BBQ Society

Barbecue Competitions

BBQ Competitions are great fun and I encourage you to enter one in your area and find out for yourself how much fun they are. Our book “Competition BBQ Secrets” has helped many teams take Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion and many other high finishes in the four main barbecue categories... ribs, pork, chicken, and brisket. If you want to get your feet wet before entering a big contest, try just entering the “backyard” division in a local competition. That’s a category where you will only compete against other beginners and amateurs. It’s a great way to get a feel for things before you start competing against the “big boys”. And don’t forget the other “side competitions” like whole hog, anything but BBQ competitions, pie contests, sauce contests, invitational only contests, Kid’s Q, etc.

Of course, you can always just visit a local contest as a spectator. But I have to warn you... you will not be able to taste the different competitors’ BBQ. They usually only cook enough to turn into the judges and maybe a little extra for themselves and a few friends. If you ask nicely, some of them might throw you a bone or two, but don’t count on it. Actually, they are not allowed to sell BBQ unless they have also paid a vending fee to the sponsor of the contest. So... there should be plenty of vendors selling BBQ, but you can’t go taste testing all the contestants’ BBQ.

However... there are three ways that will enable you to taste the contestants’ BBQ...

1) You can become a certified judge through the barbecue association of your choice and then volunteer to be a judge in a contest. This is a great way to learn how the system works and how real competition BBQ tastes. This is a great tip... become a barbeque judge first and then a competitor. The contests always need good, certified judges and you’ll also be able to take home what you can’t eat when you are judging.

2) You can become a volunteer helper at the contest. Most of the contests are run by non-profit organizations and they need plenty of help. Here’s a little secret... all the contestants are required to turn in a specific amount of servings (let’s say 8). 6 of those servings will go to the judges. They take a small bite of each and then throw the rest in their container they brought with them to take home. The other servings go to the volunteers and table captains to munch on after the contest.

3) Sometimes they have what they call a people’s choice contest. The contestants submit their entries and the entries are divided up into small portions. When it’s your turn, you will be presented with a tray of six numbered samples. You taste them all and rate them on how well they tasted.

To get a schedule of events in your area, I recommend you visit your local BBQ Association web site and check out their calendar of events. Some useful web sites are...

The National Barbecue News (not updated as of Jan 2007) - www.barbecuenews.com
Florida Barbecue Association - www.flbbq.org
California Barbecue Association - www.cbbqa.com
Kansas City Barbecue Society - www.kcbs.us
Memphis Barbecue Association - click HERE
New England Barbecue Society - www.nebs.org
Lone Star Barbecue Society - www.lonestarbarbecue.com
Central Texas barbecue Association - www.ctbahome.com
Texas Gulf Coast Barbecue Cookers Association - www.tgcbca.org
South Carolina Barbecue Association - www.scbarbeque.com
North Carolina Barbecue Society - www.ncbbqsociety.com
Arizona Barbecue Association - www.azbbqa.com
Greater Omaha barbecue Society - www.gobs.org
Iowa Barbecue Society - www.iabbq.org
Mid Atlantic Barbecue Association - www.mabbqa.com
Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association - www.pnwba.com
Utah Barbecue Association - www.utahbbq.org
Canadian Barbecue Association - www.canadianbarbecueassociation.com
International Barbecue Cookers Association - www.ibcabbq.org
National Barbecue Association - www.nbbqa.org

About the Author - For more information on slow smoking competition quality ribs, pork, chicken, and brisket, please visit Bill Anderson's web site at bbq-book.com

BBQ Myths Getting You Down?

If you're cooking your food properly on your barbeque, you're getting delightful results every time. However, all too frequently, people are falling victims to very common barbeque myths. It's not because we're gullible or stupid in any way. Many barbeque myths are so well known and so wide spread that they are more frequently passed on as truth than they are as the myths that they truly are.

For example, many people love to try to get perfect grill lines on their barbequed foods. Either straight lines, or the more fancy criss-crossed ones are often accepted as a sure sign of the expert barbeque chef. What this involves is flipping your meat, so that the lines are on the both sides. However, many people don't ever get to achieve this art form because they have fallen victim to one of the main barbeque myths. They believe that flipping or poking your grilled food makes it tough – this is a myth. In fact, flipping your meat not only creates great grill lines, but it also makes certain that you cook more evenly.

While you read up on the swath of information available for providing tips and tricks for the best results on your barbeque, make sure that your source is reliable. While some of this information is very helpful, much of it can be exaggerated or based on what the author “thinks” rather than what is actually known.

The belief that poking or flipping your food will let all of the juices out and make it tough would only work if your food was shaped exactly like a balloon – which it isn't. Meat is made up of hundreds of small cells, each filled with its own moisture and juices. Should you poke your meat with a fork while it's on the grill, you may pop one or two cells, but it won't let all of the juices out…only that of the cells you've punctured. Certainly, if you repeatedly stab and puncture your meat, many of the cells will be broken, and you'll lose a great deal of your juices, but other than in a horror movie, there really isn't any reason to treat your meat that way.

Similarly, flipping your meat doesn't let a great deal of the juices out either. After all, flipping doesn't puncture any of the cells, so as long as you don't flip it and smack it hard, then you won't lose much by the way of juices at all. Be gentle…it's already dead!

The problem with flipping your meat on the grill lies when cooks use their spatulas and other tools to squish the meat after it has been flipped, often trying to squeeze out the grease. By flattening the cells in the meat, much of the moisture and juices are pushed out, leaving the meat dry.

So flip those burgers and poke that steak! Get those grill lines just the way you want them. Your food will always be good and juicy, just like the pros do it.

