03
Jul
Jul
Bigmista on TV!
Check out Bigmista, The Survival Gourmet on NBC 7 San Diego representing Fresh & Easy Markets.
02
Jul
Jul
Bigmista teams up with Fresh & Easy!
BIG MISTA HELPS GET YOUR GRILL ON
Fresh & Easy partners with award-winning grilling expert to offer tips for the perfect BBQ
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is partnering with pitmaster and grilling expert Neil “Bigmista” Strawder of Bigmista Barbecue to share tips for this 4th of July holiday. He is a resident of Long Beach, California-and is a food vendor at various farmers market’s across Los Angeles. He is sharing some of his award-winning barbecue tips that will help you impress family and friends at your upcoming cookouts.
“Anyone can put a piece a meat on a grill,” says Bigmista. “But if you want that tender, melt in your mouth flavor, there are a few simple techniques that will guarantee a delicious barbecue.”
1. Grill – Buying an expensive grill will not make your barbecued food taste better. Find a kettle grill at a local supply or hardware store for less than $50. This classic grill distributes heat more evenly and when the lid is on, it holds in the flavor-enhancing smoke from the grease or smoking wood added to the charcoal fire.
2. Fire Management – You don’t need a big fire to barbecue. Use 15 coals for chicken and 20 coals for steaks and burgers. Never use lighter fluid as it leaves a chemical taste on the meat. The secret to a great barbecue is a chimney grill starter, which is a tool to heat the coals that is also available at supply or hardware stores. Place the coals on the top chamber and place newspaper on the bottom chamber. Light the newspaper with a match and in fifteen minutes the coals are ready to use.
3. Coal Placement – Place all coals on one side of the grill. Slow cook the meat with the indirect heat on the opposite side of the grill. Then crisp the skin with the direct heat. This allows for meat to cook thoroughly, preventing a burnt outside and a raw inside.
4. Wood Chips – Add hickory, apple-wood, cherry-wood or mesquite-wood chips to the coals to infuse flavors into the meat. Wrap a hand-full of wood chips in foil, poke holes through the tent and place it on top of the coals.
5. Brine – To get chicken as tender and juicy as possible, Bigmista recommends soaking it in brine which is made up of:
1/2 cup salt
1/2cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon allspice
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 gallon of water
Put all ingredients in a large plastic bag or a 16-quart pot and soak chicken for up to four hours in the refrigerator. Discard the brine and then rinse the chicken, pat dry with paper towels, and rub it with a flavorful marinade.
6. Savory Rub – A basic rub that can be used on any type of meat with great results is created by combining the following ingredients:
4 parts kosher salt
4 parts garlic powder
2 parts black pepper
1 part cayenne
7. Pineapple Coleslaw – Bigmista is sharing the recipe to his very popular side dish that compliments any barbecued meat. This pineapple coleslaw is a guaranteed hit at cookouts.
1 bag pre-shredded cabbage
1 can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pour the juice from pineapple into a bowl. Add the vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Mix and set aside. This is the dressing. Put the pineapple in a large bowl with the cabbage. Pour in the dressing and toss well.
So when you can’t make it to one of the markets for some of Bigmista’s award winning barbecue check out Fresh and Easy for your grilling meats and sides, they have you covered. A few customer favorites include:
o fresh&easy Grill Pack - over 4½ pounds of quarter-pound beef patties, chili-seasoned chicken thighs or drumsticks and Italian pork sausages $5.99*
o Buxted Pork Spare Ribs $1.59/lb*
o fresh&easy BBQ Macaroni Salad $3.99/30oz*
o Taurino Beer $12.99 for two 12 pack bottles*
o fresh&easy 9” Apple Pie $3.99 each*
*Promotional prices valid from July 1st through July 7th while supplies last. Promotional price for Taurino beer is valid when purchasing multiples of two.
About Neil Strawder, a.k.a. Bigmista
Award winning and seasoned pitmaster/griller, has been competing in California barbecue competitions since 2005. He has won numerous awards for perfecting his briskets, pulled-pork and ribs. His catering business, Bigmista’s Barbecue, has a following at Farmer’s Markets around Los Angeles County. To contact Neil Strawder, visit his Web site www.bigmista.com.
About Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market
At roughly 10,000 square feet, Fresh & Easy markets are smaller than the typical supermarket to give customers a faster, easier shopping experience. In addition to fresh, high-quality prepared meals and produce, Fresh & Easy offers everyone’s favorite national brand products and household items, all at budget prices. More information regarding Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market can be found at www.freshandeasy.com/blog.
11
Feb
Feb
A steamy new video
My friend Jaden at Steamy Kitchen has a new cookbook coming out soon and she just finished a short video to accompany it. Check it out and tell her Bigmista, The Survival Gourmet sent you!
http://steamykitchen.com/blog/2009/02/11/steamy-kitchen-cookbook-update/
26
Jan
Jan
Bigmista’s Barbecue gets great reviews!
