Oak Cliff to Serve Up "Ethical Meat" At Barbecue Competition...

By Hanna Raskin, Tue., Aug. 10 2010 @ 4:36PM
Comments (5)
Categories: Announcements of the Food Kind

An upcoming barbecue contest in Oak Cliff may be among the first nationwide to demand its entrants use sustainable, grass-fed meat.

Teams participating in the September 11-12 competition will receive beef brisket, pork ribs, whole chicken or homemade sausage suitable for smoking from Urban Acres, a co-op that partners with local farmers to provide members with organic produce, milk and meat.

The executive director of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, which annually sanctions more than 300 prestigious cook-offs, says she's never heard of a competition devoted to so-called "ethical meat."

"It's an interesting twist," Carolyn Wells says.

Wells wasn't sure whether pit masters would have to adjust their techniques to accommodate the grass-fed meat, which is typically leaner than meat from animals raised on grain.

"I'm sure the grass-fed people will tell you it tastes better," she ventured.

KCBS allows its competitors to use any kind of meat they like, so long as they store it properly. But Wells says serious pit masters keep tabs on meat trends, which perhaps accounts for the recent surge in Kobe and Waygu briskets at barbecue contests.

"They'll do anything they think will give them an edge," Wells says.

Wells says she wouldn't be surprised if competitors soon add artisanal, grass-fed meats to their arsenal of one-upmanship tricks.

"I think it's a distinct possibility," she says.

The team registration fee for "Blues, Bandits and BBQ" is $100 for the first category, and $25 for each additional category: Entry forms are at gooakcliff.org. Registration closes Monday.

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Oak Cliff to Host First Sustainable BBQ Competition in Country
Posted on August 12th, 2010 1:44pm by Nancy Nichols
Filed under BBQ, Celebrity Chefs, Contests, Events, Local/Slow Food

That’s the claim made by Go Oak Cliff rep, Rob Shearer. Hear him roar:

“I wanted to drop you a note to fill you in on an event that we’re putting together here in Oak Cliff. Go Oak Cliff will host Blues, Bandits and BBQ on Sept 11 and 12, and the event will feature a BBQ cook-off where the competitors use only sustainably produced beef brisket, pork ribs, chicken, and homemade sausage.”

If you would like to enter, check out this page. Methinks Oak Cliff is the new Austin. Go Oak Cliff. (Must be bats there, right?) Wish I still lived there.

always and forever...

dam good stuff... john henry's east texas bbq sauce & rub...

Seared Ahi Tuna With Passion Fruit-Shrimp Salsa...

You’ll find more recipes online at texasmonthly.com. You can also share recipes and food questions with other TEXAS MONTHLY readers at the Recipe Swap.
Seared Ahi Tuna With Passion Fruit-Shrimp Salsa

Recipe from Roy’s, Austin
Passion Fruit Shrimp Salsa

1 ripe passion fruit (mango or other tropical fruit may be substituted)
4 or 5 extra-large shrimp (about 4 ounces total), peeled, deveined, and diced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely minced onion (a Maui onion if available)
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and finely diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Scoop out the pulp from the passion fruit and press through a fine sieve. Reserve the juice (about 1 tablespoon). Coat the shrimp in olive oil and sear in a skillet over high heat until cooked through. Transfer to a stainless steel mixing bowl, add the passion fruit juice and the remaining ingredients, and toss well to combine.
Seared Ahi Tuna

4 ahi tuna steaks, about 7 ounces each
3 tablespoons peanut oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
passion fruit-shrimp salsa (recipe above)

Coat the ahi steaks with the peanut oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a dry cast-iron skillet and sear the ahi over high heat for about 15 to 20 seconds each side for very rare (about 1 minute each side for medium-rare).

To serve, place the steaks on plates and spoon the salsa over the tuna. Serves 4.

(Adapted from Roy’s Feasts From Hawaii by Roy Yamaguchi and John Harrisson, published by Ten Speed Press, copyright 1995 by Roy Yamaguchi.)

zeus & bell, brother & sister...

my guys...

The Zen of Garlic...

"A nickel gets you on the subway, but garlic gets you a seat." Old Yissish saying

Fresh garlic (Allium sativum) is the most aromatic member of the onion family and it adds a lot of flavor to many dishes. When raw it can be powerfully pungent, but when cooked it can be savory, mellow, nutty, and even sweet.

