Not that I am advocating the consumption of strong liquor, but…. I know that during the Holidays many of you like to entertain. Here are some great punch recipes, associated with my military background. These recipes were all pulled from the message board Army.ca

Artillery Punch
1 qt strong black tea
1 qt rye whiskey
1 bottle red wine
1 pint Jamaican dark rum
1/2 pint brandy
1 jigger benedictine herbal liqueur
1 pint orange juice
1/2 pint lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients in a large punch bowl with a block of ice. If found too dry, sugar syrup may be added. Decorate with twists of lemon peel.

and another..
Served by the Officer’s Mess of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada:
ATHEL BROSE (loosely translated “nectar of the gods”

1 lb honey 2 1/2 c steel cut oats (NOT rolled)
2 c. water
1/2 gallon scotch

Mix all ingredients( but scotch), warm gently on low heat only until blended. Remove from heat, let cool and stir in scotch. Allow mixture to soak overnight w/ secure cover. Strain oat mixture from liquid and discard (or use for bread). Place liquid in glass jar and swirl (or roll) daily for 2-4 weeks.Several months if you can stand it ! Try not to open the container as you go to keep contaminants out.
The longer you wait the smoother it gets! Strain one last time and serve to all!

How about some “moose milk”?

Moose Milk
40oz Lambs Dark Rum
40oz Kahlua
40oz Vodka
4L Vanilla Ice Cream (the good creamy expensive kind)
4L eggnog

Mix all together, breaking up the ice cream a bit. Sprinkle nutmeg on top if you so desire. Stir occasionally as the ice cream starts to melt. Enjoy!

Bull’s Milk???

Both the Warrant Officers’ and Sergeants’ Mess and the Officers’ Mess of The Lincoln and Welland Regiment serve versions of “Bull’s Milk” or Moose Milk on New Year’s Day. There are at least two recipes:

Hot version. Heat slowly until warm:
• 80 oz Dark Rum
• 40 oz Brandy
• 40 oz Rye Whisky
• 12 qt Egg Nog

Cold version. May be kept cold by adding a block of ice after mixing:
• 120 oz White Rum
• 26 oz Brandy
• 26 oz Kahlua
• 3 or 4 gal Ice Cream (Chocolate, Vanilla or Neapolitan)
• 2 or 3 gal Milk or Egg Nog
• 1 qt Whipping Cream
• dash Vanilla Extract
• dash Nutmeg

Not so sure about this – not for the faint of heart:
“BOAT GAS”

What you need.

- 1 very big pail, or small garbage can ( clean ), or crock pot – and a ladle
- depending on the size of bucket used, buy about 4-5 frozen fruit punch mix – throw it in
- buy lemons, and limes, and strawberries etc and cut up and put in the bucket
- add about 1 bottle vodka, 1 bottle white rum, 2 bottles tequila ( basically whatever you want ) ( bottle generally 40 pounder)
- Stir up until the boat gas eats away at your ladle
- serve to a friend first and watch for negative effects. Usually let the “lab rat” sit for 5 minutes. If all checks out, go nuts. Enjoy the evening.

The fruit adds flavour, but also when all the booze is gone you can eat the alcoholic fruit, that way when your wife/girlfriend asks you if you actually ate anything healthy at the party ( or does that just happen to me? ) you can say “yes dear, i had fruit”

and finally…. “Windex”
“Windex” (later named “Prop Wash” by a rigged vote in the mess, damn those Air Force rotters … !)
- one part vodka
- one part white rum
- two parts Parfait D‘amour (a blue-coloured licquer by Marie Brizzard)
- dilute with Seven Up to suit your taste … while your taste buds are still functioning … (supposedly, 7Up is better than Sprite)
- makes a delightful, uniquely-coloured drink that will lift floor tiles (yup – I wouldn‘t make that one up) and will leave a mildly radioactive glow on your glassware (which we discovered at our wedding reception … )
- Theyd serve it to unsuspecting guests, and when they‘d ask about the blue colour we‘d explain that we‘d used Melita coffee filters and Windex … whereupon their faces would turn a shade of blue to match the drink!

Enjoy. I’m not responsible for you not drinking responsibly

Read more: http://www.skinnymoose.com/desertrat/2007/12/13/holiday-libations/#ixzz1gkewRfFg

Thanks to Pitmaster Dan Hixon for sending me some 3 Eyz Championship BBQ Rub to try.

