Texas Sized Grill Brush TexasBrush

My barbecue friends and I can really throw down some food, not just out on the road when I'm doing it professionally at fairs, festivals, or barbecue events but at home. There is nothing better than having your friends and family over for a big old barbecue, pig picking or cookout. The grillmaster in all of us needs one thing to avoid burning up our food (and to avoid burning down our deck, grill, or surroundings) and that is a really good grill brush.  When I saw the way this was made with great wood design and super strong steel bristles I knew this was the ultimate grill weapon!

I just wanted to share with you a REAL un-doctored photo of my new TexasBrush. They are not lying when they say it stands 4' tall. They have a few styles, now the  junior brush is only 2' long if you want it smaller.  The great thing about having this long handle on the original version is you don't have to get burnt up when scraping if your flame is on!

I am not lying when I say the brush stands taller than my filing cabinet and vacuum cleaner.

I am going to test it and give you my honest opinion in a few weeks when I start up again on the road.  I wanted to tell you I am overly impressed with the size of this thing, and the quality of how well it's made. Not to mention my name is burnt into the handle which makes me feel real special,. For $49.99 this is high quality and for now I am totally impressed. Wait to hear more...  Grill on.

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Complete Guide to Baltimore Dry Rub Seasoning

Dry Rub on my food..

Big Fat Daddy's Dry Rub History Questions
 
I get asked a lot about giving advice, tips and tricks on dry rub seasoning. I guess that's because "Big Fat Daddy's Seasoning" also called "Dry Rub"  was the form of some early publicity, originally discovered by Steven Raichlen and featured in the NY Times.    Last year alone I counted 295 emails last year alone asking me dry rub questions.  I wrote a great article about the benefits of Dry Rub in one of the forums I belong to, but somehow it was lost or eaten by dust mites. So here we go, to answer all you dry rub users, dry rub wanna-bees or people who need more help with it. 

Welcome to My Dry Rub Wiki- based on your questions over the last year!

What is Dry Rub?

Believe it or not dry rub is just that, a dry blend of spices and seasonings (usually containing salt) that is rubbed on FOODS prior to grilling.

What are the benefits of Dry Rub? 

Salt and spice dry blends enhance the flavor of your food and acts as a marinade, soaking into the food and flavoring it--or enhancing the natural flavors in the food itself.

What foods can I use Dry Rubs on? 

It depends on the dry rub. Some rubs are made specifically for beef, or some for fish. Overall dry rubs can be used with veggies, game meats, bison, pork, beef, lamb, vegetables, kabobs, as seasoning in soups, on poultry, hams, etc. Not all dry rub does taste great with all meats or all veggies, so you have to experiment and find the ones you like to compliment the food you are eating.

How is it applied? 

As crazy as it sounds, you rub it on your food prior to cooking or grilling.

Application Tips: 

I suggest to sprinkle lightly on poultry, fish and veggies.  I'm not a fan for getting raw chicken on my fingers, nor rubbing fish as the fish can fall apart.  I do suggest to hand rub in a circular motion the dry rub onto pork, beef, and game meats to really get into the pores of the meat. Bond with your food!

Dry Rubed Marination can be combined with other marinades. The salt base rub soaks into the meat.

What about marination time? 

Unlike some people, I suggest a full 24-48 hours for marination on beef, chicken, poultry or game meats.  I know for a fact you get more flavor this way and less rub is needed because the rub has long to soak into the meat. I generally sprinkle it on veggies right as they are cut for grilling, and fish the night before.  Can you wait until the night before ? You can, but try it both ways. Grill the steak with an overnight marination, then with a two day marination and get back to me. You'll thank me for the 48 hour time, trust me.

Is it salty and what if I am on a restricted salt intake?

Some dry rub contains salts which will indeed have sodium, but only a small amount is needed if you apply it correctly. One teaspoon of my dry rub seasoning can easily marinate and flavor four steaks. So you are only eating one steak per person, that is really only ingesting .25 of a teaspoon per serving and not the whole thing is comprised of salt. So overall you should indeed gauge the salt intake on the label nutrition facts. Avoid products with unnatural flavor enhancers and steer clear of anti-caking agents. If you are making your own blend, cut salts in half for a low salt alternative.

Read the package thoroughly to see if yours are presmoked and brined, or just fresh.

