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 met my Twitter friend @hathman (Jeremy) last night for what we hoped would be a good, if not great BBQ dining experience.  There are not a lot of good BBQ restaurants in the Sacramento area and our desire to have some place good probably clouded our judgement.

Jeremy arrived a few minutes before I did so he already had his food and the look on his face should have been an indication of what I was going to get served.I ordered the three meat combo.  I got pulled pork, pork ribs and hot links for my meats.  The place is called “Taste of Texas” and I didn’t even get brisket as a meat choice.  The serve tri-tip, but were out when I was there.  My sides were tater tots, cole slaw and beans.  So how bad was the food.  The tater tots and the white bread served with it were the best things I got.  Oh wow, did I just say that?  Yeah, I did.  It was that bad.

The meats came drenched in some type of sauce that appeared and tasted like a store-bought bottled sauce with a little vinegar added.  There was nothing even slightly taste of Texas in the sauce.  As a matter of fact it didn’t fit any type of BBQ style that I’ve ever eaten.  Jeremy asked if there was another sauce and were given a sample of the “hot” sauce.  We figured a little heat would make it better, but we were wrong.  You can’t just take your normal sauce and toss in some cayenne pepper and expect to get something tasty.

The ribs were actually cooked quite well.  They weren’t over cooked and the meat came off the bone with just a little tug of the teeth.  Just like it was supposed to.  But, like the pulled pork (more on this abomination in a second), it lacked any flavor at all other than the strange BBQ sauce.  The meat had no smoke flavor and doesn’t appear to have been rubbed with any seasoning.  The no smoke flavor is a little baffling considering they smoke with mesquite and hickory.  How do you smoke with mesquite and not get any smoke flavor?  That’s a question that will perplex me for quite some time.

Now for the pulled pork.  How in the world do you smoke pulled pork and have it come out the color of boiled chicken breast?  It’s a marvel of cooking science.  That’s the only answer I can come up with.  The taste was…well…bad.  It didn’t taste like any pork I’ve ever eaten.  Three bites, that’s it, that’s all I could handle.  It was that bad.

The cole slaw was cabbage that someone had put some kind of dressing on but there wasn’t enough dressing on slaw to even dampen it.  The dressing had no flavor.  No salt, no vinegar, nothing.  It tasted just like cabbage.  The beans were not warmed over, gussied up canned beans, they appeared to be cooked fresh.  They were okay.

“T&R Taste of Texas” is located at 3621 Broadway in Sacramento.

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Leeks are root vegetables that look quite like giant green onions, to which they are related. Their flavor is onion-like but much milder. People who avoid leeks because they don’t like onions should try them — their flavor is mellow and not overpowering, and many onion-haters love leeks.–WiseGeeks

I was the proud recipient of some unwanted leeks this week.  Free leeks aren’t exactly the greatest gift a guy can get, I mean they aren’t free bacon, but leeks have become one of my new favorite vegetables.  Up to this point I’ve only cooked leeks in braising liquids with tougher cuts of meat.  They add a great flavor to broth and the resulting gravy.  I love leeks…

Leeks have a wonderful onion flavor and are great for adding flavor to other dishes.  As a side dish they might not be for everyone, but for me grilling leeks gives them a nice little flavor that when combined with a little olive oil and vinegar makes them one of my favorites.

Here’s how I grilled my leeks!

Trim the root end of the leeks off and the leafy tops.  Remove the first layer or two from the leeks.  They should look something like the picture on the left above.  Bring a pot of water to a boil, add some salt and/or a little BBQ rub to the water.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the leeks for about 12 minutes or until they just start to get tender.  Remove and drain well.  Be careful, you want to try to keep the leeks in their original shape.  Try to keep them from coming apart.  When the leeks have cooled, give them a light coating of olive oil and grill, over medium heat, until they start to char and get grill marks.

Remove the leeks from the grill and immediately rough chop them.  Toss them in a bowl with a little more olive oil and a splash of vinegar.  Add a dash of salt and serve.  The mild onion flavor works great with the acid from the vinegar.  A little sweetness comes out from the caramelizing from the grill.  Great…great flavor.

In the process for cooking I used an interesting salt I picked up at the Winter Fancy Food Show from The Salt Works.  The Hellfire salt is smoked for days with mesquite wood and infused with Habanero and a little lime.  I added 1/2 tablespoons of the Hellfire sea salt to the water during the initial cooking process. The salt with Habanero added an amazing flavor that actually held up through the entire cooking process.  I added a pinch more when I served the chopped leeks.

This salt has a lot of strong smoke flavor and is quite hot from the Habanero, so a light hand is needed.  It would be very easy to ruin your meal with a heavy hand.  I’m going to have to see about ordering some in quantity because I’m already thinking about a new chicken brine using the salt.

