Monthly Archives: June 2013

“Stop thinking in terms of limitations and start thinking in terms of possibilities” Masterchef Canada Audition!

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So the big news is I have an audition for Masterchef Canada. @MasterChefCDA

What to do? What to do?

The bad news is, well there is no bad news except I have to commit to 6 weeks of filming. That’s only if I get through the audition. Which I’m sure I will. What am I going to cook? No idea at this point but I’m working on some thoughts.

My question to you is this, What would you do? Everything has to be ready to go and you get 5 minutes of prep time in front of the judges. I have my own ideas and am not looking for help, but it would be interesting to hear from the foodie world what you would do.

I’ll update you on my trials and tribulations cooking on Monday?as I get ready for this.

This is Canada Day weekend, what are you grilling, smoking (food), or cooking! Remember to take it outside!

Love smoking my meatloaf

Love smoking my meatloaf

This was 2 nights ago. Beef mixed with italian sausage meat, smoked on the #BGE and served with Parisian mixed veggies in a Beurre Blanc Sauce with blue cheese roasted tomatoes.

Be well and eat well.

Scott

“There’s no straight lines make up my life; And all my roads have bends” Harry Chapin

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“There’s no straight lines make up my life; And all my roads have bends;

There’s no clear-cut beginnings;  And so far no dead-ends.”   Circle (Harry Chapin)

This lyric has permeated my mind for the past year. The way people and things from my past keep reoccurring in my life. Since I have had the last 12 months to analyze myself and the world, I have come to the conclusion that I’m happy. Things haven’t gone as planned. But whose do. You’re dealt cards that you have to try and make sense of. You plan your hand, and then someone pulls from the bottom of the deck. It’s not your fault how your hand plays out. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But the point is to stay at the table and handle your cards as best you can.

I started #TheArtisanalGrill as an outlet for my cooking and my thoughts.  Its growth has been organic. Simple quotes, alternative methods of cooking conventional meals, and twists on life and the world.

So now comes the next step; Last night I met with one of my high school English teachers. Neil is the Editor of The Bluffs Advocate, a local community newspaper in south east Toronto. We’ve had discussions over the past month regarding me contributing a BBQ piece for the summer edition.  Exciting, yes, scary, yes, fun, absolutely!

The images below are from the Official Launch Party they held @DoraKeogh last night.  Music, beer, and laughs filled the popular Irish pub.

Back to talking about food!

Tonight; Meatloaf on the BGE

Be well and eat well

Scott

Dora Keogh

Bluffs Advocate Launch Party

Bluffs Advocate Launch Party

Bluffs Advocate Launch Party

Neil Walker and Jim McQueen

Medicine Line

Medicine Line

Medicine LineParty people

The Griller and his lady

The Griller and his lady

 

 

“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.” #Mary Manin Morrissey

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Where does faith lie? In others? In yourself?  In a 1000 year old doctrine? Everybody has their own view. Mine lies in knowledge. The knowledge that you are doing your best. The knowledge that all the decisions that you have made to this point, right or wrong, have brought you to where you are now. Your path has been decided by them. You have become who you are because of them.

Hope and faith are different. I see hope as waiting for others and the universe to say, “Hey, this guy needs some help.”  Faith is being secure that the path taken will get you to the destination you seek.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”#RobertFrost @famousquotes

Food.  The ritual of the choices, the prep, the completion, and the taste have been steadfast in my life over the past year. Satisfaction and pride help wash always the troubles of the world.

So let me tell you about my #TeaSmokedChicken Thighs.

Tea is a wonderful addition to smoke. A little oak wood as a base with oolong in a smoke pouch  to add sweetness ups the flavor game to a new level. I use the sniff test before I place any food on the smoker. Hardwood and wood can give off an acrid smell when first lit. I wait till I’m happy with how it smells before I introduce any food to it. After all, if it smells sweet, the smoke will be sweet. If it smells like crap, well?

The thighs were marinated for 3 hours in a mixture of cold oolong tea, soya, honey, and lime zest. Patted dry and placed on the #BGE for some loving slow heat.  When they were halfway through, sliced fennel and red onion were placed beside them on the grill to caramelize.  I saved some of the unused marinade, heated and soaked udon noodles in the broth to loosen them. The fennel and onions were then sliced and added to the noodles. Just before I took off the chicken I glazed with honey and and ginger.

Sweet, smoky, and tasty!

Be well and eat well

Scott

Oolong tea smoked chicken on udon noodles

Oolong tea smoked chicken on udon noodles

#Beach BBQ and Brew Fest 2013

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This past weekend the Beach BBQ and Brew Fest http://beachbbqandbrews.com/ took over Woodbine Park for 3 days. Other than a short interlude of rain Saturday night and first thing Sunday morning, the event was ablast!

Beaches BBQ and Brew Fest

Beaches BBQ and Brew Fest

US and Canadian Teams served the usual fare that was happily washed down with the assistance of local craft beer artisans. I have attended others throughout the province and have to say that “The Beach”, (formerly The Beaches, but that’s another story) embraced the event and instilled its sense of calm and relax amongst the revelers. It was a blast!

Pork bliss in the Beach

Pork bliss in the Beach

All the participant’s smoked treats were good but my particular tastes ran to the ribs and Alabama Pulled Pork that Camp 31 was offering.  The diehards and smoke heads knew the biggest lines offered the best fare.

BBQ demands beer and the craft artisans didn’t disappoint. I did get introduced to #Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer, a refreshing different taste with a bite. Quite nice!

Presentations led by Ted Reader marked the big tent. Ted’s take on Warm Bourbon brownies with bacon and blue cheese made my heart stutter for a second. But as everyone knows, bacon makes everything better!

