The Infamous Hotdog!

27 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in BBQ - Hotdogs, Beans, Beer and Food, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Holiday Picnic Fare, Trader Joe's, Traditional Food, What's For Dinner?

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Ah yes! That ballpark treat! The fresh grilled hotdog rolling in the sand at the beach … or at the shore. Wherever or however, there is nothing better, IMNSHO, than a grilled hotdog or brat. I have two that I really like. But to be fair, all three of these types of hotdogs are good. Different flavors. Different textures. Different tastes. And the condiments that you might put on any one of these treats, will alter that flavor. Generally in a good direction.

Robin likes the Hebrew National Hotdogs. And I must say, they’re not bad.

But I like the Falls Brand, from Twin Falls, Idaho

or the Johnsonville Cheddar Brat, or any of their brats.

And which one do I like best? It’s a mood thing. Or a beer thing. Which one will go better with a Stella and some fresh made baked beans. Maybe a little potato salad. At any rate, however you enjoy them and with your favorite side, Trader Joe’s came out this week with some really good information on the lowly dog in the article Condimenting The Dog. In the article, to be found in the link listed, regarding the somewhat surprising history of a condiment,
“Condiments, from the Latin condire (“to preserve, pickle, season”), have been a culinary tactic since Ancient times. They have been used both to preserve foods as well as to enhance flavors.
So compelling and powerful, condiment use has been a source of controversy in American cuisine. In the 19th Century, several attempts were made to ban condiments. No condiments? No kidding. Sylvester Graham (of graham cracker fame), published in his 1839 Lectures on the Science of Human Life that the applying condiments, including mustard, ketchup, and cinnamon, should be prohibited because they were “highly exciting and exhausting.” Is it just us, or does hearing this encourage some intense condimenting?! Yes!”

The article lists several kinds of condiment which are easily made and constructed from ingredients found at Trader Joe’s. Just place all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly and Voila! A condiment. For instance, they suggest,

“TROPICAL SWEETIE DOG:12 oz Mango Jicama Slaw and 12.5oz Island Salsa —suffuse with tropical sweetness, this dog has a very social personality. If you like it really sweet, pour on the Island Salsa; if you don’t, add salsa sparingly.
CHAAT DOG: 10oz Channa Masala, 10oz Palak Paneer and Diced Yellow Onion—savory Indian chick peas; upon savory Indian spinach and cheese; upon a robust, savory hot dog—this well spiced dog takes chaat (“savory snack”) to new heights!
RODEO DOG: 16oz Chunky Spicy Guacamole Auténtico, 13oz Cowboy Caviar and 16oz Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips — bucking with spicy, Southwestern-style flair, this dog makes you feel like strapping on spurs. Hold on tight!”

There are three suggestions from them. Use your imagination and culinary talents to find these products if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your area. Afterall, that’s part of the fun of summertime culinary adventures.

Ultimate Burgers!

27 Friday May 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, BBQ Beef, BBQ Sauce, Beef, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Burger and Brew, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Classic Cuisines, Comfort Food, Cuts of Beef, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Housemade Burgers, Housemade Ketchup, Housemade Relish, Housemade Sauces, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, What's For Dinner?

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sunchokes

‘Tis the season for that infamous burger. Here are some suggestions that you may like. Have fun with these. Most of the ingredients for the recipes listed below, can be found locally in Boise – Desert Mountain Farms for beef products, Acme Bakeshop for superb burger buns, Purple Sage and True Roots for vegetable products. If in Boise, check out the Boise Farmers Market.

From Burgers Outdoor Grilling, here is the carmelized onion recipe.

Red Wine Caramelized Onions

Recipe adapted from Angie Mar, The Beatrice Inn, New York, NY
Makes 1½ cups

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb (2 medium) yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 c Cabernet Sauvignon, divided
2 tbsp sugar, divided
sea salt and freshly ground black Tellicherry pepper

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent and lightly caramelized, 20 minutes. Add half of the wine and half of the sugar, and cook until the wine has reduced and the onions have caramelized even further, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the remaining wine and sugar, and repeat the process until the wine has evaporated and the onions have caramelized even further, 6 to 8 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

And here is one for Housemade Beet Chup, a sweeter condiment. Roasted beets are blended with apple cider vinegar for a sauce that gives the same sweetness as your typical bottle of ketchup but with a bit more tang. The beetchup – like the name variation? – sings when paired with a burger, cheddar cheese and good crunchy iceburg lettuce on a soft roll from Acme Bake Shop here in Boise. (They can be found on Facebook at Acme Bakeshop or at the Boise Farmers Market, every Saturday 9am – 1pm at 10th and Grove in Boise.)

Beetchup

Recipe adapted from Sandy Dee Hall, Black Tree, New York, NY
Makes 1½ cups

Ingredients:
1 lb (2 medium) beets
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black Tellicherry pepper
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1½ tbsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 500º. Layer 2 large pieces of aluminum foil on a clean work surface and place the beets in the center. Rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Crimp the foil to seal and roast in the oven until tender, 1 hour. Let cool, then once cool enough to handle, peel and quarter. Transfer the roasted beets to a blender with the remaining ingredients and purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

How about a tangy sunchoke sauce? Turmeric-stained sunchokes add a bright tartness to this creamy sauce, already with a zing from hot sauce. Slather the pickled sunchoke sauce on a white bun that envelopes a patty topped with American cheese, lettuce and tomato.

Pickled Sunchoke Relish

Recipe adapted from John Amato, Little Jack’s Tavern, New York, NY
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:
½ c apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
½ tbsp sea salt
½ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp celery seeds
¼ tsp yellow mustard seeds
½ tsp ground turmeric
8 oz (4 large) sunchokes, peeled and roughly grated

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients, except the sunchokes. Bring to a boil, then pour over the grated sunchokes. Let cool completely.

Pickled Sunchoke Burger Sauce

Recipe adapted from John Amato, Little Jack’s Tavern, New York, NY
Makes 1¾ cup

Ingredients:
1 c mayonnaise
⅓ c ketchup
⅓ c drained pickled sunchoke relish
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely grated

Directiions:
In a medium bowl, stir all the ingredients together.

And if you are really into the Burger World and need to only make your own, here is a recipe from The Tasting Table, Homemade Burger Blend. Have fun!

Beef Burger Patties

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
Yield: Six 6-ounce burgers Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1½ pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces and chilled
½ pound beef brisket, cut into 1-inch pieces and chilled
6 ounces boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces and chilled
sea salt and freshly ground black Tellicherry pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil, for greasing
Buns (Acme Bakeshop in Boise) and toppings, for serving

Directions:
1. Using a meat grinder set up according to the manufacturer’s directions and with a medium die, grind the meats into a medium bowl. Using your hands, mix the meat until incorporated, then form into six 6-ounce patties. Season both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Light a grill. Using tongs and paper towels, lightly grease the grill. Cook the burgers, flipping once, until charred and medium rare, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter, assemble as desired with buns and toppings, and serve.

Time to Start Griling.

25 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in BBQ Pork, BBQ Rubs, Boise Adventures, Boise Food Adventures, Captain's Shack, Cooking Styles, Grilled Pork, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Interesting Information, Pork, Recipes, What's For Dinner?

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3-2-1 grilling method, grilling, smoked pork ribs

I have been hearing a lot in the past several years about the 3-2-1 Method of grilling ribs. Here is the latest information that I could find. Not difficult at all and some of the pro grillers use this method. In his article, The Controversial 3-2-1 Method for Ribs, Steven Raichlen, Grilling Authority, http://www.barbecuebible.com, says that,
“Competition barbecuers sometimes call it the “Texas Crutch.” In a nutshell, you break cooking ribs into 3 time blocks:

3 hours of smoking unwrapped at 225º F, followed by
2 hours of cooking wrapped in foil (with a little liquid, such as apple cider), followed by
1 hour of cooking unwrapped at a higher temperature, with a generous basting of barbecue sauce

The process gives you meat so tender it virtually slides off the bone, with the multiple layers of flavor most of us associate with great barbecue. And within a predictable 6-hour time frame, too.

