Sake & The BBQ Joint

Sake & The BBQ Joint

 

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Sips of the Week

Try these delicious Sakes from Wells Discount Liquors to begin your Sake Education! Konteki Pearls of Wisdom Junmai Daigingo, $18.99 Sake Brewery Notes: A bouquet of bright floral aromas is the perfect beginning for this crisp Junmai Daiginjo. Clean flavors of honeydew and lemon dominate but a subtle hint of licorice sneaks up once you get to the long and elegant finish. This is a great sipping sake but also a wonderful companion to a scallops, pork and other light meats. Rihaku Dreamy Clouds Tokubestu Junmai, $15.99 Sake Brewery Notes: The nose is led by steamed rice, fresh red plums, and suggestions of roasted peanuts. Bright and lean in the mouth, unlike many Nigori or unfiltered Sake, and the impact is chewy with sweet rice flavors intermingling with the nutty and slightly fruity characteristics of the sake. Tentaka Hawk in the Heavens Junmai, $14.99 Sake Brewery Notes: With slightly yeasty notes and roasted walnut aromas, this well rounded sake has a rich mouthfeel. Dry and crisp, the flavors are dominated by mixed nuts, fresh cut green grass and other earthier flavors. Medium-bodied, the finish is lengthy and dry; a perfect food companion. All the Sips of the Week are available at Wells Discount Liquors check them out at www.WellsWine.com. Featured Guests Tiffany Soto Master Sake Sommelier from Pabu Restaurant, joined us to shed some light on this amazing beverage! As Beverage Manager at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, Tiffany Dawn Soto oversees the beverage programs at Wit & Wisdom, LAMILL Coffee, and the newly opened PABU.  At PABU, Soto uses her extensive knowledge of traditional sake production techniques to curate a sake list featuring more than 100 selections. She has been recognized as a sake authority by The Los Angeles Times, Martha Stewart Living Radio, The Niigata Times and her peers in the restaurant industry. Two Sakes we tasted from the list at PABU: Aoki Kakurei Hinjoso Daigingo from Nigata Sake Imports Jyokigen Jumai Gingo from Banzai Imports Seven words Tiffany thinks every sake drinker should know:

  1. Junmai: A premium sake made with four ingredients: rice, water, yeast, koji.
  2. Honjozo: A premium sake made with five ingredients: rice, water, yeast, koji, and less than 3% of distilled brewers spirit which is later diluted back out.
  3. Ginjo: The second highest quality level for sake, this category of super premium sake requires that the rice used for brewing be milled down at least 40 percent, thus increasing the overall quality.
  4. Daiginjo: The highest quality level for sake, this category of super premium sake requires that the rice used for brewing be milled down at least 50 percent, thus increasing the overall quality.
  5. Tokubestu: Literally means special, most often either because of the quality or the aromatics.
  6. Nama:  Unpasteurized sakes that are only released once each year. These sakes are delicate and must be treated like milk so only purchase them from trusted sources.
  7. Genshu: Undiluted sakes that are typically 2-5 percent higher in alcohol content than other premium sakes.

Wine Sandwich Chef Andrew Evans joined us to talk BBQ and fill us in on his new BBQ Joint in Pasadena, MD. As a graduate of the CIA, Evans pursued his dream of cooking and traveling to Australia.  Chef Evans currently balances his time managing The BBQ Joint, providing private chef catering, teaching cooking demonstrations for his National BBQ Team sponsors Primo Grills and Creek Stone Farms Black Angus Beef, teaching cooking lessons at Whole Foods supermarket, consulting for the Australian government (Austrade) and Meat and Livestock Association of Australia (MLA), and being an active competitor on the National BBQ Competition Circuit with his team “Walk the Swine.” Upcoming Events 11/8 Laurie leads a group lesson on “The Art of Blind Tasting” at Crush 2013 Judgement at the Mansion Next Week We’ll be back next week to explore the recipe for a delicious life! A Special Thanks to Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis and Wells Discount Liquors.