Mrs. BigDumbChimp and I made a quick run over to the Mt. P farmers market and just grabbed a bunch of stuff. Looks good though!! Beets, cucumbers for some Yankee freezer pickles, strawberries, green beens, broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes, onions and some honey. Gotta love spring.

Ok, lets hope this gets me back on the horse for real.

Beef short ribs are like heaven. Like beef cheeks or a good brasato al barolo, they have an amazing beef flavor with that fork tender fall part texture. It’s a great fall-winter meal but damn If I wouldn’t eat them all year long.

As always, source your beef from a good butcher who can make sure you get nice big thick shortribs. you can use the cross-cut or the single rib style. My butcher had the cross cut so thats what was used here.

Wine Braised Short Ribs

3-3 1/2 lbs. cross cut beef short ribs

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

2 tbs olive oil

4 strips of bacon or 1/4 lbs. pancetta

2 medium onions diced

1 celery stalk diced

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

3 large carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

6 large garlic cloves peeled and rough chopped

1 leek thinly sliced white part

1 dried chile (I used a Mulato) stem and seeds removed, ripped into small pieces

1 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes and juice

3 flat leaf parsley sprigs with stems whole plus

1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1 large basil sprig plus 1/3 cup ripped basil leaves

1 large thyme sprig

1 bay leaf

Blue cheese Grits

4 cups homemade Chicken Stock

1 cup stone ground grits

a big handful of good quality blue cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the over to 300° F.
2. Season the short-ribs well with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat and render the bacon or pancetta.
4. brown the short ribs on all sides
5. Do not crowd the short ribs. If you need to do them in more than one batch that is perfectly fine
6. remove the short ribs and set on a platter
7. add the onion and celery to the bacon fat and cook for about 5 mins until soft
8. Pour in the red wine and bring to a boil deglazing the pan using a wooden spoon to scrape the good bits off the bottom of the pan.
9. Add the carrots, leeks, garlic, chile, tomatoes and juice to the pan and bring back to a boil
10. Add the ribs and any juices, the Parsley and basil sprigs and bay leaf
11. remove from heat, cover with a damp piece of parchment paper and then the lid. Set in the center of the preheated oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours
12. After 1 1/2 hour uncover and cook another 1 1/2 back in the oven or until very tender
13. if the ribs are done before your grits, turn off the oven and leave the ribs in until the grits are done. A little extra cooking won’t hurt them.
14. With about 20 mins left for the ribs, start on the grits
15. Bring the four cups of homemade chicken stock (you do have homemade chicken stock don’t you?) to a boil.
16. Add 1 cup of rough stone ground grits with a pinch of salt (depending on how salty your stock is)
17. cook for between 20-25 mins until the grits are tender but not mushy with a slightly runny but not liquidy consistency
18. add a big handful of good quality highly “stinky” blue cheese of your choice.
19. season with salt if needed and pepper
20. Plate the meal but laying down a large portion of the grits and the placing a couple ribs and spooning the sauce over the top

You can use a knife but you’ll find you won’t need it. Enjoy

I’ve been a real bad blog daddy…. again. But I’m back I have a few posts in mind for the next few weeks and I hope to be making it out to the Pig Pickn’ this weekend, but just got some family news that might make that unlikely. So look forward (those that still check in here) for more Porky goodness soon.

The Publix Super Markets Charities
Prestigious Palmetto Pig Pick’n Championship
Sponsored by the
Olde Charlestowne Sertoma Club
P. O. Box 31459
Charleston, SC 29417-1669
Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: February 18, 2008 Phone: (843) 225-0008

Contact: Maria Aselage maria@hearsaycommunications.com

Olde Charlestowne Sertoma Club Holds 24th Annual Publix Prestigious Palmetto Pig Pick’n ~ A Portion of the Proceeds Will be Donated to a Lowcountry Literacy Program ~