I smoked a pork shoulder last weekend and am sure glad I tried the 3 Eyz Rub. This rub has a smooth, bold, flavor. There is a touch of heat, but just a touch. Nice, fresh even flavors throughout. Texture is spot-on.

I rub my pork the night before and wrap in Saran Wrap. I then rub a bit on before going into the smoker. Normally, I smoke at 225 until I hit 170ish, then foil til 195 or so. This day though, I ran out of charcoal (bad chef) so finished in the oven – a first for me. In site of deviating from my normal methods, this pulled pork came out great.

Awesome flavor, and some of the best “bark” I have made to date. As I mentioned in the previous post – my co-workers raved about the pork.

From their site:

3 Eyz BBQ’s first commercially-available BBQ spice rub. This mix of sweet and spicy offers a fantastic flavor boost for all of your grilling, smoking, and general cooking needs. Great on all types of meat, as well as in soups, chili, vegetables, baked potatoes, and anything else that needs a bit of a flavor kick. This spice rub took home a 1st and a 2nd place award at the Great American BBQ Contest and helped 3eyz rack up over 200 awards!

I’d definitely recommend this rub for your pulled pork – can’t wait to try it on something else! Stay tuned!!

First off, an apology to Matthew Hanna at Pigtail Brands. Matthew had sent me some goodies, including his kick-ass sauce – quite some time ago. Well, life happened as it often does and my blogs got neglected. Finally, last week I was able to start getting back on track a bit.

So, last weeked I threw a pork shoulder in the smoker and cooked up some pulled pork. When dinner time came around, out came the bottle of Big Ed’s Heirloom Sauce.

So to be fair, my wife and daughter were the first real tasters in this process. I was well into a sinus/upper respiratory infection and couldn’t reall taste anything. The next challenge was the viscosity of the sauce. It is thin! Remember, I’m an amateur when it comes to smoking and I hadn’t encountered such a thin sauce before! The girls liked it though and my wife remarked it might make for a rockin salad dressing too. Curiously, they say just that in their description! From the Pigtail Brands website:

Pigtail Brands flagship product, Big Ed’s Heirloom Barbecue Sauce did not get its moniker of “The Specialty Of The South” for no reason. This is a robust, tangy vinegar based heirloom barbecue sauce & marinade with just the perfect hint of pepper & a slight sweet undertone. A 30+ year family recipe to perfectly accent and bring out, not overpower, the flavor of your pork, steak, poultry, seafood, wild game and everything in between. It has even been used as a salad dressing. Gluten free, fat free, cholesterol free and preservative free. It’s just that good!

Whenever I have the smoker out on weekends, I’m obligated to haul leftovers to work. I shredded up all the pork, put it into tupperware, and loaded the container up with Big Ed’s. That’s when the magic really began! At work the next day, everyone raved about the pork, and the sauce! “Vinegary, tangy”, “not salty at all”, “Perfect!”, “Just the right flavor” – Big Ed’s was a hit! So, this ended up being a cool review. Even though my taste buds were out of commission, I had nearly a dozen other testers step up to the plate. Every single one loved Big Ed’s! Thanks again to Matthew and the folks over at Pigtail Brands.

On a final note, this is a real cool company! For lots of interesting stuff, visit their blog or even their recipe page.

I would happily recommend Big Ed’s to anyone looking for an awesome, flavorful sauce. If an amateur can make it a hit, imagine what someone who knew what they were doing could accomplish!

Finally got the smoker puffin after a several week hiatus! I took this opportunity to test out a couple of rubs and sauces. First, I had a pork shoulder go in, rubbed heavy the night before with 3 Eyez BBQ Rub. At “press time”, I’m finishing that bad boy in the oven. A first for me, but it was a cold day out and I ran short of charcoal down the home stretch. Will let you know how it turned out!

Next, I had some boneless skinless chicken breasts in the fridge. I’d never smoked chicken breasts before so I figured “What the heck?”. These puppies I rubbed heavy with Old Timer’s Spicy BBQ Rub. Those sat in the fridge most of the morning while the pork shoulder got a head start. Old Timer’s Rubs have been a great addition to my cupboard, with fresh and bright salt and sugar flavors, and just the right amount of heat.

The chicken got rubbed again before I put them in the smoker. I was using charcoal briquettes and some applewood chunks today. When they were almost done, I took out the chicken breasts, and put in a 260 degree oven with a splash of apple juice. They finished in there for about an hour.