A head or bulb of garlic is pictured here. Like an orange, it contains numerous small sections. They are called cloves. Unless the recipe says otherwise, you want to remove the papery skin from each clove and cut off the woody base. If it has begun to sprout, remove the green parts which can be bitter.

Garlic can be stored at room temp, in the refrigerator, or even frozen. It can also be packed in vinegar or white wine. This "pickled" garlic is great for use in sauces and salad dressings. I like to make roasted garlic and freeze it.
brabecue garlic
Roasted garlic

Raw garlic is harsh and sulfury, strong enough to ward off vampires. But it gets mellow, nutty, and sweet when cooked. But not too mellow. It still retains its unique character. One of the best ways to mellow garlic is to roast it. It makes a great spread on bread, toast, or crackers. I also use it in mashed potatoes, salad dressings, soups, and sauces. It's easy.

1) Setup your grill for 2-zone indirect cooking and preheat to medium.

2) With a sharp knife, cut off the pointy end of each garlic head about 1/2" below the top of the head. This should be deep enough to expose the flesh of most of the cloves within. If not, cut a little further down. Separate the cloves slightly so the head is loose and there is a bit of space between cloves.

3) Tear off a square of aluminum foil, and sit the head on the foil. Wrap the lower half of the head in foil so it will act like a heat shield during re-entry and a base for it to stand up on. Drip the oil over the bare garlic meat and let a little run down between the cloves. If you like, sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the exposed flesh.

4) Place the whole shootin' match on the grill in the indirect heat zone. After about 30 minutes stick a pointy knife into one of the center cloves. If it meets resistence, cook another 15 to 30 minutes. If it slides in like buttah, it is done.
Stuck indoors?

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the garlic in a pan rather than foil. Some folks wrap it in foil and then bake.
In a hurry?

Cut off the garlic's top, soak it under water for about 3 minutes, wrap in plastic wrap, poke a few holes in the wrap so the steam will escape, and microwave on high for about a minute.
Make extra

You can serve it like this and just spread it on bread or spread it on bread and grill it, or pop the cloves out of the paper, put them in a plastic bag in the fridge for a week, or even freeze them. Keep some on hand. You'll be glad you did.

You should never try to pack it in oil because, unless the garlic is treated, it can produce Clostridium botulinum, the microbe that causes deadly botulism. Many Italian-American restaurants put bottles of olive oil with garlic cloves lolling in the bottom on their tables. The Ph.D. FDA food safety expert I married views this warily and cites several outbreaks of botulism as a result of this practice.

When a recipe calls for garlic to be crushed, minced, or pressed, I use a garlic press. A good garlic press is an important tool because it releases more oils and flavors than mincing with a knife and pressed garlic coats the food more evenly than mincing. Get one that is sturdily built, that is easy to grip, that is easy to clean, and has a large hopper to hold big cloves. Avoid non-stick models. I have a well-used Trudeau Garlic Press, shown here.

Pressed garlic undergoes a transformation with as little as 30 seconds in warm oil. Cooking it in oil for too long can turn it dark brown, crunchy, and even bitter. If your recipe calls for sautéing onions and garlic, add the onions first, wait til they are ready, and add the garlic for just a minute. Then add the rest of the ingredients quickly before the garlic gets bitter.

If the recipe calls for raw garlic and taste of garlic is too strong for you, simmering whole garlic cloves in water, broth, or milk can mellow it in about 15 minutes. Then chop or mince it and sauté it.

Sometimes fresh garlic will turn blue when cooked in acids like lemon juice. If you notice blue flecks, don't worry, they will brown when the liquid evaporates and the flavor will not be altered.

Not surprisingly, just as there are many different types of onion, there are many different types of garlic. Some are more pungent than others, some are sweeter, and some are slightly hot, and their quality varies from climate to climate and year to year. The common grocery store garlic is called the artichoke garlic and much of it is grown in Gilroy, CA, home of a major garlic festival. One can often find elephant garlic, with huge cloves and a mild, onion-like flavor, not surprising because it is technically a leek.

If you grow garlic, you can eat the bulbs that grow below ground, the stalks when young, and even the flowers. Gourmet Garlic Gardens is a good source for different cultivars.

