KNOWS
BEST
Barbecue pitmaster Moe Cason made his name competing in multiple national cook-offs and television shows.
He reveals his barbecue tips and how to use his sauces and rubs, available at Hy-Vee.
oe Cason’s love of cooking was handed down through generations, watching both his grandmother and mother in the kitchen on the east side of Des Moines, Iowa, where he was born and raised.
M
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MOE CASON
AND HY-VEE
“I remember growing up with Hy-Vee, and Hy-Vee is the King Kong of grocery chains,” Moe says. “They’re the largest grocery chain in the Midwest and I love what they have done with reinvesting in their stores and bringing in different types of local brands and giving the stores more depth. They’re doing it right, and I love that because I’m a person that has always reinvented myself.”
MOE'S
BEST
BBQ TIPS
Smoke like a pitmaster when you start using these techniques.
FAT SIDE
DOWN
Always cook brisket fat side down, so when you flip it, the bark doesn’t fall off the meat side.
USE
PAPER
Don’t wrap meat like brisket completely in foil; it creates a steaming effect that ruins the bark and lets all the juices escape. Instead, use foil on the bottom and butcher paper on the top.
USE GOOD CHARCOAL
Good-quality fuel makes good-quality food. You can use either lump charcoal or briquettes. If your firebox is small, use lump, as it burns cleaner and hotter.
If you have a big pit, you can use briquettes, but they produce a lot of ash from the binder used to form the shape; you will have to clear the ash away.
After being on the competitive circuit for nearly a decade, Moe made his first television appearance in 2014. “After that, the phone started ringing for opportunities,” Moe says. He went on to appear on numerous cooking and talk shows. His larger-than-life personality matches his barbecue, and what you see is what you get. “I connect with people because I’m real,” he says. “There’s nothing fake about me.”
THE BIG BREAK
Tune in to HSTV to watch Moe Cason prepare for and cook at a barbecue competition.
BASICS
Moe shares some of his best tips and tricks so your backyard efforts can also be competition-worthy.
know your equipment
Develop a
Schedule
CHooSE
a Good Cut
Become your own Pitmaster
It starts with a good-quality thermometer that tells you the correct temperature quickly. “Every time you open the pit, you add 15 to 20 minutes’ cook time,” he adds. “If you’re looking, you’re not cooking.”
“Plan your work,” Moe says. If you’re having friends over for barbecue at 3 p.m., then you need to work backward to know when to put the meat on the smoker, remembering to factor in rest time.
Look for good marbling. “That’s what’s going to determine how flavorful that piece of meat is going to be,” Moe says.
“The striations of marbling you see, that is the love in that piece of meat. The more marbling you have, the more forgiving and the more flavorful that piece of meat is going to be.”
You can turn almost any grill into a decent smoker. For charcoal grills, offset the coals to one side and cook the meat on the opposite side.
You can even turn a gas grill into a smoker by only turning on the burners on one side and putting a smoke box on top with some wood chips.
If the sauce you use has sugar in it, spread it on after the meat has cooked and set it back on the grill to caramelize. If you add it while the meat is still cooking, it will be too dark.
TOOLS
OF THE
TRADE
Here are some basics you need to barbecue like a pro.
Weber Chimney Starter is an easy way to get hot coals fast.
Use Weber Instant-Read Thermometer for accurate temping.
Turn meat
with ease using Weber Premium Tongs with
no-slip grip.
Fill the chimney with Full Circle Hardwood Lump Charcoal to start grilling quickly.
PERFECT
WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD THE
1
Takes about 30 to
60 minutes per pound to smoke at 225°F. With prep and rest time, it can take 18 to 20 hours.
BRISKET
Sides like
Hy-Vee baked beans and macaroni & cheese take half an hour with a few added ingredients. Plan 3 hours for Moe’s collard greens and purchase
Hy-Vee corn bread.
SIDES
4
Should be cooked at 270°F for about 45 minutes per pound.
