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 »
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 »
Quick Dinner
30 Jun ’15
What do you do when it’s dinner, and you didn’t think about what you’re going to have? You look in the fridge and improvise, and, depending on how hungry you are, make something all quick-like! I had the following that caught my eye: Cheddar cheese Mole sauce Pulled pork and, in the pantry, some spicy ... Read More »
The BBQ Sandwich, Rethunk
23 Jul ’14
The sandwich, whether pulled pork or brisket or rib-ends or pulled chicken, is at the heart of the barbecue world. Chicken and ribs don’t need bread, but it’s often served with it anyway. Traditionally, it’s been the same thing for years, though a great way to have bbq: a bun or bread, stuffed with meat ... Read More »
Upgrade Your Superbowl Eats, Part 2
29 Jan ’14
For more Superbowl food that is a bit more than nachos and wings and fat-dripping potato chips, I have to suggest one of my favorite easy-to-make foods, pit beef! The original pitbeef is from Baltimore, where they grill beef over fire, sliced thin when ordered. My version is smoked, not grilled, and gets served with ... Read More »
Photographers’ Food Photos Part 1
3 Mar ’13
Readers of Livefire may or may not notice that my photos are changing lately, and, I think, getting better. I owe at least part of it to joining a local photography club, the Focus Photo Club. The club is not food-photo oriented, but it is competition-based. Every month at the meetings, people enter both print ... Read More »
Grilled Mixology
3 Nov ’11
It’s pretty common to see some form of alcohol associated with grilling and smoking food. There are lots of opinions on which libation goes best with either smoked food or just with the act of standing over a grill with a pair of tongs in one hand and a drink in the other. Instead of ... Read More »
The Phil McRib
2 Oct ’11
I had an idea back in the summer that partially worked. The partial part was that a few other people did this along with me, but I never got it posted… There are some reasons for that, but they aren’t important. The best online community for outdoor cooking, in my opinion, is the BBQ Brethren. ... Read More »
Beef Ribs and Tomato Pie
16 Jul ’11
I’ve used my Bubba Keg a lot over the last couple of years, and I love cooking on it. There’s one thing my XL Big Green Egg has over the Bubba Keg, though… size! I think it’s almost double the size of the Bubba Keg. And it really is easy to use, too. I tried ... Read More »
Pulled Pork Pleasure
6 Jul ’11
It’s easy to get caught up in trying new things on the smoker, but there’s still something about simple pulled pork. Even barbecuers can get caught up in what little thing to add to their rub to make it a secret recipe, or what special ingredient that no one else is allowed to know about ... Read More »
Butternut Squash Risotto
4 Nov ’10
It’s been a really busy October, without much activity here because of all the activity in other parts of life. I had hoped to continue the Next Food Blog Star competition cooks, but had to do some traveling, so I still hope to get back to all of that, but, in the meantime, our annual ... Read More »