Cookin again

[CleverNickName]

Is that two secret ingredients, or does the one in the dry rub also go in the sauce?

I'll never tell!

Heh, just kidding. Sorry about that. I disclosed the Secret Ingredient in the recipe, since you're not competitors.

 

[prabe]

I'll never tell!

Heh, just kidding. Sorry about that. I disclosed the Secret Ingredient in the recipe, since you're not competitors.

That's a bonus. Thanks for that!

EDIT: I ... live in Maryland. There's a non-zero chance I'd have tried that anyway.

 

[CleverNickName]

That's a bonus. Thanks for that!

EDIT: I ... live in Maryland. There's a non-zero chance I'd have tried that anyway.

It's a long story, but I put it in my recipe as a "Secret Ingredient" because one of my buddies is a bit of a purist (okay, the dude's a snob) when it comes to Cajun cooking and spices. Which is really weird, because he's from Iowa. Anyway, last year he was going on about how Old Bay seasoning isn't "authentic Creole" and how "nobody south of Tennessee ever uses it" and I didn't want to deal with any stigma.

Now I grew up 2 hours from Shreveport and I have family in Monroe, but what do I know?

 

[prabe]

It's a long story, but I put it in my recipe as a "Secret Ingredient" because one of my buddies is a bit of a purist (okay, the dude's a snob) when it comes to Cajun cooking and spices. Which is really weird, because he's from Iowa and has never spent more than a week in Louisiana in his whole life. Anyway, last year he went off on this whole tirade about how Old Bay seasoning isn't "authentic Creole" and how "nobody south of Tennessee ever uses it."

Now I grew up 2 hours from Shreveport, and I have family in Monroe, but what do I know?

That makes sense as a reason to do it. In a recipe like this it probably isn't immediately identifiable.

 

[CleverNickName]

To be fair, he still cooks up a really good bowl of gumbo.

 

[prabe]

To be fair: though he might be a snob, he still cooks up a really good bowl of gumbo.

That'd just make him more annoying.

 

[CleverNickName]

That'd just make him more annoying.

Nah, I shouldn't talk smack about my friends. He's a good guy, and one of the best cooks in our gaming group. He's just a little too competitive sometimes, and he gets hung up on little details. Most "rules" for cuisine aren't really hard rules, after all, but he treats them like Gospel.

I actually thought his ribs were better than mine were this year. He did a slow-smoke, long-cure rib, with spiced pineapple glaze. It was like eating a Christmas ham, but in rib form. He ended up winning 3rd place, so he's no slouch.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I use Tony Chachere's in my gumbo and jambalaya, but if you couldn't see the tin, I think most people would believe that Old Bay was a creole/cajun seasoning. The ingredient lists have a lot of overlap.

 

[CleverNickName]

I use Tony Chachere's in my gumbo and jambalaya, but if you couldn't see the tin, I think most people would believe that Old Bay was a creole/cajun seasoning. The ingredient lists have a lot of overlap.

I tried to explain that to him last year, and told him that Old Bay is used all over the south in all kinds of recipes, but he couldn't get past the fact that it's from New England. (shrug) Ah well. I tried.

There's not much difference, flavor-wise, between Old Bay and Zatarain's. I think Z's uses smoked paprika and more cayenne pepper? They're both made by McCormick & Company, and even have similar labels. I don't get what all the fuss is about.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I tried to explain that to him last year, and told him that Old Bay is used all over the south in all kinds of recipes, but he couldn't get past the fact that it's from New England. (shrug) Ah well. I tried.

I spent years in the DC area, including living in Maryland, and am stunned it's not from the Chesapeake region.