Bar BQ Grills

Yes, I actually made 5 different sized patties...sigh, I need help!

Photo courtesy of Grilling.com

serves six


300 grams runner beans, topped and tailed, and cut into 3cm lengths diagonally
300 grams mangetouts, topped and tailed
250 grams rindless unsmoked streaky bacon, diced
45 mls small capers, rinsed
90 mls coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

FOR THE DRESSING
15 mls red wine vinegar
5 mls Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed to a paste
5 mls caster sugar
sea salt, black pepper
75 mls groundnut oil
30 mls extra virgin olive oil

Bring two large pans of salted water to the boil, cook the runner beans in one pan for 6-7 minutes until tender, and the mangetouts in the other pan for 2 minutes, drain them both into the same colander and briefly refresh under the cold tap.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the bacon and fry in its own fat for 9-11 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally and separating the pieces. Drain on kitchen paper and leave to cool.

To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar, mustard, garlic, sugar and some seasoning in a bowl, then gradually whisk in the oils until you have a thick, creamy emulsion.

Combine the beans, bacon, capers and parsley in a large bowl. You can prepare the salad to this point up to a couple of hours in advance, in which case cover everything and set aside, and toss with the vinaigrette shortly before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Annie Bell, Country Living | All About You

serves 4-6 as a side dish


1 tablespoon groundnut oil
1 medium red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
5 smoked streaky bacon rashers, chopped into 1cm pieces
1 teaspoon Shaohsing rice wine
300g pointed cabbage, halved and shredded into 1cm pieces
1 tablespoon black rice vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon chilli oil
pinch of salt

Heat a wok over a medium heat. Add the groundnut oil and stir-fry the chilli and peppercorns for a few seconds, then add the bacon and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

When the bacon browns, add the rice wine and cabbage and stir-fry for a further 3 minutes. Season with black rice vinegar, lemon juice, chilli oil and the salt and toss together well before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Ching-He Huang, delicious magazine

One of my favorite "local" restaurants in is Rafferty's Restaurant and Bar.

The raised rack over a pan is another way to do indirect heat.

NOW you have a flavor party!  When you cut into that pork chop the butter and spices cascade down the meat and covers it with wall to wall "tastes so good".   The silky smooth butter and juicy pork chop just make my mouth do back flips.

These butters are just two possibilities, but as the title implies, the possibilities are infinite.  Play around with the taste combos and find something you like on your own.

Speaking of the upcoming holiday, if you need other inspiration for 4th of July cookouts, check out Grilling.com.

yields eight servings, about four cups


¼ lb bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
two 15oz. cans black beans, rinsed & drained
one 16oz. can diced peeled tomatoes
one 4oz. can diced green chiles
2½ tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook bacon in heavy, large saucepan over medium heat until light brown, about 10 minutes. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients.

Simmer until chili is thick, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Lori Lange, RecipeGirl.com, March 10, 2007

For the bacon oil:
200 g bacon, uncooked
vegetable oil

Cut the bacon in small pieces and put in a pan. Cover the bacon with the vegetable oil and heat to a simmer (don't boil) for about 40 min. Remove the pan from the stove, cover with cling film and let stand at room temperature over night. Reheat the oil the next day for about 40 min again - strain trough a very fine sieve. Remove most of the fat form the bacon and dice the remaining meat, distribute in four soup cups


For the anise toast:
1 toastbread, whole
2 teaspoons anisseed, ground
some pastis
fleur de sel

Remove the crust of the bread and cut lengthwise in to long sticks. Toast the bread on all sides just before serving. Brush with some pastis, sprinkle with aniseed and fleur de sel


For the soup:
1 shallot
1/2 teaspoon butter
5 mozzarella di bufala balls - cut in medium size pieces
8 dl cream (50% fat)
2 dl milk
salt and white pepper

Sweat the shallot in a medium sized pan with the butter, without letting the shallot take color. Add the milk and cream, bring to a boil and reduce the heat until you reached 50C. Add the cheese and slowly(!) let it melt. Season. Strain before serving to remove the unmelted mozzarella. Drizzle some bacon oil on the soup and serve with the anise


bacon recipe courtesy of: Philippe Berthoud, Philippe's Recipes, February 1, 2011

Had a great time at the New Hampshire Rock-n-Ribfest last weekend. This was our first KCBS contest since Norwalk in September, so I was anxious to see where we would stack up after such a long layoff. Overall I was happy with the results, with a few major exceptions.

