The BBQ Guru

Time to get to Vegas for the CaterSource show!

Well..the public day went well at the NBBQA convention. I was ready to try something a little different for dinner, so I went to Pappadueax's last night. They had excellent seafood, and I was lucky enough to have some fine company in Shelly from DESPERADOS BBQ and Catering Co. in Buffalo, NY, and Harry from Great American BBQ in Alameda, CA. 

I left Austin today, and now it's on to Las Vegas for the CaterSource show.

 

Technorati Tags: bbq, austin, las vegas, bbq guru

Tied for First Place in the NBBQA Idea Fair

This is Steve Kennedy with my daily update from the NBBQA Convention. Each year the Association has an Idea Fair where members share different ideas on how to help everyone improve their BBQ business. Well, There were about twenty 3 minute presentations from members on a variety of BBQ and business subjects. I presented a marketing idea about using blogs and social networking to encourage customers to participate in the business. Well, I haven't won anywhere near the amount of trophies that Fred and Bob have for their BBQ, but I did get to walk to the stage with a first place tie. I hope that I represented The BBQ Guru well! I may have to ask Fred if I can put my trophy next to some of his in the retail store. I wish my BBQ was as good as my ideas!

Another Bus Trip Today!

Today we went to visit some of the local Austin BBQ joints. First up was Smokey Mo's Bar-B-Q. Mo Melchor and his wife Lisa were about as gracious as hosts can be. They shared the things that have made them successful in one of the toughest city's to start a BBQ business. They have four restaurants in the Austin area and we visited their largest. Their smoked turkey was some of the best that several people have ever had. Great family, great BBQ!

Second up was Rudy's Country Store. This was a much bigger restaurant with the best and cleanest kitchen that I have ever seen. A true chef's dream with miles and miles of stainless steel. The meats were all good, but their creamed corn was absolutely awesome and well worth the trip.

Last, but certainly not least was Stubb's Legendary Kitchen. Ladies and gentlemen, he was a cook! This place was a treat to visit and they treated us to something even better than BBQ...Beer! I had a Shiner Bock while we toured the kitchens and even the music stage. Surely worth a visit on your next trip to Austin.

Technorati Tags: stubb's, smokey mo's, Rudy's BBQ, austin

Some video of the places we visited yesterday.

Here are some videos from :

The Salt Lick

Michael Rodriguez from The Salt Lick (He hosted our tour)

Bryan Bracewell from Southside Market (Our tour guide)

History of Texas BBQ and Kreuz Market from the History Channel

Technorati Tags: bbq guru, salt lick, kreuz market, southside market

National BBQ Association Convention in Austin, TX

Hi! It's Steve Kennedy reporting from Austin, TX at the NBBQA National Convention. I arrived in Austin at noon and by 1 PM, I was on a bus with forty or so other BBQ lovers. We set out to visit three of the Austin area's most famous BBQ restaurants on The BBQ Legends tour.

First stop was the Southside Market. They are the home of the original Elgin Hot Sausage. We had a tour of the facility conducted by Bryan Bracewell, third generation sausage maker. Southside has a restaurant and they also sell online.

Next up was The Kreuz Market. They serve their BBQ up on butcher paper by the pound. They take so much pride in their BBQ meats that they don't serve sauces that may mask the taste. The Kreuz Market is also a family-owned business and we were given a tour by Keith Schmitt the General manager.

Last on the tour was The Salt Lick. This is a place about 20 miles or so from Austin in Driftwood, TX. They can serve over 6,000 people on Saturday and Sunday nights. They are located in a dry county, so it is BYOB there. They cook their BBQ in smokers, and then finish it in front of customers on an oval fire pit. It was very interesting to see their operation, and I have to say that I think their brisket was the best that we tried on the tour.

After the tour I met up with a BBQ Guru lover from Austin named Mike Kincade. We talked BBQ and swapped favorite recipes. I really enjoy meeting other people that love BBQ and this convention is surely the place for that. Tomorrow...bus tour #2 in the Austin area.

Technorati Tags: bbq guru, austin, nbbqa

Trade Shows and Conventions

Technorati Tags: BBQ Guru, NBBQA, Catersource, Fiery Foods

The BBQ Guru team will be participating in several trade shows and conventions in the upcoming weeks. We'd really like to have you stop by and meet Bob, Kenny and Steve at these events.

