Crimson Fire!

Hot wings with "Crimson Fire" on the side

Well fellow wingers, we ain't quite done just yet with our wing quest.  We thought we were down to just one: Henry T's.  But then last week I stopped in here to blow off some steam with a fellow co-worker and discovered that within the past month they started serving food.  And yep, wouldn't you know it, wings!  So I rallied the Wing Nutz and we descended on this place, took it over, and had our way with their wings. 

 

6 Mile Tavern is located in the plaza area at 6th & Wakarusa in a part of the building that use to be Hereford House.  Famous Dave's BBQ moved in and walled off a narrow section that the tavern now occupies.  And it was just that, a tavern only and no food until now.  They've expanded their space and now it not only has a kitchen but also two sides: the "Chop House" dining room is on the left and tavern on the right where you can also eat.  The décor is dark wood and leather, low lighting, and there are pictures hanging of Buffalo Bill and the like to give it that old tavern like feel.  Good selection of wines, martini's, and imported beers all catering to an older crowd in a college town. 

 

 

But before I tell you how their wings fared, I would be remiss if I did not write about our experience there and mention things that do not factor into scoring.  For one, the service we received was outstanding.  Being a new experience for all of us, we had a lot of questions about their sauces, drinks, and so on.  Our waitress was extremely patient with us.  Nancee was not sure what drink she wanted to order so the waitress brought out free samples for her to try. When it came to sauces and wanting to learn more about heat and flavor profiles, she brought out samples of each along with a fresh baked loaf of bread for dipping.  And the bread!   My goodness was it good and just melted in your mouth.  And then there are the wet naps.  It surprises us that more places that serve wings do not have wet naps.  6 Mile Tavern takes the wet nap to whole new level.  Instead of the little towelette in a foil pouch they have full size heavy duty paper napkins that are served lightly wet.  At first we thought it was a little weird and over the top but I can tell you they were very much needed and appreciated after eating wings coated in crimson fire! 

 

Speaking of their crimson fire sauce: um, yeah it is hot.  Our waitress warned us.  Still, it is an edible sauce and not just a food additive like "The Atomic Bomb" that is over a million Scoville units.  Crimson fire is reddish brown in color with a smokiness to it and a little thick.  You first taste the heat on the tip of your tongue like a jalapeno pepper will do.  Then you taste it again in the back of the throat with a slow, intense build up of heat.  Habanero peppers have that quality about them and may also give this sauce some of that smoky flavor I was picking up.  It will make you sweat for sure.  In terms of being the hottest we have sampled tourwing around town, it is between this and Jefferson's turbo sauce.  Both will clean your sinuses and have you clambering for milk to quench the flames.  And obviously, there are other flavors to go with if you do not want to be as daring (or crazy stupid). 

 

And now for the judging...

 

Appearance was very good.  Good size wings, proportionate number of wingettes and drumettes, good color, and amply sauced. 

 

Texture and tenderness a little inconsistent.  Some skins were very soft and wings should have some crunch to them. 

 

Flavor was very good.  All of the sauces we tried matched the flavor profile described to us.  Good balance of vinegar and pepper. 

 

A: 7-7-8-8-8

TnT: 7-6-7-6-6

F:  8-7-7-8-8

 

Overall, we gave 6 Mile Tavern a final score of 8.36 and with that, that propels them into first place just edging out Conroy's Pub at 8.325!  Holy wings!  And we almost missed them.  Things are heating up as we close this out. 

 

And now, we only have one left.  Nope!  The Phoggy Dogg and a couple others have been added thanks to followers that have made suggestions.  Henry T's still must wait. 

 

So definitely give 6 Mile Tavern a shot.  We definitely will be going back and not just for wings.  Lobster mac-n-cheese is just one of the menu items that caught out eye (and taste buds).  

 

Tailgate Ted 

 



The Bird Dog: This Dog Won't Hunt

 Our latest "tourwing" of Lawrence takes us to a place we really should frequent more often.  The Bird Dog Bar is located inside The Oread located just outside the North gate of the KU campus. It is an American sportsman themed bar featuring eleven 50 inch televisions and a menu that is a notch above your normal bar food.  The limestone walls and columns, large windows, and an open terrace makes for an awesome setting to gather and relax with friends.  The hotel also has fine dining, night club, and a pizza joint.  But our favorite part about The Oread are the outdoor areas.  There is a very nice terrace area located on the fourth floor level that is suited for private parties, wedding receptions, and the like.  On the 9th floor you find the rooftop that has an outdoor bar and seating areas scattered around.  On weekends there is usually live music to enjoy.  But the views of the city and Campanile hill on KU's campus are the best part. The views are from a height and vantage point that many have never experienced before. We finished our evening off atop the roof watching the sun go down on the city and enjoying some cocktails.

 

To learn more about The Oread visit:    http://www.theoread.com/#play_restuarants_FourSplitPage_Restaurants  

 

But what about the wings?  Well, they serve them two ways: "dusted" and Buffalo style.  They come a dozen per order along with ample celery for $10.95.  As the photo demonstrates they are healthy in size too.  The dusted wings were very crispy but for some reason the buffalo wings were not and so the skin was a little rubbery.  They make their own buffalo style sauce and the flavor is good, but very mild for what you would expect of a buffalo wing. 