Arrived on site at around noon Friday. It was just me and Max, with Sheila coming up later in the day. We were a little concerned because it would be just the three of us, with nobody to help out with Max. Since he is almost three, he obviously requires a lot of attention. But he was just great all weekend, especially KCBS Sunday when he kept himself occupied and just did his own thing right through turn-ins.

Anyway as I started to get the setup going, it began to rain pretty hard. So I scrambled to get the pop up tent open, so I could unload everything from the trailer and put it all under there to stay dry. Unfortunately, it is somewhat difficult to open one of those EZ-ups solo, and I snapped it. "Hello Sheila, can you stop by the house and pick up the backup tent before you come up?"

Friday night was a great time. I always love Friday nights at a Saturday-Sunday contest. There is no pressure to be up early Saturday, so we can hang out and have a good time. I don't get out a whole lot in my day to day, as I work at home now, so I really like being able to visit with people and have fun on nights like these.

As usual, we had a blast hanging out with the Lakesides. We spent a lot of time under a tent city, as several teams had pooled their pop up tents and created this huge space. Charlie Cicero of Mighty Swine Dining shared a proscuitto with us that had been curing in his walk in refrigerator for a year and a half, it was outstanding. Some fine tequila and Gentleman Jack was also shared. We had a great time with old friends and made a few new ones along the way.

Saturday was grilling. I was feeling good about the sausage and pizza categories going in, but as documented in a previous post I was not thrilled with the salt water fish fillet category. It sure did show, as I put together a horrible entry that came in dead ass last. It was fish tacos, and the fish was blah, the tortillas were too doughy, the salsa too watery and it just bombed, rightfully.

The good news was that the pizza took second place and the sausage was third. Sheila made shrimp wraps for the shrimp category, and they finished in the middle of the pack somewhere. I liked the entry though.

So we were 13th overall for grilling. I was able to laugh the fish entry off for the most part publicly, but in reality I am upset at myself about it. I could have just grilled up some salmon and dumped butter all over it and finished much better than dead ass last. Why I decided to do fish tacos I have no idea. And if I am going to do something outside my comfort zone, it might help to practice it first.

Anyway, it was on to the BBQ contest. It was just me, Sheila and Max at this contest. We had no visitors, no guests and really were able to focus on prep. Everything went well heading into the overnight.

Woke up Sunday morning and the smokers were chugging along just fine. However, when I temped my pork it was ahead of schedule. I had to nurse it to the finish line, and did not like the finished product. Shows what I know, as the judges scored it third place. I chalk this one up to being able to make last minute adjustments, something that was never my strength but I have been working on it. I used to just put the meat in the box and just turn it in. But I have learned there are subtle adjustments that can be made that make a big difference.

Unfortunately there were no such adjustments that could save my ribs. For some reason they just tasted off. I can't really put my finger on it, but something wasn't right. Judges confirmed it for me, 33rd out of 39th. Ouch, I would have to go back and check but I thing this was my worst ever rib score. The box looked atrocious too, although the appearance scores were not too bad.

Chicken was ok, 16th place.

I was a little concerned about brisket going in. I had not cooked a brisket since the Norwalk contest (although we took first place brisket there). Also, the current trend has many teams using these fancy, waygu briskets from cows that are hand fed by virgins and massaged daily. I still buy my briskets at Restaurant Depot, but I have gotten better at picking them out. But there is always the concern that using a lesser meat will eventually hurt me in the end.

Usually you have a good idea what you have with brisket when you make that first cut. I liked it, and as I cut further I felt pretty good about it. The box looked great, and the brisket was 3rd.

