A traditional ham and bean soup is made with a white bean like Great Northern or cannellini beans. My grocery store was fresh out of both of these on the day I was there, so I just grabbed a bag of pinto beans (saving me a trip to another store). This whim of laziness worked out for the best because I ended up liking the pinto beans better than the white beans. They have a darker appearance, which added some nice color to the dish, and I felt they had a richer flavor. Definitely a keeper!

The one thing that is not captured in this recipe is the amount of salt and black pepper. I like my ham and bean soup with a hearty dose of black pepper, so I just leave the pepper mill next to the stove and add a couple cranks each time I stir the pot. It probably adds up to at least a teaspoon of pepper, but I just prefer to go by taste. In regards to salt, the ham will naturally introduce some salt as the soup cooks, so I prefer to salt by taste right before serving.

Ham and bean soup is best served over warm cornbread with a splash of hot sauce. I’ll be sharing my recipe for Cheddar Green Chile Cornbread in the very near future.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds dried pinto beans
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups water, more if needed
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 smoked ham bones, with meat
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Sort through the beans and discard any pebbles or misshapen/broken beans. Rinse the beans and then place them in a bowl submerged by 2-3 inches of water. Cover with a kitchen towel and set on the counter to soak overnight.

Drain the beans and set aside.

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent.

Add garlic, thyme, parsley and black pepper. Sauté another 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.

Add the beans, chicken stock and water. Stir in the sugar and bay leaves, then add the ham bones. If needed, add a little more water so that the beans are covered by about 1 inch of liquid.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered (stirring occasionally) for about 2 hours, or until the beans are tender and the ham meat has released from the bones.

Remove from heat and fish out the ham bones and bay leaves. Pick off any remaining meat and add back to the pot. Discard the bones and bay leaves.

Stir in lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The post Smoky Ham and Bean Soup appeared first on BBQ Addicts.

When picking out a ham you just want to make sure you are picking out a “Fully Cooked” or “Partially Cooked” bone-in cured ham. The thing to avoid here is a “fresh” or “green” ham. Those are completely raw, and would be your starting point if you wanted to cure the ham yourself. Cooking a fresh ham without curing it would result in something more akin to pulled pork than ham. Home curing is a completely different topic, so we’re just going to start with a store bought cured ham.

The amount of smoke you decide to put on during this second smoke session is 100% personal preference. I like to run a gentle smoke and keep the ham unwrapped throughout the entire process. If you want a little less smoke, then wrap the ham in aluminum foil after about an hour in the smoke. Cooking in an foil pan can make this step easier. That allows you to simply cover the pan with a sheet of foil instead of having to remove the whole thing from the pit to wrap.

The recipe calls for a 10-12 pound spiral cut ham. If you want to go bigger, then it will just take more time. Mine normally takes about 3 hours, but like all barbecue recipes…we’re looking for temperatures, not time. And lastly, spiral cut hams seem to cook a little faster than the whole uncut hams.

Ingredients

• 10-12 pound bone-in ham, spiral cut
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp pineapple juice

Directions

Place your ham in a 250 degree smoker with your favorite smoking wood. Apple is my go-to when working with pork, but that’s just personal preference.

While the ham is cooking, fully combine the brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard, and pineapple juice.

Once the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140 degrees, baste with the ham glaze. If the ham won’t take all of the glaze, then apply a second coat after 10 minutes.

Continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the ham goes above 145 degrees. Remove from pit and enjoy!

The post Double Smoked Honey Glazed Ham appeared first on BBQ Addicts.

Ingredients

• 55 oz can Pork & Beans
• 1/2 cup Smokey Kansas City Original Barbecue Sauce
• 1/2 cup Smokey Kansas City Spicy Barbecue Sauce
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 cup chopped barbecue meat

Directions

Combine the beans, barbecue sauce, brown sugar and mustard in an 8×12 pan. Stir in the chopped barbecue meat.

Place the pan in a 250 degree smoker underneath a cooking pork butt or brisket. Cook for 1 hour, then cover with aluminum foil and cook for an additional hour.

The post Smokey Kansas City Pit Beans appeared first on BBQ Addicts.

Ingredients

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup onion, grated
• 1 large clove garlic, pressed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoons prepared mustard

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until it reaches a good consistency, stirring occasionally.

Cool and strain to remove the onion and garlic. Store in refrigerator.

Paul Kirk is Kansas City’s Baron of Barbecue.  He’s won over 575 cooking and barbecue awards (including 7 World Barbecue Championships), authored 12 barbecue cookbooks, was a founding member of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, and a 2015 inductee into the Barbecue Hall of Fame.

