The Search is Finally Over

As you all know, this blog has never been a place where I do restaurant reviews.  I am not a food critic nor have I ever claimed to be.  I prefer to share with you my stories and experiences cooking with wood in the backyard, hoping to challenge and inspire each of you to try something new on the grill. 

But over the past couple of months I have visited a few of the local barbecue restaurants hoping to learn something new about cooking with wood or at least walk away with a few new ideas for food I can cook on my grill at home.  And something very unexpected happened.  Instead of leaving inspired, I was left dumbfounded and disappointed.  These restaurants, which had been recommended by a number of people, were serving food that was just not good.  Ribs with no flavor, dry brisket reheated on the flat top, and vinegary mush that they were claiming to be pulled pork.  It just seemed that no one around here knew anything about cooking food with wood, until today.

A couple of weeks ago, as I followed my wife to the Honda dealership at 7:15 in the morning to drop off her car, I passed Swig and Swine and noticed smoke coming from the cooker out front.  I thought to myself. "Cooking at 7:15 in the morning seems pretty legit, I definitely need to try that place."  Well, today I ate there for lunch and I am sorry I didn't do it sooner.  I had the three meat plate with pork belly, turkey, and pulled pork and it was amazing.  I had collards and mac and cheese for sides and they were spot on too.  

Lucky for me, I was able to talk with partner and executive chef, Anthony DiBernardo, and he was gracious enough to share a little about how he is able to create such fantastic food.  From using only hickory, oak and pecan in his custom made, reverse flow cooker to using salt and pepper as the primary seasonings, this guy was speaking my language.  By keeping it simple and letting the wood do the work, the folks at Swig and Swine have a great thing going.  Meat cooked the right way, sides that are to die for, quality beer on tap, and fast, friendly service are what make this place so great.  If I'm not cooking it at home, I'm eating it at Swig and Swine!            

              

What's Been on the Grill?

Most people would agree that summer is the best time to grill.  Although the evenings are hot here in the Lowcountry, the beverages are cold which means there really is no better time to cook with wood.  It stays light until almost nine, so there's plenty of time to sit on the back porch under the ceiling fan and enjoy the evening with good food and good friends.

Brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

There's been quite a variety of foods on my grill this summer.  The late spring, early summer is a great time for brussels sprouts and a cast iron skillet over fire is the best place to put them.  I toss them in a little olive oil, season them with salt and pepper, and cook them over a white-hot bed of lump charcoal with a couple of chunks of hickory.  The sprouts do very well with a little smoke flavor.

Corn grilled in the husk rubbed with a little butter.

One of the first things many of us cooked on the grill, whether with gas or charcoal, are hamburgers.  And I know there are millions of ways to do burgers on the grill, but I prefer ground chuck.  I make my patties big, but not too thick.  If they hang off the bun they're perfect!  I season them with a little salt, pepper, and cumin, and grill them over direct heat with lump charcoal and hickory chunks.  I flip them once and add a couple of pieces of bacon, a slice of sharp cheddar, and a slice of colby jack.  My kids describe them as "burger perfection!"

Folks come running when these are on the grill.

I'm always looking for a new appetizer I can throw on the Weber while the main dish is cooking on the big cooker.  A friend of mine found these gems and sent me the link to the recipe.  I just slice a sweet onion into rings, but instead of battering and frying them, I wrap them in bacon and grill them over direct heat until the bacon gets crispy.  To help keep them together, double up the rings.  This keeps them from getting too flimsy as they cook.

Sweet potatoes brushed with olive oil, seasoned with salt, and grilled

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It's been years since I have smoked a whole chicken.  So this Fourth of July I decided to do a couple of beer can chickens.  I brined these two birds overnight in a brine recipe from Alton Brown.  And then right before I put them on to cook,  I read an article about how the beer can chicken thing is a myth and a waste of good beer.  So I used the beer can holders to prop the birds up and smoked them at 325 degrees, without the beer can, until the internal temp of the breasts reached 165 degrees.  I then took them off and let them rest for about twenty minutes before I cut them and served them.  Best chicken ever!