I totally enjoy trying out new BBQ rubs as well as making my own homemade ones. There’s something inspiring about mixing fresh spices to make a seasoning and to taste it on your finished meat.

There are hundreds of different BBQ rub recipes out there. Many competition teams have their own sauces and rubs. Barbecue stores showcase rows of different sauces and rubs. It’s easy to feel intimidated to think of making your own.

I would like to change that for you. First of all, here are some common ingredients in barbecue rubs:

• salt (table, kosher, or seasoned salt)
• black pepper*
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• paprika

*Peppercorn side-note: Get whole peppercorns at the grocery store and grind them in a coffee grinder if you’re making a big batch or in a hand-held pepper grinder. If you’ve never tried freshly-ground black pepper, you are in for an *exciting* surprise. The flavor and smell is amazing!

To make a rub, all you have to do is measure equal amounts of the above and stir it well. And you’ve made a delicious, all-purpose barbecue rub! This seasoning is scrumptious on grilled and smoked meats. Use it on burgers and steaks or even smoked pork butts.

Disclaimer: Of course, this is *far* from the ultimate BBQ rub recipe. There are lots of ways to make a more complex and better tasting rub. But it is a simple and delicious dry rub to get you started.

Now, it’s time to build on what I’ve given you to add more flavor and the accents that you like. You can tweak the proportions, remove ingredients, or add a handful of other spices to kick it up a bit.

Here is a list of other ingredients I’ve seen in rubs:

• brown sugar
• cumin
• cayenne (red pepper)
• chipotle powder
• chili powder
• cinnamon
• mustard powder
• oregano
• thyme

A few tips:

1. Add brown sugar for a sweeter rub, making sure to work out all the lumps.
2. The cumin will add a smokey flavor. Make sure you get whole cumin and grind it in a coffee grinder just before you use it. Between that and the freshly-ground black pepper, you will be entranced.
3. A little bit of cayenne pepper gives your dry rub some fire. You can choose your favorite hot pepper ingredient here. As a general guideline, I would use 1 teaspoon in a cup of rub unless you especially like heat.

I am sure there are other ingredients that are delicious in barbecue dry rubs. And you could experiment for days with the ingredients I have listed. If you have any questions or ideas to share, please do leave a comment. I would love to hear from you!

Now go dig into the spices.

Lavern

Hey, just wanted to give you a quick update on exactly which Meadow Creek models we have in stock here in Pikeville, Tennessee. If you choose to have a cooker shipped to you, it will be shipped directly from Meadow Creek Welding in New Holland, PA. If you go that route, there is still a month or longer lead time.

BUT we do have a few models in stock, made and ready to roll. So if you’re in a pinch and don’t mind the drive, check out this list:

• TS120 BBQ Smoker Trailer: $4,150
• TS250 BBQ Smoker Trailer / BBQ42 Chicken Cooker: $5,945
  (with $300 bonus package; read this blog post to learn more.)
• 2 BBQ42 Chicken Cookers: $795 each
• BBQ42 Chicken Cooker With Charcoal Pullout: $955
• BBQ96 Chicken Cooker Trailer: $2,775
• CD108G Caterer’s Delight Trailer With Doors in Lid on PR: $3,755
• 4 Bowl Stainless Steel Sink (call for price)

The prices above are before sales tax and local pickup charge. The local pickup charge covers truckload freight to Tennessee: $50 per small cooker, $100 per cooker on a trailer.

Call Marlin toll-free at 877-248-7753 or email us if you have any questions or would like to come pick up a unit. Marlin will be happy to help you choose the cooker that will best suit your needs and budget. He’ll even recommend the cooker and options that are best for you, even if it means we make less money off of you. So, yeah, we’re here for you. Give us a call or shoot us an e-mail.  🙂

That TS250 trailer with the chicken cooker on the front is one nice rig. If you’re about to pull the trigger on a pit trailer, check into our serious bonus package here.

Have fun,

Lavern

PS. We’ve got the TS60 Barbecue Smoker fired up and we’re smoking a big ole’ turkey. Looking forward to some smoked turkey for dinner tonight.

What would it be like to really get up-close to the handsome appearance of a Meadow Creek barbecue cooker? See the paint job, inspect the welds and angles, and see what it’s all about?

Well, you can! Hit the play button below and sit back for 2 minutes of speechless barbecue beauty, then let me know if you think this thing is worth having.

Disclaimer: This video is NOT meant to explain the features and benefits of a TS250 Smoker Trailer. We’ll leave that for later. It’s all about gazing at the beauty of a Meadow Creek barbecue pit.

What you saw in the video is a Meadow Creek TS250 BBQ Smoker with an optional BBQ42 Chicken Cooker mounted on the front. This is THE RIG. In fact, the rig you saw in the video is the exact display model we have in stock here in Pikeville, TN.

We have put together a handsome bonus package for the dude that’s fortunate to get his hands on this display model. Here’s what we’ll throw in:

• 15 bags charcoal ($270 value!)
• 2 *prestigious* Yoder’s Smoky Mountain Barbecue aprons
• Samples of Meadow Creek’s award-winning BBQ sauce and rub

So there you have a crazy deal. It’s in stock—no waiting for a month to use your new smoker. Ridiculous $300 bonus package that will keep your pit fired for many cooks. And a taste of the real stuff that will get you licking your fingers.

