Tonight, we get loaded up and ready to go to Fairbanks, IN, for Q For The Kids, our sixth competition.

We’re pretty excited about this one; we just took Dr. BBQ’s class last month, and we think we have a shot to place better than we have in the past.  There are some great teams going, but we’ve cooked against most of them before.  Whether we win or not, we’ll have a great time.

I have my project plan all set, and our checklist is being worked.  I used a form of the checklist on the Smokin’ Guns BBQ website.  Here’s our project plan (click on it to see it full size; it should be readable):

I’ll post results after we get back… hoping to see Bucky McOinkum’s Barbecue listed several times!!!

Several weeks ago, I got some rubs in the mail from Melanie of Rod’s Rubs, with a bottle of each of their rubs.  I told her I’d try them out, and then got busy.  I finally got a chance to try them!

Here’s my review:

Overall, the one thing I liked about the rubs was that Rod doesn’t over-salt them.  The problem with a lot of commercial rubs is that salt is cheap, so companies load their rubs up with them, and whatever gets cooked tastes too salty to me.  Rod’s Rubs aren’t too salty.  A huge plus.

Rod’s Original Rub is a standard, all-purpose rub.  It’s got good flavor in general, but it was nothing special to me.  I prefer something that stands out a bit more, and this one was very similar to a lot of other rubs I’ve tried.  It’s better than most commercial all-purpose rubs I’ve tried, though.

Rod’s Sweet Mesquite Rub is ok.  I really didn’t find anything that wowed me with it.  I prefer my own rubs to this one, though the honey flavor is nice.

Rod’s Citrus Tang Rub, however, is very good.  I mean really great stuff.  Enough so that I’ll be buying more of it.  It’s got a nice citrus flavor that’s maybe more lime than lemon, which is probably part of why I liked it.  I had it on some chicken, and it was just awesome.  I want to try it on some grilled salmon or trout where I think it will shine even more.  If you’re looking for something a bit different to try on lighter meats, this is worth a look!

This Friday, June 1, Bucky McOinkum’s Barbecue will be in their 6th competition at Q For The Kids in Fairbanks, IN!

We’ve taken Ray Lampe’s "Dr BBQ’s Real Deal Cooking Class", and we went through a practice cook over the weekend.  We were EXTREMELY happy with our results.  The ribs were moist and tasty, and the color was great.  The chicken was good, but maybe a bit too spicy; we thought we might need a thinner sauce than the Javacue sauce, and one that’s a bit lighter in color. 

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As part of my last grilling class, I wanted to show mostly simple dished to grill.  I included steaks, asparagus, pineapple and onions.  But I also wanted to give the participants something that was a bit more upscale, while still not being anything difficult.

What I came up with was a favorite appetizer around my house: cedar planked scallops!
The ingredients are simple:

• Cedar plank, soaked for 2+ hours in water
• Very fresh sea scallops
• 1/2 as many prosciutto slices as there are scallops
• 1 Rosemary twig per each scallop
• Grey salt
• Black pepper

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I like to get back to basics now and then, but I typically can’t just do basic… So I wanted a burger, and decided to try some Wild Herb Nando’s Peri-Peri sauce for something different.

I made a good sized burger (about 6 ozs).  One thing I find with burgers is that too lean is too dry, so I like to use something like a 70/30 mix of lean to fat.  I made this burger by simple pouring some Nando’s on the raw meat and mixing it by hand.  I used the Lemon & Herb because I didn’t want too hot, and I wanted to try the flavor.

I grilled some onion slices, too (Vidalias are SO darn good on the grill!), and grilled the burger over a medium hot fire.  I also grilled the bun a bit, which was a really good poppy seed bun.  The meat was cooked to 160 degrees, then rested for a few minutes.  I served it with dijon mustard, tomato and pickle, topped with the grilled onion slice.

The result was a burger with a really nice, bright flavor.  The lemon didn’t show through too much (a good thing), the herbs were there but not too strong, and there was just a pleasant lingering heat.  There wasn’t so much heat as to need to drink milk with it… It was just a nice touch of spice at the end.

Overall, this is a nice way to easily change the basic burger without going nuts trying to do anything fancy.

I tried this last year, and I only got 1 response.  So this time I hope it works out a bit better!

I’m going to try doing another Blog Carnival on Food Photography.  Now, I know lots of you out there are taking photos of your food.  I’ve seen you in the same restaurants I’ve been in, while I’m also taking photos of my food.  I’ve seen your blogs, and there’s some great stuff out there (Nicole, I expect to see something from you… Same with you, Dr. G!). 

Here how it works; submit your entries HERE.  I’ll get emails of the submissions, and I’ll post info about them.  I may email you for more info if needed, but the goal is to mostly focus on the photos themselves, with links back to your blog entries for more info.

Come on… Here’s a chance to show off you stuff!

Oh, and when you enter your submission, there’s a problem with finding the Carnival of Food Photography… Select any carnival from the list, as I’m only doing this one right now!

As of this morning, I heard from Jim Emig of Jim Dandy’s BBQ that their competition in Cincinnati is now officially sanctioned by the KCBS!!!

The comp will be on September 15 and 16, which is a Saturday/Sunday competition.  Turn ins will probably start a bit early so people can get home at a decent time.  I’ve read stuff on people wanting this set up, so it will be worth a try!

Look here for more info; email me at cmcadams@buckymcoinkumsbbq.com for more info if you want.  I spoke with Jim this morning, and he said they’re hoping to have a judging class put together for the end of August, too.

Ohio comps… Gotta love it!

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were in Manhattan, mostly eating everything in sight!  One of our stops was at Daisy May’s BBQ, which is chef Adam Perry Lang’s restaurant, located at 11th and 46th.

The first impression was that it was incredibly clean.  Everything looked great; they used to only do catering, but have added cafeteria style service and seating in the back. 

I wanted to try brisket, and the guys working were nice enough to give me a sample.  The only way to get brisket is chopped and sauced; not quite burnt ends, but along those lines.  The brisket was good, though.

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Next Monday, May 14, Bucky McOinkum’s Barbecue will be holding a cooking class at Cooks’ Wares in Springboro Ohio.

The cost is $50, and the class runs from 6 PM to 9 PM.  The menu is pretty good, I think:

Wood Fired Smoked Duck Pizza
Cedar Planked Scallops with Rosemary
Brined Pork Chops with Gianfrancos Renetta sauce
Roasted Broccoflower
Grilled Cinnamon Peaches with Dulce de Leche

If you’re close by, the class will be a LOT of fun, and you’ll get to not only find out about grilling and the differences between charcoal and gas, grilling and barbecuing, but you’ll also get to try every dish we make.  You’ll have the recipes for everything you need, too!