The low rib score dragged us down, and we were 8th overall. Overall, I came away happy, eight categories over two days, and four of them in the top three. Could have been a lot worse.

The bummer is that it looks like our next KCBS contest will be at Harpoon. That's a month away. I wish it was tomorrow.

Filed under:  "Hell, why not?"

Photo taken "Pre-smush".  To fit it in my mouth I had to "smush" it so it wasn't so thick.

My buns are toasted!

yields 1 9” x 13” x 2” baking dish


2 to 3 slices bacon, diced
5 tablespoons butter
2 cups diced onions
1 ½ cups grated cassava
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup sliced green onions, green and light green parts only
1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese
10 cups day-old white or sourdough bread, cut into 3/4 “ cubes*
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until crispy. Transfer bacon using a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour out most of the rendered bacon fat save about 2 teaspoons.

Turn heat down to medium-low and add butter. Add onions and cook 3 to 5 minutes until translucent. Add cassava and garlic and cook for another minute. Transfer to a bowl.

Add green onions, cheese, bread, eggs, and chicken stock to onion mixture and combine thoroughly. Pour stuffing mixture into a greased baking dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the outside is lightly browned and the stuffing is warmed through. Serve warm.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Aliya LeeKong, November 8, 2010

yields four servings


1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounce package tofu
1 pound bacon, cooked until done, but not too crispy
3 whole jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and diced small
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 cup chicken broth
17 ounces package flour tortillas (fajita or taco size)

In a small bowl combine the cumin, chili powder, paprika, 1 minced clove of garlic and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Slice the tofu very thinly, about 1/2 inch per slice, then rub each slice with the spice mixture. Set aside.

Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a large pan. Add the seasoned tofu, a few slices at a time, watching carefully. Flip after about 1-2 minutes. Cook until done â€" I let mine cook about 2-3 minutes per side. When done, remove the tofu from the pan and cut each piece in half. Then, wrap each piece of tofu with a piece of bacon. Then set the tofu aside and cover with aluminum foil.

Do NOT wash the pan out. Put it back on the stove, reduce heat to medium and add the remaining minced garlic clove, 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and the diced jalapeno. Saute until the peppers are almost getting a little bit brown and everything is fragrant. Add the cream cheese, 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese and chicken broth. Whisk and bring to a slight boil; reducing the heat if you have to, in order to prevent it from scorching. Once its combined and a sauce consistency, salt and pepper to your taste and pour into a separate bowl; cover.

Bring the heat back up to medium-high, and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. When hot add one tortilla at a time, turning after about 15-20 seconds to the other side. Your end result will be tortillas slightly brown around the edges and a little bubbly in the middle. When tortillas are done, set them aside on a plate and cover the plate so they stay warm.

To serve, stuff a tortilla with bacon-wrapped tofu, and drizzle the jalapeno creme on top and add some Monterey Jack cheese. Feel free to add salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.


bacon recipe courtesy of: dixiechik, Tasty Kitchen, June 18, 2011

yields four portions


2-3 bread rolls (preferably wholemeal)
16-20 slices lean bacon
16-20 prunes
paprika

Slice the rolls into pieces and place a prune wrapped in a thin slice of lean bacon on each. Arrange the canapés on a baking tray and bake at a high temperature.
Serve sprinkled with paprika.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Czech Specials, Regional Specialty: Central Moravia | Czech Tourism

1. Dry the exterior of the fish. This will help prevent sticking to the griddle pan and get a nice blackened instead of steamed crust.
2. Keep the fish cold until the last possible minute by keeping it on a bed of crushed ice. Fish proteins break down quickly from heat.

1 large daikon radish, peeled & shredded (to make 6 cups)
6 cups water
2 La Chong, aka Chinese sausage, chopped or 4 slices/3 tablespoons chopped bacon
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon dried shrimp
2 scallions, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons dried shallots
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 3/4 cups rice flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Chinese sweet hot mustard
Sriracha or sambal
Oyster sauce

Shred radish and place in medium pan with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook about 20-30 minutes until radish is tender. Strain radish and reserve cooking liquid.

Place shiitake mushrooms and dried shrimp in bowl and cover with hot tap water. Soak for at least 30 minutes.

Chop scallion, cilantro, bacon, softened mushrooms & dried shrimp. Set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil in skillet over high heat. Add bacon & cook about 2 minutes until bacon is rendered and slightly browned.

Add diced mushrooms, chopped dried shrimp, cilantro, scallions, dried shallots, rice wine, kosher salt, sugar, & white pepper.

Lower heat to medium and add shredded daikon radish. Mix well and turn off heat.

In medium bowl, add 2 cups of rice flour and 1 1/4 cups of the reserved mushroom & dried shrimp soaking liquid (make sure you leave out the sediment/residual stuff at the bottom). If there's not enough liquid to measure 1 1/4 cups, add reserved daikon radish cooking liquid. Consistency of rice flour mixture should be like that of a medium-thin pancake batter.

Pour rice flour mix into daikon radish mixture. Pour into a 9" loaf pan.

Bring steamer up to a rolling boil over high heat. Place loaf pan in steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium and steam for about 1 hour. Remove radish cake pan from steamer and let cool to room temp.

Invert pan on chopping board to remove radish cake. Slice cake into 1/2" slices. Heat 1 tsp. of vegetable oil in skillet over high heat. Add radish cake slices and cook about 2-3 minutes per side until lightly browned (cover pan if necessary).

Serve with Chinese hot mustard, oyster sauce, or chili sauce (sweet chili sauce, sambal olek, or Sriracha).


bacon recipe courtesy of: The Grub Files: Cooking with Camissonia, Murrieta, California, October 3, 2010

serves 6 to 8


Savory pot pie crust:
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 stick cold butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/4 cup ice water

Filling:
4 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
4 small onions, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into thick half-moons
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
1 egg yolk
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

To make the crust: Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the shortening and butter with a pastry blender until the texture of coarse meal. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, and mix with a fork until dough comes together. Pat into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and chill until ready to roll it out and assemble potpie.

To make the filling: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp around the edges. Remove to paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat. When bacon cools, crumble it. Add onion to the pan, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until onions begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, add tablespoon of thyme and continue to cook, stirring now and then, until onions are deep golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. In a bowl, combine ricotta, egg yolk, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, pinch of pepper, 1 teaspoon thyme and 1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese. Mix well. Roll out piecrust to fit pie pans. Pie can be made in 8-inch pie pan or in ramekins. Fit crust to preferred baking container. Spread ricotta mixture over pie shell. Arrange onions on top of ricotta, and sprinkle with tablespoon of Parmigiano. Sprinkle bacon over top. Place in oven, and bake until edges of filling are golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Marolyn Smith, The Courier-Journal | C-J Recipes, PO Box, Louisville, Kentucky 40201-7431

serves four


200 grams rice noodles
200 grams bacon, diced
200 grams crab meat
100 grams salted peanuts
1 tablespoon of ​​fresh onion, green part only, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced ​
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon nigella seeds or sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions, drain and cool them under cold running water. Cut them with scissors 3 to 4 times, to help you seasoning them.

In a large non-stick pan stir fry the bacon and let it cook until it turns pink. Now add the crab meat thinly sliced ​​and stir for a few minutes with a wooden spoon until the bacon is golden and crisp.

Put the rice noodles in a large bowl, then season them with the bacon and crab meat, the salted peanuts, the sliced celery and the sliced green ​​onion. Add the Greek yoghurt and the mayonnaise. Mix the noodles with your hands to season them evenly.

