Labor Day 2018 Part 2

Labor Day 2018 Part 2

As we turn our calendars over to the month of September, a lot changes besides just the picture on the page.  The air changes, it starts to have a crisper feel in the mornings.  There is a hint of color showing as you travel the roads in the Northeast, no the leaves have not turned yet, but like a well trained military squad, the maples send out a few brave leafs to act as advance scouts, leading the way to a full blown fall color change.

Football is in the air, and there is no greater reason to cook outdoors than the traditional tailgate party.  Be it at the stadium or in your own back yard, Labor day and football bring families and friends together for that last blast of the summer.  Smokers and grills are put to the test as a summer of cooking is coming to a close and we all try to out do our summer best.  That perfect brisket, the juiciest chicken or that pulled pork that was just right. 

This year, after spending day one of the weekend attending the WV BBQ Festival, my son was more determined to show his smokers prowess to his family and friends who gathered to say good by to summer at his home in Harpers Ferry, WV.  I decided that this would be a great time to highlight the home smoker, that hearty bunch of men and women who sacrifice a good nights sleep to make sure that 24 hour brisket is smoked to perfection. 

Do you need the fancy store bought smoker to do the job? Nope.  Almost anything can be converted into a smoker.  I have seen trash barrels, oil drums, propane tanks and even your gas grill can be shown a whole new way to cook with just a few additions.  We started with a Weber grill and added a smoker box to it.  Using hickory and pecan pellets we smoked a beef brisket for 24 hours, a pork shoulder for 15 hours (ham) and sausage for 8 hours.

I need to tell you about this brisket, because after meeting and tasting the brisket made by the guys at Oakwood BBQ Co., my son Tony was, as the Blues Brothers said on "A mission from god" and there was no way this $100 piece of meat was going to be transformed into a "rubber brisket" (pun fully intended.  He started by dry rubbing the meat with a rub called Gunpowder from the Grill Your Ass Off Company  This is a veteran owned company from Texas that I ran into at an event and fell in love with the rubs they make.  I sent Tony a sampler pack and since then, this is his rub of choice.  Jet black in color, it makes the meat look burnt before you put it on the heat, but not to worry, the color of gunpowder combined with a perfect mix of spices makes for a brisket rub you will love.  Please make sure you check these guys out.   They have sample packs of seasoning, full bottles of your favorites as well as sauces and beef jerky.  The Bone Bag has a special place in our hearts for the military and these guys deserve our thanks and your business, you will not be disappointed.

Tony started with a whole packer brisket and after 20 hours on the smoke, he removed the meat and cut the point away from the brisket flat.  He wrapped the flat in a towel and placed it off to the side to rest.  The point was then cut into cubes and submerged in Tony's own secret burnt end sauce (recipe unknown but I did see cans of coke, brown sugar and loads of spices going in).  Put back on the heat the ends are smoked and cooked until the sauce has turned into a sticky gooey candy coating all over the meat. 

My words cannot do this justice, all I can say is that he hit a grand slam on this effort.  I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story and I will leave you with this advice, if you love the taste of smoked BBQ, than don't just eat out, step up and try it.  The web is an amazing place and so many pit masters are out there willing to share there secrets that you just need to try it.  Tony's first brisket was a complete failure, so what, it happens.  Did he give up, did he turn vegetarian?  Hell no.  He ventured head first back in to the smoke again and again.  In my opinion, he reached perfection this weekend!

Next week we are back in Massachusetts and headed for a day trip to the new MGM Casino in Springfield.  Along the way just happens to be Bubs BBQ, where pigs (at least one I know of) really do fly!  See you thru the smoke!