My son's high school wrestling team had a potluck dinner this week. I
figured "great! an excuse to fire
up the WSM/DigiQ"; I got a cryopack of two boneless shoulders at
Costco (I wish they'd leave the bone in,
but the price/availability can't be beat).

At 730am on the day of the potluck, I loaded the WSM with a couple of
chimney loads of Original Charcoal
Company Rancher lump briquettes, a few big pieces of Lazarri lump I
had sitting around, and a double
handful of hickory chips. I sparked a briquette or two with a propane
torch and let the DigiQ take over;
since I was up against a hard deadline (needed to leave around 530pm
for the potluck), I set the DigiQ
to 275F. The pit started smoking nicely almost right away, and ramped
up to 275 over the next 90
minutes or so.

I checked the pit temperature a couple of times an hour, but otherwise
didn't pay much attention.
This is to say, I didn't lift the lid at all. Just let the cooker
cook.

By 445pm, the meat was over 180F; I took the shoulders out at 530pm at
188F. I pulled one,
which was just about right - though the very center was a little more
work to pull than I would
have liked. Bark was nice, mixed in well, and off to school we went
with 6 lbs of pork
in a pan.

I don't mix any sauce into the meat, I offer it on the side for people
that just can't live
without it and always hope that people would taste my cooking before
they slather it
with something. There was a lot of food at this potluck; wrestlers
like to eat in the
off-season when they're not worried about making weight. There was at
least one
other pan of pork (Hawaiian style kalua pua'a from a local Hawaiian
joint), and I wondered
if I'd be taking left-overs home.

Well, not to worry; my pan was empty long before people went back for
thirds, and
no one, not a person, opened that bottle of KC Masterpiece. The pan
of kalua pua'a
was tasty, but had plenty left.

Talk about feeling good - I took home an empty pan and an unopened
bottle
of sauce.

Dana

On Mar 14, 12:11 pm, Dana wrote:

SNIP

Well, not to worry; my pan was empty long before people went back for
thirds, and
no one, not a person, opened that bottle of KC Masterpiece. The pan
of kalua pua'a
was tasty, but had plenty left.

Talk about feeling good - I took home an empty pan and an unopened
bottle
of sauce.

A testament to your good cooking, no doubt. It's great when you get
your cooking where you want it and you like it. But it's also a
pretty good feeling to have others feel the same way.

With all of the pork gone and no alterations to your recipe, I'd say
you hit the mark!

Robert

Dana wrote:
My son's high school wrestling team had a potluck dinner this week. I
figured "great! an excuse to fire
up the WSM/DigiQ";
[ . . . ]
Talk about feeling good - I took home an empty pan and an unopened
bottle of sauce.

Great, Dana. Nice braggin' rights!

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!
I've known US vets who served as far back as the Spanish American War. They
are all my heroes! Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not
forgotten. Thanks ! ! ~Semper Fi~

On Mar 14, 4:18 pm, Nick Cramer wrote:
Dana wrote:
My son's high school wrestling team had a potluck dinner this week. I
figured "great! an excuse to fire
up the WSM/DigiQ";
[ . . . ]
Talk about feeling good - I took home an empty pan and an unopened
bottle of sauce.

Great, Dana. Nice braggin' rights!

Nick and Robert - thanks!

Dana

On Mar 14, 6:10 pm, "Nunya Bidnits" wrote:
"Dana" wrote in message

...

My son's high school wrestling team had a potluck dinner this week. I
figured "great! an excuse to fire
up the WSM/DigiQ"; I got a cryopack of two boneless shoulders at
Costco (I wish they'd leave the bone in,
but the price/availability can't be beat).

How come you want the bone in if its just as cheap with it already taken
out? I often cut out the bone before I cook, I get more surface to season,
and can roll it, or lay it out flat, depending on how I want to finish it,
and how long I have to do it, and either way get a very consistent control
over heat penetration. I haven't found an appreciable taste difference, as
long as a reasonable thickness of the fat cap stays in place on the meat.

