Cocktail Confessions

Yup, that’s pretty much how long my “non-drinking” stint lasted.  I’m so ashamed.

My buddy called me yesterday and wanted to see if I’d meet him over at Cismontane Brewery after work for a beer.  I actually said “No.”  I told him I was on a new medication (true) and really shouldn’t be going out for a drink, and in the back of my head I thought by not going and being tempted I’d even save some money I’d most likely otherwise spend.  Double-win for me.

But unbeknownst to me, my wife invited said friend over for dinner instead, so when I got home at 5:45pm last night, I was greeted with a six-pack of Smithwick’s Irish Ale (by Guinness), one of my new favorites.  Damn it!!  I tried to play it cool, not only for them, but myself as well and justified in my head that ‘one beer will be okay’.  Yeah, we all know how that goes.

By the time I was outside getting my grill on with some HUGE steaks (none of us finished them by the way…at least I’m proud of my ‘portion’ control…I could have eaten the whole thing, but glad I didn’t), beer number two was almost already finished and by meal time, I did in fact have beer number 3.  *Sigh*

I really enjoy Smithwick’s Ale.  It’s pretty light in flavor, and you know it’s going to be good if it’s backed by Guinness.

So dinner was steak with a hint of Jeff Foxworthy’s BBQ Sauce (not bad), jalepeno artisan bread (1 slice for me), smokehouse BBQ bourbon beans, and a baked potato (sans cheese).  As you can see, I opted out of the cheese for my potato, ate only 1/2 my steak, and limited myself to one piece of bread and skipped desert.  At least it was a half-hearted attempt to be good, and I was in fact satisfied, but I’m feeling guilty this morning I never made it a complete 3 days without an adult beverage.

For breakfast this morning, I diced up some of that left over steak and combined with Egg Beaters and some southwestern salsa in a grilled tortilla for my own steak & egg breakfast taco.  Pretty darn yummy with my coffee, and I’ll be having two turkey sandwiches for lunch today with some spinich leaves, organic yellow mustard and a slice of colby jack cheese.

This footage was shot at the same time I was filming my series on ‘How to prepare a Beef Brisket for slow smoking.’ and thought it was important content to share as well.  Yeah, I know it’s a little lengthy, clocking in at just over eight minutes in length, however, there’s a lot of information packed into these 8 minutes.  You should think of this as a ‘supplementary’ episode (i.e. episode 2.5).

The content here in “Rubs & Marinades” is broken up into four sub-categories and I spend a few minutes on each one:

1. Marinades: generally liquid based with some sort of acidic base, whether that be a natural juice such as orange juice, or vinegar.  Talk about pre-packaged spice packets, or bottled varieties.  The key thing to remember here is timing.  Most acidic based marinades should not be left on the meat for more than 10-12 hours.  At that time, there is an actual process of the meat breaking down and starting to lose its natural flavor.  Personally, I like to marinade 6-8 hours if possible in the refrigerator, turning over only a few times.  Bring your meat out of the refrigerator about an hour before your ready to cook it help it get up to room temperature.  Also, the more acid the less time you need.
2. Injection – I discuss and show a large gauge needle specifically designed for injection.  A good rule of thumb is .5 oz of liquid for every pound of meet.  Try and evenly disperse injection points throughout the surface and slowly depress plunger and also slowly remove needle.
3. Salt & Pepper – It is very important to take this step seriously.  Avoid at all costs both iodized, granulated table salt and pre-milled pepper.  Try and use fresh peppercorn and either Kosher salt or sea salt crystals.  A little bit can go a long way, and salt & pepper, done right, will improve your flavor and char crusts ten-fold.
4. Dry Rubs – Whether it’s pre-packaged or a homemade concoction there’s a few simple guidelines: A) Try and use fresh herbs and spices.  This ensures natural oils and the strongest flavor.  Spices do in-fact degrade over time and can lose their intensity if exposed to too much air, light, heat, and moisture.  B) A mortar & pestle, or separate coffee grinder is the best way to grind fresh spices. C) Know your side-dishes and audience!  A very spicy southern rub may not be appreciated by those that are used to tamer flavors.  Curry is nice for Mediterranean dishes such as lamb, but not so good for a Texas BBQ with ranch style beans.  The spices and rub you use for your meat should compliment and enhance everything else at the table as well.

Well, here I am with Part II of 4-part series on how to prep and smoke a beef brisket.  I realize the first video was a little on the lengthy side (about 8.5 minutes), so I trimmed this down to a more digestible five minutes.

In this segment, I talk about cleaning up the meat, taking note of the grain, trimming the fat-cap and brisket in general and some ‘scoring’.  In brief, you’ll want to rinse your brisket off under the sink and pat dry with a paper towel to remove as much excess water as possible.  With a sharp knife, you’ll want to cut off or trim any dangling meat ‘flaps’ on the underneath of your brisket and any pieces of errant fat. 

Now flip the brisket over so that the ‘fat-cap’ is on top, and again, with a sharp knife try and trim the fat cap to a uniform thickness of 1/8″ to 1/4″.  Since you’ll be smoking or grilling fat side up, this fat will begin to melt at a certain temperature and gravity will allow it to penetrate the meat downwards during the cooking process.  This is what helps keep your brisket moist and adds a ton of flavor, so you don’t want to trim all the fat off.

The next optional step is to ‘score’ your fat.  I make diagonal cuts about an inch apart in both directions only as deep as the fat cap itself.  Try to avoid actually cutting into the meat.  By doing this cross-hatching, it will allow you to get that spice rub to penetrate just a little bit more and provide a little additional surface area for your dry rub to adhere to.  Like I said, it’s totally optional, but this 30 second step I think is a no-brainer and I personally believe helps the taste out in the long run.

Finally, take note of the grain of the meat.  You’ll want to make sure you know which way the muscle fiber is running, because once you smoke your meat for 6+ hours and get that nice dark crusty bark on the outside, it’ll be hard to tell which way the grain is running.  And why do you want to know this?  Because you are going to slice your brisket ‘AGAINST’ the grain, not with it when it comes to serving it up.

Okay, Part III should be ready in a few days, and here’s where we get down to the good stuff.  It’s all about the rub, the injection, the marinade, and the flavor.  So stay tuned, because I’m actually really proud of that segment

One of my best friends, Brian Liles, has honored me by requesting that I be his best man for his upcoming wedding this October 9th.  As part of the un-written, yet somewhat obligatory and expected duties of the best man is to plan the much maligned ‘bachelor party’.  However, we aren’t all bachelors and young studs ourselves anymore.  Long gone are the fraternity like shenanigans one might come to expect from a group of guys in their twenties.  I don’t expect any “Hangover” moments with strange babies, escaped tiger’s, or getting punched out by Mike Tyson.  No, we’re all hovering around 40, give a take a year or two….many with our own families, obligations, and somewhat tamed morals.

It’s not an easy task to undertake planning a ‘crazy’ and memorable event when you’re married yourself, have never met most of the invitees to understand their likes, dislikes, and personalities.  Also, getting the actual list of names from the groom himself was an exercise in pulling teeth.  See, I asked Brian close to three months ago to send me a list of names of those he’d like to include, and reminded him every other week or so for the next two months.  I finally received a list about 2 weeks ago and have sent out an appropriate invitation via eVite, (the digital norm these days) and am anxiously awaiting replies.

There were a few caveats to the initial brainstorming, some that didn’t go over to well with some of the guys, but in all honesty a moral relief and un-burden to myself: NO STRIPPERS.  Like I said, I’m not 19 years old anymore, or 25 and the thought of bringing any ‘exotic dancers’ into my home for a few hours or going to some sleazy, over-priced gentleman’s club just doesn’t sit well with me anymore, so I’m glad Brian made it clear up front he wanted no part of that.  I did get a few ribbing’s from some of the guys, but I figure that’s what the Internet is for these days….you want a few jollies?  Go watch some stuff for free in the privacy of your own Kleenex filled office.

We were then going to rent a party bus and head down to Stone Brewery near Carlsbad, CA, take the tour, eat some gourmet food and taste various brews.  But even though the thought of having a designated chauffeur was nice, the cost of renting a bus for 8 hours, paying for gourmet food and craft beers, and not having a list of initial invitees made the idea a little hard to put into action.

We thought about doing a bar crawl in Newport Beach or surrounding cities, but again, the idea of some of us possibly getting lost in transit, separated, sitting in traffic, or a few of us cheerfully volunteering to be designated drivers for the rest seemed to be a bit more complicated than anyone was willing to admit.

In the end, Brian, Steve, and I hashed out our ”un-bachelor” party over lunch about two weeks back.  We settled on going out to Cook’s Corner for the afternoon, enjoying a few pitchers of beer under the sun at a watering hole close to my home.  At approx 6pm, we will all come back to my house (only a few short miles away), relax and continue the festivities in the privacy of my backyard.  There we will have a BBQ, a fire, and plenty of beverages.  I have extra room if anyone needs to crash, no waitresses to tip, no worrying about lines, traffic, driving, spending crazy money, etc.

I know Brian’s fiance voiced some initial concerns over Brian having a party to begin with and even floated the idea of having a ‘joint’ bachelor-bachelorette party.  Uh, “NO”…we aren’t that progressive.  That’s one thing I don’t get (and sorry Shea if you read this), but it’s my understanding that she had her own ‘get together’ planned out but was somewhat troubled when Brian announced that the guys were having a gathering.  Whaaa..??  I don’t care if they call it a ‘bridal shower’, ‘gathering’, ‘luncheon’, or whatever….it’s basically a female ‘bachelorette party’.  What ever games and gossip they do there amongst themselves is their issue and has nothing to do with the guys.  Seems a bit like a double standard in my book.  We laid it right out on the table…we’re going to Cook’s Corner, then a BBQ at my house.  How is that any different Mr. Cochrane?  Case closed, move to dismiss.

Anyway, I digress. 

I was able to contact Cismontane Brewery in RSM and get a 1/4 keg of their IPA for my home gathering.  Food-wise, we’ll have beer brats with grilled garlic seasoned onions and roasted poblano peppers on french rolls, black and blue potato salad (meaning it contains blue cheese and bacon), chips, dip, salsa, two different styles of buffalo wings, and most likely some carne asada as well.  There will be a little whisky to be had, a fire in my backyard fireplace, music from my stereo, but most importantly a gathering of some great guys.

Out of the 12-15 or so that are attending, both Brian and I know a handful dating back to our elementary and junior high school days.  A couple of them we haven’t seen in close to twenty years if not longer, so there will be plenty of catching up for a few of us, and plenty of pictures to be taken along with many new memories and hopefully re-connections to be made.

No, it’s not gonna be a night of high stakes hijinx, but should be a really good time for all in attendance.

Well, It’s finally here.  Part 1 of my long promised “How To” series on smoking a beef brisket.

After my wife brought home a Brinkman smoker from her 10-year anniversary with working for her company, I was chomping at the bit to try my hand at smoking a brisket.  The good news is was that it turned out pretty darn good and everyone who tried it loved it.  Even better, it was a perfect excuse to use my Kodak Playsport and record all the footage from my preparation, trimming, and rubbing with my own spices, to actually doing a time-lapsed capture on the smoker itself and finally finishing it up on the oven.

When it was all said and done, I had enough footage to string together a basic “How To” video series that I’m in the process of editing and posting to both YouTube and here.  I initially thought I could break it up into three videos, but after this first one clocked in at just over 8 minutes in length, I decided to break it up further into 4 videos.  I think most people can absorb interesting information in smaller 4-5 minutes chunks as opposed to fewer and longer 8 plus minute pieces.

So while I understand you may think this eight (8) minute video may be a little long, I promise that the future installments will be smaller in size.  This first segment talks about selecting a beef brisket, what to look for at the grocery store or butcher, a bit of the anatomy of the meat and initial preparation.  Things really start to take shape in Part II (already edited as of this writing) with Parts III and IV on rubs, marinades, injections, wood, bastings and finally the smoking and revealing of the finished brisket itself.  I promise, it gets better.

Anyway, in this video series you will see an amateur no-holds barred, step-by-step instruction of me smoking a 6.62 pound USDA hand picked beef brisket over hickory wood (not mesquite as I mentioned in the video) in my Brinkman Bullet.

I can’t take credit for this list.  The author is actually Richard Goldsmith and I found this article online.  Try some of his suggestions and report back.

Football season is upon us, and while that certainly means lazy Saturdays and Sundays on the couch relaxing with beer in hand and pizza on speed dial, it also means early mornings firing up the grill with like minded fans in crowded parking lots. This time of year is for tailgating more than any other, and no exhaust pipe party is complete without cooler full of brews to wash down the nicely charred brats, burgers, wings, and pots full of chili.

You could, of course, buy a case of Bud and call it a day. But when there are so many spectacular brews to choose from it seems almost sad to pair an awesome day with the Bears, Vikings, Giants, etc. with anything but a beer perfectly suited to a crisp Fall day with good friends and greasily delicious food cooked over hot coals. And if you end up shirtless and painted in team colors along the way, that’s the mark of a day well spent.

Here are a few bottles worth packing in the cooler alongside the face paint:

Great Lakes Brewing Dortmunder Gold – Brewed in Cleveland, a town with a proud football tradition and a contract out on Art Modell, Dortmunder was originally called The Heisman, making it just about the perfect beer to pack up for a productive Saturday of college football. A nicely balanced lager with an easy drinking malt and hops combo, it pours a rich gold – though it’s unlikely to make it into a glass before a game. What’s especially impressive is how much hoppy aroma and flavor is packed in without making it a bitter hop-bomb, as so many beers of late seem to be. It’s toasty and warming, despite having a relatively light-body, with a crisp finish and almost creamy texture.

Penn Oktoberfest – Just across the border in Pennsylvania, Cleveland’s arch-rival Pittsburgh brews up beer fit for a day of food and football at the Pennsylvania Brewing Company. In this case, it’s a traditional German marzen that’s just heavy enough to fortify against the cold without being so heavy you have to go easy on it in order to pack in a couple of more burgers. Nice yeasty aromas abound, with dry malt on the aftertaste and some interesting fruit up front. It has a little citrus to it with just enough carbonation to cut the grease from nachos and the massive quantities of grilled meats customary before taking in a game.

Narragansett Porter – The Patriots are still among the class of the NFL, so, with any luck, drinking like one might help out your team of choice. Narragansett Brewery is located on the cusp of Patriots country in Providence, Rhode Island and, not surprisingly, puts out cans that are right at home packed into a pregame cooler. The company’s porter in particular is a nice change of pace. The nearly black brew is complex and heavy on the malt with an appealing tartness that seems almost out of place in a porter. It’s not as heavy as many other porters, with fairly gentle carbonation and an easy sweetness that doesn’t get cloying after three or four, thanks to a touch of bitterness from the hops. Plus, the brewery’s “Gansett Girl” blog makes for some solid conversation around the grill.

Shiner Bohemian Black Lager – No tailgating brew list would be complete without a beer from the heart of Texas. Located west of the Texans and south of the Cowboys, Spoetzl Brewery has been in business since 1914 and the brewery’s flagship, Shiner Bock, is a common sight at college and pro football tailgating all over the state and country. But the company also brews up a black lager called schwarzbier. With far more body and lip-smackingly bitter hops flavor than the average lager, it pours a deep black with some ruby highlights. Roasted malt flavors come through clearly, bringing out some coffee and sweetness, but even with the complexity and fairly bold flavors it’s easy drinking. There’s some unfortunate graininess to the texture, but if there’s spicy foods at the party, this is the beer to bring. Though there’s some heavy carbonation to the beer, so watch out for some impressively fiery brew-inspired belching.

*Santa Fe burger courtesy of FoodTV

So I realize I’ve been a little light on the recipe’s this summer. Not much of a cocktail and grilling blog if you don’t have the content to back it up once in a while. I’m still working on some “how-to” video’s for smoking a brisket…it takes a lot longer than you think, but I made some good headway this past week and I should have the first one posted soon.

Anyway, the kids should be headed back to school soon (if they haven’t already) and summer is starting to wind down, so I think this recipe will fit in nicely. It’s relatively easy, yet looks and tastes like it may have taken some real time and effort, and could be the star of the last summer hoorah.

I give credit to my wife for finding the basis of this recipe from her own online searches. It’s basically a Bobby Flay inspired recipe that stands out great on its own, but like most things, I like to make my own adjustments and spins on discovered recipes and try and make it my own.

This cheeseburger has it’s flavors rooted in the Southwest, a favorite of mine. The queso sauce is rich and spicy and replaces the traditional ‘processed slice’ we’re usually accustomed to, and allows a platform for the roasted pablano chili’s to cling to. Some blue corn chips give the burger an unexpected textural surprise along with their salty crunch.

Ingredients

Burgers

• 1 large poblano chile
• 2 1/2 TBS canola oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 LBS ground chuck (80% lean) or sub 90% lean ground turkey for healthier alternative.
• 4 large gourmet burger buns, split & toasted. (Check local bakery for fresh goods like a nice ciabatta or potato bun.  Try and avoid the generic burger buns)
• Handful of blue or yellow corn tortilla chips

Queso (cheese) Sauce:

• 1 TBS unsalted butter
• 1 TBS all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups whole milk. (*sub 1/2 cup milk with heavy cream if available for a richer, creamier taste)
• 8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups).  (*Sub Monterrey Jack for a slightly milder, not as spicy alternative if desired).
• Dash of dried chipotle powder for earthy, smokey flavor (*optional)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Directions

1. Coat pablano chili with 1 TBS of canola oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place on grill, medium heat, and turn every few minutes until skin begins to char and bubble on all sides.  Remove chili and place in paper bag or bowl covered in plastic wrap and allow to steam for 15 minutes.  Peel, stem and seed chili at this point, then coarsely chop and set aside for now.
2. To make queso sauce, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add milk/cream, increase heat, whisk constantly until slightly thickened (approx 4-5 minutes).  Remove from heat and then whisk in cheese, a little at a time, until melted.  Season with salt, pepper, chipotle powder.  Keep warm.
3. Divide meat into 4 equal portions.  Form into 3/4″ thick patties and make small depression in the middle of each with thumb.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Using remaining oil (or cooking spray), coat grill and cook burgers over medium flame until desired doneness.
4. Place burgers on toasted bun bottoms, top with a few tablespoons of cheese sauce, a few chips, some of the pablano, then of course, toasted bun tops.

So now the beer pairing:  Personally, I really enjoy Mexican lagers with my Southwestern food.  For me, Negro Modelo is a no-brainer.  Maybe even Modelo Especial or Dos Equis.  Make sure you have plenty of sliced limes nearby.  If Mexican beer isn’t your thing, how about other domestic lagers or an ale?  These pair very well with summer beef dishes.  Try a Fat Tire amber ale, or maybe even Land Shark or Long Board lagers.  They all have a crisp and clean taste in my opinion.  And you can’t go wrong with any of the seasonal summer crafts from Sam Adams.

This morning when I first got up I decided I was going to be somewhat proactive today and do some ‘Jayson’ chores about the house.  In addition to do some laundry, watering plants, sweeping the garage, taking the car in for an oil change, I decided I’d take the time to build the free smoker my wife graciously gave me as her 10 year work anniversary present.

