Ratamacue Stew

Dry Thyme - 3 tablespoons
Dry Rosemary - 3 tablespoons
Garlic, Finely Chopped - 2 tablespoons
Coarse Ground Black Pepper - 3 tablespoons
Coarse Salt - 2 tablespoons

When you're done applying the rub, your hands are a mess.  But are they ever finger licking good!

Cook the roast at 200 degrees for about four hours.  I actually use a thermometer to monitor the roast and when it gets to an internal temp of 118 degrees, it's time to take it out of the oven and proceed to the next step.
With the roast out of the oven and covered up with tin foil, crank the oven up to 500 degrees and let it settle there for 15 minutes.  Put the roast back in and cook for another 15 minutes to get a nice crust built up.  Take the roast out of the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Roast w/Van Ball's Seasoning

Roast with Dry Rub

Cooked, Carved, and Ready to Serve

Regular Poutine

If you don't know what poutine is, just ask your local Canadian. A staple in the Canadian diner cuisine, poutine is normally a greasy spoon bowl full of unctuous goodness.  A simple recipe really: a bowl of french fries slathered generously with beef gravy and topped with fresh cheese curds.  What's not to love! You may find slight variants of this recipe but the basic premise is the same.  Or maybe not . . . . . 

With the first major storm of the season in full swing, the wind is whipping outside, snow is swirling around the trees, snow drifts cover the backyard, and it's a good day to be inside. Spending a late Sunday afternoon watching football, it seemed only appropriate to have a fire in the fireplace.  Longing for something warm to drink to top of my football & fire afternoon, I made a drink that came from Food Network's Aaron "Big Daddy" McCargo.  Below is the recipe that Cindee has proclaimed to be her new favorite drink.  We will certainly be making more of it this holiday season.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Dash ground cinnamon
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 2 ounces dark rum
• Boiling water

Directions

The following is a description of an amazing wine I've had before and want to remember for future reference.  It's pricey but if you have the chance to try it, you'll not be disappointed!

98 points - Robert Parker, 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.  A prodigious example of Dominus, the 2007 represents a hypothetical blend of a Pomerol, Pauillac, and a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep ruby/purple-colored with a sweet nose of incense, cedar wood, black currants, black cherries, licorice, and a subtle hint of roasted herbs, it is an expansive, savory, opulent wine with a full-bodied mouthfeel, silky tannins, and sensational concentration. A legend in the making, it should evolve for 25-30 years, possibly longer given the fact that his vintages from the early eighties are still going strong, and the wines today are better made given Moueix's Napa experience and the estate winery he did not have 25 years ago.

I love barbeque.  Plain and simple.  Over the past several years, I've enjoyed experimenting with different types of meat on the smoker and learning how to create the perfect rub, the right baste, and the creation that results from hours upon hours over low indirect heat and the magical flavors that come out of this alchemy.

Recently, I have been particularly enamored with Carolina style barbecue.  Or, in my terms, a yellow mustard based sauce that you mix in with pulled pork for a very tangy, smoky flavor.  At work, they actually make a reasonably decent mustard based pulled pork recipe.  Upon asking for and receiving the recipe, I was quite disappointed to find mass produced sauces used to make the barbecue I had come to love.  No chance at repeating that recipe so I set out to find a similar one and was successful in doing so.

This Labor Day weekend, we decided to smoke a pork shoulder with the intent of making pulled pork sandwiches with my new found recipe.  What resulted was a pork shoulder roast that was so good, we ate it sliced up in stead of shredded.

Start with a grill itching to go to work:

Season pork shoulder with appropriate Rub:

The picture does no justice to the smells this baby puts off.

Spotted Cow Carolina pork shoulder, homemade coleslaw, and paired with a Napa Valley Petit Syrah.

While in San Francisco recently, I took my brother out for his birthday to Luce, a restaurant lead by Iron Chef competitor Dominique Crenn.  She recently competed on Iron Chef America and beat one of my favorite chef's, Michael Symon.  She wasn't at the restaurant the evening we ate there and since it was a Sunday, the tasting menu was also not available.  That certainly didn't deter us from having a very enjoyable meal as you can see from the pictures below.

Sweet Corn Soup w/Basil Oil

2006 Opus One Meritage (an exceptional wine)

Venison Tartare Lightly Flamed, Apple and Cauliflower, Mint and Rye Bread Cream

Black Ink Trofiette "Carbonara", Baby Squid, Smoked Pancetta, Slow Cooked Organic Egg

"12 Hours" Lamb Belly, Lamb Loin, Petite Summer Squash and Fava Beans

Beef Tenderloin "Medium rare" Summer Vegetable "Pot au Feu"

Peach Skin Porridge, Crushed Sesame, Pistachio, White Peach Sorbet

Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Soil, Chocolate "Dehydrated", Chocolate "Ice", Basil and Mint

Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I likely may not have believed it.  But, yes, you are reading correctly, there is a place called Voodoo Doughnut and it's in Portland, OR.  It's a great place for your morning coffee and doughnut fix or to pick up a doughnut voodoo doll to curse whatever or whomever ails you.  Complete with a gothic sense of humor, this landmark institution has three locations in Portland.  They also do weddings believe it or not!

While on vacation in the Pacific Northwest, the first night of our trip we had an opportunity to eat at another restaurant famed for the chef having been on Iron Chef America and beaten the Iron Chef competitor.  Maria Hines was on just a few weeks ago and beat Morimoto.  Inspired by her victory, we had to eat at her restaurant in Seattle.

Tilth features New American cuisine prepared with certified-organic or wild ingredients sourced from as many local farmers as they are able to support.  The executive chef and owner, Maria Hines, is a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef of the Northwest as well as one of Food & Wine Magazine's 10 Best new Chefs of 2005.  In 2008, the New York Times deemed Tilth one of the best new restaurants in the country.  Tilth received its organic certification from Oregon Tilth, an unaffiliated organization that promotes sustainability.

Great food, great wine, family, and lots of laughter made this an evening we'll remember for a very long time.