Happy Holidays!

Hello my readers!!!

Happy holidays!  I hope everyone is doing well.

It's been SO long since I've posted anything.  OH MY GOD...2013?!?!?  Can that be?
Well, looking at my blog...yup...seems my last post was August 2013.
WOW...can't believe it's been that long.

Well.....let's see a lot has happened since then both professionally and personally.  Due to those circumstances I decided to take some time off as my heart (and budget) wasn't in it.  I won't bore you with all the nitty gritty details. (trust me...you'll thank me for that)  ;)

In a nut shell, things got crazy busy with training for back to half marathons, a lot of back to back foodie stuff and job stuff.  Basically I got overwhelmed and then things changed.  I have a few blogs that are in progress that I'm working on to get posted.  Some old and some new -playing catch up on all things.  I want to get back into the stream of blogging again on a regular basis.

I miss my people and miss sharing all the fun foodie and non foodie things that have been going on.

I so appreciate each and every one of you for the support and page visits.  :)

I wish everyone a very happy holiday and wonderful new year!  Stay tuned for new things to come!


Best always!

~ AZGIRL

Last year's pre game bday dinner

I love spending time with my pea!  I don't get to see her enough since we both have crazy schedules, lives, we live across town from each other and well, timing doesn't always work. (A year later and still that way...but we do try!!)  But when we can make it work ~ we have the best of times and so much fun.  Like our Texas trip last year! Was SO MUCH FUN!!

She had gotten us tickets to the Dimondbacks game, so she wanted us to do dinner before the game.  What an awesome way to spend the evening with my best friend for my birthday!!








We started the early evening with drinks at The District at the Sheraton Down Town.  Had never been there before and it was close to the ball park so it was perfect!

We started in the bar for happy hour for a bit since dining opens at 5pm (see a pattern?? -LOL!!)
Happy hour is from 3-7 and then 10p-close Mon-Sat.








                                              Our bartender Mitchell was great!








There are so many options for drinks from beer, wine to hand crafted cocktails and cocktails is just what we girls were wanting...but what to get?!

After telling Mitchell what we liked and were looking for we made our decision.  I enjoyed the Jeremiah Peach Tea (let me tell you that this drink goes down REALLY smooth and quick!!) and Prickly Pear Mojito for Chrisie.
They were the perfect recommendations!!

We still had a while before dinner and the game, so we ordered another round (DUH!!) and looked at the bar menu for some lite munchies.  :)~  What we loved is that most of the items on the menu are from local growers which is awesome!!  We decided to try the tuna ceviche and the tepary bean hummus.

While we were waiting for the appetizers, I decided to wander around and check out the space.

I really love this space!  It has just about everything for everyone.  By that I mean that it can be intimate, social, casual or formal.  There's so much space for what suits your occasion as you can see by some of the pictures, but you REALLY need to check it out yourself to fully get it ~ especially if you haven't been there before.

After I was done taking pictures I returned to enjoy the apps that had arrived and looked amazing!

The presentation of the hummus was so farm to table! You know that the Chef takes pride when the presentation makes you say "Ooooh..."

Loved that the veggies were in ice in a mason jar. (great idea!!)

The hummus was SO GOOD!!  It had a little drizzle of Queen Creek Olive Oil and the pita chips were crisp and well....we ate it all!!







Notice that they only brought one fork for the tuna ceviche?? (BIG problem!! ~ LOL!!!)

LOL....they did bring side plates and an extra fork...otherwise I would have had to use my fingers to fight my pea for some!!  We should have ordered another but we didn't wanna ruin our appetite for dinner.  :)

It was melt in your mouth good and yes..just as with the hummus....we ate it all!!!

Perfect bites to hold us over.  On to dinner!!








                      This was our server Ian and he was amazing!!










So many yummy choices it was hard to decide what to have for dinner.  Chrisie decided to have the short rib stroganoff.

It may not look like much but the bowl was deep and she had 3 HUGE chunks of short ribs in that bowl.

