Smoke on the Water: Organizing a BBQ Competition In the Rain and Award Winning Ribs

Hang on folks because this one is a bit long (at least for my posts). If you like BBQ I promise it is worth it.  If you make it to the end your patience will be rewarded with an award-winning rib recipe (or you could just scroll down to the recipe, I won’t tell).

Back Where (Kosher Competitive) BBQ (In Chicago) All Began

What you may or may not know is that Rachel and I have a competitive kosher BBQ team called 5 Dudes and a Vegetarian.  Here is a little history how that came to be. In 2014, I competed in my first kosher BBQ competition at Anshe Emet Synagogue in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. I assembled a team, developed some recipes, watched some YouTube videos, and came up with a plan.

Kosher BBQ Competitions KCBS Style5 Dudes and a Vegetarian

I am going to pause here and provide a little background on the format of kosher BBQ competitions established by the Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS):

Teams compete in four categories, chicken, beef ribs, turkey, and brisket. They are judged by six judges on taste, tenderness, and presentation. Judges score entries on a scale of 2-9, with the lowest judge’s score dropped. The scores are then tallied and the winners are announced. In order to keep everything kosher the competition provides all of the equipment, meat, and ingredients.  Usually, there is prep time Thursday night or Friday morning ahead of the event. At this point meat, ingredients, and utensils are given out and access to a kosher kitchen is provided.  The event swings in to full gear Saturday night, where the teams are provided a smoker and a grill, and start cooking, drinking, and having an all around good time.  The teams pit-masters tend their fires throughout the night until it is time to turn their hard work in to the judges.

Now back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

Prep was on Friday afternoon at Milt’s BBQ for the Perplexed, who was co-hosting the event.  My teammates and I spent a good few hours blending a myriad of spices, trimming meats, and simmering sauces.  We had a different rub and sauce for each meat, which I have since learned is definitely NOT the way to go, but that is a story for another time.  There were close to 20 teams, which made for some close quarters, while working on little 4-top restaurant tables.   While this wasn’t ideal it did make for great camaraderie between the teams.

If I had to pick the thing I like the most about competing in kosher BBQ competitions, it is relationships I have developed over the years with other teams.  I have met a lot of awesome people and made some great friends.  I want to call out one specific person who I met on my BBQ odyssey, Mendel Segal. Mendel Segal, currently the pit-master at Backyard BBQ and Brew in Surfside, FL, was helping organize the event.  At the time he was the executive director of the Vaad Hakashruth of Kansas City, and is responsible for bringing competitive BBQ to the kosher world.  He has encouraged me to indulge my BBQ obsession, and guided me along the way.

Time to Kick the Tires and Light the Fires

Now let’s fast forward about thirty hours. We showed up Saturday night at Anshe Emet  to cook (and drink) through the night. To be honest, despite all of the planning and research I had done, I made lots of rookie mistakes, but again that is a story for another time. The weather was perfect, the crowd was great, and a good time was had all around. To be honest I don’t remember how we did in three of the four categories, but we did take home a third place trophy for our BBQ Baked Beans (this was early on, so they did beans instead of turkey).

From there on I was officially hooked. Since then we have competed in kosher competitions in Kansas City and St. Louis.  This year we are hoping to compete in Dallas, Boca Raton, and Phoenix.  The Chicago competition lasted one more year and then fizzled out, that is until this year.

Bringing BBQ Back to the Windy City

I was determined to bring kosher competition BBQ back to Chicago (and compete in it at the same time), but I knew I could not do it alone.  I reached out to the organizers of the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival.  Back in 2014 their event was the week after the Chicago Kosher BBQ Competition.  Their event has been running for decades. They have large outdoor event logistics down to a science. When I approached the organizers about incorporating the Kosher BBQ Competition in to the Jewish Festival they were very excited about it.

BBQ SmokersTo be honest, I don’t know how I could have done it with them.  The festival took care of the fundraising and logistics such as tents, lighting, water, refrigeration, and port-o-potties.  I was also able to obtain ten smokers and ten grills from the organizers of the original Chicago Kosher BBQ Competition. That helped us over the major hurdle of finding equipment, but at the same time that became our maximum number of teams.

Help! I Need Somebody, Help!

Having someone else worrying about logistics freed me up to concentrate on the BBQ competition and its culinary related tasks. One thing I learned the hard way is that putting on a BBQ competition is way more work than you could possibly imagine. Only attempt this if it is truly your passion.  If you just think it will be something fun to do, or if you are on the fence, do not attempt it.  Also, get trusted help, and more of it than you think you need.  Even with the help of the fine folks from the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival and some occasional help from friends* this was still way more work than I expected.

Below is just a small list of things I needed to attend to:

Building a website (www.chicagokosherbbqcompetition.com)

Promoting the event on social media

Registering teams

Purchasing equipment

Buying ingredients

Ordering meat

Coordinating with KCBS

Coordinating with the festival

and so much more…..

One day I’ll write a book about organizing a BBQ competition but suffice it to say it is a lot of work.

Who’BBQ Prepll Stop the Rain

While most things went fairly smoothly, but there were some minor issues and one big one. Prep went well Thursday night and the logistics came together nicely on Friday.  The teams arrived fairly promptly on Saturday night and started cooking. All was going well until about 3:00 AM when it started raining buckets.  Luckily we were under a tent, but we definitely were not on high ground and the tent flooded.  It rained on and off through the night and the next morning, leaving the grounds a muddy mess.

As I stated earlier, the greatest thing about competition BBQ are the relationships you make.  When you have less than ideal conditions, like crummy weather, it serves to strengthen those relationships.  Teams help each other out and everyone just tries to laugh it off together. My team was in the area that was flooded the worst and the team next to us went out of their way to help us move our smoker out of the mud.  To be honest, most of the cooking was a bit of a blur but the overall camaraderie really did make an impression on me.BBQ Rain

At the end of the day my team took home a first place trophy for our ribs (see recipe below), and third overall.  I would be happy with those results at any competition. The fact that I spent most of my energy organizing the event and not competing, made those results that much sweeter.

Check out Rachel’s take on the competition here: 2018 Chicago Kosher BBQ Competition!