When NOT to use a "Salty" Dry Rub: 

Avoid using too much of it on pre-salted Turkey Legs (unsalted legs are okay, see a guide about turkey leg types here) or high content salty Ham shanks.  I also like it on lamb kabobs but not lamb shanks as I think lamb is a bit on the salty side. To each their own. For these items you may have to go with a mesquite rub, or other seasoning blend that is not so high in salt content.

Making your Own Dry Rub: 

You have to remember experimentation is key. Your base should be salty and flavorful, but not overtake the food.  Too much salt can really overpower the flavor and taste like hell.   The key here is to mix ingredients in small batch quantities and write down as you go. Call this first concoction  "Your Own #1." Try it on poultry, meats, fish, veggies and pork.  Let's say you may have a winner for one item (chicken), but not the other (pork), which is okay!  If you have written it down you will be able to duplicate it next time you make that special chicken dish or chicken soup! Now keep experimenting. Keep writing down ingredients and making in small batch quantities. Soon you will find the perfect "Your Blend #2", and so on and so forth.

I use the rub on all kinds of meats, and added a little maple powder for the ribs. Yummy.

What if My Dry Rubs Cakes Up? 

If you are using sugars, salts, or garlic salts/powders I can guarantee over time that your spice will cake up over time. For most of us, that's not a problem and a quick pinch will uncake it. For those of you who are using a shaker with small holes, add some rice into it. If this still bothers you, then you will need to either a) make in per serving small batch quantities or b) buy an Anti-Caking Agent.  I do not use them , but you may wish to explore the many alternatives on the market.

Why Don't You Use Anti-Caking Agents? 

The reason I don't, is I make small hand blended quantities to keep the spices fresh, and there have been some allergies to certain anti-caking agents. To me, they just aren't natural so why put them in? 

Why Doesn't My Dry Rub Concoction Taste Good on Everything? Can You Help Me?

First of all, don't feel bad! Not all taste buds are alike, and some seasonings don't sit well with some foods. It took me 6 years of experimenting to make my Big Fat Daddy's versatile Classic Dry Rub #1. That's a lot of trial and error. I can honestly say mine does taste great on beef, pork, ribs, chicken, turkey, game meats, fish, and veggies but the tricky part was finding something in a winning combination that didn't overpower the food. I also have alternates I use such as mesquite blend on some ribs and My #2 Fanny's Favorite which is a more sugary-sweet blend. So even I have a few options and you should too.  Keep trying! Go with what YOU think tastes good!

Is your Spice Gluten-Free?

Yes.

Is the New York Times article really the Big Fat Daddy's dry rub? 

It is the basic recipe that my brother blabbed, but of course key ingredients are left out for proprietary sake.  You are welcome to view the basic recipe here.

Why do some things say Wayne Schafer and some things  Brian Schafer?

The notoriety in the early 2000's was thanks to to my baby brother Brian blabbing the key ingredients of "family recipe" back in 2000 when he ran the pit beef stand on Route 40. Although I started Big Fat Daddy's, we would not see eye to eye working together. So by 2000 he ran the stand on 40 and I worked in the Big Fat Daddy's warehouse on Philadelphia Road.  By 2005 I gained back full ownership due to differences and Brian's health issues. He passed in 2014.  I continue to strive to keep Big Fat Daddy's on top of it's game, keeping my original vision for the company since I started, which is to constantly reinvent. 

Is the Big Fat Daddy's Dry Rub the Only Dry Rub You Use?

I have the Original Big Fat Daddy's blend, which I call #2. This was made in the old Pit Beef Days when there were two of us. Over the years however, I have adapted some more variations, which I use in special circumstances.

I have my Hers blend which incorporates a bit of sweetness (natural sugars) into the #2, my wife and I created this about eight years back.  I have my Cajun Blend which I created a few years back primarily to use on fish and sometimes in my slaw to make it a Cajun Slaw.   I have my Mesquite Blend which I perfected about a year ago and use when I'm low on the good wood and I want to cheat ha ha.  I have my special Maple Blend (for ribs)that I made a few years back.

When you get a good base, take it, and add to it.  Then you can experiment and tweak it to different tastes and styles. My dry rub you can pretty much use on everything, but after awhile I wanted to try something new. 

Where Can I Buy the Real Big Fat Daddy's Dry Rub?

I do not commercialize my seasoning or else I would be out of business because every BBQ guy would be selling and duplicating my food taste. I do get a lot of letters from people who are on the West Coast wanting to try my seasoning and so for them,  I do consider my spice gourmet and do sell it in hand blended small-batch quantities in my barbecue store. It is enough for you to make a few great dishes.  Not all blends are available.

