From the mouth of Kevin Stewart

Sweet Tater bread, not sweet..... potato bread

2012-11-17T10:59:00.001-07:00

I like cookin, it's no secret. I do use recipes, but after I have made the stock recipe, in general, they become.... guideline. They are there to tweak as I see fit. This is no different with this bread recipe.
It started out as a pumpkin bread recipe, from this book, and printed back in the day

I like old recipe books, it's fun to look back and see how some processes have changed, and how the old ways still produce great stuff. Here's the recipe. Pictures make it much easier than typing the whole thing out. :D

Basically I follow everything here, except instead of pumpkin, i use one of the big cans of sweet potatos drained. and instead of water, i swap it out for the drained sweet tater juice. So nix the water, and use the tater juice, there is no flavor in water, and the sweet tater juice is loaded with flavor, and... it's wet so it works. Like i have learned watching Alton Brown's Good Eats, over mixing batter can ruin a good "sweet bread" recipe. so dont do it, just incorporate the flour, there may be clumps, but they will work themselves out, do not use a mixer, use a wood spoon, you'll thank me later. Mix all the wet ingredients together, and separately mix together all the dry ingredients, use a whisk to combine the dry, it is quicker than a sifter...

The recipe makes two loaves which look like this before you bake it

And after, let it cool for a good 10 min in the pan, then i'll set up on a towel, and get them out of the pans, so they dont get ... mushy, yeah that's the word. then after they cool completely, i'll put em in ziploc bags to keep em fresh, usually one will go straight into the freezer, and the other one stays out on the counter, it usually doesn't last long enough to have to be put in the fridge.

Slice it up, and enjoy, your different but similar bread for the season.

OUT

Smoked Salsa Grande

2012-08-10T21:30:00.001-07:00

Last year I tried out a new pepper ...ahem.... chile... 'scuse me, CHILE in the garden. Called Santa Fe Grande. Because of it's pale yellow color, it was a very deceiving pepp....chile. I thought it would be a sweeter pepper, a milder pepper...chile, chile, CHILE!!! boy was I wrong....sooo very wrong. These things are hotter than jales (that's jalepenos to those not in the know), and the heat sticks around. Like glue. On your lips, on your tongue, it's wonderful. It's a liar, but plenty flavorful.

Fast forward to 2012, these things came back on their own, with a vengeance. 4 plants popped back on their own accord. and they went into full production mode. I picked one plant and not knowing what else to do with it, I figured I'd make some smoked chili powder, to spread the love of these wonderful peppers to many things.

Handy torch for startin coals

Gotta start the fire if I want some smoked pep..chiles. Don't need a big one, it's already hot w/o any fire at all. Stacked the coals i did nicely, to get a few hours of goos smoke time. all i used was 2 coals to get things goin, remember I dont need much fire since its so hot already.

NO lighter fluid!!! EVER!!

Stack the now grey hot burnin coals on top of the unlit coals with the wood, just so happened to be a hunka apple wood. Situate the temp probe so it's under the grate. i just bent a peice of safety wire into a hook that stays permanently attached to the probe.

Temp probe hanged in position

Of course set up the grill for indirect heat. I take it one step further by putting a peice of a clay saucer over the top of the fire, to hold in the heat as it's created, and to keep it indirect. You can notice it here as the half circle on the right under the grate.

Once the fire got goin, and smoke started rollin, i threw on the peppers..cough...hgm...chiles and had an idea, threw some maters ( also outta the garden) on to smoke along with the chiles...happy??...very.

then we went out to dinner, nope didnt pay attention to temp, nor did i pay attention to the time they were on the smoke. almost forgot bout em, but remembered, woulda been a shame for these to waste. I went out to check and the skins on the tomatoes' skins were split open, still solid they were, but i figured that they were good and done.

We've gotta stick blender, and a wide mouth mason jar is perfect size for it to fit into, and let it do the work. Threw a few chiles in there all 4 maters, some cilantro, and basil from the garden, a good amount of fresh cracked sea salt, and coarse grind black pepper. Blended it all up, and that's all she wrote.

It's a slightly smoky, mostly spicy, nicely blended concoction of goodness, that so far has been good with chips of course, fantastic topping on my burger for dinner tonight, and I think would make a great addition to any other sauce i'd put it in.

The rest of the chiles will air dry, in the sun. The way we do it in AZ, once dry, i'll grind it up, seeds and all, fine as i can to make a nice smoky chili powder. Then i can spread the love to more of my dishes!!

OUT!!

Lightning

2012-08-08T10:57:00.003-07:00

Buffalo Corral Barbeque

2012-08-02T20:20:00.002-07:00

I finally was able to get to Buffalo Corral Barbeque only a week after they opened. This can still be a trying time for a new place, but I braved the lines (and boy is there a line in this place) and we all went, the wife and her 'rents, and a couple friends and my lil'st sister. I will be back, this is no doubt, let me tell you why.

The first thing I like about the place is the atmosphere, it's got it. It feels like a down home 'que joint. It feels like a ranch house. It feels like barbeque should feel here in Arizona. Not trying to duplicate that which has been done before, however creating a pleasant welcoming atmosphere none the less.

Once I grasped the ordering system it made sense, I opted for the (2) meat + two option and chose ribs and brisket, the wife went for pulled pork under the (1) meat+two as well, the +two is your choice of 2 sides, and the number before the meat represents the different meats you choose it also comes with a drink. I had okra, and coleslaw, wifey had okra and fries.

It was packed inside, so the 7 of us decided to eat on the patio outside, which was pleasantly decorated in such a way that it felt the "outsiders" were included. The theme from inside, that comfort level, that ranch feeling was carried to the outside patio.

The ribs, were a bit skinny, but they were there. What I mean is, the flavor is there, the texture is there and the look is there. These ribs are not quite up to say "competition" par, but they are by far better than most ribs I have gotten at other 'que joints. The texture FINALLY is not a fall off the bone overdone sloppy mushy mess, there is a defining bite to them. It's tender, and there is no need to say gnaw on the bone to get the meat off, but it doesn't slide off, it's cooked like a proper BBQ rib should be cooked.

