Cooking with Coley

OK so what do I know about Texas? Fair question.  I am not even a BBQ expert by any means.  But what I can tell you is that I am eating Sweet Cheeks’ Mac and Cheese for breakfast right now because I can’t resist the leftovers sitting in my fridge.  They deserve to be eaten–even at 10am.  The food is that good.

We went to this new hot spot in Fenway last night. With a smokey aroma luring in all of Boylston Street and Top Chef runner up, Tiffani Faison, essentially cooking in front of you in the open kitchen, it’s no surprise there was a packed house.

While the place is still experiencing some growing pains (some overwhelmed bartenders and a kitchen in the weeds on a slammed Friday night), the friendly service, the ambiance and most importantly the delicious food will keep me going back for more.

The Eats: The menu is straightforward. None of that overly complicated stuff.  You can expect to order anything and everything you really need in terms of BBQ –from pulled pork, pork ribs, short ribs, brisket and pork belly to delicious sides like the aforementioned mac and cheese and baked beans.  Recommendations?

• We kicked off the dining experience with fried okra and honey biscuits — a great prelude to the meal.   The over-sized biscuits paired with honey butter were perfectly sweet and delicious. The okra was lightly breaded, crispy and not greasy.
• The pulled pork was my favorite, but I also tried the pork belly and short ribs which were impressively flavorful and tender.
• And for sides?  The broccoli and cheese casserole was especially rich but still quite yummy.  The creamy mac and cheese with breadcrumbs and bbq beans were my favorites.

The meat comes sauce-less, so you can enjoy every bit of the smokey taste.  As a condiment lover, I tend to pour on the sauce but it just wasn’t needed!  While I added a touch of the table bbq sauce and tad of the hot sauce, I didn’t want to overpower the incredible flavor packed in the meat itself.

The Drinks: Some southern-style stiff drinks are great complements to the meal while the beer list is impressive featuring some of our favorites from around the country (e.g. Abita and Bear Republic).

Get yourself some Q! Pricier than you’re typical BBQ joint (we’re talking $12 for a pulled pork sandwich; plus $6 for 2 sides), but worth every penny. Looking forward to checking this place again in a couple weeks when they smooth out the kinks, and it’s just good food, good booze and good times.

Sweet Cheeks Q is located in the Trilogy building on Boyslton Street (where the old Cambridge 1 was). If you’re going on a weekend, make a reservation because this place will be jammin’.

1381 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02215   |  617.266.1300

I was recently invited by the Jamaica Tourist Board, along with select other bloggers and press, to attend a culinary tour and experience the tastes of Jamaica. Awesome right? Unfortunately, due to a full-time job, I was unable to make it work.  

So instead, a close friend of mine went in my place.  As the editor of Cocktail Enthusiast and booze aficionado, Kevin was the perfect candidate for Jamaican rum tastings.  But in addition to his expertise of cocktails and spirits, Kevin has a refined pallet and appreciates good eats. A perfect fit for the tour!

Lucky for us, Kevin saved a special post exclusively for Cooking with Coley. I’ll let him take it from here…

Before my recent trip to Jamaica, I knew very little about the cuisine. My knowledge started and ended with jerk chicken and rum, so I was anxious to learn more about the country’s food. Naturally, my gluttony assisted me well, as I managed to cram about three weeks’ worth of eating into five days.

Some culinary highlights –

Jerk Chicken

There’s a reason it’s popular. This delicious style of cooking refers to the spice rub that’s applied to chicken, pork and seafood. The jerk seasonings are principally allspice and Scotch Bonnet peppers (more on these guys below), but can also include thyme, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and more. The result is intensely flavored food with a hearty kick. I sampled jerk dishes at several restaurants throughout Jamaica, but found the local favorite, Scotchies, to be the best. In the below photo, A Scotchies’ employee reveals the jerk chicken slow cooking over a pit fire.

