Entries Tagged as 'food'

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My official BBQ review of Super Smokers!

Ok folks, I’ve ate at numerous BBQ joints in my time, some famous and some not so famous but without a doubt there is only one that I would travel out of my way to visit. That one is Super Smokers BBQ in Eureka or St. Peters, MO.! To me there is no better pulled pork, chicken, beef brisket or ribs than at Super Smokers. Marinated with a custom made rub before it is placed in their Fast Eddy smokers made by Cookshack and smoked for hours on end in tasty apple wood!

a smoker full of great meat

a smoker full of great meat

What more could you ask for? Well, how about the choice of BBQ sauces (6 of them!) ranging from a mustardy Caroline sauce, sweet St. Louis, Kansas City, tangy Tennessee, spicy Texas and their own Championship sauce (I think I got all of those right!) placed in empty beer cartons for some atmosphere. All of which are worth the trying and believe me, you get plenty of food to try them all if you decide to! Portion sizes are well worth the money that is charged for this meal and couple it with the home-made applesauce and seasoned green beans (my favorite sides at Super Smokers) and you won’t be able to complain at all.

Now I mentioned atmosphere and Super Smokers is full of that! Once you walk into the restaurant you realize that you are not in some fancy smancy high brow place but instead in a quality eats place that focuses more on flavorful food than they do on “putting on the airs” quite often found in high dollar restaurants. You walk up to the cash register to order your food cafeteria-style after gazing at the array of foods listed on the menu wall (yep, the menu is hand written on the wall and you truly get hungry just reading the choices!). Once you order your food you get a number and find a seat, your food will be right out before you know it.

view from our table

view from our table


hear, see, and speak no evil caricature

hear, see, and speak no evil caricature

The walls are covered with an eclectic collection of memorabilia and writings on the wall (I still remember the first time we went to Super Smokers and they allowed the customers to write comments on the walls, a practice no longer allowed but they still have some remnants around the place). Pictures of what I assume are the 3 original founders of Super Smokers depicted in the famous “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” poses, witty sayings, and an assortment of other items decorate this rustic and interesting establishment. Enough so to feast the eyes as well as the belly in!

Jake and Kimberly

Jake and Kimberly

Couple that with friendly service from wait staff like Kimberly and the General Manager Jake who are friendly, outgoing and eager to ensure your visit there is fulfilling and memorable and you have the makings of a world class establishment fit to serve anyone from the locals to the White House (yes, they have even catered to the White House, check it out!).

So, if you are anywhere near either St. Peters or Eureka, MO and are even a little bit hungry, I highly recommend stopping in and grabbing a rack of ribs or maybe one of the many sandwiches that are offered there. Definitely not only worth dropping in but also worth going back to on each visit down there. Being right outside of Six Flags surely can’t hurt either as it is the perfect place to enjoy a great meal after being slung around on the coasters all day long! This place goes on my favorite places to eat and travel 40 miles to do so list!

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Tags: Family, Fun, food, vacation by shadowchaser
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Grilled whole Chicken

This is a good way to add moisture and flavor to your grilled whole chicken. You may also use this brine for pieces of chicken and cook it indoors as well! I think you will enjoy this one!

Recipe: Grilled Whole Chicken

Summary: best of all flavors, grill and brine!

Ingredients

  • 4 – 5 lb. Roasting hen
    Brining solution (see below)
    olive oil
    onions
    garlic
    paprika

Instructions

  1. Prepare brine solution as described below. Marinate chicken in brine in the refrigerator at least 8 hours and no more than 10 hours being sure that the chicken is fully submerged in the brine. Remove from brine and rinse under cold water twice for at least 30 seconds per rinse. Pat dry with paper towel. Rub outside of chicken with olive oil. Start your grill and keep in mind you wish to maintain a temperature between 250 and 300 degrees F for numerous hours. Mount chicken on one of those devices that make the chicken stand up in the grill (using a device like the Beer Butt Chicken Cooker works nicely). Dice onions and garlic and press into the surface of the chicken (no it won’t stick real well just do the best you can). Sprinkle with paprika. Roast in a closed grill for 3 to 3 1/2 hours until the temperature of the chicken is at least 180 degrees F. If you wish to add a little smoke that is ok as well, just go lightly on it as you can overwhelm the flavoring too much.

