Choosing an Outdoor Barbecue Grill

Summer is great for spending time outdoors with friends and family. Many enjoy spending time outdoors, maybe around the pool with some great food. Traditionally, summer time is a great time for cooking on an outdoor barbecue grill. Whether  you are cooking steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken or pork chops, it is important to choose the right outdoor barbecue grill.

The Size of your Outdoor Barbecue Grill

The first property you should consider is the size of your grill. If you are cooking for a small family, then a more compact outdoor barbecue grill may suffice. If you have a large family or tend to cook for large groups, consider a larger outdoor barbecue grill with plenty of capacity. Many grills offer multiple racks for cooking more food. Weber makes some amazing grills, ranging in size from the Weber Smokey Joe to the Weber Kettle Grill.

Do You Need a Portable Outdoor Grill?

You may want to consider a portable outdoor barbecue grill if you plan to use it in locations other than your back yard.  Whether you like to go camping, or tailgating at your favorite sporting event, there are many portable barbecue grills to choose from. Many grills offer wheels to make them easier to move about your back deck, or around to your vehicle for transport. Many are made lightweight for easier transport. There are a few options such as the Aussie Walk-A-Bout Portable Charcoal Grill. The legs on the Aussie fold up that will make it easy to pack in a camper or the trunk of a car.

Budgeting for your Outdoor Barbecue Grill

Another factor to consider is the budget for your outdoor barbecue. The choices vary greatly to a simple single grate grill without a cover for $25 to all the bells and whistles of a barbecue smoker with shelves for $1000 and up. For simple backyard cooking, consider spending anywhere from $40-100 for a good quality charcoal grill.

The Quality Of Your Outdoor Barbecue Grill

Barbecue grills are not cheap, so consider the quality of the grill that you purchase. Many grills offer lifetime warranties, and most often it is better to pay a bit more for a grill that can last your for many years. Consider purchasing a cover for your outdoor barbecue grill to protect it from the elements. Consider a grill with stainless steel parts, that are more resistant to rust.

Outdoor Grill Features

There are many features available for your outdoor barbecue grill. Once you determined a size and budget, you may want to consider some additional options. Some offer side burners, shelves for holding food or condiments as well as specialized accessories for specialty foods like rib racks, skewers, or possibly even a rotisserie. The basic information should help you in your endeavor to find a great outdoor barbecue grill.

Tailgate Supplies

It is almost September in Alabama and that means it is just about time for college football.  Whether you root for the Tigers, Tide, Gators or Bulldogs it does not get much better than spending all day Saturday tailgating in your favorite (or not so favorite) college town.

We figured it was time to offer a list of tailgating essentials.  Since this is a barbecue site, what better way to start with necessary portable supplies.  For those of us in the South, food is an extremely important element to a great tailgate.

Portable Gas Tailgate Grill

Weber Portable Gas Grill

I have to admit that I am a big fan of Weber gas and charcoal grills.  They have amazing quality and last for years.  This is the top rated grill on Amazon and is a great portable tailgate grills.  High heat that is easily controlled and lights with the push of a single button.  Not bad in pinch for tailgate bbq.

Portable Charcoal Tailgating Grills

Weber Portable Charcoal Grill

This is hands down my favorite portable charcoal grill to be part of  your tailgate gear.  10 year limited warranty and cooks like is big brother the Weber Kettle.  Easy to transport and easy to clean.  You may need to check ahead if the location that you are tailgating allows open fires.

Barbecue Cooking Tools

If  you are like me, you have a tailgate supplies box with all of your stuff necessary for a seamless football tailgate.  What better than to have a set of tailgate tools that keep in your tailgate box so that you will always have them.  What is sad is I have a tailgate box and multiple barbecue competition boxes.

Weber Barbecue Tools

Barbecue Power

Tailgate gear as a whole is incomplete without a television.  You gotta have power to crank up ESPN College Gameday at 9AM Central every Saturday morning.  We finally got tired of running through marine batteries after ending our day at 9-10PM so consider this value generator to power your football tailgate.

Portable Generator

Tailgate Seating Arrangements

Now that you have your food and power covered, how about comfort seating to go with the tailgate food you have on the menu.

