MAD MEAT GENIUS

RENNA’S MEAT MARKET

2012-02-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

Today’s meat adventure begins in Fresno California at ‘Renna’s Meat Market’ and will end cooking a pizza at the Chilebrown kitchen. Renna’s is an old fashion full service meat market that we constantly search for. Customer service is very important at this emporium of meat. Ask for a specific cut of meat at it will be yours. Renna’s sells lots of combination meat parcels which you can see advertised on the front window. The ‘10lb Value Pak’ that costs $20.95 includes;

1 lb Bologna
2 lb Ground Beef
1 lb Wieners
3 lb Leg Quarters
3 Paks Pork Links
2 lb End Cut Pork Chops

We noticed that all the sausage was house made. The Volga German sausage is described by Renna’s as; “The recipe for our German sausage came to America from the village of Kukkus in the Volga German colonies of Russia. It was made in Fresno by the Ohlberg family starting in 1928. Today, butcher Michael Ohlberg is Renna’s link to the family’s tradition of great sausage makers.”

We purchased an assortment of sausages and headed back home. Pizza sounded like a great idea to try our bounty of fresh sausage. Dough and sauce made from scratch, fresh mushrooms, grated cheese and thinly slice onions would be ingredients for this pie. The Volga German sausage was cooked on the grill to add a little smoke flavor. An almond wood fire was started in our wood fire oven. Once the coals were glowing the pie was cooked for less than 3 minutes. We will now share a Mad Meat Genius exclusive video.

This video is three minutes long, the time it took to cook this pie. This is a work in process. The sound and lighting will need some work. This is a rare image of Chilebrown. You will notice that my face was made exclusively for radio. I did want to share how fast and furious pizza pie making is at our household. By the way the sausage was excellent and the pizza even better. Enjoy!

Renna’s Meat Market

4269 North First St.

Fresno, Ca.

559 221-1350

LAKE HAVASU MUSIC BREWS & BBQ

2012-01-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

The scores have been tabulated and the winner has been declared. “The envelope please”. Harry Soo of ‘Slap Yo’ Daddy’ BBQ’ team has won the crown of ‘Grand Champion’. Harry rolled into the competition late Friday afternoon. He set up his cooking area behind a small ‘U-Haul’ van and worked his magic in a ‘Weber Smokey Mountain’ cooker. He wowed the judges with a first place chicken, sixth place ribs, and a second place brisket. This placed him at the top of seventy four other barbeque warriors. Congratulations Harry, you are an inspiration.

The residents of Lake Havasu were also winners at this event. They were entertained with music and award winning barbeque. The public was able to purchase tickets to sample these smoky delights. We found an attraction that allowed a person to walk on water. You were placed in a plastic bubble and vacuumed shut. You then were able to walk across a pool of water. Once again they did not allow me participate.

Once your stomach was full there was a car show to stroll and walk off your BBQ indulgence. Lots of shining chrome and polished rims were displayed to admire. Hot rods and vintage vehicles were proudly on display.

There were plenty of crafts and fun products to purchase. I found my favorite booth that was manned by “Scotty B’s” hot sauce. My hot sauce pantry will be five bottles bigger when I get home.

This is an image of my fellow barbeque judges taking our oath before the contest. The last line of the oath is: “I accept my duty to be an Official KCBS Certified Judge, so that truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque and the American Way of Life may be strengthened and preserved forever. AMEN!

DESERT COCKTAIL

2012-01-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

A Liberal friend of mine, who has no problem salting her way through life suggested that I have a beer in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Well, why not? Lake Havasu is a retirement community and a haven for "Spring Break" visitors. ‘Happy Hour’ is an hour earlier because of the time zone. The locals have a specialty drink called the ‘Desert Cocktail’. It is a twenty two-ounce beer floated with a stuffed olive. This will cost a whopping 2 dollars and .50 cents.

One hour away from Lake Havasu is another ‘Silver Hair’ gambling and vice destination: Laughlin, Nevada. Our barbeque event had a booth promoting a casino with a spinning wheel to give away tickets for front row seats to the "Ink Spots". Guess who won?

　
I know what you are thinking. Only one member of the present group of the"Ink Spots" is a second generation of the original group. Yes it was fun and even though I did not know the words to the songs the people behind, around, and even in front were singing and swaying to the music. It was intense. The concert was over and we all danced to the buffet line to beat the six o-clock senior discount deadline. (That was a joke son) More barbeque later.

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

2012-01-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

The ‘Formula One Racing Honda" made record time driving from the Bay Area to Lake Havasu, Arizona. This rocket ship was fueled with caffeine and the anticipation of meat treats to come. Today is the first day of ‘HavaBBQ 2012’. The National anthem has been sung and it is time to get our meat on. The first day is a day of setting up and inspections. All meat must be inspected for proper handling, appropriate meats and alterations. (Marinade). Teams from all over the nation have gathered by the lake and are preparing for battle.

The main event of cooking the four meat categories (chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder and brisket) will start tonight and be judged tomorrow. Today there will be a chili contest. The public will be invited to taste and vote for their favorites. Yours truly will be a judge for this competition. If the public does not get their fill of chili there are lots of food venders. Beer battered everything was a booth that I may have to visit. Tri-tip and sausage was being prepared for the hungry masses. A booth preparing Greek food was a temptation that will have to be controlled.

Besides judging chili today, Yours truly will be judging another category called "Anything Butt". This category is anything besides the four meat categories. The competitors will try to impress the judges with steak to lobster for cash prizes. I will have to stay away from the food venders to prepare for this event.

The fun has begun. I found a hot sauce booth. I walked away with a shopping cart full of heat. The bands are beginning to play. There is a lot of food to judge and sample. Stay tuned.

CHILEBROWN BURGERS

2012-01-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

“For a hamburger today, I will gladly grind it for you Tuesday”. My apologizes go out to J. Wellington Wimpy, for butchering your line. Actually we took fresh meat and ground it to our specifics for a flavorful burger. This simple task was easy, inexpensive and resulted in a flavor profile that rocked. The meat was purchased at our local Wally-Marts bargain meat bin. They discount packages of meat that did not sell the day before. We used a combination of chuck steak, sirloin, and pork shoulder. Once home we trimmed the steaks and removed bones or any silver skin present. The meat was put on a tray and put into the freezer for 20 minutes. This partial cooling hardened the meat for ease of grinding. The handy dandy all purpose Kitchen-Aid mixer has a grinding attachment and we put it to use with the coarse grind. The ground meat was mixed and put back into the Chilebrown ice cave.

We formed the freshly ground meat into patties for grilling. A liberal dose of salt & pepper was the only seasoning needed. Once the burgers are cooked to your liking feel free to accompany them with your favorite toppings. The flavor was stellar. The chuck and sirloin added beef flavor while the pork added richness and needed fat. We cooked our burgers to a medium doneness. They oozed with rich beef and pork flavor love. You will need extra napkins for this meat lover’s delight. Once you have ground your own burgers, you will be on board with the flavor train.

We are packing up the ‘Formula One Racing Honda’ and heading to Arizona to attend “HAVABBQ’ 2012. This is Arizona’s largest state barbeque competition. It will be our first judging duties of the year. We hope to bring you up to date coverage. See you this weekend.

OREGON DAN'S

2012-01-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

Oregon Dan's barbeque sauces are my latest review. They are sweetened with Agave syrup. They have several flavors to try and you can read about them here.

Read Review Here

CARNE MACHACA

2012-01-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

We are bringing you a Mad Meat Genius first; dried beef. This was spotted at Las Montanas Supermarket. I saw it on the shelf and walked right by. I got to the next aisle and stopped dead in my tracks. Dried beef? I had to investigate. The clerk explained it was used with eggs for a breakfast dish. A small amount was purchased. Once home a little more digging on the World Wide Web produced information and recipes. Carne Machaca is a form of beef jerky. Meat is marinated, cooked, shredded and then dried. It is usually sautéed with salsa and eggs to make the filling for a spicy breakfast burrito.

We are home and opened our container of dried beef. Ms. Goofy and I both took a whiff. We both simultaneously exclaimed it smells like dog food. The odor was very off putting. In the name of research we continued. Chopped onion, tomato and a Serrano pepper were cooked in a little olive oil for several minutes. The dried beef was added and cooked for several more minutes. Eggs were added and cooked. This mixture was served with salsa and a tortilla.

The dried beef was on the salty side. A little chewy with beef flavor was the verdict. It tasted fine enough, but the smell was still in the back of our mind. This is an experiment that will not be repeated.

LUCY LEMON MERINGUEY PIE

2012-01-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

A combination of Meyer lemons and sweet puppy breath! Oh my.

JALAPENO CHEESE CORN BREAD

2012-01-17T08:18:00.001-08:00

This recipe is a keeper. The addition of jalapeno hot sauce and pepper jack cheese is the secret for a moist and spicy cornbread. This can be cooked in the oven or outside in a Dutch oven. Cooking this bread in the Dutch oven is fun and makes for a great presentation. Either way you cook this bread, it is delicious.

Jalapeno Cheese Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup diced canned jalapenos
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 ½ cup of buttermilk
2 eggs beaten
2 teaspoons jalapeno hot sauce
4 tablespoons melted butter
4 ounces grated pepper jack cheese.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. Mix the eggs, buttermilk, hot sauce and jalapenos in a separate bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold in cheese. In a 425 degree oven heat your cooking vessel with butter. When the butter is melted swirl pan to coat. Pour excess butter into batter mixture and combine. Pour all into buttered pan and return to oven. Cook for 30 minutes until golden brown.

MAD MEAT GENIUS HELMET CAM

2012-01-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

We would like to bring you the latest up to date information in the 'Mad Meat Genius' World. The helmet cam will open a new horizon of awareness and bring a new slant to our 'Madness' with bacon Stay tuned.

LUCY!.... I'M HOME!

2012-01-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

Lucy! .... I'm Home! We are proud to announce a new addition to the Chilebrown home. Lucy is our bouncing, tail chasing, 'English Cream', 'Golden Retriever' puppy. She has only been here 24 hours and she rules the roost. Her and Oscar are best friends already. I hope Lucy likes barbeque.

"SHOP DICK'S" BACON & BROCCOLI SALAD

2012-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

We had our annual potluck during the Holidays at the ‘Salt Mine’. Lots of home made sweets and casseroles were shared. ‘Shop Dick’ our mechanic brought in a broccoli salad and asked me to try it. It was delicious. I immediately asked him for the recipe. Guess what? This recipe includes a pound of bacon. I knew I liked this dish and now I love it. These few ingredients blend together for a sweet savory fresh vegetable combination that really shines in flavor. I even dare to say it is healthy and good for you because of the fresh broccoli. So get out your broccoli stalks, pull up a knife and let’s make a salad.

(Before bacon & dressing)

“Shop Dick’s Bacon & Broccoli Salad

1 pound bacon sliced
2 bunches broccoli chopped into bite size pieces
1 small red onion chopped
1 cup of raisins

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

I used Nueske bacon for a special treat. Fry your bacon until crispy and wonderful. Drain on paper towels. When cool chop into pieces and reserve.
Combine the broccoli, onion and raisins in a bowl. Make the dressing by combining mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add dressing and bacon to broccoli mixture. It could not be simpler.

This salad is a winning combination of flavors. The smoky bacon, crispy broccoli and sweet raisins were made for each other. I cannot believe how good this tastes. This is health food in my book. Thanks ‘Shop Dick’ .

LOOFTLIGHTER

2012-01-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

Loofflighter, what is it? Is it a hair dryer on steroids or a great tool to start a barbeque fire? The Looftlighter is a product from Sweden that every barbeque freak must have. Well at least I wanted. This device is basically a hair dryer on steroids. Flip the switch and a super heated stream of air, 1256 degrees to be exact, will flow and ignite your fuel.No more waiting around for that old fashion chimney starter. This product is good for the planet because it will replace that stinky foul lighter fluid. (Mad Meat Genius has been lighter fluid free for years). Instant fire for the barbeque pit will be a joy. Let’s turn on the Looftlighter and get our fire on.

A small stack of charcoals briquettes will be our test fuel for today. Plug the Looftlighter in and hold the Looftlighter against the charcoal. Hold the switch on and within 30 seconds you will begin to see sparks. Back the device slightly away from the charcoals and the fire will spread. The image you see was taken 90 seconds from the start. For instant fire move to another spot and within minutes your charcoals will be lit. It was fast and clean. No more ashes blowing around from a chimney starter.

What a great new barbeque tool. We are still doing tests. We want to try this with mesquite charcoal and a wood fire in our fire place. This device is not portable unless you are near an electrical outlet. So far, we are very pleased. “He with the most barbeque tools wins”

Looftlighter

SMOKED BACON CHIPOTLE SEA SALT

2012-01-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

‘You can say that again' Smoked Bacon Chipotle Sea Salt was a gift from my sister, “The President of Cookies”. She knows what I like and this concoction has all of my favorite components. It sounds intriguing but will all these bold flavors blend together and form a tasty condiment? The ingredient list is as follows: Natural sea salt smoked over Alder wood, natural bacon (?), chipotle pepper and gum Arabic. I got a chuckle with the reference to natural bacon. Unnatural bacon might be scary but a popular bacon salt producer does not actually use any bacon in their bacon salt. Let’s pop the top and give this salt a try.

