MAD MEAT GENIUS

CERTIFIABLE

2009-07-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

I do solemy swear to objectively and subjectively evaluate each Barbeque meat that is presented to my eyes, my nose, my hands and my palate. I accept my duty to be an Official KCBS Certified Judge, so that the truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque and the American Way of Life may be strengthened and preserved forever.

Dr. Biggles, Ms. Goofy and Chilebrown are now certified KCBS judges. We spent all morning listening and learning from a champion barbeque master and great teacher Gene Goycochea. This was one fun class. We got to eat barbeque and learn the nuances and KCBS rules for critique. This is not as easy as it sounds. Thanks to Ben Lobestein who organized this class. The cook who did the actual barbeque demonstration was Harry Stewart and there were several other volunteers who made this class run smoothly. Thanks to one and all.

Want to see more? Check out Dr. Biggles at Meathenge.

ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIR

2009-07-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is the Mad Meat Genius or should I say "Nacho Goofball Libre" at the county fair. Check out the Julia Child Rose farther down. It was a fun in the sun day. Tomorrow is our barbeque class. Oboy!

JULIA CHILD ROSE

DUTCH OVEN, JUST PEACHY PIE

2009-07-09T14:58:00.001-07:00

Dutch Ovens are a versatile and 'Green' cooking vessel. They are great for camping, competition and for cooking in your own backyard with out heating up the kitchen. A Dutch Oven can cook anything your home oven can cook, but, quicker and more efficient. If you use Green charcoals you may feel better about yourself and the planet. (Who am I kidding?)

Today We are making Peach Pie. Peaches are just starting to come in to season. Buy your peaches from your local vendor and support the local farmers. I was watching the 'Michael Jackson Memorial' and shed a tear when Jermaine sang "Smile". What does that have to have to with peach pie? When you make a pie, use your emotions, make them cry with your results, and Smile.

LET THE TOMATO'S BEGIN!

2009-07-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

Ah, the first ripe tomato of the season. The anticipation, patience and having a bad case of the 'hardly can waits' have finally passed. A couple of beautiful 'Japanese Black Trifele' were found hiding behind their green foliage. This plant was purchased from that hectic tomato sale that the Sustainable Garden Education hosted last April. You probably have guessed my next train of thought. Yes, you are right! Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches. We just so happen to have some delicious maple bacon from Wright Brand to accompany this sensational orb of summer. Toasted sourdough bread, crisp lettuce and a dollop of mayonnaise will accompany the maple bacon. These simple ingredients are a winning combination. Let the tomato's begin!

BIG DADDY'S HOUSE (WRIGHT BRAND BACON)

2009-07-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today we are in 'Big Daddy's House. This is Food Networks Aaron McCargo Junior's venture on selling Wright Brand Bacon. We are sponsored today by Wright Brand Bacon. We are going to cook up a bunch of Wright Brand Bacon and sample one of Big Daddy's recipes. We have invited some serious food critics to sample this bacon extravaganza. The Reverend Biggles and son 'Tiny E' ,who is not so tiny any more, are in the house. James Campers, renowned chili champion, Chef of the Crockett Bass Club and designated driver has graced our presence for this baconpalooza. Four different bacon's will be cooked and a recipe endorsed and prepared by Big Daddy will be sampled. Of course there will be a little Chilebrown twist by ways of the Beehive Oven today.

There are four bacon's to try today. Apple Wood Smoked, Smoked, Maple and Pepper bacon will be cooked outdoors in the Mad Meat Genius barbeque cove. It is a beautiful day and I want to drive the neighbors crazy with bacon smells wafting through out their abode. The beehive has been stoked to cook our Chicken roulade. This roulade has bacon of course, spinach, cheese and a kiss of chipotle peppers. I will let Aaaron Mc. Cargo tell you all about it.

Wow that was kool. Now lets check out the 'Mad Meat Genius' out door kitchen. We had a three burner propane stove stocked with plenty of black iron. James was the designated bacon turner. The Beehive was smokin and we put our roulades in for a spankin of fire. Fast forward a couple of adult beverages later and we had the makings of a bacon banquet. Tiny E was happy with some bacon goodness. The Maple bacon was the hands down favorite. The smell combined with a killer sweet and smokey taste. The pepper bacon was a close second. This bacon had a little bite that delivered. So many bacon's and such a good time.

