As black as the heart that blends it, Buffalo Bill’s Black Gold makes an excellent looking, and more importantly, excellent tasting chicken breast. We drizzle ours with a chipotle cream sauce that gives a nice heat and a cool contrast look to the dish.
Ingredients
EVOO
Chicken Breast
Buffalo Bills Black Gold
Sour Cream
Mayonnaise
Chipotle In Adobo Sauce
Instructions
Pat Chicken Breast Dry
Drizzle with EVOO
Spice it up with about 1 TBSP of Buffalo Bills Black Gold
Bake at 350 for 20-25, until internal temp reaches 165F.
Okay, we’re just going to say it. If you haven’t had a low country boil, you aren’t living. There’s something about eating food with your hands that’s been dumped onto a newspaper-covered table that makes you feel alive.
Let’s have a quick history lesson, shall we? Back in the day, this seafood-laden feast was called “Frogmore Stew,” referencing a small area of South Carolina. But, don’t worry, no frogs here… yet. There’s a lot of debate on the origin of this dish, but most agree that it came from local shrimpers who were making best of what they had to put in a stew for their crew. (Say that five times fast). Similar to a Louisiana-style crawfish boil, this is a blessed mix of boiled shrimp, potatoes, corn, onions and spicy andouille sausage.
The secret ingredient to our low country boil is our Bayou Bay Crab Boil — it’s laced with just enough cayenne to get approval from Forrest Gump and Bubba himself. (RIP)
Optional: cocktail sauce, extra lemon and melted butter
Instructions
Fill large stock pot with 4-6 quarts of water. Add lemon and Bayou Crab Boil blend and bring to a boil.
Add potatoes, return to boil and cook for 5 minutes.
Add sausage and onions, return to boil and cook 5 more minutes.
Add corn, return to boil and cook until potatoes and corn are cooked.
Add shrimp and cook, stirring gently until shrimp turn pink. (About 3 more minutes)
Drain in colander and serve on newspaper with optional sauces — cocktail, melted butter and lemon wedges.
Notes
This recipe is traditionally dumped and served on newspaper and eaten with your hands. Although it’s highly recommended, if you can’t handle it, you can skip it.
Hot weather is ahead, and that means one thing — barbecue season.
Because everyone loved our cook chicken like a champ post, we decided to ring in the most wonderful time of the year (no offense, Christmas) with a post on how to cook pork like a pro. Starting with ribs, because, well… RIBS. You know?
But, if you like this porky post, we’ll keep rolling through different parts of the pig in the upcoming weeks, so let us know.
To learn about prepping pork, we consulted with our friends Tony Roberts and Dan Casey over at Proud Souls Barbecue. Not only do they cook amazing ‘cue, the also offer deals on specialty barbecue supplies, cooking classes, catering and more in their shop. You can check out their store for cookers, seasonings & supplies — including a custom blend we worked on together called Soul Swine. They’re located at 2485 N Federal Blvd., Denver. Click here to learn more.
How to Cook Pork Like a Pro — Ribs 101 with Proud Souls BBQ
1. Consider the Cut
“In the store, we prefer to cook spare ribs, preferably St. Louis cut,” Tony and Dan explained. “That’s because there is a higher fat content in spare ribs versus baby back ribs because that cut is closer to the belly of the pig. With more fat content, the ribs have a bigger window of time to be cooked successfully — basically, it’s less likely that you dry them out. Spare ribs are like bacon on a stick.”
Bacon on a stick? That’s poetry right there.
A rack of St. Louis cut spare ribs will typically have 10-12 bones, Tony and Dan estimate having 2-3 bones per person for a party where other items will be served. While you’re in the store, you’ll also need to grab apple juice, aluminum foil, butter and make sure you have your Spice Guy seasonings waiting for you at home.
2. Prep Properly
Once you’re home, unwrap the ribs, pat them dry and grab a knife.
“On the back of every rack is a membrane,” they explained. “We like to peel that off the bone-side because it helps the seasoning penetrate the meat itself. It also yields a better texture at the end. The finished product will be a lot more tender.”
After that, Tony and Dan said there are a lot of directions you can date. You can do a wet marinade (they like apple juice or peach nectar), but to keep things simple and delicious, they suggest going for a dry rub.
If you can’t head over to Proud Souls and buy your own container of Soul Swine, you can DIY it at home with brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, dark chili powder, ground mustard and cilantro flakes. Apply it liberally to both sides and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
“It’s important not to leave it in there too long,” they said. “That amount of time helps the ribs ‘sweat’ and absorb the spices, but you don’t want this to go on for too long. It’s important to keep most of the moisture in that meat since it will be cooking for a long time.”
