I joined a roundtable barbecue sauce discussion with Hot Sauce Weekly last night. Brian Meagher had emailed and invited me. I don't usually do the spotlight stuff, because I'm a bit shy in person or when microphoned. Plus, Brian mentioned Skype, and my computer is old, and my sound does not even work after I had my computer "fixed" three months ago. That cure ended up being worse than the virus it turned out I did not even have. Sigh.
Brian and his wife Marilyn who own Hot Sauce Weekly were so nice, and I knew the other barbecue sauce guys scheduled were top notch, so I decided to ignore that little voice in my head that said that I would forget what I wanted to say or would say something random and goofy on podcast to be forever online to haunt me.
The roundtable podcast turned out great. OK. I did blurt out that liquid smoke is like a breast implant job. You can tell the difference. But, you can. Or, I can. I love smoke, but a barbecue sauce does not need to have that fake stuff in there. Make a good sauce. I'll provide the smoke. That's just me.
Brian and Marilyn did a super job hosting the roundtable, and the guests were Larry Gaian (MOINK ball inventor), Brian Henderson (BBQ Sauce Reviews), and Wayne Brown (Big Wayner BBQ). These guys really know barbecue sauce. And, I know these guys online from barbecue circles and have met Wayne who lives about 45 minutes away.
Be sure to check out the Hot Sauce Weekly podcast. You will hear about some of the best barbecue sauces out there. I was familiar with most mentioned, but the guys tossed a few out that I'm going to have to check out. If a barbecue sauce rated a mention by sauce guys, then I know it has to be great.
The podcast also gives you an idea about how barbecue sauce reviewers operate. Just a heads up . . . we are all different. But, the thing we have in common is that we really love barbeuce and barbecue sauces.
Be sure to share you favorite barbecue sauces too. It's always great to find a new one that is terrific.
Showing posts with label moink balls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moink balls. Show all posts
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Meatballs with Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
I have been looking forward to trying out Fischer & Weiser's Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce. Toni sent me out a sample bottle right before I went to the beach. The packaging is really nice, and the sauce looks beautiful through the glass.
It's easier to see what the Fischer & Weiser looks like when I have it poured in the bowl to sauce up some MOINK grilled meatballs. The color is just great, and you can see that the sauce looks home canned with the chunks of raspberry clearly visible.
The smell was great, so I had a quick taste before I started grilling. Wow. This sauce tastes like candy. Honestly, I could have kept eating right out of the jar. But, that would not be a very balanced dinner, so I put on the MOINKs.
Larry at Barbecue Grail came up with MOINKs which are Moo (hamburger) and OINK (bacon) - hence the name. They are really simple to make. Just buy or make meatballs and wrap a half slice of bacon around. Secure with a toothpick (soak those in water for 20 minutes so they don't burn). Grill or smoke slowly until the meat is close done. Sauce. Finish grilling until the sauce caramelizes.
I was talking on the phone and ran late getting our meatballs on the grill, but they smoke pretty quickly. They can go right on the grates, but I find it easiest to use my grill wok. With the lid down on the grill at medium heat, the meatballs barbecue even and don't even need turned. On the grates, I usually have to turn them.
Here you can see that I added the Roasted Raspberry Barbecue Sauce to the MOINKs. I used a brush, but I sometimes use tongs and lift and dip each one and then put them back in. Either method works fine.
My son was starving, so he dove right in. I was close behind. We both thought the Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce was great on the MOINKs. The very sweet flavor with only a slight hint of heat went just right with the meats. They were some of the best MOINKs we've had.
This barbecue sauce would be good where you want a nice sweet kick. The MOINKs are excellent, and I'd say the sauce would go very well with chicken and pork too. Frankly, I think it would be good on hot homemade biscuits just out of the oven as well or even ice cream.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
International MOINK Day 2010 - Crank Up the Grill and Make Some Bacon Wrapped Meatballs
Today is World MOINK Day - not that we ever need an excuse to fire up some MOINKS on the smoker or grill. It is pretty neat to see others across the globe doing the same though, and if you've never tried MOINKs, then I invite you to join in the fun.
First of all, you may need to know what MOINK balls are. They are the creation of The BBQ Grail, and you can read the history of MOINKs at his site.
The basic idea is that you take frozen meatballs (thawed), wrap them in bacon, and slow grill or smoke them. The idea is simple but delicious, and The Holy Grail is not impressed if you try to fancy up his MOINKs. He does cut us homemade meatball rollers some slack, since we can't all find frozen meatballs at our grocery store.
How to Make MOINK Balls
First you let your frozen meatballs thaw out, or just roll up your own as I've done above. And, then add seasoning. The Holy Grail uses Yardbird Rub, but I have Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning on mine. It's not a spicy mix - just a solid, balanced and really nice flavorful seasoning.
Then you wrap the meatballs in half slices of bacon and stick a toothpick through to hold the bacon in place. Be sure to soak the toothpicks for 20 minutes or so first, because dry wood does burn. And, you do not want to catch your toothpicks on fire.
I usually add a little marinade on my MOINKs before they go on the barbecue grill. A lot of people dip them in barbecue sauce for the last little bit of grilling time for more flavor, but my boys prefer them without sauce. So, I just splash a little something on. In this case, it was just apple juice.
MOINK balls can go right on the barbecue grill grates, but I use a grill wok. That makes it super simple. I don't have to turn or move the MOINKs once I put them in.
Here you see the grill wok in a Traeger smoker, but I've also used a PK Portable Cooker and the Weber Kettle grill with the coals offset. They also work on gas grills. With the Char-Broil Big Red, I just use burners on one side and put the MOINKs on the side without heat so that they just slow grill.
Here are our National MOINK Day MOINKS. And, yes, they do taste as great as they look. I first made them during the winter when the Winter Grillers at Grillers Index were talking about them, and now I make them really often. Everyone goes wild for the MOINKs, so I get MOINK requests every week or two.
Click on the little map button below and see BBQ Grail's map of MOINKers. There were so many on the east coast, I could not get my little marker on NC or even see NC, so my lavendar marker is in the ocean. I did not really MOINK on a boat though (-: But, that would be interesting.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Grilled Meatballs Wrapped in Bacon with Wild n Mild BBQ Sauce
MOINK Balls Marinating in Wild n Mild Barbecue Sauce/Marinade
Wild n Mild barbecue sauce is a thin mop style sauce. That just means that it can be brushed on the whole time your're grilling as opposed to tomato based bbq sauces which can only be put on near the end of the grilling time (or the sauce burns). In addition, Wild n Mild can be used as a marinade. So, it is one of the most versatile of my barbecue products.
After I discovered MOINK balls (hamburger wrapped in bacon and smoked) last month, the boys have been wanting those every weekend or more. MOINKs are easy to make but do take about an hour and a half to smoke. Well worth the wait I must say.
The way I made the MOINKs is to roll the burger up and marinate in Wild n Mild barbecue sauce/marinade. That gives the meat some moisture and also a sweet flavor with some kick especially with the wild version of Wild n Mild.
Then I put the meatballs in a grill wok and let them smoke on low heat until the bacon is done which runs right at the hour and a half mark.
I can't buy Wild n Mild around here, so I added them to my OpenSky Yes You Can Grill store. Now I can get Wild n Mild delivered right to my house. And, I can keep the MOINKs rolling off the grill. Yum! They really are delicious.
A lot of people like to dip the MOINK balls in barbecue sauce for the last 10 or 15 minutes of smoking time. Any barbecue sauce is fine. We like to use Chef Hymie Grande which I carry at OpenSky. I was first blown away by the taste of the small batch sauce. When I found out that it had the National Diabetic Seal then I knew I'd be keeping some on hand, since some of my family members are diabetic. I show them the bottle, since this is a sauce you would never guess is healthy. It is THAT good.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
MOINK balls - Meatballs Wrapped in Bacon and Smoked - YUM!
I was getting my MOINK on this weekend when the Winter Grillers (group has now disbanded) tossed out a challenge for everyone to try making MOINK balls. First, I had to figure out what the heck are MOINKs. Some of the guys clued me in that they are hamburger balls (moo) wrapped in bacon (oink) for MOINK.
Later on I even found out who came up with MOINK balls. That's Larry at BBQ Grail who has an official MOINK page. And, even though I did not know the history of the official rules, my intuition had me producing a fairly authentic MOINK. The only major difference was that I added cheddar cheese to my smoked hamburger balls.
MOINKS can be made with frozen meatballs, and the originals were. Some folks can't find frozen meatballs. I've never noticed any around here. Other people just prefer scratch on meatballs. So, I rolled up my own meatballs which is easy to do. If using frozen meatballs, do let them thaw beforehand.
I had a pound of 93/7 ground beef. It does not have to be that lean. That's just what was on sale at Food Lion. Also, the bacon adds fat, so this is a case where I can go leaner on a grill or smoke. Normally with grilled burgers, I do 80/20. That's the lean to fat ratio if anyone doesn't know. And, some foods need a bit more fat on the grill to stay moist and not stick.
The kid asked if I could add cheese to the MOINKS. He's a cheese lover. So, I grated one cup of cheddar cheese and mixed that in with the hamburger by hand (smush, smush, smush), and then I rolled up the meatballs. For one pound of meat, I had 18 meatballs all around 1 inch in size.
I marinated my meatballs in Wild n Mild barbecue marinade sauce - one of my all time favorites. It's thin and works as a marinade or bbq sauce. I have to order it online, since Food Lion does not carry Wild n Mild. I hope they do some day soon. If I don't have Wild n Mild on hand, then my easy go-to grilling marinade is Italian dressing (the oily type - not creamy).
The next step was to wrap the MOINK balls in bacon. It takes a half slice of regular breakfast bacon (thin sliced) per MOINK, and I used Carolina Pride. So, that was 9 total slices on the bacon.
