peechdogg

YES --> fried, stewed, pickled, in gumbo,,,, you name it, i'll probably eat it!

chicago and bbq? never heard that association before. please explain.

oh yea! a rice porridge with milk, sugar, and a little lemon zest for breakfast. i grew up in Savannah & this was also a common breakfast dish with my friends in Charleston. haven't had it in years.

all this discussion of B Stew, while interesting, is kind of missing the point: it's a simple stew. use what ingredients are available and don't embellish too much or you've totally lost any semblance of authenticity by making some gussied up bastardization of a dish eaten by regular folks. folks can argue 'til Haley's Comet comes again and won't get any closer to one "true" recipe ... it just ain't that type of dish. sort of like arguing over the "correct" way to make clam chowder. a mix of meat(s), vegetables, liquid, and seasoning is the game here. worrying about whether rabbit, squirrel, some other varmit, or Upland grouse from Scotland or New Zealand venison is the appropriate meat is kind of overkill (oops, that's a bad pun). if the dish isn't easily reproduced, it's not worth doing in the first place. i grew up in Savannah (not far from Brunswick, GA) and have eaten B Stew for 35+ years. always thought the dish got its name from there, but my current understanding is that the first published recipe is from a cookbook published in Brunswick County, VA in 1796. that's what the Colonial Williamsburg Cookbook says, anyway. whatever it's origin, it's just good stuff. i've made it, been served it at friends', potlucks, church suppers, picnics, and of course at Q joints too numerous to count in nearly every state on the east coast. after looking through my collection of cookbooks and based on what i know from experience, here's what i see: ** chicken is always a part of the deal. if it's only got squirrel in it, folks call it burgoo (and then ya can get into a whole new set of discussions on the "one true" burgoo recipe ... another exercise in futility). ** squirrel is the most commonly listed varmit. ** pork is often used, especially in Q joints where there's a ready supply of pulled pork. if smoked pork is not available during preparation, a couple smoked ham hocks will work. a few of my cookbooks mention this as a standard ingredient. i have rarely seen beef used in B Stew, but i do like making mine with a couple short ribs and have a couple recipes that do list beef shin bones as an ingredient. the advatnage of using short ribs is this helps produce a broth with good flavor and some thickening from the extracted gelatin. ** vegetables: corn, butter/lima beans, potatoes, tomatoes are common to all the recipes i looked at. onions are often listed as an ingredient and i do add them. one of my cookbooks does mention celery and i've had it in B Stew and do like it. ** liquid: since you won't be offering a comparative taste analysis option at the pig pickin', dwelling on this really is a waste of time. i've never heard of or seen recipes using vegetable broth, but if that works for you, then make it a part of your recipe. use what's convenient and makes sense. personally, i use the liquid from cooking the meat(s). ** seasoning: lots of different things happen here in the recipes i've seen, but the common elements i see are salt and pepper. some recipes have cayenne, thyme, basil, bay leaves, vinegar. my personal preference is to have a strong black pepper presence and i like to use a couple bay leaves, too. as far as vinegar, or some other acid, i don't use any, but i always have a vinegar based Q sauce handy, for those who like to add that sharpness to the dish. the areas where i see lots of differing opinions is the consistency of the liquid and the size of the cut vegetables: some folks will pass the vegetables, except for the beans, through a grinder. others leave the veggies in larger pieces; i don't care one way or the other on this point, but think the smaller cut veggies make for a nicer presentation. as far as the consistency of the liquid, i prefer thicker consistency and don't enjoy a broth-like soup .... this is a stew, afterall. i'm sure with all the research & testing & input, you'll produce a fine dish. looking forward to pictures of your next experiment.

my folks live downstate (Bluffton, the speed trap before you get to HH) and that's where i grew up. on Hwy 170 in Levy (nothing more than a wide spot in the road, really) is The Pink Pig. worth a stop, for sure. it's where my parents get pork whenever they have a party.

i'll second that opinion of Gabrielle's. we had a really nice time there last summer, and it's consistently been reviewed with positive feedback numberous times over the last several years. one place i would avoid is the Grove Park Inn; while the physical environment is wonderful, i think the place is way over-priced. good food can be had there, but i would suggest going there for lunch and a round of golf; spend your big $$ for dinner at Gabrielle's.

thanks =Mark, the other methods, i think i can handle, but the chiles in oil one is tricky. i've saved so much info from the chileheads list on this it makes my head spin. i think next weekend's project will be some peppers and possibly some tomatoes in the WSM using your advice and the virtual weber bullet site's info

That sounds like a whole new lesson. Great idea, actually. I do pepper escabeche and pickles. But I have not tried jellies. I would love to figure out how to do pepper jelly that is not sweet. I know... I need to brush up on pectin chemistry. I have also tried in vain to candy peppers. Everytime I see those beautiful red jalepenos I want to do that. I saw some strips of candied pepper in a magazine served as a granish on some kind of dessert. They were gorgeous. Mine always shrivel up whatever method I use. I want them to come out with a texture like those candied cherries you put in fruitcake. And smoking! Yes, smoking! virtual weber bullet has a good tutorial on chipotles that i'm going to try soon (they also have a link to doing the same process with tomatoes). i like pepper jellies, but have never attempted making any myself.

