CINCO DE MAYO

Today's journey in search of the killer Chile Verde brings us to 'Cinco De Mayo' restaurant located in Concord California. I received a hot tip from a fellow co-worker. He claimed that I would not be disappointed. 'Cinco De Mayo is located in a small strip mall. When you walk through the door you will be greeted by huge colorful murals on the wall. You place your order at the counter and your meal will be brought to your table.

An impressive salsa bar is located next to the counter. There are numerous chile concoctions. Pico de gallo, roasted peppers, tomatilla sauce, pickled peppers and several dried pepper salsa are there for consumption. I could of just ordered some chips and grazed this salsa bar. It was tasty and ended up being the highlight of the meal.

This chile verde looked very tasty. It was accompanied by home made corn tortillas. Unfortunately the taste did not deliver. The flavor was just flat. The meat was tough. It lacked pizazz. Maybe it needed some salt or lime to spritz it up. Luckily the salsa bar rescued this dish. I know it is a tough job, but I am looking and searching for the next dish of chile verde.

Cinco de Mayo

4115 Concord Blvd

Concord, CA 94519

(925) 691-8855

GEORGE LAKEMAN

George Lakeman has passed to the great beyond. He will be missed by so many people from the town of Rodeo. How can I put in words how much he has touched the lives of us all. The service will be held tomorrow at Crockett.

Life sucks sometimes!

George Lakeman Visit Guest Book
George E. Lakeman May 16, 1916 ~ June 23, 2010 Resident of Rodeo George was born in Rodeo and was happy to spend his entire life in Rodeo. He worked with his father at Lakeman's Bar from 1938 to 1955 when he assumed full ownership of the business. He truly enjoyed the work and the customers. Gambling was his hobby- playing "Pan" at Oaks Card Room, trips to Reno and other casinos, or just playing solitaire. George was a passionate fan of the Yankees Baseball team. He was very proud of his time spent in the South Pacific area while in the Army during World War II. George is survived by his wife of 64 years Lorraine; his "Angel" daughter Noreen; 2 beautiful granddaughters: Brittany and Jordan Nelson; son-in-law Stan Nelson; nephews Allen and Barry Lakeman; and his "Saturday Boys." Memorial Service: 12:00pm, Wednesday, July 7, 2010. Wilson & Kratzer Mortuaries Hosselkus Chapel (510) 799-1411 wilsonkratzermortuaries.com
Published in Contra Costa Times on July 1, 2010

BLUEBERRY CORNBREAD

"Sometimes I clown, then step back and do the James Brown". We are going to have a funky good time with some blueberries. Let's get on the good foot and fire up some coals to heat our black iron pots. We are going to cook some blueberry cornbread today. EEEEOOOOW!!!!!!!!!

Blueberry Cornbread

1. 2 cups of blueberries
2. 1 cup flour
3. 1 cup of yellow corn meal
4. 1/4 cup brown sugar
5. 1 tablespoon baking powder
6. 1 teaspoon salt
7. 1 egg beaten
8. 1 cup milk
9. 1/3 cup vegetable oil
10. 1 tablespoon orange zest chopped.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl except blueberries. Fold blueberries into mixture gently. Wipe oil all around interior of pan. Place mixture in pan and bake in 400 degree oven for aprox 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in center of bread should pull out clean when done.

Cooking this recipe in a Dutch Oven is a fun time. It is great for a picnic or barbeque. It sure is nice to be able to cook outside and not have to heat up your house with the oven. If you have some James Brown playing in the background you may even see me dance.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

Today is that special day to celebrate the signing of the 'Declaration of Independence" and gaining our freedom from the 'Kingdom of Great Britain". It is a great excuse to fire up the grill. Do we really need an excuse? Yesterday at the 'Way Out West BBQ Championship' a barbeque rig was spotted that had the most wonderful accessory attachment ever. This optional tool is a golden pole. This pole is sure genius and should be a mandatory item on all barbeque rigs. I have asked Ms. Goofy for this rig for Christmas. She has told me that I will be able to leave the couch by Christmas.

