December BBQ Day

I love snow and snow pictures and nearly every morning during the winter, I sign on to Wunderground, click on the webcams, and check out the snow shots.  The header is one of those webcams from Moose, WY with the majestic Tetons in the background.

I had a pretty light load for this BBQ day with most of it headed to Rhett’s, when we went over to tend his kids for a week.  I cooked a small pork butt, a few chicken breasts and thighs, 3 slabs of baby backs, and about 10 # of wings.  Here's the butt - some are black on the outside when finished, but I prefer the deep mahogany color.

The juice was all saved, defatted, and added back to the pulled meat along with some SOP and it needed no additional sauce for the SIL and me.

Two of the rib slabs got my usual treatment of Head Country Championship Seasoning and nothing else and the third slab, at Rhett’s request, was a repeat of the Asian ribs I’d done last month and over cooked.  This time they turned out very good (maybe could have stood another 3-4*) - I had to cut one off for a sample.

I think it would have been even better had I basted it a couple of times with the marinade while cooking.

Prior to smoking, I just salted the wings and tossed them in canola oil.

The chicken breasts and thighs were rubbed with Wolfe Citrus Rub.

For my wing sauce, I’d been using Anchor Bar Wing Sauce (inventors of Buffalo wings) but I'd used it all and went on-line looking for a recipe and found this clone at Food.com.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce (Frank's)

1/4 cup margarine , not butter (Blue Bonnet squeeze bottle)

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1/8)

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

1 dash black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 -2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (I used ½ tsp Sriracha)

Directions

The Sauce: This makes enough for about 30 "wingettes." Mix all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over low heat until the margarine is completely melted. Stir occasionally.

I made up one batch just as the recipe is written and after tasting thought it was too tart, so I added another round of everything but the vinegar and Srircha and thought it was about right for the medium heat level requestor.  I smoked the wings at 250* to an internal temp of 170 then tossed his wings in it.

Then I added 1 tsp Srircha to what was left and tossed the remaining wings in it.  A thigh tossed in it worked well for lunch.

I would use this recipe again, but omit the vinegar and then use Tabasco and add vinegar to taste.  Interestingly, the customer advised they weren’t quite tangy enough for him.  Also, the sauce needs to be quite a bit hotter to taste for it to be right when put on the wings – after tossing with the wings, the hotter sauce was just right for the medium hot request.  My next step is to buy some of Anchor Bar and Hooters sauces, decide which I like best, then try to replicate at home starting with the recipes available on the internet.  IF YOU HAVE A TRADITIONAL BUFFALO WING SAUCE RECIPE THAT"S SIMILAR TO ONE OF THESE, I"D APPRECIATE GETTING IT.

Final wing comment - My customers usually cook them again over high heat to crisp them up.  After smoking, I like to give them a quick grilling or deep frying, for crust development, prior to tossing in the sauce.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago:  Homemade Eggnog

Two years ago: Christmas Comes Early To "Almost Heaven South"

Larry