All posts by JR

BBQ and Grilling Photography

By JR | August 21, 2010 | certified grilladelic, stories, tips | No comments

It’s easy making friends when you are Grilladelic! Our newest friend is Nika Boyce, who gave us permission to repost her blog about the beautiful convergence of barbecue and photography. Thanks Nika for your great blog and your permission to let us share this with the Grilladelic faithful.

(Nika references B.T.’s Smokehouse in the post. Make sure you check it out! They use a Southern Pride smoker which are VERY nice!)

Food Photo 101: Shooting BBQ

Posted on Mar 25 in BBQ, Food Photo 101by nikaPrint

(Dark and delicious BBQ’d and smoked pork butt)

I am sorry that the next class in this series has taken so long to produce.

Today I am going to step away from technical and aesthetic foci, be a bit less formal and try to tackle some of the challenges of shooting BBQ’d foods and scenes for your blog.

Some of you, like Curt, may have a preference (or obsession) for BBQ so many of your images are going to have similar BBQ related needs.

(Whole trout with asparagus, key limes, and grapefruit)

When I think of BBQ I think of my backyard and mostly grilling, which is not BBQing at all.

(Charcoal for grilled fish)

Grilling is, I think, much easier to shoot because the grill can be better lit and you are not trying to capture the unctuous depths of a pit smoker.

Compare:

Grilling

(Mozzarella stuffed blue cheese and basil hamburgers)

(Whole trout on the grill with asparagus)

Pit Smoker

(B.T.’s BBQ: Boston Butt Pork Slow roasted pit BBQ)

Both cooking methods can give you similar problems – mainly dark, lumpy chunks of delicious meat that is mostly not photogenic or not nearly photogenic enough to equal the beauty of it’s flavor.

(BBQ pork butt)

It is also hard to “food style” away the essential darkness of a perfectly smoked BBQ’d pork butt because that, in person, is what is so arresting in its beauty. In a photo, the pork butt looks like it has been burned and dried to inedibility (when, in fact, its smoked and moist).

(BBQ Pork Ribs)

Another problem with BBQ and grilling is that its a shame to lose the context by focusing too closely. If you show just the BBQ’d rib you miss the dramatic smoky grill, pit, or smoker. This means you might want to shoot outside and then lighting becomes less predictable (but exciting too). To do any sort of ambient outdoor shooting you need to master your manual settings, shoot lots of shots from many angles, and be patient!

B.T.’s Smokehouse: Slow roasted pit BBQ beef ribs

Go for detail, interesting point of view, drama, and emphasize context whenever possible.

(B.T.’s Smokehouse: Slow roasted pit BBQ beef brisket, pork butt, chicken)

Did I mention that you should be patient? Be patient with yourself mostly because you need to take the time to capture many alternative shots but you need to also take the time to go through all of those shots and asses which ones work, how they happened and also identify those that didn’t work. Those that didn’t work can be helpful teaching tools for you so that the next time you will know what to avoid (not that you would take any fewer shots, just that the ones you do take will likely not repeat too many of the previous mistakes).

(Slow roasted pork butt)

I have been including various shots above from my own grilling and BBQ. Next I am going to show some images from a shoot a couple of weeks ago that I did at Brian Trietman’s B.T.’s Smokehouse (see these two blog posts: An improbable meat nirvana in a BBQ wasteland, Criminally Good Smoked Salmon and Bacon – B.T.’s Smokehouse). I was shooting inside of his mini-restaurant and I had no special plates because I wanted the location and the non-fussy nature of the BBQ to show through.

I took a flash head but did not end up using it. Below you can see a shot of the set up – a table by some windows and a fluorescent light overhead. The light coming in from the windows was super-bright bluish light bouncing off of the snow outside. By far, the most dominant light was from the windows.

When I got in close to shoot that side of salmon, I got this (with a bit of white balance correction after shooting in RAW)

(B.T.’s Smokehouse: insanely delicious smoked salmon)

I wasn’t that happy with the light in that location and my attempts to bounce didn’t give me much sparkle as you can see below.