Web site here

CHARLESTON, SC – The Olde Charlestowne Sertoma Club will be “hamming it up” at the Exchange Park in Ladson on March 7 & 8 during its 24th annual Publix Prestigious Palmetto Pig Pick‟n. One of the largest barbecue contests in the Southeast, this year‟s event boasts more than 60 cooking teams competing in the Lowcountry Division Contest. The event will also host members of the Kansas City Barbecue Society, the world’s largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts with over 8,000 members worldwide. Additionally, Southern Living BBQ on Tour will be part of the competition. “This year, the event will pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss‟ The Cat in the Hat by using the theme „The Pig in the Hat,‟” said Tommy Brush, director of the 2008 Publix Prestigious Palmetto Pig Pick‟n. “We will be donating $2.00 from each ticket sold to the Trident Literacy Association, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase literacy in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. Additionally, we ask everyone to bring a children‟s book that will be donated to Lowcountry schools.”
The fun begins on Friday, March 7, at 5:00 p.m. for the annual “Anything Butt” contest. Participants will cook anything but pork – foods such as alligator, catfish stew, tenderloin, quail and shrimp – and compete for prizes. Admission into the park that night is $5.00 and an additional $10.00 to sample the unique cuisine. Guests will also get the chance on Friday to visit with the cooking teams and learn more about the art of barbecue.

Gates open on Saturday, March 8, at 1:00 p.m. with the sampling starting at 2:00 p.m. For $20.00, the public will get into the gate and will enjoy endless samples of barbecue from all of the competing teams in the Lowcountry Division contest. At 4:00 p.m., the East Coast Party Band takes the stage. Trophies and prize money will be given to the winning cooking teams at 5:30 p.m., and at 8:00 p.m. the day ends with the WW Williams fireworks display. Coupons for $5.00 off Saturday‟s gate admission will be available at all Lowcountry Publix grocery stores the week of the event. Additionally, those who bring a children‟s book will receive $2.00 off the admission price on Saturday.
“This two day event has something for the entire family to enjoy, including the kids,” said Mr. Brush. “I encourage everyone to join us for two days of food, fun and fireworks. Not only will you get to sample some of the best barbecue the area has to offer, but you will have the opportunity to promote literacy for all Lowcountry residents.”

Repeal Day!

75 years ago today one of the most moronic and unsuccessful attempts by the “Holier than thou” crowd was repealed. Celebrate today with a beer, a glass of wine, a whiskey or any adult beverage of your preference.

The 21st Amendment

Ratified December 5, 1933

Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use there in of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

Cheers!! In your face Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

Dales Pale Ale, Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abby Ale, Coopers Strong Vintage Ale, Heavy Seas “Hang Ten” Weizen Dopplebock, Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, Bell’s Pale Ale, Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale, Dogfish Head 90 Min IPA, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, Dogfish Head Midas Touch, Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu, Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine, Dogfish Head Immort Ale, Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner, Ommegang Witte, Ommegang Abbey Ale, Ommegang Three Philosophers, Terrapin Rye Squared, Great Divide Hades Ale, Great Divide St. Bridget’s Porter, Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine, Meantime London Porter, Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale, Allagash White, Allagash Curieux, Kasteel Bruin-Brune, Samichlaus, Stoudt Fat Dog, Young’s Old Nick Barleywine, St. Bernardus Abt 12, Saison Dupont, Flying Dog Wild Dog Weizenbock (yikes I need to drink this), Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga “The Firefly” , Nøgne ØAmerican Porter, Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock, Brasserie Dubuisson Bush “Scaldis” Quadruppel, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier

Whew

The wife and my 5th wedding anniversary is this weekend and we have all sorts of things planned including last night’s trip to Ted’s Butcherblock for the 4th installment of their Beer tasting and food pairing. As usual it was a wonderful evening with fantastic beers from all over the world (none of which I had had before) and great food from the head chef.

