Patio Daddio BBQ

Review: The Shed Barbecue Sauces

2013-05-14T14:48:00.001-06:00

I've been excited to try the sauces from The Shed since I met the Head Shedhed himself, Brad Orrison, at the Kingsford Invitational last fall. Their restaurants have been seriously blowing up across the South. I'd seen Brad make a huge batch on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and now I know what all the fuss is about.

The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint in Ocean Springs, Mississippi was literally built from materials that Brad found by dumpster-diving and scavenging. Since then he and his sister, Brooke Lewis, have continued to build the brand, which now consists of three locations, franchises, and their own "saucery" (run by their father, Craig -- a great guy) where their sauces and rubs are made. In addition to their national awards and television appearances, they will have their own reality series on Food Network this fall.

They sent me two of their sauces to review -- Southern Sweet ShedSpred, and Spicy Southern Sweet. They tout that their sauces and marinades are "junk free", which means, as Brad puts it, "If you can’t pronounce it or read it without the help of a chemist, don’t expect to find it on our list of ingredients!" They are all-natural, gluten free, and contain no high fructose corn syrup. This is a welcome departure from the garbage that's used in too many commercial sauces these days.

Brad says that they like their barbecue sweet on the Gulf Coast, and these sauces definitely attest to that. The Southern Sweet ShedSpred (their signature sauce) is very sweet with some subtle spice notes and virtually no heat. Its somewhat thin consistency and sweetness make it seem to me like more of a glaze than a sauce, but that's really just semantics to most. If you like a sweet sauce that doesn't get in the way of the meat flavor, this one is for you.

The Spicy Southern Sweet sauce was definitely my favorite of the two. It's sweet, but it has more spice and a mild heat at the back. The added spice really helps to compliment and round out the sweetness. The consistency is just barely thicker than the Southern Sweet.

I tested the sauce on a chicken and ribs and, as you can see they provide a beautiful deep rich mahogany color. It goes on smooth and when you let it barely caramelize during the final few minutes of cooking they create wonderfully sweet and sticky finger-lickin' ribs.

I recommend these sauces to anyone who wants to bring some seriously good Southern sweetness to their barbecue. They are available at select retailers nationwide and at their online store. Gitcha some!

Of course you can also connect with them on Facebook and the Tweeter.

Disclaimer: These sauces were provided to me free of charge for review, but the thoughts are my own.

Cucumber & Roasted Fennel Salad

2013-04-23T00:16:00.000-06:00

In my ongoing partnership with Hidden Valley® I'm bringing you a great fresh salad that is a little off the beaten path. Winter is in the books and it's time to get to grill. Most people don't associate the grill with salad, but fire-roasted veggies bring a welcome flavor and texture dimension to what might otherwise be a pedestrian dish.

I love cucumber salads! They are a wonderfully cool and crunchy complement to just about anything from the grill, and of course they're made for ranch. This salad adds the complex sweetness of fennel and red bell pepper with the subtle spiciness of jalapenos, all roasted on the grill. A little dill brings a bright herb note to the party.

Ingredients
2 Cucumbers, peeled and sliced to 1/8"
1 bulb Fennel, halved
1 Red bell pepper
1 Jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® dressing
2 tsp Chopped fresh dill

Method
Start your grill and prepare for direct and indirect cooking over medium-high heat (about 350-400º).

Roast the fennel on the indirect portion of the grill, and the peppers on the direct side. Remove the fennel when it is slightly soft and set aside on a cutting board to cool. Continue grilling the peppers turning them until they are charred on all sides. Remove the peppers to a zip-top bag, seal, and set aside to cool 15-20 minutes.

Remove the peppers from the bag and slide the skins off under running cold water. Pull out the stems, slice the peppers in half, remove the veins and seeds, and dice the pepper flesh. Combine with the cucumber in a medium mixing bowl.

Note: The heat of jalapeno peppers varies, so use more or less according your taste and heat tolerance.

Slice the fennel to 1/8" and add it, the ranch dressing, and the dill to the bowl. Stir well and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve and enjoy!

(Makes 6 servings)

Disclaimer: I'm a compensated partner of Hidden Valley®.

The Daily Meal

2013-04-19T13:14:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed a recent addition to my blog footer. I'm glad to announce that I've been asked to join The Daily Meal's Culinary Content Network. The Daily Meal is a great source for news and information related to all things food and drink and I'm humbled to have the opportunity to join the small and exclusive group of culinary contributors.

Game Day Italian Sausage Sliders

2013-04-02T12:01:00.000-06:00

The college basketball madness calls for some great simple crowd-pleasing grub for your game day gathering. With winter behind us it's also a great time to dig out the grill. That is, if you put it away in the first place.

Italian sausage sandwiches are a classic, but they don't really lend themselves to mass production for a crowd. Sliders are all the rage these days, so I've merged the two in a way that allows simple preparation that's done entirely on the grill. This frees up your kitchen and gives you an excuse to enjoy the spring weather.

Ingredients
1 large White onion, sliced to 1/4"
12 Mini bell peppers, left whole
1 pkg (12) Pull-apart dinner rolls
3/4 cup Marinara sauce (any brand)
1 1/2 cups Shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pkg (13.5 oz) Johnsonville® Three-Cheese Italian Style Sausage

Note: You'll also need a 13x9 disposable aluminum baking pan.

Method
Start your grill and prepare for direct and indirect cooking (heat to one side) at medium heat (350-375º).

Grill the onions and peppers until they are softened and charred on both sides. Remove them from the grill and set aside.

Line the bottom of the 13"x9" disposable aluminum baking pan with parchment paper (I didn't, but should have). Slice the rolls in half horizontally and put the bottoms in the pan. Spread the marinara sauce evenly over the bottom half and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Remove the tops from the peppers and rough chop them along with the onions. Spread the pepper and onion mixture over the cheese. I added the peppers and onion during the assembly, which was dumb.

Cover the pan with foil (I didn't, but should have) and cook on the indirect side of your grill. Quickly toast the tops of the rolls over direct heat then set aside.

Quick aside: Can you tell that I didn't bring my culinary A-game that day? Oh well... We live, cook, eat, and learn.

Cook the sausage over direct heat until they reach an internal temperature of 145º.