Bigmista’s Barbecue was part of a BBQ crawl on Saturday. A crawl is when a group of BBQ fans get together and go taste BBQ at several different restaurants and post their findings. We were up against two of L.A’s most established BBQ joints, Phillips and Texas BBQ King. We were really happy with our reviews. Here is a portion of them:
Bigmista’s Barbecue – Watts Farmers Market
Bigmista’s Barbecue is headed up by Neil Strawder with the able assistance of his father-in-law Glenn Croxton. We visited their stand at the Watt’s Farmers Market, Ted Watkins Park at 103rd St. & Central Ave. They are there every Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. A copy of the menu, and other vending locations in the L.A. basin, is posted below. I note that Bigmista’s was the only place which served all four traditional competition meats – brisket, chicken, pulled pork and pork spare ribs – as well as links. We were also able to test the following sides: pineapple coleslaw, baked beans, and collard greens. Neil and Glenn cook on a Spicewine with charcoal and hickory. They were willing to show us their cooker and graciously spent time visiting with us.
BRISKET
“Tender, flavor good.”
“Tender, delicious”
“Great flavor, best I have ever had. Tender, perfect.”
“Excellent”
“Perfectly cooked for tenderness. 8 on tenderness, 8 on taste.”
“Tender, nice flavor, but could have been a bit moister”
“Outstanding. Not too dry or moist. Good flavor.”
“Nice flavor, texture. 9 out of 10”
“Was the best of the meats. Moist.”
“The brisket was a revelation.”
PULLED PORK
“Tender, flavorful.”
“Very tender, much flavor.”
“Good flavor and smoke”
“Nice. Not too much of anything. Good balance.”
“Tender, nice flavor (without sauce), moist.”
“Good flavor, a little dry for me.”
“…this was some of the best butt I have ever had!”
“8 out of 10”
“Very good texture, not mushy.”
PORK SPARE RIBS
“Good flavor, could be cooked a little more (too much pink for me)”
“Excellent”
“Good”
“Great smoke flavor. Tender. Could have been a bit moister.”
“Mild smoke, good taste.”
“10 out of 10”
“Good smoke and pull”
“Slightly undercooked for my taste.”
CHICKEN
“Good, but too salty”
“Too salty, but I loved it”
“Really good, especially balanced with the sauce.”
“Too salty and a little dry unless you put sauce on it.”
“Too much pepper, dry”
“5 out of 10”
“Bit dry”
“Dry and over-salted.”
LINKS
“Good with a nice spicyness.”
“Average”
PINEAPPLE COLESLAW
“9 out of 10”
“Nice, sweet, tangy, great on the pulled pork.”
“Delicious, tasty”
“Great! A winner”
“Too sweet for me”
BAKED BEANS
“Little too sweet.”
“Great”
“Excellent. More please.”
“These are good, but not really special.”
“10 out of 10”
“Good beans, but nothing special.”
COLLARD GREENS
“A little too salty for me and a bit overcooked.”
“Great!”
“Great taste.”
“I liked it with a touch of vinegar.”
“Loved the greens.”
SAUCE
“I liked this sauce. A bit spicy, but rich.”
“Nice and thick and rich, right amount of spice.”
“9 out of 10”
You can see the rest of the review My BBQ Pit.
The reviewers (along with some other guy who had to get in the pic):
The food!
And here are our locations:
SUNDAY - 10:00-2:00
Atwater Village (Wells Fargo Parking Lot)
3250 Glendale Boulevard
TUESDAY - 8:00-1:00
Torrance (Charles H. Wilson Park)
2200 Crenshaw Boulevard
WEDNESDAY - 2:00-7:00
Lawndale (in front of Civic Center building)
147th & Hawhtorne Boulevard
SATURDAY - 10:00-2:00
Watts (Ted Watkins Park)
103rd & Central Avenue
Come on out and see for yourself why we have some of the best BBQ in town!
Enjoy!
Bigmista
The Survival Gourmet
22
Jan
Jan
Lawndale: Small Crowds, Big Orders!
We had another good day at the Lawndale Farmers Market this time. The crowd wasn’t that large but they were very happy that we were there. We had several people tell us how good the food was and some even came back to order more.
One man came back three times! He said he was in town working at one of the refineries on assignment from Texas. WE asked him why he kept coming back. He said that he hadn’t been able to find any good brisket and ours reminded him of home.
I called a lady over at the Hawthorne City hall (Hawthorne is the next town over) and told her we were at the Farmers Market down the road. She remembered us from a BBQ contest n Hawthorne last year. She told me she would call back with an order. True to her word she did. Next thing we know, two detectives from the Hawthorne PD showed up to pick up the order. They saw the food we were fixing and ordered 3 more sandwiches. One of them said he was putting an alarm in his phone so he can remember to come back every week!
