Posts Tagged ‘BBQ Canada’

If you love BBQ and want to compete this is a great way to start!!C’mon out !!

mmm…BBQ Amateur Series

Amateur events are only $50.00 to enter and they even provide the ribs! You just need to bring your BBQ and any other supplies you need for the day! Contact Strodes BBQ for more details!!

Gloucester May 28 – 30

Paris June 13

Brantford May 16

Chatham July 11

Listowel July 17

Lindsay July 17 – 18

St. Thomas October 9

Rhoda Browns Smokin Fatties BBQ Pitmasters Audition



Rhythm ‘N Que!

I make thousands of ABT’s each year. Yes thousands for demonstrations family parties and well I just love them.
There are countless recipes for ABT’s all over the net. Everyone has their own variety whether they have lil smokies in them or leftover pulled pork. One of my favorite varieties is roasted garlic 3 cheese ABT’s.

I make roasted smoked garlic in batches of 36-48 at a time. I prep lots of them at a time to make it more convenient for myself later on. BBQ buddies from ALCAN work great for this. Their perforations allow lots of the smoke flavor to come through. Simply slice the top off sprinkle on some salt & pepper and drizzle with EVOO. I then use one of my Traegers or Charcoal grills and keep the temp at an even 350F (I do these indirect) for about an hour. I prefer to use hickory pellets or wood chunks for flavoring.  The garlic bulbs are done when the color turns a nice caramel and they can be easily squeezed out.

For more specific instructions check out this great tutorial on HOW to Roast Garlic.

Roasted Garlic bulbs freeze well. I freeze them individually for a multitude of uses from pasta to ABT’s and everything in between.

200 Roasted Garlic Cheesy ABT’s you will need:

• 2 onions finely minced
• 1/2 cup BBQ rub (use whichever is your favorite)
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 1 cup grated romano
• 1/4 cup dried chives
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh savory
• 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) cream cheese
• 100 jalapeños cleaned & seeded cut in half lengthwise
• 4 large bulbs of roasted garlic

I use a food processor to do this in two batches. Its really easy. Just dump half of everything in and pulse away until everything has mixed well. Pour into a large ziploc bag and then repeat with the other half of the ingredients. Please note you should taste test each batch to ensure the spice mixture is flavorful enough. As with all BBQ rubs the sodium levels vary greatly as does the sodium level in Parmesan cheese so adjust wherever necessary.

Then set up a station in the order you make them. For the jalapeños I always lay them cut side down while I prep the other ingredients. This helps to get as much water out of them prior to assembly.

I buy cases of bacon- not packages.  I buy Petit Goret Maple Smoked Bacon in a 5 kg (11lb) box.  If I can’t get this brand I look for any other food service box of bacon that has an 18/22 (slice count per pound) on it. I prefer using thinner bacon to wrap ABT’s.  For other applications I prefer my butchers bacon.

I do this whole procedure in batches of 50. I lay 50 jalapeños cut side up and fill with my cream cheese mixture using a ziploc bag with the corner cut off.

Then its just a matter of wrapping them and stacking them snugly into pans.

It takes me about an hour and a half to make 200.  I freeze them for up to one month. I don’t advise going over one month as I don’t like the texture of the cream cheese after that. The less time in the freezer the better. If you are doing a party or heading to a competition pot luck etc its really nice to have these ready well ahead of when you need them.

I have been to Disney World Florida more times than I can count when I was a kid and once with my eldest daughter Lexi and my parents. One of my fondest memories besides spending time with family was the Giant Turkey legs. If you ever go make sure to stop and get one. It will be enough to feed at least 2 people. You will feel like a carnivorous Neanderthal while chowing down on one. You won’t care. They are that good. Every time I think of juicy delicious turkey legs my memories take me back to Disney World.

I did my best to recreate those turkey legs on the BGE. I used Clubhouse brand Montreal Chicken seasoning with a dash of poultry seasoning as well.  I generously seasoned the legs and placed them on the BGE with some pecan wood chips and a drip pan underneath. I kept them low at about 225F and I went back a couple of times and basted them with the juices. They were not exactly as I remembered but they were juicy and delicious. It was really fun to tell my kids I was serving them dinosaur birds. Much more fun than telling them they were eating turkey.

The BGE performed nicely. As it was the first cook I got to experience how little charcoal it takes. Overall the BGE did terrific and I was really pleased with the ease of cooking on it.

Well today has been a very exciting BBQ day!! I got to see the new Traeger 300 in person right after it was unloaded. It is even more impressive in person. Really solid design. I am looking forward to playing on one in the upcoming weeks.

Here are some pictures of the unit

As soon as I get the spec sheet I will update this post!

No special day here or anything buts it’s not often I get to have  prime rib.

