This past week, there was an article in the Washington Post Express called “Campfire, Rewired: Gadgets to Make Cooking While Camping A Breeze” written by Nevin Martell. He discusses some products to make camp cooking easier. Trailer camping and tailgating with grills and smokers are always an option. Tenting and hiking are a completely different entity. I mean it’s not like you can pack up a BBQ smoker in your back pack and hike into the woods with it.
One of the products featured by Nevin in his article was The Li’l Smokey by Camerons. The manufacturers at Camerons have a few products that make tenting and cooking a breeze. The Li’l Smokey, The Mini Gourmet Smoker and The Stovetop Smoker. These are stainless steel cookers that can be used outdoors using sterno, your campfire or a gas burner. Great for camping or backpacking as they are much lighter than your cast iron skillet. The lighter the better. These “smokers” can also functions as a steamer, a poacher, a roasting pan or a stovetop oven. All the components nest together inside the base for convenient storage and clean up is quick and easy.
And they aren’t just for outdoor cooking. You can use them at home as well. Apartment rules against barbecue grills got you down? With these smokers you can smoke food anytime you want.
Are you an amateur gourmet cook? Want to add some smoked garlic or smoked salts to zest up a recipe? These indoor smokers are perfect for this application.
The uses here are endless. With the specially ground, kiln dried, all natural smoking chips you can add many different flavors to whatever you’re cooking. The traditional hardwoods are available as well as some fruit woods and specialties like bourbon soaked. You can even mix and match some of the flavors to make unique flavorful blends.
Smoking foods made easy. Cooking in the great outdoors or just like the great outdoors right on your stovetop!
Well the football tailgating season has finally arrived. Be it NCAA, Pro ball, or even the local high school football team, the tailgaters are flying their team colors high. It has been a rocky start so far with Mother Nature unleashing some of her worst in many areas. Soggy games, hotter-n-heck games. We need a nice crisp, fall, sunny weekend all over America for every game. Just one weekend Mom Nature…that’s all we ask. Well…maybe more than one weekend.
For those of us hard core tailgaters, we don’t care if it’s raining or not, heck, there could even be snow! We’ll be out there. The BBQ smoker is lit, the charcoal is starting to glow in the grill, the deep fryer is bubbling and spitting, the beer is cold and our flags are blowing in the wind. We are praising our team, reliving high lights of our favorite games, eating, partying and making new memories with our bestest of friends.We prefer good weather to tailgate in, but we will still be there!!
Everyone has their own place in a tailgate. I prefer to be chief cook, but NOT bottle washer. It isn’t always about being the cook either. I like to make sure the tailgate bin is stocked with the appropriate gear and I like to plan tailgate menus. You can’t eat the same stuff week in week out. And the bin doesn’t always have everything that you need with every menu change.
I’ve been to NASCAR races where the tailgaters are all eating hot dogs and burgers. BLAH! That’s ok once in a while but you went all out and traveled far to get to this race. Why not bring out a steak or some pork chops. You brought all of your tailgate gear…make something better to eat. A football game is one day. A race is all weekend!! Take some pride in your tailgate!
I’ve been to NHRA races and other drag racing competitions. Now, these are hardcore tailgaters. They bring BBQ smokers and have rib competitions while the drag racing is going on. I’ve even seen the Philly Cheese Steak Queen bring a 60 qt. stock pot and a outdoor propane cooker and make cheese steaks for like 50 people. I’ve seen one group that brought every piece of cooking equipment that their tailgate group had. Grills, smokers, deep fryers, table top skillets. They were there for the whole weekend and had at least 25 people with them. They ate good. Ribs, wings, steaks, sausages. Why not right? (I think these people were football tailgaters too. HEY, you can do both!!!! No judging!)
I know of many football tailgaters that take pride in their party and their menu. Never just burgers and dogs and canned beer! I know of one group in Philly (big Pro Ball fans) that actually cook a meal that somehow represents the opposing team at every game. That way they eat the competition before the game even starts. Hahahha!!
