BBQ Blog Canada!

New Years Eve Menu 2009

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:38:22 -0500

It's my favorite winter dinner of the year! Once a year it's fun to get a few friends together, and instead of spending what could be a month's rent in a restaurant, we buy out own ingredients and fantastic wine and cook at home... here's what on deck this year.

Course 1: (the wacky martini munchie course)
charcuterie, cheese, crackers, spicy hummus.
Paired with: beer/cocktails -- try my garlic and herb de provence infused martini

Course 2: ( the soup and salad course )
Grilled butternut squash soup, mixed green salad, and my home made candied pork belly bacon bits
Paired with: Bollanger Champagne

Course 3: (the i get an excuse to use my truffle slicer course)
cheese soufflé with shaved truffle, brioche with foi gras.
Paired with: 2002 vintage veuve clicot

Course 4: (the celebration of eating things with parents course)
treo of meaty: farmed venison loin chop, lamb loin chop, cherry smoked sliced duck breast on a bed of cranberry wild rice topped with red wine reduction.
Paired with: 2007 pinot noir reserve - ontario

Dessert: (the blow you out of the water with the best ice cream ever course)
home made baked goods, 2007 Double Chocolate Cherry Stout Ice Cream.
Paired with: double chocolate cherry stout, Peche mortal, creme brule stout, coffee, open territory on my liquor cabinet.

Dont forget to brine your bird

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:42:41 -0500

It's not too late, you still have time to Brine that Bird!

Great Quote on Vegetarians

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:18:41 -0500

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I've got some time off this week, so I finally decided to read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain it's been sitting in my stack of books to read for a few years, so it's about time i got around to reading it. With the holiday upon us I hope that, you my loyal reader don't have to feed a vegetarian over this wondrous and delicious holiday. Here's a quote that from the book, that really makes sense to me.

"Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food. The body, these waterheads imagine, is a temple that should not be polluted by animal protein. It's healthier, they insist, though every vegetarian waiter I've worked with is brought down by any rumor of a cold. Oh, I'll accommodate them, I'll rummage around for something to feed them, for a 'vegetarian plate', if called on to do so. Fourteen dollars for a few slices of grilled eggplant and zucchini suits my food cost fine." From Kitchen Confidential, p. 70

Happy meat eating!

Cameron's Cream Ale Ice Cream

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:35:40 -0500

I've been playing with beer based ice creams for a few years now, my first attempt was Double Chocolate Cherry Stout Ice Cream back in 2007. Making beer ice cream is pretty simple using stout beers, so this one was an interesting challenge as i decided to use Cameron's Cream Ale. After a few tries and a fair amount of experiments that went down the sink, I Think I've got a winner here. Recipe after the jump.

Beer Brine With Cameron's Auburn Ale

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:20:30 -0500

Here's a quick a dirty recipe for brine similar to my Turkey Brine recipe using Cameron's Auburn Ale. This is the brine I used to make BBQ chicken wings at the Royal Ontario Fair. Recipe after the Jump.

Recipies coming for my Demo at The Royal

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:18:50 -0500

Since I created my recipes very late in the week, i have not had a chance to publish them here yet, I'll be putting them up sometime this week when i get a chance

Cameron's Cream Ice Cream
Cameron's Creme Brule
Cameron's dark bbq bacon sauce
Cameron's Auburn Beer Brine

Cooking with Cameron's Beer @ The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:45:47 -0500

I'll be presenting a cooking and pairing with beer demo on the Entertaining At Home Stage at the The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair this Friday Nov 6th from 3-4 pm. The delicious beer I'll be using is from Cameron's Brewery. I'm still figuring out what I'll be cooking but you can be sure it will have some beer in it! There should be plenty of free samples kicking around so pop by and enjoy if you happen to be at "The Royal"

http://www.royalfair.org/

We finally have AWESOME smoked meat in Toronto!

