Smoke Dallas

Saturday was a fine day of Christmas shopping for Joy and I. Fighting the sea of Dallas holiday traffic and huddled masses of shoppers really embiggens the holiday spirit in me. Or anger, one of the two. Just so you know driving on NW Hwy at 3pm on a Saturday 2 weeks before Christmas sucks.

I had decided that I wanted BBQ for dinner Saturday night early in the day. I figured we'd go give Smoke a shot <www.smokerestaurant.com> as I had heard good things. We'd have gone for lunch, but it's pretty well out of the way from anything we were going to be doing that afternoon. So, we had Great Outdoors (#12 hot please). Note that the Great Outdoors is next to Backcountry BBQ on Park @ Greenville. We almost had a double bbq day. Or maybe we should have just had Backcountry for lunch, and skipped Smoke for dinner.

We arrived at Smoke about 8pm, were seated at a table too close to the next couple, and enjoyed a couple of complementary cornbread sticks with jalapeno jam. Good, but not great. We ordered strictly bbq and bbq related sides. Smoke has quite the extensive menu, most of which looked delicious, but I was here for BBQ. Brisket sandwich, Pulled Pork sandwich, 1/2 rack of ribs. For sides we enjoyed fries and the hominy casserole.

First, let’s talk about sauces. They bring a four pack to the table. House sauce is a tomato/molasses sauce which isn't overly sweet, but isn't overly flavorful either. There is a vinegar/red pepper SC sauce, a mustardy sweet NC sauce and a "Tex Mex" chipotle/tomatillo sauce. None of them are very good, but the SC sauce has a nice punch of heat.

Brisket Sandwich:
Unless specified, I want sliced beef. This came out chopped, and topped with two 3/8" thick slices of sour pickle. I didn't ask for chopped, nor did the menu indicate that I was ordering a chopped beef sandwich. Either way, the bun was fantastic and the meat just so/so. A little dry and no real smoke flavor to speak of.

Pulled Pork:
This sandwich, on the same fantastic bun as above, was good, but not really bbq. The tender shreds of pork were sauced lightly with the vinegar/red pepper sauce and topped with cabbage slaw. Traditional style, which I can respect. Unfortunately there were not chunks of bark in the pulled pork, and NO smoke flavor. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume it came out of a slow-cooker/Crockpot.

Ribs:
1/2 Rack of St. Louis cut spare ribs. Here's where all of the smoke flavor in the restaurant went. Wow. There is no lack of smoke flavor in these. There is also no lack of rub, or sticky sweet glaze. I really, really wanted to like these ribs but there are just too many flaws to approve. The first bite was pretty outstanding, but after you polish off a rib or two it's just too much. Too much rub -- caked on uncooked powder in your mouth. Too much or the sweet glaze that's masking the flavor of the pork. Too much smoke. I'm guessing there's smoked paprika/smoked salt in the rub which is causing part of the problem. The ribs did come with pickled carrots which were pretty awesome.

Sides:
The fries have a smoky sweet dusting of salt -- like a Wing Stop fry with attitude. At first, you love this. After a while the smoke becomes slightly overpowering and you wish they were just good fries.
The hominy casserole, on the other hand, is awesome. Bacon, jalapenos, grits, hominy and cheddar. I'm going to be making this for Christmas dinner, assuming I can find a recipe.

There's a chance I'll give this restaurant another shot -- cause I really want to like it. I've heard nothing but good things about their house made sausages, so I'll likely be back to try those. We'll see.

Radishes

So, venturing through the local Salvadorean market and hunting for dinner stuffs, I found a tray of radishes. For about $1.60, we got 20 or so radishes. A couple of them went on a salad last night and today, we have a lot of radish left.

Misty did some work on google, and up popped green beans and radishes. We sliced them thin, tossed them in with butter, the beans, added a little green onion, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper. We sauteed this up and went to work. The radishes took on the soy and garlic flavors so perfectly and their semi-transparency made them the perfect addition. I could see eating just the sauteed radishes - they are also somewhat sweet when cooked down, and they really are delicious.

We will be doing this one again - for your winter, pick up a radish!

Best Water Ever

The Ioussen Pot treats your water like royalty. Charcoal pieces and rocks from Mt. Iou, an active volcano on the eastern part of Japan's Hokkaido, filter the water in a magical way. It is said the minerals imparted by the rocks have a natural power that will properly orient your healthy life.

I don't know about all that, but I do know the water that pours out of this magical little pot is delicious, slightly rocky tasting, and, at the least, makes me feel like I am doing something right.

This device is not inexpensive, but we got it as a wedding gift, so bonus to us! Try some next time you're over.




[see? instructions in Japanese mean this is the real deal]

Gin & Tonics, Tom Collins and a Rickey

The last time Cory was in town, we decided to find the best tonic water for your standard Gin and Tonic. We tested five tonic waters:

Canada Dry in the Plastic 1 liter bottle ($1.29 per bottle)
Tom Thumb brand in a 12 ounce can ($1.25 per six pack)
Target Brand (Market Pantry) in the plastic 1 liter bottle ($0.99 per bottle)
Q tonic Artisanal Tonic Water in an eight ounce glass bottle ($7.99 per four pack)
365 Organics (Whole Foods) in a 12 ounce can ($2.50 per six pack)

Our Gin of choice was Boodle's London Dry, and we eyeballed the ratios of gin to tonic to lime. Adjustments were made if we felt they were too strong or weak.