1st pairing

Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale paired with plumb glazed spareribs and a spicy zucchini, asparagus chutney

While I knew there are more beers that come out of Australia than the less than extraordinary macro style brews like Foster’s, I had never had any of them. The first pairing was going to introduce an English style Strong Ale from Coopers Brewery Unlimited of Regency Park. Coopers was founded in South Australia in 1862 by two English brothers, Thomas and John Cooper. The brewery is still family owned (the only large family owned Australian brewery) and produces some of the best ales and lagers in the country. The night’s selection was Coopers’ version of an English Strong Ale, the7.5% ABV Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale paired with plumb glazed pork spareribs and a spicy zucchini and asparagus chutney (I’ve got to bring my camera next time…). The beer is cloudy from the bottle conditioning and has a nice copper color. The aroma is fruity with a nice malt character with caramel and yeast. You can taste the malts up front with a slight bit of hoppyness in the finish. A little fruit is present and the caramel from the nose comes through. You can feel a bit of the alcohol heat with the medium body. The beer paired well with the ribs. The sticky sweetness of the plumb glaze was easily cut by the crispness of the beer. The slightly spicy chutney (my wife would tell you it was very spicy) fared well with the maltyness and caramel hints in the beer. Great start to the night.

2nd pairing

Jolly Pumpkin Artisnal ALes Oro De Calabaza paired with Beer Battered Cheddar and fresh ranch

The short story behind the owner of this brewery was enough to want to try the beer right away. First off, the owner calls himself Captain Spooky Ron J so you can probably guess at what type of operation this is. He owns Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter Michigan which is named as such because, according to our host, it was the only name that made him smile.

Many great names came forth that afternoon, but as the weeks passed, and spring finally sprung, the name that always made us smile was Jolly Pumpkin. It encompassed everything we wanted to express about our brewery. Fun and quirky, all that needed adding were the last two words; “Artisan Ales”, the description of the brewery’s products and mission; The creation of fantastic beers of truly outstanding artisan quality. Maintaining traditional small scale production, keeping beer a beverage of both outstanding complexity and simplicity, this would be our laudable goal. Complexity of flavor, simplicity of ingredient and process. This duality was perfectly balanced in the name. Simple and complex. Complex yet simple.

To our delight with our wonderful new found name we were able to combine some very fun and exciting images:

Everyone’s favorite holiday; Halloween (Who doesn’t enjoy the grinning Jack O’ Lantern?)
Everyone’s favorite Halloween costume; the pirate!
Some of my favorite locations; the tropics!
And my two nicknames: Brewmaster Spooky, and Captain Ron

And hence was born the strange name by the brewer with the dedication to rustic county beers!

So needless to say, this is a pretty fun brewery. They use a number of traditional techniques including open fermentation and bottle conditioning to bring about very complex beers that tip a hat to the older ways of brewing. The selection for us was the Oro de Calabaza. A french farmhouse style ale called Biere de Garde similar to a saison but with more character. It is 8% ABV and comes in Champagne style 750 ml bottles. When they opened up the bottles to pour a thick column of foam immediately snaked out of the bottle hitting at the well structured brew contained within. It poured a nice golden color with a white head. The tasting cups we were given were pretty small (although they never stayed empty) so a true representation of the head was difficult. The nose contains strong citrus especially lemon, vinegar, funky somewhat musty hints, apple peel, and banana. Taste is fantastic, complex sweet and sour, lemon, lemon peel, spices, malty sweetness. The Belgian yeast is evident with the sour and funk. Very tasty. Even with the complex flavors and 8% ABV it has a very light mouth feel and is very drinkable. The chef paired this fine brew with a light beer battered cheddar and a fresh ranch sauce. Now don’t get me wrong, ranch is the retarded red-headed step child of sauces. It was the bane of my existence as a chef and still is as a foodie presently. Everything that is bad about mass produced food and quick trough feed restaurants is summed up with the fake flavors and sickly chemical fatty vehicle contained in Ranch Dressing. This was not “that” ranch. It was a well made creamy sauce with real herbs and flavors. The mild cheddar in a light crispy batter with the “real” ranch was actually pretty nice. It was not my favorite pairing of the night, but it was still quite good.