Moving onto the brisket. Ohhh the brisket... this I have to admit, is the best RESTAURANT brisket I've had. I've had some horrible pot roast tasting (not that potroast is bad, but when I want BBQ brisket...) and I've had dry to the bone (well there is no bone in brisket...) I've also had brisket that was well overcooked, and mushy. Back to BCB's brisket. It has the texture, that I desire in a brisket, that slight tug when I pull the slice apart with my fingers, slightly elastic, before it tears apart. I appreciate that they serve the point sliced up, oh the wonderful point with it's fatty goodness full of flavor. BCB is using mesquite, and I can taste it, oh it's fantabulous!! yeah it's a word....

I snagged some of the wife's pulled pork, some of the good stuff, you know, the bark, and some of the other stuff too, and was pleased with the texture and flavor there as well. I love the fact that I can get the meats dry (no sauce) which seems foreign to some other joints... usually covering up for poorly cooked meat. The pork stood out on it's own with nice crusty bark, and deep flavorful porky goodness, which was complimented well by the more vinegary sauces.

The sides, how could I almost forget the sides, Coleslaw: spot on for what I like. Crispy, sweet, and tangy. The okra was as okra should be, slightly crispy on the outside, and ooey gooey on the inside.

Speaking of Sauces, they have 3 signature sauces. All of them are liquidy, vinegary, and full of flavor. (when I go to a 'Que joint for the first time I always try all of the sauces) I was unprepared and forgot to get the names of the sauces, but they have an original sauce that is middle of the road, as far as flavor goes, not too hot, not too sweet but very complimentary to the meats. There is a spicy rendition, that the sister and I both enjoyed, and last there is an awesome sweet sauce, that balances vinegar and sweet quite nicely.

My overall impression is, Buffalo Corral Barbeque is here to stay. It's a local joint with good food prepared simply, and served fresh and hot. I will be back, and I'll bring the camera next time.

View Larger Map

23 N Garden Ave is where you can find it, just head towards the main gate @ Fort Huachuca on fry and you will not be able to miss it, you'll smell it and know BBQ is in the air!!!

So you're a BBQ Newb? getting your fire started

2012-06-13T21:04:00.001-07:00

First off WELCOME to the club!!!

I dont want to come off like I know everything about BBQ, far from it, I got all my knowledge, (well lots of it also came from experimenting) from THE BBQ BRETHREN go there, no regrets! Tell them MMMMEAT sent you, that's me.

Dont be scared, click it!

Next we gotta be realistic, you cant buy a smoker and pile o meat and turn out a good result. There are LOTS of factors you need to take into account. You need to learn fire control, the MOST important of the addiction you will soon have controlling your life. To do that, you must practice, that's the only way. I could give you pointers all night long, but if you dont implement them in practice, you'll never learn the ways of your pit.

Definitions:
STICKBURNERS

STICKBURNER

CHARCOAL TYPE

Weber WSM

Brinkmann Smoke n Grill

I guess we'll start the fire, and I SWEAR, if you picked up a bottle of lighter fluid to start your, I'm gonna stab a baby bunny with a pitchfork then feed it to a baby seal, before i club it. Dont do it, get a charcoal chimney starter. It will save you money, and takes just about the same amount of time to light off.

how is it cheaper?? a bottle of lighter fluid is right about 7 bux, and how many cooks does it do for you? lets say 5-6 even 7 that's a dollar per cook. While a WEBER charcoal chimney starter runs 15 bux after your 2nd bottle of lighter fluid ( and the nasty taste thereafter) is gone, you automatically start spending more money than the chimney starter, which will last years BTW.

Fluid BAAAAD

Chimney GOOOOOD

That's if you are using a charcoal smoker you can use charcoal in a stickburner (i do to get it started). What do you do to control the fire in a stickburner?? Well, that'll be another blog.

Next up is the smoke. I do not recommend wood chips. they burn up too quickly to effectively get the smoke flavor out, get chunks, and depending on your smoker you can be sparing with the chunks as they'll last a lil while. In a stickburner here's hoping you'll have a bigole pile of wood to keep things goin for the length of the cook.

Chunks equal smoke

Chips equal fire

The next choice you have is in the charcoal you choose. I am a big fan of the Kingsford Bluebag. It's consistent and that is important for me. Lump charcoal is some people's fav because of how clean it is, pure wood no fillers, it often burns hotter, but in my experience it's inconsistent, from cook to cook, a learning curve, i am too lazy to overcome. But both are ok in my book, no thumbs required.

Kingsford Bluebag

Lump Charcoal

For now i'll leave you to your devices, I'll come back with some insights on each type of smoker (that i use or have used) and some of the modifications you can do to each of em to make them do what you need them to, to get that good Q.

OUT

Down Home BBQ...Sierra Vista

2012-06-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's a heck of a time for BBQ, and people are jumping on the 'Que bandwagon, and it's an up and down ride for us that enjoy it to our bones.

There are some restaurants that you can feel the soul of the place before you walk in the door. Some you can tell there is BBQ before you see the place, you can smell it in the air, you can see the faint smoke maybe. These are places that have been and will remain popular, because of what the owners and/or pitmasters put into their craft, they put their heart into it, how they feel into the 'Que. It's something special when you go to a place like this.

This story is not about one of those places unfortunately. This story is about the downward ride that I am seeing too often, where an owner sees dollar signs, because something is so popular, and they aren't in it. The quality of service, and food suffers when there is nothing but dollar signs as a passion.

The place in question... USED to be "The Sub Shop" Owned by the same people as SubStandards you remember that review right?? has put up some BBQ signs.. none of which actually say what the name of the business is now called.... just BBQ.... once inside there are two other signs... one says "Down Home BBQ" so maybe that's what we'll call it.

There is a nice smoker parked out side, with a pretty substantial pile-o-wood next to it, so my hopes were up...until I saw that the smoker is bicycle cable locked shut (to the pillar) so that means nothing fresh is coming off of it, there was not a hint of smoke in the air...hmmm.... things arent...looking that great afterall.

the "never changing" wood pile

Upon walking in I see NOTHING has changed but a menu on the wall the decor is the same as "The Subshop" had up, bummer. It's not bad decor mind you, but it's...."The Sub Shop" decor.

