Wednesday, August 29, 2012

This is when it gets fun!

     It's late August. Summer is winding down, fall and its cooler temperatures are just around the corner, the kids are back in school, Ravens regular season games are about to start and.....the Orioles are three and a half games back from the Yankees for the AL East Division lead?! Um, what?

     Yes, let's go over that last bit again. Your Baltimore Orioles are just 3.5 games from the overpaid but fairly dominant New York Yankees. How..did...this...happen? Well, looking at the roster would make most people scratch their head. Most people would only be able to name 1-2 players, and the others would just be guesses.

     It's to their tremendous credit what Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette have assembled for a team this year. I'm pretty sure some duct tape and a bit of spackle may be involved, but its holding its own and taking names along the way. Mike and I have made no bones about us growing up as Red Sox fans, and for that matter, I still am with all my heart. As a side note for the record, I am thrilled with the unloading of Beckett, Crawford, and Gonzalez. Originally I was keen on seeing them all signed, but just because you have big name players doesn't mean that translates into a winning team.

     This year's Orioles squad, for that matter, reminds me very much of the early 2000's Red Sox teams. Sure a couple big names, but getting work done and winning as a cohesive group through good starting pitching, some excellent and patient hitting, good defense, and a superb bullpen. The fact they are playing as a team, has me excited about the possibilities ahead. Will they win a World Series this year? Let's not get ahead of ourselves as yet, still some great series and baseball to be played.

     This weekend's matchup against the Yankees, then playing the Rays, Yank again at home, and Red Sox at the end of September are still big obstacles to overcome. Don't think for a second that Red Sox team will forget what happened last year and would love to play spoiler to Baltimore's chances of making the playoffs, much as the Patriots defeated the Ravens from making the Super Bowl.

     Stay excited though, get out to the Yard and support these boys when you can! They've earned it by now and I'm pretty sure no matter what, the dreams of this summer and what the Orioles are doing will carry into the future.

- Greg

Monday, August 27, 2012

The best dry Rubs and Mops

     Many people ask me about Dry Rubs and Mops. The questions I get often are, "Do you season all sides of the meat?" and "What is the best brand to use?" or, "How long should I cook it for?" lets not forget, "What is a Mop?" That one usually comes with a wrinkled nose and scrunched eyebrows. So lets tackle these questions one by one.

     "Do you season all sides of the meat?" Yes I do! Weather it is grilling or slow smoking I want that meat to be full of flavor, but not over powering! This takes practice, you need to know what you are cooking with. Gas, Coal, or Wood? If I am doing burgers, steaks, chicken, fish, hot dogs, veggies or something else that cooks quick I like to use the gas grill. If I am cooking something that needs several hours like, a Pork Shoulder, Ribs, half a Chicken, Beef Brisket, or slow smoked Salmon I like to use wood. For my base I like to use Cowboy Charcoal 16488 Hardwood Lump Charcoal, 8.8-Pound this gives your meat that nice natural woody flavor and it is easy to get started. For my smoke flavors I like to use different types depending on the meat type. For Fish and Pork I like to use either Weber 17004 Apple Wood Chips, 3-Pound or (Mainly ribs and pork shoulders)Char-Broil 2184767 Mesquite Wood Chunks, 5-Pound Bag.
For beef and chicken I like to use Char-Broil 2184766 Hickory Wood Chunks, 5-Pound Bag. Some people ask me about whiskey flavored wood chunks. I find it to be cheaper to just head to the local store and buy a bottle of your favorite whiskey and instead of soaking your wood chunks in water, soak them in a little bit of whiskey (Since I am in the USA, this is for those of us who are 21 years of age or older ONLY).

     "What is the best brand to use?" Again it is all about your own personal tastes. I like to use the following:

 Not every one is a fan of premixed seasoning, but the stuff listed above is awesome and I use it all!

     "How long should I cook it for?" There is a rule of thumb and you must do your best to follow it if you are doing a large cut of meat like a pork shoulder or a beef brisket. An hour and a half of cooking time per pound. Your temp for low and slow should be steady around 250 to 270 and try not to go over 300. Remember real BBQ is never and I mean NEVER wrapped in tin foil! You are here to BBQ your meat not steam or boil it! When your meat is at it half way point for cooking time it is time to start "Moping".

