Food, Wine & Just Good Living With SaucyJoe

Roll 'Em Up!

2011-05-19T12:31:00.004-05:00

Youngest brother, Joe, got married this past weekend, which brought lots of out of town family to gather at middle brother's house. And what do people do when they gather?
So, in preparation for the "after party", the day of the wedding, we made food...lots and lots of food!
Brother Dave, of Dr. Dave fame, brought delicious smoked pork butt and smoked beef brisket which he reheated to perfection. I wrangled some sous chefs and spent two afternoons making roll ups: Pastrami/sauerkraut/Jarlsburg, Ham/cream cheese/Asparagus spears, Tortilla/cream cheese/sour cream/green onion, and Pinwheels: Tortillas/Ham or Pastrami/Artichoke dip/Jarlsburg/diced tomato/Spinach. Add in mashed potato casserole, 4 Bean Salad, Coleslaw and a large amount of crudite (thanks to Mom's mad chopping skillz) and you have a tasty and colorful spread!
I imagine the leftovers have extended the party for a few days extra!

How to Keep Your Smoker Warm in Winter

2011-01-18T19:13:00.002-06:00

Fried Black Eyed Peas

2010-09-25T17:43:00.002-05:00

This snack has been quite a hit at the office. A savory and sweet crunchy snack recipe from the lovely Linda Sullivan!

Fried Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients

8 oz Dried Black Eyed Peas
¼ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Coarse Salt
¼ tsp Smoked Spanish Paprika
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)

8 cups Vegetable Oil

Directions

Soak the black eyed peas in a bowl of cold water for a minimum of 3 hours.

Drain and pat dry.

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat to 375° F (reading on a deep fry thermometer).

Working in batches, fry the black eyed peas until golden brown.

Transfer to and drain on paper towels.

Toss black eyed peas and the dry ingredients together to coat the peas.

Store in a covered plastic container (It won’t be needed long!).

Intimidation comes in many flavors

2010-09-03T11:13:00.000-05:00

Saw this today courtesy of our friends at The Wandering Palate.
NOTE: You may need to turn your speakers down a bit.

HELLO Reuben!

2010-08-24T03:45:00.007-05:00

Saturday I was rooting around in the freezer, and I found a corned beef brisket flat cut. It was just begging to be smoked (Yes, corned beef brisket does talk. You just have to listen properly.). So I pulled it out, thawed it and marinated it overnight in a pint of Guinness Draft.

The next day, I made up a quick slather of dijon mustard and Worchestershire sauce (the magic ingredient!). I slathered it over the brisket and sprinkled on some Ribber City Coffee/Chipolte rub I had bought from our friends at The Grill Works here in Marion, Iowa (How's that for two plugs in one sentence?). I poured the Guinness marinade into the water pan in my smoker, loaded up with lots of cherry and mesquite wood chips and fired it up. Into the smoker went the corned beef. Next, being the upright, responsible husband and father that he is, Dr. Dave went off to play golf.

18 holes later, I arrived home to find a cooling brisket. The smoker had run out of propane! The Dr. had made a rookie mistake! It was getting late by then. The corned beef brisket had taken on all of the smoke it needed, so I wrapped the brisket in aluminum foil and placed it into a 250° oven to finish cooking. An hour later, it was not up to temperature. Patience had worn thin, so dinner was made from the side dishes. The brisket was put into the fridge to be heated another time.

Monday, I got to thinking about what to do with that corned beef. My wife is always on the lookout for a good rueben (sandwich). What are the best reubens made from? Pastrami. What is pastrami? Smoked corned beef! I was going to surprise my wife and make reuben sandwiches!

Getting home from work, the corned beef brisket, still in a foil wrap, was placed in a 250° oven. It would come out when the internal temperature, read with a meat thermometer, was 180°F. At this low and slow temperature, the brisket took three hours to finish cooking.

Toward the end, I heated up a small can's worth of sauerkraut. I made a homemade thousand island spread which consisted of 2 parts mayonnaise, 2 parts katchup and 1 part dill pickle relish (not sweet).

I removed the corned beef brisket from the oven and allowed it to sit for half and hour so some of the juices given off during cooking could be reabsorbed. I sliced it up. 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices were nice.

Next, I buttered two pieces of russian rye bread and put them, buttered side down into a hot pan. I spread the thousand island spread onto both slices of bread. I put sauerkraut on one bread and a couple of slices of swiss cheese on the other bread.

To help melt the swiss cheese, I added a generous helping of smoked corned beef. A couple of minutes later, the cheese melted, the two halves were made whole. A fabulous reuben sandwich was born!

Enjoy.

Young (Under 30's) People Making an Impact

2010-08-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

As part of a recent assignment, I am researching young (under 30) professionals making an impact in ecology/environment fields. There are a plethora of directions to follow, but I thought I'd try to pick the brains of the rather astute readers of this blog.

Any suggestions? Links?

Just comment in this post if you know people (or nominate yourself) that are making a difference.

2010-07-14T19:58:00.001-05:00

The Dr. is planning a BBQ extravaganza! Brisket, Pork Butt, Ribs, Salmon, Trout!

Raichlen's Caveman T-Bone Takes Off

2010-07-12T14:50:00.002-05:00

Dr. Dave was the first amongst SJ Editors to spot the Stephen Raichlen "Caveman T-Bone" recipe, and when all was said and done, he demurred in attempting it at home in no small part to the necessary sacrificing of very expensive cuts of meat to the most direct of heat. Kind of like offering up the village virgin to the volcano: it might work but bad things happen if it's not done exactly right.

So, once the caveman was out of the bag, so to speak, Raichlen went on tour (promoting his new book) spewing forth stories of how fire begat cooking begat communal dining begat protein-intake begat brain growth and the whole Scopes-Monkey business. His publicists went to work and and lo and behold, the Bon Appetit kitchens donned their animal skins and featured the caveman t-bone on the cover of their July issue.

Some would argue this is a step backwards into the most dangerous realm of making a bad (for you) thing worse, what with all that increased carcinogenic activity, and although they may be right, that doesn't make them the boss of you. Truth be told, when you read reviews of others who have tried it, it turns out to be more of a show than a gastronomical breakthrough.

Blogger Laura, author of blog "White Fluffy Icing" is in the midst of her self proclaimed Bon Appetit Challenge, whereby she's committed to cooking everything featured on the cover of the magazine in 2010. Here's her take on the process:

We made it this weekend, and let me tell you, this is not for the faint of heart. It felt "wrong" to toss a gorgeous porterhouse directly into a pile of burning embers. The taste was good, but we didn't brush off all the steaks, as the recipe suggested, leaving each diner to decide how much and whether to brush, because we were afraid of "brushing off the flavor". If I did this again, I would go ahead and brush them all. This is a decent cooking method in terms of taste, but it's really great for showmanship. Made for a terrific party - everyone standing around the pit observing and drinking wine. Carnivore/grillmaster types will love it.

Can't say I'm feeling this adventuresome (or wealthy) but I've seen my father-in-law BBQBR some choice cuts of meat (he often gets the beer-to-minutes ratio wrong, at least for the food) and after all it is just meat/money. I am tempted to try it on a lesser cut or smaller portion, perhaps a well-marbled ribeye.

What say you, fellow carnivores?

BocaJava

2010-07-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

One of our favorites here is the coffee from BocaJava. The Saucy One got us hooked before he fled the caffeine scene, and we continue to enjoy delivery of their magical blends.

This offer came through one of our web ad portals and we're passing it along. Enjoy!

And here I thought it was just a fad!

2010-07-06T13:50:00.003-05:00

Here's another installment of meat wrapped in a weave of bacon and this one looks like it won't take too many months off of your life. I'm waiting for the day that the health questionnaire at the doctor's office will ask if you've eaten any bacon weaved food products.

I never thought that my cooking skills would require me to learn how to weave bacon. I've fixed old fold up chairs when the weaving has shredded, so bacon shouldn't be too much harder ... just a greasier endeavor. Maybe I can use screws to hold the bacon in place like the chairs??

The author of the article used an oven broiler to cook the burger since he felt that grilling would cause too many flare ups. This may be true if you were planning direct grilling through the entire cooking process. I wouldn't put the burgers more than a minute per side directly over the flame. Just enough to get a little searing. The rest of the grilling can be done with an indirect flame and some soaked wood chips added to the fire for some smoke flavoring.

In writing this post I was reminded of a brisket recipe that I have that suggests adding bacon strips on top of a lean brisket that's been trimmed of the fat layer. Perhaps a bacon weave will suit the recipe better??

I'll keep you posted on my bacon weaving experiments. Who knows ... you may receive a nice bacon basket for the holidays.

Hot Tub, Wine, Dine, Sleep (Repeat)

2010-05-18T16:03:00.000-05:00

We just read about the DeLoach Winery Guesthouse, a new hot-tub-and-pool-equipped villa in the heart of wine country, available now for all your weekending needs.

Located in the former house of Cecil DeLoach, this is where you'll go for an overnight retreat from the city. Equipped with three suites, you may wish to bring along some coupled friends (or you can rent out the whole thing for a grand). Here, you'll find all the comforts of home—assuming you live somewhere with a 1,000-bottle wine library, and a private chef who will make you steaks for dinner and locally grown eggs for breakfast.

DeLoach Vineyards, a Demeter USA certified Biodynamic® estate vineyard and garden, is among an elite group of sustainable winegrape growers committed to farming in parallel with the Earth's natural cycles. This 17-acre estate is one of only 65 wineries or vineyards in the United States to achieve Demeter certification.

But you're not coming here (only) for the private chefs and vineyard views: there's also a swimming pool (just in time for summer, when the temps can get about 20 degrees higher here than they are in the city). And, the coup de grâce, a fully fledged hot tub, ready to help you and your guests ease those aching muscles.

There's even a new contest (in conjunction with Organic Gardening Magazine) where you can enter for a guest house weekend getaway.

DeLoach Winery Guesthouse

1791 Olivet Rd

Santa Rosa, CA 95401

707-526-9111, ext 100

Primal Urges Satisfied

2010-05-14T11:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, so Dr. Dave shared this link/video/hedonistic offering from Steven Raichlen and we had to post it as well. The only thing missing is a truly good one-shoulder tiger skin and something aged in a cave, say, wine/grog/refreshment.

Here's the recipe:

Serves 4

How: Direct grilling

For the steaks:

4 T-bone steaks (10 to 12 ounces each), cut about 1 inch thick

Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and cracked black pepper

For the hellfire hot sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced crosswise

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1. Grill the steaks: Build a charcoal fire and rake the coals into an even layer. When the coals glow orange, fan them with a newspaper or hair dryer to blow off any loose ash.

2. Generously, and I mean generously, season the steaks on both sides with salt and cracked pepper. Place the steaks directly on the embers about 2 inches apart. Grill until cooked to taste, 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare, turning with tongs.

3. Using tongs, lift the steaks out of the fire, shaking each to dislodge any embers. Using a basting brush, brush off any loose ash and arrange the steaks on a platter. Let the steaks rest loosely tented with aluminum foil, while you make the sauce.

4. Make the hellfire hot sauce: Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet directly on the embers, on the side burner of a gas grill, or on the stove. When the oil is screaming hot, add the jalapeños, garlic, and cilantro. Cook over high heat until the sauce is aromatic and the garlic is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Immediately pour the sauce over the steaks and serve at once.

The Doctor is ON

2010-04-17T12:57:00.001-05:00

Dr. Dave is holding court on The Delicious Story, Saturday, April 17.
We'll update links so you can hear the recorded version in it's entirety very soon.

First Time BBQ Beef Brisket on a Grill

2010-04-01T09:29:00.002-05:00

I have a friend who is getting ready to BBQ a beef brisket for the first time on her Weber grill, and this is a good strategy for success.

Equipment:
- Circular kettle grill; Weber is the most common type.
- 9” deep circular metal pan (at least 4” deep) for holding liquid.
- Meat thermometer (a griller’s best friend [Other than beer!])
- Charcoal starter chimney for lighting the charcoal. NEVER use lighter fluid. It ruins the taste of your meat.
- 24” Roll of Heavy Duty aluminum foil.
- 1 Large (large enough to comfortably hold the brisket) zip lock plastic bag.
- Wood chips: Mesquite, apple, oak (at least two types)
- 12-18 lbs charcoal (not instant light type!)

Ingredients:
- 8-10LB beef brisket – flat cut
- 1-2 Guinness stout
- 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 TBS garlic powder)
- 1 small onion, sliced (or 1 TBS onion powder)
- BBQ Rub, found on your grocery store spice shelves, specialty stores, your favorite BBQ joint, the internet (need I go on?)
- 4 TBS Dijon mustard
- 4 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 4 TBS Brown sugar
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 flat beer
- 1 or 2 favorite BBQ sauces for final flavor

Directions the day before your big feast:
- Examine your beef brisket. Trim down any pieces of fat which are over ¼” thick. Don’t trim it all off! The fat renders down and add flavor. FAT = FLAVOR!
- Pour the Guinness into the zip lock bag.
- Add the onions (or onion powder).
- Add the garlic (or garlic powder).
- Place the brisket into the zip lock bag, close and mix everything. Place into the refrigerator overnight.

Directions for Smokin! Time!:
- Mix the mustard, Worcestershire sauce & brown sugar together.
- Remove the brisket from the marinade, rinse and pat dry.
- Slather the mixture onto the brisket.
- Sprinkle on the rub in generous fashion.
- Let sit for an hour.
- Soak the wood chips in water, or your favorite beverage. This takes about ½ an hour.
- Place the metal pan in the center of the grill grate.
- Pour charcoal around 2/3 of the area left around the pan. Leave a generous gap for adding hot coals.
- Using the chimney fire starter, add the remaining charcoal to the top, put newspaper in the bottom.
- Light the newspaper and watch the charcoal light up as well.
- When the coals get grey, pour them on one end of the charcoal circle, leaving a gap between them and the other end of the circle. The goal here is to have the charcoal burn around the circle in a controlled fashion throughout the day.
- Cover the grill and adjust your air vents to keep the temperature inside the grill at 225°F. This could take up to ½ hour. You can check this by sticking the meat thermometer into the top vent and waiting for it to stabilize.
- Add the beef broth, flat beer and water to the center pan. As the day goes on, add more water. You are using this to add moisture to the smoke and flavor to the meat.
Sprinkle wood chips onto the hot coals and around onto the cool coals. Reserve some for additional smoke.
- Place the brisket, fat side up, onto the top grate over the circular pan and away from the hot coals. Cover the grill.
- Smoke for 3-4 hours adding wood chips to the hot coals and water to the pan. After 3 hours, check the temperature of the meat. When the meat reaches 160°F remove it from the grill. Keep the grill covered.
- Place the brisket on a double layer of aluminum foil. Pour 1 cup of water over the meat and wrap the foil tightly.
- Place the meat into a pre-heated oven. If you have a long time until serving, set the oven at 225°F. If your time is running out, set it to 245°F. Heat until the meat is 185- 190°F as checked by the meat thermometer.
- Remove the meat and let it rest at room temperature for up to an hour.
- Remove the meat from the foil carefully. The juices will steam.
- Slice and pour the juices over the brisket. You might want to sample here. Because you might not get any later!
- Serve with BBQ sauce on the side.