Now is the moment of truth, time to order the grub... ok a few steps away from the moment of truth really. i order the 2 meat one side special...i ask for sauce on the side ( 2 sauces hot and regular....hot...right)...special... doesnt even come with a drink...almost 10 bux and doesnt come with a drink so 13bux after tax. Almost right away I see them prepping my meal... on the flat top... reheating it on the flat top.. .this does not bode well.... my buddy orders a halfslab of ribs, and corn on the cob. I pick mine up noticing i dont even get a slice of white bread... nothing but meat (miserable portions at that for 10bux..)and side...and head to the table. Out of courtesy, i wait for him to get his rib order... and wait.... then wait s'more....10 min later ( after Buddy swears he hears microwave being used) he gets his ribs, and corn on the cobb....which they have no butter in sight... no butter behind the counter... no butter for corn on the cobb...

Pork and brisket portions..

NOW it's the moment of truth... As a KCBS CBJ (certified barbeque judge) i now instinctively pull on the brisket to see the tenderness of it... and boy was this stuff stretchy.... another bad sign of what's about to come... the texture really wasnt that bad...it was ALMOST there... but not quite, it was sliced SUPER thin to make up for it, not the pencil thick slices i'd like to see. There wasnt much smoke... there wasnt even much of a hint of smoke... or much other flavor in any case... onto the pork, it had the slightest amount of smoke, had a decent bark but was lacking in flavor department severely, the texture was spot on however, but dry, ( most likely because it was pulled hours before and reheated on a flattop griddle)

brisket

Onto the sauce.. which looked very familiar to something i lived on while i was in tucson LOVE(d) the stuff, but they kinda made it seem like it was their own, Then i tasted it, and BAM i was certain( i didnt ask but im 99.9% sure) it's Bill Johnson's BBQ Sauce they had original and spicy... there was no, and i mean NO spicy about it, i think ketchup is spicier. Good tasting with the meat though.. made the brisket palatable, but i dont like sauce on my brisket generally. i like the cow to speak to me when i munch down on it.

the slaw was decent, creamy and full of flavor, a lil sweet a lil savory, nothing special (of course mine is better) but not bad by any stretch.

ribs, and butterless corn

the ribs... lackluster by all standards, they were tough, they felt like the were parboiled, they also they had a strange smoke flavor... like it was ....boiled with liquid smoke in the water... not good, there were no "layers" of flavor.. it had a bland smoke like flavor, and Bill Johnson's sauce... and they were a solid half rack, which would be fine if a person had some utensils to cut them into individual ribs, but there were not, so it was kinda a PITA for to eat them, i know Utensils are bad juju in my book for BBQ, but the peices gotta be handleable (yea that's a word)

Corn on the cob... .needs some kinda butter, 'specially if it's standard run of the mill boiled corn on the cobb, (that's possibly reheated in the nuker) that turned out to be bland as well, pity...

Now my recommendation. Would I? No, they should've stuck to gyros, and leave the BBQ to someone with a passion for it, and it alone. The food is lackluster, the service is not up to par with what it should be, and what should be there to complement the 'Que is nowhere to be seen. Skip this place. you arent missing anything by not goin, except a potential long wait for reheated scrap.

OUT

WTF Arizona weather!!

2012-05-10T22:16:00.001-07:00

So there i was, driving to phoenix, wed afternoon and whammo!!! duststorm!! lamesauce

fast forward 6 min RAINSTORM..... talk about bipolar

Mother Nature is a crazy broad out here in AZ...

back to wordless wednesday

2012-03-28T20:59:00.002-07:00

I Could....

2012-03-27T21:24:00.001-07:00

I could say FML....
I could wallow in self pity...
I could look at the glass half empty...

Or I could take this on the chin, turn the cheek, learn my lesson, and move on...
I could use this opportunity to tuck smore training under my belt, not smores.... that would be sticky...gross... that reminds me, I need a new belt.

I could take up another..... new hobby...while im out...again....

Out?? of what?? you ask. My job again, just got the notice that I, and 6 other workers got the boot, or notice of the boot set for friday, thats right 4 days notice, real nice.

Once again dunno what i am gonna do, but i'll keep my head up whilst i look. i may take up some training to obtain a CDL (that's commercial driver's license) to have that under my belt for the next potential job. seems a CDL is quite desirable.

Of course the BBQ Biz is still something i'd love to launch, so i'll be working that angle too, a few weeks ago i went and obtained my food handlers permit, so that's a start.

Maybe this time off will lemme clear my head, and straighten things out, maybe it's gonna be a wake up call to what i really need to focus on in life. We'll see.

OUT

I found my way back to reading..

2012-02-26T17:04:00.001-07:00

It had been a long time since i had read a book. Now I'm not talking, i dont know how, or i havent read anything during this break from reading, just no real books, plenty of magazines, and all kinds of chats online, and BBQ information and cooking how-to's uncountable. I mean i havent sat down and read a book since high school. Probably back in 2001 or so i finished reading Battlefield Earth, and that is the last book i was interested in... i picked up a few here and there read a few chapters or halfway through.. and then set em aside, for more important things, like Cars.

That all changed last week when the dreaded (to everyone else it seems) Facebook stepped in and steered me in a different direction. One of my new fave restaurants Pizzeria Mimosa had popped something up about an author dropping an autographed book or something of the like... and my interest was piqued.

I have become a huge supporter of the local. Local produce, local art, local food (restaurants) and the like. So when i ~~heard~~ read that he was a local author, i googled him. When i found out he was a Bram Stoker award winner many times over, i got real interested! A local guy that is actually good, not the typical type cheesy western cowboy type writing i have been around my whole life. Thank goodness he broke the local mold.

Enter Blood Ocean the book that got me back into books. From the google search i turned up a preview that gave me the first few chapters free to read, and left me wanting. Blood Ocean is part of The Afterblight Chronicles which (i havent read any of the others yet) are a collection of graphic novels with different authors under Abaddon Books. The basic gist of the apocalyptic series is that a plague (no not the zombie plague) wiped out folks without type O-neg blood. (im O-pos dead i'd be) The chaos that ensues over the next few decades is what these books are about.