(B.T.’s Smokehouse: insane smoked bacon)

I did some other shooting in the mini-restaurant/service window but didn’t do much outside because the snow was just too much for getting much of a shot. I used my Canon 30D kit lens for the general shots below.

(B.T.’s Smokehouse: smoked beef jerky)

(B.T.’s Smokehouse: bacon for smoking – seasoning)

(B.T.’s Smokehouse: ribs for smoking – seasoning)

Your Task

Using everything you have learned in the past Food Photo 101 classes, go out and either shoot your own BBQ (I am sure Curt will because he has quite the set up and I am looking forward to seeing it!) or perhaps find an event where some real pit BBQers are doing their thing.

Post it to your blog and send us your link or post it to the Food Photo 101 group on Flickr.

Thats it! I am looking forward to seeing what you all submit.

Steaks By Numbers

By JR | August 19, 2010 | tips | No comments

The Beef

The Steaks

“Thank You My Caveman Brothers!”

By JR | August 18, 2010 | stories | 2 Comments

Inspired by a story in the Colorado Springs Gazette, Patrick Rumery, amateur culinary anthropologist, entrepreneur and backyard grillmaster, attempts to duplicate how prehistoric man might of cooked a woolly mammoth sirloin: directly on the coals. No grate. No nothing. Au naturel.

The results:

Sipping on a cold Shock Top Belgian White, Rumery stated: “it looked a bit sketchy at first, but once it was off the coals and sliced….the only thing I had to say ‘thank you my caveman brothers’!”

This anecdote is Certified Grilladelic

The Lump Charcoal

The Weapon of Choice: Weber Kettle

The Steak. Woolly Mammoth

The Coals are Ready

Here we go

Beginning to wonder if this was a good idea

Not to bad

In fact, good

Who said cavemen didn't eat good?

How Sweet It Is!

By JR | August 15, 2010 | certified grilladelic, profile series, recipes, stories | No comments

Tell everyone a little about yourself and/or your business?

Sweet Life Sauce Company was “officially” started in 2009 by Rob and Holly Willets. Our BBQ Sauces started with fresh picked New England Apples and other ingredients Rob found in the kitchen pantry of Holly’s Mom back in 2006. Since then they have been tested with friends and family at shindigs on the banks of the Saco River From New Hampshire to the Coast of Maine to the sun and sand of Florida. With brewing currently underway in Florida we’re bringing a little Yankee Ingenuity and Southern Hospitality to you in each jar. Enjoy our Apple and Raisin based BBQ Sauces Sweet Life BBQ Sauce and Spice of Life BBQ Sauce; our Peach, Habanero and Cayenne pepper hot sauce called Screamin’ Peaches Hot Sauce and our Habaneroa and Jalapeno Louisiana Style Hot Sauce called BooDreaux’s Cajun Rocket Fuel’ , and our No-Salt Grilling Rub, Symphony of Seasonings.

What’s in your grilling or tailgating arsenal? Are you a charcoal or gas person?

Currently in possession of a Weber Genesis Gas Grill that we use to tinker with our sauces on various chunks of protein from chicken to wild boar to stoned fish. We also have the Brinkmann Bullet Smokers in the shed ready to go at a moments notice…always started with a pile of Kingsford Charcoal in a Weber Charcoal Chimney and some of our favorite Orlando Sentinel Editorial pages from the Sunday paper.

I have an old..and I mean OLD gas gril out back that is now a charcoal grill when we need it. Still works great!

When needed…we have been know to dig a whole in the back yard, fill it with a few bags of charcoal, lay a hammock of chicken wire across some metal poles, and slapping a 75 pound whole split pig on that fire…injected with onion juice, garlic juice, olive oil, salt, peppered, and just left to swinging on that hammock until it is DONE! Talk about some ooohs and ahhhs…

What is your “go-to” recipe for grilling or barbecue?

.A TurduckenOINK! This is a conconction inspired from a Turducken and MOINK balls. It is a bacon wrapped turkey breast stuffed with a duck breast stuffed with boneless chicken thighs, sweet onions, and buttercup squash. Sounds like a big affair to do but is actually quite easy and leads to lots of ooooohs and ahhhhhs and general showmanship whenever you cook one on the grill.

(Check out The Sweet Life Recipes online)

Describe a perfect party: beginning with the music and ending with dessert.

A little bit of chicken fried, cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fits just right…and the radio on…

How about a start around 4 pm. We’re on a beach looking across the Ocean. Horseshoe pit is set up ready to go…just had a 50 pound sack of crawfish flown in from Louisiana Crawfish Company. We have a little Zydeco, Bluegrass, and Boston cycling through the iPod in the background.

Boston Butts have been going on the smoker since about 3 am and are falling off the bone…a venison roast is slowly smoking under the drippings of the Boston Butts…

What are some of your favorite, specialty products from near where you live or work? (meats, sauces, seasonings, beer, wine, cheeses, etc)?

Obviously, we’re pretty big fans of Sweet Life Sauce Company BBQ Sauces, Hot Sauces, and Grilling Rubs. Grilling with all the fresh citrus we get here in the winter is something to look forward to. The different types of Citrus impart a wide variety of flavor to meats cooked on the grill. Fresh lemons, oranges, grapefruits, limes, tangerines, and kumquats all add wonderful layers of flavor on the grill.

What are five essential tools you would recommend that should be in every grillmasters arsenal?

A Charcoal Chimney…never use lighter fluid

A great set of tongs with a reach of 18 inches or so…

A really good towel…

Symphony of Seasonings Grilling Rub

Patience…Zen-like patience…

Every city or region has their own signature outdoor cooking specialty (Maine: lobster bakes, Wisconsin: fish boils, KC/St Louis- BBQ)…what do you consider your region’s signature experience?

Being from the Adirondacks and transplanted to Florida for all these years I’ve found Florida to be a melting pot of all types of flavors from around…let’s say East of the Mississippi. We have our seafood in Florida…fresh fish that is awesome on the grill…nothing better than pulling fresh Pompano out of the surf at Canaveral National Seashore in February, getting them to the beach, cleaning them, stuffing them with fresh lemon and garlic, and throwing them on a charcoal hibachi brushed with a thin layer of Sweet life BBQ Sauce to have for an incredible breakfast with your friends. You can’t beat the tailgating experience at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida either!

What has been your most memorable experience, ever, that involves a grill?

This one brings me back to my childhood and all the summer nights with my family in the Adirondacks…it was the small charcoal hibachis that I remember with BBQ chicken grilling on them as we had friends and family visiting us. And I remember the smell and taste of that chicken…the skin slightly charred with the BBQ sauce sticking perfectly…all over our faces…our Springer Spaniel looking for any morsels that hit the gorund…It was the people and the pototo salad and coleslaw and cupcakes that went along with all those warm hibachi nights…

Any local micro-brew you can recommend?

I can…Orlando has a local brewer…Orlando Brewing. They have a incredible line of organic brews with my favorite being the Blackwater Dry Porter…it is delicious and has an incredible finish on your palette…

What is your perspective on the “buy local” movement? Do you promote local farms and the “farm to fork” movement? Why or why not?

I’m becoming more and more like Wendell Berry each day…actively trying to live the Art of the Commonplace. I rent kitchen space from a local farm on their property to brew our sauces and rubs. We participate in one of the oldest Farmers markets in Florida in Sanford each Saturday. We buy most of our ingredients and supplies from local or state of Florida companies…

We also have a very good customer that operates a farm to fork business in Central Florida that has given us great visibility to the benefits of getting back to local businesses and locally grown food. Once you start your own small business you realize how important supporting local people is versus hitting the big box stores and national chains that could care less about you or the community you live in. I don’t think there is enough space for me to go on this soliloquy…so I’ll stop here.