 

Wing Nutz judges gave them a 6.75 for appearance, 6 for texture and tenderness, and 6 for flavor.  When we multiply each category by the appropriate weight, The Bird Dog Bar scores an overall 6.075. 

 

And with that, we are down to one!  Last on the great TourWing of 2013 is Henry T's Bar & Grill.  Here is a recap of the rankings thus far:   

 

   

16.    4.275  Biggs BBQ 
15.    5.5      23rd St. Brewery 
13b.  5.82    Paddy O'Quigley's 
13a.  5.82    Wayne 'n Larry's 
12.    5.9      Set'em Up Jack's 
11.      6.075  The Bird Dog Bar
10.    6.08    Slow Ride Roadhouse 
9.      6.53    Saints Pub  
7.      6.67    Johnny's Tavern (Original) 
6.      6.84    Yacht Club    
4b.    6.9      The Jayhawker  
4a.    6.9      Dempsey's Irish Pub 
3.      7.825  Jefferson's  
2.      7.94    Johnny's West 
1.      8.325  Conroy's  

Until next time,

Tailgate Ted

Buffalo Bob's: Beats Biggs

Well, we are winding down on our great Lawrence TourWing of 2013.  Just three stops left and this stop has us trekking downtown on Mass Street to Buffalo Bob's Smokehouse for some smoked wings.  After our bad Biggs BBQ experience we were a little once bitten, twice shy so-to-speak about going to another BBQ place but we were pleasantly surprised.  As the picture shows, them are some healthy sized wing portions all crisped up and served on a bottomless bed of curly Q fries.  And if you are there on a Monday night as we are, they're $5 per pound.    

 

So, what about Bob?  These were so much better than Biggs.  They are slow smoked and then I am guessing flash fried to give it that crispy skin we so desire.  But an untrained eye can see that they serve their wings "naked" with only a dusting and not coated in sauce.  Boo, Bob, boo!  They do have sauces that are served on the side.  Obviously, you have a hot wing and a cold sauce that is runny.  Just isn't the same.  And, our rules clearly state that the wings must be coated in sauce.  So, there is going to be some deductions. 

 

As for texture and tenderness (T-n-T) they were above average and is their strong point.  Very crispy on the outside but not overdone.  The chicken meat well preserved by all the sealed in juices.   

 

But flavor, well, it took a little hit.  The sauces offered on the side are their BBQ sauces and a hot sauce.  The hot sauce (pictured above) looks and tastes like Louisiana Hot Sauce right out of the bottle.  One BBQ sauce named after an old girlfriend was described to us as sweet and spicy which we found to be lacking in both categories.  Maybe Bob thought the same and that's why it didn't work out; I don't know.  The hot BBQ was not hot.  Perhaps it was hotter maybe but not hot.  The mild was overall their most flavorful and best sauce we sampled.

 

Still, overall Buffalo Bob scores a total of 6.58 which puts them in 8th place thus far, sandwiched between Johnny's Tavern (Original) at 6.67 and Saints Pub at 6.53.  If Bob would only smoke them, flash fry them, sauce them, and serve them then we would eat them and judge them higher.  If anyone knows Bob you may want to suggest that.  Still, they scored a very respectable ranking and they are heads and shoulders above their in town rival Biggs BBQ that scored the worst: 4.275.  A morale victory, perhaps? 

 

Now, Buffalo Bob's overall as a place to go. They have good BBQ and some really good lunch specials and the service is fast and friendly.  The place is divided in two halves.  One side is the restaurant and the other is dubbed the "Dynamite Saloon" with a really cool bar.  There are flat screen TVs in there if you want to catch a game.  Same menu is served in the saloon so you will not be missing out on menu selections.  And on some Friday nights you can catch Patrick Nichols picking his guitar and singing some Delta Blues.  And if you are really lucky you may catch him on a night when our good friend Chris Millspaugh joins him on harmonica for a real treat to your ears!    

 

And then there were  two...

Most Worthy Wing Still Flying

 

Our quest continues but is coming to a close soon.  Only 3 remain on our list to be judged.  So I thought this would be a good time to recap and list the rankings thus far.  So here we go, from worst to first. 

14.    4.275  Biggs BBQ  Several broken bones, over smoked, texture and tenderness (TnT) no good.
13.    5.5      23rd St. Brewery  So much black pepper ruined them.
11b.  5.82    Paddy O'Quigley's  "O'Fail".  Good size but no heat.  Flavor profiles didn't match.
11a.  5.82    Wayne 'n Larry's  Many of the wings were overcooked that night.  Sauces okay.
10.    5.9      Set'em Up Jack's  Itty bitty wing committee.  Overcooked and dried out.
9.      6.08    Slow Ride Roadhouse  TnT was hit and miss.  Flavors were so-so.
8.      6.53    Saints Pub   Flavors and TnT were great.  All the broken bones were not great!
7.      6.67    Johnny's Tavern (Original)  TnT was really hit and miss.  Basic Frank's Hot Sauce.
6.      6.84    Yacht Club   Really good sauces helped overcome lack of appearance and TnT. 
4b.    6.9      The Jayhawker   Good looking wings, flavorful, and tasty.  TnT a little inconsistent.
4a.    6.9      Dempsey's Irish Pub  Good flavors and prices. TnT a little inconsistent.
3.      7.825  Jefferson's   Lots of great flavors.  Really good TnT.   Turbo double dipped! 
2.      7.94    Johnny's West  Lots of great flavors.  Classic and flaming combined is really good.
1.      8.325  Conroy's  They told us their wings were the best in Lawrence.  So far they are right. 

So there you have it; so far.  Buffalo Bob's, The Bird Dog, and the place that started it all for us, Henry T's, are all that remain.  I am thinking we are going to have a wing off! 

Tailgate Ted 

Biggs BBQ: May Day! May Day!

  There he is: Al "Heisenberg" sporting an official Breaking Bad t-shirt with the aforementioned alter ego screen printed on the front tearing up some drummies at Biggs BBQ.  That look of elation like the one he has when he cooks a 98% pure batch of crystal blue meth will be short lived. 

 

Biggs BBQ is located on the West side of Iowa street just past the 23rd street / Clinton Parkway intersection, Chili's, Saints Pub, etc. in a shopping/business strip.  Having wings there is a new experience for all of us.  We are accustomed to eating their BBQ whether it be sandwiches, ribs, brisket, etc. but not their wings.  And, they actually do not have wings by what you think of in the traditional sense of the word.  They only serve the drummies or drummettes.  We asked what happens to the wingettes but no one had an answer.  It doesn't matter to me; I prefer the drummettes anyway so I am golden!  Nancee was screwed though - ha ha.  According to our rules, it is fine to serve only one kind but proportion to size still applies.  And that is where it turns a little weird.

 

That plate of Al's pictured above is full of really healthy drummies but mine were pretty scrawny (I didn't take a picture: I know, I know: FAIL).  6 out of my 8 drummies were broken bones, which means they were small and got overcooked a lot.  Either that or my waitress, Journey, and the cooks really hated me for some reason.  Everyone's plate of drummies looked like Al's, just not mine.  When you calculate all the wings we ate and how many were broken, they're still no where as bad as Saints Pub and Grill just across the parking lot, but 19% broken wings is still BAD (Saints had at least 30% when we stopped counting/tracking).   

 

What else can we say?  The texture and tenderness was way off.  They lacked the crispy outside we like because they are not flash fried after being smoked.  Several were over smoked or cooked.  How do you know?  Just by looking at them.  When the skin and meat draw way up on the bone that is indicating to you that the moisture is being drawn up out of the meat.  When smoking you do want a little draw but not a lot.  Some of these had the skin/meat drawn up almost half way on the bone.  When you bite into them it is confirmed. 

 

And the flavor?  "Meh" is what we say.  We tried all variety of sauces and styles.  The hot is hot - that's a plus. Flavor, even though the most heavily weighted at 60% of the overall score, would not overcome the texture and tenderness category.    

 

So given all this, Biggs BBQ scored an abysmal 4.275.  Yep, that's not a type-o, an horrendously bad total score of a 4.275 out of a possible 10. 

 

But don't take our words for it.  Drummies come in orders of 4 ($4.99) or 8 ($8.99) in mild, hot, or BBQ and Monday's are half price.  Or do take our word for it, order up a slab of ribs, and feel satisfied.  Your choice.   Our opinion:  These birds crashed and burned! 

Wayne n Larry's

 

 

"Yeah, I know Wayne too!" And this stop along the wing tour has us at Wayne and Larry's which is located about 9th and Iowa, attached to the bowling alley.  We have been going to this place for a number of years.  Why?  It is close to our house - just a couple, three blocks is all.  And BONUS, it is also a "Chicago friendly" establishment since Wayne is from the Windy City.  Here you will find Chicago themed burgers and sandwiches such as Ryne Sandberg Sliders and even traditional Chicago dogs made with real Vienna beef that Wayne has shipped there.  So for me, this place is like a home away from home, err, my wanna be home anyway.  We go to the Windy City at least once per year or more.  And two of our fellow Wing Nutz are actually from Chicago (Al and Nancee). 

Now having said all that, just to be brutally honest, when you go there your service may or may not be great.  I'd go with the expectation of not having great service.  Better to go with low expectations and then be pleasantly surprised.  They usually do not have enough wait staff to cover the main dining area or too many which leads to the wait staff standing around a lot gabbing and not paying attention - or arguing over who can go home and who should wait on you because there are too many of them.  The safest and best place for service is the bar.  We have never had a bad experience just sitting at the bar.  Not sure why staffing is such an issue.  But, if you are a Bears fan, Sunday's they open up the back room for exclusive dining and game viewing and is an official watch party for our beloved Da' Bears. 

