BBQ BOOTCAMP - AUG 7TH

On a Saturday morning with the air temperature hot and the pit temperatures hotter, Rusted Truck Ranch hosted another BBQ Boot Camp on August 7th. The students gathered for a day long interactive session to expand their BBQ knowledge.

Class started at 9:30am with some coffee and introductions. We promptly began prep of brisket. With an expected cook time of 6 hours, we had to make sure and get this 12 pound cut on as soon as possible.

The large smoker was fired up around 7:30 am was humming along around 275 when the brisket went on around 10:15am. This was also the time when the first beer was cracked. Let’s be honest, it’s tough to cook without a cold beverage in your hand.

Our next focus was pork butt. We prepped 2 butts (about 4.5lbs each) rubbing them with yellow mustard and a heavy dose of Classic Cruiser. To get some variety in our smoker styles, we decided to cook the pork on a Komodo cooker and fired up the Grill Dome.

While waiting for the temp to climb, it was on to Beer Can Chicken. Some dry rub and the crack of another beer, the bird was ready to begin its slow smoke journey. When the Komodo cooker reached the optimum temp of 275, the butts and chickens hit the grill around 11:00am.

Rib prep was next. This is one of the most popular parts of the class as there are some great tips that will significantly improve the quality of your ribs. We seasoned and trimmed 3 racks of baby backs and 3 racks of spare ribs cut St. Louis style. The ribs went on next to the brisket around 11:30am, and with everything finally cooking, it was time to think about lunch. With the smokers full, we fired up the gas grill and grilled up about 4 dozen chicken wings rubbed in Classic Cruiser and Midnight Ride and tossed in RTR’s Signature BBQ Sauce.

While waiting for the 40lbs of meat to finish, we sampled a few different Texas Beers. The day wouldn’t have been complete without a taste of my favorite beer, Real Ale Rio Blanco Pale Ale. It’s a great summer beer, and in my opinion, goes well with any BBQ you are service. We also tasted some Shiner 101 and St. Arnold’s Summer Ale. Both are excellent choice.

The food needed some maintenance. We took time to wrap everything at their halfway points. This ensures we don’t over smoke the meat, and also aides in moisture retention. We also added some additional liquid to most of the cuts.

A few beers later, the parade of BBQ began to roll off the assembly line. Beer Can Chicken was first. We sampled the bird around 2:30pm, followed by a dose of baby back ribs around 3:15pm, St. Louis style spare ribs at 4:30.

Just as we were wiping the rib sauce from our face, the pulled pork was ready for tasting. It came off the pit at 5:00 and we shredded it with bear paws. After adding another light dusting of Classic Cruiser, it was ready to consumption. Last but not least was the brisket. It “rested” for about 45 minutes before carving and we made quick work of creating a plate full of both sliced and chopped brisket.

It was a great day with a great group of guys. And while it could have been a few degrees cooler, the fellowship, music, cold beer, and BBQ made for a fantastic event.

If you are interested in attending a future class, please email me at kyle@rustedtruckranch.com