PEACH BOURBON BACON BAKED BEANS

Today's inspiration comes from our friends at 'Three Dog BBQ. Bill and his wife Hope compete in BBQ contests around the Pennsylvania area. We may be twins because we sure like the same foods and pastimes. He recently made some baked beans with bacon, bourbon and peaches. Peaches are at their fragrant and juicy best and with the addition of bacon this bean pot was a no-brainer. We used Bill's recipe as a frame and threw in Chilebrown twists. Sit back, relax and let's stir the pot.

Fresh peaches were bought straight from the farm at 'R & K' Corning, California. This farm is a must stop when traveling down interstate 5 from the north. It is always fun to make a connection to the actual farmer. It guarantees the best product and probably a couple of stories will be thrown in. Through my farmers market connections,we also procured some sweet onions called 'Candy' from a farmer in Yreka, California. Nueske bacon, dried beans and bourbon would complete this shopping list.

The dried beans were covered with water in a cast iron pot. They were placed in a 350 degree oven. Today we are using an old friend the 'Smokenator 1000. The peaches, bacon and onions would take a one hour smoke sauna that was fueled by smoldering peach wood. After one hour the smoked ingredients were removed and chopped. The bacon was rendered  in a cast iron pan to remove some fat. The chopped onions were added. Several minutes later the peaches were added with 2 ounces of bourbon. Stand back because this will ignite. Once the flames have subsided add all the ingredients to the bean pot in the oven. I also added some honey, bbq sauce, several chopped home grown tomato's, garlic, 1/4 cup of molasses and salt. Return to oven.

Bake the beans until tender. I left the lid on for the first three hours. The last hour it was removed to thicken and reduce the liquid. We served our beans with some smoked beef ribs. This bean pot was smoky and sweet with peach love. Ms. Goofy liked the little pieces of peach. The bourbon flavor was lost in the cooking. Smoky bacon and beans is a combination that cannot be beat. Peaches are a welcome addition to this pot. For the original recipe check out 'Three Dogs BBQ'.

Three Dogs BBQ

JAK JECKEL

Today's hot sauce is a "True" everyday hot sauce boasts 'Jak Jeckel Gourmet Hot Sauce'. We ran it through the paces and you can see the results here.

Read Review Here

2nd ANNUAL SISKYOU BEEF COUNTRY COOK-OFF

Fun, Food and Friends is a great combination to have a spectacular weekend. This equation was held at the “2nd Annual Siskyou Beef Country Cook-off’ in historical Montague California. The ‘Rotary Club’ once again rolled out the ‘Red Carpet’ for everybody involved. Twenty five Professional teams and 5 ‘Backyard teams held battle in a BBQ competition to win the coveted trophy. It was a warm one. The thermometer wanted to break the century mark. In the evening we were treated to some spectacular light shows by the electrically charged skies.

It was Friday evening and the teams were rolling in. Montague has a small town warmth and charm. The ‘Rotary Club’ held a delicious Tri-tip dinner to welcome us all. We were entertained by local musicians. It does not get any better than this. Dinner was done and it was time to cook. The teams cut, chopped and seasoned their competition meats. Proper prepping can determine a champion.  Brisket and pork shoulder can take up to 12 hours to cook. The fire will need to be watched and tended too.  It would be a long night for some. Ms. Goofy and I hunkered down in our plush, swanky hotel. We would need a good nights rest to judge some of the best BBQ in the nation.

It was judgment day. We were not disappointed. It is always a pleasure and treat to sample and score great BBQ.  We want to point out a unique and fun way one team prepared their meat entries. Team Belcampo cooked their meat in dutch ovens and a salt crust oven. A heritage breed pig was seasoned and encrusted in salt. A special rack that had a wood fire on top and bottom provided heat to bake this salt covered pig. The brisket and chicken was cooked in Dutch ovens. Belcampo used some high quality meat from their farms. We got to taste some of this heritage breed pork. Wow! Ms. Goofy used the word ‘porky’. It had a taste that was rich and flavorful. Even though this pork had such a great flavor it did not score highly. Tean Belcampo had some problems with KCBS entry rules. It should be interesting if in the future Heritage meats will be a dominating factor in KCBS contests.

This was another great weekend of Fun, Food and Friends. Congratulations to the team of “IAB 30” for winning Grand Champion. Thanks to John Hammond and the Rotary Club for a great event. We cannot wait for next year’s contest..

