Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

CORE RUBS, SPICES & SAUCES

RUBS WERE ORIGINALLY APPLIED OUT OF NECESSITY, NOT FOR FLAVOR.

Developed in the days before refrigeration, heaps of salt and sugar were rubbed on cuts of meat to help preserve the slab for as long as possible. When the meat was cooked, there was an unexpected and delicious by-product — it was bursting with flavor. In the centuries since, the rub has come to define the flavor of any barbecue, as they're now a matter of personal preference, geographical region, and taste. Although any barbecue aficionado will tell you that the meat itself makes for great barbecue, they all acknowledge that the rub adds your signature flavor and personality to the meat.

The basic rub often, but not always, includes salt, sugar, ground black pepper, and spices, such as cumin, paprika, chili powder, granulated garlic, and granulated onion (garlic and onion powders taste too medicinal). The spices are dubbed "transitional" spices because they help smooth out, fill in, and add dimension to what would otherwise be a sharply contrasting set of flavors if only sweet, salty, and peppery notes were used.

Sugar is great because it adds another layer of taste, igniting fireworks in your mouth and on your tongue. Rubs vary for the type of meat, particularly between pork and beef. For the best flavor, you'll want more sugar on pork than on beef. When you add the salt and other spices, it's even more action for your taste buds to savor because you're hitting all various palate sensations.

For example, we introduced our Brother Jimmy's Southern Rub about four years ago, based on a Memphis-style dry rub. It's sweeter than our Brother Jimmy's Dry Rub thanks to dark brown sugar, yet it's still got some kick from the ancho chile powder and ground yellow mustard. For our pulled pork, the pork butt we're smoking is encased in the signature Brother Jimmy's Dry Rub, which uses seasoned salt as a base and is heightened by about twenty dried spices, including fennel seed and rosemary. The resulting flavor profile ends up being close to sausage, in part owing to the fennel seed, a very unique approach to the dry rub.

The cool thing about rubs, and barbecue in general, is that although there is a fundamental set of constants, how you adapt a recipe within your kitchen is entirely up to you. We're here to give you our take and methods, but you can do whatever makes you happy. Southern cooking is often about family recipes, passed down on note cards in weathered boxes over the generations. Everyone has his or her unique take on a particular Southern staple and no one recipe is ever better or worse. It's all about personal preference, so you should get as creative as you'd like.

This chapter will highlight core rubs that we're dredging our cuts of meat in at each Brother Jimmy's location. Feel free to whip them up as outlined or to get innovative. The rub creation process is entirely a trial-and-error one. Simply start with a solid base of salt, sugar, and black pepper, and pick some flavors you like, such as chili powder or paprika, adding them teaspoon by teaspoon to create the final flavor you want. If you overdo one spice, cut it down by adding more base. Taste it while dry after each addition, but be sure to write down what you're doing step-by-step for future use.

We'll also go over sauces, because what's better than tangy sauce running down the sides of a pile of steaming barbecue? Topping our restaurants' tables are five squirt bottles, each containing a different trademark sauce. The differences between the drips are vast because Southern barbecue sauces vary by region; just a few ingredients can set similar recipes apart by miles when it comes to consistency and taste. Because Brother Jimmy's roots lie in North Carolina, the predominant sauce is our Eastern Carolina Sauce, which serves as a base for our Original BBQ, Chipotle BBQ, and Blazin' sauces. In addition, we also have a Mustard BBQ Sauce, which is a key component to South Carolina barbecue.

Our Eastern Carolina Sauce follows tradition in that it's thinner and based on a mix of vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes. It pairs astoundingly well with pulled pork and doubles as an ingredient for a spicy vinaigrette, perfect for making coleslaw with a smidgen of a kick (this page). Historically, Eastern Carolina settlers believed that the tomato was poisonous, so they didn't include the fruit into the mix. But Western Carolinians weren't afraid of the little red guys, so their version includes them as well as a pile of brown sugar for a sweeter taste, as both soften the vinegar. Brother Jimmy's Original BBQ Sauce is our take on the Western Carolina-based sauce.

From these two staples, simple variations to the recipes form the other sauces. Blazin' sears your tongue with the addition of cayenne pepper, and pureed chipotle heats up the Chipotle BBQ Sauce. However you choose to top your 'cue, we've got a sauce recipe for you. The important thing to remember is that barbecue is about the meat. The lighter you can make your drips, the happier you'll be, because you don't want to drown out the flavors of the protein you just cooked.

