With Memorial Day a couple weeks past, BBQ season is in full swing. We just got a grill for the patio and have been experimenting with it some, hopefully I’ll have some things to post soon about my own adventures.

But this post is about a fixture at a local monthly BBQ. A few of my buddies take turns hosting about 30 people and it’s always a great time, tons to eat and drink, and plenty of time for just a good time. And one of the things we always look forward to are seeing our favorite BBQ guy. Jason hauls his smoker/grill all the way down from New Hampshire and spends from dawn til’ dusk BBQing in the backyard.

Some of the various things he’s done include ribs, steak tips, pulled pork, chili, beans, and wings, all prepared generally the day of the BBQ. If we’re lucky, he vacuum-packs some ribs, puts them on ice and sells them to anyone that might be looking for a BBQ fix later on. And he always sells out!

But what’s great is how passionate he is about grilling and BBQ, even traveling to compete against other avid grillers.

Thanks Meat Guy!

Warming up the smoker

In action, steak tips and wings

Pulled Pork!

Almost ready…!!!

These pictures are from a pot luck I had in December, right after Frank’s triumphant return from Asian subcontinent.

Mac & Cheese

Karen’s Quinoa Salad

Karen’s Other Salad

Jason’s Chicken

Trung’s Banh Mi

Anyway, there were three different broths : Tom Yum, Miso, and Chicken. As main ingredients, we had the following (not enough meat for me though!) : Squid, Fish balls, Beef, Lamb, Chicken, Watercress, 2 different mushrooms, Clams, 2 types of tofu, taro, tomato, broccoli, chives, cabbage, turnip, and some udon noodles. As you could probably tell, it was a LOT to eat.

Here are the pictures!

I ended up making two dishes for the potluck. By request, I made a Baked Brie (I will post the recipe later this week). I made a Baked Brie for the first time at my Housewarming party and ever since, my friends have demanded that I bring it to any special event

The other dish I made was a from a food network recipe my sister sent me. In her own words, it looked “Sooooo Goooooood!” on tv and that I “should make it because food network is awesome.” The recipe is called “spicy” macaroni WITH cheese. I say “spicy” because the recipe (will post later) requires 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Now, some may be very sensitive to that amount of spice, but not my burned out tastebuds. Anyway, I put in a tablespoon and it still didn’t taste spicy at all. Also, this is more of macaroni with cheese rather than macaroni AND cheese…mainly because there’s really more macaroni mass than cheese. This recipe didn’t use any sort of cream or a lot of butter so the creamy cheesy effect isn’t there. That’s not to say that it wasn’t good…it was very tasty! It uses melted mozzarella, romano, and parmesan as well as a dash of cilantro and basil which I found very flavorful.

Anyway, here are the pictures!

The macaroni:

Baked Brie!

Rod Dee food from Frank (Thai restaurant in Brookline…will do a post on them sometime in the future…keep forgetting my camera when I go):

Lisa’s Pork Loin!

Linh’s egg-less brownies:

John brought a cake that I forgot to take pictures of and Jason brought some hummus…which I also forgot to take pictures of. Next time!

Anyway, ended up going to Super 88 (no pics, boo!) with Linh to grab lunch and groceries and she put forth an idea that we could do a mini-potluck and invite a couple other friends. So Jason and Zac ended up over for dinner and some hearty Rock Band.

I’ve never noticed this in the Asian grocery stores but the meats are soooooo much cheaper than in the regular grocery stores. I mean, the quality (Not too sure on that word anyway based on some of the news that’s been coming out of the meat industry) doesn’t seem all that different and you get better cuts, not to mention all the special bits you’d never find at a Stop & Shop

And Super 88 has such awesome lunch selections. Stuffed myself with some Crispy Basil Chicken from Wisteria and a Japche Tukboki from Misono Wok. Forgot to pick up a Vietnamese Sandwich but I doubt I needed it at that point.

So I’ve actually got two recipes today, one courtesy of Linh. Pictures are at the end.

Thit Kho (Vietnamese Pork Stew)

Ingredients
1 lb Pork (Sliced, any type you want)
1/4 Medium Yellow Onion
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Crushed Black Pepper
2 tbsp Caramelized sugar
2-3 tbsp Fish Sauce

Method
1. Throw all of the ingredients into a stew pot, mix together well
2. Add water to the same level as the pork
3. Cook on high heat and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer on medium for 20 minutes
5. Taste frequently (add more seasoning if needed), should be a salty sauce with sweet pork.

Thai Chicken with Basil – Kao Pad Krapao

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Thai chili peppers (Bird chillies)
8 – 16 oz Chicken Breasts/Thighs
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chopped shallots
1/3 cup thai basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Optional:
1 small red bell pepper
1 small yellow onion
Cold cooked rice (for a fried rice-like meal)

Method
1. In a wok or large frying pan, add oil and stir-fry the garlic under medium-high heat.
2. When the garlic sizzles and turns golden, add chillies and chicken.
3. When the chicken is lightly browned, add the vegetables (probably after about a minute)
4. Mix in the sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce and rice (optional).
5. Add shallots, basil leaves and cilantro. Cook about another minute or so, then serve.

Here’s the picture. The Thit Kho is on the left, and the Basil Chicken on the bottom right. Linh made some string beans as well to add a little healthiness to the whole meal. I ended up using too much chili peppers and Jason wasn’t able to handle it too well. But it still was tasty!