There is an old legend that bears can dance. Don't believe it? Not long ago, Barry Conway was on a camping trip and making some barbecue. Lured by the scent of the homemade sauce, a family of black bears found Barry's sauce and started lapping it up. Overjoyed with their tasty find, the bears rose of their hind feet.  Then it began.....each bear starting wiggling their bare behinds.  And, that is how the Legend of the Black Bear Boogie began.

Whether you buy into Barry's Black Bear Boogie or not, the folks at Bear-Man have come-up with some incredible BBQ Sauces and a special Tummy Rub.  Winners of several awards including 3rd place in the NBBQ Association's Fruit/Spicy BBQ category and 2nd place in the 2007 NASFT Outstanding Cooking Sauce category.

These BBQ Sauces are distinctly different from many sauces that you will find. The label reads, "Contains Bits of Fresh Ingredients". Not only can you taste these fresh ingredients, but they are quite visible as well.

Bear-Man has three different BBQ Sauces and one Dry Rub:

• Black Bear Boogie BBQ Sauce - this is a sweet and tart sauce with just a minor kick.
• Growlin' Grizzly BBQ Sauce - this is a tangy sauce with a savory bite.
• Sap-Happy Golden Bear BBQ Sauce - of the three Bear-Man sauces, this is most unique. It is a maple sauce made with pure maple syrup. It's sweet and not-too-hot. In fact, there is more maple syrup in the sauce than any other ingredient.
• Tummy Rub - this seasoning and dry rub is an all-purpose BBQ rub. use on chicken, fish, roasts, ribs and even steak.

We've already tried these BBQ Sauces with pork chops, Cornish hens and ribs. It's hard to pick a favorite, except the Sap-Happy does really stand-out on pork chops (see Bear-Man Maple Pork Chops Recipe).



Ingredients

• Bear-Man Tummy Rub
• Black Bear Boogie or Growlin' Grizzly BBQ Sauce
• 5-7 lb pork roast
• 12 hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls
• Cole Slaw

Procedure

1. Generously coat meat with Bear-Man Tummy Rub. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Overnight is better.
2. Place pork roast in a roasting pan and bake in a 300 degree oven for approximately 6 hours or until done. The thickest part of the roast should read 170 degrees. Bear-Man suggests cooking until the roast is falling apart.
3. Remove pork from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. While pork is resting, deglaze the baking pan over medium heat with 3/4 cup water, scraping with a wooden spoon to pick up all of the browned bits. Reduce by half. Pour a bottle of BBQ sauce into pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. While the pork is warm, "pull" the meat by using 2 forks as follows: Using 1 fork to steady the meat, use the other fork to "pull" shreds of meat off the roast. Put the shredded pork in a bowl and pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the pork and mix well.
5. To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture on your buns or rolls and top with Cole slaw.

If this has your mouth watering, then check-out the Bear-Man's Meatball recipe, Barbecue Beef Sandwiches recipe and Tummy Rub Oyster Crackers recipe.

        

ArmadilloPepper.com is excited to announce that wild game jerky has arrived in our store. In addition to our beef jerky, you can shop for Buffalo Jerky, Elk Jerky, Turkey Jerky and Venison Jerky all from Climax Jerky in Colorado. We have also added Salmon Jerky made from Grade A, Wild Coho Salmon, fresh from the docks in Ketchikan, Alaska.

Jerky continues to grow in popularity due to its health benefits. Jerky is low in cholesterol, has virtually no fat, is high in protein and very flavorful. A typical 30 gram portion of beef jerky contains:

• 10-15 grams of protein
• 1 gram of fat
• 0-3 grams of carbohydrates

Type	Fat	Protein	Carbohydrates	Cholesterol
Buffalo, Smoked	0.8g	11.7g	2.3g	28mg
Elk, Peppered	0.8g	11.7g	2.2g	31mg
Turkey	3.6g	11.4g	4.3g	33mg
Venison	0.8g	13.2g	2.3g	31mg

Making jerky is one of the earliest known food preservation techniques. In fact, its origins date back to at least ancient Egypt. A pound of meat or poultry weighs about four ounces after being made into jerky. The drying process removes most of the moisture and therefore, it does not require refrigeration.