It’s relatively fail-proof, meaning that if you follow the directions, you are almost guaranteed you’ll avoid the dual pitfalls of ribs that are tough or dry. And if you serve ribs cooked by the 3-2-1 method, 95 percent of the people who taste them react with delight and will declare you a barbecue genius.” [http://www.huffingtonpost.com]

A couple of suggestions at this point may help. Some people use a spray to baste their ribs throughout the process. This is not really necessary, but it won’t hurt anything. If you use a mister, use apple cider in it. And the “white skin”, that membrane located on the “boneside” of the ribs. “It is nice to remove it but it’s not worth a lot of frustration so try to do the best you can and leave it at that. It’s hard to get a picture of this being removed but you simply lay the ribs with the boney side up. You will notice a thick plastic like skin covering the meat. Slip a knife or other sharp object under it and try to get enough pulled up so you can grab it. Grasp it with a paper towel for good grip and pull it clean off if you can. If it tears, no worries. Just make another go at it. You may have better luck with catfish skinning pliers.” [ Jeff Phillips, smoking-meat.com, Smoked 3-2-1 St. Louis Style Spare Ribs]

What about the “type” of ribs? Baby Back? St Louis style? From Major League Grilling, “Furthermore, loin backs ribs or St. Louis style ribs benefit most from the 3-2-1 method. Otherwise, cook times will have to be modified if cooking with baby back ribs or spare ribs. Also, do not use this technique on country ribs or beef ribs, it doesn’t work as well because the country ribs are too lean and the cook times along with the flavor profile is all wrong for beef.” They also give a little better instruction and definition of the 3-2-1 Method. “What is 3-2-1? This method is a way to smoke ribs from start to finish. 3-2-1 represents the amount of hours the rack of ribs cook at each stage. In other words, the

[unwrapped] ribs smoke for 3 hours [225º F]
wrap for 2 hours and
cooks without smoke for the last hour, [on a hot grill].

Total, the ribs will spend 6 hours on the cooker.”

What is our preference? Robin and I like/prefer the St Louis style ribs. They seem to be a little more meatier and flavorful. And we only use pork ribs. No beef ribs. That is a personal thing and has nothing whatsoever to do with the quality of the ribs. We just like the pork ribs better.

And lastly, the rub! Major-League Grilling haas this to say about rubs. “Once in a while, I make my own rubs, but my homemade rubs are not quite as good as the rubs on the market. For this reason, I find so many great BBQ rubs at the store that it’s hard for me to stick with one. Although, the one constant is Plowboys Yardbird rub, for several reasons this is my favorite. Many times I have used the Yardbird rub and combine it with another rub with excellent results. But just for the record, I got 1st place using Plowboys alone. Listed below are more of my favorites:

Blues Hog
Dizzy Pig Pineapple
Penzey’s BBQ 3000
Penzey’s Galena Street
Smokin’ Guns Hot
McCormick’s Grillmates Sweet & Smoky

Notice that each one of these rubs have a high concentration of sugar in them. In particular, brown sugar is the main ingredient in many pork based rubs. It is because brown sugar compliments pork extremely well while at the same time, the low temperatures of the smoker or grill caramelizes the sugar and gives it an eye pleasing look and a delectable aroma.”

So. Take your pick of rubs. Choose the rib style you like and get grilling. It’s that time of year! Cheers!

A Little More On Spice and Herb Blends

19 Thursday May 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in BBQ Class, BBQ Rubs, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Char-Broil Grill, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Grillin' and Chillin', Herbs and Spices, Housemade Rubs, Housemade Sauces, Kitchen Adventures, Local Farmers Markets, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Smoking and Grilling, Spice Blends, What's For Dinner?

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BBQ, herbs and spices

There is a huge volume of information and suggestions and personal “likes” out there on spices, herbs and spices from around the world, herb and spice blends, grilling and BBQ herb and spice mixes. Here, for instance, is information – including recipes for making your own – on spices from around the world from TheKitchn. Spice Mixes From Around The World. (There are some really good ones listed there.)
This is interesting from the FoodNetwork, “Bottled grill seasoning blends are often expensive, heavy on the salt and preservatives and lacking in the flavor department. When you make your own, you control the ingredients and the flavor. Basic blends include salt, red and black peppers and additional flavor from garlic salt or onion powder.” To me the really interesting statement is “…heavy on the salt”. We really try to watch our intake of salt. And here is more information on how to make your own special herb and spice blends – Creating Flavors from Cooksmarts.
Here are some recipes for BBQ Dry Runs. You can print these out if you want.

