Friday, March 23, 2018

BBQ Vents, How and When To Use Them (Opened or Closed)



BBQ Vents, How and When do you Use Them on a Weber Grill


Good barbecue is about three or four things, the meat, the grill, the vents, the amount of time to cook and the quality of your sauces and dry rub seasonings. At Jake's Famous Foods we are expert in the quality of our bbq rubs and sauces for sale. But today we are going to talk about the most misunderstood segment of the bbq process and that’s heat management and using your vents. My personal stable of barbecue grills numbers in the 5 to 6 category and yet over the past eight or so years I’ve concentrated most of my time on my Weber. I do so because the grill plate is big enough and yet small enough to manage a good sized rack of ribs and a whole chicken combined. There’s not a lot to the grill and even the most novice of barbecuers can get the hang of the grill pretty quickly. And yet with all that simplicity it still took time to master or adequately manage the process of heat control. As they used to say in the Western days when they’d found a solution to a problem…”we think we’ve got our leg up on her now” so let’s get started with ideas to help you manage your bbq vents.

First off, the ways and methods of managing bbq vents will change depending on the meats to be grilled, the type of wood or charcoal to be used and the conditions surrounding the grill, whether it is cold or hot outside. In the case of cool temperatures the surface of the grill will be colder and will take more heat to maintain an average ranged cooking temperature. To get that averaged range temperature will require more air circulation and more fire source available through the use of charcoal or wood. Take for example you decide to bbq ribs and before you do that you avail yourself access our website: Jake's Famous Foods.
 

 You pre-seasoned your meat and you're using a standard indirect cooking method in your Weber. Meaning you’ve situated the bulk of your charcoal on one side of the grill leaving the opposite side clear of any charcoal. In addition you’ve positioned a water pan over the charcoals so as to create steam to drive some moisture back into the meat that might be lost during the grilling process. Your bottom and top vents are wide open. But the fly in the ointment is that it’s 40 degrees outside even though the sun is out. While this isn’t a perfect storm tragedy what you will need to realize is that your proposed 3 hour cook will probably take as long as 4 hours if not more. The whole process depends on whether your intent is to grill the ribs or smoke the ribs. But for the sake of this discussion let’s focus on grilling. The external temperature of 40 degrees will actively work against the heating process causing the charcoals to burn at a lower rate. Even though both grates are wide open you may have to add more charcoal. How do you solve this problem? We’ve got the answer. Charcoal Chimney…if you don’t have one, go out and get one now. This chimney will allow you to pre-heat a good size of the charcoal which can then be evenly spread over the unlit charcoal. By doing so you’ll ensure that you manage the heat in a meaningful way as opposed to being controlled by the temperature circulating around your grill. Now the real issue is how and when do you adjust the vents for maximum heat management?

Now, let’s focus on a stellar day with temperatures around 78 degrees, almost no breeze and the sun fully peaked. This temperature is optimum for grilling. Very little time will need to be spent on managing the vents, however, just because the temps are optimum does not mean that one can simply avoid the process.

So, in both cases of cold and hot, let’s first target the desired cooking temperature. For smoked baby back ribs that are using our natural dry rubs we’ll concentrate on an average temperature between 225 and 240 degrees. There’s 15 degrees of adjustment and heat management which should not be too difficult on a Weber. Let’s first start with the bottom vents wide open. This setup will allow maximum draw of air across the charcoals. Second, let’s take some standard masking tape and circle the vent adjuster on the lid of the grill. Now with the vents fully opened, let’s take a marker and create a line out from the left most opening of each of the vents. Transfer that line down to the tape. Now, let’s move the adjuster to the right until the vents are fully closed. Transfer a line down from the left most opening onto the tape. These two lines represent the vent when it is fully opened. Now comes the really important part knowing how to segment the line. Let’s divide the distance between the two lines into increments just like you would see on a scale or thermometer. Each notch would represent 10 degrees on the scale. My notches would be about 1/8 inch apart and I would have approximately 5 notches representing about 5 degrees each. Even more important is to realize that if your vent adjuster has 4 holes then the degrees total is cumulative making a 1/8 inch adjustment equivalent to 20 degrees. Many ask, "is controlling the vents that critical and sensitive?" And the answer is, yes.

Now, with the vent gradients delineated and your charcoal burning comes the time to start the bbq process. Place the meat opposite the heated charcoal. Close the lid as fast as humanly possible. If you don’t have a remote temperature thermometer or temperature sensor on your grill you’ll need to use a metal cooking thermometer. Before getting my remote sensor I took a standard kitchen thermometer and placed that into one of the vent openings and just let it hang there for about 5 minutes to check the temperature. Now this is not the best method mainly because the temperature gauge is some distance away from the actual surface of the meat. But you’ll be able to adjust the vents to manage the level of heat your desire.

