Spring Training 2010 at ISU
BBQ Spring Training Camp 2010
ISU Meat Laboratory, Ames, IA
Saturday, March 27, 2010
By: Ashley Christensen
Barbeque was the topic of the day at the Iowa State University Meat Laboratory on Saturday, March 27, 2010. In conjunction with the Iowa Barbeque Society, the ISU Meat Lab crew put on their annual BBQ Spring Training Camp to share basic BBQ knowledge with those in attendance. Participants from across the state and beyond spent this particular Saturday learning the in and outs of BBQ. From preparing the grill to savoring the finished masterpiece and everything in between, participants received BBQ 101 from seasoned BBQ veterans.
After a welcoming from Dr. Joe Cordray, ISU Meat Extension Specialist, and Steve Bryant, Assistant Meat Lab Manager, it was time to get the training camp fired up. The first presenter of the day was Bret Wram of HawgeyesBBQ.com, Ankeny, IA. Wram talked about ‘Wood and Charcoal’. Wram shared with the audience that a ratio of 20% wood and 80% charcoal is ideal for a successful cooking process. He noted apple, a sweet wood, as a best seller. Other popular types of wood included white oak, plum, pecan, and Jack Daniels made from the whiskey barrels. The question of whether one is allowed to drink beer while using the Jack Daniels wood; Wram answered with a definite “nope!” He ended by urging participants to experiment and try new things with wood and charcoal.
The next topic discussed was ‘Smoke Science’ presented by Nicolas Lavieri, ISU Ph.D. graduate student under Dr. Cordray. Lavieri gave a general, yet very educational and informative overview of the science behind a successful smoked BBQ product. During his presentation, he covered the reasons why people smoke meat. Included in the reasons were an increase in antioxidant content, preservation capabilities, color, antimicrobial properties, flavor and aroma. Next, Lavieri went into the specifics of smoke science. How to control the smoke/pink ring combustion, the compounds making up the smoke, and the four ways to control smoke deposition and smoke density were all discussed.
Paul Lengeling, of Raccoon Flats, Collins, IA, followed with his talk on ‘Specialty Pork Loin & Tenderloin’ was next on schedule. Lengeling’s decorated background of hundreds of awards in his 14 years of BBQing is proof that he knows what he is talking about when it comes to BBQ. Lengeling’s pork loin game plan is “hot and fast, not low and slow.” He shared a vast amount of useful information with the participants including his ‘3 Truths’: learn to cook by temperature, not by time; fat is our friend; and buy natural. Then, he demonstrated how to prepare an award-winning pork loin. After an array of questions, Lengeling shared many brine and glaze recipes.
After a short break during which participants could take a look at the array of cookers preparing the lunch, Ken Anderson, of Andy’s Barbeque and owner of Buford’s Steakhouse & BBQ, Ames, IA, was up to give his brisket talk. From making his own sauces and rubs to building his own equipment (he currently uses a 55-gallon barrel as his cooker), Anderson is very familiar with what it takes to prepare a savory brisket. He had many points of interest of share with participants. Examples included cooking fat side down, using foil, waiting 30 minutes before slicing, and cutting across the grain. His main piece of advice to participants was to try things out “in the backyard at home; experiment, and see if it works for you.” Anderson ended with a demonstration of how he prepares his brisket. Lunch was then announced as ready, and after a comical “any vegetarian options?” question from the crowd followed by an uproar of laughter, it was time to eat. The aroma of BBQ ribs, chicken, and fixins’ filled the hallway as participants lined up to fill their plates and stomachs.
Although lunch was a tough act to follow, Ryan Newstrom followed strongly with his discussion on ‘Chicken’. Newstrom’s championship team, Big T’Z Q Cru, Ames, IA, was one heck of a sensation in their first year of competition last year. Newstrom started out by telling participants the key to excellent BBQ is starting out with excellent meat; he prefers air-chilled broilers over water-chilled broilers. Newstrom then demonstrated the breakdown of a whole chicken. He mentioned his team is a big advocate of brining, and chickens work especially well because of their loose muscle fibers. According to Newstrom, a basic brine recipe should consist of four parts water to one part salt. Newstrom concluded with a few recipes for the crowd to try.
John Lengeling, of Raccoon Flats, Des Moines, IA, was next with his discussion of pork ribs. Lengeling jumped right in with advice and demonstrations for the participants. His words of wisdom included avoiding boneless ribs, avoiding enhanced or injected ribs, and using a full rack. During his demonstration, he showed participants how to trim and rub the meat for a successful end product. He ended on the notion that a good coating of brown sugar on top of the meat prior to cooking is a necessity for his team.
The final presenters of the day were Steve and Josh Bryant, both of Meadow Valley BBQ, Ames, IA, and their presentation of ‘Pork Shoulder’. The two started out with a few brief notes on pork shoulder including its location on a pig and its popularity, which resides particularly in the southeastern US. Then, they went into discussion on how to prepare the pork shoulder. Points to note consisted of finding the natural seam of the muscles, injecting to a goal of 10%, using kosher salt to avoid the resultant yellowing effect from iodized salt, and using A LOT of rub. Temperature control was also an important issue discussed. In addition, the two introduced participants to a new invention for storing the finished BBQ product: the hotter, “a beer cooler turned meat ‘hotter’ when necessary.”
The day came to an end with a BBQ Panel Discussion during which participants could as the distinguished BBQers any BBQ questions still left unanswered. Many questions stemmed from the topic of competition vs. backyard BBQ. The panel made it obvious that huge differences do exist. The main distinction described was that at competitions, judges only get one bite to decide ‘wow.’ Everyone on the panel agreed the biggest hurdle to overcome with the transition from backyard to competition is money, and the next hurdle would be time.
The BBQ Spring Training Camp came to an end with a grand-prize drawing for one lucky participant to walk away with a Weber grill. Throughout the day, participants also had the numerous chances to win various door prizes including seasonings, cookbooks, BBQ utensils, charcoal, and wood among other wonderful prizes. By the day’s end, participants had acquired the knowledge to get out there and become master BBQers.