Risotto doesn’t have to be difficult. Actually, risotto isn’t difficult, but it is time consuming and a bit tedious to make the traditional way. You heat stock, toast rice, then slowly and laboriously stir in the stock, little by little, until it’s all done. The Food Lab went through all kinds of testing to determine ... Read More »
Brisket Chili
27 Jan ’16
Winter in Ohio is pretty unpredictable. A few weeks ago, we were in the 60′s, and now we have snow on the ground. One day is calm, the next is a snow storm. It’s tough to always ben able to cook outside in some of the stuff that we get, so it’s good to make ... Read More »
10 years of Livefire
11 Jan ’16
I can’t believe it’s been ten years today that Livefire, in one form or another, has been here. Ten years ago, Bucky McOinkum’s Barbecue started. It’s focus was on new teams to barbecue competitions, talking about what we were going through just a couple competitions ahead. Sometimes the best advice is from someone who was just ... Read More »
SmartChef Review
19 Dec ’15
I recently got a new smoker… again! Yea! Char-Broil sent me one of their new digital electric smokers, this one with more intelligent guts, the SmartChef digital electric smoker! What’s so smart about it? It’s run by a smart phone. That means I can set it up, check on it, modify what it’s doing, whatever, ... Read More »
Thanksgiving Day Turkey-palooza!
24 Nov ’15
With Thanksgiving being a day for tradition and family, I only slowly add or change things for the meal. For instance, I’ve done fried turkey, but prefer a traditional (to my family) smoked turkey. I’ve tried to introduce good green bean casserole, a la Alton Brown, but some still prefer the Campbell’s soup, French’s onion ... Read More »
Lexington Visit 2015 – Day 2
4 Nov ’15
Day 2 in Kentucky meant going out for a drive at dawn to see what I could find… And what I found was frost on the windshield! It was about 35 degrees! I left the Ruin Bed & Breakfast just for a quick look around the area. The area is just gorgeous. Woodford County is ... Read More »
Lexington Visit 2015 – Day 1
25 Oct ’15
We’ve made it a tradition to spend a weekend in Kentucky every October. The timing is based on Keeneland’s fall meet. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they don’t like Keeneland. It’s Kentucky’s slightly lesser known horse track, but, in my opinion, it’s definitely the best track and setting combination I’ve seen. It’s ... Read More »
Land and Sea Dept
18 Sep ’15
Land and Sea Dept is a unique company that specializes in design and conceptualization in Chicago. They’re the brains behind all or part of Longman & Eagle, Parson’s Chicken & Fish, Lost Lake (a tiki bar and Chinese takeout), and, more recently, The Game Room and the Cherry Circle Room at the Chicago Athletic Association ... Read More »
Char-Broil Digital Electric Smoker Review
26 Aug ’15
It finally arrived! I’d been looking forward to the new Char-Broil Digital Electric Smoker since seeing one last May. I’d used electric smokers before, but they had issues with heating elements that were too small, or they weren’t able to hold enough wood chips to really add any smoke flavor. Some electric smokers use proprietary ... Read More »
The A-A-Ron Burger
25 Aug ’15
A couple weeks ago, a group of my friends got together for our annual fantasy football draft. I got first pick, so Mr. Luck best have a great season! We all bring in a bunch of snacks, pizzas, etc., and I brought along some pretzels and horseradish cheddar cheese dip. It’s a simple cheese dip ... Read More »
My First Grilling Experience
30 Jul ’15
I’m a bit late to the game, but better late than never! Wayfair.com is featuring stories, so I thought I’d throw my favorite early grilling stories. Sorry, i didn’t have a camera back then, so no photos are available of the actual events… Fortunately. Imagine that it’s 1978. Somehow, as a young teenage boy, I ... Read More »
San Diego 2015 – Part B
23 Jul ’15
San Diego 2015 – Part 1 was just the weekend after we got to San Diego. Part B is about the week… The first weekend of June was really great. The weather was perfect, even at dawn. Instead of clouds, we had clear skies, and everything was gorgeous! Monday, however, changed that a bit. It ... Read More »