The aroma is pleasant with an almost sweet, Alder wood smoke fragrance. I have had other smoked salts in the past that have smelled like a campfire. The close up image will show very small little pieces of chipotle pepper, I actually saw more seeds than peppers. There are also little tiny pieces of bacon through out this mixture. I took a small piece to verify it was the salty swine that I love. This has the real deal. A healthy sprinkling of our salt graced a fried egg for tasting purposes. The smoke flavor was pleasant but not overpowering. Unfortunately the bacon and chipotle flavor was not noticeable to my palate.

Chipotle and bacon flavor missing does not make this a bad product. I think it would be great for seasoning vegetables or used as a finishing salt. The Alder wood flavor might be strong enough to overpower the other ingredients but is not overwhelming and would make a wonderful condiment. This flavored salt has an alluring title but does not deliver all that was promised.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ROAST

2012-01-02T07:13:00.000-08:00

It is January 2 and I have broken all my New Year's resolutions already. The Oakland Raiders have tanked another football season. We did have a wonderful prime rib roast. The house still smells of beef and I love it.

We hope you had a great New Year. This year is going to be special. Both Ms. Goofy and I will be retiring. We are getting a new puppy in two weeks. This year will be eventful. We are planning all kinds of new meat adventures. Stay tuned!

BEST RAVIOLIS EVER IN THE WORLD

2011-12-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas Raviolis. Wow how come we are so lucky? The best sauce , meatballs and home made raviolis in the whole wide world.
The meatballs were made on an assembly line of love. Two fine Italian daughters, Susan and Carol spent a lot of time making these treats. How did Ms. Goofy and I deserve this special family delight? I am grateful and we want to Thankyou so very much you two wonderful friends, Hey Susan, you are a big ole spicy meatball. We love you guys!

A SPOONFUL OF ANGELO

2011-12-29T09:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we embarked on a mini-meat adventure to Sonoma County. We had the destination of Willowside Meats to pick up our pre-ordered ‘Prime”, prime rib roast. This roast has been aging in their meat lockers. This will be a New Years treat for celebration of the holiday. On our way to Santa Rosa we would be driving by our good friend Angelo, the owner of Angelo’s Smokehouse. It just would not be a meat adventure without visiting our friend.

Angelo was in the process of loading up his smoker with various fish. He had freshly caught salmon, tuna, and trout. These fish had been soaking in a secret brine. They were rinsed with fresh water and then coated with spices and brown sugar. This brined and spiced fish will visit his smoker for several hours and smoky treats will emerge. We observed and conversed with Angelo. I made the mistake of telling Angelo about our pre-ordered roast from Willowside. “Why go there, when you can get the besta here!” barked Angelo in his broken English. Oh boy did I have a foot stuck in my mouth. He stormed to his meat locker and returned with cooked prime rib roast. He took a huge knife and sliced a large cut from the roast. It was heated and we all sampled this delicious cut of meat. After a libation, some laughs and several more meat treat snacks we all shook hands and were best friends once again. We purchased a marinated tri-tip roast which is one of Angelo’s signature dishes.

We picked up our roast from Willowside. It is a beauty. Do not tell Angelo, because, I think he was a little hurt that we went to the competitor. We did cook up our tri-tip last evening. This is one special cut of meat. It is easy to cook and the results are stellar. Angelo is a master of the butcher trade.

Angelo's Meat and Sausage

BACON CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2011-12-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

Nothing says Merry Christmas better than bacon chocolate chip cookies,”At least in my meat world.” We have some beautiful Nueske bacon to enhance these Toll House Morsels. The bacon is candied in the oven with brown sugar and then chopped and added to our cookie batter. It does not get any simpler.

Candied Bacon (Meat Candy)

Preheat the oven to 350. Lay bacon on aluminum foil and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over rashers. Cook for 15 minutes and flip slices over. Drag the slices through sugar and bacon fat that has accumulated in bottom of pan. Cook for another 15 minutes and cool on wire rack. They should be a beautiful mahogany brown. Chop into small pieces. Try to save some for the cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ¼ cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup of butter, softened
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Mix the butter with the sugars and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time mixing thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients. Last, add your chocolate chips and candied bacon.
Cook in 375 degree oven for aprox 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, doesn’t it just cry out Merry Christmas. After eating these delicious cookies Santa may not fit down the chimney. The candied bacon is a subtle flavor that adds a sweet and salty component that will be oh so addicting. Merry Christmas and have a bacon chocolate chip cookie New Year.

MERRY BROCCOLI CHRISTMAS

2011-12-24T16:42:00.000-08:00

ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS

2011-12-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me,

A six pound slab of Nueske bacon

Santa arrived in a large Brown van and had a package that almost made me cry. Ms. Goofy knows what I love. Nueske bacon may not be the 'Gold Standard" of bacon but it is sure darn close. Bacon chocolate chip cookies to come. Merry Christmas everyone.

CRAB CHOW MEIN

2011-12-20T05:58:00.000-08:00

It is the height of the Dungeness crab season. They will be the largest and the sweetest of the year. We like to take advantage of this short window of crustacean grandeur. We have a Saturday routine that efficiently keeps us with fresh crab meat. Ms. Goofy starts a large pot of salted boiling water. Meanwhile, I jump in the ‘Formula One Racing Honda’ and drive down to the International Market at ten minutes to nine. I arrive at nine o’clock to be the first person in line at the fish counter. If I am late I would be subject to a sea of aggressive, crustacean loving, crab purchasers. With crabs in hand, I race back to the abode to plunge our live bounty into the boiling cauldron. Ten minutes later the bright red crabs are removed and plunged into ice cold water. The shells are dispatched. This process takes less than an hour. Today our crab meat will grace some home made chow mein.

While at the International market I purchased some fresh chow mein noodles. Fresh noodles are a very important component to this dish. Fresh broccoli and mushrooms from the farmers market will make its way into this happy wok. Here is a basic chow mein recipe that we followed. Feel free to substitute any fresh vegetables you have on hand. We started out with 5 pounds of live crab. This yielded less than 2 pounds of meat. The crab meat was added at the last second and only placed on the top of the chow mein. The wok lid was placed over the top and the crab meat gently heated from the steaming noodles and vegetables.

What a treat! We definitely like to take advantage of the Dungeness crab season. The crabs will be great for a couple of more weeks. The crab chow mein was, oh so crabby good. I think Asparagus season is poking it spears around the corner.

MARINES TOYS FOR TOTS

2011-12-18T07:21:00.001-08:00

Every year Harry Stewart of ‘Great American Barbeque Co.’ hosts a party for the ‘Marines Toys for Tots”. This event has Marines collect new, unwrapped toys and they distribute them as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community. Harry provides the food and venue for this event to take place. This was our first year to attend and it was a blast.

Our first task was to purchase several unwrapped new toys. I bought a nice set of barbeque tools and a fancy grill brush. Ms. Goofy had to remind me these gifts were not for me but for children. She took over the gift buying duties and I kept the barbeque items.

We arrived at ‘Great American Barbeque and the festivities were jumping. A motorized sleigh with Rudolph as navigator was parked outside for a fast get away with the toys. There was a group of uniformed Marines in attendance to gather the gifts. An ‘A’ list of who is who of the Professional Barbeque Circuit was in the house enjoying plates of barbeque. (Scott Hares, Ben Lobestein, Harry Soo, Derrick Galliste, Dave Bart, Bill Bain, Ric Gilbert, Leonard Sanders, Donna Fong and many others).

To keep us fueled for the festivities Harry opened up his kitchen and let us order at will. That was a hard decision because Harry is an award winning cook. We have had some stellar Kobe and Black Angus brisket in the past. I had a great plate of ribs and Ms. Goofy had a pork sandwich. The highlight of the evening was a roasted pig. This pig was slowly roasted over an oak fire. It was taken of the rack and immediately carved up. The pork was still steaming and we just ravished it. Belly, loin, ham, and ear were sampled. I made a pig out of myself because it was that yummy.

What a great evening. Thanks Harry for sponsoring this event.

TOY'S FOR TOTS

2011-12-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

This Saturday night, we will be enjoying great barbeque for a worthy cause. Some of the best barbeque competitors on the West Coast will be attending. This is Harry Stewart’s annual ‘Toy’s for Tot’s’ party. We hope you can attend. Here is what Harry has to say:

Mark your calenders for Sat 17 Dec 2011 for Great American Barbecue's Annual Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots party at Great American Barbceue in Alameda.Bring a toy for you and each of your guests and dinner and festivities is on us! Business members can obtain collection boxes to distribute. This is a worthy cause and a great way to end the year with some great food for a great cause. RSVP to Harry Stewart at 510-692-1795 and we can get the ball rolling.I will be doing another "gaucho style" whole hog on Leonard Sanders Santa Maria pitWe have always had great support from the CBBBQA and its membership. Rock's Bar-b-que and Leonard Sanders Chuckwagon BBQ will once again be a couple of our business member sponsor, Thank Leonard and Rock !

HOT WINGS

2011-12-13T06:18:00.000-08:00

Let’s begin with the “End”. This wing sauce is not for beginners. Ms. Goofy is crying a tear of ‘Red Savina’ pepper joy, or is it pain?

THEY'RE BACK

2011-12-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

It is four weeks into the Dungeness crab season and we have finally scored some live crustaceans. The first week the fisherman and the distributors were haggling over the price. Thanksgiving came and went. Last weekend we had a logistics problem. All that has passed and we have 2 pound crabs swimming in our hot pot. Our local "International Market" has the best price of 2.99/pound in the Bay Area. Crab cakes tonight. Oh Yeah!

International Market

1188 International Market Pl

San Pablo, CA 94806

BARBEQUED CAULIFLOWER

2011-12-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

These little tiny cauliflower heads caught my eye at the market the other day. Actually the fava’s beans were my first choice. A bag of both vegetables were purchased from this Santa Rosa, California farmer. A little nibble of this brassica oleracea produced a sweet flavor on the old taste buds. This will be a good candidate for the grill.

The preparation was simple. The outer green leaves of the cauliflowers were plucked and discarded. The tiny heads were blanched in boiling salted water briefly. Once drained and patted dry, a sprinkling of a prepared barbeque rub was applied. We have a handy grill basket that works great keeping the smaller food items from falling through the grates.
Smokey, sweet, a little crunchy made this vegetable a great accompaniment to our meal. Sometimes I actually enjoy vegetables. Did I just say that?

BROUGHAM

2011-12-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

When one shops at the farmers market, one must have the correct accessories. A proper bag to hold your vegetables and miscellaneous items is a must. Some people like to strut and show their allegiance to certain markets by the bag they carry. Several examples are here. We spotted the "Cadillac Brougham" of all shopping bags at the Marin Farmers market Sunday. Julie has a cart that probably will become the new market accessorie. You saw it first on Mad Meat Genius!

LIQUID GOLD

2011-12-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

We do not always eat meat. Vegetables and pasta sometimes make it to our plate. Today's meal of rib eye steaks included some home made pasta and mushrooms. We had a secret ingredient to add to our mushrooms. A visit to Cassie at Garden Girl Farms produced a few dozen eggs that will be perfect for fresh pasta. As I was leaving Cassie gifted me a jar of chicken stock. This liquid gold was made from some roosters that had been simmering in a pot for the last three days. It was a beautiful hue of gold. It was thick, rich and smelled heavenly.

Garlic, wine, salt and pepper was added to this pan of simmering mushrooms. A few tablespoons of this liquid gold put this fungus over the top delicious. I wish I had the time to simmer stock for three days because this is a special ingredient. Just a few tablespoons was all we needed. This is some concentrated magic. Thanks Cassie.

BRIDGE FROM OAKLAND to SAN FRANCISCO

2011-12-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

You know there is no bridge between these two rivals. The Oakland Raiders v San Francisco 49ers.

BACON WRAPPED BACON HOT DOGS

2011-11-29T01:45:00.000-08:00

Bacon hot dogs from 4505 Meats, is a special dog stuffed with our favorite meat treat. When you bite into these meat tubes of tubular joy they have that familiar hot dog snap. The bacon flavor is sublime but the taste lets you know you are eating something special. How can we improve on these cured swine stuffed frankfurters? How about we wrap them in some home cured bacon and make our own hot dog rolls? That will be the ticket for today’s culinary ride on our lunch time meal.

Bacon and hot dogs are usually cured. My bacon was cured with a combination of pink salt, salt and sugar. This pink salt does have nitrates and nitrites that inhibit the growth of bacteria. “4505 Meats” proudly advertises that these hot dogs are uncured. This is a little misleading because they are cured with celery juice powder. This is a natural way to deliver nitrates and nitrites. They are still cured. What about the bacon inside the hot dogs? I just had to get that off my chest. They still are mighty tasty! The hot dog rolls are our English muffin recipe that is cooked on our stove top griddle. The bacon was sliced very thin and secured to our dogs with tooth picks. A quick sear on the flat top and we were in business.

Some of our new favorite sauerkraut from ‘Farmhouse Culture’ was served with this bacon on bacon dog treat. Some habanero flavored mustard from ‘Mustard Seed Farms’ put this dish over the top. Home made rolls, cured and “uncured” meat, sauerkraut, and habanero mustard is the way we like to spice up our lunch. It was:
' Lip-smacking
'Whip-crackin
'Paddywhackin
'Knickaknackin
'Silabawhackin
'Scalawhackin
'Crackerjackin' give the dog a bone good.