Enjoy your brisket!

Dr. Dave

Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book!

2010-03-31T17:21:00.003-05:00

Hey BBQ fans! This is one very good book for smokers and grillers of all skill levels. Chris Lilly started at Big Bob Gibson's right out of college, and learned how to be a pitmaster at Big Bob's knee. He married into the family, and has been pitmaster for many years. Chris has won quite a lot of BBQ world championships. He shares tips and recipes in this book. The illustrations are clear, the recipes easy to understand.

One of the best sections of the book is how to set up various style charcoal smokers and grills for low and slow smoking. For instance, a round grill should have a ring of charcoal with a gap at some point. Light the charcoal on one side of the gap, and the charcoal will burn around the ring in a nice slow manner, assuring the proper heat for several hours. That's cool!

Last weekend, I made my hot chicken legs recipe, and I made up some of Big Bob Gibson's signature white BBQ sauce. The recipe looks something like this:

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup apple juice

2 teaspoons horseradish (I put in more!)

1 teaspoon black pepper (I used white pepper for a slower burn)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix and dip the chicken in. The sauce was tart with some heat, and it went very well with my hot legs!

I highly recommend this book!

Dr. Dave

Burnt Ends!

2010-03-24T18:41:00.002-05:00

I've read about burnt ends, those scraps of a beef brisket which are so tasty, folks stand in line for a chance at 'em. I haven't ever had them. So, when I found the recipe in the book; Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, I decided to try it. I had smoked a full beef brisket during the weekend and was looking to feed our folks at work during a potluck lunch. I followed this recipe:

1 whole beef brisket, smoked 6 hours.

Separate the point of the brisket from the flat.
Place the flat onto a large piece of foil. Lift up the sides to contain liquid.
Add cup water.
Wrap tightly.
Place in a 245 degree oven.

Rub the point with your favorite BBQ rub.
Smoke for 1-2 hours (I used apple wood chips).
Place the point onto a large piece of foil. Lift up the sides to contain liquid.
Add 1 cup water.
Wrap tightly.
Place in a 245 oven.

Roast until the meat temperature reaches 190 degrees.
Let the meat rest out of the oven for 1 hour.

Chop the point into bite sized pieces.

What a fabulous taste!

Dr. Dave's Best Ribs Ever!

2010-03-18T17:39:00.001-05:00

I am not saying last night's ribs were the best ribs ever smoked by anyone. However, they were my best effort ever! They were moist, chewy and spicy, everything I like in ribs.

I lean toward dryer ribs which take some chompin' to gain enjoyment. When someone offers fall-off-the-bone ribs, I get a little turned off. I certainly wouldn't order that type of ribs off a menu (sorry Tony Roma!).

However, When I try to create the combination of moist, flavorful and chewy, sometimes, I end up with dry and harsh ribs. So, I read every ribs recipe I come across. The consensus of most BBQ champions is that one coats the ribs with a dry rub of choice. Smoking is done with apple or hickory for 2-3 hours. Then, the ribs are sprayed with some apple juice and wrapped in foil. They are then put back in the smoker at 225 degrees for another 1-2 hours which moisturizes and tenderizes the ribs. Finally,the ribs are glazed with a BBQ sauce, and put back in the smoker or onto a grill to finish. I try this protocol with mixed results. Sometimes good, and sometimes mediocre. So, I decided to try something different.

First, I got some pork back ribs, which seem to have a bit more meat than baby back ribs. Not as much as spare ribs, but Sam's didn't have spare ribs.

Then to add consistent moisture, I marinated the ribs in a mixture of Worcestershire and soy sauce along with apple juice and brown sugar. Marination lasted ~24 hours. Then, I slathered on a mixture of yellow mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire and soy sauce, plus a little beer. Sprinkling Smoking Guns Hot BBQ rub (http://www.smokingunsbbq.com/products.cfm) on both sides of the ribs added some heat. I smoked the ribs for 2 hours at 225 degrees in my water smoker. I pulled the ribs out of the smoker, placed them in foil and brushed on some raspberry-chipolte BBQ sauce from Sugar Ray's over the meat side of the ribs. I then poured a small amount of apple juice into the foil packet and wrapped things up. The ribs were finished in the oven at 275 degrees for 45 minutes.

Here’s the final product.

2010-03-07T08:07:00.002-06:00

My motto is "Never waste smoke!". Yesterday, I smoked two pork butts in the Big Drum Smoker, and the fire had not burned down, so I went to the store and bought some salmon. I slathered on a mixture of Dijon mustard, beer, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. I liberally sprinkled on Kosher salt and ground pepper. Then I smoked over apple wood and charcoal for an hour plus 1/2 hour.

The result: Some fine salmon shared with good friends.

I wish you all the same great times.

Dr. Dave

2010-03-06T07:26:00.003-06:00

Smoked White Chili

The folks at work, Rockwell Collins Printed Circuits (CPC), showed their generosity once again through cooking and serving food this week. One of our fellow employees has a daughter with type 1 diabetes, and she is riding 100 miles to raise money for research to cure this often deadly disease. The folks at CPC decided to raise money by having a chili and hot dog lunch. Volunteers signed up to provide the fixin’s , and quite a few folks said they’d make chili. Dr. Dave said “Hey, count me in!”.

OK. I am a big chili fan, and fixing chili is as rewarding as eating chili. A really good chili takes as long as smoking a pork butt, and it is very complex in flavor. Many recipes have layer, upon layer of spices incorporated into the final chili. A good chili doesn’t just BRING THE HEAT! It brings a wide array of spices well blended to tantalize!

I surveyed the chili cooks and found that the variety of chili recipes was covering most of the bases. We had several Cincinnati recipes ranging from medium heat to much hotter. We had two Texas chili recipes (NO BEANS!) ranging from hot, to hotter. So, Dr. Dave decided to concoct a white chili recipe.

For those who don’t know, white chili is made with chicken and uses “white” ingredients. No red chili powder, very little cayenne pepper, no tomatoes, no beef (no Beef! OMG!). That still leaves the door wide open on the amount of heat which can be brought on. Dr. Dave decided to push for a medium hot chili made with fresh peppers and a few spices. The market had a pretty good variety of fresh hot peppers, so I decided on Anaheim, Pasilla, Serrano and Jalapeno peppers. Most recipes for white chili call for chicken breasts, but I wanted more flavor from the chicken and chose chicken thighs instead. I also decided to add some flavor by smoking the peppers and the chicken thighs.

Ingredients:

8 Chicken thighs, skin removed
2 Anaheim peppers
2 Serrano peppers
2 Jalapeno peppers
2 Pasilla peppers
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 White onion
1 Tbs Cumin
1 Tbs White pepper
1 Tbs Kosher salt
2 tsp ground cloves
48 oz Canned Northern White Beans
1 qt Chicken stock
1 qt Vegetable stock
2 pt Heavy whipping cream
BBQ rub of choice

Directions:

- Slice all of the peppers in half. Remove seeds to keep things from getting too hot.
- Place the peppers in a vegetable grilling basket and smoke for 1 hour at 225°F.
NOTE: An alternative is to roast the peppers in a 225° oven for an hour

Peppers prepared for the smoker

- In the meantime, soak the chicken thighs in a salt brine solution for an hour
- Remove the chicken from the brine solution, rinse and pat dry.
- Lightly sprinkle with the BBQ rub.
- Smoke the chicken thighs for 2 hours at 225°F or roast in a 225° oven for 2 hours
- In a stock pot, combine the chicken stock, half the vegetable stock, 1 pint of heavy whipping cream, the cumin, white pepper, salt, garlic and cloves.
- Rinse the beans and add to the stock pot.
- Bring the mixture to a low boil and then turn to low.
- Finely chop the peppers and onion, then add to the stock solution.
- Cut the chicken meat into ½” cubes and add to the stock pot.
- Simmer covered for at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally. The liquid will absorb into the chicken and peppers as well as evaporate.
- After simmering, add the remaining vegetable stock and the other pint heavy whipping cream.
- Pour into a crock pot and keep warm until serving.

When ready to serve, sprinkle on some cayenne pepper(adds flavor and helps with the presentation).

Serve with:

Slice black olives
Salsa
Sour cream
Pickle jalapenos
Avocados

I am proud of the CPC folks. We raised $519 for this worthy cause.

USA! USA! CA-LAH-FOR-NIE-AAH

2010-03-05T09:10:00.002-06:00

Gary V, proudly goes to some heavy hitting California reds for your tasting pleasure. Watching his with a bit of spring in the air makes me want fire, wine and RED MEAT.

Enjoy.

But SaucyJoe, what does this have to do with wine, bbq or music?

2010-01-29T10:19:00.000-06:00

Hush, and enjoy the show. There will be time for that other stuff this weekend.
First, we have a little offering from Pee Wee. Some clever stuff here.

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman

Well listen to this

2010-01-28T22:24:00.000-06:00

Okay, the good Dr. Dave started this insidious thread on Facebook, and since it's now stuck in my head, here are the lyrics.

You must sing it out-loud to exorcise the ear worm.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
And no one can talk to a horse of course
That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.

Go right to the source and ask the horse
He'll give you the answer that you'll endorse.
He's always on a steady course.
Talk to Mr. Ed.

People yakkity yak a streak and waste your time of day
But Mister Ed will never speak unless he has something to say.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
And this one'll talk 'til his voice is hoarse.
You never heard of a talking horse?

Well listen to this.

I am Mister Ed.

Auditioning a new advertiser for SaucyJoes

2010-01-26T19:59:00.000-06:00

The Women of Wine

2010-01-14T17:04:00.001-06:00

We're preparing a feature on GuruTrack for the Women of Wine and need a few more candidates for interviews. I have some excellent suggestions from Facebook friends, but thought I'd inquire here too. Know anyone you want included? Nominate them at GuruTrack.com (nominate form is at bottom right of main page) and we'll contact them for more discussions.

Many thanks!

P.s. Hoping to post something yummy this weekend. I also found a successor to two-buck-chuck here in Arlington. A dollar more expensive but a pretty good find nonetheless -- reviews this weekend.

A new way to explore food and wine expertise

2010-01-08T17:47:00.000-06:00

It looks like our friends at GuruTrack are preparing a feature on the Women of Wine for their debut issues (online at gurutrack.com/wine-gourmet.html) this January. Their site is new, but they are promising to give us "backstage access" to the experts we love, and we're rooting for them to pull it off.

We see so many press releases and social media missives about the experts and their breakthrough moments in 2009, it will be good to hear more table-talk opinions and down to earth comments from those making food and wine mojo this year.

One note, the GuruTrack site is just opening so expect changes and maybe some "coming soon" placements. membership is still free though, and even if you subscribe, it is a three-tier build up and you won't pay full boat until month three. Pretty cool. They're also looking for more guru nominations, so if you have someone you'd like to see interviewed, go to their "sneak peek" page and send them a lead.

When the cold hits Grand Prairie

2010-01-07T15:27:00.000-06:00

Well, we have definitely dipped the mercury to a new yearly low as of today, and it looks to be getting colder. What better opportunity to prepare cold weather comfort fare for serving inside the new ice shanty we've installed on the pool surface.

At first, Libby wasn't too thrilled with the view, but once we sampled some of the fresh fish dishes prepared in the shanty's saloon dining area, everything was just dandy. Avery's taken to playing the pie-ah-nee (as he likes to call it) in the saloon, working for tips and sarsaparillas, and Meredith is now going by the name of Miss Lilly, and keeping the peace by luring the rowdies outside so Cam can wallop em with a chair.

Never quite thought the whole SJ clan could pull off such an enterprise, but I guess cold weather brings out the adventure in us all. Cheers to SJ Nation, hook em horns, and Happy 2010!

John & Dorothy CALL ME!

2010-01-06T17:00:00.001-06:00

John Brecher and Dorothy J. Gaiter have departed the now Rupertonian Wall Street Journal.

The former Wine Editors of the last remaining reason (Weekend Journal) to subscribe to the increasingly liberal-bashing paper, declared their last column their final column, and boom done. No explanation, no long goodbyes, nothing except a single paragraph buried in the last column.

Email to a writer yielded a reply from Weekend Journal News Editor John Edwards, which said simply "We're not sure of their future plans, and I'm afraid we're not at liberty to say more about the circumstances of their departure."

So, we have more nothing.

MY response? A public call to John and Dorothy. If you know them or can find someone who does, let them know I WILL DESIGN AND HOST THEIR NEW BLOG/SITE FOR FREE.

FREE.

I have now cancelled my print subscription. This was last straw as the "news" coverage is so ingratiatingly insipid in it's conservo-slant that it rarely merits a read-thru except as a means to keep closer to both sides of the argument. And truthfully, with the latest editions offering up poor photo-illustration to support even worse essays, the Weekend Journal had looked more like the "Weakened Journal."

So, no more. Screw you Rupert. Shame on the Bancrofts for selling out. And, John and Dorothy, DM me folks. Happy to help.

Sigh.

Easy Smoked Beans & Ham

2009-11-17T18:56:00.002-06:00

Here's a quick recipe for a colder rainy November evening; Easy Smoked Beans and Ham

Comfort food is defined by Beans and Ham. It sticks to your ribs and is quite tasty. We all remember ham and baked beans from our youth, so here is a smoky dinner to warm your heart, or stomach on a colder November night. By the way, it's raining and 40 degrees here in Iowa tonight.

Ingredients:

22 oz can of some body's original baked beans
1 small onion
1 jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup zesty BBQ sauce
Your favorite rub

1 disposable shallow aluminum baking pan
NOTE: If one of your family doesn't like onions or jalapenos, put some of the beans into a small loaf disposable aluminum baking pan inside the larger pan and just put some of the original beans into that pan.

Dice the jalapeno and onion keeping jalapeno seeds and ribs out of the mixture. Add these to the beans.

Mix the yellow mustard and BBQ sauce in with all the beans.

Sprinkle lightly with your favorite rub.

Start up your smoker or grill with a smoking pack and set to medium heat and good smoke. Place the beans pan on a lower grate and let smoke for 1/2 hour before placing ham on the grate directly above the beans pan.

Mix 1/4 cup yellow mustard and 2 tblsp zesty bbq sauce along with 1/4 cup beer and slather both sides of the ham steak. Sprinkle the rub on both sides.

Place the ham steak above the beans pan so it can drip into this pan while smoking. Smoke for one hour.

When you finish, you will have some nicely smoked beans with smoked ham juices dripped into the pan. Very tasty! Enjoy.

Dr. Dave

Steak and Blue Cheese Wraps

2009-10-28T19:19:00.002-05:00

When we were in Texas for brother Ski's 50th birthday, Saucy Joe served steak and blue cheese wraps which were received with acclaim. My wife Linda and friend Lois Brass were co-opted for assembly. Here is his recipe and Dr. Dave's spin when tried a month later:

Hi Dave,
I wanted to type this up for you and get it to you for the weekend. I'll post soon.

Smoked Steak appetizer:
Six fist size pieces of steak (low in fat. I used a type of chuck and some sirloin) 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inches thick.
Or one larger piece of meat cut down into smaller pieces.
Kosher Salt
Fresh ground Black pepper

1/4 of 8 inch wheel of Maytag Blue cheese. Each quarter was individually wrapped.

