Nothing says summer more than firing up your smoker, sitting in the sun and drinking some beer. Last sunday it was 65 degrees and sunny so I decided that I wanted to make some pulled pork. I went to the butcher and of course, he was on vacation. So I had to choose from the [...]
Archive for April, 2009
April 16th, 2009
Pulled Pork
Posted in BBQ, Cooking, Picnic Classics, pulled pork 
Tags: Add new tag, Barbecue, BBQ, Cooking, Food, Grilling, howto, meat, Pork, pork butt, pulled pork, smoke ring, smoker 
2 Comments »April 15th, 2009
Foodie Fights
I was selected to be one of six food bloggers to compete in the first ever foodie fight. The mission: use two ingredients that are selected and create a single perfect dish. The dish can be an appetizer, entrée, dessert or tasting, but it can only be one course. The ingredients for this foodie fight are Potatoes and [...]
April 15th, 2009
Review: Home Sausage Making
Every wednesday I review a cookbook to help weed out the good the bad and the ugly. This week I am reviewing Home Sausage Making. I have been addicted to everything about making homemade sausages since I took a sausage making class at sur la table in March. In the quest for more knowledge I have been grabbing [...]
April 14th, 2009
Cowboy Baked Beans
As you can see I am prepping this week for barbecue. Yesterday was some awesome potato salad. Today we are making cowboy baked beans. I wanted to make beans from scratch. Just a word of warning. Making beans from scratch takes longer than barbecueing a whole hog. The end result, was totally worth it. And [...]
April 13th, 2009
Creamy Potato Salad
The perfect side dish for barbecue, sandwiches, pork, or any picnic is Potato Salad. My Grandma Dot has a great recipe for potato salad. So, I called up my Mom this weekend for the recipe and instructions for Grandma’s perfectly creamy potato salad. The perfect potato salad takes at least 6 hours to make. So if you are [...]
Posted in Cooking, Picnic Classics, Potatoes, Recipes, Vegetables Tags: Barbecue, BBQ, creamy, Food, Grilling, picnic, potato salad, Potatoes, Recipes 3 Comments »April 12th, 2009
The Blue Box Revisited – Spicy Mac n Cheese
If you are like me, no matter how much you cook, you always have a box of Mac n Cheese in the pantry. As much as I want to hate the stuff it is good. So, I have worked to spice it up in more than one way. Honestly, it is not much, but it [...]
Posted in Clear out the Pantry, Cooking, Pasta, Recipes, Spicy Tags: Clear out the Pantry, Cooking, jalapeno, mac n cheese, peppers, photos, Recipes, Spicy, tomato 2 Comments »April 10th, 2009
Sunday “Easter” Brunch
With the upcoming holiday weekend I wanted to post about what to do this weekend in Washington, DC. But after realizing that it is Easter weekend, there is only one thing came to mind. Sunday Brunch!!! and… Mimosas. Sunday Brunch is a ritual for a lot of people, but where to go is always a [...]
Posted in Cooking, Restaurants Reviews Tags: alexandria, arlington, benedict, bloody mary, brunch, buffet, easter, eggs, maryland, mimosa, reservations, restaurants, Restaurants Reviews, sunday, virginia, Washington DC No Comments »April 9th, 2009
Jalapeno Cheddar Bratwurst
A couple of weeks ago I ran into Nick from Macheesmo, and we started to talk about sausage making. I then invited him over to help make some Jalapeno Cheddar Bratwurst. This was key as it really requires two people to make sausage. Not just two people though, two people that really like to cook. [...]
Posted in Helpful Hints, Recipes, Sausage Making, Sausages Tags: BBQ, casings, cheddar, Grilling, jalapeno, Pork, Sausages, Veal 8 Comments »April 8th, 2009
Review: Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue
I picked up this book last year and it is the best barbecue reference that I have found. Paul Kirk is the Baron of Barbecue and it shows. I have personally used his brining methods for pork butt and every pork butt since has been perfect. I have also tried his rubs, slathers and mops. [...]
April 7th, 2009
Hot Dog Buns
I have been looking for a good recipe for soft hot dog buns. After looking around on the internet I found one at allrecipes.com that looked promising. As you can see the buns come out nice and golden brown.
April 6th, 2009
Baked Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Ragù
Yesterday I wrote about a basic baked potato. The baked potato is a versatile canvas that melds well with many toppings. For instance, bacon and cheese. Mmm. I really like bacon. I just found the March issue of Food & Wine and it included this exceptional recipe for Baked Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Ragù. Just seeing [...]
Posted in Cooking, Mushrooms, Potatoes, Recipes, Vegetables Tags: mushroom, photos, Potatoes, Recipes, wild mushroom 1 Comment »April 5th, 2009
Basics: Baked Potatoes
When I was 18, I got a job bartending at the Nickerson Inn in Pentwater Michigan. It was a great place. Great food and a relaxed atmosphere that is missing from modern restaurants. If you had the opportunity to eat and/or stay there before it burned down in 2007, well you were lucky. Along with being [...]
April 4th, 2009
How and where to get good meat for BBQ and Sausage Making
When I started BBQ’n and making sausage I had no idea where to find good meat. I started by going to the Safeway grocery store by my house and picked up prepackaged Pork Butts and Briskets. Then I went to a specialty butcher which cost two to three times as much. I decided to call the butcher [...]