Well let’s get into the full swing of the season. Bring on the football, rain or shine. Put on your teams colors and let,s get out there and tailgate!!
I am reflecting today. It is coming up on the 10th year since that dreadful day that all Americans will never forget.
I refuse to call it an anniversary. An anniversary is a happy and blessed occasion.This day was far from that!
I was living about 60 miles outside of Manhattan at the time on the south shore of Long Island. I’m still not sure if it hit home harder for all of us in the tri-state area than the rest of the country. Many of us were directly involved or knew someone personally that was.
Ten years later and we still are experiencing aftermath. Many of the men and women that were there that day or that worked the many weeks afterward, searching and clearing are now sick. They have developed incurable and fatal diseases.
Life certainly changed for many people that day.
This is just a remembrance in honor of those that were lost that day and in honor of the many heroes that stepped up, putting the lives of others ahead of their own. We will never forget!
Craig’s Way Tailgate is a group of a dozen young professionals who have grown up in and around Austin, TX. They enjoy spending Saturdays during the Fall watching college football and rooting on the Horns together.
How It All Began:
October 14, 2006 – The Horns were hosting the Baylor Bears. The leaves were changing, not a cloud in the sky, slight nip in the air- perfect football weather. The usual pre-game routine was to grab a beer at Scholtz or call around and see whose tailgate party they could crash. That’s all fine and good but sometimes you just want something a little more.
The group of friends decided to start their own tailgate.
How hard could having your own tailgate really be?
Come to find out—a lot more difficult than the guys originally anticipated. They borrowed some tents, packed a cooler of beer, and stumbled upon the field at 15th and Trinity.
They now have a beautiful BBQ smoker and all sorts of grills that they take to every function. They have inflatable tents, games, and a few more people involved. They have partnered up with many companies, started a web page, and got a whole network in the social media world going, just to make their tailgate party all that it can be.
Over the years their tailgate has evolved, but the goal from the beginning has stayed the same. They still enjoy a handful of Saturdays tailgating with some great friends and and watching some great football. They hope you’ll come out and join them this year.
As Irene approaches the North Carolina coast, I have to revisit the importance of emergency preparedness. I happen to be in the very coastal region of eastern North Carolina. We are as prepared as we think we can be at this point, but one never knows.
The regions of eastern Pennsylvania and Long Island are in the path of Irene as well. They have been totally saturated with rain recently. That means that if Irene is still packing a significant punch when it arrives, trees are going to fall. That will mean lots of power outages.
I know that the folks on Long Island are scrambling for D cell batteries right now. No one seems to be able to find them. Now if you already had an emergency preparedness kit, odds are you won’t be out searching 
for batteries and will be focusing on more important things like having a full gas tank, etc. If you have an emergency kit, make sure everything is up to snuff. Revamping your kit say every 6 months or every time you change batteries in your smoke detectors is a great idea. That way you are always sure to have working batteries for the flash light or lanterns that you have in the kit.
Get yourself some good outdoor cooking equipment if you have none. Like a Volcano Collapsible Grill, Brinkmann grill, or other outdoor propane or charcoal grill. That way if you loose power for a few days you will still be able to feed your family.
R & V Works has a new portable, propane BBQ smoker. The Cajun Express Smoker. It is the fastest smoker in the Bayou!! The patented sealed pressure / vacuum chamber revolutionizes smoking times to super sonic levels.
Some of us think about turkey fryers all the time. For those of us that don’t, it is that time of year again.
School is about to start up again. That means football season. Tailgating is about to go into warp drive. If you don’t have a turkey fryer with your tailgating equipment, now is a great time to add one!
