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yum! slow smoked ribs

After some great beer, food and seeing moe. perform the night before, Sunday was time for more food and relaxation.  During my bachelor party we setup a date to get together and have a rib competition.  Last year it was meat loaf and that was great, this year we changed it up and did ribs.  Several people bailed at the last minute or just didn’t show up but we still managed to have a good crowd to watch the Skins play and eat some ribs.

The game started at one that afternoon and we talked first about eating at the start of the game, then it changed to half time, finally at 4 regardless of if the game was over or not. Like most family meals we ate later then planned at 5. I must say that it certainly was worth the delay.  Nancy and I got a late start out of the houses because we had to get the grill into the Jeep.  I could have used my dads gas grill but when you are cooking ribs, who wants to cook on gas?  Matt even offed to drive my grill up but I was certain we could get it in her Jeep, boy was I wrong.

It was close to 2 by the time we got my grill assembled at my dad’s house and ready to start firing up the charcoal.  Matt was not running late but thankfully waited till I was ready before starting his own ribs.  Even thought this was not a competition in the strictest sense, he would not tell me what recipe he was using.  I think I intimidated him by saying I was cooking three racks using two different rubs/sauces.  For weeks Nancy and I have been testing out different recipes to find the perfect one for this competition. Since I still had many of the ingredients from the last batch, I just decided to do two. I did the famous maple ribs and a newer one, dinosaur ribs.

With the ribs finally on the grill, all Matt and I could do now was sit back and relax. We drank a few beers and talked about the previous nights show.  In the background the Skins were playing the Dolphins but that was not much of a game, certainly not worth watching.  Two hours later we pulled off the ribs to the delight of the assembled family, everyone was eager to get their figures dirty.  With the cooking done I finally found out what recipe Matt used, the red eye one from the same book I have which calls for coffee and chili powder in the rub and sauce.  To top the evening off my dad and Pat got a cake to celebrate my birthday the following day.

Despite the Skins loosening it was a great day.  I got to cook some great food, drink a few beers and spend lots of time with the family, even my brother and Audrey came out.  The weather was perfect that afternoon, most of our time was spent outside so I of course smoked a cigar to pass the time.  We have already started work on the next “competition” which might be chili if we do it in winter or wings if we wait till spring.

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My dad turned 65 over the weekend so we helped him celebrate another year on earth by going to Foti’s in Culpeper, VA.  Pat got a room at a B&B in Remington with dinner at Foti’s to complete the celebration.  Pat coordinated with the family to get as many of us as possible to show up for dinner and it turned out wonderful.  We have done this in the past so it was not a big surprise when he saw everyone there to help him celebrate.  Matt, Tracy, Bobby, Nancy and myself all made the trip out for the evening.

We were told to meet at the only pub in town by 7pm for drinks before heading to the restaurant.  Pubs have always been a “go to” place when we get together for drinks.  Usually the beer selection is good and the atmosphere is relaxed.  This place was anything but, in fact it was a dump.  Our caravan of merry people arrived right on time to find the place not officially open, the staff was getting ready for some beach party that night.  We grabbed a drink and headed to the upstairs balcony to relax where we meet the folks.

At the appointed time we headed down the block to the restaurant for our reservations.  Walking into the place it was well appointed with just enough light to see things but dim enough for perfect ambiance.  The restaurant was full but not crowded which was nice.  Looking over the menu it was not extensive but the selection looked amazing.  Chef, Frank Maragos, worked at the Inn at Little Washington before opening Foti’s and put together an good menu of diverse dishes.  He obviously has talent if he worked at the Inn and put this menu together.

a good turn out for dinner

We sampled several of the appetizers and they all where amazing.  I got the special appetizer for the night, shaved lamb on toasted bread and what looked like bruschetta topping.  This was a cold dish with the meat tender and the flavor pairings worked nicely.  Nancy wanted to try the escargot, I know they are snails but I have never eaten them before.  On Nancy’s recommendation I tried it and was impressed, they were tender and flavorful.  The last appetizer for the table was vanilla roasted Maine lobster and it was huge.  It must have been a 1/2 pound of tail and call with a hint of vanilla flavor, tender and not rubbery.  So far things are off to a good start, I have quelled my hunger paints a little yet still wanting more.

For the main course I got the black pepper corn encrusted salmon and it was amazing like everything else.  It came with roasted local vegetables and couscous as the sides.  Everyone’s food was amazing and for about 15 minutes there was silence at the table as we all ate our meals and drank our wine.  Nancy got the chicken, Matt the rib eye, Pat and Bobby the beef tenderloin, my dad the duck (he’s a sucker for duck), Tracy scallops.  Everyone raved about their choice and some even licked their plates clean it was so good.

After such a great meal it would be a shame to not have some dessert so we ordered that to finish the night off.  I got the hazel nut ice cream with cookies and because it was my dad’s birthday they gave him a special “Happy Birthday” dessert which he at least sampled.  We even got a visit from the chef which was really cool.

Happy Birthday Dad

By now we could do little more than just sit there and enjoy the last few sips of wine and marvel at the exceptional dinner we just completed.  I can’t stress enough how good the food was that night.  It was certainly not cheap but for a nice evening out it is a real winner.  Being Culpeper we closed the restaurant down just after 10pm but the night was not complete yet.  We headed back to the pub which was in full swing as a night club, complete with trashy woman and pumping music.  We instead went to the only other open place that night the Smoking House just down the street.  It is a real country bar with country music, I saw a guy with spurs on his boots and several pin ball machines.  Here we had a few drinks before closing this bar down as well around midnight.  I was not to thrilled with this after party and was looking forward to get back home.

We said our goodbyes and piled into Bobby’s 4Runner for the hour drive back to there house.  It was past 1:30 when we arrived but the party was still going.  We sat on the deck to enjoy another round of drinks and I was enjoying the mostly full moon on a clear night.  By the time 3am rolled around it was finally time for bed.  All we can hope for it to wake up the next morning and enjoy another day.  My dad has been saying these words for years now and I am inspired by this simple outlook on life.  He doesn’t require much, just wants to get up each morning.

This local brewery from Delaware has blown up in the last 5 years or so.  I remember going to the original ale house in downtown Rehoboth Beach long before they became popular.  We would go to get some great craft beer and honestly, some ok food.  But it was the beer that set this place apart.  Over the years they have increased their distribution area and it is very easy for me to find this beer in my local super market here in Norther Virginia.  Discover Channel even had a short lived tv show featuring Sam and Dogfish called Brew Masters.

Enough with the brewery, this post is about the incredible dinner they had.  Father’s Day was a few weeks ago and I missed it because I was on Phish tour (night 1, night 2, night 3).  For the last few years Phish has played on Father’s Day, usually in Saratoga Springs (2004, 2009 and 2010) and this year in Portsmouth.  When I am getting tickets I never realize what the date is, I am just looking for some close shows to attend.  Back in 2010 I got called back home and missed the SPAC Father’s Day show, but I caught the first year at SPAC and I was making the Portsmouth show this year.  I did of course call my Dad from the road and wished him happy Father’s Day and that I would take him out for dinner on my return to celebrate.

For a few years now my Dad has always paid when just the two of us go out for dinner and I thought it should be my turn to treat him.  It had been a while since our last dinner together and we both love beer so when I saw the announcement I jumped at the chance.  Since they opened their ale house in Fairfax and Seven Corners I have gotten their emails about dinners but never had the chance to attend one.  This I was looking forward to trying.

an incredible menu, click to enlarge

My Dad and I meet Nancy at the bar before the dinner for a quick drink before dinning.  Work has been crazy for Nancy so it was good to get her mind off work and enjoy a beer.  Later she went to dinner with Pat at Madigan’s Waterfront in Occoquan.  When the dinner started my Dad and I took our beers to the table and were surprised to find a full class of Festina Peche waiting for us, this was what I ordered from the bar.  It is a tart wheat beer with a hint of peach and I love it.  It certainly is not for everyone, but I dig the tartness and the hint of peach.  Many times when a brewer add fruit to their beer all you taste is the fruit and I hate that.  This one is well balanced and extra special with the tartness.  Abita Purple Haze and Magic Hat #9 are two other “fruit” beers I think are really good.

We got put into a booth and quickly meet our dinner quests for the night, two really cool guys who’s names I can’t remember.  We talked all night about beer and life in general.  One of the guys is an Archer fan so he got mad brownie points with me.  Thankfully he informed us that as the night went on the size of the beers would get smaller, after all there were five courses.  But as the glasses got smaller the alcohol content went up so it was really just a wash.

