BACKWARD CROOKED K MODEL WEBER

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.  Ain’t that the truth? I frequently search Craiglsist in search of bbq items especially old model Weber’s. There is a whole group of people that collect vintage Weber kettle barbecues. In fact I am a card carrying member of the Weber Kettle Club. (W.K.C.). They have a great web site that has everything you could ever imagine about the Weber kettle bbq. There are discussion forums, sales and trades, and even information how to date your classic/vintage bbq. To begin our story I would like to share my latest Craigslist find. It is a beautiful “Red Head”, “Backward Crooked K Model Weber’ kettle grill.

This bbq was advertised on Craiglsist by a fellow W.K.C member Jim. Jim  is an avid collector and restorer of Weber barbecues. This particular model had lovingly been restored by replacing the wooden handles and installing a brand new “one touch’ vent system. He also cleaned and polished this kettle to showroom floor quality. A bright red color is affectionately called a ‘Redhead’ by the W.K.C. community.  This kettle looked brand spanking new except for the fact it was twenty eight years old.

The way we can determine the age of this barbeque is a stamp in the upper kettle lid vent. Every year the vent is stamped with a new letter and or number combination. This particular model has a ‘K” that is backwards and crooked. This backward K is rare because it basically is a mistake caused by possible carelessness, rebellion?, and most likely stamp operator error.

The backward crooked K is located between the 

bottom two holes above "Made in USA"

This model fits perfectly in my custom wooden barbeque cart. I need the older model with wooden handles to fit in my custom cart. Jim from the Weber Kettle Club found a “Backwards Crooked K Model and restored it to its former beauty. We both walked away from this deal with a smile on our faces. I did not even mention the ‘Craycort’ cast iron grill grates that came with this unit. That will be a story for another day.

SMOKEHOUSE 10

The ‘Racing Honda’ is speeding to the sleepy town of Martinez, California to dine at the newly opened ‘Smokehouse 10’. This should be an interesting and fun meal because Dave Tendick is the owner/pitmaster. Dave is a competition cooker, caterer, bbq instructor, and television celebrity. He was a competitor on the television show; ‘BBQ Pitmasters’. Smokehouse 10 is located in Martinez which houses the county courthouse. The downtown scene is hustling and vibrant during courthouse hours but when the sun sets the town becomes a little lonely. This provides a unique challenge for Dave.

Smokehouse 10 is located off ‘Main St’ on Pine Street. It is not really hard to find but your GPS will be helpful. The restaurant is located in a small strip of several businesses. Look for the cutout pig sign to know you have arrived. We enter Smokehouse 10 to a very small dinning area and take-out counter. Four tables and a counter make for a cozy eating environment. The walls are adorned with ‘graffiti like’ well wishes from customers. There is a chalkboard with the menu and daily specials.

We sampled Dave’s menu over several visits. It is always fun to come and talk BBQ with Dave while sampling his smoked meat treats. Thursday’s is beef rib day. You should see the size of this ‘Fred Flinstone’ size rib. It is not only huge and mammoth it is a thing of beauty. I almost shed a tear it was so pretty.  It is an art to smoke and transform a beef rib to a tender and flavorful meal. The dry rub did its seasoning job to perfection. The smoke permeated this rib but did not overpower. When I finishsed, I licked the bone clean Ms. Goofy took half of hers home. Beef ribs were a great beginning to sample this menu.

“Burnt ends, Oh how I Love thee” The key to my culinary heart can be won with good burnt ends. This is the cubed, smoked and seasoned point end of the brisket. Done correctly the pitmaster can transform a fatty tough piece of meat to tender, savory, ‘Meat Candy’. These burnt ends came to the table with no sauce. A sweet tomato based sauce was offered at the table. I alternated dipping and not with each cube of meat heaven. This was rich and satisfying. Dave demonstrated his bbq expertise with this dish.

A pulled pork sandwich was a tasty treat. The pork was tender and had little pieces of meat candy bark for burst of pork flavor. The meat was piled high on a hamburger style bun. Vinegar based Cole slaw topped this mountain of pork. I have to admit that I was not a fan of the slaw. The spices that seasoned and the ratio of vinegar just seemed a little off to me.  Even though, the pulled pork shined and delivered over the slaw and I did devour the whole sandwich.

