• Start a personal food blog, or, start a community food thread for all.

MikeUSMC: "Bury Me in Smoke"

Ok, I started with a Jim Beam barrel on Craigslist for $100



Sanded it down with a wire wheel on an angle grinder on the bands.
80 grit, then 120 grit, then 150 grit sandpaper "flapper" wheel on the oak
Cleaned it up nice


5/8" self tapping stainless screws (predrilled pilot holes) in every stave to hold the bands up, and to stop the barrel from falling apart when I cut the top off. This took FOREVER


Off comes the top, out comes the loose char. Smelled like smoky bourbony awesomeness


Little 14" Weber "Smokey Joe" for the bottom. I drilled a ton more holes in this for better airflow, and altered the legs a little so it would sit lower




Access door to refill water pan/charcoal




Four 3/4" threaded pipe air vents w/ caps to control the airflow. High-temp, food grade caulk in each stave joint



Somewhere along the way, after all the hardware was on (holes drilled), I was ready for paint. I love the textured look of this stuff. (Spray paint) "Forged Hammered Antique Pewter"



A coat of stain, and BOOM!

'MERICA. :cheers:









Boss, let me know if you want me to delete any of the double posted pics. I'm not looking to get in trouble here :)
 
748A2FC6-B3F8-4BB4-B8D6-47788B6729CC.jpeg


šŸ”„FIREBALL SWINEAPPLE KEBABSšŸ”„

Soak the chopped pineapple overnight in Fireball whiskey, then rub it with a combination of brown sugar, turbinado sugar and cinnamon. Cube the pork belly (1.5ā€ cubes) and hit with a BBQ rub then smoke them (on a wire rack) for about 3 hours at 250Ā°F. Move pork belly to an aluminum foil pan, add a full stick of butter pads, sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of brown sugar, then drizzle with (roughly) 1/2 cup of honey. Cover with foil and return to smoker for another 2 hours (add pineapple [uncovered] to smoker for the last hour). Remove from smoker, uncover, drain the butter from the pan, then lightly toss in BBQ sauce. Return to smoker, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, then remove pork and pineapple. Assemble on toothpicks* (or skewers) and baste them with the drippings from the pan (or a BBQ sauce). Put assembled kebabs back on smoker for about 10 minutes for the sauce to get nice and tacky. From start to finish, this whole process takes about 6 hours. This flavor combination is out of this world. Enjoy!

Thanks for looking šŸ»

*optional: sometimes Iā€™ll also wrap them with a slice of bacon
 
ā€œARMADILLO EGGSā€ šŸŒ¶šŸ”„

Cream cheese and shredded cheddar, stuffed inside of a jalapeƱo, wrapped in 1/3lb of ground sausage (I only had pork), wrapped in 2 or 3 slices of bacon. Dusted with Hookā€™s Spice Rubsā€™ ā€œSmokinā€™ Sweetnessā€ BBQ rub and glazed for the last 20 minutes of the cook

627645AF-99E4-4CF5-8AE9-300C162F35F5.jpeg

CD2C2D6E-C153-49BB-8DAF-F771505B72CE.jpeg

5E742892-2D01-41A9-88B4-4903B653A984.jpeg

1FF55B16-EAB7-4CBA-936C-384D4C0937E1.jpeg

088B3CF3-44E0-4C23-A33A-2A03001D95A1.jpeg

DDF55DE1-FBAB-4574-82E9-19962664A7E0.jpeg

26ABB375-3043-4853-8512-A3AD1D1AAF3E.jpeg

FC369190-5589-4EBA-82DC-B2D1414238BE.jpeg

0268AFE1-A1CB-49AF-AF77-81BA03D41010.jpeg

172EE4C8-91B6-43DF-9C26-43ACD73E7ED1.jpeg


I had a few leftover slices of bacon, so I made my daughter some bacon wrapped Oreos šŸ˜‰

85F0EF18-D08C-4B1C-855B-5442BCA3A137.jpeg

444070C2-13C8-4960-BE4D-DB79EE50A3A9.jpeg


Thanks for looking! šŸ»
 
Last edited:
Absolutely love the color of those ribs Mike. Also cooked perfectly and bite clean - NICE!

