a competitive BBQ cook's food curiosity
When I walked past the deep hue of a bone-in pork rib roast at Sunterra Markets the other day, my mind was distracted by flavor combinations during the rest of my coffee. All I could think about how delicious and juicy this pork cut could …
This recipe outlines a basic Smoked Pork Tenderloin sliced thin as an open faced sandwich, which I personally love. Alternatively, you can serve the pork tenderloin in thick slices with mashed potatoes and veg, or in a 4-6 oz piece, more similar to a steak. …
The beauty of grilled pork jowl ramen is that its quick, its comfort food and its perfect for cold days. Never heard of pork or hog jowls? You’re in for a treat! This unusual cut is from the pork cheek. This meat is heavily marbled …
Who’s craving pork chops for a weeknight dinner? Pork Rib Chops cook up juicy when grilled at lower temperatures, but rest assured, this is still a quick cook!
Be not afraid of game meat like pheasant breast! Extra flavor and extra liquid is key to grilled Teriyaki Pheasant Tacos!
When looking for an affordable dinner option, pork loins can be overlooked. At the Calgary Co-op grocery store, for regular price, I found a 2.1lb / 0.984kg Center Cut Pork Loin for $19.61 CAD. There were leftovers after feeding our family of 4 once this …
For brunch, I love a rich and divine dish. I want a meal that stands out. I want a dish that makes me question if I want to eat anything else for the day. I want a platter that holds my attention. And what if …
Meatless Mondays can be flavorful and delicious, and it can be done with this Mediterranean Inspired Orzo. Powerful seasonings like sundried tomatoes, olives, curly leaf parsley and feta cheese will taunt the tastebuds and fill your stomach without realizing you are missing anything. This recipe …
Herbs like ginger, cilantro and mint make a beautiful medley when paired with smoked chicken in this Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad. Smoked chicken has its own aroma and flavor profile that is best elevated with fresh flavors. When its barbecue season, I’m fortunate to enjoy …
This week’s Supper Challenge is “poppy.” While I love lemon poppy seed loaf, the cooler weather and autumn season brings about pheasant if you know a few hunters. Cooking a savory dish with poppy seeds called for the color and flavors of cranberry, so Poppy …
What if the squishy yet meaty texture of Acorn squash is paired with a light, fluffy, toasted cornbread and rounded out as a dish? Ideal for brunch or light lunch, it’s a surprising delightful and composed dish. This recipe also works great with leftover cornbread. …
Harvest Grains and Grill Bowl, a guilt free and surprisingly satisfying meal. I typically don’t order vegetarian bowls at a restaurant, add in the extra challenge to cook grains into a tasty dish? I’m in. The secret to delectable, is to ensure all aspects are …
This week’s Supper Challenge is “Spice It Up.” As I was enjoying a warm autumn’s day, I really had to stretch the spice aspect. Autumn is a time of pumpkin spice lattes, root vegetables and belly warming comforts foods. So the best I could do …
Korean Barbecue stands out because of simple flavors that pairs well with interesting cuts of meat; Pork Jowl Lettuce Wraps are no exception. Jowl is the face meat, along the jawline and chin. While pork cheeks are also part of the face, this smaller cut …
Squid is deceivingly easy to grill and for a simple flavor twist, Korean Grilled Squid Rings hit the spot. Starting the grill with aromatics – onion and scallions will perfume the air to get your mouth watering. The sweet caramelization of the onions balances the …
Ooey gooey cheese stuffed meatballs is pretty much a non-discussion item for dinner. When I bought a 5lb package of lean ground beef from Costco for this week’s Supper Challenge “bite size” theme, I didn’t expect to prep the whole package. Nor did I expect …
When you’re >1000 km from the closest ocean, Crab(less) Tofu Cakes can substitute. What do you know? They’re vegetarian and perfect for Meatless Mondays too! On a serious note, I’m clearly a carnivore at heart, so when it comes to any sort of cooking, the …
I’ve got a hankering for the sweet crunch of Coconut Shrimp, the question is, can it be made at home? Of course! I live in the Prairies, so seafood is far distance away. The easiest and most economic way to access seafood is frozen. But …
Krapow Gai or Thai Basil Chicken (or Pheasant) is a fresh Thai dish, especially great for a weeknight! The largest challenge of infusing basil into a dish, is to ensure the basil is highlighted, while keeping the dish fresh. The basil and the chicken must …
Avocado Basil Pheasant Salad Rolls is not your run of the mill salad roll. Similar to Thai Basil Chicken (Krapow Gai) without the spicey tingle, the infusion of basil and cilantro really accentuates the avocado. With “avocado” as this week’s theme for Supper Challenge, I …
There is something elegant about a dish that includes a pistachio crust, the great part is, its easy! Pistachio Matcha Crusted Halibut is uniquely nutty with a vibrant citrus zing! Halibut is a mild, firm fish that enables this combination well. Alternatively, another white fish …
Jalapeno Popper with brisket, also known as Texas Twinkies are oh, so good! An ultra flavorful fusion filled bun seemed like a great excuse to cook something new with leftover brisket and enjoy the spicy cheese goodness of a jalapeno popper. An Asian steamed bao …
I’m anxiously awaiting a warm holiday, so in the meantime, my travels will have to be done through food. This week’s supper challenge is themed “Spanish,” in consideration of the anniversary of Kent’s first cook, Paella. I love seafood. My distance to the ocean is …
This Japanese street food is an Asian cross between a cabbage based pizza and a pancake. A cooked cabbage patty with delicious toppings like bacon, shrimp, squid or octopus can be enjoyed. In North America, an okonomiyaki sounds a little odd, but don’t judge it …
