emissionjeunesse: août 2017

Pork Steaks

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Head Country Bar-B-Q, but all words and opinions are my own.

When I am on my BBQ road trips, I run across pork steaks occasionally. The steaks come from the shoulder/butt of the pig. You should be able to get your local grocery store or butcher to slice the pork shoulder into 1-1 1/2" sections. Pork shoulder is a very forgiving cut of meat with the amount of fat it has. It is very hard to dry it out. I prefer pork steaks over pork chops because of this. The extra fat also gives it a nice flavor. You can cook the steaks direct or indirect. I love the taste of it being cooked direct, but the temperatures are much higher this way. What I found best was to cook it a couple of hours directly on a grill and finish it off in an offset smoker.

Ingredients:
Head Country Championship Seasoning, Original
Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce, Original
Pork butt sliced into steaks
Apple cider vinegar
Water

Instructions:
1. Preheat your smoker to your desire temperature. Anywhere between 225-275F should be fine.

2. Make sure the meat is dry. Apply the rub liberally to all sides.

3. Put the pork steaks in the smoker.

4. In a bowl, mix 1 part BBQ sauce, 1 part apple cider vinegar, and 1 part water. I made about a cup and a half of it so a 1/2 of a cup of each. This is your "mop" sauce.

5. Flip the meat every hour throughout the process.

6. After a few hours or once the internal temperature hits about 160F, brush/mop the steaks ever so often.

7. Remove the steaks once the internal temperature of the pork steaks is about 200F.

8. Let them rest for about 30 minutes.

9. Enjoy.

Until next time, happy smoking...

reade more...

Pinkerton's Barbecue (First Impression)

Amber and I were going to be in Houston for the Texas Monthly Meatup. One of our good friends' birthday was the Friday before the event. I told him to pick a place for his birthday dinner. He, for whatever reason, let me decide for him. FYI- I would never let anyone choose my birthday dinner. I knew his wife loved pork ribs and a place came to mind with good ribs and that was open for dinner. Pinkerton's Barbecue. I visited Pinkerton's while researching for the Texas Monthly list and had a fantastic meal there.

Grant Pinkerton is the owner and pitmaster. That name sounds familiar? The Longhorn alum crashed the Houston BBQ scene in 2015 with a bunch pop-ups, catering gigs, and a brick and mortar coming. The River Oaks deal fell through and sent Grant scrambling. He finally secured a new location and after months of construction and renovation, he finally opened in December of 2016. He has hit the ground running ever since. When you go to Pinkerton's, you are going to Grant's house. He actually lives upstairs currently. That should make tending the late night fires a tad easier.

Everything on the menu was available when we arrived there around 7 PM. I ordered brisket, pork ribs, sausage, turkey, and chicken. I might have ordered a little too much. There were five people in our party, and not pictured are the unglazed ribs which brought the rib count to 14 bones. Grant starts his meat with mesquite and finishes them with post oak. I love that combo. Bodacious (Mobberly) does the same thing. Everything had a good amount smoke to them. The brisket was like butter. The fat was well-rendered, and the meat just melted in your mouth. It had a nice salt and pepper crust to it. Order both options of the pork ribs when you go, glazed and unglazed. I think I like the glazed more. It is like meat candy. The rib was sweet and tender. Kaylie ate 3 or 4 bones. She loved them. If you do not like your ribs as sweet, the unglazed is just as good. The sausage is Grant's blend but is made by someone off-site. It is good for what it is. The attention to details continued with the poultry on the menu. The turkey was moist and had a good flavor. The chicken was well-seasoned and packed a little kick on the end. The meat was very juicy. We could not stop eating the jalapeño cheese rice. It was just comforting. The others in the group shared a variety of desserts, but I was all about the banana cake. It was the perfect way to end the meal.

Bar

If you have a craving for BBQ for lunch or dinner, Pinkerton's Barbecue will exceed your needs. Ask Dez Bryant about that. Having a spot to get great 'cue late and then being able to hang out and have a few drinks afterwards seems like a luxury. If I lived in the area, this would be bad news for me. I would probably live off of the ribs, jalapeño cheese rice, banana cake, and Budweiser. The barbecue scene in Houston is thriving for sure. There are so many great choices now. Stop in at Pinkerton's Barbecue the next time you are in the area and see it for yourself.

2 Klose pits doing the work

Until next time, happy smoking...

Address: 1504 Airline Dr, Houston, TX 77009
Phone:
Website: http://www.pinkertonsbarbecue.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pinkertonsbarbecue/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pinkertonsbbq

reade more...

Beef Rib Burnt Ends

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Head Country Bar-B-Q, but all words and opinions are my own.

I think most people who know barbecue have heard of burnt ends. It's typically the point of the brisket smoked, cubed, sauced, and smoked again. It makes for a delicious, tender, and smoky bite. I came across some boneless beef chuck short ribs while shopping at my local warehouse club. The rib bones have been removed so the price per pound made it a no-brainer for me. You can ask your butcher or local grocery store to see if they can order or cut it for you. The marbling is a lot more uniform in beef ribs than brisket. The rib meat tastes richer and comes out even more tender because of it. The slab I bought came divided so the cook time was shorter. You can also use plate ribs, but keep in mind, they are much larger in size. I like my burnt ends sweet and spicy, but if you prefer something tamer, use the Head Country Championship Seasoning, The Original and Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce, The Original. This recipe was inspired by a Houston BBQ joint who has boneless beef rib burnt ends as specials.

Ingredients:
Head Country Championship Seasoning, High Plains Heat
Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce, Hot & Spicy
Slab of boneless beef ribs
Apple juice
Water

Instructions:
1. Preheat your smoker to your desire temperature. Anywhere between 225-275F should be fine.

2. Make sure the meat is dry. Apply the rub liberally to all sides.

3. Put the beef in the smoker.

4. In a spray bottle, add 1 part water to 1 part apple juice. You only probably need a half cup of the mixture. Spritz the slab every 45 minutes or so to keep the beef moist.

5. Pull the meat once the internal temperature hits about 185F.