Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2012 i Taste of the South

bBARBECUE IS A SOUTHERN STATE OF mind and a source of immense pride. Here, pit masters are as celebrated as awardwinning chefs. And charred pork and beef, cooked low and slow over an open pit, can unite strangers and bring together old friends. Growing up on mostly Alabama barbecue, I got a big ’cue education last summer as I traveled from Austin, Texas, to some of that state’s most iconic institutions. A smoke haze hangs low throughout many of these joints, where the art of barbecue has been handed down through multiple generations. In Texas, meat is weighed, purchased by the pound, and then slapped onto butcher paper with a few rings of raw onion and a knob of Cheddar; sausage is big and pays tribute to German and Czech…

We like our iced tea sweet, and we drink it year-round. And it’s not just for sippin’ anymore. Many chefs in our region are using tea to put even more South in their dishes. Jordan Wakefield at Meehan’s Public House in Atlanta prepares black-tea-smoked game hen with Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue Cheese grits, braised kale, and a black-tea reduction. Over in Athens, Georgia, Mama’s Boy serves sweet-tea-brined fried chicken for lunch. And at Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro in Winston- Salem, you’ll find North Carolina fried green tomatoes with a sweet-tea reduction and white Cheddar–watercress purée. JUNE I S NATIONAL IcedTea MONTH…

texas-style beef ribs Yield: 4 to 6 servings 3 tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon ground mustard 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 (2- to 3-pound) racks beef spare ribs Mopping Sauce (recipe follows) 1. In a small bowl, combine salt, brown sugar, onion powder, paprika, mustard, thyme, basil, and cumin. 2. Rinse ribs and pat dry. Remove thin membrane from back of ribs by piercing it with a sharp knife and pulling it off. Rub salt mixture evenly over ribs. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. 3. Preheat one side of grill to medium-low (250° to 300°). 4. Grill ribs, meaty side down, over indirect heat, with grill…

A group of chefs, barbecue pit masters, restaurateurs, writers, farmers, and one elementary-school student head to Memphis in May for the ultimate barbecue competition. WORKING IN ANY TYPE OF FOOD-SERVICE industry leaves very little time for socializing. Most chefs and restaurateurs are lucky to spend a Sunday afternoon with their own families, much less to fraternize with colleagues. Culinary-group memberships or food festivals offer small bits of fellowship, but one group seems to be the great magnet for cultivating deep relationships among those who care about thoughtful food culture— the Southern Foodways Alliance. It is through the SFA that Nick Pihakis, founder of Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, met and brought together the members of The Fatback Collective. The idea for The Fatback Collective was born when a handful of these…

tuna crostini with avocado tomatillo salsa Yield: 12 servings 1 (12-ounce) fillet fresh tuna 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper 3⁄4 cup olive oil, divided 1⁄2 cup lime juice (about 6 medium limes) 12 baquette rounds, each about 1⁄3 inch thick 6 ounces cream cheese, softened 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon jalapeño juice from jarred pickled jalapeño slices (optional) 12 slices watermelon, cut about 1⁄2 inch thick and the length of each baguette Avocado Tomatillo Salsa (recipe on page 57) Garnish: fresh cilantro 1. Season tuna with salt and pepper. In a skillet, heat 1⁄2 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add tuna, and sear for approximately 1 minute per side. Add lime juice. Remove tuna from pan, drain, and slice. Set aside. 2. Preheat grill…

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Substitute for bacon fat The recipes for Limpin’ Susan and Red Rice in your special edition South’s Best Comfort Food use bacon fat drippings. What can I use instead? Thanks. —Robin Bedich Ohio The Limpin’ Susan and Red Rice recipes are authentic Lowcountry dishes that traditionally would have used bacon fat. For years, Southern cooks have saved the bacon fat rendered from frying bacon. However, canola oil or olive oil can be used in place of the bacon fat in these (and other) recipes. Have other questions on substitutions? Let us know. Kudos from a new reader Love, love, love your magazine. I just received my first issue. The layout is perfect—just enough advertising mixed in with lots of recipes (and good ones, too). I also enjoyed your articles and…

. . . at the 17th annual Killis Melton Ice Cream Crank-Off, a one-of-a-kind celebration of old-fashioned crankyour- own ice cream Saturday, June 9, in McKinney, Texas, just a few miles north of Dallas. There’s no entry fee; just bring 2 gallons of your favorite ice-cream mixture and an ice-cream freezer to McKinney’s Chestnut Square Historic Village. Ice, rock salt, and electricity (if you don’t have a bicycle like the gentleman above) will be provided. If you prefer to let someone else do the cranking, you can buy a scoop of homemade ice cream for $2 or pay $10 to become an official taster who gets to sample all the ice creams. (972-562-8790, chestnutsquare.org)…

fast fix creamed corn Yield: approximately 4 cups 5 large ears fresh corn 2 cups whole milk 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup chopped onion 2 teaspoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 3⁄4 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1. Cut kernels from corn into a bowl (about 41⁄2 cups kernels). Using the dull side of a knife, scrape milk and pulp from cobs into bowl. In a blender, purée 1 cup corn kernels and milk. 2. In a 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and remaining 31⁄2 cups corn to pan; cook until onion begins to soften, approximately 7 minutes. Add puréed corn mixture to skillet; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. 3. Add…

