The Bag Messenger BlogBag Design and Urban Living

Thats right folks, the weekend of the 4th is looming in the near future. You can almost smell the lighter fluid and see the drunken patriotic flag waving from here. Here at Tucker and Bloom we are planing on getting outside for a few hours of sweet sunshine before getting back to making bags, and we have a few recipes that may keep your friends so busy they may forget about fireworks. 

-THE BAG MESSENGER

Not one to over-think party planning I have a tendency to wait for a jolt of inspiration. Being that the weather is blazing hot and  BBQ is essentially a part of the holiday I figured I would split the difference by combining spicy, cool, and smoky flavors. Specifically my plans include, smoked pork, Ceviched Shrimp, grilled corn, fruit salad, and lots of cold beer.Have a happy independence day! - David

Dry Rub for Pork

# 1/2 cup salt
# 1/4 cup pepper
# 1 Tbsp garlic powder
# 1 Tbsp oregano
# 1 Tbsp celery seed
# 1 Tbsp paprika
# 1 Tbsp chile powder

I adjust the chile powder to taste....

Rub the meat to be smoked with the dry rub, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate overnight.

Everyone has their own ideas about BBQ, and I don't profess to be any expert. That being said, the best method I have found to barbecue is all about prep.

I like to start the fire a good hour before putting the meat anywhere near the grill.  I  bank the coals to one side of the grill and place an aluminum foil envelope of hickory chips on top of the glowing coals. You should make sure the envelope has a lot of holes pricked in it, and that you soak the wood chips before hand. When it comes time the meat should be placed as far away from the fire as possible. Cover the grill and don't open it for about four hours, except to turn the meat once. After it looks done test it with a thermometer and let it cool in a brown paper bag. 

Grilled Corn

I have found that there are few things better than grilled corn. It is very good in salads, as well as other dishes, and picking it out of your teeth is the best! Here's how the secret to good bbq corn....

First you should find some good sweet corn. Sometimes its hard to tell how the corn is going to taste before hand. The best bet is to find a good farmers market, and play hard ball with one of those corn salesmen. 

Once you have your corn, place the ears (husks and all) in water for an hour.... remove the corn silk from the inside of the husks, wrap them back up, and place directly over the fire.  The corn will need to be watched fairly closely as they can easily turn into charcoal.  When the husks are blackened the corn is done.

Ceviche Shrimp

There are a bunch of different ways to go about making Ceviche shrimp, and I have to say I like most of them. Here is a recipe I found a few years ago that is easy and really tasty. Getting good shrimp is key for good ceviche...which may be a difficult thing in the near future. Enjoy this while you still can! 

2 pounds of shrimp
1 large red onion 3 medium tomatoes
3 cups of fresh orange juice (preferably use sour oranges or you can use Tropicana pure natural orange juice with no pulp)
1 cup of lemon juice (fresh squeezed lemons)
3 tablespoons of ketchup
1 tablespoon of mustard
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Boil water salt and pepper in a pan. After it boils, add shrimp. Let it boil for 3 minutes (or until shrimp becomes lightly red) and remove from heat. Pour out water and let shrimp cool. Don’t let them overcook! If they are overcooked, the shrimp will be a little chewy, and no one wants to eat chewy shrimp. 

Cut the onion into long thing strips. Place them in a bowl with water and 2 tablespoons of salt and let it settle for 10 minutes. Then gently rinse with water. This will remove the bitter bite from the onion and make it sweeter.

Cut tomatoes into small squares.

In a large bowl, mix the onion, tomatoes, orange and lemon juice, ketchup, mustard, cilantro (or parsley), oil, salt and pepper. Once the shrimp has cooled, add shrimp and mix everything together.