1. 1 4lb chicken
2. 1 12oz can beer
3. 3 tablespoons Smoking J's Basic BBQ Rub (see rub recipe)

1. Rinse the chicken thoroughly inside and out under cold running water. Be sure to remove the giblet package and any excess fat. Blot the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the rub liberally over the entire chicken and in the body cavity. We also like to run a finger between the breast and the skin (what Pit Master doesn't?) to loosen the skin, and get some rub into the space between.

1. Pop open the beer. Drink half (isn't BBQ great?), put any remaining rub into the can. Beware of foam-ups!

1. Now, insert the can into the body cavity, forming a "throne" for the chicken to sit on.

1. Set up your grill for indirect cooking. If you are using charcoal, form two equal mounds of coals on opposite sides of your grill. If you are using a gas grill, turn off one of the burners, and set the others to medium. Place a small drip pan underneath the space where you will put the chicken, the same space where the burner is off. Set the chicken and the can on the grill, cover, and cook until you get an internal temperature of 180 at the thickest part of the thigh.

1. We like to use hickory to add smoke flavor. With a gas grill, you can put hickory chips in a foil packet, poke some holes in the packet, lay the packet directly on top of the heating element, and away you go. With charcoal, simply add wood chips or chunks directly on top of the coals.

1. Be careful when removing the chicken from the the can. The liquid in the can will be very hot. We have tried many variations of this recipe, using liquids like apple juice and Cola. They all work well. And please, discard the liquid when finished!

1. 2 racks pork baby back ribs
2. 1/4 cup Smoking J's Basic BBQ Rub
3. 1 cup Smoky Southern Comfort BBQ Sauce (yeah!) OR your favorite commercial BBQ sauce (boooooo!)
4. real apple juice in a spray bottle

1. If you want to grill great ribs in your backyard, you need to adapt whatever equipment you are using. Most folks around here direct grill....you place your meats directly over hot coals or your lit gas grill burners. To quote a friend,"That simply won't do, Agent Starling". You need to get a handle on indirect grilling. As the name implies, the food grilled is done so indirectly, i.e. NOT over coals. Here is how you do it.

1. If you have something like a Weber Kettle, or other similar charcoal grill, all you need to do is to get the coals burning, then separate them into two equal piles on opposite sides of the grill. Put a drip pan in the center to catch the drippings (this REALLY reduces flare-ups), put some water soaked wood chunks on top of the coals, and away you go. You made need to replenish with fresh coals during the cooking process, so be sure to have some coal on hand.

1. If you are using a gas grill, it is a bit trickier, but you can do it. First, you need to have at least two burners. You simply light one, and leave the other off. You will be placing the ribs over the unlit burner. You will also be placing a drip pan over the heating source, and directly under the ribs. Next, you need to make a smoking pouch. Put some water soaked wood chips in the center of a sheet of aluminum foil, fold it up so the wood is neatly enclosed, poke some holes in the foil, and place the packet directly on top of the heat source.

1. The night before, prep your ribs. Rinse the ribs. Remove the membrane from the underside. We use long, narrow flat head screwdrivers, inserting the blade directly underneath the membrane, and gently lift, Once loosened, you should be able to peel the entire membrane off. Next, sprinkle both sides of the ribs liberally with the rub, and gently rub it in. Foil the ribs and leave them in the refrigerator overnight. About 60 minutes before they are going to go on the grill, take them out and let them come to room temperature.

1. When your grill is ready to go place the ribs over the drip pan, and cover the grill. If side-by-side space is an issue, you can "shingle" one rack partially on the other.

1. Using this method, the ribs will probably take about 2 hours to cook. There are a lot of variables. Here is the key to knowing when the ribs are done. The meat will have shrunk back a wee bit from the edges. Put some gloves on, and gently lift a rack from one end. As you start to lift, focus on the center of the rack. If it bends easily, they are not done. If they immediately start to break in half....oooops.....they are overdone. You want that magic moment when the ribs are just starting to tear at the center. Perfect ribs do not "fall off the bone". While they will still be very good, you should have to pull the meat just ever so slightly off the bone with your teeth on a correctly prepared rib.

1. Or you can just hire us, and we will do a bunch of them for you!