Over the weekend my husband and I attended "Make It Take It BBQ Drum Class" at MooCow University in Belton, Mo which is a suburb of Kansas City. It was great fun and I left feeling excited to start cooking new dishes!
We started the day with hands on information for selecting and trimming meats with a focus on brisket, pork butts and ribs. I did learn a great technique for chicken too! A whole chicken can cook more evenly by removing the backbone and sternum so that it can lay flat. We also gained great information on rubs, injections and sauce.
Selecting and Trimming Brisket
Besides the great information, one of my favorite parts of the class is that we (my husband) made our smoker that we got to take home as part of the class. I often say "we" did something, but if it involves tools, you can be sure it was actually my husband doing it and not me! While the meats were smoking, everyone got to work on their own smoker. Everyone received a 55 gallon drum, parts for the valves and handle, a rack and a basket to hold the coals.
Selecting and Trimming Pork Shoulder/Butt
We ate, and ate, and ate! As each of the meats came off of the smokers throughout the day we tasted them. By the time the ribs were ready I was full! We started with chicken and beans. Then we had brisket, pulled pork and ribs.There were about 17 people in the class from several different states. Some are on competitive BBQ teams and others, like us, were there to learn from the masters other ways to make great food at home.
Selecting and Trimming Ribs
Since the class, I've been experimenting! Of course, everyone in the house is excited that I'm excited about preparing smoked foods! So far I've only smoked chicken and cabbage. Well, I actually did smoke apples. No one in the house really liked them though with the smoke flavor. They were expecting apple pie flavor - simply sweet and a little spicy with cinnamon. The smoke flavor overpowered the sugar and spice. I started with lesser expensive foods in case it turned out badly. Tomorrow, I'll smoke a pork shoulder. Crossing my fingers it all turns out well.
I'll share recipes through my blog as well as confess anything that didn't turn out so good. I'd love to hear any great recipes and tips you use when smoking foods. If you'd like more information about MooCow BBQ their website is http://www.moocowbbq.com/.