1 cup of pecan halves - 4 oz.
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

ToastBake the pecans in a shallow baking pan until fragrant and a shade darker, about 10 minutes.
Toss hot pecans in the pan with butter and salt, then cool.
This can be done 1-2 days before

I cooked and smoked my steak on the Weber Kettle grill. I used a combination of wood chunks (hickory)
and briquets for the fire. I added soaked wood chips (cherry) for the smoking process.
I had the coals piled a few briquets high on half of the grill on no heat on the other half.

Pat dry excess moisture from each steak with a paper towel. Add salt and pepper to each side.

Sear the steaks with the grill lid off for 2-3 minutes on each side to give them each a nice char.
Place them on the non heated part of the grill, add the soaked wood chips and close the lid for 12-15 minutes.
Depends on the thickness of the meat. You want to give them some good smoke, but the meat needs to be
red to pink-red in the middle.

Let the meat rest for 10 minutes and then place in fridge to cool.

I did this all in the morning for afternoon assembly.

Assembly:

Slice the steak as thinly as you can. Taste testing is required as there will be small pieces that won't work for
rolling up.

Slice the cheese a little at a time into thin strips.

Place pieces of broken pecans and blue cheese onto the slice of steak and roll up, threading the toothpick through
the rolled up steak.

It may not be pretty, but it'll stay together and still tastes delicious.

Dr. Dave’s Version of the Saucy Joe’s Blue Cheese and Sautéed Pecan Stuffed Steak Wraps

Dr. Dave smoked two 2 pound sirloin steaks for 1 hour @ 225°F using Jack Daniels™ oak barrel smoking chips. I did not have the patience to carefully wrap blue cheese with the thinly sliced steaks. So his steak wraps were more ‘folds’, i.e. the steaks were folded over the blue cheese and pecans. Taste didn’t suffer.

One suggestion would be to place the meat in the freezer for about 30 minutes before slicing. It slices thinner that way.

Next time I’ll mix the blue cheese and pecans together into a paste. Then I’ll roll them into small cylinders and freeze for about 30 minutes to keep them in shape for rolling into the steaks.

Would you take a leg of ham as a down payment??

2009-08-21T15:05:00.001-05:00

This article made me think how great it would be to be in the banking business in Italy. They'll have to develop a whole new set of currency exchange rates based on cheese, wine and legs of ham. Oh, and what about the little symbols we use for types of currency??

At this rate of exchange, the United States of America's debt is 27,332,875,638 wheels of Parmesan Cheese. Guess we'll have to adjust Fort Knox a bit so it's better temperature/humidity controlled.

Here's the article: How to get a leg up on the banking business.

A Youngster Has His 50th!

2009-07-23T20:28:00.002-05:00

Dr. Dave has to work on minimizing those wrinkles and reducing the bags under his eyes. Nothing can be done for the lack of hair. While celebrating Ski Sullivan's 50th birthday, Dr. Dave got told he was a good dad for raising such a fine son as Ski Sullivan. This would be a hellava compliment if I were Ski's dad, but I AM his (not that much) older brother!

That said (and wellness plan in progress), the party was a smashing success. I am still dreaming of the blue cheese wrapped steak slices that Saucy Joe conceived. The concept was an appetizer bar. Cocktails, appetizers and converted main courses which were served as appetizers. Man! I ate like a king!

Dr. Dave brought BBQ'd pork butt and brisket for late night meals. These were consumed as needed. I smoked until the meat temperature heated to 160 degrees F, and then I wrapped them in aluminum foil and froze the pork butt and the brisket. These transported in a cooler from Iowa to Texas, and then were heated in the oven to feed the hungry guests.

All in all, a lovely time! I'd travel 900 miles for a party any time.

Saucy Joe! Post your recipes!

Dr. Dave

You Broke It You Should Fix It!

2009-07-15T14:28:00.005-05:00

The get-even opportunity we all wish we'd taken. A musician (talented one too) witnesses baggage crews throwing his guitar cases on the tarmac and a $3500 Taylor dies in the fray.

United gives him runaround, claims no responsibility for his claim and ends up getting roasted (this is a food blog) via social media forums and video views.

Says Carrol in his blog:

In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say “no” to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise.

His 1st (of three) video below.

A Little Musical Interlewd

2009-06-01T15:46:00.004-05:00

Sent to me by an esteemed member of the SaucyJoes Blog, this music is definitely a great way to kick off your week.

The magnificently indefinable Asylum Street Spankers began in 1994 at a booze and hallucinogen-fueled party at the Dabbs Hotel in Llano, Texas. There Christina Marrs and Guy Forsyth met Wammo.

Frog NOT! Stew

2009-05-24T04:27:00.002-05:00

Dr. Dave is not too proud of himself this morning. The shrimp boil was not successful. These platitudes come to mind:

1. Patience is a virtue.
2. A watched pot never boils.
3. Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Do you know how long it takes 25 quarts of water to boil? I don't. The watched pot never did boil. Something else; they call it a shrimp boil for a reason. The key word is: BOIL! Boiling water has so much cooking energy. Hot water does not. I was running out of time.

While I was watching the pot not boil, my helpers were cutting up potatoes and corn. I had just brought a full bag of potatoes, intending to cut up twelve of them. Instead, the whole bag was dissected. Way too many potatoes! It's my fault for giving inadequate instructions.

So...I added too many potatoes to non-boiling water...which continued to not boil. After too short a time, I added the corn, mushrooms, onions and peppers. All of those can steep pretty well in hot, but not boiling!, water. Finally I added the shrimp.

When the shrimp turned pink (natural thermometers), I pulled the basket of food out of the pot ready (not!) to serve. The corn, peppers, onions and shrimp had cooked. The potatoes had not. I out them back in the non-boiling water, and they still came out hard.

So the shrimp non-boil was a non-success.

Lessons learned:

1. Get there early-If I had shown up two hours early, maybe the water would had boiled.
2. Do your own food preparation. I would have kept the amount of potatoes to a minimum.
3. Follow the recipe! Don't start cooking until the water boils!

Also, do you know how many beers it takes to make a pot of water boil. I do, but I can't remember. My nephew Drew Ayling had to chauffer me home. Thanks Drew!

I think I'll stick to smoking for the rest of the weekend.

Dr. Dave

Wandering of a BBQ Mind

2009-05-02T11:02:00.002-05:00

Well, The Dr. survived Relays, just barely. The BBQ was received with acclaim. As a last minute addition, I smoked some hot legs (see the Saucy Joes blogspot archives) which I warmed in a crock pot, then transported on the floor of my '93 Lincoln Mark VIII the whole way to DesMoines (torture!). The long marination in a combination of BBQ sauces and Dr. Dave's BM Tonic made these legs dangerous. The fun activities, the Relays and the fabulous company made this a terrific 3 days.

On to other opportunities to smoke some big meat...

Today, I am smoking two briskets. One is going with our fabulous daughter-in-law back to Dayton, OH as a welcoming dinner for son Gregory who is finishing up his tour in Iraq. The second will be consumed tonight.

Next weekend is a shrimp boil, setting up for graduation of nephew Addison Ardolino later in the month where the quantities increase without a decrease in taste. Other graduations promise opportunities to smoke big meat.

Chronicles to follow. Enjoy your late spring!

Dr. Dave

Playing for Change

2009-04-28T18:00:00.003-05:00

Sherry Borzo sent me a happy link today and I went ahead and embedded the video here. Great fun w/ a little "deeper meaning" thrown in.

RELAYS IS COMING

2009-04-13T21:33:00.000-05:00

It's Time for REEEEELAAAAAAAYYYYYYSSSS!!!

2009-04-09T18:50:00.002-05:00

Yippee! April is here, and that means it's time for the build up for the Drake Relays, and the Dr. is preparing to SMOKE! I have been delighted to participate in the shenanigans of the Drake University alumni who gather annually for renwal of fellowship with love of food, drink, conversation and celebration of Drake Relays track.

Normally Dr. Dave shows up on Thursday of the Relays week with two sons in tow to participate in Beersketball and some fabulous evening food and drink culminating with Friday golf (complete with BM Tonics). This year, son Greg is serving his country overseas and son Brindon has work obligations. So, Dr. Dave decided to expand his coverage to include the Wednesday night celebrations. And, being the addicted smoker he is, Dr. Dave signed up for providing some meat for the celebrations.

So, the challenge is: Smoke two beef briskets and two pork butts ahead of time. Keep them ready for transport, and have them ready for consumption for the ravening Drake Alumni Hoard and support staff.

The plan: Smoke two beef briskets two weeks ahead of time. Bring them up to 160 degrees F, then wrap in plastic plus aluminum. Freeze until transport to DesMoines. Finish in the oven. The brisket will rest in its juices, then blossom in time for presentation. So tomorrow, the purchase and marination (yes, I'm a member of the mari-nation) of the briskets. Saturday, smoke is happenin'!

The weekend of April 18th, smoke 2 pork shoulders one week ahead of time. Same strategy. Freeze after smoking to 160 degrees F.

Transporting to DesMoines will continue in a cooler, then finished in the oven. BBQ sauce will be prepared for final finish.

Possibly, some smoked beans will mix in.

More to come.

Dr. Dave

5 questions w/ Anthony Bourdain

2009-02-13T17:38:00.001-06:00

This was fun to view.

The Beer Wench –- Beer w/ Breakfast

2009-01-20T22:50:00.004-06:00

Ed Note: This post came across my desk today as I perused a Twitter dialogue of great import. Not only does this author have a great and expansive knowledge of great beers, she has an admirable grasp of all things Spamalot/Holy Grail.

Anyhoo, here's her introduction to a great essay on The Perfect Beer with Pancakes:

The Perfect Beer For Pancakes
January 14, 2009 by The Beer Wench
Whereas some people may frown upon consumption of alcoholic beverages before noon, I encourage it. (Some people may read that statement and tell me that it is an indicator of a problem. Those people are silly folks and prefer to ignore them.)

If you think like me, then you will agree that the consumption of alcohol is appropriate at any hour … day or night.

I am not opposed to drinking during breakfast. In fact, a great brunch is incomplete without some sort of hooch. Typically, The Bloody Mary (double vodka, extra spicy) is my poison of choice. It goes really well with savory breakfast foods such as eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, etc.

But as much as I love my extra spicy, double strong Bloody Marys … they are a horrible pair for pancakes, waffles, french toast, scones, danishes, blintzes, cobblers, muffins, fruit and all the other sweet breakfast goodies.

When it comes to the sweeter side of breakfast, one can always reach for a Mimosa or a Bellini (classic brunch cocktails). OR … why not try a fruit beer?

Normally, I would go straight for the fruit lambics of Belgium for this post. Although this blog is not about fruit lambics, they would make an excellent pairing with a number of breakfast items - particularly those made with fruit.

The other day I stumbled upon a bottle of Melbourn Bros. Strawberry Beer. The bottle said spontaneous fermentation … and we all know that The Wench is a sucker for wild yeast beers. So naturally, I purchased the beer and did some research on its origin.

To read the rest of her post click here

Kentucky Frakkin' Chicken

2009-01-16T18:25:00.007-06:00

Being a Battlestar Galactica fan, I went to the SciFi Channel website to check and see when it would be on tonight and noticed that the Colonel had joined the Battlestar Galactica team. Never thought I'd ever see the word Frak and Colonel Sanders in close proximity to each other. It just struck me funny. Hope you get a laugh out of it too!! Here's the frakkin' link.

What food day is today?

2009-01-16T11:41:00.006-06:00

Just in case you were wondering what day today is, in foodie terms, we have a Twitter buddy, Foodimentary, who calls out each day on a blog just what part of the pyramid we should be embracing.

All entries are posted by an anonymous author/critic who writes under the nom de plumeThe Life and Times in The World of Food, the blog reveals a vast research base and knowledge of good food and living. This blog is one of several in the group ( Foodimentary, Foodimentary Recipes, Foodimentary Cooking, from what I have seen, 11 Bonita Drive), all of which are revealed when looking at the profile.

Lots of work, and fun, reading the exploits of a "Southern Foodie." Yum.

I Say Old Boy, Where the Hell is Matt?

2009-01-07T22:02:00.007-06:00

Sometimes you just have to take a few minutes out of your morning to visit hundreds of locations around the world, enticing natives and various other ne'r-do-wells to engage in public acts of unbridled silliness while you work out a few kinks with a little power dance.

Rock on Mattie.

John & Dorothy's Wine Things for 2009

2009-01-06T17:23:00.007-06:00

The WSJ wine critics have compiled a delightful list of things to do wine-wise for the year ahead. Thoughtful and fun items here. Seems like a good start. If you have some others to consider, make up your list and comment here.

Here's the list. Go to the Journal article to read the explanations for each task.
1. Try a Wine From a Different Country
2. Go to a Wine Bar and Have a Flight of Wine
3. Order the Cheapest Wine on a Restaurant's Wine List
4. Open a Sparkler at Home for No Reason at All
5. Take Notes on a Fine Wine From Beginning to End
6. Have a Sauternes
7. Have a Blind Tasting
8. Organize Your Labels (for us it's corks)
9. Visit the Closest Winery to Your Home
10. Attend a Winemaker's Dinner at a Restaurant
11. Have Fun With Stemware
12. Find a New Wine Store
13. Try a Varietal You've Never Had From a U.S. Winery
14. Either: Have 12 Different Bottles in the House at Once
14a. Or: Drink Up
15. Go Crazy on a Wine Pairing for Dinner Some Night
16. Try an Older White
16. Try a Type of Wine You Think You Don't Like
18. Get a New Corkscrew
19. Serve a Dessert Wine to Guests
20. Shatter Your Price Limit

Extra Credit
If you have never dropped us a note to say hello or ask a question, don't be shy. Our email address is wine@wsj.com and while we can't respond to all notes, we do our best.

2008-12-20T10:30:00.001-06:00

Getting new blog up on GuruTrack this weekend. Still need nominations for favorite Gurus. Go to htp://gurutrack.com to contribute.

Getting BUSY at XMAS

2008-12-15T14:34:00.009-06:00

Okay, so my neighbor Sonya is a NUT about Xmas decorating, festooning her domicile w/ all manner of whites, reds, candy canes and faux trees to create a spectacular display.

Evidently she placed third in a Grand Prairie Lights or Nottingham Neighbors Lights (our little slice of heaven in N. Texas) and she was hooked. Now illuminating our street at a feverish pace, she was gunning for the gold. While I personally have no idea whether this effort required massive caloric intake ala Michael Phelps, it does seem to require a Scotty-like devotion to the physical plant. We often see her out at all hours of day and night, attaching new accessories or repairing the grid.

It is an amazing effort, which makes our humble decoration look, um, humblish.

But, in comparison to Richard Holdman, she's a piker 1st class, and there's no mean intent or envy attached to that statement. Really. Honest.

We present exhibit #1

See, what we mean? This guy gets it in terms of what it takes to create a truly innovative and beautiful display. Not too far afield from what we at SaucyJoes do for a good fire, glass of wine or smoke-ringed brisket.

Now whether or not it is a truly great use of time, consider that his efforts do raise money for Make-A-Wish so he's got that going for him.

If you are considering ramping up a similar effort, be mindful that there are critics out there who rate and evaluate the holiday display and advocate handing out citations to those who would violate lighting etiquette. Now if we do a comparison of Holdman vs Perlow on good use of time we're siding w/ Holdman. We noted Mr. Perlow was willing to critique but had no displays of his own to offer up for comparison. Hmmm.

To quote a noted philosopher and cinema buff:
"I know you are but what am I?"
PW Herman

All I want for Christmas is a great wine tasting!

2008-12-13T16:02:00.003-06:00

I love to read and write about wine, but not as much as just tasting it. Over many years of wine tasting and wine appreciation with friends and families I have learned a lot. It’s a great learning process. But there are “so many wines, and so little time” as they say. With thousands of wines from all over the world, more availability now than ever, you can keep quite busy this season. Tasting wines from all over the world with friends and family? Santa, bring that for me this holiday season!

The basic elements of wine appreciation seem pretty easy on one level – pour, tilt glass and taste. Repeat as needed. And that is certainly fine if that’s all you require to enjoy wine. It doesn’t have to be rocket science, and you don’t need the sometimes perplexing language of many wine tasters. But if you want to look at wine more discriminately, to explore the nuances and underlying qualities of wine…well, then there are several tools of the trade to look at.

The “tools of the trade” are actually pretty easy to acquire; we come equipped with them if at different levels and abilities. Can’t tell Coke from Pepsi? Well, just remember that improving your taste is just like preparing for that big presentation at work, or working-out hard get ready for that 10-K. You need to do the work. Again: there’s no requirement to “dig deeper” when you enjoy a good glass of wine but if you want to take a step closer, some groundwork first, give yourself a good start. Get a wine that is different, maybe a varietal you haven’t tasted. Then provide the proper environment for your tasting, invite friends over, have some snacks and make it casual. With a comfortable setting, your crew of tasters will feel relaxed and the sharing of wine and friendship flows.

A good hint: if you have friends at different experience levels and abilities in wine: do a blind taste testing. It can show that wine tasting is not a competition, and that you don’t need to challenge other people’s levels of ability and experience. There is no better way to create a level field and bring people together than a blind wine tasting. You will be surprised at the range of taster’s impressions of wines when they can’t see the label or bottle shape. So you end up concentrating on challenging your taste, not your knowledge of the wine.

The great thing about tasting wine is: the more you taste, the more experience you gain; and the more experience that you gain, the more you bring to your next tasting. Then you may want to move on to a horizontal tasting comparing certain varietals from the same vintage, or a vertical tasting, with different years of a wine from the same producer. It’s just like learning to read and write. You start with the alphabet and then you advance as you learn more. Maybe you had a favorite book, one you found full of drama and nuanced relationships. You shared it is with a friend, who reads it and returns it, “Sure, that was a great story”. They liked it, but didn’t see, or were not impressed, with those elements of style that you appreciated. It’s OK - wine also has levels of appreciation and understanding. Sometimes you dig a little deeper, sometimes you don’t.

You have some work to do this Holiday season. Check out some new wines; enjoy time with friends and family, and TASTE. ‘Tiss the season, and hopefully Santa will be good to you this year! I’ve already sent in my letter.

Borzo

Alphabet Juice

2008-12-12T13:39:00.003-06:00

Check out our review at GuruTrack of Roy Blount Jrs' new book Alphabet Juice.

A delicious interview w/ him this morning on Bob Edwards, and a book for everyone you know who has a love of language.

A Wine Visit to Down Under

2008-12-11T20:31:00.002-06:00

After reading a fun wine blog, complete with a quiz on American wines NOT from the U.S., I was directed to the representative site for several Australian wineries called Old Bridge Cellars.

Here's their "about us" description:

In this age of 'big company' buyouts, increasing consolidation and mass production, Old Bridge Cellars brings you a group of Australian winemakers who retain their belief in artisan winemaking. Respecting the land and with minimal intervention in the winery, their wines remain true to the soils from which they come.

They share a fierce commitment to quality and a determination to preserve their independence and regional heritage. Many are the second, third and even fourth generations of their family to work the vineyards. It's their intuitive understanding, quiet confidence and desire to produce only the best they can from each vintage that has made them Australian benchmarks, universally acclaimed by wine critics across the globe.

Founded in 1990, Old Bridge Cellars embraces the intense passion of these winemakers and remains one of only a few US importers dedicated solely to the best of regional Australia. Our knowledge of Australian wine runs deep and has been recognized in such publications as The Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Wine and Spirits, International Wine Cellar and Wine Enthusiast. Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate has gone so far as to say, "thanks in large part to the work of such talented importers as Old Bridge Cellars et al… American consumers have never had such an enormous selection of Australia's finest as well as rarest wines."

We see as our mission the promotion of Australia's 'real wines, ' championing those winemakers who give everything in their pursuit of truly distinctive, regionally defined styles that sit comfortably with the world's best. And who believe they can do it even better again next vintage!

It's an enlightening, exhilarating journey. Welcome aboard.

To see the complete Old Bridge Cellars site, click here.

And now Bailout Wine...

2008-12-10T22:43:00.006-06:00

Not sure but wasn't it was just this type of thinking that got us here in the first place?

Actually this is serious fun from Crushpad, one of those make-your-own wine establishments that found a cool gimmick and had the wherewithal to execute the idea.

From their site, an explanation, and then their feature video.
Here's how it works:

You buy bottles of the "2007 Bailout Napa Valley Cabernet" on this website for $39/bottle. Comparable wines go for $75 and up, so you've already won in a sense.

We record the closing value of the Dow Jones Industrial Average the day you buy the bottles.

Then for every 100 points the Dow drops from your starting point, you get $2 off each bottle.

We will bottle the wine on August 14, 2009 and use the Dow closing level to determine your final price. For example, if you buy the wine when the Dow is 8,800 and then it closes at 7,300 when we bottle, then your final price is $9/bottle and we'll cut you an economic stimulus check of $30/bottle in September. If we're lucky enough to find the Dow at or above the level it was when you bought the wine, then you've already paid your $39/bottle – it will never go above that.

New Take on an Old Art -- Pink Floyd

2008-12-10T14:21:00.004-06:00

Found this on TwitPic from Twitter author @lawduarte.

Remember album art? It was a great escape and made the LP all the better when done right. Line notes, deep meanings and a chance to really take the album over the top.

Pink Floyd was always at the vanguard (I even bought several limited editions of the DSOTM) and this photo is a great chance to relive those wonderful works of art.

Of course if the original albums had come in this packaging...
-- oh stop it --

Kentucky Clay really hits home

2008-12-08T09:09:00.003-06:00

Just listened to author Katherine Bateman on Bob Edwards' show re: her new book Kentucky Clay.

Hearing her stories, and listening to her accounts of family doings through the years sounds a great deal like the Sullivan history in Kentucky. She goes back 11 generations in the book, detailing the Clays and the Cecils through early American history.

Especially amusing was the "whip and a gun" story of the matriarchs of two clans enforcing fidelity w/ strong language and the threat of violence -- all while wearing their gloves and comporting themselves as the ladies they were.

I am planning a comfy-chair-by-the-fire-bourbon-in-hand literary adventure when the book arrives later this week.

A Saturday might pleasure

2008-12-06T18:34:00.001-06:00

The fire pit is back up and running and Saucy Central is once again hitting on all 8

The Original Cleaner!

2008-12-05T15:45:00.004-06:00

We all learned at a very young age what the oldest cleanser on earth is. Though I'm not sure if it's still being used as much since there's a slew of new cleansers on the market. Come on, you know what it is! Dig deep into that dark area of your mind you keep hidden and think about that smudge you had on your face right before you went into church. Fast as Mom saw the smudge, a tissue would come out of nowhere, dab it on her tongue and skillfully swipe the smudge away. If a tissue wasn't available, a lick of the thumb would be substituted. It could take off anything though some dirt took multiple applications and vigorous rubbing. There may not be much skin left, but the dirt was gone!!

Well now that I've brought back fond memories of smudges past, I wanted to introduce a product that will either make you laugh or go eewww! Momspit! I laughed so loud at discovering this product as we were just talking about Mom's quick clean abilities at a party last weekend. I wish I would have known about this product then. So now you have a conversation piece to add to your next party!! I love the description of the product: Eliminate milk moustaches, chocolate faces, sticky fingers, grease, dried food, latte foam, gas-pump grunge and mystery dirt. Just MomSpit on it. It's that mystery dirt that always took the longest to clean off. We know microderm abrasion ... we lived it!!

Thanksgiving Beef Shoulder Clod

2008-11-29T07:15:00.010-06:00

The Iowa Sullivan clan had a fabulous Thanksgiving experience! Lovely Linda roasted her famous turkey with sausage, apple stuffing. We had family from the current generation down to the newest generation of grandsons and nephew. The dinner table was roisterous indeed!

Dr. Dave did his part with smoking big meat; a beef shoulder clod. This was a challenge because I'd never smoked this large a cut of beef. This was a 15 LB clod, and all I'd read said that this needed to be smoked long, low and slow. So, I set up to smoke this clod one hour per pound, or 15 hours. Since we decided to eat at 5PM Thanksgiving day, this meant starting to smoke at 2AM that day.

But preparation of a clod doesn't just start 15 hours early. I began by marinating one day early. After trimming the gray skin and excess fat, I tenderized the meat using a 48 blade Deni. This gadget is great for getting deep into the meat with many tiny cuts.

Be careful though those blades are sharp. I cut two fingers just showing how the Deni works!

I liberally sprinkled black pepper, kosher salt, onion powder and garlic powder over the clod.

I then slipped it into a marinade composed of 48 oz of Irish stout. Marinating lasted 18 hours.

I set the alarm for 1AM Thanksgiving day.

First I made a slather of Dijon mustard and Worchestershire sauce, a very aromatic blend. I applied this to all sides of the clod, then sprinkled on a rub of paprika, cuman, mild chili powder, black pepper and kosher salt. I used lots of rub because this was a big cut o' meat.

I fired up my Big Drum Smoker using 6LB of Kingsford charcoal and 9 LBs of hardwood charcoal. I normally don't like hardwood charcoal because it doesn't burn very evenly, but I wanted the nice smoke flavor and I thought the Kingsford briquettes would aid in making the fire even. To add the smoke, I put in a small oak log and an apple branch. The outside temperature was 29 degrees F.

The clod went on the smoker at 2:20AM. I took cat naps and turned the brisket every two hours. The smoker was able to keep the smoker temperature above 200 degrees while the outside temerature dropped, but when it dropped to 19 degrees, the smoker couldn't keep up very well. Fortunately, the sun came up at 7AM, and the smoker was getting up to 220 degrees. The best thing was that the smoke kept coming. This big meat was going to have a nice smoke ring!

I was anticipating the meat wouldn't get up to the targeted temperature of 195 degrees until late afternoon. So I didn't insert the digital thermometer until 11AM. Much to my surprise, this 15LB piece of meat was already up to 190 degrees internal temperature. This clod was done! And dinner wasn't scheduled for another 6 hours! Figuring that the smoke had penetrated as much as it was going to go in, I wrapped the clod in aluminum foil and put it back on the smoker. Soon, however, the fuel in the smoker was getting consumed to the rate where it was unable to keep up the heat, and the temperature in the smoker dropped below 100 degrees F. I became concerned because there was no oven space (a 24LB turkey takes up a whole overn, believe me!). Then, I slapped myself in the forehead (ouch!). I had a perfectly good outdoor gas oven, my water smoker! Quickly, I slipped the clod into the gas heated water smoker for another 4 hours Keeping the temperature at 200 degrees for the whole time.

Well, the guests arrived, and after some good football (the Cowboys won!) it came time to serve Thanksgiving dinner. I removed the clod from the smoker and unwrapped it. It came out falling apart!

I learned an important thing about the Big Drum Smoker. It doesn't just heat using the smoke, it has a nice direct heat element (no pun!). What happens is that the meat cooks faster than a full indirect smoker. So if you're setting up your recipes, think "direct heat" like they have in some of the central Texas meat markets. This is a good thing because it imposes a nice smoke flavor while the meat is opened up by the direct heating. I can tell you, the falling part clod was most flavorful. We have leftovers too!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Dr. Dave

Shooting the Bird

2008-11-26T12:23:00.002-06:00

ED NOTE: This is yet another impressive essay from SJ Member Curt Simmons.
You may also read more of his (and family's) musings at their blog here

Shooting the Bird

What a glorious fall we’ve had this year in Texas. Crisp mornings followed by sunny afternoons and just enough September rain to keep everything green until the leaves turned color a few weeks ago. Throw in one of the greatest college football seasons in recent memory, a few good backyard fires and it all adds up to perfect. But then, just as we were about to go full blown, Robert Frost on everybody’s ass, it all came to a crashing halt. The first icy blast of winter? Hardly. We only have winter for about two weeks and normally schedule it between the division championships and the Super Bowl. Post election blahs, recession, dim prospects for the Mavericks? Heck no, those things are just minor annoyances. It takes a full blown disaster to ruin a great fall and the perfect storm began brewing last week with just one phone call.

Erin called and said they weren’t quite up to hosting Thanksgiving this year as they had only been back in their apartment for three days since being washed away by Ike back in September… As she rattled on we felt the winds begin to form a small tropical depression in the Caribbean… They would go to his parents which meant we were free to host everyone else here. We began making obscene gestures at the phone before we hung up. Thanksgiving at our house. Again. Awesome! The next afternoon Lori’s mother and sister just happened by and were overjoyed by the good news. Within five minutes the guest list had grown to 20, and the storm had been upgraded to a category 2 hurricane.

To say that my mother-in-law overdoes Thanksgiving is like saying that Bill Clinton had roaming eyes. She lives for it, and truth be told, she does an unbelievable job. Now the game was on. She came back later that evening to go over the menu and assignments. This is one of my favorite parts because in the 30 years I've known her, the menu has never changed. We actually have to speak aloud all of the names of all the dishes and write them down. How about turkey? Ooh, there’s a new one. Dressing? Yeah, I think I heard about that on E’meril. BAM! I usually throw her a silly curve, and she always takes the bait, “Instead of sweet potatoes, why don’t we try marinated artichokes with currants?” She’ll smile/frown and say something like,” Oh I don’t know. I’m afraid the kids would be disappointed.” So sweet potatoes it is. We then start assignments, which is an even bigger joke since she likes making everything herself and doesn’t trust anyone else other than us and only us when she can supervise. Lori always suggests that Shari or Christina brings this or that and she usually says, “Oh, they can bring rolls or maybe the appetizer plate. That’s really a lot of work and they have their hands full.” We finally agree to do everything and she is happy. This year as we concluded the planning session she dropped the hammer and informed us that Aunt Gail and Uncle Lloyd were coming from South Dakota. We were now officially at category 5.

