Weekend of the Honey Bourbon Sauce

I have been working very hard trying to get our sauces ready for the mass market. There are so many things that need to happen: finding a certified kitchen where we can produce and bottle marketable batches; make sure we have all our ducks in a row as far as permits and licencing; testing and retesting the recipe on as many different meats as possible (that part is pure torture let me tell you!!). But finally its all coming together... in fact this weekend seems to be the start of something great!


"Cuzin Rob" went camping at the Russian River near Guernville CA and made a batch of our sauce at home (don't ask him for the recipe... he will have to kill you) to take along and see how his friends liked it.  Rave reviews on everything from beef, chicken and pork to the more exotic BBQ'd oysters! Sweet, hot, tangy and sticky there wasnt a dry finger in the camp from all the finger licking goodness!


And for us at home we grilled some chicken, foiled some corn on the cob with butter and foiled potatoes for baking.  I set the grill to 275 degrees then put the foiled spuds on and let them cook for one hour. Then I put the foiled corn and the LARGE bone-in chicken breasts on then covered the chicken with our Uncle Bob’s Homestyle spice on both sides.  Forty five minutes later, I turned the chicken breasts so the meat was on the grill with the ribs up.  I heavily sauced the chicken with the Honey Bourbon sauce then turned them over and repeated the process.  I waited about five minutes then turned the grill off.  I let the heat sit and allowed the sauce to thicken and caramelize for about 20 minutes.  When we were ready for dinner, it was simply moving it from one place to the table.  Easy.  The potatoes were PERFECT, as was the corn.  The chicken, well, it was to die for.  Perfect cling to the chicken meat and skin, the seasoning was unbelievable, but what else should I have expected.  My wife could not say enough about how good it was, and you know I rely on her as she is my best and worst critic.  If she likes it, I know that I’ve hit a homer!


The capper to the sauce story is that we are now the official BBQ and HotWing sauce at Bob's Murrieta Pizza. I just found out they sent the rest of the inventory they had of their previous sauces back to Sysco... hope they are wondering who this upstart company with the long URL is!

Grilling, Barbecuing, Smoking... Whats the Difference?

There are distinct differences between each method of cooking and a pellet grill is capable of all of them. Instead of purchasing a smoker, a barbeque grill and an oven for outdoor cooking or a wood fired oven you only have to buy one device. Basically, smoking is accomplished at low temperatures from 140°F -- 180°F and for longer periods of time. As the grill produces smoke, the cooking chamber contents are exposed to the aromatics of the selected wood. The smoke permeates into the food depositing the woody aromas and flavors further enhancing the spices and herbs that were in the rub or marinade. This method of cooking is very beneficial when a heavier level of smoke is desired in the food. An example would be smoked fish like salmon, tuna or maybe even cheese. Barbequing is similar to smoking in that the temperature of the grill is from 180°F -- 225°F and the food is exposed to some smoke as well. This process is also a ‘low and slow’ method of cooking. Meats that require longer periods of cooking for flavor enhancement or improving the tenderness qualities benefit from the cooking characteristics of the pellet style grills. Brisket, ribs, pulled pork and other less expensive cuts of meat benefit from this temperature range as the long cooking time and lower heat slowly break down the fibers of the meat as the fats melt adding flavor as well. Grilling foods on the pellet grill is easy, too. The temperature setting is adjusted upward to higher temperatures from 300°F -- 400°F, however it is a rare occasion that the really hot temperatures are used for this purpose. Grilling temperatures allow the meat to sear sealing in the juices and encouraging a crust to develop on the surface of rubbed meats. The grate also gets hot which allows for putting the ‘grill marks’ on the meat or the vegetables for presentation purposes. Baking is something unique about the pellet grill and at temperatures of about 350°F and greater. It’s possible to bake bread or pizza, make quiche or frittatas, prepare soufflés, and desserts without a smoky-flavor.