Scouting was over. I knew the conditions of the San Diego Burger Battle. Time to roll up the sleeves, plan, and execute. We would have two hours to create our burgers and turn in two presentation boxes–one for appearance judging, one with enough burgers to feed the four judges. You could provide each taster with their own full hamburger or chop one into fourths; sliders were an option too and you’d need one per judge to munch on.
4 Great Articles for your Sweet Heat Arsenal
In rock band terms, hot sauce and peppers are going so mainstream it’s almost as if they’ve sold out. When McDonald’s and its fast food ilk are all running McChipotle this and that, it’s time for the cool kids who were chileheads before everyone was doing it to branch out. Gene splicing spicy with sweet is an awesome way to do just that. Here are some ideas from the Super Site to kick start your noggin into high gear.
Tropic Thunder: Hurricane Dave Hits the Sandia Resort
Okay, there wasn’t actually a hurricane at this year’s National Fiery Foods and Barbecue Show in Albuquerque. We had wind and rain with a healthy dash of chaos to really set off the event, though. There just wasn’t any of the downside you get in an actual tropical storm.
Call of Cthulhu: Giant Isopod Soup
Twisted individual that he is, Dave DeWitt emailed me a link to this story about a 2.5-foot giant isopod that was reeled in while trying to violate an underwater robot. I’m sure he was trying to shock me but the joke’s on him. I’ve played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons. My 20th level paladin slays demons like this for breakfast.
Speaking of, it turns out these Cthulhu-looking sea creatures are related to lobsters and shrimp to the point where you can eat them.
Chef Norman Van Aken at the Fiery Foods Show
The theme of this year’s National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show is “Going Tropical” in honor of Chef Norman Van Aken who’s been called “the founding father of New World Cuisine,” a fusion of a Latin, Caribbean, Asian, African, and American flavors. Chef Norman is not only debuting his new book at the show, No Experience Necessary, an autobiography of his culinary career, but also will perform two tropical cooking demonstrations.
When Arrabbiata Meets Sambal
Sambal is becoming more common, a spicy Malaysian chile paste that is widely used for a lot of Asian cuisine. You can find it in the Asian food aisle of any well-stocked grocery store. A generally straightforward mix of chiles, salt and vinegar (some have garlic and/or sugar), sambal can best be described as an Asian harrissa. It’s different from Sriracha in that it is nice and chunky with lots of seeds and bits of chile. It makes for a great shortcut to Arrabbiata and here’s the simple way to do it.
Tea Smoking: Burning These Leaves Won’t Get You Arrested
Try tea-smoking as an Asian alternative to boring roasted turkey this Christmas. It’s a style of cooking meat that hails from China’s Sichuan (formerly Szechuan) region, which is known for its hot, spicy cuisine.
