Review: Kassa Meat Claws, Meat Shredder, Handler Forks

By Dru Chai

Ok, true story here. Before I started BBQ smoking as a backyard hobby, I would use my bare hands to shred pulled pork. Needless to say, my fingers would take some serious punishment and I would yell "ouch" or "oww" or "ohh" every other second. Yes, I was simply impatient (not to mention hungry!).

Nowadays, to give my fingers a break, I'll use a couple of forks. But even with forks, it's just too small to do the job, especially if you have a lot of meat to shred. Enter Kassa Meat Claws.

I recently had the chance to use these sharp meat claws on some bone-in pork shoulder, and it just took a few minutes to shred the pork into nicely sized chunks. I especially liked the grips -- I really felt like a giant bear tearing through some flesh for dinner.

Aside from shredding meat, there are also a couple of other uses. Flipping over meat in the oven, putting meat on the grill, or even holding meat while slicing. Whatever the use, just make sure you get a good grip. You wouldn't want the meat to take a tumble on the floor -- that would be a shame, for sure.

Dirty Smoke rating - 4.0 of 5 stars
Pros - Good grip, sturdy, easy to clean
Cons - Not meant to finely shred meat
Recommended - check them out on Amazon.com

Insider's View of a Certified BBQ Judging Class

By Dru Chai

I'm not gonna lie. As I mentioned before on this blog, a big reason of why I wanted to become a BBQ certified judge was for the free food. I mean, who wouldn't be excited for that? If you eat, breathe and sleep BBQ, free food has to be on the top of the list. Heck, BBQ is expensive!

But as I sat through 10 hours of BBQ judging class at the NBBQA Conference & Trade Show in San Diego, I realized something. I realized that the world of BBQ competition is serious business. When I mean serious, I'm referring to everyone's passion, love, and dedication for BBQ.

The NBBQA Conference rarely happens in SoCal

As a certified BBQ judge, I want to make sure that I'm judging each piece of BBQ meat with fairness and equality. There is no such thing as a BBQ expert. Everyone has different taste buds, and their own idea of what constitutes good BBQ. BBQ judges take their "job" seriously and look that way on the outside, but make no mistake -- I'm doing a happy little dance inside each time I taste a tender, flavorful, and mouth-watering piece of BBQ.

So how was the BBQ conference and the judging classes? Well, I consider myself lucky. Both judging classes and the conference rarely make an appearance in Southern California. So I had to take advantage. Since both classes took up the entire day, I didn't get a chance to check out some of the other how-to presentations, guest speaker seminars, or the trade show. I barely had a chance to taste some BBQ, but this one was clearly my favorite.

Neil "Bigmista" Strawder serving up some pulled pork

Flavorful and tender pulled pork from Bigmista BBQ

That BBQ sauce was da bomb

MBN Judging Class Overview
Memphis Barbecue Network competitions is all about the swine -- judges blind taste test pork shoulder, ribs, and whole hog. What sets them apart from others is that there is on-site judging as well. This means they get to visit and talk with the cooks and pit masters in person, who have the opportunity to explain their cooking methods and present their food personally to the judge. We went through two demonstrations to get a feel of what it would be like.

Showing what pork shoulder is all about to a "test judge"

Pork shoulder goodness, the money muscle

Some teams will show their sauce and rub, but it's all about the meat

The class was small in size at around 20 people, and understandably so. After taking the class, we were only MBN "trained." We only become officially certified once we judge 3 competitions. MBN sanctioned competitions rarely occur on the West coast, so finding one in Southern California will be tough. Chances are, I'll probably be just an MBN trainee for a while.

KCBS Judging Class Overview
Kansas City Barbecue Society competitions occur all over the country, and quite a few of them take place up and down California. So I knew this was going to be a popular class -- there was about 60 people in attendance, jam-packed in rather small conference room. Many in attendance were BBQ teams, wanting to know more about the judging process, so they know what to look for when putting out their BBQ during competitions.

Getting ready to do some practice judging

Pulled pork category, not so good... but it's practice

This class was definitely a lot louder than the smaller MBN class. After going through a presentation, we were presented with BBQ samples from each category (pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and brisket) for our own judging session. Unlike MBN, there is only blind judging for KCBS competitions. There are a few things to look for that could disqualify an entree, so they purposely threw in some screwballs to test us. I'll definitely be looking to judge as many KCBS events as possible!

Lining up for some BBQ samples

Now that's old school

Just don't BBQ his pet

Transforming Pulled Pork into Smoked Carnitas

By Dru Chai

Part of the fun of smoking BBQ is experimenting with different spice combinations. You don't want to eat something that has the same flavor profile every single time. You want to be surprised with every bite, keep you guessing, while discovering something new that will make you say "Yum, what is that flavor?"

Recently, I decided to smoke pulled pork again after a 4 month hiatus. As much as I love pulled pork, it's just not something I crave very often. Plus, if I'm smoking pulled pork, you know there's going to be LOTS of leftovers. It's always fun to play BBQ Santa, giving away and spreading BBQ joy.

Pulled pork is relatively straightforward, as I blogged about in my last experience here. You essentially set it and forget it. But this time around, I wanted to bring a unique twist. After smoking some boneless pork shoulder (purchased at Costco) for about 12 hours, I decided to put the meat in a good slow cooker for another 3 hours. I added some Mexican-inspired spices to transform the pulled pork into... smoked carnitas! Add the hours together, and you have 15-hour smoked carnitas.

Dirty Smoke BBQ's Smoked Carnitas

Traditionally, Mexican carnitas is slow cooked in lard (yuck), doesn't have any smoke flavor, and kind of has a mushy consistency. Well, with my method, it's healthy, has a subtle smoke flavor, and has a bit of crispy exterior texture that any pork lover would salivate over. So after smoking the pulled pork, I added the following spices in the slow cooker:

- Chili powder
- Cumin

- Paprika

- Cayenne pepper
- Garlic powder
- Garlic cloves
- Bay leaves

- Finely diced jalapeno peppers

- Red pepper chili flakes
- Chicken broth (or water)

Yeah, I practically emptied out my spice rack. I probably forgot some more spices, but I can't give away all my secrets on here, right? The result was a juicy, tender version of carnitas with a subtle and sweet smoky aroma in the background. For more crispy exterior, you could add a little oil and pan fry the meat for a few minutes. Or, for a healthier alternative, just lay out the meat on a baking pan, put in the oven, and broil it. All that was left was for the meat to be transported inside a warm tortilla with all the fixin's. Lastly, a few dashes of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon. Delicioso!

(Carnitas tacos picture intended here, but I forgot to take a picture because I was hungry)

How to Make BBQ Pulled Pork

By Dru Chai

Pulled pork probably doesn't get as much love from its bony companion--the ribs. After all, ribs are eaten with your hands, it's messy, and you can get it all over your face. Plain and simple, it's just a good time to eat ribs, and it just epitomizes what BBQ is all about. But don't overlook pulled pork. It's incredibly versatile, cheaper in price, and can serve a lot of people.

Pulled pork is easy to make--commonly eaten as a sandwich, either on a soft bun or roll. You see variations of pulled pork in all different cultures--for example, Mexican carnitas, and Hawaiian kahlua pork. Most people simply make their pulled pork in a good slow cooker. Basically, set it and forget it. But there's nothing that substitutes good 'ol fashioned low-and-slow, smokey flavor over 8-12 hours. You just can't replicate that smokiness and the pieces of char on the outside.

One day, I hope to visit North Carolina for some authentic pulled pork, but for now, I'll just have to make my own backyard rendition at home. For the past several months (as documented on this BBQ blog), I've honed my BBQ smoking skills mainly on brisket and ribs. With a few parties and potlucks waiting in the wings, I decided it was time to try my luck at pulled pork. Here's the breakdown for my smoked pulled pork sliders with sweet and crisp coleslaw.

I went to my local Costco and found the smallest pork butt I could find--a little under 13 lbs overall, at $1.89/lb. With the name pork "butt," one might think it is from the buttocks of a pig. But it's only a name -- pork butt is actually pork shoulder.

