Goo Gone Grill Cleaner Review - #GooGonePassionProject - Cleaning My New Weber Bullet

Goo Gone Grill Cleaner

Today I'm testing out Goo Gone Barbecue Grill Cleaner as part of the #GooGonePassionProject. You are probably wondering what I mean by the Goo Gone Passion Project.

This story dates back to early July when Amber emailed. She said Goo Gone had noticed my blog and my passion for grilling. "During the next few weeks, we’d like to send you a very cool, valuable item that we think you will really get excited about. The catch is that it will come with a little imperfection that will only take a few minutes to fix," she said in her email.

To be honest, I've seen emails like this, and the exciting "thing" has turned out to be an email photo. Photos are fine, but I can't really tell readers much about something I have not seen or used. That's what makes my blog special. I try things out at home with my family, and I share the best data that I can.

I do like to help readers, so if my schedule is not too packed, I'll try out most anything, unless I'm sure I won't like it. No fig barbecue sauce. I'm sorry. I just really hate figs. So, I don't think it's fair to test something when I know it's going to make me gaggy.

In the Goo Gone case, I just asked if this "something to fix" was related to barbecue. I don't want to spam my blog with random posts that don't add value for readers. Amber replied and said that the fixer upper would be in my content area. OK. I'll see what comes and if I can fix it. Am I not the most helpful blogger you read? I sure hope so (-:

Actually, I forgot about this email, since it had been a few weeks.

Then, the FedEx man pulls in right as I'm about to get in the shower. I think the FedEx man does this on purpose. I peek out the window with only my eyes showing and see that he puts a huge box right behind my Jeep. It's almost time to go to work, and I'm blocked in. So, I shower quickly and go to examine the big box.

Wow! There's a Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5 inch behind my Jeep. I didn't order a smoker. Has this dropped from heaven? No. I did see the FedEx man, but I am rather confused as I drag the smoker box in the garage.

I also have a small package compliments of the FedEx man, so I take that inside and quickly open it before I have to head off for work. The mystery is solved. Goo Gone explains that the smoker is part of the #GooGonePassionProject.

The Barbecue Master with Goo Gone and the Weber Bullet Smoker

Now, it's the weekend, so one of my guys puts the used Weber Smokey Mountain Bullet back together, since it's disassembled to fit back in the box.

I get the Goo Gone out and get ready to test out this new grill cleaner. The Weber smoker is great (of course - I have the small one), but my real task is to find out if Goo Gone actually works.

Dirty Weber Smokey Mountain - #GooGonePassionProject

First, let me say that Goo Gone did, indeed, send me a dirty smoker. That kind of cracks me up, since I've never had a company intentionally send something dirty. But, that's the whole point of the Goo Gone Passion Project - to see if the grill cleaner works. I could certainly come up with some dirty grills to test out. SHHHH. We won't tell my Mom that. She does not believe in dirt or spider webs or dust balls.

I can attest that the overall smoker was not totally cruded up, but the lid and grates clearly needed some elbow grease.

Down and Dirty - Quick and Easy with Goo Gone

The directions from Goo Gone Grill Cleaner say to spray on the product and wait for one to two minutes. Gotta love easy and quick. But . . . will this stuff work?

Putting Goo Gone to the Test

I squirt the Weber Bullet lid with the Goo Gone with visions of smoking something tomorrow and hoping that the grease does come off without a whole lot of work.

Time to See What Goo Gone Brings to the Table (or BBQ smoker)

I begin wiping as instructed, and the grease splatters wipe off easily. Goo Gone sent the cloth for cleaning as well, and I, being the frugal type, kind of cringe about using a brand spanking new dish type cloth on a greasy grill. But, I decide to follow all the directions. The Goo Gone towel is a regular towel though, so you don't need anything special to use the product.

Let's Get a Close Up of that Goo Gone in Action

Here you can see that I'm wiping the Weber Bullet. I'm using almost no pressure. I'm not sure you can see that, but I'm vibing my hand not being put to any real test here.

Mom Would Approve of This Clean Barbecue Smoker

Here you can see that my smoker from Goo Gone looks brand new. I could put it on the store floor, and I'm sure no one would guess that it had been used for a test smoke before the cleaning.

Yes. I Can See Myself in the Smoker (and you can too in this photo).

In case you aren't sure by the full shot or are blinded by the fact that I wear pink shorts with red shoes (not to confuse a barbecue blog with a fashion blog), here is the close up of the Weber lid. If you can see any grease, then I will get my reading glasses and go back out and check again.

That's my #GooGonePassionProject report.

I do thank Goo Gone for the Weber Bullet and for the Flip video cam and maybe I can get over my shy and do some video too soon. I splatted a turkey ball right in the middle of the last video attempt - not to mention some very random and spazzy out takes that I edited out.