If you haven't tried some jerky lately, get out and enjoy some of its many benefits:

• Convenient and a great energy booster
• Enjoying the great outdoors - backpacking, hiking, fishing, camping, bicycling, ATV riding
• Take on a road trip - keep some in the car as a snack for you and the kids
• Great snack during the day, especially for those on the Atkins Diet or anyone actively engaged in an exercise/work-out program
• Shred dome jerky on top of your favorite salad
• Try heating some in the oven at a low temperature for a new taste experience

        

If you have ever had the opportunity to read our About Us page, you know that we spend a significant amount of time tasting and selecting products. In our unceasing quest to find the tastiest gourmet delights for our customers, the Armadillopepper.com team recently uncovered another hidden gem when we discovered a boutique hot sauce company located in Long Beach California called Organic Originals. These guys make some incredibly flavorful sauces!

After our initial visit to their very entertaining jungle-themed website: (www.organicoriginals.org), we were intrigued, but after taste-testing their product we were convinced. Owned and operated by Papa Georgio and Gramma Dee (so named by their grandchildren), Organic Originals boasts hot sauces made from hydroponically grown, rare peppers from the Yucatan Peninsula, Central Africa, India and Mexico. They use only the finest organic ingredients, no pesticides or chemicals of any kind, and lovingly make each sauce one small batch at a time.


Who are these guys? Gramma Dee (AKA DeeDee Rescher, an actress best known as the bus driver in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and as recurring characters on TV’s King of Queens and The Nanny, among many other credits) and Papa Georgio (a boat painter and raconteur of 30 years) started planting peppers and tomatoes in their home garden just as a hobby. Their efforts were so successful that, very soon, harvest time became a challenge: “What to do with all the fruits of our labor?” At this point, Papa Georgio began what would become many years of perfecting what’s known today as his “signature sauce,” Pura Vida! (Spanish for “pure life”). It was immediately a huge hit among friends and family. Then, one day on impulse Papa G brought his sauce to the highly regarded restaurant, Bear Flag Fish Company in Newport Beach, CA.

“It was a whim,” he notes. “Just for fun, we made a label for the restaurant with their logo. They put a bottle on each table and set up a concession to sell individual bottles to customers. After only a few months we were getting orders for cases of the stuff on a weekly basis! The owner of the restaurant called me and said, ‘What’s in this stuff? People are lining up at the door for it!’ It was then that we knew we had to bring it to the world market.” And here it is!

We were especially drawn to the “green” message they are sending with their organic ingredients and biodegradable packaging. Plus they have an irresistible charitable angle: a percentage of every bottle of Organic Originals hot sauce sold goes to a wildlife sanctuary, Fundacion Sanruario Silvestre de Osa, situated on the Gulfo Dolce in Costa Rica. The sanctuary is a local non-profit enterprise wholly committed to providing wildlife rescue and rehabilitation for orphaned and injured animals indigenous to the southern zone in Costa Rica. Each bottle of Organic Originals sauce features a photo of one of the many colorful and engaging creatures saved by the sanctuary.

We know that, like everyone else, you’ll love all four flavors of these flavorful, truly different and versatile chili pepper sauces.