BLACK FRIDAY

2011-11-27T01:10:00.000-08:00

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving is the traditional day to kick off the Christmas shopping season. Numerous stores advertise ‘Doorbuster’ sale items to lure bargain driven customers. Mayhem and disorder sometimes is the result of this shopping frenzy. I have never even got off the couch to participate on this unofficial shopping day. Who in their right mind would rise at the crack of dawn to do battle at a shopping mall? This year things were different. Ms. Goofy mentioned Home Depot had a great Doorbuster deal on some bamboo cutting boards.

I set the alarm for 500 a.m. to make a turkey and stuffing sandwich for breakfast. Since I was up I decided to venture out into the masses of desperate shoppers at the Home Depot. I miraculously survived and returned home with the boards and an additional head lamp. This image shows the head lamp with the optional beer helmet accessory. This will be perfect to illuminate our barbeque in case of natural disaster and possible loss of electrical power. Thank goodness for Black Friday.

ANCHOR CHRISTMAS ALE

2011-11-25T06:02:00.000-08:00

Since 1975 'Anchor Steam Brewing Company" has produced a Christmas beer for the Holiday season. Every Thanksgiving we look forward to the years new release. The beer usually is a brown ale that is spiced. The label has a different tree every year to celebrate and symbolize the winter solstice when the earth and its seasons appear born anew. This years tree is a Bristlecone pine one of the oldest living things on our planet.

This beer poured a dark reddish brown with a thick head of foam. It smelled of chocolate, molasses and cloves. This years beer is a little on the sweet side. Malty, fruity with noticeable spice and hop finish made this for an interesting flavor sensation. A glass was poured and we savored it while waiting for our Willie Bird to cook.

Anchor Steam Brewing

TURKEY DAY

2011-11-23T08:33:00.000-08:00

It is Thanksgiving eve and wild turkeys are cruising through out our neighborhood. The image below was taken one block away from our house. These turkeys are a nuisance and probably will eventually take over our neighborhood. Ms. Goofy will have to practice her bow and arrow skills for protection. We do have a domesticated Willie Bird in our refrigerator. Tomorrow this bird will be visiting our grill. I cannot wait. We would like to wish everyone a delicious Thanksgiving.

TOM’S CHILE VERDE

2011-11-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

Tom a friend, Mad Meat Genius reader, and certified barbeque judge wearing his KCBS shirt and badge, approached us at our last BBQ competition and asked us if we had found the ultimate plate of chile verde ? He proclaimed; “Search no further, I have brought you the ultimate chile verde.” He gave ua a small sample of his home made chile verde. Needless to say it was very delicious. Tom was gracious enough to share his recipe and I would like to pass it on to you delicous tasty readers. We were able to purchase all our ingredients at Las Montanas. We bought pre-cubed pork shoulder. It is a nice convenience. How about breaking out a large pot and join us in the kitchen.

Tom’s Chile Verde

3 pounds pork butt roast cut into ¾ inch chunks
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cumin
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 quarts of chicken broth
3 jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped fine
1 yellow bell pepper
2 Serrano peppers
3 poblano peppers seeded and chopped
2 pounds tomatillos husk removed
1 bunch cilantro leaves coarsely chopped

1 In a large stock pot, over high heat, sear the pork in vegetable oil until golden brown; Remove the pork from the pot, reserve 2 tablespoons oil in the pan. Cook the chopped onion and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper n the reserved oil until onions are tender. Season with cumin, then stir in the pork and chicken stock. Simmer for 1/ 2 hour or until the pork is tender.
2 Stir in the poblanos, jalapeno and bell peppers. Puree the tomatillos in a blender and add them to the pot with chopped cilantro. Cook an additional 30 to 45 minutes. For a thicker texture add cornstarch slurry as needed. Season to taste.

Tom Judge Extraordinare

This is an easy recipe to make. I would like to let you in on a Chilebrown secret. I have a difficult time following recipes. I stuck to Tom’s recipe with the only addition of a little oregano and a pinch of sugar.. We did use a slurry of cornstarch to thicken this pot of green gold. What a fun and delicious recipe. I might crank up the heat next time and use a little less chicken stock and more hot peppers. We served this over a bed of rice with salsa. Yummy Noodles! What a great recipe. Thanks Tom!!!

VEAL BACON

2011-11-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

It is Sunday morning. We rise at the crack of dawn for the journey and experience of foraging through the Marin Farmers market. We go early to beat the crowds of politically correct Marinites and to visit with our friends Cookiecrumb and Cranky. This market has everything we need or want for our football themed meals later in the day. Today we found veal bacon from Rossotti farms. Let’s listen to what Rossotti farm has to say about their veal.

“We have returned to the historic traditions of veal production, starting with the selection of high quality meat producing breeds — Black Angus, Herford and Gelbvieh beef cattle.
Our calves are raised on certified organic open pastures alongside their grass-fed birth mothers. Their diet consists entirely of mother’s milk, clear water from natural coastal aquifers, and native local grasses and forage in a low stress environment. This results in a veal that is rose colored and intensely flavorful when compared to pallid commercially raised veal.
Our Pastured Veal is hormone and antibiotic free. All of our calves are born and raised on our family’s ranch on the Point Reyes Peninsula. As members of generational ranching families dedicated to sustainable animal husbandry practices and property management, we believe we produce the most humanely raised veal on the market today!”

Now that we all feel warm and fuzzy inside lets cook up a couple of rashers. Our trusty black iron vessel will be perfect for this task. . We do not have any information on the cure or the flavor of smoke so we will have to let our taste buds be our guide. . The first thing we notice is the deep rose color. This bacon is very lean so we use a tiny bit of oil in the pan to help it along. “Drum roll please!” Possibly because this bacon was so lean, it did not crisp like traditional pork bacon. We bit into this young Herford and got a jaw workout. Yes, it was very chewy. It had a pleasant beef taste. No smoke and no sweetness was the verdict. We are open to trying new things, but this product will be passed by next Sunday.

Rossotti Ranch

BACON LUBE

2011-11-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

J & D's BACON LUBE

I am speechless.

“SMOKIN ON THE DELTA”

2011-11-13T06:52:00.000-08:00

“Pure Genius” is the concept of the ‘Contra Costa County Fall Fair 2011”. Let’s have a Harvest fair and ‘World Class’ barbeque competition together. Women can shop for crafts and holiday gifts while the men can watch and or participate in barbeque activities. Actually both genders participated in both events but Ms. Goofy did make the observation of a group of men gathered around the beer concession. This event was held in Antioch California under crisp and bright sunny skies. The day before, the competitors had cold rain to greet them while they set up their sites. Like the true champions these barbeque warriors are, they were prepared.

With our judges badge in hand we found our arena. Today’s venue was a large cavernous county fair hall that kept us from the elements. Our tables were large and covered with white table cloths. We are moving on up! It is always fun to meet and greet our fellow judges and catch up on our life activities. When it gets close to turn in time you might notice a little drool form on our lips. This is from the anticipation of the great barbeque to come. We were not disappointed.

We did cruise the Harvest fair and I found my perfect holiday booth. This booth sold kitchen knives and hot sauces. I think this may be my calling. Did this vendor know that I was coming? I did manage to have restraint and only purchased a few unique hot sauces. Ms. Goofy disappeared while I was shopping and could not be found. After searching the aisles and aisles of Holiday crafts, I had a feeling that she may be outside visiting St. Nick. No, Ms. Goofy was not with the jolly man but hunkered up at the beer booth with a cold frosty one enjoying the afternoon.

There is always some time between judging and the awards ceremony. This is a good time to relax and mingle with the barbeque teams. The excitement and pressure of preparing and presenting the four meats has been accomplished. It is time to relax and wind down. We visited with the teams and gained friendship and wonderful barbeque knowledge. The big question always is; “Will we take the walk?”. (Walking to the stage to accept the award). The Grand Champion today was the team of “Too Ashamed to Name BBQ”. Congratulations to everyone. This was a great event.

THE BBQ SONG

2011-11-12T08:08:00.001-08:00

Here is a catchy little tune from some good ole 'Southern Boys'. It is fun and brings a little barbeque knowledge. Hope you are inspired to fire up that grill.

“SMOKIN’ ON THE DELTA”

2011-11-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

{ from: Contra Costa County Fair }

"November 12th and 13th, 2011 Fall Faire 2011 is sure to have something for everyone! We’re bringing back our ever popular tradition of holiday shopping with 2 buildings filled with quality crafters and local businesses. Come enjoy a great variety of jewelry, clothing, holiday items, woodworking, novelties, food, and so much more.

New this year…we’re proud to present “Smokin’ on the Delta”, our first KCBS Sanctioned BBQ Competition. Professional BBQ teams will be at our event, putting their best grill forward! We’re also hosting our 3rd annual amateur Backyard Cookout Contest with local teams from all over Contra Costa County, they’ll be grilling up some fall fun during the festivities…you can even be a part of the fun by taking part in our public judging of the chili cook off!

As always, our Kids Zone will be FREE! Take a break from all the festivities and let the little ones have some fun of their own including visits with Santa on his sleigh! Fall Faire 2011…don’t miss it! "

Event Hours:

Saturday 10am-5pm Sunday 10am-4pm•

Admission:

Adults $5 Kids 12 & Under FREE•

FREE Parking

BACON WRAPPED TATOR TOTS

2011-11-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

When life gives you bacon, wrap them around some tator tots and fire up your grill. Today we are inspired from a fellow barbeque enthusiast Chris, from ‘Nibble Me This”. He can work come crazy magic with his ‘Big Green Egg. Bacon and tator tots just seem right together. We are using some wonderful bacon from Swingle Meats (Jackson, Ca.). The tator tots are from any Wally Marts freezer case.

The magic of this recipe is in its simplicity. Wrap some thinly slice bacon around some frozen tator tots. Place on a wire rack seam side down. Sprinkle with a rub that has a tiny bit of sugar in it. Salt and pepper with a pinch of brown sugar will work just dandy. Place wire rack on an indirect fire. Twenty minutes later you will be snacking on the best bacon snack ever. Thanks Chris!

WILLIE BIRD

2011-11-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

Wild turkeys are dancing, stalking, clawing and taking over Northern California. Wild Turkey, is it a nuisance in your backyard or a blessing in a tumbler full of ice? Today we are getting ready for ‘Turkey Day’ with a domesticated Willie Bird. Let’s fly up to Sonoma County and visit the Willy Bird store. This store has been around for a while and it shows it age. Do not mistake this for the Willie Bird restaurant; this is a retail meat market. May be I should say a den of processed fowl.

This store is a treasure trove of turkey delights. All the turkeys are raised on certified organic grains without the use of hormones or antibiotics. The birds and allowed to roam freely outdoors. Free range, organic, all natural, humanely raised, a couple of more buzz words and Zomie will buy the store. (Sorry)

Once inside we were greeted by a very helpful feminine staff. The meat lockers were full of turkey treasures. Turkey in so many ways: Turkey bacon, smoked, diced, turkey marinades, many flavors of turkey sausage. Fresh or frozen is your big decision.

We ordered our turkey in advance, which is a wise thing to do at this time of year. This is their busy season and they are definitely prepared for the Holiday. Why take a chance and be left without your Willie Bird? Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks away and we are prepared. Gobble, Gobble!!!

Willie Bird Turkeys

CHILE PEPPER SPICY ALE

2011-11-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Beer and chile peppers are two of my favorite ingredients. “Six Rivers Brewery’ has combined chile peppers and wheat ale to create spicy ale. Will these two ingredients meld together and be complimentary? Is this just a gimmick to lure me to purchase said beer? There is one way to find out. ‘Six Rivers Brewery’ is located in Mckinnleyville, California. The peppers are grown locally and are fire roasted. On the bottle the peppers are only listed as an assortment so we will have to guess on their pedigree. Let’s pop the top.

The beer was poured into a chilled 16 ounce glass. The aroma that emerged was of roasted green chile. I love that smell. Visions of chile verde and salsa danced through my taste receptacles. Once the froth had subsided a generous swig was taken. I tasted high quality wheat ale with no pepper flavor for the moment. Wait a minute! It is hitting me now. There is a little afterburner pepper flavor that grabs your attention. It is not scorching hot and I could not identify any particular chile pepper. What a unique flavor sensation.

This beer is definitely not for everyone. I was glad to have experienced it. We served this beer with some barbeque. It did not really compliment our meal because it is so unique. Your senses are assaulted with chile aroma initially. The beer finishes with chili warmth. This is one unique spicy wheat ale that probably will not be purchased again.

Six Rivers Brewery

ELEVATION 66

2011-11-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

A Microbrewery that has been open for the last several months has passed under the radar of The Mad Meat Genius. “Elevation 66” located in ‘El Cerrito, California has been open since September and we only found out about it last week. We jumped in the ‘Racing Honda’ and raced down to the latest contribution to the local microbrew scene. ‘Elevation 66 is located on the busy street, San Pablo Avenue. It is strategically located next to the Rialto movie theater. This will be a great place for refreshments before or after a flick. We got lucky and found parking and proceeded to belly up to the bar.