Aaron McCargo Jr. sure knew what he was talkin about with this bacon stuffed ,wrapped, masterpiece. Dr. Biggles actually liked it even know there was some spinach in the middle. (Reverend Biggles is vegetable challenged). This was a fun afternoon. Wright Brand bacon is a bacon worth giving a try. Thanks to one and all!!!!

Photos by Dr. Biggles

LASAGNA & CARNITAS

2009-07-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

We have some home grown crookneck squash and some killer music flowing through the ' Mad Meat Genius Kitchen' The recipe starts with some Jazz. The ingredients flow with peppers and tortillas. Oh by the way there is some killer carnitas in the Beehive. This is a meal to bring in the Fourth of July. Happy day to you all!!!

Vegetable Tortilla Lasagna

1 cup of corn
1 large crookneck squash cut into thin strips
1 cup of black beans
1 1/2 cup of jarred or home made salsa verde
1/2 cup of sour cream
8 flour tortillas cut into strips
1 cup of cheese of choice. (cheddar)

Take a pan and heat to medium high heat. Add a drop of oil and cook your squash for a few minutes on each side. It does not have to be cooked all the way. remove and reserve. Combine the black beans, salsa, corn and sour cream. Take an oven proof dish and oil bottom and sides. Take a layer of tortilla strips and cover bottom. Layer squash onto tortillas. Spread some of your sour cream and vegetable mixture on top.Sprinkle with cheese. Layer more tortillas on top and repeat until ingredients are used. Bake at 400 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

HOT DOG EATING CONTEST

2009-07-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

Most people associate barbeque, fireworks and picnics with the 4th of July. Chilebrown thinks of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. This trencherman's delight takes place at Coney Island, Brooklyn New York. This year will feature Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut and his arch rival Takeru 'Tsunami' Kobayashi. "Jaw's will be defending last years record of 64 hot dogs in 10 minutes and 50 second. These two masticating warriors will take stage to wage a test of gastronomical greatness. Someday, Chilebrown may throw his hat into the ring and challenge these gormandizing athletes. Today will be the start of my training. Some Chicken apple sausage with some cider braised leeks will be on the bill. The leeks are from the garden and some home made apple sauce is from Zoomie. Let the training begin.

Cider Braised Leeks

2 cups of thinly sliced leeks
1/c applesauce
1/2 cups apple cider
salt and pepper
2 tablepsoons of butter

Melt butter in skillet and add leeks. Cook for 6 minutes over medium heat. Add applesauce and cider and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer till most of the liquid is gone. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Grill your dogs on barbeque and serve with a mustard slathered roll. Top with cider braised leeks. These were some screaming good dogs. 'Jaws' and 'Tsunami' may have met their match.

CHIPOTLE BUTTER

2009-07-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Corn is my favorite summer vegetable. It tastes great cooked on the grill, steamed or boiled. The only dressing it needs is a little butter, salt and pepper. Today we are going to raise the bar a notch. Chipotle butter is easy to make and gives a flavor boost to anything it touches. This butter is perfect for that grilled corn or steak. Chipotle peppers have a complex smokey and fruity flavor. Sometimes a hint of chocolate will be tasted. You can adjust the heat level by increasing the amount of pepper used in the butter creation. Today we are using home smoked chipotles.

Chipotle Butter

1 stick of unsalted butter
2 chipotle peppers chopped fine (more if you like heat)
1/4 teaspoon salt
a couple of sprigs parley chopped

Let the butter come to room temperature. Place in bowl and mix with other ingredients. Take a spatula and mix together. Take a sheet of was paper and place butter mixture into center. Roll and wrap into cigar shape. Place into refrigerator.

We took some fresh corn and removed husks. They were placed in a sheet of aluminum foil and butter was applied. Wrap tightly. These were cooked on a medium hot grill for about 10 minutes. Serve with favorite accompaniments. This corn was delicious. Flavored butters are easy to make. Try using other herbs and ingredients. Next time, some honey would bring this butter to a new level. Enjoy!

