Help with recipes.

mjk412 · February 2017

So, I'm trying to get my wife to like bbq. She doesn't care for it at all. She does not like ribs, or pulled pork. She will eat chicken, burgers, steaks. When I make ribs, or pulled pork I want to share that meal with her. I'm always the only one eating it. Do you guys have any recipe ideas that can get someone like her ribs and pulled pork?

She does not like the smokey taste.

RRP · February 2017

Well the obvious question comes to mind...are you using wood in any form? If so then she may have an issue right there!

FATC1TY · February 2017

If she doesn't like smoke, and doesn't like those foods then I'd give up. Just make her what she likes to eat and enjoy the rest to yourself and those who will.

You arent going to make her like them unless there's a flavor she enjoys. Sweet, salty, savory?

johnnyp · February 2017

Ill ask a tough question.

Does she not like BBQ, or does she not like your BBQ? Will she eat it at a restaurant?

if she she'll eat it elsewhere, ask what she likes about it or doesn't like about yours.

EggNorth · February 2017

I would keep cooking chicken, burgers and steak. Maybe expand with some double baked potatoes, vegetables etc.

My wife does not like 'Pulled Pork' either ... So before pulling, I cut the end off - the best piece with all that bark, and she has that as pork. Maybe in your case, skip the smoke, not the worst thing you can do. You can also cut the bark off for her before cutting her piece.

RRP · February 2017

There is also the preconceived challenge. Make a long story short - I bake a triple chocolate cake on my egg that everybody says is to die for. Every time I would take some over to my elderly neighbor couple they would thank me the next day and say the same thing..."that cake was SO good, too damn bad it was so smokey" which I never understood. So one time I baked it in our spitting clean oven and took over some. Bet you can guess the how the call went the next morning! "That cake was SO good, too damn bad it was so smokey"

last st time I ever took them anything!

EggNorth · February 2017

Mind over matter - I would never complain over a chocolate cake, smokey or not.

To the original poster ... The obvious solution here is to get another Egg, one smoking and the other not. Perfect solution.

GrateEggspectations · February 2017

I have a solution that doesn't involve any changes to your cooks........

Just how attached are you to that wife of yours?

lousubcap · February 2017

Does she eat the chix, burgers and steak off the BGE? If so, those are relatively quick cooks-go with a more smoke neutral lump (Rockwood-available thru fire craft.com or Wicked Good) unless you are there already. If so, then as suggested above, declare victory.
One last thought, invite friends over who enjoy bbq and cook up some chix ( for her) and ribs for the group. See if the external influences help.

Dave in Florida · February 2017

"she eats chicken, burgers and steaks." Sounds like she doesn't either like pork or doesn't like the smoke flavor of slow cooked Q. Have you tried only beef items, beef ribs, chuck roast burnt ends or pulled beef, brisket? Maybe she just really only likes beef and chicken. My parent tell everyone they don't care much for beef. But let me bring, chuck roast burnt ends, brisket or beef ribs and they rave about how good it is.

mjk412 · February 2017

I made baby back ribs last night. I used a little bit of hickory. She didn't mind the hint of smoke. It was the seasonings she didn't like. The rub was too sweet. Some I'm thinking if I can keep trying different rubs maybe I'll find one she will like. Or just stick with good old salt and pepper. She might like an Asian type sauce.

mjk412 · February 2017

johnnyp said:

Ill ask a tough question.

Does she not like BBQ, or does she not like your BBQ? Will she eat it at a restaurant?

if she she'll eat it elsewhere, ask what she likes about it or doesn't like about yours.

Great question. lol. She's had pulled pork at this farm we go to in the fall. She liked that. The pork did not have any flavor to me.

Focker · February 2017

Using sous vide may play to your advantage. Proteins aren't getting smoke or fire very long.

Definitely not my bag for steak and Q, and I have a couple Anovas, but may be worth a shot. She may even prefer the softer textures often associated with proteins and sous vide treatment.

EggNorth · February 2017

mjk412 said:

I made baby back ribs last night. I used a little bit of hickory. She didn't mind the hint of smoke. It was the seasonings she didn't like. The rub was too sweet. Some I'm thinking if I can keep trying different rubs maybe I'll find one she will like. Or just stick with good old salt and pepper. She might like an Asian type sauce.

I have to say I agree with her on this one, the problem with most rubs is that they take over the taste of the meat instead of enhancing it. Might as well just cook the rub and skip the meat ... Can't go wrong with salt and pepper, unless you use too much of course.

Sounds like you are on the right track.

RRP · February 2017

Another long story of mine - back when I was teaching BGE cooking classes I had a couple take my class and for the 2.5 hours he gobbled up every thing I cooked and served the class. She OTOH sat there and drank bottled water the whole time. Not to embarrass either of them I asked in private at the end if they wanted a refund of her $45 charge and she said no.

Well the next day the husband called me to explain what it was all about and in her case she didn't like ANYTHING cooked on a BGE and her 13 year old daughter didn't either. He went on to ask if I knew anybody who would buy his large egg and that my class was his last resort to convince her. Less than one year later they were divorced...

pgprescott · February 2017

Is this for real? Who doesn't like ribs? Even so so ribs are good.

Killit_and_Grillit · February 2017

I hate to be the one to say it but some people like different food.

I dont really care for red meat. I like burgers (mostly for spices, cheese, and bread) but I rarely go looking for a steak.

It takes me working OT to get my wife to eat wild game. But when I win...she scarfs it down. I had to figure out her pallet. I like wild game, chicken and pork. She likes beef.

Find her pallet. Keep her happy. (And smoke isn't for everybody. My dad hates it)

DoubleEgger · February 2017

You can wrap earlier in the process to limit the smoke. Use Rockwood if it's available.

Legume · February 2017

RRP said:

Another long story of mine - back when I was teaching BGE cooking classes I had a couple take my class and for the 2.5 hours he gobbled up every thing I cooked and served the class. She OTOH sat there and drank bottled water the whole time. Not to embarrass either of them I asked in private at the end if they wanted a refund of her $45 charge and she said no.

Well the next day the husband called me to explain what it was all about and in her case she didn't like ANYTHING cooked on a BGE and her 13 year old daughter didn't either. He went on to ask if I knew anybody who would buy his large egg and that my class was his last resort to convince her. Less than one year later they were divorced...

Nice story, Sunshine.

westernbbq · February 2017

@mjk412.

Your best bet here is rope a dope. What you do here is get the things she absolutely loves on the bge...make her the best chicken shes ever had. Double that on steak. And at some point you can introduce her to the tastiest ribs she will ever have

Go lump charcoal though, no wood chunks and see what she says

mjk412 · February 2017

DoubleEgger said:

You can wrap earlier in the process to limit the smoke. Use Rockwood if it's available.

I noticed a lot of people like rockwood. I have never seen it svaialabe locally, so I will most likely order it. I currently use royal oak, but I'll try rockwood

YukonRon · February 2017

mjk412 said:

DoubleEgger said:

You can wrap earlier in the process to limit the smoke. Use Rockwood if it's available.

I noticed a lot of people like rockwood. I have never seen it svaialabe locally, so I will most likely order it. I currently use royal oak, but I'll try rockwood

In the last couple of years, I have tested lump from different manufacturers. Over all performance is where it is at, and thus far, Rockwood seems to be the leader.
Big difference in some comparisons, small in others, just a consistant performer in each cook.
Made a huge difference with my daughter who would not eat pork. Caught her red handed in the kitchen scarfing down, right out of the pan, chunks of peach smoked Q.
She has not missed a bge meal since, I went with Rockwood. She has become quite the Q snob, as of late, very much like her mother, good smoke versus bad smoke.

gdenby · February 2017

Pork rubs often have lots of sugar. Beef, on the other hand, sometimes only gets salt and pepper. Maybe try some beef plate short ribs, or pulled beef chuck.

For pork, maybe try a soy sauce and wooster glaze. Or perhaps a drizzle of lemon juice at the end to brighten up the flavor.

jtcBoynton · February 2017

Lots of good suggestions, here are more to consider. Pork shoulder is very neutral and the finished product is greatly influenced by the flavorings you add. Try some very different flavorings than you normally use. Your wife just may not like the typical southern bbq flavor profile. Go with a more neutral smoke flavor lump (like Rockwood) without any added wood. Many people are more sensitive to the bitter notes in smoke. Your wife may be picking up the bitters that you are not. Try different flavors not in the sugar/paprika family such as cuban style mojo or Bavarian style rubs. Try slicing her a few pieces before you pull the rest for yourself. My wife is very sensitive to bitters and is not a fan of sweet with meat.