Blood Ocean Abaddon Books

Blood Ocean is written fantastically and imaginatively by Weston Ochese (sounds like oaks). Check his own website to learn more about him. WWW.WESTONOCHSE.COM.

Blood Ocean is set on a floating island of a thousand moored together ships around a central Freedom Ship. With the mishmash of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Mexican, Hawaiian, North American and Korean cultures, each has their responsibilities to survive, and have even set themselves apart with their very own tasks that they have come to be known for. The Water Dogs control the water, what is below the ships is theirs, no questions, and the Pali Boys own the skys swinging from ship to ship between masts, and nets set up to catch birds. Los Tiburones are the drug dealers of the ship, seems with an apocalypse, bad habits dont die people need their fix. There are many more interlocked characters but non more critical than the Corpers and the Boxers that do their bidding. Corpers are Japanese scientist types trying to find a cure for the Minimata disease that plagues the floating city, and the Boxers get the subjects for the Corpers to do the testing on, wether they like it or not...are they testing for the good of the people... or something much worse??

In the book we follow Kavika, a Pali Boy through an extreme learning curve to a harsh reality that is life. Things that he'd known to be true will be shattered, replaced with a much more grim existence. Like finding the truth to the horrible experiments that some of the people of the city suffered. You will follow him in a very fast transition from a boy to a man, as he will test himself, and his friends to their limits, finding out where that line that cannot be crossed lies, and feeling the emptiness that death brings to a person's soul. There are the good guys and bad guys like every story must have, but there are so many more in Blood Ocean. Relationships that are far more complex than first meet the eye, intertwined in an almost confusing at times, but in the end it crashes together in an explosion that makes sense.

Blood Ocean is an incredible, and fast paced imaginative story, that will keep you reading long past your bedtime.

OUT

...must be something in the air...

2012-02-24T18:52:00.002-07:00

Dear family and friends, and readers of all ages,

some bad news for me at work, (AGAIN!!!!) seems that the money has run out (AGAIN!!!) for my project, and the layoffs are comin, there are 6 of us on the chopping block... (LEAVING ONLY 3) . so unless something super drastic happens, as of the end of March i will be outta a job.... again...

and just like last time we were lookin for a house, and i got laid off.. so maybe i'll just stop lookin to get a place of our own. then might be able to keep a job.

so if it's your thing send one up for crystal and i , if not think about us, as i dunno what im gonna do.... dunno what we're gonna do but hope something pops up between now and then, well see He'll provide no matter what happens however, that i have faith in.

There is the BBQ venture i want to start...(STILL). (but need money to start a venture.... ) but i think it's put on hold....due to craptastic circumstances that come with losing ones job.

i'll keep yall updated as much as i can... when i feel up to it...

thanks for being there,

Bubba Stew

Bubba Stew's BBQ Chili

2012-02-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hey Yall, it's been a minit since ya heard from me, but im still here live and kickin, was a busy buncha weekends goin racin and whatnot, you can check that out on youtube here

YOUTUBE.COM/MMMGTO

back to the food.

Basically... i was semi voluntold that i'd be makin chili for the church shindig this weekend so what a better way to knock out a few to do's,

(vv dont wanna hear bout the badwords... that's what it's called vv)

Review Bigmista's Bitchin' Beef Rub
BBQ ( gotta get that in, it's my fave!!)
learn temp control on the 22.5" Weber

so here's what i WANTED to do.. i was gonna go for a tritip (again) or two, ( cuz they are awesome) but

the walmart was out ( AGAIN)
the fry's price DOUBLED from last week...

so sirloin roast it was.. about a 3lbr, is the size i chose

Then i butterflied it so that it wouldnt take as long, AND i could double...ish the surface area that the rub would cover.

then i rubbed my meat long and hard with Bigmista's rub,and let it set while the fire got hot.

Next... actually not next, but i missed the pics of starting the base, which was some onions, sweated out in some olive oil, then to that i added 2 cans of tomater paste, and 2 cans of stewed/diced maters. along with an ish ton of NewMexico RedChile powder, and Cumin. Once that was goin, I got started on the peppers, which i threw in a bowl, covered with some canola oil and tossed to coat each one liberally (ehhhh shudder....) with oil. then onto the gasser they went to do their magic. Roasted peppers takes any meal to the next level, and they are soooooo easy to do, just throw em on the fire, let the skins blister up then throw em in a bowl (covered) after and let set for 20 or so min and let em steam and release their skin even more, then they peel right off, and give you awesomeness, nekkid awesomeness.

this is what peppers looked like after their steam session

While all that peppery goodness was goin down i also threw on the meat set up indirect, at about 230 deg. Same way i do TriTip. also i coated that garlic clove you saw earlier in oil and threw it on the smoke to give it some flavor that i can use later even!!

Now onto that first bullet! BigMista's Bitchin' Beef Rub, takes beef to the next level. I havent confirmed it with him, but it's got a slambit of lemon in it that really works well with beef, Think back (i dunno if it happened to you but it did me) when your gramma made you up some burgers and LOADED it with lemonpepper, that's what this has but with a mix of other spices and seasonings that balance it out. It's a coarse grained rub, and i think it would play well to being used in the tri level rub way i do things.

I havent tried it out on burgers yet, but on STRONG cuts of beef ( tritip, and this sirloin roast) it plays well against the beef and smoke. Not covering the beef flavor, or the smoke flavor, but it's the glue that holds the two together. Check out Bigmista at www.bigmista.com follow him on twitter @bigmistasbbq, and go check out his Youtube channel at youtube.com/bigmista63

After it was cooked to a MedRare..ish temp of 145 i took it out and rested it... then chopped it up, threw it in the chili base. That then i added the beans to, and i am not predjudice, i use all colors of beans, i've got black beans, ive got brown pinto beans, i've got red beans, and even white beans from the north, i like beans. they are a magical fruit... did you know that?? yeah the more you eat the more you toot...then you feel better the more you do that.... so you should always eat beans.... But i digress, that all went together, then i jammed the whole pot in the oven @200 deg (make sure that your pot doesnt have plastic handles or anything... make sure it's oven safe) then i went to bed.