Slice the sausage at a steep angle to 1/4" thick. Uncover the pan and arrange the slices evenly over the rolls.

Cover with the roll tops, slice, serve and enjoy!

(Makes 6 servings)

Disclaimer: I'm a member of Johnsonville's Big Taste Grillers Panel and I was provided the sausage for this recipe.

Happy Easter!

2013-03-31T01:03:00.002-06:00

Let us all remember what Easter is really all about.

I wish you all a blessed resurrection Sunday.

Peep Kabobs

2013-03-31T00:24:00.003-06:00

Just in time for Easter, here's a blast from the Patio Daddio past.

Yes folks, this is my contribution to the Peep silliness. Take some Peeps and throw in some bamboo skewers, a few Cadbury Creme Eggs, a box of graham crackers and a butane torch, and you've got yourself some Peep kabobs that quickly become smores.

This isn't so much a recipe as it is an excuse to play. I apologize for the poor pictures, but this was done on-the-fly.

Step 1: Assemble the necessary software.

Step 2: Skewer your yellow blobs of deliciousness.

Step 3: Acquire the fire and roast our little yellow friends until they are nicely caramelized and melting. They will tend to smoke and drip, so do this under a vent hood and over some foil or a sheet pan.

Ain't they purdy?

Put the gooey mass on half a graham cracker, top with a cracked Cadbury egg.

Hit it gently with the torch, top and enjoy!

That hooligan you see there is our middle daughter, Shelby (she's much more large and in charge these days -- you parents know what I mean). Her nickname is "Bling Bling", which I think speaks for itself.

One Bite Challenge: Asian Barbecued Salmon Canapes

2013-03-20T10:59:00.004-06:00

If you watched the Kingsford Invitational you know that part of the competition was the One Bite Challenge. The contestants were allowed five ingredients and one hour to create a signature grilled one-bite entry. Some of we foodies in attendance were interviewed and asked what our perfect one-bite might be.

Before I get into the recipe I thought I'd let you know that Grilling.com is conducting a Kingsford One Bite Challenge Sweepstakes. Share your one-bite recipe and have a chance to win a trip to Memphis In May, one of the largest and most prestigious barbecue contests in the country.

[In my best TV announcer voice] "We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress."

The base of my entry is a simplified twist on my Slammin' Salmon that I describe in the video. These canapes balance sweet, salt, bitter and umami. The succulence of the salmon, the crunch of the cucumber and the creaminess of the cream cheese offer a great blend of textures.

I always weird myself out when I try to come up with compelling foodie-sounding descriptions. I sound like some kind of Iron Chef wannabe. The bottom line is that these are really balanced and really good. Make some and you'll see. There, that's much more me!

Ingredients
1 Salmon fillet (about 2 pounds)
3/4 cup Sweet Asian chili sauce, divided
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
2 Cucumbers, washed well
6 ounces Cream cheese, softened

Note: You'll also need a new food-safe cedar plank that's large enough to hold the fish with about an inch of margin around the edges.

Method
Soak the cedar plank in warm water for one to two hours, making sure that it stays submerged.

Combine 1/2 cup of the chili sauce and the hoisin sauce in a small bowl, whisk to combine and set aside.

Start your grill and prepare for direct cooking over medium heat (375-400º).

Remove the plank from the water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the fish on the plank, skin-side down, and brush the flesh side with a light coating of the chili sauce mixture.

Note: If the fillet has a thin tapered belly edge, fold it under so that the fish is of uniform thickness.

Put the planks on the grill grate directly over the coals/flame, close the lid, and cook 15 minutes. Brush the salmon with another light coating of the chili sauce mixture, close the lid and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the fish is 145º (10-15 minutes).

Remove the plank to a sheet pan, brush the fish with another light coating of the glaze, set aside and let cool. Once cooled, carefully remove the fish from the plank (leaving the skin), wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Note: You can prepare the salmon a day or two in advance.

Combine the remaining chili sauce and cream cheese in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Put the mixture into a gallon-size zip-top bag and seal while removing the excess air. Make an improvised (and disposable) piping bag by cutting off about 1/8" of one lower corner of the bag (or insert a standard piping tip), set aside.

Peel the cucumbers and reserve the strips of peel from one. Cut the cucumbers on a diagonal into 1/4" slices and arrange them on a large serving platter. Mince the reserved peels to use as a garnish.

Flake the salmon and put a small mound on each cucumber slice, pipe a dollup of the cream cheese mixture on each, and garnish lightly with the minced cucumber peel.

Serve and enjoy!

(Makes about 6 appetizer servings)

Chicken-Broccoli Ranch-icotti

2013-03-13T09:52:00.001-06:00

Given that March is National Noodle Month and the fact that I've partnered with Hidden Valley® to bring you some great new ranch-inspired recipes, I thought it appropriate that I elevate a classic pasta dish. I'm not really sure if manicotti are technically considered macaroni, but I am sure that this is a great dish.

Traditionally (at least in America) manicotti are large ridged pasta tubes that are stuffed with a mixture of cheese, prosciutto and parsley. They are covered in a tomato sauce and baked. In my version I use a filling of Italian-style chicken sausage, a blend of five cheeses, Hidden Valley® Ranch dressing, and broccoli. I then top them with a marinara-ranch pink sauce.

This ranch-ified version of manicotti is a simple, hearty, family-friendly meal that can be prepared ahead of time. It's also a great way to get your kids to eat their broccoli, as it's cleverly hidden in the filling. The Hidden Valley® Ranch in the filling and sauce gives this twist on the traditional a subtle but welcome new flavor dimension.

Ingredients
1 pound Italian-style chicken sausage
1 1/2 cups Whole milk ricotta cheese
2 cups Frozen chopped broccoli, left frozen
1 cups Hidden Valley® Original Ranch dressing
2 cups Grated mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp Minced Italian parsley
2 cups Marinara sauce (any brand)
14 pieces Manicotti, uncooked

Method
Cook the manicotti according to the package instructions, drain, and cool in a single layer on a lightly greased sheet pan.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage. Remove from the heat, add the frozen broccoli to the pan, stir and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the sausage mixture, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of the ranch dressing, 1 cup of the grated cheese and parsley. Combine the marinara sauce and the remaining 1/2 cup of ranch dressing in a small bowl and stir well. Pour half of the sauce into the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish (or two smaller dishes) and spread evenly.

Spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a 1-inch round tip. If you don't have a piping bag, you can improvise by spooning the filling into a gallon size zip-top bag, removing the excess air and cutting off one corner to create an opening about an inch in diameter. Gently pipe the filling into one end of a pasta tube, then finish filling it from the other end. Repeat with the remaining pasta, arranging them in a single layer in the baking dish. Spoon sauce over each tube and sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the top.

If making ahead, cover the dish or dishes with plastic wrap and foil, and refrigerate up to three days. You can also freeze for up to two months.

When ready to bake, cover the dish with foil and place in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Serve and enjoy!

(Makes 8 servings)

Disclaimer: I'm a compensated partner of Hidden Valley®.

The 2012 Kingsford Invitational Comes to Television March 17

2013-03-08T16:50:00.004-07:00

Last fall I was given the opportunity to attend the inaugural Kingsford Invitational competition. Now it's your turn to see the action. The competition will air March 17 on Destination America. Tune in and watch the best of the best competition teams go head-to-head for a winner-take-all $50,000 purse.

Introducing Kingsford® Smokehouse Style Briquets

2013-03-04T01:21:00.001-07:00

Just in time for the 2013 grilling season, Kingsford is rolling out a new product that will be a welcome addition to your summer grilling. Their Smokehouse Style Briquets make adding smoky goodness to your food simple and hassle-free.

Let's face it, for the average Joe adding genuine smoke to your outdoor cooking can be a pain. Using chips requires soaking, which means you have to plan in advance. Chunks avoid the soaking, but it's hard to regulate the smoke with any predictability.

The new Smokehouse Style Briquets make adding smoke to your grill as easy as using charcoal. You simply start your fire as your normally would and then add a few of these briquets to get a burst of smoke. They last about 15 minutes, so you can easily regulate the amount of smoke.

If you're cooking steaks, simply add a couple of the mesquite briqs. If you're cooking ribs or a pork butt, just mix a few of the hickory briquets in with your charcoal. The beauty is that they're 100% natural and 100% predictable. They are simply pure wood mixed with a cornstarch binder that forms a briquet.

Last fall I had the opportunity to see this product and taste the results, and I was impressed. I used some of the mesquite briqs for a beef rib cook last night and I was impressed again.

This new product is being rolled out nationwide and it should be available in your area by Memorial Day.

Ranch-ifried Zucchini

2013-02-24T21:34:00.003-07:00

In my continued partnership with Hidden Valley® I'm glad to bring you another ranch-inspired recipe. Ranch is made for vegetables, and my twist on fried zucchini would be very welcome on your game day table, or even alongside a burger as a tasty alternative to traditional fries.

What's great about these is that they have a light and very crunchy crust, but there's no messy three-step breading process involved. Instead, the dry ranch dressing mix acts as a marinade while it coaxes water out of the zucchini, which then becomes the liquid for the batter. I then toss them in some spicy chipotle-seasoned flour before they take a short deep-fried dip. I think you'll really enjoy the tasty simplicity of these zucchini fries.

Ingredients
4 Zucchini
1 envelope (1 oz) Hidden Valley® Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup Flour, all-purpose
1 tsp Ground chipotle
4 cups Peanut or canola oil for frying
Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® dressing for dipping

Method
Cut the zucchini in half then slice each half into thick French-fry-size sticks, about 1/3" thick. Lay the pieces in a single layer in a shallow casserole dish (9" x 13"). Sprinkle the dressing mix evenly over the zucchini and stir the pieces to evenly coat them. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 45 minutes at room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Heat the frying oil in a large heavy pot (I recommend cast iron) to 360º, and preheat your oven to 200º.

Combine the flour and chipotle in a small mixing bowl and mix well. Dust the zucchini with half of the flour mixture, toss with a fork and repeat with the remaining flour.

Working in small batches, carefully drop the zucchini into the oil, waiting a few seconds in between. Fry the brats until they are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack inside a lipped sheet pan that's lined with several layers of paper towels. Keep the fries in the oven as you cook the remaining batches.

Serve with Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® dressing for dipping.

Enjoy!

(Makes about four servings)

Disclaimer: I'm a compensated partner of Hidden Valley®.

Pit Barrel Beef Ribs

2013-02-20T23:54:00.002-07:00

It's no secret that I absolutely love my Pit Barrel Cooker. The thing is brain-dead easy to use and it produces some seriously righteous barbecue. Last weekend I ran across some decent beef back ribs and I took the opportunity to spank them with the PBC love.

I love beef ribs. I'll take one good barbecued beef rib (OK, maybe two) over an entire rack of pork ribs any day. The problem is that good beef ribs are hard to come by these days. However, there are a few times each year where you can use the power of mass marketing to your advantage. Just wait until after any holiday where people might serve prime rib or ribeyes. It just so happens that Valentines Day is one of those times, so I capitalized on it not once, but twice. I found some decent ribs that weren't trimmed to oblivion (as they typically are) and at a price that was just this side of shoplifting.

This isn't really a recipe, I just wanted to tell y'all about my cook.

I busted the ribs out of the pack and hit them on both sides with a moderate coat of the Pit Barrel Cooker Beef & Game Rub. I let them sit at room temperature while I started the Pit Barrel with Kingsford® Original briquets (20 minutes).

I hung and cooked them for 90 minutes.

Then I wrapped them in a double-layer of heavy duty foil with a little beer and cooked them on the grate (rods inserted) for an hour.

Next I unwrapped them and cooked them on the grate for about 30 minutes while glazing them on each side with sauce.

I removed them from the barrel and let them rest.

...just long enough for me to whack them up.

Then I ate a whole mess of 'em. They were divine! I also took some across the street to my Texas-native neighbor and he said that they were "really good". That's about all the quality assurance I needed.

Review: Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ Chicken Rub

2013-02-14T17:46:00.001-07:00

I'm always eager to try new barbecue rubs. As a competitor I am especially interested in trying products that are winning big time out on the competition circuit. However, this particular rub had me so intrigued that I ordered some shortly after it became available.