The interior is small with a very high ceilings. With just a few families and the T.V. blasting the noise level was very loud. The place is sparsely decorated with local art work hanging on the walls. So much for decorations, we were there for the beer. We met David Goodstal the head brewer/managing partner sort of. He was busy watching his college football team and only would speak to us during the time outs. We ordered some suds to give Elevation 66 a try.

Ms. Goofy had an ‘East Bay IPA’ and I a ‘Golden Age Ale’. They both were hoppy and fresh tasting. These beers had a lot of flavor and made us curious to try others. Today was only a pit stop and we will have to return to try the food and other beers. We did take a gander at the menu and noticed the most of the food is sourced from local farms and bakeries. We did see the house made pickles with onions and they looked very tempting.

Elevation 66 has 6 house crafted beers on tap with several guest brews for good measure. When we visited several of the house beers were out. I think Elevation 66 has great potential to be a destination stop. We will have to return to give it a fair shake. It would be great to have some refreshments before the movie.

Elevation 66 Brewing Company
10082 San Pablo Avenue

El Cerrito, CA 94530

510.525.4800

JERSEY DEVIL CHOCOLATES

2011-10-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

A flying biped with hooves or a dark chocolate bar spiked with chipotle chile studded with tart cranberry bits? Let’s explore the latter. This chocolate bar was named after a creature that was the thirteenth child of a local whore, Mother Leeds. As she gave birth she cried out: “Let it be the Devil”. Enough of this tall tale and lets taste some chocolate from New Jersey. This chocolate bar has 54 percent cacao content. The cranberries are locally sourced from New Jersey. (Did you know New Jersey is the third largest cranberry producer in the United States?).

Dark chocolate goodness with little crunches of tart cranberry is your first taste impression. All of a sudden a little warmth of chile pepper will be knocking at your taste buds door. Chipotle chile is a smoked jalapeno pepper. This pepper has a lot of flavor profiles; smoke, fruit, chocolate, coffee, jalapeno and can be hot as the devil. In this candy bar there is a light hand with the chipotle. You will only experience a little warmth that lets you know that this candy bar is devilishly good. This candy bar hits on all cylinders. Sweet, tart and heat combine for a lovely chocolate treat. ‘Jersey Devil Chocolates’ is a candy bar I wish I could get in my ‘trick or treat’ bag!

Jersey Devil Chocolates

RED OAK

2011-10-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Santa Maria style barbeque is a cooking style that is unique and famous for grilling over coals of red oak wood. Red oak is a fragrant wood that imparts its own special flavor. Tri-tip is usually the meat of choice for this style of barbeque. We have acquired some chunks of red oak from ‘John’s Wood’ and a tri-tip from the ‘U.C. Davis Meat Lab’. We will give our version of this cooking style. Traditionally a fire of red oak wood is burned down to coals. Charcoal and red oak chunks will replicate this process. A medium charcoal fire was built and the wood chunks were placed on top. The grill cover was used to keep the wood from burning.

Our trip-tip was marinated in our special rub for several hours. A mixed grill of home grown delicata, gray zucchini squash and marinated portabella mushrooms will be a good canvas for the smoke of the red oak. The smoke from the red oak has a beautiful bouquet of sweet smelling smoke. This is my kind of air freshener. In no time at all we had a Santa Maria meal to enjoy. We threw in an artichoke and enjoyed a meal flavored with sweet red oak smoke. I think they are on to something in Santa Maria.

COUNTRY CHEESE COFFEE MARKET

2011-10-23T05:50:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the lottery commercial when the winner was asked what to do with the winnings? His reply; “I can buy all the cheese!” We have not won the lottery but have found a great place to buy cheese with a huge selection with a reasonable price. This is ‘Country Cheese Coffee Market’ located in Berkeley California. Berkeley has a reputation for liberal and sometimes wacky views on life but this population takes their food very serious. Situated a couple of doors up the from the Monterey Market , Country Cheese sells numerous varieties of popular, hard to get, local, imported, organic, beer rinsed, molded, peppered, fresh, salted, seaweed wrapped, aged variety of cheeses.

This store is so much more than cheese. Coffee drinks are very Berkeley specific because Starbucks is not allowed in this neighborhood. There is a large selection of chocolate to accompany your beverage. I never knew so many different brands and flavors of chocolate existed.

Tea and bulk spices are to be found at Country Cheese. It is very convenient to buy any specific amount of spice that you may need. They will measure to your whim and beat the price of any Wally-Mart. A lot of imported specialty items such as; olives, saffron, cookies, crackers, olive oil and sardines can be acquired here.

We came here for the cheese. Parmesan Regiano goes for 18. 99 /pound. This may sound like a lot but this is the real deal. This is an aged block of cheese from Italy that puts shame on the tubular variety. When I unwrap this cheese, I break into song; “When the moon hits the sky”, (sorry). We purchased several items, did I mention all the different varieties of blue cheese, and left this cheese Mecca

.

Country Cheese Coffee Market is a store that makes Berkeley a food destination. Great prices combined with an unbelievable cheese selection make this a great find. They will custom cut and wrap any amount of cheese that you desire. Chocolate and imported specialty items make this a fun stop. I still would like to win the Lottery.

Country Cheese Coffee Market
1578 Hopkins Street,

Berkeley, CA 94707-2732

(510) 526-1333 () ‎

HONEY RUB

2011-10-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

We just cranked out a spanking ,sparkling world wide revealing, rub review on 'Peppers & More.' My alter ego hot sauce personality takes on a new product. It is sampled and reviewed.. If you have the inclination, how about taking a gander and leaving an opinion,. You know us goofballs like some feedback. Thanks and have a barbeque day!

Review Here

CHIPOTLE SALSA

2011-10-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

Browsing through the cupboard, some home smoked chipotles were found. Chipotles are red ripe jalapenos that have been smoked and then dried. This chile is very complex in the taste, heat and flavor department. We are going to combine this with some caramelized onions and a kiss of garlic. It will be sweetened with some agave nectar and pureed in the blender.

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounce of chipotle peppers, stems removed

1 onion chopped fine

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic chopped fine

Place the peppers in a hot cast iron skillet and cook for 10 minutes or until they just begin to blister. Place in blender. Let the skillet cool slightly and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onions and cook 10 minutes or until lightly caramelized. Place all ingredients in blender and puree. You may have to add a little water to achieve desired consistency.

There are a lot of levels of flavor going on in this salsa. Sweetness from the caramelized onions and agave nectar combine to tame the heat of the jalapenos. The vinegar adds a touch of freshness. There is a smoke component from the chipotles. This all adds up to one flavorful sauce. This tasted great just on tortilla chip. I bet this would be most excellent on some grilled chicken. I should browse through the cupboard more often.

PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

2011-10-18T01:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday is a lazy day to park in front of the television and watch your local football team battle on the field of glory. While watching these warriors fight for victory, nourishment and plenty of ice cold beverages will be needed for the duration. We have a beautiful pork shoulder roast obtained from the U.C. Davis Meat Labs. It will be smoked with apple wood in our stoker controlled smoker. This will be a great time to make some ‘Parker House Rolls’. These soft and buttery rolls will be great with Cole slaw and smoked pork. We will use our not so secret ingredient of Barly Malt Syrup. Let the games begin.

Ingredients

3/4 cup warm milk

1 teaspoon yeast

1 teaspoon barly malt syrup

1/4 cup whole wheat flout

1 3/4 cup bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 tablespoons softened butter

1/4 cup melted butter

Combine the first three ingredients and let proof for five minutes. Add the flour, salt and softened butter and knead until smooth. Cover and let rise for one hour. Take a cast iron skllet and use half of your melter butter to coat pan. Take risen dough and roll into balls and place in buttered pan. Let rise for 45 minutes. Brush top of rolls with remaining butter and bake in 325 degree oven for 25 minutes.

This meal was a touchdown. These rolls were rich and decadent with butter. They were a perfect vehicle to cradle some smoky delicious pork. The Cole slaw was a good accompaniment to cut the richness of the pork and rolls. This meal was comforting just like the couch that was my throne. The Oakland Raiders were not the only winners this Sunday.

PIRI PIRI

2011-10-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Piri Piri is the Portuguese name for the 'African Bird Pepper'. Combine Piri Piri, whiskey, tomato's, oil and several other ingredients and you have "Mazi Piri Piri' sauce. This is a small batch hand stirred authentic Portuguese hot sauce.

Continue Reading Here

TAQUERIA DONA MARIA

2011-10-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

There is a new taqueria in town and I feel obligated to try their Chile Verde. It is a never ending quest to find the ultimate plate of cubed pork in green chile gravy. ‘Taqueria Dona Maria’ has been open for several months and I have passed by wondering and dreaming that this could be the place. A quick call to my friend and south of the border interpreter, Ray, and we were on a mission to sample their culinary offerings.

Dona Maria is a small, clean and tidy establishment. You order at the counter and your food will be brought to your table. Like a lot of our Mexican restaurants in the area it is always nice to have somebody that speaks the language. I placed my order with Ray and he relayed it to our hostess. There is a small salsa bar that you can help yourself to three different salsas. A salty green tomatilla salsa, a fruity hot habanero and a dried red chile puree were offered for your pleasure. While we were sampling the salsa our server came to our table and informed us that we they were out of Chile Verde. I substituted carnitas. Our server told us the carnitas had just came out of the oven. Our food arrived and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had covered the carnitas in green chile gravy. Steam was rising from the plate.

The carnitas were hot and flavorful. The green gravy that covered and surrounded the meat was lacking in peppers and flavor. It did not have the pizzazz and wow factor that I crave. The whole plate was comforting with the fresh beans and tasty rice. I enjoyed this plate but it was not the ultimate dish of Chile Verde. I would like to mention the dessert case full of home made treats. I bought a cheesecake covered in dulce leche and brought it home. I needed to be near a couch to imbibe in this sweet snack. Overall we enjoyed our meal. I will give it a second chance and see if they have Chile Verde available. I would return just to have another piece of cake.

Taqueria Doan Maria

3550 San Pablo Dam Rd

El Sobrante, CA 94803(

510) 222-5779

SPLASH DOGS

2011-10-10T09:20:00.001-07:00

We have been following the Splash Dog competition. This is a fun sport for your canine companion. You take a ball or floating device and throw it off a dock as far as you can. Your dog runs down the pier and jumps as far as he/she can. The jump is measured and winners are determined. This is great fun for everyone. We are hoping to get a puppy in the next couple of months and have plans to participate in this sport. After watching these hot dogs we got a hankerin for some dogs of our own. Dogs of the jalapeno and cheese polish (Willowside), Atomic and bratwurst (Butler) kind. What a dog day afternoon!

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

2011-10-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

Simple and delicious!

Ingredients

1 cup green onion
1 cup basil leaves
¼ cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup of mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

Put the first 8 ingredients in a food processor and blend. Fold in sour cream.

CORN TAMALE

2011-10-06T10:46:00.001-07:00

Mexican corns, Indian corn, field corn, maize, are some of the names of corn that are used in our tamale today. This corn is not the sweet corn variety that you are probably used to. In northern California, Mexican corn is not readily available. We have a corn connection at ‘Ramirez’ farm in Freemont California. We paid him a visit last year and would return to acquire some more of his special corn. This trip we got to meet Mr. Ramirez. He was impressed that we attempted to make corn tamales. Mr. Ramirez made a special trip to the field to pick us some fresh ears. He picked us a mix of corn that was in different stages of ripeness. The longer the corn stays on the vine the more starch content. He picked us the perfect mix for tamales.

Making these tamales could not be simpler. The biggest chore is shucking these ears of delight. Once they were stripped of their husks they were cut off the cob and put into a food processor. Here is the full recipe. They were steamed for 30 minutes and served with tri-tip and home made salsa. These tamales are a special treat. It takes a little effort to source the corn and prepare the tamale. You will be rewarded with a taste of summer that cannot be beat.

GREEN CHILE PASTA

2011-10-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

'New Hatch New Mexican Green Chile' is a very special treat. Once a year for a couple of weeks our local Wally-Mart will carry these green goddesses of the Southwest. They are hot and spicy with a flavor that cannot be matched by our local farmers. These are the gold standard of green pepper. While these peppers are available we always fill up a shopping cart full of peppers and have a chile extravaganza. Chile verde, salsas and today green chile pasta. This recipe was an improvisation that was a success.

We roasted our peppers over a mesquite fire to add a smoky flavor and to make the tough skins easy to remove. The peppers skins and seeds were removed. A rough chop and then a trip to the food processor created a green gold puree. Some fresh eggs from Garden Girl Farm and good olive oil will add even more flavor. A basic pasta recipe was followed with the addition of the puree and additional flour. A manipulation through the Kitchen Aid and we have pasta. This pasta was served with a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese. The pepper flavor shined through and through. Pasta with a pepper zing was a tasty treat. Yummy Noodles!

SMOKIN’ for GOLD

2011-10-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Hangtown (Placerville) California we're we will visit the ‘2nd Annual Smokin for Gold’ barbeque competition. The competition barbeque season is winding down but the heat was turned up at the beautiful El Dorado fairgrounds this weekend. This event was a combination ‘Outdoor Sportsmen’ show and barbeque competition. One could shop for fishing and hunting gear and then chow down on some award winning barbeque. I would like to share a couple of images with you.

