Review: Kamado Charcoal Grill
By · CommentsSimilar to the Big Green Egg, the Kamado is a highly versatile BBQ unit that can smoke, BBQ, smoke, and grill. Ranging from $400 to $1800 depending upon size, finish, and accessories, they are a long lasting unit and can do justice to your best BBQ recipes. We’ve had ours going on 6 or 7 years and the exterior looks as good as the day we bought it. In fact, the picture of the one on the home page is the same one we have. Read More→
World Class Tri Tip Steak on a Budget
By · CommentsWhen the temperatures top 100 and the shade on our fishing grounds has given way to glaring sun, fishing slows and the conversation often drifts to what ifs. More than once we’ve opined on our fly of choice, if we were allowed to fish with only one fly. My choice is the Prince Nymph, because of its ease of tying with low cost materials, and its versatility in presentation, speaking to its effectiveness with many fish.
Given the same choices for beef, I imagine many people would choose a Porterhouse or bone-in Rib Eye. Read More→
How To Lower Food Costs and Retain Quality
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When you put out food for a group it’s always a balancing act with quality vs. pricing. We must understand that most of the grocery stores, caterers, and restaurants lie. They will mislabel, represent previously frozen as fresh, and claim to use ingredients they do not. Here are some ways I cheat down the costs without sacrificing quality, and some things on which you must never cheat: Read More→
Watermelon Sangria
By · CommentsThis Sangria is definitely a light version, but for our hot Sacramento Valley it’s become a summer favorite among our friends.
This recipe uses fresh watermelon, which ties in with the watermelon vodka. You can easily substitute the fresh fruit for your preferred vodka flavor, which can be blueberry, passion fruit, grape, and others. Just be sure to match the fresh fruit to the vodka flavor. All the other ingredients remain static.
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Fish Tacos and the Secret Sauce
By · Comments“El Pescadorito!” The crewman on our dilapidated San Carlos Bay fish boat, chuckled as my 1o year old daughter landed her third Dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi) of the morning in one of our favorite fishing grounds on the Sea of Cortez. It was late morning, and we both said “yes” when asked if we were hungry. We had a pretty good idea of the ensuing fare.
Fish tacos are a favorite of many, yet so many of the recipes are neither authentic nor tasty. I’ve discovered that when trying to emulate food from a different culture, first consider Read More→
Does Sexual Preference Drive Your Mustard Choice?
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“We’re running late. If you have the time, hit the store near the dock and pick up some sandwich stuff for tomorrow. Later.”
Erik and I hadn’t fished in the salt for at least 30 years, and I had arrived in Garibaldi, OR Read More→
LC’s Super Tasty Low Fat Pinto Beans
By · CommentsBeans and barbeque pair up, and always have. Unfortunately, most bean recipes are loaded with sugars and fat, and at BBQ4Dummies we work hard to de-fat anything we can while still retaining a great taste. This recipe is usually paired with JR’s Smoked Rice. If you are health conscious, one half cup of each combined with your favorite BBQ sauce is a complete meal. Read More→
Pulled Pork Sliders with Cajun Slaw
By · CommentsPulled pork anything is very trendy now, but it’s one of the oldest BBQ specialties around. BBQ4Dummies strongly recommends pulled pork as your first attempt at BBQ. Barbequing a shoulder is incredibly easy and very forgiving. You have to try to screw this one up.
First, a little about the cut itself. A pork shoulder consists the upper portion of the hog’s front leg. There are two parts to the shoulder Read More→
Essential Outdoor Cooking Gadgets: Marinade Turbocharger
By · CommentsThere is no shortage of gadgets for outdoor cooking, probably because it’s a somewhat male-dominant activity ,and we have about as much resistance to toys and gadgets as the ladies have to tolerating our messes! However, most of them range between superfluous and useless. This one is a long time personal favorite of BBQ4Dummies, and will make your end product more tasty while saving you precious prep time.
Steve Raichlen is a nationally known expert on BBQ. He is a prolific author, runs BBQ University for hands on learning (at a fancy price too), and a few years ago developed the Steve Raichlen Marinade Turbocharger.
The purpose is to penetrate the meat to be marinated or brined quickly with needle-sized penetrations so as not to allow the existing fluids to drain from the meat, nor to provide large escape holes for fresh brine, which may happen when a kitchen knife is used for the same purpose.
A 15 lb. turkey can can be fully penetrated in less than 30 seconds, and a pork butt in 15. I use the Marinade Turbocharger for nearly all poultry, large cuts of pork, and always for tri tip and brisket. It has stainless steel needles, and is dishwater safe. I have no negative comments on this gadget. It does as Raichlen claims, and looks as good as new four years later. It’s highly recommended for anyone cooking large, tough cuts of meat, and essential if you do any production cooking. About $25, widely available on the internet.
Damn Close to Sonic’s Diet Cherry Limeade
By · CommentsWho would have thought that a little drive-in from Oklahoma would have taken America’s retro taste buds by storm? Is there anything more appealing that a Sonic Limeade on a hot summer’s day? After growing tired of driving 30 minutes to the nearest Sonic, I’m embarrassed to say that I made at least 10 runs at this recipe, using internet suggestions and tasting before I got this close. It’s not 100% Sonic, but it’s so close you don’t have to drive there. Now to work on that Super Breakfast Burrito! Read More→
