If you are looking for some typical recipes that you can make on the grill and in your smoker then this book isn’t for you! The book really focusses on how to create an amazing and memory lasting barbecue party!

From main dishes, side dishes, appetizers, SALADS!, Soups and Sandwiches, desserts, drinks and more, Dave Anderson truly claims the title of being America’s number 1 barbecue party planner with his latest book.

One of the many aspects of the book that I really enjoyed is that the book is full of pictures taken by Dave himself.  Also the barbecue book not only provides recipes for some great barbecue food, but the book also focuses on the “barbecue and grilling lifestyle…”  ”Barbecue is America’s cuisine, America’s food, America is all about having about fire pits gatherings, and have a group of friends come  together to eat either the smoked or grilled foods that is why the whole backyard barbecue really celebrates America, and my newest book celebrates that backyard cooking traditions and atmosphere” stated Dave Anderson in a phone interview about his book.

The direction of the book was constant throughout and really focused on everything that the barbecue and grilling world has to offer. In addition to authentic pictures the book also has some great and unusual barbecue recipes such as on of my new favorites: Cherry Bombs, which really makes you think what else does Dave Anderson have up his sleeves.

Another aspect of the book that I really enjoyed was the fact that the book was easy to follow and more importantly Dave made all the recipes extremely easy to do in your own backyard which is an important part of having a great barbecue cookbook.

Overall, I really enjoyed Famous Dave’s Bar-b-cue Party Cookbook: Secrets of a BBQ Legend, it was a great barbecue book and will become one of my go to books for some great recipes for my next barbecue party! I hope that you go out and get your own copy today, because you will not be disappointed I promise you that!

Since there was major problems with the website this weekend, I didn’t get a chance to post my Photo of the Week up on Saturday.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for all my great photos and behind the scene pictures: http://www.instagram.com/grillingwithrich 

Name: Michael Fay
Location: Springfield, VA United States
BBQ Team Name: Aporkalypse Now
Twitter Handle: @Aporkalypse_Now
Website http://aporkalypsenowbbq.com
Favorite Thing about BBQ: The long sweet chase to achieve perfection in the craft.

This week I am going to be featuring a grilling dessert recipe and how to from Betty Crocker: Grilled Banana Boats. While I haven’t made this recipe yet, this will be something for sure that I am going to be making before the summer grilling season is over!

If you have a great dessert recipe or any recipe that you would like me to feature tweet us at @grillingwrich and use the hashtag #gwradventures and we will be in touch! 

Grilled Banana Boats

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

The beauty of this recipe is that it can be made for 1 or 100. Just adjust the measurements to accommodate for the number of people you are serving. The banana peel will turn black when heated. Don’t worry, the dessert will still taste wonderful.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6 ripe firm large bananas, unpeeled
• 6 tablespoons chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons miniature marshmallows
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Cut 6 (12-inch) sheets of heavy-duty foil. Heat gas or charcoal grill, or heat oven to 350°F.
2. With sharp knife, make deep lengthwise cut along inside curve of each banana, being careful not to cut all the way through. Open slit to form pocket. Crimp and shape 1 sheet of foil around each banana, forming boats.
3. Holding each banana in hand, fill pocket with 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons marshmallows and about ½ heaping teaspoon chopped pecans.
4. Return each banana to its foil boat. Seal top of foil, leaving 2 to 3 inches headspace. Place on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until marshmallows soften. Or bake 15 to 20 minutes in oven until marshmallows soften. (Can also place in campfire coals to cook.)

3.1.09

Let’s dive right into the reviews of  the authentic barbecue sauces that are made with real sugar:

• Original Recipe: I have reviewed a lot of great barbecue sauces over the past three years, and many have claimed to be an amazing barbecue sauce and more specifically authentic barbecue sauce. While I still haven’t found what specifically makes an “authentic” barbecue sauce, but if I had to define “authentic” barbecue sauce then I would put a picture of Garlands Original Recipe right next to the definition. What I really enjoyed about the sauce was the complex and great flavor profiles that you experience with this sauce. I even love the thickness of the sauce which is perfect for your brisket or even barbecue chicken. In addition to both the complex flavor profile and also the perfect thickness, I loved the smokiness of the barbecue sauce, overall the sauce was amazing.
• Country Honey:  Barbecue sauce and honey are two great combinations we all know that, so it wasn’t a surprise to see that this type of barbecue sauce had some amazing flavor profiles and had the perfect combination of everything that you would want in a sweet barbecue sauce from the perfect amount of sweetness to the perfect thickness of the sauce this barbecue sauce has to be one of my new favorite types of sauces. I think that this would work perfectly with some perfectly smoked barbecue chicken, I guess I am going to have to use this barbecue sauce this upcoming weekend when I do another practice on my barbecue chicken.
• Sweet Brown Sugar: The Sweet Brown Sugar barbecue sauce had a lot of the same flavor profiles as the country honey barbecue sauce that I also reviewed but instead of having a deep sweet taste that came from the honey, the brown sugar had a bit more of a tang to it which in my opinion was a perfect addition to the sauce. I also enjoyed the perfect combination of sweetness and the smokiness in the barbecue sauce. 
• Overall Review of the Product:  Overall, I loved the three barbecue sauces that I reviewed. Not only did each barbecue sauce have its own flavor profiles, they were all complex and also worked perfectly together. I really couldn’t find anything that was wrong with the sauce, only that I didn’t have a lot of it in my fridge for the summer! I know that I am going to have to use the sauce sparingly moving forward which is going to be a hard task to do.

A KCBS Judging Experience

We make the drive out to MD from Virginia and arrive at the Fairgrounds at around 10 a.m.  The judges have their own parking lot on the backside of the area, where we are picked up by a golf cart and driven to the judges tent.  There were 25 teams and around 30 judges.  We would be judging in this four walled tent that was dark and hot.

Needless to say, this wasnt going to work.  Several of us more industrious folk got some sides pulled up on the tent and got a nice breeze rolling through.  Had that none been done, everyone’s scores would have suffered.

I guess I was expecting more organization, although it by far wasnt disorganized.  We all took a seat at tables around the tent.  The reps then asked who the first timers were, who the master judges were, and made sure both groups were divided equally around the room.  Table captains were assigned/drafted and then we waited.

The biggest thing that I can take away from this experience is the diversity of the people in the room.  Some people were cooks as well. Some people had never cooked with a team.  When you talk about cooking to a variety of palates, that sincerely is the truth.  More on this later…

As we wait, we’re sitting there chatting.  Some people have judged close to 100 contests.  Some only a few. Some none.  Everyone is excited.  I decide to spring my plan into action.

Me:  ”I don’t know about you guys, but if I have to score something with a 6 or a lower, I’m leaving a comment card.”

Other Judge:  ”Why would you do that?”

(The trap is sprung)

Me:  ”As a cook, getting a 6 is a death sentence.  You arent going to do well in that category, and are probably screwed in th GC.  If I give a 6, there better damn well be a good reason, and the cook is owed  to know why.”

(Nods of agreement.)

Side note:  It is worth telling you that throughout all of the judging and rep procedures, everyone really stresses how much we cooks put into the process in work, time and money.  This was reiterated constantly, so that all judges would take the event very seriously.  I hope all contests are like this.

Its getting close to chicken turn in time, and I have a monster grin on my face.  My wife keeps looking at me and shaking her head, as she thinks Im ridiculous.  Im excited.  Then table captains are called to come and get the boxes.

The best thing about judging was seeing the diversity of the entries.  I was under the assumption that everyone would be turning in something similar.  That was totally incorrect.  For chicken, we saw legs and wings.  You saw baby back ribs.  Every pork box was dramatically different.  Some sweet. Some very porky.  Some brisket had burnt ends.  Some shouldn’t have.  Even the slice width on brisket varied on all sides of the spectrum.

So as I was sitting at my sister’s Memorial Day party and relaxing on the deck, she brought out a bag of chips – and they just so happen to be the Lay’s KC Masterpiece BBQ potato chips. Now not only did I get the enjoyment of relaxing and letting my sister and brother-in-law do all of the grilling, but I also got to enjoy some good old fashion Stubb’s BBQ Sauce on my chicken. AND I got BBQ potato chips! Can you say, ‘heaven’?!?!

