Q Competition Practice

Thomas and I (Jeremy) will be entering an amateur BBQ competition August 18 in Jacksonville, FL.  This will be each of our first competition.  The grand prize is $100 and a custom built smoker.  We will be competing with ribs and chicken leg quarters.  Today we practiced.

We began yesterday by making a brine for the chicken and brined the chicken overnight.  For those of you who don't know what a brine is, it is an acid free marinate composed mostly of water and salt.  We used apple juice, chardonay, rosemary, thyme, fresh garlic cloves, salt, and water.  I will not release the recipe yet because the competition is watching.  So here it goes.

First we got the charcoal chimney going.  While the chimney was going we prepared the ribs and chicken to be put on the smoker.  First we removed the sausage casing like membrane from the back of the ribs and rubbed it down with our rub.  Once again, I'm not releasing the rub recipe yet.  Then we rubbed the chicken leg quarters.

Once the meat was rubbed the charcoal was ready to go in the firebox.  Then we added 2 logs of firewood to the firebox.  I like to let the dampers wide open until the temp is right.  I like to smoke between 225 and 275 degrees.  Once the temp is ready the meat goes on.

I usually smoke both chicken and ribs for 4 hours on this temp.  About halfway through the smoke I wrapped the meat in foil.  Then I added some extra ingredients (not telling), and let it smoke for another 2 hours or until its reached an internal temp of 180 degrees.  

Here's the final product:

Ribs!

Chicken!

Till next time....