And when you come by the store, pick up a complimentary recipe card for either Fiesta Spicy Chicken Wings or Jalapeno Poppers (a.k.a Atomic Buffalo Turds) in the BBQ sauce and rubs section at the back of the store.

Plus, don’t forget the lump charcoal, Traeger pellets, smoking wood, Weber Lighter Cubes and other supplies you need to fire up your grill or smoker!

Make your reservation over the phone, by calling 816-587-9990!

Planning to compete in the North Kansas City BBQ this year on March 9th – 10th, 2012? This class will get you ready with a few weeks to practice in between!

Each student will learn to make incredible chicken, eat it for lunch, and will get his or her own half slab of baby backs to prepare from start to finish and take home at the end of class. The brisket and pork butts will be done in stages, with sampling done toward the end of class. Leftovers will be sent home with students.

Class Fee: $125, all inclusive. Payment is due at time of reservation. We accept all major credit cards over the phone.
Date: February 18th, 2012
Time: 10am – 3pm

Trouble keeping a fire burning at a steady temperature for a long smoking session is one of the most common issues customers ask about at Backyard Bash. If you aren’t having any luck with the traditional method of adding lit charcoal every few hours, or if it just seems like too much work, the Minion Method might be for you.

Developed by Jim Minion on the fly at a barbecue contest, the Minion Method is as follows:

1. Start with a bed of unlit charcoal in your firebox.
2. Using a charcoal chimney, get a small amount of charcoal hot.
3. Pour the lit coals on top of the bed of unlit charcoal.

The lit coals will gradually catch the unlit coals underneath on fire, burning down through the charcoal over a long period of time. And remember, keep your air flow into the firebox low and steady, so that you can maintain a slower burn.

Though the Minion Method was originally developed using briquette charcoal, it works even better with lump charcoal. After finding that the ash from briquette charcoal caused the fire to go out prematurely after four hours or so, Big Dan of HomeBBQ.com found that when he used lump, he “quickly got the fire settled down to 220 and it stayed there – and held – and held – and 8 hours later the temp was still reading 220.” Further, Dan says, it stayed at that temperature for another two hours.

Backyard Bash Owner Jay Mathiesen is a big proponent of using the Minion Method on charcoal smokers. Jay recommends it regularly to customers using Weber Smokey Mountain Bullets, the cooker the method was originally developed for, as well as customers using certain offset cookers and ceramics, like the Primo. Items that he recommends to aid in this process are Weber Rapid Fire Charcoal Chimneys and Weber Lighter Cubes. Placing two lit paraffin Lighter Cubes under your chimney filled with lump charcoal will have your charcoal hot quickly, without the need for lighter fluid or newspaper.

So if you’re planning to smoke for more than a few hours, the Minion Method can take some of the hassle out of maintaining your fire and keep your temperature steady for the duration of your cook. Below, you’ll find links to some helpful articles on the Internet about the Method.

The Virtual Weber Bullet (April 11, 2007), “Firing Up Your Weber Bullet”

Home BBQ (August 15, 2008), “Building a Fire Using the Minion Method in an Offset Smoker”

Click photo to watch scene from Christmas Vacation on YouTube

Well…Backyard Bash is here to keep you from feeling like you’re a character in one of the Griswald family’s disastrous holiday scenes, at least where your cooking is concerned. We have no control over weird relatives or unruly family pets.

1. Consider using the Spatchcock method for quicker and more even cooking. If you don’t spatchcock your turkey, make sure to remove the giblets!

2. Rub the inside and the outside of your turkey with vegetable oil, gently working your fingers under the skin. You want to keep the skin attached as much as possible to retain moisture.

3. Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with rub, and, using the same method described above for the oil, rub seasoning under the skin.

4. If injecting, try to inject along the leg and thigh bones and breast bone just under the skin rather than directly into the meat, which can cause pockets of marinade to form.

5. Smoker temperature should be 275º-300ºF. Poultry tends to get a little rubbery at lower smoking temps. This will also bring the bird through the danger zone temperatures of 45º-140ºF more quickly. These are the temps at which bacteria have a higher possibility of flourishing.