Managing the vents with wood smoke can require some skill. If you’re planning on using wood just keep in mind that the use will drive the temperature up for a limited period of time. Wood depending on the chunk size can increase the temperature somewhere around 10 to 15 degrees. The larger the wood chunk the longer the burn cycle and the greater the increase in temperature. I prefer using about 4 to 5 ounces of wood only. The small an amount is enough to adequately smoke the meat without overpowering the taste. If you can get segments that are about 2 ounces each then spread them out across the charcoals.

Grill vents will traditionally work the same across all Weber grills. For those that do not have Weber grills the concepts are the same. The keys are just keeping an eye on the location of the vents, whether they are on the sides, or underneath only. If the vents are on the sides you’ll still want to focus on indirect cooking that allows the air to draw across the charcoal toward the meat. I would really perform a dry run with a chimney full of charcoal in the grill without meat. Just let the charcoal get to its perfect state with the coals completely ashed over. Then start adjusting the controller side vents using the marking method that I described above. The process should be to layout the degree increments, then adjust the grill, wait about 5 minutes then adjust the vents again. Record the measurements before and after each time you adjust the grill. Once all the measurements are recorded including how long the charcoal lasts in the grill then it’s time to work on actual barbecue.

Now, on to larger meats, let’s say you want to cook the very popular Dino sized beef ribs. Beef ribs of that size are going to take time and just the right amount of heat management. But no matter you’ve got your grill measurements marked, you have a good thermometer and you’ve properly seasoned your ribs with Jake’s Famous natural dry rubs for sale. Beef ribs require a higher cook temperature in the 275 degree range and will need to remain in that position for about 3 hours until their internal temperature reaches about 200 degrees. You’ll need an adequate amount of charcoal to cook for that long a period approximately 1/3 to a half a standard 15 pound bag of regular charcoal. To truly manage the vents and temperatures of any grill use only standard non treated charcoal which will allow you to evenly manage the heat cycle. That’s a lot to say, when actually what we mean is, if you use treated charcoal it burns faster and makes the heat harder to manage. Now, keep an eye on the vents and properly rest the meat once it has achieved the desired temperature. I think you'll find that the results are well worth the setup process.

Exceptions and adjustments in the heat management process. Sometimes try as we may we find that we just can’t get a handle on the management of temperatures around the grill. We believe we have the answer to the issue. It is entirely possible that somehow your lid or grill has either been damaged or warped and is not closing properly. An easy way to determine this is to add a piece of smoking wood to the charcoal then completely close the bottom vents. You’ll notice right away once the oxygen is removed the wood source will begin to smoke. Note the locations of the smoke as it comes from around the grill. If the smoke only pours through the top vents then perfect your grill is fine. If the smoke pours from two or three spots besides the grill vent then you may need to tap the grill lid to make sealing adjustments. Now using remote thermometers with wires will cause a gap at the mating sections of the grill. This gap will cause you to open the vents an additional 5 degrees but this should be nominal overall. Try to spread the wires apart to balance out the gap. Remember, once you’ve figured out where your air losses are then you can design ways to compensate for the loss.

To help satisfy they bbq urge we’ve built a boat load of products that are on the market right now and available when you shop natural bbq sauce online and when your order bbq sauce online. Below we’ve listed our key seven dry rubs and our standing of natural barbecue sauces. These all represent our basic stable of natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale.

Tri Tip Steak and Rib Rub

Santa Barbara Rub

San Ysidro Rub

Santa Maria Dry Rub

Memphis Dry Rub

California Chipotle Dry Rub

California Chicken Dry Rub

Really Good Mild Barbecue Sauce

Really Nice Medium Hot Barbecue Sauce

Really Hot Barbecue Sauce

Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Memphis Blues Barbecue Sauce

Texas Style Inspired Barbecue Sauce

Our finest bbq rubs and sauces for sale are available online on our website Jake's Famous Foods. See our natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale and shop natural bbq sauce online today.



Thursday, March 22, 2018

BBQ Rubs and Sauces For Sale




Jake's Famous BBQ Rubs and Sauces for sale


At Jake’s Famous Foods we’ve been making bbq rubs and sauces for sale for more than 15 years now. We started in central California just off a world tour to gather information from Chefs and BBQ experts across the globe. We toured China, Hong Kong, Guam, Hawaii, Japan, France, Ireland, Paris and a whole host of Scandinavian countries all with one focus…how do you really make a great bbq sauce?