Why was I so anxious to try the Slap Yo' Daddy Chicken Rub? Well, I've been a fan of Slap Yo' Daddy pitmaster Harry Soo since I saw him on the first season of the BBQ Pitmasters series in late 2009. He had many of the traits that I admire in any cook; he was humble, friendly, tenacious, highly-skilled, and you could immediately tell that he's a man who passionately enjoys his craft. He's also very open about his techniques and is willing to teach people. He strives to spread what he calls "barbecue happiness".

Then in 2010 I got to meet and compete against Harry here in Boise where he beat me (and most of the rest of the field) like a rented mule. He was on a serious tear that year, as he's been for his entire competitive barbecue career. I distinctly remember him going around to each team and offering to teach people how to build a turn-in box. It's exceedingly rare for a competitor to offer that kind of help to people who are there to beat you, but that's Harry. Since then he's gone on to be named 2012 KCBS Chicken Team of The Year.

Last November Harry and I met again at the Kingsford Invitational where he was a judge. During our time there they held a panel discussion where the judges discussed various aspects of barbecue and competition. It was during that panel that Harry said something that sparked some serious curiosity. He said that the secret to the color of his competition chicken is Tang. Yes, Tang, that NASA-born powdered orange drink mix. It struck me as so odd that I thought that I had misunderstood what he said. "Surely he didn't say Tang!", I thought to myself.

After the panel I found Harry and asked him about his unusual ingredient. He explained that he approaches his competition barbecue like a series of Lego-like components where each piece has to fit to make a perfect whole. His Tang epiphany came to him as he was working on the color block. It's this kind of unconventional thinking that shows what a masterful technician Harry is.

So, when Harry introduced his new rub I knew that I had to try it immediately. I wrote him an e-mail and asked if I still needed to use the coat of Tang under the rub and he replied, "It's designed to be used as the only rub so you don't need to add anything else or other products. It's championship chicken in one easy-to-use rub package." Ascorbic acid and artificial color are listed as ingredients, so clearly he has incorporated his secret ingredient.

To give the rub a true test I used it for a competition test cook using the instructions on the bag. I trimmed the chicken thighs, coated them liberally on all sides with the rub, then let them marinate several hours.

Just before cooking I touched up the rub to ensure that I had a nice uniform coat with no bald spots. Next I arranged them on the (oiled) rack for my Pit Barrel Cooker.

I cooked them over plain Kingsford® Original briquets (no smoke wood) to an internal temperature of 170º.

For sauce Harry recommends, "KC Masterpiece® with honey, hot sauce to your liking, and diluted with apple juice so that the sauce goes on thinly and not goopy." For mine I thinned Sweet Baby Ray's Original with unsweetened pineapple juice and added some honey and Franks® RedHot®.

Using tongs I gently dunked each thigh in warmed sauce twice, letting them cook about 10 minutes between coats. Dunking ensures a perfectly uniform coating with no brush marks. It also helps avoid brushing the rub off of the skin.

I garnished a standard turn-in box, added the chicken, then closed the box for 10-15 minutes.

Here's a closer view. Check out that color!

They were moist, juicy, slightly smoky, with just the right balance of salt, sweet, tang, and spice. The skin was bite-through. The thing that really impressed me is the great first-bite burst of flavor. That's exactly what you want for competition chicken because the judges typically take only one or two bites of each entry. You need a rub that really makes them take notice, and Harry's certainly does.

As you can no doubt tell by now that I recommend this rub very highly. It's not just for competition, so get some and take it for a spin.

Disclaimer: I purchased the rub at full retail price, and I was not compensated in any way for this review.

Beer-Battered Brat Lolipops with Spicy Kraut Mustard

2013-02-03T00:35:00.004-07:00

The great folks at Johnsonville recently sent me some of their limited-edition Cheddar Cheese & Bacon brats (available at WalMart), so I came up with this recipe just in time for the big game. These are a great way to serve brats to a crowd in a way that's fun, festive and finger-food-friendly.

Most folks know that boiling brats in beer with onions and then grilling them is the traditional preparation. Well, I reversed the process by grilling the sausages just until they are barely done, slice them into two-bite portions, then I dunk them in a hearty beer batter and let them take a deep-fry swim until they are golden brown and slighly crispy. I serve these lolipop-style on skewers with a spicy sauerkraut mustard.

Enjoy these and tip your cardiologist (he'll be jealous).

Ingredients
1 package (19 oz) Johnsonville Cheddar Cheese & Bacon brats
1 Egg white
1 cup All-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup + 2 Tbsp Ale (I used Sierra Nevada Pale Ale)
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Seasoned salt
2 Tbsp Corn starch
1/4 cup Spicy brown mustard
1/4 cup Yellow mustard
1/4 cup Sauerkraut, undrained
1/4 cup Applesauce
4 cups Peanut or canola oil for frying

Method
Start your grill and prepare for indirect cooking over medium heat (325-350º).

Grill the brats indirect for about 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145º. Remove the sausages from the grill to a platter and let cool.

Heat the frying oil in a large heavy pot (I recommend cast iron) to 360º.

In a medium mixing bowl beat the egg white to light peaks. Add the flour, ale, baking powder and seasoned salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.

When the oil is ready, slice each of the warm sausages into five equally sized pieces and toss them with the corn starch in a medium bowl.

Working in batches of five, use a skewer to remove each piece of sausage from the corn starch, knocking off the excess. Coat each piece completely in the beer batter and carefully drop them into the oil, waiting a few seconds in between. Fry the brats until they are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack inside a lipped sheet pan that's lined with several layers of paper towels.

Combine both mustards, the sauerkraut and applesauce in a small bowl. Blend well with an immersion blender until smooth.

Serve the sausage on small skewers with the mustard for dipping.

Enjoy!

Corn Chowder

2013-01-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know what kind of winter weather you're experiencing in your neck of the woods, but ours has been brutally cold for nearly a month. It's the kind of cold that reminds me of my Air Force days in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. OK, it's not really that bad, but it is the kind of cold that calls for a nice hot bowl of hearty soup.

Corn chowder is a beautiful and glorious thing. It's rich, thick, creamy, and of course corny, with just a hint of bacon. What's not to like? I've made many versions over the years, but I usually just wing it. This time I decided that I'd actually document a recipe, so here goes. It's very simple, and very good.

Ingredients
5 slices Thick cut bacon, chopped to 1/2"
1 Leek, washed well and chopped fine
1/2 cup Dry white wine
3 cans (14.75 oz size) Creamed corn
1 bag (16 oz) Frozen corn
8 cups Whole milk
1 cup Chicken stock
4 tsp Seasoned salt
1/2 tsp Ground white pepper
1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
8 small Yukon gold potatoes, diced to 1/2" (about 5 cups)
4 Tbsp butter

Method
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until it's just starting to crisp (about five minutes). Drain off half of the bacon fat, add the leek and cook two minutes. Add the wine and cook five minutes longer.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, bring just to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Adjust the seasoning as desired.

Serve with some crusty garlic bread and enjoy!

(Makes 10-12 servings)

Daddio-Fil-A

2013-01-15T15:44:00.002-07:00

We're all familiar with the original chicken sandwich, right? You know the ones that are served at the really clean, really fast restaurants with a twice-hyphenated name and advertisements that feature grammatically-challenged cows? Yeah, that one!

I had my first such sandwich just a little over a month ago, as they've just recently expanded to Boise. I found that, like a certain West coast burger chain with a cult following (also with a twice-hyphenated name), the food and service were great, but it didn't rise to the level of the religious experience espoused by their regulars.

And what is it with the dual hyphens? Is that the secret? I digress... Here for your handheld fried poultry enjoyment is my version of said chicken sandwich.

Ingredients
2 large Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Your favorite hot sauce (I used Frank's® RedHot® Original)
2 Tbsp Kosher salt, divided
2 cups Peanut oil for frying (or canola oil)
1 cup Flour, all-purpose
1 Tbsp Powdered sugar
2 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh
2 tsp Smoked paprika
2 tsp Ground cayenne
4 Plain hamburger buns
4 Tbsp Butter, softened
16 Dill pickle slices

Method
Pound the thick end of each chicken breast until the entire breast is of equal thickness, cut each breast in half width-wise and put the pieces in a gallon size zip-top bag. Add the buttermilk, hot sauce and 1 tablespoon of the salt to the bag. Slosh the bag gently to combine all of the ingredients and to coat the chicken completely. Seal the bag while removing as much of the excess air as possible. Place the bag in a lipped pan (to catch any leakage) and refrigerate at least six hours, or overnight.

Starting about 30 minutes before you want to serve, heat the oil to 350º in a large heavy skillet (I recommend cast iron).

While the oil is heating, combine the flour, powdered sugar, remaining salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne in a medium bowl and mix well. Remove a chicken piece from the buttermilk marinade and shake off the excess. Dredge the chicken in the flour until it is completely covered. Shake off the excess flour and set aside on a platter. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Let the chicken sit at least 10 minutes before frying to ensure that the flour adheres well.

Working in batches of two if needed, fry the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes per side, or until they are nicely browned and the internal temperature is 160º. Remove the pieces to a wire rack that's placed inside a sheet pan. If you're working in batches, put the sheet pan in a 170º oven.

Spread the butter evenly over the cut sides of both halves of each bun and toast under your broiler.

Assemble the sandwiches by putting four pickle slices on the bottom half of each bun, add a piece of chicken, and the bun top.

Serve and enjoy!

Oh, and if you want some of that killer sauce, simply whisk together 1 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of your favorite sweet barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon plain yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika. Done! It makes a lot, but you'll use it, I promise.

Homemade Bacon!

2013-01-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm almost embarrassed to say that I've just recently discovered the wonders of homemade bacon, despite having a food blog for four years. No, scratch that, I am embarrassed! It really is sad, and I repent here and now for all the world to see.

For some reason making homemade bacon is shrouded in some sort of strange and mysterious veil of complexity. Once you see how easy it is it's like you've been smacked in the head with a clue-by-four. This compounded my embarrassment.

My friend Meathead over at AmazingRibs.com (a great barbecue site, by the way) wrote the following, and he's absolutely correct.

Makin' bacon is surprisingly easy and the results are quantum leaps better than the stuff from large commercial producers. Once you have the basic recipe down, you can vary the ingredients to make a flavor profile to suit your taste. It is a simple two-step process: (1) Curing, and (2) smoking.

Here, let me show you how easy this is. My recipe is simpler than Meathead's, but the results are incredible.

Ingredients
2 lbs Pork belly
2 Tbsp Morton® Tender Quick®

Method
About the pork belly: Get the best that you can find, preferably locally-sourced and all-natural.

Unwrap the belly, rinse it, then pat it dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle the Tender Quick® evenly over the entire outside of the belly (don't forget the edges), put it in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and seal, removing the excess air. Refrigerate seven to ten days, turning and massaging the bag every two days or so.

Start your smoker and prepare for indirect cooking at low heat (about 225-250º). Use whatever smoke wood you like. I used a blend of 2/3 hickory and 1/3 cherry which worked beautifully.

Remove the pork from the zip-top bag, rinse well under cold running water, and pat dry with paper towels.

Smoke the belly indirect until it reaches an internal temperature of 150º. Remove it to a plate, rinse under cold running water (to help cool it quickly). Pat dry with paper towels, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. It'll keep in the refrigerator up to two weeks.

Slice, cook as you normally would, serve and enjoy!

Now that you have some killer bacon, go make yourself some pig candy.

Merry Christmas!

2012-12-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Let us all remember the real reason for the celebration and praise of this Christmas season.

I wish you all a very merry and blessed Christmas.

Mushroom-Ranch Pinwheels

2012-12-16T23:05:00.004-07:00

I've recently partnered with the great folks at Hidden Valley®, and I'm very happy to bring you some tasty ranch-inspired goodies. First up is a light but savory appetizer that is perfect for your holiday celebration.

Let's face it, the holidays mean that we'll all likely be eating more than our fair share of good food. All great meals, get-togethers and parties start with family, friends, and plenty of finger foods. Here's an easy crowd-pleasing appetizer that will impress your guests without filling them up.

These pinwheels are very simple, but your guests will think that you spent a ton of time making them. They combine the savory goodness of sauteed mushrooms with just a touch of that familiar ranch flavor in light and flaky puff pastry.

Ingredients
1 sheet (10" X 15") Frozen puff pastry, thawed
3 cups Finely chopped crimini mushrooms (about 2/3 pound)
1 envelope (1 oz) Hidden Valley® Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix
2 Tbsp Minced shallot
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Minced garlic
1/4 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh
1 egg
1 Tbsp Cold water
1/4 cup Shaved Parmesan cheese

Method
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and heat just until it starts to foam, then add the olive oil and heat 30 seconds more.

Add the shallot to the pan and cook one minute. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the ranch mix and pepper. Set aside and let the mixture cool 15 minutes.

Note: You can make the mushroom mixture the day before. Refrigerate it and let it come to room temperature just before you are ready to use it.

Preheat your oven per the puff pastry package instructions, typically 400º.

Unfold the thawed puff pastry according to the package instructions. Spread an even layer of the mushroom mixture to about 1/8" thick across the entire puff pastry sheet, leaving about 1/2" margin around the edges.

Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl and brush the edges of the pastry, reserving the remaining egg mixture.

Gently roll the pastry in a jelly roll fashion. Cut the roll into 1/2" slices and place them 1 1/2" apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the top and edges of each pinwheel with the egg mixture.

Bake the pinwheels until they are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and let cool about 10 minutes, then sprinkle the top of each pinwheel with the cheese.

Serve and enjoy!

Makes 14-15 pinwheels

Note: If you have leftover mushroom filling, just mix it with some soft unsalted butter to make an outstanding compound butter to top a steak, baked potato, or to add a new dimension to garlic bread. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week.

Disclaimer: I'm a compensated partner of Hidden Valley®.

News (Sort Of) You Can Use: The Mini Blender

2012-12-05T21:55:00.001-07:00

This discovery is bittersweet. Have you ever had one of those moments when you think you've discovered something truly unique? You know, one of those instances when you look at your discovery and think, "Wow! This is... I've got to go tell people about this immediately!" No? Am I the only one? Well, here's my latest ego-crushing reality-two-by-four-to-the-face moment.

Based on the picture above I think you can see where this is headed. There I was, leaning against the kitchen counter, minding my own business, when I spied some things on the same counter that *gasp* my daughters were supposed to have put away. I saw the blender base and a nearby canning jar. Being keenly in touch with the MacGyver side of my personality, I looked at them and, with an almost Terminator-like scan, I thought, "Oh yeah, those two things were clearly made for each other!"

With great expectation I grabbed the jar and quickly mated it to the blender base. As I screwed them together I was already thinking about the possibilities of my discovery. I could make personal milkshakes (more on that later), small batches of marinades or sauces, homemade mayonnaise, salad dressings, the list was almost endless.

Eager to share what was sure to be an earth-shattering culinary discovery, I showed our youngest daughter, Chloe. She was amazed, as she should have been. The moment that I mentioned the possibility of personalized milkshakes, with a built-in serving glass, her eyes lit up and I could tell that she got it. Within moments she had me convinced that we must make milkshakes immediately to test this new-found awesomeness.

Sandi was out and about with the older two girls, so I called her and asked her to get some ice cream sandwiches on the way home. She did, and the three girls enjoyed ice cream sandwich shakes. It worked flawlessly.

Today, as I was thinking about how cool this post would be, I did something that would quickly bring me a strong dose of reality. I Googled "blender mason jar" (without the quotes). I was shocked when I found that apparently everyone but me knew that small mouth canning jars fit the average household blender base.

Although my ego was bruised, I held out some hope that some of you, my beloved readers, would find this discovery to be as exciting as I initially did.

You're welcome.

Note: The milkshake idea was inspired by an online interview with Guy "The Human Lava Lamp" Fieri where he described some dude doing apple pie shakes by dumping a whole pie, crust and all, in a blender with ice cream. I made mine with just a standard cheapo ice cream sandwich and a little whipping cream and whole milk. Chloe said, "This is the best shake that I've ever had."

Sweet, Spicy & Sticky Asian Ribs

2012-12-03T20:33:00.001-07:00

I had a hankerin' for some ribs last weekend, but I wanted something a little off the beaten path. Included in my craving was the yearning for something sweet and spicy. This recipe is the result of some early morning category-one brainstorming.

A few ideas rattled around in my brain and I eventually decided to use my Finger Stickin' Chicken Sauce as the base to which I'd add an Asian flair. The chicken sauce certainly has the sweet and spicy nailed, so I simply added some hoisin sauce to add the Asian persuasion, and a little Sriracha to kick the heat up a little bit.

Note: If you have a favorite method for smoking/grilling your baby back ribs, use that with this rub and sauce. There's no need to cook the ribs the way I did. Also, you can certainly roast the ribs in an oven, but you may have to adjust the cook time.

Ingredients
3 slabs Loinback/babyback pork ribs, membrane removed (2 1/2 to 3 lbs each)
1 batch Rub (recipe follows)
1 batch Glaze (recipe follows)
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Green onion, sliced thin, for garnish (optional)

Rub
2 Tbsp Sea salt
2 Tbsp Light brown sugar
2 tsp Chinese five spice (I use McCormick's Gourmet)
2 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh
1 tsp Ground ginger

Glaze
1 batch Finger Stickin' Chicken Sauce
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp Sriracha (more or less to taste)

Method
About 4 hours before you want to serve, start your smoker or grill and prepare for indirect cooking over a medium fire (275-300º). I cooked over straight Kingsford Original briquets with no smoke wood.

Combine the rub ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk well until all of the ingredients are combined. Season both sides of each slab of ribs evenly with the rub. I put more on the meat side than the bone side.

Note: You can season the ribs ahead of time, but no more than an hour before you're ready to start cooking.

Smoke/grill the ribs indirect until a toothpick inserted between the bones has very little resistance. The cook time is approximately 3 hours at an average temperature of 300º. However, every hog and cooker is different, so use the timing as merely a guideline. The toothpick test is your friend.

While the ribs are cooking, make the glaze. Follow the instructions for the Finger Stickin' Chicken Sauce then whisk in the remaining ingredients at the end. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Remove the ribs from the cooker and coat both sides of each slab with a light coating of the glaze. Return the ribs to the grill/smoker and cook indirect another 10 minutes. Pay close attention because the glaze will burn easily. You just want it to caramelize slightly.