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First!  My apologize to the Bangles…it was just too easy!

Second!  It’s not Monday anymore but what the heck it’s still a good headline!

If you’ve been following the last saga of my trip to the Fancy Food Show you know that I’ve become the owner of a fair amount of Buffalo Style Hot Sauce from Tabasco.  So, it seemed only appropriate that I cook something with the hot sauce.  There will be more, at a later date, about the hot sauce itself, but in the mean time I adapted a recipe from one of my favorite new cookbooks The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow.  I’ve adapted their Mini Buffalo Chicken Balls for the grill and turned this into a salad instead of an appetizer.

Grilled Buffalo Chicken Meatball Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4  cup Tabasco Buffalo Style Hot Sauce
• 2 pound ground chicken, preferably thigh meat
• 2 large egg
• 1 celery stalk, minced
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

The recipe calls for ground chicken and more specifically thigh meat.  Because chicken white meat is so lean and you’re going to be cooking this twice I recommend you try to find ground thigh meat.  If you can’t get your butcher or meat cutter to grind up a package of thighs for you then just do it yourself.  You can use a meat grinder or if it’s all you got try your food processor.

Preheat your grill to 350 degrees using indirect heat.  Using the oil coat a large baking dish about 9 X 13 in size.

Combine all the remain ingredients in a large bowl.  Roll the mixture into large meatballs, make sure you pack the meatballs firmly.  Place the meatballs in the oil baking dish.  Line the meatballs up into neat rows and pack them tightly into the baking dish.

“Bake” on your grill for about 15 minutes or until they start to get firm and hold their shape.

Quickly get your grill set up for direct high heat.  Remove the meatballs  with a spatula and grill them until they start to get grill marks and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Don’t over cook!

Let the meatballs rest for five minutes and combine with whatever salad ingredients you like.  Since it’s a “Buffalo” salad it has to be served with bleu cheese dressing.

You can easily cook this on your smoker or oven.  The grilling at the end is to give it a little of that “grilled” flavor I like. It’s not a necessary step but a good one.  Also, by making the meatballs much smaller you can toss them in additional hot sauce and serve them with bleu cheese dipping sauce for a great Big Game appetizer.

The “baking” of the meatballs on the grill, using indirect heat, is because the meatballs are not firm enough to set on grill grates without falling apart.  By cooking them a little first you can then grill them without any problem.

Enjoy!

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In my book the McIlhenny Company, makers of Tabasco brand products, has done more than enough to make up for the hard feelings I had from visiting their booth at the Fancy Food Show.  They took ownership of the issue, explained their side, listened to my side and now it’s time to eat some wings.  Lots and lots of wings.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Larry Gaian

I’m writing this because I think it’s humorous and a good illustration of how companies can lose sight of what’s really important…the consumer. In “real life” I am a sales professional and there is nothing I want more than to work in the food industry in my chosen field.  So it saddens me to see others doing what I’d love to do for a living…but doing it poorly.

One of my favorite things to do each year, as a blogger, is attending the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco every January. I get the chance to meet people, see what’s exciting in food and taste some amazing products. It’s a good time and I usually come away with several great ideas for the blog.

I always plan my trip and know in advance who and what I want to see. I recently saw an advertisement for Tabasco’s new Buffalo Style Hot Sauce sauce. I’m a huge fan of wings, they are often on my grill. And even though it’s advertised as a Buffalo style sauce we all know it has to be tried for the first time on chicken wings.  When you combine that with the fact that I also love Tabasco it just seemed like it would be a natural place for me to stop and check out this new product.

I’m also lucky to get to attend the show on press credentials.  Getting a “press pass” to the Fancy Food Show, as a food blogger, is not an easy task. They don’t just hand out credentials to anyone that asks. So, if someone shows up at your booth with a “press” badge you should recognize that, at least in the eyes of the show producers, they’ve got at least a little street cred.

I found the Tabasco booth and the new hot sauce was highlighted all over the booth. It appears the only reason they had a booth was to promote their new product. The salesman in me says if a guy walks into my booth with a press pass around his neck with the term BBQ written on it in giant type, I’m going to want to talk with him. I mean aren’t chicken wings a huge BBQ item? I’m positive a little publicity before “The Big Game” might be a good idea if I’m introducing a new wing sauce.

I waited my turn while all three suits in the booth discussed how cool it would be to have a Tabasco jelly bean with another suit from a famous jelly bean company. Finally after what seemed liked 5 minutes, one of the suits looked at me and said, “do you want something?”  Not “how can I help you?” or “are you interested in our products?” No, I got the “don’t you realize your interrupting our conversation” tone and “do you want something.” I explained that I write about BBQ and had made it a point to seek them out to gather information so I could let my readers know about new products.