But what about wings?  Oh, yes.  Focus.  Monday is their official wing night and are half price ($4.49) and gets you ten (10).   They have different flavor profiles and can be made at whatever heat level you want.  They have Buffalo, BBQ, and Teriyaki, and can be made regular, hot or extreme.    They also do the grill marks if that is your thing and you request it.  They fry them, sauce them, then toss on the grill long enough to crisp them up a bit more.  This is perfectly acceptable according to our rules so long as they do not cook all the sauce off.  And they're pretty good about achieving grill marks and keeping them saucy enough.  And one more flavor combo that is not listed, but you should try, is hot Buffalo and BBQ mixed together.  Oh yeah.  Just tell 'em Tailgate Ted suggested it.  :-) 

The wings themselves are usually better than this blog photo might suggest. But on this night, they were not their best.  Judging seems to be getting tougher and tougher as we go.  (We should have never gone to The Peanut in KC - seems to have skewed our expectations!)  Unfortunately, Wayne, your wings were overcooked and the meat got dried out.  Just to be clear, I am not referring to the wings thrown back on the grill to get the grill marks.  Collectively we went thru over 70 wings and a number of them the meat got dried out.  And on flavor they were mostly just okay - nothing really stood out that sets them apart in the judges' opinion.  I have eaten a lot of wings there and can attest to it being an off night for them.  But I have said it and will say it again: when we wing it, you better bring it.   

Overall Wayne and Larry's scored a 5.82  Ouch!  But as a plus, the service tonight was unusually great!  So there is that.   

O'No Paddy O'

 

Paddy O’Quigley’s is a locally owned chain here in Lawrence and a couple more in Kansas City.  The one in Lawrence is inside the Holliday Inn just off the West Lawrence exit.  It is suppose to be an Irish Sports Pub but the only thing Irish about the place is they put an “O” in front of their menu items.  They do offer corned beef (which is really a North American dish that us wanna-be-Irish people mistaken for  traditional Irish) but mostly their menu is regular sandwiches and burgers.  They have daily lunch and dinner specials, but alas, not for wings.  Oh well. 

Their “Chic O’Wings” come (7) for $9.99, (12) for $13.99, and (20) for $16.99 and there are a whole host of flavors to choose from.  And as you can see from the photos, they are served with both celery and carrots. 

The wings had a good appearance, were of good size and equally proportioned.   The texture and tenderness was above average – both crispy and juicy.  The flavor “hotrod” provided no heat at all which really hurt them in scoring.  Their “Paddy O’d” wings were the best of the bunch, which are a garlic parmesan style.   But the flavor of the sauces for the most part was “meh”.    And flavor is the most important thing!

All in all, Paddy O’Quigley’s wings received a score of 5.82 and will receive no further consideration.  In a word:  Fail.  Or maybe I should say, "O'Fail". 

Yacht club

 

This week took us double dipping again.  Our first stop along the wing tour was at the Yacht Club located just North of 6^th street near the Iowa intersection.  The Yacht Club serves a wide variety of sandwiches and burgers, including some unique styles such as the Elvis inspired Goober burger topped with bacon and peanut butter.  And, of course, they have wings!  Wednesdays are their wing special for 40 cents per and you can order 5 at a time.  How did they rate?

Appearance was slightly above average.  Nothing really stood out.  They had the reddish orange hue you come to expect.   They were appropriately proportioned in both size and wingettes versus drumettes. 

Texture and tenderness was just average.  We did have some drumettes that got a little overcooked and this pulled their score down in this category.  There were no broken bones so that’s a plus! 

Flavor, most importantly, was above average.  Really good sauces and since this category is heavily weighted, it helped make up for a stellar-less appearance and some dried drummies. 

When everything was tallied and appropriately weighted out, the Yacht Club scored an overall 6.84.  Not too shabby but certainly lower than we expected. 

All in all though, this is a great place to eat, watch sports or gather after a Jayhawk win and celebrate with friends.  The interior is light and bright with a lot of timber and stone.  Televisions are everywhere for any sport viewing.  And there is an old score board permanently fixed with the 2008 NCAA Final National Championship game score frozen for all eternity.  Rock Chalk! 

Conroy's?? Conroy's!!

This week we winged it at Conroy’s Pub.  If you are not sure where that is or if you have ever heard of it, you are probably not alone.  That is not meant to be a snide comment or a snub – just, you may be use to its old name – Kaspers.

Kaspers, err, Conroy’s is located on 6th street in a little office strip next to 105.9 the Lazer and across from Sonic Drive-In.   We hadn’t been there in years.  For me, I calculate my last visit to be in 2003.  We had a little send-off party for me as I went up to Idaho for a few months.  They did Karaoke in the back and would host trivia game nights.  The atmosphere was always dark with wood paneling on walls, light blue vinyl/leather-ish booth upholstery, and worn out carpet in the main dining area.  I can now report 9 years later that with a presumably new owner and new name that absolutely nothing about the atmosphere has changed as best we could tell.    But, we ain’t here for no ambiance.  

When we called to confirm they have wings and to see about any night with a wing special (which they do not have) we were informed that in no uncertain terms their wings are the best in town.  That’s a mighty big statement.  We informed her that WE would be the judge of that!

Conroy’s offers up Buffalo wings by the pound for about $10.  There’s hot and hot.  But, they do offer to cut it with BBQ sauce if someone thinks the sauce is too hot.  Their sauce: Frank’s Original Hot Sauce cut with butter.  

