Food, Wine & Just Good Living With SaucyJoe

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