Smoke Signals from AmazingRibs.com ~  April 3, 2015
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
TECHNIQUE
For both the beginner and expert, here are articles on how to get 'er done right. 
 
 

RECIPES
Scores of tested restaurant quality recipes carefully explained so even novices can be great cooks.

 

 

 


 

 

 
 

 


 

 
EQUIPMENT REVIEWS 
Unbiased recommendations for the best products for the back yard cook. 
DAILY TIPS ON

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About Smoke Signals

Smoke Signals is the free e-letter from Barbecue Whisperer and Hedonism Evangelist, Meathead, and the team at AmazingRibs.com. We use Smoke Signals to tell folks about what's new in Barbecutopia & Grillandia. If you like it, please . And remember: No rules in the bedroom or dining room!
HAM IT UP


I get emails from people all year round, but especially at Easter, asking how to cook a ham. Not so fast. First I need to know which kind of ham do you have? A true ham is a rear leg of a hog from hip to knee. Most have a bone in it, but some are boneless. Sounds simple, right? I wish. There are exceptions, the picnic ham, which comes from the lower part of the front leg, and the turkey ham, which comes from a fowl (whose idea was this?). Let's clarify the murk. Here's what you need to know when shopping for a ham and tips for cooking it, indoors or out.



The most common ham of all in the US is the wet cured ham, and it is a notch better when cooked on the grill than in the oven. Here's how to grill the Ultimate Easter Ham.

But you need a great sweet glazed to counter that salty ham, and here's one from the great Pitmaster, Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Que in Decatur, AL. Throw out the packet of chemicals that came with your ham and make his Spiced Apricot Glaze.

 

To Accompany Your Ham
grilled asparagus
Asparagus is coming in from the South and it reaches its apogee on the grill. It's easy, and here's how.

sweet potato fries

And while you're at it, how about some grilled sweet potato steak fries.
Spring is lamb season

I often meet people who say they don't like lamb but they love beef. I submit that's because they've never had lamb prepared properly: Grilled medium rare like a steak. There are two amazing cuts and two more very good cuts. Click here to learn about lamb cuts.

 

My favorite prep is Lamb Loin Chops in Sheep Dip. These tiny T-bones are incredibly tender, juicy, and flavorful.



Right up there in the red meat hall of fame is rack of lamb, but I prefer to cut them into double wide bone-in ribeyes, Lamb Lollipops.



To feed a crowd, you want a Leg of Lamb with a Board Sauce.



For a killer sandwich, cut the leg or shoulder into cubes and try my recipe for Binghamton Spiedies.



Or take those cubes and make something more exotic with Moroccan Mechoui.



Finally, if you have never made a Lamburger, you don't know what you are missing. My technique is tooooo simple.


Latkes: The ultimate expression of the potato
latkes  
The absolute most perfect use of potatoes, better even than French fries, is to turn them into potato pancakes, which have crunchy mahogany edges, crispy golden midsections, and tender, rich, meaty interiors. They are hash brown on steroids.

When it comes to potato pancakes, the best recipes come from Jewish households, where potato pancakes, called latkes, have been traditionally fried in December for the holiday of Hanukkah for centuries. But many Yiddisa Momma's serve latkes at Passover.
Steak lessons


The great chef and educator Bruce Aidells, author of a number of superb cookbooks including the The Great Meat Cookbook, has produced a polished detailed video series on steak covering everything from selecting the meat to cooking it.

It is a beautifully produced set of seven videos starting with selecting and buying beef and chock full of tips produced by the website craftsy.com. They have an excellent learning platform for watching educational videos where you can pause and come back the next day to the exact spot you left off at, a place to take notes, study materials, discussion, recipes, etc. Click here for a preview.
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