# Smoked BBQ



## spinfastr (Oct 8, 2012)

Hi Everyone,

Just interested if the Spaniards or Expats like American smoked barbeque and meats (baby back ribs ,tri-tip, smoke sausage, cowboy chili .....)Let me know your thoughts. 
Thanks 
spinfastr


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

spinfastr said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> Just interested if the Spaniards or Expats like American smoked barbeque and meats (baby back ribs ,tri-tip, smoke sausage, cowboy chili .....)Let me know your thoughts.
> Thanks
> spinfastr


I don't even know what tri-tip is..... We do BBQ a lot though, pretty much every day in the summer

what makes you ask?


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Correct my if I'm wrong but the American interpretation of a BBQ is to slow cook meat over a wood fire, while in Europe a BBQ is much more generic - anything outdoors involving fire.

I have only tried to do pulled pork, something a tried (and loved) in Hard Rock Cafe. My main problem was getting hold of the right cut of pork shoulder. The rest was straight foward - it just takes time. With the help of the internet I'm dabbling a lot more in American cooking - the traditional recipes - some of them sound really good.


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## spinfastr (Oct 8, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> I don't even know what tri-tip is..... We do BBQ a lot though, pretty much every day in the summer
> 
> what makes you ask?



It's the tip cut of a brisket when slow smoked will fall apart and you make a sandwich or serve with chili beans and coleslaw (American thing)


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## spinfastr (Oct 8, 2012)

Chopera said:


> Correct my if I'm wrong but the American interpretation of a BBQ is to slow cook meat over a wood fire, while in Europe a BBQ is much more generic - anything outdoors involving fire.
> 
> I have only tried to do pulled pork, something a tried (and loved) in Hard Rock Cafe. My main problem was getting hold of the right cut of pork shoulder. The rest was straight foward - it just takes time. With the help of the internet I'm dabbling a lot more in American cooking - the traditional recipes - some of them sound really good.


Yes, you are correct. The trick is to cook with indirect heat and smoke and hold the temperature under 215deg F. and any part of the shoulder will do. a 2Kg piece would take about 4-6 hours once the meat tear s off, it ready shred and mix with BBQ sauce.  ooppps almost forgot put a good rub on the meat before cooking.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

spinfastr said:


> Yes, you are correct. The trick is to cook with indirect heat and smoke and hold the temperature under 215deg F. and any part of the shoulder will do. a 2Kg piece would take about 4-6 hours once the meat tear s off, it ready shred and mix with BBQ sauce.  ooppps almost forgot put a good rub on the meat before cooking.


I used this recipe for my pulled pork:

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/perfect-pulled-pork-slow-roasted-seasoned-savory.html

I put too much chillie powder in my rub (or rather my chillie powder was probably hotter than average) and I couldn't find any onion powder, but that's rather minor. Also I cooked it in my oven and I'd never used it to cook at such low temperatures. I've noticed Americans use those thermometers that you can stick in the meat and I could probably have done with one. I wasn't sure if I was cooking the pig or just giving it a nice tan! Tasted good though.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

There are already a bunch of "American" restaurants here that serve that type of food. Check out Foster's Hollywood, VIPs, or Ribs. 

After five years here, I've found my own ways to make my own if I'm craving something. Maybe it would be more popular in Madrid, but I know I wouldn't pay higher prices just to get "American" meat.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

elenetxu said:


> There are already a bunch of "American" restaurants here that serve that type of food. Check out Foster's Hollywood, VIPs, or Ribs.
> 
> After five years here, I've found my own ways to make my own if I'm craving something. Maybe it would be more popular in Madrid, but I know I wouldn't pay higher prices just to get "American" meat.


so there are!!

it's true - once you've been here a while you do find ways of making things yourself, or at least adapting recipes

we have one of those what I call 'huge American gas barbecues' - it has a spit & I very often use that, & you can use it as an oven too, so it gets used all year round - in summer though mostly for grilling - it's so easy to just throw something on it & put salad on the table


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

elenetxu said:


> There are already a bunch of "American" restaurants here that serve that type of food. Check out Foster's Hollywood, VIPs, or Ribs.
> 
> After five years here, I've found my own ways to make my own if I'm craving something. Maybe it would be more popular in Madrid, but I know I wouldn't pay higher prices just to get "American" meat.