Here are three rubs that we like to use. They are also located in the Recipe File above. Cheers.
BBQ Rub – [April 2016] Captain’s Shack KC Style Rub – This is a very versitile BBQ rub. Will make a grilled or smoked pork product awesome. [PDF format]
BBQ Rub – [April 2016] Captain’s Shack Memphis Rub – This is a very versitile BBQ rub in the Mempohis Style. Will make a grilled or smoked beef or chicken product awesome. [PDF format]
BBQ Rub – [April 2016] Captain’s Shack Montreal Rub – This is a very versitile BBQ rub in the familiar Montreal Style. Will make a grilled or smoked beef or chicken product awesome. [PDF format]

Please note that there is very little – if any – cayanne or red pepper flakes in these rubs. If you use these, adjust to suit your needs.We are not blazin’ hot spicy folks. Habanero and Ghost peppers won’t be used as one of our spices. Just sayin’!

And after this delicious and adventursome food, how about some ice cream? Homemade? Differently good and vegan! Spiced and with coconut milk.

Golden Milk Vegan Ice Cream
Want the recipe? Golden Milk Vegan Ice Cream – Ginger and Tumeric. Oh! Have fun with this one.

Char-Broil Grill Maiden “Voyage” – Spatchcock Chicken

03 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in BBQ Chicken, BBQ Veggies, Captain's Shack, Char-Broil Grill, Cooking Oils, Corn Sprouts, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Grilled Vegetables, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Idaho Chicken, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Vegetables, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables, Salad, Spatchcock, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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chicken, Corn Sprouts, grilled chicken, Spatchcock

I have always liked Char-Broil grills. Well built and long lasting. The last one I had, a combination gas/charcoal grill lasted 10 years. This one, an American Gourmet Deluxe Smoker, BBQ and Grill from Char-Broil seems to work very well. The photo to the left is the grill with it’s BSU cover on it.

A spatchcock is a historical term for a culled immature male chicken, but increasingly denotes a preparation technique. The spatchcock, also known as “spattlecock”, is poultry or game that has been prepared for roasting or grilling by removing the backbone, and sometimes the sternum of the bird and flattening it out before cooking. The preparation of a bird in such a manner for cooking may also be known as butterflying the bird. The term “spatchcock” is used when the backbone is removed, whether or not the sternum is removed. Removing the sternum allows the bird to be flattened more fully…Barbecue (also barbeque, BBQ and barby/barbies) is both a cooking method and an apparatus. The generally accepted differences between barbecuing and grilling are cooking durations and the types of heat used. Grilling is generally done quickly over moderate-to-high direct heat that produces little smoke, while barbecuing is done slowly over low, indirect heat and the food is flavored by the smoking process…The word barbecue when used as a noun can refer to the cooking method, the meat cooked in this way, the cooking apparatus (the “barbecue grill” or simply “barbecue”), or to an event where this style of food is featured. Used as an adjective, “barbecued” refers to foods cooked by this method. The term is also used as a verb for the act of cooking food in this manner. Barbecuing is usually done out-of-doors by smoking the meat over wood or charcoal. Restaurant barbecue may be cooked in large brick or metal ovens designed for that purpose. There are numerous regional variations of barbecuing, and it is practiced around many areas of the world. [Wikipedia]

‪#‎boisefoodieguildstuff‬, ‪#‎bobfoodphotos‬, ‪#‎boisecaptainsshackstuff‬

The new grill by Char-Broil An American Gourmet Deluxe

The spatchcock chicken. The pepper is a combination of black, pink and green that I ground. Great flavors.

The spatchcock chicken. The pepper is a combination of black, pink and green peppers that I ground. Great flavors. A light sprinkle of Lemon Olive Oil.

Grilling

The plated dinner.

Grilled Potato with Sour Cream
Green Salad with Tomato, Green Onion, Carrot Threads and Corn Shoots
Green Peas
Spatchcock Grilled Chicken

A good wine from Downton Abbey

Grilled Avocado for Breakfast; Icelandic Flounder Papillote for Dinner

11 Friday Sep 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Avocado, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Eggs, Eggs Poached, en Papillote, Food Photos, Green Beans, Grillin' and Chillin', Icelandic Flounder, Local Farmers Markets, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Fruits, Recipes - Seafood, Reel Foods, Seafood, Vegetarian Foods, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?

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avocado, en papillote, grilled avocado, Icelandic flounder, Papillote

Grilled avocado seems like a weird way to prepare the fruit. But really, for a non-avocado lover, this was pretty good. Leave the peel on and lightly caramelize the pulp to a golden brown. Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Enjoy!
But first, just what is a papillote?

