Barbecue Secrets Rockin' Ronnie

SHOW NOTES

In this episode I talk about building an authentic Jamaican-style jerk pit for this year's Brewery and the Beast in Vancouver, where I joined my friends from Johnston's Pork to serve up 14 delicious jerked pork bellies.

A the same event, ninja chef Rob Belcham of Campagnolo restaurant outdid himself by spit roasting a whole 250-lb. farmed sturgeon using three whole octopi stuffed with chorizo as basting brushes.

At the end of the episode I talk about an experience my wife Kate and I had a Jamaican resort a few years ago. Spoiler alert: contains nudism and vodka.

Here's a link to the recipe I talked about for Greek-Style ribs. 

Hey barbecue fans. I hope you enjoy this edition of the show. Here's a link to the recipes I talk about. Like Barbecue Secrets on Facebook and follow me on twitter. And if you haven't found me yet on iTunes, come here. 

Get grillin'!

Ronnie 

 

I'm back with a new podcast! For some reason unknown to me, in the last couple of weeks the number of Barbecue Secrets listeners has jumped from about 40 to over 600 a day. Not sure what's going on, but I figure if there's that much interest in the show I'd better start producing some new episodes. I hope you like this one, and I'm looking forward to making more.

For all you CKNW listeners, here are your recipes for this week. Enjoy!

Beach-Friendly Snacks

As soon as we get unpacked and set up at a picnic table, we like to put out an array of simple but delish appetizers. Obvious choices are a nice variety of stinky cheeses, cold cuts, pate and crackers, olives, fresh pita and hummus, sliced long English cucumber, cherry tomatoes, pickled herring and so on. 

Grilled Fresh Smelt

This works best with smelt that have just been caught, but you could thaw frozen smelt and do the same thing. If you’re squeamish you can gut and behead the fish before grilling but, in my opinion, why do all that fussing and make a mess when they taste great whole?

Makes a great beach picnic appetizer for 4

8 or more fresh raw whole smelt

Sea salt (Fleur de Sel or Malden Salt would work best, but Kosher Salt would also work fine) 

Pre-heat a portable grill for medium-direct cooking (I prefer The Cobb or a Weber Smoky Joe, but you can also use a hibachi or portable gas grill). Wipe the smelt with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Sprinkle them with the sea salt and immediately place them on the cooking grate (the fresh coating of salt should help prevent them from sticking to the grate, but if you’re worried about stickage lightly drizzle them with oil before you put them on the grill). If your cooker has a lid, leave it off.

Carefully tend the smelt, turning them regularly, until they are slightly charred and a have a light golden colour. Remove them from the grill and eat immediately while they still have a crisp crust. Eat them whole – I know it sounds gross, but the crunchy head is the best part when it’s fresh from the fire.

Grilled Salmon with Teriyaki Sauce and Fresh Mango and Jalapeno Salsa

Makes 4 servings

I like to make my own Teryaki sauce (see recipe below) but the bottled variety is also very good. To keep things very simple, and still delish, you can substitute teriyaki sauce with good quality Japanese soy sauce.

For the salmon:

4 8-10 oz | 250-300 g pieces of boneless wild salmon fillets, skin on

1 cup teriyaki sauce

For the salsa:

1 ripe fresh mango, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

Juice of 1 lime

Kosher or sea salt to taste

Prepare the salsa by combining all the ingredients.

Marinate the salmon pieces in the teriyaki sauce for no more than an hour. I like to bring a big Ziploc bag to the beach and marinate the salmon on the spot. If you soak them in the sauce too long they get too salty and it masks the delicious taste of the salmon.

Prepare your portable grill for medium direct cooking. Place the salmon pieces, skin-side down, on the cooking grate and cover the grill. When the salmon is done (internal temp of about 130F or springy to the touch), remove it from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes before serving with the mango salsa and the rice salad on the side. 

Rice, Asparagus, and Cucumber Salad

Makes 8 servings (so you’ll have enough for leftovers the next day)

This is a slight adaptation of a recipe from a 1994 Bon Appétit magazine. The salad tastes like summer itself and it’s one of our go-to beach picnic standards. You cannot make it once without making it again and again.

1 3/4 cups | 425 mL water

1 cup | 250 mL long-grain white rice

1 pound | 500 g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch | 2.5 cm pieces

11/2 cups | 375 mL long English cucumber, chopped into 1/4-inch | 5 mm dice

1/2 cup | 125 mL chopped chives

2 Tbsp | 25 mL Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp | 15 mL honey

1 Tbsp | 15 mL white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp | 2 mL dry mustard

21/2 Tbsp | 40 mL vegetable oil

1/4 cup

Welcome to episode 19 of the Barbecue Secrets Podcast. It's the last episode of the season, and it's a doozie!

