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October Food Festivals

Barbecue ribs. Photo: biskuit, Flickr.
Oktoberfests are ubiquitous this month. For those not interested in the chug-a-thons and oompah bands, check out this list of alternative options.

Dixon Lambtown USA, Dixon, Calif., Oct. 3: Break out the mint jelly! Attendees can participate in such culinary slugfests as the National Lamb Ribs Eating Contest and Barbecue Cook-Off, not to mention a shearing competition and sheepdog trials. For the kiddies, there's Mutton Bustin' -- a buckin' bronco bruising of the woolly kind.

The Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival
, New York, Oct. 8-11: Hosted by and benefiting the Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength, this festival brings the toque and the home cook together. Everyone from sous chefs to casserole queens can attend wine seminars, recipe-creation panels and cooking demonstrations. For the kiddie cook, check out the Kids Get Cooking! series. Your favorite celebrity TV chefs will be there, en masse, including Ming Tsai, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray and Anthony Bourdain, as well as culinary heavyweights such as Sue Torres, Marcus Samuelsson, Odette Fada, Daniel Boulud and David Chang.

Continue reading October Food Festivals

Regional BBQ Quiz

How does Georgia barbeque differ from Kansas barbeque? Quiz yourself on barbeque recipes from all different regions of the country.

Regional BBQ

Barbecue Sauce Reviews

We're sharing our favorite bottled barbeque sauces and barbecue rubs from around the country. From Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q to Brooks House of BBQ, we've got a sauce to suit your tastes.
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BBQ Sauce Reviews
by Kat Kinsman
Some of the country's finest BBQ joints and cooking teams have bottled their signature sauces and rubs. We're sharing our regional favorites so you can start planning your road trip to visit the pitmasters -- or just order online.

We'd give an arm and a chicken leg for a taste of this next one. Read on.
Rachel Been
Getty Images North America

BBQ Sauce Reviews

    by Kat Kinsman
    Some of the country's finest BBQ joints and cooking teams have bottled their signature sauces and rubs. We're sharing our regional favorites so you can start planning your road trip to visit the pitmasters -- or just order online.

    We'd give an arm and a chicken leg for a taste of this next one. Read on.

    Rachel Been

    Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q Championship Red Sauce
    Decatur, AL

    Slather it on: Beef, pork, chicken, burger, your arm

    We're actually not kidding 'bout that last one. With thick, sweet, savory, smooth sauce like this, it's hard not to grab a straw and slurp it straight out of the bottle. The flavor begins with a deceptively light, spice bite lolling in a molasses and tomato base, then builds to a lingering, light burn on the back of the tongue. It's absolutely luscious - though of course we'll have to sample again to make sure. And again...

    Website: Big Bob Gibson

    Rachel Been

    The Salt Lick Original Recipe Bar-B-Que Sauce
    Driftwood. TX

    Slather it on: Pork or turkey

    This light-bodied, easy-pouring sauce lets warm spices like mace and turmeric come to the fore, bringing an almost Indian note above a gentle mustard base. If you're a fan of the sweet heat of a gentle curry, come scampering on over to the salt lick.

    Website: Salt Lick Bar-B-Que

    Rachel Been

    Baker's Ribs Sauce
    Garland, TX

    Slather it on: Smoked brisket, smoked ribs and salad

    There's no ducking the Worcestershire and herb one-two punch of this thin, tomato-based sauce. The spice level is more of a zing than a zap on the tongue, and forgive us for saying so, but we'd welcome the sweet, anchovy-tipped flavor on our favorite Caesar just as much as we would on a half-rack.

    Website: Baker's Ribs

    Rachel Been

    Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue KC Original Sauce
    Kansas City, MO

    Slather it on: Brisket, ribs, burnt ends

    This thick, initially tart, tomato-based sauce melts to a subtle, smoky undertone, allowing the flavors of the meat to assert themselves. It's an enhancement, rather than a scene-stealer, and your spareribs will thank you for it.

    Website: Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue

    Rachel Been

    Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q Original White Sauce
    Decatur, AL

    Slather it on: Chicken, cole slaw, potato salad

    Since 1925, Decatur residents have lavished their barbecue with Bog Bob Gibson's distinctive white sauce. Its mayo and vinegar base blend delivers an appealing tang, followed quickly by a king-sized bite of black pepper flakes. It's a must for finishing grilled chicken or even poured over slaw.

