August 31st
These two things seem completely random, but they actually kind of go together. If you have never used a brining technique before grilling, you may be missing out some tender meat, and since grilling and football go hand in hand, you can use this process for your next tailgating party. I feel this intro can go into a another cookbook of mine called "Grill, Bitches!" a widely successful follow up to my first book.
I have found that this process works really good for chicken and pork; I have not tried it on steak. I think the best way to cook a good piece of seasoned beef (salt and pepper) is to make sure you put the strip on the hot grill when the meat is at room temp. Sear it on both sides while its super hot for about 2 minutes each, then put it on the cooler part of the grill and let it cook through depending on taste preference. You can cook it for about 5 minutes for a special moo red texture, or keep it on there until you can hit it with a hockey stick. Just make sure you read cooking times based on thickness.
Chicken and pork chops, especially bone-in, really benefit from a good salt bath. When I grill, I usually do so in big batches so that I have some leftovers for the week. I will take 6 bone in, skin on, chickens thighs and put them in a Ziploc bag. You don't need to wash them before hand, you will do that later. Now add a quart of water, I try to use filtered or fresh water - it actually makes a difference. Now add a cup of kosher salt to the bag, mix it all up real good, and stick that in the fridge to marinate. The salt loosens up the meat and gives it a nice flavor. Just make sure you watch how much salt you use based on the amount of meat you are going to cook. Too much salt, and you are going to wince while chewing, not enough and you won't even notice the difference. Keep the chicken or pork in the fridge for about and hour, then take out and wash, getting the excess salt of the meat. Now do what you do on the grill, season with a little more salt, some pepper, and cook. You will notice the chicken is juicier and has a nice seasoning to it throughout the cut. Bueno.
Now, while you are grilling, make sure you have one eye on the start of the football season. My wife is so looking forward to football she can barely contain herself (if you believe that, I have a used car I'd like to sell you). September 12th is a holiday in my book, with September 2ND serving as football foreplay. In honor of this special day, I am making my NFC picks as well as who is going to go the playoffs and Super Bowl. I will predict the AFC in a future post, I'm still doing some research (IE drinking beer). I want you to remember this post, especially if you are putting some cash down in Vegas, because it's money you will probably lose.
NFC EAST
I start with this division because it is the home of my boys, The New York Giants. This is a tough conference to pick because its hard to admit when another team is better than yours, but I promise I won't be a homer.
1.
Dallas Cowboys - I'm still not sold on Tony Romo, I think he is a bit over-rated. Believe it or not, I think he played better when dating Jessica Simpson. It's amazing what happens to your own confidence when you hang out with dumb people. The Cowboys have just too much talent on both sides of the ball. Sure, they have only scored 16 first half points in their first three preseason games, but that is why they have preseason, to work out the kinks.
2.
New York Giants - Picking Big Blue second hurts, but I can honestly say, barring injuries, this team is more talented than the rest of the East. They need to be able to run the ball, and keep Eli's helmet on. The defense is a huge question mark, since it was one of the worst against the pass last year. Pass rush is going to be huge, QB pressure makes all secondaries look good.
3. Washington Redskins - Sorry Philly, you were the ones dumb enough to send Donovan McNabb to a conference rival. If McNabb can find his marks and perform like he did earlier in his career, he has plenty of weapons at his disposal. It is a good mix of veterans and young talent, and they have a Super Bowl winning coach barking out orders. However, seeing that its Washington, I still see a mid-season implosion happening.
4. Philadelphia Eagles - They have lost too many players, and if you think throwing snowballs at Santa doesn't have some bad juju, you are sadly mistaken. You're last Philly because you are rude, it's payback time.
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers - It's Aaron Rodgers time, and I think he is one of the best QB's in football - top 5. This year he will beat Brett Favre at least once, and don't be surprised if we aren't talking about Rodgers for MVP. Packers D is getting more and more experienced each year, and I think they are primed for some big plays. I like this team.
2. Minnesota Vikings - Flip Flop Favre is not going to make it through the entire season. I know he has never missed a start in his career, and he may not this year. But the ankle is going to nag at him all season, and the Vikings are going to suffer with some ill-advised pass attempts. They do have a good defense with an aggressive front four, but I think they will come up just short again. Playoff team - yes.
3. Chicago Bears - Jay Cutler and Co. will have their ups and downs this year. The defense is already taking some hits, and it looks like age is catching up with these new Monsters of the Midway. The Bears will keep things close, and be competitive, but I think Cutler is an interception machine, and I really don't think he has the football smarts that the really good QBs have. He does have the talent.
4. Detroit Lions - Getting better, but need at least two more years before joining the playoff picture. I would like this team to get better soon, so I don't have to watch a dud of a game on Thanksgiving.
