I Want That, and That, and That! HPBA Expo 2018

 I recently attended my first Expo put on by the Hearth, Patio and BBQ Association (HPBA). The Expo is a trade show primarily geared towards retailers in the hearth, patio and bbq industries..... hence the name.... duh!   The Expo is billed as the largest indoor/outdoor trade show where exhibitors and vendors, large and small, converge in one place to educate, network and showcase the latest innovations in Hearth, Patio and BBQ products to HPBA members and retailers.  I must say it was GLORIOUS, and that the HPBA, as well as, the City of Nashville know how to put on a show. 

Big banner at the entrance

Although I am not a vendor, retailer or member of the HPBA I was able to attend the Expo as a member of the press due to this blog and my social media presence, and I was so excited.  You know how sometimes in sports you hear coaches tell players to not act a certain way, but rather "act like you have been here before"? Yeah..... that was NOT me!! I could hardly sleep the night before attending and I noticed I became more and more anxious and giddy with each passing stop light as I edged closer and closer to downtown Nashville.  Anxious because I was not 100% sure they would actually let me in the door.  I was convinced, that although I was approved for press credentials, someone, at the last minute, that had read my blog, would see me and laugh at the thought of me be considered "press" and denying my entry.  I had a plan and a disguise though.  I wore two shirts, and a fake goatee, and if I was stopped at the door I was going to exclaim "Look! Oh my God is that Alan Jackson?" and dart through the door as the guard looked for the famous country singer.  I would stay low and blend in with the crowd until I could get to the bathroom and remove my outer shirt, and take off the fake goatee.  Making me unrecognizable to the posse that was sure to be searching for me.  I know to some of y'all this may seem a bit extreme, but I had traveled too far and would not be denied!  Alas, it did not come to this as I was scanned in without incident, although I imagine a trained TSA agent would have spotted my darting eyes, excessive nervousness and sweating....man those two shirts and that fake goatee were hot! 

Just prior to going in!

As I walked into the exhibition hall I was immediately in awe, this room had to be bigger than a football field, and it was packed to the gills with exhibitor booths containing shiny displays, flashing lights, playing music and staffed with folks ready to chat with you about their products.  

I had to take a moment to catch my breath and collect my thoughts as my head was swimming trying to process all I saw.  I had a plan, I was going to go to one corner and calmly and methodically go up and down each aisle until I got to the other side of the building.  I started out this way but quickly found myself looking ahead, and zig zagging, and booth hopping like I was General MacArthur island hoping my way across the pacific.  Thinking to myself I want that, and that, and that! Again I had to collect myself, I had to remind myself, that I was not there only for me, but to cover the Expo for y'all, so I started over and worked very hard at maintaining good aisle discipline, and spent the day looking and products and talking to exhibitors.  

It would be impossible to report everything that I saw,  so rather than even trying that I will instead give you the highlights, as I saw them, in a category format, much like yearbook superlatives.  Note, I did not take as many pictures as I should have, rookie mistake, and I will supplement with manufacturer pictures as needed, to tell the whole story.  So if it doesn't look like a photo I took then, it is from the company website. 

MUST HAVE PRODUCT:  Kick Ash Basket If you own a kamado grill, this is a "must have" product.  I bought one of these years ago, for my Big Green Egg, and and it makes charcoal management a breeze, while at the same time improving air flow and making clean up easier.  The makers of this product, have recently switch the production of theses baskets over to stainless steel likely making the next one you buy, the last one you buy, unless of course you buy a different size grill or brand of kamado.  This company has several other items that may interest you, as they did me, but the basket is a MUST HAVE! They also win BEST SLOGAN, although it was not a formal category, "Shake That Ash, Light That Fire"

  













 BEST NEW CHARCOAL LIGHTER: Grill Torch by JJ George There are more ways way to start a fire than you can shake a stick at, but how many of them can you also use to kill weeds and seal cracks in your driveway?  This lighter is new to the market and my favorite things about it are it's portability, self ignition system, and that is temperature adjustable up to 1300 degrees.  This lighter also allows you to light your coals from 20 inches away which enables you to keep your propane canister safely upright, and has the added advantage of not requiring you to blow air on your coals which reduces sparking potential.

BEST GRILL TECHNOLOGY: TEC INFARED GRILLS Located in Columbia, South Carolina Thermal Engineering Corporation (TEC) has taken gas grills/infrared grills to a new level.  Through patented technology the inventor,  Bill Best, found a way to transform the heat and energy from a traditional gas flame into infrared energy.  As a former Chemistry teacher I could talk for hours about this conversion and how infrared energy is different but don't worry I won't do that here!  However, to make a make a long story short,  cooking via infrared allows the food to remain juicer as the food is not being cooked with hot air, like on a traditional gas grill, which tends to dry the food out.  TEC technology also inhibits flare ups and charring, and can cook anywhere between 250 and 850 degrees.  All of this using 50% less fuel.  TEC grills have been around since the last 70's and the current versions have evolved since the early days.  Interestingly enough many of the current infrared grills in the marketplace license Mr. Best's early generation technology, but he still holds on to the current technology for the sole use in TEC grills. Needless to say a TEC grill is not your normal gas or infrared grill, in fact there is nothing else quite like it!

 MOST NEW PRODUCTS: Big Green Egg Y'all the folks at BGE have been busy.  So busy in fact that I may forget something.  Lets start with the easy stuff, BGE has at least one new table design that uses a new wood, acacia I believe.  This new wood is also used as a new wood for the nests mates and lid handle.  Speaking of the lid, BGE also introduced a new vent cover to replace the familiar daisy wheel design. This new design can open up bigger than before, as well as, serves as a rain cover.  The lid also got a newer, "easy open" spring design which greatly reduces the force needed to open the lid.  BGE also redesigned the nest itself which makes it easier and safer to move/roll the egg and nest from place to place.  Wait I'm not done!  As if all of the changes so far were not enough, maybe the biggest change as more of an addition rather than a change.  BGE will soon make available to the public their version of of a multilevel-multi-purpose grid/cooking system.  Rather than try and describe it, I can tell you it is like a mix between the Kamado Joe "Divide and Conquer" system and the "Adjustable Rig" system from the Ceramic Grill store.  

MOST LIKELY TO BE SOCIAL: OFYR I'm not sure how long this idea has been around, but I first discovered this way of cooking a few years ago when looking for a fire-pit.  Since then a handful of companies have started making these types of grill, heck I'm not even sure what to call them collectively (like ceramic grills are generally classified as kamados), but I do know that I really like them.  Basically it is a large wood burning griddle or plancha.   You put wood in the middle and as it burns it heats the thick steel cooking surface.  What I love about them is that the the cooking surfaces are large enough, and at a height that several folks can stand around and cook at the same time.  This is a very social way to cook and I imagine that if you entertain very often that your guest will want to use this grill more than any other.  Obviously this grill cannot do everything that say a kamado or a gas grill can do but it is not trying to, I don't believe.  This grill's purpose is to bring folks together, around a fire.  It is extremely low maintenance and looks like a piece of art sitting in your yard.  

Well that about does it for now, I could go on and on with this, and maybe I will do another post on some of the other products that I found interesting.   The products here were only five of literally dozens that I could have written about.  Now if you will excuse me I have to go work on my disguise for the 2019 Expo in Dallas, maybe I will go as J.R. Ewing or MacArthur! I am open for suggestions!

Traditional vs Newfangaledness: Sous Vide Pork Butt

Have I ever mentioned I'm from rural South Carolina, and that my family has been in the Palmetto state for quite a while? I am proud of this and if you know me, or are around me for very long, you know I am quick to point this out, and can work it into almost any conversation whether it actually fits there or not.  "Oh so you like the color red?" Then I might add "you know in South Carolina there is a red dot on every liquor store, goes back to the repeal of Prohibition, and the stores were open until sunset, they are often called 'red dot stores' rather than liquor stores." It's a little Cliff Clavin from Cheers, but with a Palmetto State flavor, and I realize this! Anyway I'm getting older now and my palmetto pride is not likely to change even though I now live in Tennessee.  One of the burdens of having an old family from an old state are the many, long-held ideas, that often come with it.  In many things you do, you are reminded of the way daddy (pronounced deddy) did them.  In fact, the way deddy's deddy, and deddy's deddy's deddy did things are often how things are still done today.  So for better or for worse I would say that I am a very much a traditionalist. I still call ALL carbonated beverages "Coke", say "it's coming up a cloud" when I hear thunder off in the distance, and use "dadgum" for all sorts of things.  I still drink sweet tea like my grandma made, make syllabub at Christmas and cook steaks like my Granddiddy Greene taught me.......WAIT no I don't, not since Meathead Goldwyn (@meathead) introduced me to reserve sear, and it has changed my life!