3. Smoke or Bake
Now, while the ribs are marinating in the fridge, prep your oven or smoker. If you don’t have a smoker – the oven works wonderfully! Just preheat that baby to 275 degrees.
Once the oven and ribs are ready, pop them in there uncovered for 2 hours.
When that time is up, remove the ribs from the oven, and take out a big piece of aluminum foil. Curve the foil and add one cup of liquid and a quarter stick of butter. add the ribs on top and wrap in the foil completely. Add it back into the oven for an hour and a half.
“This helps tenderize the meat,” they explained. “You can get really creative with that cup of liquid, though. We like apple juice, but you could use Coca-cola, a beer, peach nectar — anything, really.”
After that time has passed, remove the ribs from the foil and add them to a cookie sheet. If you’re going to add a wet sauce, do it now to the meat-side of the ribs. Or, add another layer of the dry rub. Then, put them back in the oven for 10 minutes to let that set.
Remove from the oven, let rest for five minutes and serve!
Are you going to give this rib recipe a go? If you do, tag us on social media @thespiceguyco — we want to see it!
Clearly, we’re biased on this one, but we started The Spice Guy because we realized that the way that grocery stores handle spices is a little f*cked up.
Hear us out on why you should skip over that aisle next time you’re shopping around.
“Spices vary consequentially in both quality and cost. The conundrum for us, the consumers, is that there are no formal guidelines set, nothing offered publicly, that allows us to decipher what’s what. We have no way to tangibly consider, much less assess, the strength, color, vitality, or overall quality versus the price.” – The Kitchn
Here are the four biggest reasons to stop picking up your spices at the grocery store.
Ingredients Can Be Questionable
Have you ever read the back of some spice blends? Oftentimes, many are filled with ingredients we can’t pronounce. Typically, when you’re sprinkling these babies on your food, you’re getting some anti-caking agents, preservatives or hidden sugars mixed in. Last time we checked, no one’s at the dinner table shouting, “Oh, tricalcium phosphate, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate! My favorites!”
And, look at the taco seasoning (above left). Who doesn’t love the little send-off note at the bottom, below the laundry list of ingredients? “Partially produced with genetic engineering.” Oh, wow. Gotta love tacos made with the loving touch of a chemical engineer.
They’re Way More Expensive
Okay, Spice Guy blog reader, come on down! It’s time to play The Price is Right. We went to the grocery store to price compare their products with our own to show you what we really mean by “the grocery store is RIPPING YOU OFF.”
For example, take the oregano pictured above. The ticket price at the bottom says the price of that oregano is $8.28 per ounce. Our Mediterranean-cut oregano, on the other hand, is $6.50 for four ounces — coming to just $1.62 per ounce.
This becomes even more upsetting when you look at blends. Basically, our affordable blends are like the Showcase Showdown. We broke down what it would cost you to buy all of the ingredients from the grocery store to make two of our most popular blends at home. Here’s how it went:
So, that means if you want to make our Italian Blend at home, you can pay $29.44 instead of $4.25. You’d have to order a pound of the blend from us to hit $30. That’s what restaurants do.
And, finally, our Blackened Red Fish Magic Blend? That’ll run you $41.41 at the grocery instead of $8.25. You would have to order almost three pounds to meet the grocery store numbers.
They Aren’t Always Fresh
More often than not, spices at the grocery are out of date before you even buy them.
“Products on the shelves of your average grocery chain my have been there for a year or more, and they probably sat in a warehouse up to a year before that.” – Simple Bites
We tell our customers to use their spices within a year, and at the grocery, sometimes you’re buying them after that year is already up. Freshness matters, and we promise you’ll taste a difference. There’s a reason more than 400 restaurants order from us — we keep our quality standards high and our inventory tight.
We’ll let them tell you themselves. Check out some of our chefs explaining why they choose us here, here, here, here and here.
“The supply chain that brings spices to the store is quite long — beginning with grower and harvester and moving to initial processor, through local traders to large processors, and then to food wholesalers, retailers, and finally, to you… The turnaround time from picking to shelf is often 12 to 18 months or more. The fresher the spice, the more vital, flavorful, and fragrant… Different companies ask for different shelf-life standards, making it hard for us to know how old a spice really is.” – The Kitchn
Sourcing is Unclear
More than ever, people want to know where their food is coming from and who is selling it to them. We can answer both for you on every ingredient we sell.