Anti-Gravity Chair

If you have never tried an anti-gravity chair then you are truly missing out.  I have been known to sleep for hours in one of these.  Not as portable as a fold up studio chair, so not intended for long hikes from your car, but worth the hassle none-the-less.  Available in a variety of colors.

Folding Tailgate Chair

Not quite the comfort of an anti-gravity chair, but your typical camp chair is a must.  Better suited for those with parking issues and needing to get to a football tailgate site with minimal weight.  Available in several colors.

Tailgate Table in a Bag

This is an amazing product for your tailgate table.  Much like the camp chairs, this one folds into a shoulder carrying bag.  Highly functional and sturdy and a great place to lay out your barbecue spread.  This combined with the other tailgate gear mentioned will be easy to get everything to your football tailgate site.

Cold Beverages with your Tailgating Cooler

Down in the South, we have to brave the heat early on during football season.  So, you will need a good tailgating cooler to get your through the season.  Of course any old cooler will do, but here are a few in mind for portability.

Rolling Tailgate Cooler

Tailgate Games

Looking to pass the time while awaiting kickoff of  your favorite team.  Check out some of these portable tailgating games.

Pitch Perfect

Monkey Ball or Blongo Ball

Washer Toss aka Hillbilly Horseshoes

Fantastic Season

Here’s to hoping your team goes undefeated unless they are playing my team.  Do not forget to pick up your favorite barbecue rubs and spices while you are visiting.  You should be ready to roll with our list of tailgate gear and tailgate supplies.

Since the author is considered an expert in the art of barbecue, he is often asked what type of charcoal or wood do I use? Not sure that I have the expertise to be considered the barbecue guru to folks, but this is a question that I can answer from experience.

Let us recap the difference between barbecuing and grilling. To the purist, barbecue is cooking ‘low and slow’. The ideal temperature for smoking is 225 to 250 degrees F. Now there are a few guys out there (most notably Myron Mixon with Jacks Old South BBQ team) that cooks high and fast with outstanding results. In fact at the time of this writing, I believe that Myron is tied for the most barbecue championships at Memphis in May with Chris Lily from Big Bob Gibson’s. Most guys still subscribe to cooking at the lower temps for the best barbecue.

Grilling on the other hand is done at much higher temps. A typical charcoal grill can run 350-450 degrees and a ceramic cooker (Big Green Egg) can go over 1000 degrees. This is great for cooking steaks, pork chops and burgers. In fact I still us an old Weber style charcoal grill for my quick cuts of meat. My gas grill has been needing a new burner for the better part of 18 months, but I have not reduced my outdoor cooking at all.

Charcoal briquettes (we all know Kingsford right) are great for cooking hot and fast. Typically briquettes light quicker and burn reasonably well. The burning gives off enough flavor to certainly be better than cooking in the oven or in a pan. Rarely do I use briquettes any longer, just because whether I truly taste it or not, I subconsciously taste chemicals. Briquettes use binders and fillers when pressed together to hold their form. The biggest drawback to using briquettes is the amount of ash that is left at the end of the cook. In my experience, the ash left is at least 5 to 1 when compared to using wood.

So that brings me to using wood to cook. Wood for cooking really comes in two forms. Actual wood logs or chops and what is referred to as hardwood lump charcoal. Large barbecue smokers can hold logs without any problems, but that is not feasible for smaller smokers or grills.

The best option is hardwood lump charcoal. This is where chunks of wood have been pre-burned and then cooled, then bagged for sale. What you have is real wood, but easy to start and burn. Hardwood lump charcoal gives off tons of smoke (as much or more than if you were burning whole logs), and it tends to burn for long periods of time (at the right temperature) and with consistent temps. One great advantage to using lump charcoal is the small amount of ash that is generated. Because there are no fillers, binders or chemicals, there is not much left at the end.

I recently ran my smoker for 5 days straight, and only used about 40 pounds of lump charcoal. At the end, there was less than a quart sized bowl of ash leftover. Using briquettes, I would have measured in gallons. This can especially be a problem with a smaller smoker. Too much ash buildup can limit the amount of air coming in and make it difficult to maintain consistent temperatures.