NFC SOUTH
1. New Orleans Saints - The weapons are still there, and Drew Brees is a bad-ass. They may be a little looser on D this year, but they will get past it, they score a ton of points. It's one of those offenses that all defensive coordinators dread to plan against.
2. Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons have done some good things in the off season to bolster a defense that ended up a little porous last year. They were 28th in the league in passing defense which will not get it done when Drew Brees is out there. Their opener with Pittsburgh should be a good indicator of improvement since the Steelers don't have a QB for the first four weeks of the season.
3. Carolina Panthers - The Panthers have added Jimmy Clausen to their offense. Is that good, not really. I think the Panthers nip the Bucs in this division with their defense which was 4th overall in passing defense. Although a good counter argument for Bucs fans is that the Panthers were 27th in total passing, and that was with Jake Delhomme, not an another overrated Notre Dame QB. Maybe Brady Quinn should give Jimmy some hints, maybe not.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - This is a team that just doesn't have any offense to speak of. They were 23rd and 24th in passing and rushing offense respectively. I just don't have much faith in QB Josh Freeman, and I really don't think coach Raheem Morris is going to last the entire season. The defense is getting old, and although they did well against the pass, the rushing defense has gone down the tubes. It's rebuilding in Tampa.
NFC WEST
1. San Francisco 49ers - The Niners are going back to the playoffs. I think QB Alex Smith is going to finally get it done. Mike Singletary has got these guys ready to rumble, and let's face it, everyone else in this division sucks.
2. Seattle Seahawks - Everyone else in this division is not going to make the playoffs (see previous sentence), but I think Pete Carroll will make these guys better. QB Matt Hasselbeck needs to stay healthy since that was the only bright spot on this team last year.
3. Arizona Cardinals - Let's put Arizona back where they belong - in the cellar. Kurt Warner is gone and all that's left is a Cleveland reject and a USC playboy. Both have struggled this entire preseason and Coach Wisenhunt still does not know who is going to start. Bad sign.
4. St. Louis Rams - Sam Bradford is going to start and the Rams can only hope the surgically repaired shoulder won't blow out on him before the end of the season. I think he is a very accurate passer, and the Rams will have more wins than last year, IE 2.
Playoff Picture
Your wild card will be the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings.
It will be Dallas vs Green Bay for the Super Bowl, and the Packers are going to Dallas for the Super Bowl.
Read it and weep, I know I will in January.
August 31st
These two things seem completely random, but they actually kind of go together. If you have never used a brining technique before grilling, you may be missing out some tender meat, and since grilling and football go hand in hand, you can use this process for your next tailgating party. I feel this intro can go into a another cookbook of mine called "Grill, Bitches!" a widely successful follow up to my first book.
I have found that this process works really good for chicken and pork; I have not tried it on steak. I think the best way to cook a good piece of seasoned beef (salt and pepper) is to make sure you put the strip on the hot grill when the meat is at room temp. Sear it on both sides while its super hot for about 2 minutes each, then put it on the cooler part of the grill and let it cook through depending on taste preference. You can cook it for about 5 minutes for a special moo red texture, or keep it on there until you can hit it with a hockey stick. Just make sure you read cooking times based on thickness.
Chicken and pork chops, especially bone-in, really benefit from a good salt bath. When I grill, I usually do so in big batches so that I have some leftovers for the week. I will take 6 bone in, skin on, chickens thighs and put them in a Ziploc bag. You don't need to wash them before hand, you will do that later. Now add a quart of water, I try to use filtered or fresh water - it actually makes a difference. Now add a cup of kosher salt to the bag, mix it all up real good, and stick that in the fridge to marinate. The salt loosens up the meat and gives it a nice flavor. Just make sure you watch how much salt you use based on the amount of meat you are going to cook. Too much salt, and you are going to wince while chewing, not enough and you won't even notice the difference. Keep the chicken or pork in the fridge for about and hour, then take out and wash, getting the excess salt of the meat. Now do what you do on the grill, season with a little more salt, some pepper, and cook. You will notice the chicken is juicier and has a nice seasoning to it throughout the cut. Bueno.
Now, while you are grilling, make sure you have one eye on the start of the football season. My wife is so looking forward to football she can barely contain herself (if you believe that, I have a used car I'd like to sell you). September 12th is a holiday in my book, with September 2ND serving as football foreplay. In honor of this special day, I am making my NFC picks as well as who is going to go the playoffs and Super Bowl. I will predict the AFC in a future post, I'm still doing some research (IE drinking beer). I want you to remember this post, especially if you are putting some cash down in Vegas, because it's money you will probably lose.
NFC EAST
I start with this division because it is the home of my boys, The New York Giants. This is a tough conference to pick because its hard to admit when another team is better than yours, but I promise I won't be a homer.
