Photo by Kyle Kurlick, Memphis Commercial Appeal

Grail Note:  Since I’m visiting Memphis for the World Barbecue Championships I found this article by Jennifer Biggs of the Commercial Appeal, to be not only timely but very much an eye opener.  The thoughts expressed by these well known experts are quite revealing.

In barbecue as in life, it’s all about balance. Take sauce: Too much vinegar, and it’s only fit for basting. Too much pepper, and it burns your mouth.

Although when you’re at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest Thursday through Saturday in Tom Lee Park, you’ll hear again and again that when you come to Memphis, you’ve got to be ready to bring on the sugar, you can get too much of a good thing.

To compensate for sweetness, you’ve got to have spice and acidity. Otherwise, you might as well have ketchup.

And the balance isn’t about just the sauce, so let’s start at the beginning.

Read the rest of the article here.

I love books, especially cookbooks, so when I got a Direct Message on Twitter from Jennifer Chandler asking if I’d like a copy of her new grilling cookbook to read and review I immediately replied with a big yes!  What I like best about cookbooks is that no matter how bad the book is there’s something to be learned by reading it.  With Simply Grilling: 105 Recipes for Quick and Casual Grilling you get a cookbook that will teach even the most seasoned backyard griller something. Simply speaking this is a pretty darn nice cookbook.

It seems every grilling and barbecue cookbook today begins with a section on the basics on grills, barbecues, accessories and a few essential cooking tips.  Jennifer has done a great job in providing an easy to read and understand primer that every cook should have memorized.  With her “5 Tips to Master Grilling Meats” and tips on “Food Safety” she has touched on some of the more important aspects for becoming a Grill Master.

The educational part of the book is not limited to the first chapter though.  Each recipe includes one or more of the following tips:

• Cooking Tips: Detailed information on cooking techniques, substitutes and “food facts” about the dishes and specific ingredients.
• Do-Ahead: Tips and strategies to take the stress out of dinnertime. (For me this is one of the best features of the book -Grail)
• Variations: Tips on how to put a unique spin on a dish.
• Marinate: To help you plan, I let you know at a glance how long a dish needs to marinate.
• Suggested Sides: Tips to help you plan your menu.
• Grill Pan: Too rainy or cold to grill? Don’t own an outdoor grill? This icon lets you know which dishes can easily be made indoors on a grill pan.

From “Starters” to “Sweet Endings” there is a chapter for every course you might need for your cookout.  (Notice I didn’t say barbecue.  Barbecue is a verb, not a noun.  But that’s another blog post for another time.) There’s even a chapter on salads that looks pretty good.

The recipes aren’t all that difficult to understand and shouldn’t give to much of a challenge for even the novice griller.  But don’t let the level of difficulty lead you to believe these are basic recipes because they aren’t.  Jennifer has taken complex flavor profiles and simplified them down to a basic level.  What this means is there is plenty for the beginner to learn from but with a good solid base that will allow the experienced cook to take them and “make them their own.”

Jennifer may like blue cheese as much as I do, at least it seems so.  There are several great recipes using blue cheese on the grill and before the Summer is over I’m probably going to give each and every one of them a try.  If you’re looking for a new grilling cookbook that doesn’t just rehash the standard recipes then pick up a copy of “Simply Grilling” by Jennifer Chandler.

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SALISBURY — Gas or charcoal?

It’s springtime, and the smell of fresh-cut grass and grilling meat is beginning to seep back into the air, along with the perennial sounds of outdoor cooks arguing about the relative merits of grilling methods. Even among barbecue teams that are restricted to the use of charcoal and wood during competition, there’s a common debate about what to use at home.

“My buddy Mark loves gas for cooking steaks because he can get as it hot as he wants as fast as he wants,” said Mike Jarrell, who along with Mark Stallard is part of the competitive Slower Lower BBQ team. “Gas is good for fast cooking — it’s quick. But personally, I like to take the time to do it right.”

Laughing at the last comment, he said in addition to preferring the flavor of charcoal, he also likes the chance to unwind while he gets the coals glowing just right.