The noodles and the short ribs were cooked to perfection. Not a bite went to waste!!














Me....I chose the salmon cedar plank with the asparagus parmesan risotto and I WAS NOT disappointed.

The salmon was so moist and tender it was SO GOOD!! And the risotto??  Well....let's just say that it looked like I licked my entire board and pot clean!

WHAT?!?!  It was good!! (don't judge!!)

So...you would think as much as we had to eat and drink that we wouldn't have room for dessert, right?!
WRONG!!!  LOL!!!

Now typically I'm a creme brûlée girl, but we both saw whoopie pie and of course we had to get it!!

They were SO cute and SO yummy!!!  Had a nice strawberry flavor with a hint of rhubarb.  AND it came with a strawberry shake!! (that green stuff is pistachio)







With dinner done it was time to head over to the game.  You would think that after having such an AWESOME dinner that the night was perfect- RIGHT?!?! NOPE!!!

Aside from getting to spend the day with my best friend, an incredible dinner and going to the ball game, the piece de resistance?!?!

That was the night that the Dback's were playing the Oakland A's and we were losing 6-8 at the bottom of the 6th.  7th and 8th inning came and went....no score for either teams.  Top of the 9th and the A's are up to bat...no score. (bitting nails at this point!!)  Bottom of the 9th ~ I think at that point Dback fans were hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

First two Dback players struck out. (need another drink!!)  Then Chris Young was up to bat, he was walked.  Next up was Aaron Hill ~he swings to get on first, moving Chris to second. (GULP!!!!)  Batting next was "Tatman" Ryan Roberts.....HOME RUN BABY!!! He brought in the runners scoring all 3 runs to win the game 9-8!!
It was an AWESOME way to end the night!!!

                                                      Best memories, best times, best friends!!!

Last year's birthday dinner with Paige

Hello my readers!!

Slowly getting caught up on my blog!  My goal is to try and get all caught up from last June till current.  o_O   (keyword- TRY)  A lot of work to do but I'm up for the challenge.  ( I am!!! I am!!!)

If you're a regular reader of my blog you know that Paige is one of my foodie friends.
I love when we find new places to try or places that neither one of us had gone to before.





For my birthday last June, Paige wanted to take me for an early dinner since she wasn't going to be in-town for my actual birthday. Though I told her it wasn't necessary, there is no arguing with Paige. :)  She knew any excuse to get together to have dinner or drinks I was in!  ;)

We decided to check out the Roaring Fork.








Now, I know that I've driven past this place I don't know how many times never really knowing what it was or how to get to it.  And unless you know what or where it is, guarantee you've driven past it during the day without realizing it.

Now at night...that's a different story. (the restaurant name is lit up) But if you're not used to the area...trying to figure out how to get there is another story!  LOL






We got there shortly after they opened and sat in the bar area (they are only open in the evenings with happy hour starting at 4pm and the dining area opens at 5pm) but you can order food in the bar area.

The bar area is pretty spacious with a nice long bar, several high and low tops, a few booths and they have a outside patio area. The place has a rustic western feel to it.







We both ordered a nice glass of Cypress by J Lohr, a Cabernet (which was AWESOME!!) while we looked at the menu to decide what we wanted to start with.

We decided to go for the Fondue Pot Lamb Chop with butternut squash  (ok..maybe a bit curious than anything) - but OMG..it was SO yummy!!!

The lamb was SO tender and had a nice spicy kick. I think we could have eaten another order of it!!  Thank goodness for the side of bread that came with it..no cheese was left to waste. :)~







Shortly after we finished our glass of wine and appetizer we moved to a table in the main dining room.
(we typically talk for hours and wanted to be more comfortable ~ lol)

We had our server bring us another order of Cypress while we checkout out the menu.

Paige decided to go for the short ribs with horseradish mashed potatoes.

I know the picture doesn't do it justice (was dark in there and the flash made it look gross) but TRUST me when I tell you that she loved it!!