(By the way, if you're looking for premade sauces and rubs to speed up your prep time, we can help you out in that department. We sell four of our five key barbecue sauces — plus our original dry rub — in our restaurants and on our website. We're always developing and honing new flavors, so because good books, like good barbecue, take a while to make, be sure to check our locations and website for the latest offerings.)

BROTHER JIMMY'S DRY RUB

This is our original signature dry rub that's been gracing our plates since 1989. We dare you to find another one like it.

2 tablespoons dried rosemary
¼ cup fennel seeds
¾ cup Lawry's Seasoned Salt
2¾ teaspoons granulated garlic
5 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1½ tablespoons dried thyme
¼ cup crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons ground dried sage
¼ cup dried basil
½ cup dried mint
2¼ teaspoons ground white pepper
4½ teaspoons ground black pepper

MAKES about 2½ cups (more than enough for 3 racks)

1 In a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder, coarsely crush the rosemary, taking care not to grind it into a powder.

2 Repeat Step 1 with the fennel seeds.

3 Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and store in an airtight container.

BROTHER JIMMY'S SOUTHERSN RUB

It's our Memphis-style rub, with sugar and spice and everything nice.

¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1½ teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion

MAKES about ¾ cup (enough for 3 racks)

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and store in an airtight container.

SPICE FISH RUB

We created this spicy rub for catfish, but it'll work well with any mild to medium-flavored fish. If you like sweet and spice together, try the Sweet and Spicy Catfish (this page). There we combine this rub with brown sugar and butter for maximum flavor.

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1½ tablespoons smoked paprika
4½ tablespoons chili powder
1½ tablespoons ground cumin
1½ tablespoons ground coriander
1½ tablespoons ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons kosher salt

MAKES about ½ cup

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and store in an airtight container.

FRESH HERB AND GARLIC RUB

This wet rub goes nicely with sirloin steak (this page), but any cut of steak will be happy to have this topping it. You can even try it with chicken or pork or a particularly meaty piece of fish, such as salmon or tuna.

¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil

MAKES about ½ cup

1 Chop the herbs, then combine them in a medium bowl.

2 Place the garlic on a cutting board and smash it with the side of a large chef's knife. Place the salt on top of the smashed garlic and begin chopping together. Using the side of your knife, spread the garlic and salt around to smash them together. Continue smashing and chopping until you have a paste. (Salt acts as an abrasive, helping to grind the garlic to a smooth paste.)

3 Add the garlic-salt paste to the herbs and mix in the pepper and oil. Use immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

BRISKET SUGAR SHAKE

Once your brisket is sliced on the plate, give it a little sprinkle with this shake to round out the rich, fatty flavor of the beef.

½ cup turbinado sugar
4½ tablespoons "brownulated" light brown sugar
4½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper

MAKES just over 1 cup

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and store in an airtight container.

BLACKENING SPICE

A traditional spice mix that adds a delicious smoky and spicy flavor to foods, this was originally developed for fish but has been adapted well for pork, shrimp, and even vegetables. This is our version of the Cajun classic.

½ cup chili powder
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
¾ teaspoon dried basil
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon granulated onion
¾ teaspoon granulated garlic
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

MAKES just over ¼ cup

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and store in an airtight container.

EASTERN CAROLINA BBQ SAUCE

This is the classic eastern North Carolina sauce, which doesn't include tomato. The combination of this and pork butt create the staple Carolina Pulled Pork — our quintessential dish.

1½ cups white vinegar
½ cup water
1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1½ teaspoons dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon table salt

MAKES about 2 cups

Combine all the ingredients in a lidded container and shake well. Use immediately or store for later use in the refrigerator, where it will keep for months. Shake well before using.

BOURBON BBQ SAUCE

This recipe makes a fair amount of sauce, which is a good thing, as it's great on pork and chicken as well as Smoked Brisket (this page). When catering, we even put it on smoked tofu. It'll keep for several months in the fridge, and it's just as tasty cold, pulled right out of the fridge.

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup minced Spanish onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
11/8 cups tomato paste
1 cup molasses
1¾ cups water
6 tablespoons good bourbon

MAKES 4 cups

1 Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.

2 Add the spices and brown sugar and mix well. Add the soy sauce, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar.

3 Add the tomato paste and stir to break it all up and incorporate it, then stir in the molasses.

4 Slowly add the water to make a smooth sauce, then add the bourbon and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool and store in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a tightfitting lid.

BROTHER JIMMY'S ORIGINAL BBQ SAUCE

This is our core sauce based on the western North Carolina style. It's a good idea to keep extra in the fridge because it goes well with everything from fries to chicken fingers.