CHICKEN
2
Should smoke at 270°F for a couple hours unwrapped, then another couple hours wrapped in foil.
RIBS
3
with pickles, or find more pickled veggie ideas here
GARNISH
5
Big Moe Cason’s Collard Greens
BIG MOE CASON
Add authentic Kansas City, Texas and Memphis flavor when you barbecue.
RUBS
SAUCES
A little sweet, a little savory, with notes of Kansas City barbecue
I-80
Kansas City flavor with celery and molasses
I-70
Sweet with some black pepper for heat on the back end
I-20
Southern-style tomato, vinegar sauce with a hint of heat
I-10
Savory with hints of sweetness
CHICKEN
Savory notes that add texture
PORK
Mix of black pepper, garlic and salt
BEEF
Classic flavor and texture
Texas Brisket
Traditional flavor and texture
Steakhouse
WHOLE
CHICKEN
PORK RIBS
BRISKET
1
2
3
4
5
Hands On 1 hour
Total Time 4 hours plus brining and standing time
Serves 6
4 cups water, plust 12 cups ice water, divided
1 cup packed Hy-Vee brown sugar
¾ cup Hy-Vee Kosher sea salt
1 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns
1 (4½-lb.) Hy-Vee True whole chicken, giblets removed
Hickory wood chips
Hy-Vee nonstick cooking spray
¾ cup Big Moe Cason chicken rub
Shop Ingredients
For brine, combine 4 cups water, brown sugar, salt and black peppercorns in a 16-qt. stockpot. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer just until sugar and salt dissolve, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir 12 cups ice water into brine to cool.
Rinse chicken cavity. Add chicken
to brine in stockpot; cover and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.
Soak wood chips in water at least 1 hour. Preheat smoker according to manufacturer’s directions to maintain a temperature of 270°F. Use wood chips and water pan as directed.
Remove chicken from brine; discard brine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Spray chicken with cooking spray. Sprinkle inside and outside of chicken with chicken rub. Tie legs together with 100% cotton kitchen string.
Place chicken on a greased rack in smoker directly over water pan; close smoker. Smoke for 3 hours or until thermometer inserted into the breast reaches 165°F, adding wood chips as needed to maintain smoke. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
To get a good smoke ring all around the brisket, cook low and slow using charcoal. The ring develops within the first 5 hours, and you can’t get one using a gas grill.
Look for thick ribs with a lot of meat. Remove the loin before cooking and don’t overcook—pork ribs take 3 to 3½ hours and spare ribs take up to 4½ hours.
Use a tenderizer to perforate the chicken and soak in a brine for a couple hours. Cook dark meat to 185°F for a better mouthfeel.
Moe shares his step-by-step instructions to prep a brisket so you get show-stopping results every time.
brisket know-how
MOE
Moe competed in the most challenging of barbecue cook-offs: the whole hog.
2014
BBQ Pit Wars
Moe showcased the hottest barbecue trends on the comedian’s daily talk show.
2015
BBQ Pitmasters
Moe appeared as a judge on two episodes of the cooking competition show.
Steve Harvey
Moe appeared as a guest judge on the competition show that pitted two masters against each other to find out who is the best.
2016
SMOKED
2018 &
2019
Chopped
He was a judge in two episodes of the kitchen competition show.
2018
As the guest pitmaster, he showcased his Memphis-style barbecue chicken.
The Kitchen
Barbecue with Moe
Proven Winner
Moe started smoking on the competition circuit in 2006. He has now participated in more than 300 competitions in 35 states and racked up numerous awards, including:
Multiple Grand and Reserve Grand Championships
Multiple 1st & 2nd Place awards in chicken, ribs, pork and brisket
3 perfect “180” scores in chicken, ribs and pork shoulder
2nd Place Sauce at the 2012 Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational
Moe has competed in events by the following sanctioning bodies: Kansas City Barbecue Society, International Barbecue Cookers Association, Georgia Barbecue Association and Memphis Barbecue Network.