Well that one solitary focus morphed into making fantastic bbq rubs and sauces for sale. And keep in mind we spent a great amount of time tooling across the US to some of the greatest bbq spots in the country. We spent time with our friends in Memphis and Texas and Georgia along with Florida, Kansas, Chicago and just to add a little flavor our friends in Kentucky. It’s safe to say we covered quite a few bases when it comes to barbecue.

Now to the point of bbq rubs and sauces we worked with some pretty hardcore barbecue champions, the kind of folks who drive RVs from place to place on the “circuit” as they say, all in the hopes of winning that elusive bbq trophy and bragging rights. Most of the bbq process is about the bragging rights and oh the money as well.

When it came time to settle down on our first bbq rub we wanted to settle on something that grabbed your attention all the while fulfilling your expectations for bbq rub. This bbq rub had to be compatible with sauces. The rub could not overpower the sauce but would run hand in hand to the land of flavor. We started with a firm foundation of chili powder, garlic, and of course hints of brown sugar. Later we opted out the brown sugar for a fanatically wonder substitute with hints of maple commonly called “maple sugar”. This wonderful concoction besides be natural leaves just the slightest hint of maple notes on chicken and ribs. Like fine wines these dry rubs deliver level of flavors suitable for even the heartiest of barbecues. Once we nailed down the spicy part of the dry rub we knew we needed to balance the spice and sweetness with a savory note. That’s when we focused in on smoked kosher salt and combined bits of onion. To round out those flavors we kicked the heat note up a notch with just the right amount of cayenne. Now that’s a fantastic dry rub. We started the rub off with the name Southwestern Hickory but in time we just called it Santa Barbara Rub. Like the city the rub is rustic with hints of old and new combined with a rich Spanish history that delights the senses. This is a fantastic dry rubs that easily joined our bbq rubs and sauces for sale collection.

To give the rub some prominence we entered it into a multitude of barbecue contests and to our surprise it won best new dry rub and 1st place in 4 out of 5 contests. The rub came in 2nd in the only location it did not win 1st place.

Now when it came to sauces we focused on building a myriad of different flavors. We built on the knowledge we gathered from all those key locations and targeted what we knew best. We knew that our potential customers would want a sauce that’s savory with hints of sweetness and balanced flavors but all in all they wanted a sauce that was tasty. We decided we’d create a product that was not only savory and subtle with hints of sweetness but one that was natural and good for you as well. Too often we hear talk about the carbohydrates and the sodium content of products but what does that really mean to the average barbecue eater that might at best have bbq 3 times a year during the summer months. No matter we set out to take the worry out of our bbq sauce and not only made it natural but also made it gluten free. Now everyone can have the taste of barbecue anytime they want to without the concern related to gluten or the bloated feeling that comes from corn syrup.

We named our first bbq Jake’s Righteous Original Mild and later deemed it Southern style based on its characteristic use of molasses. Today based on the volume of comments we receive we call it Jake’s Famous Really Good Mild BBQ Sauce. It is a welcomed addition to our balance of natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale.

We know there are a boat load of products on the market with all kinds of fancy names. We however, focus on some straightforward terms to make it easier on our users. Below we’ve listed our key seven dry rubs and our standing of natural barbecue sauces. These all represent our basic stable of natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale.

Tri Tip Steak and Rib Rub

Santa Barbara Rub

San Ysidro Rub

Santa Maria Dry Rub

Memphis Dry Rub

California Chipotle Dry Rub

California Chicken Dry Rub

Really Good Mild Barbecue Sauce

Really Nice Medium Hot Barbecue Sauce

Really Hot Barbecue Sauce

Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Memphis Blues Barbecue Sauce

Texas Style Inspired Barbecue Sauce

Our finest bbq rubs and sauces for sale are available online on our website Jake's Famous Foods. See our natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale today.



Monday, March 19, 2018

Does Low and Slow BBQ Smoking Really Work?


Recently we set out on a journey of exploration, a journey focused on one key factor: Does
Low and Slow BBQ Smoking Really Work?  And when we say work we mean in our very own Weber BBQ Grill with Pork Ribs, natural dry rubs and copious amount of wood for smoking. Now over the past few months we’ve read just about as many books and articles as there are days in the month on smoking, we’ve seen videos, listened to podcasts and basically run the gammed on information surrounding smoking in a Weber grill.  And since this was a journey of exploration we thought we’d learn a little about the meats and seasonings that we were going to use in this process. 

