[h3]Memorial Day at the "Ghetto Dome"[/h3]
May 31st, 2017
It's been a while since I posted a cook, and more importantly an all day cook. Those of you that know me, know I can have "Long Winded" posts, and this is no exception.
But what's with the title? OK, let me explain that first, then move onto the cook.
Over the last few weeks I have been working on some under-decking
You can read more about it "here" but I'll give you a brief summary.
Welcome to the Ghetto Dome insert Tina Turner's voice here from the movie "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome"
It's not quite "Bartertown" but time will tell...
This project has been a long time coming. I have always had a problem with a section of the yard under the deck. Grass never grew here and it was always muddy. We tossed some pavers down and put in some patio furniture, but when it rained everything got soaked. Another problem was when we had larger parties and folks would be on the deck and on the patio, stuff would sometimes fall through the slats of the deck onto the folks below and forget it if someone spilled a drink on the deck!
Test run and everything looks good!
So thats a briefing on the Ghetto Dome, so Lets fast forward to the cook.
First, here is the Menu, or at least what I can remember of the menu. I had to time everything right to be ready no later than 4pm.
The day of the party I started around 10 am, fired up the pit and built up a good bed of coals. The ribs would be the longest to cook but I swore that I would not cook them any longer than 5 hours, this proved to be a good call.
Mopped and rubbed with my Go To Rib Rub and mop.
That's it for the party but I'll end the post with a leftover inspired Breakfast.
Seeya next time!
May 31st, 2017
It's been a while since I posted a cook, and more importantly an all day cook. Those of you that know me, know I can have "Long Winded" posts, and this is no exception.
But what's with the title? OK, let me explain that first, then move onto the cook.
Over the last few weeks I have been working on some under-decking
You can read more about it "here" but I'll give you a brief summary.
Welcome to the Ghetto Dome insert Tina Turner's voice here from the movie "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome"
It's not quite "Bartertown" but time will tell...
This project has been a long time coming. I have always had a problem with a section of the yard under the deck. Grass never grew here and it was always muddy. We tossed some pavers down and put in some patio furniture, but when it rained everything got soaked. Another problem was when we had larger parties and folks would be on the deck and on the patio, stuff would sometimes fall through the slats of the deck onto the folks below and forget it if someone spilled a drink on the deck!
- After it was completed, I figured it didn't look that bad, and thought to myself, "It's no worse than looking at the bottom of the deck", yeah keep telling yourself that! Well, this is definitely a case of "Functionality vs. Aesthetics in Design".
- The next obstacle was the smoke stack on my Pit, I was afraid to add length to the smoke stack as it may affect the airflow but something had to be done, I used to have a piece of board here deflecting the smoke but that wasn't going to work with the under-decking panels.
Test run and everything looks good!
- I installed a new cooking light.
- Ceiling fan to keep the skeeters away and add a little air flow on hot days, or do dissipate smoke if I burn the food lol!
So thats a briefing on the Ghetto Dome, so Lets fast forward to the cook.
First, here is the Menu, or at least what I can remember of the menu. I had to time everything right to be ready no later than 4pm.
- Ribs [Pit] 5 hrs
- Beans [Pit] 3 Hrs. then transferred to firebox
- Mediterranean Salsa Sliders [Pit] 2 Hrs
- Chorizo w/peppers and onions [Pit] 2 Hrs.
- Bratwurst/Spicy Mustard [Pit] 2 Hrs.
- Corn [Pit] 3 Hrs.
- Pineapple [Pit] 3 Hrs.
- Hot dogs w/condiments [Schwenker]
- Hamburgers w/condiments [Schwenker]
- Chicken/ham/bacon/pineapple [Schwenker]
- BBQ Chicken [Schwenker]
- Mac & Cheese/Mom
- Taco dip
- Salsa dip
- Mediterranean Salsa with feta
- Macaroni salad
- Potato salad
- Blondie Cake
- Butter cake
- Cupcakes
- Chocolate covered pretzels
- Chocolate covered strawberries
- Soda
- Water
- Iced Tea
- Adult Beverages
- The night before the get together, I prepped some of the food, Cooked the bacon, Trimmed the ribs, Rubbed the rib trimmings, taste tested the chicken, iced the beverages, readied the pit and fire pit/Schwenker, setup the tables etc...
The day of the party I started around 10 am, fired up the pit and built up a good bed of coals. The ribs would be the longest to cook but I swore that I would not cook them any longer than 5 hours, this proved to be a good call.
Mopped and rubbed with my Go To Rib Rub and mop.
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Rib Rub (forgot this)
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoons cayenne powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons white pepper
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard, such as Coleman's
- 1 tablespoon course black pepper
- 5 teaspoons of Old Bay
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- Started the Pork and beans.
- 55 oz. Can of Bush's Baked Beans
- 2 pork loin steaks cubed, leave some fat (used rib trimmings this time)
- Cooked Bacon, 10 thick cut pieces split and chopped
- one Large Onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped Pineapple
- 1 cup Ketchup
- 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
- 1 Fire Roasted Poblano chopped
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup of Knob Creek Smoked Maple
- Drippings from the foiled stage of the ribs
- I hate tossing the trimmed off boney area of the full rack of spares so I chunked them up and toss some in the beans.
- Mopped the ribs several times and flipped twice, time to foil, they will be foiled for NO LONGER than one hour!
- Started the Philly fire for the Schwenker.
- Tossed on some onions and Rib trimmings.
- Still a bit to go.
- Took the foil off the ribs, tossed on some corn and jockeyed the food around to make room.
- Added the pineapples.
- Tossed on the Chorizos.
- Mixed my Rib glaze.
- Started glazing the ribs with my BBQ sauce, I went a little heavy on the Dijon mustard and probably would have been better with half the amount of mustard and instead of Dijon just us plain old prepared yellow mustard.
- Fire roasting the peppers.
- Poblano and rib meat is chopped for the beans.
- Flipped the ribs and glazed the bone side, jockeyed the food around a bit more and tossed on the Smoked Brats.
- Fire Roasted Peppers are cleaned and sliced.
- Ribs are flipped back and glazed again.
- Burgers for the sliders are on.
- Chicken on the Schwenker.
- Pineapple is chopped, tossed in with the chicken and topped with a Pineapple, Habanero Sauce.
- Plain chicken with BBQ sauce.
- Then the Burgers followed by the Dogs.
- Chorizo and peppers assembled.
- Mediterranean Salsa with Feta sliders.
- My daughter Sam made the Strawberries and festive pretzels.
- We were celebrating my niece Jess's birthday as well.
- Our friends brought their newest addition, Ruby, I get her for a full week in July!
- The new digs seemed to work out OK.
- After the first wave and the pit is done cooking, the food is thinned and transferred to the pit. The propane is turned on, the log lighter is lit and the pit will remain at 150°F until it's time to put the food away. I'm expecting some guests to arrive a bit later.
- This one got the nickname, "Shark", because she never stops moving!
- Cousins spending time together, they're all very close.
That's it for the party but I'll end the post with a leftover inspired Breakfast.
- Pit cooked Pineapple, Fire Roasted Peppers, pit cooked chorizo, pit cooked onions, american cheese and cheddar cheeses omelette.
Seeya next time!
