inPink Magazine features Kamado's products

I received an e-mail last week for Summer with inPink Magazine (Pink Penguin Press) who wanted more information on the Kamado's. I googled her magazine, and I found their excellent website. Their company, Pink Penguin Press, mission is to eliminate Breast Cancer.

From their website:

We believe that the ultimate end to breast cancer, as well as most diseases, lies in lifestyle factors such as diet & nutrition, fitness, and a clean, chemical-free body, home & planet.

On their website they have a section for Healthy Living Tips, and they included the Kamado and the Extruded Coconut Charcoal on two of their posts:

Kamado: Fire up the Bar-B
Extruded Coconut Charcoal: Choosy Charcoal

Thank you Summer!

New Kamado Accessory: Rib Rack

When you think of barbecuing one of the foods that you first think of is...RIBS! So we, or I should say my wonderful father, has designed a new Pin Cushion Rib Rack.

Unique Features:

• Adjustable to any height, as the pincushion slides up and down on the hanging rod. Same system as the adjustable grill
• Rotates 360 degrees (like adjustable grill). Nice feature when basting.
• Pincushion rib racks slide on the adjustable grill rod. Depending on the model Kamado there can be as many as three, maybe four total can be slid on the #9 Kamado hanging rod. On the #7, two maybe three. #5 two and #3 only one.
• The Pincushion Rib Racks are interchangeable with the present Adjustable grill and uses the same rod and hanging system.
• The Rib Rack does not have to “Hang” (as on the adjustable grill) but can sit on the ledge in place of the regular cooking grill or on the regular cooking grill.
• The Rib Racks or addition cooking grill are stackable by a rod on the rack or grill through the tube (same as the adjustable grill). The height of the grill/rack can be adjusted and held in place by a screw “stopper”.
• Drip pan usually used on the Lower Bracket.
• Remarkable uniform cooking temperatures are retained by the heavy ceramic walls (thermal mass) when the temperature stabilizes at the desired (lower) cooking temperatures. Very little temperature change results in same cooking times whether ribs are placed in center, outer, upper, lower close together or apart.
• Astonishing amount of ribs can be cooked at one time. Depending on the type of ribs and the size of the Kamado or BGE, one rack of 5 pounds or 75 pounds or more. More practical uses would be the using the grills or rack for cooking the entire meal items.

Now I have a confession to make...

We have never really BBQ'd Ribs or done a "low & slow". I know! :) We have our style of BBQ'n that we call "Fast N Furious", which consists of hamburgers, pork chops, chicken, pizza, etc. Now we use our Kamado more than 5 times a week, and we always enjoy the meals, but we don't take much time to prepare our meals and is something that I really want to make more of an effort to do. So, when my father designed the Rib Rack we decided that it was time to learn how to do Ribs.

For Mother's Day we did 2 racks of Beef Rib's and a rack of Pork Ribs.

First of all, I had NO idea how hard it was to remove the membrane!! It seems like such an easy thing to do...boy, were we wrong! Richelle & I split the work and I must have spent an hour just on the one rack of pork ribs.

After discussing my membrane issues with one of our great customers, R. Kim, he informed me on the tip of using a paper towel to grip the membrane.

We then poured some Balsamic Vinegar & Olive Oil over the ribs and then added Salt & Pepper and a dry rub. Put them on the Kamado, with the temperature set at 250 for roughly 3 hours.

And Viola!
















































They were delicious!! Another handy tip that R. Kim told me about was the 3-2-1 Method for cooking Rib's. Which is a method I should have known about with the wealth of information from our forum members at the Kamado Forum, but now that I have found the love for ribs I will certainly try it on my next Rib adventure.

Lastly, two family member's that always enjoy good BBQ:

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of the wonderful Mother's out there:






















We love you Mom, you are the BEST!!

Ensenada: Baja's "Love Boat" Port

If Tijuana is big-city hype and hustle, and Rosarito is beach-town easy, Ensenada is something in between. It's a college town, a thriving port, the center of Mexico's wine-growing industry and a commercial fishing center
.

