British BBQ Society Forums

Ok so here goes. Ever since my time in Texas and the Southern States I have been on a mission to get as close as possible to real q. Over the years I have been experimenting year round in the back yard and burying myself in the shelf load of books on smoking and low and slow cooking but the results have been very disappointing and I have my suspicions why. Now to be clear I'm mainly talking about pulled pork and brisket, my regular grilling Im more than happy with. My ribs are getting better but brisket and pork have been something which I have wanted to get right the most.

This is why I think I have went wrong and I would be grateful if you guys could offer some words of wisdom.

1 The books. I have been following the books to rigidly and I have a feeling some of them hold back so their techniques dont seem too over complicated and that they appeal to a wider market. I picked up some great tips on this forum and the virtual weber bullet site.

2 The meat. I think this is one of the biggest hurdles here in the UK. I have a good quality butcher near me and when I asked him to get baby backs he looked at me as if I had just asked for moon dust. When I went to collect the ribs they were nothing like baby backs. Since then I have just been using brisket off the supermarket shelf which looks nothing like brisket in any video on bbq. This year I'm going to try harder on sourcing the right cut.

3 The charcoal. Normally I wait till the end of the summer season when Wilkinson's sell off all their charcoal for pennies and buy at least enough to last me the year. This time Im thinking of abandoning that strategy and going for something with a bit more quality.

Hopefully I can get a place on the SYD class to take my q to the next level and start competing next year.

If you ever watched any of the Airplane movies "you've picked the wrong weekend to ask questions" It's the first competition of the year, which I think you may be visiting if you are who I think you are
I'm not that far advanced but there are a few points I can mention.
1. What books are you reading, if they are competition based then they probably are holding a few tips back
2. A problem we all face, if you copy the links from youtube for Toby's competition guides and ask your butcher to watch them then he can actually see what the meat is supposed to look like.
3. I used to do that, I've still got a couple of gash bags of cheap charcoal around, which I only ever use for quick grilling when all we want is old fashioned UK BBQ. It doesn't generally have the consistency and quality of good stuff. I use CoCo shell briquettes and Heatbeads depending on what I'm cooking.

Now hopefully over to someone who knows a heck of a lot more.

Re the butcher it's normally just a matter of finding the uk name. Another member of the forum did post a butchery guide to various cuts but I've not been able to locate it. Baby backs are often known in the Uk ate Top Loin ribs. It's worth cultivating a good butcher and my experience is that they tend to get interested in the whole low and slow thing.

Davy wrote:Ok so here goes. I have been on a mission to get as close as possible to real q. Over the years I have been experimenting year round in the back yard and burying myself in the shelf load of books on smoking and low and slow cooking but the results have been very disappointing and I have my suspicions why. Now to be clear I'm mainly talking about pulled pork and brisket, my regular grilling Im more than happy with. My ribs are getting better but brisket and pork have been something which I have wanted to get right the most.

The meat. I think this is one of the biggest hurdles here in the UK. I have a good quality butcher near me and when I asked him to get baby backs he looked at me as if I had just asked for moon dust. When I went to collect the ribs they were nothing like baby backs. Since then I have just been using brisket off the supermarket shelf which looks nothing like brisket in any video on bbq. This year I'm going to try harder on sourcing the right cut.

The charcoal. Normally I wait till the end of the summer season when Wilkinson's sell off all their charcoal for pennies and buy at least enough to last me the year. This time Im thinking of abandoning that strategy and going for something with a bit more quality.

Hopefully I can get a place on the SYD class to take my q to the next level and start competing next year.

Davy

Me too, i know where you are coming from.....tho i don't tend to buy books

I had q'd for years but only in the British sense of the word, piss poor really when you realize what can be done. Anyhoo i gave up for a long while (a big move for me as i do like to cook) until i was introduced by a friend to this outstanding forum......i am still only using a kettle but gettin to know it in different ways. I have now embarked on a search for knowledge of smoking and low slow cookin which i no longer like to call bbq.

I am trying to keep it simple for the time being concentrating on cooking the meats we have here in blighty as best i can in the american style before delving into the realms of rubs, sauces / american cuts and am also frustrated by the lack of clarity between british cuts and american. However armed with a good/willing butcher and the info from the guys on here it is really only a matter of time before it all comes together. I would say tho' that you need to find a dedicated butcher, i dont think we will ever educate the big supermarkets (just my opinion)

Charcoal too is a big area of contention and one i didnt think held that much in the way of secrets, how wrong can you be.......reading up on what the guys/gurlz use on here i invested in some quality restaurant grade coals which i am using for the 1st time today, i am in no way suggesting i have it sussed (still along way to go) but so far the temps seem more controllable, lower than i have managed before and stable without the big swings i was seeing. The cost differntial is lower than you would imagine also.............

I have also registered my interest in Harry's classes and pray the gods of bbq smile down on me, in the mean time keep the faith and carry on regardless, we will get there.........it's frustrating i know but push on!

Brisket is a nightmare, youll need to spend big money on a whole one if you can get one at all. And youll usually make it inedible until you crack it. Id concentrate on pork if i were you until youve had a few successes.
Pork just ask a butcher for a whole shoulder, as large as possible. Cook it at no more than 250f for about 13 hours or internal temp is about200f. Then foil and rest it for at least half an hour. Thats it.

I'm going to give you one tip. Buy Wicked Good BBQ by Chris Hart & Andy Husbands. In my opinion (and also the very best pit masters I know) the best BBQ book ever!

I paid £9 from Amazon and I may have to replace it because pages are now falling out.

I would give you more tips but I'm pressed for time right now, if you are at MiM I'm happy to talk about anything you like.

Davy, bring a note book with you on Sunday. After last turn-in your be amazed how much info you will get out of the teams.

Eddie