Rainy Memorial Day BBQ

Hi Everyone,
I'm working on a story about what to do when it rains on your Memorial Day bbq or picnic. I'm sure this has happened a lot here in Chicago. What do you do to salvage the day? How do achieve that grilled flavor indoors? Any recipes/techniques you rely on when the weather gets downright nasty?
Please feel free to reply to me via LTHForum or e-mail me directly at work, wdaley@tribune.com.
Thanks.
Hopefully, I placed this query in the right forum category. if not, please forgive me and move it where it belongs.
all the best to you,
Bill Daley
Food and wine writer
Chicago Tribune
435 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
312-222-3141
wdaley@tribune.com

You can make a small pork shoulder in a pot.

Rub the shoulder as you usually do. Instead of smoking it put some vinegar (apple cider and/or white) in a large pot with an equal amount of water. Throw some liquid smoke into the mix. Place a rack on the botoom of the pot and rest the shoulder out of the water. Slowly simmer all day over low heat. You can also baste if you want. I have sometimes put some tomato puree in the sauce, but it really is not necessary. Add more vinegar/water as it steams away.

Once all the fat and connective tissue has dissolved pull apart as you would any other time you make pulled pork sandwiches. Add sauce and serve on really cheap hamburger buns on top of good cole slaw. (if pork is not smoky enough add liquid smoke if you want).

Yes, you do end up with a steamed piece of port shoulder. But think about this - BBQ is slow cooking under low heat to dissolve fat and connective tissue. Steam serves the same purpose. You don't get the nice charred bits but blame mother nature, not me.

billdaley wrote:Hi Everyone,
I'm working on a story about what to do when it rains on your Memorial Day bbq or picnic. I'm sure this has happened a lot here in Chicago. What do you do to salvage the day? How do achieve that grilled flavor indoors? Any recipes/techniques you rely on when the weather gets downright nasty?

keep cooking..dont let a little rain or snow stop the bbq

deke rivers wrote:keep cooking..dont let a little rain or snow stop the bbq

You're preaching to the choir my BBQ brother, preaching to the choir!

If I'm smoking something, I can keep going in the rain, and especially for a crowd I tend to smoke stuff since there's less watching. It is harder to grill in the rain. You can start something on the grill with the lid on, then finish it in the oven.

I'll also say add more liquor to the party and people aren't going to notice that the burgers are oven-broiled

Rain? Schmain! I got pix from 10 days ago on my back porch in Montreal, smoker steaming in the snow. You a real BBQ person? The old Post Office motto applies even more securely to you, than to the folks in the blue uniform.

Onward!

Geo

HI,

There is an excellent tutorial on smoking foods on a Weber Smokey Mountain written by Gwiv called 'The 5-Step.'. It not only teaches you to smoke food intuitively, rather than relying on technology for feedback, it has an excellent fire building tutorial.

I had my Weber Smokey Mountain since the early 1980's. I did my best following Weber's instructions. When I recall my BBQ pre-5-step to my post-5-step BBQ: I wasn't doing too good, I just didn't realize it until later.

Once you have your fire started, you are ready to cook under most weather conditions.

***

This evening I was reading Square Meals by Jane and Micheal Stern. They had an appetizer for a luau I am just dying to try:

Take a cabbage and cut the bottom so it sits steady on a surface. From the top, curl back the leaves for a decorative look. Hallow out the center to fit a sterno can with the edges flush with the cabbage. Fit cocktail weiners on toothpicks or longer bamboo sticks. Rotate over fire to cook, then dip in pu-pu sauce and eat. The recipe for the pu-pu sauce was included.

What kid would be disappointed their meal came from the kitchen, instead of the grill, when they can cook wienies on the dining room table? Later switch to marshmellows!

I'm so tickled by the idea I am thinking of springing it on Easter dinner!

Regards,