     "What is a Mop?" The term came from the popular tool used to baste large cuts of meat. Thats right, when you go to any major BBQ competition you will see some people using kitchen mops to apply their secret marinade to their large cuts of meat. The video below is a good starting point for any one who wants to make their own mop. I used this as abase for my last pork shoulder and added some things to make it more to how I wanted it.

     So there you have it! Now its time to go out and select a nice cut of meat and some veggies to match! Even if this is your first time just remember to not rush! Low and slow is always a good call if your aim is tender and juicy BBQ meat. So invite some friends and be sure to enjoy some 
Moxie Soda 12 oz 6 pack 4/6pks!!! This goes best with brisket!!!

-Case




Shop Epicurious logo

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Grilling Steak

     It is hard for me to go to some ones house and watch them grill meat the wrong way. The worst is when some one just slaps a nice T-Bone steak on the grill with no seasoning! You want to know how to make a nice juicy steak on the grill? Below is what I do when grilling steak.

     The first step is selecting a quality cut of beef. Which means you need to know who you are buying from. Some places will have nice looking meat but when you get to it the beef feels tough. The raw meat should be tender and not tough at all. There should also be very little fat in the meat, it is ok to have fat on the outside edges but if the beef looks marbled with lots of fat I recommend to keep looking for a better cut. Once you have selected your cut of beef it is not time to think about seasoning. What flavors get you excited when you think of beef?

     When prepping steak for the grill I like to have the meat marinade for a few hours. I will usually season it the night before. I like to start with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (regular Olive Oil is ok to use as well) make sure you spread it on both sides. Then I will sprinkle some Onion Powder, then some Garlic Powder (If you prefer fresh onion and garlic that is fine to use as well). I then like to use a steak rub from McCormick's line called Grill Mates. I used just a touch of their Cowboy Rub then a lot of their Molasses Bacon Rub. Be sure to season both sides of the steak! One step people seem to almost overlook when getting ready to cook steak on the grill is allowing it to get to room temperature before slapping it on the grill. Its easy to get excited and forget but don't!

     The one thing you never want to do is over cook or under cook your steak! I like mine medium-rare to medium, the wife likes hers well-done.  It will take some practice but once you know and love your grill you'll knock it out of the park every time! The key to quality grilling is knowing what you like and being able to not cook things too fast! Allow yourself time, your steak needs a minute or so to rest before you serve it.

Some T-Bone's I tossed on the grill last weekend.

     Summer is coming to an end but that does not mean that the grill needs to be shut down! Do you grill in the fall or winter? Share with us what you like to grill in the colder seasons! Or if there is something you would like us to review or try feel free to tell us about it! Good vibes and happy grilling!

-Mike

Monday, August 13, 2012

2012 Baseball Cards!

     So all season long I have been collecting 2012 Baseball Cards. I like to take a few years off from collecting and then come back. In 2004 or 2005 I had collected some but had stopped because I had wanted to let the dust settle from all of the steroid mayhem. This year was a good year to start back up. I did a lot of looking and research to see what brand would have the best return some day. Any one who collected in the 1980's knows what I know, you are lucky if 75% of your collection is worth more than 10 cents a card. Be sure to send all of your thank you notes to the steroid users, then thank Topps for making millions of cards in the 80's and 90's.

     Upper Deck was the card of choice late 80's early 90's but not so today. Topps has always made a nice looking card but it is very rare to find a Topps card that is worth much after 30 years. Score is still around others are suspect. I found one old name that is hard to find, but hard to find in a good way. Bowman cards are in high demand. Even the common cards are already worth $1 right out of the pack! The inserts are also starting out with a nice price tag. So my collecting pick this year was Bowman (owned by Topps).

     With the post season shaping up in the MLB I am trying to round up cards and sort them by team. My Orioles and Nationals card stacks are shaping up pretty well, I may keep them but more likely I'll sell them on eBay. Heck I need more space for more cards!!! My office and "Man Cave" have stacks and boxes of baseball cards all over the place. I am hoping to sell a good amount to collectors who will enjoy them more than me, since I am a New England sports fan at heart. My first love is Baseball and I respect the game, so even though I do not like the Yankees I can still find a way to enjoy the sport. I mostly wear my Orioles hat to prevent "road rage". So hopefully my O's card collection can find a home that will love them more than me, and even though I was not born an O's fan I am rooting for them as the post season draws near.