Small clove of garlic = about 1/2 teaspoon
Medium clove = about 1 teaspoon
Large clove = about 1 1/2 teaspoons
Extra-large clove = about 2 teaspoons

Garlic powder is dehydrated ground garlic. It tastes similar to fresh garlic, but it is not the same. There are times when it is better than fresh garlic and there are times when fresh is best. If you must substitute, try this formula:

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder = about 1 medium clove fresh garlic

Garlic salt is garlic powder mixed with salt and an anticaking agent. I never use it. I prefer using garlic powder and then adding salt as necessary.

Because garlic is known to repel vampires, one should keep plenty on hand. It's a matter of life and death.

Crumbly Skillet Cornbread...

Cornbread is a classic sidekick for barbecue with good reason. The corn flavor and texture is a perfect foil for sweet barbecue sauce and Southern Sweet Tea. In the South, cornbread is not sweet. In the Northeast, cornbread is sweeter and more cake like. I like a compromise, with just a touch of sweetness. Cornbread is great as a side dish, but also makes a fabulous breakfast, warm, with a dab of butter, honey, or syrup.

You can eat it straight, or you can butter it. A compound butter with herbs or molasses is great on cornbread. Some folks in the south serve it warm topped with honey and in New England it is often served with maple syrup. Some say it is better if you cover with foil and and set it aside for at least 24 hours.

The classic Southern cornbread was baked in a cast iron skillet greased with bacon fat, lard, or other meat grease. The hot black metal creates a brown crunchy crust that really amps up the flavor and texture. This recipe is designed for a 12" cast iron skillet, but if you don't have one, you can use a 10" cast iron skillet, or any other skillet, or an 8 x 8 x 2" Pyrex or Corning pan. You can even use a metal baking pan if that's all you have, but it won't brown as well as a black pan. If you use anything except the 12" skillet, the cooking time will be different, so use the toothpick test described below. In a narrower pan the mass of batter is thicker and will take longer.
About baking powder and baking soda

Baking powder is also used to increase the volume and lighten the texture of baked goods. When wet, it makes carbon dioxide gas quickly, much quicker than yeast, so breads made with baking powder are called quick breads.

Baking soda is the popular name for crystalline sodium bicarbonate. When heated it releases carbon dioxide and helps dough rise.
Cornbread Recipe

Servings. 8 nice sized wedges
Prep time. 20 minutes
Cooking time. 20 minutes
Special tools. You need a 12" cast iron skillet and 1 wooden toothpick

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream or buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup sweet corn kernels (optional)
1/4 cup sweet bell pepper, chopped into 1/4" chunks (optional)
2 more tablespoons butter

About the corn. This ingredient is optional, but I relly like it. Fresh corn's the best. If not, use frozen corn, thawed by letting it sit for about 15 minutes at room temp. You can use canned corn, but drain it thoroughly. If you wish, you can amp the corn up a bit by pan or grill roasting until it browns slightly.

Optional mix-ins. If you wish you can add 4 strips crumbled cooked bacon, 1/2 cup chopped scallions or onions, 6 ounces grated cheddar cheese, 1 minced jalapeño pepper or 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce (it is barely noticeable but gives the mix a spice of life). Don't go crazy with the add-ins. Use just 2-3 max.

Do this
1) Pre-heat the oven or grill to 350°F and put the skillet on the rack to preheat it.

2) In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: Cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

3) In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Then add the honey and whisk for about 20 seconds. Then add the the sour cream, whisk, melted butter, whisk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir until everything is mixed, only about a 30 seconds. The batter will be lumpy. That's what you want. Now add the corn, red pepper, any other add-ins, and stir gently until they are evenly distributed. It is important that you do not overmix.

4) Take the skillet out of the oven and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Roll the butter around as it melts coating the inside of the pan, including the sides. Yes, I know that's a lot of butter. You will thank me later. Work quickly so the pan doesn't cool.

Optional. If you wish, you can grease the pan with bacon fat or lard, as was common in the old south.

5) Pour in the batter, level it more or less. Place in the hot oven. Work quickly.

6) Cook until the top is golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure the edges don't burn.

7) Cool for about 10 minutes and serve.

martins bbq joint...

whole hog... next...

mr m...

ahh yess...

The S. sr

Luby’s Cafeteria Macaroni and Cheese...

Luby’s Macaroni and Cheese is for you if you like your Macaroni and Cheese, don’t miss this one. Luby’s Macaroni and cheese is so much better than the stuff that comes in the blue box.
Luby’s is located in primarily in Texas and a few other southern states. Luby’s is known for good prices, good food, and good service.