Ted and me!

Ted and me!

I finished Sunday as a judge for the Amateur Rib contest. Everyone that entered deserves kudos for having the guts to put their money where their mouth is.  Good ribs all around and well done.

So I have a back log of food photos to catch up on. Watch over the next few days.

Because of the meat overload, tonight is #BGE tomato roasted soup, grilled corn with oregano/ chévre butter and homemade bread.  Dessert is rotisserie pineapple with grilled pound cake and rum whipped cream.  OK, so we’re good with the veggies and not so good with the dessert.

Be well and eat well

Scott

Food linesbeer guyCamp 31 sauceFeeding time

Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit. – Elbert Hubbard

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Tonight #MapleRyeSalmon on a #grilledwatermellon salad! Sunday I’m judging the amateur rib contest at @BBQandBrewFest! Oh and it’s Fathers Day too! Good food! Good love! Good ribs! Can’t wait! Stay tuned! I’m twittering from ground zero for BBQ this weekend!

Be well and eat well!

Scott

beachbbqandbrews.com

“You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.” Paul Prudhomme

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I know, I know I’ve been absent. Life happens when you’re busy doing other things. I need to read emails better. My dinner last week with the 2 ladies is actually this week. It’s been raining on and off for days and although I don’t mind getting wet, after a while it gets old. So the #BGE has been still. Except yesterday!

The smoke billowed to roast off sweet potatoes, garlic and red onion for the base of #sweetpotatosoup.  I had been craving a basic, uncomplicated meal and soup hits the buttons. I started the day making a shallot and parmesan #focaccia to accompany it. Something about soup and fresh bread is so comforting when life around you is so uncertain. Pureed and served with a dollop of sour cream in the middle to cream it out and the focaccia to dip.  Soup is not just for the fall. The BGE with a little oak wood for smoke enriched the flavor. Not too smoky, just right! Why roast in the oven when you can add a little of the outdoors too it!

Tonight, Tequila lime pork roast.

Be well and eat well.

Scott

Sweet, sweet, sweet potato!

Sweet, sweet, sweet potato!

RT for @throwbackthursday @foodbloggersCA In the beginning….

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So here I am, the avid outdoor (amateur) Chef sharing my adventures with fire and smoke with the world.

My philosophy is simple and straightforward. What you can do inside, you can do outside.

I started this journey years ago when I became the chief cook and bottle washer in our home. Wanting to introduce my children to all the different flavours and tastes in the world became a mandate of mine.  “You don’t have to like everything, just try it.” “Just because it’s different or unfamiliar to you doesn’t mean you wont like it.”

This is also the way I look at the world. Different is neither good nor bad. It’s just different.

So here I go sharing my culinary triumphs (and failures too), some literary quotes, and my life adventures with the world.

BON APPETIT

Scott Tait

Grilled Chicken breast with Puttanesca

“The mere thought hadn’t even begun to speculate about the merest possibility of crossing my mind.” Douglas Adams

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You try, you do, and you hope that someone is listening or at least paying attention. Then you realize that you are the only one doing it and everyone else is on a cerebral vacation from reality. Life is funny, but someone has to be serious. Never thought it would be me?

Burgers are the combination of effort, taste, and love. Buying a frozen ready-made patty and throwing it on an assembly line bun is not a burger. That’s why the condiment companies make so much money. People try and hide the flavor.

My favourite go to burger is a mixture of lean ground beef and Italian sausage. The pork and the seasoning bring a new taste and adds some juiciness to the burger. You definitely need a napkin with them. Grilled mushrooms, red pepper, crisped pancetta, and some melted Havarti topped them off.

The burgers were plated with a warm potato and radish salad with a yogurt and Dijon base, sweetened with honey.

It takes only a few minute more to go artisanal than mass produced. It’s worth it!

I have 2 friends for dinner tomorrow night so the BGE will be smoking.

Be well and eat well

Scott

When the meat hits the grill like a big dollar bill...That's amore. OK, I tried.

When the meat hits the grill like a big dollar bill…That’s amore. OK, I tried.

“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.” Tennessee Williams

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Hello again. Hope all had a great weekend. Mine was full thus the absence of posts. Family, friends and stuff prevailed.

Today I had beers with an old friend. Neil was an English teacher in my high school. Though I never had him as a teacher, we became good friends through our appreciation of photography.  Sometimes it’s funny how life pulls people from your past back into the present.  Really, have you ever wondered why things happen? Are they on purpose? Is it to ground you again? Is there a life lesson that is needed? Or is it just coincidence? It’s probably a combination of all but sometimes it leaves you wondering?  Names, times, events all came rushing back and reminded me of where I had come from and left me proud of where I am. Thanks Neil!

Turkey thighs! No I’m not insulting someone; I prepared my favourite cut of the bird on the grill. Thighs (turkey or chicken) have the best taste and moistness of the bird. Dark meat rules! All the emphasis on white and the breast pales in comparison to the flavor that’s imparted from the thighs. So if you were guessing, I admit, I’m a thigh man!

Garlic and Chilli grilled Turkey thighs with Kale chips and roasted beets.  The chips and beets were dressed with a chèvre mayo. Yes I said chèvre mayo with chives.  It was wonderful.  I brought the goat cheese to room temperature and blended the mayo into it with chives, garlic, and salt and pepper ahead of time and let it cool down in the fridge.

The thighs were marinated in chilli powder, garlic, olive oil, and pepper for 4 hours to marry the the flavours. Just before I took them off the BGE I glazed with some honey for a little sweet to the pepper.

Troll rating 8 out of 10.

Be well and eat well.

Scott

Yup! I'm a thigh man!

Yup! I’m a thigh man!