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POPULAR PAGES
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FEEDBACK
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You are the
Alton Brown of Que!
Joe Mizrahi
Smokin' Joe's, NY, NY
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I took my leftovers to work and was mobbed when people smelled the aroma from the microwave.
Dale Ray, Wichita,KS
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I have always loved cooking ribs but with our new gas grill they were never as good as charcoal. Well that all changed last night when I made the greatest ribs I have ever tasted. My wife wanted to know if I bought them somewhere and then claimed I cooked them myself.
Allen Nicley, Mont Alto, PA
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We love your beans. My recipe has our guests tooting for a few days; I bet that yours will last a week!!!!
Peggy Bohl, Sacramento, CA
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I had two ribs and my boyfriend ate the other 3 1/2 pounds. He couldn't stop to talk. He had to bring a box of tissues to the table because these ribs are so good, they make him weep. And that's the truth. Of course, I make sure he has plenty of napkins, too. He tells me that my ribs have deepened his love for me. Well, fine, but I know that just means he wants more ribs:)
Nancy J. Mostad, Minnesota
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All I have to say is OH MY GOD!!! They are hands down the best ribs I have ever tasted. Everyone begged me for the recipe.
Lisa Clark, Levittown, NY
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I died laughing
at your rib song.
Gary Hays,Smithville, Texas
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I tried your Magic Dust (on chicken) and it was amazing!
Ivan Carabott, Malta
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ABOUT SMOKE SIGNALS
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 Smoke Signals is the occasional free email newsletter from Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn of AmazingRibs.com. It is designed to let you know what's new on the website and in the world of outdoor cooking.
It
has been almost a year since I've sent out Smoke Signals. Forgive me. In the meantime the site has
grown to more than 125 articles and recipes and if you go to Google and
search on "BBQ ribs" it comes up #1!
If you haven't checked out the
site in a while, you should love the improvements some of which are
hilighted below.
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| MEMPHIS RIBS, RENDEZVOUS STYLE |
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 In Memphis it is common for rib joints to serve their ribs "dry", without sauce, just a liberal sprinkling of a mix of spices and herbs. Perhaps the most revered dry ribs are served at Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous (called "The Vous" by the locals).
Because The Vous is so famous and popular, people, especially the media, are always asking the owners for their rub recipe. But here's the, ahem, rub. The recipe they give out is most definitely not the one they use in the restaurant or sell in the bottle!
How can I be so sure? The recipe that's all over the net contains only salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, celery seed, paprika, and chile powder. But if you buy a bottle and sprinkle some in your hand, you can't miss the whole coriander seeds and mustard seeds, among other things. So I have tried to reverse-engineer it and I think I've come pretty close to duplicating the original.
I have also detailed their cooking method. So if you are a devotee of Memphis-style dry ribs, here's how to make Rendezvous Ribs at home.
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YOUR SIGNATURE SAUCE IS HERE
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 Over the past year I've worked hard to perfect my recipes for the 12 classic barbecue sauces so you can steal one and make it your own. All barbecue cooks should have their own signature sauce!
Click here for a discussion of the styles, origins, and recipes for all 12 and a few more: Kansas City Sauce, South Carolina Mustard Sauce, East Carolina Vinegar Mop-Sauce, Lexington Mop-Sauce, Texas Sauce, Tennessee Whiskey Sauce, Louisiana Hot Dippin Sauce, Alabama White Sauce, Memphis Dry Rub, Fruit Sauce, Sweet Glaze, And Novelty Sauces. |
PERFECT PULLED PORK
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 The best pulled pork is made from the shoulder, called the Boston Butt for some reason. It's a big hunk of meat that is marbled with fat and connective tissue.
When cooked low and slow, the fat and collagens melt between the muscle fibers making it tender, moist, and succulent. Like buttah. With smoke woven through the shards of meat and potent bits of strongly seasoned crust mixed in, pulled pork makes the ultimate Southern sandwich.
The process, which can take up to 12 hours, is the quintessence of barbecue. Lazy, slow, easy, fragrant. You set up a lawn chair, sip a cup of coffee as you put the meat on in the morning. As the sun gets high, you switch to cool refreshing beer. Mid-day a mint julep refreshes the palate. As the sun sets, you switch to straight Bourbon.
Click here for the secrets to perfect pulled pork and some ideas of how to use it. Here's what one user says about it: "I never would have imagined that I would like anything better than a slab of smoked ribs, but that pulled pork, oh my gosh! I have taken it to a couple of parties and it is always a HIT!" Aswad Johnson
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AUTHENTIC TEXAS-STYLE BRISKET
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 Occasionally I hanker for something other than pork. So this year I went to Texas and hit 18 pitstops tasting their beef briskets and pumping the cooks for their secrets.
