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Hi all

Just had some best buds to stay in wildest Africa with me for a month (they live in Houston, Texas), and someone (sorry, can't remember who, think it was Gwa?) told me I should ask them to bring me some Texas Barbecue Sauce, and I just wanted to say thank you - it is the BEST! Needless to say, I ate way too much red meat, but I swear I will cut back again when I finish my supply!

I'm a self-professed and self licensed professor of the BBQ . I usually make my own BBQ sauce from a Tyler Florence recipe in his "ultimate" cookbook. However, I had a bottle one time that just said "Texas BBQ" on the red label and also had a big yellow star on it (imagine that ) and it was damn good. It was a while ago so I have no idea who makes it. Is that what the bottle looks like Ally?

Another one you may want to try for BBQ chicken is "Maurice's" It's out of South Carolina and is mustard based. It is a totally different taste than the usual red, tangy/sweet. You can get it online also.

I tried something just last weekend that I had never tried before but will be doing again for sure. I rotisseried a rack of baby backs. Lord have mercy. Quite possibly the best ribs I'd ever done. Just kind of 'weave' the slab a few times over your rotisserie skewer and cook away. It's grillin' season!

Hey guys

Nice to see the bbq thread going again (we call a bbq a 'braai' here - pronounced like buy, but bry!?).

We used it all up during their stay (Dec was summer here) 'cos it was sooo great. I was never really a rib fan before, but we did lamb, pork, and beef ribs with this stuff - mmmmm! They also convinced me to try rib-eye steak (we usually eat fillet or mature rump) and it was also good. Strange to eat mashed potatoes with steak? Is that a Texan thing? We would normally go for baked potatoes or potatoe salad...Different customs are so interesting - I am Irish by birth, so will eat any kind of potatoe with a big smile.

Thanks for the offer to send some more sauce, Shannon - I can't remember the brand though, but it did say "Texas Barbeque Sauce"...

We do have some good stuff here - my current favourite is actually an olive oil, rosemary and garlic marinade for lamb, but that Texas stuff was so sticky and smokey...

There is a fair to good chance that I may be in Houston for Christmas with my family to visit our friends, the only problem is convincing my husband that visiting an 'oil' town is worth the expense! He would rather go to Madagascar or Tanzania - he is such a bush baby!

He has never left the African continent and I have done all my travelling in Europe and the States by myself! I am trying to convince him that Houston will be great at Christmas - our friends have been there for 6 years and so far they come to us...Wish me luck.


Lew, we should start a recipe thread (would it infringe copy-righ, obviously not if they are our own or family recipes, not sure about posting stuff from great cook bookst?), I also love to cook and I know Jack does too. We could have a really interesting multi-cultural eaterie going here...
Thanks guys.

Ally I think here in Tx we eat just about anything with steak. LOL But yes baked potatoes are the norm for us. Funny my wife stayed with some friends of the family while attending Texas A&M. They raised lamb or I should say he raised lamb she is a Dr. But anyway she devolped a dislike for it while staying there. Now she will hardly eat it. I personally love the taste, usually grilled. I marinate it with a pineapple/habanero sauce for a day. The habanero gives it a nice pepper taste.
I love to cook. We do alot of boiled crawfish and blue crabs. One of my favorite recipes is BBQ blue crabs. They are legend around here. LOL
Here is a link to the history of BBQ/fried crabs these people the "Sartins" are actually famous around these parts. The company still exsists but under the grandchildren I think. Anyway I hope you enjoy the read. Thanks arti http://www.bluecrab.info/bbqcrabs.html
BTW I think your husband will enjoy Houston. There are many wonderful restruants and sites to see. Try "Sullivans Steakhouse or Fogo de Chao" They are both great.

Hi there

Cool, thanks - really did love the read.
We are quite keen on seafood here, but it has come down from the Porteguese and Greek immigrants, so crayfish (I think t6he same as your crawfish) and giant Mozambiquan prawns, grilled in a per-peri sauce (hot, garlicky & spicy, but not curried) and calamari - also grilled with garlic or lemon, or battered & fried! We get great crab, but must confess to not knowing how to cook them!