Side dishes are not just an after thought at Smokehouse 10 .One side dish is deep fried fresh corn on the cob. This sounds like a dish more suited to the midway of the county fair. Once we tried it we were hooked. Some of the kernels had darkened from its trip to the fryer. The corn was tender and had a nutty like flavor from the frying. It was not oily or greasy at all. It had been seasoned with a good amount of salt to enhance flavors. This was a winner. Beans were another delicious side dish. Small black & navy beans kissed with molasses and studded with small chunks of brisket makes a hearty and satisfy side. Ms. Goofy gave the paws up for her creamy, cheesy macaroni and cheese. Dave makes all his side dishes from scratch. The quality shines in these dishes. In so many bbq restaurants side dishes are usually mediocre at best.

Our last visit we had a piece of decadent pecan pie. Rich, nutty, sweet and a crust to die for was the verdict for this fabulous pie..  I was not satisfied with just one piece and bought another to bring home. We shall return to Smokehouse 10 because, we have not even tried the pork ribs yet. This will be for another day. If you would like to try some competition style bbq, Smokehouse 10 is your destination. Dave Tendick will be there to guide you through a barbeque journey of great food. He may even share some secrets or at least an autograph.  I cannot say enough about the huge meaty beef ribs. What a treat.

Smokehouse 10 
1333-B Pine St.
Martinez, Ca. 94553
925 890-5712

DIMPLES

Gentleman, start your grills. Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the barbeque season. Here at Mad Meat Genius our grill glows year round. Barbecue sauce is an important component of a tasty grilled meal. We were privileged to sample and critique Dimples Barbecue sauce. Would you like to find out what we thought? Please click the link below to find out. Happy Q.

Dimples Barbecue Sauce

SAUCED BBQ & SPIRITS

The Racing Honda’s destination was Livermore California. We had a smoky tip that ‘burnt ends’ were being served at ‘Sauced BBQ & Spirits’. Say no more. It is our duty as certified ‘Master Judge’ bbq freaks to investigate this meat candy allegation. Sauced is located in downtown Livermore. Livermore is no longer a dusty cowtown but a trendy wine producing destination. Sauced is located right smack in the middle of this smart, modern, new urban area. A large building surrounded by an outdoor patio has two wood pile stacks that offer a tease of possible barbeque greatness inside. We have arrived at Sauced BBQ & Spirits.

Upon entering Sauced we are immediately seated by the hostess. We have seating choices of the large sports bar area or equally huge dinning area. The place is pretty full for the noon hour. Sauced has a fun vibration. We learn that live bands play in the evening. There are numerous televisions for sporting events. We are seated and I immediately survey the four large squeeze bottle containers of bbq sauce housed in a beer six pack container. I have not even looked at the menu and I am sampling sauces.

Pig Candy, Tin Roof, Hot Tin Roof, and a fourth called Georgia?  All of these sauces were cloyingly sweet. The Tin Roof was tomato based with a pronounced honey flavors. The hot version was fueled by habaneros and had a bite to prove it.  Pig Candy was another sweet sauce. The name escapes me so we will call it Georgia, had a mustard tang. All of these sauces were sweet and I am glad we have the choice to use them or not.

The three -way combo allows you to sample several meats and my choices were: burnt ends, ribs, and sliced brisket. The plate was brought from the kitchen promptly. It was a beautiful plate. The sliced brisket had a fabulous smoke ring. The burnt ends made me drool with its shiny carmelization. The ribs were dark and looked inviting. If only I could eat with just my eyes. The sliced brisket was tender and the pull test offered partial proof. In spite of a spectacular smoke ring, smoke flavor was absent. The beefy flavor that I crave was also missing. The burnt ends were on the mushy side. I so wanted that beautiful bite of flavorful meat candy. The ribs had a chewy crust that encased pockets of unrendored fat. Each bite I took was full of grease from  fat. Most noticeable of all three meats was the lack of seasoning. They had to use some rub demonstrated by the nice coloring of the finished product. These rubs must have lacked salt which resulted in lackluster flavor that just did not have any pizzazz  The sides were no different on the seasoning issue. A pinch of salt could have saved  this pedestrian Apple Cole slaw. The cornbread was a sticky sweet dry disappointment.

Ms. Goofy ordered pulled pork, one of her all-time favorite barbeque items. The cooks slathered her pulled pork with a vinegar sauce. Vinegar sauce with pulled pork is a traditional sauce and done correctly can be a work of brilliance. This offering was inedible  The only thing you could taste was vinegar. Ms. Goofy claimed the Mac & cheese was gloppy and gritty. Ms. Goofy left a full plate of food which is a very rare occurrence. The server even noticed the full plate of food. She said another customer had the same complaint. The server offered to give us a plate of food to go of some un-sauced pulled pork. This un-sauced pulled pork was very good. It was a nice offering by our friendly server but a little late.