At ArmadilloPepper.com we are excited to introduce our customers to our newest discovery and offer all four of Organic Originals Chili Pepper Sauce flavors:

• Pura Vida - with jalapenos and habaneros. This is the mildest sauce. Members of our taste team that are not big hot sauce fans loved this sauce - even eating it with just chips.
• Hotte Chololatte - with chocolate habanero peppers. Using the chocolate habanero combined with cocoa powder and cherries make this one of the most unique chili pepper sauce flavors you will find.
• Femme Fatalii - with the African fatalii pepper. This hot sauce has a nice bite, but with a fruity flavor from the organic pineapple and orange juices.
• Fantasma - with the world's hottest pepper: Naga "Bhut" Jolokia (a.k.a "Ghost Pepper").  What can we say? Everybody wants the Ghost Pepper these days and Fantasma is a hot, flavorful pepper sauce blended with blue agave, orange juice and pineapple juice.

Purchase individually or save when purchasing the Organic Originals Chili Pepper Sauce Variety 4 Pack.

Serving suggestion? Use on everything! And when you do, keep in mind the exuberant advise from Eddie Bueno:

“It’s a jungle out there! Somebody’s got to flavor it!”

        

My mama has made this variation of apple cobbler for decades.  She made it when we had unexpected guests drop by for supper,  as an easy dessert for a pot luck or dinner on the grounds at church, as a treat for us kids, and, probably, as an aphrodisiac when she was trying to woo my dad as it seems to have had that effect on someone else I know.  I don't know where this recipe originated from but I do know it's very old.  You can find variations of it in just about every Southern cook's favorite recipes.  It's quick, it's easy, and it's very versatile. You can make it with any other fruit you would use in a cobbler and, if you're really reaching, I guess you could describe it as "semi-nutritious"...after all, it does have fruit, oats, cinnamon, and honey...all ingredients that have been touted as "healthy".  (And that, my friends, is known as"rationalizing".)


Ingredients

 - Apple Crisp

• 4 medium Red Delicious apples
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup oats
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Vanilla Ice Cream

 - Honey Bourbon Sauce (this amount is for 2 servings)

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp Bourbon

Procedure

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.  While oven is heating, peel, core and slice apples.

        

We are pleased to announce that James E. Good won the Pepper Jelly Contest.  James will receive a Mossy Bayou Pepper Jelly Variety Pack.  It includes 3 jars and shipping.  This is a $23.95 value.  The variety pack includes:

• 1 Jar of Strawberry Pepper Jelly
• 1 Jar of Award Winning 5 Pepper Fiesta Jelly
• 1 Jar of Raspberry Pepper Jelly

The contest winner was selected using the random.org random drawing generator.  Original entry requirements and contest rules are available at Pepper Jelly Contest.

Congratulations to James and thanks to everyone that participated in the contest!

        

This weekend my 10 year old daughter wanted to make me a dessert. I don't make desserts, so this was a real treat. Confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, semisweet chocolate and condensed milk all confuse me. There is no charcoal to light or grill tongs to use. I just don't get the whole dessert making thing.

As fate would have it, a friend recently forwarded me this recipe for Peanut Butter-Chocolate Maple Fudge from "Bacon Gets Its Just Desserts" over at NPR. Believe it or not, the bacon and chocolate combination are just as delicious (but, in a different way) as bacon and raspberries. Bacon, chocolate and a 10 year old princess all available and ready to go to work meant fudge for Jeff!

Ingredients

• 12 strips maple-smoked bacon, with 2 strips reserved for garnish
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract

Procedure

1.  In a largeskillet over medium heat, cook bacon, turning several times, untilbrowned and done. Move to a paper towel-lined plateto drain. After the bacon cools, chop finely. Reserve 2 of the chopped slices for garnish.

2.  Combineall ingredients except bacon in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.Stir continuously until chips and butter are melted, and mixture isthick and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in bacon.

3.  Coat an 8-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray. Pour intoprepared pan. Sprinkle the reserved chopped bacon on top and lightlypress with your fingertips. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in therefrigerator until firm, at least 4 hours.

4.  Sliceinto equal rows and columns to create squares.


It was not that long ago when I got excited over traveling to anew country or taking a vacation to the mountains. These days whatexcites me seems to have changed quite a bit. Someone making me a dessert (in this case a very special daughter) seems about as good as it gets.