This competitor is using a probe to check his meat for doneness. Some use a thermometer and some seasoned cookers just jab and can tell by feel if the meat is done. I still use my trusty thermapen. I am wondering if Ms. Goofy parked this jeep?

We were judges today and we are one step closer to becoming a 'Master Judge' A Master Judge has judged thirty competitions and taken a final exam. Another requirement is to cook with a competition team. This way you will realize and experience the hard work and commitment it takes to compete. We hope to fulfil this requirement soon.

That about wraps up "Smokin for Gold' and a couple of shiny 'WSM's'. I personally like the camouflage wrap. This was another great barbeque weekend. Great weather, food, and friends makes for a winning combination. Congratulations to 'All Sauced Up' for winning the Grand Champion! I hope Tracy knows that Gordy the pig is just a pet.

THE LOCAL BUTCHER SHOP

2011-09-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since the duo of meat adventurer’s have embarked on a journey of meat exploration. It was time to team up with my mentor the Reverend Biggles and go on a Meat Adventure to the recently opened ‘The Local Butcher Shop”. This adventure would take us to the famous gourmet ghetto of Berkeley California. This area is a foodie’s paradise since it is home to: Chez Panisse, ‘The original Peet’s coffee shop, ‘The Cheeseboard Collective’ and numerous high end food establishments. The Local Butcher Shop should be a welcome addition to this delicious neighborhood.

This is what “The Local Butcher Shop is all about in their own words. “The Local Butcher Shop offers our community sustainably raised, local meat. We buy whole animals direct from farmers who are all located within 150 miles of Berkeley. All of the meat we sell comes from animals who have been 100% pasture raised, no antibiotics, no hormones, just pure, clean, true meat. All of the animals are free to roam on pasture and lead what we like to call “a happy life”. Since we buy whole animals, we are able to cut your meat for you however you desire. Our trained butchers are also chefs, so they can help you with cooking suggestions and recipes. We are here to educate and help you succeed in the kitchen or at the grill! The meat that doesn’t make it into our display cases, goes into a rotating array of sausages, pates, confits, stocks, rendered fats and sauces. We also make a changing sandwich of the day as well as “tallow chips.” We hope to see you soon!”

We stepped into this meat emporium and were greeted by a naty attired friendly staff. We surveyed the meat cases and saw well marbled assortement of meat. House made made beef chorizo and knockwurst were displayed.There was a large butcher block in the center of the store which the cut of the day was being broken down to manageable size pieces. A refirgerator was stocked with house rendered beef and pork lard. Eggs and some select dry goods were also for sale. This was one clean meat shop.

We noticed that there was no prices listed with the meat in the display cases. There was a chalkboard on the wall which had written categories of beef, pork, lamb and rabbit. The categories were then broken down to: rear, middle and front with prices attached. We asked for a little assitance in this unique pricing system. We were informed that meat cuts will come from certain areas of the body. For instance the beef rib roast will come from the center. You then look at the wall for Beef, and the center price. This is great if you know your meat anatomy. Fortanately there are charts and friendly people to assist you.

We made several purchases and left this new meat establishment. I had my eye on some beautiful seven blade roast. It was so well marbled and was calling me. I could not justify the forty five dollar price tag for this pot roast. The Local Butcher Shop is a very clean and unique place to get your meat on. It is a good fit for the neighborhood. If you visit be prepared to pay premium prices for being able to bring home premium cuts from free roaming, pasture raised, and happy life meat. We shall return to purchase the pot roast some other day but it will be for a special occasion.

The Local Butcher Shop

1600 Shattuck Ave. Ste. 120

Berkeley, CA 94611

510-845-6328 (MEAT)

CORN PIZZA

2011-09-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

We have been having a lot of fun with our home grown Japanese corn. I would not say the flavor was much different than store bought corn, but the fact of being able to harvest and eat it with in minutes of picking does make a huge difference. These kernels explode with sweet corn milk that is a special treat. Boiled, steamed, corn cakes, corn bread, corn chowder are all my favorite corn dishes. Today we will make a corn pizza with crème fraiche, and pepper jack cheese that will be baked in the wood fire oven. This combination sounds good so let’s build a fire and make some pizza.

One of my secrets to making good pizza dough is the slow rise. The dough is made the day before and held in the Chilebrown ice cave. A couple of hours before baking it is brought to room temperature to rise some more and rolled into the desired shape. Fresh house made ‘Crème Fraiche’ was purchased at the Market Hall in Oakland. I received a little sticker shock on this price tag. A future crème fraiche making project at home is in the works. It sounds easy enough because it is a combination of heavy cream and buttermilk that is aged overnight. The pizza was assembled and cooked by a wood fire.

A Dean Martin album was put on the record player and I burst into song. I knew Ms. Goofy would want Dean and I to sing a duet of ‘That’s Amore’ while trying some of this non-traditional pie. This corn pizza pie was very rich with the crème fraiche. The corn with it sweet milky flavor made this almost a dessert pizza. The pepper jack added a little contrast to the sweetness. What fun we are having with our Japanese Corn! Ms. Goofy told me to can the singing but she sure loved the pizza.

BERBERE

2011-09-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Larry from ‘Peppahead’, my hot sauce guru asked me if I liked Berbere. I honestly did not even know what Berbere was. Berbere is an ‘Ethiopian’ blend of spices used in dishes and to season meat. Larry suggested I use some on some lamb. Here is another ingredient that Chilebrown is not familiar with. Lamb and Berbere spice will be another culinary adventure to experience. Here is what Larry has to say about his Berbere spice;

“Berbere is the fantastic seasoning of Ethiopia and Eritrea, with many regional variations. It is prepared as a dry spice for seasoning as well as a sauce. It is pungent and fragrant with a unique a flavor. Excellent for stews, grilling or baking seafood and meats. This blend is spicy, but you can kick it up with a hot chile such as African Bird pepper. Use the sauce for seasoning and marinades. The perfect BBQ sauce.”

Some cute little lamb loin chops from ‘Anderson Ranches' were picked up from the farmers market. These chops were dusted with Berbere spice. They were grilled on a hot mesquite fire until they were cooked medium rare. Tender and tasty with a unique spicy tang was the verdict. Berbere spice on its own is not hot in the heat department. There are spices that I am not overly familiar with in this blend. (allspice, fenugreek, cloves and several others) This was a unique flavor that I will have fun experimenting with on some other meats. I also loved our cute little lamb chops. Lamb will definitely make a return visit to the grill.

Peppahead

APPLEWOOD

2011-09-22T07:48:00.001-07:00

Simple ingredients; pork belly, salt, maple syrup and smoke from applewood, make for some very tasty bacon. The wood from the apple tree combined with fire produces a slightly sweet smoke. This will add a smoky perfume that will penetrate and transform a marinated piece of pork. Only four chunks of this wood will be used to smoke our belly today. It does not take a lot for this wood to work its magic.

The pork bellies were coated in a slurry of ‘Morton’s Sugar Cure’ and maple syrup. This salty sweet mix was stored in the Chilebrown ice cave for a week. Every other day the bellies were turned to insure even curing. At the end of the week the bellies were rinsed and returned to the ice cave to form a pellicle. Five hours in the smoker at 200 degrees or until the internal temperature reaches one hundred and fifty degrees and we were done.

Today’s belly was from a cross bred Duroc pig procured from Bledsoe farms. I believe the applewood played a large part in the final flavor. Smoky but not overpowering combined with maple syrup creates a flavor that can not be beat. This bacon was a salty treat. Home grown tomato’s with home smoked and cured bacon is a signature Chilebrown meal.

HRD COFFEE SHOP

2011-09-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

HRD Coffee Shop is no ordinary hash house. It is a small, crowded diner that was featured on ‘Diners Drive-Ins and Dives”. HRD is located in the edge of downtown San Francisco. Parking in the City can be a challenge and a spot right in front must have been a sign of good food to come. There was also a line out the door at the 12:30 noon hour. I put several dollars of change in the meter and took my spot in line. The line moved pretty quickly because of the large assembly of workers behind the counter. It was amazing how they all worked together in such cramped quarters.

My original plan was to try the marinated pork chop that was featured on the show. It sounded delicious. There was just no room at the inn. The kimchi burrito to go was my backup plan. In no time flat I was heading back across the bridge to Mad Meat Genius headquarters.

This was one tasty burrito. Kimchi adds a tang with its slight sour, spicy hot flavor. The meat also was seasoned with spices that lit up the tongue. This was a filling unique spicy treat. I now am inspired to return for the marinated pork chop. As the great General Douglas MacArthur once said; ‘I shall return”’

2nd ANNUAL RIBSTOCK, PEACE, LOVE AND BBQ

2011-09-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

Peace, Love and BBQ is what it was all about in Cameron Park California this weekend. Sunny skies greeted this barbeque competition situated around a small scenic lake. Tie dye and sixties garb was the preferred costume of the day. Ms. Goofy got into the spirit and even added another t-shirt to her collection Thirty nine professional teams cooked the four meats of: Chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder and brisket. Today there was a special division called the “Backyard Division”. These competitors only cooked chicken and ribs. Whatever was cooking, a delicious smoky haze of flavor permeated the event grounds. You could not stop the drool and anticipation of tasting some of the best barbeque to be found.

The public was treated to crafts and music to entertain while tasting the barbeque. There was a special area full of slides and jumpy things for the children. The hungry crowd was allowed to taste and vote for the Peoples Choice award. Smiles and barbeque sauce was plastered over the faces of everyone. This was a great way to sample competition style barbeque. I always get a kick out of seeing all the different cookers. You will notice the camouflage barbeque cover. I am still trying to figure that one out.

Ms. Goofy and I were wearing our judge’s badges today. I was also wearing a three week growth of facial hair. Ms. Goofy and I were sitting at different judging tables as required by KCBS rules. We did work out a hand gesture signal so she could tell me when barbeque sauce was all over my hairy mug. It is possible a couple of planes landed with all the hand gestures Ms. Goofy was sending. What a wonderful task we have of judging such tasty and delicious food. Once again we were not disappointed with today’s entries.

‘Ribstock, Peace, Love and BBQ” is a great event. A special shout out to Ed Anhorn who coordinated this fun festival and competition. The Grand Champion winner today was “Big B’s Down N Dirty BBQ”. We would like to mention our friend, Donna Fong from ‘Butchers Daughter BBQ, took first place in brisket. This is her rookie year and she is a rising star. Everybody this weekend was a star!

PEACE, LOVE AND BBQ

2011-09-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

CHICKEN FRIED BACON

2011-09-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

I have been on a short sabbatical from the salt mine. Besides growing a beard, I have not been just smoking cigars and watching Captain Kangaroo. I have been doing exhaustive research for you, the Mad Meat Genius readers. Today brings us to the city for chicken fried bacon at the “Buckshot”. The Buckshot is a local watering hole that occupies the former digs of “Pat O’Shea’s Mad Hatter. Their infamous moniker was “We cheat tourists and drunks’. I bellied up to the bar and ordered a cold one and some chicken fried bacon.

It tastes just like you would imagine: salty, a little chewy and oh so greasy good. The first one dipped in a combo of ketchup & mustard and then drizzled with maple syrup was pure heaven. The second piece was a little decadent. The sweet maple syrup enticed me to finish off this plate of breaded swine. After this act of gluttony I was destined to the couch to see if the Captain had been ping pong ball dropped by falling for Mr. Moose’s ‘Knock, Knock’ jokes once again.

Buckshot

HARRAH’S STEAK HOUSE

2011-09-13T13:08:00.001-07:00

You probably thought we eat nothing else but barbeque and you are close to being right.. Once in a while we like to take a breather and have a nice dinner with some good old fashion, old school elegance that includes large steaks, multiple flambéed dishes and a good stiff drink. Harrah’s Steak house fits this ticket to the tee. This Harrah’s Casino is located in Reno, Nevada. This destination restaurant has a flavor and ambiance that brings us back to an era of tuxedoed waiters, dark lighting, no cigars anymore, but new/old charm that we love.

The first step of going to a steak house is going to the bar. The perfect martini years back may have been gin but today our drink is Stolichnaya vodka with a bottle of vermouth that has been opened and shook to just put a little essence in the air. You really do not want vermouth in your drink and it is really just a nod to bad gin in the past. If you are a Lady the bartender will carry the drink to your table. Men should be able to handle this task on their own. We made it to our table safely and pondered the menu.

There are no surprises on this menu. Steak and maybe lobster combined with a big old potato and creamed spinach. Who could ask for more? The great thing about Harrah’s Steak House is the show that the waiters put on. There are numerous dishes that require table side presentation; Caesar salad, Steak Dianne, Café Diablo and our choice of the night Bananas Foster. I tipped our server for extra flames and we were not disappointed.

Harrah’s Steakhouse (Reno) is a destination restaurant. It will not disappoint. We left with a box of truffles and are anticipating our return.

JAPANESE CORN

2011-09-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

This may look like ordinary corn, but it is Japanese corn that I have grown in the back yard.. It is sweet, milky and has a corny taste that you will never get from the store. Pick it, pluck it, and throw it in salted water. Close your eyes and enjoy!