Just before serving, sprinkle the rice noodles with the nigella seeds or the sesame seeds, preferably the black ones for a nice colour contrast.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Juls' Kitchen, June 9, 2011

serves four Wild Boar Ragout:600 grams wild boar leg250 grams onions200 ml red wine150 ml sunflower oil50 ml hazelnut oil10 grams juniper berries20 grams sugar5 grams cardamom whole10 grams cinnamon sticks150 grams frozen cranberries15 grams fresh thyme100 grams rose hip jamsalt, to tasteBacon Dumplings:200 grams bacon300 grams flour (hruba mouka)200 ml milk250 grams white bread100 grams onions30 grams chopped parsley30 grams buttersalt, pepper, nutmeg to taste Wild Boar Ragout: Clean the meat and cut in cubes. Heat the casserole and add sunflower oil and hazelnut oil. Sauté the meat until it becomes very brown, then take out. Add sliced onions and all the spices, and sauté until golden. Deglaze the pan with red wine and water. Add the meat back and cook until soft. When ragout is ready, add frozen cranberries and rose hip jam.Bacon Dumplings: Slice the white bread in small cubes and let dry over night. Slice bacon and onions in small cubes and sauté in same pan. Combine the bread with egg yolk, warm milk, flour, onions with bacon and chopped parsley. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. After all this, slowly mix a whipped egg white inside the mixture.Brush a cake form with butter or lay out with baking paper, and place the mixture inside and bake at 140°C for 20 minutes. When slightly cooled, slice and serve with the ragout. bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Marek Fichtner, Le Grill at Kempinski Hybernská, Prague

serves four


400 grams floury potatoes
150 grams smoked streaky bacon
3 spring onions
1 tablespoon melted bacon fat
250 grams smoked mackerel flesh
oil for cooking
flour for dusting
lemon halves, to serve

Peel the potatoes and boil them in deep, salted water. When they are tender, drain and mash them thoroughly.

Discard the rind from the bacon rashers. Put the bacon into the bowl of a food processor with the roughly chopped spring onions. Blitz till you have a rough, crumbly mixture. Pour the oil into a shallow pan and fry the onions and bacon till golden and fragrant. Tip into the mashed potato.

Crush the mackerel lightly with a fork and stir it into the mash. Check the seasoning, adding salt and black pepper as you think fit, then, with floured hands, make 8 thick patties with the mixture. Leave them on a floured tray for 20 minutes in a cold place.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Dust each cake with flour then slide into the hot oil. Fry for a few minutes on each side till golden. They will probably take about 8 minutes. Serve with the lemon halves.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Nigel Slater, The Observer, March 14, 2010

serves two1 leek4 strips of bacon2/3 tablespoons creme fraichebig handful of peas (frozen are fine)5-6 tagliatelle nestsChop and wash the leeks and saute gently in a pan with olive oil and a little butter. Turn the heat right down and cook, covered, very gently for 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes. You should only be able to hear the whisper of a sizzle. After 10-15 minutes slice the bacon width-ways into thin strips and add to leek pan, don’t put the lid back on, do turn the heat up a bit. After 20 minutes, cook the pasta in boiling water for 5 or so minutes. Put peas in pasta pan for last 2 minutes. Drain pasta & peas and mix all ingredients in pan, dolloping in creme fraiche. Serve with a crisp side salad. bacon recipe courtesy of: Urban Foodie, London, UK, January 13, 2009

serves two


1 bunch komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach)
1 pack shimeji mushrooms
2 slice bacon
vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Cut the komatsuna into 3-cm lengthwise pieces, cut the stem of shimeji mushroom and 3㎝ lengthwise pieces. Cut the bacon into strips. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the bacon, komatsuna and shimeji mushroom and fry. Season with salt and pepper.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Naoko, Cooking Japanese Style, May 23, 2011

Well the Cape Cod BBQ Championship is in the books. This was the second year I organized it and it seemed like more work this time around. But it's over, and I am relieved. I haven't cooked a KCBS contest since September, but I have organized or helped organize two events since then. These experiences have reminded me that I enjoy cooking contests a lot more than organizing them. But I will be running Cape Cod again next year, but I plan on keeping things a lot simpler.

The good news is that the cooking starts this weekend in Merrimack, New Hampshire at the New Hampshire Rock-n-Ribfest. This was our second ever contest in 2006, and we won it that year. It is not the best contest in the world, with huge crowds and small prize money, but we keep going back. I like looking across the field at the spot where we cooked that year, it seems like so long ago. Especially since we have not won a contest since then.