I would like to mention a feature of the bar. Whiskey on tap is offered. Where have I been? I do not think you can order it by the pitcher but they do have a great selection of local micro-beers that you can. Sauced BBQ & Spirits is a fun lively place with a great wait staff. The barbequed meats need some work, a lot of work. The kitchen turned out some great looking food but neglected to properly season these offerings. We may return because of the fun factor and whiskey on tap. There are other menu items that sound tempting like the pimento cheese sandwich or the pulled pork stuffed jalapenos. See you soon!

Sauced BBQ & Spirits

SMOKEY J’S

We return to Berkeley, California on a smoky tip from our good friend Kimberly. I do mean smoky literally,  at ‘Smokey J’s’ barbeque restaurant. Smokey J’s is located at the edge of the downtown area bordering residential neighborhoods. It is a tiny store front establishment on the corner. The windows are wide open displaying a beautiful brisket to entice you in. We found out later the windows and front door was wide open for different reasons. We arrived at the noon hour and were one of the first customers for a busy lunch. The inside is tiny with several communal benches. You place and pay for your order at the counter. We bought the usual ribs, brisket, and pulled pork sandwich. This is our usual go-to orders to try out new bbq joints.

We were waiting for our food and again noticed how the windows and doors were open. One customer was having a coughing fit. The back of my throat was a little dry and quickly found out why. The order taker/cook was heating up meats on the grill. Billows of smoke would float upwards towards the venting hood. Apparently this hood was not working properly because little wafts of smoke were entering the restaurant. The smoke would clear quickly because of the ventilation provided by the windows. We were right near a window so this was not really an issue.

Our food arrived and it looked delicious. Ms. Goofy’s pulled pork sandwich was huge. It pulled on all the right points. Tender, smoky, great vinegar sauce, slaw and all on a yummy roll made for Ms. Goofy’s eating pleasure. Let me expound on the slaw. It was very minimal in its presentation. Shredded cabbage with a slight dusting of salt, sugar and vinegar was all she wrote. It worked with her sandwich.

‘Baby Back’ is the only type of ribs offered and they were cooked perfectly. The ribs were a beautiful mahogany color from rub and smoke. Two tasty house made tomato based sauces, one mild the other spicy, were offered but not needed. The brisket passed the pull test with tender success. It had a beautiful smoke ring. The combination of smoke, tenderness and seasoning all added up for a beefy treat. I was lovin this offering of brisket. A skillet baked corn bread accompanied my meaty meal. It had delicious, not overly sweet corn flavor. The only fault in this meal was the bottom of this muffin was burnt. It did not stop me from slathering honey butter all over and devouring it.

We did get to meet the owner/chef Joshua Kemper. He claims to be born on a grill in Bryan Texas. He ended up spending his youth in Berkeley. At a young age he became an accomplished chef in the hotel trade. He dug way back into his Texas roots to create BBQ for the Bay Area with this restaurant. Joshua's goal is; "“Serving good, affordable, traditional food in a friendly communal atmosphere is what it’s all about." Amen! We really enjoyed the wild picture of him on the wall.

We already have plans to return to Smokey J’s. They have a ‘Mac & Cheese’ special on Thursdays that Ms. Goofy wants to experience. Macaroni and cheese is offered with the different meats. ‘The Fat Mac’ offers 'all the meats with twice the size'.  Smoky J’s has chicken that has been brined for 12 hours, smoked for an hour and finished on the rotisserie  that smelled wonderful. We are looking forward to our next visit. We will be sure to grab a seat near the window.

Smokey J's
3015 Shattuck Av.
Berkeley, Ca. 94705
510 647-8422

SMOKE BERKELEY BBQ

‘When there’s smoke there’s fire’. Will “Smoke Berkeley BBQ” of Berkeley California light a fire under our taste buds? Pull up a chair, grab a rib and let’s go on a bbq journey. ‘Smoke BBQ’ is small restaurant located on a busy thoroughfare next to a car wash. This is the domain of ‘Le Cordon Bleu’ trained, ‘California Culinary Academy’ graduate Tina Ferugson-Riffe. Tina serves her Texas style barbeque with a gourmet mix of side dishes. She uses organic produce from the local farm Catalan. The bread is from the nearby Acme bakery. We walk into this small establishment and survey the chalkboard of listed menu items. Tina is there to help us with our order.

We were immediately enamored by Tina’s soft spoken enthusiasm for her food. We could sense the pride in our meal to come. You can order sandwiches or meats by the pound. You have a choice of sides and different sauces. I requested the hot bbq sauce. Tina gave me a sample to make sure it was not too hot. I thought this was a nice touch. Her sauce did have a kick but it was no match for this Chilehead. (I do eat chile daily) Our orders were placed and we chose a seat outside to watch the carwash.

Fresh squeezed lemonade was our beverage choice. This was made to order sweet lemonade made from Meyer lemons. It was very refreshing. It was perfect for Ms. Goofy’s pulled pork sandwich. This sandwich hit on all bbq cylinders. It was smoky, tender, great pork flavor and was dressed with a tangy vinegar base sauce all on a tasty Acme roll. This was accompanied by a gooey, oozy, cheesy scoop of macaroni comfort.

Rib Tips

Our friend Dylan ordered a plate of rib tips. Abracadabra and poof the rib tips had disappeared. The only thing I saw was his sparkly clean plate. I have a suspicion that he may have went over to the car wash to make this plate so clean.

My order was a four ounces of ribs and a four ounces of brisket. My plate was running over with some great beans and coleslaw. The brisket was fantastic. It had the right amount of smoke. It was tender and beefy. The cake like corn muffin was a treat. There was a lot of care in these side dishes. The beans tasted of molasses, garlic and had chunks of brisket. The Cole slaw was sweet, slightly crunchy, with tangy vinegar. This was becoming the perfect bbq meal until…………………

The ribs were huge. These ribs still had the tips attached. Usually the rib tips are removed and served separately. They were overcooked to the point of being slightly mushy. There was way too much smoke. The smoke was so powerful it left a bitter taste in your mouth. The delicious house made bbq sauce could not rescue these bones.

We had no room for dessert but knew of Tina’s baking abilities. She has won a Blue Ribbon at the Texas State Fair for her apple pie. We asked for a piece of chocolate pecan pie that had just come out of the oven to take home. Later that night we devoured a decant brownie like, pecan studded piece of heaven. Oh my!

We enjoyed our dinning experience at Smoke BBQ. We definitely will return. We never did try Tina’s signature dish of tea smoked salmon. The food reflected the skill and expertise that Tina used in making her dishes. Except for the ribs we liked everything. The lemonade, side dishes, bbq sauces and of course the meats were outstanding. Smoke is a destination alone for chocolate pecan pie. Maybe next time Ms. Goofy can go next door and wash the Racing Honda while our food is being prepared. Oh man, did I really just say that?

Smoke BBQ
2434 San Pablo Av.
Berkeley, California
510 548-8801

DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT

Dickey’s Barbeque pit was born in 1941 in Dallas Texas. Travis Dickey Sr. used to say; “Serve the best tastin’ barbecue imaginable, just the way people like it, and don’t make ‘em wait to long to get it. Today there are 280 locations in 43 states. It is amazing that I have never heard of this franchise until recently. In the name of BBQ research it will be our pleasure to venture to the Pleasant Hill Dickey’s and give them a try.

This Dickey’s is located in a small shopping strip. I have passed by this location many times without even noticing this establishment. We walk through the doors and are greeted by a large sign board listing the bbq and sides offerings. The walls have large pictures of maybe Travis Dicky himself. You place your order at the counter and your meal will be brought to your table. The menu is quit large. The four meats are offered with many combinations of sides.

Ribs and brisket are two items I usually order my first visit to a new BBQ restaurant. These two items are a good indicator of quality in my book. The ribs were not ready. They were not sold out of ribs which sometimes will happen. They were not ready at 12:15 pm right smack in middle of the prime time lunch period. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot. Maybe everything else is so good that, ribs, the most popular BBQ item is not necessary to enjoy Dickey’s. Enough of my temper tantrum, brisket and pulled pork will have to do.

We received our meals very promptly. Travis Dickey Sr. would be proud. The sauces are served in a self-serve warming station. Original, sweet, and hot are the offerings. I took a little sample of each. These sauces were not horribly awful but I would compare the hot barbecue sauce to a packet of Taco Bell hot sauce. The 'Sweet' was very sweet and the 'Original' was most likey the original recipe and that may be the problem. It was time to sample the brisket.
  This brisket was tender. It passed the pull test all too well. The texture and flavor was of pot roast. Not a pot roast that I would ever serve. I longed for a smoke ring or even a whiff of smoke. The bark was only a distant memory in my mind. I did see some scorch marks that may have been an artistic rendering of bark. Ms. Goofy had some pulled pork that did have a faint whiff of smoke flavor. I tried her pork for more disappointment. Sure it had a little smoke flavor but even the offered sauce could not resurrect this meat. Hopefully the sides will shine.