About the Author:

Richard Cussons is a prolific and diverse writer. You can find out more about the origins of barbeques at www.barbecue-grill-online.com

BBQ Ideas For The Best Hot Wings You Ever Had

No matter who you are or where you're from, there is nothing better than a backyard BBQ. Or a beach BBQ. Or a State Park BBQ. Or a BBQ in someone else's backyard. Hey, they're just plain fun. Here are some great BBQ ideas for your next get-together.

Hot Wings:

These spicy little suckers are one of the best BBQ ideas ever. Nothing says, "Eatin' in the yard," like hot wings. Here's how to make up a bunch of these yummy appetizers that your crowd will really love.

What You'll Need:

• About 20 chicken wings
• Olive Oil
• ½ cup of Ketchup
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• ¼ a cup of balsamic vinegar
• 4 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons of Tabasco Sauce
• 2 teaspoons of mustard – you can use plain or Dijon
• 4 teaspoons of Worcestershire
• 2 teaspoons each of Paprika and Chili powder

What You Do:

You want to combine all of the ingredients except for the Olive Oil and the chicken. Place them all into a large mixing bowl and stir until they are thoroughly blended.

Rinse and dry the wings, and place them into a large Ziploc bag or a container with a lid. Place the mixture into the bag and shake until all of the wings are coated.

Put this in the fridge for around 4 to 6 hours. One of the greatest BBQ ideas is to start 'get together' foods like this the night before. Then they can sit in the fridge and soak up the goodness.

You want to get the grill nice and hot, and then take the wings out and throw the marinade away. Brush or spray the wings with the Olive Oil, and sear those babies on medium high heat for, oh, around 4 to 6 minutes.

After that, move them to an area of the grill where they can cook on indirect medium heat for around 8 minutes. You want to check and make sure that there is no pink remaining. This recipe makes around 6 servings. Enjoy!

You can get more recipes like this at bbqideas.net

About the Author - Want more great ideas for your next BBQ? Visit BBQ Ideas for videos, recipes and ideas to make your next BBQ unforgettable.

BBQ Season Kick-Off

Summer has began so clean off that magnificent cooking and entertaining machine that most people refer to as a grill and let's get ready for some barbecuing.

Gas or charcoal, fish, steak, chicken or burgers, summer is here so time to get things started. So before you start the first flame of the season, you'll want to think about these things before grilling.

Grill Size
If you do a lot of entertaining you want to make sure that you have enough grilling surface to cook many things at the same time. This will make your guests feel a little more comfortable if everyone eats at roughly the same time rather than in shifts.

Utensils
Do not fork your food while grilling. Piecing the food with a fork make those succulent juices escape from your steaks and will dry out your fish. Always use thongs or a spatula while grilling.

Lighter Fluid and Coals
It is okay to use a limited amount of lighter fluid to get the fire started. Some people say that lighter fluid will ruin the flavor but this is not true if you just use a limited amount to get the fire started. Briquettes made from charred wood is the best heat source. Because of their uniformed size and shape they will burn more evenly and slower.

Heat
Direct heat grilling you want your grill nice and hot. This will make cooking burgers and steaks a breeze. For indirect heat grilling low and slow is the way to go. This will take much longer to cook but the results are outstanding.

Steaks
Just about any steak tastes great off of the grill. You can try inexpensive cuts such as a juicy rib-eye or skirt steak. These have a great deal of flavor by themselves but if you smother them with BBQ sauce it will make for an outstanding BBQ experience.

BBQ Sauce is critical to your next BBQ impress your neighbors with some of these BBQ Sauce recipes.

Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, including salt and pepper, to taste, in medium bowl

Spicy BBQ Sauce

3 cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
juice of 3 lemons
3 large cloves garlic
1-2 tsp black pepper (or more to taste)
1 tbs salt (or less to taste)
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1 tbs hot red chile
1 tbs paprika
2-3 tsp Tabasco (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Combine everything in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is the thickness you want. Be sure not to let the mixture come to a boil, though, it ruins the flavor. To get it to a state where it sticks to the ribs without help usually takes me about 45-70 min over a gentle boil.

About the Author - At InsaneChicken's Hot Sauce Store Chris McCarthy will help you explore the world of gourmet hot sauce and bbq sauce

BBQ Grills

Barbecue grills have a certain romance associated with them. They conjure visions of cooking outdoors on a summer evening. Even when used indoors, these grills give your food a distinctive flavor. There are currently three kinds of grills on the market today. They are:

1. Charcoal Grills. These grills use wood or charcoal briquettes (or some combination thereof) that gives food an enhanced smoked flavor. You need, however, to take precautions that you do not burn your food over charcoal, as it is difficult to control the fire. This grill is popular as it is portable and can easily be used at gatherings of family or friends. It is especially favored by those who relish outdoor cooking, and who like to experiment with different styles of cooking. A downside to this is the rigorous cleaning that the charcoal grill needs. Cooking on one leaves a substantial greasy mess. Also, you must wait until the coals cool down before you can actually do any cleaning.

2. Gas Grills. These grills are powered by natural gas (also known as liquid propane). Unlike the charcoal grill, this grill requires only ten minutes to preheat before you start cooking, as there is a simple switch-on button that starts the heating process. Moreover, the temperature can be controlled more easily. It is also possible to cook two different foods at different temperatures. This grill is also easier to keep clean. There is, however, no gas grill that can equal a charcoal one when it comes to the taste of the food. Also, these grills are heavier, and they have to be transported more carefully in order to avoid accidents.

3. Electric Grills. These are the most convenient of all of the grills to use. They can be fired-up easily and don't require an external source of fuel, like charcoal or propane. They are also more environmentally friendly that the other grills. However, for the true connoisseur, the thrill of cooking, as well as the true taste of barbecue are lost when using this grill.

No matter what you need a grill for, or what you are planning to cook, there is a type of grill that is right for you.

Author - Barbara Williams