Ragin Cajun

Liquid Napalm
http://www.cajunheat.com

Another recent trip to New Orleans by another group of friends resulted in another hot sauce experience. This one, though, includes a lot of flavor to the heat. My friend Jakki picked me up a bottle of Cajun Heat's Liquid Napalm. At first glance, you can instantly tell that it's not like a lot of other hot sauces. The texture of the sauce is thick and somewhat chunky, almost like a salsa. Upon first taste, I knew I was going to like this stuff. I read a few reviews on The Hot Pepper http://www.thehotpepper.com and one reviewer said he likes to put this sauce on chicken sandwiches. Quick, cheap, easy and awesome; a frozen, fried chicken breast patty on a bun is a consistent meal for me at home. I normally put hot wing sauce on the sandwich, typically some BWW Blazing sauce so I was prepared to burn my mouth with a new option. The texture of Liquid Napalm is perfect for sandwiches. It spreads very easily like a spicy brown mustard but packs a lot more heat than it's texture counterpart. The flavor of this sauce is amazing. I did not taste any extract that normally overpowers a lot of hot sauces. The heat kicked in instantly but wasn't overwhelming, leaving an excellent taste behind. The ingredients on the bottle are very vague and say "If you knew, you wouldn't eat it!", but I'm sure I still would! With that said, I believe Cajun Heat uses nothing but fresh ingredients in this sauce. A slight hint of sweet, black pepper and habanero flavors combine to make this one of the best sauces I have in my collection. It probably won't last long because Blazing sauce is stepping aside for the time being on my chicken sandwiches.

Beyond Kooky

Kooky Canuck - Memphis, TN
http://www.kookycanuck.com

If you’re in the mood for a burger and happen to be in downtown Memphis, stop by the Kooky Canuck for, what I believe to be, the best burger and fries in Shelby County. If you’re extremely hungry, with a large group of people, or have a death wish, order the Kookamonga. It’s their signature 7 lb burger that helped put the restaurant on the map. As seen in one of the original Man vs. Food episodes, the challenge sounds simple but is something that most have failed at attempting. Eat the humongous burger in under an hour and you get your picture on the wall. I have ordered it with a few friends before but not even 3 heavy-duty eaters could finish it together. It amazes me that some people actually have, one of which has done it 3 times. A few others have finished it in under 15 minutes!

If you’re not in the mood for a burger, the Canuck offers a very unique menu that caters to the well-known Memphis traditions, such as BBQ and fried pickles/green tomatoes, and has a variety of Canadian-style dishes too. I almost always get the mushroom swiss burger myself but mixed it up a little bit recently. I ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich and asked for the “HOLY SMOKE!” sauce. I was amazed with the heat of this sauce that smothers a large, fried chicken breast. I then decided that upon my next visit, I would try this sauce on their hot wings.

The Canuck is a frequent stop for me. I absolutely love the atmosphere, friendly staff, location, unique menu and LARGE beers. For around the same price (if not cheaper) as your average restaurant chain, such as Applebees or Chili’s, you simply cannot go wrong with the Kooky Canuck. Whenever I have friends in town, an event downtown or just an average visit to Beale Street, I almost always stop by for a cold one. During all the Memphis in May festivities, I visited the Canuck a few times. Last week when wrapping up the BBQ Cooking Contest, me and my friend Tim walked over for a beer. Regardless of all the BBQ and wings I could ever dream of for 5 straight days, I finally gave in and ordered a 12 piece of their “HOLY SMOKE!” hot wings. I was instantly sweating after the first wing and knew I was in for a long haul. With 4 left, I debated on throwing in the towel but remained strong and quickly finished them before the thought of quitting entered my mind again. Another 34 oz beer and 30 minutes later, the pain finally ceased. It was apparently comical to the bartender who said a guy earlier in the day couldn’t finish them. She explained that the heat depends on who cooks them that day. She said that their secret is simple: Adding a dose of 53,500 scoville “Endorphin Rush Beyond Hot Sauce” to their hot wing sauce. http://www.hotsauce.com/Endorphin-Rush-Beyond-Hot-Sauce-p/1121.htm They order this stuff by the gallon. The flavor of the sauce mixture was excellent and the heat was truly an amazing experience. I might go back to my usual mushroom swiss burger upon my next visit but let it be known, the Kooky Canuck has some killer hot wings that burned my mouth beyond what I was expecting! Maybe one day they will add a hot wing challenge to their list and I, too, could have my picture on their wall-of-fame.

