Home Of Hoss's BBQ & Catering Co.

Pastrami

Here is the recipe that Hoss uses at work for fresh homemade pastrami.  This can be cooked on any type of smoker that you have available.  Please see the Photo album for pictures that were taken during various Pastrami Cooks.

Ingredients:

• 10	lb Fresh Corned Beef Brisket
• 2	Cup Coarsely ground Black Peppercorns
• 1	Cup Freshly Ground Coriander Seeds
• 1	Cup Garlic Powder
• 1	Cup Onion Powder

Preparation Directions:
• Soak the fresh corned beef brisket in water overnight. Changing the water at least 3 times throughout the soak.
• Mix all the dry ingredients into a rub.
• Remove the brisket from the water and dry off any moisture.
• Coat with the peppercorn rub

Cooking Directions:
• Smoke at 220f till an internal temperature of 200 degrees is reached. Let the pastrami rest at least 20 minutes before slicing. You can also let it cool overnight slice the pastrami cold then reheat to serve.

What Happens At A Competition?

The BBQ Competitions that we participate in are sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS).  This sanction group has four categories which a competitor must enter to be eligible for Grand Champion.  The four categories are ,Chicken, Ribs (Spares Or Baby Backs), Pork (Whole shoulder, Butts or Picnics), and Beef Brisket. 

Some competitions have optional Categories that are called Anything Butt.  These categories are entries that are not part of the main four meat categories.  Often dessert and side dishes are entered in this optional category.   The Anything Butt competitions are usually held Friday night during the competition.   During the Anything Butt part of the competition is when our team can showcase some of our culinary training.  This is also a great time to meet some of the other BBQ teams at the competition.

Since the Brisket and pork butts take up to 15 hours to cook, we spend most of the night up with the smoker.  We watch to make sure the smoker stays at the right temperature through out the night.  Around 3 or 4 in the morning we start to prep up the ribs to get them ready to put on the smoker.     The chickens are then prepped up around 6 in the morning, since they have the shortest cooking time. 

The main categories start at noon on Saturday with the chicken entries.  Followed every thirty minutes by each of the other categories.  The ribs are after the chicken followed by pork and then the brisket.  This is often the crunch time for competitors, trying to make sure their boxes are perfect.

After the final category there is generally about 3 hours before the awards ceremony.  Often this is the time that we share with our friends from other teams.  By trading each others BBQ you get to learn more about what different teams are cooking.  Many start to pack up during this time for the long trips home after the awards ceremony. 

The awards ceremony is where you get to find out who won in each category.  Often you get to see many of your friends get called up and hopefully your own team!

The Big Green Egg

Well it is time to discuss one of the other tools that we use at Hoss's BBQ and Catering Co.  That tool is The Big Green Egg.  This cooker is made of ceramic and is extremely efficient in how it cooks. 

This cooker can sear steaks at temperatures of 750 degrees F, and yet can maintain temperatures as low as 200 degrees F for cooking BBQ. 

You can also bake bread and pizzas on the egg using some other ceramic accessories. 

It takes a lot of wood to run the Catering Rig for one or two pork butts.  Where as the Egg can sustain cooks up to 15 hours on one load of lump charcoal. 

The fact that the Egg is so versatile is why it is loved by many BBQ enthusiasts.  Both of Hoss's parents now have Big Green Eggs at their homes in Tuscon, Az and Washington DC. 

Hoss's Favorite Websites

We have created a list of BBQ related websites for easy access to other sites we find valuable.  We hope that if you are looking for information, or BBQ products you will visit these sites.  Many of the sites are from friends that Hoss has met on the competition trail, others are ones he found doing research.  The links list is located in the about section of the site.