I am sure my husband would love Houston, as will my kids - the weather will be great for me at that time of year too. I have researched it on line and shown him some of the stuff I found...Texas is a bit of a fantasy place, and my friends have made some really good friends there, they say the people are wonderful, wwarm, and hospitable.
I am a farm girl, and I grew up with horses - I would love to stay on a ranch - I have never ridden a western saddle before, and I hear you have great horses!
I would also love to find a place that will have snow that time of the year (I know Houston won't, but we can travel a little), as neither my husband nor my kids have ever seen snow up close and personal...

Ally I can't remember the last time I saw snow. sorry Maybe if you planned on a short road trip somewhere around the panhandle of Tx might have some in Dec. As far as horses yes we have some of the finest in my honest opinion. I guess its story time.LOL I calf roped for awhile back when I was younger and more fit. I roped on the USCRA that is the United States Calf Ropers Association. Kind of a semipro type circuit. No real big money it was just a good hobby. It got to be such an expenes with not alot of return. So after meeting my wife and settling down I gave it up. Well there is alot more to that story but we will save that for a rainy day. I should write a book.LOL I really think your husband will like Tx. except for the skeeters. later arti

Love to hear your stories sometime - sounds like fun. Bet you have some tales to tell - you should post some pics on the picture thread - would be great to see them.
You must have grown up in a rural/ranching type of environment - when I think of Texas, that is what appeals to me, what I imagine. I never did anything that exciting - in the UK, kids had Gymkhanas - events that kids entered - races, jumps, presentation etc. I did a little jumping, but it was just kids stuff - mostly I just liked to ride (haven't tried it in quite a few years now - would need a very gentle and obediant mount!) and be around horses, mucking out stables, grooming them, feeding them, oiling their hooves, cleaning tack...

If we come to the States, we will have to go in search of snow...Very important, once in a life time experience for my little boys!

Take care & don't forget to share those stories.

Ally funny how this thread went from bbq to africa back to tx and now roping and horses. Anther story for later will have to be the "hurricnae rita" Short version : ok when hurricane rita blew into the TX gulf coast we lived in a subdivision on a golf course with nice big oak trees. With winds of up to around 120mph the blew all the trees over, espcially the ones close to our home. We lost almost everything in the house, including our photos. this was in the age before everything was digitally backed up. We had a digital camera but not when I was roping. I can't even find a picture of my horses. , ohwell some of those memories are good some not so good and glad they can be forgotten. No worries though. I still love horses as long as they belong to someone else. LOL No I have considered picking roping back up but I don't know if my back could take it much less the heat and all. Roping can be pretty demanding, physically.
I you really want to see snow honestly plan on taking a flight to Colorado or somewhere there is mountains , you mostlikely will be disappointed in Tx snow.

I missed all the cattle ropin' stuff, but I'd love to talk about cooking!

I am usually a serious BBQ based person, but I will cook anything. You should see my grill. It's kind of obscene. It's a big stainless steel Jenn-Air and I really like it. It was hard to get used go after years of charcoal (whcih I still use), but it's just too convenient after a long day at work to flip just it on like a stove.

Yesterdays menu:

A bis ass pack of drumsticks (it's usually between 16 & 20).
1 - 12 oz. bottle of Frank's Red Hot
Some Emeril's BAM
1 stick of butter
Salt & Pepper

I go for the minimalist approach since BBQ just tastes good with Salt and Pepper to me.

Now I'm about to commit a mortal sin; I don' use this tecnique on anything else, but I hate that tough piece on drumsticks.

Boil the drums for about 20 minutes; sometimes less if they're not meaty. Boil them at a temp. that just makes the water roll gently. Drain them and lightly season with some BAM. Use any rub you want, but don't overdo it since Frank's isn't really that hot and won't overcome a strongly flavorered rub.

Melt the butter in the hot sauce and put aside.

Slow cook the legs for about an hour turning them about every 5 - 7 minutes. Dip them in the sauce; immersing completely. "Dry" the sauce out back on the grill and repeat that about 4 times.

Then we had some Basmatti with Onions & Craisins in it

Some steamed broccoli.

And then we ate outside, which was nice.

Man we eat some pretty non-exciting food, but I have to eat nothing processed and stay away from fake shit, so when it's warm out I grill about all the protein.