Here's the final goodness!!!

This turned out to be one of my top 10 chili's that ive ever made, with the addition of the BBQ meat, and Bigmista's Rub, also i threw in a couple dozen green olives into the mix. I love Chili!!!

Thanks for stopping by, dont forget to stop by my youtube channel, or even follow me on twitter @bubbastewbbq

OUT

Bubba Stew's BBQ Chicken-n-Tater Soup

2012-01-29T20:46:00.004-07:00

Twern't no pictures taken so if'n ya cant read, call in your best storyteller and sit a spell.

Needed a soup for for the church business meeting. Here's what i did.

First i started with some chicken broth ( about half gal) from another cook a while ago that involved boiled chicken... to that i added half an onion, chopped, and half a bag of baby carrots chopped up a lil bit. We had one of them rotisserie chickens from the grocery sto, so the carcass from that went in to give it smore chicken flavor.

That all cooked up for a good long while with some coarse ground pepper, sea salt, granulated garlic at a low boil. I then strained out all the chunks.

Next i finished seperating the good chunks of meat from the bone and put them back into the strained chicken juice along with the UNCOOKED half onion, and the rest of the UNCOOKED bag of carrots, both chopped.

then i prepped the chicken up, with a simple brine half n half sugar and kosher salt in enough water to cover the new chicken ( about 5 chicken breasts) let that set for a few hours, you could let it go over night, but this is all i had.

Now about an hour or so maybe two... i like to get the potatoes in the mix, this thickens the soup a bit too as they cook and let out their starches, simply peel, and chunk them up into manageable sizes and you are golden.

The chicken goes on the (for me) Weber 22.5" kettle, with about 3/4 full chimney of coals, with a good amount of wood, i wanted a nice HOT smoke on this one, i didnt even temp the fire, just let it get hot, and cook indirect. The wood was a mix of a few different woods, Hickory, California Pepper tree, and a lil bit of apple. The apple went in the chimney of coals the CPT went on the coal grate, (under the coals when dumped out) and the hickory went on top.

As the fire heats up, it's time to get the chix ready for the fire. First ya gotta rinse off the brine, dont need any extra stuff cept the rub that you may choose. that done, pat the birdboobies dry, and install the rub, today it was simply OLD BAY RUB, which is old bay seasoning's foray into the rub world, seems to have a lil more brown sugar than the regular OLD BAY SEASONING. the stuff is good, it works! i actually use it in the Turkey brine recipe that i used a few times this winter.

With the fire ready and the soup almost at a boil again, it's time to get the chicken on, across from the fire, as to cook indirectly, it cooks till it's done.

Chopped up the chicken after it finished, and throw it in the soup, let it cook a lil bit longer, and BAM!! Done, Eat it up!!

It went well with the corn bread Crystal made, and we only brought back 1/3 of it from church, so they musta liked it a lil bit. With that, i'll let ya get to bed, or get cookin, or whatever it is you might do after.

OUT

BubbaStew's BBQ Chickn Wangs

2012-01-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

BubbaStew's BBQ Chickn Wangs

bag o drummets
your fave hot sauce
bouta stick o butter
Patio Daddio's ultimate Turkey brine < < < check out that link GOOOOD STUFF
brown and white ( or natural) sugars

litta bitta orange juice

FIRST!!! ya gotta soak the bird wangs in the brine over night if ya can you might not need to... but i do, that's why i used the electrons to tell ya about it. rinse em off , dry em off (important!!) and coat em in a lil bitta oil, canola oil is what i chose. this will help crisp the skin a bit. do all this afore ya throw em on the weber which should be set up indirect ready to cook bout 350ISH... it's bbq... not the over will NOT be exact, and doesnt need to be.

They went on at 9 and by 930 they

were at 170, time to asauce em up!!

For that i went with roughly a stick of butter UNSALTED a bottle yep the whole thing of the roasted garlic Lousiana pictured, then added a spoon of "natural" sugar, and a spoon of brown sugar, then added a shot of orange juice... let it do it's thing right quick, then added a tsp of flour... then more... and a lil more after that to get it to thicken like i wanted it. let it come to a boil and again let it do it's thang til i had somethin else to do.

sauced wangs, nothing special here toss in the sauce...

BUT then!! i wanted to try for a lil crunch.. so i sprankled some flour on the wangs, and tossed again to thicken it smore...
then back out on the Weber. let em cook fer bout 10 min i reckon, then i tossed again in the sauce, and boy these things smell good!!

these things are nice, they are not that punch in the face spicy that some wings turn out to be, thanks to the sugar added, but rather they'll judo chop you in the throat "lightly". So you still get to taste all the flavor of the chicken, and the complexity of the brine and of course the heat-n-sweet of the wang sauce, with a nice undertone of hickory smokey goodness.

Do yourself a favor, next time you are lookin for wangs skip the premade junk and make your own junk, it might not be better for you, but it'll taste better, i guarantee!

OUT

I've changed my mind...i can do that, it's mine to change

2011-12-30T23:57:00.002-07:00

Sun setting behind the Mimosa

In the last post, i mentioned Grimaldi's as my fave pizza ever....scratch that....like this...~~.fave pizza ever Grimaldi's~~ ....instead of Grimaldi's being my fave, a new local place just opened up. It's been a long time since i mentioned it... PIZZERIA MIMOSA is finally opened, and it is a breath of fresh air, culinarily speaking of course. Fresh, Authentic Neapolitan Pizza, just what this lil town of ours needed, and very welcomed by me and mine.

This story really starts Thursday night, opening night. Now i am one that believes that no matter what.... ya just dont go to a new place on it's first night.... there are bound to be hiccups, but with PM, i felt something different, i wanted to be there opening night, BUT

I wasnt disappointed that i couldnt get a pizza first time out, a lil snafu with a dough shortage (because of a HUGE takeout, and in restaurant demand) led me on to the Gnocchi, which had a fabulous texture, and an extraordinary Gorgonzola cream sauce, as if that wasn't good enough, there's smoked proscuitto and roasted mushrooms, and a bit of arugula.