Do you use other Dry Rubs and if so Which Ones? 

I would be lying to you if I only said I use my own. I'm a big fan of trying all kinds of bbq rubs dry rub blends, and seasonings when cooking at home. Believe it or not one of my all time favorites is Stubb's Herbal Mustard Blend on veggies and grilled chicken, (it's gluten free.)

My wife is a huge fan of Todd's Orignal Dirt and we put that in our Sweet and Sassy Chili Recipe. mmmm mmmm good!

If you have a question about dry rub ask me here. 

Thanks for reading our official   

Farm to Table TruFlavorWare

Farm to Table Movement!

BRAND SPANKIN' NEW:  You heard it here first!  Imagine if someone told me my beef and barbecue could taste already better than it is.  Oh yes, it's true.  This company , for the love of all things holy, out of Ohio, is genius!  We are always looking for ways to go greener in our business and in our lives. TruFlavorWare" is a non-metallic flatware (made of bamboo, much like the theory of chopsticks) that "Simply makes Food taste Better!"  Let's face it, Japan and Asia aren't moving to metal chopsticks anytime soon. Wood simply enhances the flavor of their food by not detracting from it. Same principal here, for us Americans who eat with utensils.

These guys over at TruFlavorWare operate under philanthropic grants and have even been referred to as a "Farm to Table Flatware"  because it is such a greener alternative.  Don Ladanyi, CEO TruFlavorWare has even shared with me that he's proud to be part of the the Farm to Table movement, where people are tired of the chemicals not only in their food but in their cooking utensils.  Not only is this stuff amazingly dishwasher safe but completely Eco-Friendly, FDA approved and really appeals to those who care about preserving the safety of their food "farm to table."

(So, if you can't barbecue or your wife can't cook this is the perfect solution. Everything will simply taste better. )  Seriously folks, this eco friendly flatware has even shared the benefits for pregnancy and baby here. The "Chef's Standard" brand includes a 5 ml Chef's Tasting Spoon.  They are working on all kinds of good things besides the e TruFlavorWare flatware line, such as the Patent pending spill-proof soup spoon, and  Chemotherapy patient's flatware set.  These guys are on the cutting edge of adding plates, cups, you name it and all for the greener good.

So make sure to check them out on Facebook and tell your friends because I am sure in a few years we'll be seeing this picked up by a major chain store.  Remember you heard it here first.

Imagine, something so good you cooked, like this soup with natural ingredients, fresh veggies and NO METAL SPOONS. 

Turkey Leg and Poultry Seasoning Recipe Gluten-Free

We take our legs seriously at Big Fat Daddy's

In my previous post I talked about how to grill your turkey legs on your barbecue pit or smoker. I received some questions about what types of seasonings to use. I am happy to share two gluten-free recipes we have tried and enjoyed.  In fact you could use these for chicken or poultry of any type.  I have been known to use this on chicken kabobs also. These are two recipes you can make at home that are super tasty!

Note: these are only for unsalted turkey legs-if you are buying presmoked legs they are most likely salted and we suggest omitting the salt out of each recipe if you are using those!

Turkey Day Dry Rub
The first is a dry rub seasoning that you can either sprinkle on your legs the night before or sprinkle on during cooking. This should be enough to sparingly sprinkle onto the shanks of 6 average sized turkey legs.

2 tbsp Sage
1 tsp fine sea salt  (Or you may omit this if paleo diet)
1 tsp fine black pepper
1 tsp dill
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
***You may wish to omit the garlic powder and sage in exchange for 2 tbsp Bells Powder.

Tip: If you are sprinkling during cooking sprinkle only on the large parts and use half prior to flipping, then sprinkle the other half. We recommend apple wood on an open pit for optimum flavor.

Hickory Brown Sugar Liquid Basting Seasoning

(Covers 4 to 6 legs) This should be mixed and brushed on as soon as legs go on the grill.

1 tbsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Dry Mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup sweet hickory bbq sauce- we like Sweet Baby Ray's for home use.
1/8 cup water

Tip: Sometimes we make two batches, so we can brush on another batch at 3/4 done.  Make sure if you are doing this that you use a new cup to mix in and a new brush, or thoroughly wash your brush from the first application so as not to cross contaminate.

Optional Method: We have mixed the dry ingredients first and marinated them overnight. Then brushed on the liquid part when 3/4 done.

I hope you'll send me some pictures of you grilling with this so I can post them up. When we sell our legs at fairs we use our special secret dry rub, so make sure to look for us at your county fair.  Read all my gluten-free recipes here.

