The Best BBQ from Food Network Celebs
The folks at Food Network recently rolled out a new show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and after just one episode, I’m hooked. It’s like their celeb chefs … unplugged. Each episode, the Food Network personalities reveal their favorite things to eat, and places to eat them.
A recent episode highlighted their favorite BBQ joints around the country, covering spots from New York City to the deep South. Miss the episode? You can get all the details right here, including the addresses for each place they talked about. Did your favorite BBQ joint make the cut?
I kept waiting for something semi-local to make the list, yet wasn’t too optimistic since we live in New Jersey, not exactly the reigning BBQ capital of the country. But then Michael Symon gave his pick … Daisy May’s in NYC. You can bet I’ll be heading there very soon. Until then, drool on.
MUG® Root Beer - Spicy Brew-B-Q Sauce
This is my variation of the same recipe sent to me by MUG®. I kicked up the heat units by adding some Chipotle ketchup and smoked paprika.
1 cup MUG® Root Beer
1 cup Chipotle ketchup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons *Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar (3 tbsp if you like a sweeter sauce)
1 tablespoon medium or dark molasses
1 teaspoon smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Cool slightly. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead; keep refrigerated.)
Enjoy -
Chef Scott
*Generic Worcestershire sauce tends to be very bland and flavorless. I like Lea and Perrins for its depth of flavor and color.
BBQ Sauce
Let’s get this out of the way, barbecue is not sauce. Barbecue is a method of slow cooking meat over low heat and smoke. You can’t put “barbecue” sauce on a carrot and call it Barbecue. The sauce is just a condiment on hopefully good meat.
That being said, let’s talk a little about barbecue sauce. Most Americans prefer their barbecue to be accented with some sort of barbecue sauce. According to The Praxi Group: Beef Flavor Preference Study, October 2005; funded by The Beef Checkoff, 45% of Americans want barbecue sauce on their beef.
So what’s the flavor break down of the barbecue sauces?
- 31% of us want it to be smoky/hickory flavored
- 32% want it to be sweet (Preferred by Caucasians, woman and those in North, Central and the South)
- 22% want a hot/spicy sauce (Preferred by consumers 18 to 34, Asians, Hispanics, African Americans and men)
- 13% want a tangy or vinegary sauce (Preferred by Caucasians, and consumers 55 and up)
MUG® Root Beer - Brew-B-Q Sauce
1 cup MUG® Root Beer
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon mild-flavored (light) molasses
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Cool slightly. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead; keep refrigerated.)
10 BBQ Joints by Bon Appetit
If you don’t want to get out the grill and smoke up your yard, here are 10 restaurants recommended for their barbecue by Bon Appetit magazine’s July issue.
- Stacy’s Smokehouse BBQ in Phoenix at 1650 E. Indian School Road
- Bulldog Barbecue in North Miami at 15400 Biscayne Blvd.
- Rolling Bones BBQ in Atlanta at 377 Edgewood Ave., SE
- The Joint in New Orleans at 801 Poland Ave.
- Zingerman’s Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Mich., at 2501 Jackson Ave.
- Fette Sau in Brooklyn, N.Y., at 354 Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg
- Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Mass., at 244 Huron Ave.
- Slows Bar BQ in Detroit at 2138 Michigan Ave.
- The Pit in Raleigh, N.C., at 328 W. Davie St.
- Martin’s Bar-b-que Joint in Nolensville, Tenn., at 7215 Nolensville Road.
There you have it folks, BBQ from the folks at Bon Appetit.
Nothing in Texas? South Carolina? Alabama? There’s some great names on their list, but some leave me scratching my head. Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge isn’t even listed on Pig Trip which is the definitive guide to barbecue restaurants in Massachusetts and their website doesn’t even mention barbeque. Get real here.
I wonder what the criteria was for their selections. Personally, I don’t think that Fette Sau belongs on this list, you can do much better in NYC, even in Brooklyn. Where did they find some of these folks? C’mon folks.
MUG® Root Beer - Brew-B-Q Sauce Winners
These 5 gentlemen were submitted as Brew-B-Q Dads in their family. Each one had a different story to tell, yet one fact remained the same, the term “#1 Dad”.
Mr. Courrier _ I was not given his first name - just “Dad”
Romney WV.
Jim Killian
Herndon Va.
Phil Fisher
Martinsburg, WV.
Paul Dean
Edinboro, PA
Jerry Lawson
Kearneysville, WV
I want to thank everyone for submitting their stories, letters and insights.
Congratulations - Enjoy your kits!
Chef Scott
My New Favorite Spice
McCormick Spices Worcestershire Ground Black Pepper Blend.
I’ve been using this stuff for the past couple of weeks wherever I’d use Worcestershire sauce. I’m very very happy with it.
I bought mine at the local Stop and Shop, but according to the McCormick website, it is available nation wide. Try it out!
Upcoming BBQ Events
Now that the weather is finally starting to get warm, grills are getting fired up on a regular basis, and with them, grilling and BBQ events abound. I mean, really, barbecue and summer just go hand in hand, so why not hit the road and celebrate it a bit? Here are some of the more popular BBQ events coming up around the country:
Tennessee Funfest, June 17-20, Lakeland, TN
BBQ Ribfest, June 18-21, Fort Wayne, IN
Mo Blues and Barbecue, June 19-20, Sedalia, MO
National Capital Barbecue Battle, June 27-28, Washington, DC
Pig Gig, August 6-9, Bay City, MI
North Star Blues & BBQ Festival, August 7-8, DeForest, WI
Capital City Ribfest, August 13-16, Lincoln, NE
Five Books For Father’s Day
Barnes and Noble suggests that you give your backyard grillin’ ol’ dad a new cookbook for Father’s Day this year. It’s not a bad idea if dad is into cookbooks, but if he’s like most of us guys, he won’t follow the directions! I know I rarely do. Recipes are for inspiration, not copying.
Here’s the five they are recommending…
First up is Smoke and Spice. BUY THIS BOOK. It’s great and is one of the books that inspired me to begin cooking real barbecue.
How to Grill. Another great book and one of the first grilling books that I took seriously.
Let the Flames Begin. What can I say about this classic by Chris Schlesinger, John Willoughby, William Meppem and John Burgoyne? This book is so good that it was reissued in 2002.
Mario Batali’s Italian Grill. Sorry folks. I don’t have this one yet, so I can’t comment.
And finally, Boy Meets Grill. I think this is Bobby Flay’s first cookbook and it’s pretty good. It’s a bit dated now, but still a good read. This one is probably the weakest of their recommendations. I’d go with any of the others, or one of Bobby’s newer books before buying this.
Father’s Day Give-a-way!
With Father’s Day fast approaching I’ve teamed up with the folks from MUG® Root Beer to offer five lucky fathers a chance at receiving a Father’s Day Brew-B-Q kit. Each kit includes a cooler, apron and recipe ingredients to make MUG® Root Beer Southern Specialty Brew-B-Q Sauce.
All you have to do is send me a brief 200 word story stating why your Dad is the top MUG® and why deserves the kit. The top five chosen will be listed on my blog and will receive direct from MUG® the Brew-B-Q kit. So get typing and get those stories to me. Be sure to include your name, your father’s name and your address and feel free to include a small jpeg picture of you and your father.
Please send all stories to Sharpsburg@frontiernet.net and in the subject line please write “Brew-B-Q Story” The winners will be announced here and on my personal blog on Father’s Day.
To all those fathers, grandfathers and future fathers to be; HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Chef Scott
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