3rd pairing

Nøgne Ø American Style Porter with a Norwegian Codfish and potato cake

This was my favorite pairing of the night (the ribs and Coopers coming in a close second). I’m pretty much 100% sure that I’ve never had or even thought about Norwegian beer. This pairing is of the Norwegian Nøgne Ø (pronounced something close to Nugna-UH) Porter with the fittingly Scandinavian Codfish and potato cake with a freshly made tartar sauce. Porter with fish you ask? Well so did I. But damn if it didn’t work, and work well. Nøgone Ø was founded in 2002 by Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun who while working as an airline pilot discovered that there were no Norwegian breweries that matched the complexity and variety found in other countries. So he started Nøgone Ø ( old Norwegian/Danish for “Naked Isle”). They make a number of styles and they seem to be doing just find considering that some of their beers are consistently the highest rated in Norway for their style. This porter is an American style porter. You first notice that this is a very dark porter totally black with just a bit of light on the edges. Coffee, dark roasted malt, chocolate, smoke and a slightly sweet fruity note on the nose. It pours with a nice tan head that leaves some traces on the glass as you drink. As expected you taste the roasted malt and smoke up front with some obvious sweetness. The hops and some slight leathery dryness come through at the end and linger for a bit. Medium to heavy slightly creamy body. Wonderful overall experience. Will be picking up this as I find it. Now the fish with this was an interesting choice but it worked well. The fishcake with a squeeze of lemon and the creamy tangy tartar sauce was easily cut with the creaminess and malt of the Porter. I was left wanting more and tried to steal my wife’s, but she is too quick. 5 years today? Feels like 50…. Just joking honey!!

4th pairing

Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock with a fresh Weißwurst containing duck liver, sauerkraut, spicy brown mustard and a fresh baked soft pretzel.

In yet another moment of education I learned what an Weizen-Eisbock style beer is. Literally translated is “wheat ice bock”. It is made by brewing a strong bock and then freezing it at the end of fermentation to crystallize a portion of the water. The remaining beer is then poured off resulting in a more concentrated brew in both alcohol and flavor. The original beer that is brewed is the Weisendopplebock with weighs in a8.2% ABV. The resulting Weizen-Eisbock is a crushing 12% ABV. The beer is dark and ruby colored with a light tan head. Smells include dried dark fruit, yeast, chocolate, caramel. Tastes include upfront banana followed by roasted malt, honey, coffee, toffee, some spice including slight cinnamon. The alcohol has an almost rum character and brings with it the expected warmth that comes with 12%. Has a medium to heavy body with a slight carbonation. Very tasty. The beer paired nicely with the Weißwurst, kraut, mustard and soft pretzel. The sausage was freshly made and had an extra richness due to the duck liver. This and the spices went well with the high octane brew we were drinking.

5th Pairing

Brasserie Dubuisson Scaldis Quadrupel paired with Belgian waffles with coffee and chocolate sauces.

Known else ware in the world as “Bush“, it had to change it’s name to Scaldis for distribution here in the states. The brewery was founded in 1769 and has been producing Belgian style ales for the past 230+ years. Scaldis is bottled in small 8.8 oz bottles at 12% ABV. Very clear amber color with a light head that wanted to hang around. The aroma is almost chemical with dark fruit, earthy, sweet and you can really smell the alcohol. The taste is upfront sweet malt with some earthy nuttiness, spice again some of the medicinal chemicals, flowers. Medium rich body. Strong alcohol. Not the best beer of the night. Still good but not great. Pairing with the waffles and sauces worked but I’d give this the lease favorite of the night overall.

Always fun at Ted’s for these types of events. Can’t wait until next month!

Well it was time to find another bourbon to try so I scurried (yes scurried) down to the local liquor store to see what was going to be next. After the last two reviews I has going to have to find something that would stand up. Sitting right next to Noah’s Mill was this bottle of Rowan’s Creek. You can tell that it comes from the same people that gave us Noah’s mill by the familiar brown “rustic” style label. This bourbon is named after the creek that “Noah’s Mill” resides on. The creek was the sole source of the limestone filtered water that is used in both Noah’s mill and Rowan’s Creek bourbons (as well as others).