Luby’s Cafeteria Macaroni and Cheese
May 3, 2009
CopyKat Recipes, Copycat Restaurant Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Side Dish Recipes

Luby’s Macaroni and Cheese is for you if you like your Macaroni and Cheese, don’t miss this one. Luby’s Macaroni and cheese is so much better than the stuff that comes in the blue box.
Luby’s is located in primarily in Texas and a few other southern states. Luby’s is known for good prices, good food, and good service. Luby’s Macaroni and Cheese is one of their dishes that is always on their menu. So if you can’t go to Luby’s, you can still make Luby’s Macaroni and Cheese just like they do.

Yield: 8 servings.
8 ounces (2 C.) dry Elbow Macaroni
2 Tbsp. Nonfat Dry Milk
2 Tbsp. Flour
1 Tbsp. Butter, melted
1 1/4 C. boiling water
3 C. (12 ounces) grated American cheese, divided
1/4 tsp. Salt

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix dry milk, flour and butter. Gradually add boiling water, beating constantly. Add 1+ cups cheese and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Stir in macaroni, 1 cup of the remaining cheese and salt. Transfer to lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover with foil.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil. Sprinkle with remaining + cup cheese. Continue baking 1 minute, or until cheese melts.

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Luby's Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups dry elbow macaroni (8 oz.)
1-2 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 1/4 cups boiling water
3 cups American cheese, shredded (12 oz.)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cook macaroni according to package directions.

Heat oven to 350º F.

In a large bowl, mix dry milk, flour, and butter. Gradually add boiling water, beating constantly. Add 1 1/4 of the cheese and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Stir in macaroni, 1 cup of the remaining cheese, and salt.

Transfer to lightly greased 2-qt baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes.

Remove foil. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Continue baking 1 minute or until cheese melts.

Serves 4

From the Luby's Cafeteria 50th Anniversary Cookbook

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Measure Ingredient
8 ounces (2 cups) dry elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons Each: nonfat dry milk and all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Butter or margarine; melted
1¼ cup Boiling water
3 cups (12 ounces) grated American cheese; divided
¼ teaspoon Salt

Here's the Luby's recipe from their Anniversary Cookbook. I found it in the Houston Chronicle archives. >From Luby's 50th Anniversary Recipe Collection (Luby's, $9.95). Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix dry milk, flour and butter. Gradually add boiling water, beating constantly. Add 1.5 cups cheese and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Stir in macaroni, 1 cup of the remaining cheese and salt. Transfer to lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil. Sprinkle with remaining .5 cup cheese. Continue baking 1 minute, or until cheese melts. Makes 8 servings. Posted to FOODWINE Digest by Chris or Dick Marksberry

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Luby's Macaroni and Cheese
Source: Luby's 50th Anniversary Recipe Collection
From: Houston Chronicle, Nov. 13, 1996, p. 4F
Servings: 8

8 ounces elbow macaroni, 2 cups dry
2 Tablespoons nonfat dry milk
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 1/4 cups boiling water
3 cups grated American cheese, 12 oz., divided
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. Heat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix dry milk, flour and butter. Gradually add boiling water, beating constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Stir in macaroni, 1 cup of the remaining cheese and salt. Transfer to lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover with foil.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Continue baking 1 minute, or until cheese melts.
MSG URL: http://www.recipelink.com/msgid/3122760

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Ingredients:



* 2 cups dry elbow macaroni (8 oz.)
* 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine, melted
* 1 1/4 cups boiling water
* 3 cups American cheese, shredded (12 oz.)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

1. 1 Cook macaroni according to package directions.
2. 2 Heat oven to 350ºF.
3. 3 In a large bowl, mix dry milk, flour, and butter.
4. 4 Gradually add boiling water, beating constantly.
5. 5 Add 1 1/2 of the cheese and continue beating until smooth and creamy.
6. 6 Stir in macaroni, 1 cup of the remaining cheese, and salt.
7. 7 Transfer to lightly greased 2-qt baking dish.
8. 8 Cover with foil.
9. 9 Bake 25 minutes.
10. 10 Remove foil.
11. 11 Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
12. 12 Continue baking 1 minute or until cheese melts.


