My Amazing Barbecue Rub

Inspired by an episode of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie on Grass-Fed beef, I created my own amazing barbecue dry rub earlier this summer. As I mentioned in my last blog, it's great on grilled corn with a squeeze of lime and some butter or an nice fruity olive oil. It is also amazing on chicken or beef of course. Simply stated, I combined brown sugar, dry mustard, cumin, cayenne, smoked paprika, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to create a feast for the senses. 

This dry rub can easily be turned into a savory barbecue sauce. Start by sauteing a couple of finely chopped or pressed cloves of garlic in olive oil over low heat. Add a small Vidalia onion, roughly chopped and turn the heat up to medium. Once the onion gets nice and soft and caramelized, deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup of champaign or white wine vinegar. Add about a quarter cup of the dry rub and let it melt down and bubble over a medium-high heat. Now open a can of whole peeled tomatoes, crush them with your hands and add them to the mix. Let it all cook together and reduce for at least 20-30 minutes. The last step it to puree in the food processor or blender to make a smooth sauce. Pair it with a nice Grass-Fed New York strip steak, rubbed with the dry rub and grilled med rare to med, some roasted new potatoes and a green salad simply dressed with a squeeze of lemon and a good fruity olive oil. Bon Appetite!

Grilled Corn on the Cob

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Ash from Philly was in town after a whirlwind weekend in Mexico with his buddies. We had a little barbecue at our place to celebrate his visit and grilled some amazing corn on the cob. Steve and I had been at the Farmer's Market that morning. I looked around for something fresh and intriguing, as I usually do at the market, and found some beautiful fresh local corn. I took it home, soaked it in cold water for an hour or so and proceeded to peel away the outer layers of the husk, leaving a couple of layers for insulation. Steve tossed it on a medium-hot gas grill and turned it frequently for about 8 minutes. I set up a fabulous array of toppings — lime wedges, butter, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika and my homemade barbecue dry rub! The husks and silks peeled away easily and the toppings were perfection! My dry rub was the hit of the party... more on that another day soon! Until then... Peace, Love and Good Food!

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred

Finally back to my blog! Guess my mind just wasn't with it these last few months since I started it. Hopefully that's all about to change. Lots of formatting changes to make and writing to do!

Regardless, here's my version of the Very Good Taste Omnivore's Hundred. I was not surprised to find that I have tried a cool 67 out of the 100 items. I'll pretty much try anything at least once, so I didn't cross through anything. I am extremely hesitant about the Chitterlings, Whole Insects and Road Kill though.


The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake