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Cooking classes · Newton North High School, Newton, MA

BBQ Cooking Class

A barbecue class run by Blue Ribbon Bar-B-Q at Newton North High School that came with a 33-page student handbook. It covered choosing and running a smoker, fire and smoke control, which woods suit which meats, rib cuts and prep, building your own rub, cooking times and temperatures, and safe meat handling. The back half is a recipe file of the restaurant's rubs, sauces and sides, a few restaurant-batch prep sheets, and New England Barbecue Society recipe printouts dated July 2006.

Run by Blue Ribbon Bar-B-Q.

From the classThe cover of the class handbook.

BBQ Cooking Class, page 1

My notes from classAs I wrote them

  • p. 1Student Handbook
  • p. 1BIG-RIBS (written over the catering phone number)

Recipes29 from the class. Click a line to open its recipe card.

Kind of dishClick a line to open it
RubPork Rib Rub
RubBlue Ribbon BBQ Rub
RubLatin-Style Spice Rub
SauceNorth Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce
SauceBlue Ribbon Sweet BBQ Sauce
SideBlue Ribbon Cole Slaw Dressing
SauceBlue Ribbon Gold Sauce
SideBlue Ribbon Pickles
RubBlue Ribbon Jerk Rub
RubWest African Spice Paste
SideBlue Ribbon Collard Greens
SideBlue Ribbon Tomato-Avocado Salsa
MainHomemade North Carolina Style Pulled Pork
SideBlue Ribbon Rice and Beans
SideBlue Ribbon Hoppin' John
CondimentGreen Apple Chipotle Chutney
RubChili-Garlic Rub
CondimentOnion Raisin Chutney
RubRosemary-Cumin Rub
MainSmoked Meatloaf (restaurant batch)
BreadCornbread Batter (restaurant batch)
SideDirty Rice (restaurant batch)
DessertPeach Cobbler (restaurant batch)
DessertCobbler Topping (restaurant batch)
BrinePoultry Brine
RubSouthwestern Spice Blend
MainWho Loves Ya Baby-Back?
SauceBasic Barbecue Sauce
RubSeafood Seasoning Rub

What we learned

Smoker temperatures

  • Slow smoking: hold the cooker at 220 to 240 degrees F.
  • Thick cuts (whole legs, brisket, pork butt and shoulder): 200 to 250 degrees F, so heat reaches the center evenly.
  • Thin cuts and chicken: 300 to 400 degrees F to crisp the skin and keep it moist, though with less smoke flavor.
  • Best of both for chicken: smoke low until about 20 degrees under the target internal temperature, then finish on high heat.
  • Ribs in the pit: hold about 200 degrees F. Smoked meatloaf: 225 degrees F.

Cooking times (starting points; internal temperature is the real test)

  • Brisket, 8 pounds: cook to 190-200 degrees F internal, about 14 hours.
  • Pork butt or shoulder, 7 pounds: cook to 190-200 degrees F internal, about 14 hours.
  • Whole chicken, 4 pounds: 165 degrees F in the breast, juices clear, about 4 hours.
  • Whole spareribs: about 6 hours, until the meat starts to tear when the rack is twisted.
  • Whole baby backs: about 5 hours, same twist test.
  • Ribs in general: 6 to 8 hours depending on the pit. Done when the meat pulls back from the bone ends and a bone twists loose. Rest about 10 minutes before cutting.
  • Poultry (handbook's preference, cooked hotter): 175 to 185 degrees F internal.

Fire and smoke

  • Light charcoal with a chimney starter and newspaper, not lighter fluid. Wait until the coals are fully lit and white.
  • Leave the exhaust damper wide open and control heat with the intake.
  • Aim for thin, blue smoke. Thick white smoke means a choked fire and bitter, sooty meat.
  • Soak wood chips or chunks in water so they smolder instead of flaring.
  • Bullet smoker: pan of coals below, water pan above. Kettle: 2 banked piles of coals with a foil water pan between. Offset: fire in the firebox, meat at the far end.
  • Ribs need indirect heat only. No parboiling, steaming or direct grilling.

