Friday, October 28, 2011

Grilling Babyback Ribs on Guam Video


I thought I would try my hand at making a video. Of course it would have to be one about BBQing or Grilling. This one includes me grilling some babybacks for dinner.

This is my first time out of the chute so please have patience with me. I'm no pro but it is entertaining. I would appreciate any constructive suggestion on how I can make my videos better using Windows Movie Maker (I'm a newbie!!).

You can view this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BELP9-gWvq4

Just click away on the link and roll the film....

I hope you enjoy the video. I am looking forward to a more technically improved video the next time around. Only time will tell.

Until next time....

Chicken Soup on a rainy day.

We are right in the middle of the rainy season on Guam so our days of being able to BBQ are limited. But I like nothing better than to eat a fresh, hot bowl of chicken soup on a rainy day. Put this over hot white rice and top with lemon finadene and you have one satisfying meal.

That's just what I did yesterday. As a matter of fact my wife, Lupe, has been down with a cold and congestion so I felt a good soup would be just what the doctor ordered.

Here is what I made...


Chicken soup with cabbage and green onions and topped with lemon finadene. My wife also added fresh cilantro to her soup.

And here is the after photo...


I don't think I need to tell you all how much we enjoyed this hot soup on a rainy day.

Here is the recipe:


Ingredients
1 ea. Chicken fryer cut into small pieces
½ head of cabbage
3 green onions
4 cups corn
1 can cream corn
6 chicken bouillon cubes
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
12 cups of water

Directions
Cut the chicken into bite–size pieces.
Sauté the chicken in a stock pot with the oil until browned.
Add the 12 cups of water along with the chicken bouillon cubes and boil for about ½ hour.
Add the black pepper while the chicken is boiling.
Cut up your cabbage. I cut the half head in half again and then into 1 inch strips.
Dice up your green onions.
Rinse your corn.
When the ½ hour is up add the corn and can of cream corn.
Cook for another 5 minutes.
Season with salt to taste.
Add in the cabbage and green onions and turn off the heat.
Stir the soup and check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.


Hope you enjoy this basic recipe.

Until next time....

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

BBQ Wood....Don't waste the small branches.....

Quite a few of us go out and cut our own wood for BBQ. Most of the time we just throw the small branches over to the side. But you are throwing away a lot of flavor there. Don't waste those small branches. Do this....


Cut those small ones up with a large pruning shear. One that will cut up to 2 inches in diameter. Next time you BBQ with charcoal, throw a few of these "chunks" into your fire for some real BBQ flavor. Wet em' down for some smoke. They are small enough where they won't flair up big and very easy to manage.

Like I said, don't waste em'. If you end up not using them, you can always throw them at the chickens...

Until next time....

Instant Finadene Sauce, Nanan Mami Foods Inc. has it and more!!!

Hey everyone, I just learned of this site recently from Facebook. Nanan Mami Foods Inc. offers some of Guam's delicacy sauces such as Guam's favorite traditional finadene dipping sauce. Also offered are lemon powder and other spices used for preparing Guam cuisine. But let's not talk about it, just watch the video by Guam's own Jo Ann Charfauros, reporter for KUAM NEWS here on Guam. So let's roll the film.....


Ms Joan Aguon Charfarous from KUAM in The Mix

So if you don't have time or do not have the ingredients to make your own lemon finadene sauce or any of the other Guam's many finadene sauces, then Nanan Mami Foods Inc.'s Instant Finadene Sauce is the ticket. 

Give it a try. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Until next time....

Friday, October 21, 2011

My New Blog "Fishing Guam"



Well, many of you may already know me from my blogs, BBQGuam and Guam Firehouse Cook and I figured the only thing missing was a blog about fishing on Guam. This blog is not all about my fishing on Guam, though I do a lot of it. It is my effort to showcase what fishing on Guam is all about. From the cultural fishing methods to the modern styles, I will try my best to showcase them all.

I have just posted my first post. There will be many more posts and photos to come.

Here is the link to my newest blog: 

Until next time,

Fish On!!!!!!

My New Blog "Fishing Guam"



Well, many of you may already know me from my blogs, BBQGuam and Guam Firehouse Cook and I figured the only thing missing was a blog about fishing on Guam. This blog is not all about my fishing on Guam, though I do a lot of it. It is my effort to showcase what fishing on Guam is all about. From the cultural fishing methods to the modern styles, I will try my best to showcase them all.

I have just posted my first post. There will be many more posts and photos to come.

Here is the link to my newest blog: 

Until next time,

Fish On!!!!!!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Rain Stopped, So We've Got to BBQ

Guam Weather Graph courtesy of http://ns.gov.gu/index.html

It is the rainy season on Guam right now. You see, Guam only has 2 seasons, the dry season from January until June and the rainy season from July until December. Of course there is plenty of overlap and being that Guam is a tropical island, it rains every month. But the so called, Monsoon" season is upon us.

So it was with great pleasure that the weather turned for the better and gave us some sunshine. And you know what that means to me......that's right....BBQ!!!!

I jumped right on it, not paying attention to what day it was, and got the pit going. And the menu had to be one of my favorites, baby back pork ribs, and grilled veggies with a little shrimp thrown in. Spur of the moment type thing. You know how that goes. 

By special request, my daughter Naomi wanted me to sauce up the ribs. I usually just like my ribs with dry rub only but every now and then a little makeup never hurt anyone.

So here are photos of what I did and how I did it.....


Got a good lump charcoal fire going...

Baby Backs. Sometimes we have just got to show the backside of ribs.

Baby Backs with makeup!!

Grilled Shrimp

Grilled Veggies

Just off the grill and onto the dinner table.