Read the rest of the story on DelmarvaNow.com

Entry #1 (Cynthia Wright nominates Cynthia Wright

At first I was going to nominate my husband for this outstanding, mouthwatering prize…but then I thought…what the heck…I am nominating myself for this bad boy.  Don’t get me wrong. My husband is incredible.  He is the best father to our 5 children anyone could ask for ..all while working very hard to provide for us. I am so blessed to be his wife.  The reason I am nominating myself is bc I AM THE COOK..and that includes the “outdoor cook”. I LOVE to cook outside.  It is such a magical experience…listening to the kids play ball while sipping on my favorite beer taking in the aroma of the fabulous, delishouness that is cooking slowly. I think I deserve this totally.:)I really hope you consider this entry and do a mom a favor and pick me!!!(and my husband..LOL)

Entry #2 (Sarah Gerdon nominates Randy Gerdon)

I nominate my husband Randy Gerdon because of the men he is teaching my 3 sons to be. He came into our lives 10 years ago. I was going though a messy divorce from an abusive man. He stepped up and has taught my sons to be kind, thoughtful and funny young men. He never said an unkind word about their father out of respect for their feelings. My oldest, now in college wrote an amazing paper about Randy being his greatest influence and the man he admired most. It was reading that paper that made me so proud of my husband. He could have come into our lives and just been a presence but he chose to be a dad. He coached their football teams, tucked them into bed and held them when they cried. He’s taught us all how to love and be loved. Please choose our hero for this gift. Thank you!

Entry #3 (Michelle Tucker nominates Aaron Tucker)

My husband, Aaron, should win this amazing giveaway, because he exemplifies what a good father should be.  Aaron isn’t a true father, in fact, we’ve both not been blessed with kids.  However, we are foster parents to a special needs adult.  She calls him “dad” all the time.  He jokes with her and helps her out when she needs it.  He treats her like any father would treat their own child.  He’s a little goofy, he’s got a CRAZY love of bacon.  I’d bet that if he won this he’d be finding 101 ways to grill or wrap food in bacon.  Once, we traveled from mid TX to PA so we could attend a bacon conference, in a car no less!  Every person that meets Aaron thinks he’s a riot. In fact, they call him the bacon man.  All of our “daughters” friends ask daily about what food he’s come up with to dazzle everyone with.  He’d be so thrilled!

Entry #4 (Chase Bowman nominates Alan Bowman)

I would like to nominate my Dad, Alan Bowman, to win this prize.  I may only be 3 years old, I can tell my Dad is a pretty cool guy.  He bbq’s WAY too much but I forgive him because he also spends a lot of time with me.  We like to play baseball together, ride our bikes and stay up past our bed times watching sports on TV while eating “movie salad” and drinking milk.  If my Daddy wins this prize, maybe he will share with me and teach me how to bbq so I can grow up to be just like him

Entry #5 (Becky Michel nominates JoAnn Legano)

I nominate JoAnn Legano because she is the most caring, loving mother to her only daughter Macy Legano.

(Note: You are certainly welcome to leave a comment about who you want to win, but comments DON’T count as votes)

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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“Rippin’ Red Wing Sauce” is hot.  It’s burn your lips hot.  But it’s also loaded with spicy good flavors.  Rippin’ Red starts with cayenne pepper sauce and cayenne peppers, a popular base for many wing sauces.  But, with the addition of plenty of garlic and Parmesan Cheese this sauce is loaded with flavor.  Amazingly good flavor.

It still have enough heat for most of the wing lovers out there.  The heat, however, fades off the lips and tongue quickly but leaves a nice reminder of the heat on the roof of your mouth and throat.  It’s not a crazy blistering heat, but a nice lingering warmth that makes you want to take another bite or two or three.

I used some of the wings I had dissected to come up with yesterday’s blog post on cutting fresh chicken wings instead of pre-packaged frozen wing drumettes and wingettes.  Cooking chicken wings for me is a two part process. First they are rubbed and then smoked until done.  Once the smoking process is over they are flash fried in hot peanut oil to get an extra crispy skin. Because this is a couple of hour procedure I don’t want the wing sauce to cover up the flavor of the smoked chicken and not mask the flavor of my rub.  At first I was afraid Rippin’ Red was going to fail that test, but as the initial heat blast started to fade the chicken and rub flavor were evident.

Another feature of Rippin’ Red that I appreciate it is the texture of the sauce.  Many times hot sauces are pureed to a smooth consistency.  Now, there’s not anything necessarily wrong with that but I really like the somewhat chunky texture of the sauce.  The little bits of garlic in the sauce gives it a little extra something that makes your mouth feel good, especially while your lips are burning.

Next time I’ll add a nice buttermilk/blue cheese sauce to dip the wings in.  The buttermilk and blue cheese will add a great cooling effect and compliment the cayenne quite well.  This time I had to go with chunks of Port Reyes Blue Cheese.  Oh my! What a wonderful combination this is.  If you can get a hold of some Port Reyes Blue Cheese you won’t regret it.  It’s an expensive addition to chicken wings. But well worth it in my opinion.

If you want a wing sauce that’s not your normal, everyday wing sauce check out Rippin’ Red! You can buy the sauce from Hot Sauce Home.

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The cost of the frozen wings can cost as much as $2.00 a pound depending on where you buy them and the time of year.  I was already buying whole chickens when they were on sale and cutting them up myself.  Why couldn’t I just buy me a whole bunch of chicken wings and cut my own.  I promise if you to do this you’ll be happy.  I mean how often can you get a better product at a cheaper price?

The goal is to cut the chicken wing at the joints.  This will give you three pieces.  (Right) Separate the wing “tip” from the “wingette.”  The “wingette” is the middle part of the chicken wing.  Most people don’t bother cooking and eating the wing “tip.”  I save them and use them for making chicken stock.  This way there isn’t any waste.

If you cut through the skin and pull it back a little you’ll be able to see the “knee” joint between the “wingette” and “drumette.” All you need to do is cut between the bones in the joint.  It’s not important to get a perfectly clean-cut, just make sure you separate it there.

There you go a perfectly cut up chicken wing.  Now all you have to do is season it and toss it on the grill or smoker.  You just can’t compare the flavor of the fresh chicken wings with the “enhanced” and frozen chicken wings you’ve bought in bulk.  It only takes about five minutes to cut up three or four pounds of chicken wings.  Honestly, I don’t think it’s all that much easier with the frozen wings and I know it’s cheaper.

Give it a try…

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Stephen Leb, a 3rd-year in biology, and Maggie Killeen, a 1st-year in biology, buy burgers from the World’s Longest BBQ on May 8 at the Wexner Center Plaza.

The Ohio State chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi is teaming up with the Buckeye Barbeque Qlub and Buckeyes Give Back for their third-annual charity event, the World’s Longest BBQ.

The barbecue will be held at the South Wexner Plaza and run 24 hours a day from Tuesday to Sunday.

AEPi, the Buckeye Barbeque Qlub and Buckeyes Give Back will donate all of their profits to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank and a few other hunger relief centers.

“We’re doing it for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank and a few other hunger alleviation centers that are associated with our nationals,” said Andrew Davis, a second-year in chemical engineering and vice president of AEPi. “We’re going to be out there grilling for five straight days and it’s all for charity.”

Food available includes all of the typical barbecue favorites and more.

“We always have hot dogs, hamburgers and then we have grilled cheese all the time,” said Sam Mintzer, a second-year in economics and president of AEPi. “Then we also have daily specials for breakfast, lunch, dinner and then we also have late night specials. We’re making grilled pizzas and tacos.”

One new addition to the menu is an item called the Score Burger. The Score Burger isn’t a normal menu item, it is a challenge.

“We’re calling it a Score Burger and you get a burger, but you can stack as many patties on top of each other as you want,” Mintzer said. “Whoever wins gets a prize and their name as the face of the Score Burger champion.”

Mintzer said the person that puts the most patties on a burger and is able to finish it, will win the contest.

Mostly everything on the menu is $3 or less.

“Everything is between $1 and $3,” Mintzer said. “Three dollars for the specials and $1-$2 for the regular items.”

They hope to make about $20,000 just like they did two years ago.

“We did $20,000 the first year,” said Andrew Weiner, a fourth-year in accounting and finance. “Last year wasn’t quite as successful. It was more like $12 to $15 (thousand). This year we’re looking for $20 (thousand) at least again.”

The barbecue has a budget of $1,000 obtained through grants from OSU, Coca-Cola, the Interfraternity Council, Undergraduate Student Government and the AEPi nationals.

In order to make money, the organizers of the event have created daily specials and themes, like “Fryday.”

“We’re doing one day that’s deep fried, that’s Friday, so deep-fried Fryday,” Mintzer said. “Everything is deep-fried. We’ll put it in a deep fryer.”

The fraternity, BBQ Qlub, and Buckeyes Give Back are also trying to make the charity a community event by inviting other clubs, charities and individuals to participate.

“We’re expecting different appearances from the Juggling Club and Break-Dance Club and the magic club so we want this to be a collective experience and philanthropy event for more than just us,” Weiner said.

Mintzer said Buck-I-Guy and City BBQ will also stop by the barbecue, which is an all-day event and is always manned by at least five people. Lunch and dinner hours can be hectic, Weiner said.

“It definitely gives you an appreciation for people who normally work in restaurants because there is so much to do and so much demand,” Weiner said.

Davis said daylight hours can be chaotic at times, but late night hours have their interesting moments.

“I did one of them on a Wednesday night and it was real fun cause when (The O Patio & Pub) lets out at 2 a.m., everyone comes over to the Barbeque and you get a real long line,” Davis said. “It kind of turned into a little party. It was fun.”

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