Luby's Cafeteria Macaroni and Cheese

Serving Size: 1 (69 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 8

Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Calories 123.7

Calories from Fat 16
13%
Total Fat 1.8 g
2%
Saturated Fat 1.0 g
5%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g
2%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
1%
Trans Fat 0.0 g
0%
Cholesterol 4.1 mg
0%
Sodium 95.0 mg
3%
Potassium 78.6 mg
2%
Magnesium 16.8 mg
0%
Total Carbohydrate 22.0 g
7%
Dietary Fiber 0.8 g
3%
Protein 4.3%
8%

another hot ass rib day...

Blue Cheese Potatoes Delmonico...

By: SMITHJLS
"Here's a recipe that I recently made for a dinner party. Everyone loved it served with rib-eye steak. Goes really well. The blue cheese makes all the difference."
Prep Time:
30 Min
Cook Time:
25 Min
Ready In:
55 Min

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

* 8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup cream
* 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
* 1/3 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a casserole dish.
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk and cream so there are no lumps. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the blue cheese until smooth. Pour over the potatoes in the dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top.
3. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until top is nicely browned.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 618 | Total Fat: 34.5g | Cholesterol: 107mg

Delmonico Potatoes...

By Diana Rattray, About.com Guide

Named after the New York restaurant where they were created, Delmonico potatoes date back to 19th century.
Ingredients:

* 2 cups diced cooked potatoes
* 2 cups white sauce, below
* salt and pepper
* shredded mild Cheddar or Swiss cheese
* buttered bread crumbs

Preparation:
Combine potatoes, white sauce, salt, and pepper. Pour into a greased shallow baking dish. Sprinkle shredded cheese over potatoes the top with buttered bread crumbs. Cook at 425° for about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned. Recipe for Delmonico potatoes makes 4 servings.

White Sauce

* 4 tablespoons butter
* 4 tablespoons flour
* 2 cups milk
* salt
* white or black pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; stir in flour. Cook for 3 minutes, but do not brown. Stir in milk and continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream for a richer sauce.
Makes 2 cups of white sauce.

Delilah's 7 Cheese Mac and Cheese...

Recipe courtesy Delilah Winder

Show: Throwdown with Bobby Flay Episode: Man 'n' Cheese
*
Cook Time:

1 hr 10 min
*
Level:

Easy
*
Yield:

10 to 12 servings

Times:

Prep
30 min
Inactive Prep
--
Cook
1 hr 10 min
Total:
1 hr 40 min

Ingredients

* 2 pounds elbow macaroni
* 12 eggs
* 1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
* 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted
* 6 cups half-and-half, divided
* 4 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar, divided
* 2 cups grated extra-sharp white Cheddar
* 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
* 1 cup grated Asiago
* 1 cup grated Gruyere
* 1 cup grated Monterey Jack
* 1 cup grated Muenster
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.

Add the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, 3 cups of the sharp yellow Cheddar, the remaining grated cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl.

Pour the mixture into 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dishes (approximately 3 (3-quart) baking dishes) and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of sharp yellow cheese and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more.

Serve hot.

miss DiVa Q on TLC Pitmasters Sept. 2

miss Diva Q cookin up some chicken... sr
she will be on the TLC Pitmasters Show on Sept. 2nd...

Blues, Bandits, and BBQ...

Mark your calendars for the 1st annual Blues, Bandits & BBQ competition and street festival held Sunday, September 12th! Oak Cliff has a rich history of famous bluesman from T-Bone Walker to Stevie Ray Vaughan, and our fair share of notorious bandits like Bonnie and Clyde…but what few may have realized is the number of BBQ joints that used to fill the area along Davis and Jefferson Boulevard.

Blues, Bandits, and BBQ will stretch along Davis from Nova who will be holding their outdoor art CRAVE show (put on by photopol.us), and over to Tyler Street. The BBQ competition will be held behind The Kessler at 1230 West Davis. Live music will be in multiple locations, with both indoor and outdoor stages at The Kessler. (Bands & times to come shortly!). Part of the proceeds raised from the event will go to Sunset and Adamson Booster clubs in order to help the High School kids start the year off right.

A highlight of the event will be the 1st annual Sustainable & Grass Fed BBQ competition on September 11 & 12, 2010. Teams will be required to cook on-site starting Saturday afternoon. Judging will take place Sunday afternoon – there will be both an ‘official’ winner for each category as well as a ‘People’s Choice’ winner.

The entry fee per BBQ team is $100 for the first category and $25 for each additional category. Categories include beef brisket, pork ribs, whole chicken and homemade sausage. All meat will be provided to the team as part of the entry fee. Meats are being provided by Urban Acres through partnerships with area farmers who raise sustainable and grass fed animals.

The deadline to enter the BBQ competition is Monday, August 23.

BBQ Competition – The Details!
So you’ve hopefully heard that Go Oak Cliff is organizing the First Annual Blues, Bandits & BBQ event the weekend of September 11 & 12. Obviously the BBQ will be a big part of the event, so we’ll try to provide you with some of the more important details here for your reading pleasure.

First off – you can participate in one of two ways: you can compete and make the BBQ, or you can come join the fun and EAT the BBQ! Here’s how it works…

COMPETITION: Do you make an amazing brisket? Are your ribs legendary in your neighborhood? Then you should enter the BBQ competition! The competition is open to the general public and we’re hoping to draw out some of the great backyard smokers around town. We’re hearing rumors that a few professionals may join in the fun as well. There are CASH PRIZES involved for the winners of each category! All cooking will be done on-site (behind The Kessler at 7th & Clinton) starting the afternoon of Saturday, September 11. And your entry fee includes the meat – which is being provided by our friends at Urban Acres. If you want all the details on the BBQ competition then click here to download a copy of the official BBQ Competition Rules.

EATING: Staying up all night to smoke a hunk of beef may not be your idea of a good time, but you can still come out and enjoy all this tasty grass fed, sustainably produced beef, pork and chicken. We’ll be selling wrist bands that will entitle you to taste the brisket, chicken, pork ribs and homemade sausage of each competitor! Information about pre-purchasing the wrist bands will be posted here in the coming weeks.

The BBQ teams will start cooking at noon on Saturday, September 11 in the grassy area behind The Kessler Theater (1230 W Davis Street, Dallas TX 75208) and the cooking will continue all night long. The judging and tasting starts at 11:30am on Sunday, September 12. You are welcome to come up and chat with the teams while they cook on Saturday – there will be beer for sale and lots of fun before things really get kicked off officially on Sunday.

So get excited and spread the word. It’s going to be a great weekend of blues and BBQ in the Cliff!

little elm autumnfest 2010...

Great News!!
The Carnival has been approved!!
So bring out your Smokers and lets have some fun!! Sept. 24th/25th
Friday Night we will have the Community Feast so bring your best dish. Then following dinner I have Jeff Smithhart and his two touring buddies booked to play music for us!!
I have attached a copy of the flyer.
You can pull in anytime on Thursday the 23rd.
Also, I am looking for Judges for Saturday at noon and 1:00
I need volunteers that won't be drinking alcohol before testing. So, if you have a family member that will be attending and willing to judge.. have them contact me.

Please forward this email to anyone you think might want to compete.
Thank you,
Mariyn Claeys
214-773-4412

800...

hon...

How to Hide from Friends You Don't Like...

How to Hide from Friends You Don't Like


With more than 500 million people now on Facebook, it's inevitable that you'll be friended by someone you know, but with whom you don't want to share your online life. Once you've accepted them as a friend, how do you avoid them without the awkwardness of unfriending them?

Facebook has made it easy to hide other members' status updates. Place your mouse over an update from, say, Charlie, and a light blue X appears to the upper right corner of the update. Click the X, and Facebook will present you with three buttons from which to choose: Hide Charlie, Mark as Spam and Cancel. If you click Hide Charlie, you'll never see Charlie's updates again. (Click Spam and the message disappears and a notice gets sent to Facebook's servers and analyzed by spam filtering software.)

But how do you keep Charlie from reading your updates? Skirting your way around someone you've accepted as a Facebook friend is trickier. When you write a status update of your own, look for the lock-shaped icon below and to the right of the text input box. Click on the lock, and Facebook will pop up a menu. Click the bottom option, Customize. That will pop up a dialog box labeled Custom Privacy that lets you filter who will see your update.

There are two ways to exclude people. The quick and easy way is to type their names into the box labeled "Hide this from these people" at the bottom of the dialog box. To hide all future updates from these folks, click the checkbox at the very bottom that says "Make this my default setting." Then click the big blue Save Setting button. From now on, evil Charlie won't get your updates.The more sophisticated solution is to replace this blacklist with a list of people you do like. That way you can accept any number of new friends without having to accidentally share your updates with them.