“The most important thing to me is supporting local businesses with organic products. He just does the right thing. He’s the best source for restaurants when you need something that’s hard to find. Lots of suppliers only offer what they have, but Zach is happy to go out and look for things.” – Dana Rodriguez, Chef & Owner, Work & Class
Unfortunately, the spice industry is one that just isn’t as regulated as other food industries. Cheryl Deen, director of the American Spice Traders Association, explained it best to The Kitchn — “There are no regulatory rankings… Quality is an issue that is up to individual companies.”
If you want to support a small, local business while also receiving total sourcing transparency, this is the place for you. If you ever have any questions about any product we sell, we’ll shoot it to you straight. Just contact us.
“The Spice Guy is everything we look for when we’re sourcing — small, local, independent, and they have a great product.” – Justin Brunson, Chef & Owner, Old Major
Is there a better way to round out Perfect Burger month than to ask the Colorado pros to share their secrets? We don’t think so.
We asked five chefs behind some of our favorite burgers in Colorado to tell us their top burger tips — from choosing meat and seasoning to grilling and topping. As you’ll see, there are some common themes to note in here to reach burger nirvana. And, if you do, tag us on Instagram using #TheSpiceGuyCo.
Thanks to these chefs (all Spice Guy customers!) for sharing their tips with us today:
“Buying local meat is key: It tastes great, it isn’t traveling far and it isn’t frozen. Also patty your own burgers. It’s easy to buy the burgers in the packs that are already prepped, but if you do it yourself, the fat is distributed evenly and you can control the size, which will help you hit the perfect temperature.”
– Derek Baril, 5280 Burger Bar –
“Keep it fresh, not frozen. And remember happy cows making happy burgers.”
– Spencer Gary, Vesper –
“Start with the right quality of meat!”
– Andrea DeShano, Midwestern Saloon –
“First, get quality meat! We source form Western Daughters and use grass fed grass finished beef.”
– Caitlin Allison and The American Grind team –
“It all starts with the meat. Go for high quality and local. I love Carter Country Meats.”
– Nate Singer, Blackbelly –
Season Smartly
Burger from Midwestern Saloon
“Season the burger liberally with The Spice Guy dankness! Then let sit for at least 15 minutes after rubbing it in.”
– Nate Singer, Blackbelly –
“Don’t forget the best seasoning!” <- (p.s. they use Perfect Burger!)
– Andrea DeShano, Midwestern Saloon–
Don’t be scared to season properly.”
– Caitlin Allison and The American Grind team–
“Make sure the buns are great quality, and, for a simple seasoning try a little mustard seed, salt and pepper. They go a long way.”
– Spencer Gary, Vesper –
Practice Patience
Burger from American Grind
“Another tip is to season your grill and get it hot before you put the burgers on. Twenty minutes before you plan to cook, turn on the grill and season it with oil or even fat. This will put perfect marks on your burgers.”
– Derek Baril, 5280 Burger Bar –
“Don’t press your patties on the grill. Let the grill do the work for you.”
– Spencer Gary, Vesper –
“Avoid squishing the burger or flipping too often. That’s key. Then, have patience and let it rest.”
– Andrea DeShano, Midwestern Saloon –
“Pre-heat your grill to med-high. Grill burger on one side until you see the top of the burger start to crack and bleed just a little then flip it, top it and let the cheese melt. That seals in the juiciness. It usually takes around 8-10 minutes total for the perfect one.”
– Nate Singer, Blackbelly –
“Don’t ruin the good meat by smashing it! Let the juices stay there and add to the deliciousness! Only flip the burger once.”
– Caitlin Allison and The American Grind team –
Bonus – Top It
“Be creative with your burgers, get crazy think of your favorite ingredients and use your burger patty as a vehicle. From Guacamole to Kim-Chi,Sriracha, and Green Chili. Using different cheeses and sauces can really make your burger special.”
– Derek Baril, 5280 Burger Bar –
You asked, we answered. We’re back with more recipes to get you inspired in the kitchen this summer.
To kick things off, we’re making a little something with June’s featured spice blend — Perfect Burger! If you missed the memo to grab it before the beginning of the month, click here to catch up.
We share tips for cooking a more traditional burger later this month, but we thought it’d be fun to kick things off with a vegetarian-friendly black bean burger. Or, in this case, the perfect black bean burger.
There are only FIVE ingredients in this pattied piece of perfection because the Perfect Burger blend can carry most of the flavor weight. You can even premake these on Sundays for the ultimate summer meal prep recipe.
These easy black bean burgers are quick and only use 5 ingredients! Using our Perfect Burger blend, you’ll never make any other black bean burgers again.
I'm Zach. In 2013, I started selling spices to restaurants in Colorado. Today, THE SPICE GUY is growing faster than I could have imagined. This blog is where our team shares recipes, tips, interviews with influential food folks and more.
