HS 50th on the Lake — Diane
I rented a vacation home on Lake Winnipesaukee. I contacted Smokin Bear BBQ to cater 25 guests, and the food was beyond fabulous! The meat was perfect, and the confetti pasta salad was to die for! Thank you so much for making my bbq such a special occasion for my high school friends of 50 years!
Honeymoon Surprise
After one particular beautiful Fall lake side wedding, we received a phone call the very next morning:
Caller: “Hi! This is the Bride.”
Bear: “Wow! We are surprised to hear from you today. We figured you’d be enjoying your honeymoon right about now.”
Bride: “Oh, we are heading out soon, but we just wanted to call and say thank you, to you, Bear, and The Pit Crew, Kim, for such a perfect meal for our wedding. Everyone was so happy and enjoyed all you did for us on our special day!”
Bear: “It was our pleasure to serve you, your new husband, your family and friends on your wedding day. Congratulations!”
This is just one more sample of what we would call a blue ribbon trophy for Smokin Bear BBQ! A bride calling us the very next morning after her wedding day to say thank you. You can’t beat that!!
Brisket
We agree with so many that it is hard to beat slow, smoked brisket. However, people don’t realize how long it takes to make such a perfect piece of smokey goodness. To achieve brisket bliss, it takes approx. one hour and 15 minutes PER POUND to reach perfectly smoked meaty goodness. So, with an average size brisket — usually about 15 lbs — that works out to be over 15 hours of cook time. Let’s put that into action with a back yard party. We would have to show up around 17 to 18 hours prior to your event to get this party started. Do you really want to pay for all that time? We would suggest going with prime rib. A few more dollars up front, but it saves you tons on the back end. PLUS, who doesn’t love a nice slab of slow smoked prime rib?
The Smoke Ring
One of the most frequent comments I hear from “newbies” to real slow smoked BBQ is: “Ohhhh noooo…..this is RAW!! Look how pink it is inside! Oh, wait….it is cooked in the middle — but not on the outside…” I confidently assure people that this is due to the smoke penetrating the meat, causing the pink ring or “smoke ring” to appear around the outside layer of the meat. This is not raw, this is FLAVOR!!
Use Local Wood for Smoking
Why do I use Sugar Maple, Beechnut and Apple Wood for the unique flavors here at Smokin Bear BBQ? Mostly because it’s local and readily available. But, more than that, I find that it gives my NH style BBQ a truly unique sweetness only found here in New England. There have been many conversations and debates across the BBQ nation about which woods smoke the best and create the best flavor. The only true answer is: use what is local. It’s kind of hard to find a mesquite tree in New Hampshire to cut down!!
Free BBQ Education
During our events, everyone is always very interested in checking out the Smoker, how it works, how long it takes to cook everything, and what type of wood I use — just to name a few. They hang around, sipping their favorite beverages, watching with interest what I am doing, with big smiles on their faces, nostrils flaring, breathing in very deeply. I love the interest, and fully encourage everyone to ask questions while they wait to enjoy the Best BBQ in New Hampshire!
Winter BBQ
Most people think of BBQ only in the summer time. We, at Smokin Bear BBQ, think about BBQ all the time! And we want to make sure everyone knows that we are a year round BBQ business. SO shovel off that deck, or call us to plow out that field (yes, Bear can plow the area for you), rev-up your snow mobiles, wrap those kids up warm, touch off that winter bonfire and contact Smokin Bear BBQ to light the fire and smoke up your favorite beef, chicken, ribs, seafood or veggies. Even in the deep snow, let’s share a wonderful snowy Winter BBQ, filled with your favorite tastes of summer!
Grilling vs. BBQ
For those of you who are new or just curious, here are the differences between grilling and BBQ.
Grilling, done over an open flame with direct heat, cooks food using either a gas or charcoal grill, placing the food directly above the flame until the food reaches the desired cooking temperature. While this gives you a quicker cooking time than BBQing, it does not bring out the full flavor of your food.
BBQ, done with smoke and indirect heat, cooks food using native hardwood, placing the food in the upright smoke box until the food reaches the desired temperature. A fire box is used to create the flame and smoke, and it travels through the pit or smoker to the smoke box. The meats and veggies are cooked low and slow. The smoke adds a unique flavor to whatever you are cooking.
Wood for BBQing
For as long as BBQ has been around, there has been controversy over which woods to choose. Some say fruitwoods or hardwoods, and others suggest green or seasoned. But all agree on one thing, cooking with wood fires is the only way to BBQ. The best way to discover what is best for you is to try different woods to see which flavor profile you like the best with the foods you are cooking.
If you are smoking desserts, a fruitwood might be best for the sweet smoke it will provide.
Low, slow cooking gives you the option to control the amount of smoke infused in your food. The longer something is smoked, the more smoke flavor it will have.
The biggest factor in choosing a proper wood is what is local and what is available for you. Remember, most fruit and nut bearing trees are the best woods to use when smoking.
So, if you wish to experiment and create the perfect smoke for your next BBQ, invite people over to try your creations using different woods and see what they think.
Trust me; your friends will not have a problem coming over for a free BBQ.