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Greetings from Brooklyn

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    Greetings from Brooklyn

    Hey folks. Greetings from lovely Brooklyn, New York. That's right ... New York City. NEW YORK CITY!!?!? (Remember that Pace Picante commercial?)

    I'm originally from Opelousas, Louisiana, but live up here now. I came to barbecue -- or "real" barbecue -- sort of late in the game. I'll put my gumbo or rice and gravy or red beans and rice up against anyone else -- and their mama -- but when it comes to barbecue, I'm still stumbling along. I got into it on a whim when living in an apartment with a roof-top deck and, on a beautiful spring day, went down to the Home Depot and instead of getting a basic Weber or an easy to use gas grill, got a COS. Can't remember what it was, but it was thin, rickety -- and I loved it to death. I started with shoulders and Carolina style barbecue. Then I moved from that place, spent many years in the Brooklyn desert (i.e., with no outdoor space).

    By the time I moved into a place with outdoor space -- a proper backyard this time -- I'd gotten hooked on Texas brisket. I also decided I was going to buy a big daddy smoker, but settled for a Brinkmann Limited Edition Trailmaster (it might actually be called something else since those guys seem to sell each other all the time). It's quarter-inch steel, so definitely a step up from the lesser models that Brinkmann sells, and it was the only respectable thing that the Home Depot in Brooklyn had on hand. Honestly, the only thing stopping me from shelling out big bucks for a custom model was this: I'm in the middle of the block and whatever I buy has to be able to get THROUGH a 750-square foot apartment. So there you have it. And it works! (I've got a charcoal basket, a heat deflector along the bottom and a "shield" at the passage between box and chamber).

    I actually don't cue that often. One reason is that it's a fairly big production in terms of renting a car to get to a store to get that much meat and charcoal. Oh, and not being able to start too early for fear of having an entire Brooklyn block calling the fire department because of the smoke. I've now switched to the Black's two-day method (and one also seen here when Meathead allowed that at least one competition guy might be onto something). I am doing the annual barbecue for work this weekend and plan on doing a full brisket, one or two shoulders and a mess of chicken. Most of my coworkers don't know any better, but even the ones who've eaten brisket in and around Austin say mine's getting better.

    Another reason I don't have to cue as often is that New York finally has some real barbecue places. And a couple of them -- Hill Country and Dinosaur (both of which were kind enough to open second locations in Brooklyn) -- seem to have legitimate staying power.

    Other assorted foolishness in my Brooklyn backyard -- a cheapo gas grill loaded with Grill Grates, a cheapo electric smoker than I'm babysitting for a friend until he gets a backyard, and a propane burner for frying turkeys and boiling crabs and crawfish. I sometimes wonder what the neighbors think. I assume it's usually: "Why didn't that guy invite US over."

    #2
    Welcome again Ken! Great intro post, fun story to read. Sounds like you got yourself a Brinkmann pit before they became synonymous with cheap equipment. 1/4" pits are nice and rare with Brinkmann, they came from the folks at Oklahoma Joe at one time. Max (our equipment director) and I had this conversation once before.

    Have you ever considered ordering meat online? There are a few decent suppliers the moderators here have used and been pleased with. DoubleRranch comes to mind. I can see where not having a vehicle makes BBQ shopping tougher.
    By the way, great job on your sig too! We look forward to more posts from you!

    Comment


      #3
      Oddly enough, I've ordered 50 pounds of live crawfish online and smoked sausage from Louisiana, but never meat to barbecue. One issue is the price -- and then figuring out if I need to be home, etc., for the delivery. There's also a Western Beef where I go when I do have a big cue and their prices are great.

      Comment


        #4
        Yeah you pay for the convenience of those places that's for sure. The strange thing is, for me to buy a brisket where I live is now $9/lb, and that's only IF I can find it. Butchers are having a hard time getting any in stock. I've found online to be about $5-6/lb with the price of shipping. Win-win, considering.

        What is your technique for live crawfish? If you have a good recipe and feel like sharing we're all ears [eyes]!

        Comment


        • RaginCajunKen
          RaginCajunKen commented
          Editing a comment
          I actually don't do anything fancy with the crawfish. Just bring the water to a boil, throw the "Crawfish Boil" seasonings in there (I use Zatarains for the most part) along with onions and garlic, let that go for about half an hour. Then throw the crawfish in, put the lid on, when it steam starts to escape, let it go about 10 minutes, then turn off heat and let them soak for another 20 minutes. Then eat.

        #5
        Hello Ken WELCOME!

        Comment


          #6
          You have a sweet potato recipe? You better being from Opelousas.

          Comment


          • RaginCajunKen
            RaginCajunKen commented
            Editing a comment
            Ha. I do not. Despite having marched in the Yambilee parade and everything. Not a fan of sweet potatoes. (Also really hate okra!)

          • Jerod Broussard
            Jerod Broussard commented
            Editing a comment
            I don't eat yams as much as I should. I love fried okra, pickled, and in gumbo, but not steamed by itself.

          #7
          Welcome to The Pit Ken! I really must wonder why a BBQ enthusiast like yourself has decided to reside in the concrete jungle...

          Please check out the rest of The Pit. Head over to the General Discussion channel and dive into the mix... Post your latest cook in the Recipes and Techniques channel(with pics!).... Tell us about your latest restaurant BBQ experience.... make yourself at home!

          Comment


          • RaginCajunKen
            RaginCajunKen commented
            Editing a comment
            Thanks David!
            I actually did this a little backwards. I went to the restaurant section before coming here.
            I'll say one good thing about living in New York. I can mouth off about having some of the best barbecue around and I don't have to worry about being shown up by anybody.

          • David Parrish
            David Parrish commented
            Editing a comment
            RCK that's a true statement. I'm guessing there are very very few folks in your neck of the woods that can barbecue.

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