Turkey fryers are a very versatile and mobile piece of outdoor cooking equipment. They don’t just deep fry. You can boil, steam, and stew with them too. That first real cold weather game, you can make steaming hot bowls of chili. Steam up some corn on the cob while the steaks grill. These outdoor cookers run on LP gas, so they are as portable as any grill. And, yes, they do deep fry. While you are grilling up assorted meat products for your tailgating crew, you can deep fry french fries or onion rings for a side dish. Better yet, start off the tailgate party with a whole mess of deep fried Buffalo Wings.
Then comes Thanksgiving. Everyone loves deep fried turkey. Besides having an outdoor propane deep fryer to tailgate with, you now have the propane stove and stock pot to deep fry turkey for Thanksgiving! That goes for home as well as the stadium parking lot. I know plenty of tailgaters that have an annual traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings and deep fried bird for that Thanksgiving Day game. I mean, why not? It is an American tradition. Why give it up just because you are at a football game?
Now if you are worried about hot frying oil and a rowdy tailgate party, maybe a less conventional deep fryer is more your speed. They still run on propane. They are still portable. An R & V Works Cajun Fryer was made with safety in mind. The oil is heated with super hot air that flows through self contained tubes. It will heat the oil to a temperature worthy of deep frying anything. The flame for the unit is typically at the back. Any oil spillage would occur in the front. Therefore no oil and flame should ever come in contact. These units have a rolling caddy for mobility, but the caddy also makes the unit more stable than a traditional turkey fryer. If a non-sober compadre should accidentally knock into the unit, it is less likely to take a tumble than a stock pot on a propane jet cooker. But, you know your crew better than anyone. You just need to keep a distance between propane tanks, deep fryers, grills, and the party crowd.
With a Cajun Fryer, clean up is relatively easy. They come with an oil drain valve. While everyone is eating. Let your fryer cool a bit. Then hook up an adapted piece of radiator hose to your drain valve and drain your warm oil into metal Gerry cans. The cans can be placed out of harms way while folks head into the game. The fryer unit can be rolled out of way also, allowing it to fully cool while you are in watching the game. When the game is over, your fryer will be ready to pack up and take home.
With either unit, a traditional turkey fryer or some other outdoor propane deep fryer, you can open up whole new menu options for your tailgate or anywhere. You can have a fish fry at church, wings at the fire house, or deep fried mushrooms at home. It is time to get out there and deep fry your tailgate!
Have some friends drop by unexpected? Family members pop in unannounced? You can throw together a nice barbecue in a pinch if need be. It all depends on what you have in your fridge or freezer and how good your imagination can stretch. Having a little time to prepare is great, but if not, just put your thinking cap on, open the fridge and freezer, and get creative!
Boneless chicken is very versatile. If you happen to have some in the freezer, this will be your best bet. You can cook boneless chicken breasts from a frozen state and still get excellent results. That does not work with all kinds of meats.If you have a little time to get it on a thaw though, throw it in some orange juice with some spices, or coat it in some Italian dressing. The same can be done with certain types of fish fillets.
You can put other meats on a thaw with your microwave. Do not defrost entirely. Sometimes you can end up ruining meat that way. Having sausages, hot dogs, and pre-made burgers in your freezer for just such an occasion is always handy too, especially if people pop in on you a lot.
Summer time is a great time to have other fruits and vegetables on hand. You can grill other things besides meat. Get your Brinkmann grill going and throw on some halved peaches and nectarines that have been brushed with olive oil.
Grilled roasted peppers and mushrooms are always a nice side dish.
Have a bunch of asparagus in the fridge? Lay out some foil, put in a pat or two of butter, sprinkle lightly with some seasonings, seal and throw the pouch on the grill. Turn it once or twice. Don’t leave it on too long though. You want the asparagus still a bit crispy, not mushy.
