Grail Note: Every once in awhile I come across a blog post on another site and it’s so good I just have to run it on The BBQ Grail.  And the following post from Bob’s Brew and ‘Que is one of those blog posts.  Not only is Bob one of my best BBQ buddies he teaches me so much about cooking.  I’m very appreciative of Bob and his permission to run this post.

Cooking is really about enhancing the natural flavors of whatever ingredients we are cooking as well as creating layers of flavors in a dish that complement each other.  An interesting technique that I have come to use when preparing sliced meats is to season the cutting board. By this, I do not mean adding finish to the board, but, adding a seasoning element prior to cutting the meat.

As I am sure we all have experienced, when slicing a nicely done roast, the juices and outside seasonings of the meat end up on the board. , this is just another tool to add that layer of finishing flavor back into the meat or vegetables we are using. Above, the example shown is a board seasoned for a roasted cap of sirloin (Picanha Roast). The elements, in this case, are olive oil, celery, onion and shallots with a splash of rice wine vinegar. These elements actually mimic the giardinere commonly used on Chicago Beef sandwiches.

As you can see in this image, the meats have seeped into the seasoning blend on the board, leaving a mixture of meat juices, board seasoning and spices from the outside of the roast. The trick here is to slide the meat through the board seasoning to create a ‘jus’ for the finishing layer on the meat.

In the last shot, I sliced the meat a little thinner and mixed the board seasoning into the meat prior to adding the sauce. This really added to the sandwich. I also use a little dip of the bread into the board seasoning prior to toasting on the flat top to enhance the bread as well. A little bit of Big Butz Hot BBQ sauce and this sandwich was done and gone!

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Larry Gaian

Courtesy: Todd’s DIrt

A few weeks ago a fellow member of the BBQ Brethren asked on the forum if any one had ever tried Todd’s Dirt. They wanted to know if someone could make any type of recommendation. No one could.

After visiting Todd’s website and reading about Dirt I decided to bite the bullet and buy some. A few days later the package arrived. Shipping was super fast.

Finding the time to grill something has been a challenge, but tonight I stopped at Costco on my way home from work and picked up some Tri-Tip steaks. My mom is in town and I needed to do a little cooking for her.

My first thought when opening the container of Dirt was that it smelled a great deal like Poultry Seasoning. I was a little concerned because I was cooking beef. But I decided to continue on.

This isn’t a “rub” it’s a seasoning. As you can see from the first picture DIRT is loaded with herbs and spices. I’m not very good at identify herbs and spices but I could tell there was Oregano in it (it’s in the ingredient list).

The smell coming off the Weber Kettle was fantastic. I could tel already I was in for a treat.

One of the aspects of this seasoning is that it doesn’t come off on the grill like others. It sticks. After they came off the grill I couldn’t wait to give it a try.

Let me just be blunt about Todd’s Dirt. This stuff ROCKS! Everyone at the table raved about the flavors. It complimented the beef without covering up the flavor. I couldn’t believe how good this stuff is.

I also ordered the “seafood” version and can’t wait to give it a try this weekend. Todd’s Dirt is also gluten and MSG free.

Todd’s Dirt is available at www.toddsdirt.com. The website is a little hard to navigate so dig around until you find the spot to order. (I hope they fix this someday.)

“Bacon! You want to know how good it is? To improve other food they wrap it in bacon.”

Jim Gaffigan makes the statement above during his hilarious stand-up routine about bacon. I know it’s comedy but it’s really true. Isn’t it?

But in today’s health conscious society how do we get the taste of bacon without always having to pay the price with calories and artery hardening. The answer is Bacon Salt. A product that, according to their website is zero calorie, vegetarian, kosher certified, and tastes pretty darn good (that one’s my opinion).