That came after the salad i got which was simply called a P.L.T. (Pancetta Lettuce Tomato) Using a nice Butter Leaf lettuce, and exceptional croutons... and by exceptional i mean they werent so stinkin hard that they slice your gums to shreds when you eat them, and they werent so soft that they were like bread... these are gooood croutons. < this guy talks a lot about croutons < hey... i like croutons..

Vanilla Gelato

Panna Cotta

Dessert time was next and (again) after a hugely busy night all that was left were two desserts... the Vanilla Gelato, and the Panna Cotta the table chose both, and both were excellent. The Panna Cotta which is a cooked cream dessert with a fresh berry/syrup topping, complemented the dinner nicely, and the berries and cream were delicious together. The vanilla gelato, was superb, smooth and creamy, a great way to finish off a great meal.

A great first night for me was made even better with great service by our waitress Katie..( hope i spelled your name right if you read this < lemme know if i didnt > ) and the ever helpful busboy Nelson!

Great First Night Pizzeria Mimosa

Pizzeria Mimosa Entrance

Now that you are caught up from yesterday lets take a trip inside Pizzera Mimosa. There is a small ...i'd call it a wine shop.... google translate tells me that's ENOTECA in ole Italia. Here there is a fine ( im guessing i dont partake in the alcoholic drink action) selection of italian wines, and spirits, as well as imported pastas and even the flour that they make the pizzas with! Gordon runs this side of the house and was very informative with any questions i had.

Gordon in his domain.

The "wine shop" as I call it....or Enoteca, as it is referred to in ole Italia.

Tonight pizza was on my radar. I was in it to win it, and boy did i ever. I start my new pizza quest with the simplest pizza on the menu at any pizza place. Here it is the Margherita pizza. Which was named for queen Margherita of Italy back in the day served to her in resemblance of the Italian flag, with it's simple Tomato, Sliced Mozzarella, and basil.

Margherita Pizza

mmmmmpizza!

enjoying her pizza Jené dislikes photos...

While i went the simple route Sister Jene got the Eliseo and thoroughly enjoyed it. everyone else got a Margherita with pepperoni and leftovers were scarce. So after cleaning our plates we decided to get dessert since the table next to us twisted our arms into it.... by simply ordering it.... what is it... IT is Pizzeria Mimosa's Nutella Pizza.... there was no time to get a photo of the awesome power of this dessert but imagine a pizza crust covered in nutella, a scoop of vanilla gelato with a dusting of cocoa powder, and sliced almonds... there was 6 of us... that's how many you need for this dessert pizza...dont get it for yourself... that's just fat... share it fatty, the goodness that is the nutella pizza!

I'll leave you tonight with this....i dont know for sure... but i think that this is the only place in town that you'll see this. This is the only place in town that you will get a wood fired pizza made in the traditional way, in this beautiful of a setting. I cannot wait til the spring time and summer as the days get longer sitting outside on the back porch soaking in the gorgeous Huachuca Mountain views that make Pizzeria Mimosa's location so spectacular. I can only imagine that over the next few months that the pizzas will get THAT much better as the oven seasons in with the thousands of pizzas that should flow in and out it's fiery mouth. As the cook staff get the swing of each other and the demand that we will place on them it will get even better. Next time you are craving a pizza, do yourself a favor... skip pizza hut, drive past peter piper, and get out to hereford ( really it's only like 10 min drive) and see what quality tastes like.

I suppose that i should point you in a direction to travel in order to get yourself some of this goodness!! so here you go!

520 378 0022

Pizzeria Mimosa

4755 E. Neapolitan Way, Hereford, AZ

View Larger Map

OUT

Our aniversary, and our culinary adventures

2011-12-19T17:37:00.004-07:00

This weekend was our 7th wedding anniversary, so we headed to the BIG city, Scottsdale. Why Scottsdale?? why not i say... i mean it is close to enemy territory that is the Sun Devils turf, but we'd be fine not sporting any UA colors, and we were. Really though it's our lil get away, we both enjoy getting out of town, and i LOVE visiting big cities. Their architecture, the mix of new and old that old town centers often bring ( in newer big cities). The whole of the Phoenix area has an awesome concept of outdoor malls goin that i think are top notch. That's why we go, a big part is the shopping, finishing up christmas shopping and whatnot, it's a good time for us both.

This time i wanted to try a new restaurant each time we went out. To steer clear of the Chili's and applebees, Mcdonalds and Burger Kings....and we did. for me it was all good... for her.... hit and miss...

Corn Bread from Bandera....

( obtained against the rules as cell phones arent allowed)

We started our journey at Bandera which has some awesome cornbread, with a loverly ( yes i meant to type loverly) southwest zing in it with peppers mixed in, and an awesome sweet crust on top, served in a cast iron pan that it was baked in... get that when you go... and you will go ( my jedi powers are making you want to go right now) Crystal..... hated it.... she then picked the simplest thing on the menu so that it wouldnt offend her.....plain palate... but it did anyways... a chicken ceasar salad....was too... mayonaisey.. (to her i had same salad w/o chicken with my tritip) i thought it was fantastic, and fresh. On to my Tritip... i've only had it a few times... it's not huge out here like it is over there on the left coast... but oh man do i wish it was... It was juicy and flavorful....and meaty! just the way i like my...meat. we also tried the banana cream pie, it was pleasantly fresh with a nice mix of crunch and squishy puddingy feel. I plan to be back at some point...Crystal... not so much.

EXPENSIVE!!!!

Next day...when was it....Saturday ^^^^that was friday^^^^ lunch time we hit up BRIO which seemed to us to be a nice mix of what would happen if Olive Garden, and Cheesecake Factory decided to hookup, and get knocked up.
It was good, nothing hugely impressive, but i had a nice lobster bisque. and crystal partook of their lasagna, which she hugely enjoyed better than olive garden's offerings.

Less Expensive than lastnight!

