Smoked Strawberry Shortcake on Biscuits is an over-the-top delicious dessert that you and your friends are going to go crazy for! Smoked strawberries make for a great twist on this summer classic. Strawberry season has to be one of my favorite times of the year. Living in the country we are surrounded by U-pick berry…
Education
The Wine Pairing Guide to Grilling and Barbecue
Confused about how to pair wine with BBQ? Don’t be! Here’s your guide to pairing wine with barbecued and grilled foods. As summer approaches we’re spending more and more time outside, cooking on the grill, surrounded by family and friends. Those intoxicating aromas from the grill begin to fill the air and the neighborhood streets, and…
Smoked Pork Shoulder (Pork Butt)
A complete guide to making incredible Smoked Pork Shoulder (Pork Butt) and crowd-loving Pulled Pork. Learn the tips and steps for tender pulled pork on your smoker. Plus a full video tutorial on how to smoke pork shoulder. We’ve cooked A LOT of pork shoulders, hundreds for our own personal consumption, as well as through…
How To Use A Charcoal Chimney Starter
Find out how to safely and quickly light up a charcoal chimney starter without the use of lighter fluid. We get this question a lot. It seems simple, but many people fear the charcoal grill because of tasks like lighting it. This step by step approach to using a charcoal chimney starter makes lighting a…
How to Grill – Two-Zone Grilling
Learning how to grill is about understand the basics of direct indirect grilling, also known as two-zone grilling, to achieve a perfect crust, and juicy meat every time. Check out this post all about reverse searing for even more incredible flavor and grilling technique. Have you ever thrown a burger on, or tried to get…
Surf and Turf on the Grill with Herb Compound Butter
Our grilled Surf and Turf marries the best of the earth and the best of the sea with a Petite Filet Mignon and Lobster Tails, both grilled, and then finished with an herb compound butter. Looking for other variations for steak or seafood? Check out our grilled hanger steak, grilled tuna, or one of our…
Grilled Oysters with White Wine Butter Sauce
Grilled Oysters make for an awesome appetizer and decadent treat for your favorite friends. This grilled oyster recipe highlights what oysters are best for, grilling, and a simple butter sauce with a secret ingredient, white wine. Grilled Oysters We all know raw oysters can be absolutely incredible, and need very little to jazz them up….
Sea and Kosher Salt – A Guide
Kosher Salt is the glue to many great dishes, and a great way to add a finishing touch to a dish. We’ll explain what sea versus kosher salt is, and why you may want to consider these versus standard table salt. Types of Salt for Cooking There are different types of salt to know, especially…
How To Grill A Steak To Perfection Every Time
This guide will walk through how to grill a perfect steak every time. One of the most common questions we get as caterers is How to Grill a Steak to perfection. The answer is, it’s easy! Learn how. As an event caterer, we often set up an interactive grill station so people can see how…
Wine Storage and NewAir 46 Bottle Dual Zone Cooler
Wine Storage is important. Between the financial investment in wine, and the fact that some wines benefit from aging over time means that the storage of wine and how to store wine are important factors. This post details what you need to know in regards to wine storage plus a full review of the NewAir…
Thanksgiving Wine Guide
Trying to figure out what wines to serve with Thanksgiving Dinner this year? You’re not alone. Below is a fool-proof guide to finding great wines in all budgets for your holiday meal. I am a traditionalist when it comes to this meal, and my advice has remained the same year after year. The most important…
Smoked Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Find out how to make this super easy Smoked Tomatillo Salsa Verde using tomatillos roasted in the smoker or grill, and quickly made in the blender. This simple green salsa is fantastic with chips or served over tacos, enchiladas, chicken, sausage, or seafood. This was one of the first recipes we started serving at our…
Reverse Sear Method — The Best Way to Cook a Steak!
Reverse Sear is simply THE BEST way to cook a steak, both low and slow and hot and fast to get the perfect balance of tenderness and flavor crust. This detailed guide walks through the various styles of reverse sear techniques for a smoker and grill. Post Highlights: Definition of Reverse Sear Reverse Searing in…
Grilled Chicken – How to Grill Perfect Chicken Every Time!
