19th Annual Fiery Foods & BBQ Show

Is anyone out there??? I know I have been remiss in my blogging duties. To be honest there hasn't been a heck of a lot of barbecuing going on for me. I am in the midst of getting my new and improved version of UglyGourmet.com up and running. Trying to take new pictures, write new copy, figure out how I am going to get people to visit it. It is all very exciting and nerve wracking to say the least.

Anyway, I wanted to remind everyone about the annual fiery foods & BBQ show going on this weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Sandia Resort and Casino Events Center. I personally will not be in attendance this year. If you are one of the lucky one's who gets to attend we would love to hear about it...Pictures are welcome too!

Don't forget to check out UglyGourmet.com over the next couple of weeks. The new design is fantastic. Let us know what you think....

Eat Ugly,
Jonathan

Every BBQ Needs Dessert...

What do you say when some asks what they can bring to your BBQ? My first reply is always beer. In fact, my second reply is usually beer and then when the third and fourth person ask I remember that I don't bake and ask them to bring dessert. A good BBQ always needs a tasty treat to finish things off and since I have yet to figure out how to barbecue a chocolate cake I more often that not need someone to bring it to my party. I have never had much interest in baking, the actual process that is, I am quite fond of eating baked goods. And just for the record I can make a mean habanero pecan pie. However, when I host a backyard BBQ or plan a tailgate party I always leave dessert up to someone else. Today’s tailgate contest recipe comes from one of my more “sensitive” friends. He is really a good guy. He would just rather bake than BBQ. His recipe for "Liberry short cake follows. Enjoy!

“Liberry” Cake...

INGREDIENTS: In the rare case that you are unble to find liberries, strawberries work fine.

The Filling:

• 1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled, sliced
• 1/3 cup sugar

The Short cake:

• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup milk
• melted butter
• whipped cream, sweetened with a little sugar if desired

PREPARATION:

Place strawberries in a large bowl; sprinkle with 1/3 cup of sugar. Let stand, covered, for at least 1 hour before serving.

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening and butter until mixture is fine.

Add milk; stir with a fork until all flour is moist. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently for 20 seconds. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Gently roll out or pat each portion to fit a 9-inch round cake pan. Place each portion into a lightly buttered pan; press edges to form a slight ridge. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 450° for 12 to 15 minutes. Brush each layer with butter. Spoon sweetened strawberries and juice between layers and on the top. Serve warm, cut in wedges, with whipped cream. Serves 10, (or two Social Studies Teachers on their prep)

If using self-rising flour, omit baking powder and salt.

Barbecued Corned Beef...

I want to thank everyone again for joining in the tailgate fun. Dom I hope you enjoy your prize. I know I promised to post a picture and list of the winning prize, but I forgot my camera at home and have not had a chance to upload the pictures.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but now that football is over it seems more difficult to find excuses to BBQ. Tailgating is always the perfect excuse to spend a couple of days in front of the smoker. My wife finds it odd that I am willing to brave frigid temperature and snow just to BBQ, but is more willing to deal with it during football season. I figure for now at least I have all these new recipes from the tailgate contest to try. I mean what kind if a person would I be if I didn't try each and every recipe a few times. That would just be wrong. It is my responsibility to honor all my talented contestant by grilling and barbecuing their tasty entries. This weekend I am going to try smoked corned beef for the first time... Thanks, Al I can't wait for Saturday.

Al & Natasha's Smoked Corned Beef...

Corned Beef:

• Al prefers a 3-4 pound round cut of corned beef as it contains more fat, but the flat cut works fine.

The Rub:

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon course ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 finely crushed and ground bay leaf

How to cook it:

Apply the rub the night before. wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. Do not add any salt the meat has plenty. Remove the beef from the refrigerator about thirty minutes before you are ready to put it on the smoker.

Prep and preheat the smoker

Smoke at 225 to 240 degrees with your choice of wood for about 2 hours. Al only adds wood for the first 2 hours of smoking and only use 2" by 2" chunks as not to overpower the meat with smoke. He adds 3 chunks every half hour for the first two and prefers mesquite wood for this recipe.

After smoking for 2 hours he wraps it tightly in heavy duty foil and returns the meat to the smoker for 2 to 3 more hours. The longer the better. He also recommends you be careful when wrapping the meat as the foil collects the juices and make a great gravy.

Remove the meat from the smoker and open the tasy package in a bowl to catch the gravy. Slice thin, return to gravy and serve hot. One 3-4 pound corned beef will shrink by 30% after cooking and serve about 6 people. Enjoy!!!

Tailgate Recipe Contest...Winner!!!

Well Anthony, with a little help from Bruce, has made his decision. I don’t have much time to write, so I’ll be brief. I’ve got a Boston Butt and Brisket on the smoker and am battling the temperature. The snow is wreaking havoc on my fire. Anyway, the winner of the first annual Eat Ugly Tailgate Recipe Contest in Dom from East Boston Massachusetts. Congratulations! I'll let you know what is in his prize package of BBQ goodies tomorrow. The winning recipe is below, enjoy...

Dom’s Grandmother’s Root Beer & Bourbon Baby Back Ribs...

Glaze:

• 2 cans or root beer
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper jelly
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons of the steak sauce of your choice
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 orange juiced
• 1 cup bourbon
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons of bitters
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Put all of the contents into a large pot and cook to a boil. Make sure it is stirred frequently to get all sugar dissolved. This is done at a medium to high heat. After it has boiled let it cook for 30 min a medium heat. Once this is done remove and strain through a fine strainer. Then put it away, but keep warm until needed.

Ribs:

• 2 full slabs of baby back ribs
• 2 tablespoons of salt (kosher)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder (granulated)
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder (granulated)
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock

Preheat oven to 275

Place ribs on a large enough baking sheet. Put the salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black and cayenne pepper into a bowl. Rub one table spoon of mixture into each rack of ribs. Let it sit for 20 min.

Pour the chicken stock into the sheet pan and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Put in oven and cook until ribs become tender (1 1/2 - 2 hours).

Take ribs from oven and let them cool (15-20 min). Preheat grill to medium.

Coat ribs as much as desired with glaze. Put ribs right onto the grill and cook until brown and the glaze starts to caramelize. This should not be more than 10 min...watch for burning.

Take ribs off....use rest of glaze as desired and feast.