All in all, it was a good day. The market was from 2p-7p but we were out of most stuff by 5pm. We didn’t take too much food because we didn’t know what the crowd would be like. WE will be taking a lot more next week.
I had to come back to work today so I can rest!
Enjoy!
Bigmista
The Survival Gourmet
12
Jan
Jan
Tuna Salad…sorta
So I am on a diet. I need some protein. I have can of tuna. What to do?
Casserole? Naw. Way too much fat and calories.
Salad? Sure! Wait…what about all that mayo? Low-fat mayo? Blech!
So the question is what can I do to make this dry-ass tuna (pardon my french) palatable?
And the answer is? Nothing. Can’t do it. But you can hide it! That’s what I did.
First I drained the 6 oz can of tuna and put it in a bowl. I squeezed half a lime over it and mixed it. Then I cut up the following:
2 roma tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1/2 avocado (I ate the other half)
10 Jalapeno slices from the jar
3 green onions
some cilantro
I put all of that in a bowl, sprinkled it with salt, black pepper and garlic powder and squeezed the other half of the lime over it. Then I just mixed it all up and Voila!! Tuna salad!
I must thank my Sister-in-Law Laila for the inspiration. I doubt I would hav e come up with this combination with out a push from her.
Enjoy!
Bigmista
The Survival Gourmet
07
Jan
Jan
Kushari - Egyptian Fast Food
I was watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations the other night and became fascinated with a dish on the show. It was an Egyptian dish called Kushari. Basically it is their version of fast food and there are hundreds of places that sell it.
It is a mixture of rice, pasta and lentils topped with a spicy tomato sauce and sauteed onions. Deceptive in it’s simplicity, this dish has some complex flavors and it is truly satisfying.
Not having a clue as to how to make it, I scoured the internet for a recipe and came up with this one from Earthyrecipe.com.
Kushari (Lentils, rice, and macaroni mixture)
Kushari is often referred to as “Egyptian chili”, and is a specialty of street vendors in Cairo.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked pasta (such as macaroni or penne)
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon ground Cumin, divided
½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 cup cooked lentils
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed pepper
2 medium onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
Instructions:
1. Combine rice and pasta; spoon into bottom of shallow serving platter. Keep warm.
2. Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Add cooked lentils and stir to combine. Spoon over rice and pasta.
3. Combine tomatoes, water, sugar, cinnamon, salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin and red pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Spoon tomato mixure over lentil layer. Partially stir tomato mixture into other layers, but do not completely combine all layers.
4. Sauté onions in 1 tbsp oil over high heat until browned and starting to crisp. Scatter over top of the kushari and serve.
Now being who I am, I improvised with what I had in the house. I used Garbanzo Beans instead of lentils and spaghetti instead of macaroni. Nothing to severely alter the taste or texture but purists (if there is such a thing a kushari purists) will probably point out that it isn’t traditional. You will also notice swome smoked chicken in the picture. Sorry, I’m not a vegetarian.
Anyway, I recommend that you try this dish at home. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Enjoy!
Bigmista
The Survival Gourmet
02
Jan
Jan
UDS And New Year’s Meat
My father-in-law, Glenn, has been bitten by the BBQ bug. He has become a part of Four Q and works with me at the farmers market. Lately, he has been looking at smokers. I told him before he spent some money on a smoker, let’s clean up the UDS and so he could use that to practice on.
My Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) hasn’t gotten much work since I got the Spicewine so I figured it would be perfect for him. I found a tri-tip and a brisket point in the freezer for burnt ends so we went to work.
We turned out a great meal and he has a smoker at no cost. Seems like a great way to start the year.
22
Dec
Dec
I’m back!
Sorry I have been away. We finally got approved to sell BBQ at a local Farmers Market. You can now get some Bigmista’s Barbecue at the Watts Healthy Farmers Market every Saturday from 10am - 2pm at Ted Watkins Park in Watts. The Market is on the corner of 103rd and Central Ave. Hope to see you there!
16
Aug
Aug
Pasta-Que
Sometimes the simplest meals are the best.
It seems that between catering and practicing for competitions, I always seem to have some meat leftover in a baggie in my freezer. This time it was some brisket. You could just as easily use some pork or chicken.
I put some rotini pasta in a pot to boil. In another pot, I mixed the thawed out chopped brisket with some Super Smokers Tennessee BBQ sauce and let it simmer while the pasta is boiling. When the pasta was done, I drained it and added it to the pot with the meat and sauce. I mixed it and tasted it. It was bland. Apparently, the sauce mellows as it cooks. So I added a few shots of Bigmista’s Secret Sauce and that kicked it right up. I’d recommend using a bold flavored sauce from the beginning when you try this recipe.
So that’s it. No special ingredients. No special trips to the store. Just a tasty meal that anyone can whip up!
Enjoy!
Bigmista
The Survival Gourmet