Grilling, and pork. BBQ, and pork. Smoking food, and pork. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, and pork. Summer, spring, winter, fall, and pork. Sustenance, and pork. WHO AM I KIDDING, EVERYTHING AND PORK, PORK IS EVERYTHING, I LOVE PORK, WE WILL COOK AND EAT ALL THE PORK. ahem. Hi! Let’s make some ribs. It’s super easy!
Month: July 2014
Sassy BBQ Spice Rub
It’s the time of year when cable networks bombard us with grilling, chilling, travel tips for the best regional BBQ types, where to find them, festivals, cookoffs, and Pitmasters! Everyone has a special rub, a spice mixture that they say sets their fire-cooked meat apart from everyone else’s. That of course means that I… Continue reading Sassy BBQ Spice Rub
Cucumber-Tomato Salad
Cold, crisp, bright fruit and vegetable salads are one of my favorite things during the summer, but some of them enjoy a place in our kitchen year-round. Here’s one that is part of the menu at Casa Sass most of the time, and I hope you’d enjoy it as much as we do. I come… Continue reading Cucumber-Tomato Salad
Food Porn: Lamb Shoulder Chops
Lamb shoulder chops marinated in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion and a squeeze of lemon. Seared in a hot iron pan and cooked to medium-rare. Served with toasted Israeli couscous “risotto” with lemon butter, tossed with ribbons of baby zucchini and yellow squash and cubes of sautéed patty pan squash from Windeater Acres. More… Continue reading Food Porn: Lamb Shoulder Chops
Easy Charro Beans
Some side dishes are more complicated than others. One of the reasons I love to make Mexican food when I am entertaining a group of friends, is because in general it is rustic, flavorful, and insanely easy to make. Once you have a roster of some basics, the rest of the recipes and methods all… Continue reading Easy Charro Beans
Fresh Salsa – Pico de Gallo!
Summer is a great time for snacks. Snacks is a great time for chips. Chips are a great reason for salsa. Therefore, Summer = a great reason for salsa. If you’re anything like me, you do appreciate America’s #1 condiment on all kinds of stuff — chips, meats, eggs, tortillas, crackers… any reason for some… Continue reading Fresh Salsa – Pico de Gallo!
Half-Sour Pickles (Salt-Brined)
I love pickles. I LOVE THEM. I am especially a fan of cold-packed kosher dill pickles (think Claussen) with a ton of garlic. I am the one who will ask you if you’re going to eat the pickle that comes as a side with your sandwich. Good deli pickles are fantastic. However, years ago when… Continue reading Half-Sour Pickles (Salt-Brined)
Farmer’s Market Haul — July 19
One of my favorite things to do in the Summer is explore farmers’ markets. I am originally from Arizona, which grows some produce here and there, but as Sam Kinnison said — it’s a desert. Nothing grows here. When I moved to Oklahoma, I was excited to discover that yes, Virginia, there ARE green fields that… Continue reading Farmer’s Market Haul — July 19
Friday Happy Hour — Casal Garcia Vinho Verde
I tell you what, this is a fitting post for a Friday because this week about drove me to drink. I’ve been struggling with a computer problem that was only fixable by a clean install of windows 7. Twice. Plus 168 updates. Twice. I’m so tired of technology! Let’s unwind over a cold, refreshing glass… Continue reading Friday Happy Hour — Casal Garcia Vinho Verde
BBQ Beef Chuck Roast — BBQ Beef Sandwiches
For most folks, brisket is the quintessential cut of beef for a BBQ. It’s traditionally a really economical cut because it’s tough and really only responds well to corning (brined in spices and usually boiled, corned beef) or the low-and-slow method of BBQ on a smoker or grill. With beef prices soaring and the popularity… Continue reading BBQ Beef Chuck Roast — BBQ Beef Sandwiches