So far I haven’t found a chile-flavored coffee, but there are certainly a growing number of chile-flavored beers, vodkas, and tequilas. I decided to taste-test six bottled chile beers to see if they were just heated-up lagers or whether or not some of them had some respectability. I bought the six beers at Total Wine, which seems to have the largest selection of beers in the city.
Burn! Tested: Ribs Within Chicken Rub
I first met Doug Keiles two years ago when I helper monkey’ed for his team, Ribs Within, at the Meatopia Bare Bones Barbecue Competition in Oakland’s Eat Real Fest. He’d just appeared on Chopped and was about as happy as it gets.
Little Bar Double R Sauce and Rub
Little Bar Double R’s Campfire Rub really lived up to its name for me. The company’s display at this year’s Fiery Foods Show was a huge hit. When they gave us a sample of the rub and a bottle of their Grand Teton BBQ Sauce to review I was eager to get started.
Burn! Tested: The Grillight Spatula
Just to be clear, I like any hand tool that reminds me of a lightsaber. That’s part of the appeal of the Grillight spatula, here. At least, for me. Honestly, if it had a little speaker and made lightsaber noises every time you flipped a burger, I’d grill in a full Darth Vader costume for the rest of my geeky little life. Grillight doesn’t. What it does do, surprisingly well, is illuminate your food while flipping it over hot grates.
All Spice Cafe: Fun with Chipotle Tapenade Burgers
As interesting characters at the Fiery Foods Show go, JD Cowles ranks near the top of the list. He’s usually rocking a dyed goattee and ‘stache while showing off the latest and greatest spicy offerings from his All Spice Cafe in Venice Beach, California. JD’s been going to the show for at least as long as I have, so he knows his way around making great spicy sauces, snacks, and more. Like his Chipotle Olive Tapenade.
Island Grillstone
I’ve cooked on salt blocks from the Himalayans, cedar planks from the Northwest, apple wood planks from New Hampshire and a bunch of other stuff but never a piece of volcanic rock! I used it to cook steak, poultry, veggies, seafood and even pizza! Unlike a salt block, the grill stone doesn’t add any salt flavor to the food so you need to season the food before cooking.
Bloody Marys for Badasses?
The arrival of spring always gets me excited about brunch: the blooming roses, the fresh fruit, eggs of various types, and of course, brunch cocktails. In one of my blog posts recently, I said something like “I prefer spicy Bloody Marys,” and apparently, this phrase triggered a response from The God of Spicy Bloody Marys: Crazy Steve.