With the marinade being sticky and the meat fresh, the bacon clung real well. I considered skipping the toothpicks, but it's nice to have something to hold on to when eating grilled appetizers. So, I did soak some toothpicks and stuck one through each MOINK ball before smoking.
Most people put the MOINK balls right on the grates, and I could have done that. But, I wanted to keep this really easy. Plus, I was smoking rather than grilling. With the indirect heat, I did not need to turn my MOINKs. So, I loaded them up in a grill wok - a vary handy barbecue accessory for small items.
Then I offset the charcoals in my PK grill which is a cast aluminum model that holds heat really well. These can also be grilled over direct heat but should be checked and turned. And, they can go in a traditional smoker with times being very close to what I did with a slow smoke in a grill with offset coals and the lid closed (vents open).
It took an hour and 20 minutes to smoke my MOINK balls. The temperatures outside were low though - upper 30s here in NC. So, I'd say to check them a little earlier than that and keep an eye out if grilling in warmer temperatures.
Also, if you want to add barbecue sauce to the MOINKs, do that the last 10 or 15 minutes of grilling or smoking - less time for grilling and more for smoking. You don't want traditional barbecue sauce (the thick kind) on there for the whole cook, or it will burn. Just sauce close the end, and that works out great.
The guys loved the MOINK balls, and I must say I was pretty proud and impressed with how they turned out. It can be hard to nail a new barbecue or grill recipe the first time, but these were spot on.
If you want a terrific grilled appetizer that is easy to make and tastes wonderful, then MOINKs are just the ticket. They will definately be on our rotation list of favorites on the grill.
Later on I even found out who came up with MOINK balls. That's Larry at BBQ Grail who has an official MOINK page. And, even though I did not know the history of the official rules, my intuition had me producing a fairly authentic MOINK. The only major difference was that I added cheddar cheese to my smoked hamburger balls.
MOINKS can be made with frozen meatballs, and the originals were. Some folks can't find frozen meatballs. I've never noticed any around here. Other people just prefer scratch on meatballs. So, I rolled up my own meatballs which is easy to do. If using frozen meatballs, do let them thaw beforehand.
I had a pound of 93/7 ground beef. It does not have to be that lean. That's just what was on sale at Food Lion. Also, the bacon adds fat, so this is a case where I can go leaner on a grill or smoke. Normally with grilled burgers, I do 80/20. That's the lean to fat ratio if anyone doesn't know. And, some foods need a bit more fat on the grill to stay moist and not stick.
The kid asked if I could add cheese to the MOINKS. He's a cheese lover. So, I grated one cup of cheddar cheese and mixed that in with the hamburger by hand (smush, smush, smush), and then I rolled up the meatballs. For one pound of meat, I had 18 meatballs all around 1 inch in size.
I marinated my meatballs in Wild n Mild barbecue marinade sauce - one of my all time favorites. It's thin and works as a marinade or bbq sauce. I have to order it online, since Food Lion does not carry Wild n Mild. I hope they do some day soon. If I don't have Wild n Mild on hand, then my easy go-to grilling marinade is Italian dressing (the oily type - not creamy).
The next step was to wrap the MOINK balls in bacon. It takes a half slice of regular breakfast bacon (thin sliced) per MOINK, and I used Carolina Pride. So, that was 9 total slices on the bacon.
With the marinade being sticky and the meat fresh, the bacon clung real well. I considered skipping the toothpicks, but it's nice to have something to hold on to when eating grilled appetizers. So, I did soak some toothpicks and stuck one through each MOINK ball before smoking.
Most people put the MOINK balls right on the grates, and I could have done that. But, I wanted to keep this really easy. Plus, I was smoking rather than grilling. With the indirect heat, I did not need to turn my MOINKs. So, I loaded them up in a grill wok - a vary handy barbecue accessory for small items.
Then I offset the charcoals in my PK grill which is a cast aluminum model that holds heat really well. These can also be grilled over direct heat but should be checked and turned. And, they can go in a traditional smoker with times being very close to what I did with a slow smoke in a grill with offset coals and the lid closed (vents open).
It took an hour and 20 minutes to smoke my MOINK balls. The temperatures outside were low though - upper 30s here in NC. So, I'd say to check them a little earlier than that and keep an eye out if grilling in warmer temperatures.
Also, if you want to add barbecue sauce to the MOINKs, do that the last 10 or 15 minutes of grilling or smoking - less time for grilling and more for smoking. You don't want traditional barbecue sauce (the thick kind) on there for the whole cook, or it will burn. Just sauce close the end, and that works out great.
The guys loved the MOINK balls, and I must say I was pretty proud and impressed with how they turned out. It can be hard to nail a new barbecue or grill recipe the first time, but these were spot on.
If you want a terrific grilled appetizer that is easy to make and tastes wonderful, then MOINKs are just the ticket. They will definately be on our rotation list of favorites on the grill.
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