WhiteTrashBBQ

High Heat!

2009-11-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

One chimney of real charcoal fuels this fire!
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What I did today

2009-11-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

The Bubba Keg, The Weber Smokey mountain. The Smokey Joe.

All got a workout today.
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Turduken for Thanksgiving?

2009-11-12T10:03:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a Turduchen? No? They're great and a novel treat for any occasion. Don't know what a Turduchen is? Well, then you haven't been reading my blog very long. Check it out here. If you want to cook one at home, you can purchase them from The Cajun Grocer.

Don't feel like cooking it yourself, you lazy snot? Well, Big Daddies out in Massapequa is willing to do the work for you. As far as I know, they're the only place in the NYC tri-state area that is offering turducken for the holidays.

BBQ Turducken
A Semi-boneless Turkey stuffed with a fresh boneless Long Island Duck and Chicken layered with Andouille cornbread stuffing then slow smoked over hickory and cherry wood and served with pan gravy and jalapeno-cranberry chutney on the side.
Weight: 15-30 lbs. Serves: 15-30 Price: $8.95 lb.

BBQ Turducken Roll
A totally boneless cousin of the Turducken and served with pan gravy and jalapeno cranberry chutney on the side.
Weight: 15-25 lbs. Serves: 15-25 Price: $7.95 lb.

Big Daddy's Restaurant
1 Park Lane Massapequa NY 11758(516)799-8877

Tell em WhiteTrash sent you!

Thank You!

2009-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today, November 11 is Veterans Day. Be sure to take some time to thank a veteran for their service. Or better yet, buy them a drink or a meal.

Can't afford it in these recessionary times? Take them to an Applebees and they'll eat free!

Applebees Restaurants are offering a free dinner for all veterans and active duty military personnel.

Check out the details below.

http://www.applebees.com/vetsday/

Bless Your Heart

2009-11-10T06:34:00.000-08:00

Fat Angel, a barbecue team from New Jersey, with a great pedigree took first place for its Texas-style brisket at the National BBQ Festival in Douglas, Ga earlier this year. Congrats guys!

You can read all about it in the Star-Ledger here.

Hmm, I Que from Hopkinton, Mass wins the Jack Daniels, Fat Angel wins brisket in Georgia; looks like barbecue isn't just from the South anymore!

Photo by TONY KURDAK/FOR THE STAR-LEDGER

What Would Brian Boitano Make?

2009-11-09T06:01:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I had no idea of who Brian Boitano was when South Park first started to lampoon him with cracks of "What would Brian Boitano do?".

But now, he's a host of his own show on The Food Network called "What Would Brian Boitano Make?" which is loosely based on the What would Brian Boitano do? premise.

There's always some sort of problem to solve but he always ends the show surrounded by some hot women and some good looking food. It turns out he's got a pretty good sense of humor and a pretty good cook as well. I'm glad it's coming back.

THE FOOD NETWORK
GREENLIGHTS A NEW SEASON OF
WHAT WOULD BRIAN BOITANO MAKE?

NEW YORK – November 2009 – Production begins this December on Season 2 of What Would Brian Boitano Make?, it was announced today by Food Network. Slated to premiere in early March 2010, the series, produced by Concentric Entertainment, will shoot 10 new episodes throughout the winter and follow Olympic figure skater Brian Boitano as he demonstrates his culinary skills and talent for one-of-a-kind entertaining in his San Francisco home.

Coming off a successful premiere season of the Food Network series, Brian will explore lively new menus and clever entertaining tips in each new unpredictable adventure.

For more information, videos, and recipes visit: www.foodnetwork.com/what-would-brian-boitano-make

Yum!

2009-11-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Chinese food in the nabe!
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Long Island BBQ?

2009-11-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

Wow - there's only one other barbecue restaurant participating in Long Island's Restaurant Week and that's Swing Belly's in Long Beach. Sorry you folks out in Suffolk County.

