BBQgeek

Jerk Chicken Burrito Recipe

 
I remember my first experience with jerk food so vividly.  My girlfriend (now my wife) and I went into Bridgetown Grill in Little Five Points ATL in 1992 for lunch when we got tired of looking at crystals, bongs, dashikis, and whatnot.  The restaurant seemed really cool, with a back room with a 30 foot high glass ceiling.  We dropped into the booth and our waitress came by the table.  I asked what was good and she said the jerk chicken plate and a Red Stripe.  Done.  Fifteen minutes later the plate arrived and I stared down at a blackened chicken breast, black beans and rice, and a pile of cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions with a little cup of purple stuff (raspberry coulis).  Nerves grabbed me.  This stuff looked entirely weird.  I took the first bite of the chicken and was knocked over.  Sweet, hot, savory, and holy shit HOT.  It didn't take long to figure out that you could knock the heat back with the rice and beans or a dip in the raspberry coulis.  I immediately ordered another Red Stripe.  I was in L.O.V.E.

That 30 minute lunch was one of a very few defining food moments for me.  I don't know if all of you out there on the HyperWebs have thought about this, but there are certain meals I will remember forever because they changed my life - launched me down a path I never saw coming.  Over the years, the Bridgetown Grill expanded their menu and their number of locations and eventually collapsed due to rumored debt and mismanagement.  Thankfully, I ate a lot of meals there and spent much time trying to rip off the recipes.  In the process, I managed to find the closest commercial spice rub to match Bridgetown's and worked up a really nice facsimile of my favorite dish - Jerk Chicken Burritos.  Continue reading Jerk Chicken Burrito recipe here....

Fox Bros. Wing Sauce Review

So, I thought I'd try a different approach in reviewing the Fox Bros. Wing Sauce that  I discovered the other day in Whole Foods.  A shootout seemed like a novel way to approach the review and spice things up on the old blog.  Turns out it was a bad idea.  I put Fox Bros up against the classic Anchor Bar Buffalo Wing recipe.  Of all the things the great state of New York has given the world, I'm pretty sure the Buffalo Wing is the greatest.  I love, love, love a good Buffalo Wing.  So, this really wasn't a fair fight and I should probably write the Fox Bros. and apologize for being such a clod.  The Fox Bros. Wing Sauce is a darn good go-to for a nice pile of smoked wings.  The wing sauce is noticeable different than their BBQ sauce.  It is less sweet and a little more complex in flavor.  Comparing the two labels, it looks like the Wing Sauce has more ingredients.  Anchovy is a common ingredient in both sauces and I find that interesting.  So, I like the Fox Bros. sauces - both of them - but if I was going to sauce up some wings with something other than Buffalo sauce, I think I'd use their BBQ sauce first.

Spotted on the shelves at Whole Foods....

It appears the Fox Bros. are expanding their sauce line to include a wing sauce.  I'm not sure how long this has been out, but I could not find reference to it on the Fox Bros. website.  I wasn't in the mood for wings this week, but I will pick up a bottle next weekend and report back on the results. 

Honey Garlic Glazed Tri Tip

  I've made no secret of my love affair with my favorite beef cut, tri tip.  I published an article earlier this year going over the method I've been using for many years.  In fact, I was pretty sure I didn't have anything left to learn about the subject.  But then...I ran across a recipe for Honey Garlic Glazed Tri Tip in Adam Perry Lang's Serious Barbecue that made me reconsider my position.  Adam is a fussy cook.  His recipes are a pain in the ass.  Even though I'm not much of a recipe guy anymore, I've tried six of Adam's now and they are all money in the bank.  This guy is ten feet tall and bulletproof.  No wonder Daniel Boulud and Mario Batali love him so much.  So, I decided to admit my hubris, put my pride aside, and see what Adam could teach me.  Continue reading Honey Garlic Glazed Tri Tip here...

(and yes I know I didn't rest that tri-tip in the picture long enough, hence the blood on the cutting board...shit happens)

The problem with Meat

Ever since I took my Beef 101 class last spring and then subsequently read Michael Pollan's Omivore's Dilemma, I've had mixed feelings about the meat industry and the USDA.  On one hand, I walked away from my experience at the UGA/GA Beef Council Beef 101 class utterly convinced that beef can be harvesting in a safe and efficient manner when there are skilled and caring people in charge.  However, after reading Pollan's book as well as several other respected writers, I am convinced that our CAFO beef/pork/chicken farms are not the way to be doing business. Also, I am completely convinced that the USDA is completely underfunded, understaffed, and presents a great danger in its current capacity.  People are walking around every day believing that the government is doing a good job protecting their food supply.  The reality is quite different.  I strongly recommend reading  this article that traces the path of one eColi contaminated patty and its devistating effects on a young 22 year old woman.  This is not a plea from the BBQgeek to embrace vegetarianism.  They will have to pry my steak from my cold, dead hands before I convert to a non-meat diet.  However, I do want to call to attention this complex interplay of a demand for inexpensive meat, the need to make money, gov't lobbying, and politics that has held our food supply in danger for many years.