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[TheRicker]

Basically a repeat of last night (we never throw away leftovers) except I substituted in fried cabbage in bacon drippings for the black beans. Also had a spinach, grapes and pecan salad to go with it. My wife loves spinach salad with pecans and grapes and I like it ok. The raspberry vinaigrette dressing makes for a nice addition.

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You may have broken some unwritten BBQers code with such a nice fresh salad.

 

[TheRicker]

As discussed earlier, I didn’t do the cooking but had a treat. I visited a fairly new BBQ location called Queens in SoCal. Their location is in a neighborhood in Garden Grove which is interesting but should offer enough space if the neighbors don’t run them away with the sweet smells of burning wood, haha. The bottom line is that it was an enjoyable event. The 1000 gallon smokers were custom made in Texas. The pitmaster was very friendly and had it dialed in and was the star of the show, literally. Every team member was pleasant, professional and definitely engaged in making the customer experience enjoyable, which is great since most places that become well known around here forget who got them to the table, the customer! Winnie was not only present, but very approachable. Although famous from her time on TV working on BBQ competition shows and others (think Bobby Flay) her humility and kindness rings true and she is not the typical TV star I encounter in SoCal as she is definitely “keeping it real” and was hands on in the kitchen. If any downside exists, it is that they cook at ~275F so the smell of smoke is present but it does not “ring true” in the meats compared to a true slow cooked (i.e., ~225F) protein. But, everything was tender, flavorful and adequate in quantity considering the somewhat elevated cost for the meal. If you have a chance to visit the area, it is highly recommended. I’ll post more pictures when I have a chance.

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Absolutely beautiful!

 

[TheRicker]

You may have broken some unwritten BBQers code with such a nice fresh salad.

Then, again, you had fried cabbage in bacon drippings…which is only exceeded by squash in bacon drippings.

 

[TheRicker]

Then, again, you had fried cabbage in bacon drippings…which is only exceeded by squash in bacon drippings.

Balance! It’s always about balance.

 

[Jim6820]

Balance! It’s always about balance.

Yes, Grasshopper, one needs to strive for “balance” in all things!

 

[epcotisbest]

“FTCed”???

Foil, towels, cooler.

 

[epcotisbest]

Then, again, you had fried cabbage in bacon drippings…which is only exceeded by squash in bacon drippings.

Love me some fresh squash. A couple of months from now we will be knee deep in squash and tomatoes right out of the garden. First pan of fresh from the garden squash in the cast iron skillet is a summer highlight, as is the first tomato sandwich...white bread, Dukes mayo and still warm from the sun tomatoes topped with salt and way too much black pepper.

 

[TheRicker]

So this is not a recteq cook but thought I would share it anyway. My wife had a business trip to New Orleans last week and on the way back she picked me up a couple of Central Grocery muffuletta sandwiches. I love these things.
Because of storms passing through, her flight was delayed and she had no way to keep the sandwiches cold. Long story short what was to be about a 3-4 hour trip with flight and drive home from the airport turned into a 17 hour ordeal of flight delays. When she got home, we had to throw out the muffulettas as they had spoiled.
Seeing my disappointment, she made some homemade ones that turned out quite good. Not the real thing, but made with love and that makes them extra special.

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Your wife is a keeper trying to bring those sandwiches home to you. I’m thinking that’s what she would have eaten during the travel delays…at least one muffuletta. I certainly would have.

Can’t beat a muffuletta from Central Grocery.

 

[TheRicker]

Never had one myself, but they look great!

Like the French bread they use for po-boys, muffuletta bread is pretty unique to the NOLA area from my experiences. Then, there’s the olive salad mix. Oh my!

I’ve had muffulettas other places and most are good. It just seems more special down there. Kind of like bagels seem better in NY City.

 

[RattleR]

Like the French bread they use for po-boys, muffuletta bread is pretty unique to the NOLA area from my experiences. Then, there’s the olive salad mix. Oh my!

I’ve had muffulettas other places and most are good. It just seems more special down there. Kind of like bagels seem better in NY City.

