Hell on Grills BBQ Team - Central Texas

The Other Side

Bones — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 01:51:28 +0000

Part of what pulled me into starting my own team is my past experience in judging a BBQ Competition. I’ve been told that one of the best things you can do before you start competeting, is to actually judge a few yourself. Well, I am taking the opportunity to do this once again this Saturday at the 2010 Taylor International Barbeque Cookoff in Taylor, Texas. I am personally looking forward to seeing what we are up against but most of all, can’t wait to try some good BBQ!

Quick update: Bill Pike, H.O.G. team member will also be judging!

Round 2

Bones — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:59:33 +0000

This smoke experiment resulted in a good mix of rubs along with the use of both oak and pecan. Mike even introduced us to his homemade sauce…very impressive! It was more of a vinegar/brown sugar based sauce which complimented the pork ribs well. He also shared his rub recipe with us for the first time with great results. I personally experimented with a modified version of my rib rub, which I thought was better than the last (thanks for the tips Bill). However, I did coat one of my ribs with mustard prior to applying my rub and let’s just say that my wife could only describe it as smelling like “B.O.” as in body order. Needless to say, the use of mustard with my rub will never be done again! Bill wasn’t able to join us that day but was able to fire it up on his own. We didn’t get to taste them but he swore to us that he had some winners…looking forward to it. We also decided to throw a couple of half chickens on the pit. The result was a nice crispy texture on the outside and a taste that we really enjoyed. Rather than get into other details, here are some pictures:

The Hell on Grills Team

Bones — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:19:46 +0000

Well, it’s been a few months but we finally got the team together. We have a few other guys that will be helping us out but this is the core team with (L to R) Bill, Bones and Mike.

Round 1

Bones — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:07:05 +0000

This was our first smoke as a team and we felt that the results were pretty damn good but we certainly learned a few thing during the process. One rack of ribs was too spicy while the other was too sweet. Our brisket was a bit on the dry side but the flavor was all there. I trimmed way too much fat off it and it could have used another hour or so on the pit. The smoke ring was nothing exciting but we are more concerned about flavor and texture right now. A well seasoned batch of pecan was used for this smoke. Here are some pics:

Introducing Mr. Bill Pike

Bones — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:29:17 +0000

I just realized that I never introduced the latest addition to our team…Bill Pike. Bill is a good friend that I met just a couple of years ago. He is an avid fisherman and also enjoys BBQ’ing. I discovered his talents when we went on a fishing trip last year. The weather was so bad that we spent most of our time grilling instead of fishing. We got to talking about BBQ and here we are today. Welcome to the team Bill!

We Got a Pit!

Bones — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:46:57 +0000

Well, after about a year of searching Craigslist and other resources, we finally got ourselves a pit. I think it was a great find. The guy said he had been trying to get rid of it for over a year with little luck. I told him he should have listed it here in Austin, Texas, home of the Longhorns. On that note, it’s a good thing I am a huge fan.

Well, this pit is a beauty! The attention to detail is awesome along with good welds and tight seams. However, I do need to do a few things to it so if you know of anyone that welds, send them my way. I also keep getting hell from some friends saying that shade of orange (yes this is important) is wrong. I guess I’ll need to get some damn “burnt orange” paint.

I have cooked with it a few times and it does great. It seems to take a bit of effort to get it to 200-250 degrees though. I did notice that the smoke stack was placed a little lower than I would have preferred. The result is a stream of smoke that stays towards the bottom of the pit which makes me wonder if that is the problem.. I may have it moved one day.

And now we must name her…

TLC BBQ Pitmasters is Back for Season 2!

Bones — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:05:47 +0000

Word on the street (or in this case, the Web), TLC BBQ Pitmasters will be back on the air for a 2nd season! This is great news because it only means it had great viewing audience and will hopefully continue into season 3, 4, 5 and so on. I did hear that they are auditioning for teams. This would be a great show for us! Now, it’s not because I think we would win anything and provide valuable advice to viewers. Instead, we can be the laughing stock of the show since we don’t even really know what we are doing yet. Oh wait, it might help if we actually had a smoker on wheels…still looking. Damn those things are expensive.

My New Read

Bones — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:35:58 +0000

There is a particular blog that I have been following ever since I had the bright idea of starting a competitive BBQ team. It’s published by “Who are those guys?” BBQ team up and kind of reminds me of what we are doing in that they covered their experiences in starting a team. It’s a well written blog with lots of details. However, not as many details as in Startin’ the Fire, a book that team member, George Hensler recently published. When I first saw his post about the its availability, I instantly purchased it. Well, It’s finally here and will be reading it every night this week. I know it sounds strange but I think I more excited about reading this book than any other I have purchased in the past. I’ll post my review once I finish reading it.

Random Quote

Bones — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:35:57 +0000

“Salad is what food eats.” – Author Unknown

Pig Ribs – January 31, 2010

Bones — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:04:26 +0000

All this talk about BBQ and I have yet to share a cooking experience. How about a first for 2010?

Team member, Mike Wilson, recommended I try Hickory for a change. When it comes to smoking, I have always been a big fan of oak. I like the flavor, it is locally abundant and I am very familiar with how it burns. However, in an effort to learn as much as possible about all things BBQ, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I bought a well-seasoned batch and firing it up was a breeze but I quickly learned that the coals burn hot and quickly! The verdict: a bit more difficult to control than oak but it lends itself to a great smoke and an unbeatable flavor.

My wife usually eats a mere 3 ribs but I noticed 5-6 bones on her plate and I can swear she was ready for more. That alone tells me that this batch was a winner. I used my best-documented rub for this one…it worked well but I think I need to reduce the salt content and sweeten it up just a bit. Overall, I was pleased with the results…so much that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. Oh well, enjoy this raw meat image because it’s all I got.