|
Ultimate BarBQ Recipe Database

Another Ultimate How to Cook Everything BBQ Site !!!

Texas Brisket Recipe & History
National BBQ News of America

HOW TO MAKE A GREAT STEAK
SEASONING: MARINADES & RUBS
Marinades are a seasoned liquid used to impart flavor to meat, poultry, pork, fish, even vegetables. The food item is ‘soaked’ or marinated in the liquid and allowed to absorb the flavor.
Marinades may contain oil to add moisture, and an acid ingredient to help tenderize.
Some acid ingredients include mustard, Worcestershire, vinegar, lemon juice, wine, yogurt, salad dressings, tomatoes, fruit juice or diluted barbecue sauce. Any preferred store bought product can be used as a marinade. It can doctored and mixed with a fruit juice, wine, or any other seasoned liquids. Combine 1/4 cup of your favorite marinade or sauce with 1/4 cup fruit juice such as orange, apple or pineapple juice. Use to marinate 1 pound meat. For an Asian-style marinade, mix 1/4 cup Cattlemen’s Barbecue Sauce with 1/4 cup soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. Baste steaks with liquid sauce during last 5 minutes of cooking for a beautiful glaze if it has sugar in it to prevent charring or burning.
Marinades penetrate the protein about ¼-inch deep unless the meat is commercially manipulated via vacuum-tumbling, pounding, injection, or with the use of phosphates. Allow 20 to 30 minutes marinade time or up to 3 hours. Allow about ½ cup marinade per pound of meat to coat evenly. Always marinate meat in the refrigerator. Use a non-reactive container such as glass, stainless steel or food-grade plastic bags. Discard the marinade after use. Never use the ‘raw’ marinade for basting the meat. Boil ‘raw’ marinades for a full minute before using as a baste. Rubs are dry mixtures of spices, seasonings and herbs. Sugar is often added to help ‘caramelize’ – brown – the meat. Salt and pepper add flavor and heat, and paprika adds color.
Rubs may be mixed with a wet ingredient to form a paste including oil, vinegar, minced garlic, barbecue sauce, mustard, Worcestershire or soy sauce.
Rubs impart flavor as well as help form a ‘crust’ that offers textual contrast, especially when used in cooking ribs.
Experiment with different herbs and spices, add some salt and pepper and a small amount of sugar.
Generously apply rub into meat and allow to stand 30 minutes for flavors to develop.
Cattlemen’s Test Kitchen Rub: ½ cup brown sugar, 3 Tbsp. Kosher salt, 2 Tbsp. ground cumin, 1 Tbsp. ground coriander, 1 tsp. ground black pepper, 1 tsp. ground red pepper.
Not sure what to combine? Search the spice aisles in the supermarket. Spice companies have done the work for you. Start with a spice/herb blend, add a little salt and sugar, if necessary.
HOW TO MAKE A GREAT STEAK
DIRECT HEAT
Food is placed directly over hot coals or gas flames with the grill top open. Direct heat is great for cooking quick-cooking cuts of meat such as steaks, chops, burgers, chicken and fish. Bone-in meat may be cooked over direct heat when the grilling temperature is medium to low.
Direct heat is beneficial for searing and achieving a flavorful exterior crust on the meat.
INDIRECT HEAT
In indirect grilling, the food is not placed directly over the fire – that is – the charcoal or gas flames. If using charcoal - set a drip pan filled halfway with water under the grilling rack. Arrange coals around drip pan. Place food on the rack over the drip pan. Cover the grill.
If using a gas grill, set a drip pan in the center of grill or to one side of grill under the grilling rack. Fill the drip pan halfway with water. Turn the gas burners off under the drip pan. Turn burners on around the drip pan or adjust burners to burn only on one side of grill. Cover grill.
Use indirect heat for slow-cooking foods such as ribs, large roasts, whole poultry, bone-in meat, and brisket.
Great steaks for grilling are described below*. These cook quickly and are very tender and flavorful. All of these steaks can be grilled over direct heat (see below). Boneless cuts yield a lot of servings - 4 servings per pound of steak. Season with a rub or marinade for flavor as desired. Many steaks are known by more than one name as names may vary from state to state.