LAKEMAN'S CLUB

2009-06-28T06:17:00.001-07:00

Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Prob'ly die in a small town
Oh, those small communities

John Cougar Mellencamp

I have been living in Rodeo, California for the last 17 years. This is my adopted small town We are located 30 miles from the City.(San Francisco). It is a long hard 30 miles because of the traffic and congestion. Rodeo in the 1890's was a stockyard and meat processing plant for the Union Stock Yard Company. Later Rodeo was known for its Bass fishing. It was a great spot for launching your boat to the bay. Now Rodeo is a small community trying to rebuild. Our downtown is a whopping three blocks long. We do not even have a Starbucks. What we do have is a community. We have little league baseball, a few restaurants, post office, local barber and most of all 'Lakeman's Club'. Today I would like to share this gem of an establishment.

George Lakeman is the owner, bartender, and cook at 'Lakeman's Club'. This was originally his father's. and now George and family run the establishment. When you walk into Lakeman's, George will greet you with a cheerful "How are you doing Young Man". Now George has earned the right to call you young man because he is 93 years young. He faithfully opens the doors at 9:30 am Wednesday through Saturday. This interior of the bar is a step back to a gentler age. The wooden flours give a creak crying a long history of patrons. The actual bar has a giant mirror that is surrounded by curved mahogany. You will find no ferns tucked into this scenery. There is a juke box with an eclectic mix of tunes. There are a bunch of big band selections for George and friends. There is a small kitchen with a vintage stove. The menus selection is very small. If you go you will have to have George make one of his famous linguisa sandwiches. George has a regular clientele of locals, retired people and a few working men. It is a quiet crowd and George will be sure to talk to everybody. This may be the last place on earth to buy a bottle of beer for 2.75 cents. Beer and wine are the only alcohol served.

Rodeo is a small town and a lot of people like it this way. Lakeman's Club is very special. Come on by and see for yourself. Just do not tell anybody about it. It is our secret.

Lakemans Club
512 First St.
Rodeo, Ca. 94572 510-799-9767

PASTA FO YUU

2009-06-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

Oh Boy, do We have fun cooking!. We are cooking a corned beef brisket on the barbeque tonight. A couple of accompaniments would be nice. Some beautiful fresh corn was found at our local 'Mega-Wally-Mart'. Some starch would round off this meal. How about making some fresh pasta. No problem at the Mad Meat Genius Kitchen. Flour, eggs, salt, olive oil and a fancy Kitchen-Aide pasta roller will do us just fine.

Another kitchen tool that is nice is a 'Tavolini'. This is a pastry/pasta board given to Italian brides as a wedding present. Chilebrown has never been an Italian bride, but I can swear about the awesome results a designated flour board will give you. When you make pasta on this board, music will fill the air with a flair of romance. 'Ah, cut it out.' This is a wooden board that is only used for flour and liquid manipulation. Nothing else! It has a lip on the edge to grasp your counter for pasta kneading sessions. You never wash this board. You scrape the excess flour away and keep it in a dry place.

4 eggs
4 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Make a well with the flour. Beat your eggs with salt and olive oil. Place liquids in center of flour volcano and combine. Knead for 10 minutes. You will have a very stiff dough. Wrap in cellophane and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll dough into fine sheets and cut into desired shapes.

This pasta cooks very fast. Some boiling salted water and maybe 5 minutes at the most. The pasta will float to the surface when it is done. Watch your pot,taste and remove the pasta before it gets overdone.

Serve this pasta with your favorite sauce. Tonight's pasta is covered with last years harvest of tomato bounty and is chaperoned with a little barbeque corned beef. Oh Yeah, we are having fun!

BACON REVUE ('BUTCHER BOY' MAPLE & REGULAR)

2009-06-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

MAPLE

Tonight's performance will bring two performers to the stage. These two acts were discovered on a meat adventure to Reno. These two bellies of cured delight were found at a market called "Butcher Boy".We have a maple flavored bacon and a regular flavor to entertain. Both of these bacon's have a mysterious origin. It should be a good show.

REGULAR

Why are these bacon's mysterious? We asked the butcher that was on duty, if he could tell us anything about these bacon's. He was not privileged to the bacon secrets and referred us to the manager. The manager was very nice and gave us a card referring us to the Meat manager. This must be some special secret bacon. Two e-mails later, No response from the meat manager. We will have to rely on an old fashioned method to review these cured slabs. We will rely on our taste buds. Dr. Biggles will assist in the tasting.

Both these bacon's are beautiful. The meat to fat ratio leans to the meaty side. There is only a faint odor of smoke. The one fantastic smell that grabs your attention is maple. Once this pack was open, a craving of pancakes immediately grabs your sensors. Both were fried in black iron.