Remove the ribs from the cooker and coat both sides of each slab with a generous coating of the glaze.

Cut the ribs between the bones, then plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onion for garnish.

Serve and enjoy!

Note: I cooked the ribs in my Pit Barrel Cooker.

Kingsford Invitational - Part Three

2012-11-28T23:06:00.001-07:00

My previous post in this series ended with the group heading from St. Louis to Belle, Missouri to the site of the inaugural Kingsford Invitational barbecue competition. Not only were we about to be spectators to an incredible competition, but we'd also get to tour the largest Kingsford charcoal plant. As I said earlier, dudes love to see how things are made, so I was really looking forward to it.

Belle is a very small town located about two and a half hours southwest of St. Louis, and the drive has the palpable feel of midwest Americana. I spent my teen years in Columbia, which is smack dab between St. Louis and Kansas City, but it had been nearly 20 years since I'd been on the ground in this area of the country. What is known by some as "flyover country" was freshly familiar to me, and I enjoyed the trip.

The weather, minus the considerable wind, was just about as perfect as one could expect for early November in central Missouri. We enjoyed wall-to-wall sunshine with temperatures in the low 70's. The setting of the plant is not at all what I expected. It's in a what looks like a small valley that's surrounded by gently rolling hills, and at this time of year, trees still clad in multicolored leaves.

We walked to the plant and the first thing that catches your eye, other than the unexpected size of the complex, is the giant mound of what looks like dirt from a distance.

We went into the welcome area, donned our protective gear and, after a short safety briefing, we headed out to start the tour. We were split into several small groups and each was assigned a tour guide. Fortunately, my group had the plant manager, Steve Miller (no relation) as our guide. He was very friendly and more than eager to answer any and all of our questions.

Our first stop was that apparent dirt mound. It's actually an incredibly large pile of sawdust and wood that's recycled from various sources. How big? Well this plant produces something like seven million pounds of charcoal per day, and it takes eight pounds of raw wood to make one pound of what becomes the wood char from which the briquets are made. A little quick math tells you that this plant consumes about 56 million pounds of wood per day.

The wood (mostly oak, and some hickory) is trucked in and dumped. Then the dozer driver constantly mixes the wood so that the moisture level and age are as evenly distributed as possible. The dozer then pushes the wood into a huge chute that leads to what was described by Steve as a 200-horsepower garbage disposal. That machine chews up the wood and spits it out in a fairly uniform size onto the conveyor that feeds the plant.

Next the wood is fed into huge dryers that reduce the percentage of moisture in the wood from about 30 percent down to about five percent.

The dried wood then heads to the huge multi-stage oven, called a retort, that bakes the wood in an oxygen-starved environment at about 1000 degrees. The result is the wood char (black stuff) that makes up the bulk of each briquet.

What struck me as we walked past the retort was the absolute absence of any smell of anything burning. In fact, other than the smell of the wood pile, this plant has no smell.

When I asked Steve about that he pointed to the top of the stack on the right of the picture above and said, "See that? That's all the smoke that comes off of this plant." He went on to say that their retort is the most advanced in the world and that the emissions from this plant are incredibly low. Additionally, most of the energy used in the plant is recycled on-site.

The char is then mixed with a handful of other ingredients and is molded into the familiar briquet shape.

At this point the briquets have the consistency of a baked brownie. Steve handed each of us one and they were barely warm and easily broken apart by hand. The excess around the edges of each briquet is shaken off and recycled.

The briquets are then spread about a foot thick onto a huge conveyor which takes them through a gigantic dryer.

Hot air is forced through them from top and bottom and they emerge as the product that we know.

The product then heads to the bagging line.

The bags are blown open with air and filled.

Then they're sealed.

Next they head to the machine that automatically places the bags on pallets.

Finally, each pallet is robotically wrapped in plastic and placed for the forklift driver to take it to the warehouse.

Oh, and the warehouse is incredibly large. I think Steve said that it is 200,000 square feet.

As you can see, the pallets are stacked six high. Steve said that during the winter months that they work to fill the warehouse in preparation for the kick-off of grilling season (Memorial Day).

I can't thank the folks at the Kingsford plant in Belle enough for their hospitality and for the incredible tour. Steve was a great tour guide, and I could tell that he takes great pride in his crew and his plant. The place was incredibly clean for a charcoal plant. Oh, and it struck me that along the tour Steve stopped and thanked every worker that we encountered for coming in that day. It was the opening day of deer season, and the folks working that day volunteered to work. That kind of leadership is sadly rare these days.

In the next installment of this series I'll cover the Kingsford Invitational competition itself.

Related posts:
Kingsford Invitational - Part One
Kingsford Invitational - Part Two

Butternut-Ale Soup

2012-11-23T22:59:00.001-07:00

This soup was inspired by two dishes that I enjoyed during my recent trip to St. Louis. The first was a hearty butternut squash at The Farmhaus, and the second was a cheddar-jalapeno soup made with Budweiser at the Anheuser-Busch brewery.

I took what I found to be the best aspects of each soup and combined them. Fall is a great time for a butternut squash soup, but I thought that I could bring some beer to the party. Rather than use Bud, I chose the unfiltered goodness of Shock Top Belgian White. I felt that the soup needed a hearty beer to help cut through the natural sweetness of the butternut squash. It really worked, and I think you'll enjoy this twist on a fall classic.

Ingredients
8 cups Peeled and chopped butternut squash, cut to 1"
2 Tbsp Light olive oil
3 tsp Kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Ground ancho chile
1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
24 oz Shock Top Belgian White, or your favorite unfiltered ale
1/4 tsp Ground ginger
1/4 tsp Ground cumin
6 cups Chicken stock
1 tsp Ground white pepper
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted

Method
Preheat your oven to 350º.

Combine the squash, oil, 2 teaspoons of the salt, pepper, ancho and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Toss/stir to mix well, then spread in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast in the oven until the squash is very tender and lightly browned and slightly crispy around the edges, about 1 hour.

Combine the beer, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, ginger, and cumin in a stock pot, bring to a moderate boil over medium-high heat and reduce by 1/2.