BBQ Ribs Trophy

*Thank you to  Robert Feiger, Ryan Gottesman, and Elliott Fliegelman for all your help with the manual labor. Thanks to Debbie and Dennis Burg for the use of you power washer. Thanks to Eli “Moose” Greenberg for help with the refrigeration situation. Thanks to all the teams for coming out and staying even when the weather got rough. Thanks to the fine folks of the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival for welcoming us in to their event. Finally, thanks to Steven Weinberger for everything.

 

 

 

 

4.5 from 2 votes
BBQ Beef Ribs
Award Winning Ribs with Pomegranate BBQ Sauce
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Coal Lighting
15 mins
Total Time
4 hrs 5 mins
 

This is my award winning rib recipe that took first place in the 2018 Chicago Kosher BBQ competition. The recipe includes instructions for cooking on a smoker or in an oven.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: BBQ
Keyword: BBQ
Servings: 5 Bones
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 Rack Beef Back Ribs 5 Bones
  • 2 Cups Apple Juice In a spray bottle
Spice Rub
  • 1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 Cup Black Pepper
  • 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup Granulated Galic
  • 1/4 Cup Granulated Onion
  • 1/4 Cup Paprika Smoked if you have it
  • 1/4 Cup Celery Seed
Pomegranate BBQ Sauce
  • 2 Cups Ketchup
  • 1/2 Cup Pomegranate Molasses
  • 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Honey
  • 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinager
  • 1/2 Cup Spice Rub
  • 1/2 Cup Apple Juice
Optional Special Equipment if You are Smoking Your Ribs
  • 1 Smoker
  • 2 Logs Apple Wood For flavor
  • 2 Logs Cherry Wood For flavor
  • Charcoal/Propane/Electricity/Wood For fueling your smoker
Instructions
Spice Rub
  1. Add the kosher salt, pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, paprika and celery seed to a large mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the spice rub for the sauce.

Rib Preparation
  1. Start by removing the membrane from the back of the ribs.  This isn't 100% necessary but makes for a more tender rib and allows for better smoke penetration, if you decide to smoke the ribs. Then trim any loose bits of meat and fat as they will just burn during cooking.

  2. Sprinkle the ribs liberally with the spice rub on both sides.

Smoking Instructions
  1. If you are going to smoke the ribs, fire up your smoker to 250°F and put in a log each of apple and cherry wood. Place the ribs on the rack concave side down. 

  2. After about an hour add the other 2 logs. If you see spots on the ribs that start to look dry spray with the apple juice.

  3. Cook until the tender, about 3 hours. A skewer should slide through the meat with almost no resistance.

Oven Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to to 250°F and the put the ribs on a foil lined sheet pan.

  2. Bake until the tender, about 3 hours. A skewer should slide through the meat with almost no resistance.

Pomegranate BBQ Sauce
  1. Add the ketchup, pomegranate molasses, brown sugar, honey, apple cider vinegar, apple juice, and spice rub to a medium pot. Place the pot over medium heat and simmer, stirring constantly until all the solids are are dissolved.

  2. Lightly brush the ribs with the sauce and place back on the smoker or in the oven  for 5 minutes to set the sauce.  Slice and serve immediately.

2018 Chicago Kosher BBQ Competition!

Go team!!

The rain boots are dry, the stench of smoke has dissipated and showers and laundry and done. This could only mean one thing – the BBQ competition has wrapped up!  This year, we had the unforeseen pleasure of working in muddy, and VERY swampy conditions (the giant puddle was affectionately known as “Lake Q”).

It’s been 3 years since there was a Chicago Kosher BBQ competition and this year, with the incredible help and organizing (and kick-off, I should say) from our very own Daniel Peikes, the ‘Q became part of the Greater Chicago Jewish Arts Festival!  And it made sense – why not include it into a Jewish arts fair, where you know you’re going to get lots of people coming by to check it out.  Granted, it wasn’t a total wash out, but the rain did prevent a lot of people from showing up, but needless to say, the BBQ event is NEVER cancelled – this is a “rain or shine” event!  We don’t stop because of monsoon conditions.  BRING IT ON!

This year was no different.  Same 4 categories – brisket, ribs, chicken thighs and turkey.  Sanctioned by the KCBS (Kansas City Barbecue Society).  Yes, it’s a thing.  Prep on Thursday night at Congregation KINS went well – I was in autopilot, making the rubs and sauces (and of course, through a bit of miscommunication, I added 1 CUP of cayenne to our brisket rub, instead of 1 TBSP.  Yup, it was spicy, but we mellowed it out with some more brown sugar and apple juice).  Almost-major crisis averted.

Although this was my 6th Kosher BBQ competition, I felt a bit anxious knowing that one of our teammates was out for the BBQ season, due to a broken foot (get better soon, Debbie)!  And she’s our “chicken queen”, so I felt a good amount of pressure to take her place on that task.  And it’s been a few years since I’ve prepped the chicken.  But once I got back into the rhythm of trimming off the knuckles, removing the rib bones and cleaning the skin, I ended up with 12 beautifully portioned (and all equal in size I might add) chicken thighs.  So that’s what I did for 2 hours that Saturday night – what were you all up to? 🙂

The next few hours were a bit of a blur.  A few zzzz’s (maybe a half hour), thunder, lightning, rain, mud, MORE rain, driving home to get my rain boots (best decision I made that day, so yay for dry feet), smoke, more drizzle, and finally…it’s time for turn-ins.

The brisket smoked for 10 hours, and rested.  The ribs and turkey smoked for 3 hours, and chicken smoked for less than that, with rub and sauce.  The ribs were looking good – nice smoke ring and adding Mendel’s sweet BBQ sauce really made the difference.  Tender, juicy, sweet, smokey and a bit spicy (so I’m told, since obviously I didn’t taste any of the meat, haha).  7 portions are plated, spills and drills were wiped away carefully, and brought to the judges.

Now, we sit and wait.  And by sitting and waiting, I mean, getting as much of our stuff packed up as we can.  Oh I love being efficient!  And here we go – results are in!

As much as we just hoped to get everything cooked and submitted on time, results were…

#1 in RIBS!

#3 OVERALL!

Honestly, it was shocking.  This is the best we’ve ever placed and with a good group of competition around us (and even though the ribs weren’t great quality), hey, this is our first, first place win!

Overall, it was a good competition with great company.  Sure, it wasn’t perfect and sure there are some things that could have been tweaked or organized better (not Daniel’s fault, just a lot of details to work out with the Arts Festival on it), but my favorite part of these BBQ competitions are the camaraderie and friendships that come out of this.  I’ve made some close friends through these events and it becomes a big family and feels like a family reunion when we all get together every summer.  There’s no ego here, always great sportsmanship and everyone helps each other out.  I offered my friend Mordy (who came here last minute by himself and of course swept the competition), with any help he needed, even though my team was short a person too, so I made his foil squares for his turn-in boxes.  It’s easy, I know, but something that you can easily forget!  We all give each other advice and truly, we all want each other to do well.  The congratulatory hugs at the end are honest and heartfelt.  THAT’s why I love doing it.  This underground world of Kosher BBQ, a level playing field competition where everyone’s a winner (yea, yea, so cliche, but so true).

Who knows…maybe you’ll see our team, 5 Dudes and a Vegetarian at the Dallas BBQ competition in October!

Until next time… this is Rachel signing off!

Check out some highlights from the event!

A Tale of Two Tamales: A Lesson in Leftovers

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo this week, I challenged Rachel to make tamales.  I decided to go fairly traditional for mine, with just a slight twist on the flavors.

TamalesWhat are Tamales?

A tamale is a filled corn flour dumpling, usually wrapped in a corn husk (which can be found in most major grocery stores) and steamed, originating from Central and South America.  Some cultures use sections of banana leaf instead of the corn husks when making tamales, but they can be hard to find and are very perishable.

This weekend I made a simple roast chicken for dinner Friday night and pulled beef for lunch on Saturday.  My kids, like many, complain about eating leftovers.  What can I do to reinvent these proteins?  Tamales! While  tamales are often filled with shredded pork, there is no reason you couldn’t use beef, poultry, fish, or even vegetables for your filling. Included are two filling recipes that make great use of leftover chicken and pulled beef.

I have broken this down to 3 recipes, plus a bonus recipe.  The first recipe is for the tamale dough, assembly, and cooking.  The other two recipes for the chicken and beef fillings and the bonus recipe is for a jerk seasoning that is used in the chicken filling, but can be used to season a myriad of things.  Feel free to play with the filling recipes and adjust them to your liking.  These go great with my fermented hot sauce.

Tamale Dough, Construction, And Cooking Instructions

5 from 1 vote
Tamales
Tamales
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Husk Soaking Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
 

Tamales are a delicious steamed  dumpling that hails from Central and South America.  It is usually made from a corn flour dough that is wrapped around a filling.  The filling is traditionally some sort of meat, but could be vegetables or even fish.  Tamales make a great snack, side, or even a small meal, especially when served with some salsa and guacamole.  Don't forget the hot sauce and beer to wash it all down.

Course: Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Latin, Mexican, Tex-Mex
Keyword: tamales
Servings: 24 Tamales
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 3 1/2 Cups Corn Flour (Masa) Not corn meal, this is much finer
  • 4 oz Schmaltz or Vegetable shortening Or lard if you are not kosher
  • 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 tbsp Baking Powder
  • 4 Cups Stock Chicken, Beef, or Vegetable depending on your filling
  • 1 Cup Filling See recipes below
  • 24 Dried Corn Husks
Special Equipment
  • Butchers Twine
  • Large Pot With a Steamer Basket
Instructions
  1. Put the corn husks in a large bowl and pour 5 cups of boiling water over the husks. Let soak for an hour.

  2. In another bowl add the corn flour, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine thoroughly.

  3. Melt the schmaltz/shortening and add it to the stock.

  4. Add the stock and fat to the dry ingredients slowly, you may not need all of the liquid mix, and knead until a clay like dough is formed.

  5. Place a corn husk in front of you with the wider end facing away from you.

  6. Place 2 tablespoons of dough on the husk and press in to a rectangle starting a 1/2" from the top and sides of the husk and should be about 1/2 the length of the husk.

  7. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the middle of the dough rectangle and form in to a log shape. Avoid getting too close to the any of the sides.

  8. Using the husk, form the dough around the filling and and then roll the husk around the filled dough. 

  9. On the seam side fold the the bottom section of the husk up. and place upside down.  Once you have 3 tamales complete tie in to a bundle using the butchers twine, with the seams facing in.  Place the bundle in the steamer basket with the open side facing up.

  10. Add water to the pot, so it comes just below the steamer basket and bring it to a boil.  Turn the heat down to medium and place the steamer basket over the water.  Steam covered for about an hour and eat immediately or allow to cool, wrap in plastic, and freeze.

Tamale Fillings

5 from 1 vote
Tamales
BBQ Beef Tamale Filling
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

This works great with cheaper cuts of meat like chuck, shank, or brisket.  Stay away from something like rib eye. Don't limit yourself to just using this for for tamales. It can be used in kreplach, egg rolls, or just put on a hamburger bun and eaten as a sandwich.

Course: Filling, Main Course, Sauce, Side, Snack
Cuisine: BBQ, Latin, Mexican, Tex-Mex
Keyword: tamales
Servings: 3 Cups of Filling
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Shredded Beef Leftover chuck roast, or pot roast work great. You could use brisket but stay away from the pricey cuts like rib roasts.
  • 1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1 Large Onion Chopped
  • 3 Cloves Garlic Chopped
  • 1 Bell Pepper Diced
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil For sauteing
Special Equipment
  • 1 Medium Sauce Pan With Lid
Instructions
  1. Add the olive oil to medium sauce pot and place over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until the onions start to brown.

  2. Add the garlic and bell pepper to the pot and continue sauteing until the peppers start to soften and the garlic starts to brown.

  3. Add the beef, BBQ sauce, and water. Turn down to low, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning.  Allow to cool before using as filling

5 from 1 vote
Tamales
Jerk Chicken Tamale Filling
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

This is a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey.  One note, do not use the entire recipe of jerk seasoning.  It is strong stuff, two tablespoons should be enough.  Don't limit to just using this for for tamales.  It can be used in won tons, crepes, or even ravioli.

Course: Filling, Main Course, Sauce, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Jamaican, Latin, Mexican, Tex-Mex
Servings: 3 Cups of Filling
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups Shredded Roast Chicken No need to make fresh. Use leftovers or even store bought rotisserie will work in a pinch
  • 1 Cup Chicken Stock
  • 1 Large Onion Chopped
  • 3 Cloves Garlic Chopped
  • 2 Tbsp Jerk Seasoning See recipe below. Store bought can be used in a pinch.
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Special Equipment
  • 1 Medium sized sauce pot with a lid
Instructions
  1. Add the oil, onions, and garlic to a medium sauce pan and place over medium heat.  Saute until the onions start to brown.