My kid’s have excellent taste. They asked me to cook a Beef Wellington. Right…. I guess the a la carte must be excellent at Bistro SmellaQue? How am I going to execute this dinner request? Foodies often miss the level of difficulty in cooking a …
Asian cultures cook and serve whole fish all the time, so when I saw a fresh whole sablefish (black cod) at the store, my jaw dropped and I couldn’t wait to take it home and enjoy it roasted at home. My favorite dish at Japanese …
What does one do with leftover turkey or chicken when you’re looking for flavor punch? Tortilla soup has all the makings of a hearty meal and its easy to assemble! After cooking a turkey dinner, the next couple days, I want to cook with as …
Save yourself some $$ and enjoy Oyster Rockefeller at home in a casserole form with a touch of smoke. When you can get double or even triple the value in oysters, this is a great deal. Even better, oysters pairs with smoke beautifully, so this …
Oyster Boulettes (Fried Oyster Balls) is most likely to be found in New Orleans or in Creole country. I cooked Oysters on the Prairies for this week’s theme of Supper Challenge this week “naughty,” since I was unable to locate Prairie Oysters. <Ha! Lucky for …
Known as pasta pillows in our house, this potato pasta or gnocchi is a simple fresh pasta easily made at home. Because of the ridges and the slight curling of the pasta, it perfectly traps your favorite sauce! Gnocchi taste (by itself): seasoned potato, generally …
With American Thanksgiving, I can’t help but drool about the great ways to use leftovers, including simmering a chowder from leftover chicken, turkey or duck. Hearty soups are a great way to to literally clean out the fridge as well. The recipe itself is a …
Have you experienced the autumn symphony? Cool weather, fall leaves and migrating birds calls for spaghetti squash rosé in the repertoire of warm, hearty dishes. That’s a lot of words for WOW this dish is amazing! Its so amazing, that we have promptly bought a …
With Asian rice noodles and succulent barbecue pulled pork, I think this dish qualifies as BBQ Asian fusion – like me! Ha! Sometimes barbecue should be enjoyed in a different format, so when there are pulled pork leftovers, this is my go-to. Blues Hog Original …
This week’s Supper Challenge theme is “Social Media inspired”. You know, the Tik Tok, Instagram or Facebook 1 minute videos full cooking and assembling a dish? Usually the videos show ooey gooey cheesy goodness or a cake baked and beautifully decorated. As usual, I took …
One of the goals I had when building my DIY Tin Can Smoker, was to cook a whole animal. For directions to build your own DIY Tin Can Smoker, click here. In a 6 diameter tin can, the choices are pretty limited. Where lump charcoal …
The best thing about Korean food is the flavor punch! It might have been the K-cup with spicy pork I had for lunch, but when I thought about cooking the young brussel sprouts in the fridge, I had to cook it. Conveniently, I live by …
As this week’s supper challenge theme of “Halloween,” this is both a trick and a treat. Taco de Lengua is a beef tongue taco and smoking the beef tongue for extra flavor is worth it. Don’t worry, these tacos are not as scary as you …
For Supper Challenge this week, the theme is “layers.” With fall in full swing, I’m looking for comfort food and a challenge – so harvest vegetarian lasagna??!! If I’m going to all veggie, those veggies better stand out and be full flavored. Alright, veggies, layer …
I’m not kidding, this vegetarian soup with lentils is absolutely delicious! Second helpings by everyone at dinner! I love a challenge, especially for the weekly @supperchallenge. For “apple” this week, I want to cook apples in a savory way. When I came across a recipe …
How can you elevate the King’s classic peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich? “School Lunch” is the theme of this week’s supper challenge. Do you remember peanut butter banana sandwiches? How to take a simple sandwich to the next level? Bacon. What else? Nuts are …
Breakfast will never be the same. This plate is so good, I enthusiastically encourage beer for breakfast! It is 5 o’clock somewhere. And its out of the box. Beer Infused Peach French Toast with Ricotta and Blues Hog Champions Blend BBQ Sauce is delicious! If …
Ever heard of a tamale pie or a cornbread pie? If you live north of the American border, it turns out, a cornbread crust cooked on top of typical tamale fillings makes a tamale pie (also known as cornbread pie). But don’t get distracted, leftover …
BBQ is not just for meat lovers, so when looking for a full flavored lighter dinner, I’ll make a Strawberry Kale Salad with Blues Hog Tennessee Red Dressing. Blues Hog makes this awesome sweet and tangy sauce that has a great zest. While Tennessse Red …
Goal: Golden crispy fried chicken on the outside that is juicy, tender and thoroughly cooked on the inside. Fear: Chicken cooked on the outside and raw on the inside. Yeech. Answer (with fear resolved): sous vide fried chickenBy slowly cooking the chicken prior to battering …
When a weekly supper challenge involves “chips”, Dill Pickle Potato Chip Soup was the first thing that came to my mind. Chips are a comfort food. It only seems natural to pair comfort food with comfort food, in a soup. Luckily, I was inspired by …
Through a weekly cooking challenge among friends, we happened upon “Cajun” as the theme. I’m born and bread in Canada. Except for a handful of dishes I’ve eaten, Cajun, is a just a Southern concept. I scoured the grocery stores for grits – nada. Fresh …
A prepared single serving meal that isn’t run of the mill, Make Ahead “Canned” Laksa? When I need a break from chili, casseroles and stewed dishes, I want a bright and flavorful dish! Can a bright and flavorful, out of the box meal really be …
