Exotic Meat via EVO

The Meat and Exotic Meat selection is always a point of high importance in Compadres.  The same goes for the Seafood/Fish selection.
The first night Friday, is not the main event since a lot of Compadres get off work about 5pm and drive to the campsite arriving late.  The first night is generally sausages, another meat and  light grilled veggies, a starch and Cesar Salad.

The 2007 Compadres Friday Night really stepped it up a notch, almost to a whole new level.   I always listen to Compadres and to what they want.   And I heard more exotic meat.  So, Elk, Wild Boar Bratwurst, Rabbit/Lamb sausage, Gater, Quail, Duck breast and a cranberry lamb sausage were on the menu.

The first night was centered around being interactive and letting the Compadres do the cooking themselves for the most part.  We had roasted potatoes and Cesar Salad, but the main attraction was cooking on the Evo Flattop itself.  Zwerling brought his Evo, and I brought mine.  His was setup in the middle of the whole campsite, while mine was in the kitchen.
This allowed all the Compadres to come around the Evo and be a part of the cooking if they wanted.

We started off by skewering everything that we had besides that sausages.  That we did in the kitchen.  We skewered the Alligator after marinating it for 2-3 hours.  The Duck Breast was skewered and salt/peppered, Elk was skewered like a Tandoori chicken with a Rouge Beer Peanut Sauce and finally all the Quail.  It was salt/pepper.

With the Duck, what you want to do is place all the skewers close together with the fat side down.  Get everything crispy on there.  Let it sizzle longer than you think it needs to be sizzling for.  You want is nice an brown. Get the picture.  When you flip it over, then it’s a good sear.  Your searing in Duck fat. Mmmmm Yummy.  All of that extra goodness will seep into other items you are cooking off. Alligator, Elk and Quail can all go down at the same time. Again, you cook to get a good brown color on everything.

Alligator  Marinade
Straight from ingredients found onsite: 1 Can of 7-up. Citrus, Garlic and Herbs.  I think Worchester sauce and Tabasco. But who knows.

Rouge American Ale Peanut Sauce
Two small jars of Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter.  Rouge American Ale Beer.  I used a lot.  First bring beer to simmer in sauce pan. Add peanut butter in slowly while whisking at the same time.  Make sure that sauce is not too think.  Pancake batter consistency is best.

If you want an EVO Flatop Grill: Go here:http://www.evoamerica.com/

Albany Full Auto Catering Event

Over the May 15th weekend, I went to help out the Crosswind Catering folks in Albany, Or.

It was their second season in the catering business as well as mine in the BBQ Spice Business.  However, this year we both upped our game. I had my Orginal Rub with new bottles and labels.  The Honey-Lime was not available due to production, but it is now!

It was a barn blaster the first day. We did 298 covers.  The year before was about 110.  Sunday was about 150-ish.  We platted a lot of Pork Butt Platters, Pork Butt Burgers and Tacos.  It was wild.  Everytime the safty buzzer went off on the Firing Range locking it down, everyone came at us!  It was the first catering event of the season and it was great.

This year Saucyrubs is stepping it up and really getting the product out there.  Last year was all about learning, figuring out what was what.   I worked hard to find a co-blender in Portland for both rubs.  They are great.  I was able to supply Crosswinds Catering with 25 pounds of Original Blend for all the Pork Butt.  The Honey-Lime (7 pounds) for ribs and chicken.   At the Albany event it was all Pork Butt fresh off the Treager.  I so love Treagers.  It’s smoke and forget technology.  Putting in Butts and Brisquet overnight is amazing.  However, I do use it a lot during the day for Ribs, Chicken, Salmon and everything.

We served these people.  I am so glad that the guns were pointed the other way.  There were several times on Saturday that we were in the weeds.  A great bunch, we got a lot of compliments on the BBQ and sold a lot of the Original Blend.  Albany is actually the first place that SaucyRubs physically sold it’s first rub. This is another reason that I love doing this.  I get to talk to people about BBQ, Grilling and Cooking.  I get a lot of ideas from people.  It is also great that food is a common bond between everyone.  Swapping recipes and how-to’s.  The great thing with all Saucyrub rubs is that you can put it on anything and everything.  Meat, Seafood and Veggies!

The other thing that I love about catering with Crosswinds, is that it gets me back into the kitchen that gets the juices flowing again.  You cannot get that feeling when cooking for friends at your own BBQ.  It also proves to me that I still understand how to operation in a kitchen, point out workflow issues and bust out orders when deep in the weeds!  MISEN PLACE!