Rowan’s Creek is stored in charred oak barrels Twelve years and it is bottled at 50.05% alc./vol. (100.1 proof). As is Noah’s Mill, Rowan’s Creek is hand bottled in small batches. It is almost as rich and dark a color as it’s bigger brother and you can tell by the smell and assume by its proof that it is a slightly lighter product. This is not a bad thing by any means, it is just different. It’s quite fragrant although not as rich as Noah’s Mill. Expected hits of Caramel, fruit, and vanilla. The taste is less in your face as Noah’s but very smooth and still quite rich. The taste has vanilla, smoke, oak, leather, some pear, lemon, and floral notes. Very drinkable with a medium body. It’s not as super charged as Noah’s so have a few (like you don’t have a few Noah’s?). I think I paid $30.00 a 750ml so it is a little bit more affordable than buying the big costly bourbons like Bookers and Noah’s. This is one that I’ll keep around. Less kick that the high octane Noah’s but keeps the high quality standards of its sibling. Very nice.

I think I’ll try and track down some of this next.

So you’ve made the ribs and have some of the rub and sauce left over, what now? This is a great recipe to use some of the condiments from the ribs for another meal.

Ingredients

Pork

• One pork tenderloin (feeds two)

• 1/2 cup of Memphis BBQ sauce

• 1/4 cup spice rub

Slaw

• Half head of green and a half head of purple cabbage

• 1 poblano pepper

• 1/4 spanish onion

• 1 carrot

• 1 chiptole peppers in adobo sauce

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

• 1/4 cup cider vinegar

• sugar to taste (about 1/8 to 1/4 cup

• hand full of fresh cilantro

• salt and fresh ground black pepper

Grits

• 1 cup of stone ground yellow grits (if I hear of anyone using any kind of instant grits I will find you and beat you with a rubber spatula)

• 4 cups water

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 5 poblano peppers

• 1/4 cup sharp cheese (I’ve used a couple different kinds from white cheddar to manchego but I could see goat cheese in here as well)

• salt and pepper

Shred or thinly slice the cabbage, carrot, onion. Thin Julianne the poblano. Using a small robocoup, puree the chipotle, vinegar, sugar and yogurt until smooth. Adjust the levels to taste. I find that depending on the vinegar and the chiptole and even the yogurt that it can vary. Mix all together in an non-reactive bowl. Cover and refrigerate until use. Add the rough chopped cilantro right before serving.  Make the slaw up to a day ahead of time.

 Clean the tenderloin of all extra fat and any silverskin. Rub the entire piece of meat with the BBQ rub and let it sit out for 30 mins. Meanwhile start the grill.

Once the grill is blazing hot, roast the Poblanos until nice a charred on all sides and soft. Remove them and seal in a zip top bag or in a shallow baking dish covered tightly with plastic wrap. Let them steam themselves  for 5-10 mins. Remove from the bag, stem and seed and peel the charred skin from the flesh of the pepper. This should be VERY easy to do. If it is not, you did not char the peppers enough. That’s fine but remember next time you do this. Dice the flesh and set aside.

Throw the tenderloin on the grill. Get a good char on all sides and then move to a cooler spot on the grill. Cook until about  an internal temp of 165° (you can go lower but people get squeamish with pork).

While the tenderloin is cooking (don’t forget about turning it), bring the water to a boil and whisk in the grits. Lower the heat to med low. Keep an eye on these babies. They will stick and burn if you aren’t careful.

Once the grits are on they take about 18 mins to complete. Keep stirring them. When the grits start to harden up, add the poblanos. Taste the grits to make sure they are done. They should be al dente but not crunchy. Add the cream to your desired creaminess, turn down the heat and go check on your pork.

When the pork is almost done brush all over with the BBQ sauce, put it back on the hot part of the grill. Caramelize the sauce on all sides and remove from the grill.

Let the pork sit for 7-10 mins.

Check on your grits. If they are too tight you can add water or more cream.

Right before serving stir in the cheese and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Slice the pork on a bias and serve on top of the grits with some warmed BBQ sauce and a big helping of slaw.

Drink beer and lots of it.