Cary's Hard Lemonade

After a day of hard day of setting up a lemonade stand, standing guard and cleaning up - it was time for a cup of lemonade that I could enjoy. I poured some leftover raspberry lemonade over some rum and was surprised with the results.

Here is the recipe for some excellent lemonade the adults can enjoy.

1/2 gallon water
1 can Frozen lemonade concentrate
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 bottle Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

Good water is an essential trick to a quality drink, make sure to use filtered or bottled water for best results.

Boil 1 cup of water, add sugar. This dissolves the sugar down to a simple syrup.
Mash the raspberries in a bowl. Strain the raspberries into a pitcher.
Add the frozen lemonade concentrate and simple syrup to the pitcher, then fill pitcher with water.
Mix well.
Fix a tumbler with ice and a shot of rum. Top off with raspberry lemonade.

The kids can enjoy a cup of "virgin" raspberry lemonade while you relax with a glass of Cary's Hard Lemonade.

Picture Slide Show from a Cook-off

Been a while since I have posted anything so I thought I would post a slide show of pictures from one of the cook-off we have done this year.

15K Worth of Free Barbecue Related Prizes at Smokinaphattie.com

My friends at smoking a phattie are offering $15,000.00 worth of prizes to the first 1000 registered members of their new website, www.smokinapahttie.com. That is an average of $150.00 each in barbecue related prizes ranging from smokers and barbecue grills, to gift cards, BBQ sauces, rubs and Smokinaphattie.com apparel. To qualify you must: complete a profile by answering all profile questions and upload a profile picture. IT'S THAT EASY!!!! And it's FREE.

Smokinaphattie.com is like myspace for the barbecue aficionado. This social networking site has features like your own personal page, personal blogs, people search forums, classifieds and recipes. There is no reason look any further for a friendly barbecue community. Meet new people, swap ideas, or just read-up on what everybody else is doing in the world of barbecue.

I am in no way affiliated with Smokin a Phattie and only helping them get the word out to all of my friends in Q. And yes, I am registered. Now quit messing around, get over there and register your new account. They can also be found on myspace.

BBQ Contests for Profit

BBQ Blog has a great post regarding the idea of atttempting to make money through barbecue competitions. BBQ Contests for Profit -- an editorial

BBQ contests have not yet reached the point where the contest itself offers a substantial enough purse to be economically feasible for more than one or two of the competitors at each event. By the time you factor in expenses for meat, travel, lodging, entry fees, wear and tear on vehicles and equipment just for starters, you're in the hole already....unless you are fortunate to win the $1,500 or $800 (average amounts, some contests pay less), you're never going to come out on the positive end of things.

Read it all.

While I will glady pick a competition that has greater prize money over lesser paying comps, I am not in it for the money. Sounds funny, but think about it. This is a hobby. Just like any hobby, it is an expense and not a means of income. You have to pay to play. Any time that you think you are going to profit from your hobby you are asking for disaster.

While I like events that promise bigger payouts, I am not looking come home and payoff my debts. Rather, if I can recover some of the expense involved, it is more likely that I will be able to hit another competition. Bigger paying events also bring in better competition. It is more fun to compete with heavy hitters that have an extensive track record and trailer full of hardware. Before you can be the best, you have to beat the best. Still working on that, but keep your eyes open.

Lowe's Buffalo BBQ Battle, August 18-19, 2006

August 18th-19th, Sograte BBQ Team (Cary and Steve) went to the Buffalo BBQ Battle held at Buffloa Springs Lake - Lubbock, Texas. There were 104 teams there and most of them were major players that were shooting for one of several major invitaions including the state championship in Meridian, TX and the Jack Daniels.

We were cooking on my new smoker for the first time. We have been working on it for months. Thurday morning (17th), we went out to the shop and wired the trailer, finished some welding, hooked it up and drug it out to the lake. We worked our asses off to get out there as early as possible. We knew that there were only 30 something spots with hook-ups and they were already filling up fast. There were only 2 spots left with full hook-ups when we got there at 11:30 in the morning. The rest of the day was wasted running back to town, shopping and grabbing all of the stuff we forgot.

This cooker was so new that we had not even had a chance to cook on it yet. In fact, it was not even painted yet. Luckily we were there early enough that we had time to get a fire in it learn a little bit about it before we started cooking. We built the first fire in it Friday morning about 10:00. Everything looked great, we were unable to build enough heat it the cook chamber. Now I know that this is a big cooker and built differently from anything I have ever cooked on but after sveral hours have passed and we still could not get over 200 degrees it was time to start worrying. We started discussing some major changes, and needed to get them done fast.