I haven't been to Swing Belly's myself, well at least not inside Swing Belly's but I have been to the building. (I showed up on a day when the winter hours were in effect. Always check before you go.) But, my buddy Gary, renowned barbecue expert and author of Pig Trip, which is "Your guide to BBQ joints in Boston, New York and everywhere in between" states that Swing Belly's is the best on Long Island. Try it out.

Ruby's Famous BBQ

2009-11-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

A while back my brother and I had an outstanding dinner at Ruby's Famous BBQ Joint on its opening night. A month and a bunch of staff changes later, Ruby's food sucked. As the pit burns, couple of months later I received an email that began...

"My name is Greg Barry and I am the new Pitmaster at Ruby’s Famous BBQ in East Meadow."

Now that was great news. Big Barry had taken over Ruby's. I read that and immediately thought, "now it'll be good again." Much to my chagrin and face to face harassment from Big Barry himself, I haven't been back yet. But, I've heard from a couple of folks that Big Barry has turned the place around.

And now, here's a chance to try it out at discount prices....

Ruby's Famous BBQ Joint is happy to announce that we are participating in Long Island Restaurant Week 2009 from Sun. 11/1 to Sun. 11/8 (Sorry for the late notice.)

Join us and enjoy our $24.95 Prix Fixe Dinner Menu: Does Not Include: Beverages, Tax and Gratuity

Appetizer (Choose one)
Garden or Caesar Salad, French Onion Soup or Personal Loaded Nachos

Entree (Comes with cornbread and two home-made sides) (Choose one)
Full Rack of Baby Back or St. Louis Ribs, Rib and BBQ Meat Combo or BBQ Meat and Meat Combo

Dessert (Choose one)
Brownie Sundae, Key Lime Pie or Pecan Pie

Wine and Beer Specials Available

Ten Commandments For A Chili Cookoff

2009-11-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

I found this online, but I thought it was pretty interesting and right. You can get to the original article by clicking on the link, or you can read it here. Enjoy.

Ten Commandments for a Chili Cookoff
by Paul Stephen

The StarNews turned into a battleground today as 11 of our employees vied for the in-house chili king crown as a fundraiser for United Way. In addition to scraping up over $100, a few finer points in competitive chili cooking came to light. Obviously, chili is a subjective dish, all beef and peppers in Texas, cinnamon and pasta up in Cincinnati. That being said, the judges (other StarNews coworkers) overwhelmingly favored the classic bowl of red. So without further ado, here are my 10 Chili Cookoff Commandments.

1. Chili is, above all else, about beef and chilies. Skip the ground and cube up some chuck roast. Otherwise unremarkable chili can become a star with a nice chunk of meat, and chuck roast can often cost less than ground beef. Likewise on the chilies. Use a mixture, maybe a few fresh jalapeños, a canned chipotle or two and a half dozen or so dried anchos soaked and run through a blender. Leave the McCormick Chili Powder on the shelf. You can do a lot better on your own with a little instinct and intuition.

2. Thou shall not cooketh thine chili in a Crock-Pot. Crock-Pots are great things, but brown meat they cannot. Do it right in a heavy dutch oven, saute down those onions and garlic, get a nice color on the meat. Then Crock it to keep it hot.

3. Just because it’s called chili doesn’t mean ignore the rest of the spice rack. Get some cumin in there, some coriander. Play with the oregano, cinnamon, heck, try grinding a handful of coffee beans down to dust. Remember, heat and spice aren’t the same thing.

4. Chili is a patient chef’s dish. Don’t expect to toss dome ingredients into a pot , bring it to a boil and walk away with a prize. To make a pot of chili more than a sum of its parts requires a good long simmer.

5. Vegetarian chili. Just don’t do it. Not for a contest, anyway. They can be perfectly delicious and nutritious but unless they have their own category a veggie chili isn’t likely to be a contender.