We really didn’t know what to expect going in tonight.  And with someone's bravado  proclaiming the best wings in Lawrence, that is a red flag, right?   So there we sat waiting and waiting for our wings.  We joked that the cook slipped out the back and went up the street to pick up an order from Henry T’s to serve us.  And of course, there were the obligatory, “They must have had to catch and pluck them chickens first” type humor and banter flying around as we waited.  Finally after about 30 minutes they arrived.  

And I gotta say…I don’t know if they are THE BEST in town or not yet, but they were some pretty dadgum good wings.  Conroy’s did everything we want in our wings.  They had a nice red-orange-ish hue, the wings were equal in proportion, there were no broken wings, the outside was nice and crunchy, the inside nice and juicy.  And the sauce was well emulsified with the butter.  That is important because if it is not you get that oily separation from the liquids and it looks really unappetizing on your plate.  And speaking of plates, they served them wings on white china ware which you really would not expect looking at the place.  

Other things Wing Nutz judgers liked, but were not judged, was the healthy portion of celery, the blue cheese dressing – a little runny – but good flavor, real big beers, and their gin and tonics!  

When the tallying was all done, Conroy’s scored an overall 8.325 and with that they move into first place!  Time will tell if they are The Most Worthy Wings of Lawrence, KS.  But we all agreed we will be back to eat more wings.  You should too!  

Dempsey

Dempsey's Irish Pub

Dempsey’s Irish Pub, located in the 600 block of Vermont, isprobably more known for their gourmet hamburgers than for their wings.  And I think we took them by surprise showing up for lunch on a Saturday and all of us demanding wings.  They served us frozen celery.  :-)

They offer three types of wings and all come by the pound.  8-10 wings come per pound.  1 lb. $6; 2 lbs. $10; 3 lbs. $13!  Good everyday prices compared to others.

Flavor profiles are: Roasted Garlic (mild); Grilled Pineapple (medium); and Hot (hot).  

The flavors are all good although we thought that the grilled pineapple was the milder one between it and the roasted garlic.  The roasted garlic had a really good overall flavor and heat profile.  And the hot was not too hot and provided a nice after burn as it continued to build with heat that sort of lingered in the back of the throat.    

Texture and tenderness was good.  Had a few that got a little dried out – especially on the drummies.  But overall the TnT was good. 

Given all this, they received an overall score of 6.9 from the Wing Nutz.  Not too shabby and we would definitely go back and eat wings – especially at those prices.  

Broken Wings, Broken Dreams

 That's not a distortion of the picture.  Them are some itty bitty wings.  Monday night is wing night at Saint's Pub.  All you can eat for $9.99.  If some places serve "factory seconds" on there wing nights, then these have to be thirds!  Besides their scrawniness, there were a lot of broken wings.  We stopped counting at 15.  At least 30% of our 50 wings were broken and one even grossly disfigured.   As you may recall, when more than 2 in a bunch or batch are broken, we begin to downgrade the score. (See mangled chicken below.) 

Aside from all of that, the texture and tenderness was really good.  They did a really good job of not overcooking such petite wings and keeping them juicy on the inside.  And some of the flavors were really good too. The garlic parmesan was by far, hands down, their best sauce.  

Overall, they score a 6.53 and their dreams of being the Best Wingers in Lawrence are broken!  

My First Brew: Red Ale

Ted's Red

It's a beautiful thing!  But it took seemingly forever before I could pop the top to my very first home brew.  But after waiting five weeks, taking my first sip, it was definitely worth the wait.  If you want to know the process then read along.  It isn't as difficult as you may think, but it is a process. 
Cleanliness is essential to this process.  That really cannot be stated enough.  And it must be part of your technique.  You must thoroughly wash and sanitize all equipment and utinsels to be used in the brewing process.  We always had a large bowl or tub filled with sanitizing solution and religiously dipped our hands in before and after touching anything. 

I had an experienced partner in all this; my fellow Wing Nutz teammate, Al "Heisenberg" Beilgard. Al has a home brewers set up that has everything one needs to brew a batch: 6+ qt. brew pot, 5 gal. fermenting bucket, hydrometer, thermometer, glass carboy, airlocks, syphon set, bottling bucket, and bottle capper.  An equipment kit like this runs about $150 if interested. 

For the beer itself, you can buy beer kits that have all the ingredients needed to brew the flavor and style of beer one is interested.  For this first brew, I let my sister-in-law Judy (also a fellow Wing Nutz member) choose and she selected a red ale.  The brand name of this particular kit is True Brew.  What comes with the kit is both  hopped and unhopped light malt extracts, melanoiden malt grain, grain steeping back, hop pellets, yeast, priming sugar, and bottle caps.  The kit ran about $40 or so.

The wort (pronounced wert)

And so it begins...a wort (unfermented beer); the first step in brewing, making me one step closer to my first beer.  We brought 1.5 gallons water to boil in our brewpot and then turned off the heat.  Next, we filled our steeping bag with grains, tied it off, and placed in the hot water and began steeping it for the next 20-30 minutes.  