Late last year I made the decision to lose some weight. I didn’t want to diet, I wanted to change how I ate. I’ve lost 30 pounds in the past 6 months and I’ve done it with some sensible changes. But…

I love bacon, it really is my favorite meat. I even cure and smoke my own bacon at home. But I can’t eat it as often as I would like to. So Bacon Salt gives me the chance to enjoy the taste of bacon without the guilt. A sprinkle of Bacon Salt satisfies the bacon taste cravings.

My first order of Bacon Salt was on a lark. I really figured I would just be getting something that resembled ground up bacon bits. I was pleasantly surprised to find a product that tasted as close to bacon as you can get without actually having bacon.

Bacon Salt comes in three flavors, Original, Hickory and Peppered. I love good smoked bbq and I use Hickory for smoking and I was surprised that the Hickory flavored was my least favorite. They’ve captured the taste of Bacon, but not the Hickory. It tastes more live bacon and liquid smoke. The Peppered is really good and adds a nice kick without being too overpowering. The Original is the best. Just salt and bacon! What more do you need?

The Bacon Salt website is a fun read with lots of information about why and how they came up with Bacon Salt. Along with an interesting story about the Maple flavored Bacon Salt that didn’t make it to production.

Some have said that Bacon is the perfect food. If that’s true then Bacon Salt would be the perfect seasoned salt.

Bacon Salt has limited grocery store distribution but can be ordered online. Shipping is quick and you’ll be eating bacon without eating bacon within a week or so.

That is until I discovered “The Art of Chipotle Gourmet Paste” by Pfleider Pfoods, Inc. One 6.5 oz jar of paste contains the equivalent of several cans of chipotle in adobo sauce, without the need to drain, de-seed, strain or anything. Just open the lid and spoon out as little or as much as you need. The paste is all natural and contains no preservatives. It’s also gluten-free.

According to the Phleider Pfoods website, they grow their own jalapenos from specially selected seeds and then dry and smoke them with some type of super secret proprietary method. Whatever they use, it provides a dynamic chipotle flavor without some of the bitter aftertaste you sometimes find in canned chipotles.

I discovered “Chipotle Gourmet Paste” when trying a crockpot beef recipe found in a magazine distributed in Raleys grocery stores in Northern California, and since then I’ve used up the whole jar adding it to sauces, dressing, and bbq sauce. Just about everything. Keeping the jar in the refrigerator has provided untold opportunities to try the chipotle flavor profile in different dishes without fear of wasting the rest of the can. It also makes it simple to control the amount of heat you have in your food.

“The Art of Chipotle Gourmet Paste” is available in some grocery stores and online.

I’ve got a huge problem with Plowboy BBQ’s Yardbird Rub.

It’s too good.

I am a charter member of the BBQ Brethren Forum and, due to some family circumstances, I recently took a two year sabbatical from the website. During the time away I started collecting various spices and rubs to use in satisfying my BBQ cravings. Upon my return to activity on the forum I kept reading about this fantastic new rub produced by Plowboys BBQ. I had to try it and after ordering it I’ve come to the conclusion that it was a huge mistake.

After using Yardbird on a beer can chicken and a batch of smoked chicken thighs my family won’t eat chicken with anything else on it. Now I’ve got a pantry full of rubs that rarely get used. I’ve tried to sneak something else past their taste buds, but for the most part the results have not been met with any success.

If that wasn’t enough i tried Plowboy’s Yardbird Rub on my pork ribs once and now not only do I get to do chicken with this magic powdered dust it’s normally requested on my ribs. I’ve got a fresh salmon filet in the fridge and I’m afraid to use Plowboy on it out of fear it’s that good on fish also.

Plowboy’s Yardbird rub was developed for competition bbq but for those of us that are just backyard bbq geeks it gives us the opportunity to produce award winning bbq without the competition. The savory rub, with a touch of sweetness is followed on the back of the tongue with just a little heat.

I don’t know if there is a perfect bbq rub, but if Plowboy’s Yardbird rub isn’t it, I can’t imagine anything else better.

Plowboy’s Yardbird Rub: The Official Rub of the Gaian Family

Yardbird Rub is available at Hawkeyes BBQ.