I have a real time with my full time job, my wife in nursing school, my daughter needing taken everywhere and all the rest, following one of the published diets, so I try and just eat "something that breathed or something that grew".

The legs, when slow cooked, will have al the fat rendered and the skin is just a wafer on the legs. You can literally eat them all the way to the bone. That tough 'thingy' is gone! If you like spicy, but not rip your face off, hot; they are really good.

Shannon, I know you know how to cook a brisket. I can never get that quite right. I've been close, but never been able to completely pull it off.

No expert here but I love to smoke my meat hehehe. A little dirty joke there.
No really the first thing is you have to have a smoker. So I do this at my dads. We are planning on building an outside kitchen for parties and such. I usually smoke a 12lb. brisket about 12 hrs so if your going to eat it the next day you had better start it the night before, which requires alot of beer drinking not a problem. So I use a seasoning that is made right here in Beaumont called Texjoy, the make all kinds of seasonings, you can find it online i'm pretty sure and for those coffee drinkers they also make seaport coffee. Anyhow before seasoning it i take a butchers knife and poke 1" holes at random then apply the seasoning to it, make sure to get it in the holes. Ater that I take yellow mustard and comepletely cover the bisket smear it in good. The first five hrs I smoke the meat uncovered. Make sure the temp never gets over oh say 275 degrees, you don't want your meat to get dry. After the first five hrs I cover mine in aluminum foil and put back in the smoker. We use a large smoker so we usually cook more than one brisket. When the internal temp reaches 190 degrees the meat is ready. I like to let mine set and cool alittle while before trimming. Oh and forsure cook with the fat side up. this is a mistake alot of people make. If you don't have a smoker you can use the oven but here that is sacreligious. Well enjoy and don't share this with anyone, this is our little secret. The mustard has won alot of briket cook-offs. If you try it let me know how it turns out. Loobie it takes atleast a case of Budlight to cook a brisket. We generally stay up drinking and bullshitting, maybe horse shoes until someone passes out. Goodluck and enjoy. Arti
BtW brisket will only take so much smoke. That is why I cover it after so long. Usually about 30 min for every pound sometime less depending on the cut of the meat. Until the next craving hits Later

Thanks for the tips man. 12 hours?!? At least a case of MILLER Lite . Anyway, it sounds like I'm going to have to get a smoker. I've been wanting to get one but haven't pulled the trigger. Now I will have to price one out!

Hey be sure and get a heavy duty one Not one from like Home depot or Lowes. Go ahead and buy one that an individual made that is sorta custom made. It will be well worth the money. And don't even get me started on narrow headed yard sturters (chicken). Later arti
I don't know if yall have Lowes and Home Depot but you know what I mean.

Shannon, so sorry you lost so much to a hurricane - that must have been a big blow. I know 'it's just things', but some are irreplacable and sentimental. I would have loved to see some REAL rodeo pics - only ever seen it in movies, you are the first person I have met who has ever competed!
You guys have me on the BBQ - the drummies sound good though - we have a grilled chicken franchise over here called Nandos, and they do some great seasonings and rubs for chicken, so I will give it a go...What is brisket? Pardon my ignorance, I assume it is some kind of beef joint? Sounds good - we have smokers here, the kind you feed with different types of wood chips for different flavours - we use it a lot for trout! This place is BIG on fly fishing...
We mostly use charcoal or wood braais over here - great flavour, but we also have a gas grill for convenience. Have you tried fish on the braai? Rub with your fav seasoning, oil lighly with olive oil, wrap in tin foil, and place on braai...Also great for grilling prawns and crayfish, basted with garlic butter...That's make interpretation on all these healthy diest - eat lots of fish, and you can enjoy some red meat now and then!

Do you guys have butter-nut squash there? If so, cut in half, scoop out the seeds, stuff the hole with feta cheese and spinach, wrap in foil, place in the coals for about an hour, turn every 10 mins or so...Great!
Also, we often have a green salad with braais (lettuce, baby tomatoes, cucumber, peppers etc) and a fantastic dressing is one made with basil pesto....

Great swopping ideas - we need to get Jack in on this too.