If you're viewing this on the podcast blog, click on the little "pod" icon to the left of the episode title above to listen to the show. Hope you like it!

SHOW NOTES FOR EPISODE 19




It doesn't get much better than this, my friends. This show starts out with an interview with my friend Brian Misko of House of Q, a barbecue champion many times over and maker of a great line of barbecue sauces and rubs. Brian tells some great stories from the barbecue trail and shares some killer techniques.

Next up is a return visit from Meathead, the man behind the amazing website www.amazingribs.com. Meathead, who knows the art and science of outdoor cooking like no one else, has some fun busting another barbecue myth.

Finally, I get to do a deep dive into the world of Kentucky Barbecue with Wes Berry, author of The Kentucky Barbecue Book. Wes is a university English prof who went on a journey of discovery through his great state. In the process he gained some insights into the history of barbecue in America and traced back the roots of a traditional Moore County dish, pork blade steak with a crazy "sop." He shares the recipe for that dish, along with another tasty sauce and something called cornbread salad. You can find the recipes in yesterday's blog post.  

I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Back in May, with the help of producer/editor Darcy Reynolds, I relaunched this podcast with a vision of creating an entertaining, informative show about outdoor cooking with professional-quality sound. I wanted to showcase longer interviews with fellow barbecue fanatics and give listeners a richness and depth about the smoky world of barbecue that's hard to find anywhere else on the internet. Kind of a cross between a radio show and an audio book. Something that you can listen to in the car, or while doing chores or working out, or while you're getting ready to cook up some barbecue. 

Did I succeed? I need your feedback to help me get ready for next season.

Write me at rockinronnie@ronshewchuk.com, tweet me @rockinronnie, or post something on the Barbecue Secrets Facebook page. Let me know what you liked best about this season, and what I can do to improve the show. Tell me if there's anyone you'd like me to interview. And, if you know any potential sponsors, please connect me with them -- I'd love to start next season with a couple of marquee sponsors. 

Thanks for listening! I'll try to post at least a couple of new shows over the winter. In the meantime, keep on making that beautiful blue smoke!

OTHER WAYS TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW

You can subscribe to the Barbecue Secrets Podcast for free on iTunes here. 

You can also get a handy Android app to hear the latest show and dive into the back catalogue for only $3.99. You can get the app by visiting this link on your Android phone to the Amazon Appstore. Once you're there, search for Barbecue Secrets, pay using your Amazon account, and you're good to go!

 

Welcome to episode 18 of the Barbecue Secrets Podcast!

Click on the little "pod" icon to the left of the episode title above to listen to the show. You can subscribe to it for free on iTunes here. You can also get a handy Android app to hear the latest show and dive into the back catalogue for only $3.99. Find out how at the end of this post!

SHOW NOTES FOR EPISODE 18

In this episode I sift through the ashes of my team's spotty performance at the Canadian National BBQ Championships in Whistler, B.C. At some point I guess I'm going to have to start referring to myself as a former barbecue champion.  Although they can't ever take all those cheap plastic trophies away from me. 

After a bit of post-Whistler soul-searching interspersed with some audio snippets from the contest, it's time to share my conversation with the Godfather of Zin, Joel Peterson, founder of Ravenswood Winery and California wine legend. Joel and I have done a couple of wine/food events together and he is one of the best storytellers I've ever met. I'm delighted that he agreed to tell my favorite from his youth -- a hilarious wine-making near-disaster that never fails to generate side-splitting laughter.

Joel and I were written up in the local Whistler paper, The Pique. Check it out. 

For this week's recipe, I'm sharing our team's Championship Barbecue Chicken, which, with a few tweaks from chicken master Vince Gogolek, saved our dignity with a third place finish.

Oh. One more thing. Here's a pic of the giant tomahawk rib roast I mentioned in the podcast. It placed fourth in the chef's choice category, but it was number one in my books as a piece of over-the-top barbecue theatre. 

I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Write me at rockinronnie at ronshewchuk.com, tweet me @rockinronnie, or post something on the Barbecue Secrets Facebook page. Hey, if I get enough good questions, maybe I'll do a special Q&A edition of the show!

Get the Barbecue Secrets Android App!

You'll need the free Amazon Appstore app, which you can get by visiting this link on your Android phone. From the Amazon Appstore, search for Barbecue Secrets, pay using your Amazon account, and you're good to go!