Now some of you probably know that I usually use my Rueben's Rub seasoning and that I don't give out the recipe. And I'm still sticking to that, but it contains garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, sea salt, Kosher salt, parsley, black pepper and MSG/Accent/Ajinamoto. But it is how much of each that is the kicker. Anyway I also spritzed everything down with my water/pineapple juice, honey and canola oil mix. I was very light on the honey. Imparts a subtle but noticeable flavor that seems to enhance the taste of the ribs. It makes those ribs "pop".

All of this was served with beans and rice.

Well, as usual, I forgot to take pictures of one thing or another and on this occasion it was of everyone eating. So unfortunately this post is lacking. I reserve the right to blame my age. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Hope you enjoyed this little impromptu BBQ.

BTW, you have probably noticed that it has been awhile since I have posted on this blog. That's because I was off island in the States. There are quite a number of blog posts that chronicled my activities over there. You can view those post at my sister blog site, Guam Firehouse Cook.

Until next time....

Monday, October 3, 2011

Simple Shrimp Dinner


Well, I made it back from my short trip to New Mexico and Calif. It was a great trip seeing all the family and BBQing and what not. The only thing that could have made it better is if my lovely wife Lupe could have accompanied me. But unfortunately she had students to teach.

Though I am still recovering from major jet lag, I did want to cook a little something for Lupe. So I decided I would grill some shrimp and veggies. Due to the inclement weather, I was not able to grill outside so I went to plan B.......indoor grilling. 

I bought my wife a little handy device made just for the job at hand. A little stove top indoor griller. And boy does this stove top griller do the job. Just place it on top of the stove's gas burner and you are all set.


Stove Top Indoor Griller

Here are some pics of what I grilled....

Skewered Shrimp

Baby Bok Choy. One of my wife's favorites.

Asparagus

Button Mushrooms

After the grilling chores were finished, it was time to serve it all up to my wife....

Lupe looks happy with the spread...

Making her selection...

Looks like she is enjoying it so far...

Ah yes... the look of approval!!!

Gotta keep my lady happy.

Until next time.... 

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Santa Maria Style BBQ in Santa Maria

Santa Maria Style

Well as you all may of gathered I have been having a great time in California visiting family eating and cooking up a storm up in San Jose. I went south to the area of my origin, Santa Maria, home of Santa Maria Style BBQ. I went to visit my folks for about 10 days. It had been a year since my last visit. If you don't know, I live on Guam and Santa Maria is not just around the corner. Anyway it is always great to visit my folks and the rest of my family. As has been the past custom, so to speak, a big BBQ bash was in order.


The menu was simple....cook alot to feed alot. Here was my menu...

6 racks of baby backs (rubbed and let sit overnight), 20 pounds of chicken thighs and legs (marinated in a soy based sauce overnight), 6 pounds of of pork country style ribs cut for kabobs which were marinaded in Worcestershire sauce and rib rub, 6 pounds of medium sized shrimp, skewered and coated with olive oil and sprinkled with a little dry rub. Same went for the two medium sized red snappers and grilled asparagus, brown button mushrooms, baby bok choy and spanish onions. Of course others made fried rice, bbq'd beans, broccoli salad, and an assortment of desserts and yes, there was plenty of ice cold refreshments and harder drinks as well.

Enough talk, here are some of the pics that I took....


My mother, Connie and sister, Cynthia prepping one of the tables.

Sister Cynthia cutting up the Bok Choy for grilling.

Brother-In-Law, Bones (short for Bonejangles), supervising and keeping hydrated, but it doesn't mean he's a bad person....

Sister Cynthia cutting flowers for the table decorations.

Bones lending one helping hand. One must pace ones self.

Banana leaves under the table settings.

Cynthia dressing up the tables.

Getting the bar table ready for action. More to come.

Bones and my Step-Father Fred. Fred is the fire master.

Fred's red oak burning down.

Red oak coals ready for grilling.

Marinated chicken and dry rubbed baby backs ready to go down.

Aunt Ginni and Uncle Bob just chilaxing.

Bones preaching to Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Johnny "Tripod" Centeno. If his lips are moving, he's lying!!!

Uncle Bob with grand daughter La Bubba.

Time to chow down with Bob Royster and Aunt Sylvia.

Attacking the table from all sides!!

More food being served up.

Hey, no pushing!!

Aunt Sylvia and Elaine talking story.

Mike and Pat picking on the grilled mushrooms, spanish onions, asparagus and baby bok choy.

Grilled baby backs and chicken.

Grilled shrimp and pork kabobs.

Grilled red snapper.

Ray Bonilla and Chincha (Cynthia) at the bar doing what they do best....oh yeah!!

Cousin Tina and the Aunties taking care of business.

La Bubba entertaining all her Aunties.

Table of Honor, just don't get in between them and their plates.

Chincha says the food and drink doesn't get any better than this.

La Bubba going over her song list. She has one beautiful voice. Great Country & Western.

Gotta have music at any BBQ. Bones is getting into it. 

Uncle Johnny, aka Tripod, the eldest of the family, still dishing out lessons.

La Bubba throwing down her set. What a voice!!

Elaine and Mom showing some love.

The "Tripod" and Auntie Bobbie.

Sister and Brother, Mom and Uncle Johnny.

The BBQ and party was so much fun even the dog (Rollie) "tapped out".

It was a great time with great people and everyone had plenty to eat. Everyone chipped in to make this gathering a major success.

If you're wondering what happened to the photos of the grilling action, well all I can say was that I had my hands full being the only one on the grill. No time for photos. But that's OK because that's "What I Do!!!".

I actually gained about 10 lbs on this trip. And that was with me putting in some miles on my bike. Oh well, it was worth it. I hope to lose it all back on Guam.

Santa Maria BBQ is alive and well in Santa Maria, California.

Until next time....