Scotch Bonnet Peppers

This native pepper is a ubiquitous flavoring agent in Jamaica, finding its way into jerk seasoning rubs, soups and many sauces. To give

you an idea of the heat using the industry standard Scoville units, Scotch Bonnet peppers have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 units. The jalapeño, for comparison sake, has a heat rating of around 2,500 to 8,000 units. Remember the fiery heat that a jalapeno’s seeds can give off, then imagine that heat intensified about 50 times. Therein lies the appeal of the Scotch Bonnet pepper. It’s extremely hot, but when used in moderation, it’s a delicious topping to jerk chicken or rice and peas, and it’s a great flavor enhancer for soups.

Speaking of soups, locals noted that Scotch Bonnet peppers are dropped whole into soups during cooking. But they’re always fished out before the soup comes to a boil, as boiling soup can cause the pepper to burst. A single burst pepper can ruin an entire vat of soup, rendering it too hot to eat.

Ackee and Saltfish

This breakfast staple is the national dish of Jamaica, and it quickly became a favorite morning treat, equally valuable for curing hangovers and fueling long travel days. Ackee resembles scrambled eggs, but it’s actually a West African fruit brought over to Jamaica in the 1700s. To prepare the dish, ackee is boiled and then sautéed with salted cod, tomatoes, onions and spices. 

June Plums

This new-to-me fruit grows in tropical climates like the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Eaten raw, it’s sour and slightly crunchy, like a mixture between a plum and a green apple. Locals often sprinkle the raw fruit with salt, which creates a fun play between sour and salty. The fruit can also be cooked down into jams, relishes and sauces, or stewed with water and sugar to create an applesauce-like treat. The June plum was also featured in a popular, refreshing Jamaican drink of June plum juice sweetened with sugar and spiced up with a hint of ginger.

Thanks Kevin, for doing the heavy lifting and taking one for the team by going to Jamaica.  ;) Luckily, I’m off to explore the region myself in two days to celebrate a close friend’s wedding on 11.11.11. Looking forward to trying those scotch bonnet peppers, and finding out for myself if cod for breakfast is really a good idea.   

Kevin Gray is a Dallas-based journalist and cocktail enthusiast who’s work has also appeared in AOL, The Huffington Post, Gear Patrol, USAToday.com and Where Magazine. Check out Cocktail Enthusiast and follow Kevin’s journey through new spirit tastings and classic cocktail reviews.

The candy is all gone and the excuse to dress up is over, but you don’t have to wait until next year to be inspired by the season.

I received a fun tip from Nueva Cocina on what to do with those pumpkins that you didn’t get around to carving.  It’s creative and healthy, so I’d thought I’d pass it along!

Tip:  Don’t toss those pumpkins, use ‘em to make something yummy!

Here’s their recipe:

PUMPKIN FIESTA RICE

What you’ll need:

• 1 Package of Nueva Cocina® Mexican Rice Mix (of course you can use the rice mix of your choice)
• 4 small pumpkins (3 for serving purposes and 1 for recipe ingredient)
• 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 2 to 3 small pumpkins, depending on serving size, for baking or steaming

Procedure: 

Cut pumpkins in half, leaving the rind on.  Remove seeds and strings.  Rub pumpkins with olive oil and some salt. Place halves on baking sheets with rind side up. Place a small amount of water in the pan. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350-degree oven.  If you prefer to steam the pumpkins, place halves in steamer with rind side up. Steam until meat and rind are soft.

Combine 1 Cup of pumpkin meat, peeled and cubed with all the ingredients in a package of the Nueva Cocina® Mexican Rice Mix and follow the cooking directions on the box.  When done, serve the rice in half of a small pumpkin for an excellent presentation and great added texture and flavor.

Note: I haven’t tried this recipe.  In fact, I’ve yet to try any of Nueva Cocina’s products before now, but I like the sound of them – they are 100% natural – which means only premium ingredients with nothing artificial added and no preservatives.  Plus, I dig Latin flavors.  I’m expecting some review samples and will report back soon!