Foster's Hollywood & VIPs are all over Madrid but I think they're what Americans would call a grill rather than a BBQ? If I want a grilled steak then I'd go to the Spanish places I know, they get very good quality meat (especially buey) and know how cook it. Also there are a few Brazilian rodizios scattered around Madrid that are possibly closer to an American BBQ? I'm guessing a bit as I've never really tried one, but they tend to cook the meat slowly on a spit.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

If you're going to do a proper barbecue (it originates from the Caribbean islands), you dig a pit, put various woods (some aromatic) set light to it early in the morning, let the blaze die down, put your marinaded meat (usually a whole animal) on a rack over the hot embers and cover the pit with thick fleshy leaves (e.g. banana) and leave for several hours. Part way through, you add a few more aromatic wood chips and baste the meat with more marinade. The woods and the juices falling onto the embers give the smoke and flavours to the meat.

Alternatively if you want a really slow cooked and fork tender meat use a slow cooker as I do. SWMBO is usually teaching on a Saturday morning so I prepare lunch the evening before, set the timer to come on at about 3am for ten hours and lunch is ready to serve at 1pm. Even some of the cheapest supermarket meat is as tender and melt in the mouth as you could ever wish for and all the flavours are infused through the meat and whatever vegetables, pulses, rice, etc is in the pot


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Chopera said:


> Foster's Hollywood & VIPs are all over Madrid but I think they're what Americans would call a grill rather than a BBQ? If I want a grilled steak then I'd go to the Spanish places I know, they get very good quality meat (especially buey) and know how cook it. Also there are a few Brazilian rodizios scattered around Madrid that are possibly closer to an American BBQ? I'm guessing a bit as I've never really tried one, but they tend to cook the meat slowly on a spit.


Ribs, at least, has a bbq or at least the burgers sure taste like it. 

I'm spoiled. My brother has his own cows. Even the best Spanish meet doesn't cut it for me.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> If you're going to do a proper barbecue (it originates from the Caribbean islands), you dig a pit, put various woods (some aromatic) set light to it early in the morning, let the blaze die down, put your marinaded meat (usually a whole animal) on a rack over the hot embers and cover the pit with thick fleshy leaves (e.g. banana) and leave for several hours. Part way through, you add a few more aromatic wood chips and baste the meat with more marinade. The woods and the juices falling onto the embers give the smoke and flavours to the meat.
> 
> Alternatively if you want a really slow cooked and fork tender meat use a slow cooker as I do. SWMBO is usually teaching on a Saturday morning so I prepare lunch the evening before, set the timer to come on at about 3am for ten hours and lunch is ready to serve at 1pm. Even some of the cheapest supermarket meat is as tender and melt in the mouth as you could ever wish for and all the flavours are infused through the meat and whatever vegetables, pulses, rice, etc is in the pot


It's your fault that I'm seriously considering a slow cooker. Do you have any resources for slow cooker recipes in Spain?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

elenetxu said:


> It's your fault that I'm seriously considering a slow cooker. Do you have any resources for slow cooker recipes in Spain?


I got a couple of very useful books when I bought our cooker:
Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 Slow Cooker Recipes: Amazon.co.uk: Hamlyn Cookbooks: Books

Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 More Slow Cooker Recipes: Amazon.co.uk: Sara Lewis, Hamlyn Cookbooks: Books

and our slow cooker:
Morphy Richards Accents 48703 Searing Slow Cooker, Black: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

You can get larger (6.5 litre) ones or the non-searing types. The searing type saves washing up since, instead of using a separate pot, the cooker pot can be put on the stove for browning the meat (it is also unbreakable unlike the pottery pots). Should you decide that you want to brown in a separate pot, I always use a 6" deep saucepan which cuts down on the spatter on the stove and you can also move the meat, etc. around more easily without any escaping!

You can also google slow cooker recipes (I'll try to find a couple of websites that I found). I usually use recipes as a base for what I want then add and subtract ingredients to taste and for convenience based on what is available locally, e.g. use chilli powder if no fresh chillies available or reconstitute creamed coconut if coconut milk is not available, etc


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Do they have fire restrictions in parts of Spain at the height of the season and would they effect charcoal bbqs?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pazcat said:


> Do they have fire restrictions in parts of Spain at the height of the season and would they effect charcoal bbqs?


our local Protección Civil put out warnings at various times banning BBQs or fires of any kind in different areas - we already had a warning earlier this year when we hadn't (still haven't) had a lot of rain & high winds were forecast

in fact we were on alert for a couple of weeks in January!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Pazcat said:


> Do they have fire restrictions in parts of Spain at the height of the season and would they effect charcoal bbqs?


