, ribs and tips were nice and moist,, decent smoke ring, and alot of flavor. Used apple wood. ABT's(garlic cream cheese, orange tobiko, and shrimp) were tops, more pics of those on the "Dargon Turds" thread.

couldnt talk the wife into eating more smoked pork yesterday, so we had to settle for a couple chickens brined in a green tea mixture, and then smoked using applewood, and green tea leaves.. Rubbed the chix with hoisin before smoking as well. turned out great.

I also used Gary's spare rib fried rice recipe from Low and Slow for inspiration for some fried rice.









rice ingredients:

chopped spares:






great dinner, and lots of leftover chix.

Chicken?? Wow Jim, you strayed from you diet! Was it pork flavored??

Looks great, the skin looks crispy the way I like it.

abf005 wrote:Chicken?? Wow Jim, you strayed from you diet! Was it pork flavored??

Looks great, the skin looks crispy the way I like it.

skin was crispy, smoking it at 250 got it there, plus the hoisin sauce rubbed in did the trick.

I actually offered to do a hunk of pork for pulled pork yesterday, but was denied. Perhaps this upcoming weekend.

jimswside wrote:... and then smoked using applewood, and green tea leaves..

How'd you use the tea in the smoker? I'd think that if it's just sprinkled on the coals it'd burn up too fast. I'm guessing a small pan or packet of foil placed atop the coals.

When I've done tea-smoked chicken wings, I use lapsong souchong, but I do it on the stovetop, so the extra smokiness is probably needed, versus atop things already smoking.

JoelF wrote:

jimswside wrote:... and then smoked using applewood, and green tea leaves..

How'd you use the tea in the smoker? I'd think that if it's just sprinkled on the coals it'd burn up too fast. I'm guessing a small pan or packet of foil placed atop the coals.

I moistened some wood chips, and layered the tea between a couple layers of the chips. got a good "tea smoked" flavor as well as the applewood flavor.

I also think the can of Arizona green tea in the brine helped.

BB ribs on sale for $2.99 @ Caputo's this week.

I know where I am stopping on the way home from work on Friday. For some bb ribs, and deli meats & cheese(mortadella, salami, fresh mozz, etc.). as well as some jalapenos for ABT's.

jimswside wrote:

Wow, Jim. Those birds really came out looking beautiful. Such nice color on them. You did those on your offset?

--Rich

RAB wrote:
Wow, Jim. Those birds really came out looking beautiful. Such nice color on them.

--Rich

thanks RIch, they tasted as good as they looked. I am surprised no one has commented on the missing wing from the bird on the right. I had to do a "doneness test".

even with the chance of rain in the forecast for tomorrow I am still going to do some BB ribs. I could wait until Sunday where the forecast is better, but I am already planning on fried chicken and waffles for our Sunday supper.

Looking forward to my visit this afternoon to Caputo's in Naperville. $2.99/lb. BB ribs are exciting enough, but a visit to their deli really makes the trip complete. If I ca somehow skate out of work early I will attempt a stop @ Peoria meatpacking, but I am not holding my breath...some hot links really sound good though..

I am also going to do some ABT's, this time with fresh mozzerella, and topped with capicola. should be good.

jimswside wrote:even with the chance of rain in the forecast for tomorrow I am still going to do some BB ribs. I could wait until Sunday where the forecast is better, but I am already planning on fried chicken and waffles for our Sunday supper.

Looking forward to my visit this afternoon to Caputo's in Naperville. $2.99/lb. BB ribs are exciting enough, but a visit to their deli really makes the trip complete. If I ca somehow skate out of work early I will attempt a stop @ Peoria meatpacking, but I am not holding my breath...some hot links really sound good though..

I am also going to do some ABT's, this time with fresh mozzerella, and topped with capicola. should be good.

They also carry Head's Red at that store Jim..will go good with your BB's
Im wearing my pimp outfit today....

Head's Red BBQ wrote:They also carry Head's Red at that store Jim..will go good with your BB's
Im wearing my pimp outfit today....

im not really a sauce guy typically, but I may just pick-up a bottle of your sauce to try for dipping. thanks for the heads up.

jimswside wrote:

Head's Red BBQ wrote:They also carry Head's Red at that store Jim..will go good with your BB's
Im wearing my pimp outfit today....

im not really a sauce guy typically, but I may just pick-up a bottle of your sauce to try for dipping. thanks for the heads up.

no problem..dipping is good ..a little goes good in beans too

Head's Red BBQ wrote:
a little goes good in beans too

thats how I make mine.

