LAKE HAVASU MUSIC BREWS & BBQ

The scores have been tabulated and the winner has been declared. “The envelope please”. Harry Soo of ‘Slap Yo’ Daddy’ BBQ’ team has won the crown of ‘Grand Champion’. Harry rolled into the competition late Friday afternoon. He set up his cooking area behind a small ‘U-Haul’ van and worked his magic in a ‘Weber Smokey Mountain’ cooker. He wowed the judges with a first place chicken, sixth place ribs, and a second place brisket. This placed him at the top of seventy four other barbeque warriors. Congratulations Harry, you are an inspiration.



The residents of Lake Havasu were also winners at this event. They were entertained with music and award winning barbeque. The public was able to purchase tickets to sample these smoky delights. We found an attraction that allowed a person to walk on water. You were placed in a plastic bubble and vacuumed shut. You then were able to walk across a pool of water. Once again they did not allow me participate.




Once your stomach was full there was a car show to stroll and walk off your BBQ indulgence. Lots of shining chrome and polished rims were displayed to admire. Hot rods and vintage vehicles were proudly on display.



There were plenty of crafts and fun products to purchase. I found my favorite booth that was manned by “Scotty B’s” hot sauce. My hot sauce pantry will be five bottles bigger when I get home.

This is an image of my fellow barbeque judges taking our oath before the contest. The last line of the oath is: “I accept my duty to be an Official KCBS Certified Judge, so that truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque and the American Way of Life may be strengthened and preserved forever. AMEN!

DESERT COCKTAIL

A Liberal friend of mine, who has no problem salting her way through life suggested that I have a beer in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Well, why not? Lake Havasu is a retirement community and a haven for "Spring Break" visitors. ‘Happy Hour’ is an hour earlier because of the time zone. The locals have a specialty drink called the ‘Desert Cocktail’. It is a twenty two-ounce beer floated with a stuffed olive. This will cost a whopping 2 dollars and .50 cents.


One hour away from Lake Havasu is another ‘Silver Hair’ gambling and vice destination: Laughlin, Nevada. Our barbeque event had a booth promoting a casino with a spinning wheel to give away tickets for front row seats to the "Ink Spots". Guess who won?



　
I know what you are thinking. Only one member of the present group of the"Ink Spots" is a second generation of the original group. Yes it was fun and even though I did not know the words to the songs the people behind, around, and even in front were singing and swaying to the music. It was intense. The concert was over and we all danced to the buffet line to beat the six o-clock senior discount deadline. (That was a joke son) More barbeque later.

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

The ‘Formula One Racing Honda" made record time driving from the Bay Area to Lake Havasu, Arizona. This rocket ship was fueled with caffeine and the anticipation of meat treats to come. Today is the first day of ‘HavaBBQ 2012’. The National anthem has been sung and it is time to get our meat on. The first day is a day of setting up and inspections. All meat must be inspected for proper handling, appropriate meats and alterations. (Marinade). Teams from all over the nation have gathered by the lake and are preparing for battle.

The main event of cooking the four meat categories (chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder and brisket) will start tonight and be judged tomorrow. Today there will be a chili contest. The public will be invited to taste and vote for their favorites. Yours truly will be a judge for this competition. If the public does not get their fill of chili there are lots of food venders. Beer battered everything was a booth that I may have to visit. Tri-tip and sausage was being prepared for the hungry masses. A booth preparing Greek food was a temptation that will have to be controlled.



Besides judging chili today, Yours truly will be judging another category called "Anything Butt". This category is anything besides the four meat categories. The competitors will try to impress the judges with steak to lobster for cash prizes. I will have to stay away from the food venders to prepare for this event.

The fun has begun. I found a hot sauce booth. I walked away with a shopping cart full of heat. The bands are beginning to play. There is a lot of food to judge and sample. Stay tuned.

CHILEBROWN BURGERS

“For a hamburger today, I will gladly grind it for you Tuesday”. My apologizes go out to J. Wellington Wimpy, for butchering your line. Actually we took fresh meat and ground it to our specifics for a flavorful burger. This simple task was easy, inexpensive and resulted in a flavor profile that rocked. The meat was purchased at our local Wally-Marts bargain meat bin. They discount packages of meat that did not sell the day before. We used a combination of chuck steak, sirloin, and pork shoulder. Once home we trimmed the steaks and removed bones or any silver skin present. The meat was put on a tray and put into the freezer for 20 minutes. This partial cooling hardened the meat for ease of grinding. The handy dandy all purpose Kitchen-Aid mixer has a grinding attachment and we put it to use with the coarse grind. The ground meat was mixed and put back into the Chilebrown ice cave.

We formed the freshly ground meat into patties for grilling. A liberal dose of salt & pepper was the only seasoning needed. Once the burgers are cooked to your liking feel free to accompany them with your favorite toppings. The flavor was stellar. The chuck and sirloin added beef flavor while the pork added richness and needed fat. We cooked our burgers to a medium doneness. They oozed with rich beef and pork flavor love. You will need extra napkins for this meat lover’s delight. Once you have ground your own burgers, you will be on board with the flavor train.

We are packing up the ‘Formula One Racing Honda’ and heading to Arizona to attend “HAVABBQ’ 2012. This is Arizona’s largest state barbeque competition. It will be our first judging duties of the year. We hope to bring you up to date coverage. See you this weekend.

OREGON DAN'S

Oregon Dan's barbeque sauces are my latest review. They are sweetened with Agave syrup. They have several flavors to try and you can read about them here.

Read Review Here

CARNE MACHACA

We are bringing you a Mad Meat Genius first; dried beef. This was spotted at Las Montanas Supermarket. I saw it on the shelf and walked right by. I got to the next aisle and stopped dead in my tracks. Dried beef? I had to investigate. The clerk explained it was used with eggs for a breakfast dish. A small amount was purchased. Once home a little more digging on the World Wide Web produced information and recipes. Carne Machaca is a form of beef jerky. Meat is marinated, cooked, shredded and then dried. It is usually sautéed with salsa and eggs to make the filling for a spicy breakfast burrito.

We are home and opened our container of dried beef. Ms. Goofy and I both took a whiff. We both simultaneously exclaimed it smells like dog food. The odor was very off putting. In the name of research we continued. Chopped onion, tomato and a Serrano pepper were cooked in a little olive oil for several minutes. The dried beef was added and cooked for several more minutes. Eggs were added and cooked. This mixture was served with salsa and a tortilla.


The dried beef was on the salty side. A little chewy with beef flavor was the verdict. It tasted fine enough, but the smell was still in the back of our mind. This is an experiment that will not be repeated.

LUCY LEMON MERINGUEY PIE

A combination of Meyer lemons and sweet puppy breath! Oh my.

JALAPENO CHEESE CORN BREAD

This recipe is a keeper. The addition of jalapeno hot sauce and pepper jack cheese is the secret for a moist and spicy cornbread. This can be cooked in the oven or outside in a Dutch oven. Cooking this bread in the Dutch oven is fun and makes for a great presentation. Either way you cook this bread, it is delicious.

Jalapeno Cheese Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup diced canned jalapenos
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 ½ cup of buttermilk
2 eggs beaten
2 teaspoons jalapeno hot sauce
4 tablespoons melted butter
4 ounces grated pepper jack cheese.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. Mix the eggs, buttermilk, hot sauce and jalapenos in a separate bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold in cheese. In a 425 degree oven heat your cooking vessel with butter. When the butter is melted swirl pan to coat. Pour excess butter into batter mixture and combine. Pour all into buttered pan and return to oven. Cook for 30 minutes until golden brown.

MAD MEAT GENIUS HELMET CAM

We would like to bring you the latest up to date information in the 'Mad Meat Genius' World. The helmet cam will open a new horizon of awareness and bring a new slant to our 'Madness' with bacon Stay tuned.

LUCY!.... I'M HOME!

Lucy! .... I'm Home! We are proud to announce a new addition to the Chilebrown home. Lucy is our bouncing, tail chasing, 'English Cream', 'Golden Retriever' puppy. She has only been here 24 hours and she rules the roost. Her and Oscar are best friends already. I hope Lucy likes barbeque.

"SHOP DICK'S" BACON & BROCCOLI SALAD

We had our annual potluck during the Holidays at the ‘Salt Mine’. Lots of home made sweets and casseroles were shared. ‘Shop Dick’ our mechanic brought in a broccoli salad and asked me to try it. It was delicious. I immediately asked him for the recipe. Guess what? This recipe includes a pound of bacon. I knew I liked this dish and now I love it. These few ingredients blend together for a sweet savory fresh vegetable combination that really shines in flavor. I even dare to say it is healthy and good for you because of the fresh broccoli. So get out your broccoli stalks, pull up a knife and let’s make a salad.

(Before bacon & dressing)

“Shop Dick’s Bacon & Broccoli Salad

1 pound bacon sliced
2 bunches broccoli chopped into bite size pieces
1 small red onion chopped
1 cup of raisins

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

I used Nueske bacon for a special treat. Fry your bacon until crispy and wonderful. Drain on paper towels. When cool chop into pieces and reserve.
Combine the broccoli, onion and raisins in a bowl. Make the dressing by combining mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add dressing and bacon to broccoli mixture. It could not be simpler.



This salad is a winning combination of flavors. The smoky bacon, crispy broccoli and sweet raisins were made for each other. I cannot believe how good this tastes. This is health food in my book. Thanks ‘Shop Dick’ .

LOOFTLIGHTER

Loofflighter, what is it? Is it a hair dryer on steroids or a great tool to start a barbeque fire? The Looftlighter is a product from Sweden that every barbeque freak must have. Well at least I wanted. This device is basically a hair dryer on steroids. Flip the switch and a super heated stream of air, 1256 degrees to be exact, will flow and ignite your fuel.No more waiting around for that old fashion chimney starter. This product is good for the planet because it will replace that stinky foul lighter fluid. (Mad Meat Genius has been lighter fluid free for years). Instant fire for the barbeque pit will be a joy. Let’s turn on the Looftlighter and get our fire on.


A small stack of charcoals briquettes will be our test fuel for today. Plug the Looftlighter in and hold the Looftlighter against the charcoal. Hold the switch on and within 30 seconds you will begin to see sparks. Back the device slightly away from the charcoals and the fire will spread. The image you see was taken 90 seconds from the start. For instant fire move to another spot and within minutes your charcoals will be lit. It was fast and clean. No more ashes blowing around from a chimney starter.

What a great new barbeque tool. We are still doing tests. We want to try this with mesquite charcoal and a wood fire in our fire place. This device is not portable unless you are near an electrical outlet. So far, we are very pleased. “He with the most barbeque tools wins”

Looftlighter

SMOKED BACON CHIPOTLE SEA SALT

‘You can say that again' Smoked Bacon Chipotle Sea Salt was a gift from my sister, “The President of Cookies”. She knows what I like and this concoction has all of my favorite components. It sounds intriguing but will all these bold flavors blend together and form a tasty condiment? The ingredient list is as follows: Natural sea salt smoked over Alder wood, natural bacon (?), chipotle pepper and gum Arabic. I got a chuckle with the reference to natural bacon. Unnatural bacon might be scary but a popular bacon salt producer does not actually use any bacon in their bacon salt. Let’s pop the top and give this salt a try.

The aroma is pleasant with an almost sweet, Alder wood smoke fragrance. I have had other smoked salts in the past that have smelled like a campfire. The close up image will show very small little pieces of chipotle pepper, I actually saw more seeds than peppers. There are also little tiny pieces of bacon through out this mixture. I took a small piece to verify it was the salty swine that I love. This has the real deal. A healthy sprinkling of our salt graced a fried egg for tasting purposes. The smoke flavor was pleasant but not overpowering. Unfortunately the bacon and chipotle flavor was not noticeable to my palate.

Chipotle and bacon flavor missing does not make this a bad product. I think it would be great for seasoning vegetables or used as a finishing salt. The Alder wood flavor might be strong enough to overpower the other ingredients but is not overwhelming and would make a wonderful condiment. This flavored salt has an alluring title but does not deliver all that was promised.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ROAST

It is January 2 and I have broken all my New Year's resolutions already. The Oakland Raiders have tanked another football season. We did have a wonderful prime rib roast. The house still smells of beef and I love it.

We hope you had a great New Year. This year is going to be special. Both Ms. Goofy and I will be retiring. We are getting a new puppy in two weeks. This year will be eventful. We are planning all kinds of new meat adventures. Stay tuned!