Bubba Stew's BBQ Chicken-n-Tater Soup

Twern't no pictures taken so if'n ya cant read, call in your best storyteller and sit a spell.

Needed a soup for for the church business meeting. Here's what i did.

First i started with some chicken broth ( about half gal) from another cook a while ago that involved boiled chicken... to that i added half an onion, chopped, and half a bag of baby carrots chopped up a lil bit. We had one of them rotisserie chickens from the  grocery sto, so the carcass from that went in to give it smore chicken flavor.

That all cooked up for a good long while with some coarse ground pepper, sea salt, granulated garlic at a low boil. I then strained out all the chunks.

Next i finished seperating the good chunks of meat from the bone and put them back into the strained chicken juice along with the UNCOOKED half onion, and the rest of the UNCOOKED bag of carrots, both chopped. 

then i prepped the chicken up, with a simple brine half n half sugar and kosher salt in enough water to cover the new chicken ( about 5 chicken breasts) let that set for a few hours, you could let it go over night, but this is all i had.

Now about an hour or so maybe two... i like to get the potatoes in the mix, this thickens the soup a bit too as they cook and let out their starches, simply peel, and chunk them up into manageable sizes and you are golden. 

The chicken goes on the (for me) Weber  22.5" kettle,  with about 3/4 full chimney of coals, with a good amount of wood, i wanted a nice HOT smoke on this one, i didnt even temp the fire, just let it get hot, and cook indirect. The wood was a mix of a few different woods, Hickory, California Pepper tree, and a lil bit of apple. The apple went in the chimney of coals the  CPT went on the coal grate, (under the coals when dumped out) and the hickory went on top.

As the fire heats up, it's time to get the chix ready for the fire. First ya gotta rinse off the brine, dont need any extra stuff cept the rub that you may choose. that done, pat the birdboobies dry, and install the rub, today it was simply OLD BAY RUB, which is old bay seasoning's foray into the rub world, seems to have a lil more brown sugar than the regular OLD BAY SEASONING. the stuff is good, it works! i actually use it in the Turkey brine recipe that i used a few times this winter.

With the fire ready and the soup almost at a boil again, it's time to get the chicken on, across from the fire, as to cook indirectly, it cooks till it's done.

Chopped up the chicken after it finished, and throw it in the soup, let it cook a lil bit longer, and BAM!! Done, Eat it up!!

It went well with the corn bread Crystal made, and we only brought back 1/3 of it from church, so they musta liked it a lil bit. With that, i'll let ya get to bed, or get cookin, or whatever it is you might do after.

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BubbaStew's BBQ Chickn Wangs

BubbaStew's BBQ Chickn Wangs

bag o drummets
your fave hot sauce
bouta stick o butter
Patio Daddio's ultimate Turkey brine < < < check out that link GOOOOD STUFF
brown and white ( or natural) sugars

litta bitta orange juice

 FIRST!!! ya gotta soak the bird wangs in the brine over night if ya can you might not need to... but i do, that's why i used the electrons to tell ya about it. rinse em off , dry em off  (important!!) and coat em in a lil bitta oil, canola oil is what i chose. this will help crisp the skin a bit. do all this afore ya throw em on the weber which should be set up indirect ready to cook bout 350ISH... it's bbq... not the over will NOT be exact, and doesnt need to be.

They went on at 9 and by 930 they  

were at 170, time to asauce em up!!

For that i went with roughly a stick of butter UNSALTED a bottle yep the whole thing of the roasted garlic Lousiana pictured, then added a spoon of "natural" sugar, and a spoon of brown sugar, then added a shot of orange juice... let it do it's thing right quick, then added a tsp of flour... then more... and a lil more after that to get it to thicken like i wanted it. let it come to a boil and again let it do it's thang til i had somethin else to do.

sauced wangs, nothing special here toss in the sauce...

BUT then!! i wanted to try for a lil crunch.. so i sprankled some flour on the wangs, and tossed again to thicken it smore...
then back out on the Weber. let em cook fer bout 10 min i reckon, then i tossed again in the sauce, and boy these things smell good!!

these things are nice, they are not that punch in the face spicy  that some wings turn out to be, thanks to the sugar added, but rather they'll judo chop you in the throat "lightly". So you still get to taste all the flavor of the chicken, and the complexity of the brine and of course the heat-n-sweet of the wang sauce, with a nice undertone of hickory smokey goodness. 

Do yourself a favor, next time you are lookin for wangs skip the premade junk and make your own junk, it might not be better for you, but it'll taste better, i  guarantee!

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I've changed my mind...i can do that, it's mine to change

Sun setting behind the Mimosa 

In the last post, i mentioned Grimaldi's as my fave pizza ever....scratch that....like this....fave pizza ever Grimaldi's ....instead of Grimaldi's being my fave, a new local place just opened up. It's been a long time since i mentioned it... PIZZERIA MIMOSA is finally opened, and it is a breath of fresh air, culinarily speaking of course. Fresh, Authentic Neapolitan Pizza, just what this lil town of ours needed, and very welcomed by me and mine.

This story really starts Thursday night, opening night. Now i am one that believes that no matter what.... ya just dont go to a new place on it's first night.... there are bound to be hiccups, but with PM, i felt something different, i wanted to be there  opening night, BUT

I wasnt disappointed that i couldnt get a pizza first time out, a lil snafu with  a dough shortage  (because of a HUGE takeout, and in restaurant demand) led me on to the Gnocchi, which had  a fabulous texture, and an extraordinary Gorgonzola cream sauce, as if that wasn't good enough, there's smoked proscuitto and roasted mushrooms, and a bit of arugula.

That came after the salad i got which was simply called a P.L.T. (Pancetta Lettuce Tomato) Using a nice Butter Leaf lettuce, and exceptional croutons... and by exceptional i mean they werent so stinkin hard that they slice your gums to shreds when you eat them, and they werent so soft that they were like bread... these are gooood croutons. < this guy talks a lot about croutons <  hey... i like croutons..

Vanilla Gelato

Panna Cotta

Dessert time was next and (again) after a hugely busy night all that was left were two desserts... the Vanilla Gelato, and the Panna Cotta the table chose both, and both were excellent. The Panna Cotta which is a cooked cream dessert with a fresh berry/syrup topping, complemented the dinner nicely, and the berries and cream were delicious together. The vanilla gelato, was superb, smooth and creamy, a great way to finish off a great meal.

A great first night for me was made even better with great service by our waitress Katie..( hope i spelled your name right if you read this < lemme know if i didnt > ) and the ever helpful busboy Nelson!

Great First Night Pizzeria Mimosa

Pizzeria Mimosa Entrance

Now that you are caught up from yesterday lets take a trip inside Pizzera Mimosa. There is a small ...i'd call it a wine shop.... google translate tells me that's ENOTECA in ole Italia. Here there is a fine ( im guessing i dont partake in the alcoholic drink action) selection of italian wines, and spirits, as well as imported pastas and even the flour that they make the pizzas with! Gordon runs this side of the house and was very informative with any questions i had.

Gordon in his domain.

The "wine shop" as I call it....or Enoteca, as it is referred to in ole Italia.

Tonight pizza was on my radar. I was in it to win it, and boy did i ever. I start my new pizza quest with the simplest pizza on the menu at any pizza place. Here it is the Margherita pizza. Which was named for queen Margherita of Italy back in the day served to her in resemblance of the Italian flag, with it's simple Tomato, Sliced Mozzarella, and basil.

Margherita Pizza

mmmmmpizza!

enjoying her pizza Jené dislikes photos...

While i went the simple route Sister Jene got the Eliseo and thoroughly enjoyed it. everyone else got a Margherita with pepperoni and leftovers were scarce. So after cleaning our plates we decided to get dessert since the table next to us twisted our arms into it.... by simply ordering it.... what is it... IT is Pizzeria Mimosa's Nutella Pizza.... there was no time to get a photo of the awesome power of this dessert but imagine a pizza crust covered in nutella, a scoop of vanilla gelato with a dusting of cocoa powder, and sliced almonds... there was 6 of us... that's how many you need for this dessert pizza...dont get it for yourself... that's just fat... share it fatty, the goodness that is the nutella pizza!

I'll leave you tonight with this....i dont know for sure... but i think that this is the only place in town that you'll see this. This is the only place in town that you will get a wood fired pizza made in the traditional way, in this beautiful of a setting. I cannot wait til the spring time and summer as the days get longer sitting outside on the back porch soaking in the gorgeous Huachuca Mountain views that make Pizzeria Mimosa's location so spectacular. I can only imagine that over the next few months that the pizzas will get THAT much better as the oven seasons in with the thousands of pizzas that should flow in and out it's fiery mouth. As the cook staff get the swing of each other and the demand that we will place on them it will get even better. Next time you are craving a pizza, do yourself a favor... skip pizza hut, drive past peter piper, and get out to hereford ( really it's only like 10 min drive) and see what quality tastes like.

I suppose that i should point you in a direction to travel in order to get yourself some of this goodness!! so here you go!

520 378 0022

Pizzeria Mimosa

4755 E. Neapolitan Way, Hereford, AZ

View Larger Map

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Our aniversary, and our culinary adventures

     This weekend was our 7th wedding anniversary, so we headed to the BIG city, Scottsdale. Why Scottsdale?? why not i say... i mean it is close to enemy territory that is the Sun Devils turf, but we'd be fine not sporting any UA colors, and we were. Really though it's our lil get away, we both enjoy getting out of town, and i LOVE visiting big cities. Their architecture, the mix of new and old that old town centers often bring ( in newer big cities). The whole of the Phoenix area has an awesome concept of outdoor malls goin that i think are top notch. That's why we go, a big part is the shopping, finishing up christmas shopping and whatnot, it's a good time for us both.

This time i wanted to try a new restaurant each time we went out. To steer clear of the Chili's and applebees, Mcdonalds and Burger Kings....and we did. for me it was all good... for her.... hit and miss...

Corn Bread from Bandera....

( obtained against the rules as cell phones arent allowed)

We started our journey at Bandera which has some awesome cornbread, with a loverly ( yes i meant to type loverly) southwest zing in it with peppers mixed in, and an awesome sweet crust on top, served in a cast iron pan that it was baked in... get that when you go... and you will go ( my jedi powers are making you want to go right now) Crystal..... hated it.... she then picked the simplest thing on the menu so that it wouldnt offend her.....plain palate... but it did anyways... a chicken ceasar salad....was too... mayonaisey.. (to her i had same salad w/o chicken with my tritip) i thought it was fantastic, and fresh. On to my Tritip... i've only had it a few times... it's not huge out here like it is over there on the left coast... but oh man do i wish it was... It was juicy and flavorful....and meaty! just the way i like my...meat. we also tried the banana cream pie, it was pleasantly fresh with a nice mix of crunch and squishy puddingy feel. I plan to be back at some point...Crystal... not so much.

EXPENSIVE!!!!

Next day...when was it....Saturday ^^^^that was friday^^^^ lunch time we hit up BRIO which seemed to us to be a nice mix of what would happen if Olive Garden, and Cheesecake Factory decided to hookup, and get knocked up.
     It was good, nothing hugely impressive, but i had a nice lobster bisque. and crystal partook of their lasagna, which she hugely enjoyed better than olive garden's offerings.

Less Expensive than lastnight!

Grimaldi's Coal Fired (Brick Oven) Pizza

Best pizza i've had EVER

On the way to Bandera on friday... we passed something that i could not pass up... crystal saw Grimaldi's... i saw COAL FIRED PIZZA!!!! i love brickoven pizza!! so this was set in stone to be dinner for saturday night...and boy was it fantastic. Coal... you know the stuff that they use to power steam locomotives, and give much of the country electricity, also cooks a mean pizza!! They offer one style... NY Thincrust. we had pepperoni on half and just cheese on the other. they use nice ...( i call whole) mozz, that is sliced rounds, instead of shredded mozz. which i think gives it a nice texture, and flavor, with the cheese overpowering the sauce, and dough. Their sauce, was pleasantly sweet, but not so that sweetness is all that is there, it was just enough to tone down the acidity of the maters, with a nice season blend touching all the notes on my tongue.

