New Year - New Que.....

To all the Masters of the Grill, Chiefs of the Charcoal, King of the Pit, Boss of the BBQ - also known as the dude in the apron.

So I noticed my post from last weekend wasn't "published."  So there will actually be two in a row.

It's a cold time here in the BBQ World of Montana.  Temperatures have been mild (in 20s and 30s).  I did smoke my Christmas Prime Rib this year.....temperature was in the 40s that day.  This is important because today I am smoking a few short ribs.  It is 29 Degrees.  Definitely need to use my insulator for the smoker.

Why am I smoking short ribs today?  It is my 2nd year teaching at Helena High School.  Last year we started a BBQ Club and while interest was only a couple of students, I decided to renew the club this year.  With a bit more advertising (and food) the club has grown to 15 members (5 regular members.)  Every other Monday I bring in different BBQ plates for students to try.  We talk about regional styles, rubs and sauces during our lunch time meetings.

We have enjoyed Pulled pork, St Louis Ribs, BBQ Beans, Smoked Mac N Cheese, smoked Turkey.  For our Christmas party we had beef bourguignon. 

During the party we discussed getting together on the weekend in January or February (when the temperature rises a bit) and cooking up some shoulders for the local homeless shelter.  We also put out a challenge to our crosstown high school rivals for a competition, but so far I have not heard back.

So today I am cooking up our first Bengal BBQ Meeting Meal - Short ribs from my favorite meat market - Tizer Meats.  They have such great cuts of meat and while the price is higher than your local super market, the quality is much higher.  I will also be issuing the club members a challenge - to create their own rub.  We have talked about rubs in the past, but I think showing them how I make my beef rub, what it tastes like before cooking and then with the smoked meat will help them appreciate the process.

The short ribs turned out well.  They probably could have used a bit more time (30 minutes?) in the smoker, but overall the taste and tenderness were mostly there (a little chew to it.)  The other big reason for smoking this weekend in 29 Degree temperature is the eventual cold spell forecasted for Montana.  Last year the late January cold spell lasted 34 days - all of which were below 0 degrees - most of which were double digit negative and one cold morning at -31 degrees.  So, if I am gonna get one January cook in - better now than never.  Well hope you all enjoyed this Bar Blog Que - and we will talk soon.