My promise to you: If you take this trailer home and find that you can’t stand it, or that it’s just not what we said it is, you have 30 days to bring it back and get a refund. And if you have any problems along the way, we’re here to help. Questions about firing it, cooking meat, or whatever—we love to help our customers! We won’t just let you sit.

Call Marlin at 877-248-7753 if you have any questions or would like to order this rig.

Come back soon for more videos.

Have fun,

Lavern

PS. By the way, did you watch Flippin’ Chickin’ and Smoke Infusion? These videos are all about Meadow Creek’s revolutionary chicken cookers and you can actually watch us cook chicken on a BBQ42.

I am very excited to share with you the next video in the Barbecue Revolution series, Smoke Infusion.

This video is a delicious and mouth-watering demo of the Meadow Creek BBQ42 Chicken Cooker.

If you like the video, click here to check out my chicken cookers page.

Thanks for watching,

Lavern

Here is the first video in our BBQ revolution video series. In this video I will show you how Meadow Creek has truly set a new standard in cooking large amounts of chicken without really “knowing what you’re doing.”

Check out our full line of revolutionary Meadow Creek Chicken Cookers.

I’ve got lots more to share. Join my email list (left sidebar), and I’ll let you know when I post more videos.

Enjoy 🙂

Lavern

In my opinion, it’s almost impossible to beat juicy, well-done pulled pork—smoked the authentic BBQ way. And believe it or not, this stuff is very easy to cook and hard to mess up!

So if you’re just learning how to smoke low and slow, a great place to start is with a bone-in Boston butt. I just can’t describe how delicious, fun, easy, and great this whole process is. You have to experience it for yourself to really know what I’m talking about.

Last month, I cooked a couple pork butts for my son Jamin’s first birthday party. Now I want to share some pictures and tips for cooking delicious pulled pork everyone will love.

Some experts will tell you to use fresh butts that were never frozen and some tell you to inject or marinate the meat overnight and some will tell you to let them rest for 30 minutes or so after they’re done before you pull them. This is great, and if you feel like doing the extra work, waiting, etc, you should probably do it.

But I can tell you, some of the best pulled pork I ever had was from a thawed pork butt, and I applied the rub just minutes before I set them on the smoker, and we were in no mood to wait half an hour to eat. And I promise it was extremely edible.

So my favorite theory in barbecue is this: barbecue is easy! (Once you have someone to teach you and you get some practice.) Of course, there are extra things you can do to make it better, but don’t let this stuff intimidate you. It is NOT rocket science, even competition style barbeque.

BBQ is about having a great time with family and friends, making memories, and producing some of the most delicious food on the planet.

Here are a few pictures from Jamin’s birthday barbecue and the train birthday cake my wife made.  🙂

Click a photo to enlarge it.

How to Smoke Pork Butts

Here are a few quick tips on how to make your own outrageous pulled pork.

• Get your smoker up to 225–250 degrees F.
• Start with fresh or thawed pork butt with some nice fat marbling. The fat adds a lot of flavor and helps keep the meat juicy.
• Unwrap the meat, rinse it, and cut off any bloody, nasty-looking stuff.
• Cover it with yellow mustard (the kind you’d put on a hotdog). Sprinkle a generous layer of your favorite pork rub over the entire surface (edges, cracks, and all). Pat it down with your hand. Disposable gloves are handy for this.
• Load the meat onto the smoker grate and close the smoker.
• Add some fruit wood or your favorite smoking wood to the fire to kick up the smoke at the beginning. We smoke mostly with 100% hardwood charcoal briquettes and add a few pieces of wood at the beginning to create more smoke. The meat takes in more smoke when it’s cold than once it’s been in the heat for a while.
• Maintain your smoker at 225-250 degrees F.
• Spray the meat with apple juice about every hour to help keep the meat moist throughout the cook.
• Cook the meat for about 1½ hours per pound or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches about 200 degrees. This can easily take 8 hours or even 12 hours depending on the size of the meat and what the weather is like, etc.
• Extra tip: If the meat reaches the 170s and just hangs there for an hour or two, your butts might be ready to pull off. Sample it for tenderness and see how well it pulls apart. You want to be careful not to dry it out. Ultimately, you will need to determine when it’s done. This takes some skill, but remember, pork butts are easy to cook and hard to mess up if you keep the temperature fairly consistent.
• Pull it into small chunks or strips with forks or gloved hands.
• Eat it with hamburger buns (or homemade bread), cheese, and your favorite barbecue sauce. I enjoy coleslaw (finely-shredded) on my pulled pork sandwiches too.

How to Store Left-Over Pulled Pork

Here’s a great way to deal with left-over pulled pork. Freeze it in quart-size freezer bags. When you’re ready to eat some, thaw one bag in the refrigerator, and then put it in a kettle of water over medium low heat.

Indescribable!

Lavern