Beef
Tenderloin or filet mignon
Most tender beef cut. Can be cut into thick steaks - Used for the recipe Chateaubriand. Also, sold whole for roasts. Top Loin (Strip) Steak
May also be referred to as Strip steak, NY strip steak (boneless), Kansas City steak, Shell steak (bone-in), and Club steak (boneless or bone-in). These are lean, tender, full-flavored. Best to grill, broil or pan-saut. T-Bone and Porterhouse
Similar steaks containing both the sirloin strip and tenderloin muscles separated by the T-shaped bone. Great when grilled or broiled. Porterhouse steaks are larger and are cut from the sirloin end of the short loin, while T-bone steaks are cut from the rib end. Rib Eye
Also referred to as Delmonico Steak, Beauty or Spencer Steak: (bone-less, bone-in). Beef Rib Steak with bone
Prime Rib: Best when grilled or broiled. Sold whole with and without the bone for prime rib roasts. Roasted prime rib is frequently served at weddings. Beef Top Sirloin Steak or Boneless Sirloin
(sometimes called Butt Steak): This very tender steak with little waste makes a great family value. Top Round is also called London Broil
This steak benefits from marinating for tenderness. Slice this steak against the grain for maximum tenderness. Flank is also referred to as London Broil
It can be lightly seasoned and grilled. It should be thinly sliced on the diagonal against the grain for maximum tenderness. This steak is often marinated to add flavor. Great on the grill or for stir-fry and fajitas. Beef Skirt Steak also known as Fajita Steak
It’s best to use a tenderizing marinade and carve against the grain for maximum tenderness. This steak is frequently used in fajitas or may be stuffed and rolled whole before cooking.
Cooking Beef Brisket
1) Fat and marbling: Choose a brisket which has most of the fat down in the meat and not all fat on the outside. You do need a layer of fat on the outside too. Fat inside the meat will help keep it moist, so you still need some fat both on inside & outside, But remember selecting a good brisket is half the technique of good Que.
2) Size: A real good size is a brisket from 6 to 10 pounds, big or small will be more of a personal choice. Just remember that slow cooking for 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound is a pretty fair time table for cooking a brisket at 225 deg (degrees F.)
3) Seasoning: There are as many ideas on the best way to season a brisket as there are brisket cooks. No two will do the same and very few will do it the same way two times in a row: You can Marinate, dry rub or both; or sprinkle it with spices; or do all three. I, myself do a little of it all.
3A) Dry Rub: I use a mix of Garlic powder, black pepper, salt, cumin, red pepper,Ms Dash Garlic and Herb Blend & a little brown sugar. There are lots of good dry rubs out there on the market. Try them.
3B) Marinate: May be a store bought marinade or maybe your own blend. I use a mix of Worceshershire, or teriyaki,Dr. Pepper) or your favorite marinade & let marinate overnight. Dry it off next morning & let it set for about half hour.
4) Fire: It don't make a big difference what or how you are cooking as long as you have a good low long-time steady heat; may it be wood, electric or gas. I, my-self, have for the last twenty-five years used a wood fire in everything from a barrel, to a washpot, to a high dollar pit. I still say you can cook as good of que in anything as long as you watch your fire. What you want is a good stead low fire with a temperature of 200 to 225 deg.
5) Cooking: Well, I have found that I do better with my brisket if I cook it about an hour per pound on a good low fire of hardwood hickory oak or mesquite and then wrap it in foil and put it in a dry ice chest for up to eight hours. If I slow cook my brisket for 18 to 20 hours, they are always too dry for me. But remember, any ol' boy can be like the blind dog an find a better way to do it. Good smoke will have a sweet flavor & that's what you want; not a bitter flavor. You will get a (smoke) ring of 1/32 to 1/2 inch most time. The smoke ring is the result of a chemical reaction between smoke & Air (nitrogen). This don't make a big difference in the taste of your brisket but it does make a better looking brisket, different seasoning will make a difference in the size of your ring.