  2. Add the chicken, stock, and seasoning. Turn down to low, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning. Allow to cool before using as filling.

 

4.5 from 2 votes
Tamales
Jerk Seasoning
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Course: Seasoning
Cuisine: Jamaican
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tbsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tbsp Black Peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp Juniper Berries
  • 1 tbsp Cloves
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp Thyme
  • 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
Special Equipment
  • Spice or Coffee Grinder
Instructions
  1. Grind the salt, red pepper flake, peppercorns, cloves, and juniper berries, together in an electric spice or coffee grinder and pour in to a bowl.  Add all the other ingredients and stir combine. 

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s tamale recipe: Spicy Salmon Tamales

Review: Backyard BBQ & Brew in Surfside, FL

Surprise with Mendel!

Upon walking into Mendel’s joint, Backyard BBQ and Brew, the first impression I got was a cool and hip ambiance with a laid back attitude, a place to chill with amazing food and drinks. The artfully decorated walls displaying just a sampling of Mendel’s awards from various BBQ competitions that he has been competing in for only the past few years, give testimony to the flavors that will be tasted in your mouth shortly.

Look at that BBQ trophy!

I ordered the BBQ burger (per Mendel’s suggestion), half pound beef patty, cooked medium rare that was skillfully layered with pulled brisket, BBQ sauce and topped with crunchy fried onions. Add a side of house fries and this is sure to fill even the most manliest of men. As I hungrily bit into the steaming burger, my mouth was thrown into a flavor frenzy between the savory ground beef and the sweet tanginess of the brisket, mixed with Mendel’s sweet and tangy BBQ sauce (available on Amazon or ask your local grocery store).

Meaty goodness

After 3 large bites I was surprised to discover that I had only consumed only half the burger and still had the house fries to attack. I decided to come up for air to sample the delicious house fries and wash it down with 2 gulps of Boulevard wheat beer.

While inquiring about the selection of beer, Mendel was excited to divulge that they are hoping soon to have a selection of over 40 craft beers on hand available in cans or bottles. His reasoning was eye opening; he revealed that cans/bottles have a more consistent flavor in the batches they make versus kegs that are brewed on a smaller scale for each individual keg. This was a small, yet interesting detail that most restaurant owners don’t contemplate but Mendel does. It’s all about the details.

When I wasn’t lovingly staring at my burger, I was able to glance up and catch parts of the football game being shown on two giant 55” TVs on the wall behind the bar.

As I finished my meal I was genuinely filled and satisfied and not needing any dessert. And then a server happened to be walking past me with a fresh slice of Mendel’s famous Maple Bourbon Pecan pie. Although I did pass on ordering it, the aroma of it wafting from the table across from me did make me seriously contemplate getting a slice to go.

The environment of the restaurant makes me want to stop in every Sunday, around noon and stay to eat all afternoon until the final game of Sunday Night Football is finished. I can definitely see myself hanging out here with a group of football or baseball fans to root for our favorite teams.

Two hours later I commented to my wife Rachel (a.k.a. “riskyveggie”) how tasty that burger was and how satisfied I still was. My wife commented that I should just write a blog entry about it and let everyone else know my experience from stopping by Mendel Segal’s place, Backyard BBQ & Brew. I highly recommend visiting there as often as you can while visiting Surfside/Miami area.

Check out Daniel’s review of the restaurants he visited while in South Florida:

South Florida Trip-Kosher Restaurant Review

Stay hungry my friends!

Daniel’s Recap of the 2nd Annual St. Louis Kosher BBQ Competition

I have been meaning to get this post out for a while, but it was a pretty crazy summer and life got in the way. Back on June 25th, 2017, Rachel and I competed in the 2nd Annual St. Louis Kosher BBQ competition hosted by Nusach Hari B’nai Zion (NHBZ) under the banner of our kosher BBQ team “5 Dudes and a Vegetarian”. It was a whirlwind trip that included kosher BBQ, Indian food, and doughnuts. Rachel’s husband Elliott picked me and Rachel up from her office Thursday afternoon and of course it began to rain just as we were leaving. Lucky for us, the rain didn’t last long.  We hit a little traffic leaving Chicago but still made decent time, getting to St. Louis at about 9:30PM and crashed for the night.

The next morning, after some coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts provided by our awesome BBQ teammate, Debbie Burg, we got down to work prepping for the competition at NHBZ. The competition was sanctioned by the Kansas city BBQ Society (KCBS).  Their are several organizations that certify BBQ conceptions but the KCBS is probably the largest.  They started sanctioning kosher competitions about five years ago and about 2 years ago released an official set rules for kosher BBQ competitions.  In kosher BBQ competitions there are generally four categories:

  1. Chicken
  2. Turkey
  3. Beef Ribs
  4. Brisket

There was trimming of meats, mixing of rubs, simmering of sauces, and one or two spills, but it was all good fun. We prepped pretty much everything except the chicken, which we left up to Debbie to do Saturday night. Rachel’s Aunt Sue (pictured below) joined us for the prep and was stuck with the unenviable task of doing the dishes.

After we finished prep we headed to Schnucks, a local grocery with a decent kosher selection, although it pales in comparison to Chicago’s Jewel-Osco.  I was particularly discouraged to find out all their cakes were dairy, as it was Debbie’s birthday and we hoping to bring a pareve (non-dairy) cake to the competition.  As the competition was obviously fleshig (meat), the rules as well as biblical kosher requirements forbid (among other things) the mixing of milk and meat.  We picked up some snacks, beer, and last minute supplies for the competition.

Then it was time for lunch at Gokul Indian restaurant.  Definitely go for the buffet if they are offering it when you visit.  I way over ordered, as I almost never get to eat Indian.  Unfortunately, my family members aren’t as culinarily adventurous as I am, and there are no kosher Indian joints in Chicago.  I ordered the combo appetizer plate of Miorchi Bhajia, Samosa, Bataka Vada, and Vegetable Pakora to split with Elliott, but ended eating most of it myself, followed by the buffet where I had a little bit of everything on the menu, and side of puffy flat bread known as Puri and washed it all down with a mango lassi.  Needless to say, I was stuffed.

I then spend a relaxing Shabbat (sabbath) with the Freund family who were very gracious hosts, proving me with excellent food, company, and some much needed rest ahead of long night of cooking and drinking.  As a bonus, they invited a long time friend of mine, Judy Haber, for lunch.

Right after Shabbat we headed to the competition grounds and to set up.  We needed to build our own tent which was a surprise to me as this was has always been something that was done by organizers in my previous experiences. When you get to a competition, any extra work can throw you off your game when all you want to do is get set up, and start cooking (and drinking).  Lucky our final teammate, Rob Feiger, got there ahead of us and had already put up the tent.

There were a few familiar faces there, including David Horesh and his family who make up team SephardiQ and Mordechai Stricks of team Uncle Mordy and Meatzvah Girls.  A few other teams showed up late, that had not done any prep earlier.  These teams needed to choose their meat, which in a kosher competition is provided by the organizers, but they were a little short on ribs.  At one point, the organizers came around to reclaim one of three racks of ribs they had issued to the teams to redistribute them to the other teams that were shorted.

In order to keep things kosher, most of the kosher competitions supply all needed ingredients and equipment.  This event did provide a grill and a smoker as well as a basic set of culinary tools.  I have to be honest though, the knives were fairly dull and the ingredient pantry was basically non-existent.  I did reach out the organizers ahead of time and learned that it would be slim pickings for supplies so I brought most of what I needed with me from Chicago.

BBQ Ingredients

 

Mendel Segel
Mendel Segel

 

Sometime in the early morning hours the wind picked up.  This makes tending the fire a bit tricky, but we managed to keep our temperature fairly stable.  The real problem was the fact that tents, which are essentially giant sails, were fairly light weight and were not sufficiently staked down, and started to fly away.  After the tents to left and the right of me blew over, I got smart and tied mine down to our two tables, which managed to hold it for the remainder of the event.

Rachel and Her Mother
Rachel and Her Mother

 

The spectators showed up around 11:00 AM.  The competition sold tasting tickets so the spectators could get a “taste” of the action. I had a fewfriends stop including my co-worker Brian Kinney who was in town visiting his father, my grade school friend Nathan Waldman who moved to St. Louis for college and never left, and Judy Haber’s daughter Aliza, who at one point was Rachel’s roommate. Rachel’s parents also came down, making the drive from Kansas City and bringing bagels.

To be honest all of our food came out mediocre and our scores reflected it.  Our ribs were overcooked, the turkey wasn’t the prettiest, and brisket was a bit tough.  I have tendency to rush and end up slicing my meat a little too early. We ended up placing fifth overall.  All four teams that beat us were more experienced than us, and deserved to beat us.  Of course team RaBBi-Q took top honors.  Only Mendel Segal could roll in late having done no prep and take overall grand champion. Despite a few bumps, all in all it was a great time.

Check out Rachel’s take on the trip here: St. Louis Kosher BBQ Competition Re-cap By Rachel

BBQ Ribs BBQ Turkey BBQ Chicken Brisket

Rachel’s Recap: 2017 Kansas City Kosher BBQ competition

3rd place in brisket! And yes, those are my parents! (Avi was MIA in this photo b/c she was taking it)

It’s been a little over a month since our team “Five Dudes and a Vegetarian” competed once again in this year’s (6th annual) Kansas City Kosher BBQ competition!  This year was a little bit different as the competition was part of the Kansas City Jewish Arts Festival at the Jewish Community Center, so the PR for the event was a little bit different.  So granted there were LOTS of people that came by the event, but since the BBQ event was sort of tucked away on the side, we didn’t get as many passersby asking to try our food (which, may have been a good thing, since we only had some tasting samples – the priority is for the judges and the rest, well, we take home for family). 🙂

The BBQ event itself was smaller – only 12 teams this year, instead of the usual 20-25, so our team kept thinking positively that it’ll give us better odds at winning big this year.  We competed against some of the best.  Some regulars, like Sephardic-Q, DWF Kosher Q Crew (shoutout to my buddy Brian!!) and Dukes of Chazzer (and they won Grand Champ, 2 years in a row now, SUPER impressive – congrats to Andy and the team). We also had the opportunity to have our booth right next to some legit professional BBQers and when I say legit, I mean, they’ve competed in the MASSIVE, “American Royal” BBQ competition (let’s just say, over 400 teams at that one – cue jaw drop).  Dan from Chop’s BBQ basically just swept the entire competition, so much so, that he was having a hard time juggling all of his trophies, while carrying them to his car. #sorrynotsorry.  But so well deserved.  On the other side of Dan was Andy from Smoke on Wheels, who also won big that day.  I felt a huge honor just to be competing in the same space as these dudes and wanting to learn from the best.

Same shpiel here – we did prep Thursday night (I made the rubs, cooked the sauces and helped pack up and keep us organized), and the rest we tackled Saturday night, motzei Shabbat.  We had 2 new members of our team, Joyce (from KC!!) and my other sister, Avi!  It’s become such a family affair and I love it!  Saturday night turned out to be great weather, no major hiccups for us and… I quite possibly slept on top of a piece of cardboard underneath a table, and there may or may not have been spooning with my husband involved (it was COLD, okay?!).

Homemade shakshuka for breakfast – my permanent role in the morning hours.  It was delish.  Added some beef fry on the grill and breakfast sausage (I heard it was delish, but what do I know?).  All of our proteins looks pretty darn good if I must say so, and we all felt REALLY good about it.

12 o’clock NOON – time for the first turn-in.  Boxes are complete with perfectly folded tin foil on the bottom and drips have been wiped up (yes, I’m a bit of a stickler for the perfect-looking turn-in box, but believe me, that’s a good thing).  Chicken, ribs, turkey and brisket.  All the work pays off, everything is turned in to the judges and now we start cleaning up and it’s time to wait.

Judging time is here.  Fingers are crossed, waiting for our team name to be called for something…anything!  And lo and behold, we placed the EXACT same as last year – THIRD place in BRISKET!  I know we all want to do better (looking at you, Daniel)! And though I agree, I’m still happy we won, especially a trophy.  But there are always things to learn from our experiences and ways to improve so we can get a second or FIRST place trophy maybe next year.

A couple takeaways – one thing we have to work on is our timing, though I think we have the cooking timing down, we just have to be more careful about the resting of the meat and plating and so forth.  Always a work in progress but we’re getting there, and learning from mistakes.

And the biggest takeaway from this year’s event, was how much we (and by “we”, I mean everyone competing) miss Mendel Segal – who singlehandedly organized this event with the Va’ad 6 years ago and made it the incredible event it is today. Though since he moved to South Florida, it just didn’t have that “Mendel-esque” touch as it could have.  Those of you who were there, you know what I mean.  It was a great event, don’t get me wrong, just was missing that something extra – those details that Mendel can control in his sleep, he’s such a master.  So, yes, Mendel, we all miss you. But we’re excited to check out your restaurant in Miami, and maybe…a BBQ competition there soon??

Check out some picts from the event!

Brisket and the rub!

 

Chicken prep!

 

Sisters!

 

Sunrise

 

Making breakfast and running on an hour of sleep!

 

Shakshuka for bfast

 

YUM

 

Morning selfie

 

Final touches for the chicken

 

Honey, baby!

 

Ellie, with Dave Rogers, from KCBS (Kansas City Barbeque Society – the competition is sanctioned by them)!

 

Smokin’ it up

 

Basting those ribs

 

Final product!

 

3rd place-winning brisket!

 

Turkey!

 

Mendel in his element

 

Team spirit!!

St. Louis Kosher BBQ Competition Re-cap By Rachel

5 “Dudes” and a Vegetarian (not quite but close enough) wearing our trademark “Meat is murder…tasty, tasty murder” t-shirts!

Well, it’s been 2 weeks since competing in our first kosher bbq competition of the season, and life is finally back to normal (and I’m pretty sure we got all of the bbq stink out of everything).  Our team “5 Dudes and a Vegetarian” (Daniel Peikes, Elliott Fliegelman, Debbie Burg, Robert Feiger and me), competed in the second annual St. Louis Kosher BBQ competition on June 26th! Maybe you caught our Facebook live, as Daniel Peikes, our fearless pitmaster, slathered the base rub (made by yours truly) all over the giant hunk of brisket! Well, if you missed it, be sure to check out our “Meat Your Vegetables” Facebook page!  And in case it wasn’t that obvious, yes I’M the vegetarian on the team.  It definitely gets a lot of laughs and no, I don’t make “vegetarian” food for the judges.  Because that’s not allowed. 🙂  More on that later…

But first, let’s talk Indian food! That’s right…kosher Indian in St. Louis! Stopped there for lunch with (most) of our team to enjoy a relaxing, supper yummy meal at Gokul restaurant on Friday, after the prep.  A cute place with funky colors yet a calming atmosphere, the menu seemed a little overwhelming to me, so I opted for the buffet instead.  Everything was delicious – from the herbed rice, to the vegetable korma (mixed veggies with cashews and raisins in a creamy tomato sauce) to the super spicy spinach and mushroom sauce and beans and lentils cooked with mild Indian spices.  No naan or paneer for me…but it was tasty and full of flavor and spice.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

For those of you who haven’t experienced the joy of kosher BBQ competitions, here’s a little rundown.

The competition has an entrance fee – anywhere between $350 – $400.  That amount includes all of the protein (typically brisket, ribs, chicken and turkey), the spices and ingredients provided by the competition (like salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, apple juice, olive oil, ketchup, etc…), equipment like knives, cutting boards, tongs, heat-proof gloves, thermometers, AND of course, the smoker and the grill.  So, yes, you are able to bring in other ingredients, as long as they are brand new, sealed and of course they have to be labeled kosher.  Typically, the prep happens either Thursday night or Friday (as the cooking gets underway Saturday night, for a Sunday event).  The prep for our team?  Well, for St. Louis specifically, I made all of the rubs – the base rub, which then was used to make the rub for the brisket, ribs, and turkey (our teammate Debbie, had her own special recipe for the chicken).  I also made the injections (I know, sounds so dirty, right?  Or maybe it sounds medicinal, but whatever the case, yes, I make sauces to then have injected into the meat.  Oh baby).  Meanwhile, Daniel is trimming the fat off the brisket and prepping the ribs.  Debbie is making her sauces, while my husband was the gopher (he’s not allowed in the kitchen, especially with knives). 🙂  Okay, just kidding Ellie!  My aunt who lives in St. Louis also came by to check out our prep and she volunteered to be our dishwasher – such a big help, thank you aunt Sue!

Okay, so by Friday late morning, all of the prep is done.  Saturday night, right after Shabbat, we head over to the shul where the event was happening, get our tent (thanks to our teammate Rob for getting us set up), grab our tables and start rolling.  Rubbing the brisket and getting that baby on the smoker at some point during the night. 🙂  That’s the key here – we stay up ALL NIGHT and essentially babysit the brisket on the smoker.  You really need to keep an eye on that temperature – that can really make or break it!

Fast forward to Noon on Sunday – the competition BEGINS!  Chicken turn-in to the judges is first, followed by ribs, turkey and brisket.  And because this competition is a KCBS sanctioned competition (Kansas City Barbecue Society – yes it’s a real thing, and it’s 2 legit 2 quit, HA), there are MANY rules that are specified through KCBS, rules like no garnish, and sauces with no chunks bigger than a fine dice – are the real deal.  That’s right.  No sprigs of parsley in our turn-in boxes!  Just the meat, in all its smoky glory.

Judging underway, and winners announced at 2:30.  We’re tired, exhausted, sweaty (and reeking of smoke) and most definitely dehydrated – let’s get this thing started.  So, we came in 4th place in ribs, 5th place in brisket, and 5th place overall.  And out of only 10 teams, I was hoping we’d inch out by a wee bit more, but hey, it’s good practice, good experience and it just keeps us fired up for the next one.  What I really love about competing in these events is the camaraderie and the great sportsmanship from everyone!  We compete against novices and professionals, but at the end of the day, no one is here to sabotage one another – everyone helps each other out when needed, like borrowing ingredients, equipment, keeping an eye on other teams smokers and alerting them if they get too hot – we’re all here to win of course, but we’re all here to have fun and enjoy ourselves.

Next on our BBQ competition road trip?  Kansas City in September…here we come!

 

Check out some highlights from the big event!

Vegetable Korma + delish Indian yumminess = HEAVEN

 

Ellie, did you enjoy lunch? 🙂

 

Picture of a picture

 

Sunday morning breakfast – meat ends, bfast sausage, and my homemade Shakshuka along with Debbie’s homemade mini pitot!

 

5th place winning brisket and burnt ends!

 

Savory smoked turkey

 

Sweet ‘n smoky ribs (sorry the chicken didn’t make it into the photos)!

Check out Daniel’s take on the trip: Recap of the 2nd Annual St. Louis Kosher BBQ Competition

Loaded Jicama Fries Two Ways

After Pesach (AKA Passover) everyone is a little sick of potatoes.  Jicama, a large tuber from Mexico with the texture of a turnip and the flavor of an apple is a great substitute for a potato. You don’t get the same crunch as you do with a fried potato, but it is not bad for an occasional change.   Originally I was going to name this  post Jicama Fry Poutine Two Ways, but the recipes moved too far away from a traditional poutine, which is made with cheese curds and gravy.

Mushroom and Cheese Jicama Fries Jicama Fries with Mushroom Gravy and Cheese Sauce

Kosher cheese curds can be very hard to obtain so in my dairy version I substituted a cheese sauce, and the gravy for a mushroom sauce, to keep it all kosher.

 

 

5 from 1 vote
Jicama Fries
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

This is a great potato alternative if you want to change it up.  You can try baking them instead of frying, but believe me, it won't be nearly as good.

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican, vegan
Servings: 4
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 Large Jicima Cut in to 1/2"X1/2" Fries
  • 3 tbsp Seasoned Salt To taste
  • Vegetable Oil For frying
Instructions
  1. Put a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.  Add the fries and boil for 10 minutes to soften them.

  2. Remove the fries from the water and dry them completely.  A salad spinner works well for this.

  3. Add vegetable oil to your largest, heaviest frying pan so it come 3/4" inch up the side.  If you have a cast iron skillet this would be a great time to break it out.  Put over medium heat.

  4. Once the oil gets to 350°F start adding the fries a few at a time being careful not to crowd the pan.  Fry on each side until golden brown.

  5. Move the fries to a cooling rack, season with the seasoned salt, top with your favorite additions, and serve immediately.

5 from 1 vote
Mushroom Gravy
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: vegan, vegetarian
Ingredients
  • 1 lb Mushrooms (I like cremini AKA baby bellas, but white buttons will work) Stems removed, rinsed, and sliced
  • 2 large Onions Halved
  • 3 tbsp Butter or Olive Oil
  • 3 tbsp All Purpose Flour
  • 3 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped
  • Additional Olive Oil for Sauteing
  • 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 Cup Vegetable Stock Preferably home made, but store bought will be fine
Instructions
  1. Add a couple of tablespoons olive oil to a large saucepan or a dutch over over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms, being careful not crowd the pan. Work in batches if necessary.  Saute the mushrooms until the are nicely browned on both sides and remove them from the pan.

  2. Add the onion and some olive olive oil if needed.  Saute the onions until they take on a golden color.  Add the soy sauce and the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic just starts to brown.  Then remove the onions and garlic from the pan.

  3. Turn the heat down to low and add the flour and butter or olive oil.  Stir constantly to completely coat the flour particles with the fat.  This is called a roux, it is a great thickener for sauces. 

  4. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic, and onions.  Then slowly add vegetable stock, stirring regularly until the desired thickness is achieved.

  5. Serve immediately on top of fries, knishes, pasta, or chicken, the sky is the limit.

5 from 1 vote
Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
  • 3 tbsp Butter or Olive Oil
  • 3 tbsp All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Whole Milk Or Cream
  • 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
Instructions
  1. Put sauce pan over low heat and add the flour and butter or olive oil. Stir constantly to completely coat the flour particles with the fat. This is called a roux, it is a great thickener for sauces. 

  2. Continue to stir the roux constantly. Once the roux starts to brown add the milk or cream slowly and continue to stir.

  3. Once the milk or cream is completely incorporated, add the cheese and stir the cheese until it is completely melted.  Serve immediately.

Jicama Fries with Shredded Beef and Spicy Salsa Verde

For my meat version, I wanted to something that would stick the ribs, topped off with some heat.  I happened to have had made some Mexican food recently and thought that this was a great opportunity to use up some leftovers.  Pulled beef is a great opportunity to break out the slow cooker (AKA Crock-Pot), and as Ron Popeil always said, set it and forget it. The ingredients for the salsa are grilled, which is a great way to use up the heat from dying coals after a backyard soiree.

5 from 1 vote
Pulled Beef Jicama Fries
Pulled Beef
Ingredients
  • 1 Hunk of Beef Nothing fancy. Neck or shoulder is fine
  • 1 Bottle Beer
  • 29 oz Can of Tomato Sauce
  • 4 Cloves Garlic Roughly chopped
  • 1 Large Onion Sliced
  • 1 tbsp Dried Oregano
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
Instructions
  1. Throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker (AKA Crock-Pot).  Let it cook for about 6 hours on low.  Shred with two forks.  Serve as a taco, with rice, on fries. or over pasta.  Freezes well.

0 from 0 votes
Pulled Beef Jicama Fries
Spicy Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 

This is a great condiment when you want to kick it up a notch.  You can add more or less chili peppers to control the level of heat.  You can also remove the ribs and seeds from the peppers to decrease the heat.

Course: Dip
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 8
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 2 Jalapeno Peppers
  • 2 Poblano Peppers
  • 2 Green Bell Peppers
  • 6 Large Tomatillos Husks removed
  • 1 Large Onion Peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 Cloves Garlic Skin removed
  • Olive Oil
  • 1 Handful Cilantro Chopped
  • 1 Lime
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
  1. Toss all the peppers, tomatillos, onion, and garlic with the olive oil. Put them on the grill or under the broiler until the skin begins to char and then remove from the heat

  2. Remove the tops from the peppers and add them to a large mixing bowl along with the onion, tomatillos, and garlic.  With an immersion (stick) blender, process until desired texture is achieved. This can also be done in a food processor or a regular blender.

  3. Add the cilantro, salt and pepper and the juice from the lime to bowl.  Stir to combine. Serve alongside chips, or on top of tacos or fries.

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s Jicama recipe here: Spicy Slaw with Quick Pickled Jicama and Creamy Salsa Verde Dressing

2017 International Home + Housewares Show Review

Last Sunday Rachel, Elliott (Rachel’s husband), and I went to the International Home + Housewares Show at McCormick Place on Chicago’s Museum Campus.  For those of you not from around these parts, McCormick Place is the nation’s largest convention center with 2,600,000 square feet of prime exhibit space.  Needless to say there was an insane amount of walking involved.  We walked about 10 miles in 9 hours.  Once we got there, we met up with Gabriel Prero and his wife Lena. Gabriel is very long time friend of mine (since preschool) and a very talented industrial designer.  If you ever have the chance to walk a trade show with an industrial designer, I highly recommend it.  While I tend to concentrate on either form or function, Gabriel is able to look at a product and truly appreciate the marriage of the two.

To be honest, we did rush through the show due to its size. One could easily spend two full days at this show, as it fills all three major halls at McCormick Place.  Here are some of the highlights:

Anova is coming out with some cool new items including a $99 immersion circulator. Anova was one of the first companies to bring the immersion circulator/sous vide cooking to the home kitchen, and at that price, this new product really makes sous vide cooking accessible to the home cook.

Aervoe was showing a temperature-controlled induction cooktop for $124.  While it is not as accurate as PolyScience’s THE CONTROL °FREAK™ ,at a fraction of the cost, it is be a good option for the home cook.

The Loki Smart WIFI Thermometer, a magnetic ball that can read up to four (internal or ambient) temperature probes and transmit to your mobile device, was something I found interesting.   It also has a social media component for finding and sharing recipes.  They are currently in pre-orders with prices starting at $99.

PicoBrew was there showing off their Pico Personal Craft Beer Brewery.  These things are super slick.  It is a totally hands off system from start to finish with cartridges that can be purchased to produce your favorite style of beer.  The cartridges can also be customized for your own secret recipe.  Unfortunately, at $800 it is out of my price range. Of course, if they wanted to send me one to review I’d be happy to oblige.

Mason jars and fermentation were a running theme throughout the show.  Some standouts in that space were mason jar top companies Masontops, Kraut Source, and reCap.  Kraut Source takes the win in the fermentation department with their lid that includes a spring loaded disk that holds your vegetables below the waterline to prevent any nasty bugs from getting to them. From an aesthetic standpoint, Masontops comes out ahead with some great colors, a wooden cap with a plastic liner, and a chalkboard top.  Finally, from a range of functionality standpoint reCap was impressive, with a wide variety of lids including a sprayer and a pump.

The Party Bar from Igloo
Trailmate from Igloo

Igloo is celebrating their 70th anniversary and showing off the Trailmate, which is best described as the SUV of coolers, and the Party Bar, the ultimate cooler for entertaining.

Like in past years, SodaStream was there giving out their sample bottles and showing off the new MyWater Flavor Essence.  I really love these, as they are unsweetened, making them, a great way to add flavor without added sugar or nasty tasting artificial sweeteners.

We had some time to hang out with Chef Randall Smith at Ergo Chef, and play with their innovative knives. They make a line of RaBBi-Q knives developed in conjunction with my buddy, the winningest man in kosher BBQ, Mendel Segal. Chef Randall also competes in the kosher BBQ circuit on Team Shiva Que.  I look forward to sharing a few drinks with him in the future as we cook brisket late into the night.

Finally we ran in to a few food celebrities including Fabio Viviani from Top Chef,who is absolutely hilarious, Jeff Mauro AKA the Sandwich King, a Chicago native from the Food Network, famous Emeril Lagasse, as well as BBQ legend Steven Raichlen.

 

For Rachel’s take on the show see here: Recap: 2017 International Home + Housewares Show!

Happy Pi Day: Smoked Duck Personal Pot Pie

Pot Pie

Happy Pi day (at least for another few hours) to my math nerd friends, not to be confused with National Pie Day, which next year will be on Tuesday, January 23rd according to Google. For those of you who don’t remember, Pi (π) is the Greek letter used to represent the magical number needed to calculate the area and circumference of a circle.  Its approximate value is 3.14, hence Pi day is March 14th.  See this link for a much more accurate value for Pi: Pi to a million places. Now that the math lesson is over, on to the food!

Many people make pie for Pi Day because they sound the same and they are generally circular (and who doesn’t want an excuse to eat pie!), and therefore Rachel has challenged me to Pi Day throw down. I had some leftover smoked duck from my Very BBQ Purim Se’udah, and figured pot pie was a great way to use it up.  And yes, this recipe will work fine with roast duck, roast turkey, or even chicken.

Pot Pie Mise

5 from 1 vote
Cut Pot Pie
Smoked Duck Personal Pot Pie
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
3 hrs 20 mins
 
Course: Appetizer, Main Dish
Cuisine: BBQ, Homemade
Servings: 12
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
Duck Stock (Or Just Use Chicken Stock)
  • 1 Duck Carcass Leftover
  • 2 Duck Wings
  • 1 Tablespoon Celery Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Whole Mustard Seed
  • 1 Teaspoon Dried Dill
  • 1 Tablespoon Black Peppercorns
  • 2 Bay Leaves
Filling
  • 2 Cups Duck (or Chicken) Stock
  • 2 Smoked Duck Legs and Thighs Bones Removed
  • 2 Carrots Diced
  • 11 Oz Canned Corn
  • 1 Medium Onion Chopped
  • 6 Medium Mushrooms Chopped
  • 2 Stalks Celery Chopped
  • 4 Cloves Garlic Chopped
  • 3/4 Cup AP Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
  • 24 Puff Pastry Squares or Rounds
  • Cooking Spray
  • 1 Egg Beaten
Instructions
  1. Take all the ingredients for the stock, put it in a large pot, and boil for couple of hours. Strain out the solids and preserve the liquid.
  2. Put the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. After 2 minutes, add the flour and whisk until the all the flour is coated in oil and there are no dry pockets. This is called a roux.
  3. Turn the heat down to low and cook the roux until it starts to brown, stirring regularly to prevent burning.
  4. Add all the vegetables, the stock, and the duck meat to the pot and stir, making sure to incorporate the roux into the mixture. Cook until the vegetables have softened.
  5. Spray 2 muffin pans (they usually hold 6 muffins) with cooking spray. Press one puff pastry square into each muffin compartment to form the bottom crust. Add the filling, about 2/3 of the way to the top and cover with another puff pastry square, tucking the ends in. Brush egg on top.
  6. Preheat the over to 350°F and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Cut Pot Pie

Let me know what you think of the recipe in the comments.  Also, let me know if you liked my recipe or Rachel’s better.  You can find hers here: Happy Pi Day! Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding Pie with Maple Coconut Cream