After a round of tasting, here's what we came up with.
The overall winner was the Whole Foods brand -- good carbonation/quinine flavor and minimal sweetness. The whole foods brand tonic water is made with real sugar, instead of corn syrup, which we both believe made for a cleaner tonic taste.
Second place in my book was the Q-tonic brand. This stuff is in your face tonic, with a strong quinine flavor. Sweetened with agave nectar, it has the same minimal sweetness, just enough to take the edge of the quinine. Q-tonic is fantastic, but really too expensive to be used for daily or weekly tonic making.
Third was the Canada Dry, your standard tonic. It's good.
Fourth and fifth are really not worth mentioning. The Tom Thumb tonic is really sweet (not that you would notice if it was the only one you drank), and the Target brand was lacking in the carbonation department.

Our Tonic testing got me thinking about other Gin cocktails. Namely the Tom Collins and the Gin Rickey.

Cory and I got some Tom Collins mix when we were in college, and tried it out. That was a mistake, and it turned me off to the Collins for many years. I recently re-discovered the Collins, and will provide you with a recipe for your enjoyment.
Tom Collins:
1 Ounce fresh Lemon juice
1 Ounce simple syrup
3 Ounces Gin
Club Soda to fill the glass

Mix your lemon juice, syrup and gin in a highball glass, add club soda to fill (4 ounces?) and a few ice cubes. Enjoy.

Similar to the Collins, the Gin Rickey replaces the lemon juice with lime. Since limes generally have more tartness, I'd use about 1/2 the amount of lime juice. True, the original Rickey does not use sugar/syrup, but I like the added sweetness.

--Brad

Ginger-Habanero Syrup

I know, I know, why the hell am I posting again about a syrup. Well, to execute this one properly requires a little technique. Not a lot (or alot, as your 7th grade sweetheart might have written), mind you, but some.

The syrup starts the same as others: 1 part water, 1 part sugar. Add a few slices of ginger. Add 2 whole, rinsed habaneros for hot, 3 if you are crazy and you are making your first batch and don't know how hot you want it so you just add three because "why not?"

Set your heat to simmer - that's right, I said "simmer." And, if you didn't catch it, do not cut the peppers! Let this little pot cook for about 30-45 minutes at least, though 1 hour is probably optimal.

Your required technique usage: once the chosen allotment of time is up and your heat is off, you must squeeze the habaneros. A wooden spoon works well as you can squish your pepper underwater, as it were. We learned this the hard way when a habanero exploded on the wall and splashback portion of the cooktop. But is it even a splashback if it isn't behind a sink? That must be a question for another day. In any event, you squoze out your habaneros into the syrup, let cool, and go.

While we are only in the infancy of dealing with this syrup, one thing is clear: it is hot as hell. Recipe one for the syrup is an easy one: vodka, soda, a teaspoon of syrup. It will burn favorably in your body and you will indeed be happier for it.

Stay posted for additional uses of the ginger-habanero syrup!

Stone's Ginger Wine

Not too terribly long ago we posted about Domaine de Canton, a delicious ginger-infused brandy. Do not get me wrong, Canton is awesome. Tonight, however, on a rain-soaked walk to the local liquor store in search of said Canton, Misty and I found ourselves in Sportsman's Liquor, where Canton was nowhere in sight. The proprietor, though, suggested we try a ginger wine he had. Stone's it was, and Stone's it will be!

At only $12.99, this boldly flavored drink is less than half the price of trendy Canton, and while it is only 13.25% alcohol to Canton's 28% or so, it is an excellent substitute for the trendy Canton.



And for your continued attention to this post, you now get a drink recipe we discovered at a local joint, PS7s. They call it the Cure and charge you $5 (cheap, no doubt). Put ice cubes in a glass. Add about 2-3 shots' worth of either Stone's or Canton. Now pay attention: add half a Miller Light. Yes, a Miller Light. Finish it off with a touch ginger syrup and stir it up (to make the ginger syrup, add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and some roughly cut up fresh ginger - simmer until it boils to get the maximum ginger flavor - keep it in the fridge after that - duh).



Enjoy!

Hatch Chile Season

Oh yes, It's that time of year again. Hatch Chile season is upon us. If you're lucky enough to live in a part of the country where you can procure these delights, you'd be wise to stock up. If the Hatch Chile is not available in your neighborhood, be aware that the Hatch Chile is generally any variety of the New Mexico Chile, which happens to be grown in Hatch, NM.

This is the first year where I've noticed all of the local markets carrying both a mild (New Mexico #20) and a hot (Big Jim or Sandia) pepper. In the past (at least at the stores I shop in) you've just had the luck of the draw; this is not the case this year. Both Sprouts and Central Market were advertising fresh chiles in mild and hot. I chose to make my purchases at Central Market, mostly because they roast on site and they make just about everything you could imagine with the Hatch pepper on the "roasting" weekends. For example, in my adventure on Sunday, I procured the following:
2lbs each of hot and mild roasted peppers -- roasted on site, in front of me
1lb each of hot and mild fresh peppers
1lb of Hatch Chile Pork sausage
1 jar Hatch Chile salsa verde
1 package fresh Hatch Chile Hamburger Buns

There were many other options include fresh guacamole, pepper jams and fresh pepper jack cheese made with the delicious Hatch Chile, but I thought I had done enough.

Anyway, the fresh chiles are good for many of your standard chile applications, and the roasted go great in everything; my meal plans include Hatch Manwich and Hatch Chicken Enchiladas. I might make rellenos with the fresh peppers; we'll just have to see.

Tonight, I made Hatch Chile Rice. And it was awesome.
1 Cup Rice
2 Cups Chicken Broth
3 Tbsp minced roasted Hatch Chiles (I used the Hot ones)
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic
Salt to taste.

Rinse your rice, throw it in your rice cooker, add the broth, chiles and seasoning and fire it up. Don't have a rice cooker? You're on your own. I've forgotten how to cook rice w/out one.

--Brad