I’m www.sweetlifesaucecompany.blogspot.com. This is our blog and has been used to get my creative writing itch…scratched.

Look up robwillfish on Youtube and you will find a video recipe for the TurduckenOINK I mention above. I also have 15 or so other recipes and a couple out in the community videos of me doing Hot Sauce shots with our two hot sauces.

The Patron Saint of Grilladelic

By JR | August 14, 2010 | certified grilladelic, profile series, stories | No comments

Tell everyone a little about yourself and/or your business?

My name is Ben Eisendrath and I own and run Grillworks Inc. We make the Grillery line of wood-fired grills. Now in the second generation, I am in the midst of expanding our line, refining the individual products and reintroducing the art of open fire wood grilling to the culinary community.

What’s in your grilling or tailgating arsenal? Are you a charcoal or gas guy?

You are missing the most important category here! Wood imparts the best flavor range, hands-down. Chunk charcoal is a fine fall-back, but you just cannot produce the varied tastes you can with the different whole woods that are out there. I have a patio full of Grillworks grills

What is your “go-to” recipe for grilling or barbecue?

I have several. I’ll give you an easy one here.

Dijon babyback ribs. Coat the ribs in Grey Poupon Dijon mustard (yes the brand matters). It should be thick enough that you cannot see the surface of the ribs. Mix in some minced garlic and sprinkle generously with good soy sauce. Allow to sit for 25 minutes. Grill (over wood if possible) slowly and continue to baste with the soy while cooking. A hit every time.

(Check out Steve Raichlen’s recipes for wood grilling)

One of the world's best grillers on one of the world's best grills.

Describe a perfect party: beginning with the music and ending with dessert.

Outdoor tree-lined meadow at dusk. Wood fire crackling and low music playing, probably a Pandora station anchored by Gotan Project (modern Argentine tango band).

Chilled russian vodka served alongside raw oysters and garlic steamed mussels as people settle down.

Bone on rib steaks seasoned with sea salt and garlic go on the grill as folks gather to watch the flames and sizzling cuts. Bourbon and Malbec make their appearance as the gathered transition to the meat course.

Steaks are served with young grilled asparagus and fresh tomato and avocado salad. Once the grill surface is clear of meat, bananas and sugared split peaches take their places on the fire, caramelizing while everyone finishes their argentine-worthy beef.

The molten bananas are split in their skin and the sweet hot peaches served with hand-churned vanilla ice cream.

Another round for all and a new log on the fire.

What are some of your favorite, specialty products from near where you live or work?

Maryland softshell crabs, Pennsylvania spring lamb and southern Virgina wines, preferably consumed at the vineyard.

What are five essential tools you would recommend that should be in every grillmasters arsenal?

For the wood griller:

Apple wood, oak, pecan and mesquite small splits.

Newspaper for starting and Fatwood for backup or in case of a wet start.

Long grill fork, 18″ plus.

Long grill knife, same.

Your drink.

Every city or region has their own signature outdoor cooking specialty (Maine: lobster bakes, Wisconsin: fish boils, KC/St Louis- BBQ)…what do you consider your region’s signature experience?

The seafood of the Chesapeake and Mid-Atlantic shore. Famous for crabs but great for fish like skate, rockfish and the underappreciated and excellent-for-grilling bluefish.

What has been your most memorable experience, ever, that involves a grill?

Bringing my father to the unveiling of the first grill produced by my resurrected Grillworks Inc.

(Here’s the backstory on The Grillery)

Any local micro-brew you can recommend?

I focus mainly on bourbon and wine, so I’ll give you my current favorite there: Bulleitt Frontier bourbon.

What is your perspective on the “buy local” movement? Do you promote local farms and the “farm to fork” movement? Why or why not?

I do. The movement is exactly in keeping with my belief that natural wood cooking is the best way to do your grilling. Wood is available locally almost anywhere in the USA and it generally will out-flavor any charcoal (and there isn’t even a comparison with the petroleum fuels).

