Tailgating Times - The Best...

Thanksgiving is an interesting holiday. What other holiday is just about eating, drinking, watching football and shopping? It's almost like it was made for tailgating. And just because most people eat the same foods every year, there's no reason for that turkey dinner to taste like it came out of a cafeteria. There are a couple of tricks you can use to ensure an amazing meal starting with the bird.

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First off, you need to make sure that the turkey is thawed in time. Generally you need about 4 days in the fridge but it depends on the size of the turkey and how cold you keep the refrigerator. Immersing the bird in brine for 24 hours pior to cooking makes for a juicy, awesome turkey. Brine is really easy to make too. Use about a cup of sea salt in a mix of apple juice, water, peppercorns, thyme, and rosemary. I added smoked paprika and molasses for even more flavor. The brine needs to cool down before you can use it. The easiest method is to get a really big storage bag, place the turkey in that then add the brine and more water to cover the bird all the way and seal it. Either put it back in the refrigerator or put it in a cooler with ice until it's almost time to cook.

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Of course you can roast the turkey in the oven but it's better to grill it. With a smoker or hardwood barbecue you get a nice deep smoky flavor and if you're using a gas grill you can throw on a couple of foil packs of soaked wood chips for smoke. This also leaves the oven free for dressing, rolls, pies, and anything else you need to cook.

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Before roasting make sure you rinse off the bird thoroughly inside and out and pat it dry or it will end up tasting very salty. Some chefs recommend cutting the wings and legs off and braising them separately since they take longer to cook than the breasts but another way to keep the breast from drying out is to cover it in bacon. Taking a page from the bacon explosion guys I wove a nice bacon blanket for my 12lb turkey and it worked out great.

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Before the bacon blanket I rubbed it down with herb butter under the skin and stuffed an apple, an onion, a whole head of garlic, and a bunch of rosemary and thyme into the cavities along with a little more butter. Since I don't have a roasting rack I used celery stalks to lift the turkey out of the pan. After an hour on the grill at about 250 degrees tent it with foil to keep the bacon from burning and kick up the heat to 350. When the turkey reaches 160 degrees it's ready to carve.

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While everyone waited for the turkey to finish cooking I made some cranberry relish that was far better than anything in a can and super easy. Toss 2 diced pears, a bag of cranberries a cinnamon stick, and 3/4 cup of brown sugar on a cookie tray and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes until all of the berries have popped then chill. A cheese plate and some local beers kept everyone happy until dinner was served.

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A little dressing (if it's not in the bird it's not "stuffing"), mashed potatoes & gravy, crescent rolls, and some fresh green beans completed the meal. The green beans were steamed and then quickly sauteed with mushrooms, garlic, and some of the bacon from the turkey. And just to be clear...that's real bacon, not turkey bacon and certainly not facon. I am a believer in bacon wrapped smoked turkey. It was the most juicy and flavorful turkey I've had in a long time.

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I'm not hosting Christmas Dinner this year and I think we're having prime rib but if your plans include turkey I highly recommend making it this way. And now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to focus on Eggnog, Christmas trees, Winterfest Beers (including the Chocolate Hazelnut Porter I'll be bottling this week) and finding the perfect presents for all of the tailgaters on your lists. Happy Holidays. Bring on the merriment!

I'll admit I've liked country music ever since Garth Brooks came along and livened it up for the masses. The clubs were filled with cowgirls in tight jeans and big hats and everyone was partying to dollar drink night. And who doesn't love a good party? Speaking of which, Halloween is right around the corner and this year it falls on a Monday so you get a solid weekend to party before trick or treating.  Next week I'll break out some Halloween drinks and October grub and then the Holiday season really begins with the ultimate feast day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas and New Years coming fast. Time to get your grub on!

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But first, here's a great video from Toby Keith with a salute to what has to be the ultimate symbol of partying "The Red SOlO Cup".  Thanks to TailgatingIdeas for putting this on their Facebook Page or I never would have seen it. And incidentally, no matter what you drink out of a red plastic cup, people will always assume it's booze so keep that in mind. If discretion is the goal, try drinking from a Starbucks cup. Enjoy!

