Grilling Tips and Trends with Chris Lilly at Kingsford University

I recently participated in the 2011 Kingsford University in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kingsford Charcoal hosts this event, which brings together a few dozen food writers and bloggers for a couple days of grilling and barbecue-themed higher education.

Our lead instructor and master of ceremonies was world-champion pitmaster, Chris Lilly, from Big Bob Gibson's BBQ. As far as I'm concerned, Lilly is "the man" when it comes to barbecue chefs in America.

Chris has perfected the art of smoky, slow-cooked meats. While his food is rooted in classic barbecue technique, he's still able to throw in some interesting modern twists. Here are a few of my favorite tips and trends from Kingsford U.

Building a Better Brisket

Chris demonstrated how he does his award winning barbecued beef brisket. Unlike the forgiving pork shoulder, a beef brisket will expose a pretender faster than a "Kiss the Cook" apron. The trick I picked up here is to apply a wet rub first, and then the dry rub.

The brisket was given a rubdown with beef base, before the spices were applied. Not only does it help create an amazing crust or "bark," but the pan juices benefit as well. Into the smoker it goes, which is kept at between 225-240 degrees. After about 4 hours, or when the internal temperature of the brisket 170 degrees, it's removed, wrapped tightly with aluminum foil, and returned to the smoker. There it stays until it reaches an internal temp of 190 degrees.

After resting for 30 minutes, it was sliced against the grain into thick slabs of smoky heaven. It's served with the intensely beefy drippings drizzled over the top. It was as good as it looked.

Cook Once Eat Twice

One hot trend is the "cook once eat twice" school of thought. Instead of cooking a small supermarket-sized brisket, why not get a whole one from a butcher and smoke the entire thing? You enjoy the first half freshly cooked, and still have plenty of leftovers for an entirely new meal.

Chris had mouths watering as he told us how he turns his extra brisket into a very special eggs benedict. The sliced beef is served over grilled muffins, topped with poached eggs, and a hollandaise spiked with those dark, flavorful pan drippings. It sounded so good, and what a perfect example of "cook once eat twice".

The Manhattan Filet

Chef Alan Turner from Snake River Farms, gave a very entertaining class on some alternative cuts of beef, including a new cut of steak called the " Manhattan Filet." As the size of American cattle has increased, the classic strip steak has become too big. The ideal thickness of a steak is about 1 1/2-inches, which allows time for the crust to form before the inside gets past that perfect pink.

The problem is that to cut these modern loins into steaks that thickness, they're just too big for a normal diner to eat. Chef Alan showed us a great solution where the strip loin is cut lengthwise to form what looks like two large tenderloins. These pieces are then cut into thick, handsome medallions and sold as "Manhattan Filets."

Grilled Pickles?

These pickled grilled vegetables were my favorite new discovery on the trip. It's one of those classic, "why didn't I think of that!" recipes. Pickling cucumbers, as well as other firm vegetables, are seared briefly on a very hot charcoal grill before being packed in the pickling liquid. They were incredible.

The grilling gives the vegetables a subtle smokiness, as well as a little extra sweetness from the caramelization of the sugars. I can see these being a regular fixture on the table during the upcoming grilling season. What a perfect side dish to a platter of grilled steaks, or barbecued chicken. By the way, I will be posting a recipe for these on Friday, so stay tuned!

Special thanks to Kingsford Charcoal for hosting this trip; and to Chris Lilly, Snake River Farms, the National Pork Board, and everyone else involved in making K.U. such a delicious and educational event.