To do this, click on Friends in the left margin of Facebook's interface. You'll see a button at the top of the Friends page labeled "+ Create a List". Click that and use the dialog box that pops up to make a list of the friends you want to share with. Call it, say, True Friends.

Next time you post an update, follow the instructions above to bring up the Customize dialog box. But instead of typing into the "Hide this" field, click the menu at the top labeled "Make this visible to these people." Select the option Specific People. A text input box will appear. Type the name of your new list, True Friends, into this field. Click "Make this my default setting" and then Save Setting. From now on, only your True Friends list will see your updates. Complicated and annoying, yes, but probably much less so than it was going to high school with Charlie.

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Web Photos That Reveal Secrets, Like Where You Live...

Web Photos That Reveal Secrets, Like Where You Live
nytimes



On Thursday August 12, 2010, 2:00 am EDT

When Adam Savage, host of the popular science program “MythBusters,” posted a picture on Twitter of his automobile parked in front of his house, he let his fans know much more than that he drove a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Embedded in the image was a geotag, a bit of data providing the longitude and latitude of where the photo was taken. Hence, he revealed exactly where he lived. And since the accompanying text was “Now it’s off to work,” potential thieves knew he would not be at home.

Security experts and privacy advocates have recently begun warning about the potential dangers of geotags, which are embedded in photos and videos taken with GPS-equipped smartphones and digital cameras. Because the location data is not visible to the casual viewer, the concern is that many people may not realize it is there; and they could be compromising their privacy, if not their safety, when they post geotagged media online.

Mr. Savage said he knew about geotags. (He should, as host of a show popular with technology followers.) But he said he had neglected to disable the function on his iPhone before taking the picture and uploading it to Twitter.

“I guess it was a lack of concern because I’m not nearly famous enough to be stalked,” he said, “and if I am, I want a raise.”

Still, Mr. Savage has since turned off the geotag feature on his iPhone, and he isn’t worried about the archived photo on Twitter because he has moved to a new residence.

But others may not be so technologically informed or so blasé about their privacy.

“I’d say very few people know about geotag capabilities,” said Peter Eckersley, a staff technologist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco, “and consent is sort of a slippery slope when the only way you can turn off the function on your smartphone is through an invisible menu that no one really knows about.”

Indeed, disabling the geotag function generally involves going through several layers of menus until you find the “location” setting, then selecting “off” or “don’t allow.” But doing this can sometimes turn off all GPS capabilities, including mapping, so it can get complicated.

The Web site ICanStalkU.com provides step-by-step instructions for disabling the photo geotagging function on iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Palm devices.

A person’s location is also revealed while using services like Foursquare and Gowalla as well as when posting to Twitter from a GPS-enabled mobile device, but the geographical data is not hidden as it is when posting photos.

A handful of academic researchers and independent Web security analysts, who call themselves “white hat hackers,” have been trying to raise awareness about geotags by releasing studies and giving presentations at technology get-togethers like the Hackers On Planet Earth, or Next HOPE, conference held last month in New York.

Their lectures and papers demonstrate the ubiquity of geotagged photos and videos on Web sites like Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Craigslist, and how these photos can be used to identify a person’s home and haunts.

Many of the pictures show people’s children playing in or around their homes. Others reveal expensive cars, computers and flat-screen televisions. There are also pictures of people at their friends’ houses or at the Starbucks they visit each morning.

By downloading free browser plug-ins like the Exif Viewer for Firefox (addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3905/) or Opanda IExif for Internet Explorer (opanda.com/en/iexif/), anyone can pinpoint the location where the photo was taken and create a Google map.

Moreover, since multimedia sites like Twitter and YouTube have user-friendly application programming interfaces, or A.P.I.’s, someone with a little knowledge about writing computer code can create a program to search for geotagged photos in a systematic way. For example, they can search for those accompanied with text like “on vacation” or those taken in a specified neighborhood.

“Any 16 year-old with basic programming skills can do this,” said Gerald Friedland, a researcher at the International Computer Science Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. He and a colleague, Robin Sommer, wrote a paper, “Cybercasing the Joint: On the Privacy Implications of Geotagging,” which they presented on Tuesday at a workshop in Washington during the Advanced Computing Systems Association’s annual conference on security.

The paper provides three examples of so-called cybercasing that use photos posted on Twitter and Craigslist and a homemade video on YouTube.

