2011 Garry Maddox BBQ Challenge

Today will be my fourth appearance at the annual Stephen Starr - Garry Maddox BBQ Challenge, and my second year as "Easy Pickens".

So, will I once again be humbled and reminded of what a rank amateur I am in the world of competitive BBQ, or will I finally get to add "Award Winning" to my resume?

Either way, we know a fun time will be had by all.

Tommy's Coal Fired Pizza, Brick, NJ

Whenever I go to a new pizza place, with out-of-the ordinary selections, the first thing I look for is goat cheese. I love goat cheese on pizza, and with anything else for that matter. No goat cheese to be found, so points off for that.

But points back for this:

Mr. C's Jersey Shore Clam Pie
"Baby Clam, Roasted Leeks, Mozzarella & Provolone Cheese, Creme Fresh, Chopped Italian Parsley & Fresh Black Pepper"


Clams on pizza? Never had that, but it sounds good.

Also:
Black & Blue, Caesar Salad with Blackened Chicken
"Blue Cheese Crumbles & Herb Seasoned Croutons with Classic Caesar Dressing"

If I can't have goat cheese, I'll settle for blue cheese crumbs, which made the Caesar salad better than the average Caesar. I had to search high and low for a crouton, and I'm not sure I found one, because the chicken chunks were cut to the size and shape of croutons.

As for the pizza, the crust was a bit on the soggy side, perhaps due to the clam juice. Otherwise, it was an interesting flavor I hadn't tasted on a pizza before.

The service was pleasant and attentive, but the pizza came too soon while we were still working on the salads.

Note to Tommy: Get a pizza with goat cheese on the menu, and I'll be back.

Tommy's Coal Fired Pizza
515 Rt 70
Brick, NJ 08723
(732) 262-5180
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Easy Pickens BBQ & More is a family operated  barbecue team and catering service, serving South Jersey and the greater Delaware Valley. We specialize in ribs, chicken, and beef, smoked or grilled to perfection according to your tastes. "& More" means we are more than just barbecue; we offer a variety of Italian and Southern comfort foods, as well as desserts.
Are you planning a cook-out? Let us do the work while you relax and entertain.

What's in a word? Are You Barbecuing or Grilling?

With Father's Day approaching, we are hearing and seeing the usual commercials about Dad "barbecuing" in the back yard.

When Dad (or anyone else) stands at the propane grill, and cooks burgers, steaks, hot dogs, or whatever, that is called grilling, not barbecuing. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Grilling is great, and fun, but call it what it is.

And if I have to explain the difference between barbecuing and grilling to you, you'll never understand.

So, there's my (mild) rant for today.

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!

Beef Rib Roast on the Weber Kettle

Here's how I made my rib roast on the Weber. It's easy!

First, make your fire. Always use a chimney, not lighter fluid, to light your coals. Place an aluminum pan filled with water (or some other liquid) to one side of the kettle, light the fire on the other side.

Once the coals are red hot, spread them out and place a few, but not too many, small wood chunks on the coals. In this case I used mesquite.

Place the roast, fat side up, over the water-filled pan. Season however you like. I used Grill-Mates Montreal Steak seasoning.

Cook about 20 minutes per pound, then >IMPORTANT< check the internal temperature. With beef, there is very little margin for error if you want it anything other than well-done. A meat thermometer is absolutely essential. Personally, I like my beef medium-rare.

Once the internal temperature approaches 130 degrees, remove, place in a pan, and cover with foil for about 15 minutes. In this case, the roast came out came out just a bit more done than I would have liked, but it was tasty nonetheless.

Keep in mind the meat continues to cook after removal.

Remove the foil, slice and enjoy!

Easy Pickens BBQ & More is a family operated  barbecue team and catering service, serving South Jersey and the greater Delaware Valley. We specialize in ribs, chicken, and beef, smoked or grilled to perfection according to your tastes. "& More" means we are more than just barbecue; we offer a variety of Italian and Southern comfort foods, as well as desserts.

Are you planning a cook-out? Let us do the work while you relax and entertain.

Leg of Lamb on the Weber

So, I'm a few weeks late getting this posted, but you can cook lamb anytime, not just on Easter.