We have come across a couple in public recreation areas where there are pre-built block and grid "grills"


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> We have come across a couple in public recreation areas where there are pre-built block and grid "grills"


Yes in the sierras around us the BBQ areas are very strictly adhered to. If you get caught having a BBQ outside those areas you are in serious trouble.


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## spinfastr (Oct 8, 2012)

elenetxu said:


> There are already a bunch of "American" restaurants here that serve that type of food. Check out Foster's Hollywood, VIPs, or Ribs.
> 
> After five years here, I've found my own ways to make my own if I'm craving something. Maybe it would be more popular in Madrid, but I know I wouldn't pay higher prices just to get "American" meat.


WOW you are right expensive, looked at all three. spoke to my brother today in Madrid he ate a 2 on the list. He was not impressed. with the food or pricing, said it tasted like Applebees (US chain like T.G.I.F ,Chillis).


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

spinfastr said:


> WOW you are right expensive, looked at all three. spoke to my brother today in Madrid he ate a 2 on the list. He was not impressed. with the food or pricing, said it tasted like Applebees (US chain like T.G.I.F ,Chillis).


He's right on. They're just like the US chains you cited - in taste and price. (I've always thought those places are expensive in the US for what they serve.)

While I like your idea, I certainly wouldn't be willing to pay more just to have American or "American flavored" beef.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

I found a nearly 2kg lump of boned pork sparerib in Lidl last week at around 3,70/kg and immediately thought 'pulled pork'. I looked for recipes online and ended up doing this in my slow cooker:

Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast | theclothesmakethegirl

I made my own rub, left it in the fridge all day, then put it in the slow cooker on 'low' at bedtime. It cooked for 12 hours and was 'pull apart' tender. Two of us ate the meat for lunch, I made a 'swineherd's pie' for lunch yesterday which will do another meal and there's plenty more for sandwiches another day.

I think slow cookers are great in this climate, a way to eat cheaper cuts without heating the house in the summer nor racking up huge energy bills. 

By the way, who knows where on a pig 'pork butt' comes from?




Answer - shoulder. 
I'd love to know why!


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

spinfastr said:


> WOW you are right expensive, looked at all three. spoke to my brother today in Madrid he ate a 2 on the list. He was not impressed. with the food or pricing, said it tasted like Applebees (US chain like T.G.I.F ,Chillis).


VIPs is popular at lunchtime with Spanish because they do a 3 course menu del dia for €11. However they are a franchise and the food does vary in how well it is cooked (some of them are ok, others are very poor). I went to Fosters Hollywoord once about 6 years ago and waited over an hour to get served lunch. Not going back. If you want that kind of food in Madrid then the Hard Rock Cafe is a much better bet, but it is more expensive. As I mentioned previously though, there are Spanish places that will do very good steaks. Argentinian restaurants are another option for the blood thirsty carnivore, although I find they let you feast on the cheaper cuts. If you want to splash out then you can't go far wrong with a Basque restaurant.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Madliz said:


> By the way, who knows where on a pig 'pork butt' comes from?
> 
> Answer - shoulder.
> I'd love to know why!


In pre-revolutionary New England and into the American Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or "high on the hog," like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment. The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston butt". In the UK it is known as "pork hand and spring", or simply "pork hand".
In Spanish the cut is known as paleta de puerco, and is the main ingredient in the famous Mexican dish carnitas.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Chopera said:


> VIPs is popular at lunchtime with Spanish because they do a 3 course menu del dia for €11. However they are a franchise and the food does vary in how well it is cooked (some of them are ok, others are very poor). I went to Fosters Hollywoord once about 6 years ago and waited over an hour to get served lunch. Not going back. If you want that kind of food in Madrid then the Hard Rock Cafe is a much better bet, but it is more expensive. As I mentioned previously though, there are Spanish places that will do very good steaks. Argentinian restaurants are another option for the blood thirsty carnivore, although I find they let you feast on the cheaper cuts. If you want to splash out then you can't go far wrong with a Basque restaurant.


€11 is expensive but then you are in Madrid. Around here, for three courses, I would expect to pay €8 and no more than €10 and that would include vino, pan y café and that would be in a good restaurant. Side of the road - €7-8 is the norm.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> €11 is expensive but then you are in Madrid. Around here, for three courses, I would expect to pay €8 and no more than €10 and that would include vino, pan y café and that would be in a good restaurant. Side of the road - €7-8 is the norm.


Yes you can get those prices away from the centre in Madrid, in the centre €11-€12 is the going rate. VIPs tend to be located near business areas so they can get the office crowd, or in shopping centres. It always amazes me to see the Spanish wait for ages in a queue outside in VIPs, even at the weekends. They really aren't that special. A lot of the Chinese have opened up cheap sushi bars in the centre of Madrid now - you get a 3 course meal for €7.50 near my office. They are very popular.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

baldilocks said:


> If you're going to do a proper barbecue (it originates from the Caribbean islands), you dig a pit, put various woods (some aromatic) set light to it early in the morning, let the blaze die down, put your marinaded meat (usually a whole animal) on a rack over the hot embers and cover the pit with thick fleshy leaves (e.g. banana) and leave for several hours. Part way through, you add a few more aromatic wood chips and baste the meat with more marinade. The woods and the juices falling onto the embers give the smoke and flavours to the meat.
> 
> Alternatively if you want a really slow cooked and fork tender meat use a slow cooker as I do. SWMBO is usually teaching on a Saturday morning so I prepare lunch the evening before, set the timer to come on at about 3am for ten hours and lunch is ready to serve at 1pm. Even some of the cheapest supermarket meat is as tender and melt in the mouth as you could ever wish for and all the flavours are infused through the meat and whatever vegetables, pulses, rice, etc is in the pot


I think you'll find this type of 'hangi' cooking was common in places like New Zealand and with the Celts far earlier than on the Caribbean Islands and use hot stones to actually cook the wrapped meat and vegetables.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> I got a couple of very useful books when I bought our cooker:
> Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 Slow Cooker Recipes: Amazon.co.uk: Hamlyn Cookbooks: Books
> 
> Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 More Slow Cooker Recipes: Amazon.co.uk: Sara Lewis, Hamlyn Cookbooks: Books
> ...


OK, slow cooker sold to the lady at the back!!
Where do I get one - here or in the UK via Amazon?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> OK, slow cooker sold to the lady at the back!!
> Where do I get one - here or in the UK via Amazon?


Helen got hers (a Kenwood) from Worten, but we got ours (as well as the cook books) from Amazon Uk


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> Helen got hers (a Kenwood) from Worten, but we got ours (as well as the cook books) from Amazon Uk


You've convinced me as well


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

I love my slow cooker! Yes, go for it!


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

If you're going to get a slow cooker, get a large one. I stuff mine, then freeze the excess for meals that need little attention another day. It makes the cost per portion so much lower. 

When I see an ingredient I fancy (especially if it's reduced!) I google something like 'slow cooker pork' and take my pick from the hundreds of recipes on offer free on the net.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> €11 is expensive but then you are in Madrid. Around here, for three courses, I would expect to pay €8 and no more than €10 and that would include vino, pan y café and that would be in a good restaurant. Side of the road - €7-8 is the norm.


I wouldn't eat a menu in this area for less than 12€. You can probably get cheaper in Mad, but you'd know why!


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Madliz said:


> If you're going to get a slow cooker, get a large one. I stuff mine, then freeze the excess for meals that need little attention another day. It makes the cost per portion so much lower.
> 
> When I see an ingredient I fancy (especially if it's reduced!) I google something like 'slow cooker pork' and take my pick from the hundreds of recipes on offer free on the net.


Guys, I am in love. I made good lentils, just like my mother in law, for the first time. The slow cooker is awesome.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

elenetxu said:


> Guys, I am in love. I made good lentils, just like my mother in law, for the first time. The slow cooker is awesome.


Great. We find the food that comes out of our slow cooker really very very good. The only recipe that we thought wasn't was one involving smoked bacon and smoked haddock - it had no flavour at all.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> Great. We find the food that comes out of our slow cooker really very very good. The only recipe that we thought wasn't was one involving smoked bacon and smoked haddock - it had no flavour at all.


You found smoked haddock in Spain?!?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Chopera said:


> You found smoked haddock in Spain?!?


One of the few things we would go to Iceland for if we were down Málaga (airport run!) way.


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