Grimaldi's Coal Fired (Brick Oven) Pizza

Best pizza i've had EVER

On the way to Bandera on friday... we passed something that i could not pass up... crystal saw Grimaldi's... i saw COAL FIRED PIZZA!!!! i love brickoven pizza!! so this was set in stone to be dinner for saturday night...and boy was it fantastic. Coal... you know the stuff that they use to power steam locomotives, and give much of the country electricity, also cooks a mean pizza!! They offer one style... NY Thincrust. we had pepperoni on half and just cheese on the other. they use nice ...( i call whole) mozz, that is sliced rounds, instead of shredded mozz. which i think gives it a nice texture, and flavor, with the cheese overpowering the sauce, and dough. Their sauce, was pleasantly sweet, but not so that sweetness is all that is there, it was just enough to tone down the acidity of the maters, with a nice season blend touching all the notes on my tongue.

Cheapest Meal of the Trip!!

That's it for the good stuff in Scottsdale... the next mornin we went for a goodole redneck breakfast at cracker barrel... nuff said there... and a friend thought he'd offer me some advice stating that i didnt need this many plates at and one meal....

... but if they'd just use bigger effin plates.... then there would be no dilemma...im just sayin... crystal had to get her game in.... she's BOSS at this game!

We ended our weekend in Tucson, and from the advice of another friend we tried Culvers

Which...again...we in AZ have been sooo sheltered from these outer worldly burger joints. First In-n-Out invaded from california ( thank goodness!!!) and now this place comes storming in from the midwest!! It's about time!!! that's all i've gotta say bout that... It's about time!! Frozen custard... awesome stuff, Butter-Burgers.... the beezneez!!

for tonight i will leave you in your puddle of drool, to think about what i did this weekend, hope that your's was as memorable as mine.

OUT

Turkey Brine

2011-11-23T21:34:00.001-07:00

Hey Yall, Bubba here

I know i know it's a bit late for a heads up yall should have already done this, but maybe you can use this goodness for Christmas dinner... eh well here goes..

In my quest for extreme BBQ goodness i wanted to smoke turkey for TG ( that's thanksgiving yall) but knowing the physics of the this and that of the physical nature of smoke and fire, heat and air movement. The need for a brine is top of the list on top of need for high heat for crispy goodness on the skin level.

I turned to one of the BBQ Buddies from the Brethren PatioDaddio aka John Dawson, and his Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey Brine. I recommend checking it out, and using his recipe.

I followed it to the Tee, then twisted it ( for AZ at the end).

First of all ya gotta let the bird defrost. ya dont want no chunks blockin where flavor can git in, then ya make sure to get the neck and giblets outta there, them's good eatin after ya boil em up, i like the hearts and gizzards myself.

head over to your local grocery store, or walmart, dairy queen or bakery someplace that does large amounts of food stuff in large buckets, them's food safe, not a good idear to use that orange homedepot bucket...no good...

warsh it out, then throw a capfulla bleach with a bucket of water to kill off all the lil baddies!!

buckets DONE!!

next up is the brine finally, John's list is here (with my thoughtful changes in bold)

Ingredients
1 1/2 gal Ice water (lots of ice)
1/2 gal Hot tap water ( bout 1/3 of my big pot is what i did)
2 cups Dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups Kosher salt
1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning (available in most grocery stores) ( i goofed and got Old Bay Seasoning Rub had a bit of extra brown sugar)
1 tsp Chinese five spice (Asian section of most grocery stores -- I like the Sun Luck brand)
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 oranges
Extra ice as needed
( about 1TBSP Chipotle Powder)

See i didnt change much i just didnt try to measure out the water, then i had to add a bit of spice to the mix, this is Arizona after all.

Now here's what ya do with all that stuff.
Simply heat up the water in the pot to a boil, then stir in all the dry stuff, til the sugar and salt are mostly dissolved, and ready yourself for some good smells in your nostrils!! Squeeze your lemons and oranges into the mix. Then i added the ice straight to the pot and let it get cold while i plopped the turkey into the clean bucket. then pour the mixture into the bucket with the turkey, and get all the good stuff in there, add a bit of water to the pan and swish it around to get the stuff in there. Top with smore ice, and make sure that bird is covered good!

I did this with both turkeys, then i put them in my cooler, to soak for the night. You really want to be careful here, and keep that bird cold, below 41 i like even colder so i put ice around the buckets in the cooler as well. Dont need anyone food poisoned.

the next day these birds hit the smoker to get good! Rub the skin down with some canola oil and Cook em about 350 ish for nice n crispy skin and they should cook ( depending on your bird) in 5-7 hours. Here's where things got sketchy for me, I had to make an emergency BIL save in Yuma, AZ about an hour after these birds hit the smoke, so the timing wasnt exact and neither was the temp. but i'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Overall i can say that this WILL be my Brine of choice at least the base brine from which i modify for individual tastes. I could have added more Chipotle powder, but the flavor was fantastic, i added no additional salt or pepper, and the leftovers were simply awesome, i've never had leftovers that were as good as this turkey was.

OUT

WW

2011-11-23T20:56:00.001-07:00

im bummed...yeah again

2011-11-19T22:17:00.001-07:00

This time it's nothing to do with work or other such drama in my life ( that's still there no doubt). Rather i tried to go and put together another movie... and Wham i was blindsided with my editing program has been deleted... imovie is gone! so now i've gotta come up with another way of editing... that's my bummer...

There might be a round about way for me to get FCP but have gotta look into that, i'll leave that for another day though...

OUT

wordless wednesday!

2011-11-16T19:08:00.001-07:00

2011-11-11T20:44:00.001-07:00

All of my BBQ buddies have inspired me in someway or another. Some cases it's their realization of the American Dream by goin' into the Que biz, ( like i wanna), and other's it's their unique ability to ALWAYS cook up great grub...(except tofu) some of em even just rub (seemingly) everyone the wrong way, but in that raw almost vulgar way i get what he's putting down, i dig what he's shoveling. so here's a thanks to my BBQ inspirers without further ado, my take on Porkbutt!! OUT

wordless Blackgun mod

2011-11-09T19:31:00.002-07:00

Right,

so here i am, thinking that i am missing out on something. nothing huge, nothing uber important, but it's missing.

I used to have "what's cookin' wednesdays" that got to be tough with family schedules and the like, but i can do this "wordless wednesday" thing that is, ( and has been doin for a while now) so after this lil blurb it will be wordless... except for the signature OUT.... so just let that slide will ya?!