By the way, I like how you're staying in shape using gloves with JALAPENOS. :D

Seriously, nice looking cook buddy!
 
By the way, I like how you're staying in shape using gloves with JALAPENOS. :D
That was mostly because of the raw pork I was about to be handling :rofl: Thatā€™s also why thereā€™s a gap in ā€œassemblyā€ pics between cream cheese and them already rolled up. I figured there was no point in getting the capsaicin oil all over my hands, just to wash it off and put gloves on :lol:

Hereā€™s some more Armadillo Egg porn for ya, smartass šŸ˜‰ I made these for a party Iā€™d catered a few months ago:
4D564A10-F8E3-40D0-97E0-BC4EEA893F0B.jpeg

489A1934-CEFE-411D-8DA8-B5F4B83E663F.jpeg

40CD8072-461B-4706-8CE2-514DC84C8C9F.jpeg


And, here are the ones I turned in at the last (amateur) competition I did, back in September. Glazed with Blues Hogā€™s Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce at the end. Donā€™t even get me started on where these placed out of 7 total entriesā€¦ šŸ˜” :rolleyes:
48703337-25C0-44E6-B281-FF268D248F7B.jpeg

AF424A3A-2183-445B-9209-AD595C0A6F01.jpeg


Cheers šŸ»
 
what's an armadillo egg?

I know I'm going to regret asking this question
šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

ā€œARMADILLO EGGSā€ šŸŒ¶šŸ”„

Cream cheese and shredded cheddar, stuffed inside of a jalapeƱo, wrapped in 1/3lb of ground sausage, wrapped in 2 or 3 slices of bacon. Dusted with Hookā€™s Spice Rubsā€™ ā€œSmokinā€™ Sweetnessā€ BBQ rub and glazed for the last 20 minutes of the cook
I smoked them at 250Ā°F (121Ā°C) for about 2.5 hours šŸ»
 
I just ate, then I saw your ribs and eggs, now Iā€™m hungry again šŸ˜œšŸ‘.
Now that youā€™re not working 1000 hrs a week ,that means more time for comps,eh. šŸ¤”šŸ‘
 
I just ate, then I saw your ribs and eggs, now Iā€™m hungry again šŸ˜œšŸ‘.
Haha, thanks, Bryan!

Now that youā€™re not working 1000 hrs a week ,that means more time for comps,eh. šŸ¤”šŸ‘
Not sure that Iā€™ll do any more comps than the ā€œamateurā€ one I always do in September. I really enjoy competing in that one though. Itā€™s really laid back, nobody takes it too seriously, and Iā€™ve gotten to be pretty good friends with the rest of the competitors (itā€™s been the same 6 or 7 of us ā€œteamsā€ in the last 2 years that Iā€™ve done it). As far as KCBS goes, there are only 2 events (that I know of) that are regularly hosted in Connecticut; ā€œThe Hartford Riboffā€ and the ā€œMohegan Sun BBQ Festā€ (at a casino). Conflicting obligations have prevented me from ever having a chance to even attend the ā€œRiboffā€ but, a few years ago (2016/17?), @The_NorthEast_ChileMan came down from Massachusetts to the one at the casino to hang out with me. We had a few beers, some great food, and had a great time! Itā€™d be cool to try to make that happen again. Actually, @Downriver came up from Virginia and was judging at that event too, but we ended up missing each other. Maybe we can try again this year? šŸ˜ Rick? Paul? Thoughts? Iā€™ll have to see if theyā€™ve posted a date yet for this year but, in years past, itā€™s always been right around Fourth of July.

What I can tell you though, is that my catering gigs are already starting to fill up my calendar this year, and I do an awful lot of catering for someone who doesnā€™t even have a catering business :lol: People are already trying to book me for events in April, May, August and a few September, lol.

Apparently, thereā€™s been quite a ā€œbuzzā€ going around my town about my food over the last couple of years. Some from my Instagram account, but most of it is probably from doing the huge cook on Halloween at my house, where I cook for the whole neighborhood (and more). This past year, if I had to guesstimate, Iā€™d say we probably had somewhere between 400-500 people come through my driveway šŸ˜³ Very stressful, but very rewarding!