Don’t have lettuce or enough lettuce to make a salad? Open up your cupboard. Salad doesn’t always have to be about leafy greens. Open a can of chick peas, or red beans to add to a salad. Onion, pepper, celery, carrots, whatever you have on hand. You can even cut up pear to use in a salad. Toss everything together, add a little lime juice or olive oil and vinegar and viola, salad! I went to a barbecue last night. Someone came unexpectedly, but not empty handed. She threw together a creamy cucumber salad, and a really neat mixed up salad that had fresh corn kernels stripped from an ear of corn, blueberries, red onion, fresh mint, and a nice vinaigrette.
Don’t have enough stuff to make a salad? If you have a couple of baking potatoes in the cabinet, slice the bakers in half or quarters, coat them in olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder and black pepper. Place it on the top rack of the grill, prior to meat and while the meat is cooking.
Throwing together a BBQ in a pinch is easy. Use your imagination and get creative. If you have time to run to the store for added ingredients, go ahead, but as long as you have some food around, just use it. Just have a little faith in yourself. Get out there and start cooking!
I have been finding more and more people coming to the food vending or the catering business. Many people either lost their jobs or found such a lack of work that they needed to recreate themselves. Everyone has to eat, right? In this turbulent economy, having some comfort food to make the heart and soul feel better, is not such a bad thing. The recreated people that I have been finding are now cooking, grilling, and\or deep frying food for festivals, farmer’s markets, events and catered parties.
Some of the people that I have recently met were lawyers, contractors, carpenters. Their career industries have not been doing so well. They have chosen to take up deep frying and food vending as side income or as an out and out career change. The food vending industry has blown through the roof right now. The West Coast of America taking a great leap forward with the food truck industry. But food vending has spread it’s fingers far and wide throughout the U.S. and even into Canada. And not just food trucks either. Caterers, street vendors, food carts, mobile trailer vendors, event and festival vendors.
And, we are not just talking about the typical hot dog truck or coffee truck anymore. The more your fare varies compared to the cart next door, the better off you may be. You want something interesting and tasty. Not the same old, same old. People are not just using griddles and steam trays any more. There are mobile grills and BBQ smokers. Panini and sandwich press machines. Mobilized trailer pizza ovens. Portable outdoor propane deep fryers 
have become a huge added cooking appliance to some vendors. With so many different nationalities and palates in North America, the food fare options are endless!
I spoke with someone the other day. They do bratwurst for festivals. They have decided to add a deep fryer to their outdoor cooking equipment to hopefully bring in more business. They will be adding a sort of thick potato chip with different spices.
I know of another company that all they do is deep fry. They work a farmer’s market in Oregon, once a week for the whole season. They deep fry empanadas, sort of a meat and vegetable pastry.
Potato twisters, a deep fried spiral cut potato on a stick, has become huge. Originating in Korea, where it has become the number one street food, it has hit the streets and fairs of America with full force. I saw a program on TV where a vendor at The California State Fair has taken the twisted potato and tweaked it. He put a hot dog on the stick first, then placed the spiral cut potato around it before deep frying it. Sounds odd right, but interesting. I would try it!
Fish tacos have taken the country by storm. Odd as they sound, having deep fried fish in a soft shell tortilla is all the rage. Even some of the bigger fast food restaurants have picked up on that.
There are endless ways to make money while selling food. Time and effort are involved, but ingenuity, honesty, integrity, and a little brains can get you places that you never thought you could go. There is a man the started a deep fried food tent at the Texas State Fair. He deep fries anything and everything. It brings people back for more. Just to see what they are deep frying today. This gentleman makes enough money through 
the fair to now sustain him for the rest of the year. Now, that’s deep frying for a living!!
Like I said before. Everyone has to eat. If you are looking for a way to make extra money, and you can cook fairly well, maybe it is time to jump on the comfort food vending band wagon. Get a deep fat fryer and start making french fries at the local festivals. Take your grill to the farmer’s market and roast corn on the cob. When the weather starts getting cooler, get yourself a turkey fryer, or a large stock pot and propane cooker and make some chili for the apple festival or fall leaf and craft fair. With a great idea and some time and effort, you could be on your way! The American dream starts here!