I recently purchased a copy of The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook: A Treasury of Timeless, Delicious Recipes
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What do you do when some competition BBQ fanatics come to visit and want to go out to eat? Do you take the safe route and suggest a good non BBQ establishment or do you go for broke and try a BBQ restaurant. Well that was my dilemma today. John and Rhana McGee, from Wine Country Q in Duvall, Washington were on their yearly trip to the Napa wine country and I always try to make it over and have a meal with them when they visit. John and Rhana were the 2011 Pacific Northwest BBQ Association Team of the Year. They are two of the finest people I know and they know BBQ. Along for the ride was my buddy @Sirporkalot who knows a thing or two about BBQ himself. There was a lot pressure on this restaurant choice. But…
Unforgettable is a very bold claim when it comes to a BBQ sauce. I’m always skeptical of products that boast of being “world-famous” or “world’s best” so David’s Unforgettable Balsamic Barbecue Sauce was a product I just had to try it. And I was skeptical of the unforgettable claim…at least until the sauce arrived. I love balsamic vinegar and if you think about it the sweet and tart vinegar taste should be perfect for BBQ. And the Balsamic Barbecue Sauce from David’s Unforgettables is a sauce that I am looking forward to using again.
Balsamic vinegar is normally made by aging unfermented grape juice in barrels for several years. The aging process concentrates the flavors and not only produces a vinegar flavor but because of the aging process the sweetness of the grapes is increased. It’s this sweetness, when combined with some added molasses, gives the barbecue sauce a unique flavor that will enhance almost anything you have on your BBQ pit or grill.
I’m having a hard time starting this blog post. I’ve been sitting here trying to come up with a cute way to kick off this review of “T&R Taste of Texas BBQ” on Broadway in Sacramento but I can’t. The main reason is that there isn’t anything cute about this restaurant. It’s restaurants like this that make me lose even more faith in the BBQ eaters of the world. It’s quite obvious many of the people who have written reviews on the usual review sites that they are either family members or completely void of any or all taste buds.
I have to admit my inner “Tool Man” wants me to have anything that runs on electricity, but so far I’ve avoided buying that one. When it comes to pulling pork I’m pretty much a two forks and lots of arm action kind of guy. I’ve always found my technique to be adequate. So why try anything else. I found a good reason to try something else recently when I got an email from the gang at Meatrake offering me a couple sets of Meatrakes. One for me to try and and another to give away. I replied and told them sure, go right ahead and send them out. I mean trying something out for free beats the heck out of buying something and discovering it’s not the product you thought it was going to be. I have to admit, though, I already knew I wasn’t going to like this “tool” at all and I felt a little guilty accepting their offer.
Then there’s the “hot sauce” aspect. I love food with a little heat. A “little heat” is a subjective term but I like foods with more heat than the average person. But I don’t like products with heat, for heat’s sake. It’s got to have flavor, and I don’t want something so hot it ruins my taste buds for the whole meal. So, what in the world was I doing to agreeing to review a product called “Devil’s Tongue?” Chances were I wasn’t going to like it. I know a lot of hot sauce fans like the burn. I don’t. I like to work up a nice forehead sweat and even once in awhile a meal that requires a towel to wipe my whole head is a good thing. But that’s about it. When the “Devil’s Tongue” arrived I did what I always do with a new sauce. I got a spoon out and tasted it. Normally, this is with BBQ sauce. Fortunately I had enough common sense to to not eat a whole spoonful. This stuff is hot. So hot (at least in my book) that I decided to not even bother trying it on the nice ribeye I had ready for the grill. After my steak was grilled, rested and about ready for consumption I heard a little voice saying “you’ve got to try me on the steak. Go ahead…you know you want to.” Was I being tempted by the “Devil’s Tongue?” I quickly finished getting my baked potato ready and was anticipating the joy of a perfectly grilled medium rare steak when I realized the temptation was going to work. I was, in fact, going to give in and eat this stuff on my ribeye.
Well, “like” is just a little to mild of a term. This seasoning tastes, simply amazing. One of the highlights of my year is when the hatch chiles arrive at the local grocery store. Hatch green chiles are famous for their great flavor and a gentle heat that doesn’t overpower the other ingredients in your dish or your taste buds. This rub captures the flavor profile of the hatch chile perfectly and then compliments it with a little garlic, black pepper and a few other spices. Honestly, calling this a “rub” limits the uses of this product. At my house it’s going to become “Green Chile Seasonal-All.” I used the seasoning the first time on some grilled chicken. If I’m being honest I didn’t want to risk the pork ribs or pork loin I had on an untested rub. The grilled chicken came out about as perfect as you can get. Continue reading Review: AlbuKirky Seasonings Green Chile Rub |
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