The post The Baron’s Steak Sauce Recipe appeared first on BBQ Addicts.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1/4 cup low salt soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well.

Place the steaks in a large plastic bag and cover with the marinade. If marinating more than one steak in the same bag then make sure the entire surface of each steak has been coated with the marinade liquid.

Refrigerate at least three hours flipping the bag every few hours. If possible, I recommend letting the steaks marinate overnight.

Paul Kirk is Kansas City’s Baron of Barbecue.  He’s won over 575 cooking and barbecue awards (including 7 World Barbecue Championships), authored 12 barbecue cookbooks, was a founding member of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, and a 2015 inductee into the Barbecue Hall of Fame.

The post The Baron’s Steak Marinade Recipe appeared first on BBQ Addicts.

There are plenty of great commercial seasonings on the market, but when it comes to a steak seasoning I err on the side of simple. The Baron’s Steak Seasoning recipe is basic mixture salt and pepper, with a few simple additions. This recipe also pairs perfectly with The Baron’s Steak Marinade Recipe and my The Baron’s Steak Sauce Recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon ground Malabar black pepper
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon white cane sugar

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients and blend well.

Place in an airtight jar and store in a cool dark place until ready to use.

Paul Kirk is Kansas City’s Baron of Barbecue.  He’s won over 575 cooking and barbecue awards (including 7 World Barbecue Championships), authored 12 barbecue cookbooks, was a founding member of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, and a 2015 inductee into the Barbecue Hall of Fame.

The post The Baron’s Steak Seasoning Recipe appeared first on BBQ Addicts.

This Szechuan Smoked Duck recipe is from my book Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue, which was first published in 2004 and is currently in its 18th printing.  I also like to serve a Raspberry Habanero BBQ sauce alongside this duck recipe.  That bbq sauce recipe is not in my cookbook, but I have included it below.  Enjoy!

Szechuan Smoked Duck

• 1-4 to 5 pound duck, trimmed of extra fat and skin
• 1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
• 1 batch Szechuan Rub (recipe follows)
• 1 batch Picante Beer Marinade (recipe follows)

Rinse the duck inside and out under cold running water, removing the giblets and neck. Pat dry with paper towels.

Rub the duck inside and out with the sesame oil, then season evenly with the Szechuan Rub inside and out to taste; remember this dish is spicy.

Prepare an indirect fire. Place the duck on the pit breast side down, cover and cook at 230º to 250º degrees F for 2 hours.

Turn and baste the duck with the Picante Beer Marinade. Continue to cook, basting every 30 minutes, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the breast and thigh, away from the bone, registers 165º degrees F (about 4 hours total).

Let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serves 4 to 6.

Szechuan Rub

• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorn salt, (recipe follows)
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon onion salt
• 2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon Chinese dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon star anise

To make the rub combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and blend well.

Szechuan Peppercorn Salt

• 1/4 cup coarse kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice powder

Heat a small heavy dry skillet over medium heat until it is hot.

Add the salt, peppercorn and 5 spice powder and dry-roast the mixture, stirring and shaking constantly, until the mixture turns very dark, but don’t let it burn!

Pour the mixture into a small bowl to keep it from darkening even more in the still-hot pan.

Remove and discard the peppercorns.  Store the seasoned salt in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to a year.  Makes about 1/4 cup.

Picante Beer Marinade

• 1-12 ounce can premium beer, allow to go flat
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (green and white parts)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons seeded and minced serrano chiles
• 2 tablespoons granulated cane sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized nonreactive bowl and blend well.  Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Raspberry Habanero BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup Hoisin sauce
• 1 cup Seedless Raspberry Jelly or Jam
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Habanero powder

Combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat.

Stir constantly until the jelly has melted and the sauce has combined, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Makes about 2+ cups.

Paul Kirk is Kansas City’s Baron of Barbecue.  He’s won over 575 cooking and barbecue awards (including 7 World Barbecue Championships), authored 12 barbecue cookbooks, was a founding member of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, and a 2015 inductee into the Barbecue Hall of Fame.

The post Szechuan Smoked Duck Recipe appeared first on BBQ Addicts.

The EAT Barbecue sauces and rubs are the product of Rod Gray, pitmaster of the Pellet Envy competition barbecue team. The team is comprised of Rod and his wife Sherri. The duo began competing in 2001, and since that time have managed to rack up an astronomical 50+ Grand Championships. Pellet Envy has spent 10 straight years as a nationally ranked barbecue team, was the KCBS national Team of the Year in 2009 and runner-up Team of the Year in 2010, and has been named the best cook in the country for pork ribs and beef brisket. That’s a pretty substantial resume, and the release of their new EAT Barbecue products has only strengthened it. Essentially they have bottled Pellet Envy’s championship recipes, as these are the exact sauces and seasonings they use on the competition circuit week-in and week-out.

