Monday, September 14, 2015

Texas Pit Quest T-Shirts - 1st Edition Available!


Be one of the first Texas BBQ lovers to own the original edition of the Texas Pit Quest T-shirt! We are taking pre-orders now for our initial run. Shirts will be screen-printed on black, high quality Gildan Ultra Cotton T-Shirt material, and are just $20* for adult sizes. Send email to scott@txpitquest.com with your size, quantity, and info on how to reach you.**




As a special incentive for those ordering in this initial run, once the 25th pre-order is placed, two names will be drawn at random from the first 25 orders. One winner will receive a brand new ThermoWorks TimeStick®, and the other will receive a selection of 4 items from Yeti Coolers in appreciation of your order, each a $25 value!***

ThermoWorks TimeStick®

Yeti gear!

*Payments may be made by check, cash, money order, or we can send you a secure link via email to pay online with a card. Shipping is included for orders outside the Houston Metropolitan area; will be sent via USPS. If you live in the Houston area, we will make arrangements to have yours delivered to you.

**Texas Pit Quest is committed to keeping your e-mail address and any other contact information you provide completely confidential. We do not sell, rent, or lease our subscription lists or contact information to third parties, and we will not provide your personal information to any third party individual, government agency, or company at any time unless compelled to do so by law. We will use your e-mail address or other contact information solely to provide timely information to you about your order.

***The free offer will be delivered or shipped once payment for the order is received.



Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Boudin-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs


A couple of weeks ago, Syd Kearney, food, restaurant, and bar news reporter at the Houston Chronicle put out a Twitter call to anyone with "a great game day dish for parties/tailgating." I replied, sent her a message with an old favorite recipe of mine, and we soon thereafter had a brief telephone interview.

On August 31, she published the story "Cooks' Kickoff: Tailgating fare as upscale potluck", which was featured on the front page of the STAR/FLAVOR section of the Chronicle on September 2. My recipe for Smoked Boudin-Stuffed Chicken Thighs was featured on page 4 of the section. It had been a while since I made these, and I didn't really have any decent pictures to share. I've had several inquires about these since the article was posted, so this past weekend I dusted off the recipe and set out to make a batch and take some decent pics of the steps along the way to share. Now you too can tackle these at home!



Smoked Boudin-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs
(aka "Boudin Eggs")

Ingredients:

10-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 c. buttermilk
Your favorite BBQ chicken rub/seasoning
Fresh-ground black pepper, coarse
1 link of pre-smoked, spicy boudin
1 lb. bacon (Wright Brand, or your favorite brand/flavor)
Your favorite BBQ sauce
½ c. orange juice or pineapple juice


Process:

Trim fat from boneless, skinless chicken thighs with kitchen shears. Place between two layers of plastic wrap (or a zip seal bag) and pound gently with a mallet to try to achieve some uniform thickness. Place in non-reactive dish or bowl, cover with buttermilk, and place in refrigerator for about 4 hours. 


Remove from refrigerator, remove pieces from buttermilk and let drain; discard buttermilk. Transfer each piece to a separate clean non-reactive dish, lightly dusting each piece with your favorite rub and coarse-ground black pepper. Return to refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.


These work best in a smoker or grill on indirect heat. At this step in the process, its time to start your fire. For the best result, you’re going to want to target about 235 deg. F for a low and slow cook temperature.


Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Pit Quest Saturday - An 8-Stop Central Texas BBQ Road Trip


By now, it should be no secret that I love hitting the road in search of great Texas BBQ. This past Saturday with my regular Quest partners Andrew and Bryan, we set out to tackle some of the treasured BBQ joints on the back roads to Austin, and also re-visit some of our favorites in the Austin area.

We had a guest with us on this trip--we were joined by Misty Roegels, of Roegels Barbecue Co. in Houston. Misty is always up for exploring Texas BBQ joints, and, being a BBQ proprietor with her husband Russell, she could justify the time away from the restaurant for a day as a little "research and development." Also joining us was Bryan's son Wyatt, making us a team of 5 this time.

We had planned to visit 6 or 7 BBQ joints, with contingencies for unanticipated closures or early sell-outs--an agenda that was certainly feasible, given our 10-stop trip earlier this year. Even though our first destination was planned to be Snow's in Lexington, right out of the gate we added City Meat Market in Giddings since we would be going right by there soon after their early morning opening. We thought the least we could do was give them a chance.