After much brain storming and debating, the first thing we tried was to remove a tuning plate to determine if the plates were not allowing enough heat into the cooker. That was unsuccesful so we we turned the trailer so the firbox was to the wind. This was a big help and we finallly got the the damn thing up to cooking temperatures. We spent about 6-8 hours getting up to 250. Now we were up to cooking temps, but still had a hard time getting much more out of it.

Once we got past that, it was time to start soaking beans, brining chicken, rubbing briskets and all of that fun stuff. We went ahead and started cooking the briskets early because we were not sure of what to expect out of the cooker. Now keep in mind, this whole time we have been pouring keystone light down our necks.

Once all of the prep work was done and the briskets were cooking, we went riding around with a friend on his gas powered golf cart. We were really drunk (well, 'we' was mostly me - Steve was smart enough to stop earlier in the evening) by this time and got reaaly stupid, but had the best damn doing it. Luckily were are all alive to tell about it. That is all a story of its own.

Meanwhile when we get back to camp at 3:30 Saturday morning, the briskets were almost done already so we decided to keep them on the cooker but keep the heat down to keep them from burning up. We went to bed for a couple of hours and got up got everything going. The day was really rough and I did not make the best decisions because I was hurting so damn bad. The good news is that we got everything cooked, and turned in on time.

I over seasoned the beans and they were pretty salty. We had to turn in both halfs of the chicken so we did not get to taste it, but it looked good. The ribs were out of sight. They were excellent. The brisket was far from the best we have done, but still tasted alright.

So anyway, we did not get any top 10's. We final tabled on beans and ribs though.

My daughter Ashlee, 9, cooked our chicken and she was very sad that she did not even get final table. This was her second competition, the first one she took 3rd place out of 8 entries on a basically rained out cook-off. I was able to enter her as her own entry at that one while I still entered mine. Naturally because of this expereience, she had high expectations coming into Buffalo. I tried to keep her down to earth, but that is not as esy as it seems. Beacuse of the $100.00 entry fee, it was not feasable to enter her as her own entry so I let her cook the Sograte entry. She was very disappointed when she did not place and even started crying. I had to explain to her how many people were here and how hard this competition was.

To tell the truth, I was also fairly disppointed in the results until I started looking into what everyone else did. There were no cooks that dominated anything. There was a first timer that won chicken and there were a lot of heavy hitters that did not top ten at all. Really, we were just one of 94 other teams that did not get top tens so getting final table was a pretty big honor. I finally had to listen to my own advice and am very happy with what we did on a new cooker, very hungover and up against 103 other teams.

This was a great experience. I could not have done it without the help of my brother-in-law Steve. He is the best help a man could ask for. We work together in pretty damn good sync. We learned a lot this time out and look forward to the next one. Watch out everybody, 'cause Sograte BBQ is going to be back and better than ever.

New Smoker/Catering Trailer is Officially Under Construction

Once again, after about a year of sitting, the smoker/catering trailer is finally seeing some action. After some minor changes to the trailer, we hung new axles under it and mounted the GM aluminum rally wheels.

The tank is 6 foot long by 30 inch diameter and will be used as the main smoke chamber. I cut some slots in the bottom, then welded a piece of angle iron over it to act as a drain channel. The legs were welded on while the tank was upside down. My btoher-in-law Steve and I took hauled to rig to his dads house and used his chain hoist to pick up the tank and stand it on the legs. It worked beautifully now and now the tank is mounted solidly to the trailer. The next step will be cutting the doors and building the slide out cooking trays. Pictures will be posted sonn, stay tuned..

UPDATE: Picutre available at sograte.com

Sograte BBQ on MySpace

Things have been very busy and I have not had much time to blog in a while, but I managed to set up an account at MySpace. Come visit me at myspace.com/sogratebbq and say hi! I would love to hear from you.

Purple Fingers

"Every puple finger is a bullet in the heart of terrorism." Quote of the day - by the Iraqi man who helped save Private Jessica Lynch

Congratulations to the Iraqi people on this very historic day.

