The real secret to getting the most flavor out of any smoked meat is brining. It’s super easy and adds a ton to the flavor and tenderness of the meat. A basic brine is as follows-

• 1 gallon liquid- water, fruit juice, wine, etc.
• 1 Cup kosher salt
• 1 Cup sugar, usually granulated but brown sugar, molasses, syrups work as well

Soaking the meat in brine lets the salt and other flavors enter the meat, then you let it rest out of the brine to form the pellicle. The pellicle is the key to getting the smoke to stick to the meat. A general rule to follow on brining times is to soak the meat for about 3 hours for every inch of thickness. Resting to form the pellicle takes about 6 hours in the fridge uncovered.

The BBQ rub that I use is the recipe that I created for Mr. Meat’s/Butcher Boy for our packaged line and catering recipes. Nice and simple-

• 1 C kosher salt
• 1/2 C  Brown sugar
• 1/2 C Granulated sugar
• 2 T Granulated garlic, or powder
• 2 T Black pepper
• 1 T Ground cloves
• 1 T Cayenne pepper, adjust this for the heat that you like
• 1 T Ground mustard seed
• 1 T Paprika
  • Blend it all together and use it liberally on just about anything you want that good BBQ flavor.

To smoke the pork loin I like to use either cherry or apple woods. Smoke for about 4 hours at around 250 degrees. Internal temp should be 155 or so when it’s finished. Then let it rest for a bit and slice it up!

Video uploaded with TubeMogul who simply amazes me with their service!

Sure you can buy the stands, the “cannons” or whatever contraptions they sell to get your dead bird drunk. I say ditch them and grab a tallcan!

This recipe is so easy that I’m not even writing down the ingredients…you really can’t screw it up. Season, add aromatics, cook it slow and enjoy. Couldn’t be any easier than that!

Alright, the name seafood boil doesn’t really sound all that appetizing…..but trust me, the dish is tasty!!!!

12 ea. Littleneck or Cherrystone Clams

4 ea. Jumbo Mexican White Prawns, or more of a smaller size

1/4 lb. Andouille Sausage

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 C Dry White Wine

2 ea. Medium Red Potatoes

1/2 ea. Yellow Onion, chopped in big chunks

1 ear Sweet Corn, cut into 1″ slices

1 T Chopped Garlic

1 ea. Lime

2 ea. Medium Tomatoes- red, yellow, orange, whichever you can find that are nice and tasty

1 T Kosher Salt

1 t Black Pepper

1 T Dried Chipotle Peppers, adjust to suit to control heat- dried anchos would work as well without as much heat but good smokey flavor.

As I said in the video, a Riesling or Viognier would be my choice for wine but it went damn well with a cold Corona!

Thanks for watching- let me know what you think!

I recently re-reviewed Duffy’s after I had a chance to revisit and had a much better experience. Kudos to John Scott for taking the initiative to call me and invite me back!

My two reviews were longer than Yelp would allow but I wanted to keep them original review available, just in case-

Original yelp review, 1 star, from 4/21/2010-

My trip here all started with a facebook post from these guys- “Menu Item of the Day,” Wednesday, April 21: Open-Faced Steak Sandwich with Rosemary Au Jus and Bleu Cheese Cream Sauce. Available at Duffy’s Ale House. Come by for lunch!!- They also had a snapshot of the sandwich.

I figured that it was as good a day as any to make my first voyage down to the new spot in downtown Reno. Arrived with a friend at about 11:30, they had construction going on in front, a guy on a ladder in the dining room and no customers inside so we asked if they were open for lunch. One of the three girls at the front answered yes, then they all seemed a little confused about what to do next.

We were seated at a two top table and ordered an iced tea and a 20 oz. draft root beer. Our server said that they only had bottles of the root beer, same brand though, no worries. I already knew what I was having from the FB post, my friend decided on their Fish and Chips Sliders.

The server brought our drinks- one tall glass full of ice and a bottle of root beer (the cap was still on and she pointed out that it was a twist off……) and a tall glass of tea, not iced tea, just tea with no ice that was just a touch below room temp. Seemed obvious to me that the tea had been sitting in the pitcher for quite a bit, a taste confirmed it was quite watered down as well.

