Homemade BACON!

I don't know why I have never tried this until this year. It is so easy and so good. Making your own bacon. It takes about a week and a couple hours to smoke it. You can season it with a variety of spices and smoke it with different types of woods to vary the flavor but it is all good.

Review: Farm to Table fresh at Block & Grinder

Name: Block & Grinder
Location: Charlotte, NC
Price: $$-$$$
Link: blockandgrinder.com/

A few months ago I heard that Block & Grinder was going to open. When I heard the concept I was intrigued. I was told it would be a farm to table restaurant with a butcher shop that would also have wild game on the menu. In the butcher shop part they planned to sell sausage and other charcuterie that was made on premises. It sounded wonderful. My family and I happened to be in the area so decided to give it a try. I'm glad we did.

Feeding Volunteers

My wife is a part time administrative assistant for  the Fort Mill Rescue Squad. A couple of weekends ago they had a cleaning day and I told her I would help by feeding the squad. It is always fun to cook for a group of people that helps the community.

I planned for about 20 people and served pulled pork, smoked turkey, slaw and baked beans. It went well.

Review: Something Sweet - Cloister Honey

Creator: Cloister Honey
Price: $3-$11 depending on product
Link: Cloister Honey

Honey and BBQ work well together. I use honey on my ribs, in my sauces and glazes for wings. This year I am trying to use more local produce and items for our table and trying to be more farm-to-table oriented. Last year when our local Whole Foods opened my wife and I were checking it out and came across Cloister Honey. They were passing out samples of their honey and we both liked what we tried.

The bottles of sweet liquid gold. 

At the end of January this year I was surprised with a sampler pack of their products and my little cooking mind started to dream. We had a bottle of their wildflower honey, arbor chili pepper honey, chipotle pepper honey, vanilla honey, bourbon infused honey, whipped cinnamon honey and the whipped lemon honey. Oh the choices.

New Year, New Adventures

In Disney for Christmas
trying out Chef Mickey's tools

Happy New years to all my readers (all one of you.) Last year I was able to try some new things, meet some great BBQ guys, go on a cooking podcast (NOLA Food Podcast check it out), and generally increase my BBQ skills.

I cooked a whole leg of venison for Thanksgiving. It came out great but the one I did for Christmas was better. I also smoked a leg of wild hog. It was very good.

All in all it was a fun BBQ year. This year will have some new things in store.