jonj

You have great equipment!

Another great video, Oscar! Very clear. Well done!

I think you have this very well thought out. Your guests will surely be pleased with everything and a whole pig presentation is something few people actually see in person. Best wishes for a terrific party!

@Troble, I imagine your first decision point re: head on or off will be whether it is a 20 or 30 lb pig. @tekobo's was 9.8 Kgs, or the lower point of your range. I can't wait to see the next episode!

That is a seriously large chamba!

@Syzygies: And this is why I stress keeping the bean-molasses mixture to a simmer or below.

@Aussie Ora, that looks really good!

@Troble, my BBQ bean recipe is not very sophisticated and I pretty much make it up as I go each time. The basic components begin with canned pork and beans, with the “pork” and liquid removed, then rinsed. This is just to get basic cooked beans for the dish – I have made them in the past starting with dried beans and cooking the day before, but found it not to be worth the effort. I sauté bacon (or pancetta), chopped onion and minced garlic (to taste), then add the beans, some of the same kind of marinade I’ve used on the meat (about 1/3 cup or if I have just used a rub instead, a healthy sprinkle of it), some molasses (about 1/3 cup), a dash of Worchester sauce, and some of the BBQ sauce I plan to serve with the meat (about 1/3 cup). All this is basically to taste. I sometimes added some cayenne or crushed red pepper if I think the meal will need some spice. This typically results in a pretty loose mixture, which I heat on the stove to just a simmer, then transfer to my bean smoking pan and place in the smoker for 30 -45 minutes (depending upon the smoker temperature) to gain some smoke flavor and thicken to the right consistency. If left in the smoker too long, the beans will dry out. When the meat comes off the smoker, I carve off some of the edge meat with bark and add to the beans. That’s it.

I'd planned this cook for Sunday, but it rained 4.25" so it was postponed to today. Two slabs of baby back ribs and a pork loin, marinated in Wicker's for 36 hours, smoked at 225°-245° with hickory chunks, no wrap. With BBQ beans, grilled corn and a 2011 Merry Edwards Meredith Estate Pinot Noir.

Beautiful steak, @MacKenzie!

Anytime you are in town, just let me know!

Seems it was steak night for many of us. I cooked a large ribeye last night. Duck fat and Montreal seasoning, cooked direct at excessively high temp. Plated with baked potato and broccoli with a 2007 Jericho Canyon Cabernet. Nothing exotic, just steak night. Very tasty. By the way, I wasn't kidding when I said "large ribeye"; the plated version is only 1/2 the steak.

I agree; this is a very good video of the uncrating.

Simple Sunday night dinner: Italian sausage and pesto fettuccini.

yes

That was a very tight fit! Good work to get it through. You certainly picked a great color for its location.

Very nice vistas!

Well now, @MacKenzie, I would say mustard goes on both hot dogs and burgers and catsup (ketchup) goes on neither, although I have been known to put it on french fries when I didn't have BBQ sauce available. 😉 (and there is some mustard underneath, camouflaged one might say, that Gate's Extra Hot BBQ sauce on those hot links...)

The discussion about Kansas City BBQ made me hungry for hot links. Hickory smoked hot links and corn, potato salad, olives. And, no, it isn't catsup on the hot links, it is Gate's Extra Hot BBQ sauce. Cooled by a 2008 Schramsberg Reserve sparkling wine on the side.

@Troble, yes the sweet potatoes were roasted in cast iron for about an hour at 400 F with evo, salt and pepper and a dab of butter to finish.

With apologies to @Troble, but I saw what he had for dinner the other night and thought it looked really good, so I decided on a similar combination last night. Pretty much straightforward tri tip with santa maria seasoning, roasted sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus. It was a very tasty combination, so thanks TR for the idea.

@Basher I remember that one!

@Troble, you'll just have to come back!

@Saucier, having lived in KC for more than four decades, there have been a lot of great BBQ joints here over the years. The originals are Arthur Bryants, Gates (still held in the family) and Rosedale. These three fought it out for the KC BBQ title for decades, are still standing and basically serving their original style of Kansas City BBQ. Bryant's for cayenne and vinegar-based sauce, Gates for a spicy tomato-based sauce and Rosedale for a sweet tomato-based sauce. If you want a true Kansas City experience, you would go to one of these. Newer places, but still in the Kansas City tradition, are Jones, Big T's, R.J.'s Bob-Be-Que Shack, BB's Lawnside, Smokin' Guns, L.C.'s BBQ, Joe's Kansas City, and Wyandot Barbeque. There are a bunch of newer, upscale restaurants like Q39, CharBar, Fiorella's Jack Stack (Martin City!), all of which serve very, very good smoked meat, fish, fowl, etc., and where I happily eat from time to time, but I wouldn't call them actual Kansas City BBQ. Jack Fiorella's father's BBQ joint, Smoke Stack BBQ was one of the greats but, sadly, no more. Once of @Troble's articles mentioned Harp Barbecue, a place I haven't yet been due to this past pandemic year. It seems to be more Texas-Tennessee BBQ than Kansas City, but I appreciate his mention and homage to Henry Perry, the one true father of Kansas City BBQ. Here's a screen grab from a local television story last July 2 - Henry Perry Day - in Kansas City showing part of his original advertisement: We probably won't see his like again anytime soon... Seriously, any of the above places would be a great experience. It depends on what kind of BBQ experience you are seeking, only having one shot at it. Best wishes and good luck!

Mmmm! Jerk chicken!