The holiday attendance record for our modest, 1968, ranch house currently stands at 27, and in all fairness, some of them weren’t disasters. Several were though. Like the time I ran over Randy and Jane’s Golden Retriever on the way to the football game. Or when my niece slipped in the kitchen and broke her arm. Or the year we had to rush Jack to the emergency room with an asthma attack. Or the year I had surgery on Tuesday. Each a treasure in the memory chest, but what unites them all is the fact that all of the guests still expect to be fed their full blown, traditional, Norman Rockwell feast on time despite these little inconveniences, always in our house. It’s sort of like a bad government program, at first a good idea but now just another entitlement. But as I said earlier, it’s Carol’s favorite darned day of the whole year and we love her, so we’ll love Thanksgiving too. She will start cooking on Sunday and won't stop till we clean up the leftovers after the 10:00pm supplemental feeding Thursday night. Our pattern is pretty predictable as well. We will get up early Thursday morning and play the full version of Alice’s Restaurant while we drink Kahlua laced coffee and then cook like galley slaves. Hopefully our 2nd grade nephew, Sam will bring a homemade centerpiece. Once the table is set and Carol does her Betty Crocker curtsey, we will all begin passing and sighing and conversing and passing some more. During the course of the meal and day, Lori and I will occasionally slip out of the room towards the kitchen carrying a decoy platter or pitcher. We’ll end up in Erin’s old bedroom where in the closet our friends from the Sauza family, the Tres Generaciones, reside. I’ve glued some turkey feathers from my fly-tying kit to a couple of shot glasses and we’ll give thanks each time we feel the warm, agave nectar slide down our throats. Who knows, after the 3rd or 4th trip, we might even hug Aunt Gail.

Au Revoir lovely fall. You were too beautiful for this world.

I Don't Know!

2008-11-22T17:40:00.002-06:00

SO...I'm not the guy who sits down on Sunday morning and plans every breakfast, lunch and dinner (not to mention snacks!). Still, I enjoy cooking for my family, so when I come home from work, I ask "What do you want for dinner?". Three out of five times, the answer is "I don't know".

Most times, I just choose. But...How I wish I just had a dish named "I Don't Know" that was easy, tasty and encompassed all of the indecision wrapped up in "I Don't Know".

I went out to Google and found two recipes for "I Don't Know". Both were basically casseroles of meat, veggies, potatoes and cheese. I think this is a good start, but I don't think it captures the spirit of "I Don't Know".

We're talking of satisfying medium hunger, not great hunger. When you have great hunger, you know what you want! But when you say "I Don't Know", you're not that hungry. You want something tasty, something spicy, anything! And, usually, you're disappointed with the preferred fare.

I know that we're all focused on Thanksgiving preparations. When we come up from that triptophan fog, let's take it on. Give me a recipe for "I Don't Know"!

By the way, I'm still searching for that recipe myself. Dr. Dave will submit his best effort.

Enjoy your holiday. Come back with an answer to "I Don't Know"!

Beaujolais in Plastique? No No Nouveau!

2008-11-20T19:47:00.007-06:00

So just go ahead and try to find one or more varieties of the Beaujolais Nouveau outside the confines of your wine merchant's locale.

It brings about conversations akin to asking for a Venti latte w/ a double shot (Starbuck's novice speaking here) at the feed store in Sarah Palin's home town. The people you're speaking to don't doubt what you seek exists, they just don't see a need for it, or really want to do more than ask around the store for opinions as to how to bag your quarry.

I spoke M-O-R-E S-L-O-W-L-Y and louder and still the natives of two urban food islands didn't speaka my language.
So, forgiving the Krogerundi and the Albertsonistas, I moved on to Whole Foods. NOTE: This IS Texas and although wine has become more readily available, liquor stores still rule the roost, and they're clustered on the edges of town where they were once the only place to get a bottle of anything. I wasn't inclined to drive that far.

And after enduring numerous displays playing up Wine Spectator's Top Ten, I finally found a young clerk (who was a dead ringer for the Mac Guy minus 4-5 years) as he wheeled in the cart of -- no surprise here -- Georges Dubeouf's 2008 Beaujolais Nouveau.

Okay, a trip to the real stores over the weekend will bring us a much better set of choices, but at this point I'm thirsty and ready to fill this square. Only, there's a hook: GD has decided to go GREEN and package their BN in plastique. Granted it's environmentally friendly, really much better in the carbon footprint-landfilling-bulkage department, but I can't help balk at a wine bottle I can squeeze.

Kinda takes the whole nouveau wine-snob argument down a few notches. This is Fox News-level discussion I suspect. Debate w/ decibels you can really sink your chops into because we have wine you can't possibly be serious about, delivered in ketchup bottles. Ooof.

In fairness, we'll taste and then report in w/ brevity (right). But this year's review will happen after we find the other choices ... in glass.

Great American Smoke Out

2008-11-20T15:58:00.002-06:00

Ski sent me an email today saying that today was the Great American Smoke Out. I was excited thinking that there was a new BBQ contest! Ski left me a link to the GASO website, and I eagerly clicked to find out the details.

Much to my chagrin, the Great American Smoke Out is about quitting smoking...cigarettes. So, as an ex-secondhand smoker, I have something to say about that. I encourage those firsthand smokers (of anything besides meat , or the occasional vegetable) to get help quitting. I tell you, it's 27 degrees here today in Iowa, and the wind is at 20 mph. I looked outside at lunch, and there had to be 25 smokers huddled together for warmth, smoking away. It must be a comforting feeling.

Here in Iowa, there is an ordinance banning smoking inside of all public places including restaurants and bars (but not casinos!). When this was first proposed a few years ago, I was against it being a kind of live and let live guy. Now that the ordinance has been in place, I am all for it! I used to have to leave bars because there was too much smoke (a personal tragedy!). That's not the case nowadays. It is nice staying in a bar for a comfortable number of beers.

So here's to the Great American Smoke Out.

Now, I'm going to get off my soap box, go home and smoke something...maybe some chicken.

Dr. Dave

Cabs for the Birds?

2008-11-19T20:50:00.005-06:00

John and Dorothy picked out several Cabernet Sauvignons from biggest wine retailers, buyers' clubs Costco and Sams, and did find a couple of bargains. However, their ongoing disappointment w/ the wine's current overdone, over-tweaked status is readily apparent in the review.

We would suggest steering clear of the ones they didn't place highest in this review if you're buying from the clubs, and/or working with a cab you trust and love. And as always, when you're preparing for a party (i.e. bulk purchase) get a couple of tester taster bottles first and taste them in the calm before the storm. When happy, buy bulk with confidence.

Here's their video:
And, here's the article:

The Full Monty -- Taking YouTube by the Ears

2008-11-19T12:09:00.003-06:00

It was about time, the Pythons have decided to post their own clips and harness the power of YouTube.

Free? Free!

You may always buy their goodies here as well.

Who is the 'Mystery Wine Expert?'

2008-11-18T19:38:00.002-06:00

So were shooting through the blogs in our faithful Google Reader, and we see that GuruTrack is profiling three of our wine experts, with a mystery fourth expert to be named later.

This is all too self-serving, but we wonder, who is #4? Who can complement this vaunted troika of winedom?

Guess we'll tune in in December to find out. Yum.

From Beaujolais to Brigitta!

2008-11-17T12:20:00.011-06:00

Okay, so I am not the wine expert here. That title would go to either Jim Doutre, or David Borzo.

I do have some recommendations to make however for this week's tastings and they're more on the pedestrian side of wine enjoyment, i.e. the daily sippers that don't require much thought, and don't trigger tryer's remorse* on opening.

Number one is a delightful Italian red wine from Zaccagnini called Cantina Zaccagnini (2004 Reserva, from Sam's Club $13.00)
made from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes. It's a truly great dry red table wine, not overly robust, but with touches of licorice, vanilla and berries mixed together to make your mouth happy alone and with foods.

I thought of lamb as a good complement, but I think it would be equally at home with all manner of country foods. I've never woasted a wabbit for stew, but I can imagine such a dish on a heavy wooden table next to my full glass and Gina Lola Brigitta's heaving bosom.

The distributor's web site goes into far more detail (like those experts will) and suggests more food pairings and taste comparisons (leather, plums, blackberry, black pepper, oregano, assorted herbs and a violet robe, which I assume is for Gina after dinner.) and the winery's tasting info is more complete in it's description. They make a lot of the stuff (+/- 95,000 bottles) so it's in ready supply near you.

I'm just saying that for $13 it's a no brainer that gets better as it breathes. After finishing a deep and mystical Syrah last week, I opened this one for guests and was pleased w/ the vanilla opening tastes and subsequent berries and dusty finishes. It was

Wine #2
Tis the season for Beajolais Nouveau and as any SERIOUS wine person will tell you, it's young, it's grape juice w/ a kick and it is not a SERIOUS wine. Some would say it shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as the word wine while others revel each year at its release. In fact , the region as a whole is seen as a bargain for buyers looking to purchase land, vineyards etc.

So, like who cares?

Beaujolais Nouveau is FUN for all those reasons. It is young and fruity and way too easy to quaff, gulp, spill and giggle over.
Qualities that make it um, FUN.

If you want the history of the stuff, suffice it to say there are billions and billions (Carl Sagan couldn't be reached for comment) of articles on the proud history, how the young, fruity beacon of 1st harvest is not available prior to the 3rd Thursday of each November, how the Brits used to send their envoys across the channel to grab their stash from the French and even how the Japanese tried to use international time zones to cheat on the opening dates. This made SERIOUS FUN people mad.

All that aside, it is great w/ Brie and a warm baguette, and people you like to be around while the warm fuzzy buzz of a silky smooth red makes its way across your sensory landscape.

In the past, we have enjoyed many varieties, and used to buy the Georges Duboeuf by the case. Pretty label, but honestly rarely the best of the bunch. Many alternatives are springing up to the true version, including early releases of Gamay grape juices from California.

BUYING ADVICE -- We say, rush to your wine shop on Thursday this week and buy no more than enough for a bottle or two between you and your friends (imaginary and otherwise) so you can get some fast and celebrate the nou nou nouveoh like a true Francophile. Then go back later in the weekend, or early next week and sample the other choices that showed up on your merchant's shelves. The big boys get their's in the stores first because they have the distribution muscle. The other, lesser knowns are often worth the wait.

For 10 fun facts about Beaujolais Nouveau see our friends at Into WIne.

We always love this wine as a fun addition to Thanksgiving holiday parties, and it's still good through Xmas. After that, you're drinking wine that was fresh and nouveauity but isn't so much anymore, and you should be moving on to the more SERIOUS winter wines, or champagne for the New Year.

So, get busy and get to your local Sam's Club for some of the Zaccagnini and/or to your wine shop for ze Beaujolais Nouveau and relax with your wines. Gosh.

-----------

*Tryer's Remorse, not unlike it's younger sibling, Buyer's Remorse, this is the guilty feeling you get when you open a bottle that was:
1. Expensive
2. A gift
3. An expensive gift
4. The last of a vintage or varietal in your collection
5. Your last bottle, period

So you wart over whether it or the occasion (or your guests) will be good enough to merit setting the cork free.
BAH. If it is too precious, sell it to someone for a large sum and buy cases of guilt-free offerings.

No one goes to their grave wishing they'd enjoyed less great wine -- they go the their grave thinking things like "oh shit!"

Shameless Plug:
Save $10 off + $0 shipping on our All Red Tasting Pack at MyWinesDirect. Use code ALLREDSAVE at checkout. Offer valid 11-1 to 11-30-08.

Following that Texas Smoke

2008-11-16T09:21:00.002-06:00

Having spent my young adult life in Texas (and still living Texas at heart), I couldn't resist the title of this book! John DeMers is a big time foody from Houston having been food editor of the Houston Chronicle and current host of Delicious Mischief a food and wine talk show on the Houston CNN affiliate. The title shows how much effort (and eating (and drinking)) went into this book. 14,783 miles of driving, eating, talking and drinking.

The book starts out with the County Line BBQ in Austin and ends with another member of that fine BBQ group, the State Line BBQ in El Paso. The diverse smoking methods of BBQ joints across Texas, and the diverse characters who stick their heads and hands into a variety of pits, boxes and high tech rotisseries make this an entertaining read. It's a people story and a smokin' story. There are a few tantalizing recipes at the end of the book. Plus, you get some basic education on how to smoke brisket, pork ribs and chicken throughout the book. Not a one of the 'smokys' gives away a secret, but all share their methods.

The king of Texas BBQ is the beef brisket. Every one of these places centers their smokin' around brisket. It is obvious from the first that beef is the reason to BBQ in Texas. Other states like Tennessee, Kansas and the Carolinas center around pork, butt in Texas, beef is IT! Low and Slow is the theme. Woods vary from Oak, to Post Oak, to Hickory to Mesquite (Don't forget Pecan!) based on the regions desires, yet there are many tales of a pit boss importing woods from WAY outside their BBQ region to get the flavor with which they cut their smokin' teeth.

One fun way to read this book is to sit in front of your computer, call up Google Maps and locate the BBQ restaurant described in the book. For those of you who are fortunate enough to live in Texas, find that joint right next door. For those of you 'smokys' who live out of state, set yourself up a travelogue for your next visit to the Lone Star State.

NOTE: This book goes quite well with a ZZ Top CD playing in the background, though AC/DC works well too.

Leading w/ Compassion

2008-11-13T12:09:00.002-06:00

All,
Saw this today, published it on GuruTrack, and felt it merited sharing here.

AND, Let's get those preparing for Thanksgiving posts stirring.

A Case for Beaujolais

2008-11-07T13:40:00.005-06:00

Dorothy and John at WSJ (one of the few good things remaining since Rupert Murdoch's makeover) are eschewing their former mantra of "buy one expensive bottle" to treat a good friend, and going the route of grabbing a mixed case of something far more enjoyable on a day-to-day basis. Get them a mixed case of a simpler wine, Beaujolais, to be more specific.

This isn't the novelty of the Nouveau variety. That yearly tradition is upcoming soon, but an entirely different premise as it's the very youngest wine, and meant for the instant gratification of a quick drink around the holidays.

No, this idea centers on finding a batch of the regular Beaujolais and letting someone you like explore mutliple bottles of a wine equally at home w/ a cheese plate as macaroni and cheese. We'd opt for a nice white cheddar, and yes, GOOD crackers.

Here's their review of some of the tastier bottles they found in their quest.

Mark Patrick on XM -- a great listen going away?

2008-11-05T11:23:00.003-06:00

Holy Crap.

I just learned that one of our great on-air buddies is getting pushed out at XM Radio.

Seems that Sirius is SERIOUS about axing some of the great voices on the satellite, including those found on the XM Cafe, Deep Tracks (a definite Radio Paradise competitor) and now the MLB Homeplate (XM 175) morning treat.

Mark Patrick, the morning co-host (along w/ Buck Martinez) will not see his contract renewed.

It really shows us how radio -- satellite or not -- continues to shoot itself in the foot. And they wonder why people are forgoing it all and opting for iPods or ripping tunes from the web.

Patrick is the glue that holds the morning offerings together with his quick wit, salient observations and knowledge of the game from youth baseball to the bigs. He's got an outsized ego, but it's not propped up w/ the loud noise, abrasive commentary or puffery you hear on sports talk. It's kinda like he's your really smart friend that you give a hall pass to because he's your really smart friend -- and he always buys his round and his sister's cute. I made that last part up, but in all honesty, he's actually been a friend to my son Avery and me, even sending Ave some cool stuff to help him celebrate a baseball anniversary.

So who's wielding this unwieldy axe?

