Smoke

Smoking a whole side of salmon may seem like a lot of effort, but it is worth it, especially if you are having more than eight people for brunch. Not only is the salmon better tasting than many commercial products available, it is also about 80 percent less expensive. Smoked salmon is cold smoked. In other words, it is not smoked in a hot smoker; the smoke does not cook the fish. The fish is cooked through the brining process. Cold smoke imparts a subtle smoky flavor. With practice, you can develop your own levels of curing and smoke. This is an ancient way of preserving food, and there are myriad subtleties to achieve. Smoked salmon keeps in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The process of curing and smoking salmon takes a couple of days. You need a refrigerator with enough room to let the salmon sit inside, unobstructed. The process involves curing, rinsing, crusting, smoking, and saturating in oil. Bubby’s uses a combination of maple syrup, sugar, and kosher salt to cure salmon. Besides these ingredients, you’ll also need a vented tin can, a piece of charcoal, apple wood chips, a barbecue grill large enough to hold a whole salmon fillet, and 4 quarts of canola oil.

You’ll need a slow-cooking barbecue smoker to make this pastrami. Use apple wood, cherry wood, or another subtle wood to bring out the flavor in the meat. Homemade pastrami keeps for five to six days as opposed to commercial pastrami, which uses preservatives to extend its shelf life. Extra rub will keep for four to five days in the refrigerator. Besides pastrami sandwiches, you can make pastrami and eggs, or pastrami hash, in which case you just substitute pastrami for the corned beef (see page 183). Be sure to start this well in advance since the meat must marinate overnight.

When I thought about writing a cookbook, I didn’t want to create one like many of the ones I saw on the market already—books that had a bunch of made-up barbecue recipes for things like grilled peaches. Then I realized that I actually do grill peaches in the summertime when I want a little something sweet for dessert! You can read other people’s versions, but mine is the best. Tip: Make these when you’re already smoking something in the smoker, so it’s already hot and you can just lay them in there; don’t make it hard for yourself. If you are using wooden skewers, they must be soaked in water for at least 12 hours before using. If you have stainless steel or other metal skewers, soaking is not a concern.

This dish might sound a little strange coming from me, I grant you that. But you know I wouldn’t bother with it if it didn’t make me some dough, and the concoction has won me a bunch of money in contest ancillary categories over the years. It’s a Myron Mixon original recipe if ever there was one.

Mutton is a lamb’s older brother; lambs are less than a year old and are tender, while mutton has a stronger smell and a more intense game flavor. They love mutton in western Kentucky; it’s the traditional meat that’s barbecued there, and I know this because a few years ago I won the Kentucky state mutton championship cooking that very thing. My secret is treat it like a pork butt with an attitude. Note that this ain’t lamb chops: you’ve got to inject the meat and cook it for a while to get it tender. It’s worth it. One tip: Don’t put damn mint jelly on this meat. My Tangy Sweet Sauce is the only way to go.

Trout is a freshwater fish, the majority of which swim in the rivers of Idaho and North Carolina. Because it’s so commonly farmed, trout is available in markets year-round. It’s a meaty fish with a naturally salty flavor, and it takes well to smoking. I like to eat smoked trout as a main dish with a little garlic butter on top and some cheese biscuits on the side. It’s also really good in a sandwich with some horseradish, or mixed into a dip with a little mayonnaise and sour cream.

I always try to make any food taste good by preparing it as simply as possible. This comes from the original idea of how barbecue was started and why it has become so popular: It’s a way to cheaply and efficiently feed a lot of people some tasty food. My beans recipe is no different. I keep it simple and focus on enhancing the flavors that people have come to love and expect in baked beans. I’m not trying to fool anybody here: baked beans are a barbecue staple. And some people just don’t like them at all because they tend to be sweet. In other words, I’m not trying to convert anybody with this recipe; I’m preaching to the converted. This is my take on how classic baked beans always ought to taste. Note that you have to soak your beans overnight to get them tender; some people say you don’t, but I believe it’s the only way to really make sure they’re going to taste right. If time is an issue, you can substitute canned baked beans in this recipe; personally, I think they taste great, too.

Prawns are crustaceans similar to shrimp, but they’re a little bit different (it has to do with the number of overlapping plates on their scales, if you want to get technical). That said, the names are used pretty much interchangeably. To me, prawns are a little meatier and sweeter, so if you can get your hands on some, great. If not, substitute the best jumbo shrimp you can find. Serve these over a bed of wild rice, if you like.

If you think I’m talking about the haircut—“business in the front, recreation in the rear”—you best move on to the next recipe. If you know good food, you’ve probably heard about mullet, which is a fish found worldwide in tropical and coastal waters and abundantly on both coasts of Florida and into Georgia. Mullet is a bony fish with light meat and a stout body—and it’s oily, so it takes especially well to absorbing smoke. Any good fishmonger should be able to get you some.

