Need Some Help..

[dbrown1]

First let me start off by saying long time no type to those of you I know and to the rest of you hello..

Okay here is my situation, while I have had nothing but great success with my Bradley, I recently have met an amazing woman from Tennessee and I want to impress her with some authentic BBQ from her hometown.

The dilemma; I don't have any rub or sauce recipes that I know of that are from the Memphis area and was hoping someone might impart there knowledge on me...

Your feedback is most appreciated and as far as meat I will do whatever, ribs, butts, brisket, chicken don't care just want to make a really good authentic BBQ dinner for this woman.

Thanks in advance  ;D

[ArnieM]

Wow, sounds like you're 'hooked'.

Being from Connecticut I can't help you much.  But you might want to send a PM to Caneyscud.  He's from the Memphis area.  Or, maybe he'll show up.

[squirtthecat]

What little I know of it...   Memphis style rubs are kind of 'earthy'.  Almost Greek-like. (at least the ones I've tried are)

And their BBQ sauce is 1/2 tomato based and 1/2 vinegar based.   Just a hint of sweet and very tangy.  (which I like)

Ribs are dry rubbed (with the earthy stuff), and never sauced.   (again, I like them this way as well)


Hmm..  I need to read up on this some more - as so far they are 3 for 3 in my book.


Welcome back, and Good Luck!

[classicrockgriller]

Wow, sounds like you're 'hooked'.

Being from Connecticut I can't help you much.  But you might want to send a PM to Caneyscud.  He's from the Memphis area.  Or, maybe he'll show up.

Actually Caney is from Nashville. Might be totally different than the way they cook in Memphis.

[seemore]

dbrown1 .............budy lives in memphis he got this one for me
seemore
Memphis Style Barbeque Sauce

Book: The Smokin' Butt Cafe's Best Tried & True Recipes
Chapter: Sauces & Salad Dressings


5 ounces dark soy sauce
23 ounces tomato juice
5 ounces Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces ketchup
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 lemon juice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon basil

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 1 hour.  Let stand several hours before serving.  Yields 1/2 gallon.

hpoe this help p:s you are from iowa  ???

[StickyDan]

I'm thinking fried peanut butter and banana chicken. ;D ;D ;D
JK, I hope it works out for you.  Go git 'er!!!
Actually, on second thought, maybe you should try and get the Memphis girl to cook for you.  I'll bet it'd be goooood.

[Tenpoint5]

Seemore if I remember right he is from Alaska.

[Caneyscud]

Familiar with Memphis Q

Can you say Pork and can you say Hickory!  The mainstays of Memphis barbecue – except at a few places – the most famous being one.  

Memphis has a great and long tradition with barbecue.   But times have a-changed.  There is generally three types of barbecue in Memphis – Dry style ribs, wet style ribs, and pulled pork with sauce.   There is a fourth that you don't see much anymore unless you find yourself in a bbq shack on the wrong side of the tracks.  It is a type chronicled by Lolis Elie in the book Smokestack Lightning (which is one of the greatest reads about barbecue ever written) where the pork is slow cooked, but in such a way as to have very little smoke flavor.  Memphis is now mainly dry style ribs and pulled pork with sauce – with a good bit of wet style ribs.  The ribs are generally baby backs

Do you know where she eats.  Does she mention the Rendezvous?   You have a lot of dry style ribs - the most famous being Rendezvous - and indeed they are slightly Greeky - the guy who started the place has Greek descent (Charlie Vergo died earlier this year, but the restaurant is run by 3 of his kids).  Probably, the most popular ribjoint in the world, has to be The Rendezvous.  Notice I did not say the best ribjoint in the world.  It is said that on an average day, they make 2,100 pounds of ribs – mainly baby backs

At the Rendezvous, the baby backs are cooked about 2-3' above charcoal at a relatively hot 425°F for only about 60 minutes. The secret is, while they are cooking they are frequently mopped with a thin vinegary mop that supposedly steams and softens the meat.  No wood is used so there is not much smoke taste. The meat is flavored with the seasonings, the mop and the fat dripping on the coals and vaporizing. There is no sauce.  The ribs are sprinkled with their seasonings (they don't call it a rub because they do not rub it in) then put on the pit.  Periodically, they are mopped and sprinkled with more seasonings.  Not a style easily imitated on the Bradley, but close would be to use a rub, mop occasionally, with little smoke rolling.

The restaurant gives out a recipe for their rub, but the one they give out is most definitely not the one they use in the restaurant or sell in the bottle!  How can I be so sure?  The recipe they give out contains only salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, celery seed, paprika, and chile powder. But if you eat there or buy a bottle and sprinkle some in your hand, you can't miss the whole coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and allspice seeds among other things.