6) Presentation: Last, but not to be overlooked, is the presentation of your brisket. I don't care if it is just for your wife & kids or your mother-in-law or your boss or if you are in a million dollar cook-off, A brisket that is half bad, will become extra good if it is sliced and presented right. Always slice your brisket across the grain of the meat (start on a corner of the flat part). This is very important as it makes it a more palatable & tender slice of meat. Remember, a good BBQ brisket don't need a sauce poured over it, serve it on the side.
SMOKE-AT-HOME BRISKET
Mesquite Chips
Bourbon Sauce Procedure
Step 1 Sanitize all equipment, utensils, etc… prior to use. Place heavy pan on burner at a medium heat setting. Melt butter – DO NOT BURN
Step 2 Break up brown sugar and slowly add to melted butter. Continue to whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth and almost at the point of simmering. DO NOT ALLOW SAUCE TO BOIL! IF THIS SAUCE HITS A SIMMER OR A BOIL, IT WILL THICKEN AND BECOME PRALINES. YOU DON'T WANT THIS THICK OF A PRODUCT.
Step 3 Slowly add the heavy whipping cream, continuing to stir the mixture as you do so. Blend well and immediately remove from heat.
Step 4 Add the Jack Daniels Bourbon. Whip final ingredient into mixture, mixing well and you are ready to rip.
TEXAS SMOKED BBQ BRISKET
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 7 hours | Marinate Time: 1 hour
Ingredients: 1/2 cup prepared barbecue seasoning 2 tablespoons ground chili powder 1 (5 to 7 pound) beef brisket, trimmed with a layer of fat (center flat portion) 1 cup Frank's® REDHOT® Chile 'n Lime™ Hot Sauce or Frank's® REDHOT® Cayenne Pepper Sauce 1 1/2 cups beer or non-alcoholic malt beverage 1 cup CATTLEMEN'S® Authentic Smoke House Barbecue Sauce or CATTLEMEN'S® Award Winning Classic Barbecue Sauce 1/4 cup butter
Steps: Combine barbecue seasoning and chili powder. Rub mixture thoroughly into beef. Place meat, fat-side up, into disposable foil pan. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 3 hours. Just before using, prepare Mop sauce, combine Chile 'n Lime hot sauce and 1 cup beer; set aside. Prepare grill for indirect cooking over medium-low heat (250°F). If desired, toss soaked wood chips over coals or heat source. Place pan with meat in center of grill over indirect heat. Cover grill. Cook meat, over low heat 6 to 7 hours until meat is very tender (190°F internal temperature). Baste with mop sauce once an hour. To make Smoke House Barbecue Butter Glaze, combine barbecue sauce, butter and remaining 1/2 cup beer. Simmer 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Slice meat and serve with sauce. Tips: Tip: To easily slice meat, cut meat against the grain using an electric knife.
I think that beef brisket belongs to Texas like peanuts to Georgia and pulled pork to North Carolina. But did you know, 'till about forty years ago brisket was a worthless cut of meat that most folks would just discard or grind into hamburger meat? Down in the hill country of Texas, ol' brother Wolf was buying all the brisket he could get to make his chili with. Then about 1950 two German brothers who had a meat market began cooking BBQ in their market to use up left over meat. One got the idea to smoke a brisket as he was smoking sausage one weekend. He left it all weekend in his smokehouse and on Monday as they were serving their que, pork, sausage & chicken, he cut a slice & put on each lunch.. Everyone began telling him how good and tender it was. With that they began to cook beef brisket for BBQ. So Texas owes the two German meat market brothers from the hills of Texas for our Beef Brisket BBQ. Now-a-days, like lots of things, the briskets of today are so much improved over time. The brisket of old time was over half fat, but with the better cows of these days we get lots better beef brisket. Still, the only way to make them good & tender is good, slow cooking over hardwood smoke. Here's the way this ol' Texan tries to cook good beef brisket.
Texas Brisket at its Best!!