WINE COUNTRY BIG Q

2011-09-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day of smelling, watching, judging and most important of all eating World Class barbeque was had at the “Wine Country Big Q”. This event was held at the beautiful campus of ‘Sonoma Academy’ in Santa Rosa, California. This private school was located on the outskirts of Santa Rosa with scenic rural surroundings. Twenty four teams participated in this contest of smoking and cooking the four required meats. The Public participated by tasting numerous wines from different wineries that were paired with barbequed meat. This hungry crowd also got to taste the bbq competitor’s samples and voted for the ‘Peoples Choice’ award.

The weather could not have been nicer with sunny skies and the thermometer hovering in the low eighties. Music was flowing just as freely as the wine. We had to hold off on our imbibing because we had a job to do. We judged some of the best barbeque ever. It never stops amazing me how good meat combined with seasoning and a little smoke can be. We were not disappointed today.

This little smoker caught my attention. A wood fire is built in the adjoining chamber and meats are hung in the chimney area. There is a history of this small and old cooker. It was originally owned by the owner of ‘Trader Vic’s”. It is now being used by ‘Vic’s Chics BBQ”. They were using this cooker to smoke Tri-Tip and it was then paired with a local wine.

Ray Lampe, aka ‘Dr. BBQ’ was in the house today. Dr. BBQ is a bbq author, TV personality and an award winning competitor. He was competing today with Guy Fieri’s team “Tex Wasabi’s All Stars. We did not spot Guy in the crowd today possibly because he may have been at Tex Wasabi’s which is located a couple of miles away. ( Guy Fieri did show up later.) Dr. BBQ is a larger than life celebrity that was very friendly and personable. Yours truly did not miss this photo op.

Today’s proceeds benefited an organization called “Worth Our Weight”. This was a fun event for everybody involved. A special thanks to Judy Groverman-Walker and all the volunteers that made this a great event. Congratulations to all the competitors for cooking some great barbeque. A special shout out to the Grand Champion winner ‘Tex Wasabi’s All Stars”.

HASH HOUSE A GO GO

2011-09-09T08:00:00.001-07:00

“Twisted Farm Food”, unique presentations, oversized proportions, and a whole lot of dishes with bacon is a fun restaurant called ‘Hash House A Go Go”. This restaurant has been featured on numerous travel and food shows. They originated in San Diego and now have branches all over. We visited the Reno location situated in Harrah’s casino. It was a long journey over the ‘Donner Pass’, so we had a powerful thirst. We bellied up to the bar for bacon cocktails.

Ms. Goofy had a ‘Bacon Bloody Mary’ and I had a frosty cold beer served in a brown paper bag and a side of bacon. I think we have found our new favorite watering hole. Ms. Goofy’s drink was basically a ‘Bloody Mary’ with the fixin’s of a BLT on the side. It was served in a very large salt rimmed glass. My beer served in the ‘wino bag’ had a side order that included seven pieces of salty oily bacon. Ms. Goofy finished her drink in no time flat and was ready to dance. We danced our way to a table.

Our bright and bubbly, possibly over caffeinated server warned us several times about the behemoth sized proportions. Chicken and waffles for me and chicken pot pie for Ms. Goofy. Our server delivered our two very large plates faster than she recited the menu. The chicken and waffle plate was a huge tower of food. A large steak knife impaled the chicken to hold up this mound of food. The waffles had strips of bacon baked right in. It was quit the site. We both agreed the waffle were tasty slathered in sticky thick maple syrup. The chicken was breaded and had just the right amount of grease and salt for tasty consumption. Ms. Goofy’s chicken pot pie was large. (That was the only nice thing I could say.)
‘Hash House A GO GO’ is a fun place to belly up to the bar and have bacon infused/influenced libations. It was a fun place to visit and the meals are large.

CRACKLINS

2011-09-07T06:36:00.001-07:00

A rendezvous at the Davis Farmers market with John Bledsoe produced a beautiful thirteen pound Duroc cross bred pork belly. This swine undercarriage will be transformed into some home cured, with salt, maple syrup and apple wood smoke, bacon. My personnel preference is to make bacon without the rind or skin. It will retain more smoke and it is easier to slice. Mr. Bledsoe does not have a rind removing machine so our rind was intact. Luckily, we have very sharp knives. The skin was removed and it seemed like such a waste to toss it in the trash barrel. Let’s make some cracklins.

This will be a Mad Meat Genius first. Some research was done on the World Wide Web and some general guidelines and recipes were found. Everybody has their version and methods but some general rules should be followed. They are not called Cracklins for nothing. This is only fried pig skin but when they are cooking they sputter, pop and splash very hot pig oil all over the place. There also is a very unique odor that will be generated from this cauldron of bubbling piggy fat. Unless you want your house to smell of this odor it is a good idea to cook it outside. A heavy thick pot, black iron for us, will help with the cooking. We decided to cook our cracklins outside in our large cast iron pot on a portable propane stove. We also had a fire extinguisher and a water hose standing by. The rind was cut into large squares and simmered in their own rendered fat until puffy and crisp. While still hot and glistening with fat they were dusted with kosher salt.

You know, cracklins are a guilty pleasure that must be experienced. Salty, crispy and an addicting pork flavor will be your reward for your effort. Some pieces had a little meat attached to the crispy fried skin. This was an added bonus to our porky fried snack. I am patting myself on the back for cooking them outside. Be very cautious if you attempt to cook cracklins because very, very hot fat will try to splatter you. Stay tuned for more bacon.

NUGGET RIB COOK-OFF

2011-09-05T01:55:00.000-07:00

It was time to take a short break from our bbq judging duties. What better way to relax but by not judging but by participating as a consumer of ribs and barbeque at the ‘Nugget Rib Cook-Off” held in Sparks, Nevada. This is a six day festive event that ends on Labor Day. We spent two days eating and taking in the sights at this massive festival. You may notice I say festival and not contest. It is advertised as a contest and there are judges. There is an ‘A’ list of celebrity chefs and newspaper/TV personalities that I have never heard of. “Peoples Choice’ award will be determined by the rib eating and voting public. This event just seemed like a fun place to get your ribs on.

Twenty four cookers from all over the country will serve ribs and side dishes to the hungry masses. Our local ‘Kinders’ and “Back Forty’ will make their presence known at this collection of barbeque creators. There was so much more offered to purchase than just pork ribs. Beef ribs, turkey legs, sandwiches numerous sides of cornbread and the infamous ‘The Porkenator” We spied this sign advertising this monster sandwich of seasoned pulled pork topped with 2 slices of ham, four strips of bacon and pepper jack cheese but were too scared to order it. There was an assortment of deep fried items such as pickles, potato’s, onion rings and peaches.

Walking through a haze of barbeque smoke definitely got the taste buds working. Several booths gave us a little taste to tease our palate. One vender put cut up onions on his fire. We talked and it made a little sense. Onions consist of mostly moisture and will help tame a hot fire. The smoldering onions with a little help from a blowing fan will also get peoples attention. Our appetites needed no encouragement.

Wednesday evening was a rib eating contest. Joey Chestnut ate seven point six pounds of ribs in under twelve minutes. I may have eaten more but in a longer time frame. Several stages had various music groups to entertain. An area with many different craft venders with a barbeque theme invited us to spend and spend. There was a raffle contest to win a Harley Davidson. I did not buy a ticket but took a gander.

The Nugget Rib Cook-Off was a fun event. It was nice to take a short break from judging. The weather was in the mid eighties and that was fine with us. We plan to return next year and see Joey retain his title. Next weekend we will be judging in Santa Rosa California at the Wine Country Big BBQ. Hope you can make it.

JOEY CHESTNUT (2011 Rib Eater Champion of the Free World)

2011-09-02T22:11:00.001-07:00

“This is the ‘Madison Square Garden’ of Gurgitation”. This is the era of the ‘Eater’. ‘The passion is raw but the ribs are cooked’, barked the announcer of this wild and messy rib eating challenge of greatness. This contest was for the ‘Rib Eater of the Free World! Joey ‘Jaws’ Chestnut would use his famous ‘Shimmy Shank ‘ eating technique to try to save his 'World’ title of rib eating master. He had to prove his mettle against other heavy weighta of the elite trencherman society of hero’s. Hero’s, because these food warriors are not mambly, pambly, petiole oil wearing, vegan, locavore, humbly raised, grass fed, happy and free range, eating fraternity/sorority of misfit politically correct food freaks. (Did I forget anybody?) Joey’s main adversary was Pat “Deep Dish’ Bertollieti. These two swine rib eating warriors battled at the Rib Cook off in Sparks Nevada and we were there to witness culinary history.

The thermometer was a cool eighty five degrees minutes before this amazing competition. Joey cruised through out the crowd, meeting and greeting his adoring fans before mounting the stage of palatable consumption. The clock ticked closer and closer to the opening bell. The competitors took their place on the stage. The announcer whipped the crowd into a frenzy with his snappy and relevant digestible and dietary verse. The bell rang and for the next 12 minutes; ribs, sweat, froth, barbeque sauce, and pure pork emotion swept the arena. This was true non pasteurized sport and competition at its savory best.

Joey Chestnut consumed 7.6 pounds of cooked pork ribs. He beat Pat Bertollieti by almost a whole pound. Two thousand five hundred dollars was awarded to our champion and hero. The crowd witnessed gurgitation greatness. We are proud to say we were there!

MAC & CHEESE PIZZA

2011-09-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes one needs to think outside the box. Outside the famous blue box will be our culinary journey today. Macaroni and cheese pizza will be created and cooked in our wood fired oven. This recipe could not be simpler. A simple pizza dough needs to made and proofed. Cook your mac & cheese by following the instructions provided on the box. Let the gooey comfort pasta cool slightly We grated a little Parmesan cheese for extra flavor. A few sliced home grown tomato’s and the Parmesan will be the tasty crown to our pie. Assemble and cook in a hot oven and enjoy the show. This was one fun meal. Sometimes cooking outside the box is a wonderful thing.

JAPANESE CORN

2011-08-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Where has all the yellow corn gone? Some ‘Japanese Mirai’ yellow corn is being grown in the Mad Meat Genius vegetable patch. This is a yellow hybrid corn that was bred for sweetness. These seeds were purchased from the ‘Kitazawa’ company which specializes in Asian vegetable seeds. We have been searching farmers markets and stores for yellow corn with disappointing results. White is the new black and we wanted yellow. Instead of crying in our creamed corn we planted a couple of rows of ‘Mirai’ corn. We staggered our planting to have ripe corn for the next month. This beautiful ear is our first corn of the season. It was very sweet and milky. A raw taste bite sprayed out with some corny juicy flavorful sweet milk. We only had one ripe ear today, so we made some bread that would incorporate the corn. This corny bread would be a vehicle to hold some home grown tomato’s and ‘Fifth Quarter’ bacon.

The bread today was from a recipe that uses fresh corn and corn flour. It is light and sweet bread. The aroma of fresh bread baking and bacon sizzling was the key to our spiritual enlightenment. These simple ingredients are being transformed to life giving substance. This is so much more than just a sandwich. I think I am floating right now. Back to the kitchen to dollop mayonnaise on our sandwich creation will be in order to bring me back to earth. This bread studded with Japanese corn was a beautiful thing.

THIRD ANNUAL SMOKIN ON THE WATER

2011-08-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

What a wild and crazy barbeque ride. We had the most meat fantastical and fun hot experience at the “Third Annual Smokin On The Water” barbeque contest that was held at Konicti Vista” at Clearlake California. A Barbeque contest combined with a “Reggae” concert, an Elvis impersonator and the most best ever, Chicken fried steak, at the “Coffee Shop” was experienced. This deep fried piece of crusty, tasty swine covered the whole plate. It was smothered with pasty, extra thick salty gravy. This was a record heartburn experience that you may and will have to love to experience. Wait a minute this is about Barbeque. Let’s get back to the Barbeque contest.

Ninety five degrees topped the outside thermometer while we sashayed and cruised the contest cooking area. We said hello to all our friends and wished them good luck on their cooking tasks. This contest would take a lot of fortitude and water with these temperatures. We are barbeque judges and used our “Get of the Heat Card” and hid in the air conditioned gambling den and drinking parlor.. Ms. Goofy almost lost our house but I had a mission. We hit the hay early because we had judging duties in the morning.

Tasting some of the best barbeque from the West Coast is a privilege. We take our judging duties serious and did our very best. Wow!, Brisket, Chicken, Pork Shoulder and Pork Ribs tickled our taste buds. Does it get any better? We left our air conditioned judging area and waited a couple of hours for the results.

We saw some great cookers taking the ‘Walk’. The walk is when you go to the stage to accept your reward. It was an emotional award ceremony because; you want your favorites to win. The result were fair and honest because the ‘KCBS’ runs a tight show. The over all winner was“Here Piggy Piggy BBQ”. Congrats!!!!!.Congrats to everyone!

MARIN FARMERS MARKET

2011-08-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Marin farmers market is one of our favorite Sunday destinations. We have been going for years and are on first name basis with some of the venders. Summer produce is in and the market is very colorful. I would like to share a couple of images with you.

I have always wondered what to do with rhubarb.

This vender is selling t-shirts with the image of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Civic center in the background. It is a very unique building that shadows the Sunday market. It is a great
t-shirt to represent the Marin Farmers Market. We hope to see you there next Sunday!