I had a few extra slabs of spare ribs hanging out in the freezer, so we decided to test out Pellet Envy’s championship rib recipe (which is made up of the EAT Barbecue ZERO to HERO barbecue rub and the EAT Barbecue IPO barbecue sauce).

Each slab was double wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil with brown sugar and honey. The added sweetness creates a nice braising liquid that will glaze the meat as it continues to cook.

The foil packets were sealed up tight and returned to smoker.

Two hours later I opened up the foil packets to check the tenderness of the meat. In KCBS sanctioned contests the goal is to have the meat be tender enough to cleanly pull away from the bone when bitten, but not so tender that the entire bone falls out of the meat. I can just tell by feeling the slab if it’s cooked the way I want, but a good test to grab the end of one of the bones and twist it. If you can feel it coming loose, then you’re probably in good shape. If you’re unable to twist, then wrap up the ribs again and put them back in the smoker for another 30 minutes (repeating until tender). Of course if you’re just cooking at home, then feel free to roast the meat completely off the bone. That’s the way I prefer to eat ribs when we’re not cooking for competition. These were exactly where I wanted them, so I transferred the slabs to a cutting board and discarded the foil and remaining juices.

Next comes a slathering of EAT Barbecue IPO sauce. Rod describes it as “a Memphis sauce that defected to Kansas City”, and I would say that’s a spot on description. It’s a thin tangy sauce like you’d expect from a Memphis style product, but sports a rich dark flavor more associated with a Kansas City style. It’s easily poured, and has nice deep red coloring.

I like to slice my ribs from the backside so that I can easily see the location of the bones, so the slab was set on the cutting board with the meat side facing down and then basted with the EAT Barbecue IPO sauce.

I then flipped over each individual rib and basted the top side of the slab with more of the EAT Barbecue IPO barbecue sauce.

Repeat the entire process for the second slab.

And now comes the moment of truth…the tasting! The sweet rub perfectly compliments the natural flavor of the pork, and the vinegar in the sauce provides a subtle tang that adds complexity to the overall flavor of the rib. And if I do say so myself, the ribs were cooked absolutely perfect!

All in all, it’s pretty easy to see (and taste) why Pellet Envy is considered one of the best rib cooks in the country. There’s balance and complexity within the EAT Barbecue sauce and rub, and they create a beautiful coloring that made for a stunning presentation. We shared the remaining of the two slabs at our neighborhood picnic, and the decision was unanimous. The EAT Barbecue line of BBQ sauce and BBQ rub is definitely a keeper!

The post EAT Barbecue: Competition Rib Recipe appeared first on BBQ Addicts.

The La Caja China roasting box is a fairly unique cooker, especially if you’re used to the traditional smokers and/or spit roasters. The best way to describe it is a giant Dutch Oven. It’s a large rectangular box that’s constructed out of aluminum lined plywood. A butterflied roasting pig gets sealed inside, and then a charcoal fire is lit on the racks sitting on top of the box. The heat from the fire presses down on our little piggy friend, cooking him to perfection in a mere 4 hours!!!

So, the first thing to do when planning a pig roast is to line up a supplier for your pig. I happen to have a connection to a Berkshire pork processor up in Iowa, so I made a call to my contact at Berkwood Farms. I let them know that I was looking for, and then 3 days before the big cook I had my very own Berkshire pig.

The pig arrived frozen solid, so I iced him down in our bath tub to slowly thaw out over the course of a couple days. (This is the part where I need to thank my wife. Needless to say she was a bit hesitant when I told her that I wanted to thaw a dead pig in our upstairs bathroom, but she understands my addiction and was more than willing to sacrifice our guest bathroom for the weekend.

The key to thawing the pig, especially in a bathtub for a couple days, is to keep him on fresh ice. He (for some reason I refer to the pig as a he) was wrapped in a large plastic bag, so I kept him inside the bag during the thaw. The ice was then packed around the outside of the wrapped pig, and I left the drain open to prevent any standing water from forming. The tub ended up holding the cold temps really well, so I didn’t go through near the amount of ice as I was planning. Every 6-8 hours I would check in and add more ice as needed.

The morning of the roast we took the pig out of the ice and carried him outside to get prepped for the cooker. To make sure he was good and clean, I gave the pig a good rinse with some water before putting him up on the prep table.

