Been away - what's new in BBQ?


 
M

Matt B.

TVWBB Super Fan
I was going to post this in the bbq forum, but I thought it was more general. If it gets moved, that's cool.

I guess like everybody else, working from home has given me time to think about the things I enjoy around the house and given me time to get back into them. One thing is cooking barbecue on the WSM. I was last really involved in it back when I bought my WSM 22 in 2010, but my career kind of picked up and I didn't have time for things that take 8-10 hours at a stretch. I've done some cooks of course, but haven't kept up with the state of the art. Back a few years ago I bought a 14.5 when I saw one at the hardware store and thought it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. It seemed like the mini-WSMs that were so popular (and apparently still are!). It still hasn't been used, but I plan for that to change very soon. One thing that has really kept me connected to the community was Chris' monthly email letter, and I really have appreciated that. For the last couple weeks I've been kind of trying to catch back up and see what's new and what I've missed.

Something that was just sort of coming on the scene when I was last in the mix was ATCs. I always felt that having one that did what I wanted would let me do barbecue more since I could sleep better. At that time, none of them were what I would consider mature designs. Many still don't seem to be, but the exception seems to be the Signals/Billows combination. I have one arriving in a couple of days and hopefully I can use it this weekend. Anyway, I feel technologically up to speed.

In more directly BBQ news, there's some weird stuff going on. It seems like everyone started using butcher paper to wrap briskets. I can see the logic there, and one day I'll try it. Foil always made them soggy and I haven't ever been good enough to turn out a tender brisket without it. There are other new things too, like people slathering mayonnaise on stuff where it kind of doesn't make any sense. Or at least I don't get it. So that kind of thing brings me here to ask the question, particularly to the old heads who have been around for awhile: What's the biggest developments of the past decade? What's the big fads? New popular recipes? People were making a lot of Fatties and ABTs when I was last around here, and I'm still on those BRITU ribs and Renowned Mr. Brown. All that probably sounds like old hat now. So what's up?
 
Gaskets and the Unknown BBQ hinge are newer mods.

ABT's still rule. I'll be making some this weekend for a socially distanced driveway cookout.

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You can also see the gasket, hinge, Cajun Bandit door/latch and ATC in this shot.
 
Aaron Franklin wraps his briskets and I have no doubt that's a major reason the practice has gotten more popular. I've done it using a brown paper grocery bag that's had the inked and glued areas removed.
 
Some of us like to incorporate sous-vide with our BBQ cooks.
I still like going start to finish over charcoal and wood, but the SV has opened up many different possibilities.

Tim
 
JGrotz - Glad to see the ABTs are still out there. As a Texan I love a good jalapeno-based food. Those are looking good! I've got a set of gaskets that I picked up on clearance at a local hardware store maybe a year ago. I haven't installed them, but I'm thinking about doing so once I see what the leaks look like this weekend. I understand having a more well-sealed smoker helps when using an ATC. That hinge looks cool, but drilling a hole in a grill is just too wild for me.

Brad - I've noticed the meteoric rise of Franklin. At first glance I thought it was all marketing and image, but you really can't fake the funk and apparently that guy's got it. I tried to eat there last time I was in Austin, but I just can't do long lines for food. I'm glad he's doing so well, and he really must be onto something with the paper. I hadn't considered a paper bag! I looked at Chris' video about the butcher paper and buying a huge roll and thought, "maybe later". I've got a stack of grocery bags in the kitchen right now, and most don't have any ink on them. Looks like that experiment may come sooner than later!

timothy - Sous vide always did look appealing, and everybody raves about the results. I need to look into what it would take to do a bare bones setup just to try it. I'd think a higher wattage aquarium heater, digital thermometer, and a small styrofoam ice chest might do it.
 
I'll echo Timothy's comment on the sous vide. In fact, we just had some beef ribs last night that I did for 30 hours before a 'quick' 20-30 minutes on the grill for some smoke. They turned out great. Normally though, I'm just using it for steak - just love the results there. And it helps me be a little more spontaneous with cooking steak. Sous vide is my new favorite way to thaw. I try to buy steaks in bulk, then vac seal them and freeze. I can take a few steaks out of the freezer and go right into the bath for an hour or two before finishing on the grill.
 
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