She even let me try a bite.  It was tender, moist and there was nothing left on her plate! :)

Myself, I opted for the bacon wrapped tenderloin with Mexican street corn and cheese grits.


To quote one of my favorite movies (guess which)

"Each flavor was totally unique. But, combine one flavor with another, and something new was created!"







It was really good...but I only ate half.  WHAT?!?
I had to save room for another glass of wine and dessert!!

So, of course we had another glass of wine and for dessert, well.....what goes well with a nice western-ish dinner but pecan pie with vanilla bean gelato!!

As always having a foodie outing with Paige is always a great time.  We will need to come back (can't believe this was last year!!) and check out the updated menu but thinking in the fall so we can enjoy the patio and the wonderful fall weather!

                               People who love to eat are always the best people!  ~ Julia Child 

OMG!!!!! o_O

Ummmm......Happy almost mid-year??  o_O

I had every intention to post this right after the new year!!!  (sigh)  But after Tough Mudder, I got a bad cold and then we started to do more running events......  I will not update you on that yet!!!

Time for me to get back on track!  So with that said - please (pretty please!!!) read on to see why I've been behind getting my blog updated.

Thank you SO much (from my heart) for continuing with my blogging journey!  I really appreciate it!!

My very best!

~ AZGEMFOODIE

Happy New Year my dear readers!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and happy holiday and has started the new year with a bang!

I know I last blogged in October letting you know that my blog is still very much alive and I promise it is!!  In fact, I did go to a foodie event today with a friend and will be posting that as soon as I get my others finished.

In the meantime though, I wanted to share what I have been doing that has slightly taken time away from my blog.

This started in August of last year.  My best friend, my pea, wanted to do Tough Mudder in February of this year. We had talked about this the year before and we didn't do it.  I told her if she registered for a team that I would sign up and we would do it.

Most of you, I believe are familiar with Tough Mudder or have at least heard of it.  But those folks who are not....it's a totally insane 10-12 mile obstacle (20-25) course designed by British Special Forces.  Did I mention that there is mud, water, ice baths, fire, walls, monkey bars and electroshock to just name a few???  OH!!! And the best part, an awesome orange headband and beer at the finish line!

Since she created the team, we've had 13 peeps brave enough or totally bonkers join.  So we started training.  We've done everything from hiking, yoga, bootcamps, running trails, cross fit and 5K's.



In October, a few of us signed up for the Zombie Run 5K.
Who knew that in October that it would still be in the 90's (degrees!!).
That WAS certainly an experience.


I've learned a lot since that first run. Things like read to see if they give details of the terrain/course and if it's not mentioned to email the event to ask.  I wore my Nike Flex and I had wished that I had worn my trail running shoes as we ran through the desert!  OUCH!!

In November , a few of us signed up for the Color Me Rad 5K.  Which was fun and messy.  We all started clean and finished rainbow colors!

While running on the course people (runners) were throwing color bombs at other runners to give them more color and there were color stations where the staff would bomb you with color!

If you've not done Color Me Rad before -you should!
It was a blast!

Then we saw a deal for MudFactor.  We thought that might be a perfect intro as to what to expect for Tough Mudder, just a mini (ok super-mini) of what Tough Mudder would be like. LOL!!!

This was their first time out to Arizona so we really didn't know what to expect.

5K obstacle runs can be challenging and by that I mean the wait can suck depending on how many participants. But we still had a great time!









In December, a few signed up for the Hot Chocolate 5K. It was friggin COLD that morning!!  This by far was the coldest run we had done so far.

I don't know about the other girls but I had to remind myself that I would warm up and there was a REWARD at the end!!!

Mug of chocolate goodies was worth it!
Will run for chocolate!!!  LOL!!!

And last weekend we did the PF Chang Rock'n'Roll  Mini-Marathon (5.4 miles).  The Mini-Marathon is new to the Rock'n'Roll series. Not all the cities have this and the distance varies as well.

We figured "eh, we've been doing 5K's what's another 2.3 miles...  o_O

We had a blast.  It was SO much fun and was the most put together event that we've done so far.







I wanted to share the craziness that has been going on ~ training, hiking, 5K's that have kept me from sitting down and working on my blog.  It not only takes a physical toll but for me a mental one as well.

But things should and will start settling down.  I do have several blogs in draft but I don't feel that they sound like the me that you all have read before and if it's not good enough for me...then sorry folks, not good enough for you either.

This has been such a crazy amazing journey.  I've made some new friends and have grown closer to old ones.

We did decide or at least started talking about possibly doing a 1/2 marathon and have our sights set on the PF Chang Rock'n'Roll New Orleans 2014!!!!

We have one more 5K race in a few weeks and then.....Tough Mudder!!!  AAAHHHHH!!!!

***** UPDATE -




Well, you didn't expect me to leave you hanging until I got all caught up did you??!! Did you??!!     o_O

So after PF Chang I mentioned that we had one more 5K race and then the mother of it all Tough Mudder.  That was the D-Backs Race Against Cancer.  That was totally cool as some of the players and coaches ran that too!

We got our picture taken with Luis Gonzales a.k.a. Gonzo!!  He's so humble and such a sweetheart.  That was the highlight of the run and what a way to end our day!

And FINALLY we come to Tough Mudder!!!  OMG!!!  Can I just tell you that was....well not sure how to explain what that was!!  It was awesome, it was crazy, it sucked (but in a good way), it was mentally and physically challenging.

But we set out to do this and we poured our blood (literally for some), sweat and tears (truly) into this.

Our team was amazing!  We had two friends come from other states to do this with us.
(Thank you Jeff and Zee!!!)







I can honestly say that I've never in my life experienced ANYTHING like this.  The worst obstacle for me was "Walk The Plank" (middle picture).  It was 15 feet tall and the water was 12 feet deep.  That was more a mental challenge for me.  Did I tell you the water was friggin COLD?!?!?!

The first obstacle was the Arctic Enema (picture on the lower left corner) also know as the ice bath.  The initial jump into it wasn't as bad as I thought ~it was diving into and under the divider to get to the other-side that SUCKED!!!  And getting out was worse cause we were FREEZING!!!






Fire Walker (picture on the top right corner) was no picnic...jump over flames only to land in 4 feet of muddy water and try and wade your way to the end only to claw your way out.

The doozy, frustrating most annoying was Everest (picture on the lower right corner).  Kinda looked like a skateboard ramp.  The funniest part was the DJ that was doing the MC at this obstacle kept telling people "Don't run AT it, run UP it."  People would get a running start and then hesitate as they got right up to it.

And we get to the crème de la crème...the grand finale.  The Electroshock Therapy (picture on the upper left corner). HOLY CRAP!!!  I'm not sure what was worse.  The fact that you could hear the current pulsing in the live wires or getting zapped!!!  I got zapped on the neck and had to take a knee - I think I may even had black out for a second, I'm not sure.  But I got through it and I finished with my pea.  After we crossed the finish-line we proudly went to get our orange head band and well deserved BEER!!!

We found the first group by the finish area and did a head count to see who else was still out there.  There were four more teammates still out there.  We wandered back over to the Everest obstacle and a little later we saw the final four of our team.  We cheered them onto the finish-line.  Waited for them to get their prized headbands and beer and met the rest of the group.

We all started together and we did get separated into three groups but EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE on our team finished!  No man or woman left behind!!
                                 



                                          So proud of team MudderSuckas!!!  Job well done!!!

TEAM MUDDERSUCKAS TOUGH MUDDER 2013

Jimbo, Monique, Brian, Me, Jo-girl, Jeff, Dave, Loca, Pea and Zee

we are missing Brian and Jennie

(Brian had a huge gash on his leg and Jennie had a black eye-both needed tending)

and honorable mention Aaron

(Aaron had injured himself a week prior to Tough Mudder and was unable to attend) 

Missing in action ~

Hello all my readers!

