March 2005
Mesquite
Mesquite this. Mesquite that. Have you ever wondered what the real story is behind one of BBQ’s favorite sources of smoke? If you are curious about weather to use mesquite lump charcoal or plain old charcoal briquettes when grilling, this article might help you discern their differences:
Sunset: Isn’t it about time to take the mystery out of mesquite?
If you just want to know what makes this deciduous shrub so terrific, this link just might do the trick:
Desert USA: Mesquite
If you are looking for some smoking wood in the Los Angeles area check out this post:
California Charcoal Firewood
Tri tip on the beach.
A wonderful barbecue tri tip experience.
The Harborside Galley & Grill
Most California beach communities are peppered with little local gems that dish up the expected foods of the sea such as fish n’ chips, chowder and perhaps some fish tacos. Some will go as far as offer burgers and hot dogs. Occasionally you come across one that goes against what is expected and offers something outstanding.
Even though it’s not a typical BBQ joint The Harborside Galley & Grill, which is located in Oxnard at the Channel Islands Harbor, offers up a stunning interpretation of the classic tri tip sandwich. The tri tip is cooked over mesquite coals, which imparts a wonderful smokiness to the meat. It is then sliced very thin and packed into French roll with lettuce, tomato, cheese and mayo. It’s not what I would have imagined for a tri tip sandwich, but delightful none-the-less. The surprising thing about this sandwich is that despite the amount of condiments, the flavor of the lightly smoked tri tip is present in every bite.
Don’t expect much in the way of a restaurant, it is nothing more than a walk-up window and a picnic table. Although, if you choose to, you have your food order delivered to the Rudder Room next door. It’s a bar that has been a favorite of locals for years with cheep drinks, friendly service and a beautiful view of the Channel Islands. If you happen to find yourself in the Channel Islands Harbor, I would definitely recommend having lunch here.
Harborside Galley & Grill
(805) 815-3166
2929 Ocean Dr
Oxnard, CA 93035
New Barbecue Layout
Trying out a new WordPress theme. I was kinda getting tired of the old one. This one seems like it should work for a while… or at least until I can learn CSS. It’s a little cleaner and more functional. My apologies if you come across a bug or two as I try to make some tweaks to it.
By the way, please forgive the funky piece of code at the bottom of the page. I am trying to get BBQ Junkie (the blog) into the Barbecue Smoke Ring and they need to see it there to validate this site. As soon as this site gets accepted, there will be a series of BBQ related links down in the page footer. Thanks.
BBQ Spaghetti?
Recently on Food TV in a Bobby Flay episode entitled “Getting Sauced,” they featured a restaurant in Memphis that made BBQ spaghetti. Thank God for TiVo. Who would have thought that something that sounded so ridiculous could look so appetizing? It was an interesting episode; most notably it featured the inventor of K.C. Masterpiece BBQ Sauce. The recipe is available on Food TV’s website. If anyone is able to try it out, please let me know.
Try something different for Easter.
Spring is all about rebirth, freshness, starting over and, of course, daylight savings time… which leads to longer days and gives us additional opportunities to BBQ. If you find yourself looking for something different to prepare on the grill this holiday weekend, try the Food TV website that has a grand assortment recipes specifically tailored for the BBQ.
BBQ Dessert…
Come on, we all know that nothing cools the palate or finishes off a good barbecue meal better than ice cream. It’s the perfect barbecue dessert. Cobblers, pies and cakes can hold their own when it comes to having something sweet after the meal. But, add a little ice cream and you have something tremendously special.
If you are not willing to make your own homemade ice cream (or just don’t have the time) and store-bought is just not good enough, this review of Cold Stone Creamery might help you make a dessert decision.
Smoked Pork Butt
I was planning on making some pulled pork this weekend, but unfortunately it’s raining today. Hopefully it won’t rain next weekend and I can get on with pulling some pork. In the meantime…here is a recipe that I found, if you happened to be dry today and can’t wait until next weekend. Have fun.
Build Your Own BBQ Pit
To many of us, all that we will ever want and all that we will ever need is our trusty Weber kettle grill. Why not, it’s a great grill with much versatility. For others, myself included, one grill is never enough. Naturally, you might also want a gas grill and perhaps even a smoker. This grill fixation can be classified as a classic symptom of being a BBQ Junkie. If you have the desire to dedicate a little more time and space to your barbecue obsession, why not build barbecue pit? The following link gives you instructions how to build not just one, but two unique styles of barbecue pits.
…also check out other BBQ smokers here
Pico de gallo.
Two of our favorite things to grill in Southern California are tri-tip and carne asada. It seems as that everyone has at least one recipe for each. They can be prepared simply over mesquite coals and seasoned with as little as just some salt and pepper. With such a straightforward method of grilling that pays homage to the flavor of the beef, why spoil it with a traditional BBQ sauce. Not that a traditional BBQ sauce is bad thing, it would just be bringing too many uninvited guests to the party.
I know that some people love to put BBQ sauce on tri-tip, and some also like to marinate the meat for days on end. But, if you are looking to prepare your meat using the simplest of recipes why not keep your condiments simple as well. Try using a salsa in place of a BBQ sauce. Any homemade salsa would go great with these meats, but the one that works best in for these meats is pico de gallo. Not only is this salsa great tasting, it can be prepared almost anywhere.The recipe for pico de gallo is as follows. Enjoy.
The Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes - diced
2 medium onions - diced
2 jalapeños - stems, seeds and pith removed then minced.
2 limes - just the juice (No limes? Use 1 lemon.)
1 bunch of cilantro (also know as coriander) finely chopped or shredded by hand.
salt and pepper to taste.
Mix all ingredients together. Tadahhhh!
This recipe is very flexible, that’s what makes it great. You can substitute chiles seranos for the jalapeños (if you want it hotter, use more chiles), use any onion you want. Try adding crushed garlic.
BBQ cook offs around the state.
The California BBQ Association (CBBA) has a listing of their upcoming events. The listings are mainly for California, but they do include some out of state contests as well. The website has everything from recipes to information on how to become a certified BBQ judge… talk about a dream job.