Holy Smokes BBQ - Raleigh, North Carolina

This place was a lot better than I thought it would be after reading many reviews about it on the Internet.

If you want smokey BBQ, this is the place.

This place looks like a 50's diner inside and out.  Very cool.

 I talked to the owner when I walked in, as he knew I wasn't from the area and began asking me where I had come from.  (The Bronx accent is hard to get rid of.)

He mentioned his son used to work at Rudy's (a popular BBQ chain in Texas), which I had been to just outside of San Antonio.  The owner moved to NC and opened Holy Smokes.  He mentioned that he was originally from Houston, Texas.

Anyhow, Holy Smokes features smoked turkey, brisket, chicken, and pork.

I had just gotten off of an airplane and ordered smoked turkey and brisket with a side of pit beans and a drink.  What an awesome meal for just under $11.

The brisket had a nice smoke ring and an awesome smoke flavor.  So did the turkey breast.

I ate the brisket with some of the Carolina Soppin' Sauce and had the turkey with the Boot Kickin' Sauce.  Both of these are thicker than their Lone Star Lip Smackin' Sauce, which is their version of a "Carolina-style" vinegar-based sauce with red pepper flakes and black pepper. The first two sauces had tomato sauce and one seemed to have a bit of molasses in it.

I would have recommended Holy Smokes if you were in the Raleigh area.  But unfortunately, they have since closed.  If they were still in business, I'd eat their smoked turkey all day if I could.

Read More

Jackson's Big Oak BBQ - Wilmington, North Carolina

This place was awesome - especially that gigantic oak tree out back!  Hence the name "Big Oak" BBQ.

It has an old school, rustic look to it, both inside and outside.  Take out and eat in.

I ordered the sampler for $11.99, which consists of: 1/4 chicken, ribs (4), pulled pork, and Brunswick stew with a side of veggies and candied yams.  The candied yams here were REALLY good!

Four ribs, a healthy portion of chicken (two pieces), and about 1/3 lb of pork.  Hush puppies and a fried potato accompanied the sampler.. The Brunswick stew had a peppery bite to it and was very enjoyable.

The staff knew I was from out of town and made me very comfortable.  They also answered every question I had about the types of food they make and some of the names I wasn't familiar with.

The sauces available were their traditional Eastern Carolina vinegar and the other "sauce" nothing but apple cider vinegar!   I brought some of their EC vinegar sauce back to the Northeast to enjoy with my smoked pulled pork.

Awesome, awesome place to eat BBQ.

Read More

Casey's Buffet & BBQ - Wilmington, North Carolina

This place has everything, seriously.

You will eat until you feel sick here.  Tons of food available.

This place is a hole in the wall.  It looks very rustic inside.  The buffet is toward the back of the restaurant.  It's like heaven when you walk into it.

I had tons of food, from fried chicken, to the pulled pork, to fried okra (for the first time ever).  There are mashed potatoes, corn, ribs, rice, gravy, mac & cheese, biscuits, and so many other things I can't even remember!

Their cobbler is great.  Great!  I saw two different kinds of cobbler when I ate there.  And had both.

The waitress was very nice and showed me around the place, as it was my first time there.  They thought I was lost...

Highly recommend this place if you have $12 and want to eat a ton.

Read More

Cowgirl BBQ - Santa Fe, New Mexico

I arrived at Cowgirl's on a Tuesday night around 7pm.   The atmosphere was cool. Very Southwestern feel. Just what one would expect.

Dining area

We were greeted by many of the waitresses upon entering the restaurant.  We were then asked what we wanted to drink.

I went with a Porter which was very tasty...I loved the roasted flavor.  Dark beer is my thing.   One of my friends ordered the same Porter and really enjoyed it.

Horseshoes

For dinner, I ordered a Filet Mignon burrito.  I am not one for very hot food, but wanted to have a Southwestern meal my first time in New Mexico, so I went with the "Christmas" (green and red chiles) on my plate.

Filet Mignon Burrito - Christmas Style

Our food came out roughly 10 minutes after ordering and it had looked really good.  My burrito was cooked well and the peppers added a significant amount of heat to the platter.  I got through it all and enjoyed my meal.

One of my friends ordered the Chic-o-licious Mac and Cheese, which came with the biggest baked potato I had ever seen!  He had no complaints.