BACON WEAVE

2011-08-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

Bacon weave, is it a new hairstyle? Or is a wonderful crust to a stuffed pork loin. It is the latter and this lattice of bacon will cradle and protect our pork loin roast stuffed with home made sausage. The home made jalapeno sausage was made with some very tasty Mangalista pork fat. All this juicy pork will be cooked in a covered barbeque kettle perfumed with apple wood smoke. This apple wood smoke will be generated by wood that was procured from ‘John’s Wood’. My mouth is watering right now.

The first task was to butterfly our pork loin roast with a very sharp knife. The roast was given a couple of whacks with my trusty meat pounder to uniformly flatten this sausage holding vehicle. Some wax paper was put on the cutting board for our pound of bacon to be woven. A simple braid made these rashers into a colorful arrangement. The weave was put into the refrigerator to firm. All that is left is to assemble this meat log of love. The sausage was spread over the flattened roast and rolled up. The bacon weave was rolled around the roast and the wax paper was removed.

The barbeque kettle was prepared for an indirect fire. Some of our favorite charcoal briquettes were ignited in a chimney starter. Once they were glowing a couple of sticks of apple wood were placed on the fire. The meat log was gently lowered to the center of the grill and the lid was put into place. All that was left to do was wait for the internal temperature to hit 145 degrees. Once our target temperature was met the roast was removed and covered for a 15 minute rest.

Pork, in Pork, on Pork was the ticket today. Juicy and tender with salty bacon and a jalapeno flavored center made for one tasty roast. Apple wood smoke left a subtle kiss of flavor. The bacon weave made for one pretty presentation. This roast was a Mad Meat Genius creation that will go down in our history book of flavor. Wow!

JOHN’S WOOD

2011-08-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

In search of chocolate covered bacon was our quest at the Zucchini Festival in Hayward California. Yes, there was deep fried zucchini but no bacon. We did happen across ‘John’s Wood’ booth. This was a barbeque smoker’s bonanza find. John has multiple varieties of woods for smoking purposes. Alder, pecan, apple, mesquite, cherry, peach are some of the woods for sale.

Apple wood was our selection. A large shopping bag full of small chunks of wood was filled for the paltry sum of six smackeroos. ‘John’s Wood’ is a resource that will be great for our future smoking materials. No chocolate covered bacon today but a great find for smoking woods.

John’s Wood
510 317-0230

EAT MORE STEAK

2011-08-20T09:12:00.001-07:00

We are going to the Zucchini Festival in search of chocolate covered bacon. Have a great weekend! and "Eat more Steak".

“FIFTH QUARTER CHARCUTERIE”, BACON REVUE

2011-08-16T05:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to today’s Bacon Revue show. The stage will be a moving venue of sorts. The curtain will rise and we will begin at the Kensington farmers market and meet Scott Brennan, proprietor of the “Fifth Quarter’. ‘The Fifth Quarter’ is a company that specializes in charcuterie. Scott prepares his meats in a commercial kitchen in Emeryville and sells his finished products at the Kensington Farmers Markets. His farmer’s market booth has a black board listing specials, cured and pickled meats that are available for purchase. He will gladly offer tastes and of course I had to try the pickled lambs tongue. No, it did not taste like chicken. Scott also cures and smokes his own bacon. This is the Bacon Revue and we needed a performer to fill our stage. Fifth Quarter bacon will fill the bill, so let’s proceed with the second act where the venue will be at the Chilebrown kitchen.

This beautiful eye candy of a slab has a fancy pedigree of the Berkshire hog. It has been cured in salt and organic cane syrup. After a curing period it was then hot smoked with hickory and apple wood. This bacon has a very smoky aroma. Once sliced, we noticed a good fat to meat ration. Our trusty black iron pan was put on the fire for cooking duties. The bacon crisped up very nicely. The first bite was crisp with a slight chew of the meat. While chewing, a special meaty pork flavor danced on the tip of our taste buds. I think it is the Berkshire breed that is providing this porky flavor moment. Smoke is oh so prevalent but not overpowering. The sugar and salt are in the background with a good balance. This bacon has what it takes with fantastic pork flavor.

The ‘Fifth Quarter’ bacon will score very high today. Great balance of sugar & salt, smoke and a wonderful pork flavor will score this bacon at 4.5 stars out of 5. We made a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich with some ‘Fougassi’ bread from Wild Flour Bakery. The tomatos were from the garden. This show will end on a high note with one of the best sandwiches of the year. The encore will be; ‘BLT’s for everyone!

Fifth Quarter Charcuterie

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Cost: 9.00/pound
Where: Kensington Farmers Market.
scott@thefifthquarter.co
510 289-8013

SHISHITO

2011-08-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

Many, many moons ago a young Mad Meat Genius took a driving test at the Oakland branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles. Fast forward and now every Sunday, in the parking lot of this D.M.V. the ‘Temescal Farmers Market’ takes place. Things sure have changed in the old neighborhood. A working class predominately Italian community has been transformed into a yuppie wonderland. This market is a showcase of high end vegetables and food products. Today we found, a new to us, chile pepper called Shishito. It is a funny name for the pepper that claims to be a Japanese cousin to the Spanish padron. We could not resist.

To be honest I am not all that familiar with the padron pepper. People rave about their flavor. A simple sautéing in olive oil and dressed with salt is the consensus of preparation. Of course we will have our Chilebrown twist to this process. Our peppers will be oiled and salted but they will be grilled over a hot mesquite fire. We just blistered the oiled peppers and dusted them lightly with a sprinkling of sea salt.

Yes, these peppers are delicious. We picked them up by the stem and plucked them in our mouth. They were slightly sweet with a smoky flavor from the pepper and the fire. I did not notice any heat but did experience a fresh vibrant green pepper flavor. What ever you want to call these peppers they are yummy.

BACON QUESADILLA

2011-08-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

There is some wonderful bacon in the Chilebrown ice cave, just waiting to be unleashed for a wonderful lunch. This bacon from Schreiner’s will be used in our quesadilla filling and also the bacon drippings will be incorporated into our home made flour tortilla. Some grilled tomatillo salsa will top off our bacon creation.

We fired up the grill and roasted some home grown vegetables. The tomatillos and tomato’s were provided by our neighbor James. When James is not growing killer vegetables, he is my partner in crime at the Chili competition. The peppers were from my pepper patch. Grilled, spiced and blended made for one delicious salsa.

Flour tortillas are very simple to make. I substituted bacon fat for the shortening in this recipe. A tortilla press was used to flatten these discs of comfort before being cooked in a hot cast iron skillet.

3 cups unbleached flour

2 tsp. backing powder

1 tsp. Salt

4-6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or lard

1 1/4 cups warm water

Combine all the ingredients and gently knead. Let rest for 15 minutes covered. Form into balls and flatten in tortilla press. (You can use a rolling pin). Cook on a non-greased hot skillet for 3 minutes a side.

Jack cheese and bacon slices were the filling of our quesadilla. A green salad was added just for color and a little crunch. I do not know who said: “Everything tastes better with bacon”, but they were right.

JALAPENO PORK SAUSAGE

2011-08-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

We have made jalapeno pork sausage several times here at Mad Meat Genius, but today’s version will have a special Chilebrown twist. We are going to use pork fat from the Mangalista pig in our sausage preparation. We prepared a Mangalista pork shoulder last month and reserved the fat cap. This fat is very special. It is almost pure white. It has a very low melting point and just tastes fantastic. The Mangalista pig is well known for their superior fat. This lard will be our key ingredient in these stuffed meat tubes of joy.

Pork loin will be the meat combined with our special lard. A couple of Jalapenos, fresh garlic, cilantro, a splash of sugar & salt with a dash of our not so secret rub are our ingredients. The fat was semi frozen to enable it to go through the cutting blades without melting. All the ingredients went through our Kitchen Aid sausage grinder attachment. The mixture was thoroughly mixed and refrigerated for a couple of hours. We then stuffed our meat mixture into casings.

This sausage was coiled and skewered for easy manipulation on the grill. It was cooked indirectly with a medium heat. These sausages had a high fat content and would explode or flame up on a direct fire. They were cooked until the internal temperature hit 150 degrees. They were rested and then sliced. This was a taste treat. The jalapenos did not add heat but a slight pepper flavor profile. The star of this super juicy and flavorful sausage was the pork. The Mangalista fat flavored and coddled our pork loin with porky goodness. Oh was this a success. We got a chuckle that our fat component cost four times as much as our meat (pork loin). It sure was worth it.

PEACH

2011-08-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

My peach tree only produced one fruit this year. That is just peachy fine because it was delicious.

CRANBERRY BEANS

2011-08-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

We found some fresh cranberry beans at the farmers market. These are a magical treat that cannot be beat. Simmer for a short time in a flavorful broth and then add bacon, onion and some spices and you will have a meal that will make you happy.

STEAK BUTTONS

2011-08-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

There is a very special drawer in my kitchen. It is the ‘Drawer of No Return’ kitchen utensils, a sort of graveyard of gadgets. It is very possible that you may have a similar storage area of cast-offs. Zoomie, a local wordsmith was cleaning out her drawer and gifted me these ‘Steak Buttons’. They are little tiny thermometers that are meant for steaks on the grill. They are placed on your steaks and the gauge will inform you of the degree of doneness. They seemed like a novel idea and we just so happen to be cooking some steaks this weekend.

Hundreds of steaks have visited my grill. I do admit to using an instant read thermometer for larger cuts and roasts. It is an important tool. Tonight a couple of one inch thick ‘New York’ steaks from Angelo’s will be our test meat. A hot mesquite fire was started. The grill was cleaned and oiled. Three minutes of cooking time and the steaks were rotated for grill marks. After six minutes the steaks were turned and the steak buttons were inserted. Nine minutes have elapsed, and in my opinion, from past experience the steaks were done to medium rare. Will the steak buttons confirm this? I looked down at the buttons and realized they were tiny little things. I could not read them unless I had some powerful glasses or a magnifying glass. I tried to get a little closer but I did not want to singe my eye brows. The steaks did turn out medium rare. This was the end of our little experiment. In conclusion the ‘Steak Buttons’ are destined for the “Drawer of No Return”.

BACON REVUE SCHREINERS

2011-08-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Bacon Revue. It has been a long time since we have opened the curtains and showcased some bacon. Today’s act,’ Schreiners Fine Sausages’ comes from Glendale in ‘So-Cal’. We visited this fine establishment while on our journey to Harry Soo’s barbeque class. This meat market has been smoking and curing its fine meat products since 1952. Schreiners is a colorful and festive establishment. The female employees all dress in dirndls, the traditional dresses worn in Austria and southern Germany.

Schreiners Fines Sausages is a well stocked meat market and delicatessen. It was quit popular with people buying sandwiches during our visit. The employees are more than welcome to give you samples of all the various cured meat delights. Knockwurst, Bratwurst, hams, bacon's, so many different sausages, and fresh meats, but today our show is about the bacon.

The bacon was packaged in shrink-wrap for traveling. Once the slab was freed from its protective case a beautiful smoky aroma emerged to tease our taste buds. This was a beautiful looking slab. The meat to fat ratio was even. No rind is always a plus in my book. The bacon sizzled and popped as the show required. This was a good balanced piece of pork belly. Salt and sugar were present but not overpowering. The smoke was a complimenting component. It is always about the balance. This bacon is solid all the way around. Some cooked slices and left over fat was used in our ‘Warm Bacon Coleslaw” recipe listed below.

Warm Bacon Coleslaw

1 head of cabbage sliced thinly
½ small red onion sliced thinly
1 carrot sliced thinly
5 strips of cooked bacon chopped reserving ¼ cup of fat
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ olive oil`
1 teaspoon of salt
pepper to taste

Combine cabbage, carrots, onions in a bowl . In the skillet that you cooked your bacon, add mustard, olive oil, vinegar and reserved bacon, sugar, salt & pepper. Heat till very hot. Remove from heat and stir into cabbage mixture. Top with chopped bacon pieces and serve immediately.

Cabbage and bacon are two great ingredients alone but when they are combined they are a star on the stage of the Bacon Revue. This was served as a side dish to our grilled steak. I hope you enjoyed the ‘Bacon Revue” today. If you plan to visit ‘So-Cal’ be sure to visit Schreiners. You will want to bring an empty ice chest for all your meat finds. Today’s bacon was well balanced in all the right flavor components and will receive 4 stars out of 5.

Schreiner’s Fine Sausages

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Where: 3417 Ocean View Blvd.
Glendale, Ca. 91208
818 244-4735
Cost: 7.00/pound

PESTO PASTA & CAPRESE SALAD

2011-08-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Toss some basil seeds on the ground and sooner or later magic will occur. You will be rewarded with green gold. Basil plants need to be topped off to create bushier plants ‘Saveur’ magazine states; Italian basil plants are grown until four to six leaves and are harvested to use the youngest leaves. Well this is Rodeo and by topping and pruning we will have Basil for the next couple of months. We harvested a couple cups of basil leaves and are going to make pesto with pasta and a Caprese salad.

There are so many recipes for pesto but today we are using a Chilebrown twist. Basil, toasted pine nuts, heirloom garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and “Drum Roll Please” a couple of roasted “New Hatch Chiles”. This should make for some toasty roasty pesto goodness. The blender was put into action and pesto was created.