Maple, Maple, Maple is in the air and in our pores. This bacon needs to be cooked on a low heat because of the sugar content. Too high a heat will burn this rash of bacon. Both bacon's crisp up very nice. Dr. Biggles with camera in one hand and bacon in the other exclaimed his sensational enjoyment of these pork treats. This bacon could be the next Gold Standard of Bacon. The key is balance. The regular bacon had the right combination of sweet and salt. If there was any fault, it would be low smoke level. This point is only minor and is overlooked after tasting.

The maple bacon is over the top delicious. It is sweet and smokey. The meat had a wonderful chew to it. It has a dark color because of the sugar caramelization. Ms. Goofy wants pancakes. The whole house smells like maple. Now for the verdict.

Both of these bacon's were stupendous. The regular will receive a 3.75 stars out of 5. The maple bacon will receive a 4 stars out of 5. These scores reflect a deduction of .25 stars. Everybody may love a mystery, but it does not make good business. I wish we could of had a little more information on our purchase.

Butcher Boy Prime

Rating: Regular 3.75 stars out of 5
Maple 4 stars our of 5
Cost: 6.98/pound
Where: 7300 South Virginia
Reno, Nevada, 89511
775-853-6686

Photos by Reverend Biggles

(except this one)

GUINNESS MUSTARD

2009-06-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

How hard can it be to make mustard? I am constantly buying little two ounce jars of flavored mustard's. They can get pretty pricey. Sweet hot honey mustard is my all time favorite. It was time to make some of my own mustard. Today we are going to make a Guinness Mustard. The recipe uses a handful of ingredients for a big payoff of flavor. It also use Guinness beer. Need I say more.

2 12 ounce bottles of Guinness (one is for the cook)
10 ounces of brown mustard seeds
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon of each cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and allspice.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and cover for 2 days. That is it. How hard was that. This is a little to easy. There is only one step more. After 2 days place in food processor and process to desired consistency. Refrigerate.

This mustard smells wonderful. Coming out of the food processor the aroma of mustard and spice was scrumptious. An initial taste on a cracker was a palate awakening. Let me warn you. Freshly ground mustard is very powerful. It has a horseradish type of bite. The combination of beer and spices was too good to be true. This will have to be sampled with a sandwich.

It just so happens we barbequed a turkey last night. A turkey sandwich is in order. "Great Turkey Balls of Fire". I got a little carried away on the mustard. This was one spicey sandwich. It is so easy to make mustard. We now have mustard for a month or two. The flavors are supposed to mellow with time. This will give me time to dream up some new flavors. Do you think some chile's and honey might be involved?

DIXON FRUIT MARKET (JALAPENO VERDE HOT SAUCE)

2009-06-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

It is always a treat to find a local hot sauce. Today we have found a green hot sauce from Dixon California. This sauce is sold from a Produce store located right off the Dixon exit on California Interstate 80. This is a wonderful store stocked with fruits, nuts and a lot of local vegetables. This bottle of green heat caught my eye.

The ingredients listed on the bottle claim to be all natural. Jalapeno, Habanero, Wine Vinegar and onion puree are the main ingredients. The sauce is a course puree. There is some texture to this concoction. A quick taste on a spoon was tried. This is one flavorful sauce. It definitely had a jalapeno and onion flavor. I think I have found green gold. The burn was a medium heat. Just enough to grab your attention, but not enough to make you gasp. Now for a real taste treat.

Microwaved Pork Rinds did not exist in my world till today. I never new such a product ever existed. Once I found them, I had to have them. This will be the perfect vehicle for my 'green gold'. The package directions were followed to release the chicharonne bonanza. The verde sauce was applied liberally and I was in 'Spicy Hot Fried Pork Fat Heaven'. Oh Yeah!!!!!

This sauce is a winner. I will have to return to the Dixon Fruit Market and stock up.

Dixon Fruit Market

7808 Batavia Rd.

Dixon, CA. 95620 (707) 678-4211

http://www.dixonfruit.com/

Photos by Dr. Biggles

CHEF'S MARKET

2009-06-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year that the farmer's markets are starting to spill over with summer bounty. Napa, California has an evening market, called Chef's Market. It is a festive affair with live music, wine tasting, and chef's demonstrations. This was one Hot market. I mean that literally. The thermometer was pushing 90 degrees at 5:00 pm.