One Marines View from Iraq says:

Iraqis have begun going to the polls to vote for the first permanent Iraqi parliament since the fall of Saddam Hussein. As many as 10 million people are expected to cast ballots in the historic election. Violence was reported almost as soon as the polls opened -- a roadside bomb went off in Ramadi, and another blast was reported in Baghdad. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.-CNN

Despite CNN’s Anderson Cooper reporting from “Ramadi” (BORRRING) and additional reporting from CNN above, voting here and around Iraq has been conducted flawlessly. In the insert above they report all the negative they can possibly muster with “a road side bomb went off in Ramadi” Yea, no kidding rocket scientist, it was one of many IEDs in Ramadi that went off today which is a daily event that happens in this area. They should move around in the streets and they will probably hear sniper fire as well. What else they didn’t report as that when those IEDs went off the Iraqi people in line waiting to vote didn’t budge or flee. It’s very sad that they have to try to highlight any miniscule possible negative activity about the work your Marines and Soldiers are doing while your service members continue to risk their lives to make things happen for Iraq. Anderson Cooper was in a voting facility in Ramadi interviewing Iraqi citizens and appeared to be in the way, blocking the voters from trying to submit their votes while he did his report.

Even the beeb is reporting high turnout

Voting was extended by an hour in some areas because of the high turnout, Iraq's election commission said.

Over at Threats Watch, Bill Roggio says

It is estimated Barwana has upward of 40,000 residents. Turnout has been heavy; over 2,000 Iraqis have entered the polls by noon Iraqi time. During the referendum on the Constitution in October, about 2,300 total votes were cast in the city.

Accidental Hedonist - 2005 Food Blog Awards!!

Vote for your favorite food blog, at the Accidental Hedonist.

It's time for the 2nd annual Food Blog Awards! Here's the chance to say "Hey, my food blog is worthy of attention!" Conversely, it's also the chance to say "Hey! My favorite food blog is also worthy of attention!"

Over the month of December, we're going to ensure that people recognize the quality writing and photography that go on in our community.

Here's how it's going to work - Between now and Friday, December 16th, we're accepting nominations in several categories, that are listed below. After the 16th, a group of judges will review the nominations, and submit five sites for your approval. From Dec 21st through December 31st, the polls will be open for people to vote.

Spice up your BBQ with the right rub

Spice up your BBQ with the right rub - The BBQ Report - http://www.bbqreport.com

The BBQ Report has a great post about rubs and spices as used in barbecue and grilling.

This article isn’t just another spice rub recipe. It’s explains the role of a spice rub when barbecuing.

Be sure to check it out.

UPDATE:

I forgot to mention that the article linked from the BBQ Report requires registration.

Sograte BBQ and Beef Jerky

I have finally taken my hobby to the public at www.sograte.com. Right now I am basically offering beef jerky because it is a great way to get my name out there and build a client base. Beef Jerky allows me to do what I enjoy, smoking meats, and it not too invasive on my family life. I look forward to sharing a variety of BBQ goods with you. Be sure to visit me at www.sograte.com, maybe even try a little bit of beef jerky.

Turkey Themed Cooking Party

I joined The Outdoor Chef, the local hot spot for bbq and grilling supplies, this weekend for a Cooking Party. They decided to do fried and smoked turkey in anticipation of the upcoming holidays. The party was very well planned and well executed.

I was really expecting the party to be a group of experienced cooks that were looking to share the experience with other bbq cooks. Sadly I was mistaken when I discovered that this was more like taking a hands on class at Home Depot. The people in attendance knew surprising little about bbq and were not there for the same reason I was. Besides this fact the party was entertaining and of course there is always room to learn.

Ray Bonner, owner of The Outdoor Chef, and his wife had brined a turkey for at least 24 hours, then smoked it on a pellet cooker. The smoked turkey was already done when we got there. He started the party by preparing a raw turkey for frying. Ray injected this turkey with a garlic sauce while explaining that you need use the same point of entry and rotate the needle around to get the most penetration of the injection. When finished prepping the turkey, he took us all out side to submerge the turkey in the preheated oil.

Ray did a very good job of explaining what he was doing and why he was doing it. Food safety was in mind and he made several good points to keep in mind. While things sometimes things seem like common sense, it is always good to be said.

While the theme was Turkey, we grilled some vegetables and desert. As anyone that enjoys cooking with fire knows, there is more than one way to cook a meal, and the grill is one of them. We used skewers to cook a variety of vegetables including sweet onion, bell peppers, squash, mushrooms and more. After placing the vegetables on skewers and brushing with olive oil, we dusted them a choice of bbq rubs (I chose garlic and herb) grilled for a few minutes until it began become tender.