By looking at geotags and the text of posts, Mr. Sommer said, “you can easily find out where people live, what kind of things they have in their house and also when they are going to be away.”

“Our intent is not to show how it’s done,” he said, “but raise awareness so people can understand their devices and turn off those options if they want to.”

ICanStalkU.com, developed by the security consultants Larry Pesce of the NWN Corporation in Waltham, Mass., and Ben Jackson of Mayhemic Labs in Boston, uses a more direct approach to warning about the potential dangers of geotags. The site displays a real-time stream of geotagged photos posted on Twitter; the person who posted the photo also gets a notification via Twitter.

“The reaction from people is either anger, like ‘I’m going to punch you out,’ or ‘No duh, like I didn’t already know that’ or ‘Oh my God, I had no idea,’ ” Mr. Pesce said.

In the latter category was Cristina Parker of El Paso, who sells appliances part-time at Kmart and also manages social media for small companies. ICanStalkU.com notified her last week that a photo she had posted on Twitter of her Chihuahua, Zipp, also revealed where she lived.

“I immediately tweeted back to find out what I can do about it,” said Ms. Parker. The site sent her a Web link to instructions on how to turn off the geotag function on her LG Ally smartphone. “It’s definitely good to know for me personally and because of my social media work, too,” she said

Because of the way photographs are formatted by some sites like Facebook and Match.com, geotag information is not always retained when an image is uploaded, which provides some protection, albeit incidental. Other sites like Flickr have recently taken steps to block access to geotag data on images taken with smartphones unless a user explicitly allows it.

But experts say the problem goes far beyond social networking and photo sharing Web sites, regardless of whether they offer user privacy settings.

“There are so many places where people upload photos, like personal blogs and bulletin boards,” said Johannes B. Ullrich, chief technology officer of the SANS Technology Institute, which provides network security training and monitors the Internet for emerging security threats.

Protecting your privacy is not just a matter of being aware and personally responsible, said Mr. Sommer, the researcher. A friend may take a geotagged photo at your house and post it.

“You need to educate yourself and your friends but in the end, you really have no control,” he said, adding that he was considering writing a program to troll the Internet for photos with geotags corresponding to users’ home addresses.

“I’m beginning to think there may be a market for it.”

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Cat Dies Trapped in Animal Shelter Wall...

A manager at the Dallas city animal shelter has been charged with felony cruelty after a cat died inside a wall area after somehow getting trapped.

Tyrone McGill was on paid administrative leave Wednesday, one day after he posted $1,500 bond and was released from jail. McGill, who was indicted last week, did not immediately return a call to The Associated Press.

Fellow workers said they told McGill, for several days starting in early May, that the trapped cat was heard meowing and he said he would rescue the animal, but never did.

Days went by and the cat was continually heard crying and scratching to get out from behind the wall.

One employee reported that she was told there would be no holes cut into the wall to free the cat. An affidavit indicates the cat died sometime after May 11. The wall had to be cut to remove the dead animal, when workers complained about an odor.

McGill's indictment affidavit says he knowingly and recklessly tortured the cat.

It is not clear how the cat got inside the wall.

Glazed Double-Cut Pork Chops...

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Ingredients
For the Pork:

* Kosher salt
* 1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
* 4 double-cut bone-in pork loin chops (about 1 pound each)
* Vegetable oil, for the grill

For the Sauce:

* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 cups diced onions
* 1 cup apple cider vinegar
* 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
* 1 1/2 cups ketchup
* 1 1/4 cups apple juice
* 1 cup maple syrup
* 1/2 cup bourbon
* 1/2 cup prunes
* 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* Kosher salt and freshly ground
* black pepper

Prepare the pork: Mix 2 tablespoons salt, the black pepper, brown sugar and paprika in a bowl, then rub all over the chops. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and brown sugar until dissolved. Add the ketchup, apple juice, syrup, bourbon, prunes, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or in a regular blender.

Preheat a grill to medium. Brush the grates with vegetable oil, then place the chops directly over the flame and grill until marked and cooked halfway through, about 15 minutes. Turn the chops and place on a cooler area of the grill (such as the edges); cover and cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 140 degrees F to 145 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and brush the chops on all sides with the prepared sauce, then cover and cook until glazed, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and brush with more sauce. Tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Serve with more sauce.

Photograph by Con Poulos

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brisket...

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