    Website: Big Bob Gibson

    Rachel Been

    Scott's Barbecue Sauce
    Goldsboro, NC

    Slather it on: Chopped whole hog

    There's no mistaking this gigantic vinegar bite for anything but Eastern North Carolina style sauce. The original thin mixture of vinegar with a visible sediment of salt and red and black peppers at the bottom of the bottle dates back nearly 90 years, and was finally patented by Adam Scott, the inventor's son, in 1946. To taste it is to savor the the region's rich barbecue tradition.

    Website: Scott's Sauce Co.

    Rachel Been

    Checkered Pig Mild Original Barbecue Sauce
    Martinsville, VA

    Slather it on: Ribs, ham or chopped pork

    A kiss of molasses brings just the slightest sweetness to this thin, smoky sauce. Over 20 years ago, pitmaster Tommy Houston, the official caterer for NASCAR's Martinsville Speedway developed this mellow, vinegar-based sauce to amp up the flavor of the fresh Virginia hams he uses to craft his 'cue. It proved to be a winning formula, and we love it as much for marinating as we do for pork dunking purposes.

    Website: Pigs R Us BBQ

    Rachel Been

    Blackjack Barbecue Mustard Sauce
    Charleston, SC

    Slather it on: Pork and chicken

    South Carolina Lowcountry soul comes full force in this thin, tart, mustard-based sauce. Apple cider vinegar provides an initial tangy bite, them gives way to a sweet, buttery flavor, speckled through with visible pepper and spices. The acid content also makes it an ideal marinade for all cuts of pork.

    Website: Blackjack Barbecue

    Rachel Been

    Ubon's Dipping Bar-B-Q Sauce
    Yazoo City, MS

    Slather it on: Chicken, fish, pork, brisket, eggrolls

    This medium-bodied, tomato-based sauce is a perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and (with its dappling of minced onions) crunchy flavor, ideal for dipping just about anything you'd care to stuff in your mouth. Oddly enough, it makes us crave Chinese food. Sweet and sour spareribs, anyone?

    Website: Ubon's

    Rachel Been

Liquid Smoke - What is It?

kent kirshenbaum
NYU chemistry professor Kent Kirshenbaum. Photo: Jeff Potter
Like many inquisitive scientists, Kent Kirshenbaum regularly scans the ingredient list of prepared foods to uncover the chemical composites lurking within. The substance that most recently piqued the New York University chemistry professor's curiosity is liquid smoke. "My immediate thought was that it was a horrible mix of chemicals," he told us.

After distilling the concentrated smoke and liquid mix (often sold at the grocery store by the bottle to enhance barbecue) down to its roots of water and more than 400 chemical compounds, the scientist (who in person comes across as one part Einstein, one part Malcolm Gladwell) learned that liquid smoke is actually "safer [for human ingestion] than untreated wood smoke."

Kirshenbaum discussed his discovery last week during a monthly gathering of the Experimental Cuisine Collective -- food nerds who love to make things like edible foam. We caught up with him to chat smoke, bongs and homemade liquid smoke.

What is liquid smoke?

Liquid smoke is very simply smoke in water. Smoke usually comes as a vapor, but there are ways to condense it and turn it into liquid and that liquid can then be carried in water.

Continue reading Liquid Smoke - What is It?

Big Apple BBQ Block Party Recap



As promised, we're beginning our recap of the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party this past weekend, featuring 15 of the best pitmasters from around the USA. After you take a dip in the barbecue sauce fountain, courtesy of Mike Mills and Amy Mills of 17th Street Bar & Grill, click on the post to see our photos. "Peace, Love & Barbecue," everyone!

Continue reading Big Apple BBQ Block Party Recap

What's On Tap, Detroit - Slows Bar BQ

A meal at Slows Bar BQ
A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

If your definition of summertime doesn't include barbecue, beer and baseball it's time make some serious corrections to your agenda -- like, with a bright red pen.

In Detroit, those properly schooled in brews amble on over to Slows Bar BQ a joint that caters to fans of all three types of fanatic. Just a mile or so down the road from Comerica Park and in the shadow of the old Tiger Stadium, Slows is a popular pre- and post-game stop for Tigers fans. Manager Terry Perrone notes that its primary appeal is the food: "We're a barbecue restaurant first and foremost." Terry isn't stopping suds snobs with a nose for microbrews from slipping through the door, too, though.

With renowned Michigan names like Bell's, Founders and New Holland, Slows has no shortage of local breweries to draw from and stocks as many as possible: of 20 taps Perrone says they try to keep "no less than 14 from Michigan or the region." Some, such as Great Lakes Grass Roots Ale and Dragonmead Corktown Red, aren't readily available anywhere else. So though Slows puts eats first, Peronne admits, "We see more and more [beer lovers] as the notoriety gets out that we are a great destination to find these local beers."