So we order the steak sando medium rare($13) and fish & chips sliders($14) and I asked if fries came with my sandwich. “Nope, just the sandwich” —Here’s a hint, that would have been the perfect time to upsell me a side of fries!!!– Okie Dokie……

As we sat and waited for the food we counted 14 employees. 2 girls chatting at the front door, our server walking around nervously, 3 servers standing at the door to the kitchen eating, 4 guys doing circles in the kitchen, a lady dancing behind the bar and what I assume were busboys sweeping up the floor- right in the middle of the dining room.

Our server checked with us about every 2 minutes and I’m fairly sure she walked away saying “sorry!” EVERY TIME. We had waited about 15 minutes for our food when the server filled my tea out of the same room temp pitcher as before and brought my friend another root beer on the house- “sorry!”

Food arrives and looks decent. My sandwich was served on a wooden cutting board with steak knife, thought that was a nice touch. The fish and chips were served in a big bowl with fries scattered around three sliders.

My sandwich was served open faced so it was a knife and fork meal. The steak tasted like a pre-marinated, straight from the warehouse special and cooked a little over medium, the bleu cheese sauce came right out of a bag with crumbles of poor quality cheese on top, rosemary au jus had a very processed taste but the grilled onions were good! Imagine this- get a steak TV dinner, toast some white bread and serve it all on a sweaty sock…..that bleu cheese was funky!

I didn’t try my friend’s meal but when asked I got “It kinda weird” and “it’s okay, I’m not impressed. Keep in mind that he isn’t a foodie and, no offense to him, he is more than happy with average food.

We both finished our meal out of hunger and no desire to go somewhere else. We got our check, $36 and change for two poor lunches, warm iced tea and a couple of root beers. When the server brought the check she pointed out that she included a two for one coupon and apologized again. Needless to say we left the coupon, wouldn’t go back if it was free.

Overall I think our server knew that things weren’t right but didn’t know what to do. Everyone else seemed clueless regarding service, appearance, attitude, etc. and it’s obvious that they have no talent in the kitchen based on the quality of the food.

I wish I could say that I had a better experience. After all, this is part of the new project that will “revitalize” downtown and supposed to be a tourist attraction. All I can hope is that they turn the place around because event though I know that I’m critical I feel that not many people would have good things to say after a meal there…

A recent post from Rick Bakas prompted me to make this dish again. His recipe is a little different from mine but I had to prove to myself than Zinfandel was the right pairing.You see Rick regularly posts recipes and asks his readers to reply with what wine they would serve. I said that I would pick a spicy Zinfandel, while everyone else suggested whites, and Rick asked me why it would work. You can follow the “what wine would you serve” on twitter with the hashtag #WWWYS.

A good recipe for a light lunch or a good first course for dinner.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

1# Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
1 med. Yellow Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
2 T Olive Oil
3 T Kosher Salt
1 t Black Pepper
6 Cups Water
1 t Ground Allspice
1/2 t Ground White Pepper
1/2 t Cayenne
1/2 t Ground Nutmeg
1 t Ground Thyme
3/4 C Heavy Cream
3/4 C Whole Milk
1/2 C Creme Fraiche
2 Sprigs Fresh Tarragon, minced

Place squash, onion and garlic on roasting pan, season with olive oil, 1 T salt and black pepper. Roast 25 minutes at 400 degrees, stirring occasionally. In large pot, combine roasted vegetables, remaining seasonings and water and bring to a boil for 25 minutes. Blend the soup in batches into a thick puree. Add heavy cream and milk and heat through. Adjust seasoning and serve into bowls. Garnish with a spoonful of sour cream and fresh tarragon. Enjoy!

Wine pairing thoughts-

Had the soup the first time with Hawley Zin from Sonoma. The Hawley made a good pairing, the spice from the Zin worked well to balance out the sweetness from the soup. Overall not bad, but not perfect.

Since I had enough for another go with the soup I tried it again with Amador Foothill Esola Vineyard Zin. This was a much better pairing!  Good pepper from the wine and nice rich dark berries to compliment the herbs and spice in the soup. Wine by itself was a little hot, just a touch too much alcohol without food to balance it out. After the soup we had Coffee and Chocolate Braised Beef Short Ribs with Roasted Root Vegetables and Mashed Yukon Potatoes. The wine paired extremely well with the ribs, The rich chocolate and bitterness of the coffee made for a good counterpoint to the wine. Of course, the company always makes a difference too…….