Started Low-N-Slow BBQ in 2012. Obviously, it's taken hold (in chronological order:
1.) A pair of Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5's
2.) #LilTex, a 22" Expensive Offset Smoker (looks like a Yoder Witicha)
3.) #WhoDat1, a HUGE Gravity Fed Insulated Cabinet Smoker (cooking chamber 3'x2'x6')
4.) A Full Size Commercial Dryer/converted to Vertical Smoker.
5.) Jambo Backyard stickburner (my FAVORITE Pit so far)
6.) GrillMeister, a huge 24"x48" Adjustable, Charcoal Grill from Pitmaker.com
7.) 22" Weber Kettle with Slow-N-Sear
8.) Vault insulated reverse-flow cabinet smoker from Pitmaker
9.) BarbecueFiretruck...under development
10.) 26 foot BBQ Vending Trailer equipped with HUGE Myron Mixon 72xc smoker is HERE, Oct 2016!
11.) Opened www.PaulsRibShackBarbecue.com Food Trailer officially in March 2017
12.) Austin Smoke Works 500 Gallon Propane Tank Offset Smoker, named "Lucille" as travel pit for PaulsRibShack, Oct 2018.
12.) Opening Brick & Mortar location at 4800 Nelson Rd, Spring 2019. Had a pair of 1,000 Gallon Austin Smoke Works pits, both in RibShackRed for our new place!
Fabulous Backlit Thermapens, several Maverick Remote Thermometers (don't use any remotes anymore), Thermoworks Smoke, Other Thermoworks toys, Vacuum sealer, lots and lots of equipment...
I'm loving using BBQ to make friends and build connections.
I have #theRibList where I keep a list of new and old friends and whenever I'm cooking, I make 1 to 20 extra and share the joy.
I've eaten at a couple of cool, zippy (aka fancy pants) restaurants in the last 6 months and tasted some fun Pork Belly dishes. Our beloved Meathead has a pork belly sandwich and salad recipe on the main AR. But I'm just wondering what else there is to do on the ole' smoker to bring this beauty to head-turning life for us barbecue peeps?
Weber Kettle -- 22.5" (In-Service Date June 2015)
Slow-n-Sear/Drip-n-Griddle/Grill Grates (In-Service Date March 2016)
Pit Boss 820 (Retired)
GMG Jim Bowie WiFi (In-Service Date April 2017)
Maverick ET-733
Fireboard
Home-brewer
I would have to do that Pork Belly Burnt End recipe with cherry wood before anything else. I also would not go so heavy on the honey, brown sugar, and butter on the back end.
I just cannot get past Bacon!
Applied the cure and seasonings, vacuum sealed to cure in fridge for 9 days, into the smoker on a cold winter night. The 2 in the front are maple sugar and espresso-the back 2 are dark brown sugar flavor. 3-4 hours of cool Apple smoke adds the finish to the flavor profile. Then back in a vac bag and freeze, slices nicely when frozen.
I agree with Oakgrovebacon hard to get past the bacon, I've tried the pork belly burnt ends but I will stay tuned for some expert opinions that may sway my thinking.
No one wants to hear this, but there are other (possibly better) things to do with belly other than bacon.
But a lot of them are braise or p-cooker type dishes, or sous vide.
I've made this in a p-cooker:
What do duck confit, corned beef, and pastrami have in common? Sure, they’re all tasty, but all of these beloved traditional dishes also began as ways to preserve food. Before people could just stick a roast in the freezer or pop over to the grocery store to pick up a piece of chicken, they had to find ways of making food last. In the Philippines, preservation-minded cooks turned to vinegar, a delicious marinade base that’s also hostile to spoilage-causing bacteria. Thus adobo—a dish of meat stewed in vinegar—was born.Today, cooking adobo is practically a Filipino national pastime. In addition to vinegar, the marinade usually involves soy sauce, garlic, and spices, though recipes vary from island to island, household to household. Adobo is often made with chicken, but we like to sub in pork belly to add decadence, and we use Joule to transform the meat into tender, piggy goodness. The result? Succulent, tender pork belly to fill your loved ones’ bellies year-round.
We get this question all the time: What is pork belly? Here’s the answer: it’s a boneless, fatty cut of meat that comes from the belly of the pig, and yes, it’s what bacon is made from. So when you order a big chunk of pork belly all layered with delicious, melty fat and chewy, porky deliciousness, what you’re really eating is an enormous piece of bacon. Oh yes, lucky you. Our cured and sous vide–cooked pork belly is a fairly simple preparation that capitalizes on the many virtues of both brining and sous vide cooking to yield a firm-but-tender, rich, salty slab of pork belly that pairs beautifully with anything from a simple salad to funky kimchi. The key is to serve it alongside something with plenty of acid—pomegranate seeds, perhaps, or pickled apple slices—to balance the richness of the belly.
New to sous vide? Hold on to your hat, paesano. You’re in for a hell of a ride. ’Cause when you take a tough cut like pork belly and slowly cook it sous vide, something incredible happens—the meat takes on textures and flavors you just don’t see with traditional methods. Seriously, though. You won’t believe the food coming out of your kitchen—we’re talking Pork Steaks that eat like pricey steaks but have the deep, succulent flavor of slow-cooked shoulder. We’re talking shanks that transform into tender, impossibly tasty hams and firm spareribs that melt in your mother-loving mouth. But for now, we’re talking pork belly. And yes, we’re fully aware that sous vide isn’t the only way to cook it. When we’re in a hurry, we stick that tummy in a pressure cooker, and dinner’s on the table within an hour and change. And when we’re feeling nostalgic for the aromas of Grandma’s kitchen, an old-school braise is in order. But for our money—not very much of it, as this cut’s pretty cheap—sous vide is the best way to cook a belly. Nothing beats that magical combo of amazing, snappy texture and extraordinary flavor, the one that’s achievable only with sous vide. Try this incredibly easy approach and see if you agree. Then be sure to report back. Pretty pictures of slow-cooked pork belly are definitely our jam.
They make great burnt end type things, too.
And of course, bacon. But ultimately, sometimes you want a main protein, and not bacon.
Troutman you are right about a crowd pleaser. I did this recipe awhile back for about 6 people. Just seasoned smoked and glazed with Blues Hog and some others with Swine Apple. Huge hit!
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