I recently received some of Rod Gray’s line of sauces and rubs – “IPO,” a Memphis-style sauce; “The Next Best Thing,” a Kansas City-style sauce; “Zero to Hero” (a sweet rub); and “The Most Powerful Stuff,” what he calls a “purposeful rub.”
Chuppacobbler: Sweet Fire for the Super Bowl
In the middle of all the online jokes about the two states where marijuana is legal having teams in the “Super Bowl,” you’ll need to find a dessert suitable for that big Super Bowl party you’re planning. You could be all safe and whatnot, but if you’re guests are expecting something different, this dish is hotter and edgier than a strip club on a desert cliff. I’m talking about a concoction my friends and I call, “Chuppacobbler.”
The Italian Job: Adding a Little Mojo to Grilled Sausage Sammiches
Usually when you hear the word “tapenade” spoken while watching football or basketball, it’s grounds for revoking one’s man card. This tradition goes back to the cavemen, who, not having olive spread handy, never used it on charred mammoth. Thus, a tasty sammich spread never found its way into the manly lexicon of acceptable condiments (unlike ketchup and mustard, which as we all know, occurred naturally in large pools back then—I saw that on Fox News, so it must be true).
Masker’s Yule Hog Part 3: Hamming it Up for Santa
“The flu, Kringle? Really? That’s what bacon, sausage, and ham get me for Christmas?” That’s what went through my head when I staggered out of bed this year to an empty plate and no Big Green Egg under the tree. Oh, well. At least my family still loves me (thank you very much for the FoodSaver vacuum sealer, Mom and …
Masker’s Yule Hog Part 2: Pork Belly Christmas Sausage
For the second part of my pork bribe to Santa, I ground up Christmas breakfast sausage. Not just any sausage, though. I used the pork belly trimmings left over from the slabs of bacon I cut up for curing last week.
Masker’s Yule Hog, Part 1: Home-Cured Christmas Bacon
Apparently, two dozen gingerbread strippers and a bottle of cheap scotch wasn’t enough to buy Santa’s forgiveness last year. He did not provide the Big Green Egg I’d requested despite my generous bribe. I found plenty of fuel for an Egg in my stocking, though. This year I’m upping the ante. No jolly old elf can resist three different types of Christmas pork waiting on a plate. While I’m at it, I’ll share the recipes as I go along. If it works, maybe you can buy your naughty self into his good graces too. Christmas bacon seems like a good lead-in. Here’s how I’m going about it.
Drinking in the New Year (and Christmas)
Well, we’re about to leap into 2015, so we guess some celebrating is in order. But first, some comments about celebrations on New Year’s Eve from some wise philosophers. “I’m not a drinker,” said Woody Allen, “my body won’t tolerate spirits, really. I had two martinis New Year’s Eve and I tried to hijack an elevator and fly it to Cuba.” Don Marquis confesses: “I drink only to make my family seem interesting.” And perhaps the wisest philosopher all, the great Henny Youngman, said about his family, “My grandmother is over eighty and still doesn’t need glasses. Drinks right out of the bottle.” We’re going one step better than that. Here are two of our favorite Christmas and New Year’s Eve drinks.