Our schedule is below:

1. The National BBQ Association's annual convention will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Austin, TX with events starting Feb 19. It offers a great opportunity to network with BBQ professionals and enthusiasts. Steve will be on the BBQ bus tours on Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-5 PM.

He will also host an outside exhibitor space to showcase BBQ Guru products on Thursday through Saturday. Please come by and check out the DigiQ II's and the One and Three Bay Caterers that he will have on hand for sale at show special prices.

Steve will be in Austin from Tuesday, Feb 19 to Saturday Feb 23. If you'd like to get in touch with him while he is in there, his cell number is 301-332-5939.

2. Catersource will hold their annual tradeshow in Las Vegas at the Hilton Inn and Convention Center from Feb 24 to Feb 28. Bob, Kenny and Steve will all be there to man our exhibit booth #1506. We will have our Tall Boy smokers, BBQ Guru temperature controls, and One and Three Bay Catering systems on display.

3. Fiery Foods and BBQ Show in Albuquerque, NM from Feb 29 to Mar 2. Steve will be there to meet and greet BBQ Guru fans. We weren't able to get a booth this year, but we are already working on it for next years show. Steve will have a DigiQ II for demonstrations, and may even have some for sale at show special prices.

Steve will host a get-together for BBQ Guru fans and friends during the show. Please email him at steve@ecommacademy.com or call 301-332-5939 for details.

...But What About Fish? Halibut Recipie

Get Your Buttered Halibut Here                    With Lent on the way, many grocery stores offer specials on seafood.  If you can, look for some good halibut, because we've uncovered this butter-and-lemon recipie for your favorite ceramic cooker. Ingredients: 2 bunches scallions 1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into strips 1/4 inch wide 1/2 stick butter 1 fresh lemon, cut into 1/8 inch slices dried basil dried parsley kosher salt black pepper Cover a shallow v-rack with cooking spray.  Lay scallions, alternating tops and bulbs. Add halibut on top, then scatter onion.  Place the butter last. Lightly sprinkle with the kosher salt, black pepper, basil and parsley to taste.  Top with lemon slices.                        BBQ Recipes Store Policies Store Home About Us Contact Us              Template Designs By ~Made To Be Unique~

Grill Cleaning Tips

Keeping It Clean If your least favorite part of the BBQ lifestyle is cleaning up the mess that invariably follows, you're not alone.  Outside of doing the dishes and performing basic tool maintenance, with a little bit of preventative maintenance, cleanup time is dramatically reduced-- and your food will serve up safer and tastier, untainted by remnants of the last meal. (Yum.) Line skillets and other cookware with aluminum foil.  Once you're done, just toss. Cut the grease by pre-treating your grill with a spritz of vinegar and water.  Cleaning your apparatus with the same solution will help to prevent char buildup. The range in your kitchen self-cleans by incinerating bits of food with extremely hot temperatures.  Briefly subject your grates to the same treatment, and brush off the excess. A light brush of cooking oil before cooking will keep ceramic smokers easily wipable. BBQ Recipes Store Policies Store Home About Us Contact Us              Template Designs By ~Made To Be Unique~

Competition Update

Are You Above The Best? There's still time to enter the 2008 Above the Best Backyard BBQ Cookoff in Fort Rucker, AL.  It starts on February 22 and ends on the 23rd.  For more information, email nicole.b.biretz@us.army.mil.  The entry is available in PDF format here.    BBQ Recipes Store Policies Store Home About Us Contact Us              Template Designs By ~Made To Be Unique~

British Lamb Kebobs

Lamb From Across The Pond      One of our brethren in England has this to say about BBQ here in the colonies: I thought I knew what a barbecue was until I started traveling around the world. I have tried Brazilian Barbecues, South Africa Braai's, Australian Barbie's, but nobody knows barbecuing like the Americans.  They have perfected it into a fine art. Of course, we still have techniques to learn from one another.  Here's a lovely lamb recipie from the UK for lamb kebobs: The rub: 1 tsp ground thyme 1/2 tsp ground bay leaves 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp fresh black pepper Rub into meat, and brush all sides with a garlic-oil mix.  Slice two limes or lemons, two fennel, and one onion.  Alternate on skewer.  Try it with boiled rice!                              BBQ Recipes Store Policies Store Home About Us Contact Us              Template Designs By ~Made To Be Unique~