Rumor Confirmed!

... this might be the first recipie I ever learned.

While it has been absolutely true that I've been more than my share of lazy with regard to this blog, I am pleased to report that my apparent lazyness in just that. Merely Apparent.


I am pleased to announce that the new blog goes live today. A link in the side bar has been added to this blog so you can get there easily, and here is a link to Grill For One if you would rather click now.

I've exported all of the grill related posts from this blog and they sit in the hopper over there as they are re-formatted to fit the new template. I already like the updated editor and the wider format. I may have to experiment with a new template for this blog.

Grill For One, which can be found at grill41.blogspot.com, currently has quite a pipeline of new material, and I am looking forward to posting several of my staple grill recipies. There is even some level of interest from my local cooking supply store and school. The ability to get a sponsor, sell some advertising, and perhaps even teach a class or two are all reasons behind grill41.

Now, I need to go add the Legal page to Grill 41 before the first post goes off in a few hours.

Enjoy!

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Food for Thought

I would like to know what you would put on this burger. To get you started, this is a toasted crown-cut whole-wheat Kaiser roll, a 1/2 pound Bison patty, cooked well (but oh so juicy) with a five-slice rosette of Turkey Pepperoni and about 5/8 ounce of Monterrey Jack Cheese.

Comments Requested

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Bad Brad's

Believe it or not, the URL for Bad Brad's Bar-B-Q appears to be broken. I've posted it anyway, and will update it as needed. They have refreshed their logo, and the menu, but everything is the same down to the multiple police vehicles in the parking lot. An officer was pulling in after me. I know I was doing the speed limit. He was making a bee-line for the door.



I had to fire the flash to get this shot. There is the fireplace that I shot from the outside yesterday. There is a second dining room as well. If the parking lots a full, just wait for a parking spot to open and there will be a seat inside. There are also picnic tables outside for extra nice days, which are coming on fast.


No blue plate. Just a wrapped sandwich and a bowl of beans. No need for an appetizer and the drink is a root-beer. Cold bottle beer is available too. There are three police cars in the parking lot. If it is noon, there is contingent of lawyers in the forward dining room. This restaurant is 1.0 miles from the county courthouse. Ergo, the one and done policy for beer and the strong preference from the root variety.


This is the original home-brew smoker. This is where the magic of BBQ happens. They let it run for a very long time, based on how deep the smoke reddening goes into the brisket. Take a really close look at the sandwich. It's sliced brisket. The shed for this smoker is new. Here's why:

There is a second smoker in the shed now. It's nearly identical to the first, but slightly updated and improved. This is where the liquid smoke for the BBQ sauce is produced. Without the magic in these two crucibles of BBQ perfection, you'd never get the sauce that comes from this place.

It is all in the taste, and the fact that I saw the liquid smoke collection system in years past. I happen to believe that the liquid smoke is more valuable than the smoked eats of all kinds that come from these kettles. Of course, the two go hand in hand. After eating here, I could qualify for a case of smoke inhalation at any hospital emergency room, and all I've done is eat BBQ. I will be tasting Bad Brad's for days.

It is in this chamber that more magic happens. Outdoors, it is here that the smoked meat finishes it's cooking. Very slowly. This place is locked up at night, as it takes well more than 24 hours for a new piece of flesh to make it's way to you your table, and it's never chilled as far as I can see. In fact, there are stacked warmers in the prep room. Literally, this place is a continuous bar-b-q operation, as are many other pit BBQ places. Brad's has three locations in Oklahoma.

If you call ahead, they've got a drive through. There's no cord to drive over, so you have to honk. They're more likely to come out the door to do business.

But if you ask, they'll do the drive-thru thing with the little window and all. Seems a bit rushed after 1600 miles of driving, but if that's your only reason for coming, I suggest you buy a few gallons of sauce and as much smoked brisket as they will sell you. Call ahead if you need allot, an they are happy to oblige. I plan to save room for some brisket and other smoked goodies, time permitting.

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Hardcore Spin-Off

I like my new camera more than I like this pizza.

Chunked chicken does not belong on a pizza, so, I had to make another.

Any chicken here? Sure is. Plenty. I took a breast, grilled and shredded it. Mixed it with some Thai rub and a bit of BBQ sauce just to make it smokey and sweet. I used the shredded chicken-and-rub-BBQ as the sauce. Spoon it on and spread it around. The cheese here is a hard-to-melt English Coastal Cheddar, and some quality Mozzarella.

Olives were cut with a new sushi knife. Rings are forever gone. These things work much better.


Cooking is going nicely and the shape is going bowl-o. I had not expected this, but I have repeated the result many times. Here is a cooked and detailed ultra-thin dough. I've taken 1/8 of a recipe and made a 12" pizza. My neighbor loved it. I got one slice.

This was declared a paper-plate crust. Want one?

I don't deliver pizza anymore, but I will make a deal with you.

I've got enough pizza stuff to make a whole new blog, and there are some that have pestered me to purchase dough balls so that they can make their own gluten-free pizza. This tells me that I really need to make a blog just for the pizza thing. Therefore, I will do so.