The night started off with three large bacon wrapped scallops that I thought was for the table but in fact was for each person.  They were cooked perfectly and I thought the peach wheat beer paired nicely.  Second course was potato salad with lobster paired with Burton Baton.  The potato salad was good, nothing special and I am not a big fan of the giant insects called lobster.  Even the beer was just ok, high alcohol content and a strong taste.  I thought they should have paired a lighter beer to go with the delicate salad.  I would have also preferred a lettuce salad, but that is just me.  In fact this was the only miss of the whole night.

Next up was the soup course and it was clam chowder paired with Shelter Pale Ale.  First thing we all noticed was the soup was broth based and not the traditional cream based chowder I am use to.  The broth was light but you could still taste the clam/sea/salt.  The beer was light of course and didn’t overpower the subtle flavors of the soup.  Surprisingly the guy who grew up in New Jersey never had clam chowder before and ate every last drop of it.

Next up is the main course, blue cheese stuff petite filet.  By this point we are all getting full but I was determined to eat all the courses.  My jaw dropped as I cut into the filet and tasted it.  It was perfectly cooked medium-rare and the flavor combo of blue cheese and port wine reduction was incredible.  The potatoes had a great flavor of bacon and cheese, creamy yet still a little lumpy, just the way I like it.  Even the brussel sprouts had a great tang and flavor.  The Raison D’Etre was a so so beer, like the name suggests it has a raisin flavor and was heavy as crap.  This beer was hard to finish but I forced myself to drinking it all.  Now and again I kept going back to the Festina Peche to cleanse my pallet.  By the time I was half done with the main course I had already eaten and drunken a ton and was completely full.  If this was a normal meal I would have yelled uncle and taken it home with me.  I wad determined to finish everything, even if I did happen to slow down a bit.  It was just to good to not finish.

Finally dessert came out which was a waffle, ice cream, maple syrup and MORE BACON.  The desert was incredible and I was surprised my Dad actually finished his, not just sampled.  He is known for not eating desserts but on rare occasions and this was that rare occasion.  Unfortunately as good as the dessert was the beer was anything but.  It was the Sah’ Tea which is brewed with juniper berries just like gin.  Next they add all these spices and add them to the mix.  The beer is brewed in a traditional style with heated river bed rocks but I must say the smell is awful.  All you can smell is flowers and taste nothing but juniper.  This one I could barely drink, back to my Festina Peche.

Around 9:30 we finally finished, stuffed and fully satisfied we headed home.  We were thoroughly impressed with the operation and I can’t wait to go back for another beer dinner.  One of our table mates has been to several of these and says the menus have never been repeated.  The only thing I was disappointed about was my Dad and I never really talked.  We chit chatted all night of course, but usually when he and I go to dinner we have some deep discussions.  Guess I will have to take him out for another dinner here shortly.

Potomac Point Winery villa

Full List of Wines | Bistro Menu

Nancy will agree with this, but I am not one for Valentines Day.  I believe everyday we should not only tell the ones we love, that we love them, but we should show it everyday of the year.  Why should I single out only one day to show my love and appreciation for someone?  So inline with my philosophy I don’t make a big deal out of the “holiday.”  Especially one exploited by retail businesses to make a buck and has long lost its religious meaning.

What I am not apposed to is doing something special for Nancy, we just happened to do something special this past Sunday.  Our local vineyard in Stafford, Potomac Point Winery, was having a wine and dessert pairing event on Sunday afternoon.  Living in the area for so long, we have never visited this winery less than 10 miles from the house.  The wine pairing sounds like a good excuse to finally visit this place we have been threatening to for so long.

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I don’t know how this saying came about, but your 30′s are called the “dirty 30′s.”  I have been in my thirty’s for a few years and there is nothing dirty about them.  I will say that most people have grown up and will continue to grow up while in their 30, becoming more responsible with each passing year.

The last of the 20-somethings, Nancy, had her birthday on Sunday so we celebrated with some friends and family at the house.  I was in charge of cooking and Nancy wanted ribs, mac and cheese, and grilled vegetables for the evening.  For an appetizer I cooked a kick ass brie dish that was completely gone in no time.  The mac and cheese receipt was taken from a grilling cookbook.  For the ribs I was able to use my new rib rack that Matt got me for Christmas and rib cook book that went along with it.  The three racks I purchased fit nicely in the rack and I got to cooking around 4pm.

I was busy in the kitchen prepping food when our guests started arriving about 5:30.  I was so busy getting things ready I completely lost track of the time and didn’t start cooking the ribs till almost 7:30.  We planned on eating around 8 so I blew that time out of water real quick.  In the end there where two 45 minute cooking seasons before the ribs were finished.

