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Ask Mister Bob
February 8th, 2013 | 
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Have a question about BBQ? Ask Mister Bob!
From the backyard to the professional competition circuit, if there’s something you want to know about barbecue, you’ll find an answer here.
Click on Mister Bob’s picture, then leave your question in the comments box.
Want to know how to tell when a brisket is done to perfection? Maybe you’re having trouble controlling the temperature in your pit, or working on your own signature sauce and just can’t seem to get the right balance of flavors?
Are you heading to your first competition and don’t know what to expect? Or maybe you’re getting started in catering and want to know how many pork butts you’ll need to feed your party?
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Posted in Ask Mister Bob
Mr. Bob,
I’m grilling a Hereford TRI TIP steak today for the Steeler-Giant game today. First time I’ve ever worked with TRI TIP. Going to slice it for sandwiches on grilled garlic bread. Ever made TRI-TIP? Any suggestions on rubs/prep/cooking?
Thanks – love the site.
Grill365,
I finally found Tri Tip at a local market here in NY. I crushed a garlic clove and rubbed down the steak on all sides. Then I coated it with olive oil and a heavy sprinkle of Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Cooked on a screaming hot grill to medium rare. What a great cut of meat, delicious!
I kept it simple for my first time, but next time I’ll get more creative and add some chopped rosemary, or maybe some finely ground coffee. Treat it like you would any good steak and you can’t go wrong.
Hay Bob how about a Holiday Smoked Ham Post? I sure would like to see one.
Thanks,
Jay
Jay, holiday Smoked Ham coming soon!
Aloha Mister Bob,
I am releasing my family Kalbi(Korean BBQ) sauce that many believe is the best they’ve ever tried. It comes in both “traditional” and “hot”. In our efforts to get it off the ground, my partner and I have launched a Kickstarter page at http://kck.st/UQmhdZ in order to raise funds for bottling, labels, ingredients, and all the costs associated with this type of business. This Kickstarter could use many more hits and I know that if people knew about it, they would pledge. I was hoping that, if we were able to get you a free sample of the sauces to try yourself, that you could maybe write a little something on it in your blog directing people to the Kickstarter page. It would be great if you could check out my video at the Kickstarter link above and if this is something you would be interested in doing, please let me know.
Thank you for your time!
Christopher Moon
Aloha Christopher,
I ‘ll definitely check out your video, and I’d be happy to give your sauces a review. You can reach me through the ‘Contact’ link on this site for shipping information.
Mister Bob
Just wanting to get the ultimate tender brisket. injecting with the usual suspects, cooking at 250 and pulling anywhere from 198-203, resting for 3 hours. When should the rub go on? I typically go 7 hours prior to going on the pit, does this dry the meat out?
Mike,
As long as you wrap the brisket tightly in plastic wrap after rubbing, you can rub as much as 24 hours before cooking without drying out. The salt in the rub will pull moisture out, but as with brine, the moisture will then be drawn back into the meat along with the flavor as long as it can’t evaporate.
Bob I use a sweet rub(homemade rub) and sweet sauce for my ribs but would like to add something to my rub to have a sweet start and spicy kick in the back any recommendations thanks
Mr. Bob,
New to the blog, I love it!!! Great job, well organized user friendly. I haven’t found it yet, maybe you have addressed this question already. But here it goes anyway. In all the pic’s of your food on the cooker its in pans with racks, is this by design? Please, fill me in. I would assume it really help with clean-up.
Thank you,
Shady
How do you prepare your apple wood or peach wood for smoking. Do you remove bark, cut into small pieces?
Ricky,
It depends on your smoker. Stick burners (large offsets) are called that because they burn ‘sticks’, or full sized log splits. If your smoker uses charcoal, lump or briquettes, cut the splits into fist sized chunks. No need to remove the bark unless there’s sign of mildew.
Shady,
That’s correct, I cook on pans with racks to keep the smoker clean. The racks make sure the smoke gets on all sides of the meat.
Brad, it’s hard to say what to add without knowing what’s in your rub already. I assume you’ve tried a little cayenne, or maybe even some habanero? If those are too hot, possibly some chili powder, I like Gebhardt.
Mister Bob,
Your smoker looks awesome! did you make it yourself, or have it built. I was also wondering why you went with a standard offset instead of a reverse flow. I am trying to gather material for a build and am looking for all the info I can get. I have a el’cheapo right now. I am a novice and am finding it hard to maitain temp in such a thin material smoker.
Thanks for your time
-Dan
If I can ask where do u get ur Gasket Material for ur lidson ur off-set pit? Thanks in Advance
Mike,
Here is a good source: http://www.gasketsinc.com/
Yes Dan, we made her in our shop, Atlas Ironworks, several years ago. In fact, Big Red started out as a reverse flow, but I was not happy with the performance and broke her down and rebuilt as a direct flow with tuning plates. We used 3/8″thick 24″ diameter pipe. Not cheap, however: the pipe alone for this cooker cost more than $800.00.
Hi Bob
I just go my order of Simply Marvelous Sweet Seduction and Cherry Rub today.
I plan on getting some Ribs and Chicken to due at home in the oven (to cold for my smoker) my question is due you use both or just one?