I decided I needed something else to drink so I went with the Mangorita after looking at the many margarita choices on the drink menu. Mango also happens to be my favorite fruit, which factored into the decision juuust slightly.  This was sort of frozen - not my style - with pureed mango.  My friend went with Horny Toad Margarita and said it tasted like a normal margarita.

My only gripe here were the overweight "Cowgirls"/waitresses. Only one looked like she took care of herself.

Our waitress, on the other hand, practically spilled her boobs onto my plate every time she came over. They were all over the place.  No reason to try to market this place that way.

I enjoyed dinner here and would certainly go back for some eats.

Check out their Cajun menu as well.  At the time it was available 'til April of 2010. The Jambalaya my friend had was really good and he ordered it with scallops.

Cowgirl BBQ isn't a traditional BBQ restaurant, but close enough for me to list it here on my blog.  The Southwestern food at this place is great!

Read More

Wholly Smokes - Tampa, FL

I pulled up to this place and immediately smelled the smoke.  Mmmmmmmm.

I ordered a turkey platter with two sides; mac & cheese and beans. The meal came with two slices of garlic bread. The beans were fantastic. Sweet and smokey with bits of meat in them. The Mac and cheese was homemade and had the perfect texture. I was in love.

The turkey had a perfect amount of smoke flavor. I ordered it sliced ($8.95 platter) and my chopped beef sandwich ($5.95).

They offered two sauces. One mild and one hot.  The "hot" bbq sauce wasn't really too spicy, so don't be afraid to try it.

The beef was a little dry but I still enjoyed the sandwich. It wasn't brisket, that's for sure.

I really didn't even need sauce for the turkey.  It was that juicy.

The interior is pretty standard for a BBQ joint.  A lot of dark colors, wood paneling, and it smells great.  When you walk in the door the counter is directly to the left.  Behind the counter is the pit with racks of meat at different levels.

The oak wood flavor is fantastic.

Wholly Smokes is a must if you love barbeque and are in Tampa.

Read More

Conway's BBQ - Marion, Ohio

I think I know good BBQ when I taste it.  And this place didn't deliver.

I looked through the menu and went with the "Choose 2" combo for $13.99. I ordered the brisket and Carolina gobbler (turkey). The meal came with two sides so I went with  the mac-n-cheese and baked beans.

The restaurant has ample space but did not see many cars parked outside and saw 4-5 people in the establishment (only at the bar).  Oh yeah, the tap water here tastes really bad.  So I promptly asked for bottled water.

My brisket had good flavor but had tons of fat pieces in it.  Wasn't really edible...or enjoyable, if you want to put it that way.  What a pain in the ass to eat.  The turkey could have been a lot more moist, but this was totally edible.. Pink hue to meat it and great smoke flavor.

The beans were below average.  Both the beans and the mac n cheese definitely weren't home made. The cheese was too creamy and beans were too thick and very soft.  The mac n cheese needed some darn salt, too.

Sadly, I would not recommend this place.

Read More

Smoke and Bones - Derby, Connecticut

Smoke and Bones is a new barbeque joint located in Derby, Connecticut.  I always support local food joints, so I went to try this one and here's what I thought.

Three-meat combo - Ribs, Brisket, & Chicken

The BBQ places I have eaten at will foil meats and slice a la carte.  Smoke & Bones preps the food and stores food in heating trays.  Something I have not seen at BBQ restaurants.

I ordered the three-meat special with two sides.  For meats, I chose ribs, brisket, chicken.  My sides were macaroni & cheese and beans.

Ribs:  Many people like their ribs "fall-off-the-bone tender."  That's what you will find here.  I like ribs with just a bit of toughness to them but that's just me.  Overall, ribs were not bad but if you were looking for smoke flavor, it was not there.

Brisket: If I am being honest, the brisket was very, very fatty.  When I smoke brisket, most of the fat renders and it comes out super tender.  Almost every bite included pieces of fat that I had to dispose of.  But the smoke flavor was there on the slices that had meat on them.  This brisket sat in its juices in one of the heating trays at the counter.  Not very appetizing upon walking in and seeing that, but I was hungry - what was I going to do?  Besides, I wanted to give this place a shot!

Chicken: The smoked chicken was the best of the three.  Smokey, not dry, and seasoned well.  No complaints there.  I love it.  It's very easy to over-smoke and over-cook chicken in the smoker.  Well done!

Mac & cheese: I dig this stuff.  Not very creamy/cheesy, but full of flavor.  Definitely try this stuff!

Beans: The beans had a distinct taste.  I really couldn't tell exactly what it was.  It tasted like some sort of pepper but I couldn't nail it.

