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.

WINE COUNTRY BIG Q

The competitive bbq season is in full swing. This Saturday a very popular contest called "Wine Country Big Q' was held in Santa Rosa (actually Rohnert Park but Santa Rosa has more wine 'Creds"). The popularity of the event is because of the unique showcasing of local wines with barbeque. This brought out bbq enthusiasts and oenophiles alike. I personally looked forward to the bacon themed desserts that have been offered at this event in the past. Oh, and not to mention we were there to judge bbq. We would like to share a couple of images with you.

A new competitive bbq team has just entered the barbeque arena. They are enthusiastic and have a great eye catching logo. The name of their team is the 'Flaming Moe's.' For those of you who have never watched the 'Simpsons', Moe was the bartender at 'Moe's Tavern'. 'The F'laming Moe' was a hilarious episode and the song can be heard here.

I did find my bacon treats. Rob Z of 'Beaver Creek' was vending Twinkies with a maple and bacon topping. They were delicious and was the perfect dessert after judging some great bbq. We always have room after judging 6 meat categories that included chicken, ribs, pork shoulder, birsket, lamb and a new steak called 'Velvet Steak'. Velvet steak was a term used to disguise the real name of 'Heel of the Round'. This was a challenge for the cooks because this cut has no fat and can be tough.

What a wonderful day. Two of our friends took Grand and Reserve Championships. Richard and Michele Holquin of 'Cecils Smok'n  BBQ' were Grand Champions and Bill and Yvonne Sousa of 'Big B's Down & Dirty BBQ' Reserve Champions. What a great day. I cannot wait till next weekend when we can do it all over again.