I have had really good luck doing the EQ Method for curing bacon. Comes out a little sweet, salty, but not too salty.
www.makinbacon.net
Nice! I do a few competitions a year. Where were you cooking at?
New Braunfels, Tx
Figured Texas when I saw the half chicken. Some good BBQ in that area.
Yes, folks down here take bbq pretty seriously, and there is an abundance of good stuff around. A couple of the teams at this event had won “world championships” (I still don’t really understand the sanctioning body that declares a “world bbq champion” I suspect it’s just some drunks on Saturday night declaring “world champion”) but they did win this event too, and their stuff was fantastic. Though in my very biased and unequivocally correct un-humble opinion my brisket was better.
Though in my very biased and unequivocally correct un-humble opinion my brisket was better.
There's a place in southern illinois that gets all kinds of publicity and awards, wasn't impressed. About 30 min east of there is a little BBQ whole in the wall shack that blows it out of the water.
Been to TWO famous places in Memphis and they were supposed to be great. Nope. Several others down south that were not very good either. They all may have had one item we liked but never brisket and rarely ribs. BBQ spaghetti is way overrated! Hell, the best burnt ends I've had were in Fairbanks, Alaska! Been there twice.
so started these on three hours of smoke then finished in a pan with a dark ale and sauce for simmering. She liked but they looked better than they tasted to me 
question for you guys making sticks. I can never get them the way way I want them. Seems like the texture is too coarse in the meat which I grind twice and the casing doesn't quite stick to the meat like it should? Suggestions?
I gave up on the casing sticking. I double ground these through the biggest plate. Have tried a smaller plate for your grinder? Usually after they sit in the fridge or freezer for any time at all the casings seem to want to peel off, but at the point it’s already done it’s job so I let it bother me. I also prefer mine more coarse and dryer than what you buy at the store. They aren’t dry, but don’t seem like a wet mush.
Yah tried smaller plates. I like it coarser too just going for presentation I guess because I'm ocd. I just do my friend into either summer sausage or ground jerky, mostly ground jerky.
I used to cut off all the ends and save them for myself. Then the product I would share with people would look good. Finally said what a waste of time. It’s already time consuming enough, why make it longer. Have you tried Rinsing them in cold water right when you take them off heat?