Looking at the forecast I am beginning to worry that we may be dealing with more of the mud that made that 2006 contest such a mess for everyone. Hopefully I'm wrong.

So I am excited about getting up there for the weekend. I have been packing, unpacking, cleaning, trimming, and planning all week as we get ready to cook this one. The grilling will be a little screwy, with shrimp and salt water fish fillet as two of the categories, and pizza and sausage as the others. I was tempted to just say "screw grilling" and skip it but we are just going to give it a shot. As of this writing I have no clue at all what I am doing for that fish fillet category. I'll come up with something and let you know how it goes.

Pub food isn't fancy.

Pub food isn't healthy.

But there is something about pub food that draws me to it like a moth to a cheese-dripping, bacon crunching flame.

1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into small pieces
3 pounds lean stew meat, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 cups good quality, rich red wine
2-3 cup good quality beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 bag frozen pearl onions, defrosted and drained
1 pound sliced crimini mushrooms
parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pat meat thoroughly dry with paper towels and set aside. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is beginning to crisp. Remove bacon, and set aside in a medium bowl. When the bacon fat is very hot, but not quite smoking, place about 1/4 of the meat into it, browning quickly on all sides, taking care not to crowd or it won't color well. Continue cooking the meat in this way, until it is all browned, removing the meat from the pan each time and placing it in the same bowl with the bacon. Add the carrot and onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, or until slightly tender. Remove to the same bowl as the meat and bacon. Drain the fat from the pot. Return the bacon, beef and vegetables to the pan and sprinkle on the flour, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Add the wine, broth, tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Place in the oven and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours. While the meat is baking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside. After the stew has cooked for 2 hours, stir in the mushrooms and onions. Return to the oven and continue baking until meat is tender and easily pierced with a fork. Taste for seasoning. At this point, if you are serving immediately, skim any fat from the top, sprinkle with parsley and serve over noodles, mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes. If you are making it ahead, cool to room temperature and refrigerate. When ready to reheat, skim any fat from the top, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, over low heat. This should take about 30 minutes.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Alison Needham, on Disney Family.com

serves six


4 tablespoons butter
4 small kohlrabies, peeled and shredded
salt and freshly ground white pepper
1/4 cup water
1/4 pound sliced bacon
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup medium or whipping cream
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
9-inch pastry shell, partially baked (recipe below)
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the kohlrabies and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the water and stir over medium heat until the kohlrabies are limp and the liquid is evaporated. Remove from the heat.

Fry the bacon until crisp and transfer to absorbent paper. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the onion and toss to coat. Sprinkle on the sugar and stir over medium heat until the onion is golden. Mix in the kohlrabies.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Break the cooked bacon into bite-size pieces and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and cream. Stir in the kohlrabi mixture, bacon, and Gruyere cheese. Pour the mixture into the prepared pastry shell and bake for 25 minutes or until the surface is partially set. Sprinkle the tart with Parmesan cheese and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pastry Shell
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons solid shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

To prepare the pastry shell, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend thoroughly and add the butter and shortening. Cut in with a knife or pastry blender until the lumps of fat are reduced to the size of tiny peas.

Gradually sprinkle in the water, tossing the mixture constantly. When the mixture begins to hold together, gather it into a ball and roll it around the inside of the bowl to pick up any stray particles. Enclose in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Roll out the dough and transfer to a 9-inch tart pan or quiche dish. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and line the pastry with aluminum foil. Pour in 1 pound of dried beans or distribute pie weights over the foil. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and set the pastry shell aside. Do not prick a second time.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Yankee Magazine, Yankee Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 520, Dublin, New Hampshire 03444

• they were for people who can't control their grill and always burn things
• they were useless to people who can manage fire
• that goofy looking spatula is just a gimmick

Chris Lilly cooking at Kingsford U 2011.

I made this graphic for you!  (Kidding, stole it from their site.)

Remember this food porn?  Done on GrillGrates.