Homemade Rub, Pork Ribs, and a Rhetorical Question

Is there any greater pleasure than eating perfectly barbecued, melt-in-your-mouth, pork spareribs, sitting on top of a fresh, cold, and crunchy coleslaw? These ribs were generously sprinkled with dry rub, cooked for 8 hours over very slowly-burning mesquite charcoal, and finally, glazed with a thick wash of homemade Kansas City-style barbecue sauce.

Click on the photo to enlarge. Warning: May cause uncontrollable salivation and intense barbecue cravings.

A Food Wishes Excusive: An Interview with Bruce "Mr. Ice Cream" Weinstein

Here's the interview I mentioned in the vanilla ice cream video recipe a few days ago. Interviews with local, and visiting high-profile foodies, are something I am looking to do more of on the blog. If my dream of a late-night foodie talk show is ever to be realized, I'll need to hone my interviewing skills (that, a hairpiece, and some plastic surgery).

I'd also like to apologize publicly to Barbara Walters, for all those comments I've made during her various interviews. It is so much harder than it looks! Thankfully my subject, Bruce Weinstein, was a friendly, gracious interviewee. Bruce is the author of The Ultimate Ice Cream Book, and probably the country's leading ice cream authority.

During the interview, I asked Bruce if he had a nickname, or title, like "The Ice Cream Man," or "King Ice Cream." He humbly said he didn't, so I decided to coin him as "Mr. Ice Cream." I figured if it catches on, I may get a mention in his biography, or at least his Wikipedia page.

Please excuse my low-budget equipment/production, and lack of serious editing time (aka skills). I had to chop this up into a reasonable length, from about 25 minutes of footage. And, for all of you that have emailed about seeing more of my face in these videos…be careful what you wish for! Enjoy.

Homemade Dry Rubs and the Dry Rub Paradox

If you've done any serious channel surfing lately, especially the foodie channels,you've probably noticed the same thing I have…it's all barbecue, all the time.

There are two common themes in all these shows; whichever town they're in, has "the best barbecue in the country," and if your dry rub is good, "you don't even need a sauce."
This video recipe for a basic barbecue dry rub, features my favorite all-purpose formula.

I really like this recipe because it works nicely on chicken, pork, beef, vegetables, and even salmon or tuna steaks. Of course, half the fun of making your own rubs is playing around with different spice blends, so I hope you'll use this video recipe as a just a starting point.

There are countless commercial rubs out there, but I can't see paying twice the price, and using something that is most likely made using the least expensive ingredients available, when blending you own is so fast and fun. Once you have your homemade rub in a tub, you may be surprised to learn that, paradoxically, it should be sprinkled on, and not rubbed. Why? Clumpification! Enjoy.

Click here for ingredients and transcript

"So Not French" Vanilla Ice Cream Made Easy

In a day or two, you'll see an interview I filmed with Bruce Weinstein, author of the Ultimate Ice Cream Book. It was set up through foodbuzz, a rapidly growing online foodie community that I serve as a featured publisher for. I will save the details for that upcoming post, but after talking (and eating) ice cream with "Mr. Ice Cream," as I call him, I was inspired to make a batch myself.

I decided to do vanilla, as it really is the king of ice cream flavors (sorry chocolate). No other flavor makes milk taste milkier, or cream taste creamier. When I do vanilla ice cream, I prefer the old fashion "American," or "Philadelphia-style" which doesn't contain any eggs, as the more popular French vanilla does.

While this style of ice cream is certainly not as rich, in my opinion that sacrifice is rewarded with a brighter, more pronounced vanilla flavor. I also use a combination of milk and cream, which is obviously much lighter than the traditional all cream versions. You should experiment with different proportions of dairy, and find your "perfect scoop."

The Cuisinart ice cream maker pictured here is the one I use, and highly recommend. It's relatively inexpensive, and will provide many years of homemade ice cream and sorbets. The great thing about this model is that the "bucket" is kept in the freezer, and is ready any time you are. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cream
2 1/4 cup milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

The Pursuit of Happiness

Thomas Jefferson, who composed the timeless, transcendent text below, was not only a brilliant political philosopher, but also an accomplished farmer, and the country's first real foodie. Even if he hadn’t helped father this country, the fact he invented mac and cheese would have cemented his place in American history.

Whenever I read the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, I can't help wondering how that last sentence would have ended, had Jefferson not been such a passionate gourmet.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Enjoy the Fourth of July weekend, and all that you pursue.

Photo © Flickr user Aunt Owwee

Atlantic City - Part 2: An Explosive Toast to the Coast!

My career as a documentary filmmaker comes to an end today, with the final episode from my foodie fling in AC. You'll see; a tour of my hotel room (an inside joke for Curb Your Enthusiasm fans), the world's worst new barbecue invention, people answering a very tough question, and projectile champagne spillage. Oh yeah, and my new BFF, Guy Fieri, makes another cameo.

I'm just about all caught up with my work, so I'll be back after the weekend with some brand new video recipes. Enjoy the clip!

Grilled Ham-Wrapped Prawns - Declare Independence from the Tyranny of Barbecue Boredom!

This grilled prawns wrapped in Serrano ham video recipe, I did for About.com, is a perfect way to add a new, delicious, and very easy menu option to your Fourth of July barbecue. Once the prawns are wrapped and skewered, they only take about 5 minutes to cook, and are guaranteed to be the hit of the 'Q.

In the video you will hear me talk about Serrano ham, which is very close to a proscuitto. The great thing about this recipe is that you can really use any thinly sliced, smoked ham. A nice Virginia ham, or Black Forest ham would work great. I have even seen people use pastrami!

The skewers can be seared in a pan, as I do in the video, or broiled, but the best way, and this should totally work this weekend, is to throw these on the grill for that extra special hit of smoky caramelization. By the way, if you aren't crazy about the Spanish-style I chose, this technique works with any flavor profile - Asian, Italian, Cajun, or just a little salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Click here for ingredients and transcript