All informed sources are pointing to XM/Sirius corporate assassins Scott Greenstein, Steve Cohen and Chuck Dickemann. I think the last guy's name is apropos.

We can watch for Mark to land somewhere in the sports broadcast universe (he's done all manner of radio thru the years) but he will be sorely missed on the channel in the morning.You can also find his son, Drew Storen, in the headlines as he's a big up-and-comer pitching prospect currently playing at Stanford.

I'm emailing the boneheads and making some noise on this one, and would encourage you to do the same.
They're screwing w/ the start of my day, making the good life a little less saucy.

Okay okay, I'll vote

2008-10-30T10:42:00.002-05:00

GelaSkins -- How very cool!

2008-10-29T14:28:00.002-05:00

I happened upon a terrific new company when researching the recent art offerings of Ralph Steadman. BTW, he still offers that to-die-for Gonzo Zippo lighter for those of you w/ an extra $50 for collectables. Very cool.

Regardless, a new-ish company, GelaSkins, offers all manner of low-tac covers for your electronics including iPods and iPhones, laptops etc. that feature full-color art reproductions. This includes Steadman's "Gonzo" works and his "Lounge Lizard" stuff as well.

Well worth the visit and a few shillings to dress up your toys in fine art finery.

I definitely put this in the "wish I'd thought of that" category.

Cross Country Express: Catching up with Monte Vista coach Mike Davis...

2008-10-05T21:15:00.000-05:00

One of our great friends, Mike "Harpo" Davis, was recently interviewed in Northern California for a running blog. A Drake grad and long-time relays buddy, Harpo is getting kudos for his approach to coaching high-school cross country and track. See his article by clicking on the headline above: Catching up with Monte Vista coach Mike Davis...

Smokin' Beans

2008-09-28T10:24:00.002-05:00

Work has been crazy as we sprint toward the end-of-fiscal-year finish line here at Collins Printed Circuits. I've been working on production schedules, outputs and inventory issues. Wednesday, life got more complicated. I had failed to notice that the next day was Food Day for September Birthdays. Yikes! I needed a recipe which took little time but had a great smoke flavor. So... I decided to make a side dish...smoked beans!

Ingredients:

1-55 oz can of baked beans
1-22 oz can of baked beans
1 lb ham steak
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 TBLSP Yellow Mustard
2 TBLSP Mild BBQ Sauce
2 TBLSP Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Texas Pit BBQ Sauce (Famous Daves)

Mix the mustard, brown sugar and the mild BBQ sauce into a slather for the ham slice.
Slather the mixture over the whole ham steak.
Slice the ham steak into 1" cubes
Cut the onion into 1" cubes
Add the two cans of baked beans to an aluminum baking pan.
Add the Texas Pit BBQ sauce to the baking pan

Start the water smoker so that it puts out a medium apple wood smoke

Put the ham steak cubes and onion cubes into a vegetable BBQ pan and set it on the top rack of the smoker.

Set the beans under the ham in the smoker so the ham juices will drip into the beans.

Smoke for 1 hour at 250 F.

After the ham, onions and beans have smoked for an hour, put the smoked beans, onions and ham into a slow cooker (crock pot) for cooking overnight.

CPC folks start eating at 9AM. The beans didn't last to 11AM.

Another smoking success.

Stock 'em up and tie 'em down!!

2008-09-12T12:28:00.003-05:00

Whatever happened to the days of "I like Ike!" A little before my time, but "I don't like Ike" is here and now and it's got people scrambling. You can't change the channel around here without seeing some sort of Chicken Little news update. They even sent out a flyer at about storm preparations at my workplace.

As I perused through the flyer, (I had to look up the word swale) I noticed the amount of info they had about grills. Now that piqued my interest! I've never considered my grills as flying missiles, but given enough wind I guess they could be. Though I would consider my kettle grill more of a flying saucer. The propane tank would make a dandy propusion system too! So put away and/or secure your grills and disconnect the hose from the propane bottle for safety sake and post storm necessity.

At the end of the flyer they had additional suggestions for post storm power outages that brought back memories of past hurricanes and storms: Have enough propane, charcoal and starter fluid to last for a week or two. Your grill may be the only cooking source available in the aftermath, so make sure you are prepared. I noticed in past disasters that volunteers came in with their bbq rig in tow ready to feed the masses. I'm not telling you to gear up to feed a community, but if you don't have power restored after a day or so you may have the neighbors looking to grill up the contents of their fridge and freezer and they'll come to the person that cooks outdoors all of the time. Could be quite the party!!

So be safe, prepared and ready to live the good life even when the sky is falling! Enjoy!!

Guac!

2008-09-05T15:21:00.005-05:00

I've made a couple of batches of guacamole lately that I've felt have been noteworthy or should I say blogworthy!! The flavor combined with the simplicity has been very gratifying. So as not to be a selfish guy, I will share my findings in hopes of spreading the gratification!!

I've made all sorts of guacamole and it usually turns into such an everything, but the kitchen sink mixture that I rarely make it the same way twice. People seem happy with the results, but when they ask the contents, their eyes glaze over. To keep the glazing to a minimum and get the finished product to the table faster, I've simplified.

I've taken the suggestions of a fellow food blogger Heidi Swanson and narrowed down my guac to just a few ingredients. One of which is a perfect addition that really makes this version stand out. I've been a fan of canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for a while now and have quite a few recipes that call for it. Problem is, most recipes on require one or two and that leaves the rest of the can unused. I decided to add one to my guacamole since I had a bunch to spare and that made all the difference in the world. The smokey flavor and a touch of heat that grows as you stuff your face is wonderful!

Simple Guac
serves three hungry people

- 2 large avocados diced into half inch cubes
- 1/2 of a large white onion diced as large or small as you want
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce minced
- spoonful of no-fat sour cream
- juice from half of a lime
- salt or garlic salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl with a fork, smashing the avocado down as you mix. I like chunks in mine, but mostly smooth. It takes some smashing to get to that consistency. Careful not to taste test too many times and leave nothing for the rest of your hungry crew! Transfer the contents to a festive bowl and serve with tortilla chips.

This is about as simple as it gets. Heidi's recipe calls for minced garlic and I may try that in my next batch. You may want to add somthing in addition to what I have, but it is very satisfying in this simple form. Enjoy!!

Gather 'Round the Shrimp Boil

2008-09-01T17:43:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago, some friends and I played in a local golf tournament. When we finished our round, the golf course management provided a large steak grilling pit where we grilled our T-Bones. There was a sense of community and gastronomical anticipation while waiting for those fine steaks to reach that perfect state of meat grilled right.

Well this sense of community got me to thinking about other community cookouts. What clearly came to mind was a shrimp boil. So I went about gathering the tools. First, the pot. I went to the local hardware store and found a 32 quart pot for frying turkeys. It had a sieve liner which seemed exactly right for holding shrimp boil ingredients. Then I looked at the box, and there was a recipe for a seafood boil; perfect.

We set the time for this last Saturday out at the back deck of the Ardolino household overlooking scenic Anamosa. I put the pot up on a propane burner stand, and filled it 1/2 way full of water, setting it to boil. I poured in a can of Fosters Lager for flavor, then added a bag of Zatarains crab boil seasoning. I added salt, pepper and Old Bay seasoning. After the mixure began to boil, I added potatos to boil for 15 minutes. Then came corn, serrano chiles, onions, mushrooms and Andouille sausage. I let these boil for 20 minutes. Last, I turned off the flames and added the shrimp to steep for 15 minutes. The whole cocoction was lifted out of the pot using the sieve basket, and it was spread over large baking sheets. Eating was pure bliss.

Here are the ingredients:

16 quarts water
1 can Fosters Lager
2 TBLSP salt
2 TBLSP pepper
4 Serrano chiles
4 onions, quartered
4 red potatos, quartered
4 ears sweat corn, quartered
3 lbs Andoullie sausage, cut in 1 inch pieces
3 lbs shrimp

Are you an Omnivore??

2008-08-28T09:26:00.005-05:00

How the Omnivore's 100 Works:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.

2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.

3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

4) Optional: Post a comment at Very Good Taste, linking to your results.

53/100 My Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison

2. Nettle tea

3. Huevos rancheros

4. Steak tartare

5. Crocodile -I've had Alligator. Does that count??

6. Black pudding

7. Cheese fondue

8. Carp

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush

11. Calamari

12. Pho

13. PB&J sandwich

14. Aloo gobi

15. Hot dog from a street cart

16. Epoisses

17. Black truffle

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes

19. Steamed pork buns

20. Pistachio ice cream

21. Heirloom tomatoes

22. Fresh wild berries

23. Foie gras

24. Rice and beans -Where's the Pigs Feet??

25. Brawn or head cheese

26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper -Are you crazy?? Habanero was enough for me!!

27. Dulce de leche

28. Oysters

29. Baklava

30. Bagna cauda

31. Wasabi peas

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl -Pier 39, San Francisco!!

33. Salted lassi

34. Sauerkraut

35. Root beer float

36. Cognac with a fat cigar

37. Clotted Cream Tea

38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O -Things got fuzzy real quick

39. Gumbo

40. Oxtail

41. Curried goat

42. Whole insects

43. Phaal

44. Goat's milk

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more -Never made it to that price range

46. Fugu

47. Chicken tikka masala

48. Eel

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut

50. Sea urchin

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Abalone

54. Paneer

55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal -Way too many as a teen!

56. Spaetzle

57. Dirty gin martini

58. Beer above 8% ABV

59. Poutine

60. Carob chips

61. S’mores

62. Sweetbreads

63. kaolin

64. Currywurst

65. Durian

66. Frogs’ legs -Taste like Chicken!

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake

68. Haggis

69. Fried plantain

70. Chitterlings or andouillette

71. Gazpacho

72. Caviar and blini

73. Louche absinthe

74. Gjetost or brunost

75. Roadkill

76. Baijiu

77. Hostess Fruit Pie

78. Snail

79. Lapsang Souchong

80. Bellini

81. Tom Yum

82. Eggs Benedict

83. Pocky

84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu

85. Kobe beef

86. Hare

87. Goulash

88. Flowers

89. Horse

90. Criollo chocolate

91. Spam

92. Soft shell crab

93. Rose harissa

94. Catfish

95. Mole poblano

96. Bagel and lox -Ah, Sunday Brunch at the 4 Seasons in Seattle

97. Lobster Thermidor

98. Polenta

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

100. Snake

Sad to say I had to look up about ten of these names. Thank you Wikipedia!! There's not anything on the list I'm not willing to try and some looked delicious, but the eel really didn't appeal to me. At least I have a list of new things to try! Let me know what you think!! Enjoy!!!

Too funny to pass up!

2008-08-12T15:39:00.004-05:00

I know this has nothing to do with food, but part of the good life is laughter and this made me laugh quite loudly! Glad no one was there to see me!! This Mercedes Benz Smart car belongs to a coworker and he's got a pretty good sense of humor! When I saw the sticker on the window I thought of the 70's hot rod caricatures with oversize engines and ghoulish creatures driving them. If he had a hemi in there, he'd be sitting on the roof trying to drive! Enjoy!!

Simple Salmon ... as simple as I get

2008-07-16T11:49:00.004-05:00

I was at the end of my freshness date on two salmon fillets that were sitting in the fridge and had to think of something fast. Dinner time was also working against me, so simplicity became my mantra. No time for marinades as I still needed to get the fire going on the charcoal grill and shuck five ears of corn. I opened the door to the fridge and there was part of my answer. Creole mustard! A quick spin of the spices on the lazy susan and I had my Ancho Chili powder and Orange Peel.

I washed the salmon and dried it with a paper towel. I squeezed out probably more mustard than I needed, but didn't have time to argue with myself, proceeded to slather one side and leave the skin side untouched. Next came the ancho chili powder. I sprinkled enough to give it good coverage and color. Last was the orange peel. The aroma was wonderful. I usually make my own orange peel spice, but this a great spice to purchase if you don't have time to make your own.

I was done with prep work on the salmon and had time to get the corn ready by the time the charcoal was ready! I cooked up the corn first over a hot fire and let the salmon soak in some of the flavor of the mustard. With corn looking yummy in a short amount of time, I put the salmon on skin side down on the grill, threw some additional wood chips on the fire and covered it up for five minutes. I popped the cover and noticed the salmon already getting a wonderful color. Time to flip it and give it some time over direct flame. Here's where it helps to have the longest spatula you can buy. After four minutes flesh side down on the grill, the salmon is on the verge of falling apart. So with my huge spatula and some tongs I flipped back to the skin side for a couple more minutes, added a few more wood chips and closed the top vent on my grill a bit.

The salmon was fall apart tender by the time I pulled it off the grill and had some wonderful color and aroma to it! The house was excited with the fare and made quick work of the salmon and corn. Always a sign of approval. So now I have a new favorite way of cooking salmon ... at least until something else tickles my fancy! Enjoy!!

Farts and Darts

2008-05-03T11:26:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, the Sullivans were invited out for a grilled meal of bison burgers at brother-in-law Adam Ardolino's place in Anamosa, Iowa. Saturday is dart night at the Ardolino's. So we were arriving early for this lovely grilled meal. The Dr. decided to bring a side dish; smoked baked beans. The smoked flavor is brought about by smoking a 1 lb ham steak. The baked beans are spiced up using yellow mustard, tangy bbq sauce and dark beer.

Smoking the Ham Steak:

Ingredients:

1 lb ham steak
Mustard Slather:
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup tangy bbq sauce
1 tblsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp beer

Ham Rub
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

Mix the slather ingredients in a shallow bowl and brush over the ham steak. Sprinkle the rub over each side of the ham.

Smoke the ham steak using apple chips providing the smoke. 1 hour at 220 deg F

Spicing up the Beans:

The beans are cooked in a medium crock pot. Add 1 large can of baked beans to the pot. Add 1/2 cup yellow mustard and 1/2 cup tangy bbq sauce. Cube the smoked ham steak into 1/2" pieces and add them to the crock pot. Chop up 1/2 an onion and add to the bean mixture. Cook on high heat for 1 hour and then turn down to low heat.

The beans were an excellent compliment to the bison burgers.

Of course digestion of baked beans and beef set up a gas generation system within each of us. The night's dart competition quickly became aromatic. Nevertheless, a fine time was had by all, odors not withstanding. The beans were a smoking success!

What a great promo!!

2008-04-14T08:55:00.002-05:00

You know, I'm a little disappointed that they didn't give me a call to help out with this momentous event! Sounds like half of the country was there cooking or eating! Can you imagine the aroma ... even twenty miles away?? I'll bet there was a spike in the temperature of the town. Probably changed the weather pattern for the area!

When your chief export is beef, what better way to promote your product than to have a barbecue! I had no idea that they exported so much beef to the United States. That steak I had last night may have been some of Uruguay's finest. Who knows. The grocery store sure doesn't advertise their suppliers.

Here's the story!

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - One of South America's smallest countries proved on Sunday it can hold the biggest barbecue in the world.

Some 1,250 Uruguayan grillmeisters sizzled up 26,400 pounds (12,000 kilograms) of beef Sunday, beating a 2006 record set in Mexico.

"It's all so beautiful. It's a record," Guinness World Records judge Danny Girton said after the chefs, in white hats and aprons, smoked and barbecued their way into the record book with help of 6 tons of charcoal and 1,500 metal barbecue stands.

The barbecue was so big that firefighters were called in to light the grills and make sure the flames did not get out of hand. It beat the previous record of 17,600 pounds (8,000 kilograms) of beef, Girton said.

Uruguay, a ranching and farming nation, last year exported more than US$1 billion (euro630 million) in beef — its chief export.

The load of meat cooked Sunday set off swirling clouds of aromatic smoke, as 20,000 spectators devoured the cuts quickly.

Blarney to Rest

2008-03-21T19:53:00.003-05:00

St Patrick's Day has come and gone. Just because it was on a weekday, a Monday!, didn't deter the Dr. At 4:00 AM, two of the three corned beef briskets were finishing in the oven. They started at 325 degrees F for an hour, then the temp was turned down to 250 degrees F for two hours. One brisket was presented to the folks who build printed circuit boards at Collins Printed Circuits, and the other was presented to the mighty Maintenance Crew at CPC. These folks do a fine job, working hard every day. So a portion of smoked corned beef seemed perfect for them all.

The reception of the smoked corned beef was everything the Dr. could have asked. Several folks commented that they had never had better corned beef. The briskets disappeared by 9:30AM. So the Dr. was definitely loooking forward to St. Patrick's day dinner at the Sullivan household.

Lovely Linda Sullivan had agreed to make boiled corned beef plus potatos and cabbage. So when the Dr. got home, the Irish aroma was wafting through the house. A real plus was that the cabbage cores had been left for munching. This is a real treat. Pick a piece of cabbage core, salt and much...fabulous!

The third corned beef brisket was quickly put into the oven for the same treatment as the other two; one hour at 325 degrees F plus two hours at 250 degrees F. Everything was ready for dinner at 7PM. Our guests were the Murrys, Dale, Michelle and Brandon fresh up to Iowa from southwest Missouri. This winte has been a shock for them, yet they still find ways to get out of the house and go through the snow.

St. Patrick's dinner was a smashing success! The contrast between smoked corned beef brisket and boiled corned beef brisket was interesting and delicious. Both briskets had much to commend them, and each should be tried.

Here is the smokede corneed beef.

Here is the boiled corned beef.

Enjoy that Irish fare!

Blarney's A Smokin'!

2008-03-16T13:00:00.002-05:00

The corned beef is in the Big Drum Smoker. I made a mustard slather containing 1/2 cup of yellow mustard and 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard. The dry spices include Corriander, Black Pepper and Garlic Powder. Everything rubbed in and placed into the smoker. The smoking wood is Oak. This is some fabulous taste.

The Blarney's Arisin'

2008-03-15T20:47:00.002-05:00

What a great year! St. Patrick's Day is the Spring Equinox this year. The Dr. is smoking corned beef. I bought 4 corned beef briskets, all square cut. Three of these are going to be smoked and one is going to the Lovely Linda for boiled corned beef and cabbage. Monday, St. Patrick's Day, is when the corned beef reign's supreme. One brisket goes to those fine hard working men of Collins Printed Circuits' facilities maintenance. The next goes for sampling by the folks at Collins Printed Circuits (basically, I'm taking it into work). The third stays at home for St. Pat's dinner.

So, for the three briskets for smoking, it was time to get the salt out of the corned beef. Corned beef is made to be preserved by salt. This is wonderful for boiled corned beef and cabbage because the cabbage absorbes the salt from the corned beef when the two are boiled together. I love boiled corned beef and cabbage, especially made by Lovely Linda. However, smoking intensivizes salt flavor, so we soak corned beef to leach out the salt. I soaked the three briskets in cold water for four hours, changing out the water every hour.

Then, it was time to marinate. I chose my favorite this time, Guiness. The corned beef briskets come with a spice packet, so I put those in the marinade. The briskets are large, so two Guiness per briskets was just right. Everything is ready for a long smoke tomorrow.

It's Texas Chili Time!

2008-02-29T18:32:00.014-06:00

Last week, the Dr. became ensnared in that great chili debate: Beans, or No Beans. The Dr., having spent his young adult life in Texas, learned what great chili tastes like. AND he says NO BEANS! However, there are many folks here in Iowa (including the lovely Linda Sullivan) who say BEANS WITH YOU! So the Dr. set out to show them the errors of their ways.

With the aid of Mild Bill's Spices, found at http://www.mildbills.com/ I found the recipe which won at last year's World Chili Cookoff Championship in Terlingua, TX. This recipe is titled 'Deb's Hot Rod Chili' by Debbie Ashman, just struck my fancy. Also, Mild Bill's sells almost all of the spices found in this recipe. So, I got on line and placed my order.

Now, Mild Bill's offers several different package sizes, and I didn't want to run out when making this recipe. So...I ordered in the medium package size (5 oz). You would think that someone with a Chemical Engineering degree and a lifetime of measuring things would understand how much he was ordering, BUT NO! In my defense, I have mostly been dealing with liquid measurements during my lifetime (mostly in the 12oz variety), and I didn't have a feel for solid measurements. Needless to say, when I got my order from Mild Bill's, I realized I could supply a small 3rd world country with chili for the next year! Here is a picture of all of the spices I ordered:

I'll tell you, I am delighted with the service and quality provided by Mild Bill's. The spices arrived in just a few days, and they were fabulous! The value for teh price was also very good. If I wanted to buy this much spice volume in any store, I would pay over $200. My entire order including shipping was less than $80. Now, on to the chili...

First, the meat...In Iowa, most folks use fine ground beef for chili meat. In Texas, most chili uses coarse ground meat, including lamb, venison, beef & pork. I decided to use bottom round beef, cut in 1/2 inch cubes. I bought tenderized bottom round beef and sliced it wile waiting endlessly for the Mediacom service desk to answer their phone (but that's another story). I decided to use my cast iron dutch oven for brewing this masterpiece, so I heated it up on the stove to 'grey' the meat(in other words, fry the meat until it is grey on all sides).

As you can see, the dutch oven's legs keep the ccoking surface above the cooking element. This helps even out the heat rising to the dutch oven. The cast iron of this dutch oven is thick enough to distribute the heat well too.

Cubed meat before and after 'greying'

I then added 8 oz of El Pato hot tomato sauce. Those of you living in Texas may be able to find this in the local supermarket, but in Iowa, I had to go down to our local Mexican restaurant and food market to find this smooth, flagrant sauce containing jalepenos, onions and tomatos blended into a sauce.

Combined with 15oz of beef stock, the mixture was brought to a medium boil.

Then the first dump of spices was added:

1 Tbsp onion powder*
2 tsp garlic powder*
2 tsp beef crystals
1 tsp of chicken crystals
1 Tbsp of Pacific Beauty Paprika*
1 Tbsp of Mexene Chili Powder
½ tsp cayenne*
¼ tsp black pepper*
1 package Sazon Goya*

NOTE: Mexene powder cannot be found in Cedar Rapids, Iowa! If you can't find it, add 1 par cumin, 1 part oregano and 1 part chili powder.

Here is the first dump:

Man! The smell was fabulous!

I set the temperature for a medium boil, and held it there for an hour. At the end of the hour, half of the liquid had boiled off. The spices had infused with the meat. Time to add the 2nd spice dump:

1 Tbsp of Mexene Chili Powder
1 Tbsp of Hatch Mild Chili Powder*
2 Tbsp Cowtown Light chili powder*
1 Tbsp Mild Bills dark chili powder*
1 tsp cumin*
¼ tsp white pepper*

Then another 45 minutes of medium boil which took most of the liquid from the chili! Now, I had to deviate from the recipe! So, I added a can of beer (surprise!), and got the 3rd dump ready.

1 tsp onion powder*
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp cayenne*
¾ Tbsp Cowtown Light Chili Powder*
1 Tbsp cumin*

Folks, you can't believe the fragrance of these spices!

Another 15 minutes at medium boil, and it was time to taste. Those of you who know the Dr. understand that he is folicly challenged. The first taste of ONE piece of meat set a sweat on teh crown of my head! Whoooo Doggies!

Then, it was time to put the dutch oven into the garage (temperature 9 degrees) over night.

The next morning, I heated the chili up in a crockpot and took it ot work. Soon, chili smells wafted through the office area.

One note: This recipe is for cookoff tasting situations. 2 lbs of meat is not enough for a decent sized meal for more than 5 folks. But, the heat was enough so that the folks in the office were content to just 'taste'.

Bottom line: Iowa folks can get to like that Texas Chili! Reviews were positive (the best chili I've ever had).

NO BEANS!

SMoking for Big Bros. - Finale

2008-01-28T13:49:00.000-06:00

Oh well. Not enough folks signed up to bring in sandwiches or soup to feed the masses predicted to turn out for a CPC luncheon. So the event has been cancelled, and the pork shoulder is going to stay in the freezer to await another occasion. Best laid plans, etc., etc.

The smoked pork loin roast was very tasty last night. So there was some consolation.

Until next time...

Dr. Dave

Smoking for Big Bros. Update

2008-01-28T10:17:00.000-06:00

Ten hours later, and the pork shoulder is done! I wrapped it in foil and then in cellophane, and it is now cooling its heels (shoulder?) waiting for Wednesday night. The plan is to finish the shoulder in the oven, shred the pork and keep it warm in the crock pot lightly coated with BBQ sauce. Cole slaw and buns will be assembled Wednesday night as well.

The Dr. is open to trying a sauce recipe if anyone has suggestions!

Dr. Dave

Arctic Smoking for Big Bros

2008-01-27T15:33:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

The Dr. is smoking for charity! Collins Printed Circuits is fielding 3 teams in the 2008 Bowling for Kids' Sake tourney. To raise cash, CPC is holding their second Sandwich and Soup fund raiser. The Dr. has signed up for pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw.

So, the smoking began today at 9 AM with the temperature at 9 degrees F. The bone-in pork shoulder came from WalMart (they actually have some pretty good meat).

Things look good and smell good spo far.

Updates will be forthcoming. Stay tuned!

Dr. Dave

The Dr. Has a New Toy!

2008-01-11T17:34:00.000-06:00

The Dr.’s New Toy

For about six month’s now, Dr. Dave has been lusting after a smoker built by Rocky Richmond in North Carolina called a Big Drum Smoker. I ran across his web site, BigDrumSmokers.com, and I liked what I saw. I also loved the testimonials from his customers including Steven Raichlen, author of many BBQ books like BBQ USA and star of the Public Television show BBQ University. Steven even bought a Big Drum Smoker for the show after trying it out. So, I WANTED ONE!

This holiday season, the opportunity to order a Big Drum Smoker presented itself, and I took it. Thanks to the IPT staff at work providing seed money plus encouragement, and the coincidental holiday travel of one of my colleagues (He drove right by Rocky’s mountain on Christmas vacation) eliminating shipping costs, I had a new smoker on January 2nd!

Since the smoker was delivered in sub-zero weather, it was immediately put into the garage for storage. However, the weather warmed to above freezing last weekend, so it was time to unpack the smoker. Here is what the smoker looked like all packed up:

Rocky definitely wanted to make sure that nothing was damaged in transit. There was over a garbage can full of packing material in and around the smoker!

Here is the smoker outside the wrap-ping:

As you can see, it looks like a tall oil drum. I ordered the extra tall version so I could smoke some bigger cuts of meat like turkey or ham.

Rocky is a good marketer. He sells wood chunks and logs. He also sells rubs. Inside the smoker, he included samples of both. The wood chunks are larger than those one finds in area stores. The wood types Rocky sells are Hickory, Apple, Black Cherry and Peach. These chunks are black cherry. I also tried Rocky’s pork rub, and I found it to be quite tasty.

The Big Drum Smokers come with wood grates and grilling grates. Both are suspended in the smoker and are far enough apart for good smoking without burning. Here are the grates as received:

Both grates are very sturdy, and the drum itself is of heavy gauge steel, promising many years of good smoking.

I put the smoker together and added the charcoal. Rocky recommends 12 pounds of charcoal for all day smoking. One thing which was not convenient, adding charcoal from an 18 pound bag of charcoal is very difficult. The smoker is deep and narrow, and I spilled coals into the bottom of the smoker. I’ll plan on pouring the coals into a smaller container and adding using that.

To start the coals, I used a large, cane shaped propane torch commonly used for burning weeds off of sidewalks. This torch reached right down to the fire grate and lit the coals with 2-3 minutes of burning.

Here are the lit coals in the fire grate near the bottom of the smoker:

I then placed 3 chunks of the black cherry wood provided by Rocky as can be seen below. Soon, the smoke was pouring out of the top of the smoker.

After letting the smoker smoke for about 5 minutes, I inserted the plugs Rocky provides for closing holes specifically drilled in the bottom of the smoker to control temperature. Before the plugs were inserted into the holes, the temperature was ~275°F. After 2 of 3 holes were plugged, the temperature lowered to 220°F and stayed there for the next 9 hours of smoking! This was absolutely amazing to me. What a great design.

In the meantime, I had prepared a 10 pound pork butt by brining for 2 hours in salt water and then rubbing using Rocky’s pork rub. This is a nice solid pork rub, not too hot and spicy, but plenty flavorful. Here is the bad boy ready for smokin’:

One of the finer things about smoking using the Big Drum Smoker is that the juices produced by cooking meat drip right onto the coals. We had a nice breeze blowing into the neighborhood, and in 15 minutes smoked pork smells were wafting amongst the neighbors houses.

I had set up the smoker out in the driveway, and this upset my wife, the lovely Linda. She doesn’t like having these types of things out in front of the house. I told her, “Dear, I’m bragging!”.
The pork but smoked for 9 hours with basting every 30 minutes. I learned one thing. In the winter, in Iowa, 220°F for the whole time will not bring the meat temperature up to the 195°F that is desired for pulled pork. I had to remove another plug so that the smoker temperature rose to 250°F in order to get the meat temperature up. I did this a little too late. Next time I smoke a pork butt in winter, I’ll smoke for the last 2-3 hours at 250°F and get the meat to 195°F for a longer time. Still, the pork butt was just fine for chopped pork.

Here it is finishing up on the smoker,

and below it is chopped ready for serving:

Look at that smoke ring! Brisket is next!

This was a bigger hit!

2007-11-05T22:32:00.000-06:00

I made my Texas Style Barbecue Sauce a couple of days before the event just to let the flavors mingle. It was getting hotter as it mingled, so I pulled out a backup sauce that was a little cooler on the taste buds. It was a hit! This is an easy sauce to make and it has so many possibilities. Just take a look at the ingredients and you'll agree!!

2 Cups of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce

1 Cup of your favorite salsa

1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar

Coarse Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Combine barbecue sauce, salsa and vinegar in a nonreactive sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Let cook until thick and flavorful. 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can serve it hot, as we do, or it can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours. Just bring it back to room temperature before serving.

Makes 3 cups

Texas Style Barbecue Sauce

2007-10-16T21:18:00.000-05:00

Half-Relays commences tomorrow in Grand Prairie, Texas ending in a rather large feast on Saturday night. We'll have brisket on hand with a very nice barbecue sauce recipe from Cooks Illustrated. A tomato based sauce with a good share of vinegar, a little heat and just a touch of sweetness. It's an aromatic joy to make and drove the guests crazy. We served the sauce last time warm on the side even though the recipe calls for room temperature. I'm going to make the sauce a few days in advance this time so it has time to mingle. I have a feeling there'll be a need for additional beverages.