2 cups white vinegar 1½ cups Heinz ketchup (if you use another brand, the taste will be different) 1½ cups packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons chili powder 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper 1 tablespoon kosher salt

MAKES about 5 cups

1 Whisk all the ingredients together in a nonreactive saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.

2 Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce just coats the back of a wooden spoon — it's not intended to be overly thick.

3 Cool and use immediately or store for later use in the fridge, where it will keep for 2 to 3 months.

BLAZIN' SAUCE

Cayenne pepper gives our Original BBQ Sauce an infusion of heat in this spicy sauce. For those of you who like things hot, a bottle of this will be your best friend.

1 recipe Brother Jimmy's Original BBQ Sauce (above) 6½ tablespoons cayenne pepper

MAKES about 5 cups

Follow the Original BBQ Sauce recipe, adding the cayenne with the other ingredients.

CHIPOTLE PUREE

Chipotle Puree is a staple in our kitchens. It adds a little heat and a subtle smoke flavor to many of our dishes — in fact, it's great in just about anything (even chocolate cake!).

1 (7-ounce) can chipotles in adobo sauce

MAKES ½ cup

1 Place a mesh strainer over a bowl. Empty the can of chipotles into the strainer. We recommend wearing rubber gloves while handling the chipotles, and remember not to touch your face. It will burn.

2 Remove the seeds from the chiles while reserving the chiles and the liquid that has drained into the bowl.

3 Once the seeds are removed, transfer the liquid and chiles to a blender and blend until you have a smooth puree. Store the puree in the refrigerator in a glass jar, where it will keep for a few months.

GUAVA BBQ SAUCE

This sauce was made for our Grilled Salmon (this page), but it also perfectly complements other fatty fish like mahi mahi as well as grilled pork.

1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 cup diced Spanish onion
¼ cup garlic cloves, smashed after measuring
2 cups water
1 tablespoon dark chili powder
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
8 ounces guava paste, cut up (found in the Latin section of your supermarket)
½ teaspoon kosher salt

MAKES 4 cups

1 Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the onion and garlic soften.

2 Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth — be careful that hot liquid doesn't spurt out. Use immediately or cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

BROTHER JIMMY'S MUSTART BBQ SAUCE

Mustard sauce is what really differentiates South Carolina pulled pork from its Northern cousin. This sauce is also great with veggies and grilled shrimp.

1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup yellow mustard, such as French's
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Frank's Red Hot Sauce
2¼ teaspoons soy sauce

MAKES about 2¼ cups

1 Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium nonreactive saucepan.

2 Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring often, then turn off the heat.

3 Use immediately or let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

BROTHER JIMMY'S CHIPOTLE BBQ SAUCE

This recipe takes our Original BBQ Sauce and ratchets it up a notch with a little smoke and heat from our spicy friend the chipotle. We use it on our smoked and grilled wings and our BBQ Burger, among other dishes.

¼ cup Chipotle Puree (this page)
4 cups Brother Jimmy's Original BBQ Sauce (this page)

MAKES 4¼ cups

Combine the Chipotle Puree with the BBQ Sauce and whisk until well combined. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for months in a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid.

CONDIMENTS, PICKELS & SLAWS

WE'D BE REMISS IN NOT TALKING ABOUT A STAPLE OF ANY BIG BARBECUE

bash: the condiments, pickles, and slaws. It's typical Southern tradition to have this trio on hand, and most 'cuing festivities dedicate an entire table to these accoutrements, so it's only fitting that we give them a chapter of their own.

Often in Southern restaurants, your starters are pickles and slaw. A heaping bowl of each usually hits the table as soon as you sit down, keeping diners contented as they nosh on crunchy bites while perusing the menu. Cucumbers steeped in brine or vinegar have adorned plates, burgers, and other dishes since pickling was first invented. These delicious and salty treats are often a standard accompaniment to Southern fare and, when battered and fried, are elevated from being a garnish or side dish to the main plate. (Our version of the latter, Frickles, is on this page.) And pickles often come out with each dish in our restaurants, because when you're eating heavy barbecue food, there's nothing like a bite of a bright, crisp pickle to refresh your mouth.

Whether you like them whole, sliced, raw, or fried — or soaked in Kool-Aid and dubbed Koolickles, as kids in the South call them — pickles always round out the palate nicely. It doesn't always have to be a cucumber that's getting the pickling treatment. We've got some other favorite brined-and-canned options for you. Simply pick your favorite veggie and get to picklin'.

---

Excerpted from "Brother Jimmy's BBQ"
by .
Copyright © 2012 Josh Lebowitz.
Excerpted by permission of Abrams Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---