I am still deciding on sides for tomorrow, weve had beans the past 2 weekends, so probably not on the menu for tomorrow.

jimswside wrote:
thats how I make mine.

I am still deciding on sides for tomorrow, weve had beans the past 2 weekends, so probably not on the menu for tomorrow.

I know you were leaning away form beans, but if you have any leftover pulled pork, give this recipe a shot. I really have not found a bean recipe I like more. I up the chipotle poweder a bit and sometimes add fresh hot peppers into teh sautee to increase heat.

Moo& Oink has beef ribs for $1.29/lb. Anyone know if it is worth the trip or will they all be shiners?

Jamieson22 wrote:

jimswside wrote:
thats how I make mine.

I am still deciding on sides for tomorrow, weve had beans the past 2 weekends, so probably not on the menu for tomorrow.

I know you were leaning away form beans, but if you have any leftover pulled pork, give this recipe a shot. I really have not found a bean recipe I like more. I up the chipotle poweder a bit and sometimes add fresh hot peppers into teh sautee to increase heat.

thats an interesting twist on some beans.

I have been throwing some of the smoked skirt I have been trimming off my spares in with my last couple batches of beans before putting the mix on the smoker, that adder of apple pie filling sounds like a winner.

thanks for the link, this one is in the future for sure.

Jamieson22 wrote:Moo& Oink has beef ribs for $1.29/lb. Anyone know if it is worth the trip or will they all be shiners?

Hard to say, but I check out the beef ribs every time I go to Moo and Oink and would not get my hopes up.

In the past I'd call Jewel a day or two in advance, they typically have reasonably priced individually cut beef ribs, and ask them to reserve a few whole racks, but I just found out my new favorite butcher, Al's in Wilmette, stocks frozen racks of meaty beef ribs for $2.39/lb.

Enjoy,
Gary

Al's Meat Market
1165 Wilmette Ave
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-256-0070
http://www.alsmeatmarket.com

My typical pick-up from Berger Brothers is a large bag (40lb, if I recall) of Lazzari and a large bag of Royal Oak. At least one, perhaps both, go by different names. I've definitely seen the Nature Glo label on the Royal Oak. The Lazzari is made from Mesquite wood and is always sourced in Mexico. (Lazzari also makes a lump charcoal using Oak, but I haven't tried it.)

Frankly, I've always been somewhat disappointed with the Royal Oak. Compared to the Lazzari, the Royal Oak pieces are generally much smaller, have a lot more pieces about the size of a dollar coin, and have quite a few pieces that don't look completely charred.

The Lazzari mesquite charcoal gives a hint of mesquite flavor - nothing nearly as strong as putting a raw chunk of mesquite wood in the smoker.

I'm due for another pick up at Berger Brothers and I'm going to ask about what alternatives they have to Royal Oak that are made from oak. Does anyone have experience with other oak-based charcoals from Berger Brothers? Anyone else tried Lazzari?

Darren72 wrote:Anyone else tried Lazzari?

Once a year, mushroom club has a cookout. I bring a tabletop grill and buy a small bag of charcoal at Jewel to fuel it. A few years ago, I saw mesquite wood charcoal. It was a unique experience using that charcoal on a tabletop grill (set on the concrete). I guess there is resin in mesquite? If not, I cannot otherwise account for the spitting sparks that occured throughout most of the cook.

I haven't tried it in the smoker, where at least the sparks will be contained.

Regards,

Yes, there are definitely sparks. But they go away very quickly once you cover the grill. They also go away once the charcoal burns down a bit on an uncovered grill. I'm not sure what causes the sparks. I know they don't add anything to the charcoal.

I may also throw a small pork loin in the smoker for the protein element for some vietnamese spring rolls I have been thinking about doing since last weekend. Hopefully I can find the rice paper on my rounds this afternoon. I think some nice smoked pork will go great in the spring roll.

i dont mind a few mesquite chips on the coals when grilling steaks but for low and slow I avoid it at all costs..I call it the Devils Ass Crack as it can just impart a nasty smell and flavor to your meat if you are not careful with it