People in my town have been begging me to open a restaurant or food truck for years now. I feel bad because, a guy did open up a small BBQ joint here, and he serves really good food. Weā€™ve become pretty good friends too, and I make it a point to stop in and grab a bite to eat whenever I can, ya know? I was just in there the other day and he told me, ā€œI canā€™t even tell you how many people come in here and ask me if I know youā€¦ Oh, do you know ā€˜Iron Mikeā€™? He lives in town and makes really good BBQ! You should hook up with him or get him to work here too!ā€ Poor guy is probably sick and tired of hearing my name in his restaurant :lol:
 
...As far as KCBS goes, there are only 2 events (that I know of) that are regularly hosted in Connecticut; ā€œThe Hartford Riboffā€ and the ā€œMohegan Sun BBQ Festā€ (at a casino),...

Ahhh Grasshopper, the ability to expand one's passion is always present. Campground BBQ events, lol.

As far as Mohegan Sun goes, politics got in the way and they no longer are sanctioned by KCBS. Most BBQ comps benefit a charity or two. Mohegan Sun is definitely not a charity. It's a fun event, but it's nothing but a money grab for them.

Let me know if one of the campground events grab your attention. Maybe we'll come up if you decide to compete.
 
Ahhh Grasshopper, the ability to expand one's passion is always present. Campground BBQ events, lol.
Canā€™t thank you enough for showing me this, Rick! I had no idea about it! šŸ» One of those events is only 20 minutes from me!

Unfortunately (or not :lol: ), Iā€™ll be down in Austin, TX eating BBQ that day! šŸ˜ƒ Iā€™m spending that week in Austin, and heading down to Snowā€™s BBQ in Lexington, TX that Saturday. Iā€™m really hoping to be able to meet ā€œMs. Tootsieā€ Tomanetz before she retires! This video is pretty old (when she was only 73 :lol: ), and sheā€™s 87 years old now. Sheā€™s turning 88 in April, and sheā€™s STILL the Pitmaster at Snowā€™s. Pulling all nighters on Friday nights, and shoveling the coals into the pits herself :shocked: Snowā€™s won Texas Monthlyā€™s ā€œBest BBQ in Texasā€ back in 2008, and they blew up after that. Iā€™m sure youā€™re familiar ;) Iā€™m definitely gonna hit Franklinā€™s too šŸ‘šŸ»


I highly, highly recommend checking out the Netflix series, ā€œChefā€™s Table: BBQ,ā€ if you havenā€™t already. The whole series is great. I think it was four different Pitmasters, each with a 1 hour episode. Rodney Scottā€™s (world famous whole hog BBQ) was another episode, and another place I want to go see in person, in Charleston, SC (you hear me, @WarrantMan? ;) ). Itā€™s impossible not to love Ms. Tootsie after watching it. Snowā€™s is only open on Saturday and, with my luck, the one Saturday Iā€™m there in April will be her birthday and sheā€™ll have the day off :rofl:
 
Ms Tootsie was featured in a celeb chef's programme several years ago, she was amazing - it's incredible that she's still going.
I'll take another watch after I've had something to eat otherwise I'm going to crave BBQ all day.
 
Driftwood, Lockhart and Taylor all have solid BBQ joints and are all surrounding cities of Austin. Thatā€™s where the best bbq will be imo not in the city limits. If you were going to be further up in North Texas Iā€™d recommend Hutchins, Hurtados or Smoke secession. Great BBQ all over the state but I feel North Texas has the edge.šŸ˜‰ Popular bbq places from Austin like Terry Blackā€™s and others have expanded into North Texas but I havenā€™t been too impressed by many. I grew up eating Hutchins and they set the bar so high it really my messed up my ability to enjoy other BBQ haha. I canā€™t hardly afford BBQ these days itā€™s gotten so expensive even Hutchins. Anyways if you make it up further north let me know. Just donā€™t go to Buccees (a popular gas station) and think youā€™re going to find good bbq like I see many do šŸ˜…
 
Back
Top