Posts Tagged ‘Diva Q’

 

Well I had one heck of a week! It was so much fun as I crossed Canada with Char-Broil and did media for them and the Char-Broil TRU Infrared Grills.

We started out in the beautiful city of Vancouver British Columbia!

Then right to the airport as I headed to Calgary ALberta

 

 

 

Check out the link for our segment on grilling up some delicious chicken and a grilled caesar salad HERE 

Then right to the Country 105 Radio station for The RHODES Show!

 

 

 

Then once again right to the airport for a flight from Calgary to Chicago then on to Memphis. Ugh. Thats where a whole bunch of lightning unfortunately delayed my  plane and sadly I ended up arriving a day late into Memphis. (This seriously impeded my visiting with friends plans and cocktail aspirations) Got stuck in Chicago for the night. ]

Now why was I headed to Memphis ?? Well Memphis in May of course one of the BIG contests.

 

 

The Char-Broil TRU Tour goes each year!

 

It is a lof of fun to visit with the Crew plus then we get to BBQ with The Weather Channel throughout the morning and have a lot of grilling fun with host Paul Goodloe

 

 

You can follow Paul on his Facebook page 

 

 

 

It was a blast of course – who doesn’t love grilling & BBQ.? All of the recipes for the segments can be found here!

After the segments I got  some time to visit with friends from all over !

Congratulations to Sweet Swine o MINE!! Memphis in May World Champions for 2013

 

 

So there are so many games on each and every day! For the record…. I am an eternal optimist. I am a Toronto Maple Leafs Fan. For good or for bad its been a long 9 years…..

 

Lots of parties and that means super snacking and of course great munchies!!

Here are some great links to delicious munchies you can serve at your playoff parties…

  

Diva Q MOINK balls inspired by Larry Gaian from the BBQ Grail

MMM Shrimp & Sausage Bites - pork & seafood come together for a power packed bite of goodness!

4 Cheese ABT’s – stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon and smoked to yumminess!

Diva Q Jalapeno Dip & Grilled breads – so easy to make it should be illegal.

Chevaps – Because meat on sticks makes people happy!

Pizza Pizza Pizza – Everyone loves a good pizza.

 

 

 

 

May is National BBQ Month!!

 

Get out & grill everyone!

I BBQ all year round. I understand there are people that put away their BBQ’s at the end of summer –  (We need to talk people – you can BBQ in winter and fall!) You need to perform ongoing maintenance and grill inspection -remember a clean grill is a happy grill.

 

 

Spring is just about sprung and its always a good time to take stock of your grills, sauces and rubs as the warmer months approach..

REMINDER: You should always check with your Manufacturers Owners Manual prior to cleaning, replacing or refinishing anything on your grill. Not all grills are created equal and what works for one many seriously damage another.

BBQ Tip:

Clean all of your BBQ’s exteriors with hot soapy water. You can also use a store brand degreaser.  Wipe down with cotton towels (Not the good ones from the bathroom – consult your spouse on this)

 

BBQ Tips:

Inspect all hoses and lines for cracking and fraying. Replace if necessary and consult your manufacturer’s operation manual and warranty on instructions.  Tighten all nuts and bolts to make sure your grill is solid.

There are types of tube cleaning brushes that are designed to help remove debris, spiderwebs and clogged lines. Check if your type of BBQ needs this type of cleaning brush.

Flaking paint is not tasty. If your grill hood is flaking you may need to sand it down and use some high heat touch up paint. Consult your owners manual.

Replace any knobs, dials and thermometers on your grill. Most manufacturer’s have many of these instock and available for order. This will help refresh your grill.

 

BBQ Tip: Spring Buy a new good quality cleaning brush preferably with a replaceable head.

BBQ Tip: Inspect your propane tanks. They have a shelf life make sure yours is current and where necessary replace.

BBQ Tip: Spring Check out your wood chip, chunk & charcoal levels. Stock up so you are always ready to get your grill on !!

BBQ Tip: Some types of grates need to be seasoned often and ongoing (ie Cast iron) Check with your manufacturer owners manual for recommended instructions for seasoning.