Plan your grilling and smoking accordingly so you can present all your options at once for sharing.
Bring on the meat
Add some oomph to traditional sides to give them that barbecue flavor and flair.
Hy-Vee Hot Pepper Mac & Cheese
Hy-Vee Smoked Pit Beans
Hy-Vee Kitchen Sides
View Recipe
View Recipe
But he always had a fondness for the grill and how fire reacted with food. Even his stint in the Navy included working in the fire room, managing the steam boiler engines. After leaving the Navy in 1993, he cooked in the backyard for his family. Moe entered his first competition in 2006 and never looked back.
“I was just hooked, seeing all these pits, these smokers, all these characters,” Moe says. “I was digging it and knew this was where I needed to be.”
In his first year of competitive barbecuing, he participated in 20 cook-offs, and he continued at that pace for years. Competing also led to television appearances, which sent his career in a new direction. A sporting goods chain in the southern United States wanted to carry the line of sauces and rubs he had started to bottle. A new business was born.
“This is what makes me happy, and people love the products,” he says.
Last year, he retired after 27 years working the midnight shift at Des Moines Water Works.
“I had yearned for the weekends. I was just ready to get in my truck and go to a cook-off. That’s what got me excited. My passion was barbecue.”
Now he can focus on growing his barbecue empire. You can get the unique Moe Cason flavor as well; his sauces and rubs are available at Hy-Vee, and he shares his advice on how to make the perfect brisket, smoked chicken and ribs. As for the future, Moe is planning to open a restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa.
Hickory Smoked Brisket
Trim excess fat. Score brisket, using a sharp knife, against the grain.
Rub brisket with Worcestershire sauce or Big Moe Cason I-80 sauce, or desired rub/sauce for a sweet and savory flavor.
Sprinkle brisket with Big Moe Cason Texas Brisket rub, or desired seasoning.
Smoke brisket until internal temperature reaches 160°F to 170°F. Place fat side down on a double layer of foil sprayed with cooking spray. Then spray brisket.
Place butcher paper over top of brisket and crimp edges of paper with foil to form a boat. Insert meat thermometer and return to smoker.
When brisket reaches 203°F, remove from heat. Wrap in a large heavy towel and let rest 3 hours before serving.
6
View Recipe
Sweet ’N’ Smoky
Pork Ribs
View Recipe
Brined & Smoked
Whole Chicken
View Recipe
Hy-Vee knows brisket
A large chest muscle, typically 8 to 16 lb., the brisket is often separated into two cuts: the flat and the point. The Hy-Vee meat department can help you choose.
Flat Cut is the largest part of the brisket, and is long and thin with a thick layer of fat. It is the best cut for slicing. Also known as the first cut, it lays flat when the point is removed.
Point Cut is smaller, but thicker than the flat cut, and is more marbled, which gives it more flavor. Also called a deckle, it works well if you want to shred the meat for sandwiches.
Visit the Hy-Vee kitchen for flavorful brisket that is ready when you are—without any work from you.
Heating brisket to 203°F internal temperature breaks down the muscle. If it’s undercooked, the brisket will be tough. You have to heat it enough that it is still tender as the meat tightens up as it cools.
Shop Now
View Recipe
Quick Pickles
View Hy-Vee's Steak & Beef Guide recipes for how-tos, tips & more!
5
Takes about 30 to
60 minutes per pound to smoke at 225°F. With prep and rest time, it can take 18 to 20 hours.
BRISKET
Sides like
Hy-Vee baked beans and macaroni & cheese take half an hour with a few added ingredients. Plan 3 hours for Moe’s collard greens and purchase
Hy-Vee corn bread.
SIDES
Should be cooked at 270°F for about 45 minutes per pound.
CHICKEN
Should smoke at 270°F for a couple hours unwrapped, then another couple hours wrapped in foil.
RIBS
with pickles, or find more pickled veggie ideas here
GARNISH
Quick Pickles
Shop Now
Shop for everything you need for your BBQ platter at Hy-Vee!