Trying to explain how dry your wood is by writing about it is kinda like telling someone how to ride a bicycle…it’s better to show than tell, so here is a video we just made to show our most recent addition to our inventory. This wood is available while supplies last.
Always keep your words soft and sweet…you never know when you will have to eat them.
The last article almost complained of a mild winter so far this year…today I would like a little sugar to sprinkle on that statement. It began snowing early this morning and shows no sign of letting up anytime soon.
A 6” amount doesn’t seem like a whole bunch…but it is enough to shut down my neck of the woods. We had ample time to lay in supplies so no problems there. I picked up some stuff to cook in the fireplace and planned menus around grilled meats from applewood coals.
The big winner so far did not come from the fireplace in the form of a meat course but as a salad! I was totally surprised on this one.
Roasted beet and pear salad.
2 tennis ball sized fresh beets 1 large pear I used a Bartlet ¼ cup raw almonds 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar or to taste (this is the dressing for the salad) 1 teaspoon olive oil a pinch or 2 of sea salt
Wrap beets in foil and place near medium hot coals and turn every 15 minutes until when pierced with a fork it goes in with some slight resistance. Mine took about an hour.
Remove from heat and slip off the skins of the beets…they will be hot! Peel and core the pear.
Cube or grate the beets and pear in a bowl. Take a fry pan and toast the almonds in the olive oil and add salt. Combine with the beets and pears. Add vinegar.
If you have never cooked in your fireplace, this is a super easy way to get started.
The video is Mugs checking out the snow. Notice the pig bench and Weber in their winter garb.
That BBQ time of the years will soon be here and so will the BBQ contests.
One of our readers has come up with a real BBQ challenge. One that would tax even the best of cooks. I personally believe that this kind of cook would separate the men from the boys/women from the girls and pros from the backyarders.
Brian I have long supported the concept of conducting either a one or two day WSM Competition:
---ONE DAY: Two WSMs (Brisket, Porkbutt, Chicken, Ribs)
---TWO DAY: Single WSM (Brisket, Porkbutt, Chicken, Ribs)
---ONE DAY: Single WSM (Brisket, Porkbutt, Chicken, Ribs) THE ULTIMATE TEST
All of these would take careful planning and true BBQ skills as there is little room for error and unlike BBQ competition today you do not have the luxury of cooking large quantities of meat and select the best for turn in. I would say Weber would have a lot to gain from supporting this event as would the BBQ community in general...maybe a catchy name like Sweat'n Bullets for the event
Alan has sent his idea on to the powers that be at the PNWBA. We would encourage everyone who likes this concept to contact them and help Alan get some traction for this Iron Man cook-off.
Ring out the old: cheese ball. Ring in the new: Gravlax and crab cakes.
Under pressure, I gave in. No cheese ball for this New Year’s celebration. Instead I made a dish that is deeply steeped in my Norwegian heritage. Simple and full of flavor, Gravlax makes for an interesting and tasty alternative to smoked or pickled salmon. The crab cakes are a favorite recipe from “Chesapeake Bay Cooking” by John Shields. For the record, this is the only recipe I follow word for word, without adding my own “twist” to it.
I'll use Tex's response to my offering as a Testament... She does not put salmon or most any other fish or seafood on her “things I crave” list. Last evening, I caught her eating 3 Gravlax appetizers. Although she didn’t venture into the crab cakes proper, she did smile while nibbling at the fresh cracked crab.
For New Years eve we visited friends and brought the Gravlax (recipe to follow), and live crab to be boiled and transformed into crab cakes.
I found an excellent deal on Sockeye salmon and proceeded to make Gravlax in advance.
As an after thought, I suggest limiting the time the fish "cures" according to the thickness of the filet. Next time I will let it "brine" for 36 hours instead of the 48 hrs. I let it sit in the fridge. {The recipe calls for up to 72 hrs.} I believe this would make the filet slices more moist, if that is your preference. But make sure the filet loses enough water to properly cure to prevent bacteria from forming. If done this way, it should keep in the fridge for up to two weeks in a zip type freezer bag.
GRAVLAX
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. salmon filet, pin bones removed (the freshest you can get) 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup salt 1 teaspoon vodka 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed white pepper corns Optional: 1 tablespoon dill seeds 1 bunch of dill, chopped (stems and all) 1 brick or other heavy weight (filled cans, cast iron pan, etc.) - at least 4 lbs.