To prepare the ribs I used a maple and brown sugar rub and separate maple glaze for the ribs and I must say they were fantastic!  I was a little worried about the time it would take to cook everything and the ribs not coming out good.  In the end the cook time took longer than I estimated but the ribs where cooked perfectly and everyone loved them.  It was a good feeling that for 10 minutes the house was quit.  All evening the the house was filled with conversation and commotion, you could hear a pin drop while everyone ate the ribs.  We ate two racks for diner and later in the evening we finished off the last rack as a late night snack.  The only thing I screwed up was the timing, but that didn’t matter when the food was finally served.

I started the ribs off for 45 minutes of indirect heat on the grill, to this I added a handful of smoking chips to each pile of coil.  After the initial 45 minutes it was time to add more coals and start the vegetables cooking.  I got a second pile of coal going and put the ribs right over the head, flanked on each side by vegetable skewers.  I also used this time to apply a generous amount of glaze to the ribs.  Half way through the basting process while talking to Nancy I see the door open and someone yelling “there is a fire in the kitchen” with the fire alarm going off in the back ground.  I couldn’t believe it and being right in the middle of basting the ribs I couldn’t do much about it.  I asked Nancy to investigate for me and she confirmed that yes there was a fire in the oven.  The mac & cheese was suppose to brown under the broiler and I put the food to close to the burner so the crust caught on fire.  I never panicked, I just calmly put the lid down on the grill and walked in side.

Everyone was gather in the kitchen not sure what to do.  Tracy was desperate to put the fire out, scurrying around looking for a fire extinguisher I suspect.  First job was to stop that damn fire alarm, so I barked at Bobby to pull it off the ceiling and take it outside, now I could hear myself think.  I grabbed an oven mitt and pulled out the casserole dish from the oven, indeed it was on engulfed in fire.  Then as the calm person I am I blew out the fire, crisis over.  The mac & cheese was a little worse for ware but everyone was safe and the house was still standing with no damage.  I looked at Nancy and asked if that was enough excitement for her birthday.  The casserole didn’t look pretty, but I scrapped off the burnt crush, reapplied a fresh layer and put it back in the broiler much lower from the heat source.  After the only emergency of the night was over I went back outside to tend the ribs while everyone else went back to talking, smoking and drinking.

Another 45 minutes passed and it was time to pull the ribs off the grill.  At this point it was well past 9pm and I was nervous.  I had never cooked ribs before and I was not sure how they would turn out.  Would they be cooked enough, burned, taste like crap?  I didn’t know.  When I opened the grill lid to look a quick scan revealed the vegetables looked perfect and ribs didn’t look burn, but I was only looking at the underside so not a good judge.  As I brought the three slabs into the kitchen everyone has assembled to watch, which is typical when someone in the family grills.  I laid them on the cutting board and flipped them over…..they looked amazing!  The next test, doneness.  When I cut into the first one it was perfectly cooked with just a bit of juice.

After eating it was time for a nap, everyone was so full the food coma was quickly setting in.  To jolt use back to life the smokers all had a cigarette in the cold, another round of shots and time for a little dancing.  For Christmas Nancy got Dance Party 2 which we played for almost 2 hours.  Of course the the fellas didn’t fell much like dancing but after I got up there and showed them how it was done everyone loosened up.  We traded off between everyone and had a grate time shacking our booties.  I know Nancy took a few videos and I don’t even want to see what I look like, I probably look like a fool but it certainly was fun.

Another cigarette outside which brought us just past midnight and officially Nancy’s birthday.  A quick happy birthday and some awesome cookies Matt made and it was back in side.  This late in the evening we lost Nicole and Jeff but the rest of use stuck it out for a round of poker.  It is becoming something of a tradition that when the family gets together for a party we get at least one round of poker in.  The stakes are only $5 but it is a ton of fun talking shit.  We killed the last rack of ribs while playing, had to satisfy the midnight munchies and the ribs certainly hit the spot on that.

The next morning the ladies where not feeling well.  Both Tracy and Nancy had a lot to drink, I think it was the jello shots that put them over the edge.  Thankfully Bobby was feeling good and made some kick ass omelets for everyone using the grilled vegetables and left over cheese from the night before.  The rest of the day Nancy and I didn’t do crap.  It was a lazy day spent watching tv and getting a few things done around the house.  I personally couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday