BBQ Pork Ribs

1)      Start with 8 lbs pork ribs (about three full racks) 

2)      Generously apply dry rub (of your choosing or from recipe below) and allow to rest overnight or at least 2 hours before smoking.

3)      Set up your smoker with 2-zone/ indirect heat method. water pans are optional 

4)      To light the charcoal I prefer to use a Charcoal Chimney starter and the Minion Method

             a)    The Minion Method for lighting charcoal is great for a “slow-low” cook,  start by filling your chimney             started with ¼ - 1/3 of the charcoal you plan on using. and the rest in your charcoal basket of piled               on the side of the grill where your heat source is.

             b)    Woodchips, I like to use chunks of cherry, maple pecan, or hickory with my fuel source. Place a                   handful of wood chunks on top of the unlit coal.

             c)     Light the chimney starter with 2-3 sheets of newspaper in the bottom chamber and once the                         charcoal is glowing red, carefully pour the lit coals on to the unlit coals, in my experience this will                   yield a temp between 225-275 degrees F. It is easier to start with a cold fire and heat it up than is to             try and cool down a hot fire down.

A few sheets of newspaper in the bottom chamber of the charcoal chimney. 

5)      Allow your grill to heat up before you place your ribs on.  I wait until the grill thermometer reads in between 225-275 F before placing the ribs on. To help maintain these temps I have the bottom and top vent just under half-way open.

 6)      Place your ribs on the side of the grill opposite of     your fuel source, this will allow you to cook using     indirect heat. 

   

7)      Place the lid of your grill on with the vents half open and above your ribs. This will help pull the smoke and heat over the ribs.  see image below- courtesy of Amazingribs.com

8) Allow the ribs to smoke for 3-4 hours monitoring the temp and adjusting the vents as needed to maintain a steady temperature, close to 250 F. 

9) Enjoy!

      

BBQ Dry Rub

¼ Cup brown Sugar

¼ Cup Kosher Salt

1 Tbs. Smoked, or regular Paprika

1 Tbs. Dry Oregano

1 Tbs. Onion Powder

½ Tbs. Mustard Powder

½ Tbs. Garlic Powder

½ Tbs. Black Pepper

½ Tbs. Cumin 

Blend all ingredients together in a bowl or using a food processor.

I have used this rib for Pork and beef ribs as well as for larger cuts like pork shoulder/butts. 

Apply rub to meat at least two hours before smoking or allow to rest over night.  

Raisin Bread

James Beard Raisin Bread

Yield: 2 Loaves

1 package active dry yeast

2 cups luke warm milk

1/3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

5 to 6 cups AP flour

melted butter

1 ½ cups raisins plumped overnight in sherry, cognac, or amaretto enough to barely cover. ½ teaspoon ground mace 2 teaspoons fresh orange zest.

1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 tablespoons of cream (to be brushed on the loaves before baking)  

Dissolve and proof the yeast in ¼ cup of warm milk. Combine remainder of the warm milk, sugar, salt and three tablespoons butter in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture then gradually stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. 

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until you form a smooth and elastic dough.  Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat the surface with butter.  Cover and set in a warm place and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 2.5 hours.

Punch the dough down and knead for 3 minutes, return to bowl and allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into two equal pieces and roll each out into a rectangle about 7”x 20”. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the raisin mixture. Roll the dough up tightly, tuck the ends under. Fit each roll, seam side down in two well-buttered 8”x 4”x 2” loaf pans. Cover and allow to rise until the dough is peaking over the top of the pans.

Brush the loaves with the egg yolk and cream mixture and bake at 400^oF for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350^oF and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the top and bottom. If necessary, return the loaves to the oven without the pans to brown the bottom crust. 