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Toby Keith Red SOLO Cup

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I'm not 100% in love with his tone regarding drinking from glass but I love the cameos in this video.

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Awesome tips from Joe Cahn, Commissioner of Tailgating on Access Hollywood Live. Check out his full tailgating schedule at Can Crusade and remember aluminum cans are portable, stackable, recyclable, and they keep light away from beer so it stays fresh. For those reasons and more cans are also the newest and coolest trend in craft brewing and the selection just keeps growing. Stay Hungry My Friends!

With Labor Day marking the unofficial start of fall and football underway it's time for tailgating. Tailgating Times fans know I'm a big fan of craft beer and for the most part, that means bottles*. In my tailgating circles we've always said, "You can never have too many bottle openers," because someone is always looking for one.  I may now have to rethink that statement after seeing all of the things manufacturers have recently decided to put openers on.
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Right out of the gate I have to say that I am biased toward the original "Starr X Wall Mount Opener".  This is the opener that sits on the original Freedom Grill FG-100 and the FG-900 trailer.  You can find these openers with all sorts of different logos and the design dates back to 1925. This is my favorite opener by far; so much so I wear one on a chain around my neck.
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For the more adventurous though it seems that no surface is safe from adding a bottle opener.
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One of the more "unique" places you'll find openers these days is on footwear.  Reef and Fossil both make flip flops with openers just in case you're out and about with a bunch of bottles of beer and no pockets. Fossil puts the opener on the side of the sandal, which I think I prefer over Reef's placement of the opener right on the sole. Forgive me if I'm not thrilled by the prospect of getting sand, gum, and other debris in my beer.

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On the other hand (or should I say foot?) Hot Topic and BootyCocktails offer 6" stilettos with an opener on the heel. When you consider where these shoes will be worn most of the time they could actually come in handy.

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If you prefer your bottle opener a bit higher up BeerTap Tees has cleverly added openers to their line of t-shirts and ThinkGeek's got a shirt with a bottle opener on the chest. I like the BeerTap design because the placement is better and you're less likely to stretch out the shirt though technically opening a bottle isn't really the same as "tapping" the keg but that's a whole other article.
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Summer is upon us and we’re being bombarded daily by “Dads & Grads” advertising trying to convince us that all it takes to tell dad you love him is a “Kiss the Cook” apron or a new striped polo. Of course if you’ve got the budget he also needs a new tractor and a new 50” TV. When it comes to buying gifts for dad there is a bright side; dads actually like and want things they need and of course there’s room for stuff they don’t need too.

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.Top 10 Father’s Day gifts he might actually want this year.

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1. Cocktail Shaker – I’ve mentioned many, many times in this blog that a cocktail shaker is a necessity for any man and you can (almost) never have too many. My personal favorite came from Target and holds a whopping 50 oz.

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2. Custom glassware – You can order Monogrammed glasses from almost anywhere these days but for an even cooler gift consider glasses with a custom logo etched into them. Glass-Decorators.com has no minimum and if you send them art in vector format (.eps, .ai) the setup fee is only $32.50. Of course you’re going to have to wait a couple of weeks so if you go this route make sure you give dad a nice card and let him know the gift is on the way.

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3. Drinks – Every dad is different but with bottles like these you’re sure to impress.

