The Iron Pig Smokehouse, Gaylord, Michigan

      This is my first review of an 'up north' BBQ eatery as I have been hesitant cause BBQ is SO VERY DIFFERENT across the country.  Texas, Oklahoma, Memphis, Kansas City, the Carolinas and the Deep South all have their own styles of cooking with smoke and the BBQ sauces are nowhere alike.  I have eaten Q several times around the north and have found not one to be of the same quality and taste of the south.  Sorry, it is what it is.  I LOVE the Southern Q, especially Texas.  But, I like to keep an open mind and love the Q.  I have seen this restaurant advertised and recommended by a couple of friends on Facebook.  

      Barb and I visited the Iron Pig on a weekend just before July 4th.  It was a HOT weekend, in fact it was nearly 100 degrees this night.  It is easy to find on West Main Street in downtown Gaylord.  Parking can be an issue so plan on arriving early.   They do take reservations.  This place is essentially a small bar (approx. 44 people) with tables and bar seating for dining.  There is one big screen TV.  Also there are trivia game stations at every table just like at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Arrive early, find a place to sit, and then place your order at the window.

      I had scouted the menu in advance.  This is always a good idea so you know what you are or are not getting in advance.  They offer several good looking appetizers including Smoked Mac n Cheese, Spicy Chili, and Cheese Curds.  The menu also includes a selection of sandwiches including the smoked brisket, Reuben, Pulled Chicken and Pork, and Kielbasa, Salads, Burgers, and even a small Mexican selection.  There is even a small menu for kids.  They do offer an online ordering system if so desired.  The BBQ section is pretty straightforward, but somewhat small.  They offer a Half or Full Rack of Ribs, Brisket Platter, 3 Piece Chicken Platter, and a Sampler Platter.  I was hoping for some Pork Belly or Burnt Ends.  Even the Pulled Pork is only offered on a sandwich.

      Barb and I ordered the Half Rack of Ribs and Brisket Platter with the intent of swapping meats back and forth to sample.  Both platters came with Homemade Coleslaw, Smoked Beans, Onion/Cukes, and Jalapeno Cornbread.

      The ribs were Baby Backs and the brisket was already chopped when served.  I like the brisket still in slice so I can taste and savor the bark.  Everything is smoked over cherry wood.  BBQ sauce was served on top of the ribs as well as on side for both dishes.  First of all the meat was lightly smoked, tender, moist, and delicious.  The BBQ sauce was lightly spiced, but with a little too much Cumin.  The BBQ beans were tasty, the coleslaw was absolutely dry with no dressing, the sliced onions and cukes were good, but the cornbread was sweet with no Jalapeno taste or spiciness whatsoever.  The cornbread was also served covered with a sweet brown sauce.  Our meat was excellent, but the BBQ sauce, coleslaw, and cornbread were sadly lacking.  Don't call it Jalapeno Cornbread if there isn't any.  I remind myself that this is 'northern Q' and they take pride in their own tastes and styles.  Total cost for our meals with large iced tea was $34.95.  The service was excellent. 

      Overall, we found the Iron Pig Smokehouse to be decent Q.  It is a somewhat small venue so arrive early.  The ribs didn't last, but Barb did bring quite a bit of the brisket home to make a sandwich later with my BBQ Sauce.  We rate this 3 of 5 stars.
https://theironpigsmokehouse.com/ 

"Being so closely related to the south, barbeque was part of segregation and helped defeat it" 

Bobby Seale

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Shawarma Without the Politics

      What a beautiful summer.  Things around the Ponderosa are progressing with clean up, move back in, and settling back in to our 'home lifestyle'.  It inspires me to further explore new cuisines.  I have always wanted to try to prepare Middle Eastern, most notably Lebanese and the dish of Shawarma.  I ate plenty of this during my MANY trips to the Middle East during my USAF career.  This area is known for it's myriad dishes of meat, citrus, legumes, nuts, and assorted vegetables, but always spiced to perfection.  For me this cuisine was a welcome diversion from the many days spent there for reasons above and far beyond the simple folks who live there. Such staples such as lamb, chicken, goat, etc. are usually marinated with a thick mixture containing yogurt for a day and then grilled or roasted.  It is usually served either in a pita type bread or with it on the side with spiced pickles and a garlic dipping sauce.  For this meal we use a recipe from the Livernois Tap in Ferndale, MI using chicken wings.  