Recipe for Rendezvous-style Rub
Makes a bit more than two cups,

Ingredients
8 tablespoons paprika
4 tablespoons powdered garlic
4 tablespoons mild chili powder
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
3 tablespoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons whole yellow mustard seed
1 tablespoon crushed celery seed
1 tablespoon whole celery seed
1 tablespoon dried crushed oregano
1 tablespoon dried crushed thyme
1 tablespoon whole allspice seeds
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon whole coriander seed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon Ac'cent *

Typically, Memphis dry ribs are served with a sauce on the side.  Memphis sauce is usually made with tomato, vinegar, and any countless combination of spices. It is generally thin, tangy, and somewhat sweet.  Usually a Memphis sauce is also poured over pulled pork (shoulder or butt).  Many of the newer places have gone to the ubiquitous sticky, thicker/sweet KC type of sauce.  


A typical SIMPLE Memphis style sauce is like below – most are more complicated than this – so add what you like.

2 cups ketchup
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
Blend together everything except the ketchup. Pour into a saucepan and add the ketchup. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Or something like this

3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup minced onion
1 Cup white vinegar
1 Cup tomato sauce
1/4 Cup worcestershire sauce
2 Teaspoons sugar
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne
Dash tabasco sauce

To replicate Memphis pulled pork or wet style ribs – you don't usually use a rub.  But you do smoke with HICKORY.   After pulling, the sauce is poured over the meat.  So this is quite easy to replicate in a Bradley.  Butt + hickory pucks + Memphis style sauce along with some time and you have Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork.  The wet style ribs are similar, no rub, hickory, and finishing with the sauce.   If wanting something similar to Corky's - need to use thicker sweeter sauce.  Neely's is also somewhat sweeter – not KC sweet  - and also somewhat spicier.  

Very popular in Memphis is pulled pork sandwiches- they are everywhere.   Memphis style means slaw (usually mustard based) is served on the sandwich along with the meat and sauce.  Slow-smoked pork shoulder, pulled, sliced, or chopped, topped with red barbecue sauce and stuffed into a bun with a scoop of slaw, is always an option in Memphis.  Paynes' smoked pork shoulder is chopped into a coarse mixture of meat covered in their hot barbecue sauce -  thin, tangy, and spicy red – with yellow, mustard-based slaw sitting on top up, all served on a nondescript hamburger bun that's mainly there to sop up sandwich juices.  Tops Barbecue the same, but mustard slaw can be on or off.  The sandwich voted the best in Memphis is served on Toasted Texas Toast.  Some places serve their pulled pork on cornbread – hogmeat on hoe cake!

If she is familiar with Cozy Corner - they are almost legendary for their smoked cornish hens.  I've never been there - so don't have any idea of how they are cooked - although have heard they are "quite spicy" with is Memphis speak - for hot.  Their ribs are highly rated and they are wet style.

Smoked/barbecued bologna is almost everywhere also.

Not anything I would like or order – but for some reason barbecue spaghetti is common in Memphis.  Pulled pork and sauce served over a plate of spaghetti – go figure!

And you have to have baked beans on the side!

WARNING!!!  You gotta watch out for those West Tennessee girls – I married one  31+ years ago!

[smoker pete]

Great writeup Caneyscud.  Very informative ...

[dbrown1]

Wow, Thanks to all that was a lot of excellent information... I am a shoe in now HA-HA (Or at least she will enjoy dinner).
@ Seemore... 10.5 Had it right I am from Alaska, once I remember how to post pictures I will show you all my slaughtering of the red salmon this year.. Had to buy another cooler just to take them home... Was amazing!

@ Caney thank you for the warning  :D

[dbrown1]

I posted this elsewhere but as promised my fishing trip this summer.. YUM!!

[seemore]

WOW................. way to go. looks like you guys did very good
seemore

[smoker pete]

That's a load of salmon ... WOW ... I take it those are Reds?  Did you get them dip netting this summer or did you stand on the Kenai and do a bunch of combat fishing  ;)  I was on the Kenai and Kasilof this summer.  Only managed a few silvers out at Centennial Park in Soldotna but had me a ton of fun  ;D ;D

[Caneyscud]

Dang you salmon fishermen. - all I've ever brought back is some of them thar big flounders you got swimming around in the deep off the Spit!

[dbrown1]

@ Smoker Pete yeah it was dip netting, I bought a brand new rod and never put it in the water once last year =/
Wanted to go combat fishing just couldn't find the time cleaning 207 fish is just time consuming I don't care how good at it you are .