Food and Beverage Blog

Pitmasters are just as competitive as they are secretive of their barbecue. So of course there are competitions to prove who is the best of the best. Every year competitions bring pitmasters and attendees from everywhere a chance to show off what they can do, share information, maybe take some classes, sample foods and usually listen to some great live music. So here are some of the country’s best Barbeque festivals.

Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue

This is the big times. Everyone who competes here has already beaten at least 50 other teams in a barbecue competition or state championship competition. This two day competition is held each fall at the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

But the real winners are the visitors cause they get to sample all the teams entries.

Memphis in May World Championship

One full mile of barbecue competition, vending, music, and more, now this is a long mile Id love to walk through, twice. This three days competition of takes place right on the bank of the Mississippi River and next to Beale Street.

Besides trying out the food you also have a change to judge in the People’s Choice contest and there is even a Cooker’s Caravan giving you a behind-the-scenes looks at competition cooking and a chance to talk with the pitmasters.

National BBQ Festival

In Georgia they do more than just peaches. They know BBQ. Each year the best of the best from all the counties competitions are invited to Douglas, Georgia’s Two day National BBQ Festival Best of the Best Competition, but there are more cook-offs in other categories for backyard cooks, kids, and masters of sweet potato pie. You can also visit different food vendors, antiques auctions, listen to some great music each fall.

American Royal Barbecue

Since 1980, The American Royal Barbecue brings in 500+ competitors to both the invitational and open competition. At this fair you’ll find a Texas Hold’em tournament, a rodeo event, a concerts, and of course all the BBQ goodness you can stand. So if you find yourself in Kansas City, Kansas during the fall, stop on by.

Big Pig Jig

If you like pig you need to check out the Big Pig Jig in Vienna, Georgia. Originally it was a whole-hog cooking contest, it has now expanded to include stew, ribs, sauce, etc. More than 20,000 people come and enjoy a week long festival of meats, arts-and-crafts fair, concerts, golf tournament, hog show, hog call contest, and a 5K run ( you gotta burn off those calories so you can go back and eat more!

Big Apple Barbecue Block Party

To show that the south aren’t the only ones who can BBQ, In 2003 for two summer days at New York’s Madison Square Park, some of the biggest names in Barbecue come together to show off their skills, do seminars on all things barbecue.

Our snow this morning was only a dusting but the temperature has hovered around in the 30s trying to reach 40 degrees. I have been cold all day, especially every time I looked out a window and saw the grey skies and bare trees. So I have been thinking of something to make a good hot evening meal. The day has also made me lazy and I have an aggravating headache so I wanted something that would be easy. I came up with a skillet concoction of Sweet and Sour Beef and Cabbage to go with the leftover pinto beans I cooked the other day. If this dish sounds good to you, check it out in the Beef Recipes section of this site. My German heritage really comes through in my love of cabbage. If you don’t like cabbage, I’m sure you can find something else to suit your tastes in the vast array of recipes we offer here. Stay warm!

SWEET AND SOUR BEEF AND CABBAGE

1 1/2 lbs lean ground chuck

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 tbsp dried parsley flakes

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 medium head of cabbage, cored, cut into 6 wedges

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup vinegar

2 tbsp Splenda brown sugar blend

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the ground chuck, onion, celery, and bell pepper until the meat is browned and the veggies are tender. Drain in a colander and rinse with hot water. Wipe the skillet with paper toweling to remove excess grease. Return the mixture to the skillet. Sprinkle the parsley flakes, salt, pepper and garlic powder over the mixture. Arrange the cabbage wedges over the mixture. Combine the tomato sauce, vinegar, and Splenda brown sugar blend; stir until well blended. Pour the sauce over the cabbage and meat mixture. Cover and bring the ingredients to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately while hot.

There are lots of types of pizza. You can have a thin, crispy crust or a thick, bread crust. There are various pizza sauces, including traditional tomato sauce, spicy sauce or even a parsley infused creamy white sauce. Pizza toppings vary enormously. Pepperoni pizza is the most popular pizza variety but this is only one type.

Some people like to stick with a theme when making pizza recipes. They like to use various types of meat for a meat feast pizza, white and green ingredients only for a “white pizza recipe” or the most colorful ingredients they can find for a grilled vegetable pizza. Other people enjoy mixing and matching their pizza toppings or using up anything in the refrigerator that needs to be used up.

Tips for a Nutritious Pizza

If you want to make a healthy pizza, there are a few things you can do. Choose a thin pizza crust rather than a calorific deep dish one. Use a tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce and choose your pizza toppings with care.

