Sam & Mary

Sam & Mary

It finally happened to me, my nephew Sam gave me a reason to dress up and eat BBQ!  OK I am getting ahead of myself here, so let me tell you about my weekend.  My nephew Sam and his fiance

Mary got married at Overbrook House located at  Bay End Farm in Bourne, MA (just off the bridge to Cape Cod).

Now what you need to know is that Sam and Mary are both Chefs, and damn good ones I might add, and 90% of the people at the wedding where restaurateurs, chefs, mixologist's and other various food industry people. I'm serious, I half expected the Cooking Channel to show up and broadcast this live.  If you have ever wined or dined in some of the top restaurants in and around the city of Boston, you can bet many of the people who made your experience so memorable where here on Sunday.

My great nephew Evan and his sister Lilian where the ring bearer (rings inside, what else,  a recipe box held together with a ribbon to keep him from taking them out) and flower girl (Lilly threw those flowers like she was Pedro Martinez brushing back Jorge Posada in the playoffs), and as usually happens, the kids stole the show.  As Mary and Sam read their vows on the back lawn of Overbrook House ,  Season To Taste Catering was preparing a BBQ Feast fit for such a crowd. 
a sprawling lawn, surrounded by friends and family while off in the distance Chef Jason Lord of

As 2 of the original apostles "Peter & Paul" and the true first lady "Mary" sang, "Well than whats to be the reason for becoming man and wife".  Of course the answer is Love and I am ok with that, but my Love for BBQ had me excited for this day from the time the invitation came in the mail.  Think about it, have you ever had to perform in front of a group of your peers?  That is exactly what Chef Jason Lord was asked to do, and like a
consummate professional, he stepped up and smashed that ball out of the park.

Served buffet style in giant cast iron skillets, we had hand pulled pork, not the sauced up type you see everywhere, oh no. this was
chunks of perfectly seasoned pork, dripping with flavor and truly needing no sauce to make the cut.  It was perfect as is.  The next skillet contained beef brisket that was so tender there was zero need for a knife.  Moist and delicious, again the seasoning made the need for added sauce almost non existent.  I am sure the chef understands that not everyone shares my love for the pure seasonings, so he made sure there where plenty of different types of sauce for people to add as needed.  I am partial to

mustard based and his was off the charts good!

My favorite dish, however, was next in line.  A cold smoked sirloin with a smoke ring of more than 2/3" of an inch, served with shoestring sweet potatoes laid right on top of the meat.  This was just an amazing dish, so flavor full and accompanied by a Remoulade that blended perfectly with the smokey meat. 

Sides were plentiful and delicious and included corn on the cob, potato salad, collard greens, water melon, heirloom tomatoes and coleslaw.  They also served hand rolled and baked southern biscuits that you would die for.  Truth be told, I was searching for a way to

sneak a few extra of these golden beauties out for breakfast the next morning.  I decided that my suit coat would not be a good hiding place so, alas, I have only the memory of these little pastry's from heaven.

My advise to you, is if you are ever invited to an event that is catered by Season To Taste Catering, GO!  Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to the event and tell him the Bone-bag sent you.  You will not be disappointed.  Trust me, I am a professional glutton!  Congrats Mary and Sam and if you decide on a BBQ first anniversary party, you know how to find me!

Flying Pig!

Flying Pig

The Bone Bag was on the road in Western Massachusetts in search of, as always, a cold beer, a glass or two of wine, and of course some savory smoky goodness.  The trip took us out the Mohawk Trail to Greenfield MA where we headed south and found Lefty's Brewing Company.  While I don't normally write about non BBQ items here, I did feel the need to mention Lefty's.  Located in Greenfeld, MA Lefty's Brewery has an awesome little tap room where you can enjoy a flight of beers from the brew house behind the tap room.  They have some crazy concoctions including a coffee chocolate stout that will become your favorite cold brew coffee, just don't get caught pouring it into your Dunkins Cup before work, I am certain your boss would frown on that!

Enough about beer, (did I just say that), and on to Bubs BBQ in Sunderland, MA.  This place is simply amazing for so so many reasons, starting with the tag line for the business..."Pig out in Style"  How can you not love a place that encourages you to Pig Out!!!!  These folks have been serving up BBQ for almost 40 years and the moment you step in the door you will understand why.

