BBQ Blog Canada!

Homemade pickles in just an hour?!

2010-07-28T21:05:44Z

Never really thought much about speeding up the pickling process, as I've only ever really used it to preserve things for long periods of time, but I do love pickles and it would be kinda neat to go to the farmers market in the morning, and have pickles the next day.

Check the recipe here

Use the force to make great bbq.

2010-07-26T21:21:00Z

Get yourself this Darth Vader Apron and use the force at your next cookout to make the best bbq ever!

BBQ Apron

Christopher Walken can cook?

2010-07-26T21:07:09Z

This scares me for some reason, maybe it's because of all the scary characters that Walken has played over the years, I can somehow picture him doing this with a human head, and being just as calm explaining it.

My Trip to Memphis! - Part 2

2010-06-14T04:04:50Z

I'd made it to Memphis, now was time to check out the largest pork cooking contest in the world. I was a little anxious as this had the potential to be disappointment, kinda like when Lucas rebooted the star wars series. My campsite was a short 20 minute drive to the contest, and finding where my parking pass had put my VIP parking was a bit of a challenge, I did however find it, put on my purple weekend pass wristband, adorn my VIP pit pass around my neck and stroll on in. I was not sure what this VIP pass would actually entitle me to, as I did not get an itinerary with the pass. First off, this contest really is HUGE, I decided to walk around the entire contest first to take in all the sights, this took almost an hour! I popped in and chatted with a few of the competitors who were all very welcoming when they saw my vip pass. For some reason I forgot to take photos this first day! I finally found the VIP area, and was greeted to my choice of draft beer or a glass of wine, I had got there just in time, as we were splitting off into groups and going to eat bbq at various competitors booths. Over the following 2 days I we would meet and eat with 6 different teams they would give us a little talk on what they do, answer a whole lot of questions and feed us some of their award winning bbq. The coolest competitor we visited was called "the shed" They had the coolest cooker i've ever seen, they had modded a vintage truck into a well insulated cooker, they were competing in the whole hog category. My vip pass was worth every penny, I ate amazing bbq for 3 solid days, drank my face off for free and hung out with 60 or so (vip) people that were also passionate about the craft of bbq, no rib boilers in this crowd! On Sunday morning I packed my car, made sure I had lots of sugar free redbull and drove home.. in one 18 hour shot!

Beach Rib Fest Cancelled

2010-06-11T05:20:27Z

Sorry to inform everyone that we will not be cooking at the Canadian open bbq contest at the beach rib fest. The company that was organizing it sent me a nice letter (today) 1 week before the contest to tell me that they are canceling that portion of the event. I'm pretty angry and am fighting the urge to write defamatory coments about the organizers. We lined up sponsors and spent a pile of money on supplies and ingredients for this event. I've included the letter they sent me if you feel like reading the "read more" button.

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Hello BBQ Community,

The following letter is to all those who are looking to compete or judge the Canadian Open BBQ
Championships (COBC) scheduled for June 19th & 20th at Woodbine Park (Toronto, ON).

At this time, we regret to inform you that we have had to make the very difficult decision to withdraw
this event as part of Beach Ribfest. We do apologize for the late notice (this letter) however we were
working very hard over the last few weeks to try to make this event happen in 2010. Below is an
explanation as to how we came to our decision:

Legacy issues
As most of you are aware the COBC has had many challenges in the past. This event was once
sanctioned by the Canadian Barbecue Association. This association dissolved in 2009 and the event was
almost cancelled. At that time, Eventrix chose to execute a scaled down version of the event in 2009
(Crazy Canuck BBQ Championships).

This year we were looking forward to pick up where the COBC left off in 2009, but additional challenges
described below surfaced including:

Number of Teams
With an increased prize purse of $30,000 and the automatic entry into The Jack, we expected a number
of teams to come forward and compete. Unfortunately, this was not the case and thus due to the
limited participation, Jack Daniel's will no longer be providing us with this entry.

Number of Judges
Solidifying judges to participate both Saturday & Sunday was very difficult; most wanted one day or the
other. The Judge Instructional Meeting was scheduled for Saturday therefore those who would judge on
Sunday only, would have missed this important meeting, which was another concern raised by potential
participating teams. In addition, there were concerns about the Judge Registration Fee. This fee would
have offset some costs including: ensuring appropriate prize purse was fulfilled, assisting on arranging
supplies that international teams may have needed, etc.

Associations vs. Corporate Company
Lastly, there were many concerns raised that the COBC was not run by an association, with specific rules
and regulations developed and executed by a sanctioning body. With the dissolution of the CBA, this
was not possible for 2010's version of the event. We were developing a judging certification program for
2011, but unfortunately, with the low response for 2010, this has been put on hold.

80 Sherbourne Street, Suite 106, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5A 2R1
Tel: 416-635-9889 Fax: 416-635-7766

At this time, we would like to take a moment to thank everyone who supported the COBC this year and
has supported it in past years. For those who submitted entry fees for this year's event, a cheque from
Eventrix Partnership Inc. will be sent to reimburse you for these funds.