Vegetables are great for topping your homemade pizza recipes because they are colorful, flavorful and they suit any meat, poultry or fish toppings. You can add raw vegetables, grilled vegetables or thawed vegetables to your pizza.

Use reduced fat cheese instead of full fat cheese as a healthier topping for your pizza recipes. Goat’s cheese and reduced fat mozzarella are a good combination. Hard cheeses like parmesan are also good, firstly because the strong flavor means you will not need to use much and secondly because hard cheeses are lower in fat than soft cheeses.

How to Roast Bell Peppers

Roasted bell pepper is one of the tastiest toppings you can use on a healthy pizza recipe. Roasting your own peppers is very easy and you can roast red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers. Roasting them makes them succulent, juicy and bursting with flavor.

There are various ways to roast a bell pepper. The easiest way is to put a bell pepper over the burner of a gas stove or on your grill. Turn the pepper using tongs and keep cooking it until the skin is black and charred.

Alternatively you can broil a bell pepper. Rub vegetable oil all over it first, and then put it on a baking sheet. Use tongs to turn it when the top starts to go black. You can either broil a whole bell pepper or slice it into wedges and broil those. Another method is to cook the bell pepper wedges or strips in a skillet in olive oil. When they are tender, they are done.

The easiest way to get the skin off a roasted bell pepper is to put it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. This traps the steam. Leave the bell pepper for twenty minutes then you should find the skin comes off easily. Pull the stem out before you take off the skin. Roasted peppers make a delicious topping for homemade pizza recipes.

It is obvious to anyone who loves seafood at dinnertime what a great piece of fish looks like. If you love wild Alaska salmon or Cod, you look for the healthiest, clearest skin and texture. Wild shrimp and scallops are also without imperfections if they are frozen and stored properly. However, most people aren’t aware of the tasty and inexpensive seafood option of Alaska Surimi.

What is Alaska Surimi? First of all, contrary to some erroneous reports circulating around the rumor mill, Surimi is definitely real seafood. The main ingredient is Alaska Pollock, the white fish known for its clean flavor and excellent texture. When making Surimi, this Pollock serves as a base, to which is added shellfish from Alaska. Pieces of shrimp, scallops and even lobster or crab give the true flavor of the finished product. It is packaged and sold in a few different forms – as chunk meat or as legs – and can be stored and used whenever the mood strikes you.

What can be done with Alaska Surimi? Even the people who are familiar with this boneless and cleaned form of Alaska Seafood can find themselves stumped when it comes to preparation. The best way to go about using Surimi is to consider it a cost effective way to substitute for shellfish in a meal. If you need a couple of ideas, try the quick recipes below.

Chef’s Salad Surimi: What makes a salad great? You need to use the freshest produce available on the market to start out. Next, you need some ingredients that add real flavor. Avocado, black olives and diced onion are sure to make your salad perk up, but Surimi is the coup de grace in terms of flavor. Your family will wonder how you put together such a fantastic seafood salad in just a couple of minutes.

Pasta Surimi: Another trick to use in the kitchen is to add Surimi to any pasta dish. You may have been too busy to go shopping or even cook with the fresh ingredients you have in the house. What can you do? Make pasta the way you usually do – even with a packaged sauce – and three or four minutes before it will be ready, let the Surimi add a big flavor boost.

Rack of lamb is so easy to cook and so impressive. It should be in everyone’s cooking arsenal. The ingredients, other than the rack, aren’t that complicated and substitutions are fine and exact measurements aren’t important either. And you can easily cook on a grill or in the stove. It’s hard to mess up.

First you need a rack of lamb. Try your butcher shop or supermarket. You’ll need to marinade at least all day or preferably over night. Marinade is simple. For two racks, I use 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons freshly chopped garlic and two teaspoons of kosher or sea salt. I’ll also add one to three additional herbs, whatever I have fresh and handy. Oregano, sage, and thyme are my favorites, and if I have some available, great. If not, that’s OK too. Fresh herbs make an enormous difference so don’t waste your time with dried ones for rack of lamb. I may also add some pepper, and the juice of half a lemon or lime. Sometimes I’ll add a couple of tablespoons of tequila or bourbon too. It’s not critical at all; your rack will rock.

Next, cook. On the grill over medium heat is fine or on a rack in the oven at about 350 degrees is good too. You do need an instant read thermometer. I like 125 degrees for rare/medium rare up to maybe 140 degrees for medium rare to medium. Do not over cook! Expect roughly 20 minutes of cooking time.

If cooking on the grill, I’ll often cover each protruding bone with aluminum foil to prevent them from burning. It makes for a slightly more impressive presentation, but doesn’t affect the flavor.