Was feeling a bit out of sorts earlier today on a personal level but I will say that spending a bit of time in the kitchen doing some prep lifted my spirits. There is something strangely & immensely satisfying about smashing the crap out of a whole bunch of herbs and garlic using a mortar and pestle. Today’s crust was made with a lot of savory, thyme, 6 cloves of garlic, some beautiful New Zealand sea salt (thanks Angie!!) , black peppercorns and some canola oil. I pounded my little heart out (seriously I really need to bring the mortar and pestle out more often) and came up with a lovely herb mash.

The prime rib was lovely. I just love the look of raw meat. I love seeing the striations of marbling. Just beautiful.this prime rib weighed approx 6 lbs

On went the slather and into the fridge for a couple of ours.

My children were seriously not impressed at this point. At this point they were giving me the oh my goodness you can’t possibly expect us to eat that for dinner tonight looks. Any parent can relate to that.

It was a lovely smelling prime rib and the color was coming along nicely. Off to the kitchen to prep some veggies to accompany our dinner. Had some portobellos with some Wisconsin Parmesan that I picked up on our last travels to the US. Its a nicely aged cheese. Lovely to eat on its own. Not sure I would use it again on the portobellos. Just didn’t have enough oomph.

Then one of my all time favorite veggies – asparagus! Love love love asparagus grilled. So do the kids. Ok 2 out of 3 of the kids love it. The other (Chaos causing , tiny terrorist also known as my son Gabe) child has determined it looks too much like a plant. I grated the rind from a really large lemon and sprinkled it on the asparagus as well as a really fragrant lemon olive oil. Salt & pepper was added as well.

The Natives were getting restless at this point and it took everything in me to keep them all (including husband) occupied until the prime rib had rested for enough time.

Overall dinner was lovely. The prime rib was delicious. I love herb crusts on beef.

Well I never made any secret of it. I made a DVD and am submitting it to BBQ pitmasters today. I have no clue if I fit the bill or if I will get to be on it but I at least can say I tried. Its better to have tried and failed then never to have tried at all. Who knows if they want a mom of 3 from the suburbs. I don’t come from a BBQ background. I didn’t grow up in the South. I didn’t even try really great BBQ until  a few short years ago.  Plus theres that whole I am a Canadian Chick in the pits thing. Oh and seriously I don’t look a model. I don’t own a jambo. I use pellets and charcoal. I don’t have a fancy schmancy rv. I sleep on a military cot in my bare bones yet functional cargo trailer.   Hmmm. Oh well. At the end of the day no one knows if they have what they are looking for. This I do know for sure. I can talk well on TV. Cameras don’t scare me, I am unlike anyone else out there and I know I make some really damn fine BBQ. I hope all my BBQ friends have submitted tapes. goodness knows there are a whole lot of really interesting personalities out there.

Over the last two weeks I have received tons of emails and talked to lots of BBQ folk about the new season. The responses are really varied. Some are very cynical and state they think JM already has his picks and he is doing this to keep people off his back. Others say this is just a ploy to get more attention. Personally I don’t really care one way or another. I think its a good idea to ask for submissions. Makes sense to me.

Additionally some people have stated they hate the new format already. Um I am not sure I understand this since none of use really know what exactly the new format is. Right now its just a bunch of talk. A bunch of guesses.Seriously Ill reserve judgment for when I actually see the new format.

This is what was posted from John Markus Exec Producer BBQ Pitmasters:

It’s official. Our new format features FOUR different pitmasters competing in EACH episode. We are looking to augment our cast from last season and welcome all interested cooks to throw their aprons in the ring. Send your audition tape/DVD, selling us on why you should be picked to compete against the best. To: Lindsay Freed c/o Original Media, 38 E. 29th St., 8th FL, NY, NY 10016. Or, you can email a file of your audition to bbqpitmasters@originalmedia.com. Send your ?’s there as well. Shooting schedule April 30th – June26th. Good luck and see you on the trail!

Then there are a few posts from JM on Twitter:
It’s official. BBQ Pitmasters Season #2 picked up by TLC. Will be posting info on casting within the hour here and on various BBQ forums.
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Audition tapes/DVDs, under 5 min! Sell us on you/your team! Lindsay Freed c/o Original Media, 38 E. 29th St. 8th FL. NY, NY 10016. GetGoin’!
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Or, send a file of your audition to bbqpitmasters@originalmedia.com Shoot schedule runs from April 30 – June 27. Send ?’s there as well.
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Going over the schedule for Pitmasters 2. Dammit man, we’re putting the miles on. But I can truly say, we’ll be at an event near you!
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To all those hopefuls vying for a place on Pitmasters 2: BBQ Skills + Personality + Showmanship + Authenticity. In under five minutes!
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Submissions for Pitmasters now arriving in waves. You ladies who ‘Q, & I’ve seen all y’all, jump in already! Starting to screen tomorrow.
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Screened all day. To all you cooks about to make audition tapes–ladies, ya listenin?–Don’t just tap the bell. RING the bell! (Mel Brooks)
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Saw some real keepers 2day. Hate 2 B a tease, ‘Q’rs, but a few of U hit it outa the park. (Okay, I luv the tease part–sorry). Want more!
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There was even a mention of the new format here:

TLC To Revamp `BBQ Pit Masters’ Series

Network To Knead Reality Show Into Competition Format

by R. Thomas Umstead — Multichannel News, 3/15/2010 12:11:53 PM

TLC is hoping to add some sizzle to its freshman cooking reality series BBQ Pit Masters by changing its programming recipe from a docu-reality show to a competition-based series for its second season.

The series, which followed the exploits of several barbeque cooking experts, averaged 900,000 total viewers and posted double digit increases for the network among male viewers during its first season, which ended last month.

The new season will feature a weekly competition between several chefs, with each weekly winner eventually squaring off against each other in the final episode, according to TLC officials. The show will feature BBQ Pit Masters stars such as Myron Mixon and Le Ann Whippen in “some capacity” on the show, said TLC officials.
BBQ Masters joins Cake Boss, Ultimate Cake Off and Cupcake Sisters as cooking-related shows on the Discovery Communications-owned network this year.

Overall I think no matter what its just more exposure for competition BBQ and really I think thats whats most important. Get it out there to more of the public. Let them know how much fun it is. How great the people are.

Every Tuesday you can listen in on the BBQ Central Radio show part of the BCRN (BBQ Central Radio Network) . This weeks episode is a round table discussion with three of the top Chicken Cooks on the KCBS circuit:

Kelly Wertz – 4 Legs Up BBQ, previous winner of the Jack Daniels Invitational and in 2009 ranked #4 overall in Chicken and #6 Overall on the KCBS TOY Listings.

Joe Amore – Smokey Mountain Smokers, ranked #5 overall in Chicken and # 19 overall in the KCBS TOY listings. They also manufacture one of my favorite products disposable cutting boards.

Troy Black - Learn2Q.com, ranked #7 overall in Chicken and #15 overall in the KCBS TOY Listings. He also has a brand new DVD out Real BBQ Know How

Also tonight on the BBQ Central Show Mike Lake President of KCBS will be on at approx 10:05pm EST on the after dark segment of the show

It should be a great show! Make sure you tune in tonight at 9pm EST.

There is going to be a Season 2 of BBQ Pitmasters!!!

Confirmed with John Markus today : Our new format features FOUR different pitmasters competing in EACH episode. We are looking to augment our cast from last season and welcome all interested cooks to throw their aprons in the ring!!! Great news for all those guys and gals who want to be on the show. Here is how you can apply! Good luck to all those who send in their DVD’s!

For Season 2 BBQ Pitmaster Auditions: tapes/DVDs, under 5 min! Sell us on you/your team! Lindsay Freed c/o Original Media, 38 E. 29th St. 8th FL. NY, NY 10016. Get Goin’!

Or, send a file of your audition to bbqpitmasters@originalmedia.com Shoot schedule runs from April 30 – June 26. Send ?’s there as well.

Well I am once again adding to my ever increasing list of BBQ books. The folks at Big Green Egg were kind enough to give me a copy of their latest book. Just for the record. I don’t have a Big Green Egg. Yet. I am a firm believer that having multiple types of grills is a good idea. They all have different personalities. I love my Traegers. I compete with my Traegers. I really do believe they are the easiest BBQ to own and to operate. So I am definitely a pellet head. However I love playing with charcoal too. Playing with fire can be a lot of fun and certainly a challenge at times. Some women collect shoes I prefer to collect BBQ’s. It makes the whole BBQ experience fun.

So the cookbook is really quite expansive. This is a big cookbook. 320 pages. It is a gorgeous cookbook to own. The pictures are incredible. The recipes many I have tried and would recommend -Smoke Beef Short Ribs done with hickory chips for example. I have found many of the recipes are easily transferable to other BBQ equipment in addition to Eggs.

Some of the recipes also use the stove top (ex Kale on page 307 with the apple wood smoked bacon). It is a delicious recipe.

I like the format of this cookbook. I enjoyed reading the Chef & Pitmaster Biographies. Overall this has to be one of the best laid out cookbooks for BBQ I have ever seen. Plus God bless them they realize there are Canadians and International Folks that BBQ since they even included a Metric Conversion table as well.

From the Gourmet (ex Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Creme Fraiche & Caviar) to the most basic (ex Italian Sausage subs) this cookbook has it all for anyone who loves to grill & BBQ. I would highly recommend it for the recipes whether you own a Big Green Egg or other grill/bbq.