Beers and BBQ

Had a great day this past Saturday hanging with friends and eating massive amounts of homemade pulled pork and our favorite Slow Oven Cooked Ribs. And even though the Beer Snob wasn't in attendance, I made sure the beer selection ran the gamut from the light and refreshing (Yuengling Lager and Natty Boh) to heavier, more complex brews.

Frankly, I had ulterior motives. Ever since my local liquor store stopped carrying six packs of Lancaster Valley Milk Stout I've been on a hunt for another dark, delicious beer that goes well with anything from BBQ and steaks to dessert or just sitting around the fire pit.

One beer that I can definitely say will not be taking its place is the Retro 60s Formula of Schlitz or as it's also known, Schlitz Gusto. Good pal David Zuzelo grabbed some as a lark, thinking that we could compare its taste to 7-11's Game Day which we tried last year. Well, somebody call the good folks at 7-11 because the 60s Schlitz makes Game Day taste like Pilsner Urquell!

There were a couple coffee stouts in contention because, well, it's coffee and it's beer. What's not to like? I didn't get a chance to try the Long Trail Coffee Stout but the comments I heard and reviews I've read suggest that this one might be a little too strong on the coffee taste and aroma for me. I probably don't want that so I'm not sorry I missed out.

The Lagunitas Cappucino Stout, on the other hand, was not just a subtle, creamy and slightly sweet brew, but at only about $5 for a large bottle – about half of the cost of Long Trail or most other high end brews – it's also a lot easier on the wallet. I dug this one and it was definitely true to the name. The beer was a little sweet and a little creamy, perfect for drinking after dinner with a piece of chocolate cake or maybe some fudge brownies.

I'd had Great Divide Yeti Oak Aged Imperial Stout before... back in the fall, I believe. The high alcohol content gave it a little bit of a metallic aftertaste at that time, sort of like sucking the blood out of a pricked finger. I don't know if it was because I'd been eating and drinking various things all afternoon or because I was sampling a much smaller amount – no surprise that everybody wants to try a beer with a yeti on the label – but this time the beer was just perfect for a relaxing after dinner chat about trashy movies while sitting around a nice fire. It's potent and packs a wallop, but worth splurging on.

I didn't have enough of the Samuel Adams Longshot Blackened Hops to really judge. The three Longshot winners come packed two per six-pack, which is nice but I really didn't want to try the beer that was brewed with lavender petals. Wish I could have gotten a full six-pack of this, though, as I thoroughly liked what I tried. The beer is dark with just enough carbonation that, unlike a lot of the other beers I sampled, you could sit down with this one for a session. The American style ale is much lighter than a stout and similar to a porter, making this one a brew I'd search out again.

The night's big winner, at least from a beer standpoint, was probably Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout. I bought this one purely on the strength of its slightly sinister label and was richly rewarded with an oak-aged stout that delivers a velvety smooth brew with just the right amount of coffee flavor to go along with a hint of vanilla thanks to being fermented with vanilla bean. Not overpowering but also not the kind of beer you'll want to drink more than two or three of at a time. The perfect accompaniment to barbecued goodness and a new fave of The Hungover Gourmet! Plus, it's brewed in nearby Dover, DE so I'm hoping that it will be easy to pick up near home or at the brewery.

FOOD COURT: Cow Attacks Woman... THG Scratches Steak Off Shopping List

An Iowa woman died from injuries suffered after she was attacked by a cow. Family members say the cow became aggressive and attacked the 60-year-old woman who was protecting her 1-year-old grandson. A professor of veterinary medicine at a local university said that the cow may have become aggressive due to the presence of newborn calves in the pasture.

Food Truck Wine Pairings: Gimme a Pop O' Dat!

I never knew realized what trend-setters the gang at WKDU (my college radio station) was. Oh sure, we were into cutting-edge record labels, hob-nobbed with up and coming artists, swilled beer and saw groups in basements, lodges, bars and churches.