 

Next, we added our liquid malt extracts and heat the wort up to a slow rolling boil.  Next, we added half of the hop pellets stirring them in until dissolved and then boiled for 30 minutes, adding the remaining hop pellets in the last two minutes.  At one stage the hop pellets adds aroma and at the other acts as bittering agents.   When finished, we filled a sink full of ice water and placed the brewpot in it to rapidly cool down the wort.  When it achieves a temperature of around 90 degrees we put it into the 5 gallon fermenting bucket and added cold water until we reached about 5 gallons in total volume.  This brings the temperature down to about 74 degrees or less; the desired temerature.  Using a hydrometer we took our original gravity reading and registered at 1.05 - right on target according to our kit directions.  Just before bottling we take a final gravity reading.  Through a simple calculation this will give us our alcohol by volume percentage.        

The final step of this first day's process is to add yeast.  We sprinkled it over the top, stirred it in, and sealed the bucket tightly with the lid. Inserted into the lid is an airlock that allows gases to escape but not let air in that will contaminate the wort as it is fermenting.  When sealed tightly we took it downstairs and stored it in the basement where it is cooler.  It needs to be stored in a cool, dry place out of sight where no light can (especially flourescent lighting) disturb it.  Light is bad.  

 

Over the next 24-48 hours the yeast goes crazy and does its thing and fermentation begins.  You can see it in action bubbling through the airlock. Fermentation continues for about another 48-72 hours and then cease as settling begins.  The beer needs to settle for another 3-4 days after bubbling ceases.  In total, it takes about a week and then you can begin the second stage fermenting process.   

  Second stage fermentation allows for more settling and allows for greater clarity of the beer.  Using a syphoning tube we transfer the beer from the fermenting bucket into a 5 gallon glass carboy.  The tube has a little stopper on the end that helps minimize transferring the settlement (called trub) into the carboy.  The picture above is the transferring into a carboy.  The picture below is the trub.   

 

When we finished the transfer, we capped the carboy with a rubber stopper equipped with an airlock.  It will continue its fermenting and settling for another week. 

  

Finally, after two weeks we are ready to bottle.  But before we do we take our final gravity reading , coming in at 1.010.  This gives our beer a 5.25% ABV. 

 

We syphon the beer from the carboy into a 5 gallon bottling bucket.  Just prior to filling the bucket we add the priming sugar, a necessary ingredient for carbonation.  As the beer transfers it stirs the priming sugar.  Next, Al used a special glass tube and hose called a bottle filler to begin syphoning the beer from the bottling bucket and filling the beer bottles.  As he did that I stood at my station and used a bottle capper to seal the bottles.  When finished, we had 48 bottles of beer.  They will remain in their cases in the cool, dry basement sitting in the dark for another three weeks as the beer ages.

 

Five very long weeks later, I am finally rewarded!  It was a really big hit with others as well.  It was as good as most red ales I have had.  We went throught the first case fairly quickly but I have reserved some that I would like to age longer and try after four months or maybe even six.

It was a lot of fun  learning the process of home brewing.  And since this first batch, we have done a imperial nut brown ale, Scottish ale, and special stout beer that is a homage to Walter White, aka Heisenberg, and the Breaking Bad series.  We just transferred this Breaking Bad beer into the carboy over the weekend where it will rest for another 2 weeks before bottling.  It should be ready for the final season premiere on August 11.  Next up to cook this weekend is a german beer in  preparation of Oktoberfest! 

 

Cheers everyone!

 

 

Tri-Tip Beef: It's What Should Be For Dinner

What is tri-tip; you ask?  If you do, you are in good company. 

Tri-tip roast, also called the triangle roast or steak because of its shape and points, is a lesser known cut of meat around the Midwest and most of the country.  It sits on the bottom of the sirloin.  The reason for its scarcity is two-fold.  One, there is only one per side of beef.  Two, because way, way back in the day when there were local butchers carving meat, they considered this beautiful beef a waste because it was too big for their display case.  And because of these two reasons, butchers would ground it up and sell it as sirloin hamburger.  But today with packing plants, packers carve the meat and so you are much more likely to find  this at your local meat market. 

So, is it a roast or a steak?  It is a small roast that weighs between 1.5 - 2.5 pounds.  OR, it is an enormouse steak!  However, you can slice it into 1.5" inch thick steaks and grill that way if you prefer.  Tri-tip looks like a mini-brisket and it has the same texture and tenderness of a slow smoked brisket but only takes a fraction of time to cook.  For this reason, I like to grill mine whole and then slice it against the grain. 

And like a brisket, there is nice fat cap on one side.  If you are grilling the tri-tip, you do not have to trim down the fat cap.  When you sear the meat this will burn most of it off.  However, I still like to trim mine down - not take it all off - just trim it down.  Fat equals flavor!  And because this meat is leaner than most you will want some of the fat to help keep it from getting dry.   

How to prepare your tri-tip: less is more, I say.  This is a very flavorful cut of beef.  I have never used a marinade and cannot foresee me ever doing so.  Cowtown Steak seasoning goes really well with this.  Whatever you use, just go easy.  A simple onion, garlic, salt, and pepper combination will suffice nicely.   

How to cook your tri-tip: roast, smoke, or grill; all will give you a thrill!  In my professional opinion, however, the grill is the way to go.  You only need medium heat to do this - never high heat.  Grill at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour tops. Use a digital meat thermometer if you wish to ensure doneness to your liking but do not overcook! 
 
