Barbecue
Tue Mar 29, 2011
Grillin' on the Bay 2011
I'm a creature of habit, often finding it hard to crawl outside of my comfort zone. Ever since getting what I consider to be pretty damn good at making barbecue, I've been unable to bring that skill outside of the safety of my backyard. Even with Grillin' on the Bay, New York City's only professional barbecue contest, so close in comparison to most other competitions, entering it has been something I've always convinced myself to dismiss. Although I still didn't enter this year, I finally got off my ass and made the long trek from Astoria to Sheepshead Bay to see what Grillin' on the Bay and competition barbecue is all about. At the end of a day filled with great eats and even greater people, my problem is less that I'm afraid to compete, but more that I'm dangerously close to taking the leap from reserved cooker to full-on competitor with vigor.
Thu Mar 10, 2011
Five-Spice Short Ribs
It only takes a couple days of the mercury hitting above 50 to get me in a Meatwave state of mind—I'm already making lists of all that I want to accomplish this summer. Most are things I've failed to do, or failed at doing, in previous summers. Big on my list is to tackle more smoked beef. A brisket or two will be thrown in there, but I'm looking at expanding my bovine barbecue into the realm of beef ribs, short ribs, and tri-tip. This reminded me of one of those somewhat flawed experiences a few years back, when I tried my hand at short ribs done with a Chinese five-spice rub and a hoisin barbecue sauce.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Wed Feb 16, 2011
Dressing Barbecue, South Carolina Style
Barbecue sauce can define the landscape of this great nation. Large swaths of the country hold close their sauce traditions, even if they vary county-by-county and block-by-block. Through my sauce tastings, I'm finding these be both incredibly nuanced and profound—although barbecue sauce tastes like barbecue sauce, it's amazing just how much a little extra vinegar here or a little less sugar there can do to a sauce. Despite all the similarities, there's no sauce that stands apart, pumping its chest with uniqueness, than what the people of central South Carolina call their own—mustard sauce.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Wed Dec 15, 2010
Ham I Am
Last week I was exalting my ability to relish in sweet Christmas swine. Now a stuffed, glazed pork loin is pretty awesome, but there is nothing, nothing, that can hold a candle to a holiday ham. If there was one thing that made me resent keeping kosher more than anything else, it most certainly ham. Smoked, glazed, cured...there has never been a ham I haven't fallen madly in love with. Out of them all, it's the sweet Christmas time variety that holds the most special place in my heart. That flavorful pink meat with sugary, crunchy edges made we swoon as a kid, and still holds as strong a grip on me to this day.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Wed Nov 10, 2010
The Turkey Soars
I always found the choice of turkey as a holiday centerpiece just a tad bit off. Sure it's big and impressive, but it's also all to often dry and flavorless. Why not a nice sweet ham or mouthwatering side of roast beef instead—something that better captures the richness of utter indulgence that makes the holiday season so sinfully superb. I just didn't get it at all, that was, until I discovered the ultimate joy of turkey, created when bird is brined introduced to smoke resulting in masterpiece for the eyes and the belly.