Before I got into reviewing BBQ sauces, I never really thought about the Lay’s KC Masterpiece BBQ potato chips or how they were even a factor in my life. I ate them nonstop and I have always eaten BBQ potato chips compared to regular, no matter the brand. But then it really started to make me think even more about the combination of BBQ sauce and chips. These are just some thoughts or kitchen ideas that you come up with all of a sudden. This takes some time.

Chips are made to be dipped in French onion sauce. They are supposed to be used as regular supplements with any picnic or luncheon. They weren’t intended to be mixed or made with BBQ sauce. That wasn’t the plan. That wasn’t how it was all supposed to go down. However, things change! And boy did they change for the good.

Imagine if you had BBQ sauce used in everything you use. BBQ pickles. BBQ mustard. BBQ Pop-Tarts. BBQ eggs. Oh how my mind wonders once you put BBQ-flavored chips in front of me with a few cold beers. It is great though.
That’s why having the Lay’s KC Masterpiece BBQ potato chips has been, and always will be, a huge hit in my family. If you haven’t been able to tell by now, we are HUGE BBQ sauce fans in my household and this just adds to my addiction. I just wish that every other food item out there would follow suit! BBQ-flavored lemonade anyone for the next picnic?

While doing the review of the Weber Original™ Slider Press I wanted of course to come up with a recipe for you to try out on your own. But before I share with you the recipe, let’s get down to the actual review.  The shape and amount of the elusive slider has always given me trouble in making, you know what I am talking about right? Sometimes you put to much meat for the slider or you put too much meat to make the slider, so making a perfect slider is always something that you needs multiple attempts to create. So I am glad that Weber Grills have created a slider press to make this process a lot easier.

The Weber Original™ Slider Press is a perfect addition for your must have for your next outdoor adventure. The Weber Original™ Slider Press truly takes out the hassle of guessing what and how much meat is required to make a perfect slider. Not only does the Weber Original™ Slider Press take the guess work out of making a perfect slider but it also is super easy, and all you need to do is put the meat inside the slider press, twist and then take the meat off the press and grill up with your favorite recipe.

The only suggestion that I would make is that when you are making a slider, before you put the meat in the press, I would spray it with some non-stick spray so that the meat does not stick to the press.

There are a lot of different types of barbecue wood, wood chips on the market especially wood chips. It seems to me that every sort of barbecue company has its own wood chips which you can usually find Hickory and Mesquite as the two most popular types of wood chips, so when  Darryl told me that his product had flavors of Pecan, Peach, I was sold from the beginning. I loved how it was completely different rather than just the traditional two types of wood chips so that was a great plus. In terms of the product having a direct impact on the meat, I was a bit disappointed as I used a two handfuls and didn’t see such a big different in the smoke ring as I did using wood chunks. Now you are going to say, of course Rich, the wood chunks are bigger than wood chips, but I feel that the product especially since you are paying a hefty price for the chips should have a greater affect on the meat and also show a bigger smoke ring.

If you want to try these interesting wood chips out, I would suggest heading over to the site check them out, and then give them a try, hey if you don’t try something you will never know if you personally like the product or not.

After trying the various flavors, let us know what you think on our facebook page!

As the winningest man in barbecue, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, judge on the barbecue hit television show BBQ Pitmasters on Destination America, Myron Mixon knows a thing or two about barbecue and smoking meat than any man alive. In addition to all these great achievements, Myron is also the owner of Pride and Joy Barbecue Restaurants, in Miami and New York City.

In Everyday Barbecue Myron Mixon is on a mission to prove to home cooks everywhere that even them can make great barbecue meals any day of the week and with any type of skill level and with any type of equipment and that you don’t need the most expensive barbecue smoker no the block to make great barbecue food.

Lastly, in the book, Myron is set to prove that you can make great barbecue any time of the year and that great barbecue food isn’t just for the big holiday weekends of Memorial Day, July Fourth, and Labor Day, barbecue is really for any day you feel like cooking it.

With these seem like impossible goals set out, it was time for me to see if the is book lives up to the hype. Right before you get to the first chapter you are greeted with an easy to read and down to earth conversational tone which was surprising coming from what it seems from the television shows a hard shell. I like this Myron a lot better than the one that he portrays on T.V. He really has a great and passion for creating great barbecue and it comes through in everything that he does related to this great cooking technique. I really

I really think that Myron did a great job in accomplishing all of his goals set out in the book. When I had a chance to talk to him last week, the mission and the direction of the book was clear and set out clearly. There are so many great recipes that I enjoyed and Myron does a great job of making these recipes easily to understand and also do accomplish at your next barbecue party.

In addition to the easy breakdown of the recipes Myron does a great job of having some very different recipes such as a Bacon-Wrapped Hotdog; Barbecue Veggie Sandwiches;  Baby Back Mac and Cheese and some great desserts such as S’Mores Cheesecakes; Georgia Peach Ice Cream and some other great dish ideas.

You can win one of two copies of Everyday Barbecue: At Home with America’s Favorite Pitmaster in filling the blanks of this sentence on our Facebook page. The two most creative answers will win a copy of the book! Good Smokin’ Luck!

We all know how cocktail’s are a great part of your bbq and grilling party, so the great people at Jägermeister have sent mea great and unique recipe for: BBQ and Grilling Black Cherry & Jägermeister Baby Back Ribs Recipe 

As always, Grilling with Rich and Jägermeister encourage responsible drinking and please do not drink and drive!

Black Cherry & Jägermeister Baby Back Ribs

 

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Author: Chef Chris Santos for ägermeister

Ingredients

• 4 racks of baby back ribs
• 2 oranges, thinly sliced
• 2 red onions, peeled, thinly sliced
• 4 cups bbq sauce (see pulled pork recipe)
• 1 bunch mint, picked
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup Jägermeister
• 2–4 cups black cherry cola

Rib Rub

• ½ cup smoked black pepper
• ½ cup onion powder
• ½ cup ancho powder
• ½ cup smoked paprika
• 1 cup Sriracha (or favorite hot sauce)

Instructions

1. For the rub: Combine all of the ingredients. Rub the ribs thoroughly so that all surfaces are covered.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and heat a grill to high. Grill the ribs on both sides to create a nice char and smoky flavor.
3. In a hotel pan slice the oranges and layer the orange slices and mint leaves on top of the ribs. Stack the ribs on top of one another.
4. Combine the bbq sauce, orange juice and Jägermeister and pour over the ribs.
5. Scatter the sliced onions over the ribs and then fill the hotel pan with black cherry cola until the ribs are nearly covered.
6. Place the hotel pan on the stove over low/medium heat until the liquid comes to a simmer. Cover with parchment paper and tinfoil and simmer in the 300-degree oven for about 2–3 hours. Ribs should be tender and almost fall off of the bone.
7. Remove ribs from the liquid and place on a cooling rack.
8. Serve with additional Jägermeister bbq Sauce.

3.1.09

The E-Store will feature some of Rich’s favorite pictures of all of his bbq and grilling adventures; food; pictures of pits; city and landscapes; and so much more…

To celebrate the launch of the page, we are offering a FREE print for you to download and also a lot of great prints are on-sale! So head over to the E-store on a daily basis and give the page a look over as we are going to be adding new pictures on a daily basis!

Don’t forget to tune in every Saturday for our picture of the week and “like” Wachtel Photography on Facebook!

The Science of a Great Steak Infographics

Let us know on our facebook page what are some of your tips on making a great steak!!

Infographic via: ww.besthealthsciencedegree.com 

Grilling with Rich (GWR): How did you end up getting involved with Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube project?

DJ BBQ: I was working on a couple pilots with Jamie’s production company, Fresh One.  The first one was called ‘GRILLS, GRILLS, GRILLS’.  It was based around interviewing musicians, artists and bands around food.  I cook for them and they cook for me.  And at the end of every show, the band had to do a cover of Motley Crue’s ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ but substituting the word, “Grills”.  They could also opt to cover Jay-Z song of the same name.  No one picked it up.

We then did another pilot that was more in my realm of action sports.  That was positively received and we could be making that one next year.  Then Fresh One was approached about doing an original channel for YouTube.  They asked me if I’d like to do a show for FoodTube.  And now we’ve produced 11 videos, we have over 200,000 subscribers, and we’ve had over 150 million views. It’s only been 3 months.

GWR: You’ve proved to be one of the most popular chefs taking part in Food Tube. Do you think it is because of what you are cooking, or the unconventional way you go about cooking it?

Everyone has turned out to be popular.  And a couple of the dudes already had TV/Webshows before coming on to FoodTube.  I guess people relate to a bit of craziness and they like meat.  I’m all about cooking big hunks of meat, but saying that, my FISH TACOS recipe got a lot of love and the most positive comments from the community.

GWR: Is it dangerous cooking with fire and sharp knives when you have a habit of wearing nothing but a spandex jumpsuit?

DJ BBQ: Hells yeah!  First off, my spandex catsuits are not fire retardant.  So, it gets hot when I’m near the firebox and cooker and the outfits don’t retain heat when I’m working outdoors in the winter months.  As for knives, I’m getting some lessons.  Jamie put me in his butchery and restaurant at Barbecoa for a week.  I learned so much whilst hanging with world champion butchers and executive chefs.  Amazing!

GWR: Your smoker looks like a hollowed out steam train! Where the hell did you get that thing?

DJ BBQ: I watched too many episodes of Man Vs Food.  Seeing what they were building in the States and not being able to find the same in the UK, we had to import our smokers.  We spent last summer researching – every night for 2 months.  We ended up buying three smokers/cookers from the man who builds more championship BBQ’s than anyone else in the world – Ben Lang, of Lang’s Smokers.  His smokers are 3rd generation and he’s been making ‘em for over 25 years.  He rolls his own 1/4 inch steel.  These babies are a family heirloom.

GWR: Where is that little wood house where you choose to film many of your recipes?

DJ BBQ: That’s at a local farm.  They are lovely people and that wood hut looks so rustic.  They use it to store all their firewood.  It looks like the most Disneyworld joint for a BBQ, minus the animated squirrels.  We’ve had a lot of comments about that place.  The recipes shot at this location proved to be the most popular.  Location, Location, Location, and big hunks of meat.

GWR: What do you enjoy most about barbecuing food? What got you started?

DJ BBQ: I love working with fire and wood.  I like the primalness of cooking with the elements. It’s very caveman.  You also get much better flavour when cooking with different types of wood. I will not cook on a gas BBQ.  To me, there’s no point.  You might as well stay indoors.  My father got me started in barbecuing at the age of 8. My dad learned to barbecue from Grandpa and he passed down the knowledge to me.  There are excellent photos of Grandpa BBQ’n in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa.  Grandpa always had loads of ribs and chickens rocking at the same time.

GWR: Where do your recipes come from? Are they handed down through generations or are they your own creations?

DJ BBQ: Some recipes are handed down through the family, whilst others are developed through trial and error.  Working with Jamie and his crew has inspired me to try some new stuff.  Gennaro [Gennaro Contaldo, a respected Italian chef who also takes part in FoodTube] asked me last week: “DJ BBQ, do you cook anything else but meat on your BBQ?”  And I said I love cooking vegetables – especially potatoes.  Gennaro got all excited and taught me a recipe where you shove a piece of chicken in a carved out potato.  Add garlic, rosemary, chilli, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  I did it on Friday and it was awesome.

Yesterday, I had a chance to talk to the Winningest man in BBQ: Myron Mixon, here is the video of that interview. Stay tuned for the review of Myron’s latest book: Everyday Barbecue: At Home with America’s Favorite Pitmaster and a chance to win a copy of your own!

Besides the fact that these great smoked chicken dumplings had some amazing flavors, it is also a perfect meal to create with some leftovers from your latest smoked chicken adventure rather than just throwing away the leftovers.  Even though this Grilling with Rich original recipe might be somewhat lengthily if done correctly it will be worth the wait at the end and is sure going to impress your friends and family, I hope that you enjoy this recipe!

Smoked Chicken Dumplings

 

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Author: Richard Wachtel

Ingredients

• Smoked Chicken
• 1 package of Dumpling Wrappers
• 1 Chive branch
• Soy Sauce
• 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil

Instructions

1. After smoking your whole chicken, if you have leftovers, cut the leftovers into small pieces and place to the side.
2. Heat up your grill, place a pot on the grill with water.
3. While the water is heating up, use the leftover chicken and dip them into some soy sauce and chop the chives and using the dumpling wraps create the dumplings.
4. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, get out your steamer and place the dumplings in the steamer for about 10mins until they are nicely steamed.
5. While the dumplings are getting steamed, in a frying pan, add olive oil and heat.
6. Once the dumplings have been steamed, place the dumplings into the frying pan, and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until nice and golden brown on both sides of the dumplings.
7. Serve and Enjoy!

3.1.09

I have had a real chance to think about my experience at Louie Mueller BBQ located in Taylor Texas from the end of last month. Being a month removed from my great Texas experience, I have done some serious thoughts on what makes Texas barbecue not only great but very different from the other regions of barbecue throughout the country.

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME OF GRILLING WITH RICH’S PICTURES OF HIS TRIP TO LOUIE MUELLER BBQ

My first Texan barbecue experience was at Louie Mueller BBQ located in Taylor Texas, and just as Wayne said when we had a very long conversation about barbecue, “Louie Mueller BBQ is a life changing experience,” and I couldn’t agree more with this statement. Before I get into why I believe that to be true, I wanted to give you a bit of background on Louie Mueller BBQ if you are new to Texan Barbecue.

Founded in 1949 by Louie Muller which at first was a restaurant and grocery store. In 1959, Louie Muller moved his restaurant to its current location in Taylor. Since the move in 1959, Louie Mueller BBQ has alot of great accomplishments such as Bobby Mueller winning a James Beard Award in May of 2006 and in 2008 Louie Mueller Barbecue is awarded “Official best Barbecue in Texas.” In addition to winning various awards, Louie Mueller BBQ has been the location of choice for many hollywood films such as “The Rookie,”  “Flesh and Bones,”  and “Hot Spot”

With some basic background out of the way about Louie Mueller BBQ, for this barbecue review, I am not going to be doing the normal review, but I think that I am going to be talking overall about my life changing experience. Just like what I had at the Salt Lick Barbecue, Louie Mueller is not only about the food, but also about the actual experience from the smoked filled business card wall, to the famous brick pit in the back, Louie Mueller Barbecue is filled with rich Texan Barbecue history and also just barbecue history. I am sure that at the table that I was sitting at, pitmasters, barbecue writers and also the top of the line food writers and most importantly families have gathered together for their own life changing experience.

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME OF GRILLING WITH RICH’S PICTURES OF HIS TRIP TO LOUIE MUELLER BBQ

Up until arriving at Louie Mueller, Texan Barbecue was just something that my friends on Twitter and also facebook have talked about and also encouraged me to have a first hand experience.  Walking into this barbecue mecca often described as a “cathedral of smoke,”  as described in the latest Texas Monthly Louie Mueller Barbecue has all the : “trappings of organized religion… the sacramental offerings, the priesthood in their ecclesiastical red apron-robes, and even the disciples…” and they couldn’t be more spot on. Along with the trappings, the legendary smoked stained business card wall is biggest display of how many visitors have come to “pray” at this “cathedral of smoke.”

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME OF GRILLING WITH RICH’S PICTURES OF HIS TRIP TO LOUIE MUELLER BBQ

Rich eating Louie Mueller Beef Ribs

Ever since feasting on Wayne’s smoked brisket, burnt ends, beef ribs, sausages of all different flavors, I have not been able to get these great foods off my mind and wanting even more than ever to try to even come close to re-creating the type of meats. From the perfectly smoked brisket and the burnt ends or as Wayne described them to me as: “Black Gold,” perfecting a barbecue brisket as truly become a part-time obsession of mine. Not only was the brisket perfectly smoked it was packed with complex flavors an experience that everyone must have.  In addition to the amazing brisket, the beef ribs were just another piece of the amazing puzzle of flavors that I experienced at Louie Mueller’s Barbecue. They were not only huge but they were perfectly smoked with just the right about of rub, there isn’t a sauce on the market that could even go along with this type of barbecue beef ribs.

Not only was the meal amazing, but even having the chance to interact and talk about barbecue, and also seeing Wayne’s passion for barbecue come through during our walk was just an added pleasure of the trip. I also had the experience of having Wayne show me how he cuts a brisket and preps it for the next day, it brought me back to my hebrew school days of the Rabbi teaching me hebrew and not even flinching as he seeminglessly went through the most difficult parts of the hebrew he was teaching me. Wayne effortlessly walked me through his cutting process all while answering questions and letting me take a lot of pictures of him doing so, I must say that it was truly a privilege to be able to sit back and watch one of the greats at work.

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME OF GRILLING WITH RICH’S PICTURES OF HIS TRIP TO LOUIE MUELLER BBQ

After I left Taylor Texas and also left Texas, and while I was looking over my photos that I took on the trip, I came to the realization that the first part of my barbecue “life” has been completed and now I am on a new journey. That new journey started at Louie Mueller’s and I hope that one day, I will get a chance to make going to Louie Mueller an annual pilgrimage to the  ”Cathedral of Smoke,” because Louie Mueller isn’t just a restaurant or a point on a Texas Barbecue Map, it is to me THE PLACE OF WHERE DREAMS  START…

For those who are like me and watch a lot of barbecue competition television shows, the format of this show should seem very familiar. The reason why the format of the show might be familiar is because it is the same format of BBQ Pitmasters’ season’s 2 and 3, where various barbecue competition teams are pitted against each other and compete in a certain protein. Half way through the competition then a different “sidewinder” or in this case a “backyard bbq dish” is introduced and the competitors turn in additional meal. In the case of “Smoked” the competitors were told that they had to make a one-bite challenge with the winner getting an edge in the final competition, so the show had a very familiar format.

I believe that this might be best type of format and where the show easily moves along. In addition to the familiar format of this show, it is also a great way to pick up a tip or two for the average backyard BBQ’er or even those who compete on a weekly basis. I particularly loved the two competitors: Myron Mixon and Moe Cason.

It seems that Myron has become a staple participant in every barbecue show on television lately and is always enjoyable to watch. Moe Cason from Ponderosa BBQ located in Des Moines, IA was the perfect complement to Myron’s great personality, the show couldn’t have picked some great competitors for the first show. I also can’t wait to see who else they pick to go up against top pitmasters as Tuffy Stone and Johnny Trigg. I think that a main component of a great show is obviously the personalities of the competitors.

Just as important to the competitors is also the the actual judges of the competition, this is where I would have liked to see some more diversity. Don’t get me wrong: Dr. BBQ aka Ray Lampe, Amy Mills from the 17th Street Bar and Grill, and Top Chef finalist Kevin Gillespie had some serious food credentials, but I would have liked to see some up and coming barbecue writer be on the judging panel instead of Kevin. Don’t get me wrong I am a big fan of Top Chef and also from a distance see how much passion Kevin has for both food and also bacon, but I couldn’t see him really getting the finer points of barbecue competition food fair . I think that is a very important aspect of the show, is having judges who truly understand the processes behind putting together this type of food which is obviously very different than barbecue food that you would get served at a restaurant.

Overall, the show has a lot of potential and it would be great to see if the show gets picked up for a full season, and also what type of challenges, challengers and BBQ legends get chosen to participate. Also, the show needs to make their stamp on the barbecue world by doing something a bit different and something special that only is on their show.  I am looking forward to seeing if the show gets picked up and see if the producers take my suggestions!

Did you see the show? If so, what did you think of the show? Let me know in the comment section below or tweet me at @GrillingWRich