We had a full array of other stuff on our Easter menu but we had good weather and I wanted lamb, so I picked up a small boneless trussed leg of lamb to cook for myself, about four pounds.





Here's how you do it:

On the Weber "kettle", place an aluminum pan, which you can get from a dollar store, on one side. Light the charcoal on the other side. (Always use a chimney, not lighter fluid, to light your coals). Fill the pan with water, or some other liquid. 

Make a paste using olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. Coat the lamb with the paste using a brush.

Once the coals are red hot, place the lamb over the pan. This is the indirect heat cooking method. If you want you can place some wood on the coals to make smoke; just don't put too much.

Cover and cook about 20-25 minutes per pound until internal temperature should be 140 for medium.

Slice and enjoy!

Easy Pickens BBQ & More is a family operated  barbecue team and catering service, serving South Jersey and the greater Delaware Valley. We specialize in ribs, chicken, and beef, smoked or grilled to perfection according to your tastes. "& More" means we are more than just barbecue; we offer a variety of Italian and Southern comfort foods, as well as desserts. 
Are you planning a cook-out? Let us do the work while you relax and entertain.

The Education of a Backyard BBQer

Along with the launch of the Easy Pickens Food Blog, I am pleased to announce the launch of the Easy Pickens BBQ & More YouTube Channel.

Three years ago, on Memorial Day weekend, I used my Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker (the "Bullet") for the first time. I also had just bought a new camera, with video capability, so I decided to capture the maiden voyage of the bullet on video.

What I learned after posting this video is how utterly clueless I was about how to use this device and cooking ribs in general. Among my mistakes:

• Using way too much wood
• Not trimming the ribs properly
• Filling the water bowl outside the smoker and trying to drop it in the hot smoker (good way to burn your hands)
• Finishing in the propane grill (totally unnecessary)
• Not using a rib rack

The video was originally released on the jeffpickens YouTube channel in four parts, as I did not have the software or skills to string the four videos together. Finally, three years on, I was able to string the four parts into one video and add rudimentary titles.

Watch, enjoy, comment, critique, and please subscribe!

Best BBQ Joint in NJ? My own backyard!

Since I got my Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker, known to aficiandos as "The Bullet", the best BBQ is the kind I make myself.

When I used the Bullet for the first time, I made some videos of the event and put them on YouTube. Viewers of the videos were very generous in their advice and critisisms, for which I was very grateful, as they were instrumental in helping me get to know my equipment and improve my techniques. I posted a link to the videos on some BBQ discussion forums, and got some excellent advice as a result. So, if any of you guys on the "boards" are reading this, thank you!

So, if you have a backyard, go get yourself a smoker, and with some practice you can make the best BBQ yourself!

Easy Pickens BBQ & More is a family-based barbecue team and catering service, serving South Jersey and the greater Delaware Valley. We specialize in ribs, chicken, and beef, smoked or grilled to perfection according to your tastes. "& More" means we are more than just barbecue; we offer a variety of Italian and Southern comfort foods, as well as desserts. 
Are you planning a cook-out? Let us do the work while you relax and entertain.

Sausage and Peppers

This year's garden has been a mixed bag - great crop of cucumbers and zucchini early in the season, some good cherry tomatoes, and some not so good regular and plum tomatoes. I think that something's getting at the tomatoes (squirrels? birds?) just as they turn red and before I can pick them.

One pleasant surprise, however, have been the green peppers. I have tried every year to grow green peppers, but have never been successful until this year. I have had lots of them, all edible and delicious.

This morning I picked a bunch, and discovered we had some Italian sausage in the freezer, so I decided to bring some of the Jersey Shore boardwalk into my house and make sausage and peppers for lunch.

Sausage & Peppers

To pierce or not to pierce?

Most cookbooks will tell you not to pierce sausage before you cook it, because the juices run out, but guess what? If you don't pierce them, the skin splits and the juices run anyway, so go ahead and pierce.

Cook the sausages first in a skillet. Get them good and brown on each side and try not to burn them. Then turn the heat way low, cover, and cook for about 5-10 minutes on each side until they're cooked through.

Take the sausages out of the skillet and set aside.

Slice the green peppers (and onion if you want) long-ways. Cook in the same skillet, in the sausage fat, at high heat, tossing often to prevent burning. Cook until soft.

Return the sausages to the skillet and mix thoroughly with the peppers and onions. Cover and let sit until ready to eat.

Best served on a good Italian roll.

Easy Pickens BBQ & More is a family-based barbecue team and catering service, serving South Jersey and the greater Delaware Valley. We specialize in ribs, chicken, and beef, smoked or grilled to perfection according to your tastes. "& More" means we are more than just barbecue; we offer a variety of Italian and Southern comfort foods, as well as desserts. 
Are you planning a cook-out? Let us do the work while you relax and entertain.

Oven "Fried" Chicken

Great news for those of you out there who made a New Years resolution to try to be more like me. From time to time I will post some of my best recipes (cooking suggestions may be a better description).

Installment #1 was my Red Beans & Rice.

And now, Oven "Fried" Chicken, which I made last week, with the assistance of my colleague Ian S., for the families at the Ronald McDonald House in Camden, NJ. Sort of like a home-made Shake n Bake.

OVEN "FRIED" CHICKEN

Ingredients:

• Chicken parts (with or without skin, your choice)
• Bread crumbs
• Corn meal
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika
• Optional seasonings: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix 3 parts breadcrumbs with 1 part cornmeal in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper, paprika, and other seasonings as you like. The amounts will depend on how many chicken parts you are cooking. It is not an exact science.

Thoroughly mix the breadcrumb/cornmeal/seasoning mixture. Wet the chicken pieces under a running faucet and place them, a few at a time, in the mixture. Make sure each piece is completely covered with the mixture and place on a large cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Check for doneness before removing. You may also want to raise the temperature for a few minutes at the end to brown the chicken pieces. Just remember to take them out before you burn them.

That's it - a simple way to make very delicious chicken.

Easy Pickens BBQ & More is a family-based barbecue team and catering service, serving South Jersey and the greater Delaware Valley. We specialize in ribs, chicken, and beef, smoked or grilled to perfection according to your tastes. "& More" means we are more than just barbecue; we offer a variety of Italian and Southern comfort foods, as well as desserts. 
Are you planning a cook-out? Let us do the work while you relax and entertain.

Red Beans and Rice

Do you smell that? It's ham hocks, son. Nothing else on the world smells like that. I love the smell of ham hocks in the morning!

 

It is a New Years Day tradition for me to make Red Beans and Rice. Southern tradition calls for black-eyed peas and some form of pork and greens to bring good luck in the new year. I have nothing against black-eyed peas, but I like red beans better, so that's what I have stuck to for the past few years. Substitute rice for greens and I have my very own tradition.

My recipe is derived from the Prudhomme Family Cookbook and includes red kidney beans, smoked ham hocks, andouille, and what the great Justin Wilson used to call the "holy trinity" - uh-yuh, sell-ray, and green peppah. Until recently, andouille was not easily available in New Jersey, sow in the past I had to substitute kielbasa, but thanks to Emeril and Johnsonville, I can now use the real thing. New Orleans natives may not agree to the validity of Johnsonville andouille as "real", but where I live it will have to do.

It's a fairly simple process, soak the beans overnight, dice and sauté the onion, celery, and peppers. When the vegetables are cooked, combine with diced andouille, beans (drained), and ham hocks. Cover with just enough water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about two hours. Remove ham hocks, separate the meat from the bones, put the meat back in the pot and continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture reaches your desired thickness. Serve over rice. 

Your kitchen will smell amazing!

What are your New Years Day food traditions?

Easy Pickens BBQ & More is a family-based barbecue team and catering service, serving South Jersey and the greater Delaware Valley. We specialize in ribs, chicken, and beef, smoked or grilled to perfection according to your tastes. "& More" means we are more than just barbecue; we offer a variety of Italian and Southern comfort foods, as well as desserts. 
Are you planning a cook-out? Let us do the work while you relax and entertain.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Food Blog of Easy Pickens BBQ & More. Stay tuned for recipes and stories I know you will enjoy!