On behalf of Eventrix, sincerely,

Caiti McLelland
Executive Director, Beach Ribfest

Come down to see us cook @ Beach Rib Fest !

2010-06-10T04:07:42Z

Bbqblog.ca has put together a competition team to compete in the Canadian open BBQ competition on fathers day weekend. The competition is at Woodbine beach park near downtown Toronto as part of a rib fest. We're looking forward to camping out there all weekend. There's lots of vendors selling ribs, live music and other attraction. for more info visit http://www.beachribfest.com/ We'll be making bbq sauce with Cameron's Beer, and were working on throwing an after party on Saturday night at our favorite bar that sometime has my pulled pork on special, The Charlotte Room

DIY Ketchup!

2010-06-03T18:08:46Z

If your panties are always in a bunch about how much salt and corn syrup is in your everyday food, why don't you cowboy up and make your own ketchup? It's really not that hard, and if you have an excess of tomatoes this season, making your own ketchup would be a nice conversation piece next winter when you are eating mac and cheese.

DIY Ketchup

Real Perdy Portable Grill..

2010-06-02T22:38:19Z

I could not resist posting this.. cause it's just so darn perdy... and comes in lots of colors. It's made by bodum, and I've always loved their french press for coffee, found one on amazon for $50, now to pick the color!

Bodum Fyrkat

Cameron's Dark Blueberry Bacon BBQ Sauce

2010-06-02T21:51:52Z

Last week I was at the Cameron's cask night, and made a delicious bbq sauce to pair with their Dark266 lager blueberry cask, and some delicious grilled organic beef from Vibrant Farms
Recipe After the jump.

]]> 1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hot mustard
dash of your favorite hot sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup grade b organic maple syrup
1/3 cup preserved blueberry or 1 pint fresh/frozen blueberries
1 or 2 beers
ketchup till you get the correct consistency. (about 2 cups)

add the bacon, to a non reactive (I like non stick) pan and cook at medium heat to render off the fat and get the bacon nice and soft, and edible, add the onion, dash of olive oil and "sweat" the onions till they get transparent, now add the garlic and continue to cook till everything smells real nice. Increase heat to High and start deglazing the pan with Cameron's dark266 beer, just a little at time letting the beer cook off and carmelize everything in there, or about 3 doses of beer. new combine everything into a pot with rest of your ingredients except the ketchup and simmer at medium heat till the mixture reduces by about 25%, give it a taste and see if you like it hotter, maybe you want to add some more hot sauce? when you are happy with the spiciness of the mixture. put the mixture into your blender or use a wand type blender to get the sauce a little smoother, add ketchup or tomato paste til you reach your desired consistency. This sauce has to be refrigerated and will keep for a few months, although in my house it never lasts that long.

Marinades made easy

2010-06-01T12:36:25Z

I know that many of you already have a few marinades that you love and stick to, here's a great guide if you feel like getting creative and and creating a few new recipes. Even if you are a seasoned marinader, you'll learn something from this great guide.

Marinade Chemistry

My Trip to Memphis! - Part 1

2010-06-01T02:24:56Z

May has been a whirlwind tour of bbq, I'm just finally getting a chance to sit down and blog my incredible experience on one of the greatest trips I've ever embarked on. I decided one evening after possibly a few too many beers at the end of April to see what the deal was with Mephis in May's Pork bbq contest, everything seem to line up just right. This was the first year that they offered something called the "VIPit Pass" which as a bit of money with a parking pass ($400!) and my first hurdle was that they would not ship the pit pass to Canada,

