Product Review: Pig of the Month BBQ Delivered Straight 2 U!

Guys, this post is for you. You get home from work starving, and you open the fridge to find exactly two half-empty containers of ketchup and mustard and a six-pack of beer. You grab a beer, open it, take a swig, then start searching through the couch cushions for any remnants of last night's chips. Oh, you know you have.



Wouldn't some hot-from-the-oven authentic BBQ baby back ribs be better? Or a a mammoth pulled pork sandwich? Of course. Which is why you should know about Pig of the Month. They deliver real BBQ directly to your door.



Pig of the Month offers personalized BBQ packages. You choose the meat and the sauce you want, and they'll deliver it to you.

I was sent a package of fully cooked Key West Ribs, a bottle Key West BBQ sauce, and a container of fully cooked, frozen pulled pork.



Pig of the Month gives you simple cooking instructions for both the microwave and the oven. Microwaved ribs take 4 to 7 minutes, oven roasted takes 1 hour for thawed and 1.5 hours for unthawed ribs. The pulled pork cooks in 30 minutes in the oven.

But how do they taste? Really good.

If you like sweet BBQ sauce, they'll you'll enjoy the Key West ribs. The ketchup based sauce also includes brown sugar and a medley of sweet fruit juices. They were satisfyingly sticky and surprisingly tender.



The pulled pork is great for last-minute dinners and left-over lunches. You simply plop the frozen pulled pork in a dish and cook for 30 minutes, or until heated through (I cooked my for 40 minutes.) It was soft and moist with just  a few chewy flecks of roasted meat mixed in. It was mildly sweet and not at all spicy; so if you like spicy foods, I'd recommend dousing it with either your favorite hot sauce or a spicy sauce from Pig of the Month.

And now it's time for a saucy give-away! 

Pig of the Month will send one lucky Food Blogga reader a 4-pack bbq sauce sampler. To win, simply tell me something tasty about BBQ -- why you like it, your favorite style, your secret sauce, etc.  Tweet about the give-away and mention @foodblogga, and I'll count that as an extra entry. I'll announce the winner on Monday, October 24th. Sunday, October 30th. Good luck! 

A Product Review and Give-Away for Cedar Grilling Planks

It's almost the 4th of July, and Americans are gearing up for cookouts. According to the National Retail Federation, 62.6% of Americans will host or attend a cookout, barbecue or picnic this year.

Everyone knows that any decent 4th of July cookout will have hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, and watermelon. But if you want to add some panache to your cookout, then consider buying a cedar grilling plank.

Recently I was asked to do a product review for Fire and Flavor's cedar grilling plank. I was quite pleased with it. According to the company, the plank is made from all natural western red cedar and contains no additional flavorings. It was easy to use: I soaked the plank in water for the recommended 1 hour. (Don't skimp on the time, or the wood could burn too much when grilling.) I placed the salmon on the plank and set it directly on the heated grill racks. It cooked in about 15 minutes.

I really loved the fragrance of the wood while it was cooking. It had a sweet, woodsy aroma that definitely whetted the appetite, as was evidenced by the people near the grill asking, "Mmm... what's that wonderful smell?"

The salmon cooked evenly and maintained its shape perfectly. As for the taste, well, it was lovely. I can't say that it had a particularly woodsy flavor; it was more subtle. When I made beef on the plank, however, I detected a more discernible smoky flavor that was delicious. The meat was succulent and not overly charred as it tends to get when grilling.



The plank can be washed in warm, soapy water, air-dried, and reused 1-2 more times, if not overly charred. The plank comes with clear, easy instructions and several great recipes.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this product.

Now for the best part! Fire and Flavor is offering a lucky Food Blogga reader a chance to win a Fire & Flavor "kit," with goodies such as a cookbook, cedar grilling planks, and cedar papers. Click here for details, and leave your comment below by the end of the day, Sunday, June 28, 2009!

Orange and Ginger Glazed Planked Salmon
Makes 2 servings
Print recipe only here.

2 (4-6 oz) salmon filets
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon orange zest, plus extra for garnish
salt and several cranks freshly ground black pepper
1 scallion, thinly sliced, for garnish

1. In a small bowl whisk all ingredients from Dijon through black pepper. Using a pastry brush, coat salmon filets with the sauce.

2. Preheat grill to medium low (350-400 degrees F), and set soaked plank on grill rack. Close lid, and heat for 3 minutes. Flip flank over, and place salmon on top.

3. Close lid. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until salmon turns pink and the flesh is opaque in the middle.

4. Remove plank from grill. Sprinkle salmon with sliced scallions and serve immediately.


You might also these grilled dishes:

Grilled Watermelon Slices with a Honey-Lime Syrup

The Southwest Hamburger

Lamb Kebabs

It's a Food Blogga Give-Away for Chocolate Creme Tim Tams!

They're here! That's right. Tim Tams, Australia's #1 cookie, are available at Target through March.



If you've had a Tim Tam, then you can just skip this review, print out your $1 off coupon, and head to Target. (Don't forget to get some cold milk while you're there.) If you haven't had a Tim Tam, then read on.

What is a Tim Tam? It's two chocolate malted biscuits that are held together by a fluffy chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of smooth chocolate. The Aussies can't get enough of them. In fact according to Arnott's, the maker of Tim Tams, Aussies eat over 400 million Tim Tams per year, or nearly two boxes per person!



The Tim Tams here in The States are from Pepperidge Farm. I have sampled both chocolate creme and caramel and prefer the chocolate. I found the caramel too saccharine; though when I crushed them on some vanilla bean ice cream and tossed in some salted peanuts, I liked them much better. The chocolate Tim Tams are delicious. The contrasting textures of crisp malted biscuits, soft cream filling, and silky chocolate are oh-so-satisfying. They have just the right amount of sweetness and are exceptionally good when paired with a tall glass of cold milk or a hot mug of coffee.

Now for the best part: One lucky Food Blogga winner will receive a free package of chocolate creme Tim Tams! Here's what you have to do to win:

Just tell me what you like about Tim Tams, or why you'd like to try them for the first time. Please respond by the end of the day, Saturday, February 28, 2009. That's it.

With the help of random.org, 1 winner will be randomly selected and announced in a future post, so please check back. Since I'll be mailing the cookies, this give-away is open to all Food Blogga readers wherever you live. The winner will need to provide her or his real name and mailing address. Don't have a blog? Just leave an active email address where you can be reached. Good luck, everybody!