As always, I tell it like it is (or how I see it anyway). Goo Gone Grill Cleaner took care of the grease on the WSM smoker with almost no effort on my part. I'll be trying it out on some of my other dirty grills and reporting back, but I'm going to go thumbs up. Goo Gone worked just as promised on the test drive, and I have looked high and low for grill cleaners. My "go to" prior has been Dawn dish washing liquid (great stuff - suggested by my plumber), but that's more work than this spray which did cut through and clean up the grease.

You can read more about the Goo Gone Passion Project and check out the other stories on the Goo Gone Facebook page.

Dizzy Pig - BBQ Rub Review - Excellent All Purpose Dizzy Dust

Dizzy Pig - Dizzy Dust All Purpose Barbecue Seasoning

Heather contacted me about trying out the Dizzy Pig line of barbecue rubs. I'd heard that they make really great rubs, so I was watching for the package to come in.

The package arrived, and the smell was fabulous. The Dizzy Dust All Purpose bottle and the sample packs of the other flavors were sealed up tight, but I still got that blast of "yum" smell.

Pork Chops Sprinkled with Dizzy Dust BBQ Rub

I decided to grill boneless pork chops, because they are quick and easy. Plus, I can really taste rubs or sauces and get the full effect with the chops which are very mild.

Some barbecue rubs are over the top on salt or heat or something, so I went light as you can see. I hate to tank a meal and end up breaking out a frozen pizza.

I should not have worried though . . .

Grilling Pork Chops Featuring Dizzy Dust by Dizzy Pig

Dizzy Pig uses all natural ingredients. They make these rubs fresh and with quality ingredients. And, it does make a difference.

The all purpose rub you see here is gluten free (and some of my family members can't eat gluten) and also has no MSG. It's also salt free which I thought might cut down on the flavor, but it didn't.

Even though I used a light hand seasoning my pork chops, the taste was just fabulous. The seasoning is robust on the one hand but not overpowering. I could easily see this barbecue seasoning being a "go to" for all types of meats, fish, potatoes, and vegetables. It just has an all round easy-on-the-mouth pop that made my pork chops rock even with a skimpy shake.

Next time I'll go heavier on Dizzy Pig. The barbecue mix is designed to crust on the meat with flavor. It did crust, but I would suggest shaking on more liberally. The best parts were the bites with the most Dizzy Dust.

I don't find many barbecue rubs that I go hog wild over. This is one that is spot on. A balanced and beautiful flavor. No strange flavor notes that push this one to the back of the cabinet. I can see why Dizzy Pig has won awards. It really is THAT GOOD. Yum.

College Son Learns to Grill Boneless Chicken Breasts Spiced Up with Country Chef Grilling Sauce

Youngest Son Gets Some Grilling Lessons Before Heading Off to College

My son headed off to college this week, and he said he'd like to learn a little about grilling beforehand. His older brother is getting in the grilling groove at UNC, and he's found that it's easy to make friends at college over a hot grill especially when the food is good.

I thought grilled boneless chicken breasts would be a good starter barbecue project. That's our fast food around here. Fire up the grill. Dinner is ready in minutes if you do the chicken filets or tenders. I wrote up the directions on How to Grill Boneless Chicken if you need some tips and help on that. I wrote out just what I told my son.

For the sauce, I pulled out Country Chef Grilling Sauce Honey Recipe. Country Chef is a 100% all natural recipe that tastes like homemade. Plus, my son loves honey. I wanted his first chicken grilling session to be a good one, and I trust this line of sauces which you can find at Ingles grocery and some other places now too.

Country Chef 100% All Natural Grilling Sauce - Honey Recipe

I told my son . . . OK first thing . . . you take a picture of the jar of sauce. He got a laugh out of that, because he knows that's what I do. I think and hope it makes it easier to find sauces and other products I talk about.

Eli got a pass on photo taking and picked up with the actual grilling. I watched and mentioned a few tips along the way, but he grilled up the chicken for dinner.

Grilled Chicken with Country Chef BBQ Sauce - My Son's First Time

I think my son got the grilling gene and probably a good general idea about how to successfully grill just from watching and helping out over the years. His barbecue chicken turned out beautiful, and it did taste as good as it looked. Any sauce can be used, but the sauce is pretty key on boneless chicken breasts. I'm glad I pulled out Country Chef Honey for his last week home and working on his grilling skills.

Now I'm home alone, and it sure is quiet. I can grill for one, but I had a night class so I didn't fire up tonight. I'll be back on the grill again soon - of course. I'm not really hungry just yet, because it's hard when your last kid moves off. Where is that box of Kleenex anyway?

I am excited for my son, and I'm sure he'll do great at Catawba College. It was fun to pass along the barbecue torch, and I'll look forward to when he comes home, and we can grill some more together.

Barbecue Sauce Experts Tell All (or most) on Hot Sauce Weekly Podcast

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.

Wilber's BBQ Restaurant Goldsboro North Carolina - Barbecue Restaurant Review

Welcome to Wilber's BBQ Restaurant in Goldsboro, NC

Wilber's BBQ restaurant is an iconic eastern-style North Carolina wood burning barbecue restaurant, so I was pretty stoked about getting to stop by and try out some chopped pork when we headed to the beach for vacation. Wilber's is right on 70 on the way, so it was a no brainer to time for a lunch stop on the way to Emerald Isle.

Wood Burning Pit at Wilber's BBQ in Goldsboro NC

Wilber's is clearly a classic barbecue joint. It's out in the country even if on the highway. You can see the pit above where they slow smoke whole hogs which is the eastern style of barbecue in North Carolina. Western (or Lexington style) North Carolina barbcue is shoulders or Boston butts.

I've read that Goldboro gave Wilber's a grandfather clause so that they can continue to wood burn and slow smoke the barbecue, but once Wilber Shirley is gone, they have to shift to gas smoking. That's a shame, and I sure do hate to see our wood burners slowly go away. You just can't beat the real deal.

Sunday Crowd at Wilber's Barbecue Joint

The parking lot was packed when we got to Wilber's, but we didn't have to wait very long. We hit the far end of the Sunday crowd.

An older gentleman was at the front door greeting. He was super nice and friendly. He said something funny like that we'd only have to wait three days. I suspect he may have been Mr. Shirley, but I'm not certain on that. It was a good start though.

Hush Puppies at Wilber's BBQ

I've heard that the hushpuppies at Wilber's are awesome. They are free like nacho chips at many Mexican restaurants. When the waitress came out, she brought a bowl and put them on the table.

My guys go wild for hush puppies, and I'm a pretty big fan myself, so we were all pretty excited to get the bowl and try them out.

Perhaps they left something out of the hushpuppy recipe the day we visited. They were really bland. It is also possible that the oil had not been changed. In any case, I think this was the only trip we've ever made to a barbecue restaurant where the hush puppies went begging. We all tried them, but no one got very excited about those hush puppies. They were just kind of like cardboard.

Also, we did not have butter on our table. I don't put butter on my hushpuppies, but the guys usually do. Since we didn't see our waitress again for a while, we snagged a bowl of butter from an empty table. That didn't help much apparently, because we still had hush puppies left in the bowl, and the table next to us had two big bowls of hushpuppies that just sat there getting cold.

Oh well. Hushpuppies can be great, but we were at Wilber's for the pork barbecue meat.

Chopped Barbecue Sandwich Plate at Wilber's

Since it was lunch time, we went with the barbecue sandwich plate which comes with French fries. I did get a side of Brunswick stew (which was quite good). There are other sides like potato salad which looks close to mashed potatoes (with tiny chunks of potato) and slaw that is mayo based with some hot sauce and green beans (but it's garden bean season - hard to compete with that).

First, let me say that the price is a real deal. I am always amazed that North Carolina slow smoked barbecue sells at such a low price, when the work is so labor intensive.

The barbecue at Wilber's comes out sans sauce. The sauce is on the table, and they offer the eastern style which is vinegar with some hot pepper seeds. They had a milder one (ligher colored) and a hotter one (darker color).

Vinegar Based Barbecue Sauces at Wilber's

We all dove right in to our barbecue sandwiches. The meat did have a nice smoke flavor, and the general chop was good (medium). North Carolina is not pulled pork; it's chopped with knives. This is more labor intensive, and it's a nicer texture in my book.

I was enjoying my Wilber's chopped barbecue sandwich when I hit a blob of fat. This was not a little blob. It was close to the size of a ping pong ball. OK. I opened the bun and got a second fat blob out of there. I was hoping that I got the only fat ball sandwich, but three of the five sandwiches also had the fat hunks. That's not good.

My older son got a bite of pig skin. No. It was not outside brown. It was the slimy type of skin that is in a fold and is pretty gross. That pretty much did him in on the meal.

Then my younger son said, "Hey, there's a bone in here." I thought he had to be mistaken, but he was not. He did have a bone about an inch and a half long in his barbecue sandwich.

Whole hog is a challenge, but Wilber's has a reputation for being a master at slow smoking full pigs. I can see how some crud might make it through the chopping. You've got a lot of pig and a lot of chopping to do. But, this barbecue was bunned up or plated, and there's really no excuse for huge fat chunks, skin, and bones to be in serving sizes the size that go on buns.

I'd also note that one member of our group got a gross soggy bun with his barbecue sandwich. No. This was NOT after he sauced his meat. It appeared that buns were microwaved (which is fine) to heat them, but this bun must have been in the bottom corner of the plastic bag and caught all the moisture, so it was flat out drippy. We should have sent it back, but my brother just won't complain even when he gets a drippy bun.

Wilber's Barbecue Restaurant

I do respect that Wilber's is an old school wood burning barbecue restaurant. We were warmly greeted. The place did have the real deal feel. But, if you bite into a hunk of Crisco-like fat, rubbery skin, or an actual pig bone in a sandwich, then it kind of wrecks the mood. Four of the five plates had those problems. While I'd guess that is not typical, not one member of our group gave a thumbs up or wants to go back.

Bummer. I certainly wanted to love Wilber's. I'm very disappointed that this one does not make my "visit again" list, but I still have visions of the pork junk in the meat dancing in my head. I got the fat blob, and that was not a great dining moment when I sank my teeth into that globber.

Grilled Pork Chops with Morrocan Sauce - Hot and Spicy

Grilled Pork Chops with Harissa Moroccan Sauce

Last night we spiced things up with barbecue grilled pork chops slathered in Robert Rothschild Farm Harissa Moroccan Sauce. This is another of my purchases with the birthday gift card my son gave me to A Southern Season (gourmet food and cooking store) in Chapel Hill, NC.

If you're not familiar with Harissa, it's kind of the catsup of Tunisia in north Africa, but it's been trending in Morocco. It's a tomato product with various spices and chilis, and it's typically quite spicy; styles vary by area and the cook or chef. Harissa sauces are used in cooking and also used as condiments.

Pork Chops Marinating in Harissa Moroccan Sauce

Someone (who will remain unnamed) picked me up some pork chops to grill but got the real thin cuts. Those are hard to grill. They grill so fast that saucing them is pretty difficult. The sauce just won't set up in the time they take to grill. So, I have been using marinades and seasonings on my thin grilled pork chops.

The Robert Rothschild Farm Moroccan Sauce is not specifically a marinade, but it's thin enough that it works fine. The texture and body is similar to salsa.

I put the pork chops in with the Moroccan Sauce for about a half hour before I put the meat on the Char-Broil Urban Grill.

Pork Chops Grilling with Harissa Moroccan Sauce

I put the pork chops on the hot grates (preheated about 10 minutes) and flipped them after about 5 minutes. They had nice grill marks at that point, but chunks of tomatoes don't exactly set up on pork chops. So, I topped the grilled up side with a little more of the Moroccan sauce.

With the grill lid down on lower heat (again for around 5 minutes), the pork chops finished off, and the sauce got nice and hot and spread out across the top of the pork chops.

Wow! This was a flavor explosion. Morocco is known for spicy hot food, and this sauce is no exception. It has several kinds of hot chilis in the sauce. It was really zippy but a nice flavor (sweet hot - not bitter hot).

Only the heat freaks were home for dinner, and everyone thought the Moroccan Sauce was great. I would not serve it to my younger son who does not like spicy food, and I'd not use it for a general party, unless I had some mild foods for an option. But, for those who like some fire in the flavor, this one rocks it. Quite hot but just a lovely flavor mix with the spices.

Rothschild Farm Harissa Moroccan Sauce

Here's the Moroccan Sauce that we used on our pork chops. I know it's easier to know what the bottle looks like rather than go in the store and try to find something you've not seen before.

How Noah Greenberg Picked His Perfect Grill with Grill Comparison

How do you decide which grill is your best buy? That’s a question that many consumers ask. Today, Noah shares his story about picking out a grill that works best for him and for his grilling needs.

Noah Greenberg Loves His New Napoleon Grill Found with Grill Comparison


How I Selected my Gas Grill
By Noah Greenberg

When recently on a mission to find a new grill to buy, I had a striking revelation; getting a new barbeque is an amazingly exciting, yet daunting process. Although I was sad to see the old one part (too many memories, too many steaks), all I could think about was what the new one would look like, what features it would have (who wouldn’t want a grease managing system?), and of course, what would be the first thing I cooked on it.

Gas Barbeque Grill Comparison Tool

The truth is, there are hundreds of gas grills out there, and not all grills are created equal. Fortunately, I used this great new Grill Comparison released by FindTheBest to compare my options. FindTheBest compares just about everything, and their new Gas Grill Comparison really provides a great way to compare your options. With over 140 grills to compare, they’ve got all the top manufacturers, and then some.

There are plenty of different things to think about when researching new grills, and fortunately the tool covers them all. Sift through your options by Fuel Type, MSRP, Features, number of burners and more. You can even filter by the cheapest grills, then click a few features that you’re looking for and see what grills show up in the search results.

Finally, with a unique BTU’s per square inch feature, you can even ensure that you’re not getting a grill with a huge cooking area but no burner power.

Next time you’re in the market for a barbeque, make sure to check out this grill comparison tool to see what’s out there that fits exactly what you’re looking for.

Not Exactly Sure What Grill Is Right For You?

There’s even a fantastic Guide Me feature that lets you pick how much you value certain features, and FindTheBest will suggest six grills that fit your preferences. That’s how I picked my grill, and these six grills were suggested, and I ended up with the Napoleon Ultra Chef. Napoleon isn’t paying me, but I’ll just say that I may have found the best…

Country Chef Grilling Sauce Original Recipe - BBQ Sauce Review

Grilled Chicken with Country Chef Original Sauce

We enjoyed some delicious Country Chef original barbecue sauced chicken before we headed out to the beach (what fun - that). It was a quick and easy meal that is much faster than fast food, since we live out in the country and have to drive into town to get carry out.

Mike sent me his set of sauces to check out, and I grilled pork chops with his Country Chef Chipotle for our first grill out with the sauce collection. I'm a sucker for heat, and I didn't find the sauce to be very hot but was quite impressed with how it was so fresh and like home canned.

The original flavor has the same small batch look and feel, and it is a little milder in terms of heat than the first one I tried. I don't see this as a heat freak line, and since it's available at some grocery stores now like Ingles, then it would be pretty crazy to go scorching the mainstream population. I find few people who really go wild for flavors that make them break a sweat, but there are a few of us . . . On the flip side, I adore good and balanced flavor in general, and Country Chef nails that.

Chicken Off the Grill with Country Chef BBQ Sauce

Our quick grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts with Country Chef original sauce hit the spot before we left and ended up eating a lot of road food and sandwiches on vacation. The chicken really doesn't have a whole lot of flavor plain, but it's healthy. When you add a nice sauce like Country Chef's, then the grilled meal then pops.

What I love about Country Chef sauces is that they do taste like they were made out in the country by someone who cares and knows how to make canned foods. The grilling sauces are excellent, but I think I like them even more as condiments on the table. So, you can consider these great table dips as well. We just did a combo - grilled with the sauce and then added more at the table.

Country Chef Grilling Sauce

It's dark outside, so I can't get a nice shot of the original Country Chef Grilling Sauce. Here is what the jar looks like (for the chipolte), so you can eyeball it know what to look for when you go shopping for tasty barbecue sauce.

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Meatballs with Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Fischer & Wiser 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.

Raspberry Barbecue Sauce

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.

MOINKs Ready to Go on the Grill to Slow Smoke

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.

Sauced Up Barbecue Meatballs with Bacon

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.

Grilled Meatballs with Raspberry BBQ Sauce

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.

Durn Good Ann's Marinade Review - A Very Different Grilling Marinade

Durn Good Ann's Marinade by D.J. Hoch's of North Carolina

If you are looking for a different flavored grilling marinade, then Durn Good Ann's Marinade definately fits the bill.

This is one of the products that I got with a birthday gift certificate my son gave me for A Southern Season which is a really great gourmet food and cooking store in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. My son took me over when I was there to visit, and I had a blast getting products that I certainly can't find here in a small town.

It's hard to find good marinades and especially hard to find any that really are unique. We often use Kraft Zesty Italian dressing which works quite well, but I like to have different flavors so that our foods don't end up all tasting the same time after time.

The Durn Good Ann's Marinade says "A Cumin Spiced Taste Bud Treat" on the bottle. I think that's what caught my eye when I was at the store and browsing the marinade and barbecue sauce isle.

The Durn Good marinade was developed by the owner of the company and was initially mixed up for wild game. It's listed as a marinade for chicken, dove, pork, and quail. The directions call for marinating overnight, but if you're doing boneless, skinless chicken like I did, then you don't need that much marinating time. I just marinated the chicken around an hour.

Grilled Chicken on a Weber Kettle with Durn Good Marinade

When I opened the bottle of Ann's Durn Good Marinade, it definately smelled different from other marinades I'd used. I've never had marinade with cumin as a keynote, and I doubt I would have guessed the scent even though I use cumin in chili and other hearty dishes.

I grilled the boneless chicken breasts as usual sans barbecue saucing, since I wanted to taste the flavor of the marinade.

The chicken smelled really good grilling, and the marinade which also includes soy sauce really browned up nice as the chicken was grilling.

Grilled Chicken with NC Durn Good Marinade

I never say much about the products I'm using when I grill before serving and letting everyone try out the food. I don't want to slant the reactions.

When I took my first bite of the chicken, I thought, "Hum. Yes. This is different."

The guys all noted the same.

It took a few bites to really adjust and get a feel and taste for this marinade, since it's unlike anything else I've put on grilled chicken before.

We continued with our dinner and were just chatting like usual. The plate of chicken was disappearing pretty fast. By the end of the meal, I'd decided that Durn Good marinade was a keeper. I asked the guys what they thought after the meal. Thumbs up all 'round.

If you don't like to branch out much when you're grilling, then you may not want to go with Durn Good Ann's Marinade. It certainly is unique. It took my family a few bites to really appeciate the flavors and react.

It would be interesting to try this on wild game as was the original intent. I don't have any, but I would think the bold flavors would go well with wild meat. I don't see deer specifically listed, but I could see this marinade mixed with my venison mini meatloafs on the grill.

1001 Best Grilling Recipes by Rick Browne - BBQ Grilling Book Review

1,001 Best Grilling Recipes by Rick Browne

Rick Browne, from the PBS grilling TV series "Barbecue America," has put together the biggest collection of grilling recipes I've seen to date. His book is around an inch and half thick and packed full of page after page of recipes for the barbecue grill.

Jali asked if I'd like to try out Rick's new book (this is his 8th). I'm always looking for new grilling ideas and recipes, and I figured there would have to be many things I'd not tried with 1001 grilling recipes.

I was correct. I play around with my grills all the time, but I found loads of new ideas in this grill cookbook. Rockport Lobster and Shrimp Burgers - yum! Then, there's a whole chapter on game birds, goosse, and duck. That's an area where I've not really ventured, but I'm looking forward to trying some of those recipes but probably when the weather gets a little cooler.

The sections in 1,001 Best Grilling Recipes include:

Appetizers
Beer
Burgers
Chicken
Fish and Shellfish
Game Birds, Goose, and Duck
Hot Dogs and Sausages
Lamb
Marinades
Pork
Rubs and Seasonings
Sauces
Side Dishes
Turkey
Wild Game
Desserts

The book is also indexed well which makes it much easier to use than some grilling cookbooks I've checked out.

Inside 1001 Best Grilling Recipes

Do note that this is not an "eye candy" cookbook. You do not get the coffee table effect with big, slick pages and full color photos.

This is an actual grilling cookbook packed with recipes - page after page of recipes. For those who know the basics of grilling, then this is an ideal way to get new ideas and recipes. For beginning grillers, then perhaps a more basic grilling book would be the best starting point and then this cookbook offers many ways to branch out and step it up once the basics are mastered.

Barbecue Base by Shirley J - Mix and Make Your Own BBQ Sauce or Great for RV or Camping

BBQ Sauce Mix by Shirley J

When Amanda contacted me about Shirley J's just-add-water (or whatever you like) BBQ Sauce Mix, I was curious. I could see the ideas for making custom barbecue sauce mixes or for traveling, camping, or RVing with barbecue sauce mix (without the weight and glass bottles). Amanda asked if I'd like to try it out and share my thoughts with Barbecue Master blog readers, and I thought this would be a really good product to check out.

The container of BBQ Sauce Mix came in, and it's a generous container of sauce mix. The container you see above is about 8 inches high and around 4 inches all around. With the standard mix of one part Shirley J BBQ Sauce Mix to three parts water, that's a lot of barbecue sauce in the cabinet and ready to make fresh whenever I want.

Grilled Chicken with Shirley J BBQ Sauce Mix

I often test out barbecue sauces with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or grilled chicken tenders. They are easy to grill, quick, and I can really taste the flavors of barbecue sauces, since the chicken is mild as far as flavor grilled this way.

It was super simple to put 1/4 cup of the Shirley J BBQ Sauce Mix in a mixing cup and then top it off with water to the one cup measure and stir well. The result was a nice basic barbecue sauce close to a mop sauce in terms of texture. In other words, the sauce was fairly thin (like traditional NC barbecue sauces) at one part powder to three parts water. But, you can use more powder for a thicker sauce or use other ingredients to make variations.

The flavor of the Shirley J BBQ Sauce Mix was nice. This is one that would be fine for all family and friends. It's mild but does have flavor.

On the second grill, I used Shirley J BBQ Mix but mixed it with butter and beer on burgers. I heated my custom mixture in a sauce pan and then let the burgers sit in the homemade mix marinade. Again, the sauce was good.

Ideas for Using Shirley J Just-Add-Water BBQ Sauce Mix

I checked out the Shirley J web site and also the sales brochure (which you see above). The company provides good ideas and recipes for using the mixes. That's always nice.

The thing I like best about the barbcue sauce mix is that it keeps on the shelf and travels really well. That's great for people who camp or RV and also if you don't go through a whole lot of barbecue sauce quick (like I do).

The second big plus I see is that this is a base barbecue sauce, and you can add your own signature to the sauce. Be creative with the liquids and with seasonings and such. You can have a new experience for every cook out or can keep track and keep adjusting until you hit on the perfect barbecue sauce for your own personal tastes.

Potato Grill Pack with Shirley J Onion Seasoning

Amanda also included some Onion Seasoning by Shirley J. I generally have fresh onions, but I didn't last week. I was making an aluminum foil pack of potatoes to go on the grill, and I wanted some flavor. I sprinkled on the Shirley J Onion Seasoning, and that worked out really well on our potato grill packs. Again, this is a nice shelf or travel option over fresh vegetables. And, it saved me a trip to the grocery store.

Shirley J has been around since 1978 (oh - the memories from that year), but they are just now offering the mixes to home cooks and grillers. They had been focusing on restaurants, so you may well have had some of these products when you've been eating out. Now, you can get the mixes at home and for travel.

Shirley J has loads of mixes including ones for breads and also sauces. One that caught my eye was the Universal Sauce. That one can be used to make white sauces or to make gravy with biscuits. I make homemade biscuits and gravy, but it's a lot of work especially for a big group. One of the ladies at church who is a great cook told me that making white gravy for a group works out better if you "get a mix" and keep it warming in a crock pot. I suspect she has discovered Shirley J. I'll have to ask next time I see her.

Special Preview - Guy Fieri's Cuban-Style Grilled Spare Ribs with Mojo Sauce

Just in time for the weekend, here's a special preview of the not-yet-released grill recipe from Guy Fieri provided by the National Pork Board.

As you may know, I enjoy grilling pork from boneless pork chops to loins with bacon weaves, and I'm looking forward to trying out Fieri's spare ribs as well as his new barbecue sauces just out in 2011.

Cuban-Style Grilled Spare Ribs with Mojo Sauce

Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri on behalf of the National Pork Board


Cuban-Style Grilled Spare Ribs with Mojo Sauce

* 8 pounds pork spare ribs, trimmed of excess surface fat, silverskin removed, cut into 5 or 6 slabs

* 2 tablespoons granulated garlic

* 1 tablespoon kosher salt

* 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Mojo Sauce

* 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

* 1/3 cup fresh orange juice

* 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

* 3 garlic cloves, minced

* 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

* 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

* 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

* 1 tablespoon honey

* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to Make and Grill Fieri's Cuban-Style Spare Ribs


Preheat an outdoor grill for indirect medium heat. For a gas grill, remove cooking grates. Preheat grill on high. Turn one burner off. Place disposable aluminum foil pan over off burner and add 2 cups water. Replace grates. Adjust heat to medium (350°F). For a charcoal grill, place disposable aluminum foil pan on one side of charcoal grate; add 2 cups water. Build fire on opposite side, and let burn until coals are coated with white ash. Spread coals in grill opposite pan and let burn 15-20 minutes. Position cooking grate in grill.

Mix granulated garlic, salt, and pepper a together in a small bowl to make a basic seasoning mix (the bright, bold flavor will come later from the mojo sauce). Season ribs all over, rubbing seasoning into the ribs well. Arrange ribs over foil pan (a rib rack works great) and cover the grill. Grill, turning occasionally, until the ribs are nicely browned and the meat is beginning to pull away from the bones, about 1 1/2 hours. (For a charcoal grill, add 12 briquettes to coals after 45 minutes.) This gets the ribs nice and smoky for a great base flavor.

Carefully transfer ribs to a platter. Wrap each slab in a double thickness of aluminum foil. Crimp foil edges to seal packet. Return the ribs to indirect medium heat. (For charcoal grill, add 12 more briquettes to coals.) Cover and grill ribs until very tender (caused by steam in foil), about 1 hours.

Meanwhile, make mojo sauce. Process ingredients in blender into smooth sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning once more just before serving. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

Return ribs to platter. Carefully unwrap ribs--the ribs will be very steamy and hot, so take care--and discard foil. (Ribs can be prepared up to 1 hour ahead at this point. Or cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.)

Prepare a hot fire in grill. (For a charcoal grill, build a fresh fire, let burn until coals are covered with ash.) Return unwrapped ribs to grill and cover. Grill, flipping occasionally, until sizzling, 6 to 8 minutes.

Transfer ribs to a carving board and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into individual ribs and place on a clean platter. Serve ribs with mojo sauce, allowing each guest to spoon sauce over ribs to taste.

Prep: 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours
Serves: 6

Nutritional Information per Serving:

Calories: 670 Fat: 34g Saturated Fat: 9g
Cholesterol: 275mg Sodium: 1210mg Carbohydrates: 7g
Protein: 78g Fiber: 0g

Summer Fun BBQ Giveaway - Gear and GC - Enter by 7/10/2011

The 4th of July has come and gone, but the good times still roll with my Barbecue Master Summer Fun BBQ giveaway. I'm really excited about this contest and all the great prizes.

Prize Bundle List - WOW! - Great Stuff You Can Win

* Guy’s new cookbook- Guy Fieri Food: Cookin’ It, Livin’ It, Lovin’ It

* Four (4) big, bold BBQ sauces featured in Guy's BBQ Sampler Set

* The ultimate grilling tool set

* Digital thermometer

* $25 American Express gift card to purchase pork or what you want at a local retailer

Food: Cookin' It, Livin' It, Lovin' It by Guy Fieri

You'll find lots of inspiration in Guy Fieri's new cookbook. This is a big hardback cookbook packed full of yummy recipes and great photos.

Inside Guy Fieri's New Cookbook

Doesn't this Red Rocker Margarite Chicken look delicious? It's just one of many recipes in the cookbook ranging from poultry and seafood to pizza/pasta and dishes especially for kids.

Guy Fieri's New Line of Barbecue Sauces

In addition to the Fieri cookbook, you'll also get the sampler of his barbecue sauces. Readers may recall that I reviewed his North Carolina #6 which is a really nice sauce reflective of my area of the country.

Get Your Grill on with a Nice Barbecue Tool Set

When you're out at the grill saucing up some pork chops or chicken, you need tools. The gift bundle also includes this heavy duty BBQ tool collection.