Once on the table he needed a little knife work before being ready for the box. In order to evenly cook inside the La Caja China, then pig needed to be butterflied to lay flat. To do this, we laid the pig on his back and the I used a large chefs knife and a rubber mallet to split the spine between the two front legs. The cut I made ran a majority of the length of the ribs, but I imagine this could vary depending on the size and anatomy of each animal. I also removed the membrane from the ribs and trimmed off any small hanging pieces of fat.

After trimming we injected him with approximately 1 gallon of our competition pork injection, focusing mainly on the shoulders, hams, and loin. All I had available was a few small hand injectors, so this took a little longer than I was planning. Before my next pig roast I will be investing SpitJack Injector Gun or a Chop’s Power Injector System. This will save lots of time, and some hand cramps!

Once injected, I rubbed the entire pig with hefty coating of kosher salt following by a layer of BBQ Rub all across the cavity. Once the pig was fully seasoned, we wrapped him back up in plastic with ice bags on top and let him rest for another 4-6 hours to absorb the flavors of the injection and rub. 2 hours before the roast started, I pulled the ice bags off the pig to let him come to room temperature. It was a pretty hot that day, and I had my prep table setup in the garage, so it didn’t take long for the pig to come to room temperature. If you were doing this process in an air conditioned room, then you may need to let the pig sit a little longer.

In hindsight, this is the point at which I made a mistake. Before lowering the pig into the La Caja China roasting box, you’re suppose to secure him inside of a wire rack to help keep him splayed out. Unbeknownst at the time, I had actually secured the racks upside down, which is why there is a bar running through the pig’s mouth in the above picture. Instead of the racks acting as a cage to hold the pig together, they act as risers to lift the pig 2-3 inches off of the drip pan. This then allows the hot air to circulate underneath the pig during the cooking process. This was definitely an important detail, so take note of this if you plan to do your own pig roast.

After sealing the pig inside the La Caja China, all you need to do is follow the simple instructions conveniently printed on the side of the box. 16 pounds of charcoal were lit initially, and then more was added per the recommended timings. After 3 hours of roasting, the pig is then flipped to expose the skin side to direct heat. This makes it nice and crispy!

The flip is when I noticed that something wasn’t going as planned. This is the point in the process where you are supposed to score the skin with a knife. The instructions and La Caja China YouTube videos showed this happening with relative ease. The first slit I made went great, but the skin near the center wasn’t quite as tender as I was expecting. I was able to cut through the skin, but it required a bit more umph than the edges. This was because the skin was in contact with the drip pan, so the heat wasn’t able to circulate under the pig.

To make up for the less than tender skin, I let the pig roast a little longer than the recommended time after the flip. After about another hour, the skin became nice and crispy and we were able hoist the golden brown pig from the roasting box and place him on the serving table.

The final product was moist and juicy, and the rendered pork fat flavor was unmatched! The only issued caused by my oversight with the rack was that the meat wasn’t quite as tender as I would have liked. It never reached the point of being able to pull the meat cleanly from the bone, so we mostly enjoyed sliced pork. Regardless, it was absolutely delicious! I was really surprised at how well the flavor of the rub penetrated the meat. The heat of the roaster really activated those flavors, and they were absorbed by the entire hog.

All in all, my first La Caja China pig roast was a resounding success! I learned a few lessons along the way, and have a game-plan in place for making my next roast even better. Special thanks to everyone who came out for the birthday bash! I can’t think of a better way to spend my 30th birthday than cooking for 100 of my closest family and friends!

The post La Caja China Pig Roast appeared first on BBQ Addicts.

It’s worth noting that the amount of alcohol in your finished dish would also be divided among the total number of portions you were preparing, but it merits attention to know it’s there. Everyone that cooks and shares meals with friends and family knows that you inevitably encounter individuals with certain dietary restrictions. Being in tune with your ingredients, and how they react during the cooking process, will make you that much more of a versatile grill master. So go ahead and tuck this little nugget of information in your back pocket for the time being.  You never know when you may need it in the future.

And in case you’re interested in sampling some of those boozy recipes that Alton was featuring on Good Eats, here’s the links to his full rundown over on the Food Network site:

Cheddar Cheese Beer Bread
Lamb Shoulder Chops with Red Wine

Just a fair warning though. If you’ve never had beer bread, be prepared to become addicted. One taste and your mind will run wild with all the different flavor combinations to pair with your favorite brews.

The post Cooking Myths: Recipes With Alcohol appeared first on BBQ Addicts.