Being a market, in Napa, there must be wine. There were plenty of choices of grape to taste and imbibe.

CHEF'S MARKET

Thursday Evenings 5pm-9pm

May 21- through July 30

First Street, Downtown Napa

MAPLE BACON MORNING

2009-06-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

Somebody had to do it. Boca Java has created a coffee blend called 'Maple Bacon Morning'. Of course it had to be tested in the name of Mad Meat Genius research. It has a wonderful maple fragrance in its package and while it is brewing. Once the coffee is done the maple aroma still lingers with the brew. A sip did not deliver any maple or bacon taste. It was a good tasting coffee. Where's the bacon? Boca Java got me to bite the hook. Sometimes a novelty is just that.

CARSON CITY BBQ HOT SAUCE

2009-06-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

The Meatmen and Meatwoman cooked up a storm at the Rendezvous festival this year. We needed something to bring our dishes to the next level. We needed a sauce to spice up our food. We reached out for a bottle of "Carson City BBQ Hot Sauce".
This bottle has a devil on the label, promising some Rippin Hot delights. Will it deliver? We have brought in a special taster today. His name is Oscar and he is a dog. Oscar is a hot sauce aficionado. His resume for hot sauce expertise is extensive. One time he ate a whole jalapeno and did not even flinch. We did have to clean the carpets.

Oscar tried some Carson City Hot Sauce on a cookie. Here is his review:"Woof, Woof, Woof, meow, Woof, Woof and Woof" (Taste's like a weak Tobasco with a little smoke.)

There you have it from one happy Doggy.

CARSON CITY RENDEZVOUS

2009-06-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

It was a very pleasant day in Carson City for the Rendezvous festival. There was a slight cloud cover and a tiny breeze to bring the thermometer to the low 70's. This was great weather to fire up the cast iron vessels for a cook off. The theme of the Rendezvous, was life in the 1800's. There were a lot of people in costume. Civil War reenactors staged a mock fight. Those cannons sure were loud. I am not sure who won. Music, food and lots of crafts rounded out this event. We were there for the Dutch Oven Cook off.

The Meatmen and Meatwoman, gave their best effort to claim victory. There was a little controversy about the Judges credentials and judging experience. This will not be discussed on this forum because it might be considered 'Sour Grapes'. One gentleman came by our booth, once, twice and a third time for a sample of our food. This gesture made our effort

worth everything. This is what we compete for. It was reported later that the 'Space Shuttle Endeavour' saw the grin on my face!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the recipe for the "PEOPLE'S CHOICE" winner. It is a sweet savory cornbread. I used home smoked bacon.

Ingredients
1 cup of bread flour
1 cup of white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
1 cup medium grind whole grain cornmeal or regular cornmeal
1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup dried cranberries (4 ounces)

1 cup of corn

2 slices of cooked bacon chopped

Whisk both flours, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, melted butter, maple syrup, eggs and extract in medium bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stir until blended. Stir in 3/4 cup chopped pecans and cranberries. Spoon butter into pan. Arrange pecan halves in row down center of batter.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until Golden brown and knife inserted comes out clean.

After the festival, Ms. Goofy and I managed to have a couple of Meat Adventures. We picked up some chorizo from a wonderful Basque restaurant.(Villa Basque Deli & Cafe). Two new bacon's were discovered at "Butcher Boy" in Reno. Several local Hot Sauces were found. Our adventure ended at Harrah's Steak House for a gastronomical extravaganza dinner.

It was a great weekend. Once Ms. Goofy unloads the car and puts everything away we can start to sample our bounty!

Hairy Scary Lampshade In Our Room

SECOND PLACE

2009-06-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Meatmen and Meatwomen took 'Second Place' in the team competition. Yours truly took first place in the 'Peoples Choice' award for bread. Good times. More later.

THE MEATMEN

2009-06-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

Actually it should be the Meatmen and Meatwoman(Sophie). We are oiling our pots and stacking our charcoal. The fires will be built and the competition will begin at the 'Rendezvous' in Carson City Nevada. The Meatmen will be challenged by other iron pot contestants. The contest will be to cook a Main course, Bread and Dessert in dutch ovens in a three hour time period. Charcoal will be the required fuel to heat these cooking vessels. We have high hopes for a victorious Sunday. Hope to see you there!