Menu from Mars Recipes for the Grilling and Cooking Guru

There is magic in those hands...

Imagine our shock when we found someone who loves grilling, cooking, and having fun with their meat as much as we do. What's even better than this, is while he is doing it, he's video taping it for you so you can follow along.   We are of course talking about Andy from Menu from Mars and his super cool recipes!

Andy keeps you smiling and is funny and passionate about cooking and making videos about cooking!

You won't find meals for martians here but instead for humans!  There are great videos from his Menu From Mars  Youtube channel uploaded to his site giving you step by step instructions on how to cook the best ribs, pork, chicken, main dishes,sweets, and all kinds of other recipes.  He is a great entertainer and sometimes you will catch him all dressed up!

Find out why Andy says "Less is More" by clicking on this word ---> Ribs!

Andy has a lot of pride in what he does and his recipes are practical to use in your kitchen. We think he may be the famous someday on the Food Network, and if so, remember us!

If you are up for a real challenge we suggest his homemade barbecue sauce!  Full of ingredients the final product is worth the work and you won't be sorry. Your family and friends will be shocked.  We know you will love his videos as much as we do, and find some funny commercials too!  Please go to his website and check him out!

While you are at it: 
 
Connect with him on Twitter.

Check out Menu from Mars on Facebook!


If you liked Menu from Mars and want your product featured, click here:

Grilling Turkey Legs on the BBQ Tips n Tricks

There are a few things I want to tell you when grilling turkey legs on the barbie! First of all, you need to know what kind of legs you are working with.  

The legs you get frozen in the freezer section of your grocery store are usually uncooked turkey legs. You know, the same kind of turkey you get for Thanksgiving dinner.  These are usually uncooked and unseasoned, but you have to make sure before adding a salty rub or seasoning to them--because if they are cooked and already salted you will be dying of thirst all night.  The big problem one has with these kind of turkey legs is you must grill low and slow or they will fall apart. Some of them on special may have been thawed and re-frozen and put on special in the grocer's box. So remember, cook well on the barbie and avoid turning too much.

Commercial turkey legs and butchers offer two types of turkey legs. Pre-smoked and Raw.  Let's get one thing straight, pre-smoked is not pre-cooked. Pre-smoking is still raw but they can give a faux appearance of being pre-cooked. Don't you believe it! They are pre-smoked and treated with a salty additive and carry a smokey taste but you must still cook them to proper internal temperatures.  The key here is not to dump a ton of salty seasoning on them or you will be sorry! 

The raw is usually fine to lather with your dry rub or dump your seasoning on before grilling.  

It is not uncommon for some turkey legs to weigh a few lbs each which means you will be be grilling them for awhile.  If you are looking for a quick meal, grill something else. The legs if large will require some time and you should make sure to temp them very deep and far in several places to make sure they are done. 

Get my recipes for Seasoning for your Poultry or Turkey Legs here!

Read all my grilling tips here

Christopher Walken Harness the Power , Grilling Tips

There's a Christopher Walken in all of us. My wife told me once, we must "harness the power of Walken". If you think about it, inside each one of us is a bizarre character called a cook or chef, who would almost on queue toss together a bit of this, a tad of that, and some things unknown....yet ideally we have the phenomenal foresight to see and feel the taste of the final product.  As we are creating, our tongue is tingling perhaps from the Walken-like ESP telling us this will be the best thing we've created yet....I believe it is in the darkest corners of our mind, lie the best recipes yet. Today's grilling tip is to break some flavor boundaries, and harness your Inner Walken for the best bbq, beef, pork, brisket, fish, chicken, turkey, or whatever it is you are cooking.  Do not fear the mixing of paprika with orange juice--experiment.  Embrace the lime juice and caraway seed.  Sprinkle some brown sugar on that Budweiser Butt Chicken.  GO FOR IT.  Don't you deserve to know the limits of the grilling universe?  Enjoy the videos and THANK YOU CHRISTOPHER.

Sun Dried Tomato Aussie Steak Wrap Recipe from Big Fat Daddy's

This is our healthy take on lean beef and salad, in a wrap!  We have our great Aussie beef wrap recipe made with sun dried tomato dressing posted on Tom Corson Knowles' health food site here.  Make sure to read it.

GLUTEN FREE VERSION: Use our recipe to a "T"and nix the wheat wrap. Just have the steak upon salad form and it will be scrumptious!

Either way, it's delicious and we thank Tom for having us on.

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