They make a mighty fine one at Vucinovich’s as well. All are difficult to keep fresh when traveling for very long.

 

[SmokeZilla]

I like this thread. Especially the “Mayo talk”. If you want to take your food (especially sandwiches) to the next level check out Kewpie Mayonnaise at your local grocery store. I’ve been using it for years and it can be dressed up to create really cool dipping sauces and custom condiments. It won’t let you down and you can thank me later, haha.

 

[epcotisbest]

White meat and wings with fried cabbage and baked beans.

 

[epcotisbest]

I like this thread. Especially the “Mayo talk”. If you want to take your food (especially sandwiches) to the next level check out Kewpie Mayonnaise at your local grocery store. I’ve been using it for years and it can be dressed up to create really cool dipping sauces and custom condiments. It won’t let you down and you can thank me later, haha.

At our house mayo talk consists of one word...Duke's. Not too stubborn to try something new though. Might have to try out the Kewpie recommendation.

 

[MOSmoke]

Spatchcocked chicken has been on my list of things to try for quite a while. Today was the day. Rubbed them down with olive oil, one got Aw Shit seasoning and one got a bbq rub I picked up from a local grocery store. 225 most of the way, but did crank up to 350 for the last 10 degrees to get to 165. Overall I was very happy for my first attempt. I was hoping the skin would crisp up a little more than it did at the end, but I expected as much cooking so long at 225. But the finished product tasted great, it wasn’t dried out, and it was a good learning experience. Will definitely do again!

 

[SmokeZilla]

Spatchcocked chicken has been on my list of things to try for quite a while. Today was the day. Rubbed them down with olive oil, one got Aw Shit seasoning and one got a bbq rub I picked up from a local grocery store. 225 most of the way, but did crank up to 350 for the last 10 degrees to get to 165. Overall I was very happy for my first attempt. I was hoping the skin would crisp up a little more than it did at the end, but I expected as much cooking so long at 225. But the finished product tasted great, it wasn’t dried out, and it was a good learning experience. Will definitely do again!

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MoSmoke,

Your chicken looks fantastic. I am sure it was a treat for the diners. I often have the same challenge and started using my infrared side burner from my gasser to crisp up the skin. I have tried and have a 50% chance of using the smoker for the same results, but consistently hit the mark when I use the assist from my gasser’s sear burner. As an alternative, I like to take my bird to 145F remove it and let it rest in lightly tented foil as my Bull hits 450F. Then, starting with skin side down, let it crisp. When crisp flip it and turn off the smoker off and let the temps in the thighs hit 160-170F with the skin side up and it works fairly well. Thank you for posting your information as it will make us all better at our smoking “game”.

 

[epcotisbest]

Your wife is a keeper trying to bring those sandwiches home to you. I’m thinking that’s what she would have eaten during the travel delays…at least one muffuletta. I certainly would have.

Can’t beat a muffuletta from Central Grocery.

She has some diet restrictions following major surgery several months ago or she would have tore into one of the sandwiches.

 

[Greg Jones]

So not cooked on a recteq, but I did cook a rack of St. Louis ribs today like nothing I have tried before. I did them on my PK grill, which I’ve never cooked ribs on before. I got 2 of the ribs, wife scarfed the rest! Cooked with a combo of Jealous Devil briquettes and lump, apple wood chunks. Cooked at 275° for 3 hours and done, no wrap. Wife said they may be the best ribs I’ve ever cooked!

 

[Waterboy]

@Greg Jones I can smell them from here! They look excellent. What seasoning did you use?

 

[Greg Jones]

@Greg Jones I can smell them from here! They look excellent. What seasoning did you use?

Thanks! Both Meat Church. A light coating of the Honey Hog BBQ followed by Gospel BBQ which gives it that great red color.

 

[SmokeZilla]

The true sign of a craftsman is his/her ability to be successful with whatever tools they have. Those look MARVELOUS!!! Next time you want to experiment, remember to invite your online friends, lol.