Once the pizza blog is ready to go on-line, the first post will be the recipe for the classic gluten-free pizza crust that you see above. It works like a pastry and has a bit of forgiveness. Do me the honor and come back to this blog and check the "Links" section to find the haphazard, semi-live pizza blog.

Cheers!

A Slice of Perspective with Guile and Cheese

Take a close look. I told you I was not done with Pizza.

That's yummy melted cheese and a slice of Pepperoni. It's even crispy from the heat.

Melted cheese of different kinds, an Italian blend and Fontinella.

Look close, and you can see that it's Turkey Pepperoni. The sauce can be just about anything, but if you're near a Trader Joe's, get a jar of their Pizza Sauce.

Yea, did you look below the Pepperoni? Did you think this was just going to be any normal pizza? No, I had a single tri-lobe Manzano Pepper, that I took the top and bottom off of, and knocked the seeds out of the middle. Then I sliced it like a bell pepper, and divided it along the septa to make rings of heavenly capsicum goodness. The center is the hottest part. The top and bottom can be sliced and passed out to your guests to build confidence.

While you're using the back of a spoon to spread sauce across your crust, which is a Boboli Round in this case, gently smile as you chew on one of the top or bottom pieces. Note that it will be a gentle warm if the center of the pepper is extremely hot. If your sample is more like a bell pepper, then you've got a dud. I like to put the cheese in the middle and push it out. On large pizzas, however, a ring of cheese is much better.

Yes, this is a small Boboli. I bought a two-pack, and this was the second one. The first was identical to this in construction, except that used I pesto sauce instead of pizza sauce. Some people I know cringe at the idea of a green pizza. It's all in the degree of sauce you put on. You have to understand the power of your layers. Pesto is very strong. Go light. Note that there are no peppers in the center of the pizza. This is very important.

If there is any one piece of advice I can give to any pizza maker, it is to keep the toppings away from the center. This is pizza will fit on a 10" dinner plate when done, so I'm already crowding the center with cheese alone.

Now a thin layer of low-fat cheddar cheese. Try to keep the sheen down if you can. Less oil is better. It's not a car.

That's too much Pepperoni for a normal pizza. This is the decepticon layer. I particularly like the endless layering of the inner ring. It will make it easier to cut this pizza. Turkey Pepperoni is more forgiving of overpopulation because it has 70% less fat than regular Pepperoni. The bag says so.

The oil level in full-flavor Pepperoni is so high that you must reduce the population level. I am sure that Domino's knew this, because their 'roni was very dry. It was the Salami that was the real greaseball on the makeline.

Here I've upped the ante' with Parmesan and other fine cheeses as a topping to further entice my guests.

Perched atop the center of a blistering hot Pizza Stone, the crumbled bits of Fontinella are melting as the convection of the closed BBQ cooks the pizza from the top down. The heat from the stone is working to crisp the crust, and the crust does it's thing. Sometimes it bubbles and needs to be popped. You just don't want to make carbon out of it.


If everything goes well, and you keep your items out of the center of the pizza like a good itemizer, then you can cut your finished pizza into nice small thin slices with distinct fine points.

Yes, this Attack Formation is ready to commit sensory assault on your guests. If you've been lucky enough to get to the pepperoni stage before they visit the assembly line, then there is a good chance that they will never even see the peppers until its far too late. Take a look at the first three shots and see if any kind of dangerous hot pepper is visible.

I can report that I safely consumed this pizza with no ill effects or losses of friendship. As point of fact, the experiments have continued on the searing hot pizza stone of goodness that often warms the evening air on the rooftop deck. Several of my neighbors have been enticed by the aroma for freshly baked and risen dough, melted cheese and a variety of sauces. Not all of the pizzas have Monzano Peppers, but the majority do, and I like these the best.

And now, so do my Neighbors.

Manzano Poppers

This is my most ambitious post so far, and I am applying everything I've told you about blogging to bring you a Recipe Blog. Yes, I have seen so many posts that make me hungry, it's time for my revenge. So, here are my blurry pictures that I shot without a viewfinder, and hyper-fast video clip. Note that the formatting is likey to by rather whacked. I am not an HTML expert yet, so please bear with me as I just use the old editor. Without further ado:

Gas Grilled Manzano Poppers

(um, can I get a larger font?)

Above, you will see a montage of the ingredients we're going to use, except for one. Did I mention that I don't have a viewfinder on the camera? I've played with a number of cheeses, and since it is going to melt, you want one that melts well, and sticks together. It also needs enough taste to tell you "cheese" before, well, you encounter the power of the Manzano. For this, I have chosen Fontinella.

Buried as the backdrop, you can make out the premium center cut bacon. Note, don't get thick cut bacon for this. It won't work well. Get the leanest, oddly shaped, center cut bacon. Short strips are OK, and you're not serving these for the bacon anyway. It's really window-dressing to entice your prey please your guests. It also helps to absorb some of the heat from the pepper. Yes, after cooking, peeling and eating just the bacon will lite your fire.