Desert was some delicious grilled fruits. We mixed honey, rum and cinnamon and brushed it over grilled bananas then topped with some Ben and Jerry's French vanilla. WOW, this was good.

Overall, this was a very fun experience and I am looking forward to going again. My brother-in-law, Steve, went along with me and I would not have done it without him. Thank you Steve for coming along and enjoying the cooking party. For only $15.00, this way a great way to spend a couple hours of an otherwise rainy, dreary Sunday afternoon. I will be posting the recipes and instructions as time goes by, so stay tuned!

Big Foamy Head

Big Foamy Head is a Podcast series focused on my favorite subject, barbecue and beer. Big Foamy Head features entertaining commentary with in-depth coverage of cooking techniques and recipes. The well chosen blues tunes help break up the intensity of the long shows. Host Dick Pepper does a great job describing the details of his cooking including what he is doing and why. From beer can chicken to grilled pizza, from off the shelf to home brewed beer, Big Foamy Head provides great variety and entertaining Podcasts.

Each show is available for download or you can subscribe to the Podcast using attunes or other RSS capable MP3 players. Subscribing provides the convenience of automatic downloads every time a new show is posted. Don't have an IPod? Neither do I.. You can download the show to your computer and open it with Windows Media Player, Real Player, ITunes (IPod not required, this is my method of choice).

Don't miss another show, go to Big Foamy Head and start enjoying one of the worlds first barbecue Podcasts now.

Oklahoma Joes Pit Boss Game

Oklahoma Joe has a new game posted on their site made especially for us barbecue freaks.

SimSmoker is a "strategy" game, not an "action" game. You must take the initiative—after all, you're the cook!

You have to light the fire, prep the meat with a choice of mops and rubs, tend to the fire, drink your beer, and serve the fine food on the dining table all while fighting the elements of nature. This is not an easy game but I highly recommend wasting a little time with it. (hat tip: Dirk41)

Results of First Competition

We have successfully competed in our first competition. We entered all three meat categories of chicken (half chicken), ribs and brisket plus the jackpot beans. The first turn-in due was the beans. They were damn sure good, probably some of the best I have made. We did not make them any different than usual except we poured a full can of keystone in them and this was the first time to cook then in a pot over a fire and not in the controlled environment of a crock pot. We got 2nd place in beans! Missed the jackpot but what the hell, we got 2nd! Wow what a rush - could this possibly be a sign of things to come?

Our chicken was not done and we had to go to some extreme measures to make sure it was ready to turn in. We got it done but really lost the effect we were going for. Needless to say we did not place in chicken - but we did learn a few lessons.

We have NEVER cooked ribs before. Thanks to the BBQ Brethren - I got some great advice. We used the 3-2-1 method and mopped about 15 minutes before pulling off the smoker. We could tell that they were looking very good and really got excited about them. The next problem after we got them cooked was to slice them. I had no idea how to do it other than watching enough Food TV and OLN to know about the "competition cut". They damn sure were not pretty - but the judges were specifically told not to account for appearance. The ribs got 6th place!

Brisket is our masterpiece. Been cooking brisket for years and it just gets better every time. We cooked four briskets - one for donation (part of the entry fee - sold by silent auction for charity) and three to choose from for turn in. I sliced into the first one and it was dry, real dry. I have never had one dry like that. I grabbed the next one, which was the largest one of the cook, and sliced it open. It was beautiful! Juicy, flavorful tender, not overdone - perfect. Not my best but damn sure nothing wrong with it. Well, it got us 9th in brisket. I was really hoping for better but did not have any idea of what the competition was turning in. I had no idea what we were up against.

Overall I have to say that after the awards - everybody knew we were there! We placed in three out of the four categories we entered. We got more awards than a lot of the more experienced teams. After the awards I found out that the top three Texas cooks (1, 2 and 3 in LSBS points) were at this competition. These were obviously the ones that were called up in every category. We really got a huge boost of confidence and are totally hooked.

Thanks are due to many people for making this a successful outing. First of all I have to thank my brother-in-law Steve "The Sneak" for his tremendous help and the remainder of my family including my wife, mother, sister and kids. Our friend Gary loaned us his motorhome and Brandon let us use his trailer (we just took the backyard cooker). East Side Speed Shop kept us looking good with our Detroit Muscle Authentic Speedware shirts.


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