The sauce I used for the chicken was The Firehouse from RavensBark. According to the site, The Firehouse is “a super spicy blaze of flavor! This is a fiery version of The General. Habanero Pepper fuels this 5-alarm blaze for a very hot but fruity flavor”. Well we tried this sauce and another tonight. Unfortunately, I have a sinus infection and with virtually no taste buds working – I was in no shape to judge any sauce objectively.

My wife however, raved about The Firehouse, declaring it “the best one we had tried yet” (and we’ve tried a lot!). This sauce is slighlty on the thin side, vinegary and peppery but has some great flavor. Well done, RavensBark – my wife thinks its delicious!

Last year my family started a new Christmas Tradition. It was more rewarding than we ever could have imagined. Let’s get back to the true purpose of Christmas….

Daniel Clay from Mad Cow Cutlery has always been a friend of the site, from the very beginning. Anyway, cutlery is a great gift for the chef or sportsman in your life and I can’t think of better company to but from than Mad Cow. They have some amazing specials going right now.

I have been extreely pleased with my knives from Mundial. They hold an edge like nothing I have used before. They take dishwashing easily – mine all look like new, in spite of a year or two of near-constant use.

Seriously, check out Mad Cow soon. They have specials running right now. Also, check their Bargain Barn

Great video from TastyLicks BBQ Supply Co I have posted reviews on their great rubs in the past.

Anyway – a cool alternative to traditional roasting or deep-frying your turkey. Enjoy!

Spatchcock Turkey Video

Hello all – I am sorry that my blog has been silent. I took an unexpected, unscheduled break while our family dealt with some pretty serious health issues my wife was enduring. Hopefully thingshave settled down enough now that I can get posting!

RavensBark has been a great supporter of the Dry Rubbed Rat and Bob the owner suggested a contest that would reward my readers. Awesome! So, here it goes:

First, read the interview with Bob if you haven’t already. Next, go to RavenBark’s Facebook Page and like them, friend them, share them. Finally post a comment about the interview. Best comment gets a free 4-pack sampler, courtesy of RavensBark! You’re gonna love this sauce, guaranteed.

Wait though, we’re not done! Order something from RavensBark, tell em you saw it on the Dry Rubbed Rat and get 10% off of your order, with any purchase up to 4 bottles.

And now the big one! Order 4 or more bottles of anything and enjoy 25% off!

Again, this is quality sauce and you won’t be disappointed. They have been very supportive of my efforts here at the Dry Rubbed Rat. Please visit their BBQ Sauce Section to have a look for yourself. Don’t forget to visit them on Facebook too!

I’m really hoping that you read the first installment from Steve Dodd, owner at Hack’s BBQ Sauce. Steve chose us as a platform to make the announcement that he was improving his awesome sauce and has invited us to follow along in his journey to a better sauce. Here is an update:

A couple of weeks ago, I reported to you in a guest blog my decision to create a new barbecue sauce with no peppers and no onions that has the same great taste of the original Hack’s BBQ Sauce, but is made with all-natural ingredients. Today I am excited to report some of our progress.

To start, we found a local bottler who has access to the all-natural ingredients we have been seeking and they are also able to certify the sauce to be gluten-free, which was another part of our quest for a better sauce. With an ample pipeline of quality ingredients, we gathered up a bunch of this all-natural goodness and headed to the kitchen to start making test batches. Purists take note – we didn’t head to the lab. We didn’t hunker down in our manufacturing facility. We went to our kitchen. We believe that’s where everything starts. The initial attempts tasted fine and did okay on the grill, but it still wasn’t as good as the original. Something was missing. We decided to do a blind taste test with some family and friends and their feedback was very helpful. We learned that we were on the right track, but still had a way to go. This was a critical part of the process, real humans tasting our new recipes. Not just anyone, but our friends and family members. If it’s not good enough to pass their test, it’s not good enough to go to market.

After finding some additional natural flavors that we felt were missing, we returned to the kitchen to make some new batches. We spent hours tweaking the recipe, tasting the results and tweaking again until our taste buds were shot! I think we managed to get very close to what we are looking for and I am anxious to conduct another blind test with some friends who are visiting this weekend. In my next blog post, I’ll report the results of these latest trials. In the meantime, be thinking about what we should call this new sauce. Write your idea in a comment section below. Thanks for following our story!

Seriously, I would really consider visiting Hack’s BBQ right now and order a couple of bottles of his original formula sauce. If you have some sensitivity to onions and/or peppers, then this is the only sauce for you. If you don’t have this problem, you’re going to love it anyway. Dark, very thick, very rich – this sauce is yummy. I can’t wait to try the improved version! ~DRR