BBQKaeding Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 Hi folks! I didn't have time to do a proper documentary this time, but thought I'd share some of pictures from my Independence Day Brew and Q celebration. It was a great party composed mostly of my eldest son's friends, but I had a few friends too - two of which provided live music. Sorry I didn't have time to take and post more pictures, but I was quite busy cooking, cleaning and hosting. I hope you enjoy the pics. If you have any questions, please let me know! Protein menu 2 pork butts, pulled, using Kaeding's Classic BBQ sauce and secret rub 1 UDSA Choice Brisket done Texas style (Bill Jamison recipe) 6 racks of St. Louis cut ribs done Kansas City style (Bill Jamison recipe) 4 brined, roasted chickens cooked beer can style (Myron Mixon recipe - modified) Cowboy baked beans (Emeril Lagasse recipe) using my home-brewed Belgian dark strong ale Equipment Nimoy (23" Kamado Komodo): Overnight brisket cook and ribs on the 4th Original Mushi Kamado #5 green: Overnight pork butt cook and 4 roasted chickens on the 4th Original Mushi Kamado #5 orange: Simmering the Cowboy Baked Beans in Dutch oven over mesquite lump and pecan wood chunks Camp Chef expedition stove: warm and serve On Tap (all home-brewed) Freedom Ale '16 (NW IPA dry hopped with Citra and El Dorado hops) Wit (Belgian White with tangerine zest, juice and green coriander seed) Deep Sixx (Robust Porter style) Pictures 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 Wow you had a seriously large amount of food going on. Sounds like a good time. Reef's Bistro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 You certainly did well getting that many pixs with all that activity going on, It looks like everyone had lots of super tasty food, fantastic and thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve M Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 That all looks incredibly good. Did you have to rotate the ribs for even cooking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBQKaeding Posted July 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 4 hours ago, Steve M said: That all looks incredibly good. Did you have to rotate the ribs for even cooking? No, I didn't have to rotate at all. I just make sure to place the heaviest ribs on the outsides of the rib rack where it's a bit warmer. All ribs were placed with the thickest edge down. This was a 220 F. cook all the way through at 6 hours, only opening 4-6 times for spritzing and pics. When they were near done I cranked the temp up high, pulled each rack out and laid over the top of the others and slathered with KC BBQ sauce (Jamison recipe), placed each rack back in it's slot and cooked until they appeared to be grill finished. This was the second cook with the rib rack and I really like it. If I'm only doing 3 racks, I'll usually foil wrap using the 3-2-1 method (grilling flat at the end) but with this many it would have been too much effort. I was pleasantly surprised that retaining moisture was no problem at all (all that meat!) - they were succulent. It's a great rib rack. It cleans up like new after soaking in an Oxyclean bath for a few hours. I use a plastic storage bin for the bath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 nice looking meal! your guests obviously left happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve M Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 45 minutes ago, BBQKaeding said: No, I didn't have to rotate at all. I just make sure to place the heaviest ribs on the outsides of the rib rack where it's a bit warmer. All ribs were placed with the thickest edge down. This was a 220 F. cook all the way through at 6 hours, only opening 4-6 times for spritzing and pics. When they were near done I cranked the temp up high, pulled each rack out and laid over the top of the others and slathered with KC BBQ sauce (Jamison recipe), placed each rack back in it's slot and cooked until they appeared to be grill finished. This was the second cook with the rib rack and I really like it. If I'm only doing 3 racks, I'll usually foil wrap using the 3-2-1 method (grilling flat at the end) but with this many it would have been too much effort. I was pleasantly surprised that retaining moisture was no problem at all (all that meat!) - they were succulent. It's a great rib rack. It cleans up like new after soaking in an Oxyclean bath for a few hours. I use a plastic storage bin for the bath. Thanks, my 23" is on the way and I also ordered the rib rack. This information is very helpful. I am planning an end of July neighbor event and was thinking of a menu very similar to yours. I would like to do as much as possible on the kk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 @BBQKaeding - geez Louise! That is some kind of GRAND plan on the KK, the Mushis, and on the table. Looks great! If anyone left hungry, it was their own fault, right? What a spread. how many folks were there? I'm really liking that Hound's Tooth we've on your KK. Very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBQKaeding Posted July 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 5 minutes ago, CeramicChef said: @BBQKaeding - geez Louise! That is some kind of GRAND plan on the KK, the Mushis, and on the table. Looks great! If anyone left hungry, it was their own fault, right? What a spread. how many folks were there? I'm really liking that Hound's Tooth we've on your KK. Very nice! We had about 35 guests in all and hunger was abolished! The pulled pork was wiped out but I had plenty of other left overs that I sealed in FoodSaver bags and placed in the freezer. We had a bounty of appetizers and not enough side dishes, but the protein menu would easily handle 50 people. It was my first brisket cook on the KK and it turned out great, although the temp dropped to 160 F while I was sleeping. All the juices that settled into the pan, which I primed with a quart of chicken broth, were cooled, fat skimmed, and the remaining gelatin was reintroduced into the sliced brisket for warming and serving. I do the same with the pork butts and it makes for incredibly moist and flavorful eats. I was amazed that the Mushi held a perfect 220 F all night long while smoking the pork butts - I've never done an overnight on that one but glad I gave it a shot. Thanks for the comments! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 @BBQKaeding - nicely done! When I throw big galas over 20 folks, I tend to send leftovers home with guests rather than keep everything. I'm not a big fan of that much hiding in the leftover bin. That has changed a bit with my purchase of the Anova Sous Vide. That makes rewarming leftovers a snap and it preserves the original flavor and texture. Thats a very nice gathering and an even better menu for them! Kudos to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 You definitely had a great party. The food looks wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 Crazy party, Bro! Serious eats and excellent pics. Thanks for the extra details on the brews - as another homebrewer, I appreciates those! That IPA sounds excellent. I'm in primary with a Saison right now, that I'm contemplating dry hopping before kegging, maybe Ron Mexico (HBC-438)? Got 2 in Secondary - Belgium Golden to be finished with Matcha Green Tea and a Citra Smash IPA. Lots of beer festivals to pour at this August. Pouring at one this Saturday in the Quad Cities - a riff on Tasty's Janet's Brown IPA and Belgian Dubbel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBQKaeding Posted July 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 2 hours ago, CeramicChef said: @BBQKaeding - nicely done! When I throw big galas over 20 folks, I tend to send leftovers home with guests rather than keep everything. I'm not a big fan of that much hiding in the leftover bin. That has changed a bit with my purchase of the Anova Sous Vide. That makes rewarming leftovers a snap and it preserves the original flavor and texture. Thats a very nice gathering and an even better menu for them! Kudos to you. Yea, I need to invest in a Sous Vide soon. Is the Anova what you'd recommend? I usually get a big pot of water and drop the FoodSaver bag in while cool and heat though to somewhere between 140 F and the original done temperature and then quickly broil to crisp up the exterior - extra sauce optional. It works as long as I remember to cut the rib rack in half before packaging, otherwise I have to thaw first. Some folks left with leftovers but I'm stingy with brisket (what can I say?) and I had two rib racks that I kept for impromptu gatherings when I release a new batch of craft brew . Ever tried brisket Benedict for breakfast? whoooooo..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 Yes, the Anova is the best for the price point out there - IMHO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 @BBQKaeding - I have the Anova & I am completely satisfied with it. Since I bought mine, Anova has come out with a Bluetooth model. I just don't understand that the Bluetooth is something I need and I don't feel compelled to even consider what I'm missing. The couple of folks who have that option seldom use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBQKaeding Posted July 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) 2 hours ago, tony b said: Crazy party, Bro! Serious eats and excellent pics. Thanks for the extra details on the brews - as another homebrewer, I appreciates those! That IPA sounds excellent. I'm in primary with a Saison right now, that I'm contemplating dry hopping before kegging, maybe Ron Mexico (HBC-438)? Got 2 in Secondary - Belgium Golden to be finished with Matcha Green Tea and a Citra Smash IPA. Lots of beer festivals to pour at this August. Pouring at one this Saturday in the Quad Cities - a riff on Tasty's Janet's Brown IPA and Belgian Dubbel. Sounds great! I'm propagating yeast now, targeting 920B cells for a 20g. batch of my Stingaroo ale (Brown ale using Scottish Wyeast 1728). The Freedom Ale '16 yielded 31 gallons, 4 gallons short of target but it's got a nose and taste that will stand up to the best, even Boneyard and the best NW micros. I learned that dry hopping even pellets in the Blichmann Fermenator is a PITA when it comes to dumping the hops. Long night, long story Completely stuck when opening the dump valve, well, until it comes unstuck (up to 20 minutes later), and then I've got a 1" port with 34+ gallons of beer on top plus 4 PSI CO2. It'll scare the hell out you when it decides to blow and will dump 1.5 quarts in the time it takes to rotate the ball valve 90 degrees. Rinse, repeat.... At least I get a warning when dumping the yeast. I'm a huge fan of the Belgian dark strong ales (not so much the blondes), but they're like cooking brisket rather than hamburgers. Getting the gravity and attenuation is tricky. I just kegged and bottled a clone recipe of the Chimay Blue Reserve' (15 gal. batch) that turned out great though. Let me know if you want that recipe. I haven't tried Ron Mexico but I used green coriander seed in my Saison last time (in secondary) and it rocked. I had to ferment at over 85 F with the Wyeast #3724 to get it going right. I should have researched that yeast first That's another story though... Pictured is the first stage yeast propagation on 3 stir plates that should yield about 320B cells, then I'll decant the spent wort (beer) and fill with the 6 quarts of fresh wort and spin for another day to get to > 920B cells. Edited July 13, 2016 by BBQKaeding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuley Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 This was an insane cook. I wonder if I will ever be able to pull anything off like this? Major props to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ora Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 Nice spread the food looks terific I'm not into home brewing but my father was still remember the sounds of bottles exploding lol a friend of mine made some I don't know what he did but it was not right tasted awful but we pushed through it got so drunk then we were both crook for a week Outback Kamado Bar and Grill♨ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjs Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 That is one great looking cook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) 17 hours ago, BBQKaeding said: The Freedom Ale '16 yielded 31 gallons, 4 gallons short of target 35 gallon batches - Seriously, Dude?? I know no homebrewer coming anywhere near that. Most I've seen in our club is 15 gals. I still do only 5's and mini-mashes at that. That's a major league starter culture. Must be another big batch. From your description, you must have a big conical tank. I have one of the Fast Fermenter ones that I like to use for IPAs - no transfers until kegging, to minimize the oxidation. It works OK, but is a PITA to disassemble and clean that ball valve afterwards. Edited July 13, 2016 by tony b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
