BBQpalooza!

[diaglo]

I love brown sugar sauces. I can't imagine garlic in a barbecue, except for perhaps very very subtle amounts.

no self-respecting Filipino cook would make anything without garlic, vinegar, and plenty of sugar.

 

[Umbran]

Improper usage of terminology is far from irrelevant. Popular usage does not denote proper usage.

Yes, but the word's origins don't denote proper current usage either. You want current proper usage, here it is -

barbecue -n. 1. A socieal entertainment, at which meats are roasted over an open fire. 2. meat or fish roasted over an open fire. -v.t. 3. to broil or roast whole or in large pieces before an open fire. 4. to cook in a highly seasoned sauce.

From the dictionary.com entry for "barbecue":

bar·be·cue
n. A grill, pit, or outdoor fireplace for roasting meat.

A whole animal carcass or section thereof roasted or broiled over an open fire or on a spit.
A social gathering, usually held outdoors, at which food is cooked over an open flame.

tr.v. bar·be·cued, bar·be·cu·ing, bar·be·cues
To roast, broil, or grill (meat or seafood) over live coals or an open fire, often basting with a seasoned sauce.

Now, I am sure you could find technical cooking works which claim the definition is other than above. But, that would be like a physicist arguing that "pressure", "stress" and "strain" are words that cannot be applied to social situations because they are used by a small number of people use the word in a far more precise technical sense. The world uses the word otherwise, and you're stuck with that.

So, please feel free to discuss the relative merits of various styles of barbecue. But put the purism aside and allow us to enjoy our barbecue in whatever form it comes.

 

[BSF]

Mmmmm.

I don't have much in the way of recipes. I often just wing it with whatever sounds like a good mix. I am usually pretty lucky. I think I have completely biffed one meal in the past several years.

OK, Piratecat, what are you doing boiling corn when you have a perfectly good grill going? My wife prefers to wrap the corn in foil, but I prefer to leave it unshucked and toss the whole thing on the upper rack. The husk helps retain the moisture as it cooks. You just need to be careful when you pull it off the grill and shuck it.

As a secondary contribution to the the thread, how about a simple salsa recipe?

4 roma tomatoes (or any tomatoe that is nice and juicy)
1/4 onion (I prefer red onion myself)
a sprig or three of cilantro
1/2 - 1 full tomatillo
1 clove of garlic
1 jalapeno or 1/2 chile (green or red)
a bit of olive oil
salt
lime

I use a hand-cranked food processor.

Quarter the tomatoes
chop the onion into 2-3 "chunks"
chop as much jalapeno/chile as you want
set the lime aside for now

Drop everything except the lime into the food processor. Make sure you add enough oil to help the flavors blend together smoothly. Using the food processor, chop everything down as fine or chunky as you like. Quarter the lime and squeeze some lime juice in. Check the flaor and add whatever you think is missing. Mix together again briefly to spread out the lime.

If using as a chip dip, I tend to chop it very fine. If using it as a condiment for something like burgers, I tend to leave it a bit more rough.

I also find that letting is sit in the refrigerator overnight will give you a wonderful blending of flavor. However, garden fresh is great as well! Oftentimes I will use more onion, garlic and jalapeno, but your tastes will vary.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Being from South Carolina I am use to the mustard based sauces but then any BBQ is good.

Somewhere in your future try turkey, mmmmmm.

I recomend you check out the Food Channel for BBQ cooking.

 

[Umbran]

My wife prefers to wrap the corn in foil, but I prefer to leave it unshucked and toss the whole thing on the upper rack.

Yeah, 'cause everyone likes shucking grill-hot ears of corn!

Here's a good reason to go with foil:

Ingredients-
6 medium ears sweet corn
1/2 cup butter or margerine, melted
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Place ears of corn on a double-thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; brush over corn. Fold foil around corn and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until corn is tender, turning once.

Yum!

 

[Ranger REG]

no self-respecting Filipino cook would make anything without garlic, vinegar, and plenty of sugar.

You forget the bagaong (fermented fish paste).

 

[orchid blossom]

Avoiding the obvious jokes -- one of my problems when making pulled pork is getting the shreds of meat small enough. Right now I'm just ripping it apart with my fingers. Is there a better way, or am I just not patient enough?

The reciepe I have suggests using two forks to shred the meat.

 

[Umbran]

Is there a better way, or am I just not patient enough?

What? You're a gamer. You need something to shred flesh, and you miss the simplest solution? Your handy-dandy Kitchen Orc!

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Somewhere in your future try turkey, mmmmmm.

Oh God yes. I pity the poor fools who still pull their Thanksgiving bird out of an oven.

Goddarn this thread...Goddarn it straight to HECK! I want BBQ now!

I am so doing a wienie roast on Sunday now. Mmm, maybe some tri-tip too...

 

[thatdarncat]

one of these days I'm going to get around to writing that cookbook *sighs*

Not that I'm a good cook or anything, but there's enough good recipies floating around that I think we could do an ENWorld Gamer's cookbook




BBQing isn't practical around here - it involves going outside with the stirges. Instead we've been using indoor grills. We've got a smaller grill and a large George Forman "clamshell" grill. Our rub of choice has been a montreal steak spice rub (the 5 minute kind) mixed about 50-50 with some sweet chili sauce. It works really well for chicken.