Barbequed beans that probably came straight from a can were very sweet with a hint of metallic. A decent home made roll and some Cole slaw was the highlight of my meal. Ms. Goofy liked her Mac & Cheese that posibly could of  have come out of a blue box
  Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is a fast serving barbecue establishment. If you are in a hurry and do not care about flavor or having ribs, this may be the place for you. I did like the house made roll and the Cole slaw did not suck too much. There may be a reason why we have never heard of this place.We will not return.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit

BBQ SMOKEHOUSE BISTRO & CATERING

You may have heard of my love for burnt ends. Burnt ends are cubes of the point end of the beef brisket that have been heavily seasoned and smoked for hours. The long cooking time will remove most of the fat and leave a caramelized piece of meat candy. When done correctly they can be a culinary exclamation point. Here on the West coast most BBQ restaurants do not serve burnt ends. BBQ Smokehouse Bistro & Catering located in Sebastopol California has burnt ends on the menu and we are on a mission.

It is 90 plus degrees at the Gravestein Apple Festival and we are in need of shade and nourishment. A couple of blocks away, a cool shaded outdoor patio of the BBQ Smokehouse is waiting for us. We walk through the doors and are greeted by, fun bbq kitsch wall decorations, half a dozen small tables and counter to pick up orders. The walls are open to the outdoor, shaded, tree lined, seating area. A bubbling fountain is surrounded by picnic benches. Each table has their own arsenal of bbq sauces. It is very pleasant and cool.

We placed our orders and began to investigate our table sauces. Chipotle mustard, North Carolina, Original and a mystery sauce are waiting to be sampled. These sauces must have seen better days because they had all separated and needed to be shaken. Maybe it was the heat or shelf life but none of these sauces were worthy of a letter home to Mom. Our dishes arrived and we were ready.

The plate of burnt ends was beautiful. The meat had a brown caramel hue that begged for consumption. The ends were topped with some pickled onions. The first bite revealed the 24 hours smoke. Tender but with little chew from the bark had me swooning with burnt end fever. The pickled onions were a perfect accompaniment to this plate of meat candy. The tart sweet vinegar tamed the extreme richness of my ends. Ms. Goofy had a plate of chicken that consisted of two thighs. She enjoyed the thighs but wished for possibly a wing or breast too. Unfortunately our side dishes are not even going to get a mention in this review. They all were just flat.

BBQ Smokehouse Bistro & Catering satisfied my burnt end craving for now. They have a beautiful, soothing, cool outdoor seating area. The meats were a hit but the sides and sauces were a miss. They have a nice selection of micro-beers which we enjoyed. We may someday return but for now we have a new lead on another restaurant with burnt ends.

BBQ Smokehouse Bistro & Catering
5811 Laguna Parkway
Sebastopol, Ca.
707 575-3277

OAKRIDGE BBQ RUBS

We have been having a lot of fun trying out different rubs from Oakridge BBQ. It is not like we ever need an excuse to fire up the grill but these rubs have kept us busy. One of our favorites is the 'Habanero Death Dust'.Even though it has an ominous title it has flavor that cannot be beat.

Continue Reading Here

BLUES BREWS & BBQ DAY TWO

The wind has vanished and the skies are blue. The BBQ competitors say their cooking went smoother last night thanks to the absence of the breeze. Yesterday was just a warm-up for today’s barbeque battle. Ms. Goofy and I still have a smile on our face from yesterday’s sampling and scoring of some fantastic smoked meats. Eating bbq two days in a row may be a stretch for some but it is a pleasure for us. You must learn to pace yourself. A good healthy bite out of each sample is required. It is so tempting to take that second and third nibble.  If we ate all the meats that were presented to us it would be approximately six pounds total. Oh my!

Was it the wind or yesterdays warm-up? Today’s turn-in of meat was spectacular. I have never had such tasty brisket. Beefy, tender, and sometimes a burnt end thrown in had me swooning with meaty delight. Scoring a nine is the highest score a judge can give. I could have had a rubber 9 stamp to use on my scorecard. I will admit that I took that second and third nibble today.

There was a good crowd enjoying the eats and music. Lots of happy shoppers strolled the venue while being treated to some fun music. The ice cream booth was tempting but I did not have any more notches left on my belt. We (I) were so full we did not even visit the microbrewery. (A Chilebrown first)

Today the Grand Champion was the team of “Woodhouse BBQ”. Congratulations to Woodhouse and everybody involved in this event. What a great day! Brentwood sure knows how to throw a BBQ event. I think I am starting to get hungry.