Let me apologize for my absence, as I'm sure some of you were/are wondering if I had abandoned my blog.
I can assure you that I have not!

I hope everyone had a wonderful fun-filled summer.  I did!!  And took a little break from blogging.
I have SO much to share of the things that I did over the summer and I can't wait for you to read.

Things are a bit crazy right now with me catching up from all the fun I had, plus all the fun I am currently having with training for some 5K runs that is leading up to the biggest event, Tough Mudder in Feb of next year.

I appreciate and cherish each and every reader of my blog.  Sure, I can throw a blog together....but that's not my style and that's not who I am.  I want you to be able to experience the journey as if you were with me as you read.  Those of you that know me (personally) know that my writing style is how I speak...so it's almost like I'm talking/telling you my experience in person.

I THANK YOU ALL for your support!

Best,

~ azgemfoodie

Can we do dinner?

I have a few girlfriends that I get together with,
either as a group or sometimes one on one time.  :)

It had been a while since Sherry and I had gotten together for dinner and she asked if we could meet for dinner ~ of course!! How could I say no?!

We decided to meet somewhere in the middle and chose to meet at TK's Urban Tavern in the Scottsdale Quarter.

We started the evening with cocktails, of course. ;)   Sherry started with a mojito and I had a topical tropical.

We had SO much catching up to do.  I think we talked for almost 20 minutes before we even looked at the menu to decide what we wanted to eat.

I mean cocktails ARE more important....right?  :)~

We continued to talk and half paying attention to the menu that was placed in front of us.  Our poor server kept checking to see if we were ready to order (about 4 times,maybe 5), so we finally looked at the menu.





This is our AWESOME server ~ Marissa!
Thank you again for putting up with us!

She was so sweet and patient with us.  Imagine two gals that haven't seen each other since...January!  Of course we've talked, texted and emailed but.....that's not the same as seeing each other in person.

And as with most of us females....we had questions about the menu, which Marissa answered all we had thrown at her with a great attitude.  She was really awesome with us. :)





Sean, the bartender (posed here..lol) makes awesome mojito's and topical tropicals!  I think we ended up having three each.  :)  Ok, in his defense he kept moving around so much for me to get a good shot while he was in action!


Then Marissa came with our appetizers!  Yum!!  We were hungry, though we took forever to place our order with her.  ~lol






Mmmmm.....who doesn't love mac & cheese?!
Let me just tell you how creamy and velvety it was..oh wait!  I just did!  OMG it was SO yummy!

It's house made with white cheddar cheese and they use panko bread crumbs in it!  A must have!

And along with that we had the chipotle shrimp.  Made with creamed leeks, pearl onions and bacon served with country bread.

Oh! And don't let this little dish fool you because it does have a nice kick to it!  It wasn't too spicy and was perfect.





We both had the same idea in mind for dinner since we had such rich and wonderful tasting appetizers.

We ordered the grilled salmon salad on a bed of mixed greens with kale, tomato, cucumber, baby sweet radishes with a vinaigrette dressing.

The salmon was done to perfection, moist and flakey and seasoned just right.  And the salad had just the right amount of vinaigrette on it without it drowning.

I have to say it was one of the most wonderful tasting grilled salmon I've had in a while. (since my Texas trip. At Sustenio, in the Eilan Hotel in San Antonio by Chef David Gilbert)






The bar area seats about 10 and then there are 6 high tops in the bar area.  The dining room has about 11 tables and there is a patio out side that seats about 20 or so.


The staff is really nice and friendly and I think that really adds to the ambiance as it was really comfortable and relaxing to have dinner and catch up with Sherry.


Marissa came back to see if we wanted dessert and Sherry and I looked at each other and then to Marissa and started laughing.  We told her that dinner would not be complete if we didn't share a dessert.






Dessert was a tough choice ~ chocolate cake with carmel ice cream, root beer float, grilled angel food cake with balsamic strawberries and whipped cream, seasonal cobbler ala mode or ice cream ala mode.