We do regular events with local farms, farmers, butchers(most recently 4505 meats) and chefs (Dan Barber among others). If you can get it locally you should, and usually it will taste better than a similar product shipped across the world to your supermarket.

Editor’s note: Made in Michigan!

Step 1. Catch Fish. Step 2. Grill Fish

By JR | August 13, 2010 | recipes | No comments

From Cooks.com

4 trout
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cracked pepper

Melt butter/butter in small saucepan. Add lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger and pepper. Brush inside and outside of fish generously with butter mixture. Place on aluminum foil and put on outside grill. Cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side until fish flakes easily.

To broil in oven, place fish on rack in broiling pan; broil 5 to 6 minutes on each side, basting frequently with butter mixture.

From Ichef.com

Ingredients


	1	1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
	1	1/4 tsp. white pepper
	1	2 tsp. dried tarragon
	1	1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
	1	1/4 c. finely chopped red onion
	1	1/4 c. freshly squeezed lime juice
	1	2 1/2 lb. fresh lake-trout fillets, skinned and de-boned

Instructions


	1.	To make the grilling sauce, combine the olive oil, limejuice, red onion, tarragon, salt, and white pepper in a medium-size bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk.
	2.	Brush the trout fillets with the sauce and place (top side down) on a hot, oiled grill. Turn after about five minutes, or when the fish is halfway cooked. After turning, brush the tops of the fillets with a small amount of additional grilling sauce. Continue cooking for about five more minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked through. Garnish with a sprinkling of fresh chopped tarragon and a slice of lime.
	3.	Salmon or other game fish suitable for grilling may be substituted for the lake-trout fillets.

From LakeMichiganAngler.com

Drunken Trout Recipe

2 Trout Fillets Skin removed

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Bourbon

1 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juiceCut Trout filets into serving size pieces. Mix all other ingredients in a medium non metal bowl. Marinate trout fillets in mixture for 1-2 hours in refrigerator. Broil or grill fillets 5 minutes per side till it flakes easily.

The Good Life with Kurt Stauffer. A Grilladelic Profile

By JR | August 12, 2010 | certified grilladelic, foodie, profile series, stories | No comments

1) Tell everyone a little about yourself and/or your business?

Kurt Stauffer, Commanding Officer

ROWSTER New American Coffee

Rowsters

Micro-roastery, coffee bar, lab and tasting room. Offering wholesale and retail coffee supplies, training, equipment and a unique experience.

2) What’s in your grilling or tailgating arsenal: (type of grills, accessories, gadget, etc)? Are you a charcoal or gas person?

Less is more. I like to wing it. My favorite grill is a backyard chiminea with a grill on bricks. Best all time grilling experience was grilled rainbow trout in a canoe that we had just caught and grilled and ate in the hibachi while we continued to fish.

3) What is your “go-to” recipe for grilling or barbecue?

greek style marinade including fresh herbs, lemon juice salt and pepper. Oh yeah, throw some smoked paprika on there!

4) Describe a perfect party: beginning with the music and ending with dessert.

Duck hunting camp. On the water before dawn. Limit of ducks by 10. Duck broken down and cooked in a cast iron skillet over an open fire and the offal cooked on skewers and served with a white pepper, soy sauce and orange juice glaze. Served with an Old Fashion and the sounds of a crackling fire and the banter of your hunting buds.

5) What are some of your favorite, specialty products from near where you live or work? (meats, sauces, seasonings, beer, wine, cheeses, etc)?

Sobie meats. Founders Red’s Rye.

6) What are five essential tools you would recommend that should be in every grillmasters arsenal?

wood. tongs. large stainless steel mixing bowl. knife

7) Every city or region has their own signature outdoor cooking specialty (Maine: lobster bakes, Wisconsin: fish boils, KC/St Louis- BBQ)…what do you consider your region’s signature experience?

corn on the cob roasted on the grill. any meat will do but lets be honest, michigan is a burgers and dogs state.

What has been your most memorable experience, ever, that involves a grill?

Roasting a whole goat at our ROWSTER picnic in 2009

Cabrito

9) Any local micro-brew you can recommend?

Red’s Rye

Kurt's favorite craft brew

10) What is your perspective on the “buy local” movement? Do you promote local farms and the “farm to fork” movement? Why or why not?

I say buy quality. If its locally produced (and it usually is), that’s just a bonus. Seek out quality and you will usually find yourself doing business locally.

What is your website?

www.rowstercoffee.com

A Grilladelic Flashback! The Sages of Sausage

By JR | August 10, 2010 | certified grilladelic, education, lifestyle, recipes, stories, tips | No comments

Back in the day, right around the turn of the century, The Outdoor Cook in Rockford, MI hosted a monthly sausage making club. A night of festive sausage making!

Recently, one of the original members of the club sent me some recipes they used; triggering a Grilladelic flashback! Here is the blue print for one the tastiest blends of ground meats and spices ever stuffed in an intestine!

Spicy Santa Fe Chicken and Cilantro Sausage (20 lbs)

14lbs boneless chicken thighs (ground)
6lbs ground pork
8 jalapenos- minced
4 poblano peppers- minced
1/3C garlic
2 C Tequila
2 C lime juice
2 bunches cilantro- chopped fine
½ C Kosher Salt
1 T black pepper

(Not everyone has access to grinders, stuffers and casings. Kevin indicated that he has made this without stuffing into links, and then grilled it like a burger. Good. But not the same as using a casing.)

So in honor of the 9-year, three-month and six-day anniversary of the West Michigan Sausage Making Club, the following is part of a feature story that was in the Grand Rapids Press in 2002. Enjoy!

Excerpted from The Grand Rapids Press, March 27, 2002

(this excerpt picks up with a description of the art of sausage making)

Sausage-making also requires the right tools, including a large, deep-sided tub or pan for mixing, a meat grinder and a meat stuffer for stuffing the sausage into casings.

Grilladelic Profile: @iTweetMeat

By JR | August 6, 2010 | certified grilladelic, profile series, stories | 1 Comment

Dr. Chris Raines is a meat guy. He studies, eats, cooks, processes, opines, teaches, blogs and tweets meat.

I first “met” Chris last year while participating in both #AgChat and #MeatCamp TweetUps (Tuesday and Thursday 8:00pm-10:00pm respectively).

I would encourage anyone, who is interested in the science behind the “meat supply chain” to follow Chris on Twitter or through his blog posts. I also would encourage you to check out both #Agchat and #Meatcamp on Twitter. A great way to expand your personal network and your knowledge of agriculture and meat production.

Tell everyone a little about yourself and the work you do at Penn St.

I was raised on a my family’s farm in Western Ohio, doing the 4-H thing throughout my youth. I moved to Oklahoma to study Animal Science at OSU (yes, I initially wanted to be a veterinarian…), then went to Kansas State for other meaty studies. Now I’m at Penn State. I have a pretty unique job – much of it involves outreach to PA’s local meat processors, keeping them up to snuff on regs, etc.

What’s in your grilling or tailgating arsenal? Are you a charcoal or gas person?

Traditional Weber kettle, charcoal. And, of course, an instant-read meat thermometer.

What is your “go-to” recipe for grilling or barbecue?

I tend to experiment with different recipes or cooking regimen that I concoct.

Describe a perfect party: beginning with the music and ending with dessert.

Perfect? Tom Petty would be playing live and we’d all visit over a variety of micro brews at the beach or the lake — something like that. Appetizers would be creative veggie applications because the perfect party would focus on barbecue … and thus likely extremely high consumption of meat. Dessert? Chocolate covered bacon!

What are some of your favorite, specialty products from near where you live or work?

Pennsylvania has some unique products such as Lebanon bologna (I like the regular, not the sweet stuff).

I’m not big into barbecue sauces… Every once in awhile I get to interact with some folks close to the coast … I’m a big shellfish fan!
Every city or region has their own signature outdoor cooking specialty, what do you consider a Pennslyvania signature experience?

Now, I’ve only lived in PA for 2 years. The state is very diverse culturally and topographically, so there’s a bunch of variety among our local flair. My estimation is that a signature PA experience involves venison, kielbasa, some sort of casserole served a-la small church potluck.

What has been your most memorable experience, ever, that involves a grilling or barbecue?

It involved fire and burning hair — very memorable, indeed.

Any micro or craft-brew you can recommend?

They’re all a bit different just like people’s tastes. I typically prefer IPA’s.

What is your perspective on the “buy local” movement? Do you promote local farms and the “farm to fork” movement? Why or why not?

In my view, the benefits of the “buy local” movement include food that could perhaps be fresher, and may mean more dollars are retained within the local agricultural community. Sometimes people hype up other (un)advantages like safety (I observe this with other things like “organic”), but I think the primary driver is a sensed connection to food. Many people have questions about food, likely because of their multigenerational removal from food production. I’ve visited with many people who say that just knowing a farmer and having him or her explain why they do what they do is all they’re after. And that could be the same for a farmer in PA, CA, MA, or GA.

What is your perspective on the “grass-fed” vs. “corn-fed/finished” beef debate?

Ah, a fun topic to follow. To me, it’s about preference and what’s available in your area. Perhaps there isn’t much grain for feed, such as in the Northeast, so if keeping local, grassfed or something similar may be the way the best option. To me, it does not reflect cow A being better treated than cow B. There are certainly cases in which the grainfed animal may have had a better life than the grassfed animal. The relative health differences are if anything very very minimal. In the end, we’re debating flavor preferences, that’s all.

How can folks follow Chris Raines?

twitter.com/iTweetMeat

das.psu.edu/meat

meatisneat.wordpress.com

The Secret Sauce?

By JR | August 3, 2010 | certified grilladelic, stories, tips | 1 Comment

As I search the world over for interesting barbecue facts, stories and anecdotes, I am often amazed at what I find. People, places and subjects where you would not necessarily think of any Grilladelic connection. My latest discovery is the intersection of BBQ and social media/marketing.

Bloggers, strategists, and marketers are discovering the allure of the grill.

Here are a few examples of this unique alignment:

First up:

A treatise from a social media executive: His post, Food Porn, outlines his aspiration to compete on the competitive BBQ circuit. Not a bad idea or post. There’s a nice (albeit incomplete) recipe for a rub, and I think he knows what he is doing, although I think he sauced the ribs to early. Just saying… Click on the Food Porn link to read the post from Aaron Schoenberger, founder of the Brainchild Group.

Another post from Trey Pennington “marketing pro, speaker, author, dreamer”, highlights his BBQ inspiration to leverage the ultimate social food (BBQ) into a mini-discussion/seminar on social media. Why didn’t I think of that?

Here is the link to his post: http://treypennington.com/smbbq/

A third example, from Washington state, is more than an ode to traditional BBQ, it is both a mainstream promotion and big idea stuff led by a character named Bill the Butcher. Here is a little rib tip about the “Bill the Butcher philosophy”:

Bill the Butcher believes in supporting sustainable farming practices and working with local farmers and ranchers who raise beef, pork and poultry without hormones, steroids and genetically modified feed

http://woodinvillewineupdate.com/2010/06/wooden-bear-farm-bbq-and-social-media/

Do want more? A classic case study…ask not what you can do with social media, but what social media can do for you! From Raleigh, N.C. This type of marketing should be a no-brainer for restaurant owners.

http://www.1918.com/social-media-case-study-how-the-pit-uses-twitter-and-foursquare/

Finally, out of the great state of Texas, another social media success story

http://steverosenbaum.com/rudys-bbq-gets-it-using-social-media-to-improve-the-customer-experience

There is something about the joys of cooking over an open fire…..it’s, it’s Grilladelic!