I may be from a small town in south Georgia, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy some fancy food, too. And just as I don’t expect people to turn their noses up at cheap pork shoulders that are delicious smoked, I don’t turn mine up at lobster tails. They’re expensive, but, man, are they good—especially if you cook the tails in the smoker. Try it.

In 2004, I won a big burger-cooking contest in Whistler, British Columbia, against a bunch of other professional barbecue cooks. “You were shooting to do America’s favorite burger better than it’s ever been done before, and you definitely pulled it off.” That’s what Paul Street, the director of food and beverage at Whistler Blackcomb, declared when I was named the champion. Part of winning the competition was the honor of your burger appearing on their menu for a year; my burger’s been on the menu ever since that day. My secret is to smoke the burger first, then sear it in a bit of butter afterward to seal in the moisture, create a crust, and add an extra layer of flavor and richness. I just wanted to come up with the best damn burger I could—one that was meaty and juicy and also infused with great smoky flavor. Now cooking burgers in a smoker is a must for me because I love it when the meat is kissed with smoke; if you’ve never tried it this way, you ought to. That said, you can do the first step in the oven on those days you don’t want to fire up a smoker or grill—it will still be delicious, don’t you worry. I like generously portioned burgers, and these are half-pounders. Feel free to make them smaller if you like.

Beef tenderloin is an expensive, delicate cut of meat that has been blessed with a lot of natural flavor. My thinking is that it needs only a little enhancing, not a total makeover. That’s why I don’t recommended injecting it. Instead I marinate it, just to add some flavor. One last detail: Beef tenderloin is tender to start with, and overcooking turns it tough. I repeat: Do not overcook this meat. It won’t be worth a damn if you do. If rare to medium-rare ain’t your bag, move on and cook a sirloin.

A prime rib roast is such a great way to feed a crowd—it’s always on my Christmas dinner table. Sure, it’s delicious and decadent, but what most people don’t know is that it’s easy as hell to cook on a smoker or grill. Note that there are two separate cuts that are considered “prime rib”: The first cut (ribs 1 through 3) is closer to the loin and thus more tender and less fatty. The second cut (ribs 4 through 7) is closer to the chuck end and is denser and fattier. Ask your butcher for the first cut—it’s worth it—and buy the very best quality beef, with the most marbling, that you can afford. The recipe I’m giving here is for a smaller roast, but the same technique (with a slight adjustment on the time—a good rule of thumb is to allow about 30 minutes per pound) can be applied to a prime rib of any size.

A porterhouse is a big hunk of a steak that combines two cuts that are separated by a bone: there’s the soft, rich tenderloin on one side, and the firm and juicy sirloin on the other. There are two secrets to a great grilled steak: the quality of the meat (see the note about wagyu beef on page 92), and the seared crust that locks in the steak’s juices and flavors. You get the crust by cooking the steak over dry heat in a very hot grill or smoker.

Because brisket can be tough if not cooked properly, some other barbecue competitors will actually prepare more than one at a competition. I don’t want to cook but one brisket when I compete, and I’m sure not going to do a backup brisket at home. One brisket should be all you need to get the job done. Just pay attention to these steps, and read the info in the box on page 92, and you’ll have the one the way you want it, too.

Something a south Georgia boy doesn’t eat much is lamb. But south Georgia boys who like to win barbecue contests have to figure out how to cook it. The first mutton contest I ever entered I won, cooking lamb chops just like this. I like to get the largest rack of chops I can find, so I can serve them at least an inch thick and give my guests something they can sink their teeth into.

A pork chop is just a bone-in slice of the pork loin, which is located beneath a hog’s ribs and against its backbone. It’s a great piece of meat to sink your teeth into, which is why so many people like a pork chop—but it doesn’t have a lot of natural fat. This means that it needs some help in the flavor department. Here’s how I do it. It’ll be the best pork chop you ever had. No joke.

When you’re talking cow, there are the short ribs (which are good) and there are the back ribs, the big guys, which are tenderlicious. The reason beef ribs are so tender and succulent is because the rib roast, a prime piece of meat, sits right above this section of ribs. So they’re prime, too. Cooking them is second nature to me because they happen to look and act a lot like pork baby backs, except of course they’re a lot larger. I don’t marinate my beef ribs because they come from one of the most marbled areas of the cow, which means they’re loaded with natural flavor already. I like my food to be nicely seasoned, but I never want my seasoning to overpower a meat’s inherent flavor; seasoning doesn’t ever need to be over the top.

My favorite rib to cook and eat is the baby back, because I learned competitive cooking at MIM contests and that’s their rib of choice. I just developed a real love for them. They’re fun to cook and fun to eat, and they almost always earn me money. Even I can’t ask for more than that!