so I jumped online and booked myself at the local KOA campground about 20 minutes from the contest and had my ticket shipped there. I just bought my first car in about 12 years and have not driven very much in the last 10 years, and thought - hey drive 2000 miles in a week, make up for those years not driving in a hurry! I didn't actually have my full drivers license as I'd let it expire and had to take a driving test 5 days before I embarked on this wacky trip.. if I had failed the test I would not have been able to (legally) drive to Memphis, I did pass my driving test however so that was taken care of.. next on the list - getting a car stereo with a gps, check... now for the trip! I left on a rainy Tuesday afternoon and did a 5 hour drive to the middle of Ohio, it started raining the moment I hit Ohio and when I reached my first campsite it was very water logged and just above freezing.. not ideal for my tent, I opted to spend the extra $20 and get a cabin at the KOA campground near Toledo. I figured this would be an easy way to do a test of my recently acquired camp gear, plus I'd have power to watch a movie on my laptop in the evening if the rain decided to come back. I asked about good local bbq and was told to go to "chillis" there was no way I was going to go to chillis for bbq. I punched in BBQ into the gps and found a place called smokey bones, and had some really really amazing ribs, I told the bartended of my plans to make it to Memphis eating bbq as much as possible, and they comped my meal! If you are traveling in the USA and feel like some bbq I have high praise for this place, I was astounded when I discover they were a chain. I had both wet and dry ribs and both were cooked perfectly and had lots of great flavor. I had a great rib-filled sleep and in the morning took a crack at using my new stove top coffee maker which resulted in the possibly the worst coffee I've ever consumed, clearly there was a learning curve to this. I managed to hit the road at about 7:30 am with a belly full of bacon and eggs, and my aforementioned crappy coffee. It rained the entire drive through the remainder of Ohio, I mean crazy cant see 30 feet in front of you rain. As soon as I passed into Kentucky the rain seemed to stop, thank god! Kentucky is one of the greatest places to drive through, the grass is better than some golf courses, and that's just on the side of the freeway, long rolling hills, everything was lush and green, the highways were not busy and everyone drives really fast! I looked down at the speedometer at one point as I followed a caddy and I was doing 155 k! I arrived at my campsite in Kentucky and quickly changed into my shorts, crocks and a t-shirt, what a difference a day of driving makes in weather! The locals down here know about REAL BBQ! I was directed to a roadside stand called Knoths BBQ which was in the middle of a "dry" county.. no booze!? how can the bbq be be good without a beer I asked myself? This was a tiny little place that served beef and pork on wonderbread buns and there were 2 kinds of bbq sauce provided, one was yellow thin with fruit and mustard and the other red and peppery.. I ate 3 of these wonderbread sandwiches, and was amazed on the great flavour of the the pork and beef, it was moist and grandma was in the kitchen pulling the meat fresh off the pork shoulders with her bare hands and piling them on my wonderbread. So glad that I found this place! I made it back to the camp and had a few beers and my first campfire of the season, still in my shorts and t-shirt, it was hot out! I managed to get some of the sauce from knoths and had a campfire weenie with a mix of the pepper and mustard sauce on it, my spirits were high and I was looking forward to getting to Memphis the next day. I couldn't sleep, I was too excited. The sun baked my tent and I was packed up and making much better coffee early in the morning, the campground owner came over to chat with me as told me about the "dry" county thing, she said something that made me laugh and that I will remember: back when I was a kid there were "Honky Tonk" drunks all over the place" thats why we are dry now. My belly was full of proper coffee eggs and bacon, and I was ready for Memphis, less then 4 hours of driving to go! Driving through the remainder of Kentucky, into Arkansas was a joy, great weather. I have to mention the rest areas, there's a clean beautifully landscaped rest stop around every 100 miles. It would be a shame to not stop, as they are great break for driving and every single one I stopped in had stocked vending machines and bathrooms you could eat off the floor. I made it to the west Memphis KOA around lunchtime I was a little out of place on one of the only 3 tent sites on this large campground full of motor homes next to a busy highway I brought my BIG tent and a queen size inflatable mattress so this was enough luxury for me anyway, I'm still in disbelief that I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt sweating like a fat kid at the fair setting up my tent, it was HOT! I had a nice cold beer and a red bull and headed off to the contest.. TBC...

Pick Better Cuts of Meat by Checking the Texture

2010-05-27T13:38:55Z

Caught this great article on lifehacker today, on how to buy better cuts of meat when you are at the butcher shop, give it a quick read, I even learned something!

lifehacker Better Cuts via Smartshopper

I'm the Guest Chef at Cameron's Let's Drink the Cask Night

2010-05-26T14:14:04Z

Feel like coming out to see what kind of wacky bbq and other treats I can do with a great local craft beer? I'll be at Cameron's let's Drink the Cask Night on Thursday May 27th at 6pm
Cask Night is at 1165 Invicta Drive in Oakville, ON

Going to Graceland...

2010-04-27T16:04:07Z

Image via Wikipedia

I just booked my camping with the nice folks at the KOA Campground near Memphis, bought my "VIP Pit Pass" to the Memphis in May's World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. I'm not competing in this event, but hopefully with my pit pass I'll be able to get some good info from some of the other pro teams. Should be a fun road trip! Wonder how many other Canadians are going down?

Ring in Spring or Easter... Continued!

2010-04-11T01:11:10Z

Ok.. I'll admit it, I felt a little odd not hosting or cooking something a bit more traditional for easter weekend, Usually the week before easter i'm hunting down new recipes to try, curing a ham or maybe even thinking about buying a new bbq.. This year was a bit of an afterthought.. while chowing down on my easter friday fillet mignon, I got a couple of txts to my phone from friends asking if I was in town and hosting a dinner this year. After a quick check of the weather forecast and a phone call to my butcher to see if he had a turkey for me, Easter 2.0 was on! I'm not sure if BBQ'd ribs are a easter tradition for anyone, but I do know that turkey is common as Gasparro's butcher shop had a big list of yummy free range turkeys on order for various customers. I tried a new wood for turkey this time around, something I've never used for turkey before: Pecan. Usually I use apple or sugar maple, but iI was feeling adventurous, and very much non traditional after my previous day's easter picnic. I rubbed the turkey and ribs with dried peppers in a bourbon mixture that i reduced to near powder. The results were great as my little 12 lb turkey was inhaled by my friends in not time at all. We washed it all down with some great local beer from Cameron's, Great Lakes, and Muskoka lakes.