6. Taste your chili constantly while cooking. If things are starting to burn on the bottom it will affect the whole pot. Keep those other spices in check and please, don’t let it get too sweet. If you just follow the recipe and toss it out there for the judges disappointment is likely to follow.

7. Corn. I like corn. Corn can be good in chili. But tough, chewy corn from a bag in the freezer is no fun. Corn is cheap this time of year, buy a few ears of the nice sweet white kind and cut it off. You (and the judges) will be thrilled with the results.

8. Canned tomato sauce is not for chili. Texans would argue tomatoes period are not for chili, but I suspect most judges will be anticipating a little tomato acidity. Canned sauce only adds an unnatural sweetness and gross texture. Stay away.

9. Season carefully. There’s a lot of good stuff going on in a pot of hearty, complex chili. Don’t mask it with a heavy dose of sat. Worse yet, see it all lay flat and lifeless at the bottom of a judges list by not adding enough. If this is confusing, see rule #6.

10. Most importantly, and flying in the face of the rest of this list, don’t be afraid to take risks. Some of my favorites of the day were pretty unconventional. One was loaded with smoky chorizo and cider vinegar for a distinct tang, another a visually striking stark white with chicken and pale beans. One of the better veggie options I’ve ever tried was packed with cauliflower and cheese. While judges will probably be looking for classic flavors, don’t be afraid to put your stamp on it.

So there it is. One chili fan’s opinion. Do with this as you will, but follow even a few of these rules and I’m pretty sure you can count on your bowl making a stronger showing at the next contest.

-Paul Stephen

The Butterball In-door Turkey Fryer

2009-11-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

Well - lookey here, just in time for thanksgiving, a tabletop indoor turkey fryer. Great idea. I love fried turkey

I haven't had time to try mine out yet, but for a limited time, Masterbuilt is offering their top-quality fryers to Butterball customers for an exclusive price of $119.95 plus free S&H. For a select few Butterball Turkey Lovers, they are reduced just in time for Thanksgiving.

So, hurry and get the perfect accessory for your festivities – a Masterbuilt deep-fryer. Go to butterballtrurkey fryer.com for more details. Use coupon code BBETF when ordering.

This thing is pretty sweet. First cook and pictures coming soon.

► Uses 1/3 less oil than traditional turkey fryers

► Cooks a 14 lb pound turkey under an hour

► Built in grease filter

► Drain valve for easy cleaning

► Cooking basket with drain clip

► Adjustable thermostat temperature control

► Porcelain-coated inner pot

► Dish washer safe

► Only turkey fryer approved for indoor use

► Also steams and boils all of your favorite foods

To You Who Ask

2009-11-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

As some of you have noticed, I'm not posting as much lately. There is a major issue affecting my family right now which is all encompassing, engulfing and enraging. Luckily no one's life or health is at risk. I'll post when I can, but it's been extremely difficult to find time to barbecue, let alone write about it. Talk to you all soon.

The Brooklyn Chili Takedown Rides Again

2009-10-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

There will be blood. And chili! Oo! November 22 at The Bell House - The BROOKLYN CHILI TAKEDOWN shall transpire. Mitten Prichard* hosts the takedown that started it all , 5 years ago in Brooklyn - and invites all the cooks in NYC to prostitute their best chili concoction. The masses will love you for it, because everybody loves chili. And even Texans admit, Brooklyn chili just so happens to be the best in the world… they said that yesterday, at a bar. They’d been drinkin’, but I’ll count it.

CALL FOR ENTRIES! If you’d like to ENTER, email me, and also check out the FAQ page to answer your most pressing questions!

Bell House
149 7th St
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 643-6510

Nov 22

Buy tickets here!

*first pet + first street - you know the deal…

White Castle Pulled Pork Slider.

2009-10-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

In the interest of all things "barbecue," late last night I had my first White Castle Pulled Pork Slider. And no, I hadn't been drinking.

I do have to admit that I have a certian fondness for the White Castle Cheeseburger. Out of all the big fast food chains, they are my favorite. But pulled pork? C'mon.

I was prepped for the worst, but I decided that I had to do it. This was a chance to check out some more mainstream barbecue. I did it for you my loyal readers.

Surprisingly what I got was a pulled pork sandwich that tasted like the barbeque pork sandwiches of my youth, before real barbecue had arrived in New York. It was tasty and dripping with the familiar red barbecue sauce found in almost every kitchen in America. Mind you, the White Castle Pulled Pork Slider is about as far away from real barbecue as their hamburgers are from the real deal, but I actually enjoyed it!

Would I get another one? In a New York minute.

BBQ Contests: Sayville Fall Festival

2009-10-23T13:39:00.001-07:00

This contest is presented by RUB Restaurant - you know the same fine folks who sponsor Grillin' On The Bay - NYC's only sanctioned event, which will be on March 27, 2010. The winner of the Sayville Fall Festival Grilling contest will recieve an automatic entry into Grillin' On The Bay 2010. I hope we get someone new! Good luck everyone.

Blue Collar Bar-B-Q Sauce wins The American Royal

2009-10-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment and congratulate my friends Jay and Steve Curry from Spice Wine Iron Works on thier sauce, Blue Collar Bar-B-Q winning "Best In The World at this year's American Royal"

Now that is a really big deal. The American Royal is the Super Bowl and World Series of barbecue competitions all rolled up into one. Thousands, probably tens of thousands of people compete at this event every year. For Jay and Steve to take top honors, this is an accomplishment to be very very proud of.

The Curry boys describe Blue Collar Bar-B-Q as "Thick and bold, this sauce is a great everything sauce. It works well as a great finishing sauce for any BBQ." And now they can claim it's award winning.

So if you're looking for a new "great finishing sauce for any BBQ," go out and get bottle of Blue Collar Bar-B-Q. Trust me. It's good.

Smoked Eggs

2009-10-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

Smoked Eggs. "Why?" asked my wife. "Why not?" says I. Apologies to Robert F. Kennedy, but when it comes to putting things into the smoker, I share his optimism about the world. I'll try to smoke anything at least once. Maybe I should be apologizing to Cheech and Chong!

So I boiled my eggs, cooled them and cracked them as per Adam Perry Lang's directions. But I didn't have the egg carton, I put them directly on the grill. I don't think the egg carton really matters as after 12 minutes in boiling water these eggs were already well cooked. Would they still benefit from time in the smoker? We'll see.

My fire was running at 225 and the maple and apple smoke really smelled wonderful on this fall afternoon. There's an old saying in barbecue, "If you're looking, you're not cooking." So I resisted the urge and kept the smoker covered for the full hour Adam recommends.

And what did I find when I opened the cooker? Well, see for yourself....

I was disappointed that they didn't look as pretty as the eggs in Adam's cookbook, but then again, I'm not a food stylist. Many times real food looks nothing like the pictures used to sell it. Have you ever had a McDonald's hamburger look like one in the ads? I haven't. For a real interesting site that deals with just this situation, take a look at Fast Foods: Ads vs. Reality.

The brown eggs suffered more in the cooking, but I assume it was due to the fact that they were about one week older then the white eggs. I was still curious to see how they'd taste.

Peeling these eggs were darn near impossible. The egg whites held on to the shell and only the yolks were salvageable. I did get to taste small portions of the whites and frankly, they had no discernible smoked flavor. So what do you do with 6 eggs yolks? I made Remoulade Sauce, which in turn made a very tasty shrimp salad. And it the sauce spiced up some cold cut sandwhiches the next day.

So even with the disappointing eggs, all in all the day was a success! Smoke on!

REMOULADE SAUCE

Printed from COOKS.COM

2 hard cooked egg yolks, sieved
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tbsp. prepared mustard
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire
1 tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 tbsp. horseradish
Dash of Tabasco
2 tbsp. vinegar
1/4 c. finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Blend ingredients and chill. Go easy on salt and pepper.

