Episode 9 :: Hamburgers

It’s our last show of the year, so we figured what a better time than to drink a beer given to us as a gift last year around this time. It’s St. Nikolaus Bock Bier from Penn Brewing in Pittsburgh, which was sent to us from the boys at Should I Drink That? And nothing goes better with a beer like this than a thick juicy hamburger. So we’re talking about hamburgers - particularly, a pressed Cuban burger that Bobby Flay makes.

There’s a discussion of farm raised fish, and how far these growers have come in emulating the flavor of wild fish. We also discuss the dangers of buying generic ground beef, and young vegetarians. No, not buying young vegetarians - that came out wrong. Seriously.

Oh, and it’s never too late to shop for Christmas gifts. And if you want to make the meat-eater in your life happy, get them a year’s subscription to the Bacon of the Month Club. It’s the gift that keeps on giving the whole year long.

• Listen to Episode 9
• Download the recipe for the Pressed Cuban Burger (courtesy of Bobby Flay)
• Watch the mouth-watering slide show from this episode

Episode 8 :: Korean BBQ

Join me as I visit a Korean market and purchase items for a semi-traditional Korean BBQ meal. We make beef bulgogi with rib eye steak, along with some spicy kimchi, a seaweed salad, and fish cakes.

I also enjoy some Soju on the show and try two different varieties. Soju is the national drink of Korea, and it tastes like a light vodka. Very easy to drink, and easy to get in trouble with. I give a little more information than you probably need on this drink, but we’re nothing on this show if not educational.

There’s also a discussion of Chris Cosentino and his San Francisco-based restaurant Incanto. Chris made it to the final 3 on The Next Iron Chef competition on Food Network. He recently appeared on an episode of “Modern Marvels” on the History Channel, which focused on “OFFAL” - cooking the less than desirable cuts of the pig. I play a brief segment of his appearance on that show. Check the whole thing out on the History Channel if you’re interested.

Download the show here, the slide show for the episode here, and the recipe for Beef Bulgogi here.

Oh, and don’t forget to listen to Big Foamy Head, where I’ll be making a brief appearance on their next “Sexiest Beer Alive” competition. Trust me, this is not to be missed.

Music in this episode from Oman Chali. If you liked it, please support Oman and buy it on iTunes.

Episode 7 :: Sausage Party

Today, we’re making Italian sausage. Making sausage can either be simple, or complicated. But it’s delicious regardless. Basically, it’s ground meat with seasonings and spices, allowed to marinate and cure, then cooked and enjoyed. Very simple. I’ll walk you through the steps of curing the meat, grinding it, preparing the hog casings for stuffing, then stuffing and tying your sausages together. Download the recipe for making your own sausages here.

King Corn is a documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In King Corn, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland (basically where I spent a few days earlier this Fall in Food Hell) to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, nitrogen fertilizers, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most productive, most subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat — and how we farm.

There’s also a discussion on a recent episode of Bobby Flay’s “Boy Meets Grill” and a flippant remark about where Florida Stone Crab claws come from that I feel needs a bit more explanation.

I enjoy a great beer on this show, courtesy of Sickpuppy from the “Should I Drink That?” podcast - Brooklyn Brewing’s Local 1 Farmhouse Saison.

Download Episode 7 now. Also, there’s a slideshow on the sausage prep - check it out.

Music on this episode: “Ruff Bizzness” by Rivel

Hopped Up :: Part 3

Hopped Up :: Experiencing the Great American Beer Festival

Part 3 :: a day of reckoning

In the last of this 3-part series, we’re joined by Dick & Rick from Big Foamy Head. It turns into a mad dash to try all the beers we haven’t had a chance to try in the previous 2 days, so we drink anything and everything that crosses our path.

We taste beers from Carolina Brewing Company, O’Dell Brewing, O’Fallon, Surly Brewing (who wins a gold medal while we’re filming), Brugge Brasserie (Indianapolis meets Brussels), Black Chocolate Stout from Brooklyn Brewery, Ommegang, an assortment of bad American beer (Old Style, Colt 45, PBR, Old Milwaukee - yes, we went there), North by Northwest, and a last trip to Dogfish Head.

In addition, there’s Charlie Papazian’s dedication to the memory of Michael Jackson, men in kilts, more taster glasses breaking, a unique beer pairing from Gregg, and a homebrewing smackdown. Also, Dick steals SIDT’s tag-line, and Dave at O’Fallon gives a special shout out to Groucho.

Music by Thomas Newman, Sounds from The Ground, and Phonosynthese.