En papillote (French for “in parchment”), or al cartoccio in Italian, is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper, but other material, such as a paper bag or aluminium foil, may be used. [Wikipedia]

In the culinary arts, the term en papillote (pronounced “ON poppy-YOTE”) refers to a moist-heat cooking method where the food is enclosed in a packet of parchment paper or foil and then cooked in the oven.
When cooking en papillote, there are usually some vegetables, herbs and seasonings included in the packet along with the main item. These additional ingredients, along with the main item, give off steam, which is what actually cooks the food. Therefore, en papillote cooking is basically a technique for cooking with steam.
Because it is delicate and cooks quickly, fish is a good choice for cooking in this way. Salmon en papillote is a popular dish.
When serving a recipe prepared en papillote, it is traditional to present the dish by slicing open the paper in front of the guest. [Culinary Arts]

But breakfast comes first! Here is the Grilled Avocado I made.

Grilled Avocado
with
Poached Egg, Micro Greens, Pink Grapefruit Wedges and Toasted Acme Bake Shop Sourdough

And now Icelandic Flounder en Papillote.

The flounder is set in the parchment with lemonn slices, limoncello, Texas tarragon (which has a slight bite to it compared to the French tarragon) and salt and pepper.

Flounder en Papillote
Fresh Idaho Honeydew Melon Slices
Potato Croquettes
Fresh Green Beans with Brown Butter

An awesome and fun day in the kitchen!

It’s Summer – Time For Grilling Pork!

13 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in BBQ Pork, Buy Idaho, Ethnic Foods, Grilled Pork, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Guanciale, Idaho Pork, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Party Time, Pork, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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cuts of pork, guanciale, jowl, pork, pork cheeks

Nothing better than a good, bone-in grilled pork chop! Or pork loin! Or pork shoulder! Or pork ribs! Or pork tenderloin! Ever grill hog jowl or pork cheeks? Do you really know and understand the cuts of pork, where they come from on the hog and what they are used for? Here is a great link for Pork Cuts Glossary, some really great information from The Nibble. Here is a start in understanding hog jowl or pig cheeks from Wikipedia.

Pork jowl (alternately called jowl bacon or, especially in the Southern United States, hog jowl) is cured and smoked cheeks of pork. Hog jowl is a staple of soul food, but is also used outside the United States; the Italian variant is called guanciale … Jowl bacon can be fried and eaten as a main course, similar to streaky bacon, such as in a traditional full English breakfast. Often, it is used as a seasoning for beans, black-eyed peas or with cooked with leafy green vegetables such as collard greens or turnip greens in a traditional Southeastern meal. A Southern US tradition of eating black-eyed peas and greens with either pork jowls or fatback on New Year’s Day to ensure prosperity throughout the new year goes back hundreds of years. Jowl meat may also be chopped and used as a garnish, similar to bacon bits, or served in sandwich form. Pork jowl can be used as a binding ingredient in pork liver sausages such as liverwurst and braunschweiger [and scrapple]. Because pork jowl is cured, like many other cuts of pork, it has been a traditional wintertime food as it is able to be stored for long periods of time without refrigeration.

I have heard of guanciale, but what is it?

Guanciale (Italian pronunciation: [ɡwanˈtʃaːle]) is an Italian cured meat or salami product prepared from pork jowl or cheeks. Its name is derived from guancia, Italian for cheek. Guanciale is similar to the jowl bacon of the United States … Pork cheek is rubbed with salt, sugar, and spices (typically ground black pepper or red pepper and thyme or fennel and sometimes garlic) and cured for three weeks or until it loses approximately 30% of its original weight. Its flavor is stronger than other pork products, such as pancetta, and its texture is more delicate. Upon cooking, the fat typically melts away giving great depth of flavor to the dishes and sauces it is used in … Guanciale may be cut and eaten directly in small portions, but is often used as a pasta ingredient. It is used in dishes like spaghetti alla carbonara and sauces like sugo all’amatriciana … It is a specialty of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio. Pancetta, a cured Italian bacon which is normally not smoked, is sometimes used as a substitute when guanciale is not available.

Pork jowl is also called Pork Chaps; Bajoues (French); Guanciale (Italian); Bochechas de porco (Portuguese). Interesting. If you would like to see a chart of the cuts of pork, check this link from Culinary Arts Cuts of Pork. Enjoy the info and have a great grilling season or smoking season. A great source for pork and other fresh meats in the Boise area is Homestead Natural Foods (they are also at the Boise Farmers Market in Boise at 10th and Grove each Saturaday). Thanks Ed, for the discussion on pork products this morning. It’s always great to chat with you. Cheers!