Willingham’s Shrimp
2 lbs Shrimp (with or without shells) 3 sticks of Margarine or Butter Willingham’s Original Mild Seasoning
Spread Shrimp on a baking pan with edges. Cut sticks of butter into wedges and place on top of shrimp. Sprinkle Willingham’s Original Mild Seasoning, to taste, all over the shrimp and butter. Put in the oven at 350 degrees F. When the Shrimp turns pink take out of the oven.
Serving ideas:
If shelled simply serve shrimp over rice, with salad.
If unshelled: cover your table with newspaper, place shrimp pans in the middle of the table on hot pads, serve with French Bread, Salad, and Lemons, Great for parties. Peel the shrimp, place shells right on the newspaper, dip the bread in the butter, and enjoy, great conversation piece, clean hands with the Lemon Slices, everything is placed on the newspaper. Easy clean up, by rolling up the newspaper. DONE.
Willingham's isn't just for BBQ. Place Willingham's Seasonings on hamburger, pork chops, fish, chicken, steak, and any other meat you chose to enhance the flavor. This product enhances the flavor; therefore everything taste differently even though the same product is being used.
Willingham’s Tenderloin
1 Tenderloin 1/2 ounce per pound Willingham’s Mild Seasoning 1/2 ounce per pound Willingham’s Marinade 1 Ziploc bag
Shake Willingham’s Mild Seasoning all over Tenderloin and rub evenly. Place Tenderloin into the Ziploc bag pour Willingham’s Marinade into Ziploc and seal. Best to allow at least 4 hours to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Cook to preference.
Willingham’s isn’t just for Meat.
Willingham’s Sauted Mushrooms
1 lb Mushrooms (whole or sliced) 1 stick Margarine or Butter 2 Tablespoons Willingham’s Mild or Cajun Hot Seasoning
Melt butter. Add Mushrooms and Willingham’s to taste. Drain and Serve. *Note: Substitute Onions instead of mushrooms to create an excellent base for all your cooking needs. Also use same directions for Stir Fry / Vegetables.
Willingham’s Appetizer Dip
2 cups Salad Dressing (Your Favorite) 1 teaspoon Willingham’s Mild or Cajun Hot Seasoning 1 teaspoon Dill Pickle Juice 2 teaspoons French Dijon or French Yellow Mustard
Mix above ingredients and serve with vegetables or chips.
Willingham’s Chex Mix
¼ cup Willingham’s Marinade ¼ cup Willingham’s Mild or Cajun Hot Seasoning 3 pinches of Hot Stuff for Big Kids Only 2 cups Oil (vegetable, corn, or olive) 2 cups peanuts 1 bag pretzels 3 boxes of cereal (Whole Wheat, Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Cheerios, or Crispix)
Preheat Oven to 250 F. Add the first 4 ingredients into a bowl and mix completely. Next, in a very large oven safe roasting pan, add peanuts and pretzels, and pour above mixture into roasting pan, and mix completely. Add the remaining ingredients and mix completely. Bake in the oven for a total of 2 hours while mixing every 30 minutes.
Popcorn A La Willingham’s
Pop popcorn of choice and sprinkle on Willingham’s Mild or Cajun Hot. Mix and Serve.
Willingham’s Virgin Bloody Mary
1 Tbls of Willingham’s Mild or Cajun Hot Seasoning 1 tsp Marinade 1 pinch Hot Stuff for Big Kids Only (if you like the heat) 1 glass of Tomato Juice
Mix the above ingredients and enjoy.
Willingham's World Championship Rib Recipe

Recipe from: John Willingham's 6 Time BBQ World Champion Bar-B-Q CookBook
In food processor combine garlic, cilantro and 1 Tbl oil. Process until pureed. Set aside ½ mixture. Add Original Essence and bread and process on high for 1 minute until well blended. Dip chicken breasts first in flour, then eggs, then breadcrumb mixture. Heat remaining oil and sauté chicken breasts until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan. Add remaining cilantro mixture, lime or lemon juice and wine. Deglaze pan and reduce mixture slightly. Pour over chicken. Serve with dollop of sour cream.