Ingredients

• One or more Manzano Peppers ($13.99/lb@Vons)
• Premium Center Cut Bacon, Regular Cut (not thick)
• Fontinella Cheese (or multi-cheese melty blend)
• Blue Agave Sweetner (or Honey in a bottle)

Since this is a bacon-wrapped desert appetizer you'll need toothpicks to secure the bacon to itself. I strongly suggest Bamboo Toothpicks. Not because they are environmentally correct, and are not made from trees, but because they work better.

Because they are Bamboo, they slide through the bacon (and into the pepper if need be) without grabbing and tearing like a Birch toothpick will. If you can get Bamboo Toothpicks, do so.

Here are the four peppers that we are going to get prepared and grilled. Each pepper will yield between 2 and 4 poppers, depending on how it is segmented. The pepper in the bottom left corner is triple segmented, having three septa. The rest are double septa peppers. You can tell by shining a bright light into the side wall and looking at the ends of the pepper to see what lights up.

For a three-lobed or tri-septa pepper, the goal is to bisect the septum (split the membrane) on each of the three segments. This, of course, takes three cuts. Here are three horrible photos of the three cuts. Look to the stem to see the angle. Note the depth.

The knife I am using is a 12cm paring knife, and it is very sharp.

For double chamber peppers, cut opposite the septa, to make a pair of halves, and once you can see the septa, split the halves into quarters by splitting the septa.

After the third cut, gently pry the segments apart from the bottom. You will need to make sure that all three cuts intersect at the base of the pepper. This is why it looks a little deep. It is.

And you will get three pieces, that are 90% sealed up, and almost resemble apple slices. This may be one of the reasons that "Manzano" has been translated to "Apple." The hottest part of the pepper is right next to the seeds. Preserve this if, if you're lucky, on the stemmed piece. Remember to give the stemmed pepper to a friend, and try not to blush when you do.

Use the tip of the very sharp knife to both incise into the pockets and to knock the seeds off of the central spire. Take care to hold the pepper by the outer edges. Use Nitrile or Latex gloves (powder free) if you have sensitive skin. Try NOT to touch the septa (membranes) or central pepper stem with your fingers.
Shake the seeds out of the pockets. Save the seeds for someone with a green thumb. Do not give this person a stemmed popper.


Add a small amount of Blue Agave Sweetener, or a slightly smaller amount of honey. This will add an initial sweet taste to the stuffing and prevent any early pepper pungency that can discourage timid guests. Since Manzano Peppers are up to 10 times hotter than a Jalapeno, a little regulation on the heat does not hurt.

I use grated Fontinella, and since it is fresh and sticky, it works very well in the peppers. This pepper does not have a nice septum covering it up, but it will wrap just the same. As long as the outside arc of skin is more than 90 degrees, you can stuff and wrap it. It may not be the most ideal thing, and much cheese may melt, away, but it will never be a waste.

Careful use of the toothpicks will secure the bacon in place. After the bacon starts to cook and fuse together, the toothpick is not as important. However, if you can get it to survive the grilling process, it makes a somewhat safe handle to manipulate the pepper by.

Cook over Medium-Low heat. Do not let flames encroach. After they begin to cook feel free to pour a lite coat of Agave or Honey, or whatever else you'd like to try. Experiment. After turning, coat again. Watch to make sure you don't have flare-ups do to burning sugar. If you do, move the pepper to a safer area. When in doubt, turn the poppers. I do not think you can turn them too much.

The idea is to slowly cook the bacon all the way around. The cheese will melt, don't worry about that. Some will escape. Grab a toothpick and snag the cheese. Even a small drip of cheese will lite up your life. Don't touch your eye. If you do, you are required to post your results here and tell us what happened.



Now, here's my problem. I can smell these things now. So, I have no choice but to spread the torture. For me, I can go make them. I can do them in the dark with an LED flashlight if have have to. I'm feeling a bit lazy. So, to enjoy the torture, just watch the clip below.

Oh yea. Time for a cautionary note. Capsicum Oil will atomize in the steam and smoke in a closed grill. While a closed grill is optimum for cooking Manzano Poppers, it is a pepper spray bomb waiting to be unleashed. Turn your head away from the grill when you open it. This is a mistake you will make only once, and then, your anxiousness will be tempered by the memory of the pain. Consider yourself warned.

I decided that the poppers needed another coat of Agave. They are basically done at this point.

Now, I turn the heat down to low and place a piece of folded foil on the bun-rack. As the poppers complete their cooking (yes, they are all different) onto the sheet they go for storage. It is sometimes necessary to prop one pepper on another to get the right area to cook. Bacon should be properly cooked, and in this case, just this side of crispy.

That's it. I'm done with this post, and I can not stand it any more. I am just happy that I've still got one of these fourteen poppers left. They will keep for a long time in the fridge, and they are fantastic cold, warm, re-heated on the bun warmer the next day, etc.

Just don't use a microwave.