Rotisserie Pork Rib Roast

Due to some members of our family being out of town on Thanksgiving, we decided to celebrate a few days late.  Tonight was the night.

My father-in-law doesn't like turkey, so we opted on a bone-in pork roast.  I bought a nice fresh roast at a local butcher shop.  It had ten ribs and weighed in at a tad under eight pounds.  I decided to cook this on the rotisserie.

Now, when I smoke or roast low and slow, I use my off-set smoker.  For grilling and rotisserie cooking, I use the good old Weber kettle BBQ.  I do my outdoor cooking old school and can't bring myself to buy a gas grill.  And I'm not convinced that you can get the same results from gas, no matter what the salesperson at BBG says!

Anyway, here is how I cooked it...

Last night, I rubbed down the roast with extra virgin olive oil, then various spices and herbs including thyme, basil, lavender and even fennel pollen.  I had the roast trussed up, so after rubbing in the herbs, I wove sprigs of fresh rosemary through the twine.  After I was done with the rub, I wrapped the whole thing in plastic wrap then tossed it in the fridge overnight.

The cooking time I came up with was 20 minutes per pound, while trying to maintain a temperature of 350 degrees.  That turns out to be a little under three hours.  

I lit a full charcoal chimney with charcoal and after it was ready, I piled it evenly on one side of the grill.  I then put the roast on the spit, inserted into the rotisserie motor and got it turning.  Put the lid on and walked away!

2 hours and 45 minutes later, the internal temp of the pork was 160 degrees and it was done.  I then remove the roast from the spit, wrapped it tightly in aluminum foil and let it rest for about thirty minutes before carving.

The end result was a very moist and delicious roast.

Enjoy!

Barbeque sauce recipe

This is a great BBQ sauce recipe.  This can be used as is, or as a base for your own ideas.  I'll add a little pineapple juice for an Hawaiian twist, or maybe a little rum or Jack Daniels as it simmers.  The options are limitless...  

BBQ Sauce Recipe

In a large sauce pan, add the following:

1 tbs butter

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Fresh lemon juice from two medium sized lemons

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1-1 1/2 cups water

1 small white onion (diced finely)

2 cups sugar

1 tbs yellow mustard

1 tbs crushed red pepper flakes (adjust more or less to personal taste)

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbs McCormick’s BBQ Seasoning

3 tsp celery seed

Bring the above ingredients to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir frequently.  

Add the following:

One 24oz bottle of catchup.  

2 tbs liquid smoke

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Simmer for another 40-50 minutes, stirring frequently.  Allow to cool.

World's Best Cornbread Recipe

This is, without a doubt, the BEST cornbread recipe in the world.  It is easy to make, sweet, savory and very moist.  Your guests will absolutely love this.  It will impress all who try this...  Please let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb butter

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 can creamed corn

1 - 4 oz can chopped green chiles

1/2 cup Jack cheese, grated

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow corn meal

4 tsp baking powder

Instructions:  Cream butter and add sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well.  Add corn and chopped green chiles.  Add cheese and salt.  Mix (or sift) together flour, corn meal and baking powder; add to mixture.  Pour into greased 8x12x2 glass dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for one hour. 

West Coast BBQ...Great BBQ in La Mesa, CA (San Diego County)

Tonight my family and I tried out a little BBQ joint called, West Coast BBQ.  I'm a real BBQ snob, so at first I was a little reluctant to go.  Although there are a few REAL BBQ restaurants in San Diego, most places idea of a good rib is when the meat falls off of the bone.  I hate that!

Ok, here's my review...  The restaurant is located in a small strip mall located at 6126 Lake Murray Blvd. in La Mesa.  As soon as I got out of the car I knew I was in for a treat.  The air was filled with the aroma of smoked meat.  I love that smell!!!  The place was packed, which was another good sign.

The menu was just basic BBQ.  Pork spare ribs, baby back, beef ribs, pulled pork and sliced beef (brisket).  The meat is slow smoked with a southern style rub and then served wet, with their homemade sauce.  The sauce was sweet with a little heat at the back of the throat.  Pretty good stuff.

I ordered the "Rib Lovers Plate."  The meat was cooked to perfection.  Nice smoke ring, tender, moist and came off the bone with a slight "tug".  The plate consisted of three large beef ribs, three nice sized spare ribs and six baby back ribs.  It also came with two side dishes.  I picked the BBQ beans (which were great) and the fries.  My wife had the beef rib plate with beans and cole slaw.  She loved her meal and really liked the slaw.  My plate was $18.00 and my wife's was $14.00. 

All in all I really liked the experience.  My only suggestion would be PUT A ROLL OF PAPER TOWELS ON THE TABLE!!!!

I Do plan on returning to this great rib joint!  Next time it will be pulled pork.

A Barbeque Blog is Born!!!

Jeeze!  Ok, I'm new to this blog stuff...  I started to write my first blog and before I knew it, I posted it before it was even complete.

Anyway, I'm writing this blog out of a love for barbeque.  And I mean REAL BARBEQUE, not a rack of ribs slathered with some sauce and thrown on a red-hot grill.  I want a rack of ribs trimmed, rubbed with spices then smoked for a few hours over real wood.  Or a pork shoulder treated with a rub and smoked for twelve hours over apple wood.  That's what I'm talking about!

I'm starting this blog as a place for others to share their love for BBQ.  So, whenever I try something new on the Q I'm posting it here.  Feel free to share tips and recipes here as well.  

Take care!

Greg