BBQ, Ribs and Cornhole

Cooking Lessons and gatherings continued last weekend with BBQ and Ribs. BBQ and Rib Cooking call for David III to bring out the Big Cooker. I nicknamed the Big Cooker 'Gretel', because it truly is big enough to have played a starring role in the Hansel and Gretel story. But most everybody just calls it the Big Cooker. And big it is. It is big enough to cook many pounds of pork, beef, chicken or turkey all at one time. The Big Cooker is powered with a propane gas tank which fires wood that pours smoke into a huge chamber with a rotisserie. David usually uses hickory smoke for BBQ and Ribs and the rotisserie has long shelves which slowly rotate to give the meat the best smoked flavor. Ribs take about 2 or 3 hours to cook, but BBQ shoulders or butts cook for about half a day. David likes to cook Boston Butts because they have less waste than shoulders.

So, last weekend, David IV and Jay and a few friends wanted to cook BBQ and Ribs for a last hurrah before everyone started heading back to college. David III also wanted to cook BBQ and Ribs for some nieces and nephews heading for a different gathering. This amount of cooking definitely called for the Big Cooker. Boston Butts go into the cooker early in the morning and require very little preparation. Baby Back Ribs go in later, but require a dry rub of the Rib Spice. David III teases about keeping the Rib Spice recipe a secret by giving one part of the recipe to Jay and the other part to David IV. Together, they mix up the blend of spices and rub them into the ribs before placing the ribs into the cooker. After checking on the Butts and Ribs throughout the day, the whole neighborhood takes on a smoky flavorful aroma.

When we serve BBQ in Shelby, NC we serve red BBQ Slaw, not green slaw. This is one of those things that can fuel an argument, but we stand firm on this one. Red slaw is chopped cabbage with a vinegar and ketchup base, but does not contain mayo.

David chops the BBQ coarsely making sure to have plenty of the crispy browned edges which are most everybody's favorite part. I would put his chopped hickory smoked Boston Butt, fresh from the Big Cooker served on a bun with red slaw, a little BBQ sauce and just a shake or two of Tabasco, up against any BBQ anywhere.

David cuts the BBQ Ribs close to the bone on one side so that each piece has plenty of the juicy, spicy, smoky rib meat. Yum. You'll need several paper towels and probably some toothpicks, but that flavor is worth it.

To go along with BBQ Boston Butt and Ribs, we serve fresh fruit, Beth's baked beans, chips and brownies with ice cream.

And then there is Cornhole which, for a change, has nothing to do with eating corn.

The first time I ever heard of Cornhole was several years ago at a party with friends Doug and Annette. Since then, Cornhole seems to be everywhere. Our nephew, Jackson, started making Cornhole Sets consisting of two regulation sized slanted cornhole boards and the corn bags to go along with them. He paints and then finishes them with a hard auto body finish. We asked him to make a set for David IV's 21st birthday and they truly are a work of art. They are also indestructible which is important because David has kept them in his truck and pulled out for use wherever folks are gathering.

Cornhole is fun because most people can play and, it can be played with any number of teams or individuals. When people are playing cornhole, there is friendly competition, but mostly alot of cheering or grimacing when the corn bag slides on the board, off the board or miraculously drops through the hole. There's no hurry with cornhole. It's alot like horsehoes in that it is a relaxed pitching game. It's played at a slow and easy pace that feels like old times. Cornhole is the perfect game to go along with a dinner of slow cooked BBQ and Ribs from the Big Cooker.