It came down to the cobbler and the grilled angel food cake.  We decided to go with the apple cobbler and it was the best choice we made!  It was SO good.

The apples had a nice flavor of cinnamon and nutmeg and the crust was nice and flakey and not doughy and the vanilla bean ice cream complimented the spices in the cobbler.






We enjoyed our dinner as much as we enjoyed our visit.

It's always a blast getting together with friends and getting caught up on the "what's going on" in our lives.

I had just gotten back from Texas and told Sherry all about the fun Chrisie and I had on the trip and she told me about her mom's visit to Arizona.

We did wind up being the last one's out of TK's

Good food, good friends.....who could ask for more?

Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal. --Julia Child

SSSSSSSSSMOKIN' !!!!

 

I happen to be going through some messages on Twitter and saw a message about a cooking class at Distrito, at the Saguaro Hotel.

When I clicked on the link the class was about smoking meat. Hhmm....  It made mention that you would be taught how to smoke meat, how to make a rub and how to make beer can chicken.  I had no plans for that Sunday ~ so....why not!  I asked my friend Stephanie if she had plans and told her about the class and she was excited at the opportunity!  Woohoo!!





We learned in class that for smoking meat, the right type of charcoal is needed.  Chef Michael recommends using pure 100% hardwood as shown here by Chef Ken.

People will have different opinions on what type of charcoal to use, but mesquite or hickory are the most popular.  But Chef Michael mentioned that Ono from Hawaii (which is all natural) and Binchotan from Japan (white oak) are also great as they are not pressed from other woods.





The first thing Chef Michael showed us was how to make the beer can chicken.  He used a 4 pound free range chicken, rinse the chicken and then make sure to pat it dry.  This is VERY important to get the skin crispy.

Then Chef salted the chicken - all over and let the chicken sit while he showed us how to make the Adobo bbq spice rub and this allows time for the salt to sit and pull the moisture out of the chicken so the rub will stick.





While the chicken was waiting in the wings, (lmao!! ~ sorry fowl humor!!)  Chef Michael then combined all the ingredients needed for the Adobo rub.  He mixed it all up to make sure it was done well.  Once that was completed, he generously coated the chicken with the mixture.

Make sure the chicken is coated well.  He mentioned that you also want to make sure that you coat the inside too and to shake off any excess.




He then took a beer can and poured out half (usually he would drink it but since he was teaching he didn't feel right about it) and took some sliced lemon and oranges and put in the beer can.

Once that task was done Chef brought the chicken back so he could place the chicken on the can or is it the can in the chicken??  lol

I'll let you decide......

You'll let the chicken with the rub set for about 30 minutes before you put it on the grill.

One tip that Chef told us was that you'll want to make sure you tuck the wings into the neck.  The reason ~ it's one of the ways you can tell that the chicken is done.....the wings will pop out.  Make sure that the chicken and can are secure.

Cooking time for your chicken will depend on how many pounds but Chef recommends not going larger than 4 pounds and figure about 20 minutes a pound at 375 degrees.

                                                                               

One of the things that Chef Michael told us is that when you light your grill, you want to make sure that the center burner is off.  Only use the side ones.  Or if you are using charcoal ~ make sure the charcoal is on one side. 

You will place the chicken on either the non-charcoal side or the burner that is off.  

Here you can see Chef Ken placing the new bird on the grill as Chef Michael brings in the bird that is done.



You can see from the picture below that the wings have popped.  Oh...and don't worry about the color of the skin.  It's not burnt (cause that was my first thought).
It's from the rub and the caramelization of the sugar. (cause I don't like burnt food~and it wasn't)

Let me tell you what, when Chef brought the chicken in, I swear people were going to attack it.

That chicken smelled SO good.  And it was steaming hot!

Chef let the chicken rest for about 15 minutes before he removed the can.  Then he carved the chicken, though the meat practically fell right off and served it to us.



We were all enjoying the aroma of the sliced chicken and you could smell the adobo rub and it was amazing.