Add the stock, squash and white pepper to the beer and stock liquid, simmer 30 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and blend with an immersion/stick blender until it's very smooth. Whisk in the butter.

Serve and enjoy! I served mine with a little peppered bacon and chopped chives.

Makes 8 servings

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

2012-11-21T11:39:00.003-07:00

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I thought I'd share a round-up of my recipes in a sort of one-stop-shopping way. Here I think you'll find something that will add a unique twist to your Thanksgiving feast. If you try one of these recipes, please drop me a line in a comment and give me your thoughts.

Just click any of the images to get to the recipe.

Continue for more recipes...

Simple Barbecued Turkey
Thanksgiving Stuffing Balls
Barbecued Sweet Potatoes
The Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey Brine
Grilled & Glazed Carrots
Barbecued Sweet Potato Pie

Pigamon Rolls
Thanksgiving Pockets
Cranberry-Orange BBQ Sauce
Terodactyl Wings
Garlic Herb & Honey Butter
Praline Bacon Bread Pudding with Rum Raisin Crème Anglaise

I wish you and yours a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

Kingsford Invitational - Part Two

2012-11-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

On day two of the Kingford Invitational trip I enjoyed a great hearty room service breakfast (and I'm not usually a breakfast eater), then it was down to the lobby to get on the bus for the day's festivities, which began with a tour of the Anheuser-Busch brewery. Nine o'clock seemed a little early for beer, but I was looking forward to the tour, as most dudes love to see how things are made.

After a short ride, we arrived at the brewery and I was immediately struck by that familiar yeasty beer smell in the air. It was like the brewery equivalent of the outdoor aroma from a bakery. It left no doubt as to what was happening there.

Here's the area where the tour begins. It's chock full of all manner of Anheuser-Busch memorabilia.

After a short introduction about the history of the company, we set out for our first tour stop -- the famous Clydesdales. We've all seen them on television and in print, but nothing can really prepare you for seeing them in person.

These beautiful animals are huge! How huge? Well, here are the requirements from the Anheuser-Busch site:

To qualify for one of the traveling hitches, a Budweiser Clydesdale must be a gelding at least four years of age, stand 72 inches at the shoulder when fully mature, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, have a bay coat, four white legs, a white blaze, and a black mane and tail.

For comparison purposes, here I am standing next to their largest horse. I'm 6'4", and he's 19.5 hands tall. Also, check the feet. I wear a size 13, and each of dude's shoes are 20 inches from end-to-end and weigh about 5 pounds.

Photo courtesy of Chris Grove, NibbleMeThis.com

Here's a wide shot of the horse paddock that had already been decorated for Christmas. The shot above was taken in the center.

Free photography tip: Never shoot in a room ringed in stained glass on a sunny day. Most cameras don't have a "filter out the random blasts of Star Trek tractor beam-like colored light" setting.

These gentle giants have some seriously nice stables. Their names are really simple, like Duke, General, Bill, Annie, etc. Wait... Annie? I thought that they all had to be geldings. Oh well, it must be a PC thing.

Next we headed into the various parts of the brewery, which covers 119 acres on the original site. You can feel the history in the charming old-world architecture.

These pictures really can't do justice to the enormity of the brewery operation. Here are a couple of the brew kettles.

Here are just a few of the mash tanks. These are on the second or third story of the monstrous brew house building, I can't remember.

The last step of the brewing process is Anheuser-Busch's unique beechwood aging. The beer is stored in these massive tanks that have curls of beechwood in them to draw out and collect the particulate yeast. That's what helps make Bud so crystal clear and crisp. This also naturally carbonates the beer.

To give you an idea of how big these tanks are, our tour guide said that each one contains 250,000 six packs. To put it another way, you'd have to drink a case of beer per day for 137 years to drain one. Oh, and there are 150 of these tanks just at this site alone. Let your brain do some mathematical fermentation on that for a minute.

The beechwood is raked out of the tanks, cleaned, sanitized and reused as many as six or seven times.

Next, the beer is on to the packaging lines. Again, these pictures cannot begin to capture the enormity of this operation. The line is like a river of bottles (lower right) that sing as they gently mingle and flow. It truly is mind boggling.

After the tour we went to their hospitality room for a four-course lunch with beer pairings. I'll admit that I'd never thought of beer like most do of wine, but it worked.

We started with a salad and Shock Top vinaigrette. The orange and cranberry in the salad really paired well with the beer.

The next course was an outstanding cheese and jalapeno soup made with Budweiser. To me this was the second best pairing. They served it with Budweiser, obviously, and it really was a perfect combination that I didn't expect. Who knew that Bud and jalapenos were a match made for each other? Trust me, they are. The chef said that this soup is a regular favorite in the brewery cafe, and I understand why.

The main course was a beer-marinated flank steak with a shiitake mushroom and green onion yakitori skewer. With this course the pairing was Stella Artois. The steak was cooked perfectly, and the combination of flavors worked well. You can't go wrong with a grilled steak, mushrooms and onions.

The dessert course, and the one that completely blew me away was a cheesecake with a wonderfully crunchy brulée top and a side of smoked vanilla ice cream. The beer pairing was the Bourbon Cask Lager from their seasonal Brewmaster's Project 12. Here's how they describe the beer:

We took staves from fresh bourbon barrels and we aged the beer on those staves and spiced it with a hint of vanilla,” said [Daniel] Westmoreland, who has been a Budweiser brewmaster for more than 30 years. “It’s an all-malt brew, and it has a perfect color that is similar to the color of bourbon itself. Batch No. 23185 has a nice vanilla aroma with a little oakiness on the end – it’s a great beer.

If someone would have told me that I'd dig beer, any beer, with cheesecake I would have told them that they'd been smoking too much vanilla. I can't describe why it worked, but it really did. The Project 12 sampler packs are still available, but when they're gone, they're gone.

I really enjoyed the brewery tour and lunch. It was great to see a true slice of Americana. Thanks to you, Mr. I Brew Bud For A Living Guy!

After lunch we all piled back into the bus and headed Southwest to Belle for the Kingsford Invitational.

Stay tuned...

Related posts:
Kingsford Invitational - Part One
Kingsford Invitational - Part Three