Armed with a bloody Mary in one hand, screw driver in the other, and a mix CD of dance trax pumping from my garage stereo, I finally broke out the ‘smoker’ box that has been sitting in my garage for the last few weeks and decided to assemble it.  It turns out that the time we got was in-fact NOT the Brinkmann Gourmet Smoker we thought was listed in the catalog, but the lower-end Brinkmann 810-5301-6 Smoke ‘N Grill charcoal smoker.  It actually retails for about $69 and is made in China, which is quite apparent when you start your initial assembly.  The issue straight out if the box is that you can tell that quality control is a low priority with Brinkmann, or at least this model.  But then again, it was free to us, so it all depends on how much you really want to complain.

Straight out of the box, here are some of the issues I came across:

1. Main kettle drum was slightly damaged on bottom rim.  Not a deal breaker, but a minor dent was disheartening for a brand new grill.
2. Top kettle paint job was badly scuffed.  Yeah, right out of the box there was some major scuff and scratch marks to the black enamel paint job.
3. Weld points on the actual chrome-plated grill surface were loose.  On one of the 2 enclosed grill surfaces, I noticed that a few weld points were in fact not secured properly.
4. Drill holes were off-kilter.  On some, (not all), of the pre drilled holes where the handles are to be attached, the holes were not aligned properly.  After some minor bending of the handles, I was able to secure the handles as instructed, but they should not have been as difficult as they were.
5. Kettle was not perfectly round.  This is an issue if you want the top kettle drum to fit on body correctly.  Since the body was ‘slightly’ oval instead of round, (as it should have been), it took some additional bending and compression my end to get it to the proper shape.
6. Finally, the sheet metal door that allows access to the front of smoker to add additional charcoal was also bent.  Thankfully, it is thin enough where I could bend this back into shape by hand, but overall, very dissapointing construction for an out of the box product. 

All these items could be fixed easily and shouldn’t affect the overall process of grilling and smoking, but that’s not really the point.  Free or not, when I buy a factory sealed product, I expect it to be as close to 100% mint as possible.  In this case, this ‘freebie’ felt as if it were perhaps a clearance item and no wonder it was given away free to my wife.  I’d say it was closer to 75%-80% condition out of box.

Assembly was fairly easy, even with the re-bending of some of the sheet metal I had to do.  The few other issues I noted are as such: A) The legs are a bit short.  I wish they were slightly sturdier and longer.  B) Thermometer is a very cheap model that indicates ‘warm, ideal, hot’ as opposed to actual degrees.  When cooking a brisket, pork, or chicken, you may definitely want to invest in a separate meat thermometer as the included one will be hard for anyone to tell what the actual maintained temperature is.  C) The included charcoal and water basin plates could fit a tad better as well.  They are exactly the same parts used internally, but how they rest on the internal clips is a little shaky.  A handy person with a drill and some engineering or shop experience may want to employ a little additional efforts and modifications to help secure these items prior to use as this may be a recipe for errors down the line.

Speaking of modification, I came across the following website in which this gentleman vastly improves his own Brinkmann smoker.  Using just a few of his ideas may vastly improve your own cooking experience, and over time I think I will introduce his mods on a more accurate thermometer, gasket, and internal grills surface security.  Check it out here.

So my initial score would be a 2.5 on a scale of 5.  Could be much better, could be much worse, so I guess I gave it a half point for being ‘free’ in my case, otherwise the construction seems a bit subpar for a $70 product…and that’s Amazon’s price mind you.  It may actually be more at BBQ shops or other online grill stores, so this is for sure a ‘budget’ item.  There are higher qulaity smokers out there, but of course expect to start shelling out $100+ at that point.

So once completed, according to the instructions, you should initially cure your smoker to help burn off any excess factory paint inside and help resist and prevent future rusting.  I did this by removing the internal charcoal pan and grill grates and spraying the inside with PAM grill spray.  After a liberal coating inside, I began to start a few pounds of regular Kingsford charcoal in a standard chimney starter.  You can find generic versions of these as low as $10 bucks at most hardware stores.  Anything more than $17 maybe a rip off and I don’t think the higher end ones are all that much better than the $10 ones.