Growing basil is very easy and rewarding. We are growing ‘Genovese and Thai’ varieties Making extra pesto is no problem because it freezes very well. The Chilebrown twist was a peppery treat that could not be beat. The salad was refreshing and flavorful. The summer bounty of produce has only just begun.

ANGELO

2011-07-30T18:34:00.001-07:00

Oh Yeah! Angelo smokes a pig.

BUEN APETITO MICHOACAN VERDE

2011-07-29T06:27:00.001-07:00

This is a typical Chilebrown breakfast of jalapeno/cheese sausage, egg, jalapeno cheese bagel accompanied by "Buen Apetito Michoacan Verde' sauce.

Please Read Full Review Here

Buen Apetito

BRISKET

2011-07-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

Brisket is usually the last meat category to judge in competition. It is also one of the hardest meats to cook. It can take up to 15 hours to create a tender and smoky product. We have taken Harry Soo’s barbeque class and have learned his techniques and secret ingredients to create trophy award winning brisket. We are inspired and confident to tackle this cut of beef. The first thing is to find is a ‘Left Side’ brisket. Cattle use their right side legs to get up after taking a nap. The right side is tougher because of the muscle use. (Truth?) It is not easy finding whole brisket here on the West Coast. Some Wally-Marts will carry pieces usually the leaner flat end. Restaurant supply or warehouse stores will usually carry the whole brisket.

Our brisket was procured and we needed to start the preparation. A very sharp filet knife trimmed all the fat off of the point end of the brisket. A quarter inch of fat was left on one side of the ‘flat’ end of the brisket. The next step was to inject a solution into the brisket to insure flavor and tenderness throughout our roast. We were sworn to secrecy by Harry of the actual ingredients but you can approximate of our injection by a search on the World Wide Web. Next Harry’s secret rub was rubbed all over the brisket.

The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker was prepared and the Stoker was set for 250 degrees. A fire was started and four tennis ball size hunks of hickory wood were added to the charcoal fuel. The wonderful thing about our new smoker is once the fire is started and the Stoker is set, we can snooze the night away. The WSM was started at 11:00pm on Saturday night. The next morning when the temperature was around 170 and the ‘bark’ (Outer crust of the roast) had set, we added some ‘Stubbs Beef Marinade’ and wrapped the whole roast in foil. The foiled roast was set back into the smoker for a couple more hours. The brisket was removed when the internal temperature reached 195 degrees.

The brisket consists of the flat and point ends. There is a layer of fat that separates the two pieces. They were easily separated once the meat was cooked and rested. The flat end was re-wrapped in foil and held in an insulated cooler. We wanted to create burnt ends with the point end. The point end was sliced into cubes and seasoned with some more rub. The cubed meat was put into a foil pan and returned to the smoker for one more hour. After the hour we added barbeque sauce over the cubed meat. It was briefly returned to the smoker to warm the sauce.

The flat was unwrapped and a large amount of brisket juices was in the foil. It was reserved for serving. The flat was sliced into pencil thick slices. A beautiful smoke ring was present and it smelled heavenly. We served a portion of burnt ends with the slices. The reserved brisket juice was spooned over the slices. Some Cole slaw accompanied our meat extravaganza. The burnt ends were to die for. This was meat candy that just has to be experienced. The slices were tender but a little on the dry side. The flavorful and sinful au-jus took care of that. If this was competition you would average the scores of the slices and burnt ends together. I would give this brisket a score of seven out of a possible nine. This was our first attempts at cooking a whole brisket. I think I could live on a diet of ?Burnt Ends”. The best part will be all of the sandwiches to come.

RUSS & FRANKS

2011-07-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

My latest review at 'Peppers & More' is about 'Russ & Franks" barbeque sauce. You can read all about it by clicking the link below. Last night a brisket was put on the smoker around 11:00pm. It should be ready this afternoon I just checked it and I wanted to cut a hunk off right now. Stay tuned!

Review of "Russ & Franks' barbeque sauces.

QUE

2011-07-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

"Que, an intoxicating bouquet of spices, smoke, meat, and sweet summer sweat, is the latest development in wearable scents and is quickly becoming a hit among meat lovers, grill masters, and backyard BBQ’ers." This is the copy that sold me. I am not a fan of wearing cologne but this sounded "Tailor made for me". There is no need to adjust your set and it is not April 1. I immediately placed an order.

Que is an interesting and unique fragrance. It reminds me of camping and sitting around the campfire. In fact it is like the campfire is out and you have rolled around in the ashes and soot. A little muskiness with some spices round out this fragrant essence. I gave a little splash around the ears before giving Ms. Goofy a smooch. Ms. Goofy said I smelled horrid. Oh dear readers the sacrifices I make for Mad Meat Genius.

Pork Barrel Products

ME SO CORNY!

2011-07-20T07:51:00.001-07:00

Boiled, steamed, deep fried, fried, scalloped, baked, broiled, frozen, grilled, raw, I just love corn. What ever happened to yellow corn?

1st ANNUAL BAY AREA BBQ CHAMPIONSHIP

2011-07-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

It was M.C. Hammer bobble head boy ball day at the ball park. The ‘Oakland Athletics’ split the double header with the 'Los Angeles Angels' Prior to the baseball game the main event was held in the ballpark parking lot. The Bay Area BBQ Championship was a fun and entertaing morning filled with barbeque, food throw downs, cooking demonstrations and music. This wonderful event was held for the benefit of foster children. We witnessed a lot of smiling and happy young ones throughout the day. They had one of those inflatable bouncy things that I was not allowed on. I could of got my face painted but we had judging duties to perform.

Today’s barbeque contest was held under the IBCA (International Barbeque Cookers Asociation) rules. We normally judge contests under KCBS guidelines so the procedure was a little different than we were acustomed to. The judging of the meats is a little more informal but still serious business. Today we had a number of celebrity judges. Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger drew quit the crowd. Everybody wanted to shake his hand and pose for a picture. He was a tall man and stood out in the crowd like the hero that his is. Narsai David and Joey Altman two local television food personalities participated in the judging. Ms. Goofy and I judged ribs and pork shoulder. We tasted some barbeque that was so good we wanted to cry..

This event was not all bouncy things and cheerleaders but a serious barbeque competition. After our judging duties were fulfilled we walked the grounds and witnessed some intense barbeque preparations. These competitors spend all night tending their barbeque pits. The real excitement comes right before turn in time. The best cut of meat needs to be sliced and arranged in a box for judging. This is crunch time. To cook four meats and present them is an art and skill that we appreciate.

Baseball and barbeque does not get any better. Congratulations to “Big B Down N Dirty BBQ” for winning the Grand Champion. We would like to thank Jennifer Harper from ‘Alternative Family Services’ for putting on a fantastic event. We witnessed a lot of happy children and adults today. Our belly’s are full and our smiles are large.

BRENTWOOD CORN FESTIVAL

2011-07-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year when every weekend has some festival or another. This last weekend brought us to the ‘Brentwood Corn Festival. This is one of our favorite events because who does not love corn. This festival has a cornucopia of activities for all ages. Music, crafts, carnival rides and my favorite category, fair eats.

The first thing we searched for after obtaining frosty beverages was the corn booth. Once we found our booth we noticed the fancy corn cooker. This was one high tech roaster. This vendor offered many different accompaniments for our toasty cob of sweetness. Butter, chili powder, salt & pepper and mayonnaise were there for the offering. Salt and butter is all I need. This is what summer is all about.

The barbeque booth looked inviting but we were on another mission. Ms. Goofy had heard about a new carnival ride were you are vacuumed into your own plastic bubble and then can walk on water. It may have been the heat or the beverages but I humored Ms. Goofy and we searched. By gosh, she was right! Unfortunately they would not let me ride this attraction. The Carney muttered something about growing up.

We strolled through out the fair grounds and enjoyed the afternoon. It was a lovely day in Brentwood. I cannot wait till next weekend.

BAY AREA BBQ CHAMPIONSHIP

2011-07-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

BBQ and Baseball are two of our nations greatest pastimes. Combine them together and we have the 'Bay Area BBQ Championship" with a double header of the 'Oakland A's v Los Angeles Angels'. The Bay Area BBQ Championship is a pro competition that will bring some of the biggest names of BBQ in California to compete. There will be celebrity judges such as; Narsai David, Joey Altman, Chelsey 'Sullen' Sullenberger and of course Ms. Goofy. All the proceeds will go to foster children through the Alternative Family Services organization. This should be a huge day of fun.

Bay Area BBQ Championship
July 16, 2011 BBQ starts at 9:30am
Oakland Colosseum

BACON TAKEDOWN

2011-07-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

What to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon? We race on over to San Francisco to the “The Thirsty Bear’ and taste twenty different and unique bacon dishes. This microbrewery was the perfect venue, for the ‘Bacon Takedown’ contest to be held. Chefs and every day cooks were given 15 pounds of Hormel bacon to create a dish to be sampled by the hungry masses. These bacon aficionados were in a competition for a year’s supply of ‘Hormel Black Label Bacon” and other prizes. We arrived to a long and drooling line of fellow bacon freaks in front of the Thirsty Bear. At high noon the doors were flung open and the tasting began.

Bacon brittle, bacon ravioli, bacon sushi rolls, bacon fried chicken and liver wrapped in bacon were several choices we had to sample. We got in line and loaded up a plate with various entries. Some very tasty malt beverages were the perfect compliment to this plate of tasty cured swine cuisine. The goal was to taste all the entries and vote on our favorite. This would determine the ‘People’s Choice’ award. This was no easy decision. I had to sample the bacon ravioli several times to make up my mind.

The judges made their decision of the “Bacon Fried Chicken”. The ‘Peoples Choice’ award went to the “Bacon Jalapeno Popper Tamale”. This was one bacon event that had to be experienced. We got a lot of ideas for future bacon consumption. Now, if only I had a years supply of bacon.

BACKYARD COMPETITION

2011-07-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

“Let the games begin”. It is the dawning of a new age of smoking at Mad Meat Genius. We had an inaugural run with the new Weber Smokey Mountain cooker. This is a barbeque smoking tool that Ms. Goofy has laid her paws on to claim. Some baby back ribs and some chicken thighs were cooked in the name of science and good eats. We set up two WSM’s in competition mode. They were set up side by side separated only by the controlling ‘Stoker’ unit.. Only Ms. Goofy’s smoker will be used today because this is a trial run only.

Both meats were prepared for smoking. The rib membrane was removed from the rack and rubbed with Harry Soo’s secret preparation. The chicken was trimmed and rubbed with a good commercial rub. The smoker was lit using the minion method. Hickory wood was the smoking material. The pit temperature was set and the ribs went on first. The ribs were smoked for three hours and checked. They were removed, wrapped and seasoned with some additional items. The wrapped packet went back on the grill for another hour. We cannot reveal all of our techniques but they were learned at Harry Soo’s class.

The chicken thighs went on the smoker the last two hours. They turned a beautiful mahogany color. The smell was very intoxicating. Once the internal temperature of the chicken reached 170 degrees a commercial barbeque sauce was lightly applied. A few more minutes and everything was removed from the smoker.

The ribs were removed from there tin foil sauna and a barbeque sauce was sparingly applied. Ms. Goofy began to cry or maybe that was me because this first batch of meat looked and smelled so good. The ribs were perfectly cooked. When you bit into the rib the meat easily pulled away from the bone and left the perfect bite mark. The smoke flavor was present but not overpowering. The sauces and rubs were used with restraint to let the meat flavors shine through. The chicken skin was crispy and the meat, oh so ever tender. This was a victorious day at the Mad Meat Genius competition grounds. We look forward to many more contests to come.

BACON TAKEDOWN

2011-07-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

"For those of you with an affinity for bacon, the Bacon Take Down is a perfect event for you! On July 10th at high noon, home and professional chefs will compete here at TBBC for the prize of the best bacon cooker in the area. Participants are given 15 pounds of bacon and given the challenge of creating the most unique and delicious bacon dishes possible. Best of all for everyone that comes you get to sample and enjoy all of the decadence these chefs create! Tickets are $15 for 2 hours of bacon indulgence and available online. Can't wait to see you there!!!"
This comes directly from the 'Thirsty Bear' website. Ms. Goofy and I will be there, of course.

Thirsty Bear
661 Howard Street

San Francisco, CA 94105

Bacon Takedown

WEBER SMOKEY MOUNTAIN

2011-07-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

It is the dawn of a new smoking era. After taking Harry Soo’s barbeque class we have found new inspiration. We have new cooking knowledge and techniques to practice. Ms. Goofy suggested we get another smoker. We have had a lot of success with the Weber Smokey Mountain model. It is a very popular smoker that is used in bbq competition. They have upgraded and made some improvements to the original design. Ms. Goofy claimed that this smoker would be hers and she would put it to use and out cook me any day of the week.

It almost seemed like Christmas with the anticipation of our delivery to come. Normally the UPS man comes late in the day. I had to pull some strings and use some connections for an early afternoon delivery. We could hear the truck roar up the hill. Christmas in July is a wonderful thing. The truck had not even pulled away for Ms. Goofy to tear open this package. In no time at all she had it together.

We are looking forward to our backyard competitions. You may ask: Why two smokers? Well, to cook all four meat categories of chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder and brisket you would need the extra smoker. Our maiden voyage will be with chicken and ribs. I think we are going to have to invite you over to help us eat and judge our competitions. “Come on over!”