Sikes: ‘There are lots of uses for pepper jelly’ | Food-and-cooking

Probabilities are the pepper jelly is homemade. Might be garish inexperienced. May well resemble glue in texture. Could make pure sugar appear to be not that sweet. In simple fact, most are sweeter than scorching. A number of establish that mistaken.

There are heaps of makes use of for pepper jelly. Condiments prevail, but not purely. You have not lived prolonged in the South before getting provided a block of plain cream cheese topped with pepper jelly. Could possibly be served with plain saltines. Tiny else is needed for a cocktail social gathering preferred.

Prior to I go further more, allow me tell you a story that couldn’t be better scripted. This pepper jelly column was prepared a thirty day period ago for this week. Glance what occurred.

This earlier weekend, there was a terrific event in New Orleans: this year’s functioning of “Hogs For a Induce.” This party raises funds to fight pediatric brain cancer. How significantly do people like swine? The reply is $2.6 million. That’s the whole for final weekend. They’ve been at it since 2009.

The structure is a cook dinner-off. Ninety teams enter in a range of classes featuring your beloved delicious cuts. Ribs, pork butt/shoulder and bacon, as well as total hog, alongside with sides, seasoning, and sauce. Other groups include to the level of competition.

The workforce names remind you of barbershop quartets. Better get your option in shortly. Heaps of decades to occur. Some of my most loved group names are Fleur de Que, Sir Pork-a-Great deal, Captain Porkenheimer, The Hogfather, Porkchopitoulas, Swine Krewe, Sweet Swine O’ Mine, Aporkalypse Now and Hog Dependancy.

Here’s the offer. Two of the categories—whole hog and pork shoulder—were gained by 1 of my most loved names – Hog Dependancy. In addition they were being the general grand champion.

Hog Dependancy team customers are Marcio Borguezan, Tripp Rion and Will Gottberg, furthermore my pal Chad Whittington. Congratulations, gentlemen.

Guess what else? Chad and his wife are identified as Maggie’s Farm. Catering enterprise and once having a meals truck. They also make Lottie’s Pepper Jelly. They had been and are the element of my column this 7 days.

A couple instances this wintertime, I have had some pepper jelly tastings. All highlighted picks of Lottie’s. She is Chad’s wife’s mother. Coincidence number 100 at minimum.

We tasted blueberry, pineapple, Raspberry Habanero, Mango Habanero and first pepper jellies. Recently, I acquired a new providing – Peach Habanero Glaze. I tasted it about, much too.

The tale of the tape is a excellent one particular. No losers. We liked them all. Everyone’s most loved was raspberry. It had the greatest fruit. Tasted certainly like raspberries. Chad tells me they are not generating it ideal now. Can not get any berries.

Tasters actually preferred the original variation. Number two in general. The Peach Glaze was strong. Tasters favored serving the jellies with veggies like black-eye peas. They also believed the pineapple would be perfect with ham. The thought to make glazes with jellies was well-known from the commencing.

These jellies are available from Bama BBQ Offer online.

Yet another star in Chad’s crown is a several weeks in the past he took eighth location in a environment level of competition from the Steak Cookoff Affiliation. The category was ancillary dishes. He experienced to innovate three diverse dishes centered on sponsor Wamper’s Breakfast Sausage. It was connoisseur fare folks.

Chad’s back in the steak arena next thirty day period in Memphis. He loves it. He just cannot wait to retire from educating this yr and devote extra time and effort and hard work to Maggie’s, moreover pork and steak cooking.

Sounds like a very good issue for us.

Jim Sikes is an Opelika resident a food items, wine and restaurant specialist and a columnist for the Opelika-Auburn News. Contact him on Facebook at In the Kitchen with Chef Jim.