Makes about 2 cups.

Shrimp Salad: For shrimp salad, blend 1 quart cooked, chopped shrimp, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 2 boiled eggs and enough Remoulade sauce to hold the mixture together.

BBQ Restaurants: Eat At Joe's

2009-10-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

My buddy Joe gets some well deserved praise about his BBQ joint, Eat At Joe's in Wikieup Arizona. Take a look at this clip from Arizona Highways TV.

Smoked Eggs and Chili

2009-10-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, my buddy the Blue Mule over at Howling Hog BBQ posted about smoked eggs. I was intrigued and have always wanted to try them. I actually did get to try one at the Harpoon BBQ Contest when I finally met the Blue Mule in the flesh. I enjoyed the eggs and the company, but now curiosity satisfied, the idea of making them got buried deep in the back of my feeble head.

But then, Adam Perry Lang publishes Serious Barbecue, and looky here, there is a recipe for Smoked Eggs. Suddenly a fire that died down long ago was rekindled. I was making chili and there was plenty of room on the smoker for another item. It was time for me to make smoked eggs!

I'll publish my experiences in another post, but here's Adam's recipe for Hard Smoke Eggs (copied from Oprah's website)

Hard Smoked Eggs

Recipe created by Adam Perry Lang

When I worked in French kitchens, we used to infuse eggs with all kinds of fancy stuff, like cheese and truffles, but before my friend Marc Farris, BBQ TV, clued me in to this cool way to cook eggs, I had never infused them with smoke. It's insanely easy: Boil them a bit and then throw them in the smoker for about 45 minutes. Believe me, nothing makes a better egg salad than these babies.

Ingredients:

Makes 12 eggs

1 dozen large eggs in a cardboard carton (save the carton)
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
2 Tbsp. thinly sliced scallions, white and green portions
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. celery salt
1/4 cup to 6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat an indirect barbecue with a drip pan and hardwood (preferably hickory or oak), a ceramic cooker with deflector plate and hardwood (preferably hickory or oak), or a charcoal or gas grill with a box or packet of hardwood (preferably hickory or oak) to 225°F.

2. Place the eggs in a saucepan that will hold them in an even layer. Pour in just enough water to cover and stir in the salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Cover and remove from the heat. Let sit, covered, for 12 minutes. Remove the lid and put the eggs under cold running water for 5 minutes.

3. Remove the eggs from the water. Roll each egg on the table to crack the shell. The shell should remain intact, but be cracked. Set the eggs back in the carton.

4. Place the carton of eggs with the top open in the cooker for 1 hour.

5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl toss the chives and scallions with the lemon juice, followed by the celery salt.

6. Remove the eggs from the cooker.

When cool enough to handle, but still warm, peel the eggs.

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and arrange on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the chive mixture.

From Serious Barbecue by Adam Perry Lang. Copyright © 2009. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved. Photo: by David Loftus

Adam's Chili ala WhiteTrash BBQ

2009-10-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

So, I cooked today. I actually cooked today! I lit a fire! I broke out the Weber Smokey Mountain and put on a pot of chili. I don't know if I mentioned it but I live on a corner lot, on a busy street that sees a large amount of foot traffic of people coming and going to the subway. Cooking barbecue on the Weber usually causes stares, as the WSM is a bit unusual for this neighborhood, but lifting the lid and stirring a pot of chili on the Weber caused people to stop in their tracks and ask questions!

As I mentioned I followed Adam Perry Lang's recipe from his book Serious Barbecue as closely as I possibly could. Below is a close up of the chili after about 1 hour on the smoker, after the first stir. Adam doesn't mention stirring the chili in the cookbook, but as the chili cooked I noticed that the top "skin" of the chili took on a much darker hue, so I stirred it into the pot every hour or so.