Add a Digital Thermometer to that Prize Pack

To make sure that all your grilled foods come out perfect, you also get a ditial grill thermometer.

Hungry Yet?

Now, I'll bet you're hungry. You're in luck again, because this prize pack also includes a $25 gift card, so you can pick up some pork to fire up on the grill.

Holy cow (or perhaps I should say pig), that are some great prizes. And one lucky reader will get the whole package.

How to Enter the Barbecue Master Summer Fun Barbecue Giveaway

I'm a hobby barbecue blogger and like to keep these contests simple and low tech.

To enter, all you need to do is go to comments and give other readers a tip for grilling pork or if you don't have any tips, then just tell me why you'd like to win this giveaway prize pack. I do moderate the comments, so you don't get stuck reading spam or seeing naughty links. So, you won't see your comment immediatly. I have to get on and approve each one, but I do that often.

Yes. Simple as that. Just leave a comment, and you are entered. Be sure to leave some way to get in touch though, because I'll need to get a mailing address from the winner. That's the only data I gather or give out - just the winner and just so the prize can be mailed.

I know some readers like extra entry options, so if you Tweet, Facebook, or blog about the contest, you get extra slips in the hat. Just leave a comment letting me know that you added an extra entry. And, yes, you can do all three if you like.

The contest will run through July 10, 2011 EST 11:59 pm. The winner will be pulled on the 11th to start the week off really nice for a lucky Barbecue Master winner.

Winners will need to be from the U.S. due to shipping. I do appreciate my wonderful international readers and wish it were easier to ship out.

Note: The National Pork Board will be providing the gifts; however, I serve as the sponsor for the contest. I'm not connected with the Pork Council or any of the prize companies. I did get the same prize as being offered to a reader (those photos you see that I put up).

THANKS to everyone who entered and for the great pork grilling tips. My son drew the name, and Tom won this gift package. Congratulations Tom.

I don't keep contact lists, but there is an automatic email update over to the right side. Keep an eye out. I host giveaways now and then and enjoy having the chance to see someone win a nice gift like this package provided by the National Pork Board.

How to Grill Boneless Pork Chops

Pork Chops Marinating in Allegro Marinade

Boneless pork chops are one of our favorite meats to grill out, because they are quick and easy. They can be expensive, but I just keep an eye out for sales and stock up.

Since boneless pork chops don't have a bone and almost no fat, they can dry out. You need to grill them quick and watch close, and it also helps to marinate the boneless pork chops. Marinade tenderizes, adds flavor, helps prevent sticking, and keeps the meat moist.

You can make your own marinade or use bottled Kraft Zesty Italian dressing or a specific marinade product. I've been disappointed in many of the products marketed as grilling marinades, because some of them overpower the meat and don't have great flavors either. My favorite marinades are by Allegro and particularly the spicy, teriyaki, and soy/lime. Above you see the raspberry chipolte, but that one was sweeter and fruitier than I like.

Boneless Pork Chops on the PK grill (Porable Kitchen Outdoor Cooker)

Last night I grilled our pork chops over charcoal on the PK grill, but they can be done over gas or electric. Actually, it's easier to go with gas or electric when grilling something that needs to be done quick. You can more easily regulate the heat and can get prettier grill lines. On the other hand, you get the fabulous smoked flavor if you use charcoal.

With my charcoal, I offset. This means that I put the charcoal on one end but not on the other end. This means that I have a good hot area and then a cooler area. Offset makes grilling so much easier. You can do the same basic thing with gas if you have more than one burner area. Just have part of the grill turned on. The cool side will still get hot but not hot like over direct grill flames.

Boneless Pork Chops Grilling

After the pork chops brown on one side and you see some white cooked color coming up the side over high heat, then flip the pork chops and sear off the other side. Then slide them off the really hot heat where they will quickly finish off.

The FDA has now officially stated that pork at 145 degrees F is safe, so you can grill to what would be considered a medium rare or a bit longer for all white but still moist pork chops. I like pork cooked medium rare or just at well done, but the boys prefer well done (but still juicy).

A thermometer can help as you learn to grill boneless pork chops, but I just give it the eyeball test. Once the side begin to turn white and I flip the chops, then they are within a couple of minutes of being done. This is on pork chops around 1/2 inch thin. You'd need a grill a bit longer with thick cut boneless pork chops. Still, the time is not long. I'd say I had these pork chops on and off in about 15 minutes with some extra time offset while I was juggling some tin foil grilled potatoes.

Moist and Delicious Boneless Pork Chops Right Off the Grill

Here are our grilled boneless pork chops. You can see that they still have plenty of juice even grilled at well done.

We also like to add barbecue sauce to boneless pork chops. Barbecue sauce can be brushed on right as the pork chops go on the grill, since they are thin and don't take long to grill. Sauces give you many flavor options, and you can eat boneless pork chops often and still feel like you're having different meals when you use different barbecue sauces and/or marinades.