9.23.2016 Hot From The Pit Newsletter

[David Parrish]

Hot From The Pit is the newsletter for members of theAmazingRibs.com Pitmaster Club from David "Pit Boss" Parrish, and Sarahlynn Pablo, Assistant Editor. And remember what Meathead always says: No rules in the bedroom or dining room! Helping Fellow Members After The Flood, Baton Rouge When a Pitmaster Club Member is down, our members don't let him or her stay down. The record floods last month in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, took the possessions of Pitmaster Club Member IvyH. Thankfully, no lives were lost within IvyH's family, but everything else was. Pitmaster Club members Ribeyeguy and richinlberg created a PayPal account through which direct donations could be collected and started a thread in The Pit to bring attention to the matter. Wrote IvyH, "I just saw this thread this morning and am overwhelmed by the support. richinlbrg, Ribeyeguy, I don't know what to say. I showed this to my wife...well she was a little emotional to say the least. To everyone that gave a thumbs up to the amazing donations, I am humbled and thankful. I should have access to a computer Monday and will try to send pics. I have so many thanks to give and will do so in time when I have computer access. "I'd like to mention my 18 year old daughter, Bailey, who spent 16 hours a day for 3 days rescuing people and/or bringing people back home to collect items by boat. I'm truly proud. And my 7 year old son, Lee, who saw the house for the first time Saturday. His first words, what can I do to help, where's my gloves? He's now an expert nail puller. My wife is as strong as anyone and has spent a huge amount of time doing grunt work. Bro in law, Kirk, friends Tabitha, Jeremy and John. "I feel blessed to be part of such an amazing group here." Wrote Ribeyeguy, "We didn't do much of anything. We simply recognized that a member was in need and came up with a way to allow fellow members to help him if they so desired. As richinlberg said, neither one of us deserve any credit, all credit should go to the members of this site, it's truly an amazing community." If there are Pitmaster Club members affected by the recent floods in Louisiana, please respond on the thread and/or send a private message to Ribeyeguy or richinlberg. If you would like to donate, please do so on the dedicated PayPal site: https://www.paypal.me/IvyHFloodReliefFund Over Labor Day weekend, IvyH rigged up this Radio Flyer to get a pork butt smokin'. Check it out in The Pit! Pitmaster Only Giveaway From Tailgater Magazine, Enter By 9/30! Our friends at Tailgater Magazine have invited our membership exclusively to a flash kick-off giveaway raffle! Prizes include a Davy Crockett Pellet Grill with Wifi capability from Green Mountain Grills (which our very own Max Good has reviewed for AmazingRibs.com) and a batch of six Kijaro tailgater dual lock chairs. Total value over $600! Enter to win by September 30 online. Tailgater Giveaway: Enter By 9/25 Our friends at The Pit Barrel Company are raffling off what they call the ultimate tailgate prize, valued at over $1,000. We tend to agree considering that Meathead The Book is included and several Gold Medal award-winning prizes, too.Sweepstakes entries close on September 25, so click to enter now! Show Us What You're Cooking! To start, Pitmaster Club member ecowper was on his Hasty-Bake. Here's his flat iron steak with BBBR (that's Big Bad Beef Rub). Next to it is wild caught sockeye from Alaska with North African style rub. The wine is a 2014 La Crema Pinot Noir, Monterey. Next, here's HawkerXP's first spatchcocked fowl. For those of you already looking ahead to Thanksgiving time and in the New England area, scroll down for a great seminar Dr. Blonder's giving in October. Let's congratulate bbqoaf's entry into his first barbecue competition! He kept his energy up with a quick breakfast of sunny side up eggs, toast, and Meathead's Green Chile Salsa. The next photo shows his pop-up tent at competition. No text needed for Ernest's shortribs. Just a photo and a mic drop. Last we finish with this extraordinary surf and turf plate by Potkettleblack. He writes, "The pork chops from the PotKettleBlack's favorite pork chops sale thread, took a two hour bath in Blonder Brine (mixing with an immersion blender works really well with coarse kosher salt in a plastic cambro). After rinsing, they get MMD, then a tube of Mixon Competition blend pellets at 225 (with a water pan on the hot side to keep it cooler). Once they hit an IT of 130 they get a dose of glaze, today made with equal parts maple, apple cider vin, and fish sauce with a couple dashes of Tabasco. Flavor was incredible, didn't quite glaze properly. Any rate, glaze at 130, flip and glaze at 135, take to sear side and take to 140. "These were accompanied by homemade bread and green beans with onions and homemade pancetta. Wife picked her bone clean (never happens, but has been happening more since I've been here)." Show us what you've been cooking in The Pit! Age Old Debate: Butcher Paper Or Foil? Are you Team Aluminum Foil or Team Butcher Paper? The Pit weighed in on this one. We asked Meathead, and he said it's a matter of preference but mentioned too that Dr. Blonder was investigating it, and Aaron Franklin was Team Butcher Paper (as a few of you cited). Here's Pitmaster Club member PaultheRibslist throwing his support for Butcher Paper. What do you say? Tell us in The Pit! Dr. Blonder Talks Turkey: October 12, Boston AmazingRibs.com's scientist-in-residence, Dr. Greg Blonder, is giving a talk called "A Better Thanksgiving Through Science" on Wednesday, October 12 from 6 to 8 PM. Here's the workshop description: "Say goodbye to the cooking mistakes of Thanksgivings past. In this lecture and demonstration, Greg Blonder, Boston University professor of product design and engineering, will show you how to achieve ideal cooking results at home through scientific principles. Professor Blonder will explain the effect of brining on mashed potatoes, how to maximize your oven's efficiency to achieve the best roasted vegetables, and why you should definitely spatchcock your holiday bird this year. With this advice, you'll never need to suffer a dry turkey again!" Cost is $25.00, and it will be held at Boston University's Metropolitan College Programs in Food & Wine, 808 Commonwealth Ave., Room 117, Boston, Massachusetts. Registration is open to the public. Thank You! Our Book Breaks Into The New York Times Bestseller List Thank you to the many supporters of AmazingRibs.com over the decade-plus years of its existence, and to the many of you who became charter members of the Pitmaster Club on day one, and to the many still who bought Meathead's book as soon as it was available. Our book officially broke The New York Times best seller list in August, right behind our friend and respected colleague, Kenji Lopez-Alt and his book, The Food Lab. Is this a sign of a barbecue renaissance across the US and the world? Hope so! Meanwhile, we know a number of you have given and gotten the book for Father'sDay, birthdays and so on. Here's a photo Meathead got from his friend Peter Parts of Rochester, NY with the caption, "Christmas shopping... DONE!" One Crazy Sunday: Pitmaster Club Spotlight on JPP The Pit's a place for asking questions and getting answers, but in the tradition of barbecue, it's also a place for storytelling. Here's Pitmaster Club Member JPP sharing on his "One Crazy Sunday...": "So we were originally going to do brunch with some friends to celebrate a birthday. A friend's wife was the honoree, but they now live down in D.C. and were coming up. The husband asked very politely (with the option to say "no") if I'd be willing to do some bbq for the event rather than the brunch owing to certain other events that were going on between noon and four pm. My wife asks me, and as I've been itching to do another brisket... well I said sure! The fellow (Dave) would like brisket and ribs... as a few in our party (I was expecting a large turnout) do not eat red meat, chicken was suggested. I opted to do that on the weber (grilled, w/hickory chunks). No problem. Dave bought the packer LONG DISTANCE and I picked it up. He asks me, how big? I say: oh 13-15 lbs. It was 15.8 lbs!" Want to read how he pulled it off and see more of JPP's photos? Click here to get to The Pit. Back In The Kamado Saddle Again! If you've ever wanted to dust off that not-oft-used kamado, take a look at this thread. Turns out Pitmaster Club member Jim Burgin hadn't used his Big Green Egg (BGE) in six or seven years. He wanted to try his hand at the kamado again and had a few questions, and by that we mean FIVE questions, he wanted to ask about temperature control in The Pit. Check out the thread, "Low & Slow with Egg" in The Pit! And if that wasn't enough for you would-be kamado cooks, The Pit has a whole subsection on Kamado cookers with ten pages of discussion. Fantasy Football & Grilling Any fantasy footballers out there? American football season began on September 8, and while the armchair quarterbacks and general managers got their draft picks ready, something bad was afoot a few days later. ESPN.com and the app went down. Fear not, bravehearts. Because there is barbecue. Does this scenario sound familiar to anyone? "My son held his NFL Fantasy Draft party at his house this last weekend. He decided that I should be the Chef for his all guys party that required his wife and kids to do an all night sleep over with one of the other guys wife and kids." This is the story of one Pitmaster Club member Breadhead a few weeks ago. Several batches of pulled pork butts, red beans and rice, potato salad, cole slaw and sourdough later, the party was in full swing. Check out the other pics from Breadhead's Fantasy Football cook. Have you had any epic cooks lately? Be sure to post them in The Pit! Update on Meathead Signings and Sightings ROCHESTER, NY! Meathead is coming to you for two events: Thursday, Oct 6, 6 p.m., at Max's Restaurant. Meathead will talk about "Old Husband's Tales, BBQ Myths That Deserve To Die" and we will enjoy a 4 course dinner created by Chef Gullace, inspired by my recipes, and paired with some of the best craft beers in Upstate NY. Tickets are $65 and seating is limited. Call 585-922-1997. Bring your copy of "Meathead, The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling" for him to sign, or buy one there. Saturday, OCT 8, at the Raise A Glass International Beer Competition. Meathead will be a guest judge during the day. That evening he will be at the North Coast Beer Festival at Schramrocks on the RIT Campus, answering barbecue and grilling questions, and signing his book, which will also be for sale. The festival will feature 30 of the top microbreweries on the east coast and more than 60 of their best craft brews. Click here to order tickets. Last seats left for Meathead in Paradise!A reminder that Brad Barrett, GrillGrate founder and CEO, and Pitmaster Club member, has invited us to the Bahamas to celebrate GrillGrate's ten-year anniversary onFebruary 23-26, 2017. Our venue will be theGreen Turtle Club Resort & Marina, on Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas. During the four-day event you'll relax, celebrate, and learn directly from the experts about barbecue, including Meathead and many of your beloved Pitmaster Moderators! Grilled local seafood, cookoff with steaks from Snake River Farm, pizza grilling on the beach, Joule sous vide, wood fired burgers with the BioLite Grill, dancing under the stars, an island cruise excursion to Munjack Island to check out the swimming pigs, with plenty of leisurely time to dive, snorkel, fish, socialize, and drink! The registration fee is $300 and it includes many of the meals and non-alcoholic drinks, and the special room rate at the resort is only $199/night, single or double occupancy. Read the full schedule, see photos of the Green Turtle Club Resort, and register to receive more information. Kewl New ThermoWorks Toy Meathead is testing the new dual probe remote read radio frequency thermometer from ThermoWorks called Smoke. It will be released on October 20 for $99. Is it worth $40 more than the Maverick ET-732? So far he thinks it might be. Stay tuned. This Month's Gold Medal Giveaway Winner: TonyL Writes Pitmaster Club member andSeptember's Gold Medal Giveaway winner TonyL: "Ohhhhhhhh Hell Yeah!!!!! "This is one lucky winner who will be cashing in the winning ticket!! Hello and thank you to everyone. I know I'm kind of an outsider because I don't post in this (or any) forum very often, but rest assured my grills remain very active, and this prize will go to a good home and have a very busy autumn! Although quiet, I am a committed member of the Pit and I'm here most every weekend to gather knowledge!! I'll be back soon with my choice. "Tony L aka Short Rib "PS...here's some very recent proof as to my inability to post, and commitment to outdoor cooking.." TonyL has chosen the Horizon 20" Special Marshal, MSRP $1,825. Read Max Good's review of the Horizon on AmazingRibs.com's online database. Give Tony your personal congratulations (on the baby, the new BBQ equipment, or both) here in The Pit! Meathead wonders if baby front ribs are on the menu. New Gold Medal Giveaway Prize! A new prize option has hit the Gold Medal Giveaway lineup! It's the Green Mountain Grills Daniel Boone Wi-Fi Pellet Smoker Package, MSRP $896. Green Mountain Grills has produced quality, affordable, technologically advanced pellet smokers since 2008. Some competitors are trying to catch up by introducing features like an integrated meat probe, which has been standard on Green Mountains for years. This mid-size model has 456 square inches of stainless steel grate primary cook surface and is Wi-Fi enabled. The Wi-Fi feature allows you to control and monitor your smoker from a smart phone! The GMG Wi-Fi Package also includes a cover, each blend of their pellets and their new expandable smoking tube. Click here for the full review of the Green Mountain Daniel Boone Pellet Smoker. If you wanna sneak a peek at the rest of the Gold Medal Giveaway roster, click here. Congratulations To The Winner Of The First-Ever Facebook Selfie Sweepstakes Hello, Facebook-ers! Thanks for the overwhelming support in the form of selfies that hundreds of you posted on the AmazingRibs.com Facebook page. Happily, Miles Halpern of Batavia, Illinois, won the Gold Medal-winning, Camp Chef Pellet grill & smoker in our random drawing. Congratulations, Miles! Click here to read the complete rules. Revised Posting Guidelines As newer members to the Pit are aware, Huskee, the moderators, and I welcome every new member into the Pit with a pep talk of sorts, a homework assignment, and links to various useful places. For example, a link to click if you forget your password. As our online community evolves and grows, so too do our guidelines to keep the community a fun and welcoming learning space for barbecue and grilling enthusiasts from every place on Earth and every walk of life. I've recently taken some time to update the guidelines, and highlighted the changes in green. If you've been a long time member, take a minute or two to review. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly or post your comment in the Suggestion Box. Thanks so much on behalf of Meathead, the Pitmaster Club Moderators, and the whole staff at AmazingRibs.com. Something's Wrong With Me... DISCLAIMER: The following should not be regarded as legitimate advice from a medical professional. Please see a healthcare professional about any health concerns. Pitmaster Club member E.W. had a question: "Anybody else experience this? Seems like every time I do a long cook (3 hours or more) I completely lose any appetite or desire for the item I'm cooking. This happens all the time with ribs, shoulder, brisket, etc. I start off the day excited, but after many hours of smelling smoke and melting fat, the smell just nauseates me and I can't eat it with my guest. The cooks usually turn out great according to my guest, but I never seem to be able to try it until the next day as leftovers. The leftovers are great, but I can't enjoy on the same day. This does not happen with shorter cooks like chicken or steak. I'm getting damn tired off spending long ass days cooking for everyone but myself. Does this happen to anyone else?" Fellow members have affirmed the condition above, and gone so far as name it with interesting acronyms like Pitmaster Not Hungry Syndrome (PHHS) from Breadhead, or Total Smoke Immersion (TSI) from Spinaker. Any other ideas on what this is, or how to cure it? Tell us in The Pit! #joke Grill on, Pitmasters! Here's a BGE modification that's hard to beat! See the post by Pitmaster Club member Yno. Pitmaster Club Quick Links Log In To The Pit | Go Straight to The Pit Forgot Your Password? | Gold Medal Giveaways Video Seminars | Operation BBQ Relief About The Pitmaster Club | Help & FAQ | Contact Pit Boss AmazingRibs.com Home Page Equipment Reviews Unbiased recommendations for the best products for the backyard cook. Smokers & Grills | Accessories & Tools | Thermometers Books & Cookbooks | Kitchen Tools | Steak Knives Bar Necessities | Corkscrews | Grill Grates Grate Cleaning Tools | Charcoal Starters | Weber Kettle Add-Ons Regional BBQ Sauces | Artisan Foods | Pizza Accessories Injectors | Aprons & Apparel | Tunes Keep AmazingRibs.com Going & Growing If you like all the free information on AmazingRibs.com, please use our links when you shop. Many websites pay us a small referral fee when you click our links and purchase from them, especially Amazon. Please save this link and use it every time you go to Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/amazingribs It works on everything from grills to diapers, it has zero impact on the price you pay, but has a major impact on our ability to improve AmazingRibs.com. Without it we could not survive.

[ecowper]

Those food pics have me hungry all over again!

[David Parrish]

Those food pics have me hungry all over again!

You ain't kiddin!

[Spinaker]

Great newsletter Boss. I love this Pit Perk.

And this months Gold Medal Winner kind of opened my eyes a little bit. I used to be kind of annoyed when all the winners were folks that (I thought) never used the Pit. But after seeing TonyL win and read his reaction was priceless. You could just tell how pumped he was. I thought to myself, "You know what? I would have had the exact same reaction."

He also mentioned that he's not a "regular". But I could feel he had the same passion and drive that many of us "regulars" have.

My point is, that even though a lot of the winners don't seem to be using the site. Many are and written involvement in the Pit is not required nor should it be. This place is about community and everyone can contribute as little or as much as they want. I hope that my involvement here has helped a few folks along the way just as so many of you have helped me.

Well said!

[Danjohnston949]

David Parrish, , Spinaker, ecowper! Great News Letter, I agree with Spin he covered it All and Well! Highly unusual for a Twins Fan from Mn!
The only thing Spin left out was Thanks to Who I highly suspect is Responsible for this High Gloss above the Fold Publication! 👍👍👍👍👍
Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[Spinaker]

Especially a Twins fan this year!!!

[Spinaker]

I haven't conversed with you in a while. How you doin' Dan?

That is so kind of you, Danjohnston949 ! The community here -- all the members, moderators, @Pit Bos & Meathead -- makes it easy to curate content that is interesting, educational, funny and heart-felt. Hope you Eat Well And Prosper, too!

[Mr. Bones]

A quick try at the proper salute for your sig, Dan:


First thoughts:

Yeah, the fork prolly oughtta have some food on it...

Maybe better salute with a rib, with sauce / juice / yummy goodness rollin down my hand, wrist, and forearm..

Anyhoo.... enjoy!!!

[David Parrish]

Love it!

[Dr ROK]

I don't recall getting this newsletter in my email. Has the format changed so that it's only available as a thread now?

[David Parrish]

Check spam and check the email you have listed in your account. We send these out to all pit members.

Sorry to hear! I will direct message you about this, Dr ROK

Any other members experiencing the same, please pipe up!

[Mr. Bones]

I don't recall getting this newsletter in my email. Has the format changed so that it's only available as a thread now?

I did not receive it either, but just joined a few weeks before distribution. Not in my Juk Mail folder, so, poof...

I (already) have set my email to accept from AR.

Dave, at your convenience, could you please shoot (us) a copy, to make sure our commo link is good?

Many thanks for your time!!!

[Spinaker]

David Parrish

[David Parrish]

Looking into it!