Saucyrubs on Facebook.

Yes Saucyrubs is on Facebook. http://tinyurl.com/ced4b9 & http://tinyurl.com/ck2yq2

You can also follow us on Twitter at @saucyrubs.

ButtSmugglers BBQ Team

Here it is!  Saucyrubs and Crosswind Catering have teamed up as ButtSmugglers BBQ Team.  With the recent win of First Place Over All at the 2009 Paul Kirk BBQ Class and with myself and Douglas Miner of Crosswind Catering now Certified BBQ Judges we are ready to tackle the BBQ Circuit!

Scott and Steve Grand Champs!

Come Cheer us on!

Thriftway Classic

Bales Thriftway, Aloha, OR

June 6-7

Located just minutes from Portland, the Thriftway Classic has been a qualifier for six straight years. Last year, Bales Thriftway provided teams with most meats and over $5000.00 in prizes and awards! With a fun, relaxed atmosphere and helpfulness towards new competitors, the Thriftway Classic is considered by many to be one of the best contests in the Northwest to get your start in the world of competition barbecue.

Vinegar & Mustard BBQ Sauce

Basic Vinegar BBQ Sauce
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Stir the brown sugar into the hot water. Continue stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and heat on low for a few minutes. This perfect to coat pulled pork, but don’t add so much that it gets soupy.

Basic Mustard BBQ Sauce
1 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cayenne
Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer on low for at least thirty minutes. This is great for southern pork style barbecue.

Shellfish & Salmon

Grilling or BBQing Seafood is very easy.  You really cannot mess this up.  You just have to invent different ways of cooking it.  Sure, throw it in the oven and bake it off.  That’s easy.  Wrap trout in tinfoil with butter & garlic on a campfire, easy.  Again the theme of Compadres is: Do something different with the food.

Oysters:  On Compadres Three we had them raw and cooked.  Cooking them was easy. We had the fire pit that we put them sideways.  Putting them sideways allowed us to use the shell to keep them sideways and also when they popped all the juice drained, which was not much.  Take them off, open them and pop them in your mouth. Easy.
We had cocktail sauce, Tequila and fingers!

: Compadres Three we did Salmon two different ways (sauce wise) and cooked them over the campfire.  In my previous life as a Chef @ Skamania Lodge we did something similar.  At Skamania we had a Charcoal BBQ that had the charcoal going up in a rack.  The Salmon was rubbed with a spice mix and skewered into wooden coffins that we would stand straight up.  In Compadres Fashion we did the same, but used two branches as the coffin and used Skewers to run the width of the Salmon.

Both processes take about 30-45 minutes of roasting to cook all the way through.
Salmon roasted via pit after being placed between a split tree branch and skewered with Bamboo Skewers for support.
On Compadres III 2002, I watched a Discovery Channel show that told how Native American Indians in the Pacific North West cooked their Salmon in a lodge.  I was also intrigued by a Jamie Oliver show on how he wrapped a whole salmon with leafy veggies & herbs and wrapped it in paper, then soaked it through with water and steamed it on a BBQ.  I had also had done a similar thing with Salmon at Skamania Lodge on a BBQ with them standing straight up.
I actually did this as a trail run at a  Family Reunion in Canada the month before and it worked out perfectly.

My idea was born.  All I needed was a recipe.  That was easy:
Salmon One:
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. The Simon & Garfunkel Rub as I call it.  Pat salmon side down after cleaning (done by Zwerling) and run chopped herbs into salmon. Let cure for at lest 2 hours or more.

Salmon Two:
Same as side one, but this time roast a whole bunch of garlic and a red onion. Once roasted to perfection,  chop both and combine.  Then smear into salmon and let cure for at lest two hours.

To roast Garlic/Onion, just place both in separate tin foil balls that you toss the garlic/Onion in olive oil.  Wad both up and place on or in the fire.  You can do this in the over at home as well.  Check to see that they do not burn. Oven temp should be 225.  Takes about an hour or so.
For Salmon, once skewered and placed in the tree branches, lean over the fire pit and secure them so they won’t fall.  It takes about 45-60 mins to cook. You do not need to flip over since it will cook all the way through.  IF you have a EVO Flattop Grill or BBQ or Oven, you do not need to do the branch or skewers.

