My Favorite Food Sites, 2014 Edition

A question I get asked occasionally is "Why do you take the time to write about food?"  Although, that question usually comes after the hybrid question/statement of "Don't you think it is weird to take pictures of your food?"  The answer to number two is "no" and let me tell you why by answering question number one.  The quick answer is that my friends and family are spread out all over the United States and this is an opportunity for us to stay connected.  The long answer is that I have always liked to write.  After a horrible out of body experience in high school freshman English (Yep, a solid F, partly due to my indifference and mostly due to the worst English teacher of all time), I had better experiences starting my sophomore year.  Mrs. Weddell was an outstanding teacher that recognized my love of reading and found a way to translate that into writing.  Couple that with my Drill Instructor of a professor at the University of Pittsburgh in my freshman composition class and I learned to like to write as well.  It is not Pulitzer material, but I think it is not that bad.  While I have dreamed of writing the next great American spy novel, my imagination is just not that good.  But, I do like to cook and eat.  So, I decided that I would partner the two hobbies together in 2012 and what you have is this blog.  If nobody read this ongoing blog, it wouldn't have mattered to me.  I was just satisfied in contributing something meaningful, slightly educational, and informational to an increasingly sensationalistic Internet.  For those of you who visit this site and comment from time to time, I thank you.  Please keep coming back.  Some ideas would be appreciated as well.  I now have a better understanding of the term Writers Block.

As you can imagine, there are lots of other sites out there for food, BBQ or otherwise.  I faithfully read these sites as they provide good ideas and inspiration in my kitchen.  I have also been lucky enough to forge relationships with these authors, either in person or electronically, based upon our main passion: cooking.  I would like take the time to mention these sites and encourage you to visit them.  They are all good people with good content on their sites.  These are not placed in any order.  I have just listed them as they come to my mind.  

Again, thanks for stopping by.  Hope and I wish you a healthy and happy New Year!

Mad Meat Genius:

Headed to the San Fransisco Bay area?  Need some tips on where to eat and what to see?  Chilebrown and Ms. Goofy have tons of fun driving their Racing Honda all over the Bay Area to restaurants, butcher shops, and markets of note.  You will also get a heavy dose of recipes and product reviews.  Don't forget to read the comments below each post.  Chilebrown has a foil in the Great White Hunter.  Their banter is priceless.  

Eatapedia:

Team Eatapedia is one of the teams that we compete against in New York.  John has a website and a Facebook page as well.  Their focus is BBQ, but there are a wide range of recipes on their site, including homemade sushi, Asian, and the territory that I am afraid to go, desserts.  John has a passion and it shows.  Stop by his site and have a look around.

Gusfacegrillah:

Gus and his wife, Mrs. Grillah, hail from the land Down Under and it shows in his cooking.  Gus handles the griller and smoker.  Mrs. Grillah handles the desserts and the tedious work for which Gus does not have the patience.  Bold flavors (a Vegemite hamburger?) and a Aussie twist on American BBQ classics.  With a touch of humor; a review of the Qantas inflight BBQ was a favorite, Gus's site is a good read.  

Heavy D BBQ:

Dave, A.K.A. "Heavy D" is also another team that we compete against in the New York area.  Dave gets my Ironman Award for 2014.  Believe it or not, competition BBQ is tiring.  If I had to compare it to any sport, it would be golf.  Just a slow, steady grind that lasts for a whole weekend.  Dave blew out his achilles in May and competed the whole season in a walking boot in constant pain.  I would have given up after one competition.  Dave and his wife hail from South Africa and it shows in their outgoing personality.  I especially like the biltong he brings to competitions.  Stop by his Facebook page and have a look around.  Good recipes and some of the best food porn on the net.  

Patrons of the Pit:

PotP's site is worth it just for the writing.  He spins a yarn with each post.  He comes from Minnesota, so he does provide some good cold weather cooking tips.  His recipes are spot on and again, another great site for killer food porn.  

The PG Plate:

The PG Plate is a round up of food blogs published in one easy to access place.  It consists of recipes and reviews of local Pittsburgh area eateries.  The recipes cross the spectrum of all cooking styles.  If I need a good seasonal recipe, this is the first place I look.  Full disclosure, Three Dogs BBQ shows up on this site from time to time.  I include this site here because it is a great resource.

Cowgirl's Country Life:

Who hasn't tooled around Jeanie's site?  Jeanie was the inspiration for the Three Dogs blog.  She provided tips and advice and reviewed the blog before it went on the Internet.  Her recipes are fresh and new.  She is focuses on game recipes, but is also well versed in canning, BBQ, and cast iron cooking.  Her site is worth a look if you are looking for something that just might be a little different.  

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook:

I have only found this site within the last week and I have only scratched the surface.  It is loaded with information on how to cook various types of wild game.  As The Oldest drops off meat from his latest hunting adventures, this is the first place I will look for ideas on how to prepare these dishes.  

Assorted Flipboard Magazines:

What, you don't use Flipboard?  Shame on you!  Most apps that you find on the Internet are average/functional at best.  But Flipboard is hands down the best app out there and the great part it is free.  This app takes Internet surfing to a new level.  It allows you to subscribe to Internet Magazines that focus on the content that matters to you.  So, some of the better food magazines that I recommend on there are:

Mason Dixon BBQ

Grilling and Smoking Barbecue

BBQ's Sweet Smoke and Live Fire

Hispanic Foodie

The NZ Meat Company

Well, that about sums it up for this post.  Please do visit any of the sites above if you are looking for a recipe or a review.  It will be well worth your time, I promise.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill