A little char and a little scruff. The making of a perfect steak

As I pulled into the drive way, I happen to notice the thermometer on the front porch was alot lower than it usually is. Tonight, it was in the low teens. A very cold and dreary night. To brighten me spirits, I had some nice new organic grass feed New York steaks and some rib-eyes thawed out to room temp. Now, from here on out, I am going to do some UN-orthadox procedures to these steaks. BUT these procedures will produce the most tastiest, juiciest, tenderest steak mankind has ever had!

Signiture rub basics

Instead of giving you my recipe for my rubs, oh wait i already did that. How bout i also give you the basics of how to build a basic rub and then add to it for your own signature championship style rub.. huh… sound good.
The hardest thing about rubs is balancing out the seasonings so that one seasoning does not over power another. Hopefully i will be able to explain how to accomplish this.

You gotta build one of these

If any of you are familiar with the popular La Caja China pig roasters, I have a friend who has spent a great amount of time designing his own. His first design used a kitchen sink for the fire box. He choose the sink method for a couple of reasons. The first, thats what he had lying around. Second, he wanted to show people that you could make a pig roaster with parts lying around the yard.  I have never used one of these before but i have seen Mr. Bobby Flay use one in a throw down.

A table for two part two

Everyone! I finally finished my kettle and UDS table. After months of planning and finding the required ingredients, it is finally finished. Some of the pieces of wood for the legs had to be spliced together using some homemade metal brackets. haha.

Wood fired pizza

Pizza is one of those strange foods that i personally do not care for one iota! I have always had problems with soggy dough,to much sauce to much this and that. As a great philospopher from the 1800's once said "“The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution” With that new knowledge, i set out for just that... a solution!

Caralina pit beef and lettuce wraps

Well, i finally broke down and had my first attempt at tri-tip. Im not gonna lie, it was pretty dang good. I actually cooked two of them. One was over on the fire pit and the other was on the rotis. Both were prepared differently but very tasty. It was truly an amazing dinner

Stubbs charcoal review

If your like me, and i hope you are, haha, then you like your grilled or smoked food to taste clean and crisp. I have found that the original Kingsford charcoal has way to many chemical binders and unwanted material in it for my taste when it comes to smoking food. I will use it for grilling foods since it does have a high heat capacity, and by the time its is scorching hot, the binders have burned off. The good news is, KF has been working hard to ensure there customers are happy. In the meantime i use Royal Oak lump or Stubbs all natural charcoal for slow cooking.

Drum smoker tutorial

First things first: I would like to thank Cowgirl for her inspiration for this project. Her patience surely out weighs mine as i sent email after email for this project. I would like to thank the Brethren as well. I was referenced to them by Cowgirl. Now i am referencing you to them as well.

So your one of those people who wants to build a UDS that is simple, ugly, no FUGLY is more like it, but yet produces the most elegant smoked and barbecued meats, stuffed jalapenos and fatty’s ever!

Cold smoker tutorial

Here is an excellent weekend project to do! if you are in the mood for some great smoked cheese, bacon, sausage, you have come to the right post. In this post, you will learn how to make your own cold smoker that will be able to smoke delicate foods with out any heat. Cheese is one of those delicate items that must be cold smoked or you run the risk of melting the cheese if you try to smoke it the low n slow way.

Kebob a ran

As i was aimlessly wondering around the local grocery store, i happened to catch a glimpse of this nifty looking object that had a price tag of $3. I went over to see exactly what it was. A few short minutes later, i was at home firing up the grill.

A table for two

courtesy of weber

Every so often, my collection of grills and smokers expands. Sometimes by twos and other times by threes. I have 8 cookers total but by far my most favorite one...... is my good ole trusty Weber kettle.

Caveman steak

Today, I celebrate a new mile marker in my life. For 5 years i have been wanting to cook a steak caveman style. No, not naked...there are laws against that i think. Caveman style is what the Tuscans in Italy do, they slap a nice piece of beef right on the hot wood embers a of a hardwood fire

The butter of life

One of my favorite things to cook is a nice juicy steak, I prepare my steaks totally differently than most people do. I can make a $4 steak taste like Gucci prime steak. I cook over a extremely hot hot wood fire or gas fire using my grillgrates product. (http://www.grillgrate.com/).

Look at dem ribs

Sometimes a man gets a crazy notion and no matter how cold it is outside, the idea must come to pass. Today, i celebrate one of those days. This marks a historic time stamp in my life. It was freezing cold outside, some what snowy and just a bitter wind chill. I packed up the welder and headed outback to the patio.

Brew belly

This morning i woke up to the sound of chirping birds, kids playing outside and the smells of early spring. As i laid there in my gigantic California king, I pondered about the various activities planned for the day. It was super bowl Sunday and i had nothing really going on. I didnt have any friends coming over to watch the game, i didnt have any plans to cook, i had basically not much to do.

Ganache

I know this is NOT grilling, but hey, sometimes a little off topic is ok. This is a great recipe for Ganache. If you add a wee bit more cream, it will make a terrific glaze for new york cheese cake. The first part will make a crust for tart shells with a chocolate Ganache filling. The second part should be pure Ganache truffles. These little guys make a terrific Christmas gift! hint hint..

Braciole

Braciole is a fascinating Italian dish. It consists of a thinly cut piece of meat that has either been butterflied or flattened. Then it is stuffed with all sorts of mixtures, rolled, tied and either grilled on a wood fire or braised in tomato sauce. I prefer the wood fire approach for the most authentic flavors of Italy.

Oven roasted chicken

 I have a quest in life. And thats to find a roasted chicken that tastes like one from the supermarket. Some say that this one tastes better, but i still think walmarts rotisserie chicken is the best hands down. Its either because its supper salty or super lemony or both.

Smoked sirloin, yorkshire pudding, and baked brie

Tonight, my wife and i celebrated our 3 month wedding anniversary. We first went to my best friends wedding reception and enjoyed good company and great treats. My neighbor, who is a very talented 80 year old piano player, was in charge of all the piano music for the wedding. After the reception, the whole family was hungry. So i decided to cook one of my specialties.

Signiture bbq rub basics

Instead of giving you my recipe for my rubs, oh wait i already did that. How bout i also give you the basics of how to build a basic rub and then add to it for your own signature championship style rub.. huh… sound good.

Cerdo de la muerte

Cerdo de la muerte translated into English means death by pig. This recipe i learned from a friend. I just gave it a fancy title.

Bacon wrapped dates

This is a very very tasty side dish or appetizer. i have made these a few times and they are always a hit. The sweet sweet flavor of dates mixed with strong blu cheese topped with a nice smokey flavor... MMMM MMM GOOD!

Pork scalopini

One of my most favorite recipes is a mixture of Greek and Italian origins. What makes this dish so unique is the contrast between the flavors. We first start off with Stuffed Pork Braciole (bri-shol) topped with a fresh tomato Marinara sauce . We will finish off with some hot and sticky Baklava.

Chicken involtini

There are times when a man must show off his primal skills of cooking. This was one of those times:

Spit roasted citrus chicken

Looking for an easy but very suculent spit roasted chicken? Then look no further. i have an awesome recipe for a marinate that makes chicken very juicy and tender.  For best results, use an all natural chicken or Organic chicken.

Roasted chicken with lemon herb butter

If you really want to impress the ladies, then follow this recipe and your smitten for a good night! You cant go wrong with a slow roasted chicken placed on a bed of wild rice, covered in a smooth lemon herb butter sauce. Serve this with a nice spring mix salad and she will love you long time!!