1. In a bowl, mix together the salt and sugar. Pat your salmon filet dry with a paper towel. Place your salmon on a plate and brush on the aquavit/vodka. Do not saturate it, just put a very small amount on the flesh and rub it in. 2. Cover the salmon with the salt/sugar mixture. Turn over and rub in the salt/sugar mix on the skin. Again, turn the fish, skin side down. Allow it to sit out at room temperature for about a half hour or so, allowing the salt/sugar mixture to begin to penetrate the salmon. 3. Crush the white peppercorns (do not grind) by placing them in a plastic baggie and smashing them with the back of a pan, meat tenderizer or rolling pin. Cover the salmon flesh with the crushed white peppercorns. If you are using dill seeds, do the same with them. 4. Cover the salmon with the fresh dill and cover the salmon tightly with plastic wrap. 5. Now it's time to weight down the fish. Using your weight of choice (I used a glass pan with a brick wrapped in tin foil on top of it), put the weight on top of the fish. Put in the refrigerator and allow to cure for at least 48 hours and up to four days. Every 12 hours you will want to flip the salmon, drain some of the liquid that may have accumulated on the plate and place the weight back on to the salmon and place back in the fridge. Repeat until you are ready to eat. 6. When it is time to slice the salmon, remove all the dill and excess pepper. Take a sharp (and I mean sharp) knife and cut thin slices. If you are interested in doing what we did, butter some thin-sliced bread (pumpernickel or dense rye) and top with the Gravlax and some sour cream or more traditionally, mix simple sour cream, finely chopped dill and deli mustard for an easy and flavorful sauce.
Optional: This is what I did...a fresh bunch of finely chopped baby dill went over the whole filet. I grated fresh horseradish (about 1 ounce of horseradish root), layered that on top of the dill, and pressed it firmly into the fish. I garnished the outside edges of the filet with thinly sliced lemon alternating with thinly sliced red onion. I let this sit until it came to room temperature. The extra dill, horseradish, and garnish could then be placed on the bread/crackers with the fish, depending on each individual's taste preferences.
Now onto the main course... The crab cakes started off with us making the two hour drive to Anacortes, WA, to get fresh, “right off the boat”, live crab. We picked out eight of the most plump, fat, specimens we could find. I have an 80 qt. stainless kettle that we filled 2/3 full of water, and added what I considered the right amount of sea salt to try and replicate fresh sea water, then a cup of old bay seasoning, and 48 ounces of a stout malt liquor. Then we waited a good hour for the “pot to boil”. In went the live crab and when the water returned to a boil, we waited ten minutes, turned off the heat, and let them steep an additional 10 minutes in the hot water before removing them for cracking and picking for crab cakes, Chesapeake Bay style. I highly recommend this recipe.
Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes
1 egg 2 T mayo 1 t. dry mustard ½ t. freshly ground black pepper 1 t. Chesapeake seasoning, such as “Old Bay”, etc. 2 t. Worcestershire sauce Dash of hot sauce 1 lb. crab meat, picked over with no shell fragments 1/3 c. saltine cracker crumbs Clarified butter, or olive oil for sautéing (I highly recommend the clarified butter) Lemon wedges, for accompaniment and garnish Mix the egg, mayo, mustard, pepper, “Old Bay”, Worcestershire and hot sauce together in a mixing bowl, together until frothy. Place the crab meat in a bowl and sprinkle on the cracker crumbs. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Very gently toss or fold the ingredients together, taking care not to break up the lumps of crabmeat. Form the cakes by hand or with an ice cream scoop, into 8 mounds, about 3” in diameter and ¾ “ thick. Do not pack the mixture too firmly! The cakes should be loose as possible, yet hold their shape. Place the cakes on a tray or platter lined with wax paper. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before cooking. (This step is crucial to great crab cakes) Saute the cakes in a small amount of clarified butter or olive oil, in a skillet. Gently saute the cakes, turning several times, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total cooking time. Serve at once with your favorite accompaniment and/or lemon wedges on the side.
I doubled the above recipe with no problem and we had plenty of un-cracked legs for dipping in warm butter between the cakes.
Desert
To top off the evening, we were all treated to one of Tex's signature, fresh baked pies with that flaky, tender and absolutely divine crust she makes from scratch. Tonight's filling was wild blackberries that we picked last summer and froze for just such an occasion. Vanilla ice cream, optional, not required...or even needed.
Speaking of the filling... In a future article, I will have to definitely expound on a process for freezing fruits, including berries, for pie filling, ice cream sauce, etc. When thawed, you will swear they were just picked. This unbelievably easy process comes courtesy of Tex's 97 year young grandma. She tells me Grandma was married in 1933, and she used this recipe every summer after Grandpa brought their first freezer home.
After she showed me this little trick, I was once again reminded, some things will never be "out with the old". BTW..if you are a regular reader you know..."old" is always "in" with me! Try this and I believe you'll agree..."old age and knowledge trumps youth and exuberance every time". But...again for another article...I digress...
As far as how the food turned out, 2011 went seamlessly into 2012…and lets just say there were a few folks ending the year with big grins on their faces, and I don’t think it was the fireworks.
Patience putting up with the first two minutes of the video below, will be rewarded with a video of this year’s New Year’s pyrotechnic extravaganza in Seattle. When viewed in full screen, it’s almost as good as the crab cakes!
Our summer BBQ catering dates are filling up fast. If you would like to schedule an event, family reunion, company picnic, or just a big old get together on your block, check out our menu selection or contact us and we will be happy to customize a menu to suit your particular needs. (Sorry, we do not cater weddings)
June has the last weekend available. July and August have a few selected dates available, some being on the weekend. September is open at this time.
Here is but a sampling of what we can do for you menu wise. Contact us for details and more mouth pleasin', tongue ticklin' belly bustin' ideas. ---------------------------- The Memphis Picnic
Pecan smoked whole pork shoulder with an authentic Memphis BBQ Sauce for dippin' ( pulled or sliced ) Applewood smoked chicken quarters with an apricot bbq glaze Sweet and Sassy Carolina cole slaw or baby greens salad Smoked BBQ beans or black eyed peas Fresh baked buns or corn bread with clover honey butter Homemade indivdual sized lemon cheese cake with short bread crust
Extra sauce, napkins, paper plates, and utensiles ----------------------------------
Kansas City... Kansas City..., Kansas City here we come!
Hickory smoked baby back ribs with thick and tangy BBQ sauce 16 hour slow smoked beef brisket with a special KC rub Kansas City style smoked beans Fresh Louisiana corn salad BBQ buns or french rolls for soppin' Dark cocoa cup cakes with lemon icing
Extra sauce and rub, & all paper products and eating utensiles included ------------------------------------
Texas Hold'em... plates with both hands
Generous portions of Texas style brisket slow smoked over red oak Texas sized hot links ( spicy or pilgrim ) grilled over mesquite wood Spare ribs that made Houston famous with a Texan BBQ sauce Chuck Wagon Pintos or Cowboy peas (Trail Boss favorite) Garden fresh green salad with choice of homemade dressing Lone Star corn bread with honey butter Banana Foster pudding ( minus the spirits )
All comes with plenty of sauces, napkins, and tableware ----------------------------------
Eastern Shore... is good... Dinner
Shrimp, crab, corn on the cob, red potatoes, and baby onions steamed in our giant kettles on the BBQ pit in a clam broth, beer, water vinegar base ( with our special spices ) to which we add tons of butter. Steamed to perfection with fresh baked French bread for soppin up all that good stuff Caeser Salad Apple pie and French vanilla ice cream
We supply all the paper products and large plastic bags for the shells
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We're Goin' Whole Hog...a real Hunka', Hunka' Burnin' Love!
One of our specialties comes to your table having been smoked over hand selected cherry wood, sunny side up, for 22 hrs. just the way we do it at Memphis in May. Fresh roasted corn on the cob with our own special butters Mom's potato salad BBQed beans, pit made and smokey sweet Fresh rolls and orange butter Our famous cheese cake bar for dessert ( individual cheese cakes with a passel of toppin's to choose from )
We supply 3 kinds of BBQ sauces for dipping and all paper products. Tall tales and country music in the immediate pit area are complimentary.
---------------------------------------- We can bring our huge lemon squeezer for the kids to make their very own homemade lemonade... great baby sitter for all ages. Contact us for details ----------------------------------------
This is but a sample of our menu for many more options and selections drop us an email, we aim to please!
Like some 250,000 other households we were out of power for 3 plus days while Mother Nature did her version of an “air strike” on the Pacific Northwest. We temporarily ran out of firewood and will re-supply by the middle of next week. We were glad to have helped those we could and felt bad to have turned some folks away.
I had my cell hooked up to take wood calls during the whole ordeal and talked with dozens of people about the predicament we all found ourselves in. A common thread soon was very apparent and I hope I can offer some friendly advice to help those of you who might find himself or herself faced with this type of emergency again.
Many hours of talk time drew me to these observations.
1-How ill prepared people really were for this kind of situation. 2-How dependent they are on modern conveniences 3-How basic survival skills have been seemingly lost to this new generation.
Not every household has the same circumstances so I’m not going to pretend to have a “list” of a cure-all for emergencies but instead let you decide what your individual wants and needs might be. You will learn more by doing this exercise than all that has ever been written on the subject combined and it will be custom made for your particular situation(s).
The level of difficulty you choose is up to you but the most impact from the lessons learned is gained in the winter months, especially if you have young children.
No fair stocking up prior to your survival test…use only what you normally have on hand, if you do bend the rule, you probably sneak a peak at your presents before Santa delivers them. Besides what will you have learned?
Set your alarm for 5 AM Sat. morning. Get up and go to the main fuse box and flip the main power switch to “off” and keep it that way for 24 hrs. You might give your significant other a heads up here.
If you want extra credit on your test, have a friend or neighbor pull the switch at a time of their choosing.
Remember that in our pretend snow/ice/emergency the roads are almost impassable… so the SUV stays where it is parked! If you do venture out in it deduct at least a grand from your bank account. That is about what it will cost you in raised insurance premiums when you get in a wreck because the other person “can’t drive in the snow”.
If you don’t have a battery powered radio too bad. If you do have one and don’t have fresh batteries, double too bad.
Now put your list together and get what you need to make the best of a bad situation.
I think you see where we are headed with this, so I’ll end it here with these final comments…one must practice at anything to be good at it. Why not practice an emergency.
Article ID : 715