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Crystal Head Vodka is “triple diamond filtered” and is exceptionally smooth but the bottle is the real selling point. (and the fact that it comes from Dan Aykroyd. http://youtu.be/SKqjIv91Zx8 )

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If bourbon is more dad’s speed Four Roses Bourbon is smooth and mellow with honey, spice, and hints of pear and apple. Perfect for a Manhattan…just be sure to also pick up some sweet vermouth, bitters, and maraschino cherries.
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For real decadence a single malt Scotch is in order and The Dalmore 15 does not disappoint. From the rich mahogany color to the sherry finish this is a very mellow and balanced whisky.
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4. Craft Beer of course. Even if your dad mostly drinks “Domestic Beers*”, try starting out with a pale ale, Belgian ale, or a Kolsch from a local brewery and work up to the stronger, darker beers from there. Craft Beer style finder

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5. Awesome Ice Cube Trays check out this article from Demilked.com for 20 different unique ways to make ice cubes with links to purchase them. My favorites are “brain freeze”, “scream”, and “gin and Titonic”. I just wish they had some mini footballs too.

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6. Bottle Openers – I thought I’d seen bottle openers everywhere from belt buckles to hats and even flip flops but now they have them on collar stays for after work. Shop.CoolMaterial.com is an incredible source for unique gifts with stuff I haven’t seen anywhere else. The guitar pick punch is awesome for anyone with boxes and boxes of old business cards.

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7. Meat, sauce, rubs – provided dad’s not a vegetarian most guys would be thrilled with a gift of gourmet meat. I recently sampled the brats from ManCave, Omaha Steaks are very well known, Exotic Meats USA has nearly every type of meat you can imagine, for spices and rubs check out Sweat ‘N Spice with a huge selection of everything hot.

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8. Cooking planks – Cedar planks are terrific for ribs and salmon and they’ve become so popular you can usually find them near the meat in the grocery store. For other “flavors” check with your local BBQ store or check out BarbecueWood.com. Not just for fish, you can grill amost everything on planks, lobster, nachos, mashed potatoes, and even brownies for a nice smoky taste.

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9. Tickets – get dad out off the couch and out the door. Whatever he’s into pick up a pair of tickets and go have some fun. Concerts, movies, sports, exhibitions, even amusement parks or local street festivals are all great opportunities to chill out with dad and make some memories that don’t involve burnt bbq or tuna casserole.
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10. Nothing – yes I’m being serious. You don’t have to buy dad a gift at all. Maybe money is tight this year or maybe you aren’t close and maybe you never were. Father’s day is supposed to be a day for honoring fathers and saying “thank you”. If money’s the issue send an eCard and if the relationship is the issue, enjoy spending the day with your own kids or go out and do whatever you want. It’s just a Sunday after all.

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*None of the traditional “domestic” beers are domestic anymore. Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams) is now the largest U.S. owned brewery.

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Crystal Head Basil Lemon Drop Martinis

• 3 oz. Crystal Head Vodka
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• 1 lemon wedge
• 3 basil leaves + 1 for garnish
• 1 oz. sour mix
• Ice

The original recipe calls for Thai basil but regular basil worked out just fine. Muddle the lemon wedge and basil into the simple syrup, add sour, vodka, and ice and shake well until cold. Strain into a martini glass (sugar rim optional) and garnish with basil leave and lemon slice. Enjoy! ...and yeah, that's Dan Aykroyd's signature on the bottle. It was a gift.

This week is American Craft Beer Week and there are events planned all over the U.S. to promote local breweries.  If ever there was a time to try out a new beer this is it.  There's even an "app" that allows beer enthusiasts to compare notes and let the world know what they're drinking. It's called Untappd and you can earn badges for checking in just like Foursquare.

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The most prominent craft brewer in San Diego is Stone Brewing Company. This week they announced some major expansion plans that have the beer community pretty excited. Stone Brewing features a very impressive lineup of bottled beers with 9 varieties available year-round and special releases that are available seasonally. Famous for their bold, hoppy, "big beers", Stone consistently wins awards for their beers and their bistro at the brewery is always packed. 

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To celebrate Craft Beer Week I picked up every "big" bottle of Stone I could find to sample a different one each day and I whipped up a batch of Beer Cheese Soup (Emeril's Recipe since Stone's recipe is a secret.)  The combination of Ruination IPA and blue cheese was pretty overpowering.  Looks like the Stone version sticks with extra-sharp white cheddar and adds some smoked paprika. Next time I'm giving that a shot.

