NJ BBQ (was: BBQ cooking/competition school in May)

[10X 3,296]

I've done a couple more cooks recently.   In late November we entered another BBQ contest, this one's theme was Thanksgiving Leftovers, which had to be incorporated into the entry.   This was a virtual contest, so judging was based on the description of the cook, plus the plating and photography.  This was our entry:

We had leftover cherry-glazed prime rib, and sausage-stuffed mushrooms from a BBQ dinner shortly before Thanksgiving (described earlier in this thread), so for my entry I included a few mushrooms, and cubed a bit of the prime rib and served on toothpicks with a topping of very hot (Inglehoffer) horseradish sauce. I had also smoked a pan of olives, coated with garlic and spices, so I wiped a few of the green olives clean of the oil and spices and used them in a vodka martini. They imparted a wonderful, subtle smokiness to the drink.

From our Thanksgiving dinner, I sliced leftover baked sweet potatoes then used a small drinking glass to cut medallions out of the center of each slice, topping all with a scoop of the brown sugar compound butter

The cranberry sauce beneath the croquettes was homemade, but what I really feel makes my version stand out is a healthy amount of both fresh grated ginger and orange zest. They really make the flavors pop.

The Day After Thanksgiving Croquettes were my wife's brilliant idea...I'd have never thought of it, and they were so, so very good. We diced some of our leftover turkey and formed meatballs by mixing in leftover stuffing. We settled on 'our' stuffing recipe years ago...it starts with the bread, spices, and sauted celery and onion one would expect. It also contains pecans, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and fried andouille sausage. The 'other' ingredients make up the bulk of the stuffing...by weight, only about 1/3 of it is bread. The turkey/stuffing balls were then coated in beaten egg, rolled in panko breadcrumbs-repeating twice, to build up a thicker coating. Then they were pan fried in about an inch of oil, rolling them around constantly for maybe 8 minutes until the outside was crisp.

I was really happy with the entry, and expecting another first place finish, but there were other really strong entries.  We ended up second in the judges voting.

Just yesterday, I smoked a ham, starting with a commercial, spiral-sliced ham but dispensing with the glaze packet and instead coating the individual slices with maple syrup and rub.  I was using a homemade clone of the commercial Jeff's Original rub.   The ham smoked for 4 hours over hickory and cherry wood.  It was our 100th cook on our Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.  It proved to be a pretty good Christmas present, 9 years ago.

 

 

[45Doll 5,877]

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

2 hours ago, 45Doll said:

Since they are protein deficient, they don’t  move very fast. 

[10X 3,296]

Mason-Dixon BBQ Services has opened enrollment for their 2024 BBQ Bootcamps.   These are excellent, well worth the trip to Greencastle, PA if you are interested in taking your BBQ to the next level.  They have bootcamps for brisket, pork (pork butts plus whole hog), chicken and ribs, and turkey and tailgate.    12 types of smokers available, everything included including lots of food, beer, and some nice accessories and leftovers to take home.   These sell out fast, so don't delay if you have an interest.

https://mdbbqservices.com/bootcamps/?registration=open#tve-jump-18cdff45176

 

 

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

Man I’d like to make that Brisket Bootcamp and learn more/refine my techniques, but work schedule has to cooperate. 
 

Thanks for posting that, I’ll see if I can work some magic and attend one of them. 

[10X 3,296]

I was tasked with smoking appetizers for the game yesterday.   I made one rack of bacon-wrapped japepeno poppers (the filling was cream cheese, shredded sharp cheddar, sliced scallion, and pulled pork), and another rack of smoked mushrooms, filled with sautéed hot sausage, onion, jalapeño, sharp cheddar, and parmesan-reggiano.  Both turned out great, and it's fun to smoke something that doesn't take most of a day.   Poppers done in 2 1/2 hours, mushrooms in just an hour at 240F over hickory and cherry smoke.

[10X 3,296]

I entered another virtual BBQ contest recently; the theme was chili, stews, and soups.  There are plenty of ways to incorporate smoked meat into any of those.  We went with a Mardi Gras theme, serving up a hearty hickory-smoked chicken and andouille gumbo over rice. Also, Maque Choux, a spicy Cajun corn-and-peppers side dish, and corn bread with jalapeños and red bell peppers. Served alongside a Hurricane cocktail, made from scratch.  We were pretty proud of the entry, but it was a really tough field, and unfortunately we finished 3rd (of 17) and out of the running for a prize.

 

As a consolation, we used two gift certificates to Porter Road Meats that we had previously won in these contests. The goodies arrived today.  There were a couple of cuts I've been anxious to try but have never been able to find in NJ.  The picture includes a tri-tip (a staple of BBQ in the southwest, especially California), a Picana steak (AKA sirloin cap, commonly seen carried around on skewers in Brazilian steakhouses), and a whole Bavette (AKA flap steak, known for it's intense beef flavor).  Also there, as part of their Butcher's Choice Collection, are two rib-eye steaks and two sirloin steaks, both dry aged, a pound of hamburger ground from dry aged beef, two heirloom pork chops, a pound of thick-cut uncured bacon, two cross-cut veal shanks for Osso Buco, and a quart of bone broth.

I'm making the Picana tomorrow with freshly-made chimichurri and some sides.  No idea what exactly I'll do with everything else, but it's a good problem to have!

 

[Bklynracer 1,265]

24 minutes ago, 10X said:

I'm making the Picana tomorrow with freshly-made chimichurri and some sides.  No idea what exactly I'll do with everything else, but it's a good problem to have!

 

Every time I see a post from you in this topic I get hungry.

[10X 3,296]

I finally got to put my BBQ judge certification to use, at the NJ KnoQ-Out BBQ competition in Blairstown April 20-21.   https://campgroundbbq.com/nj-knoqout

NJ is on the outer fringe of BBQ culture in the US, but the Team of the Year points chase brings the top competitors all the way out here.  We had a couple of former national champions show up, hoping this is the year they repeat.   We had 50 teams registered Saturday, almost 40 on Sunday, a mix of Masters Division (turning in chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder, and brisket) and Backyard Division, judged to the same standards but cooking only chicken and ribs (no overnight cooking required).

Judges are divided into teams of six, and each team judges six entries for each meat, scoring for appearance, tenderness, and taste.  When the scores are tabulated, the taste score is weighted most heavily, appearance least heavily.   Teams have to hit a narrow turn-in window every 30 minutes, chicken first, the ribs, pork, and brisket, followed by the Backyard division chicken, then ribs.

So, for 3 hours, the judges are getting 6 portions of meat every 30 minutes.   Even judging based on one bite (the norm, though a second bite is allowed if needed), it’s a lot of meat.   

BUT, at this level of competition, it’s really good.   The best was extraordinary, and even the worst was just…ordinary.  There wasn’t a bad bite during the entire competition, at least at the tables where I was judging.    The judging is double-blind, so I’ll never know whose entries I judged, but I did get to eat some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had.

(file photo, no cameras allowed in the judging area)

 

Lotsa smokers