Rendezvous Carson City, Nevada June 12,13 & 14

GOOD AND EVIL (GRANZELLA'S)

2009-06-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

This is Hot Sauce from California Interstate 5. Granzella's is a pit stop for all traveler's on the main travel artery of the Golden State. Granzella's is a traveler's delight. Home cooking, souvenirs, deli, lounge, motor home parking, olives, gourmet items to go and Granzella's hot sauces are there to experience at Granzella's. Today we are trying the house brand of "Good and Evil" hot sauce.

The ingredients are a 'hodge podge' of fruit and peppers. Habanero, Jalapeno, Red Bell peppers, ginger, garlic and orange juice are just a few ingredients. A little sample was poured on to a plate. The sauce was fairly thin. You can see some little flakes of the Red Bell pepper. A clean finger was inserted into this bulls eye of flavor. The first hit on the tongue was orange and ginger. There was only a little flair of heat. This sauce definitely leans toward the sweet side.

The taste test was with some fried chicken and salad. This was a good accompaniment to this fried fowl of goodness. It was a little too good. The heat was just not there. I wish it was a little more evil.

Granzella's

451 6th St.

Williams, California. 95987 530-473-5583

FOCACCIA

2009-06-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

It was a dark and stormy night. Well maybe it was a little overcast. This was the perfect excuse to make some Focaccia. As you may know, bread baking in the oven will omit a wonderful aroma that will lift your spirits and float your boat. Something like that. We just happened to have a 25 pound sack of bread flour.

This flour was obtained at Moore's flour mill in Redding Ca. They grind all their grains on the premise. This place is run and owned by the son of Bob Moore. Bob Moore originally started this mill and moved on to Oregon and built his empire of "Bobs Red Mill". Moores is a great place to find any type of flour or grains for your baking needs.

Focaccia

4 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups warm water

Proof the yeast in water for 5 minutes. Add rest of ingredients and knead till you have a nice dough. Place in oiled bowl and let rise for aprox 1 1/2 hours. Take a well oiled baking sheet and press dough onto sheet with your fingers. Press out into rectangle. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes. Drizzle more olive oil over top and bake in 400 oven for aprox 35 minutes.

BACON REVUE (GOOD EATS)

2009-06-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

On stage is a bacon that was commissioned by The Great White Hunter. The program of ingredients will not have any nitrates today. Let the show begin.

Opening the package of bacon releases a wonderful smell of smoke. It is a pretty looking bacon. This bacon was cured with molasses. The molasses and sugar has made the exterior dark and shiny. If we eat with our eyes this bacon would be a winner.

This bacon was cured according to a recipe by Alton Brown from "Good Eats." The bellies sat in a bath of sugar, salt, water and molasses for 4 days. They were dried and then smoked with some green peach wood. We have sliced and fried some in a vintage cast iron skillet. Myself and Ms. Goofy are the tasters.

The bacon gets really dark after frying. This is due to the sugar and molasses. The bacon was cooked well to a crispy treat. Ms. Goofy took her paws and grabbed a couple of slices. She barked for joy. She said it was sweet and smokey. I thought it lacked the usual bite of salt. Ms. Goofy yelped her disagreement with the salt issue. She growled that the lack of salt was what she liked. Over all it was a pleasant batch of Good Eats. This bacon will recieve 3.75 stars out of 5.

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Price: Priceless

Where: The Mad Meat Genius Smokehouse

BERKELEY BOWL WEST

2009-06-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

When one lives is California, it is taken for granted the bounty of fresh produce that is available. We have farmers markets galore. The Bay Area, has a world class farmers market at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco. Across the Bay, the Berkeley Bowl and Monterey market are worthy destinations to procure vegetable matter. Alas these two institutions are land locked by traffic and horrific parking . Today we demand bigger, better, faster, easy access, and free parking, in all our shopping adventures. The Berkeley Bowl West has risen to fulfil our vegetable and parking needs, maybe.

Let's talk about the Berkeley Bowl. The Berkeley Bowl is a Foodie Mecca. They have produce that is unique, fresh and very reasonably priced. They are a Berkeley institution.If you need any type of vegetable the Bowl will have it. The only problem is driving to and parking at the Bowl. Carolyn Jones of the San Francisco Chronicle sums up the feeling of the original Berkeley Bowl:

"Anyone who's shopped at Berkeley Bowl on a weekend can attest to the store's desperate need for expansion. The parking lot is a gridlocked swamp of road rage, a demolition derby of Priuses and rusty old Volvos vying for parking spots. The produce section is often described as the "Cairo of shopping carts," as dozens of very focused and aggressive gourmands fight over the purple potatoes and fresh water chestnuts. The checkout lines can be staggering, like something out of East Berlin."