Overall, I think Smoke & Bones definitely has room for improvement. But that's expected - this place is brand new!  I think they will change a few things based on reviews and customer feedback.  Every business does to an extent.

I'd definitely go back as there are still some items I'd like to try, such as the fried chicken and pulled pork.

And Ii there's one thing I'd recommend in terms of a new menu item, it would have to be smoked turkey!

Read More

Smoked Macaroni & Cheese

We've all had macaroni and cheese.  Mac-n-Cheese dishes are a classic here in the United States.  But what some people may not know is this dish, otherwise known as a "Cheese and Pasta Casserole," dates back to the 14th Century.

If you can just close your eyes and imagine what your favorite mac-n-cheese tastes like, well, try to imagine what mac-n-cheese tastes like with smoked cheese!  It's even better!

For this dish, I will use the cheese I smoked the week prior.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Pasta (preferably elbows), uncooked
• 1 1/2 cups Smoked Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 1 tbsp. Butter
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Pepper
• 2 tbsp. Flour
• 1/4 cup Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp. Paprika

Start by boiling the pasta so that it cooks while the sauce is being made.

Making the Sauce

Begin by melting the butter in a pan over medium heat.  Once melted, add salt, pepper, and flour into pan and stir together.  Once you've stirred it well, set the heat to low and stir until the mixture thickens.  Ensure there are no clumps of flour left in the mix.

Add the shredded cheese into pan and mix well over low heat until you have a smooth sauce. 

Add cooked macaroni to sauce mixture and stir.

Pour mixture into baking pan/dish.  Top macaroni and cheese with Breadcrumbs and Paprika.

Bake dish in 375F oven for 10 minutes and serve!

Read More

Smoked Cheese

One may think this is rather crazy.  But, no, it's definitely possible to smoke your own cheese.  "Doesn't the cheese melt when you smoke it?"  The answer is NO.  Smoking cheese doesn't mean the smoker should be chugging-along at 225F.

In order to smoke cheese, you will need to get your smoker between 60 and 90 degrees.  Upwards of 100F, your cheese will begin to "sweat" and possibly melt.  The goal is to get some smoke onto the cheese and not to COOK the cheese.  We aren't doing any cooking here.

Light 4 charcoal (or lump charcoal) briquettes in a charcoal chimney.  Let them go until they begin to turn grey.  When they're ready, place them into the smoker and make a square out of the briquettes.  Place a piece of wood (I generally use a chunk of hickory or oak) on top of the briquettes and ensure the smoker temperature does not get very high.  Again, your goal is to get smoke to run by the cheese and flavor it.  I smoke cheese for roughly 2 hours.

Here is an example of what you should be doing.

If you like your cheese really smoky, I recommend cutting the cheese into as many chunks as possible.  More surface area on the cheese = more smokiness absorbed by cheese.  Good stuff.

Below is a picture of a variety of cheeses I smoked - White and Yellow Cheddars, Mozzarella, Monterrey Jack, and Gouda.

 

After the cheese is smoked, I like to save the cheese in vacuum-sealed bags.

Read More

Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde is great for almost any kind of meal - breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  It's also great for nachos.  I generally make the salsa for tacos - both breakfast tacos and BBQ tacos.

I find that roasting the tomatillos and peppers over an open flame makes for the best possible flavor in the salsa.  There's nothing like it.

Here's my take on Salsa Verde.

Ingredients:

• 10 Tomatillos
• 5 Peppers, medium to hot (Anaheim Chiles, Serranos, or Jalapenos will do)
• 1 small Onion
• 1 tsp. minced Garlic
• 1 handful Cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 lime, juiced

Fresh Peppers and Tomatillos

Get your grill ready.  Place Peppers and Tomatillos directly over hot coals.

  Roast until the skin is charred.

This is what the peppers and tomatillos will look like after being roasted.  You will now remove the charred skin from both and take the seeds and stem out of the peppers (unless you like them really hot).

Cut onion, tomatillos, and peppers.  Place into mixing bowl.

 

Place all ingredients into blender.  Add cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and salt.

 Blend ingredients and this is what you will end up with - a great-looking, smelling, and tasting salsa.  Let the salsa cool down prior to serving.

I used the salsa for chicken tacos.  In the past, I have used this salsa on pulled pork tacos as well as breakfast tacos (eggs & onions).  It can be used as a dip for nachos and a topping for fried eggs as well.

Read More