Check out yesterday's complete draft list after the jump. (Got a fave on the list? Let us know what we should be sipping this summer).

Continue reading What's On Tap, Detroit - Slows Bar BQ

Provoleta - Cheese Course

Provoleta
The distinctive smell of barbecued provolone topped with chili and oregano will forever remind me of a barbecue I went to in Buenos Aires. Before being served a series of different meats in a typical Argentinian asado, grilled provolone is often eaten with a savory chimichurri sauce that's made with parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, and paprika with olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar.

In supermarkets thoughout Buenos Aires, you can find frozen provoleta that you can simply heat up in the oven or microwave. Sometimes you can even find it stuffed with ham, bacon, red peppers, and tomatoes. This incredibly rich and crispy treat makes me think of the salty Greek appetizer Saganaki - fried Greek cheese. I'm wondering if one can find these frozen provoletas in supermarkets in the United States. Although it's easy to make, the frozen ones I purchased in Argentina were absolutely delicious!

Below are a couple of Provoleta recipes:

  1. Grilled Provoleta
  2. Provoleta with Crushed Red Pepper
While both recipes seem identical, the first one also offers an excellent recipe for chimichurri sauce. When entertaining, I highly suggest you make this dish as an appetizer. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Brunswick Stew - Chicken Soup With an Extra Helping of Soul

Perhaps its the lingering after-effects of my mother's Jewish heritage, but every winter I get an uncontrollable urge to make chicken soup. However, having been raised in the South, this seasonal instinct is channeled into the production of a thicker, richer, and generally more transcendent food: Brunswick stew.

Virginia and Georgia both lay claim to the ubiquitous stew; personally, I favor Virginia's claim, but that's only because I grew up there. In both areas, it is a standard accompaniment to barbecue, although it often finds its way to the table as a stand-alone meal.

Recipes for Brunswick stew tend to be somewhat idiosyncratic. For example, many chefs use potatoes, and others use barbecue sauce to increase the richness of the broth. By that standard, my Brunswick stew (recipe below) will strike some people as blasphemous. I go heavy on the tomatoes, keep out the potatoes, use light olive oil and skinned chicken to keep the fat down, and hold off on the barbecue. Still, regardless of your personal tastes, this should be a pretty good starting point for your own recipe!

Continue reading Brunswick Stew - Chicken Soup With an Extra Helping of Soul

North Carolina BBQ Slaw

bbq slaw
I'll certainly admit to having one heck of a lot of 'cue country exploration left to do in my lifetime, but thus far I've yet to encounter any venue outside of North Carolina slinging BBQ slaw alongside their meat. It's an essential side for Lexington style, vinegar-kissed chopped pork, and gets its characteristic pink tint from a dollop of ketchup or barbecue sauce. Also -- it's pretty darned delicious, and provides a pleasantly crunchy textural contrast with the rich, soft strands of slow-cooked shoulder.

From Searching for the Dixie Barbecue, Journeys into the Southern Psyche by Wilber W. Caldwell (2005):

"In the central North Carolina Piedmont you will often find what locals there call "red coleslaw" on the plate next to your chopped pork barbecue. This tangy variation replaces the usual mayonnaise-based slaw dressing with a catsup-and-vinegar-based dressing. In fact, it is not unusual for Upcountry slaw all over Dixie to be spiked with a big splash of barbecue finishing sauce. Whether a sweet/sour tomato-based, spicy mix, either right from the store-bought jar or from some dusty bottle of secret brew, this spicy addition turns the coleslaw sauce either red or a rich brown color and creates what most Southerners called "barbecued coleslaw."

Surely food experts and gourmets all over the planet will ... most certainly suggest that this "barbecue on barbecue" presentation robs the meal of balance. ... Southerners will scoff at this suggestion. Everyone down here knows that if a little barbecue sauce it good, then a whole lot is even better."

If you happen by High Point, NC, do stop into Carter Brothers BBQ (from whence the above pictured platter of BBQ came on this most recent Christmas Eve) for some of the finest chopped (regular or coarse -- they're both good) pork BBQ you'll ever have the pleasure of eating.

BBQ Slaw is recipe after the jump. Got one of your own? Might you please be so kind as to kick back with a Cheerwine and share it in the comments?

