It all started with a simple love of food, wine, fun and cooking, and blossomed into a maddening pursuit of... more>

Philosophy continued...
the best recipes, the best wines, the best times that could be had reasonably. Obviously "reasonably" is a relative term, but to us it meant within sane budgets and grasp of our limited knowledge. So, the Bobby Flay (we like him too) recipe that calls for eye of noot (ground, not flaked) and requires years of clean up would be exposed for what it was: good tv. And those adventures that could be had by us hapless middle-class, middle-aged goofballs would be fun for readers seeking some culinary delights as well.

Feel free to send us comments on our stuff, or things you've found. You can always add to the fun on our SaucyJoes Blog. We want this to be a more communal web place.And, at the risk of sounding like PBS (CALL NOW!), as you click through SaucyJoes, take a minute to visit some of our sponsors, which will help us with this labor of love. If we get filthy rich, the wine's on us.

Joe Sullivan
Ski Sullivan

On the Zen of Barbecue
Inner peace to world peace, one
charcoal at a time
Ed Note: We saw this article by Mindy Giles of the Sacramento News & Review and felt it worth including here. Good writing and good karma to boot.
Vegans and women, do not turn the page. There is more here than a treatise on the hard-wired Cro-Magnon summer pleasures of seared flesh. Although the primitives may have seen the light about cooking with flame by way of a meaty haunch zapped by lightning or forest fire, the fine art of fire art now encompasses not only a world of explosive flavors, but also measurable social consciousness. Gathering around food over flame, separate cultures have bonded, and neighbors become friends. It’s a wise soul who adheres to ole philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s sentiment “Don’t think--cook!”

To begin this summery summary, remember that grilling is high heat, from 500 to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. It is done over live flames and is a relatively speedy process. The high temperature seals in the flavorful juices by searing. This is the backyard pleasure of most weekend warriors. That is, after you raise the lid of your trusty old Weber Kettle grill to face the fact that you had too much conversation and wine and forgot to clean the grate from a few nights ago. So, grab a fresh glass, preheat the grill and then scrape it with a long-handled wire brush or metal spatula. Brush the clean, hot grate with olive oil. I use a folded-up paper towel dipped in the oil. Got your raggedy, bent-in the-back-pocket ball cap on? It’s hot out there. Make a toast. Proceed.

As far as I’m concerned, you just haven’t scored until you have savored roasted fennel, red peppers, seeded and split jalapeños, or a simple fragrant onion off the grill. Nature’s goodness abounds; the hidden flavors are released. The preparation is simple: Brush with virgin olive oil, season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for four to eight minutes a side. The superb simplicity requires a toast. Really. more>

 

Wine Spectator Online

SeaBear Smokehouse

100 wines rated 90 pts plus. 
All under $20 

50 States of Cheese 

The Perfect Fire
Ed Note: This remarkable essay was penned by one of our most endearing and learned fire buddies, Curt Simmons...
On most cool weekends, up to three generations of friends and family members will gather on our patio to talk, laugh and sometimes howl a little around the fire pit. It wasn’t always this way. In fact, when my wife and daughter first threw the fire ring box in the cart at Home Depot, I was fairly cool to the idea. I pictured it ending up with all the other useless, rusting junk in the backyard, but I was so relieved that they had chosen the $50.00 ring instead of the $400.00 brass urn that I just smiled and began reading the assembly instructions. Three years later, I would say it is one of my favorite possessions ranking only behind the family ski boat for pleasant memories.

Like so many former necessities that have been eliminated by technology, a real, honest to goodness, old school, regulation campfire with flames and smoke and sparks is now a luxury item. But once indulged, this luxury soon transforms itself into a necessity.

In our lightning paced, point and click world of sound bytes and electronic noise, a good campfire beckons us to stop, sit, and warm the souls that we have put on ice during the week. While it bathes us with its radiant heat, it burns away the layers of triviality and rearranges our priorities. For a few precious moments, we actually enjoy each other and appreciate our lives together.

It all makes sense, of course. When we gather around a fire, we are really celebrating life itself. Cosmologists tell us the universe was created by a fiery explosion, and although we curse it during the Texas summers, a giant ball of fire makes life possible on our watery planet. Throughout history, fire has been seen by religions and used by industry as a purifying agent. Native Americans sought their visions in front of a fire, and today the same fire that forms the center of our planet seems to burn at the center of our hearts. And if all this seems a little heavy and philosophical, a big fire is hands down the best way to cook a marshmallow.

Over the past few years, the Saucy Joes team has, and we say this with all modesty, perfected the basic urban campfire. We’d like to share our delicious recipe with you, and although no written rules actually exist, an informal code of conduct has evolved for the true connoisseurs of backyard fire watching.

The first step to releasing your “Inner Thoreau” is choosing your fire pit. You’ll want to pick a model that fits your aesthetic tastes and, more importantly, one that you will actually use. Ours is a three foot, black, steel circle with 14” sides. Moose and deer glow through the stamped hole patterns in a hokey sort of 1950s, North Woods meets Art Deco motif. I lined the bottom with fire proof bricks and put a grate in the middle to elevate the logs.

We bought some squishy soft patio chairs to circle the ring and now you can put your feet on the sides until the soles of your shoes start to smoke and melt. My wife and daughter decorated a few garage-sale, end tables, and last year we painted a giant Texas flag on the back of the garage. We finally added a few white, Christmas lights to the fence and gutters to complete the theme. If you had to classify it, you would probably call it redneck chic, but it fits me like a glove.

Once the pit, or urn or chiminea is installed, the only missing element is the wood itself. Around Texas, father oak is the king of the fire pits, but any hardwood will work. Kindling can range from small sticks and twigs to cut up 2X4s sitting around the garage. If you don’t have any of those, a wax fire log from the grocery store will do the trick.

Any local telephone pole will probably display at least one firewood advertisement which will, again, more than likely be oak. Sometimes blends of different woods are nice, and we have found that adding a nice chunk of cedar or pinon when the oak has turned to embers gives an incense that would make the Gods on Olympus smile. Having said all that, the all time, number one, best firewood is free firewood. Late summer and early fall walks are wonderful times to scout the neighborhood for tree trimmers. Once darkness falls, a quick jaunt in the pickup can net two to three fires in a single run.

Music adds another dimension to a good fire and you might want to consider a set of good outdoor speakers. The key here is “good” speakers. A great fire deserves the best sound possible, so don’t go cheap. Once you get the speakers installed, you’ll want to set the volume just loud enough to upset the snobby neighbors but low enough to carry on a good conversation. The really difficult work begins with the choice of sound mixes. You’ll want to go with songs that are great but not ones you hear everyday on the commercial radio stations. For instance, if you want an Allman Brothers song, you wouldn’t choose “Rambling Man” even though it’s a great song. No, you would be better off with “One Way Out” or even “Jessica,” both of which will get an approving nod from your fellow music lovers. We’ve have basically settled on the 1967-1977 period for rock, and anything pre Garth Brooks seems to work well for country. You might want to stick in a few sing-a-long songs while the kids are still up, and Trout Fishing in America offers many great selections.

Whatever your choices, they should be serious to their genre and you should be prepared to discuss the bands you choose. You don’t need a degree in musicology here, but you should at least know the names of the lead guitarists and vocalists. All of these musical guidelines apply to your regular fire buddies only by the way. You must exercise restraint with your first time guests. If they suggest that Journey or Shania Twain are “really cool,” just nod your head slowly without commenting. If they ask you to play Bread or Barry Manilow, go ahead and push them into the fire. Again, these are just guidelines. If you want to shoot them first it’s probably OK, just check with your local authorities.

Another consideration in pursuit of the perfect fire is attire. Just as you wouldn’t, OK some of my family probably would, wear a tank-top to the symphony, you don’t want to show up at a fire improperly clad.

The cornerstone of your fire wardrobe is your fire shirt which should always be oversized flannel, preferably in a loud, lumberjack plaid. You’ll want to wear an undershirt since the fire shirt won’t be washed until after the season. It should be hung immediately adjacent to the closet door so you will be rewarded with a smoky, sensuous treat every time you enter. Ball caps and old sweat shirts complete the outer wear and an old pair of tennis shoes or boots finishes the ensemble.

Fire foods should be restricted to the coat hanger group which includes wieners, s’mores, marshmallows, etc. Whatever you do, resist any impulses you might have about instructing your kids how to cook these wholesome delights. If they turn thirty consecutive marshmallows into flaming, charcoal pyres, just laugh with them and keep handing them more. It’s the best entertainment deal you will ever find.

This by the way, is also the most you as an adult should cook. Constantly getting up to check on a grill or worrying about a pan of brownies will take you from your appointed duties of observation and relaxation. If you are the type that enjoys a libation, find your corkscrew and leave the beer in the fridge, because wine is the best choice for the family flame. Wine seems to give the slow, gentle glow that is best enjoyed in front of a dancing flame.

It takes a full bodied red to stand up to the smoke, and the old vine Zinfandels and Sirrahs seem to pair best with our oak and mesquite laced fire pits. Of course the wine sipping can be occasionally interspersed with a small dollop of something unusual. A shot of premium, Caribbean dark rum can be delightful in a brandy snifter. One night last winter, we each drained a shot of Ouzo and saluted as Ski threw the top third of his Christmas tree on the fire. The flames and sparks reached the top of the house, and I swear we heard coyotes howling in the distance. Or maybe it was closer than that.

At any rate, if you haven’t had a good camp fire lately you should certainly try one. It’s one of the healthiest addictions around and it’s a family based bargain. My wife says it’s the best part of camping and you still get to use your own bathroom and sleep in your own bed. I know that fall is now my favorite time of the year and it could easily be yours as well. So Bon Appetit and Burn Baby Burn. We’ll see you on the patio.

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