The chicken was SO tender, moist and SO flavorful.   And the skin, he just chopped up to sprinkle on top of the chicken for that added crunch texture.

I have NEVER had beer can chicken before and let me just say (per my notes for the blog -sorry in advance if I offend anyone) OMFG!!!  FIRST TIME AND LOVED IT!!





While we all chatted about the chicken and sipped on our margarita's. Chef was chatting along with us while cleaning his station to move to the next course.

From chicken we moved onto ribs.  For this Chef Michael used Tenderbelly (brand) ribs -which are Berkshire hogs.

The Berkshire breed is the most purest of breeds dating back almost 200 years and was discovered almost 100 years before that in the shire of Berks in England.





Chef also mentioned other breeds that are excellent such as Hampshire and American Yorkshire as they are higher in fat content and are very tender.

Chef started prepping the ribs by turning it over to remove the "pellicle" or membrane.  He showed us a simple way of doing that.  To score it down the middle length wise and then slide the tip of your knife underneath the pellicle to loosen.  Once you get a piece, use a kitchen towel to grip and peel off. Then turn it around and do the same to the bottom half.




Once that task was completed Chef salted the ribs and then pressed the rub into it.  He used bbq rub on the ribs ~ sadly we didn't we receive the recipe for this as it was the house blend.

Chef mentioned that if you don't have a smoker and are using a grill to make sure you leave the center burner off as you did with the chicken and place a foil packet of wood chips on one of the lit burner.

Use any chips that you desire.  The blend that was used was 40% hickory, 40% mesquite and 20% apple.

To the left you can see the ribs that Chef just got done putting love into and the two ribs to the right are the ribs that Chef Ken had just brought in.

And let me tell you, the aroma from the ribs were mouthwatering!!!  They smelled SO good!

While he let those rest, he was working on another set of ribs that he was going to cook in a different way, though the prep for it was the same that I mentioned above.






The difference with this one is that it is double foil wrapped making a pouch to add beer to it.  Make sure the top is secure and one of the ends are closed to pour in the beer.

Doesn't matter what kind of beer but for this cooking class he used Kilt Lifter Ale.  Once the beer is added make sure to seal tightly and place on the rack over the "off" burner for about 3 hours.

I'm sure you can imagine what those ribs smelled like when Chef opened the foil as the steam came out. OMG!!!

Chef Michael took the foiled ribs out of it's pouch and transferred it into the pan and poured the beer au jus over it while it cooled down a bit.

We were all focused on watching as Chef Michael and Chef Ken as they carved into the dry ribs.  And by dry I mean, no wet sauce.

What we didn't realize is that we were in for a treat.

Though we had two styles of ribs, we got THREE different takes on them.

We were served one of the ribs just as they were with the dry rub and then with the same dry rub ribs also drizzled bbq sauce on it.

And the foil cooked ribs were served as is.

Think the picture below says it all...it was terrible!!! LMAO!!!  IT WAS AWESOME!!!

What surprised me and I'm sure a few others was that Chef Michael made two different styles of ribs but by adding bbq sauce to the dry rubbed one ~ changed the taste or rather added another layer of flavor to it.

It certainly left us wanting more.  It was all SO good!

And to think if that wasn't amazing enough, Chef then cleaned up his station for the next course!!

From ribs we move to brisket.

I personally have not cooked a brisket before so it was interesting to learn about it.  

Chef used a beef brisket that was about 12 pounds.  You need to start brisket the night before as it takes about 14 hours.  So what he prepared in class would be used the next evening.

Chef recommends that if your grill is small and the brisket is too large for the grill then to use your oven.  The reason for this is when you cut the muscle, it changes the texture of the meat.

I learned that there are 3 tiers or layers to a brisket.  The bottom, top and crown.

You cook with the fat side up and when you transfer the meet for serving, you put the fat side down.

I also learned that when you smoke meat, that once the meat temperature reaches 150 degrees it doesn't get any smokier.

Again if using a grill make sure the wood chips packs are on the "on" burner, leaving the center burner off. 