BBQ and Beer

08 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Anthropology of Food, BBQ Beef, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Fish, BBQ Sausages, BBQ Veggies, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Friends, Food Prep, Food Trivia, Grilled Fruit, Grilled Vegetables, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Hamburger, What's For Dinner?

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bbq beef, bbq chicken, bbq seafood, bbq veggies, Beer, grilling

From one of my many reference blogs, in this case Serious Eats (the photo here is from Serious Eats), I received this very interesting article on BBQ Beer Pairing, among other things such as the right beer with burgers, it is suggested too try “… Black IPAs to try: Firestone Walker Wookey Jack, Deschutes Hop in the Dark
Smoked porters to try: 8 Wired The Big Smoke, Stone Smoked Porter (for a more subtly smoky experience)
Porters to try: Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Nøgne-Ø Porter, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.”
With chicken, they suggest “… Amber/brown German lagers to try: Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel, Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen, Heater Allen Coastal Lager (if you’re on the West Coast)
Blonde bières de garde to try: Brasserie St. Sylvestre 3 Monts, Saint Germain Page 24 Réserve Hildegarde Blond
Helles lagers to try: Weihenstephan Original Premium, New Belgium Summer Helles, Ballast Point Longfin Lager.”

The list goes on and the suggestions, too. Beers to go with sausages, steaks, grilled seafood, grilled veggies and then a suggestion, “If You Had To Pick Just One”. It is a good article and a great reference. Good luck and Happy Grilling! Cheers! And here is your chance – Try to stick with your local beers. Many cities now, including Boise, have some really awesome micro breweries and Boise even has, I think, the nations first nano brewery.

Grilled Foods and Wine

11 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Chicken, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Grilled Vegetables, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Salad, Sliders, Special Dinners, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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grilling, the Buzz, The Buzz Coffee and Wine, wine dinner

Another interesting night and wine dinner at the Buzz in Boise. And just in time for the summer season – Grilled foods and selecting the right wine to go with the food. Cristi also let everyone know that they are putting a a beer tap system for local beers and she wants our suggestions. My suggestion is (1) Cloud 9 Nano Brewery in the Albertson’s Shopping Center on State Street and (2) 10 Barrel Brewery in downtown Boise. Here are some photos from tonight’s dinner and my wine ratings. A perfect score is [20]. Enjoy and Cheers!

Peggy is grilling skewers for dinner.

Wines prior to dinner. I did not particularly like the white one [11] and the red was just a little better [12]. I have had much better wines from both these wineries.

The best wine of the night was this one. I scored it a perfect [20]. Full bodied and went extremely well with the beef and chicken skewers and the corn on the cob. 2011 If You See Kay

Pulled Pork Sliders 2010 Renwood Clarion a blend of Syrah and Zin [17]

Pulled Pork Sliders
2010 Renwood Clarion
a blend of Syrah and Zin [19]

Peggy made the sauce for these and it was good. Almost a Carolina style with a hint of vinegar.

Grilled Romaine Salad
2012 Basal Cellars Estate Semillion [17]

Roasted Vegetable Soup
2009 MontGras Antu Ninquen Syrah [18]

This wine went very well with the soup. A good paring.

Chicken and Beef Skewers with Corn On-The-Cob 2011 If You See Kay [20]

Chicken and Beef Skewers with Corn On-The-Cob
2011 If You See Kay Blend [20]

A superb wine offering tonight and a great paring with the skewers and corn.

S’mores Cake
NV Fratelli Casa Rosa [18]

Two Awesome Dinners

09 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Red Wheat Bread, Avocado, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Bruchetta, Captain's Shack, Classic Cuisines, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Idaho Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Red Wheat, Salad, Seafood, Shrimp, Soup, Tapas, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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bruschetta, hollandaise, lamb, recipes, shrimp, tapas

We had two awesome dinners over the weekend. Grilled Lamb Chops marinated in fresh rosemary, fresh mint and fresh oregano, olive oil and salt and pepper. (That’s pretty much our standard marinade for lamb chops!) They were awesome. And then we made a bruschetta with an avocado and garlic spread. (The bruschetta was toasted Acme Bake Shop Red Wheat bread) Mash two cloves of garlic and mix with 1/2 avocado mashed. This makes a great tapas selection. Served that with a wonderful bowl of Coconut Shrimp Soup. Great dinners! Here, look at the photos. Enjoy!