1. Dallas Cowboys - I'm still not sold on Tony Romo, I think he is a bit over-rated. Believe it or not, I think he played better when dating Jessica Simpson. It's amazing what happens to your own confidence when you hang out with dumb people. The Cowboys have just too much talent on both sides of the ball. Sure, they have only scored 16 first half points in their first three preseason games, but that is why they have preseason, to work out the kinks.
2. New York Giants - Picking Big Blue second hurts, but I can honestly say, barring injuries, this team is more talented than the rest of the East. They need to be able to run the ball, and keep Eli's helmet on. The defense is a huge question mark, since it was one of the worst against the pass last year. Pass rush is going to be huge, QB pressure makes all secondaries look good.
3. Washington Redskins - Sorry Philly, you were the ones dumb enough to send Donovan McNabb to a conference rival. If McNabb can find his marks and perform like he did earlier in his career, he has plenty of weapons at his disposal. It is a good mix of veterans and young talent, and they have a Super Bowl winning coach barking out orders. However, seeing that its Washington, I still see a mid-season implosion happening.
4. Philadelphia Eagles - They have lost too many players, and if you think throwing snowballs at Santa doesn't have some bad juju, you are sadly mistaken. You're last Philly because you are rude, it's payback time.
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers - It's Aaron Rodgers time, and I think he is one of the best QB's in football - top 5. This year he will beat Brett Favre at least once, and don't be surprised if we aren't talking about Rodgers for MVP. Packers D is getting more and more experienced each year, and I think they are primed for some big plays. I like this team.
2. Minnesota Vikings - Flip Flop Favre is not going to make it through the entire season. I know he has never missed a start in his career, and he may not this year. But the ankle is going to nag at him all season, and the Vikings are going to suffer with some ill-advised pass attempts. They do have a good defense with an aggressive front four, but I think they will come up just short again. Playoff team - yes.
3. Chicago Bears - Jay Cutler and Co. will have their ups and downs this year. The defense is already taking some hits, and it looks like age is catching up with these new Monsters of the Midway. The Bears will keep things close, and be competitive, but I think Cutler is an interception machine, and I really don't think he has the football smarts that the really good QBs have. He does have the talent.
4. Detroit Lions - Getting better, but need at least two more years before joining the playoff picture. I would like this team to get better soon, so I don't have to watch a dud of a game on Thanksgiving.
NFC SOUTH
1. New Orleans Saints - The weapons are still there, and Drew Brees is a bad-ass. They may be a little looser on D this year, but they will get past it, they score a ton of points. It's one of those offenses that all defensive coordinators dread to plan against.
2. Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons have done some good things in the off season to bolster a defense that ended up a little porous last year. They were 28th in the league in passing defense which will not get it done when Drew Brees is out there. Their opener with Pittsburgh should be a good indicator of improvement since the Steelers don't have a QB for the first four weeks of the season.
3. Carolina Panthers - The Panthers have added Jimmy Clausen to their offense. Is that good, not really. I think the Panthers nip the Bucs in this division with their defense which was 4th overall in passing defense. Although a good counter argument for Bucs fans is that the Panthers were 27th in total passing, and that was with Jake Delhomme, not an another overrated Notre Dame QB. Maybe Brady Quinn should give Jimmy some hints, maybe not.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - This is a team that just doesn't have any offense to speak of. They were 23rd and 24th in passing and rushing offense respectively. I just don't have much faith in QB Josh Freeman, and I really don't think coach Raheem Morris is going to last the entire season. The defense is getting old, and although they did well against the pass, the rushing defense has gone down the tubes. It's rebuilding in Tampa.
NFC WEST
1. San Francisco 49ers - The Niners are going back to the playoffs. I think QB Alex Smith is going to finally get it done. Mike Singletary has got these guys ready to rumble, and let's face it, everyone else in this division sucks.
2. Seattle Seahawks - Everyone else in this division is not going to make the playoffs (see previous sentence), but I think Pete Carroll will make these guys better. QB Matt Hasselbeck needs to stay healthy since that was the only bright spot on this team last year.
3. Arizona Cardinals - Let's put Arizona back where they belong - in the cellar. Kurt Warner is gone and all that's left is a Cleveland reject and a USC playboy. Both have struggled this entire preseason and Coach Wisenhunt still does not know who is going to start. Bad sign.
4. St. Louis Rams - Sam Bradford is going to start and the Rams can only hope the surgically repaired shoulder won't blow out on him before the end of the season. I think he is a very accurate passer, and the Rams will have more wins than last year, IE 2.
Playoff Picture
Your wild card will be the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings.
It will be Dallas vs Green Bay for the Super Bowl, and the Packers are going to Dallas for the Super Bowl.
Read it and weep, I know I will in January.
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