'THAT'S AMAZING' ERNESTO'S

We loaded up the 'Racing Honda' and sped to the 'California State Fair". We were on a mission to sample deep fried and bacon treats. We also wanted to see the tribute to Huell Howser. The weather could not of been nicer. This was the perfect climate to indulge in battered and fried foods. Half the fun was the search for the ultimate treat. There was endless choices and we might possibly have been overwhelmed. Bacon wrapped cheese, kabobs, pineapple, chicken, 'pork-abella' hot dogs, cheesecake and chocolate covered were only several items offered. We did settle on a deep fried strawberry 'Pop-Tart" and a corn dog. "Pop-Tart's" was and is one of my favorite food groups. Be careful when eating this doughy treat because the strawberry filling is smokin' hot. .

Huell Howser was the host of a PBS show called 'California Gold'. Huell would visit attractions and scenic sights throughout California and share it with his viewers. He had a corn pone delivery that made the most mundane spots interesting. He recently passed and will be surely missed. There was a nice exhibit that paid tribute to our television friend.

Corn dogs and 'Pop-Tarts' whetted our appetite for some substantial food. Sacramento has a great Mexican restaurant called Ernesto's. They are famous for their carnitas. This wold be our next food stop. Ernesto's is an institution in the mid-town area. We were lucky to miss the crowds at our mid afternoon meal. I was tempted to try the chileverde but when in Rome. I was not disappointed.. The pork was flavorful. The outer crust of the meat was caramelized with rich meat candy flavor. House made tortillas were the icing on this cake.

This was a fun day at the fair and Ernesto's. We cannot wait for the next food adventure. We are heading to Montague, California for another BBQ competition this weekend. Oh Yeah!

Ernesto's
1901 16th St
Sacramento, CA 95814

UNDER THE FREEWAY PORKCHOPS

Farmers markets are a  big part of my life. You many even say I am a farmers market junkie. If we are not judging at bbq contests, if I am not Managing the Friday's 'Richmond Farmers Market', we will probably be at a market somewhere in Northern California. I would like to share the location of a very nice market located under a busy freeway in Sacramento. This market takes place on Sunday mornings. It is probably wise to arrive early because this market draws a crowd. You will understand the draw once you have experienced the variety and prices of this market.

Sacramento can get very hot in the summer. This shaded location is a welcome relief from the heat.Stone fruits are in season. Peaches, nectarines perfume this shopping arena. Fragrant melons will entice you to purchase. We found some great yellow corn. When is the last time you have found yellow corn at the farmers market? We were on a mission searching for a specific vendor: John Bledsoe.

John Bledsoe is a pig farmer from Woodland that has some of the best pork around. We have enjoyed his pork on several occasions. Bacon turned out great from one of his pork bellies. The prices are very reasonable. In fact, one of the market drawing points is the overall prices of all the produce and products offered for sale.. Sacramento does not incur the 'Bay Area Sin Tax'. Fruit and produce is not sold at inflated prices. Your pocket book will be happy after shopping here.

This market is worth a visit. You may be overwhelmed by the variety, freshness and prices. It is true 'California Gold'. The pork chops and yellow corn were divine.

Sacramento Sunday Farmers Market
8am-12 noon
8th & W St.
Sacramento, Ca. 95816

SMOKIN' FOR GOLD

Placerville California was a sizzling 94 degrees yesterday. The weather was not the only hot stuff going on at the Placerville Fairgrounds. A KCBS four meat bbbq competition, chili cook-off and horse show was held simultaneously to create a festive warm day.Yours truly hunkered down in an air-conditioned room to bravely sample and score some of the best BBQ in the nation. It is a tough job and we are privileged to do it.We would like to share a couple of images with you.

Our friend Chuck Collondrez of "Bowling Over Pigs' was crowned the "Grand Champion" of this bbq competition. Congratulations Chuck! This was another grand weekend of friends, food and fun. We cannot wait til next weekend to do it all over again in Montague, California.

4th ANNUAL SMOKIN' FOR GOLD

We are having another fun weekend of BBQ ahead. You can join in on the festivities. This is what 'Smokin for Gold' has to say: 
"Live music, Cowboy Poetry, Kiddie Corral, Chili Cook Off, Salsa & Cornbread Competitions, Chuckwagon BBQ and Margaritaville and a whole lot more! It is a full day of fun you won’t want to miss. Lots of fun and extra things to do for the entire family."

4th Annual Smokin for Gold
Cowboys & Cornbread
Sunday, July 21, 2013
100 Placerville Dr (fairgrounds)
Placerville, CA 95667 ‎