Cheapest Meal of the Trip!!

That's it for the good stuff in Scottsdale... the next mornin we went for a goodole redneck breakfast at cracker barrel... nuff said there... and a friend thought he'd offer me some advice stating that i didnt need this many plates at and one meal....

... but if they'd just use bigger effin plates.... then there would be no dilemma...im just sayin... crystal had to get her game in.... she's BOSS at this game!

We ended our weekend in Tucson, and from the advice of another friend we tried Culvers

Which...again...we in AZ have been sooo sheltered from these outer worldly burger joints. First In-n-Out invaded from california ( thank goodness!!!) and now this place comes storming in from the midwest!! It's about time!!! that's all i've gotta say bout that... It's about time!! Frozen custard... awesome stuff, Butter-Burgers.... the beezneez!!

for tonight i will leave you in your puddle of drool, to think about what i did this weekend, hope that your's was as memorable as mine.

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Turkey Brine

Hey Yall, Bubba here

I know i know it's a bit late for a heads up yall should have already done this, but maybe you can use this goodness for Christmas dinner... eh well here goes..

In my quest for extreme BBQ goodness i wanted to smoke turkey for TG ( that's thanksgiving yall) but knowing the physics of the this and that of the physical nature of smoke and fire, heat and air movement. The need for a brine is top of the list on top of need for high heat for crispy goodness on the skin level.

I turned to one of the BBQ Buddies from the Brethren PatioDaddio aka John Dawson, and his Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey Brine. I recommend checking it out, and using his recipe.

I followed it to the Tee, then twisted it ( for AZ at the end).

First of all ya gotta let the bird defrost. ya dont want no chunks blockin where flavor can git in, then ya make sure to get the neck and giblets outta there, them's good eatin after ya boil em up, i like the hearts and gizzards myself.

head over to your local grocery store, or walmart, dairy queen or bakery someplace that does large amounts of food stuff in large buckets, them's food safe, not a good idear to use that orange homedepot bucket...no good...

warsh it out, then throw a capfulla bleach with a bucket of water to kill off all the lil baddies!!

buckets DONE!!

next up is the brine finally, John's list is here (with my thoughtful changes in bold)

Ingredients
1 1/2 gal Ice water (lots of ice)
1/2 gal Hot tap water       ( bout 1/3 of my big pot is what i did)
2 cups Dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups Kosher salt
1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning (available in most grocery stores) ( i goofed and got Old Bay Seasoning Rub had a bit of extra brown sugar)
1 tsp Chinese five spice (Asian section of most grocery stores -- I like the Sun Luck brand)
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 oranges
Extra ice as needed
( about 1TBSP Chipotle Powder)


See i didnt change much i just didnt try to measure out the water, then i had to add a bit of spice to the mix, this is Arizona after all. 


Now here's what ya do with all that stuff.
Simply heat up the water in the pot to a boil, then stir in all the dry stuff, til the sugar and salt are mostly dissolved, and ready yourself for some good smells in your nostrils!! Squeeze your lemons and oranges into the mix. Then i added the ice straight to the pot and let it get cold while i plopped the turkey into the clean bucket. then pour the mixture into the bucket with the turkey, and get all the good stuff in there, add a bit of water to the pan and swish it around to get the stuff in there. Top with smore ice, and make sure that bird is covered good!


I did this with both turkeys, then i put them in my cooler, to soak for the night. You really want to be careful here, and keep that bird cold, below 41 i like even colder so i put ice around the buckets in the cooler as well. Dont need anyone food poisoned.


the next day these birds hit the smoker to get good! Rub the skin down with some canola oil and Cook em about 350 ish for nice n crispy skin and they should cook ( depending on your bird) in 5-7 hours. Here's where things got sketchy for me, I had to make an emergency BIL save in Yuma, AZ about an hour after these birds hit the smoke, so  the timing wasnt exact and neither was the temp. but i'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Overall i can say that this WILL be my Brine of choice at least the base brine from which i modify for individual tastes. I could have added more Chipotle powder, but the flavor was fantastic, i added no additional salt or pepper, and the leftovers were simply awesome, i've never had leftovers that were as good as this turkey was.


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