Smoking woods and what they pair with

  • Oak: brisket, roasts, chops, steaks. Medium to heavy smoke, good for long cooks.
  • Pecan: brisket, roasts, chops, steaks, fish, poultry. Medium, fruity, burns cool. Like a milder hickory.
  • Hickory: red meats, all ribs, poultry. Strong and hearty, milder than mesquite.
  • Apple: chicken, turkey, fish, ham. Mild, sweet and fruity.
  • Alder: salmon, other fish, poultry. Light and delicate.
  • Cherry: salmon, other fish, poultry. Similar to apple.
  • Maple: poultry, ham, vegetables. Mild and sweet.
  • Mesquite: chicken, beef, fish. Strong and fast. Best for grilling or in small amounts.
  • Rule of thumb from the handbook: fruit woods for poultry and ribs, hickory or oak for beef and pork. Hickory and apple are favorites for ribs.

Rub formula (Dirigo Spice base recipe, 5 cups)

  • Build a rub from 4 parts: salt, sweet, acid (sour) and spice.
  • Salt 20% (1-1/4 cups), sugar 20% (1-1/4 cups).
  • Paprika, black pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic and chili powder: 12% each (1/2 cup each).
  • Works as-is for ribs, poultry or seafood. Add heat with cayenne, red pepper flakes, jalapeno or habanero.
  • Regional twists: Southwestern (cumin, orange peel, jalapeno, chili powder, sun-dried tomato, coriander, chipotle, cilantro); Caribbean (allspice, cayenne, habanero, nutmeg, cinnamon, lime juice, green onion, bell pepper); Cajun (cayenne, oregano, thyme, bell pepper, onion, vinegar); Montreal (coriander, black pepper, allspice, clove); Mexican (chili pepper, cayenne, cinnamon, orange peel, cumin, cocoa); Fajita (Worcestershire, black pepper); Indian (curry powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon); Seafood (lemon peel, lemon juice or citric acid, orange juice or peel, herbs).
  • Go light on sugar for direct grilling, since it burns. Use more for low-and-slow smoking.
  • Let rubbed meat sit in the refrigerator at least a couple of hours, overnight if possible.
  • Brush meat with a little oil before the dry rub so it sticks.
  • Baby-back rub ratio (Alton Brown): brown sugar 8 : kosher salt 3 : chili powder 1 : the other spices 1.

Rib cuts

  • Baby backs (pork loin ribs): from the top of the rib cage next to the loin; 8 to 14 ribs per rack.
  • Spareribs: the lower rib section from the belly side; at least 11 ribs.
  • St. Louis style: spareribs with the brisket bone (rib tips) cut off, squared up.
  • Rib tips (brisket bone): the small meaty pieces trimmed off to make St. Louis ribs.
  • Kansas City cut: spareribs with the hard bone removed.
  • Country-style ribs: cut from the blade end of the loin, no more than 3 to 6 ribs.
  • Button ribs (flat bone): the last 4 to 6 bones of the backbone, small and round.
  • Buying: whole racks, even marbling, no big fat chunks. Cryovac packs smell off when opened; air them out.
  • Prep: peel off the membrane on the back of the rack and trim large pieces of fat.

Meat safety

  • Refrigerator at 40 degrees F or colder; freezer at 0 degrees F or colder.
  • Ground meat: keep refrigerated only 1 to 2 days, then cook or freeze. Steaks: 3 to 5 days.
  • Bacteria multiply fast between 40 and 140 degrees F. Never thaw meat on the counter; thaw in the refrigerator or microwave.
  • Cook ground meat to at least 160 degrees F. Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees F.
  • Wash hands with hot soapy water at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat.
  • Never put cooked meat back on a plate that held raw meat.
  • Sanitize surfaces: soapy wash, rinse, then 1 cap of bleach to 1 gallon of water, and air dry.
  • Prepare chicken last; it leaves a film on boards that is harder to clean.
  • Shop for meat last, and use a cooler in warm weather.

Recommended reading and groups (from the handbook)

  • New England Barbecue Society (nebs.org): mentoring, cooking classes and judging classes for Kansas City Barbecue Society events.
  • Book list includes titles by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby, Steven Raichlen, Paul Kirk, Cheryl Alters Jamison & Bill Jamison, Jamie Purviance and others.
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