BELCAMPO IN THE HOUSE

We are in Montague California judging at the 3rd Annual Siskiyou Country Beef Cook-off. This is a fun KCBS certified bbq contest. The rotary club sponsors this small local event. They roll out the red carpet to all who participate.  We received a large insulated bag full of swag for our participation. T-shirts, sun screen, snacks, towels, and bottled water was included in this welcome goody bag. This bag was very nice but our real reward was getting to sample and judge some awesome bbq. Today we are going to mention one special competitor; Belcampo Meats.

Belcampo Meats is a all-inclusive,  farm to table meat company. There farms are located very close to Montague. This is a quote from Belcampo; "What unites everything we do is our singular commitment to provide you with delicious, organic, and humane meat you can feel good about buying and eating." The bbq team representing Belcampo were competing for the second time at this contest. This exciting team is very new to the bbq competition world. This was shown in their creative and outside the (turn-in) box thinking. They are using premium meats from their farms to present to the judges. The image above is a whole pig of berkshire, duroc, ossabaw cross. It was cooked on this custom open pit with heat radiating from above and below. This is one impressive cooker.

KCBS judges are looking for meats that are traditionally presented to them. There are certain rules that must be followed in these contests. Belcampo is using organic, quality, fresh meat that may be superior than the typical meat purveyors. Using these meats may someday be a huge advantage to Belcampo. Their team will have to learn the intricacies and the norms of winning competition entries. They came in dead last in this competition. This was not a defeat in any matter. This was a victory of knowledge. The energy and enthusiasm of the Belcampo team shined at this contest. The bbq crowd learned about and tasted some delicious meat products. While talking to the Belcampo team, the enthusiasm and pride was felt about their farms and products. I received an invitation to tour Belacampo farms. The adventure continues.

Belcampo Meat Company

CABELA'S BACON MAPLE FUDGE

As a rule, I normally do not like to shop, unless it is at Cabela's. Cabela's is the ultimate place to outfit any outdoor activity.Ms. Goofy and I browsed the many aisles of the Nevada store the other day. I walked out of the store empty handed but Ms. Goofy picked up some bacon maple fudge. That's my girl. The fudge was sweet with maple goodness and studded with real bacon chunks. It does not get any better.

CORNBREAD ON THE GRILL

This will be a quick post on baking on a Weber grill. Zoomie, a friend of Mad Meat Genius has a kitchen project that has left her without an oven. It is rumored that she hired the company;"Pyramid Building & Kitchen Remolding Inc.". I suggested to use her Weber grill to bake. We use our covered kettle grill as an oven when we do not want to heat up the kitchen or free up space in the oven. We have a new favorite recipe for cornbread or you can use your own. Bank 30 lit coals on each side of the bottom grate of your grill for a total of 60 charcoal briquettes. Place your bread pan (cast iron works great) in center of grill and cover. Follow suggested cooking times. When time is up insert knife and if it pulls cleanly remove. With the Weber our cooking times were a fraction longer but very close. Enjoy.

AMPM

We were returning home from our latest weekend of practicing all of our vices. The Racing Honda needed some fuel. We pulled into an 'AMPM' gas/mini mart and while I was waiting for Ms Goofy to complete the pit stop this sign shouted out to me. Everybody loves ribs. I had just judged some of the best bbq in the nation and there was no way I was going to try this offering. Any takers?

BOOMTOWN

We have polished our judges badges and are ready for another great event. This one should be interesting. The weatherman predicts the temperatures will be in the nineties and there will be flash flood warnings. Should I bring a swimsuit or a canoe?

North State BBQ Championship

ANGELO’S SECRET RECIPE

Angelo Ibierto of ‘Angelo’s Meats’ makes some of the best focaccia in the world. I have tried to duplicate his recipe numerous times. Angelo has that magic touch and a secret recipe. If you ask Angelo for the recipe he will tell you the ingredients and instruct you in general terms. I always feel he is leaving something out. His focaccia is buttery with olive oil and has a rich flavor that has a sprinkling of salt to accent the goodness. Our last visit Angelo agreed to give us the recipe in print. He went in the back room and ripped a page out of a cookbook. That sly fox was just using somebody else’s recipe. We were ecstatic with foccacia joy to finally have the secret recipe. We said our goodbyes and rushed home to make this special bread.

Double click the image above and read this recipe. Do you notice anything peculiar? Yes, this recipe is in Italian. Also I can translate several words like spinach and chick pea flour. That crazy butcher has me again. He gave me a recipe that he has been experimenting with. He mentioned making a gluten free focaccia and this must be it. Angleo’s famous foccacia recipe will remain a secret for now.

WEBER GREEN

We all have our favorite grill or smoker for transforming raw protein into mahogany, brown ,delicious, smokey, fantastic meals. To Ms. Goofy's dismay our patio proudly displays numerous smokers, grills and a wood burning beehive oven. As some of you may know, I am a fan of Weber products. Each and every one of my Weber's has a unique and special purpose. There are different sizes, some are portable, one is driven by a motor and several others have fans and can be controlled by my computer. My everyday, go to Weber is a 22 1/2 kettle grill. It sits in a wooden cart and has a metal bucket underneath to catch ash. This cart was custom built over 30 years ago. It has aged nicely and is an old friend. Every decade or so I replace the kettle. Honestly it does not really need replacing but dings, scratches and crud from thousands of cooks takes it toll. The nice thing about a Weber that all the internal parts are replaceable.

This green beauty was found on Craigslist. It is brand spanking new. The previous owner only used it once or twice. He claimed that he preferred his new gas grill over charcoal. We were in the middle of a business transaction so I kept my gas cooking opinions to my self. I picked this grill up for a song and was very pleased with my acquisition. I rushed home to cook on my new 'Green Weber'

I had to swap out the handles, remove the legs, ash catcher and then replace the cooking grate with my well seasoned cast iron grate . I gently lifted my new cooker and placed it in its new home. The old Weber will be placed in the rear of the Chilebrown compound and scrapped for parts if needed. It was time to cook. I built a test fire to burn out any foreign matter that probably did not exist. Aged New York steak with corn would be the first to grace this green beauty. The steak was so very good. We are set for another decade.