“Give me your badge and we’ll mail you some information” was their response. Really? You don’t have time to talk about your new product. Am I carrying this note pad, camera and digital recorder for exercise?

Now the funny part! When he handed me back my badge after swiping it he said “would you like a sample?” I said yes, I mean he offered and I did make it a point to seek them out. There were full size bottles of sauce in stacks all over the booth and this guy reaches behind them and hands me the bottle pictured above. 1/8th of an ounce, not even enough to sauce one wing.  Yeah, I know it’s “Buffalo Style” hot sauce, but how do you taste something buffalo flavored and not test it wings?

It’s a shame Tabasco doesn’t understand that bloggers have some staying power and the best way to promote their brand isn’t having a Tabasco flavored jelly bean…

There were some people at the show who understand how to promote their brands.  Heath and Brett, from Pork Barrel BBQ where there promoting their products, they understand social media and blogging better than most.  Justin, of Bacon Salt fame, was there showing some new products too.  Both of these companies have been huge supports of this blog and BBQ in general.  Their use of social media is an example a lot of companies should follow.

Well, my one wing is almost done on the grill so I guess it’s time to open up my hot sauce and give it a try…

PS: There was enough sauce in the bottle to cover one side of one drumette…

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Over the holidays my friends at Mr. Bar-B-Q offered to send me out one of their grill accessories to use.  They also offered to give another set of whatever they sent as a giveaway on the blog.  I couldn’t pass up a chance to get my readers something nice so I accepted.  (Note:  This is my way of saying, so I’m in compliance with all stupid laws and rules, that the pizza grilling kit I’m going to talk about here was free to me.)

This isn’t so much a review of the Mr. Bar-B-Q Grill Stone Pizza Set they sent me, but a review of my pizza making skills, which are somewhat lacking.  The pizza stone and giant pizza spatula, I  hesitate to call it a pizza peel, worked great.  Mrs. Grail bakes an awesome pizza in the oven so I attempted to duplicate her efforts on my 26 inch Weber Kettle.  Take a look at how I did it and offer up some suggestions at the end in the comment section for your chance to win your own Mr. Bar-B-Q Grill Stone Pizza Set.

Keep in mind this is a Weber 26 inch Kettle which is considerably larger than the 22 inch most people have in their backyard.  The first thing I did was fire up a whole chimney of charcoal and once it was ready form it into a ring around the bowl.  Because of the size of the kettle I needed to add some extra charcoal.  Once all the charcoal was hot I placed the pizza stone on the grill.

For some reason, I’m not quite sure why, I thought it would be a good idea to have the pizza stone a little higher up into the dome lid so I placed the pizza stone on top of my GrillGrates.  I’m not sure if this was a good idea or not.  I’ll need to try this again without them to see how the process goes.

The pizzas I cooked seemed to take longer than I would have anticipated, about 15 minutes.  I don’t know maybe that’s the right time frame, but it just seemed like a long time.

The flavor was great and Mrs. Grail’s Pizza Dough Recipe was fantastic but for some reason I just wasn’t satisfied with the results.  I was hoping for more of that “wood fired pizza” flavor.  It just wasn’t there.

Here’s what I would do next time to try to improve.

I think I need a much hotter kettle than I had.  I didn’t the get the temperature in the dome over 400 degrees.  To do this I need to either use more charcoal or use my smaller 22 inch kettle.  Is the ring of charcoal a good idea?  Or should I have spread it out?

I’ll probably try using the pizza stone directly on the grate instead of trying to raise it higher.  Thoughts?

Want to win a Grill Stone Pizza Set from Mr. Bar-B-Q so you can make great pizza outdoors?  Here’s how to get an entry:

• Leave a comment here about cooking pizza outdoors.  It can be a comment about how you’d like to do it for the first time, it can be a comment about how I can improve my pizza making skills. Just leave a comment.  You can leave multiple comments for multiple entries, but not more than once a day.
• Next if you have a Facebook account you can get an additional entry by “Liking” this post on Mr. Bar-B-Q’s Facebook Page.  (You’ll need to “Like” their page first, please do so.)
• You will also get one more entry if you “Reshare” the link on Mr. Bar-B-Q’s Facebook page.

On the morning of January 28th all entries will be transcribed into an Excel spreadsheet.  A number will be selected using a random number generator at Random.Org.  And that will decide our winner.  Winner will be notified that morning via email and/or Facebook!  Easy?  I sure hope so…

Thanks to Contestgirl for the promotion!

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