BBQ Tip: Spring Check your rubs and sauces out make sure to replenish and replace any that are out of date or stale. Try some new ones!

BBQ Tip: Spring Along with maintaining a safe grilling/bbq area inspect your fire extinguisher gauge to make sure you are in the green area. Recharge if necessary.

BBQ TIP: Level your BBQ. This only takes a minute but is really important to make sure your heat is evenly distributed.

BBQ Tip: SPring is the ideal time to remember to check your thermometers for accuracy and calibrate if necessary.  Boil a small pot of water and insert the thermometer. The temperature should be 212F or 100C

BBQ Tip: Spring Buy a few large boxes of baking soda and have them handy- great to use for cleaning and snuffing out grease fires.

 

 

BBQ Tip: Spring Invest in a small notebook or online recipe database – keep a cooking log of food you make. That way if something is a success you can repeat the results!

BBQ Tip: Spring is a great time to try some new recipes check out Youtube, BBQ forums, and of course recipe sites for new inspiration!

BBQ Tip: Find a good butcher & get to know your meat. They can provide you with tons of tips, advise on deals & share knowledge

 

 

BBQ Tip: Spring is an excellent time to invest in a new grill or BBQ. Get out & buy something new- Pellets, Charcoal & Gas all have different unique features.

BBQ Tip: Spring is a fantastic time to kick it old school with a stick burner. Imagine cool nights, thin wisps of smoke & the smell of wood & meat… awesome !

BBQ Tip: Check out a BBQ Class – you just never know what you can learn! I am biased but ill recommend this .

 

Above all keep your grill clean, well oiled and full of tasty food!! Enjoy !!

 

 Simple Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in saucepan.
2. Simmer until smooth and thickened to desired consistency—approximately 15 minutes.

Here is a different recipe as well:

Diva Q Texas Beef Ribs
Ingredients:
• 1 large rack meaty Texas beef Ribs (4-5lbs)
• ½ – ¾ cup Montreal Steak Spice
4 cups hickory or mesquite wood chips/chunks (for charcoal or gas grills)
Preheat your grill to 225/250F creating an indirect heat zone.
Pull the membrane from the bone side of the ribs.
Season both sides of the ribs generously with Montreal Steak Spice
Place ribs on grill indirect.
Add 1 handful of hickory/mesquite woodchips to the charcoal grill. Use hickory/oak pellets for a pellet grill. Or use a smoker box of hickory/mesquite wood chips if using a gas grill. Repeat adding wood chips or chunks to the grill every hour.
Grill indirect for 5-6 hours until the meat has pulled back from the bones and is tender.
Montreal Steak Spice
Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons Kosher Salt
• 3 tablespoons Butcher Grind Black Pepper
• 2 tablespoons Granulated Garlic
• 2 tablespoons Smoked Paprika
• 2 tablespoon Granulated Onion
• 1 tablespoon Dill
• 1 tablespoon Ground Coriander
• 1 tablespoon Thai Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tablespoon Dried Mustard
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl then transfer to a grinder.
Grind for 10-15 seconds until fully mixed and finely ground.
Store in an airtight container.
Use on pork, and beef.

BBQ Crawl commercial

coming to Travel & Escape

April 9 at 10:30pm EST

I think duck doesn’t get used nearly as much as it should be. Its an incredibly rich dark and forgiving meat that lends itself well to many applications.  Plus I have been watching many episodes of Duck Dynasty on A&E lately and well its been making me hungry and Si cracks me up. HEY!