So when you are done grilling, remember to remove it to a platter or pan and loosely cover leaving it sit for at least 10 minutes or longer.  The internal temperature will still rise a bit even after it comes off.  Resting your meat is critical so that the juices have an opportunity to be redistributed throughout the meat.  If you cut into it too early, all the juice will run out leaving you with a very dry dinner.  And for goodness sake, never slice into your food while it is cooking to check if it is done or not for the same reason; you dry everything out.  Do NOT be THAT guy. 

Like I wrote above, the tri-tip is like a mini-brisket. It has points which are thin and a thick center to it. I like cooking it whole and if you do so correctly, you will medium rare slices in the center and well done slices on the point - something for everyone on one platter!

 

If you are like me, your mouth is watering now!  So the only question left is, where do I go to get one?  Well, if you are asking that question then I know you are not reading this blog in California.  That is because there is an abundance of tri-tip in California.  I am not sure how it all started, but packers started shipping tri-tip to California years ago and today most of them still go to California.  But like I said, its popularity in these parts is really growing.  I have been told that Sam's Club and Costco sell tri-tip but I have never investigated it for myself.  Because of its scarcity, I am reluctant to tell you where I get mine.  It is like sacred, almost like your hunting or fishing spot where you are guaranteed to score big, you never share those with others!  But I will; this time.  Kroeger's Meats in Lecompton, KS keeps them on hand regularly but even so, I still call ahead before trekking over there and will ask to hold one for me if they can. If you are in Topeka you might try Herman's Meat Market.  If you are in KC, try McGonigles off Ward Parkway.  I do not know for sure in either case, so call first.   

 

It might take a little leg work searching them out, but tri-tip is definitely worth the time and effort.  I love it so much, I won't hardly do a brisket unless I am in a BBQ competition (it's one of four required meats).  So, let your search begin and be sure to let me know what you think.  You will thank me, I promise!

 

Tailgate Ted   

 

On The Wings Of Love: The Peanut Bar

  This weekend myself and fellow Wing Nutz decided to take a little road trip over to Kansas City and visit the city's oldest bar - The Peanut.   During the prohibition period The Peanut existed as a "speakeasy".  The term means exactly that - speak easy as in not to let neighbors and police know we are here and what we are up to doing.  Speakeasys existed in neighborhoods during the prohibition and served moonshine and other illegal brews.  Sometimes these places were referred to as a "blind pig" or a "blind tiger".  One way to circumvent the law was to invite people into a place where they paid an admission to see an animal attraction of sort and then was rewarded with a drink.  That explains the animal connection.  I believe the "blind" reference is directly related to the results from drinking the really poor quality swill that sometimes was switched out for higher quality hooch in bootlegging shenanigans.  Today The Peanut boasts 5 locations in the KC metro area.  And no one you meet that has experienced The Peanut speaks easy about their experience.  They shout their praises to anyone and everyone who will listen.

I am told The Peanut has an actual menu, but I have never read it.  Supposedly they have hamburgers, fries, nachos and other food items you would expect served at any neighborhood bar and grill, but I have never witnessed anyone eat them.  The one thing they are most famous for, the one thing that drove our desire to trek all the way there from Lawrence on a Saturday night, are the wings; their glorious, full wings. 

You probably noticed in the picture that they serve full wings; no drumettes or wingettes here, just big, healthy full size wings.  You can order them by the half dozen or full dozen.  They make them fresh to order so you need to allow about 20 minutes or so.  Trust me when I say they are worth the wait.  When they come they come piled high drenched in their special sauce and the aroma absolutely tingles your nostril hairs and your mouth begins watering almost uncontrollably.

And THAT is how happy you will look too when your order of wings come to you!  That's our friends and two of my fellow Wing Nutz Al and Nancee taking in their first ever batch of wings at The Peanut.  I saw them later the next day and they still had that expression of sheer joy and delight on their faces. 

The sauce is supposedly a brand sauce used as a base that they doctor up. It is a perfect heat for everyone.  The crunchy texture of the skin and tenderness of the meat inside is superb.  And the blue cheese dressing served on the side is thick and well blended, but not that you need it.  Nor do you need celery or carrots that you are accustomed to accompanying wings to help tame the fire.  These wings really are just fine all by their lonesome.  

. 
And THIS is how you will look after finishing two dozen of these wonderful wings!  She is a true wing nut. 

So there you have it.  If you are wondering if we are scoring these the answer is no.  Our TourWing of 2013 is just for Lawrence (for now).  However, if we were scoring these they would soar above and beyond all others we have sampled thus far - just sayin'. 

Here's information on The Peanut and how to find the one nearest to you.  No one should die before trying them!  http://www.peanutkc.com/  And if you are wondering this whole time why they are called The Peanut, I still have no idea. 

Get to winging it people!

 

Set'em Up Jacks: Here Chicky, Chicky!

This week took us to Set'em Up Jacks out on the East side of town on K-10. This is a pretty hard core sports bar; home of the "22 foot high definition big freaking screen" plus another 7 ten footers all complemented by a mulititude of smaller TVs all for your viewing pleasure.  Any game; any time.  And they have a great selection of food and beverage to select from as you take in your favorite game or team on TV.