6. ALWAYS use a meat thermometer! Do not rely on the pop up devices that are on many store-bought turkeys. They are unreliable and normally set to pop at higher than needed temperatures. Meat temperature should be 165ºF in the breast meat and 175º-180ºF in the legs.

7. Cooking time is approximately 1/2 hour per pound when cooking at 275º-300ºF. Juices should run clear and the legs should move easily when the bird is cooked properly.

8. In NO case should you stuff a bird that will be smoked! The cooking temperatures are too low to prevent bacteria from developing in the center of the stuffing.

9. Tent turkey with foil if your bird starts to get darker than you want.

10. Let bird rest for a period after removing from smoker before slicing.

11. Recommended woods: Apple, Cherry or Pecan.

Tools needed:

Sharp Knife

Meat cleaver

1. Turn whole turkey breast-side down on your cutting board.

2. Using your hand, pull up on the neck to reveal the natural cut line on either side.

3. With a very sharp knife, cut along both sides of the backbone from head to tail and remove.

4. Turn your turkey over so that it is breast-side up.

5. When spatchcocking a turkey you may need to notch the “V” bone at the top of the breast bone to weaken it and make it easier to break.

6. Using a heavy knife or cleaver, break the breast bone. You should now be able to lay your turkey out flat.

7. Rub the inside and the outside of your turkey with vegetable oil, gently working your fingers under the skin. Try to only create one small hole in the skin on each breast and in the legs through which to apply oil and rub. You want to keep the skin attached as much as possible to retain moisture.

8. Apply your favorite dry rub to both sides of the turkey and shake onto your fingers to work up under the skin.

9. Put turkey into smoker and cook at 275F – 300F until breast temperature reads 165F and thighs are at 180F. When done, the legs should turn easily and the juices should run clear when the flesh is punctured. Cooking times will vary based on the size of your bird, but you’ll probably be at about 6-7 hours for a 12 lb turkey.

View the Spatchcock Chicken Photo Guide here!

Your regular old cheeseburger will never be as satisfying after you’ve had one of these cheese-filled sliders seasoned to perfection with Obie-Cue’s Double Strength Garlic Pepper. BYB employee and BBQ afficionado Darin Cram modified an Alton Brown slider recipe to give us hearty beef burger perfection. You’ll be well-fed and ready to cheer for your favorite team!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chuck
Obie-Cue’s Double Strength Garlic Pepper
4 slices of Sharp cheddar
8 (3-inch) slider buns or rolls, split in half
Mayo and Mustard

Directions:
1. Preheat Grill for direct grilling.
2. Line a jellyroll or sheet pan with parchment paper, and place the ground chuck in the middle of the pan.
3. Cover the meat with a large sheet of plastic wrap.
4. Roll meat with a rolling pin until it covers the surface of the pan; it should be very thin.
5. Remove the plastic wrap, and sprinkle the meat with the Obie Ques Double Garlic Pepper.
6. Divide half the pan in the shape of 8 sliders.
7. Place ½ slice of cheese, folded, in each square.
8. Fold the uncut meat over on top of the sliced half of the pan using the parchment paper.
9. Use a pizza wheel to cut the meat into 8 even squares.
10. Wrap the buns in foil and place on grill for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the burgers on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
11. Remove the buns from the grill. Spread a small amount of mayonnaise and mustard on each bun and top with the burger and any other condiments, as desired. Serve immediately.

Who should take Brisket & Butts? Our classes will help seasoned barbecuers add new techniques to their tool kits, give backyard BBQ enthusiasts the basics they need to smoke at home, and shave time off of the learning curve for beginning competition BBQ cooks! Essentially, Brisket & Butts is a great class for all levels of barbeque cooking experience.

Find out more…

We hope you’ll help spread the word to your family and friends that there’s a new source for BBQ supplies on the web. And let them know that the same friendly folks who’ve been taking your orders in the store for all these years will be filling their orders online.

Just click the “Shop Now” tab, and you’ll have access to over 200 products, including BBQ sauces, seasonings, tools, accessories, thermometers, cutlery and cookbooks!

And be sure to take advantage of our FREE SHIPPING* offer on orders over $75 through August 31st, 2011 in honor of our online grand opening!

*includes regular UPS Ground shipping only. Orders must be placed through our web store shopping cart.

Find out more in the video by clicking here!