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Stone IPA, Cali-Belgique IPA, Ruination IPA, Double Bastard, Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, Arrogant Bastard Ale, and Smoked Porter

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Beer Cheese Soup

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Onion, celery, parsnips, and garlic ready to sautee in butter.

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Stone Ruination IPA and chicken stock added and simmered for an hour

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Sharp cheddar, blue cheese crumbles, and heavy cream whisked in and topped with parsley

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Served up with brats and Ruination IPA this was a perfect way to celebrate Craft Beer Week and will definitely be on the menu for tailgating this year.  A pot of beer cheese soup is sure to impress.

It's somewhat ironic that activity on Twitter today features a video with a so called "Beer Geek" talking to a girl about nano breweries making strong, bitter beers. Beer Geek Meets Girl. I'd embed the video but it's kind of slow and I'm not really a fan of these XN videos that keep cropping up everywhere. They always have the same characters with the same creepy voices. Oddly enough I found the video through tweets from Karl Strauss.

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What brought me to that topic was my visit to an actual "Nano Brewery" here in San Diego, Hess Brewing near Miramar Rd. Every batch is hand crafted 1.6 barrels at a time. That's only 51 gallons.  The brewing is in an industrial complex and the tasting room is no bigger than my old office. They're open Wed - Sat and offer growler fills along with pints and a taster flight that includes samples of each beer and a sweet pint glass.

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Hess Brewing is in the same neighborhood as AleSmith and Ballast Point isn't too far away from them either. I was definitely impressed with Hess' brews. The Claritas Kolsch is a pale German beer for summer with a crisp finish.  The Grazias Vienna Cream Ale is a balanced brew and these two are the lightest beers in the place. Stepping up was the Deceptio Cascadian Dark Ale, sometimes referred to as an American India Black Ale. This roasty beer comes in at 8.8% alcohol with a nice bitterness. My favorite of their offerings was the Amplus Acerba San Diego Pale Ale (or double IPA). This beer has a lot of malt and a lot of hops and a lot of alcohol but it's not sweet like some high alcohol beers tend to be. Finally comes the Ex Umbris Rye Imperial Stout. This stout is very thick, rich, and full of flavor. I will definitely be back for more and the 68 oz growlers are really cool looking. The beer scene in San Diego just keeps growing and growing.  All we really need are the breweries to start setting up tailgate parties before their tastings.

Early this month I was able to sample some gourmet mustard from a prize pack I won from a contest by Saucy Mama.  Along with the mustards I also received 3 bottles of wing sauce so I was anxious to try them. There are plenty of places to find Buffalo hot wing recipes online but they are so easy to make no recipe is needed. 

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I started off with some really nice quality chicken wings from Henry's Markets where I found all-natural chicken wings (hormone and antibiotic free) that were really nice sized and reasonably priced. I only picked up about 3 pounds but next time I will definitely make more. To prep the wings just grab a sharp knife or even some kitchen shears and separate at the joints. Throw the pointy end away and you'll have a nice "drummette" and a traditional wing. Toss all the wings into a resealable plastic bag and marinate for at least an hour. I used about 1/2 a bottle of the Saucy Mama Hot Wing Sauce and a bottle of pale ale for the marinade. There's nothing more to it than that. After the wings finished marinating they went into a baking pan and into the oven for an hour at 350 degrees. After that they went on the grill for about 5 minutes per side to finish off. (I actually did 1/2 of the wings in the parmesan garlic sauce just for comparison)

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Not only were these incredibly easy to make, they were delicious and much healthier than breaded, deep fried wings. They had just the right amount of heat but next time I'll throw some Fire Brand Hot Sauce into the marinade to kick it up a notch on some of the wings.  The "Tailgate Bacon Blue Cheese Wing Dip" was amazing.

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I know what I'm taking the next time I head out to a BBQ. I just wish they sold that sauce by the gallon.