BBQ Sauce Basic’s

BBQ sauce is one thing every grill chef is particular about. The perfect BBQ sauce adds flavor and moisture to meat, but every area has its own varieties. It’s simple to make, so you can easily develop your own custom BBQ sauce.
There are several types of BBQ sauce. Most traditional BBQ sauces either use tomato sauce, mustard, or vinegar as a base, and they come in all thicknesses. For instance, North Carolina barbecue sauce is thin and runny, while Kansas City barbecue sauces are thick and sticky. There are also variations of sauces known as mopping sauces, which is regularly slopped all over the meat while it is cooking. Finishing sauce is used as a condiment when eating barbecue and is not used during the cooking process.

BBQ sauce can be used before, during, and after cooking the meat. The only warning is to avoid using barbecue sauce that contains tomatoes or a lot of sugar during the cooking process. These ingredients burn too easily and can affect the taste of your meat. I have included three basic BBQ sauce recipes – one for each type of main ingredient.

Make the basic barbecue sauce by following the recipe, then start experimenting to develop your own signature sauce.

Basic Tomato BBQ Sauce
1 regular can of tomato sauce
1 can of tomato paste
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons onion, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne
fresh ground pepper to taste
Cook the garlic and onion until it’s soft, and then add all the rest of the ingredients. Simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. Keep stirring it often so it doesn’t burn, then refrigerate for a few days before you use it. This allows the flavors to blend and mellow.

BBQ Rubs

Homemade BBQ rubs differ from marinades and BBQ sauces in that they are dry. Like the name implies, you rub them into foods to infuse their flavor. One of the great things about rubs is their shelf life. Since they are dry, you can simply store them in a cabinet for a long time to come. So, once you find a rub that you really like you can easily make a big batch and store it for later use.
BBQ rubs are very easy to make and generally only require you to mix together the right amounts of several different spices. Don’t be fooled by their simplicity though, rubs can dramatically change the flavor of food. Rubs can be used on a variety of foods but are most commonly used on ribs, whole chickens and other large pieces of meat.
BBQ rubs work best when applied in advance of cooking. Somewhere between ten minutes and three hours should be enough for the seasoning to soak in thoroughly. Rubs fit perfectly in between marinades, which should be applied about eight hours in advance, and BBQ sauces, which are generally applied during cooking. Because of the fact that making rubs is such a simply process, you can make all the homemade BBQ rub recipes listed on this page in under ten minutes, assuming you have the correct ingredients handy.
This first homemade BBQ rub recipe is for a very basic rub. It may be simple but you will be surprised at how much extra flavor it will add to your food. This rub is good on any type of meat.
Basic Homemade Rub Recipe
1/2 cup Garlic Powder
1/2 cup Salt
1/2 cup Black Pepper

Simply place the ingredients in a bowl and stir well to mix thoroughly. It is highly recommended that you use freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt. Kosher salt or sea salt work best.

You should rub the meat with the seasonings about ten minutes before you plan on BBQing the meat. This rub recipe is great because it is made entirely from common kitchen spices. This makes it easy to whip up at the last minute or when you are short on time.

The spice picture is SaucyRubs Original Rub before mixed!

Caesar Salad

So everyone has their own salad dressing that they love.  What is mine? It’s Caesar Salad.  I developed a love of this staple so far back that I cannot remember my first.  However, according to my father, his father Winston always made sure that everyone had a Caesar Salad.  Everyone else would bring meat, cheese, wine, beer, etc but Winston always had the fixings for Caesar Salad.

In my first real real job as a cook at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel in Seattle I was in the Garde Manage area and it was one of my duties to make the nectar.  However, it was made into a 33 gallon trash can.  We went through a lot.  We are talking 7 gallons of Olive Oil 60 doz eggs (save whites for the pastry kitchen).  I made it about two or three times a week since there were four outlets that used it, not including banquets.

I make the nectar several times a year.  Usually for big social gatherings.  The main one is Compadres.  Compadres is my event that is thrown in the fall each year with about 25-35 guys going off into the woods to eat great food and tell even greater food.  This year is it’s tenth anniversary and families get to come.

So, how to I make mine?  This is generally made for one giant blender. While I might not use all of the ingrediants listed, I use them as needed to get the amount desired as well as consistancy.

1 gallon of Olive Oil.

One bottle 20oz of Red Wine Vinager

3-4 whole lemons

1 bottle of good mustard. (I generally use Dijon, but have switched it up with other mustards like stone ground)

Anchovies.  I use Paste. It’s easy.

Garlic (Roasted if desired…it adds another dimension)

Capers.

Tabasco (I also use Chipotle Tabasco)

Worchester Sauce (This is great stuff)

Black Pepper Corns Whole (You can use the mixed kind)

Ice (frozen profit)

Eggs (Usually 2 whole and 2 yolks…yup RAW so keep this in the fridge until ready)

Parmesan, Romano and Asiago Cheese.

Good crusty croutons

I combine everything except Ice, Oil, Vinager, Lemon, cheese into the blender and whiz it up.
Start adding oil in slow stream.  As it thickens, I wait until the funnel is close to disappearing before I add a couple shakes of vinager to loosen it up.
As some part I will taste and add the lemon.  I do this instead of adding vinager.  I switch back and forth with lemon/vinager.

If I need to I will add capers, anchovies and garlic to taste as well.  I will also add more tabasco (generally not) or Worchester Sauce.  The latter is very tasty!

If too thick and flavor is where I really want it, I will add ICE.  That will chill it down, but add water to the mix.

Once I am done, I move it to another bowl and add the two or three types of cheese.

Once complete, I will generally toss the cut up Romaine lettuce with more cheese and crouton’s.  I will lightly dress it as well leaving the dressing on the side for those who want more.

One time at the Four Season’s after service we had Pastry Encrusted Tenderloins left over from a banquet and I was making the dressing. I asked the Exec Sous Chef if I could have one.  He said yes.  I dunked the whole think into the dressing and ate it.  It was SO GOOD.  He tried it too!  (Don’t worry, I washed my hands before during and after.  It was all very clean!!!!  It just proves that it’s not just for salad!

Bacon Explosion

It’s all the rage all over the internet.  So, I just had to try it.  Basically Bacon Explosion is a meatloaf weaved with bacon. Then baked.

First it’s just the basic’s.  Onion, Carrots, Celery, Garlic & ground beef.

What you use for the bacon is up to you. It can be maple, smoked whatever.  I am going to try it with Nueski’s.  It’s very flavorful but expensive.

Chop everything into a medium size and saute it.  I like to carmelize the onions, and get the celery and carrots under done a bit.  Remember your going to either bake or smoke this till the meat loaf is done.

Once everything is where you want it, then combine and get all the juices together.  At this point I would add all the herbs and spices you want.  Double if not triple what you want since all of this will be mixed into the meat loaf.  If you are going to roll the meatloaf like a sushi roll so you have a middle, then I would not add  a lot of spice/herbs.

I mixed it all together.

You will also want to crisp off bacon as well.

Now, my mistake in this version is that I used too much meat and had to split it.   I would use about 1 to 2 pounds of ground beef.  The leaner the better.  Remember BACON DRIPS (RENDERS) FAT WHEN COOKED… That’s grease you know.

As for the crackers.  Get the non-salted kind.  That way you can control salt intake, taste and flavor.

In rolling this all out, you will want to get plastic wrap and lay it down on the cutting board.  This does two things.

1) Saves on clean up and sanitation (But never skimp on sanitation).

2) Will help you roll and form it. If you put it in the cooler/fridge for awhile, this will be great!

Working the Weave.  Lay it out and like you were weaving a basket.  You will want longer strands to loop over so it closes/intertwines.

This top view is actually the view of the bottom. Notice the end bacon parts.  You will want this so the ends won’t leak out the side like a burrito!

Next part is to seaon the outside very well.  Remember the fat is going to soak into the meatloaf while smoking it low and slow.

I did this over about 5 hours or so.  Wife was in Maui and I was watching the KIDS!
I did it in the Treager with Mesquite Pellets. MMMmmmm SO TASTY.  Love the smell of BBQ.

Remember, you have to take the temp of everything!  Notice the golden bark on this beauty!
Lovely lattice work!

I will tell you that it really tasted great.  However, I felt my heart slow down. ugh……

My next stab at this will to be use less bacon covering as a whole, leaner ground beef and a lot more veggies/crackers.
Just so you know American Meatloaf is actually a Terrine/Pate/Force Meat.

So, use your best meatloaf recipe, wrap in bacon and bake as you normally would and there you go!
But use SAUCYRUBS BBQ SPICE MIX…… (COMING SOON!!!)