The great thing today is the high availability of lump charcoal. Almost any Wal-Mart or other large store carries hardwood lump. During peak grilling season, you can find it at home improvement centers like Home Depot or Lowes. The three most common brands found in Alabama are Royal Oak, Cowboy Lump and Rancher. I have had success using all three, but Royal Oak is the easiest to come by. If you are like myself, I tend to use my smoker year round and the availability during the winter can make it pretty scarce. I tend to stock up for the winter just before Halloween when the Holiday stuff starts taking up garden center space.

Please do not think that you need a smoker to cook with lump charcoal. It has been at least 10 years since I last used briquettes. I only use lump charcoal now, even in my charcoal grill when cooking burgers, steaks and the like. No lighter fluid necessary. To get lump charcoal started, the best bet is to search for a charcoal chimney. A little newspaper and a lighter is all you will need to get a great fire going.

Cooking with actual wood requires another article to be issued soon. For smoking, wood is the preferred energy source. In my smoker, I use lump to get a good fire going and supplement with wood logs. There are all types including oak, hickory, peach, apple and mesquite to name a few. I will go over each in detail in my next article including how to make your own lump charcoal if you are so inclined.

Happy smoking!

Memphis BBQ is in a league of its own. Memphis locals favor their style over all the other major barbecue styles. The author is from Alabama (which has its own style) but certainly likes Memphis style ribs over all other types.  Check out Barbecue at Its Best for a general overview of different barbecue styles.

Memphis is famous for its dry rub ribs (another favorite of the author) typically applied to whole racks of pork ribs or pulled pork. The preferred cut of ribs among most Memphis restaurants is baby back ribs. Often a selection of pork spare ribs is available on the menu, but if ribs are listed with no specifics, you will be served a rack of baby back ribs.
Wet Ribs vs. Dry Ribs
Unsuspecting visitors to Memphis, will often be asked by a server  if they want their ribs served wet or dry. Most newbies to Memphis barbecue find this to be a strange question.  Other regions always sauce their ribs during cooking, when finishing and serving. The locals almost always order ribs dry (and that is how they are served if not specified). Dry rub ribs are coated with a generous amount of a dry spiced barbecue rub. Typical ingredients in the Memphis style dry rub are:

• Paprika
• Chili Powder
• Cayenne Pepper
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Onion powder
• Garlic Powder
• Cumin
• Coriander

Rarely will you find a sweet Memphis style dry rub.

Do not get me wrong about ribs in Memphis. Even the standard of dry ribs are served with sauce on the side. Memphis style sauce is typically a red barbecue sauce from a tomato base. Other ingredients include apple cider vinegar and a long list of spices included in the rub above. A typical Memphis sauce is tangy with some spice, but not too hot. Most restaurants offer a ‘hot’ version of their sauce.

Check out the links below to learn more about Memphis BBQ or get your hands on some world famous Rendezvous Rub and Sauce.

One interesting treat that is unique to Memphis are barbecue Tamales. Imagine your typical tamale, but these are filled with leftover bbq pork or beef brisket. Tamales are wrapped Mexican style in corn husks, placed in an iron skillet and put in the smoker. Served with barbecue sauce on the side. An amazing product.

Another dish that the author has only seen on menus at Memphis BBQ joints is barbecue spaghetti.  Imagine your typical spaghetti recipe but instead of beef or meatballs, add leftover barbecue pulled pork.

Next time you visit Memphis, order a rack of ribs, dry with sauce on the side, and an order of tamales for an appetizer.

You will be thrilled at the outcome.

Lastly, Memphis is home to one of the most prestigious barbecue competitions in the world.  Memphis in May is a month long celebration during the entire month of May.  Many liken this festival to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, just a bit more family friendly.  For the true barbecue enthusiast, Memphis is May is definitely a item to be put on your bucket list.

Following up on my blogs: Regional BBQ, Barbecue Pork and Barbecue Ribs now I will detail BBQ rubs.  In my opinion the rub for barbecue is the foundational ingredient for good barbecue, whether it is going on ribs, chicken, pork or beef. While sauce can be important, I believe that sauce should complement the meat, not ‘BE’ the flavor. There are several core ingredients to most good rubs and then there are several spices that are common to make your rub unique, yet still retain barbecue flavor.

