celery i like except not on ribs. it seems best suited for texas style brisket imo.

and paprika being worthless is highly debatable. ive not been on TVWB in ages but I do know many ppl use paprika in rubbs as do i, and i can definitely taste it. in fact i use a lot of it and enjoy the pasty texture it gives to the crust especially on chicken. i find a good hungarian paprika that has not been open for years has good flavor, and a little msg goes a long way to enhance the flavor of the rub.

Ahh yes, I forgot to list brown sugar. I will try the salt-less rub and salt separately.

And I definitely like sauce on my ribs. Usually sweet baby rays. I admit that I like the sweeter side of BBQ.

I start with a "base" of salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper, and brown sugar, than depending on what I am cooking, I add in cumin, chilli powder, red pepper, depending on how hot I want it, and parsley, and various other herbs depending on what meat

I got some "black sugar bars" at an Asian supermarket and it has a lot of molasses flavor, looking forward to using it in a rub soon.

sweet baby ray's is good with a splash of beer and a dash of cayenne in it right at the end with ribs then grill them over high heat to slighjtly caramelize

Should I be mopping the ribs with sauce while they smoke or only when they get finished on the grill????

i usually smoke mine for 4 hours, after 2 hours, 3 hours, 3:30, and 3:45, I spray them with a mixture of apple juice, hot sauce, and bbq sauce

edit: this is a technique from the virtual bulled website.


than mop with sauce right at the end if that is your gig, but I dont like to, I just put some on the side

I would just finish with sauce. mopping while smoking doesn't do anything and might introduce too much moisture.

If you want to sauce you can do it right at the end. No need to do it early

mopping and basting are pretty misunderstood

lots of ppl think for example that basting a turkey while it roasts will make it more moist when in fact it will not. think about it: the turkey is already oozing moisture and fat while it roasts, so why would the act of basting it reduce that action and cause the bird so suddenly start suking in liquid when a second ago it was expelling moisture?

for further evidence consider a boiled chicken. boiled chicken can be extremely dry and tough despite it being completely submerged in liquid while it cooks.

also, there's a differece between a "bbq mopping sauce" and a "glaze" or "finishing" sauce. what most people think about as sauce is a glaze or finishing sauce because it contains sugars and tomatoes which will quickly burn. a mopping sauce is more of a liquid seasoning mixture.

I'm in Houston but I'm not a huge bbq snob but I do love the stuff. Especially brisket and jalapeno sausage.

Some good stuff I eat fairly regularly:

Chili's baby-back Shiner Bock ribs. Damn these are good.
Goode Company beef brisket and jalapeno sausage is probably my all-time favorite:




I've eaten at Salt Lick in Austin and wasn't impressed. I've also eaten German brats at Oma's Haus in New Branfels, TX but was not impressed. Small sample though of 1 meal. These folks advertise 3 hours away in Houston. I was expecting something tasty.

try ruby's in austin on guadalupe.

for sausage, go anywhere that has "elgin" sausage which imo is amazing

I second the virtualweberbullet.com message board. It's definitely the best I've found for BBQ, even if you don't have a weber bullet. I picked up an 18" weber smokey mountain before thanksgiving and absolutely LOVE it. It's definitely the best bang for your buck in the smoker world, and many compete (and win) on the bbq circuit with them.

I'm personally not a fan of the KC style with all their super sweet sauces. My favorite bbq is definitely texas style brisket and carolina style pulled pork. Love pulled pork with a vinegary/slight-mustard style.

Also, I recommend not saucing/mopping early. This can ruin your bark. If you foil with liquids (crutch), leave some time at the end to put the meat back on without foiling to revive your bark.

does the beef brisket & ribs at Famous Daves compare to Tx BBQ?

In Austin, the best brisket is at Mann's. Elgin sausage I find a bit too mild but in the city of Elgin, my favorite is Meyer's.

bears3434, where is Famous Daves?

Pulled pork is one of my fav foods of all time, which is sad cuz I live in New England. But, I did make this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ka2kpzTAL8 and it was amazing.
Some of the components can be tricky to find, but it was cheap and tasted amazing....gogogo

Don't remember the name but I ate at a place on maybe 9th and Red River, at the NE corner that was pretty good.

I'll be in Austin for a couple nights later this month and might have to check out Guadalupe St.

Mainly a factor of overcooking it. Properly cooked boiled (or any) chicken is pretty f moist, but if you take a chicken too much past 170 degrees it's gonna dry out.

The lone exception to this is thighs/legs/leg quarters which due to extra fat can stand longer cooking without drying out so much

sounds like maybe House Park BBQ? pretty good but that was eons ago when i was going to school (well, enrolled in school) there

but Ruby's on Guadalupe (probably around the 30th street mark on the east side of the road) is amazing

Here are some pics of the first smoke I ever did from Thanksgiving '09:

A 12 lb packers cut prime brisket and a 9 lb Boston butt with my dog waiting for them to fall:


The finished pulled pork:


The finished brisket:

lolz love the dog in the background.

Both cuts look great.

about 4 years ago there was this awesome BBQ place about 10 minutes from my house. it was called "Holy Smokes" and it was in an old lutheran chrurch. you sat in pews and the food was pretty much the best BBQ id ever had. then, ironically, one of the fires got out of hand or something and it burned down. that was among the top 5 worst days of my life.

OMG...how long did you smoke that brisket for? I've Weber Bullet and I have been working my way up to a brisket (I've done chicken, ribs, pulled pork) and am looking for some tips.

@JasonInDallas - I did do the foil thing with some spare ribs one time, mainly because I wanted to get them done faster. I did 3 hours regular, 2 hours in foil with an apple cider liquid mix, and then 1 hour again regular. They came out OK. Sweet, smokey, but maybe just a little too tender.

My friends all have foodie orgasms over my barbecue, but we're from PA, so it probably is better than anything you can get around here.

California has a couple of places that do decent Texas BBQ.

JR's Texas BBQ in Sacramento is probably my top vote.

For Carolina BBQ, Mo's in SLO is pretty good. Closest thing I know of to authentic.

Man I love BBQ, I just live in the wrong state.

Very nice smoke ring, sir