Texas-Style Barbecue Sauce
Makes 1 3/4 cups

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup minced onion
1 medium clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups tomato juice
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon minced chipotle chile in adobo
2 Tablespoons molasses or dark molasses (not backstrap)
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat butter in small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until foaming; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and chili power; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add tomato juice, 1/2 cup vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chipotle, molasses and salt; increase heat to high and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 30 to 40 minutes. Off heat, stir in pepper and remaining 1/4 cup vinegar. Cool to room temperature before serving. (Can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)

Luuuke ... hic ... Get me another beer!

2007-09-27T21:40:00.000-05:00

Beware the Dark Beer!
Found this on the web a while ago and get a chuckle out of it everytime. This lovely knitting project takes eight cans of Guinness to make the helmet. That's perfect since the Black Cans of Guinness Draught come in four and eight packs. I wouldn't try making this after polishing off those eight cans though!!

Here's the link in case, in your dark haze, you convince yourself "oh ya, I can make that!"

Smoke Them Ribs!

2007-08-06T09:51:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of pork ribs on the planet. Whenever I ordered baby back ribs in a restaurant, the eating never seemed user friendly, and the effort expended getting the meat off the bones didn't quite seem worth it. I'm sure this attitude has resulted in poor performance whenever I've tried to smoke pork back ribs. My efforts have been frustrating both for the smoker and for the eater. The ribs have always ended up too dry or overdone. Since I take pride in turning out smoked food which tastes great, I have gone to great lengths to avoid pork back ribs.

Well, this weekend, I found some pork spare ribs which looked too good to pass up! Spare ribs are much larger that back ribs, so I felt I had a good chance to NOT SCREW UP! Plus, I've had lots of success lately using a mustard slather to keep meat moist, so I was pretty sure I could smoke these ribs while keeping them nice and juicy.

I made a slather from:

1 part beer,
1/2 part olive oil,
1 part ball park mustard,
1 part yellow mustard and
3 tablespoons of brown sugar

I put these ingredients in a non-reative pan and let them simmer for half an hour to reduce some of the liquid. Then, I brushed all sides of the ribs (these came cut apart - another reason why I bought them) with the slather. I finished by sprinkling the ribs liberally with Saucy Joe's Ultimate Rub and set them in the smoker. Using apple chips for the smoke, and setting the temperature at 225 degrees F, I smoked those ribs for 2 1/2 hours. Then, I glazed them with a sweet BBQ sauce from (the more) Famous Dave's and smoked for another half hour.

These ribs were nice and moist, and they were plenty tasty! I'm thinking I've got something here! I have some pork back ribs in the freezer...maybe next weekend?

Anybody have suggestions for improvement?

Dr. Dave

Next Food Network Star - I wanted Rory!

2007-07-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make: I watched ALL of the episodes of the Next Food Network Star this year! I got so hooked!

I am not a 'reality show' fan. I have never sat through an entire episode of Big Brother or Survivor, but I tuned in to the first show of The Next Food Network Star this season, and they caught me!

It got down to the next to last show and Amy, JAG and Rory just killed! Amy was sent home, then JAG was outed as having lied on his credentials. He resigned and Amy was brought back.

The winner was voted on by fans on-line. I wanted Rory because she is now a Texas gal, and she had a great ribs recipe which made the cover of Bon Appetit. I figured we'd get more of the same on any show where she was the star. And, rats! She didn't win. So Amy Finley is the Next Food Network star. Look for her new show this fall.

Saucy Joe should audition for the next Next Food Network Star program!

Dr. Dave
(Going through NFNS withdrawl right now)

Love That Slather!

2007-07-30T16:37:00.000-05:00

Want some moist smoked meat? Slather on a mustard sauce! Whether it's pork, beef or chicken, the smoked meat is nicely browned on the outside and quite moist on the inside when a mustard slather coats the outside.

The basic slather is:

3 parts mustard
1 part oil
1 part beer (you can figure out what to do with the rest of the beverage)

Simmer on the stove for 15-20 minutes to mix and reduce the slather.

You can mix up the types of mustard, oil AND beer to match the meat you're smoking. Additional ingredients are left up to your imagination!

Slather first, then shake on your rub. This helps the rub stick to the outside of the meat without breaking down the surface meat tissue.

A good slather adds to the flavor, keeps in the moisture and soaks up the smoke! Plus, SLATHER sounds so cool when you say it!

When there's no time to soak

2007-07-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

I read this article in Cooks Illustrated magazine recently and wanted to pass it on to everyone.

Wood chips contribute smoky flavor to grill roasted and barbecued meats. To prevent them from burning, they must be soaked in water for about an hour. Having forgotten to soak his wood chips ahead of time, Don Camp of Philadelphia, Pa., found that a 15-minute soak in boiling water adequately hydrated the chips and protected them from the heat of the grill.

I can't remember how many times I have forgotten to soak the wood chips before grilling. It usually happens when I have a whole platter of meat ready to go. This will be a time saver. When reading this article I remembered that Dr. Dave uses the microwave to heat up the chips and water. His process may be even faster. I see some testing in my future!!

Abducted by Aliens

2007-05-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

Well that explains a lot!

Where has SaucyJoe been?

Why are there so many mysterious animal carcasses being found missing only the prime cuts of meat?

Since when is there a barbecue joint outside of Area 51?

I'm not really at liberty to explain. Mostly because they wiped my memory for the past month. No wait, that was just the Relays mind melt. (see pic)

Neeless to say, life is returning to normal and there's a whole slew of recipes heading your way just in time! The weather's lookin' real good and party season is starting up!!

Time for the Good Life ... Live long and Prosper

The Admiral Bird

2007-03-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

The Admiral Bird

Up until this week, February has been a frigid month here in Eastern Iowa. The average high temperature has been 6 degrees F and average low temperature 5 below zero! While this is not the ideal weather for a barbecue, it’s hard to resist the lure of the smoker. So, I have had many opportunities for arctic smoking. A couple weekends ago, following up on a pun from brother Ski Sullivan, I decided it was time to smoke the Admiral Bird.

I decided to combine recipes from two Steven Raichlen books, BBQ USA and Beer Can Chicken to smoke a 12 pound turkey and serve with Maple Redeye Gravy. I brined the turkey overnight using a Maple Brine Sauce, rubbed the turkey with a rub made from Kosher salt, ground black pepper, sweet paprika, sage, oregano and thyme. Since I had the Thyme, I got the beer. In honor of arctic smoking the Admiral Bird, I used a 32 oz can of Labatt’s Blue for the pedestal. It was 7 degrees below zero when I started the smoker at 9 AM, and climbed up to a whopping 2 above when I pulled out the done bird at 4 PM. I burned a lot of wood chips and 1 ½ gas cylinders keeping things cooking.

The bad thing is, I didn’t get any of the bird! I carried it out to a birthday party at Anamosa Slum Lord, Brother-In-Law, Adam Ardolino’s house, and I had to go make an appearance at the First Annual Collins Printed Circuits Dinner and Ball. I had a pretty nice meal and a beer, then I rushed back to Anamosa. By the time I got back, the turkey was bones. I was assured that it was fabulous. Trust me, it’s not the same as tasting for yourself. Anyway, the Admirable Bird was an arctic success. The recipe follows:

Brining Ingredients:

1 turkey (12 pounds, or so) thawed, if frozen
1 ¼ cups Kosher Salt
1 quart hot water
4 quarts cold water
1 cup real maple syrup
1 medium sized onion, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
10 black peppercorns
5 bay leaves
4 strips of lemon zest
2 whole cloves

Dissolve the Kosher Salt into the hot water in a large stock pot. Pour in the cold water, and then add the rest of the brine ingredients. Slide the turkey in and cover the pot. It helps to have something to weigh down the bird so it stays submerged. A water filled plastic freezer bag works nicely.

Keep in a cool place overnight (12-16 hours).

The Rub:

4 TBSP Kosher Salt
4 TBSP Sweet Paprika
2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp Ground Sage
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Thyme

Mix the ingredients in a shallow bowl, cover and keep until ready to rub the bird.

The Preparation:

· Remove the bird from the brine and discard the brine.
· Pat the bird dry inside and out.
· Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the rub into the body cavity of the turkey, and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the rub into the neck cavity of the turkey.
· Melt 1 stick of salted butter in a sauce pan.
· Discard half of the can of Labatt’s Blue (I’m sure you can figure out a good way to do this.). Steven says to pour it over the wood chips. Dr. Dave, I can assure you, did not do this.
· Using a can opener (church key type) make two additional holes in the top of the beer can.
· Spoon 1 tablespoon of the rub into the beer can. Don’t worry if the mixture foams up. This is normal.
· Holding the turkey upright with the body cavity at the bottom lower it onto the beer can so the can fits into the cavity.
· Brush the melted butter over outside of the turkey.
· Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the rub over the outside of the turkey.
· Stir 2 tablespoons of the rub into the melted butter and set aside.
· Poor the remainder of the rub into the neck cavity of the turkey.

Here’s the Admiral Bird standing tall, ready to enter the smoker:

Preparing the Smoker:

· Since it was such a cold time, I disconnected the propane tank the night before cooking and moved it into a warmer area so the gas wouldn’t liquefy. I re-connected it just before smokin’ time.
· Soak 6 cups of wood chips, preferably apple in water for 1 hour.
· Place the chips in a smoke box or aluminum foil pouch.
· Add water to the water dish.
· Place a clean aluminum foil pan in the smoker to catch the turkey drippings. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, as you will see later.
· Fire up the smoker, and heat to 210 degrees F.
· Stand the turkey on a lower shelf in the smoker or on the grill away from the heat. Place it over the drip pan.
· Smoke for 6 to 7 hours, basting the bird with the melted butter / rub mixture every 30 minutes.

The Smoker is Smokin’ below:

Maple Redeye Gravy

Ingredients:

About 2 cups of turkey drippings (See, I told you it was important!)
1 to 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
4 TBSP salted butter (1/2 stick)
¼ cup flour
¼ cup Madeira
¼ cup coffee
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP maple syrup
Kosher Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

· Strain the turkey drippings into a measuring cup
· Add enough chicken or turkey stock to make a total of 3 cups
· Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat.
· Stir in the flour and heat until its golden brown. (3 to 5 minutes)
· Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the Madeira (Have Some Madeira, My Dear – Red Skelton, early 1960’s), coffee, maple syrup and the turkey drippings with stock.
· Return the pan to the stove and bring to a boil over high heat, whisking steadily.
· Reduce the heat to medium and let stand until it is reduced to about 3 cups volume (6 to 10 minutes).
· Season with Kosher Salt and Ground Pepper to taste.

Bringing in the Admiral Bird:

Here’s the Admiral Bird in the smoker ready to go inside:

· Using a heavy duty set of oven mitts, lift the bird from the smoker.
· Have a buddy (my son Brandon fit the bill) grab hold of the can using a large set of tongs. Hold the can still.
· Gently lift the turkey from the can.
· Carefully set the can aside to cool. The liquid inside is very hot!
· Let the turkey set for 15 minutes.
· It’s ready to carve! Steal a piece for yourself before it’s all gone! 'cause...
You deserve some Admiral Bird!

Collect Call from Martha Stewart ... Will you accept the Charges?

2007-01-24T16:09:00.000-06:00

I guess NASA read my blog about getting some better food up to the International Space Station crew since Space.com reported that Martha Stewart chatted with the ISS crew on Monday. Sunita Williams asked for any tips on how they could fix up the place to make some better meals. Stewart was very willing to travel up to the ISS and turn things around, but had to decline as leaving earths atmosphere would go against her parole. Guess she'll be directing things from ground control.

All kidding aside, I'm sure the Omnimedia machine could put the NASA engineers on their ear. Perhaps NASA needs a little more private sector help. In the upcoming years there'll be a lot of new countries making their way up into space. I think the winner won't be the country that can do it the cheapest, but the one that can bring their astronauts back the healthiest! The United States has some great veteran astronauts. Give 'em a good reason to head back up to the stars. Oh and save a seat for me! I should have the bugs on my outdoor grill worked out by then!! I'm still having problems with some of the foam insulation.

Roasted Chicken

2007-01-21T18:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, so this chicken I roasted was WAY yummy. First, I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees. Then, here is the pictoral of the steps:

Wash the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place chicken in the roasting dish, cut up veggies and place in and around the chicken. The veggies I used were garlic, onion, carrots, and celery.

Actually, before I stuffed the veggies in the chicken, I made sure to season the cavity with fresh basil, sage, garlic, and chives. After the veggies went in, I seasoned the outside with sea salt, 2 dried bay leaves (those actually went inside as well), dried basil, dried rosemary, and dried thyme.

I also added some wine to the roasting dish. The wine I used is Becker Vineyard Viogner.

I put the chicken in the 400 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Actually, at 45 minutes, I basted the chicken with its juices. It already looked yummy at that point!

45 minutes after that, it was ready. How did I know? The joints moved freely and the juices ran clear. Also, the little ready indicator had popped up. :D

It was so good and there are plenty of left overs for lunches to come. It was really easy, too. Next time, I may add some of the orange salt Saucy Joe and lemon slices gave me to make it a citrus chicken. Ooh, or I could use bar-b-que seasonings and make it a bar-b-que chicken... The possibilities on this are endless!!

Just like Mom used to make ... Only faster!

2007-01-18T16:00:00.000-06:00

A statement I can make and not get in trouble since my Mom was the person that turned me on to the product in the first place!

A couple of years ago while visiting my Mom she told me that we were going to have Pot Roast for dinner. As it was already 5:00pm I gave her a questioning look and she returned from the kitchen with a package of Hormel Roast Beef Au Jus. She told me "it tastes just like my Pot Roast." I gave her the benefit of the doubt and was surprised at the results. As the contents of the package are pre-cooked, 7 minutes in the microwave provides a piping hot entree that does taste like Moms' Pot Roast.

Since then I've made it a habit of having one or two packages of Roast Beef Au Jus in the fridge for the just in case comfort meals. I'll still make my own mashed potatoes as I'm not ready to give up on that. I haven't the heart to look at the Nutritional Chart on the side of the package as it may be full of disappointments, but I must say that the pieces of meat that come in the package are lean and free of the fat that you'd get in my four hour cooked Pot Roast.

Missing from the formula is the thing that we usually associate with Pot Roast. The Smell! The hours of torturous aromas that fill the house. Pavlov has nothing on me!! For that reason and for the sake of carrying on tradition I will continue to spend some quality time making good old fashioned Pot Roast, but if I'm in a pinch, I know I have a good backup plan!!

You can find Hormel Fully Cooked Entrees in the meat section of your grocery store. They are packaged in 17oz. and 30oz. sizes. With our crew of six, the 30oz. size works well.

Where to go this year??

2007-01-04T21:06:00.000-06:00

Alas, I feel as though I'll be spinning my wheels in January trying to get a plan together for the rest of the year. How exciting it is to see all that's available to cook!!! I just hope the family and friends are up to the experiments ahead!! It's going to be a great year of the Good Life with SaucyJoe!!

May we all have the Good Life throughout the year!!