Save the ribs for later. My daughter loves pork shoulder. She will not touch ribs. I don't know why.

Theophan · February 2017

People have different tastes. Your wife's taste might change, if you give it time, and are gentle about not trying to force things on her that she hates. But it's very possible she just won't ever like smoky low-and-slow BBQ.

My wife has broadened her tastes a lot in the years we've been married, but there are still many things she just hates. She doesn't even want to be in the same ROOM with cilantro, for example! She hates mushrooms, sauerkraut, smoked sausages, isn't a huge fan of steak, but she likes a filet WELL-done. <sigh> So once in a while I'll go ahead and cook something I love but she hates, and I wish we were eating the same meal together, but she'll have something else that she likes, and it's all good. There are tons of things that we both love, and I mostly try to cook those things.

I'd say trust her that she doesn't like what she says she doesn't like, and try mostly to offer her things that she really does like. Love her, treat her well, and once in a while, cook some low-and-slow smoky BBQ AND make something else for her, too, maybe something cooked inside, that she also will like. Is there anything that she loves and you hate? Have matching meals! <laughing>

jeponline · February 2017

mjk412 said:

DoubleEgger said:

You can wrap earlier in the process to limit the smoke. Use Rockwood if it's available.

I noticed a lot of people like rockwood. I have never seen it svaialabe locally, so I will most likely order it. I currently use royal oak, but I'll try rockwood

I started off with royal oak and my wife would always complain about the smoke flavor. I made the switch to rockwood and now she regularly requests meals cooked on the egg.

Salmon on is one of her favorites and she even came up with her own recipe for a rub.

gdenby · February 2017

Theophan said:

My wife has broadened her tastes a lot in the years we've been married, but there are still many things she just hates. She doesn't even want to be in the same ROOM with cilantro, for example! She hates mushrooms, sauerkraut, smoked sausages, isn't a huge fan of steak, but she likes a filet WELL-done. <sigh>

A small percent of people do not taste cilantro as do most. I'm one. It tastes like soap. Lemon basil makes a reasonable substitute.

I'm close to allergic to capsicum. A small amount for heat is fine, but a whole green bell pepper will give me all sorts of intestinal distress. My wife loves stuffed green peppers, and officially "hates" fish. So I buy her pre-made stuffed peppers, while I enjoy fish sticks on the other side of the table.

Carolina Q · February 2017

EggNorth said:

mjk412 said:

I made baby back ribs last night. I used a little bit of hickory. She didn't mind the hint of smoke. It was the seasonings she didn't like. The rub was too sweet. Some I'm thinking if I can keep trying different rubs maybe I'll find one she will like. Or just stick with good old salt and pepper. She might like an Asian type sauce.

I have to say I agree with her on this one, the problem with most rubs is that they take over the taste of the meat instead of enhancing it. Might as well just cook the rub and skip the meat ... Can't go wrong with salt and pepper, unless you use too much of course.

Sounds like you are on the right track.

There's a well known Q joint in Eastern NC called the Skylight Inn. Whole hog bbq is all they do. They smoke over an open pit with oak and hickory. The meat gets a spritz of water... and some salt. Period. Once it's done, they chop it and add some vinegar and Texas Pete. Then they serve it - same to everyone. No cumin, no chili powder, no paprika, no cayenne... and no sugar.

I asked the folks at Hursey's in Burlington NC what they seasoned with. They told me they used just s&p.

I have done a couple of butts with s&p only. They were good enough, but I prefer an Elder Ward type rub. I've never used a commercial rub on a butt or ribs. Maybe you could smoke one with just salt (or s&p) and when you serve it, add whatever seasoning you like to your serving only. If that works, cook his n hers butts next time. One wit, one witout.

If it turns out to be a rub thing, try making your own. Elder Ward's is excellent, just use less sugar. Jess Pryles has a primer on pork rub theory (along with a recipe). Haven't tried hers, but take a look here.

Good luck. BBQ is too good to give up on!

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