The Pork Show

2010 Memphis In May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest
http://www.memphisinmay.org

No other event in the entire world focuses more on BBQ than the Memphis In May BBQ Cooking Contest, hosted every May in Memphis, TN. Hundreds of different teams throughout the world enter the event to see who is the King of Swine and win lots of money. There are 4 major categories to enter: whole hog, shoulder, ribs and patio porkers. Smaller competitions can be entered by any team within these 4 main categories that include: beans, slaw, sauces, hot wings, beef, poultry, seafood and exotic. Each team, no matter what category, bring their crews, smokers, tents, scaffolding, trailers, coolers, lots and lots of beer, tons of meat and most important, their A-game. It is by far the biggest event hosted in Memphis each year and is also the most fun I have ever had in my life.

I decided long ago that I wanted to volunteer for Memphis In May but wasn't too sure where I would fit in exactly. I went to a MIM volunteer expo back in February that had several options for Beale Street Music Fest, BBQ Cooking Contest and other events throughout the month of May. Each service for these events is run by a specific committee and all of them had booths set up with committee captains available to explain their services. Upon walking in, I was instantly snagged by the Contestants committee and introduced to one of the Ambassador team captains. It was explained to me that an Ambassador is the middle person between the BBQ teams and the event itself. They aid the teams in anything they need before, during and after the event so they can have the smoothest, most fun time possible. Ambassadors also help out with the on-site judging and blind judging categories for the teams. I fell in love on the spot and didn't hear a word that any other committee told me the remainder of the expo. I found my calling.

We had multiple meetings throughout the winter and spring months to prepare us for the contest. During this time, my involvement interested my buddy Tim, who tagged along for the fun. After all the preparation was final, the time was here. From Wednesday last week until yesterday, Tim and I became the new guys on the park. We were assigned to 5 ribs teams each that are very well known and had excellent spots right on the river. From the moment we walked in the gate, our teams were anxious to meet us and let the good times begin. We worked hard, made new friends, assisted in any way possible and had some of the best BBQ known to man. After 5 days of non-stop action, I was exhausted but would do it again next weekend if given the opportunity.

During our time on the park, I explained Burn My Mouth to many people and some were very interested in the concept. Coors from SSG, one of my teams, brought me some home made hot sauce that is absolutely fantastic. His dad has been making it for many years and he generously gave me a few bottles. Within one of Tim's teams, I was introduced to two guys from Guatemala who are fellow bloggers that write about food and beer around the world, found here: http://harry-approved.blogspot.com/ They brought with them some dried chili cobanero peppers. I have never heard of these and from what was explained, they are only found in Guatemala and other areas in South America. I was given a bunch and ate a few of them in front of many people who were expecting me to fall dead. A very, very hot pepper with lots of flavor made me sweat like mad, but I lived to tell the tale. As the event went on throughout the weekend, I had the pleasure to help out with on-site judging in whole hog. Here, I met the owners of The Shed. http://www.theshedbbq.com I saw these guys on the Food Network and would have never imagined meeting them. Not only did I meet Brooke and Brad, who are the brother and sister of the family-ran BBQ joint, I met their entire family. It was an absolute honor and I was given some of their Spicy ShedSpred which is an amazing, hot BBQ sauce. This will be used on many dishes at home and I plan on visiting one of their many locations once I make it back down to the Gulf Coast.

I have found this blog post difficult to write because of all the amazing experiences and people that we met on Tom Lee Park this past weekend. Too many stories to tell that will always be remembered. I finish my post with some of many pictures taken during the event. If you have had the pleasure of attending MIM BBQ before, then you know how great it is. If you haven't, mark your calendars for 2011 and prepare for one awesome experience!

False Advertising

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
http://www.redrobin.com

I had lunch with a bunch of friends at the Cordova Red Robin last week. I've heard so many people talk about this place but, surprisingly, I have not been there yet. People either liked it or thought it was overpriced for just an average burger. Upon walking in, I noticed that they have a bar with lots of beers on tap. It couldn't be all that bad. I sat down and looked through the menu and noticed they have a "Burnin' Love Burger" that has the following ingredients: crispy-fried jalapeno rings, tangy salsa, spicy pepper jack cheese layered on top of a cayenne-seasoned burger, served on a jalapeno-cornmeal roll with chipotle mayo. All for $9.29. I thought, this sounds so good, it might be worth blogging about. Turns out I was right, but not because it burned my mouth. I write about this burger because it was far from any sort of hot or even spicy. Good burger, nonetheless. It's just very disappointing to pay 10 bucks for a burger that really wasn't any better than something I could get cheaper at Chili's. I might be on the side of the fence that says this "Gourmet Burger" restaurant truly is overpriced, but if I go back, I will try another burger that is described correctly on the menu.

Atomic Lube

Quaker Steak And Lube
http://www.quakersteakandlube.com

I think I found a new favorite wing sauce. My buddy Robert recently went on a business trip to Columbus, Ohio and stopped at a Quaker Steak & Lube wing restaurant that has 35 locations throughout the North/Midwest area. Graciously, he picked me up some of their well-known Atomic Wing Sauce to try out for myself. I thought about the name of this place and remembered that I saw it on Man vs Food. Adam Richman attempts their heat challenge for the Triple Atomic, which is apparently three times the heat that this sauce is. Quaker Steak and Lube is a gas station-themed restaurant that specializes in some of the nation's best hot wings. As I watched this episode, I thought about how awesome it would be to have one of those around here in Memphis. I now think about how lucky Robert is to have went there.