The bustling harbor is one of Mexico's fastest growing seaports, and fishing is big business here, from tuna boats the size of tankers to a sportfishing fleet diverse enough to satisfy any ocean angler. But the harbor also hosts an endless armada of international cruise ships, and Ensenada has long been known as Baja's "Love Boat" port.

Ensenada's main downtown area is as tourist-friendly as Mexico gets. The city's merchandise selection is extensive, and most tourist-related shopping is concentrated along a single street -- Boulevard Lopez Mateos. Just a block from the waterfront, this walkable shopping section attracts mostly cruise passengers and day trippers who browse for an afternoon. Many of Tijuana's top stores have Ensenada branches on Lopez Mateos.

But there's far more to do here than shop. Ensenada is the heart of Mexico's wine country, and nine wineries in Baja's "Bordeaux Belt" of sheltered valleys near Ensenada produce almost 90 percent of Mexico's wines. The scenery -- picturesque vineyards surrounded by mountains -- alone merits a trip to Ensenada.

Inexpensive tours and tastings are offered six days a week by several Guadalupe Valley and Ensenada wineries, and the mid-August wine festival, sponsored by the area's Wine Brotherhood, is one of Baja's most popular annual events.

Be sure to check out the popular sportfishing pier area in the heart of downtown. A pair of sea lions (Claudia and Pancho) have been known to leap from the water to the pier to snap a fish from your fingers. Pelicans, hoping for a handout, waddle through the adjacent Mercado Negro, Baja's oldest and largest fresh fish market, where you'll find everything from whole, fresh sharks to brilliant parrot fish. Bring a camera.

The Pacific coast's best deep-fried shrimp tacos are cooked up fresh at colorful stands surrounding the pier. Sit on a stool in the sunshine and enjoy a few, while mariachis serenade you. And while you're there, tour the harbor and see the resident tuna fleet and flotilla of visiting yachts. Small motorboats, with guides, can be rented by the hour for under $15. Sign up on the spot.

And by all means, make the half-hour drive south to Baja's famous "blowhole." Thunderous La Bufadora, one of only three continuous sea spouts in the world, can shoot a geyser-like spray 60 feet in the air. A quaint village of curio shops has sprouted around the spout and makes for pleasant shopping. Try a juicy mango-on-a-stick or buy a bag of decadent, hip-swelling churros, deep-fried on the spot.

Scuba diving and snorkeling are excellent in the La Bufadora area, and surfing is best north of town at San Miguel Beach, immediately after the toll road ends. Ensenada's downtown waterfront area is generally rocky, but good beaches for swimming are a few miles south of town at Estero Beach and a bit farther at Punta Banda.

Kayaking is popular around La Bufadora, where sea caves and sea lion rookeries exist, and around uninhabited Todos Santos Island, five miles offshore. Look for great camping, trout fishing and wilderness getaways at Laguna Hanson, a little-known, mountain-and-pine escape east of Ensenada. And there are two excellent golf courses, one north and one south of the city. And there are two excellent golf courses, one north at Bajamar and one south of the city at Baja Beach and Tennis Club.

The resident intellectual and university communities bring a different flavor to this diverse city than to other Baja towns, and here a Pro-musica choral ensemble and the Cuban Ballet School are widely supported. Spanish missionaries and groups of Russian settlers brought native vines to the area and then settled, leaving their mark on the cultural mix. Today, there are Russian museums, jail museums and a historic gambling casino to explore. Ensenada also boasts Baja's oldest bar, Hussong's (011-52-646-178-3210), one of the most famous drinking establishments in the world. Claims the current owner: "Ain't never charged a cover charge in 110 years, and ain't gonna start now!"

Accommodations
Places to stay run the spectrum, from $8-a-night campsites to $130-a-night resort suites. There are probably more camping sites and RV camps near Ensenada and on the hightway between Rosarito and Ensenada than any other destination on Baja's Pacific Coast.

Restaurants
Choose from fabulous fish and shrimp tacos and seafood cocktails at inexpensive stands near the fish market, or award-winning French food with impeccable service at several restaurants. Standouts on the upscale-but-not-outrageously-priced side are the award-winning El Rey Sol (011-52-646-178-1733) and the two wine restaurants in the restored Santo Tomas Winery.

