LEAN BODY LOVES...

BBQ!

If you follow me on Twitter or like me on Facebook, you know that Jay & I attended the Big Apple BBQ Block Party in NYC last weekend, and I thought it would be a great way to bring back "LEAN BODY LOVES"- my favorite series!


What's the Big Apple BBQ Block Party you ask?? Only the greatest weekend ever, or to quote the official BBQ website:

"The weekend-long event occurs every June and brings together the country’s top pitmasters who cook up their award-winning food for over a 100,000 barbecue enthusiasts. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Madison Square Park, the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party attracts people from near and far to sustain and celebrate America’s authentic culinary and musical traditions."

Like I said, the greatest weekend ever. We've been over the fact that I love food centered outings & this is the mother of them all!


**DISCLAIMER** If you are a vegetarian, you will not like this event. It is very meat centered and there aren't really any veggie options. One place served turkey (which I know is also technically meat), but to be honest it didn't hold a candle to the pulled pork.

Ok, now that THAT's been said. BRING ON THE MEAT!

This was our second year attending the block party. Last year I was given Fast Passes by my amazing friend Kira so we could skip all of the lines! You pay $125 and get $100 to spend any way you wish (meat- $8/plate, beer- $6, or dessert- $4). Each pass comes with a guest pass so 2 people can get into the special line on the backside of the tents & you can share the money. Let me tell you... it's worth it! I went 2 years ago without one and didn't end up getting ANY food, because the lines were crazy. Obviously we sprung for them again this year. Once you go FAST you never go back...


The best part was we bought them with a little money from this years tax return. BBQ on Uncle Sam!

It did rain on us this year, but a little rain never hurt anyone.


It separated the true BBQ lovers from the sissies (in other words, cleared out the crowds).


Here's a list of the places where we got plates:

The Salt Lick BBQ- Driftwood, TX: Really great sausage & briskit, and actually the only place I managed to snap a pic of our plate before we devoured it.


Rack & Soul- New York, NY: Finger-lickin' good baby back ribs & fantastic baked beans.


Black Jack BBQ- Charleston, SC: Pulled pork with a really interesting sweet BBQ sauce that almost had a licorice flavor.

Martin's BBQ Joint- Nashville, TN: Tennessee whole hog sandwich with the coleslaw inside with the pork... seemed a little crazy at first, but I really liked it.

Pappy's Ribs- St. Louis, MO: Hands down the BEST ribs of the day!


Ed Mitchell- Raleigh, NC: I absolutely LOVE North Carolina pulled pork with their vinegary sauce! Apparently so does everyone, because this place had the longest line all day. It was definitely worth the wait though. YU-UM!!


That's Ed Mitchell himself in the overalls behind all the smoke:


It should be said that we were there ALL day so we did not eat all of this food in one sitting and we shared one plate from each of the places we went. We ate at a couple places, took a beer break, then went back. After all, what's BBQ without beer??





It was a great day and I am already counting down the days until next year! If you are too, make sure to check the site around March/April to get your FAST PASSES, they do sell out!


Here are a few more pics just for fun!




These guys with their T-shirts killed me!


Clearly they haven't met the right girl...


I'm glad Jay was into keeping it co-ed!

WHY I AM AN AWESOME WIFE & OTHER NEWS...

I'm not trying to be cocky, but I truly am an awesome wife. The proof lies in one simple word:

BEER

For Christmas I bought my husband a beer brewing kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop.
**Note to wives: BEST GIFT IDEA EVER!**
I got him the Everyday IPA kit. That is our favorite kind of beer! Hops, hops and more hops...


We decided to brew the beer right after New Years so it would be ready by Super Bowl Sunday. It takes 4 weeks total. I will say this... while fun- and a little like making a giant pot of oatmeal- brewing is kind of stressful. I never realized how many minor details there were to ensure brewing successful beer. For instance, yeast is a tricky little bugger. You have to sanitize EVERYTHING, because apparently it doesn't take much to make the yeast react in a bad way and ruin the whole thing. Also, there is a lot of timing and temperature taking involved. Things have to be done to the minute and to the exact degree to ensure proper brewing. I also never knew there were such fun words used in beer brewing, ie. The Mash, and The Sparge.

Here are a few more tips based on our experience that will hopefully make yours successful too:

1. Have 2 BIG pots. They say 1 and maybe a 2nd, but definitely have 2.
2. Get a big mesh strainer to fit the entire pot. Ours was too small. We made it work, but we will definitely get a larger one for next time.
3. Read the directions many times and watch the video before you start and FOLLOW them 100%. Once you get going there is no turning back (We did do this, and Jay even did some other online research to be sure he knew what to do. I just want to make it clear how important it was).
4. Before you begin, say "I love you" to each other, which will negate any brewing stress related snaps that may come out of your mouth later. ;)

Once the beer is brewed, it has to ferment for 2 weeks in a cool dark place. While we waited, Jay and I came up with a name for our beer and he designed a fancy label. So talented this man!


Then came time to bottle. We got some big fancy bottles with pop tops, but you can also use regular beer bottles and buy a capper. Bottling is super tricky. I give Jay major props, because he handled this like a pro. You have to siphon the beer into the bottles and it happens FAST! I'd say we did pretty well.


The bottles then have to sit for another 2 weeks, which was torture. We just wanted to try it! Luckily, Super Bowl Sunday was here before we knew it and we each enjoyed a nice frosty glass (or two) of our J&J Brewing Co. IPA: Boogie Brew*.


It was TASTEY! It was a great husband & wife project and we will definitely do it again.
For New Yorkers who are interested: Brooklyn Brew Shop is giving a class on How to Make Beer in Your Tiny Kitchen at the Whole Foods on Houston st. on Tuesday February 22nd @ 7pm.

*FYI Boogie is what we have nicknamed our cat Charlie, since he likes to shoot giant boogers out of his nose when he sneezes.

And now in other news:

- I was recently featured on Healthy Living Blogs as their Friday Feature! It's a fun little Q & A with yours truly, so head on over if you want to learn a little bit more about me and my blog.


- I also just got a job teaching more group classes at Gotham Gym in the West Village! I am super excited about this place and if you are in NYC you should definitely check it out. Classes will start on February 16th and I will be teaching be on Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings. Times are TBA, but I will be in touch with more details soon!


Hope your weekend was as great as mine was!