Grilling Basics:

I think grilling is one of the best ways to cook.  It is a simple and easy way to cook food that can add another layer of flavor and texture.  There are a few basic things you need to get started.  First off is a grill, Charcoal or gas, The fuel medium is comletely up to you and your personal preference.  I prefer natural charcoal, the smoky flavor, and high heat it produces are great for getting a good char on the outside of your food.  Propane or gas is good, because it is quick and easy to use.  Especailly if you are cooking for a small group of people, or only have a one or two things to grill.  Using natural wood is good too, especially if you plan on cooking for a while, a friend of mine owns a restaraunt with a wood burning grill, and I had a alot of fun working that station, and enjoy the flavor the wood adds to food.
Some basic tool that you need are a grill brush, a spatula, and a good set of metal tongs. 

•      Grill brush- a long handle that is easy to handle and with wire brushes.  the brilo pad stuff that some brushes come with is good for a little more detailed cleaning, but a good stiff wire brush will get most grills clean. 
•      Spatula- I prefer using a restaraunt grade spatula that is long and flat.  A decent fish spatula is good too.
•      Tongs- Edlund is a company that makes industrial grade kitchen equipment. I think they make the best tongs ever.  My personal pair is a set of 18 inch tongs with clam shell or scallop tips. These tips make it incredibly easy to pick anything up with out fear of dropping or mangling the product.   
•      Spray Bottle- Misto is a good brand, these are aerosol cans that you pump yourself.  These are great because you can fill them with whatever liquid you want.  I like to keep one filled with olive oil and use it whenever I am cooking.  Oil is very important because it will help prevent your food from sticking. 

If using a charcoal grill, a Chimney starter is essential.  My mother in-law gave me one and it is one of the best things ever!  With just a wad of newspaper, and a match you can get a grilll full of charcoal primed and ready to go, I like to get charcoal started like this, then add some wood chips or chunks to the coals. 

The grill set up that I am currently using is a Weber Performer (thanks Norman and Marcia), with a cast Iron grate (thanks Mel), and I love them both.** I have never had any problems with a Weber grill, found the first one on the side of the road, and used it for almost three years.  The Performer has an option for a gas starter, and comes with charcoal grates for indirect cooking.   The cast iron grates get hot enough to get a good sear on the outside of a piece of meat.  The company that makes the grates I am currently using offer several diffent options to maxime your outdoor cooking oppurtunities.
One difference between the steak you buy at the local market, and the one you pay for at a restauraunt, is a good sear, proffesional kitchen equipment gets much hotter than domestic equipment.
A common mistake a lot of people make while grilling is moving the meat constantly, and not leaving the food alone! Getting a good char, it is going to take a little time. I understand that constantly flipping a steak will keep it juicy.  But this can be accomplished by not over cooking your food in the first place, then you get food with a good char, and it is flavorful. 
 
** http://www.weber.com/explore/grills/charcoal-series/performer ,
*   http://www.cast-iron-grate.com/ ,

License to Grill

I found this picture on the chive and think it is a good reference for cooking temperatures.  Although it doesn't have the proper temperature to get to the desired doneness it is still a good visual aid.

Grilling Basics:

Grilling is one of the best ways to cook. It's a simple and easy way to cook that adds another layer of flavor and texture to food.

A few basic things you need to get started:

• First, a grill. Charcoal or gas?  The fuel medium is completely up to you. I prefer natural charcoal for its smoky flavor and the high heat it produces.  As I've already mentioned (and will over and over...) the high heat charcoal produces is great for getting a good char on the outside of food. Propane or gas is good, however, because it is quick and easy to use. If you're cooking for a small group of people or only have a one or two things to grill, gas is the way to go. Using natural wood is good too, especially if you plan on cooking a lot of food over a long period of time.  A friend owns a restaurant with a wood burning grill, and I had a lot of fun working that station*.  There's something even more primal about food cooked over an open wood flame. I had the opportunity to cook with wood at home in late April, and enjoyed it a lot: more on that later.
• Grill brush - Preferably one with long handle wire brushes.  The Brillo pad topper that some brushes come with is good for a more detailed cleaning, but a good stiff wire brush is best for heavy duty grill scraping.
• Spatula - I prefer using a restaurant-grade spatula that is long and flat.  The spatula I'm referring to is probably the same style of spatula you saw the grill guy using last time you visited Waffle House.  If you feel like getting fancy, an additional fish spatula is great for grilling seafood.
• Tongs - Edlund is a company that makes industrial grade kitchen equipment. I think they make the best tongs ever. My chosen pair is a set of 18 inch tongs with clam shell/scalloped tips. These tips make it incredibly easy to pick anything up with out fear of dropping or mangling the product.
• Chimney starter - If you are using a charcoal grill, a chimney starter is essential.   My mother-in-law gave me one and it is one of the best things ever! (Notice I have select group of best grilling tools ever!!!)  With just a wad of newspaper and a match you can get a grill full of charcoal primed and ready to go.  I like to get the charcoal started like this before adding a few wood chips or chunks to the coals.

The grill set up that I am currently using is a Weber Performer (this super sweet grill was a wedding present... thanks Norman and Marcia), with a cast iron grate (thanks Mel), and I love them both. 

 

I have never had problems with any Weber grill.  We found our first one on the side of the road the day after Christmas the first year we lived together in Huntsville.  I used that same grill for almost three years.  The Performer has an option for a gas starter and comes with charcoal grates for indirect grilling. The cast iron grates I received separately get hot enough to get a good sear on the outside of a piece of meat. The company that makes the grates I am currently using offer several different options to maximize outdoor cooking opportunities.

* In a professional kitchen the primary cooking areas are divided into stations.  Some stations are saute, grill, garde manger, pizza oven, dessert, etc.

This conversation has to get started somewhere:

The idea for this blog came about as I was showing my brother how to smoke a beer can chicken in his bullet smoker.  Because I was about to move a long way from home, I thought a food and cooking blog would be a great way to keep in touch with my family while imparting useful information.  This is kind of a resource for home cooks to improve their skills, focusing on varying cooking processes, methods and tips.

Grillenium Falcon will be an outlet for sharing tips and methods to improve your success in the kitchen that I learned over the past eight years cooking in a fine dining environment.  I'll also post about what I eat and drink and my successes and failures in the kitchen.  Really, this blog will be my repository for all things food - I am interested to see what winds up here.

One on the best chefs I ever had the pleasure to work with often said, "There are a million ways to Florida," and I agree.

His words may be vague, but I always understood his point: there is no right or wrong way to cook.  Some methods are easier than others.  There are inefficient ways and smart efficient ways to complete a given task.  I wouldn't want to brunoise* a pound of shallots with a 14" scimitar**.  It can be done; it's not impossible, but are much easier ways to achieve the same results.  Using a chef's knife or a paring knife, for example.
This blog will be a platform for different techniques and tips that can be used to make life a little easier in the kitchen.  My goal is to help reduce the fear the uninitiated feel when attempting anything in the kitchen. 
The first person to ever cook wasn't a classically trained chef or a restaurateur; he or she was hungry.  Cooking was simply an adaptation learned to improve survival chances.  Cooking meat killed harmful pathogens.  Heating raw ingredients often making them more edible and palatable. 

Keep this in mind when you feel intimidated while walking through the "heart" of your home.  Cooking a meal over an open flame is gratifying.  There's something primitive about it, I think - keeping your survivor's instincts sharp. I hope I can share here with my family and friends not only how to cook to live, but also how to cook to enjoy life.  I'll be in touch!
*a culinary knife cut in which the food item is first julienned and then turned a quarter turn and diced again, producing cubes of a side length of about 3 mm or less on each side. In France a "brunoise" cut is smaller, 1 to 2 mm on each side. A common dish which often uses a brunoise as a garnish is a consommé. A brunoise should be consistent in size and shape, as this helps to create a pleasing presentation.
**is a backsword or sabre with a curved blade, originating in Southwest Asia