So, how did it taste? Did it live up to the chili Adam serves at Daisy May's? I have to say no. It wasn't as good, but it was still some of the better chilies I've had in a long long time. There was almost no heat up front, but a good amount after and in the throat. It definitely needed some more heat and a strong shot of Tabasco helped immensely.

So what was wrong with it you ask? Well, it may have been my choice of peppers. The Chili Mulato has a strong "chocolaty" taste that came through in the bowl of red which changed the taste from a bowl of Texas Chili to more of a bowl of Mexican Mole. Here's a look at the final product served with some "popcorn" brown rice.

Next time, I'll order the New Mexican Chili that Adam recommends!

Lighting the fire, feeling the heat and smelling the wood smoke has made me restless. I'm feeling very antsy tonight. The wander lust has been awoken. Watch out, now. Beware of Maya.

A Bowl of Red

2009-10-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I'm making Chili. No, that's not right. Tonight, I'm beginning to make Chili. To be more precise, I'm making Texas-Style Chili aka Bowl of Red. And I'm using a cook book for the recipe.

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you will know how much I love the Chili that Adam Perry Lang makes at his restaurant Daisy May's BBQ. You can always rely on the chili at Daisy May's. It's always fantastic. Rich, spicy, thick and savory. Everything a bowl of red can be.

So what does Adam and Daisy have to do with my making Chili? Well, in the beginning of the summer, Adam published the cook book Serious Barbecue. Let me tell you it's a seriously good cookbook and highly recommended, and on page 193 he lists his recipe for Texas-Style Chili aka Bowl of Red. Since I bought the book, way back in June, I've been dying to try out this recipe. If this chili is half as good as the chili he serves, it will make an outstanding meal.

I'm not going to give you the recipe. You'll have to buy the book for that, but I'm following the recipe as closely as possible. I can't tell you how rarely I follow a recipe. Usually I use recipes as inspiration and adjust them to what I have on hand or to what flavors I like. Adam's chili is so good that I'm following his recipe as closely as I possibly can.

So far, I've only made two small modifications. Adam call's for 1 (one) lb of whole pod dried chilies, preferably New Mexican. Now I thought I could buy those in one of my local markets, but all they had were Mexican chilies, so I bought 2 oz of Chile Guajillo, 4 oz of Chile Mulato and 10 oz of Chile Ancho all produced by Central Chilera de Puebla. I've never used the Guajillo or Mulato Chilies before but Ancho and I are old friends. I hope these chilies aren't too hot!

So far, this has been a complex process. I had to seed and stem all the dried chilies, soak and steam them and puree them with some more ingredients as per the recipe. I would say it took about 45 minutes to prepare it to this point. Right now, the meat and chili mixture is marinating in my refrigerator. That's a picture of the meat mixture above. I don't have any plastic bags large enough to hold the 4 lbs of chuck, cut into 1 (one) inch cubes, so I used a baking dish. The meat is thoroughly coated with the chili mixture, thinly sliced sweet onions and micro-planed garlic.

More tomorrow after it hits the smoker.

Oh, if you decide to make this. Buy some disposable rubber gloves before you begin. Chili oil on your hands leads to chili oil in places chili oil doesn't belong. Trust me. It's not pretty.

Fatty Chicken Sate

2009-10-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

Grilled chicken with a thick peanut sauce. Not as spicy as most Thai places but still very good.
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Fatty Food

2009-10-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

Slider and Al Carbon Taco. The slider is a mix of pork and beef. The taco uses hanger steak for it's beef. Both were a spicy and savory treat.
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Fatty Crab's Crew

2009-10-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

Visit these energetic folks at Madison Square before it's too late!
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Fatty Que Steps Out

2009-10-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Fatty Crab has a new booth at Madison Square Park serving up some delicious treats. Here's the pit master, Robbie Richter, of their soon to be opened Brooklyn outpost Fatty Que
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