The next step is injecting the pork butt with a good marinade injector. Not only does it help produce juicy and tender meat, but injecting just gives that added depth of flavor with every bite. Everyone has their own concoction of what should go in the marinade, and I'm sure BBQ competition teams closely guard their recipes. It all depends on the flavor profile--if you want sweet, salty, spicy, etc. One thing's for sure, you want a balanced marinade. I used something like this, which serves as a nice base.

- Apple juice
- Vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- Salt
- Sugar
- Hot sauce

Next up, the rub. Just like with the marinade, you have to balance out the salt and sugar, then incorporate spices depending on what you like. If you want flavorful pulled pork, it's best to let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours so that all the spices and marinade get to know each other. Or, you can always be lazy and buy a pre-made rub mix.

- Kosher salt, or seasoned salt
- White sugar, or brown sugar
- Granulated garlic or garlic powder
Optional: Chili powder, cayenne, onion powder, cumin

When ready, fire up the Weber Smoky Mountain using the Minion Method so that it's around 225-250 degrees. I like to use either hickory, oak, or apple wood. Depending on your taste buds, you can go heavy on any particular wood. You can't go wrong with hickory--about 4-5 fist-sized chunks will do. Close the lid, then go read a book, watch the Simpsons marathon, knit a sweater, or whatever it is that you like to do for the next 5-7 hours.

At this point, you deserve a peek. Open the lid and see how everything looks. You should get a nice bark forming on the outside--crusty, charred, and black. If you've been reading this BBQ blog, you know that I'm a huge proponent of a good bark on my BBQ. Depending on your preference, you can spray some water or apple juice. Close the lid, and return in another hour or two.

With a good thermometer, check if the internal temperature is 195 degrees. If so, it's ready to be pulled out from the smoker. Let it rest for at least 20-30 minutes, so that all the juices re-distribute inside, then the fun part begins. Take some regular forks, those "bear paw" looking forks, or a clean set of hands and go right at it. The pulled pork should be juicy, tender, and full of porky and smoky goodness. Accompany with a good, vinegar-based (a bit of sweet and tangy) BBQ sauce, and you're all set to go to hog heaven.

Review: Slap Yo Daddy BBQ Pitmaster Class

By Dru Chai

I felt like a giddy grade school kid, eagerly awaiting snack time of graham crackers and milk. Only this time, it was brisket, pulled pork, ribs, tri-tip, chicken... the list goes on. I had waited about 3 months just for Harry Soo's BBQ pitmaster class (and even wrote about it on this BBQ blog), so I sure as heck could wait another few minutes. But after 6 hours of talking BBQ nonstop, I was about to faint. My stomach had been eating itself up.

Harry Soo's love for BBQ is infectious. You can feel it by the way he talks about BBQ and his techniques--the way he demonstrates how to properly trim the excess fat from a brisket, the way he shows you how to properly check if the bark has hardened using a fingernail, or the way to properly load up the charcoals using the Minion method. There's a reason why he uses a particular ingredient, and it's through his own research and blind taste tests over the years. In person, he's exactly the way I've seen him on television--humble and willing help anyone out.

Within just a few years, Harry's Slap Yo Daddy BBQ competition team has racked up awards all over the country. I wondered, just how does he do it? For Harry, BBQ is the ultimate stress reliever from the real stress of his day time job. I couldn't agree more--it's just you and your thoughts, the meat, and the smoker. Only this guy travels thousands of miles around the country and enters BBQ competitions to compete against some of the best pitmasters in the world... and wins.

As a BBQ enthusiast and writer of a BBQ blog, I learned a few tips, hints, and tricks. Sometimes, it's the little things that make a big difference. For the BBQ newbie who's just starting out, Harry covers a lot of material in just a short amount of time -- it could be overwhelming, but Harry is easy going and down-to-earth. There are no dumb questions in his class. For those who have had prior experience, the class focuses on techniques for someone who's interested in entering a real BBQ competition. Harry said that many of students go on to enter competitions and end up beating him. Now that's the ultimate compliment.

Ready to spread BBQ joy

Harry really loves his BBQ

Harry showing us how to properly trim the fat off a brisket

Harry's family of WSM's

Harry explaining how to light up his smoker

The Minion method

Using lots of foil is good

Ready to eat what we made - finally!