Somebody named rebuff1937 made this comment about the bowl:

"The Berkeley bowl is a great melting pot of communist loving organic eating liberal hippies! Go n shop but the real fun is going on a bumper shopping cart ride."

The new Berkeley Bowl West just opened yesterday. They have twice as many parking spots. The place is huge! There is a special section, which is as big as my local store's produce section, for Organic produce only. There are deli's, cheeses and the usual suspects to make this one stop Foodie Paradise.

Time will tell if bigger is better. They still have rusty Volvo's in the parking lot.
Berkeley Bowl West
920 Heinz Ave
Berkeley, Ca.

COCKTAILS FROM SHASTA LAKE

2009-05-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

Chilebrown has put a lot of hardly worked hours at the salt mine. It was time to take a break and have a Meat/Food Adventure with our favorite In-law's John and Shastina. Their abode is located in Shasta Lake California. It is a beautiful town at the base of the Lake Shasta Dam. This was the perfect place for rest, relaxation and FOOD. These beautiful falls are located at Burney. This is a beautiful State Park that we explored. Enough of nature, let's eat.

If you ever venture to the Shasta Lake/Redding area, you must take a visit to Jack's. This is a local hidden Bar & Grill that the locals want to keep to their own. It is a time tunnel back to an older glimpse of life. Simple, straight forward, meat and potatoes. Martini's are made with gin unless called. The prices are unbelievable compared to the Bay Area. One of the specialties is a filet mignon that has been marinated overnight. No sharp cutlery is needed. We had a great dinner.

The Redding farmers market was visited Saturday. This market was full of small organic farmers. We arrived two hours after the opening and a lot of the produce was gone. We did pick up some local olive oil, local mustard and some fresh peas for our Prime Rib that was to be cooked tonight. It was off to Moore's Flour Mill. This is an honest to gosh place that grinds their own flour, grains and spices. A huge (Ms. Goofy said it was heavy) sack of bread flour was obtained.

We visited North Star Brewery for a couple of cold ones. This was our marination for a barbequed prime rib dinner that we cooked at John's.

This was a great weekend! "Hey John, after we had such a great time at Burney Falls, after we bought you dinner at Jacks, and don't forget that killer prime rib, What do you think about letting me taking your Harley for a spin?"

TAQUERIA CHILE VERDE GRILL

2009-05-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Mad Meat Genius received a tip about a restaurant in San Francisco California called Taqueria Chile Verde Grill. This place must be conquered on our quest to find the best Chileverde. This taqueria is located in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. This neighborhood is a little gritty, rough, and the S.F. tourist buses, probably avoid this area. Once you have negotiated the streets and then the sidewalks, inside is clean and inviting. The menu was scanned, once, twice, and the third time my horror was realized. There is no Chileverde on the menu. What to do. An order of chile rellenos and a carnitas super burrito was requested from the English speaking challenged servers.

Let's start out with the good. A small complimentary order of chips and salsa comes with your meal. This salsa was great. It had avocado, tomatillo and most likely jalapeno all pureed together. It was a very delicious combination.

Next the super carnitas burrito satisfied to a tee. The meat was salty, chewy, and moist all at the same time. It had large chunks of avocado. Drench this tube of protein in the salsa and you have a beautiful experience.

On to the not so good. The chile relleno plate looked beautiful. It was colorful and looked well balanced. A fork was used to try to take a bite of this egg coated, cheese stuffed fried pepper. The fork would not cut through the pepper. A knife was looked for in the utensil dispenser. I was afraid to ask why they do not dispense knifes. This relleno did not have the skin removed from the pepper. Finally out of frustration, it was picked up in my paws and chomped on. It was cold in the middle. To complicate and worsen the situation the tomato/peppers sauce that accompanied was off tasting. It had a metallic taste. "Disaster"

So, "If you are going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flower's in your hair", just don't come here!

Taqueria Chile Verde Grill

#4 6th st.

San Francisco, California (415-522-1119)