Once I had the charcoal started, I let it burn for approx 15-20 minutes within the starter before pouring it directly into the smokers charcoal pan.  Allowing the 15-20 minute burn allows for any fuel on the charcoal to dissipate for an overall cleaner tastes in your food (no gas taste).  Also, it allows for all the charcoal to get started evenly and reach a more consistent temperature.  When the charcoal turns from black to an ash gray, its ready.

Now that the charcoal is in the smoker, go ahead and put the lid on top.  Within 5 – 7 minutes or so, you should see the thermometer reach  the ‘ideal’ reading.  Go ahead and let the smoker cure for a minimum of two hours.  If you note that the dial begins to dip in the first 45 minutes to an hour, go ahead, open the door, and add some more charcoal briquettes.  But after 1.5 hours, no need to add anything else.  Let it burn through as is and make sure it cools q100% before removing spent charcoal.  At this point your initial curing should be complete and your ready to start your real first smoked effort.

During the curing stage, I went to Lowe’s and bought myself a bag of hardwood hickory charcoal.  It’s not that expensive, about $7.50 for a regular size bag.  Just remember that it takes less hardwood charcoal than standard coal briquettes to maintain the same temperature and they also burn longer.  Follow instructions on the bag and you should be able to make it last longer than standard OTC charcoal everyone else uses at their beach BBQ’s.   Not to mention you’re getting these because the idea is that you actually want to ‘smoke’ your meat.  Smoking is all about low temperatures, maintaining that temperature, and long times.  We aren’t grilling hamburgers of chicken breasts here.  No we are smoking for generally 8 or more hours depending on the cut of meat.  A 10 lb brisket will smoke easily for 10-12 hours, so we’re in it for the long haul.

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the Huck Finn Jubilee out at Mojave Narrow’s Campground in Victorville, CA.  It was myself, my wife, my good friend Brian and his fiancee, Shea.  I plan on posting some future installments here about the jubilee itself, but there was one small thing I wanted to get out of the way first, the food at Vittle Village.

Now to our overall disapointment, there was absolutely no beer to be found at any of the vendor booths.  That makes one heck of a long day to be sitting out at a beautiful campground, listening to various bands based on early Americana bluegrass and country, with the smell of BBQ in the air with no way to purchase any beer.  There seems to be a lack of verifiable information on whether it was sold or not in the past.  Depending on who I spoke to in my desperate search for amber nectar, I was was pretty much told down the middle there was/wasn’t any beer the year before.

In the hopes of having some really good country inspired food, I had failed to eat breakfast that morning running on only about three cups of coffee until we made our way to the ‘foodie’ area of the fair at around 1pm.  Sadly to say the options were a tad limited.  If I can recall correctly there was on corndog/hotdog stand, one funnel cake vendor, one bratwurst/sausage kiosk, a tent that sold roasted corn on the cob, and another tent that had some plates of BBQ chicken and ribs.  The one that caught my eye was Ptrains BBQ which emphasized hot wings and a wood smoked BBQ chicken pizza.  Each vendor sold cans of soda or bottled water although there were two specialty drink places: one that sold either fresh lemonade or strawberry lemonade, and the other  homemade craft soda’s such as rootbeer and cream soda among some of their offerings.

I gravitated towards Ptrains because of the very large custom made BBQ pit shaped like an 1850′s era style steam train engine, and of course the smell of the wood laden fire.  In addition to my fondness of BBQ and cooking, I also enjoy model railroading, so the chance to learn more about this epic one-of-a-kind custom train pit and the sampling of some good ‘ole BBQ seemed perfect for me.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Ptrains is a family run business based out of Rancho Cucamonga, CA.  You can go to their site and read the family story about Ptrains all there.  By looking at their schedule, it appears they travel to various events all over the place with pit in tow.  I can tell you that the whole family seemed very genuine and nice.  I had a chance to talk to one of the daughters who was overseeing the wings being cooked and she was very pleasant and was happy to share with me the story of the train.  The train itself happens to be a relatively new addition, being only a few months old and was custom built by a gentlemen in Houston, TX.   The man who built it (name escapes me right now) has built other well known grills including the famous Six-Gun Grill, and took so much pride in this train creation decided to drive it out himself to deliver it to the client only a few weeks back.  The Ptrain pit cost roughly $50K and duplicates steam era sound effects as well.

I’m not exactly sure what they offer to grill on the circuit, but on the menu today was only the pizza and chicken wings.  I hope in the future if I run into Ptrains again, they may offer up some brisket, ribs, or pork items.

Anyway, my buddy Brian had the wings and offered me one, but I declined.  I’m sorry that I did in retrospect because I would have liked to have included that experience here as well, but I can tell you Brian said he enjoyed his and they had a pleasant glaze and wasn’t too spicy.

I myself decided to try the wood fired bbq chicken pizza.  I can tell you it had a lot of potential, but just wasn’t there.  It wasn’t the taste per-se because Ptrains ketchup based bbq sauce is indeed mighty tasty (although not too spicy), but the execution of the actual pizza was a tad off.  First, even though the wood smoking induces a mouth watering aroma to the pizza, the crust itself wasn’t completely done.  It wasn’t as crisp as I would have liked it to be and a tad doughy in parts, as if it wasn’t cooked all the way through.  It probably could have stood a few more minutes on the grill to firm up a bit more.  Secondly, it was a bit over-sauced in the BBQ department.  I’m not exactly sure if they were trying to highlight the chicken or the sauce, but it came across as little heavy on the sauce.  Maybe because it was their first time here and it was a busy part of the day or they are still working the kinks out in the recipes, but I could have used a bit less sauce and a bit more chicken.  That being said, it wasn’t bad, but definetly room for improvement.

So I received a few requests for some of my Father’s Day 2010 recipe’s I made this past weekend, so I thought I’d share one of them with you today.  Now most people aren’t necessarily crazy about zucchini, not unless it’s fried and drowning in ranch dressing, and they are even more skeptical if you tell them its grilled. 

Well, this easily prepared dish I can tell you was met with rave reviews, even from my own mother, daughter, and nephew who are rarely ever seen even eating anything resembling close to a green cooked vegetable.  My daughter even ate two and I have often seen her ditch vegetables on her plate to the garbage can when she thinks no one is looking.

I guess the secret is in the bacon gremolata.  Hell, I wasn’t quite sure myself what ‘gremolata’ even meant until I looked the definition up to satisfy my own curiosity.  Basically gremolata is defined as a ‘chopped’ herb condiment usually consisting of garlic, parsley, and lemon zest and is Italian in origin.  But then again, everything is better with bacon, in that there is no doubt so you can’t really go wrong in the first place.

Anyway, it’s a great way I figure to introduce grilled vegetables to kids, and it looks very impressive and pretty when presented on the plate.  It appears to be much more involved than it really is and is sure to wow your guests when they think you spent quite a bit on time on it.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-large zucchini (approx. 6 oz each)
• 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (save the lemon peel for the gremolata)
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• Bacon gremolata (recipe follows)

Directions (makes 8 servings):

1. Cut zucchini’s in half, lengthwise.  Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out center to form 1/4 – 1/2″ shells.  Set aside.
2. In small bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, pepper.  Brush zucchini shells with lemon mixture.  Place shells, cut side down, on grilling tray.
3. Grill shells over medium flame, 5-7 minutes or until cut sides begin to brown.  Turn shells over at this point (cut sides up) and grill 1 minute more.  Remove from grill.
4. Spoon bacon gremolata into shells, evenly, then return to grill.  Cover and grill 2-4 more minutes until cheese begins to melt.

Bacon Gremolata:

In a bowl combine a whole pack of crisp cooked bacon slices, drained, and finely crumbled (you can sub 1 cup finely chopped Canadian-bacon as well), 1 cup finely grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheese, 1/4 cup fresh basil (julienned), 1/4 cup fresh diced jalapeno pepper OR pepperoncini (I actually use a bit of both), 4 Tsp shredded lemon peel (use zester tool), 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 Tsp ground black pepper.  Mix well and spoon into shells.