OUT

Pork Tenderloin: My Way

2011-10-23T14:03:00.002-07:00

Today is Sunday... which is generally set for goin out to lunch after church, but comma today i didnt wanna go out... i wanted somethin different

so my thought was pork tenderloin, my way!

started with a just under 5 lb tenderloin. and veggies and herbs outta my garden ( i love that thing!!)

Put some of the herbs, oregano, basil and parsley with some olive oil in the bottom of a aluminum pan then deveined, and seeded a single jalepeno. then diced it teeny tiny to spread the spicy love

then did the same with green bell peppers, sliced them thin and dropped them in pan, next player on deck is my friend garlic.

Peeled, and squashed about 5 cloves of garlic, then laid out on the meat where i wanted em, made garlic sized slits in the meat and pushed em in trying to center the garlic, in the meat.

After a light seasoning with a lil season salt, course pepper, italian seasoning ( grinder) and just a lil more course sea salt, on top of the bed of greens stuff the t-loin went with smore of my fresh herbs on top.into the fridge over night then the morning came. it was time to start the fire, this is where i get serious.

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER use lighter fluid...for your charcoal needs... i mean really in the long run, a chimney starter will #1 save you money #2 NOT MAKE YOUR FOOD TASTE LIKE CRAP!!!!! go buy one instead of the 6 dollar bottle of lighter fluid... i mean really c'mon...

anyways now that Mr. Rant is done, simply take paper towel and soak with veggie oil, ( or you can just use a decent amount of newspaper, and stick it under the chimney.

Then simply light, and come back in the same amount of time it would take for your precious lighter fluid to "burn" off.... seriously dude... GET A CHIMNEY!!!! 9AM i threw the pork on UNCOVERED for the first hour @ 250deg (for now) then the cover went on, but not before my extra bit of love in the form of the contents of a full can of coke.

After returning from church @ 12...ish ( so if you are keeping track that's 3 hours) off comes the pork, the temp was at 200 ish, OMG you say, pork tenderloin is ruined at that temp... from what i had read i hesitated thinking this might be... but zero stress level, i knew what to do.

As the foil came off, i was greeted to a steamy love scene of porky goodness in a bath of sweet savory coca-cola and other porky juice. i removed it from the bath and put it in a robe of aluminum foil and wrapped in a towel to rest, while i fixed the rest of the meal. Starting with fried corn, which is simply chopped bacon, in a frying pan til it's crispy, then put the frozen corn in to do it's thing, S&P to taste. The juices from the roast simply went into a pot to simmer down a bit, adding a bit of cornstarch to thicken it up a bit for a nice sauce.

there were mashed taters too, but if you dunno how to make mashed taters... i cant help you... you'll need a professional.

OUT

PPPPPHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEWWWWWW

2011-10-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

That was a long weekend, busy weekend, mind screwing, rewarding weekend. ( that's alotta emotions for one weekend!!)

This was the ~~inaug~~...first weekend for BubbaStew BBQ to do aything, and it was... AWESOME.

Friday i had a cook for the teachers at the First Baptist Church Christian Academy. Brisket, porkbutt, coleslaw, Bubba's BBQ Beans, and Bubba's twist on cornbread. and from the look of the leftovers, they all loved it!

lesson learned here however was that starting earlier than needed, is indeed a good plan of action. i started at 8 pm, the shindig was to kick off at noon.... almost didnt make time because the meat just didnt not want to come up to temp.. but all was good in the end...

Rule#1: START EARLY!!!

Next up of the two gigs for Sunday was my ma's shindig. Brisket, porkbutt, and a couple chickens. I learned from the last cook ( thur/fri) to start early. Rule 1 was in effect, shindig was at noon, so i decided to get the meat on at 2 pm. Off I went meat on, on time.

Everything came out top notch with ma's cook, spatchcocked the chicken ( i cut out the spine, and remove the ribs so that the chicken lays flat on the grate, cooks even and quickly, and i think it looks cool when served this way)

Rule #2: Foil is your friend, not a crutch

The Final chapter in the story is the Church's shindig for 160+ people at the park. 3 big briskets, 4 decent porkbutts, and 25 lbs of chicken both white and dark meat. Again following R1 ( that's rule 1 from here on out in The Bubba Chronicles) i started early, the shindig was to start at 4pm, so i thought 5 pm would be a good time to get the meat on and it was so. The smokers filled to the brink with ma's shindig meat and the church's meat, they smoked along beautifully, i went to bed at 12, and thinking i'd need to check on it i set the alarm for 4pm... checked it all, and all was well, shoulda stayed sleepin!!

Made it to the park ( after scrambling around for all my serving supplies) and served up the 'Que ( to my AZ readers when bubba says Que, that isnt "que" as in the spanish "what" it is barbe'QUE) and hardly any leftovers, chicken was left over that's it.

Rule #3: Organization is CRITICAL!!!
i really need to work on a system for this, and an easy transport solution for it.

All in all this was a very very rewarding weekend. I hope to get a call soon, so i can do it again!!!

OUT

2011-10-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

it's been a minit, since i updated you on life, so i wont bother, that's a long story, but howwa bout the weekend, it's only saturday right but that's ok. what've i been doin ( quit thinkin that what've isnt a word and catch up) i've been BBQin like a mutha!!!

Thursday brisket and pulled pork went on for a lunch at The Academy. then in the morning had to cook up cornbread, beans coleslaw and chicken... farkin chicken.... but everything went off, and food got scarfed!! happy customers, happy me!!!

then a "day off" after the drop off on friday, crys an i headed up to sign up at sams club, so i can get meat!! yyyuuuummmm mmmmeat! then we continued shopping blahdy blahdy blahdy. dinner at in and out good finish to the day..... when we got back to SV...

then we get to today where i again started prepping meat, albeit MUCH MUCH earlier than thurs... due to technical difficulties that i learned on fri morn, i decided to start earlier to reduce headache.

so im cookin, watchin the news, and with these smokers, i'll be able to sleep which i'll appreciate very greatly!! i like sleep!!

OUT