Are pork chops the best you can do for a Sunday night cook out? You need to enroll in the Midwest Barbecue Institute, run by the Culinary Center of Kansas City. Here you’ll learn to grill like the pros. Classes last anywhere from two hours to two days. No matter if you’re a beginner or a veteran griller, you’ll find the course you’re looking for:
Ultimate Smoke Pit Class
By the time you leave this hands-on all day class, you’ll be smokin’ on the grill! Chef Richard McPeake will start out showing you how to select, trim and cut raw meats. You’ll work with whole chickens, brisket and pork butt. You’ll learn how to make and use mops. He’ll even teach you how to build an efficient fire, which fuels to choose, and how to control your heat. By the end of the day, you’ll have perfected baby-back ribs, barbecue rubbed chicken, beer can whole chicken, and barbecue spiced italian sausage. Best of all, you can take these dishes home and show off to your family.
BBQ’N with Booze
Restaurant owner and barbecue veteran Bruce Campbell will show you grilling recipes using beer, liquor and wine. This class started out as a joke, but soon became one of the school's most popular courses. You’ll learn how to cook with beer and wine at the same time! By the end of this two-and-a-half hour class you’ll know how to prepare honey bourbon pork loin, grilled pineapple with dark rum, beer butt chicken, borracho beans, beef burnt ends, and some exotic drinks to go along with it!
Sticks and Skewers
Prepare food on wood, metal, bamboo and herb skewers. Instructors Richard McPeake and Bill Campbell will show you cubing techniques and ways to get your marinade to "penetrate further into the main ingredient." You’ll even learn Chef McPeake’s popular "quick grill" method. for the finale you’ll taste Mediterranean vegetable skewers, chili shrimp brochettes, chicken spiedini with moggia sauce and Thai chicken satays with peanut sauce, among others.
The Quintessential Rib Class
This class promises "you’ll make the most succulent BBQ ribs you can imagine." By the time you leave, you’ll know how to select and trim ribs, how to apply a rub and proper timing techniques. You’ll even take home recipes for side dishes like Wisconsin cheddar potato salad and backyard beer beans.
Chef McPeake admits the biggest mistakes home grillers make are:
- Not letting the coals heat long enough before putting the meat on the grill.
- Not using enough coals. You want the meat to get hot so it sears, and doesn’t simmer.
- Putting barbecue sauce on too soon. You should wait until the meat is finished.
- People are too conservative. Be adventurous. Try veggies, even pita bread on the grill.
For a complete list of grilling classes visit the Culinary Center of Kansas City.
More in culinary travel: Barbecue restaurants in Kansas City, farmers markets in St. Louis, cooking classes in Nashville, culinary tour of Savannah, GA, dining in Pigeon Forge, TN
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