Chef Michael generously puts on the adobo spice rub.  I mean he put on a lot, massaging it and pressing into the meat.  Once he felt that there was enough on there (if that's even possible) he then cooks it for 14 hours or until the brisket reaches 170 degrees.

Once 170 degree temperature is achieved, you want to take gently take your brisket and place in double foil making a pouch like you did with the ribs.

You'll add two cups of water and seal the foil and place the brisket back on the grill for 2-4 hours or until the brisket reaches the temperature of 185 degrees.

Once the brisket is done, allow to rest for 2 hours and make sure to keep the juices from the meat.

Chef Michael recommends getting whole spices instead of pre-ground dried if you can, as the whole spices have a longer shelf life.

Once the meat had rested, Chef Ken taught us how to remove the fat cap from the brisket.

He told us that you put the fat cap placed towards you where you can scrape the fat with the grain of the meat ~ never scrape against the grain.

And that when you cut the brisket, you cut it against the grain...  it's more tender when you do.

After Chef Ken removed the fat, he turned it over and started slicing the brisket and Chef Michael jumped in to help.

While they were slicing, Chef talked to us about the "smoke ring".  Smoke rings are a good thing to have on your meat.  It shows that it's been done good.

Basically the smoke ring is the pink color that's just under the bark (the crust).






A good smoke ring is around 1/4 inch in thickness.
It's the water soaked wood chips that produces nitrogen dioxide loaded smoke.

As you can tell by the picture to the right, the smoke ring on THIS brisket ~ was PERFECT.  And when the plate was passed around Chef also passed a plate of the bbq sauce for those who wanted a little something extra - but it didn't need it.

The brisket was SO tender and moist and I think the best part of it was the bark.  It was like dessert ~ it was very, very YUMMY!!






After the brisket we couldn't imagine having anymore...well, ok maybe we did.  :)-

Chef Michael pulled out some green onions.  Ok-so those that know me, know I don't care for green onions.  But I watched and listened with great interest.

Chef took the green onions and drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled salt on them and gave them to Chef Ken to grill.




While Chef Ken was keeping a watchful eye on the onions, Chef Michael was making the pipian rojo.  And the best part was he made it using a mortar and pestle.

You can use a food processor but using a mortar brings out the flavor in the spices.  Don't worry about the pipian sauce being a bit loose, as it sits or when you refrigerate it ~ it will thicken.

When the plate with the onions with cotija cheese sprinkled on top came around I was a bit hesitant but I grabbed one and tried it with the pipian sauce.
Umm.. Chef Michael ~ I LOVED IT!




I don't know if it was due to the onion being grilled or the sauce or perhaps both....but I would gladly have more!! (thank you Chef ;)   )

We thought that was the end of class as the pipian sauce was the last on the hand out BUT Chef Michael had one last treat for us.

He made us a coleslaw with cabbage, jicima and carrots. He whipped up the seasoning for the coleslaw and added it to the slaw.




He topped the coleslaw with a julienned granny smith apples and can I just say WOW.  I'm not a huge coleslaw fan but I LOVED how Chef Michael made this one.

I think it had to do with the fact that it didn't taste like vinegar.  It was smooth and refreshing and the apple added the perfect balance to the dish.

While we were finishing our slaw, Chef Michael had one last treat for us.

They had set up a station with the spices used in the adobo rub with mason like jars for us to be able to make our rubs to take home!

It was SO awesome and fun do to.  It made the class that much more memorable....not like you could forget Chef Michael or the team that assisted him ~ Chef Ken, Chef Nate and last but not certainly least Mateo.

Chef Michael, the class was amazing and thank you SO much for taking the time.  Hope you come back to teach another in the near future!

To the team ~ Chef Ken, Chef Nate and Mateo, thank you for your hard work and making sure we were all taken care of.

To The Saguaro Hotel and Distrito ~ Thank you for putting on an amazing class and I can't wait to take another one!




                            The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sauces. 
                             – Albert Einstein