Suzi's Blog

Smitty’s Birdland Sauce #2

by Brian on June 16th, 2010 in Cookbook Reviews 1 Comment

Our friend Howard Werner is a world-class wood sculptor. He crafts large, breathtaking pieces that can be found in museums around the country. He’d happily prepare a piece for your home! Howard studied at R.I.T in Rochester, New York. Howard’s other passion is barbeque, and perhaps his love for ‘que began in Rochester at Smitty’s. An outstanding barbeque joint, run by talented former boxer, Smitty’s was most famous for its barbeque sauce, a mixture that is truly different — and better — than all those standard sauces you may have seen and tasted.

Howard has prepared this version of the sauce he remembers. In his version, distinct from Smitty’s sauces you can find on the web, Howard has added fruit which deepens the flavors and adds true complexity. Let this sauce simmer until it is thick as paste.

This sauce on chicken is ideal barbeque. I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet a bit of this sauce, chilled, would combine with bourbon to make a hair-shifting cocktail.

Smitty’s Birdland Sauce #2

Yield:  approximately 1 quart

Ingredients:

6 ounces honey
6 ounces white vinegar
6 ounces yellow mustard
3 ounces ketchup
3 ounces hot sauce [Frank’s if you can find it]
3-4 oranges with rind and/or peaches/mango
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low until thicker. Use immediately or store.

If you want a hotter sauce, as the sauce thickens add crushed red peppers to taste.

Source: Howard Warner

Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned

by Brian on June 5th, 2009 in Cookbook Reviews No Comments

Beyond cookbooks, I love travel books. The new generation of travel books are more like encyclopedias. They provide A-Z details for your destination. One small book will cover history, geography, airports, how to mail a letter, and where to hike on a rainy day. It’s wonderful to have the total package with all the information you need. Better yet, it’s ideal when all that information is actually correct.

Back to cookbooks. If you go to the barbeque section of your local bookstore, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. There are a lot books there, and many of them tend to be hefty. Lots of oversized pages with advice that varies and even contradicts from one book to another. It’s easy to become confused. And all you want to do is cook a chicken with something interesting and gooey spread on it!

Look carefully in that barbeque section. Push those big volumes aside. Look for the slimmer one, the one that looks like a travel book. Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned by Elizabeth Karmel is the one book you want. It is the encyclopedia, the book you can trust. Soaked is filled with wonderful recipes including ones both interesting and gooey for that chicken you have waiting.

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