Running time: 25:00

Hopped Up :: Part 2

Hopped Up :: Experiencing the Great American Beer Festival

Part 2  |  room for everyone

Day 2 provides even more new beer experiences, starting our day at Wynkoop Brewing (and an awesome Gorgonzola Ale soup).  Back at the festival, we taste Sam Adams Utopias, Stone’s 11th Anniversary Ale, C.B. & Potts Dunkelstiltskin, Russian River Brewing’s Supplication and Beautification (sour Belgians), Great Divide, Imperial Hefeweizen from Pyramid Brewing, Raspberry Tart from New Glarus, Penn Brewing’s Oktoberfest, and much much more.

In addition, we sample the three finalists from Sam Adams’ Longshot homebrew competition and cast our votes, experience beers from the Pro-Am competition, re-live our college drinking days with a few swigs of cheap swill, watch a live performance by The Brewing Network, experience the aftermath of a Miller Chill tasting, and end the evening in the darkness of the porta-potties.

Music by Thomas Newman, The Ramones, and New Order.

Running time:  33:37

Hopped Up :: Part 1

Hopped Up :: Experiencing the Great American Beer Festival

Part 1  |  The Beginning of the End

In the first of a three part video-series, join me as I experience the Great American Beer Festival in Denver for the first time. Joined by my long-time friend Gregg, I embark on a journey to experience as many of Americas wide variety of beers as possible, and give you a birds-eye view of what the festival is like.

Day one of the festival features: Allagash, Miller Chill, Bull & Bush, Charlie Papazian, Dogfish Head, Flying Dog, Oskar Blues, Samuel Adams, The Silent Disco, Two Brothers Brewing, and a one-finger salute to Anheuser Busch.

Running time: 29:13

Coming soon :: Hopped Up

Episode 6 :: Food Hell

A recent trip to the midwest was enlightening to say the least. Surrounded by acres upon acres of farmland, what I ate was less than stellar. Welcome to Food Hell.

Back home now, and things are better.

Autumn is a perfect time for comfort food, and there are few things more comforting than Beer Braised Beef over Cheesy Polenta. What goes well with that? Well, beer. Specifically, Founder’s Breakfast Stout - courtesy of our good friend Groucho at The Beer Report. Never has the marriage of coffee and beer been more perfect.

A recent post I read in defense of PETA (a stance I’m growing more and more tired of) sets me off a bit, as does the fallout from a short documentary that covered the August floods that destroyed organic crops in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Watch this documentary by Gretta Wing Miller & Aarick Beher, read an insensitive rebuttal to the situation the farmers find themselves in, and donate to help the farmers, if you feel compelled.

Links:
• Listen to Episode 6 :: Food Hell
• Download a copy of the beef and polenta recipe
• Watch the very brief slideshow from the episode

Music in this episode courtesy of Fatboy Slim.

Episode 5 :: New American

I’ve said it before, so you know the drill. We live in a melting pot of cultures. We say we’re American, but our heritage is usually something else. We’re Japanese, Italian, German, French, Australian, African, Mexican, Iranian, Indian, Brazilian, Cuban . . . you get the idea. We are bursting with a lot of different cultures, and it takes a lot of cultures to make America. That’s what makes us the greatest nation in the world. If the United Nations were a band, we’d be the Greatest Hits CD.

So, in this episode we’re discussing New American Cuisine.

New American cuisine is a term for upscale, contemporary cooking in the United States. It marries flavors from America’s melting pot with traditional techniques, from all over the world. It includes ethnic twists on old standbys, Old World peasant dishes made from luxurious American ingredients.

My wife and I recently visited Ad Hoc restaurant in Yountville, California. Owned by Thomas Keller, you’re served from a chef’s menu - which means your eating whatever they’re cooking that day. Trust the chef. Always trust the chef.

It’s fresh, it’s delicious, it’s a new take on old food.

Sticking with tradition, listen as I drink a bottle of Russian River Brewing’s Damnation Belgian Golden Ale. It’s a perfect compliment to what we’re cooking in this episode - Parmesan Crisps made into cups, filled with a goat cheese mousse.

Listen to Episode 5 here.

Watch the slideshow from this episode, and download the recipe for the Parmesan Crisps.

Episode 4 :: Pho 14

If there was anything good that came from the Vietnam War, it was the massive rush of immigrants that landed on US soil. What they brought with them was their culture, their spirit, and best of all their food. Pho - one my favorite things in the world to eat. It’s a warm hearty bowl of goodness. Noodles, meat, fresh vegetables in a rich bowl of broth.

In this episode, we visit a Pho House, order some Pho and take it back to the studio with us. We also cook some New Mexico rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Beans & Greens.

As for the drink - it’s Avery’s 14th Anniversary Ale, which goes well with the tenderloin, as well as a discussion on Paula Dean’s recent appearance on the Larry King show. I don’t know when Larry King jumped the shark, but he’s got the strangest taste in guests.

Download and listen to Episode 4.

Get the recipe for the New Mexico Pork Tenderloin with Beans & Greens.

Watch the slideshow from this episode.

Music from this episode by DJ Wamba and Faithless.