Pappy's is as good as advertised

I've been doing a lot of research about BBQ lately. More specifically BBQ in St. Louis. Most of the time, a search for BBQ in St. Louis results in Pappy's Smokehouse at the top of the list. I decided to head down and try it out with some good friends. The BBQ experience begins at Pappy's as soon as you step out of your car. You are surrounded by the smell of some of the sweetest BBQ around. The place itself is pretty cool, with lots of pictures hanging from the walls. They also have a couple of Grand Champion trophies from the Memphis in May BBQ event. I had a pulled pork sandwich, that was pretty good. It was made even better by the Sweet Baby Jane BBQ Sauce. I had my sandwich with a side of coleslaw(vinegar based), and sweet potato fries coated in a sweet seasoning that had to involve brown sugar and cinnamon. When I was done with the sandwich, I was absolutely stuffed. In the 30 or so minutes we were there, the owner stopped by our table twice. He told us a bit about the place, and some of the history. The only downer of the night was that we arrived around 7 P.M. and they were out of most of their menu options. No worries though, just an excuse to go back, but earlier.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

What do you need?
1 package of Chicken Thighs
1 bottle of Lawry's 30-Minute Marinade, Caribbean Jerk with Papaya Juice
1/2 cup Mauls Sweet & Mild BBQ Sauce
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, I use Durkees Grill Creations
Apple Wood Chunks or Chips

Use 1 Cup of the Lawry's to marinate the chicken thighs. Marinate the thighs for 2-3 hours. Mix the remaining Lawry's marinade and the Maull's BBQ Sauce. Save in the frig for later.

30 minutes before you are ready to cook, get your charcoal started in your grill. Once the charcoal is ready, add some chunks of apple wood.

Remove the thighs from the marinade and season with the jerk seasoning, be sure to get the seasoning under the skin as well as on top of the skin. You're now ready to grill the chicken thighs.

Make sure that the wood has started to smoke. Then add the chicken and grill until the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 155 degrees. At this point, begin basting the chicken with the jerk bbq mixture made earlier. When the sauce begins to caramelize, turn the chicken over and baste again. The chicken should be basted twice per side. The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

All that's left to do now is dig in and enjoy.

Mop that BBQ

As promised, here is a recipe for my favorite BBQ mop. But first, I'll answer the question, what is a BBQ mop? A mop is a simple sauce that adds flavor and moisture to food during BBQ-ing. Just apply the mop periodically while cooking your favorite BBQ foods.

Here is my mop recipe for pork ribs.

1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 can Dr. Pepper
1/2 can Coke
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
A couple dashes of hot pepper sauce

I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.

Would I ever dry rub a hot dog?

No way. Although I might inject it with some of my favorite BBQ sauce or melted cheese. I would save the dry rub for the bratwurst. Coat the bratwurst with a sweet brown sugar rub and then wrap it with bacon. I think I might have that for dinner tomorrow night. That's the cool thing about BBQ, you can do whatever you want with it. Make it your own and try different things.