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May is Beef Month and who better to start today’s show than the Master of Fire himself…Steven Raichlen with his latest book “Project Smoke – Seven Steps to Smoked Food Nirvana, Plus 100 Irresistible Recipes from Classic (Slam-Dunk Brisket) to Adventurous (Smoked Bacon-Bourbon Apple Crisp)”
From America’s “master griller” (Esquire), a step-by-step guide to cold-smoking, hot-smoking, and smoke-roasting, and a collection of 100 innovative recipes for smoking every kind of food, from starters to desserts.
Smoke is the soul of barbecue, the alchemy that happens when burning wood infuses its magical flavors into food. Project Smoke tells you how to make the alchemy happen, with Raichlen’s seven steps to smoking nirvana; an in-depth description of the various smokers; the essential brines, rubs, marinades, and barbecue sauces; and a complete guide to fuel, including how each type of wood subtly seasons a dish. Then the recipes for 100 enticing, succulent, boldly-flavored smoked dishes, including Bacon-Crab Poppers, Cherry-Glazed Baby Back Ribs, Slam-Dunk Brisket, Jamaican Jerk Chicken—even Smoked Chocolate Bread Pudding.
Illustrated throughout with full-color photographs, it’s a book that inspires hunger at every glance, and satisfies with every recipe tried. Check out Steven’s new Season of the same name starting in May www.projectsmoke.org
Then it’s all about Kansas Beef Month!
Kansas is home to some of the highest quality cattle in the United States, and the state’s ranches and feedyards play a key role in the state’s agricultural success. I’ll be talking to Jamie Lindamood about the “Day at the Farm Tour” held last month in Greenwood County to educate a large group of folks about the production of Beef in Western Kansas.
Then I’ll be talking to Kevin Thielen, Executive Director of the Kansas Beef Council about Beef Month.
According to the High Plains AG Journal, May 7, 2016
The Kansas beef industry is vital to the Kansas economy, generating over $9 billion annually. Kansas is home to 6.25 million cattle as of Jan. 1, which is more than twice the human population of 2.9 million. Kansas also ranks third nationally in the value of beef and veal exported, at $787.7 million in 2014. The industry also supports more than 48,400 jobs in Kansas.
Beef fits into healthy lifestyles as a rich source of nutrients, especially protein. A 3-oz. serving of lean beef has less than 10 grams of fat, 150 calories and less than 95 mg. of cholesterol, while providing nearly half of the daily value for protein.
Kansas has historically been a leader in beef production and remains at the heart of the U.S. beef industry. Warm up your grill this May and celebrate Kansas Beef Month.
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2014 Angels Landing Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
From Calistoga fruit, an area made famous by Chateau Montelena. This is a deeply colored Cab with loads of blackberry, currant, and lots of mocha. Very good structure but the tannins are very ripe. This will be a real crowd pleaser for any occasion. It is worth every penny if you are looking for a delicious Napa Cab that will not put a dent in the wallet.
Something to go with BEEF…it’s what’s for dinner 🙂 Get this at Jacob Liquor East for only$19.99!
March was Women’s History Month and a great opportunity to celebrate all of the women that have helped define American history like Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World to colonists in 1587. Legend has it that Virginia Dare lived among the Native Americans and grew into a beautiful young woman trapped in the middle of a fatal love triangle. On the very spot where she died, a grapevine sprouted with its fruit stained red. According to the legend, this is how the white wine of America became red wine. The grapevine is widely believed to be the 400-year old Mother Vine, reportedly the oldest cultivated grapevine in North America which still exists today — a clipping of which will soon be planted in Virginia Dare Winery’s Sonoma County estate vineyard.
In 2006, Walheim was hired as an associate winemaker for Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Under her direction, she and her team are responsible for all Sonoma County wines that the winey produces. As she puts it, “a lot of winemaking is problem solving of some sort, which can be really fun, like working a puzzle.” She thrives on the challenges that each vintage, varietal and appellation present — and looks forward to the tremendously gratifying aspect of bringing each wine to its finest quality potential.
I’ll be talking to Wes Hohe Brand Ambassador for Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits about their Beerfest dinner at YaYa’s Eurobistro. Learn more about the brewery at: 
Then Lou Huertas Brand Ambassador for New Holland Brewing joins us to talk about New Holland dinner at All Things Barbecue. Learn more about this brewery at: 
Everyone wants to eat healthier, but pulling together a healthy meal can sometimes feel like a daunting task. Often we run out of time and ideas at the end of the day and resort to unhealthy takeout or frozen food. But there is a better way that is not only healthier—it’s easier, less stressful, and saves money, too. As a busy mother of two, author Aviva Goldfarb has discovered that the key to making healthy meals a reality is simple: Plan several easy, healthy meals in advance and grocery shop once a week with a list.
A rich, copper ale with a case full of gold medals. Our California Amber takes its inspiration from traditional English ESBs. Four types of malts give it a bold complexity, and our proprietary yeast strain lends it a fruity, madeira-like richness. However, it’s the American hops that give this ale a distinct bite and floral aroma that have earned it just about every major beer medal.
Every cookteam likes to know the rules, know the judging tent is run with integrity, that payouts are guaranteed and that they have an equal opportunity to win. So after a year of conversations and negotiations with some of the most influential leaders of the steak cookoff community, the SCA was created. Now cookteams can be assured of a fair and well run cookoff when it is sanctioned by the SCA. All SCA sanctioned cookoffs will have a “SCA Representative” on site to run the judging area and be an ambassador to the cookteams. The SCA Representative will be trained and know all the rules and regulations of an SCA cookoff. 
