Blog entries

The Ultimate Dead Heat Tie: A Tale of Two Scovie Winners

Lois Manno — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:28:34 +0100

The 2011 Scovie Awards was unique, because For the first time in the competition’s 16-year history, two products tied for the Grand Prize in the Tasting Division. That’s pretty amazing, considering we’re talking about 650 products entered, with a panel of more than 100 judges. Even more remarkable is how different the two winnin...

Scared Straight Turkey Tamales

Lois Manno — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:28:26 +0100

Listen up, little dogs. All of you spoiled little chihuahuas, toy poodles, and terriers have had it too good for too long. Sitting at the screen door, barking at everyone, day in, day out, it's a poor choice for a life path. You're so lucky you don't have it like your ancestors did. Four hundred years ago, Mesoamerican peop...

Tour the Ultimate Chilehead Garden

Lois Manno — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:09:39 +0100

Whether pepper gardening is your passion, or you’re just getting started with that first pot of plants, from now through October you can visit the gardens at New Mexico State University’s Fabian Garcia Science Center in Las Cruces. There you’ll see peppers being grown the way the pros do it, and pos...

Mark and the Beanstalk

Lois Manno — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:49:45 +0100

Before we go on, let’s get a few things straight. I didn’t trade three hundred pounds of steak to a slick city peddler for a few magic beans (it was jalapeño seeds). Nor did I gain a goose that passes precious metals. If I did, I’d be writing this from my personal moon casino.

Rea...

Presto, It's Pesto!

Dave DeWitt — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 10:48:29 +0100

One of my favorite summer things is fresh pesto—spiced up, of course. And one of the main ingredients is basil, although cooks substitute spinach, Italian parsley, and cilantro for the basil on occasion. There are more than 60 species and var...

Ask Chef Mike: Grilling with Wood Planks

Lois Manno — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:11:16 +0100

Q: How do you use wood planks for grilling?

A: Wood planks add another dimension to smoke-cooking. It's the most fun you can have with smoke—without breaking the law! Read more on the Burn! Blog here.

Pungent Pizza on the Grill

Dave DeWitt — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:34:42 +0100

Don't want to heat up the kitchen? Tired of bland commercial pizza? Heard enough about Godfather's Pizza to last a lifetime? Try this spiced up Southwestern pizza cooked on your gril...

Snacking on the Indonesian Oddity

Lois Manno — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 23:15:44 +0100

Ever wonder what it would be like to eat a bat? Culinary adventurer Robert Staudhammer sinks his teeth into some unusual Indonesian street food...and he's lucky it doesn't bite him back! Read about it on the Burn! Blog here.

Volunteers Needed – KCBS Extreme Makeover BBQ Throwdown

Lois Manno — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:10:57 +0100

The Kansas City Barbeque Society has teamed up with TV’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition as it pulls into East Central Kansas to build a new home for a worthy family.

The fundraiser will take place on Aug. 4, a couple of days before the home “reveal.” Read more about how you can help with this great project on th...

Ask Chef Mike: What's the Story on Horseradish?

Lois Manno — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:40:33 +0100

Q: What's a good use for horseradish besides cocktail sauce or as a side with roast beef? And what makes it so hot?

A: Horseradish is a root, similar to wasabi, and a member of the mustard family. Prepared horseradish is grated horseradish root combined with ...

Fiery Foods Now Available Worldwide

Dave DeWitt — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:32:57 +0100

Mail-Order Copies Now Available!

My popular bookazine on chile peppers and fiery foods will be on the newsstands of all the big box stores for another month, but for convenien...

Hickory Smoked Peanuts? You Bet!

Lois Manno — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:59:53 +0100

Vegetarians and vegans rejoice! Now you, too can enjoy the delicious goodness of a great hunk of smoked meat…without the guilt. The geniuses over at Hampton Farms have married the flavor of hickory smoke with dry-roasted peanuts for a truly addictive new snack. In fact, I’m eating them in b...

The 2011 Disc-It Round Up

Lois Manno — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:27:00 +0100

As three-year-olds go, the Disc-It Round Up is pretty developed and well-behaved. It’s an event the folks at Disc-It started in 2009 as their way of giving back to New Mexico's UNM Children’s Hospital for all the care that Disc-It front man Nevin Montano’s daughter and nephew received in t...

Ghost Pepper Challenges

Lois Manno — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:26:04 +0100

Before you enter a Ghost Pepper food challenge, bear in mind: the heat doesn’t stop with your mouth or your last bite. Almost two weeks ago, a guy in Hermosa Beach, California found that out the hard way when he took the Habanero Sam’s Burrito Challenge at Amigos Tacos.

Ask Chef Mike: Why Heatless Jalapeños?

Lois Manno — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:21:20 +0100

Q: I heard about some guy who has developed a jalapeño pepper with no heat. Why would anybody do that?

A: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Some manufacturers of hot products prefer to use heatless chile varieties and add heat later during processing through ...

It May Be the World's Largest, but Where's the Green Chile?

Lois Manno — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:49:34 +0100

Over the July 4th weekend, a new world's record for the biggest burger was set, featuring 777 pounds of beefy fun. We congratulate the folks at Juicy’s for the record, with one caveat: while it may have passed muster (or mustard!) by California standard...

Scorpion Fields Doing Great

Dave DeWitt — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:02:16 +0100

Marlin Bensinger reports on his field of 'New Mexico Scorpion' chiles in a field near Las Cruces: "The peppers are starting to get their growth spurt. Most peppers are 9 to 10 inches tall. No bloss...

Cool Down on the Fourth with A Firecracker

Lois Manno — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:39:55 +0100

This drink looks too good to be legal...but it is, proving that epic July 4th fireworks can be served up in a glass as well as in the sky. Wow your Fourth of July barbecue guests with the Riazul Firecracker. This spicy cocktail, infused with Riazul Premium S...

Call for Entries, 2012 Scovie Awards!

Lois Manno — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:00:07 +0100

The 2012 Scovie Awards Competition is accepting entries. Now in its 16th year, the Scovie Awards is the world's largest professional competition for fiery foods and BBQ products.

Produced by Dave DeWitt's Sunbelt Shows—producers of the N...

Ask Chef Mike: Getting More Smoke Flavor from a Gas Grill

Lois Manno — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:43:24 +0100

Grilling authority Chef Mike Stines shares his recommendations about using wood chips with a gas grill. Read all about it on the Burn! Blog here.