I can’t waite for warmer weather to fire up my Treager Pellet Smoker getting cabin fever.
thanks for any advice
Joe
Hi Joe,
It depends on my mood and what I’m cooking. Mostly I put down a light coating of Simply Marverlous Season All, then a heavier coating of either the Sweet Seduction or Cherry, but I have been known to mix them on occasion. They are both really great rubs!
Bob; Love the site, great information.
My question is, Can you do country stlye ribs like regular ribs and just leave them in the foil longer, just curious, and Thanks
Dex
Dex, you can definitely cook them that way. Like any good BBQ, it’s just a matter of bringing the meat gently up to the proper temperature (in this case about 195), in a moist, smokey environment. Foil helps to speed things up, and can make it a little easier to keep things moist and tender, but its not always necessary. Here’s a link to some country style ribs I cooked in my UDS a while back. No foil at all that time and they turned out great! Check it out http://thehogblog.com/?p=2211
Bob lets talk pulled pork for a turn in box. I no where the money muscles is and thet it should go in the turn in box. BUT where are the other points on the butt where you try to get your chunks or pulled from?
Jay, stay away from the white stringy meat in the middle of the butt. In fact I don’t take anything from that middle third. Dark meat, close to the bone is my favorite. The piece under the horn shaped bone and the muscle directly behind the money muscle (some call the it the tubes) are usually very good. I feel around for the most tender dark meat pieces with the best bark on it and use that.
Mister Bob, I have a hell of a time cutting spareribs perfectly. Any hints?? Is my product overdone. What type of knife do you recommend? Do you let them rest? Please advise. Thanks Joe
Joe, I use a Shun Classic 9″ Slicer and I keep it scary sharp. I turn the ribs over and cut from the back side so I can slice right between the bones. I also use very little pressure and let the knife do the work. I let the ribs rest about 15 minutes on the board. If you do all that and the meat is still falling off the bone, then you probably are over cooking the ribs.
One question that I have is your thoughts on brining chicken. I noticed in your photo recipes you marinate your competition chicken instead of brining. Do you mind sharing why you don’t brine?
John, with the cooking method I use for competition chicken, the thighs stay plenty moist without brining. I also don’t like the texture that brining gives the skin. I’ll either marinate then rub, or just stick to the rub only and apply it earlier in the process and leave it on longer. Cooking whole chickens is entirely different. I cook those at higher temperatures to crisp up the skin somewhat, and I find that brining helps keep them moist and tender, especially in the white meat.
Thank you for the reply. Do you think you get enough “smoke” flavor with your current process?
John, I do. Poultry absorbs smoke flavor very easily, and too much is worse than too little, especially in competition.
Mister Bob, you had an awesome look chuck roast you did in a dutch oven on the BGE. I have a 13lb top round that I was thinking about splitting between a few steaks for london broil and then doing the rest like your chuck roast. I am a novice however….how do you think that will turn out? Am I better just leaving it as a roast (it is a bit large to fit in my Dutch oven)..
Warwick,
While I prefer to use chuck or bottom round for pot roast because they contain more fat, a top round roast will work also. It’s a lean cut, so you’ll have to be careful to keep your temperature low and cook it a long time for perfect tenderness. Top round is very flavorful; if you take it low and slow, and don’t let the temperature spike, you should be very happy with the results.
For the London Broils, I would go the other way entirely. A quick sear on a screaming hot grill to rare or at most medium/rare, then slice very thin across the grain and served on buttered toast…..mmmmmmmmmmm!
Mister Bob,
I have a question concerning injectors.. Which one would you recommend? I’ve been using a real cheap one just from my local grocery store and it works but its pretty small and the needle is pretty big.. Any suggestions? Thanks!
KPQ,
I’ve been using the cheap ones from Butcher’s BBQ. Here’s the link. http://www.butcherbbq.com/#!supplies/productsstackergallery4g2=3 The needles are very thin and I haven’t broken one yet. I have been thinking of switching over to the Spitjack Magnum. Lot’s of teams are using and they come very highly recommended. Here’s a link to that one. http://spitjack.com/product/MAGNUM.html It all depends on how much injecting you plan on doing and how much you’re willing to pay. Both options will produce great results, the magnum is faster and easier on the hands.
Can you buy your blue ribbon rub or do I need to make
Hi Dean,
I no longer sell the rub, but the recipe can be found here: http://thehogblog.com/?p=23
Hello Mister Bob! I miss all your posts. Did you quit practicing or been too busy to post??? Keep them coming.
Hello Larry,
Busy doesn’t even begin to describe it! I’ve been working 200 miles from home and my cookers, a situation soon to be rectified. Stay tuned this summer for another round of posts, and I promise they won’t disappoint! Thanks for your patience.
Bob,
Have you decided what competitions you’ll be attending this year?
Steve
Steve,
For personal reasons, it will be a very light year for Bob’s Hogs on the competition circuit. The only comps I’m committed to are The Rock N Ribfest in Merrimack, NH in June and The Harvard Fall Festival in Harvard, MA in September. I will be able to judge a few competitions just to keep my head in the game. Next year we will be back competing in full swing.
Bob,
Dang I was hoping to see you at Hudson Valley
Steve
Steve,
That is one of my favorite comps, I’ll really miss competing there. I’ll try to visit if circumstances allow.