My detailed article teaches you how the pros cook whole packer briskets,
and how you can come close with a small section from your grocer.
There's also an authentic Texas style rub and Texas style mop-sauce.
Here's what Barry Sorkin of Smoque Restaurant, Chicago says about the outcome (his brisket has been featured on FoodTV):
"Great article on brisket! That's a better explanation than I've seen in any of the cookbooks, and I've read a lot of them. It does a great job of making one of the most complex and difficult cuts of meat simple and approachable. My only concern is that if everyone learns how to make brisket, what's a poor schmuck like me going to do to make a buck?!?!"
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TEMPERATURE CONTROL IS CRUCIAL
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 Getting food to the table that is properly cooked is all about balancing time and temp. So I've written several articles on the subject.
My thermometer buying guide explains the difference between thermocouples, thermistors, bimetal thermometers and more. You'll learn how to test them and calibrate them. And I even recommend my faves with links to suppliers.
I've also written another article, a meat temperature guide, that explains all on one page the proper temperature at which to remove beef, lamb, duck breasts, burgers, sausage, chicken, turkey, fish, ham, eggs, and of course, pork.
I've also been polishing my articles on meat science and how to tell when ribs are done.
Just as important, I have written an article on food, knife, and grill safety that is a must read.
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MODIFICATIONS FOR OFFSET SMOKERS |
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 A lot of us buy Cheapo Offset Smokers (COS) as our first barbecue machines. The problem is that they are tricky to use. About a year ago I published a short article with tips and tricks and modifications that will make your COS work better.
Well that article has grown a LOT in the past year. Many of you have sent me techniques and mods you use, and they're all on one page now.
Click here to learn how to make a heat deflector to distribute the heat more evenly, how to build a charcoal basket, how to plug the leaks, and even how to convert it to gas!
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WEBER SMOKEY MOUNTAIN & BULLET SETUP |
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 Bullet shaped smokers are really popular and sold in a lot of hardware stores. The gold standard is still the Weber Smokey Mountain. Here's a good article on how to set up a WSM and other bullets, the Minion Method for long steady burns, and a link to a great website that will take you through your first five cooks holding your hand all the way.
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THE ZEN OF SLAWSOME SLAW
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 Cole slaw is my favorite salad. Crunchy, juicy, refreshing with bright sweet, sour, salty, savory flavors, it kicks the butt of any wimpy limpy lettuce salad. But more important, slaw is the perfect accompaniment for barbecue.
The two classic American styles are Creamy Deli Slaw and Sweet-Sour Slaw, and some folks choose their restaurant based on which is served. There are scores of great slaw recipes with a wide variety of ingredients, and each can be prepared with a wide variety of techniques. For example, here are two more, my recipe for Adult Creamy Cole Slaw and my Waldorf Slaw.
Here are some tips on technique to make slawsome slaw and links to my recipes and here is what one reader thinks of one of my recipes: "I am in the process of opening a cafe and thought your simple sweet sour slaw is an amazing winner. Tested it tonight. All people could say was 'More please!!!'" James Murray, Toronto, Canada
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VISIT THE AMAZINGRIBS.COM GIFT SHOP
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 Now you can order cool gear from AmazingRibs.com including aprons, hats, shirts, sweatshirts, intimate wear, and other apparel for men, women, kids and pets. I also have beer mugs, posters, clocks, and other tschotschkes.
Select from a number of fun captions: Nice Rack!, Porknography, Hot & Juicy, Suck bones!, Eat me!, Succulent, Got ribs?, Allèz Barbecue, Jeet?, BBQ Goddess, BBQ God, Saucy, iRibs.
To see the entire selection at CafePress.com, just click here.
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THOUGHT FOR FOOD
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 I don't know how serious bloggers do daily updates, but my pseudo blog in which I comment on dining and other experiences is significantly less frequent. But you might find them interesting. Here's three:
Coalition of the Weeding. This little bit of political humor ran on the op-ed page of the Washigton Post in June.
Robert Mondavi, the Art Lover. Bob died in May, and this tribute and reminisce of how he helped launch my career as an artist was quoted extensively in a front page obit in the Chicago Tribune.
Food and Flicks: A Great Combo. This article about some of my favorite food-themed movies ran in the Tempo section of the Chicago Tribune.
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SEND ME FEEDBACK, PLEASE |
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 Do me a favor, willya? Send me feedback.
Let me know what you think of an article or recipe: If you think it is
confusing, if you know a better way, or if I made a mistake. My Daddy
taught me that "praise is cheap, criticism priceless."
I hope you found something useful here. If you do, please click here to forward a copy of this to a friend.
Remember: No rules in the bedroom or the kitchen,
Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn
AmazingRibs.com
Click here to contact me
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