Core Spices

Paprika

By volume, this is probably the most used spice to provide a base for barbecue rubs. Paprika comes from sweet red peppers that are dried and powdered. Most paprika comes from Hungary but more often today you can find paprika from Spain. Typically if there is a choice, I prefer ‘sweet Hungarian paprika’. Paprika helps give barbecue its beautiful red color.

Chili Powder

Often chili powder is a spice mix primarily made from chili peppers (red, cayenne, ancho and chipotle). Some mixes will include other spices such as black pepper,mace, coriander, turmeric and others.

Salt

We all know salt right? Just be careful because you can easily add too much salt to a rub. Especially when used with smaller cuts such as ribs or chicken. Also, be careful with rubs that are high in salt content if you plan to let the rub cover the meat for long periods of time. High salt rubs can turn

the meat ‘hammy’ if allowed to blend with the meat too long. I prefer to use kosher salt with my rubs, but you may need to run it through a spice grinder if your other ingredients are finely ground.

Sugar/Brown Sugar

Another staple like salt. Brown sugar is often a large percentage of the bulk of rib rubs, but is common in many all-purpose rubs. The amount of sugar will depend on how sweet you want your meat. It may be necessary to dry out brown sugar to avoid clumping if you are planning to store the rub for some time. Also, be careful with rubs high in sugar because it can easily burn.

Garlic Powder,Onion Powder,Black Pepper

Must be mentioned, but no explanation necessary.

Secondary Spices

The following spices are all considered acceptable for a barbecue rub and often commercial rubs will include some or all of these spices.

Cumin

This spice is a bit more obscure than the rest of the common ingredients found in barbecue rubs, but one that I use in all of mine. Cumin is in the parsley family and has a great aroma. If you have eaten Indian or Persian food, you have had an abundance of this spice. This is a core spice for many Mexican and in nearly all Tex-Mex dishes. I love this spice and often have to hold back to keep from putting too much in my rubs. A little known fact is that cumin is the 2nd most used spice in the world (to black pepper).

Coriander

This is another great spice that has an identity crisis. Most of the world refers to it as coriander, but in America it is called cilantro, yet, it is also referred to as Mexican parsley, as well as Chinese parsley. Whatever you want to call it, add it to your barbecue rub. But,make sure to use ground (dried) coriander. Cilantro leaves have their purpose, but its sweet, citrus like taste of the leaves is better left for other dishes. This is another spice often used in Asian, Indian and Mexican dishes.

Cayenne Pepper

Another basic spice that most of us are familiar with. Go easy with this one unless you like your rub with some kick. Too much kick is possible even for those who dig very spicy rubs. I made the mistake of using fresh ground cayenne for the first time at a barbecue competition…and the judges must have thought it was a hot buffalo wing eating contest. I enjoyed the ribs, but the judges scored me VERY low on taste.

Mixing

Basically,mix your ingredients together and put on your favorite cut of meat and cook to your pleasure. A few hints. Keep inmind that ribs have a small surface area, so a little rub goes a long way. Just the opposite effect with an eight pound Boston Butt or 12 pound beef brisket. With the bigger cuts,more rub is better. Also, sweeter rubs seem to do better with ribs and chicken and less sweet for bigger cuts (they cook longer and could burn with high sugar content).

Some cooks will use what is called a mustard slather. They will literally slather Barbecue Rubs yellow mustard on the meat and then apply the rub. The mustard slather tends to bind the rub to the meat so that it will not fall off. I have tried it with mustard and without and cannot tell any appreciable difference.

Here is a great rub base for starting your own rub.  Feel free to experiment.

Basic Barbecue Rub Recipe

5 parts Paprika
3 parts Chli Powder
3 parts Brown Sugar
2 parts Kosher Salt
1 part each Black Pepper,Onion
Powder, Cayenne Pepper
Part can be any measurement – cup, tablespoon, teaspoon
Experiment with other spices

Commercial Rubs

There are some OUTSTANDING commercial rubs on the market that couldsave you the pain of making your own. I am making no money by dropping these names, but here are a few of my favorites. Bad Byrons Butt Rub, Billy Bones, Lotta Bull, Texas Rib Rangers and HomeBBQ.com.

Happy Smokin!