Red Dot Store! Photo from Charlestondailyphoto.blogspot.com

Speaking of changing my life, I remember this like it was yesterday.  I was riding bikes with Toby, a buddy of mine, we were in the second grade.  Out of the blue Toby says "hey you wanna go watch the Dukes of Hazzard?" I instantly stopped in my tracks, my 7 year old mind racing! How could this be? It was Sunday afternoon, and everyone knows The Dukes air on Friday nights, just before Dallas, which I wasn't allowed to watch but, I always loved to get a peek of Pam Ewing, in that Mercedes convertible during the opening credits of the Dallas intro,  before hearing "Jeff go to bed!" from my Mamie (great grandma)! Dadgum, at least I got to see Daisy, even though honestly, I was not yet aware of why I was so curious about Pam and Daisy...... but I figured it out in a few years, but enough about that!  Okay so back to the story,  my brain was racing, how could this be? So I said "Dukes aren't on right now", in somewhat of a bless his heart tone,  and Toby's reply was "I have it on beta."  Again my world was churning and swirling trying to process all of this new data..... and the best I could muster was "what the heck is a beta?" After his explanation of the newfangled early generation VCR, I'm sure my eyes were huge in disbelieve,  I had to see it! I have not looked back since.  I have gone on to embrace each and every iteration of recorded video devices, albeit always a few years behind everyone else as I could never afford the latest tech when first introduced! So I guess I am not a traditionalist at everything, and I really do embrace more newfangledness in my everyday life than I thought I did.

For Christmas I got an Anova sous vide machine and a Food Saver vacuum sealer from my family!  Yes yes they love me and I love them for it!! I was anxious to use both and I was cooking a butt for a Superbowl party and I had heard of folks cooking a butt sous vide style with positive results.  As you may know cooking a butt this way is barbecue blasphemy in some circles.  So much so that I was afraid to mention it to my super hard-core, smoking traditionalists "low and slow for life" friends.  So under much secrecy and heavy security, I set about making this happen.  Newfangled here I come!! 

I basically followed J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's recipe, of The Food Lab fame,  for cooking the butt, with a few exceptions:

1.  I injected with Chris Lilly's Championship Butt Injection recipe prior to vacuum sealing
2. Did not use Liquid Smoke (for added smoke flavor) or the Prague Powder that was suggested as an optional addition to aid in developing a red ring under the bark to simulate a smoke ring. 
3. I rubbed first with Meat Church's Honey Hog hot, then with my own personal rub I have been working on.  Obviously I rubbed, after injection and before vacuum sealing.  
4. After 20 hours in the sous vide bath, then cooling, I put on the green egg for 3 hours at 250.  I played this by ear and took it off when the bark was where I wanted it.  I sprayed with apple juice occasionally trying to maximize the uptake of the smoke.  

Conclusions: As I mentioned I cooked this butt for a Super Bowl party and everyone loved it.  Of course I did not tell them how I cooked it until afterwards, as to not let any anti-newfangledness bias, which is a real thing, effect the results.  The butt had a decent amount of smoke, was tender, easy to pull, and one of the moistest butts I have ever served.  So it was a success without a doubt.  I personally could have used a bit more smoke flavor, and there was not as much smoke ring as I like to have.  In fact, I almost had my cover blown as one of my buddies said "not much smoke ring on that butt, you sure you smoked it?" I tensed up for just a moment, then he chuckled and said "I know you would never cook that in the oven." I just smiled and said "you got that right," and my insides relaxed enough to walk away!

Moving forward:  Next time I am going to try Meat Church's recipe for cooking a sous vide butt, which rubs and smokes the butt first, in the traditional way, until the internal temp is 150 degrees, then sealing it up to finish in the hot water bath.  I probably should have tried this method first if the truth be known, but I was concerned with losing the bark while cooking in it's own juices for 18+ hours.  I am not as worried about this as I once was, as I have talked to other sous vide disciples and it seems that is not something to worry about, and once pulled no one will ever notice. Don't get me wrong it may be a while before I try it this way again.  I still like to smoke on my egg as often as life allows, but I could not get the sous vide method out of my mind until I tried it! I don't expect the true BBQ purest to ever try this method, as cooking meat via sous vide is on the front lines of the traditional verses newfangled war,  and it will take a complete paradigm shift to make sous vide the norm.  

So in my younger days I fancied myself as a Renaissance man! When I went to college, after serving on submarines in the Navy, I majored in Biochemistry and minored in Theater.......I know it's odd..... long story (maybe I'll bore you with it in an upcoming blog).  So some of my useless talents are that I can draw you a diagram and explain Glycolysis, which is the mechanism our cells use to make energy from the breakdown of sugars, then turn right around and quote you some Shakespeare or recite Robert Frost's The Road less Traveled.  I guess that means that I have always been a mix of traditional and newfangled, and I bet many of you are the same.  You are? Well you know that in South Carolina......