Continue reading North Carolina BBQ Slaw

Wii Boxing on Park Avenue

nintendo wii flyer
"Who doesn't love Wii?" says the manager I spoke with at Wildwood BBQ, a restaurant on Park Avenue at 18th Street in Manhattan.

Every Tuesday night since August, Wildwood BBQ, a classy new ribs joint off Union Square, has hosted Wii Boxing with cheap beer and big prizes. There's a pre-tournament warm up at 8:00pm, when anyone can play, then signup for the tournament begins at 8:30. Sixteen guests can play for a chance to win $100 gift certificates good at any of BR Guest's restaurants.

Sign up at the 50-foot bar for a chance to play, and starting at 9:30 pick up a $12 pitcher of Cold Ass beer (pardon my English; that's really what it's called).

Rumor has it that some undisclosed celebrities may be stepping into the ring one of these weeks! Get there if you can.

Midweek Meals: Thai barbecued chicken

Thai barbecued chicken is marinated in coconut milk then grilled to set in all the flavors. A final garnish of scallions adds a pop of color!
The only thing better than coming home to a home cooked meal is having a home cooked meal that doesn't take two hours to prepare. Thai barbecued chicken is a refreshing meal that tastes like the last days of summer, but with a kick! This isn't your ordinary barbecued chicken. Don't be afraid of all the ingredients, you probably have many of them in your pantry. While the chicken only takes about 30 minutes to cook, it does need to marinate.

Make sure to prepare the marinade the night before, refrigerate and before leaving for work the next morning, add the chicken to the marinade and put back into the refrigerator.

Continue reading Midweek Meals: Thai barbecued chicken

Charms aren't just for wine...Get them for your grill!

grill charms
Wine glass charms are one of those oft-forgotten saviors from long, drawn-out examinations of lip prints to figure out whose wine is whose. But I'm really surprised that it hasn't really moved beyond the long-stemmed glassware -- until now.

Did you know that you can buy Grill Charms to properly mark your steak before throwing it on the grill? The stainless steel charms are serrated, so you just pop one in and grill and flip like usual. The charm can plainly mark which is spicy, mild, bloody, or, egads, well-done. There are different charms for different uses, whether you get the collection for temperature, spices, or a group of miscellaneous charms for other important markings like health/allergy issues, or just the desire for a specific piece of meat.

Considering the number of times I've forgotten what goes to who, this seems like a pretty simple, but handy, grill accessory.

[via CNet)

Sizzle, Cookbook of the Day

cover of sizzleJulie Biuso is a well-known New Zealand chef, cooking teacher and food writer who is just starting to make a splash on the American food scene. However, if her new book, Sizzle, Sensational Barbecue Food, is any indication of what she has to offer, I imagine we'll be hearing more and more from her going forward.

When I first opened the book, I had my defensive hat on. I mean, come on, how many barbecue cookbooks can I look at before they all start to look the same? However, this book grabbed me from the start, as it has a well-written introduction that got me nice and excited for the book ahead. And the recipes? Well, they look lovely.

I haven't had an opportunity to try any of the recipes in the book yet (and I'm going to have to adapt most of them to my no-grill lifestyle), but here are some of the ones on my list: Eggplant Toasties (essentially a toasted cheese sandwich made out of grilled eggplant, mozzarella cheese and whole grain bread), Spicy Lamb on Sticks with Yogurt Sauce (flattened lamb meatballs on skewers) and Dried Fruits Cooked in Paper (apricots and prunes, marinated and seasoned, wrapped in parchment paper and slow cooked).

If want to expand your understanding of food cooked on a grill, this would be an excellent book to look at. It takes your backyard Weber and moves it out of the realm of special occasions and places it smackdab in the center of everyday meal prep. Which, judging from the recipes Biuso has written, isn't a bad thing at all.

Foodie Flicks: Rosemary garlic potato pocket



It's darned hot outside these days, so I'm a big fan of any recipe that leaves the heat outside. Above you can see a really simple but delicious-looking recipe for a barbecued rosemary and garlic potato pocket, courtesy of summerkitchen.tv. It's a collection of rosemary, garlic, potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper mixed together and wrapped up in foil, and then cooked on the barbecue. What's particularly great about this recipe is how easy it is to change it up a little and whip up your favorite flavors -- maybe some chopped green onion, or creole spices, or some cherry tomatoes, or even a little bit of cheese. (This is also something that can be made easily over a campfire -- just get small potatoes that you don't need to dice.)

What's your favorite flavor combination for BBQ potatoes?

Next Page >

Tip of the Day

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