 

Recipe

• 5lb Whole Young duck
• 3/4  cup maltose (or you can substitute honey or molasses)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon 5 spice powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Preheat your smoker to 225F
2. Rinse & pat dry the duck.
3. Using your fingers separate the skin from the breast. This will help render out more fat.
4. Spatchcock the duck. See this easy step by step tutorial from Martha.
5. Use a jicard all over the duck. This will help release a lot of the fats from the duck.
6. Sprinkle Salt & Pepper on the duck and place on grill. PLEASE Note: I used my traeger wood pellet grill with hickory pellets.  It is indirect heat with a slanted heat shield that pours the fat out into a drip pot. If using a gas or charcoal grill you will absolutely need to place a pan under the grates of the duck to capture the fat and grill indirect.
7. Smoke duck for 2 hours.
8. In a small bowl mix the maltose, soy sauce, ginger, 5 spice powder, salt & pepper together. Set aside on counter.
9. After the 2 hours of smoking Turn up the grill to 300F
10. After 2 hours start saucing the duck with the soy mixture. Every 10 minutes re sauce the duck. This will bring a beautiful rich color to the duck.
11. Repeat this step until there is no sauce remaining (Approx 40 minutes)
12. After the saucing turn your grill up to high (400-450F)  for the last 10 minutes to help crisp the duck even more.
13. Remove duck from grill and let rest uncovered for 20 minutes
14. When the duck is cool enough to handle segment into portions or shred the duck chopping the crispy skin and mixing in.

I served our duck shredded with sauteed finely chopped shiitake mushrooms, chow mein noodles, chives and thin cucumber slices for crunch. Served beside a pile of iceberg lettuce cups with a side of hoisin sauce for dipping. It was a fun family meal that my kids loved.

 

 

 

 

I take biscuit making from scratch very seriously. There are times when you need to use store bought mixes or pre-made but whenever you can from scratch biscuits are always better. They are a Southern tradition and one that of course goes extremely well with all things BBQ & Grilling. Over the years I have been trying countless recipes trying different methods. I had no real benchmark to go from I just knew what I wanted:

• The flakiest of sections
• Slightly crispy buttery base
• tender interior

I can’t stand flaky people but for me a flaky tender biscuit is heaven.

Today after countless trials I achieved the very best biscuits I have ever made. They were all of my wants and more. This recipe is for a double batch I split the batch in two and added a heaping cup of shredded Old cheddar to one and shredded Jalapeno Cheddar to the other .

The very best Jalapeno Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

• 4 ¾ cups             All-purpose Robin Hood flour sifted
• ½ lb                      Unsalted Butter frozen then grated
• 1 tsp                      baking soda
• 2 tsp                      Clabber girl baking powder
• 3 tsp                      Morton kosher salt
• 2 ½ cups             Buttermilk (keep very cold)
• 2 cups                   Shredded Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese or any other shredded cheddar

 

Place a stainless steel bowl in a freezer for 20 minutes prior to assembly.

*If you tend to have very warm hands rinse your hands under cold water for a bit. The dough and the ingredients need to stay as cold as possible.

1. Preheat your oven to 425F
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients into a chilled stainless steel mixing bowl
3. Add the grated butter to the dry mixture and combine using a pastry cutter. The texture should be coarse and crumbly. Do not use your hands for this.
4. Add buttermilk and using a spatula mix until just combined. *Do not over mix-the dough will be damp.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
6. Sprinkle shredded cheddar over the dough.
7. Working as quickly as you can pat the dough out into a rectangle and then fold in on itself a couple of times.
8. Pat the dough into a rectangle approx 1/2 ” thick and cut into 32 squares. You can use a round biscuit cutter however any scraps you have leftover will make a much tougher biscuit. By cutting them into squares there is no scrap leftovers.  Handle the dough the least amount of time possible. The more you handle the dough the tougher your biscuits will be.
9. Place 16 biscuits on each ungreased cookie sheet. The biscuits should be 1/4” away from each other for slightly soft & lightly crispy sides.
10. Chill the cut biscuit squares in the fridge for 5 minutes. If you are omitting the cheese then brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter right before placing in the oven.
11. Place baking sheets in oven on the upper and middle shelf.
12. Bake for 5 minutes then rotate racks
13. Bake for an additional 5 minutes and check for doneness. Depending on your oven they may take 10-14 minutes to bake completely. It is very important to not over bake the biscuits.
14. Remove biscuits from trays and place on cooling racks for crispier bottoms.
15. Enjoy them quickly. They will not last. Trust me on this.