Cooking time (duration): all day

Number of servings (yield): 4

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: USA (Traditional)

My rating: 4.0 stars
****

Recipe by on.

Recipe: Standard Chicken Brine

Ingredients

  • 1 gal. water
    3/4 c. salt
    2/3 c. sugar
    1/4 c. olive oil
    1 tsp. ea of dried tarragon leaves, dried thyme leaves, ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. boil your water, add salt and sugar and wait for them to dissolve. Add remainding ingredients and steep for flavors to combine. Cool brine and add chicken AFTER BRINE IS COOL or it will cook in the brine! Ensure chicken is completely covered (weigh it down if needed), place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

Cooking time (duration): 9 hours

Recipe by on.

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Tags: Family, food by shadowchaser
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Student Center Pictures

Here are all the pics I have so far of the current jobsite I am at. This will be the new Student Center at Heartland Community College in Normal, IL.

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Tags: Uncategorized, food by shadowchaser
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Frosted Meatloaf – my version!!

frostedmeatloaf

Recipe: Frosted Meatloaf

Summary: different way to serve meatloaf and mashed potatoes

Ingredients:

  1. Meatloaf ingredients:
    1 lb. ground pork (or sausage or veal)
    2 lbs. ground beef
    1/2 onion
    2 pkgs. onion soup mix
    1 1/2 cups saltine crackers crushed
    2 eggs
    pepper
    bacon

    Frosting ingredients:
    8 or so potatoes (peeled and cubed)
    milk or cream
    butter
    sour cream
    grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl combine the meatloaf ingredients minus the bacon and mix well. Place aluminum foil on a shallow lipped baking sheet and place a wire rack on to sheet with a piece of foil on the rack and holes punched in the foil to allow drainage of the grease. Place meatloaf onto the rack and cover top of foil with bacon strips (tuck the ends of the bacon under the loaf). Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until internal temp is 140 degrees. “Frost” the loaf at this time with the mashed potato mixture made according to the instructions below with a spatula (make it thick!). Place it back into over at 350 until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Place under broiler for a couple of minutes to give it some color. Let sit for 5 minutes and slice and serve!

    Frosting:
    Peel and cube potatoes. Place them into a pan of water and boil until tender. Place into mixer and add some milk, butter and sour cream until mixture is smooth. Add a handful of shredded cheese to add elasticity to the mix.

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Tags: Family, Fun, Uncategorized, food by shadowchaser
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LiveLeak.com – Last Moments Of The USS Belleau Wood

U.S.S. Belleau Wood LHA-3

U.S.S. Belleau Wood LHA-3

This is the ship I called home for four years while I was in Uncle Sams Canoe Club between the years of 1979 and 1983. I have many fond memories of my time on board and the many people that I came to know there. I am also looking for copies (either actual copies or scanned pages) of the first two WestPac Cruises that we took on her in 1981 and 1983. If anyone can help me out with this I would be eternally grateful. I am also looking for some old shipmates:
Luther Black
Cory Nichols
Shoesmith
T.J. Fox
Ed Heiberg
Marty Crowther
Mike Roja
P.J. Munson
Dave Kotowski
Wayne Esper
Glen Vickers
I’m sure I’ll think of others later on….
All of these served on board the U.S.S. Belleau Wood LHA-3 sometime between the years of 1979 and 1983, homeported out of San Diego, CA. If you know these people please let them know I wish to contact them and pass the contact information to me (with their permission of course) in an email or comment here. Thanks!

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Tags: Uncategorized, food by shadowchaser
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