It took a few weeks for me to finally build back up my usual crave for hot wings after the Southern Hot Wing Festival eating contest. I decided to fire up the grill and cook a pack of whole wings a few nights ago. I shook them good with some Abe's seasoning. This comes from a burger joint in Corinth, MS that has the absolute best burgers on the planet and sells their homemade seasonings. One of them makes the most fantastic chicken wing rub. After I took the wings off the grill, I "eye dropped" enough sauce to coat each wing and basted it on them with a brush. After 5 of these whole wings, I could not feel my lips. I was sweating like crazy but nothing was slowing me down. The incredible flavor of this sauce was addicting. I am a grilled wing fan and know how to do them really well. That combined with the Abe's seasoning and basted with this Atomic Wing Sauce, I can easily say these were some, if not, the best wings I have ever grilled. Regardless, none of my doing takes credit away from the amazing flavor of this sauce. I can only dream about eating at a Quaker Steak And Lube in my near future, and if I do, I want to burn my mouth on some Triple Atomic!

Hot Lava

CaJohns Magma Hot Sauce
http://cajohns.com

Recently, some friends of mine went to New Orleans for the weekend and came back with a fiery surprise for me. Magma and Frost Bite hot sauces made by CaJohns out of Columbus, Ohio. Inspired by recipes and peppers found in Southern MS and NOLA, it's only fitting that they sell the sauces on Bourbon St. These are very unique, yet simple recipes. Vinegar, water, salt and capsicum extract. The uniqueness is how the extract separates from the vinegar, creating a lava lamp-like look. Once shaken, the sauce then resembles the familiar look of Louisiana hot sauce. Looks are deceiving, however because the heat is nothing like something found in the grocery store. The extract in the Magma recipe is 1 million Scoville while half as potent at 500k for the Frost Bite. Upon first taste, it was all vinegar which I instantly thought would be perfect on a pulled pork sandwich. The heat kicked in about 10 seconds later and the sweating began. I stopped there for the sake of tasting the Frost Bite, which had a similar flavor but not as hot. They say you can use the Frost Bite in cocktails, but something about a hot martini just doesn't sound good. Either way, I will be using this sauce in various dishes that have a vinegar portion in the recipe. Thank you, Susan and Natalie, for burning my mouth!

Thai that fries

JaJa's River Kwai Restaurant - Collierville, TN
http://www.jajasthaifood.com

In my world's travels, I spent about a month in Thailand. It was an experience that is unforgettable. One of my memories is how the Thais would put crushed Thai reds in just about everything they ate. Everywhere we went to eat, there was at least a chili sauce bottle on the table, if not jars of crushed peppers. That combined with and endless supply of cheap Singha to drink, I enjoyed my eating experience in Thailand.

Fast forward 10 years and my desire continues. I have been to a lot of Thai restaurants around the country and the best since my visit to Thailand are in LA. Anywhere else, they have not been able to crank up the heat well enough for me to consider them authentic. Well, I recently heard about a local establishment that was small on the map but off the charts with great food. Hot, Thai food using fresh veggies growing out of their own garden. This, I had to explore. As I met my friends inside, I was instantly greeted by their friendly staff and ordered a Singha. For my meal, I told the waiter to burn my mouth. He said no problem, simple as that. I didn't have any idea what dish was coming, but I had a good feeling that it would be amazing. For starters, we each had an order of their awesome egg rolls. They served them with a bottle of "Ja Ja's Own Hot Sauce". The authentic Thai chili sauce was now in arm's reach again! As we enjoyed these awesome egg rolls, our dishes were quickly delivered and I was given my fair warning that it was Mother JaJa's "Hot as Hell" special dish. Nervous? Never! I dove in without a care and enjoyed an amazing mix of beef, shrimp, bell peppers, onions, green beans and a very, very spicy Thai chili sauce that was perfectly sweet enough to go with the spice. I was sweating real good about 4 or 5 bites into it and it continued throughout. I was blown away by the flavor. I mixed a lot of the sauce with the side of Jasmine rice which continued the burn. After finishing every bite, I was very full and had to wipe my entire head dry. It was later explained to me that Mother JaJa's random mixes are just that, random, and she can easily raise the level if you dare. Their peppers are more potent in the peak of summer so I was challenged to test her out around then. I was then introduced to the very kind Mother JaJa and thanked her for their hospitality and my burnt mouth. They have hot wings that are served with a very similar sauce in which the level can be risen to your liking as well. I will be trying these next time I go, which won't be long from now! Another post will be a must.