Nick Pihakis: founder of Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, Birmingham, Alabama Nicholas Pihakis: Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, Birmingham, Alabama Ashley Christensen: chef/owner of Poole’s Downtown Diner, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Chuck’s, and Fox Liquor Bar in Raleigh, North Carolina John Currence: chef/owner of City Grocery, Snackbar, Big Bad Breakfast, and Bouré in Oxford, Mississippi John T Edge: author of several books on American food culture, New York Times columnist, and director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, Oxford, Mississippi Jess Edge: student and son of John T, Oxford, Mississippi Donald Link: executive chef/owner of Link Restaurant Group (Herbsaint, Cochon, Butcher, Cochon Lafayette), New Orleans, Louisiana Sean Brock: executive chef of McCrady’s and Husk in Charleston, South Carolina Stephen Stryjewski: executive chef and co-owner of Link Restaurant Group, New Orleans, Louisiana Ryan Prewitt: director of…

MUCH COMES TO MIND WHEN AUSTIN IS MENTIONED. THE CAPITAL OF TEXAS, where everything is “bigger and better.” The Live Music Capital of the World, with PBS’s long-running Austin City Limits, and famed music festivals South by Southwest and Austin City Limits. Home of the University of Texas, Whole Foods, and a downtown bridge that for most of the year houses the world’s largest urban bat colony. But Austin is also the perfect spot from which to depart for the scores of Texas barbecue joints scattered throughout Central Texas. Although Austin has dozens of its own (more on that later), within an hour’s drive from the city are so many top-notch barbecue spots that even the most ardent Texas nonapologists will begin to question their carnivorous loyalties. When it comes…

NO ONE KNOWS TEXAS FOOD LIKE ROBB WALSH. THE three-time James Beard–award winner is the author of six cookbooks about Texas food. In his latest, Texas Eats, he chronicles the rich diversity of Texas cuisine, from Native American oyster fishermen in the 1500s to the development of Tex-Mex cooking and the popularity of Vietnamese sandwiches in current-day Houston. Texas food seems to be such a diverse and wide subject. Who would have imagined that so many different ethnic groups have had an influence on the food of one state? People tend to have a picture of Texas in their heads. Often it has something to do with cowboys and cattle and so forth. For hundreds of years, New Orleans was the most important port in the United States on the…

not just for breakfast Grits, much like rice or mashed potatoes, are perfect sitting snug on a plate alongside barbecue, shrimp in pan gravy, grillades, short ribs, lamb shanks, and more. And don’t throw out those leftovers. Chill them, slice them, and sear them in olive oil to make crispy grit cakes.…

OXO 16-inch Tongs Retail: $14.99 Why we love it: Extra long with soft, nonslip handles and comfortable thumb rests Where to buy: oxo.com Elizabeth Karmel’s 15-inch Grill Friends Super Silicone Angled Barbecue Brush Retail: $9.99 Why we love it: Long reach keeps your fingers safe from scorching; silicone brush doesn’t absorb flavors. Where to buy: bbqproshop.com Mo’s Smoker Bag with BBQ Hickory Wood Chips Retail: $9.99 and $4.99 Why we love it: Adds hickorysmoked flavor to grilled meats. Smoker Bag can be placed directly on gas grill grates. Where to buy: mosfoodproducts.com Chef’n Grill’n BBQ Turner Retail: $12.99 Why we love it: Extra wide surface makes turning easy; wide slots drain excess juices. Where to buy: chefn.com Maverick Wireless Barbecue Thermometer Set Retail: $69.99 Why we love it: Lets you keep an eye on…

bourbon molasses bread pudding Yield: 8 to 12 servings 1 (1-pound) loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch pieces 6 cups whole milk 6 large eggs 11⁄4 cups sugar 1⁄4 cup bourbon 3 tablespoons molasses 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Bourbon-Pecan Sauce (recipe follows) 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, place bread. Bake until dry, approximately 15 minutes; let cool. 3. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, bourbon, molasses, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Add bread, tossing well. Pour bread mixture into prepared baking dish; using a spatula, gently press bread to cover with milk mixture. Cover, and let stand for 30 minutes. 4. Uncover. Bake until puffed…

IT WAS 110 DEGREES IN THE SHADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, last August, but that didn’t stop the crowds from coming out for the second annual Gettin’ Sauced!—Man Up Texas BBQ’s barbecue sauce contest and festival. One of the few competitions dedicated exclusively to barbecue sauce, Gettin’ Sauced! featured 68 saucy competitors from Maine to California—barbecue restaurants, mom-and-pop bottlers, and large corporations alike—which presented more than 180 sauces for judging. A few of the winning sauces can be sampled only at the restaurants where they are served, so for true barbecue fans, a road trip may be in order. However, many of them can be ordered online. Here are the best barbecue sauces in the country as judged at last summer’s Gettin’ Sauced! contest. Fresh Category Winners Norma Jean’s Habanero BBQ…

WHEN I WAS THE KITCHEN DIRECTOR FOR MARTHA Stewart Living television, I was responsible for all the food on the show. That included the expertly decorated wedding cakes, the hot roast coming out of the oven at exactly the right moment, and the pale green Jadite bowl of Diamond kosher salt by the stove top. Some early, frosty mornings I’d shop at New York City’s Union Square farmers’ market side by side with chefs purchasing ingredients for their restaurants. I was likely handpicking 12 perfect pears, with stems and leaves attached, or something of the sort. Part of my job was also to work with my kitchen staff to create recipes for Martha to demonstrate on her show. Recipe development was both fun and challenging. During a do-it-yourself spurt, we…