=Mark, thanks for the well written article. can you provide some information on preserving peppers: drying/smoking, in oil, pickling, jams/jellies, etc. regards, scott

Brownies 8 oz unsweetened chocolate 8 oz butter 5 eggs 1 T vanilla extract 1 tsp salt 1 tsp almond extract 2-1/2 T dry instant espresso 3-3/4 c granulated sugar 1-2/3 c sifted all-purpose flour 2 c walnut pieces Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan with foil and give it a quick spray with an oil spray. Set the prepared pan aside. Place the chocolate and the butter in the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat, or in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. Remove from the heat and set aside once blended. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the following for 5 minutes at high speed: eggs, vanilla, almond extact, salt, dry instant coffee, sugar. On low speed, add the chocolate & butter mixture and beat until mixed. Add the flour and again beat only until mixed. Remove from the mixer and stir in the nuts. Turn into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 15 minutes, reversing the pan front to back at the end of that time. After 10 minutes more cooking the cake will have a thick, crisp crust on the top. But if you insert a toothpick into the middle it will come out wet and covered with chocolate. Nevertheless it is done. Do not bake it anymore. (NOTE: total cook time is 25 minutes). Remove the cake from the oven and let stand at room temperature until cool. Cover with a rack or a cookie sheet and invert. Remove the pan and the foil lining. Cover with a cookie sheet and invert again, leaving the cake right side up. Now the cake must stand for 6 to 8 hours or preferably overnight, before it is cut into bars. Or, it may be refrigerated for a few hours. Since the top of the cake will be crusty, and the middle will be wet, use a serrated bread knife to cut. If the ends of the cake are a little too dark, cut them off. Cut the cake into bars. It will probably be necessary to wipe the blade with a damp cloth after each cut. Wrap individually in cellophane or wax paper, or package them in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers. Do not let them dry out. Keywords: Dessert, Brownies/Bars ( RG412 )

i had not heard of doing that to increase the crispy texture of the crust. sounds interesting; i'll have to give it a try next time. my all-time favorite recipe is Maida Heatter's Palm Beach Brownies. following the recipe, as is, does produce the crisp exterior and chewy center, but you really have to let these sit for several hours before cutting. i only use about 1/2 - 2/3 the amount of nuts listed in the recipe, but that's just my preference. i still a half batch of these sitting in the kitchen, but they are going fast!! scott * Exported from MasterCook * Palm Beach Brownies Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Chocolate Desserts Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate 8 ounces butter 5 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon almond extract 2 1/2 tablespoons dry instant espresso 3 3/4 cups granulated sugar 1 2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 2 cups walnut pieces Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan with foil and give it a quick spray with an oil spray. Set the prepared pan aside. Place the chocolate and the butter in the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat, or in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. Remove from the heat and set aside once blended. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the following for 5 minutes at high speed: eggs, vanilla, almond extact, salt, dry instant coffee, sugar. On low speed, add the chocolate & butter mixture and beat until mixed. Add the flour and again beat only until mixed. Remove from the mixer and stir in the nuts. Turn into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 15 minutes, reversing the pan front to back at the end of that time. After 10 minutes more cooking the cake will have a thick, crisp crust on the top. But if you insert a toothpick into the middle it will come out wet and covered with chocolate. Nevertheless it is done. Do not bake it anymore. (NOTE: total cook time is 25 minutes). Remove the cake from the oven and let stand at room temperature until cool. Cover with a rack or a cookie sheet and invert. Remove the pan and the foil lining. Cover with a cookie sheet and invert again, leaving the cake right side up. Now the cake must stand for 6 to 8 hours or preferably overnight, before it is cut into bars. Or, it may be refrigerated for a few hours. Since the top of the cake will be crusty, and the middle will be wet, use a serrated bread knife to cut. If the ends of the cake are a little too dark, cut them off. Cut the cake into bars. It will probably be necessary to wipe the blade with a damp cloth after each cut. Wrap individually in cellophane or wax paper, or package them in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers. Do not let them dry out. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : From Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts These are the biggest, thickest, gooiest, chewiest, darkest, sweetest, mostest-of-the-most chocolate bars with an almost wet middle and a crisp-crunchy top. It is best to bake these a day before - they cannot be cut into bars when they are too fresh.