First we thought we’d talk with a local butcher to get a handle on a nice set of pork baby back ribs.  The butcher gave us the ins and outs of fresh pork versus the heavy plastic film wrapped ribs you might see at your local supermarket.  While both meats are virtually the same the dramatic difference is the fact that the more liquid you see in the plastic wrapped packages the more the meats telling you that it’s been flash frozen and sealed possible a hundred or more miles away then trucked and frozen again in the grocer’s storage system.  The packages were then brought out and left to thaw possibly for days until some unsuspecting customer picked them up to take home.  That liquid in the pack directly translates to the loss of flavor and dryness the meat results in after grilling.  Remember, if the liquid is in the pack it ain’t in the meat and you can’t just automatically inject it or have it absorbed back into the meat.  That liquid is gone and only some unnatural manipulations will bring moisture back into the meat.

Next we thought we’d spend some time on understanding the best natural dry rubs for sale.  We are aware of many products in the market natural, and of course those laden with unnatural ingredients or as we might say “flavor-enhancers”.  Locating natural dry rubs for sale may not be as difficult as one thinks.  Just like the majority of products at your grocers it can be relatively easy to determine the difference between natural and unnatural just by looking at the packages.  Noting the differences in the ingredient statements on items like sugar, msg, chemical extracts, gluten or soy derivatives.  I’ve always heard it “whatever you put in your body is what you get out”. That statement has stuck with me ever since my high school competition days.  And even now we focus on natural dry rubs for sale whenever we get the opportunity. 

Now that we’ve got a handle on the meat and dry rubs let’s get a quick handle on the wood.  We’ll assume that you’re using basic lump charcoal in a Weber grill.  So, let’s discuss wood for a second.  We like the richness and flavors of Red Oak woods.  We’ve used peach, almond, hickory, mesquite, alder, cherry and a very subtle wood grape vine.  We like Red Oak because it yields a pleasant rich oak aroma combined with a texture that doesn’t overpower the senses.  The wood is perfect for beef and pork and is used religiously in some parts of the Central West.  Of course if I were smoking a turkey or chicken I would consider using a mesquite, almond or alder.  We will also assume that you’re going to barbecue 1 slab of baby back ribs so let’s look at two segments 4 ounces each of wood. 

 So, let’s zero in now, we got everything we need, the grill, the meat, the natural dry rubs for sale, the wood, the charcoal, and if it didn’t mention it you will need time about 4 hours and of course a way to light the charcoal. 

In our journey we tried multiple combinations of woods, charcoal, cooking time, grilling with the vents open and halfway closed and just plain going for it all out with lots of wood and lots of charcoal squirreled away in on one section of the grill.  We at this point were like the three bears; one was too dry, while the other was too uncooked, while finally the last one was just right.  So, here’s how we did it.

Our Weber grill is about 18 inches across which we purchased about 10 years ago.  This grill has seen a couple hundred barbecues in that time.  One thing….if you don’t know the difference between grilling and barbecue and why sometimes these terms are interchanged we’ll spell that out for you here.  The term barbecue refers back to the Caribbean and Spanish term "barbacoa" referencing cooking in a low and slow method.  It does not always mean using charcoal but most certainly means the food is cooked slowly for hours as in a hog is cradled between a wired source and buried underground on a bed of charcoal and hot rocks.  Grilling refers to high heat cooking in the case of something you might see in a fancy steakhouse restaurant.  If you were to ask for ribs in that restaurant you’ll realize that it won’t take an hour and a half to make them instead the ribs will be held at a cooling temperature then when selected, salted and peppered then placed on the grill.  Some chefs might choose to put them in the oven for a few minutes followed be a last surface grill with a sauce added which is then caramelized on the grill surface with the meat plated at that point and served.  Grilling allows the cook time to be cut down to mere 20 or 30 minutes as opposed to two hours.  In a lot of restaurants the meat is precooked and reheated on the grill with sauce placed on just at the last minute then seared on the grill for presentation. 

