"SMOKE' EM IF YOU GOT ' EM"

One person's trash is another's treasure. My good friend from work, Dr. Love (Don't Ask!), was cutting down a Peach tree. He was more than glad to give me as much of the fallen wood as I wanted. What is one to do with cut down peach tree wood besides build a fire? This wood is perfect for using in the smoker. Peach wood will yield a mellow, and somewhat sweet smoke profile. Not only does this wood produce lovely smoke in my cookers, it gives one an excuse to play with a chain saw. 'Men and their toys'. The wood was cut into 2-4 inch rounds. It was then split with a hatchet. Chicken Wings will be cooked on the Smokenator 1000 for a taste test to this peachy adventure.

Before we start cooking, I would like to bring up a controversial question to my fellow barbeque enthusiast. Bark On? or Bark Off?. There seems to be a little squabble. Some people say that leaving the bark on the smoking wood will leave a bitter taste. Some people proclaim, it does not matter. I remove the bark, if it is easily removed. Otherwise, my party lines go straight- down -the -middle. What do you think?

Salt & Pepper was the only pre-preparation for these wings.
The wings were smoked for 2 hours at 225-250 degrees . The wings were removed from the smoking chamber and reserved. A hotter fire was stoked to finish the wings. Once the heat was up to temperature the wings were crisped up about 1-2 minutes on each side. A bottled barbeque sauce was applied.

Jumpin Jeebus Jehoshaphat are these wings good. They are peachy fine. They are smoky and juicy. I am going to run to the store and find something else to smoke, as soon as the couch releases me.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

You should have a decent thermometer to bring consistent Meat Extravaganza's to the table. While cruising E-Bay a thermometer from China was found It was very, very cheap. In fact it was only a whole one dollar and four cents. The shipping was only 4.36. How can you not go wrong? I jumped at this opportunity to get something for practically nothing.

One easy way to test the accuracy of a thermometer is to measure the temperature in a glass of crushed ice and water slurry. The temperature should read 32 degrees. This probe passed the first test of approval.

Lets give it a real test. A prime rib roast was the perfect candidate. The

cooking chamber was smokey and hot. The chamber probably reached over 500 degrees. This thermometer could not handle the smoke or heat. An error code was the only reading that would register.Luckily, I had a backup of my Nu-temp thermometer to save the day.

I guess the old saying rings true. You get what you pay for.

S### HAPPENS!

Stuff Happens! Every dish is not a winner. Sometimes you have to walk a way and wait for the next competition or meal. This is an example of Cranberry Cornbread that was cooked way to long on the bottom. This would have been a disaster in competition. At the house, the bottom was sliced away, presto chango a great sweet cornbread was saved. This is why we practice!!!!

HOBNOBBING WITH NARSAI

Oh, the things people will do, to hang out with the stars. Narsai David could not resist being in a picture with Chilebrown. Narsai David is a local food celebrity. restaurateur, author, and national radio and television personality. Now he has a picture with Chilebrown to add to his resume.

Narsai

HOT SAUCE (Beta)

The Mad Meat Genius has received a super secret beta version of a green hot sauce. This was created by a fellow food blogger who wants to remain anonymous. I was sworn to secrecy. In fact the creator told me not to tell even Dr. Biggles. With that in mind, the testing will begin.

At first glance the packaging definitely needs a little work. The handwritten label is unique but not really eye catching. Let's look at the texture. A small amount was poured on to a spoon. The sauce was fairly thick. It had a pleasant chile/vinegar aroma. No seeds were present. The sauce looked like a baby puree of peppers.

Now for the taste. This sauce had a wonderful green chile flavor. I am guessing this pepper is Jalapeno. Some vinegar and salt sung with this flavor symphony. Their was a touch of heat to wake up your taste receptacles. This sauce would be a wonderful compliment to almost any dish. We tried it with a Quesadilla. I could not stop consuming this sauce. Half of the bottle was sacrificed for this first tasting.

Congratulations to the Creator of this Verde Hot Sauce. With a little work on the packaging, and plenty of free samples for the Mad Meat Genius, You will have a great product. May I suggest a couple of names for your sauce? How about "I'm Mad and I Eat Hot Sauce" or "Cranky's Revenge"?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I love you Mom!

DOG

Dutch Oven Gathering (Dog) was on the ticket today. This was a gathering of food enthusiasts and a couple of food freaks. Is there a difference? It was held at the Meathenge Labs. It was a beautiful day in Richmond, California. The thermometer was hovering around 80 degrees. We were gathered around the heated cast iron vessel and the designated smoker to practice for the Rendezvous festival next month. There were some serious food critics present. Cookiecrumb, Zoomie, Mad Meat Genius, Pluto Demoted,. Meathenge and last but not least the defunct and Funky The 5 Pints. What a crowd. One slip and you are in blogger purgatory. Everybody survived and returned to the abode with bellys full of smoked meats, vegetables, bacon and dutch oven goodness.It was a perfect afternoon. Thanks Guy!