Crazy eclectic signs and "stuff" adorn the walls all around you, you could spend an hour just checking out the decor.  Talk about an American BBQ Success story.  Bubs BBQ
Bubs was started on the most American of Days,  July 4th in 1979 by Bub Tiley.  The company has continued a tradition that keeps the place packed most days.  Like the U-Tube sensation song "Lil Bub" says, I've been waiting for a cat like you".  Warning, if you google up this song you may be singing it for days (you've been warned). You gotta check out this little Bub at

My dining partners on this trip, (I was delighted to take a couple of Bone Bag Fans along for this trip) and I, wanted to try everything and I think we may have succeeded.  The table was filled with St Louis Style Ribs, Beef Brisket, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Catfish, Kielbasa (Blue Seal Brand, the very best there is) and Pulled Pork.   We also may or may not have had Fried Green Tomatoes and Hush Puppies.  Honestly, as I went into a food coma and my friend Jamie began having the meat sweats, we may have missed an item or two.  Dinner for 4 with food for 8.  My kind of place!

The BBQ was terrific but I feel I need to tell you about the sides.  This is no ordinary BBQ Joint my friends.  You all know about the sides at most places, pick one or two and some cornbread right?  Well not at Bubs.  They have a sides Buffet that is all you can eat and you can start before your BBQ makes it way out to you!   There is something for everyone here, it's like the "side dish fairy" has come down from BBQ heaven, slapped you on the face and screamed...eat poppa eat!

Allow me to take you on a tour of the side dishes, all of which somehow found a home on my plate (some more than once if truth be told).  Collard Greens, Pickled Beats, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, Hickory Smoke Potatoes, Dirty Rice, Corn on the Cob, Potato Salad,  Succotash, Pasta Salad with Feta, Soups and Mac and Cheese.  Just imagine loading your plate and then they call your name to come get the meat that you ordered prior to seeing the sides.  Like Chief Brody said, "we're gonna need a bigger belly" or something
like that. 

Oh yes, lest I forget the reason for the name of this weeks blog.  When you arrive at Bubs and get past looking a the walls and the giant menu board, you make your way to the counter to place your order.  The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful and they will walk you through the vast list of options available to you.  Once our order was written down, it is clipped to a pig on a zip line and whizzed along to the pit-masters to begin chopping away!   Check it out and you will see, once again, how little it takes to amuse me.  Shiny objects, The Smell of Smoke rising from the pits and Pigs on a Zip Line.  Bubs has it all.  Bring your appetite and if your traveling a distance, bring a cooler for the left overs! 

Today is the first day of fall, the leaves are beginning to turn and I am sure Bubs BBQ (being located in the beautiful Pioneer Valley of MA) will be packed so plan ahead.  You simply have to try this place!

Labor Day 2018 Part 2

Labor Day 2018 Part 2

As we turn our calendars over to the month of September, a lot changes besides just the picture on the page.  The air changes, it starts to have a crisper feel in the mornings.  There is a hint of color showing as you travel the roads in the Northeast, no the leaves have not turned yet, but like a well trained military squad, the maples send out a few brave leafs to act as advance scouts, leading the way to a full blown fall color change.

Football is in the air, and there is no greater reason to cook outdoors than the traditional tailgate party.  Be it at the stadium or in your own back yard, Labor day and football bring families and friends together for that last blast of the summer.  Smokers and grills are put to the test as a summer of cooking is coming to a close and we all try to out do our summer best.  That perfect brisket, the juiciest chicken or that pulled pork that was just right. 

This year, after spending day one of the weekend attending the WV BBQ Festival, my son was more determined to show his smokers prowess to his family and friends who gathered to say good by to summer at his home in Harpers Ferry, WV.  I decided that this would be a great time to highlight the home smoker, that hearty bunch of men and women who sacrifice a good nights sleep to make sure that 24 hour brisket is smoked to perfection. 

Do you need the fancy store bought smoker to do the job? Nope.  Almost anything can be converted into a smoker.  I have seen trash barrels, oil drums, propane tanks and even your gas grill can be shown a whole new way to cook with just a few additions.  We started with a Weber grill and added a smoker box to it.  Using hickory and pecan pellets we smoked a beef brisket for 24 hours, a pork shoulder for 15 hours (ham) and sausage for 8 hours.

I need to tell you about this brisket, because after meeting and tasting the brisket made by the guys at Oakwood BBQ Co., my son Tony was, as the Blues Brothers said on "A mission from god" and there was no way this $100 piece of meat was going to be transformed into a "rubber brisket" (pun fully intended.  He started by dry rubbing the meat with a rub called Gunpowder from the Grill Your Ass Off Company  This is a veteran owned company from Texas that I ran into at an event and fell in love with the rubs they make.  I sent Tony a sampler pack and since then, this is his rub of choice.  Jet black in color, it makes the meat look burnt before you put it on the heat, but not to worry, the color of gunpowder combined with a perfect mix of spices makes for a brisket rub you will love.  Please make sure you check these guys out.   They have sample packs of seasoning, full bottles of your favorites as well as sauces and beef jerky.  The Bone Bag has a special place in our hearts for the military and these guys deserve our thanks and your business, you will not be disappointed.