Perhaps it's more like superstition, but I've always thought meat
cooked
bone-in just tastes a little better, though I can't describe it. Yes,
the fat
cap is crucial.

There was at least one other pan of pork (Hawaiian style kalua pua'a from a
local Hawaiian
joint), and I wondered if I'd be taking left-overs home.

Where do you live, I am wondering if its the Hawaiian restaurant that was
featured on FN recently. He was showing off how he does his pulled pork
Hawaiian style.

Solano County, just west of Napa. The kalua pua'a was from L&L
Hawaiian
Barbecue, a chain of Hawaiian joints that are good and consistent.

no one, not a person, opened that bottle of KC Masterpiece.

Merciful, that. Nasty stuff IMO that wouldn't compliment the flavor of a
good pulled pork. Congrats on impressing the crowd and going home empty
handed! (But I bet I got a sauce you can mix into a pull *very* sparingly
that you might actually like!)

I've found that KC Masterpiece seems to be pretty much what people are
looking for when they think they want "BBQ sauce" and tend to get
confused
if you offer them something more sophisticated :-)

You have a pointer to recipe for that sauce?

Thanks -
Dana

"Dana" wrote in message
...
My son's high school wrestling team had a potluck dinner this week. I
figured "great! an excuse to fire
up the WSM/DigiQ"; I got a cryopack of two boneless shoulders at
Costco (I wish they'd leave the bone in,
but the price/availability can't be beat).

How come you want the bone in if its just as cheap with it already taken
out? I often cut out the bone before I cook, I get more surface to season,
and can roll it, or lay it out flat, depending on how I want to finish it,
and how long I have to do it, and either way get a very consistent control
over heat penetration. I haven't found an appreciable taste difference, as
long as a reasonable thickness of the fat cap stays in place on the meat.

There was at least one other pan of pork (Hawaiian style kalua pua'a from a
local Hawaiian
joint), and I wondered if I'd be taking left-overs home.

Where do you live, I am wondering if its the Hawaiian restaurant that was
featured on FN recently. He was showing off how he does his pulled pork
Hawaiian style.

no one, not a person, opened that bottle of KC Masterpiece.

Merciful, that. Nasty stuff IMO that wouldn't compliment the flavor of a
good pulled pork. Congrats on impressing the crowd and going home empty
handed! (But I bet I got a sauce you can mix into a pull *very* sparingly
that you might actually like!)


MartyB in KC

On 14-Mar-2008, Dana wrote:

My son's high school wrestling team had a potluck dinner this week. I
figured "great! an excuse to fire
up the WSM/DigiQ";

snip

Well, not to worry; my pan was empty long before people went back for
thirds, and
no one, not a person, opened that bottle of KC Masterpiece. The pan
of kalua pua'a
was tasty, but had plenty left.

Talk about feeling good - I took home an empty pan and an unopened
bottle
of sauce.

Dana

Good on ya Dana. I always marvel at how good I feel watching folks
inhale my hard earned money. The crowd I feed most often though are
all hard boiled sauce devotees. They use whatever food is at hand
merely as a vehicle to inhale whatever sauce is available. They like
good "Q" and they even like good sauce, but when push comes to
shove they'll eat all the sauce available. Oh, they eat all of the food
too, but they sure like that sauce.

Glad you're happy with your WSM. I'm still cruising along with my
NB Silver and have no desire to change.

--
Brick(Youth is wasted on young people)

On Mar 14, 10:09 pm, "Brick" wrote:
On 14-Mar-2008, Dana wrote:

My son's high school wrestling team had a potluck dinner this week. I
figured "great! an excuse to fire
up the WSM/DigiQ";

snip

Well, not to worry; my pan was empty long before people went back for
thirds, and
no one, not a person, opened that bottle of KC Masterpiece. The pan
of kalua pua'a
was tasty, but had plenty left.

Talk about feeling good - I took home an empty pan and an unopened
bottle
of sauce.

Dana

Good on ya Dana. I always marvel at how good I feel watching folks
inhale my hard earned money. The crowd I feed most often though are
all hard boiled sauce devotees. They use whatever food is at hand
merely as a vehicle to inhale whatever sauce is available. They like
good "Q" and they even like good sauce, but when push comes to
shove they'll eat all the sauce available. Oh, they eat all of the food
too, but they sure like that sauce.

My oldest, she thinks of french fries as an excuse to eat ketchup.
My youngest, she thinks of chicken nuggets as an excuse to eat
ranch dressing and KC Masterpiece.
You can't tell kids a damn thing sometimes.

On the other hand, I suspect I had the best deal on food
for that potluck; I brought way more meat than I needed to,
for a total cost of *maybe* $12 and scant little time preparing
it.

Speaking of time, you ever notice how some people take a
perverse pleasure in making good Q look difficult? Marinating,
rubbing, wrapping, mopping, sopping, turning, watching the
temperature like a hawk, etc.

I applied the rub, fired the cooker up, put the meat in, and
started the DigiQ. I didn't see that meat again, didn't lift the
cover, until I took it out and pulled it and served it.

Glad you're happy with your WSM. I'm still cruising along with my
NB Silver and have no desire to change.

I'll always have a soft spot for my Silver; I learned a lot with that
cooker.

Dana

"Dana" wrote

I've found that KC Masterpiece seems to be pretty much what people are
looking for when they think they want "BBQ sauce" and tend to get
confused
if you offer them something more sophisticated :-)

You have a pointer to recipe for that sauce?

Thanks -
Dana

Well right now, I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you. Its
actually in a product development stage, looking for a good processor and
getting the necessary licenses, etc. But I can recommend a store with an
amazing cross section of excellent sauces, many KC based, which also has an
on line store, http://www.thekansascitybbqstore.com/ . Also if you get the
book Smoke and Spice (Jameson) it has some very good approximations of
legendary KC restaurant proprietary sauces from over the years.

Although I will give you this one off the cuff from memory, lots of time I
just throw stuff I know tastes good at a pot and heat it up, but anything in
there is variable according to taste and results. I start with a few basic
ingredients, at the top, and then just experiment. My girlfriend says its
like a mad scientist is in the kitchen, and she mutters something about
sauce liquids and powders and goos being everywhere anything could possibly
splatter. Anyway I have put together a sort of "starter kit" below. If you
come up with a sauce mix you like, then next try experimenting around by
dropping out the liquids, adding some salt and probably more sugar, to come
up with a complimentary rub. Or just a little bit of liquids, to make a
gooey rub, or slather. I find that the way to make a sauce tasty and
complimentary to your barbecue is to have some continuity in the seasoning
ingredients all the way from rub to table sauce. You can approach it vice
versa too, where if you already have a rub you like with a distinctive
flavor, try using those seasonings to flavor a sauce. Anyway you can start
like so, mixing your own:

Butter 1 stick
Worcestershire sauce 1 cup
Brown sugar 1 cup
tomato paste 1 little can
ketchup 5 cups
cider vinegar 1 1/2 cups
molasses (light only)
chile powder
celery salt
black pepper
(chipotle powder) to taste for heat and smokiness
comino ground
smoked paprika
mustard, prepared, specialty, or powered
garlic or garlic powder

Note two ingredients not present: Salt and liquid smoke. You might find you
want your sauce more salty. I urge you not to put in salt until the sauce is
otherwise finished, since you may have a number of strongly flavored
ingredients. When said and done you may very well find the salt you were
tempted to add is not needed. But if it is, put it in last after the sauce
has rested. As far as liquid smoke, that nasty stuff is not necessary. Two
ingredients above add smoke flavor in a more natural way, without the
chemical overtones, those being the chipotle and smoked paprika powders.

Simmer it a while till the flavors meld, reseason to taste if desired, then
refrigerate it at least overnight for best flavor development. Serve room
temp or warmed up.

Fiddle with proportions until you is happy. More or less ketchup especially
will control how strong the flavor is. Less ketchup and more mustard will
obviously skew the result towards a mustard based rather than a tomato base.
I recommend molasses be used very sparingly in the light form only, but some
people love that sulphury flavor, and if so, you can get the dark stuff and
go crazy. For more savory sauce, less brown sugar, and sweeter, obviously,
more. Also I prefer brown sugar to white or to syrups like corn syrup
sweetener, as I find it blends better with the other flavors for the results
I want. For thicker sauce, more tomato paste. Also use a good brand of
ketchup, I highly recommend Hunt's. You will not get the same result with
off or bulk brands. The Sam's club brand resulted in a very undesirable
texture IMO.

To spearmint for what you like, start by making a base sauce of the main
ingredients and then make small batches, varying them with proportions of
the above or anything else you think might taste good. There are no rules.
Label each small batch, writing down what you put in them. Pretty soon you
will come up with what works for you and the folks you feed.

Of course this may sound like a lot of work to some folks, in which case use
the link above and you'll find every kind of high quality sauce your heart
could desire.

MartyB in KC

On Mar 15, 12:37 pm, "Nunya Bidnits" wrote:

Anyway you can start like so, mixing your own:

Marty - thanks for some great ideas and pointers. I may
have to give it a whirl this summer.

I appreciate what you're saying about brown vs. white sugar,
I believe brown sugar is basically white sugar with some left-
over molasses - which may explain why it works better in
BBQ rubs/sauces.

Thanks again,
Dana

On 15-Mar-2008, Dana wrote:

On Mar 14, 10:09 pm, "Brick" wrote:
On 14-Mar-2008, Dana wrote:


snip


Good on ya Dana. I always marvel at how good I feel watching folks
inhale my hard earned money. The crowd I feed most often though are
all hard boiled sauce devotees. They use whatever food is at hand
merely as a vehicle to inhale whatever sauce is available. They like
good "Q" and they even like good sauce, but when push comes to
shove they'll eat all the sauce available. Oh, they eat all of the food
too, but they sure like that sauce.

My oldest, she thinks of french fries as an excuse to eat ketchup.
My youngest, she thinks of chicken nuggets as an excuse to eat
ranch dressing and KC Masterpiece.
You can't tell kids a damn thing sometimes.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Except in my case some of the
kids are in their 30's.


On the other hand, I suspect I had the best deal on food
for that potluck; I brought way more meat than I needed to,
for a total cost of *maybe* $12 and scant little time preparing
it.

I had a tendency to take way more then my fair share to the party,
but I've since backed off to a more meaningful level. I've seen some
of the folks stop by a deli when they were running late and lay down
$100 or more to feed the party.


Speaking of time, you ever notice how some people take a
perverse pleasure in making good Q look difficult? Marinating,
rubbing, wrapping, mopping, sopping, turning, watching the
temperature like a hawk, etc.

I applied the rub, fired the cooker up, put the meat in, and
started the DigiQ. I didn't see that meat again, didn't lift the
cover, until I took it out and pulled it and served it.

Ditto: That's my exact game plan. I'm sure some of the folks make
better 'Q' then I do. But of the one's
I know that do, they mess with their food no more then I do and
probably less if somebody actually timed them.


Glad you're happy with your WSM. I'm still cruising along with my
NB Silver and have no desire to change.

I'll always have a soft spot for my Silver; I learned a lot with that
cooker.

Dana

Well, I'm not going to forget your explanation of the minion method
for the Silver. I have way less aggravation with it and I swear I actually
use less fuel. Of course "less fuel" is a rather relative term when applied
to an offset like the Silver.

--
Brick(You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without
holding on.)

On Mar 15, 8:25 pm, "Brick" wrote:
On 15-Mar-2008, Dana wrote:

Speaking of time, you ever notice how some people take a
perverse pleasure in making good Q look difficult? Marinating,
rubbing, wrapping, mopping, sopping, turning, watching the
temperature like a hawk, etc.

I applied the rub, fired the cooker up, put the meat in, and
started the DigiQ. I didn't see that meat again, didn't lift the
cover, until I took it out and pulled it and served it.

Ditto: That's my exact game plan. I'm sure some of the folks make
better 'Q' then I do. But of the one's
I know that do, they mess with their food no more then I do and
probably less if somebody actually timed them.

It's a Zen lesson, but I've come to believe that BBQ in general is a
Zen lesson. Until you get the right mindset, BBQ is stressful and
the results unsatisfying, then the day comes where you realize
the stress is not just gone, but the act of cooking is oddly
relaxing - and the results are gratifying.

Glad you're happy with your WSM. I'm still cruising along with my
NB Silver and have no desire to change.

I'll always have a soft spot for my Silver; I learned a lot with that
cooker.

Dana

Well, I'm not going to forget your explanation of the minion method
for the Silver. I have way less aggravation with it and I swear I actually
use less fuel. Of course "less fuel" is a rather relative term when applied
to an offset like the Silver.

Absolutely; learning how to manage a fire was the Big Deal
with my Silver. The experience was invaluable - it's really basic
education.

Dana

On 16-Mar-2008, Dana wrote:

On Mar 15, 8:25 pm, "Brick" wrote:
On 15-Mar-2008, Dana wrote:

snip

Ditto: That's my exact game plan. I'm sure some of the folks make
better 'Q' then I do. But of the one's
I know that do, they mess with their food no more then I do and
probably less if somebody actually timed them.

It's a Zen lesson, but I've come to believe that BBQ in general is a
Zen lesson. Until you get the right mindset, BBQ is stressful and
the results unsatisfying, then the day comes where you realize
the stress is not just gone, but the act of cooking is oddly
relaxing - and the results are gratifying.

That's pretty much describes the phases I went through. I sure don't
want to do the first year over again. But anymore, I spend most of
my pit time infront of my livingroom TV. Sometime during the second
or third commercial, I'll stand up long enough to peer out my patio
door to see what the dome therm is doing on my cooker. It doesn't
go up anymore, so I only have to react if and when it goes down.
That means it needs some more fuel. That takes about three minutes
tops from the time I open the patio door until I am back in my TV
chair. The fuel is in a five gallon bucket and only needs to be liften
and tilted a bit to dump some fresh fuel on the fire. That's it. I don't
mess with spreading it around. If it's pretty late in the cook, I might
tap the grate a few times to shake ash down before adding the fuel.

I use probe therms in the big pieces of meat so I don't have to keep
messing with them before they're done. For butts, anywhere between
185°F and 200°F suits me. Pretty much the same for brisket and
chuck roast. Ribs I judge by looks and feel.

snip some more

Well, I'm not going to forget your explanation of the minion method
for the Silver. I have way less aggravation with it and I swear I
actually
use less fuel. Of course "less fuel" is a rather relative term when
applied
to an offset like the Silver.

Absolutely; learning how to manage a fire was the Big Deal
with my Silver. The experience was invaluable - it's really basic
education.

Dana

If I was a real masochist, I would burn nothing but wood. It can
be done in the Silver, but the effort required is kind of hard to
justify. If I cut everything into double fistsized chunks, I think
I could maintain a clean fire over a long cook, but there's no way
I could go 3 hours between fuel refills with straight wood.
--
Brick(Im even more normal then most normal people: George Gobel
in "The Birds and the Bee's)

On Mar 16, 8:46 pm, "Brick" wrote:

If I was a real masochist, I would burn nothing but wood. It can
be done in the Silver, but the effort required is kind of hard to
justify. If I cut everything into double fistsized chunks, I think
I could maintain a clean fire over a long cook, but there's no way
I could go 3 hours between fuel refills with straight wood.

Yeah, that'd be a lot of work. Straight wood seems to work
best in a "production" environment where you keep a wood
fire going and shovel the glowing coals out into the cooker.
Not the scale upon which I operate. :-)

Dana

"Grant Baxter" wrote in message
...
Any recommendations from anybody from this huge list of sauces from
the Kansas City BBQ Store?

grant

One that YOU think tastes good. OTOH, really good meat needs no sauce at
all. I'd use a vinegar based sauce myself but I don't have a clue what you
like.