Don't miss
Sample Baja's fine wines at the downtown Santo Tomas Winery. Both its wine cafe, La Esquina (011-52-646-178-3557), and its gourmet wine restaurant, La Embotelladora Vieja (011-52-646-174-0807), offer best-of-Baja, best-of-California and best-of-South America selections by the glass or bottle. La Esquina sells a wide variety of take-home bottles from numerous wineries at low vineyard prices. Make sure you climb the narrow spiral staircase at La Esquina and sip a glass of vino on the second-floor outdoor terrace. And for great Latin dance music and a cheery atmosphere, stop at La Tertulia (011-52-646-178-1952) on the main street. It rocks with locals Thursday through Sunday after 9 p.m.

- Paula McDonald and Heather Gonzalez for SignOnSanDiego

courtsey: www.ensenada.com

Al Roker's 5 Rules of Barbecue

1. Never Touch Another Man's Grill. I will be the first to admit that when it comes to cooking, I'm a bit of a control freak. I love folks hanging out in the kitchen while I cook, but I don't want any help. The same holds true at the backyard grill. Don't ask to help me cook. I would never think of touching your grill. I know that every inch of soot-and-grease-encrusted metal has been lovingly and patiently created by you. It's one of the manly arts. Ever heard of the old saying, "Too many cooks spoil the broth?" Here's another one: "Touch my grill or any of my utensils, they'll be calling you 'Stumpy'!

2. Do Not Use A Fork To Move Your Meat Around The Grill. Use tongs. If you pierce the meat with a fork, all those wonderful juices will run out onto the coals, cause some wonderful flare-ups, and leave you with grilled shoe leather. While your friends "Oooooo" and "Aaahhh" at the flames, you're ruining your meat and run the risk of setting your facial hair on fire.

3. Don't Keep Moving Your Meat Around The Grill. Once you slap it on the grill, just leave it, unless it either: (a) starts to burn and you have to move it to a cooler spot or (b) there's inclement weather and you are threatened by floods, locusts, lightning, or all of the above. It may be very satisfying to flip your burger and push it down on the grill. Know what that does? Causes flare-ups and dries out the meat. See Rule 2.

4. Do Not Wear An Apron That Says, "Kiss The Cook." If you want to invite ridicule, scorn, and derision, then by all means, wear something like the aforementioned apron or like attire. By the same token, I always love those pictures of barbecues in the glossy food magazines with people wearing designer sweaters tied around their necks and khaki slacks or skirts. Who are these people? What kind of barbecue are they at? They probably eat ribs with a knife and fork! Me, I love grilling in an old T-shirt and shorts. In fact, I usually wear those sport shorts that are good on land and water. If things get a little hot, I take a break from grilling and jump in the pool. But not for long, lest somebody think the grill needs tending. See Rule 1.

5. Don't Take It Too Seriously. Enjoy yourself. That's the deal with grilling and barbecue. Friends and family. Laughter and good times. It's not like being at those trendy downtown bars, where everyone is dressed in black and they all look like they need a cookie. Backyard cooking is folks who look like you and me, people we know, but more important, people we want to hang out with.

courtesy: White Trash BBQ

National BBQ Month

I happened to stumble across a neat video from the 1970's that shows how to celebrate "National BBQ Month".

BBQ Recipes on your iPod

What a neat download for your iPod!

Pocket Bar & Grill has two sections, One is the "Bar" section with 750 mixed drink recipes from A through Z, each drink individually listed. The other section "Grill" contains 225 select gourmet recipe with an index in each category with links to the recipes within that category. All organized within Pocket Bar & Grill for your iPod.

Unfortunately, I don't have an iPod (I think that I might be the last person without one) or else I would download it and try it out.

We're baaaaack!

Hey Everyone!
I hope the year 2007 has gotten off to a fabulous start for you!

I know that we dropped the ball on our blog, but we are back! I have a lot of great things in store for the blog, so be sure to keep posted! :)

I would like to add that we are currently waiting to get our next container of the Extruded Coconut Charcoal in, so make that you check out the Kamado Forum to see if there are any pallets headed towards your city. Also, if you would like any estimated shipping rates please feel out the Charcoal Questionnaire and I will respond with the information requested.