But who knew back in the latter half of the 1980s that when we were scraping together enough change to grab a cheesesteak, breakfast sandwich or greasy Chinese dinner from the trucks that lined our campus we were actually glimpsing a culinary trend in the making?

Yes, I'm talking about food trucks, a foodie (ugh) trend that has swept the nation to the point that you'd think nobody had ever bought a dirty water dog before the Kogi truck started tweeting its location to trendy Left Coasters.

While we were more likely to pair our meals with Old German, Meister Brau or Stroh's, it turns out that – according to our friends at Snooth – wine might be the best bet for a nice schnitzel or Korean BBQ. And I don't think they mean Thunderbird or berry coolers.

Win Tickets to Safeway BBQ Battle in DC!

Want to attend next weekend's 19th Annual Safeway BBQ Battle in our nation's capital?

Thanks to our friends at Perdue, The Hungover Gourmet is giving away a pair of general admission tickets good for either Saturday, June 25 or Sunday, June 26.

The Barbecue Battle is one of the country's premier barbecue competitions with cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs, 30 bands, free food samples and the National Pork Barbecue Championship Contest with teams from around the country vying for more than $40,000 in cash and prizes... not to mention the coveted bragging rights!

On Saturday, Perdue's executive chef Chris Moyer will be hosting a chicken cooking demonstration and the company will be holding their Sizzlin' Chicken BBQ Contest! Come on out, check out the demo and sample some free Perdue chicken while you're at it.

Courtesy of Perdue we have a pair of general admission tickets good for Saturday, June 25 (11 AM - 9 PM) or Sunday, June 26 (11 AM - 7:30 PM). Good one day only, event held rain or shine, no cash value.

To enter simply e-mail your name and address to editor@hungovergourmet.com. We will hold a random drawing on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 and tickets will be mailed via USPS Priority Mail on Wednesday, June 22, 2011.

Can Flip Co-Creator Succeed with Fast Casual Grilled Cheese?

The revolutionary Flip camera and fast casual grilled cheese seem like strange bedfellows. But not to Jonathan Kaplan, the businessman who helped create the Flip video camera. The entrepreneur told the crowd at D9, a digital conference, that he planned on opening five The Melt locations in San Fran this fall with plans on growing to 500 locations in the next five years.

As commentors on the QSR Magazine article were quick to point out, the concept isn't exactly new. The similarly-named Melt Bar & Grilled has two locations in Ohio with a third on the way and has been featured on shows like Man v. Food and the Food Network, so it's not exactly low-profile. Not to mention Boston-based Cheeseboy, which opens its fourth location this summer.

One wonders how long the "upscale grilled cheese" concept can survive.

Don't Put Lettuce on My Filet-O-Fish, Don't Put Arugula on my Cheesesteak

I'm an admitted Cheesesteak Snob and normally will not order one outside of a 30-mile radius from Billy Penn's hat atop City Hall. (Some special circumstances do apply, especially if you bring in Amoroso's rolls and/or the proprietors are Philly ex-pats.)

In other words, it's highly unlikely that I would order a steak sandwich even from Wolfgang Puck's Cut steakhouse in LA but I'm even less likely when the restaurant's executive chef offers up something with arugula... and garlic mayo... and cheddar?

It reminds me of what Michael Moore once said when McDonald's tried to fancy up the Filet-O-Fish: "They put lettuce on my Filet-O-Fish... fuckers".

Get Bit by the Home Brew Bug

I still have a notebook somewhere with recipes for all the batches of homebrew that I made back in the 90s. It was good stuff but required room and time, things that seem in short supply these days.

Frankly, I'm thinking about just grabbing one of those Mr. Home Brew kits like the old Great American Beer Machine or whatever the hell it was the Landers sisters used to do an infomercial for. (Frankly, all that infomercial made me want to do was go drink a gallon of milk and watch a BJ AND THE BEAR marathon.)