But you know why we are here. So this is what Jack's got: tangy BBQ, spicy BBQ, buffalo, cajun, sweet fire, and habanero (ranked in order of climbing up the ol' Scoville scale in terms of heat).  And we pretty much tore 'em all up.  You can get an order of 5, 10 or 20 ($4.49, $7.99, $14.79 respectively - at regular price).  But it just so happens that Wednesday night is their half price wing night - BONUS.  So then, we are off to a good start. 

About the sauces, they make their own at Jack's.  Here's just a few thoughts.  Sweet fire was described to us as BBQ sauce with some habanero and our server said they were the most popular.  We picked up a mustard, vinegary flavor to it and it was a yellow-ish brown color, so maybe that is Carolina BBQ sauce paired with a little habanero; not sure.  It was a pretty good flavor.  Despite the habanero it really was not over powering but rather a good medium heat for us.  Buffalo did not have a lot of heat but had a really good flavor.  The cajun was tasty, but not what you might think of when you think "cajun" (i.e., red pepper, cayenne, black pepper, oregano, paprika, salt, and so forth).  Cajun had a very distinct taste to it, unfortunately I cannot describe what it is though.  Some "spice" really stood out but none of us could really identify it.  I even came home and went sniffing and sampling my spices to see if I could figure out which one it was but no such luck, at least not definitively anyway.   The closest I can surmize without knowing their actual recipe is possibly it is ground thyme, and a lot of it.  Again, the flavors were pretty good even if they didn't necessarily match how we imagined them to taste when we ordered.

As for the birds, I didn't know anyone served wings off of cornish game hens!  Them wings were petite (okay, scrawny) with not much meat on the bone.  Maybe they were all natural with no antibiotics and steroids - doubt it.  The other weird thing is how in our rules we state if they serve both drumettes and wingettes they have to be served proportionate in number and size to one another.  If ordering 5 at a time it is not completely unusal to get 4 of one and 1 of the other, or even all 5 of one once in a great while.  But how about 46/50 being drumettes?  That's some crazy wing disparity.  How does that happen?  I suspect (but do not know) they get a bargain price on the drumettes and are quality "seconds" and a few wingettes just get through at the chicken plant when being packaged.  Just a hunch.   

But on with the judging! 

Appearance:  5.75
Texture & Tenderness:  5.25
Flavor:  6.25

Total overall score: 5.9

Besides their appearance which I just described in detail (only 10% of score), the fact that they were not very meaty led to many of them being overcooked leaving the meat a little tough and dry.  T-n-T accounts for 30% of the overall score. 

Again, it is a great place to gather and watch your favorite teams play.  If you want to check out their menu and specials, here you go:  http://www.setemupjacks.com/

Next week: Saints Pub and Patio.  Maybe someone should warn them we are coming.  When we wing it, you better bring it! 
 

Johnny's Tavern (the Original)

 

Well, we did another double-dipping by stopping off at Johnny's in North Lawrence after our "adventure" at Slowride Roadhouse just down the street.  This is the home of the Original Johnny's Tavern that everyone has come to know and love over the years.  We had wondered if there would be any distinguishable differences between the Original Johnny's and its sister location in West Lawrence.  You might not think so, but there was some.  For one, there is no Simmons Wings on their menu.  If you recall from our review of Johnny's Tavern West these are wings sauced with a combination of Frank's hot sauce and BBQ sauce, which makes for a great sweet, spicy, and tangy flavor combination.  The other difference is the same for everyone: the variability that comes with different cooks. 

 

As you can see from the picture, the wings are evenly coated in sauce and both the wingettes and drummettes are proportionate in both number and size.  The strong aroma of vinegar was in the air which aroused our senses and made mouths water. 

 

Texture and tenderness (T-n-T) on the other hand was very hit and miss on these wings.  We want our wings to be crispy on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside.  Some skins were crispy and others not so much.  Some meat was overcooked and dry and others a little rubbery.  They were pretty inconsistent depending on the batch.  Perhaps different cooks? 

 

The flavor is exactly what you would expect from a true classic buffalo style wing sauce.  At Johnny's we were told that they use Frank's hot sauce which is the original wing sauce, the creation of Frank Bellissimo, owner of the Anchor Inn Bar, and famed location in Buffalo, New York where the wing craze was born.  Which is great, but nothing stood out and judges thought it was pretty average when everything else was considered. 

 

When all is said and done, here is how the Original Johnny's Tavern ranked in appearance, texture and tenderness, and flavor. 

 

A:         7.6

T-n-T:  6.3

F:         6.7

 

When you factor in each criterias weights, Original Johnny's receives a total score of 6.67

 

Just to put it into perspective I looked up Johnny's Tavern West scores and they are as follows:

 

A:        8

T-n-T: 7.8

F:         8        Giving Johnny's West a total score of 7.94  and some bragging rights over their sister location  (and still the overall leader, barely edging out Jefferson's). 

 

So there you have it!  Next stop on the list is Set'em Up Jacks on K-10 highway.  Hope they bring it when we wing it.

 

Tailgate Ted and his Wing Nutz