      These wings get their tenderness from being marinated in a highly spiced Greek Yogurt.  The key to the flavor is toasting the cumin and black peppercorns to intensify their flavor.  Once marinated they are slowly cooked until tender and finished on the grill to give them a smoky flavor.  I also used Smoked Paprika to accentuate this flavor.

2 dozen wings, cleaned
1 Tblspn cumin
1 tspn black peppercorns
1 Tblspn smoked paprika
1 tspn turmeric
3/4 tspn garlic powder
2 tspn salt
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

      Clean your wings and place them in a large bowl, set aside.   In a small skillet, toast the cumin and black peppercorns over medium heat while constantly stirring.  You should see smoke wisps when toasting.  Remove these and put on a plate to cool.  Once cool, grind these spices to a powder with a mortar and pestle.  Place in bowl and mix with the smoked paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Reserve 2 Tblspn.

Mix the remaining spices with the Greek yogurt.  Add the spiced yogurt mixture to the chicken and toss to coat evenly.  Marinate chicken in refrigerator for 12-24 hours

  

     When ready to cook, preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on a sided baking sheet.  Cover tightly with foil, sealing edges.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken wings are very tender and cooked through.  Heat grill, sprinkle wings with reserved spices and grill for 6-7 minutes or until grill marks present.  Serve hot with Tzatziki, rice, Tajine seasoned cukes, or spiced pickles.  Although this recipe used chicken wings, I served pita and tzatziki sauce on the side if the desire rises to make either a sandwich or eat them like wings with a pita side.  Either way it is delicious.

" Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out from the inside"

Lebanese Proverb

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Hot Summer? Try a Cous Cous Salad

      This time of year the heat really begins to rise and sometimes even raise it's ugly head earlier than expected.  For us that either means grilling outside or something fresher, such as salads.  In my on again off again venture to lose weight I have always been able to prepare and enjoy the healthier menu items.  For the unfamiliar Cous Cous is a North African type of Semolina made from crushed Durum Wheat.  It turns out to be quite delicious when prepared correctly.  

     We tried it several times last summer at mom's house and found it to be quite bland until I began to prepare it using chicken broth instead of water.  Then I discovered some in the stores that are already flavored.  This is a recipe that uses flavored Cous Cous with the addition of some ingredients we favor and resulted in a very tasty dish that can be enjoyed as a meal in itself.  The choice of a meat topping is your own:  grilled chicken, beef, pork, or lamb.  Plan on about 1/4 pound per serving. On this meal I added a pound of ground Wild Boar sautéed.   

1 cup chicken broth or water
3/4 cup cous cous uncooked
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped, unpeeled cucumber
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
3 Tblspn Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tblspn Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tblspn Dijon Mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

NOTE:  TO TOAST PINE NUTS OR ALMONDS SPREAD ON AN UNGREASED PAN.  BAKE IN PREHEATED OVEN 350 5-7 MINUTES, STIRRING OCASSIONALLY UNTIL BROWN.

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan, stir in cous cous.  Remove from heat, let stand covered 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, uncover and let cool.  Combine cooked cous cous, cherries, almonds, green onions, carrots, cucumber in a large bowl, mix well.
Combine vinegar, olive oil, and mustard in a small container and mix well. Pour over cous cous mixture, stirring well to combine all ingredients.  Season with salt n pepper.  Place on individual plates and top with meat of choice. Serve cooled or warm.

"Don't be afraid to adapt new ingredients into your own techniques and traditional ingredients into new recipes" 

Jose Garces

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(much like my diet it's on again off again)