Came across this post for Chef Paul's Chikky Rub after having a new recipe not turn out so hot.  I was originally trying to make a good sauce with Dried Guajillo Peppers, but after creating the recipe and took a small taste it was very hot and bitter.  So I needed a recipe really quick and this is what I came up with.  Good thing for a well stocked spice cabinet, had it all except the dried rosemary.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C Sugar
• 2 T Paprika
• 1 T Onion Powder
• 2 T Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 T Garlic Powder
• 1/2 T Chili Powder
• 1/2 T Lemon Pepper
• 1 T Dried Sage
• 1/2 t Dried Basil
• 1/2 t Dried Rosemary
• 1/4 t Cayenne Pepper

Instructions:

1. Rub rub all over chicken breasts
2. Grill over medium heat, until chicken is done throughout
3. Serve Immediately

Results:

This was a grill at work day, so hopefully people enjoyed it.  This would be a good rub to make a lot of and use over time when looking for a quick rub to do on some chicken breasts. 

When grilling or barbecuing, I almost always put together a marinade, rub, or brine.  These can be time consuming processes, but if you follow a few simple steps it can go much quicker.  Here are a few pieces of advice to follow:

1. Get ingredients out before you start
2. After adding each ingredient, mix it in well, instead of waiting till the end to mix it all together
3. Measure your quantities, don't just eyeball the measurements
4. Put the ingredients away immediately after using
5. Prepare ahead of time if recipe allows for it
6. Prepare frequently used spice rubs in batches that you will use within 2 to 3 months and store in airtight container

Follow these few simple steps and your Grilling and Barbecuing will become simpler, less to clean up afterwards, and will not be surprised in the middle of preparation that you are missing a key ingredient.

The FoodSaver device is one of favorite pieces of equipment in my BBQ Collection.  I have been using one since I bought my smoker.  When barbecuing large pieces of meat you generally will have leftovers that are great to save for a rainy day or for lunches at the office.  I am on my third one now and will not go without one. 

The first one I purchased was the FoodSaver brand and it worked great, even though it was a low end model I picked up for $40 on sale.  It did a great job until the little ones got a hold of it one day and accidentally broke it (my fault for leaving it in reach for them to get a hold of).  After that I decided to get an off-brand model and it never worked that well overall, as it would leave air in the bags.  The other night, I went to pack up some pulled pork and the device stopped sealing the bags.  Today I went out and purchased a new one, and this time I went with the FoodSaver brand again.  Cost was a lot more than I had paid in the past, but it has some very nice features that I have already used today. 

I recommend the FoodSaver V2440 Advanced Design model.  Here are some of the key features of this model:

• Hands Free Operation, set the lock, press a button and its off to vacuum sealing your food
• Dry and Wet Food modes, great for storing food with marinades
• 2 speed modes fast and normal

FoodSavers can be used for more than just storing your leftovers.  I use it for packaging meat, such as chicken and ground meats, that I buy in bulk.  I like to buy my meat in bulk as it saves money and the FoodSaver allows you to store it for a longer period of time while keeping the meat fresh.

Here are a few tips for using a FoodSaver:

1. When using it with wet foods, place a paper towel on top before freezing or freeze it for about an hour first than vacuum seal it closed.
2. Keep it clean
3. Ensure wrinkles are out of the bags when sealing
4. Leave a few inches off empty space on top of the bag.

If you have ever tried marinating a brisket, it is difficult to find a container large enough to hold it.  A simple solution to this is to use the FoodSaver, put the brisket in the bag, add the marinade and seal it closed (no vacuum).

During low and slow barbecuing of large meats such as Briskets and Pork Shoulders there comes a time in the process where the temperature of the meat slows down immensely for hours.  This is called the plateau and when you are a beginning to learn how to BBQ this will drive you crazy.  Important thing to remember is not to do too much about it, and leave the door and lid closed as much as possible.  It eventually will get past the plateau and you will see the temperature rapidly increase for a while.  To assist it, you may increase the temperature up 25 degrees or so.  I do most of my barbecuing at 225 and once I hit the plateau I increase the temperature to 250 degrees.  This generally helps get it past the plateau a little quicker.  However, I use an electric smoker so I can just turn a dial.  For example, this weekend I smoked a couple Boston Butts for pulled pork, and on Friday night I checked the temperature before I went to sleep and it was at 160 degrees.  When I woke up Saturday morning, I checked the temperature again and it was at 162 after 8 hours.  I bumped up the temperature to 250 and an hour later I was at 170.

The best things to remember is to trust yourself and equipment and the food will be done when its done, so be patient.

I just tossed in a couple more Boston Butts in the smoker to make some more pulled pork (~55 lbs pre cooked weight in 3 weeks).  This time I did something a little different than I normally don't do.  I slathered the pork with some standard yellow mustard before seasoning.  People say it does not add flavor to the pork, but just helps the seasoning stick better.  I decided to give this a shot this time around because I noticed that a lot of the seasoning was not sticking well to the pork and it felt like it was mostly the Paprika on the pork.  I definitely used less seasoning and it stuck the pork much better this time around.  You can definitely notice a difference in the seasoning sticking to the pork.  The biggest downside of doing it, is that it is a bit more messy, but in the long run it was well worth it.

Why so many posts about pulled pork lately?  I have been smoking 2 Boston Butts a weekend in order to be ready for a party where I am serving pulled pork to about 100 people.  Figure that would be about 12 Boston Butts once you take into account the shrinkage in weight during the cooking process as the fat melts.  I get to keep a little bit each weekend for myself too, so I am trying a bunch of new things with the pulled pork.