BBQ End Game

I'm done with the range and heading home.

It's been a great two months and I'm ready to get my ass in gear and start cooking barbeque for my own customers.

Big thanks to everyone in Oklahoma for having me, teaching me and caring for me. They were great and it was tough to leave, but it's time to get to work.

My partner Jon joined me for the weekend and got to see some of what I've been doing during this meat-filled period (I need a cleanse), and the restaurant gave us the kitchen when they were closed to experiment with more recipes.

Side note.

Duck on the smoker:

All I had in my mind was Barbeque Duck, Cantonese style. One of my favorite foods any day. Though I went to Goode's BBQ in Houston where they served a weak duck, it inspired me to give it a shot.

We seasoned the duck and placed it untrussed on the smoker for two, two and a half hours until it reached an internal temperature of about 170 degrees F. It was good, but needed more. No match for Chinatown. More trials en route. I would truss it next time and consider placing it in a pan, raised, to baste some of the juices on top as it cooks.

Lamb.

I had to special order lamb from Sysco because few in the area ate it and when asked, more than 9 out of ten thought the idea gross. Nevertheless, I sourced some tiny racks (the kind that end up as lambsicles on hors d'oeuvres menus), and marinaded them overnight in a worcestershire-type marinade, then rubbed them in a rub I bought from Super Smokers (a championship bbq restaurant just west of St. Louis). Cooked for two hours and they were great, but could have mistaken them for oven baked. I.e., smoke-less. Don't know why. Same thing happened with mushrooms. I'm perplexed.

Getting back to the road.

After Jon and I worked a couple shifts in the restaurant and played in the kitchen, it was time to say goodbye.

I dropped him off at the airport in Tulsa today and headed east towards Memphis and more bbq. This time as a consumer only. I already visited a couple of places, but I'll save the notables for this blog.

Funny enough (not really), as soon as I settled in for the night in a motel in Arkansas, I heard a noise outside, looked, and saw a hurricane out there. The rain was falling in sheets, sideways and the smell of the nearby KFC mingled with the moisture and garbage made me nauseous. I checked the weather and to no surprise, there was a major flood warning in effect.

I'm seriously ready to make my way to higher ground.