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:21:53 -0500

I had the pleasure of visiting Caplansky's Deli for lunch today.
We waited in line for 5 minutes, but it was well worth the wait, we barely had time to peruse the menu before someone came to serve us.
The borsch come with bits of smoked meat in it! We ordered the smoked meat, which is offered lean/med/fat, of course fat was ordered as we all know that fat is flavor! There's 4 kinds of mustard + ketchup at the table and the sandwiches come out without any condiments on it, honstly the sandwich does not "need" condiments. I tried all the mustards and concluded that the kozlics mustard tasted the best with my meat and with the king pilsner beer I had ordered. I love that all the beers on tap were local microbrews.

I'm sure there's a few people wondering: Was is better the Schwartz in Montreal?
Yes and No, Caplansky seems to like his spices and smoke more than Schwartz, so the star of the show is more the spice and smoke rather than just the meat alone. The meat has a slightly bitter taste from what tasted to me like an abundance of oak wood smoke, and you can really taste fennel seed. I cant pick a clear winner, I love them both equally.

http://caplanskys.com/

Win a Broil King XL BBQ

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:40:57 -0500

http://www.houseandhome.com/fansandfollowers/

LCBO Strike?! Screw them and drink amazing Ontario Wines & Beers

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:45:26 -0500

It looks like the LCBO (aka the "Lick Beau") could be offline for the summer, which means many of us will be forced to drink beer from the beer store, which does not have the greatest selection of beers, or wine from "the wine rack" which has an equally dismal selection of wines.

Did you know that we have over 100 boutique wineries in Ontario, with almost all of them not being sold in the lcbo. Many of these wines are amazing but many vintners don't have the budget or resources to deal with the lcbo, check them out, I promise you wont be disappointed.

http://www.vqaontario.com/

Not to be forgotten, the OCB makes some great beers, and are often on the way when doing a wine tour, check them out as well!
http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/

Video: How To Grill Fish | Canadian House & Home

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:52:15 -0500

Nice little video on how to grill fish, great looksee for all those that have had their fish stuck to their grill

http://www.houseandhome.com/videos/recipes-entertaining/video-grilling-fish

Geekologie Reader Makes Death Star Grill - Geekologie

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:06:55 -0500

If i had this grill I'd have to play the imperial march from star wars every time i fired it up, and I might have problems checking the meat wearing my Darth Vader mask...

http://www.geekologie.com/2009/06/geekologie_reader_makes_death.php

Lifehacker - Nine Affordable Steaks and How to Grill Them Anywhere - Grilling

Thu, 28 May 2009 00:20:47 -0500

Stumbled upon this little guide... check it out!

Link

Porsche Design Studio Introduces Their X-Series Gas Grill With Island, Finally! - Born Rich

Wed, 20 May 2009 11:00:02 -0500

Just what we've all been waiting for, a grill designed by Porsche! Too bad it wont drive you to work, with price tag starting at $6,000.

http://www.bornrich.org/entry/porsche-design-studio-introduces-their-x-series-gas-grill-with-island-finally/

Want a Canadian Made BBQ? Don't Bother With Canadian Tire

Tue, 05 May 2009 22:27:39 -0500

I'm a bit miffed as Canadian Tire used to be my go-to place for bbqs.. On a trip today to buy bags for my vac sealer I could not resist wondering into the bbq section. Every single BBQ was a cheapy made in china! There's even a Ted Reader Napolean Grill there, also made in China!? We have a great Canadian Q manufacturer (OMC) that makes the broil king, broil mate and a bunch of other quality Grills, in fact my 8 year old Broil King was from Canadian Tire. I was sad a few years ago when my dad bought a "Centro" from Canadian Tire which was a terrible uneven Q, with 2 settings Hot and off...

They did not have my vac-seal bags.. so off i went to Wal-Mart and guess what I see there? almost the same cheap Chinese made bbqs, for even less money of couse with Wal-marts buying power and all.

If you are in the GTA and are even a little bit of a locavore, check out Ontario Gas Bbq They have a massive selection of quality grills and many of them Canadian made.