Memphis In May World Championship BBQ contest!

Memphis In May World Championship BBQ Contest!



Now, in Memphis, that line means a lot to all of us! Memphis is the best for Blues and BBQ.
I mean if you don't know anything about BBQ, you best MOVE.
It is that serious. Even Veggies have to be smoked and sauced!

Memphis in May is a month long festival that celebrates Music and BBQ and Soul Food.



I knew I wanted to be a BBQ Judge when I was like 5 and after I went to White House, they let me take the Judge's Class, so I would be prepared when they asked me to be a Judge.

Now this is an honor for anyone and I took the job super serious! I brought my A game and tried to be as serious as all the people in the room.

Believe me they were not too easy on me - standards are high, they went from Suspicious to Curious to Respectful to Happy!

I ate. I judged. I upheld the long line of BBQ lovers and hopefully made Memphis proud.

I know you may not understand the depth of the Honor I was given, but trust me I did!

All I can say the food was good. ok, out of this world! I judged exotics, beef, seafood, RIBS, and WHOLE HOG! I mean The Shed won the entire thing, I might have helped judge that!

Thank you Memphis in May and Thank you Judges. It was an honor to sit with you!

Love the Cabbage Leaf,
Logan

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Sous Vide By PolySCi Creative by Logan

Sous Vide

If you want to be a true Gastronomist then you need to learn how to Sous Vide (https://www.polyscienceculinary.com/) . I will be honest it has taken me a bit more time than I thought to get consistent good food- but once you understand it, the results will surprise you.

A Sous Vide is a water circular that heats water to a precise temperature- the food needs to be vacuum sealed and the better that seal the better the finished product so make sure you have both before you put the Sous Vide to the back of the kitchen shelf.

Here is what I have learned- fish cooks like a dream, but I can usually nail fish so that really presented no challenge. Poached fruit is by far the best- you can't imagine how good when the Sous Vide tenderly cooks it. AMAZING! 

The problem foods, I wanted to nail- a skinless boneless chicken breast- the blandest, hardest to cook protein and the boneless pork chop. Both of these are death to a so-so home cook and even tougher for a beginner. 

Here is what I did-

BBQ Chicken Breast -

First I coated the breast in some good olive oil generously then I smoked it in the vacuum seal bag in another zip-lock bag with my smoking gun. I went with mesquite wood and coffee grounds for added depth of flavor. I seasoned with salt and pepper and waited for the smoke to do its job to mainly the oil and chicken.

I then sealed the bag and into the Sous Vide at 149 degrees Fahrenheit. for about 1 hour. 

This results in a super tender white chicken breast.

My goal:

BBQ Chicken- Almost no one can make this without the chicken coming out too dry- I mean it is really hard to slow smoke the breast to be moist and that is exactly what the Sous Vide can NAIL.

I then shredded the chicken, topped with a bit of hardy slaw, BBQ sauce (my own recipe) and put it on mini biscuits for a chicken smoked slider.

I had a little of the smokey chicken left added some celery, onions, and mayo for a smoked chicken salad- I don't have a picture - I am afraid the tasters finished it before I could snap one.

Don't be afraid to use this chicken on salad, or bun or whatever, it won't disappoint you! If you want more smoke, I found that another 3 minutes in the bag with the gun knocked up the taste but my tasters were happy either way!

Next UP the boneless Pork Chop !!!

Love the Cabbage Leaf,

Logan

On the Tour Corky's a Memphis Classic

You might know that the BBQ tour t-shirt my Dad and I dreamed up finally got printed and so now I am on "The Tour" to be a Q king.

 I started at Corky's a Memphis icon of great Q. Robert Boyd told me about running the pit long ago and how the business has grown to more restaurants, cookbooks, stores and QVC. 

I mean these folks know BBQ and sell BBQ. 

 Now, I have had Corky's ribs many many times and I can tell you they are very good. They have a great smokey taste and just fall off the bone. I like them dry, of course - I am a Memphian! But the wet are pretty darn tasty too. I like the pulled pork it has a perfect BBQ flavor. The onion loaf, cheese plate and tamales are all good. I just noticed they are selling a cat fish so I ordered that even though I was on the tour the allure of something new could not be passed up. It came out hot and fried. I liked it but the sauce was just a bit too pickley for me. My Mom tried the turkey club also new to us and it looked good. 


 They just put up a new wall decoration and it really has brightened the place up. I loved the coke bottle cap detail.



 If you are from Memphis you have already tried Corky's if your from out of town and think QVC has given you the Corky's experience- try them anyway cause no one tells you about the toasty, buttery sourdough rolls almost the best part of eating there !  






I also got to meet the Pitmaster Mr. Robert Boyd!




 Love the BBQ,
 Logan








Corky's Ribs & BBQ

Bon Appetite, Monsieur

A bit of Paris in Memphis, Where? Monsieur Demarcus near the medical center. This new French inspired restaurant brings new flavors for us all to enjoy. 

I wanted to try the crepes since that is what they are most famous for but they do offer sandwiches and some heartier dinner fare at night. They had a tempting sign for bignets too but when there is a page of desert crepes they were destined to go untried.

The table ordered 3 different savory crepes- a chicken pesto with an  herb crepe, the C'est Magnifique a veggie crepe, and La Hash a ham aserigus crepe. These are the top 3 sellers and they were all very good. The crepes were cooked to perfection, not browned or under cooked, very light and the filling was generous and very nicely seasoned.  The ingredients tasted fresh. The plates looked lovely too. That always makes a dish delightful. 

Now I only got to try one dessert crepe, my mom ordered it without even checking with me! Strawberry and Brie. I, of course, asked for some raspberry sauce too. Oh La La.... this sauce was for me. It had hints of woodland raspberries perhaps some raspberry cordial,and it was fantastic. The crepe was light, buttery, just the right sweetness and lovely to look at. I think the whipped cream had powder sugar in it but melted just perfectly. You HAVE to try it!!!


The service was great and the Chef, came to the table and told us all about his dreams, plans and specials. They are having a Friday night Happy Hour 5-6pm, 5 crepes for 5 dollars. This means more dessert!  
Really you need to try it....



Love the cabbage Leaf,
Logan

Memphis: Thursday May 12th BBQ Cravings Thrive

The World Champion BBQ Festival begins...... Are you rooting for the home team?!

Central BBQ has the advantage it is located on Central Ave.
I love the Slab for 2- The ribs are meaty and yummy. I like the dry rub style a Memphis tradition. They're big. French fries, onion rings, and slaw all good.The buns not so much. They could get better buns!
The dry rub hot wings are spicy and smokey and one-of-a-kind delicious. When my family comes to town they are a must have. I have to include the Nacho's - cheesy, meaty, and with the right sauce spicy. The Portabella mushroom sandwich is better than it sounds with a good smokey flavor and sauce. The BBQ chicken is good but the turkey is better. A sausage cheese plate makes a great appetizer.

Memphis has a great variety of BBQ places so choose wisely, or just go to Central.

Love the cabbage,
Leaf