This easy Grilled Chicken comes out perfect every time! Follow these simple steps to get great flavor, crispy skin, and juicy texture for the BEST grilled chicken! Stop overcooking chicken and learn the tips and tricks that pros use! Grilled chicken can be a little intimidating for people. Too often people are afraid of under-cooking chicken,…
Back to Bourgogne: An introduction to Burgundy wines
A beginner lesson on the wines of the Burgundy (Bourgogne) region of France. Good Burgundies can be life changing. They are the kinds of wines that, in the 60’s and 70’s, motivated crazy folks to pack up and plant vineyards in Oregon, because they saw the potential for the kinds of life changing wines they…
How to make a Spanish Carajillo…
How to make a Spanish Carajillo …or rather how I learned the proper way to order coffee in Spain, and a recipe for a Spanish Carajillo and other Spanish coffee drinks. On our second day in Spain several years ago, our group enjoyed a fantastic two hour long lunch at Loreto Restaurant in Jumilla with the…
Grilled Pork Chops with Wine Brown Butter Sauce and Prosecco Superiore wine pairing
The next time you think of pork chops, elevate them to the next level by making this super easy, yet elegant, Wine Brown Butter Sauce. Pair it with a bottle of delicious Prosecco Superiore, and you’ve got yourself an incredible meal for date night or entertaining guests. We’re very passionate about our bubbly around…
Bourbon Brined Smoked Turkey Recipe
Learn the secrets to the ultimate Smoked Turkey for your Thanksgiving or Holiday Dinner. This Smoked Turkey is jam packed with incredible flavor, from a bourbon citrus brine, to an herbed butter, to a flavorful turkey dry rub, This is the juiciest and most flavorful turkey that will have your guests going back for seconds……
The Best Italian Red Wines to Pair with a Great Steak
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Italian Trade Commission for IZEA Worldwide. All opinions are 100% mine. Ever wonder what to pair with a great steak other than Cabernet Sauvignon? I’ve listed some of my favorites, and you might be surprised. When it comes to pairing wine with a great…
3 2 1 Ribs – A Comprehensive Guide
Your guide to the 3 2 1 Method of smoking ribs. This fool proof method is perfect for those just starting out and also wanting to master ribs with just a few key techniques. Sean and I came from two different worlds of Smoked Ribs. I used to like them finger-licking juicy, fall-off-the-bone tender and…
Sparkling Wines of Italy — The wide variety you should know about
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Italian Trade Commission for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. There’s a wide world of quality sparkling wine beyond Prosecco produced in Italy. If you’ve read much of this blog you’ll know that I am quite passionate about sparkling wine, and if not, now…
Wine Travel: Discover Conegliano Valdobbiadene, The home of Prosecco Superiore
Discover Conegliano Valdobbiadene, in the heart of the Veneto, in Northeast Italy, where Prosecco is made and thrives. Prosecco often gets lumped into one category — fresh, fruity, and innexpensive sparkling wine. But if you’re willing to look a little deeper, there’s so much more to Prosecco than it gets credit for. In this post,…
Champagne vs. Prosecco — What’s the Difference?
Sparkling wines come in a variety of styles and descriptions, but they all have specific meanings and places of origin. If you’re curious about the differences between Champagne and Prosecco and many of the other words used to describe delicious bubbly beverages, start here. “BUBBLES,” “SPARKLING WINE,” “PROSECCO,” “CHAMPAGNE” — WHAT THE HECK IS THE…
Your First Smoked Turkey – Advice from the Pros and Joes
With Thanksgiving coming up, I’ve crowdsourced from pros, hobbyists, friends, and anyone who loves to do Thanksgiving outside for their best advice on smoking your first Thanksgiving Turkey. This is the information you need to be a Thanksgiving hero (or shero!) this year! I didn’t grow up on smoked turkeys. My mom would always cook…