Turkeys – They are on sale now so buy them while they are $7 a piece.  I like to keep 3 or 4 in my freezer for the remainder of football season.  One is good for a turducken and another is good for the deep fryer.  You may want to use one or two in the smoker as well so buy them while they’re cheap.

Liquor – With the time that is going to be spent with family, your spouse’s family and with holidays like Repeal Day, you want to make sure you are not going to run out.  Two home wreckers (1.75 liter bottles) of Hornitos, a few more of Vodka, Scotch, a few cases of wine, a few more cases of beer, and some specialty liqueurs for coffee and such should get you through the first quarter of the season.  Stock up so you don’t run out in a time of need.

 Cooking Staples – You want to be prepared for other meal items including appetizers and key ingredients so you don’t have to run out to the store while inebriated.  Chicken stock (if you don’t make it yourself), olives, cheese, garlic, oils, chicken wings, shrimp, bacon, sausage, eggs, butter, spices, and all of the other pantry essentials should be checked now. 

IT HAS ARRIVED!!!!! The 2009 eating season is finally here!!!  That’s right folks; put all the bacon you have in your house in a cast iron skillet and start cooking and start eating.  It is the time of year to indulge in whatever you want for the next month and a half.  Beer, liquor, pork products, meat, sausage, etc.  It’s OK to have a 5^th helping and it’s also OK to eat to the point of needing a bucket.   Hooray!!!! To learn more and read our original post on the eating season click here.

Base model – holds 1 – 2 turkeys

Mid range model – holds 3 – 4 turkeys

Big a$$ model – 6 – 8 turkeys.

Custom models and trailer units are also going to be available upon request.  These units are going to be of the highest quality and be made primarily of stainless steel.   We will have images up as soon as we have them and we look forward to showcasing them at our upcoming events in 2009.  For more questions, contact sales@cookmanfood.com

3 tbsp olive oil

1 ¼ cup onion, minced

1 cup celery, minced

2 tbsp minced garlic

¼ cup flour

1 lb potato, peeled and diced

6 cups chicken stock

12 ounces of Porter - we recommend Nefarious Porter from SKA Brewing

1 tsp mustard powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp red cayenne pepper, you can bump this up to a ¼ teaspoon if you like a little extra heat

½ cup half-and-half (or milk)

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Sautee the onions, garlic and celery until they are cooked.   Add flour and mix until you have a nice smooth roux.  Add chicken stock and porter along with the potatoes and your spices bring to a boil.  Cook for 20 minutes or until your potatoes are soft, then add in your half and half and Worcestershire. Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat and add the cheese.  If you would like to add extra thickness, take some of your vegetables out and blend them together to make a paste.  Then add the paste back into the pot.

Take the chicken out of the package and dry it off.  Next, coat it with your favorite seasonings mixed with flour.  I tend to use less flour and more seasoning to give it added flavor.

You can use what you want for seasonings but this is what I have found to be best.  I use one tablespoon of each. I don’t add salt because the wing sauce has enough. Here they are:

Cayenne Pepper

Black Pepper

Durango Chili Green Chili Powder

Cumin

Garlic Powder

I mix the seasonings in with the about a cup of flour.  Then I coat the wings in flour and seasoning mixture right before I drop them into the oil. I have tried vegetable, canola, and peanut oil.  Some have suggested I try coconut oil which I have not yet, but plan to do. If someone has, please let us know what you think.  I prefer peanut oil because it has a high smoke point and is the healthier of the oils.  I get the oil to about 360 degrees before dropping in the wings.  The wings will drop the oil temperature so do not overload the fryer.  Fry the wings until golden brown and set on a paper towel to take off the excess oil. 

The next step is to coat the wings.  You want to do this while the wings are still hot and serve immediately.  I like to put the sauce in a plastic Ziploc bag and shake it so there is a good coat on there.  I have tried multiple store bought sauces and I have messed with making my own from scratch.  You really should look no further than sauces from Captain Spongefoot.  They are made with high quality ingredients and require zero modification and taste great! 

You can serve these puppies up with some bleu cheese or ranch but I prefer them straight up.  Enjoy.

For the past few months CookManFood has been working with Paul at Captain Spongefoot Sauces.  During that time I have been going through intense cravings for wings.  I just can’t get enough.  Paul’s line of sauces makes me crave wings even more. I love it when I start talking to people about hot sauce and they start talking about the hottest sauce they ever had and how tough they were etc.  Heat is one thing, but being able to withstand the heat is something else. But, what good is a hot sauce that is pure capsaicin and melts off your taste buds?  There is nothing more ignorant that some jackass talking about how tough he is because he uses Dave’s Insanity Sauce on everything.  What a tool.  Flavor is much more important to us and when you combine it with the right amount of heat, you have perfection.  That is exactly what Paul at http://www.captainspongefoot.com has done.  Paul has a passion for his sauces and you can sense his intense enthusiasm towards his products when he discusses them.  His full line of sauces is listed below:

O – Original – A perfect wing sauce.

C – Chipotle – A little more heat and chipotle flavor for your wings.

Z – Sriracha — Asian style, different heat flavors but amazing

X – Meleguta – For those who want to push the limits of heat without destroying your mouth.  Dan’s personal favorite.

CC – Cherry Chipotle – For those who like a little sweetness with their heat.

S – Steak Wash – Obviously not a wing product, but great for steaks.  

Over the next few months we will be doing individual reviews of each of these sauces but don’t wait for us to tell you how good they are. Go and pick some up for yourself.  Combine these sauces with our wing recipe and you will have happy guests at your football parties. 

A few months back we reviewed Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce.  We still use this sauce on a regular basis and have also featured it at some events that we have done this past year.  Recently we got our hands on the spicy version and it gets our stamp of approval.  For those that like a little kick added to their bbq, this is a must-try product.  It is not overpowering by any means, but it does add that subtle heat at the end.  I have used this on ribs and chicken recently and need to get my hands on some more.  You can pick some up at http://www.countrybobs.com/