The weather in Stockton was beautiful for this barbeque contest. We were privileged to sample and judge some championship meat. Harry Soo and the "Slap Yo Daddy' bbq team added another trophy, for Grand Champion, to their trophy case. There was a great band playing rock and roll to get the crowd dancing. We were steppin to the beat to view the old hot rods that were on display. The general public was able to purchase tickets to sample a lot of the competitors cooking endeavors. The crowds swelled with some content and full barbeque customers. This was one fun in the sun event.

Have a wonderful 4th of July. What are you cooking today?

THE ELVIS

"Thankyou, Thankyou very much!" As some of you may know, when we are not judging barbeque contests , searching out the 'Gold Standard' of bacon, looking for that killer dish of Chile Verde and cooking at home, I review hot sauces. Let me tell you it should be illegal for this to happen. I truly love hot sauces and when I receive a free sauce, get to try it and then share it with other people it just seems so wonderful there must be something wrong with that. The other day instead of Hot Sauce a box loaded with several flavors of "34° Crispbread crackers" arrived at my front porch. This would prove to be a challenge. These crackers were not your normal typical everyday cracker. We needed to find some ways to use these crackers for tasting purposes. Hence, 'The Elvis was created. This cracker turned out to be pretty tasty. You can read the full review here at "Peppers & More".

We will be judging in Stockton today at the "Way Out West BBQ Championship" . Tomorrow we will be cooking at a friends 4th of July BBQ. The following week we have scheduled several Meat Adventures. It is going to be a full week of fun in the sun. We hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Talk to you soon!

"Ladies and Gentleman Elvis has left the building"

WAY OUT WEST BBQ CHAMPIONSHIP

We are polishing our judges badges in preparation for the Way Out West Bbq Championship that will be held this 4th of July weekend in Stockton California. Reverend Biggles is driving the bus to Stockton. Hop on board for a fun day with barbeque.

I have a volunteer sunflower that is 10 feet tall. I am a little frightened of it.

KOBE BRISKET EXPERIENCE

(Kobe on right)

Harry Stewart, the owner of 'The Great American Barbeque, serves some award winning barbeque. Harry competes in numerous barbeque competitions and has been quite successful accumulating awards. When Harry mentioned he served Kobe-style beef brisket at his restaurant, I began to drool with anticipation of tasting this exotic bovine. Kobe beef generally means a cut of meat from the Wagyu breed of cattle. This beef is renowned for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty well marbled texture. In Japan according to popular belief the Wagyu cattle receive one beer per day and are massaged with warm sake. Today's Kobe beef was from the Masami ranch located near Redding California.

Harry does not serve the Kobe brisket all the time. We called and arranged a time he would be serving this special beef. We wanted to compare and taste the Kobe side by side with some regular brisket. Kobe beef is graded above the 'Prime, Choice, Select" grades. Harry explained this beef was rated 'Kobe Supreme 10". This regular brisket was no chump. It had a pretty impressive pedigree itself of USDA Choice grade Black Angus. This will be a battle of two heavy hitters.


Both briskets were smoked for 15 hours, flavored and fueled by oak wood. They were both rubbed with a dry rub. Harry mentioned the Kobe was rubbed with a sweeter rub because it is a sweeter meat. They were both pulled out of the smoker and place on the cutting board. (Kobe is positioned on the left of the image.) You will notice the Wagyu does not have a distinctive flat and point shape of the regular brisket. Harry took a wickedly sharp knife and began to carve. Both of these brisket oozed with juices of flavor. I wanted to take a straw and suck the cutting board.

Now for the verdict. The Kobe was so very tender with a beef flavor that had a hint of sweetness. If you place a bite in your mouth and closed your eyes, the beefy rich flavor will take you on joy ride of meat pleasure. How did the regular brisket compare to the Kobe? This Black Angus was also on the tender juicy love train of beef flavor. It may have been a tad less tender and maybe not as sweet, but would be a stellar and superior meal on its own. I would like to give credit to Harry for smoking both these cuts of beef to maximize the flavor and bring out the tenderness.

(Kobe on bottom)

Was the Kobe superior to the regular brisket? This would be a close call. The Kobe beef cost twice as much as the regular. The Kobe-style may have a subtle difference of sweetness and texture from the Black Angus. I am declaring a tie. The Kobe is something that I would recommend to experience. Harry has worked magic with both of these cuts of meat and I would recommend both. What a beefy day!

The Great American Barbeque