     Card grading is the best way to preserve the most valuable cards in your collection. PSA and BGS and the two leaders. If you have a lot of old / high dollar cards then PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) is the high end collectors choice. PSA's fees are rather high. The last time I looked it was some place around $15 a card. BGS (Beckett Grading Service) tends to be more affordable, when they are not having a sale their 45 day service runs at only $9 per card. In June they were running a sale where it was $7 per card and a free upgrade to their 20 day service. So I gathered up 7 cards and sent them in! There is an online form you fill out, and they give clear instructions on what you must do when send them cards to grade. I should be getting mine back either late this week or some time next week! I'll post the results on here once they are back! If you want more info on BGS you can find it here. If you would like more info on PSA you can find that here.

Good Luck and happy collecting!

-Case

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

O's March to the post season

     Any of you that have been listening to our podcast's in the past or have been reading any of our blog updates have either read or heard my excitement for the O's and them being able to find their way back to post season play! Well we are on the heals of mid August and the O's are only 4.5 games back from first in the AL East!

AL East Standings as of  08/08/2012

   
My brother is coming down for a visit and we decided to get our selves to Camden Yards and catch the second to last home game for the O's against our beloved Red Sox! Don't get me wrong I love my Red Sox but it is time for Baltimore to start making some waves again! When I went to purchase our tickets it was hard to find a seat!!! So just an FYI, if you want a seat at one of the O's last home games of the season you had better buy them now!! They are selling out fast!

     At the beginning of the season I had put up a post begging Peter Angelos to sell the O's. I even had posted a picture of Andino's face over the years, big smiles for the fist few years then blank stare for this season. It was heart breaking! ;) Hats off to Buck for really leading this team and making it into something worth watching and talking about! The O's are playing solid when they really need to be, but there are still some close ones that they should have won and I am sure coach is all over it. Also some bases loaded situation's where no runs were scored has also lead to many palms to face (in the game World of Warcraft the command is /facepalm).


     Cheer up! Baltimore fans have seen plenty and have performed plenty of "facepalms" in the past 10+ years! If you are not excited by how the O's are doing and live in Baltimore then you are either dead or just not paying attention. Its time to pay attention and it is time to get out and support your team Baltimore! I will be at the game on September 29th hope to see you there! Lets make it a sellout!

Buck says come out to the game and rock the joint!
-Mike

Monday, August 6, 2012

Curtis Martin delivers moving speech at Hall of Fame



This has to be one of the best speeches I have heard in a long time. Let us know what you think!

-Mike

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Olympics + Baseball = AWESOME

     The first full week of the Olympic games is nearing an end and there is so much more to see! Like every one else yesterday, we were cheering on Michael Phelps. I was avoiding the news and all other NBC related websites that way I could watch his performance like it was live. Along with Mrs. Phelps I cheered when I thought he had won Gold, and was let down when I saw that the other guy beat him out. Then there was the relay and Michael was the anchor. What?!?! He had never anchored the relay before, but if they could give him a big lead he would have no problems holding that lead! Lets just say it got loud at my house in Baltimore! In between swim meets they had the women's gymnastics. Now I am not a big gymnastics fan but it was pretty awesome watching those kids rock the joint! It also gives you some hope for the future when you see those kids support each other.

Michael Phelps of the U.S. holds his 19th Olympic medal presented to him in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay victory ceremony during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre July 31, 2012. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

     I almost forgot! We still have baseball! The AL East looks weird right now. Yankees in first, Orioles in second........Wait!!! Its August and the ORIOLES are only 5.5 games back?!?!?!?! Some one pinch me! The Red Sox are in 4th?!?!?! Come on now I just know some one is going to jump out from behind the Babe Ruth statue and yell, "April Fools!" If this O's team does not at least make it to the first round of the playoff's it will be a shame because they deserve to be there. What is the one thing Baltimore has needed for over 10 years now? Consistency. They have that now and also it helps to have a coach that knows what to do! As much as I would love to see a Nationals vs. Orioles World Series this year I know it may not happen, but I sure as heck also know that it darn well could happen!!! Lets not forget I grew up in New England and I saw 2 things happen that people said I would never see, Patriots and Red Sox winning championships. So if ABBA can happen anything can happen!

Keep your eye on these O's!