So, we are focused on barbecue.  Let’s understand this will take three and a half to 4 hours.  We decided to layout our charcoal to create an almost three quarter circle around the grill.  The charcoal was one layer of two rows side by side with one layer of charcoal on top of the rows.  We then laid two sections four ounces each of red oak wood on top of the charcoal about eight inches from the front starter row of charcoal and the second segment about midway of the circular row of charcoal.  To get the party started we took about 10 charcoal briquettes and placed them in a fire starting chimney.  We used standard newspaper under the chimney.  At the very bottom of the chimney we sat it on aluminum foil which was sitting atop concrete.  We lit the fire and waited about 15 minutes until the charcoals had a reasonable ash on them.  We used long tongs to place the charcoals one by one at the head of the starter briquettes in the same fashion side by side with a briquette on top.  By doing this step it would allow the temperature to regulate faster and would slowly start the next connecting charcoal briquette as the forward most briquettes started to burn out thus continuing the burn cycle all the way through the cooking process.  Our key temperature was somewhere around 225 degrees.  We say “key” because try as we may it was near impossible to manage the temperature to that level.  We saw readings of 200, then 240, then 235, then 250 and so we notched down the top vents of the grill to restrict the air flow and thus adjust the temperature.  The bottom vents were wide open to receive as must air as necessary and not starve the charcoal.  When the wood came into play the burning drove the temperature up about 15 degrees somewhere around 250 degrees.  No matter how many times I slow smoked ribs I always received the same results with an increase of about 15 degrees from wood.  One other thing, I managed the temperatures with a remote digital temperature probe.  The probe allowed me to be within 100 feet of the grill and still receive accurate readings. 

So, now I’ve seasoned the meat using the natural dry rubs for sale we purchased.  I’ve got my fire ready and the temperature has been running a reasonable 220 to 245 degrees.  I will tell you that I added a small aluminum pan filled with water.  The pan allowed me to create a little steam in the grill which would help in adding moisture to the meat.  Also in the slow smoking barbecue process the meat is never placed directly over the fire.  The meat is always kept away from the fire and the vent on the lid is placed over the meat which will allow the smoke to draw over the meat thus aiding in the smoke layer.

Once the lid is on we simply watched the temperatures.  We did not lift the lid unless the temperature got unreasonably high.  The only thing we did was adjust the top vents on the grill then check back about 5 minutes after to see the results of the change.  We adjusted the vent about 10 times during the course of the smoking cycle. 

Now as we said our targeted cooking time is about three and a half hours.  That time is dependent on the thickness of the baby back ribs you purchase.  If thinner in size then three hours will do.  After the three hour time confirm the temperature on your remote readout or slowly remove the lid allowing the smoke to exit away from you then take a temperature probe and insert that between the bones of the meat to confirm.  Some say at this point you can remove, let rest for about 10 minutes then serve.  Others want to add back some moisture by wrapping the ribs in foil then adding liquid like apple juice, brown sugar and honey in the foil, followed by placing the ribs back on the grill for another hour or so.  I’ve done it both ways and placing them back on does add moisture and flavor.  However, if you’ve reached the eating hour forego the foil process and simply slice the ribs and serve. 

The results were fantastic.  Slow smoking allows wood smoke to penetrate the surface of the meat.  It’s one of the few ways that you can directly change the taste of the meat to match your preferred desires.   I recommend a journey of your own exploration but follow the steps in our post to help cut out on the actions you may not want or need. 

  There are many ways to cook ribs.  We hope that this post helps you understand how we demystified the process of slow smoking in a Weber grill.  Our biggest aids were time, charcoal, a great natural dry rub for sale and of course a decent cut of meat.  Visit www.jakesfamousfoods.com to buy natural dry rubs for sale online.   Planning a large party? Or do you own a restaurant or catering company you too can shop our Bulk Products and order online?  You can also shop our individually sized dry rubs and condiments for your special BBQ as well as get your hands on some mouth-watering special BBQ recipes.  Get them today.

Here’s a glaze recipe to take your ribs to the next level.  

Raspberry Bourbon Glaze

Ingredients
¼ Cup Jake’s Really Good Original BBQ Sauce
¼ Cup Butter
1 Cup Raspberry Jelly or minced Raspberries
2 Medium Onions, minced
¾ Cup Bourbon or Substitute like vanilla extra, Champagne or sparkling grape juice
2/3 Cup Ketchup
½ Cup Cider Vinegar
½ Cup Fresh Orange Juice
½ Cup Maple Syrup
1/3 Cup Molasses (Unsulphured)
2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon Salt

Steps:
1.       In a large saucepan melt the butter with the oil over medium heat
2.    Add the Onions and sauté for 5 minutes, cooking until they begin to turn golden.
3.    Add remaining ingredients into the sauce pan; reduce heat to low and cook until mixture thickens about 45 minutes or so stirring frequently.

Let rest about 5 minutes and serve.

How to Clean Pork BBQ Ribs

Clean ribs is a primary requirement prior to barbecue.  But before you add dry rubs, marinades and seasoning, we'll need to spend some t...