But I think it's safe to say that craft beer is becoming more and more popular. Hell, my local liquor store recently started carrying Dale's Pale Ale and Resurrection Ale in cans, and their idea of "craft beer" used to be bringing in some Leinenkugel's.

If you're itching to get started with home brew, check out today's latest Groupon deal. It features half off from Midwest Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies and you can get your starter kit with everything you need except bottles and a brew kettle plus $25 towards your second batch of supplies.

Now, where's that notebook?

Would You Go to Quiznos for Your Pulled Pork?

Admittedly, Quiznos has always been more like QuizNO to me.

I grew up in South Jersey and do not understand the concept of a toasted sub. I don't like hot bread messing with the nice cold meats, cheeses, condiments and toppings. Might be for some people but hey, it's not for me.

But even if I was "a big toasted sub guy" (as my daughter might say) I still think I'd be steering clear of the new Quiznos Southern BBQ Pulled Pork and the Pork Cuban. (Okay, maybe I'd try the Pork Cuban, but that's supposed to be hot and toasty.)

When I think pulled pork I think of a long, slow cooking process at a low temperature till the meat just falls apart as you shred it... the smoky aroma dancing around the edges of the meat... a tangy, not too sweet barbecue sauce meshing with some cool, creamy cole slaw... all nestled atop a spongy roll that just soaks up all the goodness.

Somehow I don't think that's what I'm going to find at Quiznos. Maybe they could prove me wrong but these days I wouldn't even know where to go. Our local Quiznos couldn't even stay in business and has been turned into the equally-appalling Subway.

Snooth Pairs Wine with Fast Food

Never sure what wine goes best with a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish? Only have a bottle of 2008 Red Rock Merlot Reserve and can't decide between the iconic Big Mac or the Angus Beef Deluxe?

Well , the folks at Snooth have finally written an article I can really relate to. They threw off the shackles of snobbery and pretension that seem to drown most of the wine press and decided to figure out just what wines go best with popular McDonald's menu items.

Let's face it... somebody is eating this stuff so why not embrace its popularity? And while I generally pair my Filet-O-Fish, McRib or burger choice with a crisp, light bottle of water it's good to know how to make that fish sing with the right wine choice.

Be sure to read some of the comments that accompany the article. It will come as no surprise that some members of Snoothnation are appalled that people would actually have fun writing about something.

Personally, I'd love to see Snooth take this a step further and pair wines and other alcoholic beverages with the less-popular fast food joints of our great nation... boxed wine and Burger King? MD 20/20 and Jack in the Box? Cisco and Taco Bell? The mind reels – and the liver rebels.

MasterChef Season 2 Premieres Tonight!

Want to know how old I am? I still remember the days when the summer television season was a dreadful roundup of reruns, primetime baseball and the occasional variety "special".

These days, though, the summer season is looked upon with some anticipation in THG's household. My better half enjoys much of the USA primetime lineup (and I grudgingly enjoy Royal Pains, largely due to SPLINTER's Paulo Costanzo) while I'm looking forward to MTV's Teen Wolf and tonight's premiere of MasterChef Season 2.

For me, MasterChef takes all the best elements from Gordo's other FOX reality shows (the relentless competition of Hell's Kitchen and the kinder, gentler mentor side of Kitchen Nightmares) and adds in the withering glare of Joey Polka Dots, one of Ramsey's two sidekicks/judges on the show. (The other judge is an overweight chef who wears "flamboyant" clothing and pastel eyeglass frames. In other words, the Dom DeLuise to Gordo's Burt Reynolds.)

Let's put it this way... I don't even know Joe's last name. All I know is that he looks sorta like an unfriendly version of The Beer Snob, wears a lot of polka dot hankies, and can obliterate someone's passion for cooking with one soul-sucking, pinpoint laser of a stare that says, "How dare you serve me this".

Frankly, I can't wait. Plus, a fellow food blogger made it to the audition stage so I'm looking forward to seeing if he makes the cut (no pun intended).