Tony started with a whole packer brisket and after 20 hours on the smoke, he removed the meat and cut the point away from the brisket flat.  He wrapped the flat in a towel and placed it off to the side to rest.  The point was then cut into cubes and submerged in Tony's own secret burnt end sauce (recipe unknown but I did see cans of coke, brown sugar and loads of spices going in).  Put back on the heat the ends are smoked and cooked until the sauce has turned into a sticky gooey candy coating all over the meat. 

My words cannot do this justice, all I can say is that he hit a grand slam on this effort.  I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story and I will leave you with this advice, if you love the taste of smoked BBQ, than don't just eat out, step up and try it.  The web is an amazing place and so many pit masters are out there willing to share there secrets that you just need to try it.  Tony's first brisket was a complete failure, so what, it happens.  Did he give up, did he turn vegetarian?  Hell no.  He ventured head first back in to the smoke again and again.  In my opinion, he reached perfection this weekend!

Next week we are back in Massachusetts and headed for a day trip to the new MGM Casino in Springfield.  Along the way just happens to be Bubs BBQ, where pigs (at least one I know of) really do fly!  See you thru the smoke!

Labor Day 2018 Part 1

Labor Day 2018 Part 1

Hello to all my carnivorous friends, the Bone Bag has returned from the long weekend trip to the beautiful state of West Virginia where our friends from the KansasCityBarbecueSociety (KCBS) sanctioned its first ever event at the Charles Town Raceway and Hollywood Casino.  An awesome location for the festival and based on the fact that the VIP Tickets completely sold out (before I got
there), I would say these folks "ate this up".

Did it hurt that the day was also the opening day for Sports Book Betting at the Hollywood, yes, yes it did, at least to me. Thanks Tennessee (for nothing).  At least my Superbowl Bet on the Saints is still alive (at least until January).  Anyway I digress....

The event had over 40 pro teams competing along side of a dozen Back Yard BBQ Teams all trying to win the coveted Peoples Choice award.  The smoke was filling the air early in the morning and by the time MudCracker took to the stage to sing, the place was rocking with people, music and smokey goodness.

As I pulled into the parking area, I was taken by the site of this huge smoker made from a 900 lb propane tank.  It was welded to a trailer, the outside was all covered in rust  and the smoke that was coming from it was like a mystical, magical potion that said park the damn jeep and come check me
out, you know you want to, and that is just what I did.  Passing by vendors who wanted me to stop, I was like a man on a mission, I had to meet the people who built this behemoth and there was no time to waste!

Let me introduce you Cody Sheppard and the boys from oakwoodbbqcompany in Martinsburg,WV and the craziest smoker I have ever laid eyes on.  You can learn more about these guys on their Facebook page and see pictures of how they put this amazing piece of equipment together.     Not only was the vessel used to smoke incredible the burnt ends that they made were simply the very best I have ever tasted.  My son is a practicing pit master  and on this trip he was with me and once he tasted the brisket that Oakwood made for us, there was no way we were not spending the next 24 hours trying to replicate what these guys did (more on that in part 2).

I understand that Oakwood is in the process of setting up a stand, but until then you can hire these guys out for parties and events.  Thanks for the tour and the tastes, you guys were worth the trip alone!

As I have stated many times in this blog, good BBQ should stand on its own (let the smoke do the talking), but I have also admitted that I have a taste for sauce as well, its just how you use it that makes the difference.  I was drawn to  booth selling hot sauce and a company called Voodoo Chile Sauces There I met the self proclaimed "Chief Sauceologist" Thomas Toth and I was introduced to Bacon Hot Sauce made in collaboration with craft beers.  I knew by the name I could be in trouble and just like Joe Cocker sang about, these guys "Put a Spell on me".

Voodoo has been connecting culinary pyromaniacs to a kaleidoscope of flavors since 2012 and we

had the chance to sample (and of course purchase, "but honey, they put a spell on me") several of these Bacon Beer Brass Basters.  Porcus is a mild sauce that explodes with bacon flavor, perfect as an add on to a brisket slice or as an add on to a bloody Mary or in my case both!  From there, things get hot, I suggest you try Bacon Taco (yup just like you would think TexMex Style), Freekshow (a garlic verde) and The collaboration with Flying Dog Brewery Bloodline (a bold IPA sauce using blood orange).  My son wanted you to know that  Death of Cthulhu may be the hottest and most flavorful sauce he has ever had.  I will take his word on this!

You owe it to your taste buds to check out VoodooChileSauces  They will ship these explosive bottles of flavor right to your door.  What you try them on is up to you, but trust me on this, once you drop some Bacon Sauce into your Bloody Mary, your world will never be the same....I put a spell on you....

Coming up in Labor Day part two, home grown back yard BBQ Harpers Ferry West Virginia Style!