Rockin’ Ronnie Shewchuk knows his way around a grill. The best-selling cookbook author and international barbecue champion has dedicated a healthy portion of his life to the art of slow-cooked meat. Ron dished his delicious secrets with WE Vancouver, and told us why barbecue is the best summer food.
Why are you so passionate about barbecue?
Because feeding people is one of the most meaningful things a person can do, and barbecue is one of the best foods on earth.
For the neophyte: What defines barbecue? What methods and meats can be used?
Most of us think of barbecue as a verb, as in, "I'm going to barbecue a pork chop for dinner tonight," but in the American Deep South, it's a noun. You eat a barbecue sandwich. You go to a joint that serves up great barbecue. Real, Southern-style barbecue is all about cooking big, fatty, tough chunks of meat over a smouldering charcoal or hardwood fire at a low heat for a long time, until the meat becomes so tender you don't need teeth to eat it, and so delicious that if you put some on your head, your tongue would slap you to death just trying to get at it. Classic barbecue meats are beef brisket, pork shoulder, pork or beef ribs, and chicken.
Tell me about the different styles of Southern barbecue? Which do you prefer and why?
There are countless regional styles of barbecue, but I guess the main ones are: Texas, which is all about beef brisket cooked with oak or mesquite; Kansas City, famous for pork ribs and sweet, tangy, ketchup-based sauces; Eastern Seaboard (Georgia, the Carolinas), known for its whole hog and pulled pork dressed with vinegary sauces. And there are other variations, like Alabama with its mayo-based white sauce served on chicken, Memphis for dry ribs that are finished with extra rub, and the list goes on. The best barbecue I've ever had was in Texas, and it was oak-smoked mutton ribs. Man, oh man they were good.
When it comes to grilling at home, what sort of setup do you recommend? Propane or charcoal?
I recommend getting as much gear as your spouse will let you have. Propane for convenience and speed, charcoal for flavour. I have a Weber Summit propane grill for everyday cooking, a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker for preparing real barbecue, and a Big Green Egg for just about anything you'd want to cook over charcoal. Oh, and I also love the Cobb, a portable charcoal cooker, which is great for beach picnics.
What are your secrets/tips to perfect barbecue at home?
Practice makes perfect, and technique matters. The main rules are to use the best meat you can get, and cook it "low and slow."
Use sauce sparingly when grilling, planking, or barbecuing meat. In competition we use it only as a finishing glaze. If you baste meat with a sugary sauce more than an hour before you take it off the smoker or more than a few minutes before removing it from the grill, it will turn black when the sugar caramelizes from the heat. Also use sauce sparingly when you serve, offering it to guests on the side. Too much sauce and you lose the barbecue flavor you’ve worked so hard to achieve!
There are lots of good resources to help you learn how to cook great barbecue, including my book, Barbecue Secrets DELUXE!
What side dishes go well with barbecue?
You can't go wrong with baked beans, coleslaw and grilled corn on the cob.
Ron’s Rich, Deeply Satisfying Dipping Sauce
(With acknowledgments to the Baron of Barbecue, Paul Kirk)
Makes about 6 cups | 1.5 L
Any student of barbecue has to bow in the direction of Kansas City once in a while, and Paul Kirk is one of the world’s greatest barbecue cooks and also perhaps its best-known ambassador. Paul has taught thousands of cooks the essentials of barbecue, and this rich, sweet, tangy sauce is based on his Kansas City classic.
2 Tbsp | 25 mL powdered ancho, poblano or New Mexico chiles
1 Tbsp | 15 mL ground black pepper
1 Tbsp | 15 mL dry mustard
1 tsp | 5 mL ground coriander
1 tsp | 5 mL ground allspice
1/4 tsp | 1 mL ground cloves
1/2 tsp | 2 mL grated nutmeg
up to 1 tsp | 5 mL cayenne, according to your taste
1/4 cup | 50 mL neutral-flavored oil, such as canola
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup | 125 mL tightly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup | 250 mL white vinegar
1/2 cup | 125 mL clover honey
1/4 cup | 50 mL Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
or a combination
1 tsp | 5 mL liquid smoke or hickory smoked salt (optional)
1 32 oz. | 1-L keg ketchup
Mix all the spices together and set the mixture aside. Heat the oil in a big pot over medium heat and gently sauté the onion, garlic, and shallot until tender. Add the spices and mix the ingredients together thoroughly, cooking the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes to bring out their flavors.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes, stirring often (be careful, it spatters). Don’t cook it too long or it will start to caramelize and you’ll have spicy fudge. If you want a very smooth sauce, blend it with a hand blender or food processor. Refrigerate it or preserve it as you would a jam or jelly in mason jars. Use the sauce as a glaze or dip for barbecued meats, as a flavoring sauce in fajitas, or mix it half-and-half with mayo for a fabulous dip for French fries.
Note: This thick sauce is designed for dipping. If you want to use it as a basting sauce or a glaze, thin it with water, apple juice, or Jack Daniel’s to suit your taste and the task at hand.