        

Last week it was Armadillo Balls, next week it's Turkey Balls, but today it's Bobotie!  Perhaps, a phase of non-traditional dishes and recipes. With that said, traditional Bobotie (you will also see this spelled as "Babootie") is originally from South Africa and consists of spiced minced meat, fruit, curry powder, an egg topping and is served with rice.  It is an African version of our Shepherd's Pie.


For those of you who are not fans of much spice, don't be alarmed by the curry powder. I've served this dish to friends who are "anti-spicy" and they enjoy the complexity of flavors with the curry and fruit.

Each year at the Masters Championship Golf Tournament, the reigning Masters champion hosts a dinner gathering and usually creates a menu featuring special foods from his home region. South African native and 2008 Masters Champion, Trevor Immelman, selected Bobotie as the featured menu item for the"Champions Dinner" in April 2009.

Bobotie is very easy to prepare. If you opt for the ground beef it is an expensive meal. Using your favorite search engine will result in several variations of a Bobotie or Babootie recipe. I will offer two versions here:

• Bobotie with the egg topping that is baked in the oven
• Bobotie without the egg topping and prepared in a Crock-Pot

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef (you can also use lamb or pork)
• 1 can diced tomatoes, 16 oz - NOTE For Crock-Pot version, also add a 16 oz can of tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons apricot pepper jelly
• 1 apple, cored, peeled and chopped
• 2 bananas, peeled, sliced lengthwise and then sliced across
• ¼ cup almond slivers
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• ½ cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ tablespoon Datil Pepper Hot Sauce
• Rice
• For Egg Topping Version
  
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 eggs

Procedure - Oven Baked Bobotie with Egg Topping

1. Using the olive oil, sauté the onions until they become translucent.


2. Add the garlic and ground beef. Cook until the ground beef is brown.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the curry powder, apple, raisins, brown sugar, almond slivers, salt and hot sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.


4. Add the bananas and the can of tomatoes. Stir thoroughly and then move the entire dish to a baking pan.


5. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Pour over the mixture in the baking dish.  Bake on 350 degrees for 40 minutes. After the first 10 minutes start your rice, so that it is ready when the Bobotie pops out of the oven.



Procedure - Oven Baked Bobotie with Egg Topping
1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 above.
2. Move onion, garlic and ground beef to Crock-Pot.
3. Mix remaining ingredients in Crock-Pot.
4. Cook in Crock-Pot on high heat for 60 minutes (begin the rice 30 minutes after starting the Bobotie).

I served each version to the same group on two different occasions. Now, no one from the group was from South Africa, but the verdict was unanimous......everyone preferred the non-casserole version without the egg topping.

        

If you are shopping for the pepper head lover in your life, then you might want to consider this trio from CaJohn's Fiery Foods:

• Magma - the world's first ever "lava-like" hot sauce; see the video below. A full 1 million Scoville units of Oleoresin of Capsicum floats atop the vinegar. It hides under the shrink sleeve until you turn it over. WARNING - Only use as a food additive during cooking and do not apply direct to already prepared food.
  Remember the Lava Lamp? Well, that is the effect when you turn Magma Hot Sauce over. Shake it up and Magma changes color and looks like molten lava. Set it down and the capsaicin settles back to its hiding place.
• Holy Jolokia - made from the world's hottest pepper, the Naga Jolokia a.k.a. "Ghost Pepper" and so recognized by the Guinneess World Records. The Naga Jolokia clocks-in at over 1,000,000 Scoville Units. 2010 Golden Chile Winner.
• Frostbite - the world's first ever white hot sauce. Adds heat to your cocktail without changing the flavor or color! Makes a fantastic "hot" martini, add fire to a margarita, or heat up your frosty cold beer!  Made with 500,000 SHU extract.

And, by the way, these three hot sauces are not for the faint of heart.  All three of these hot sauces pack EXTREME HEAT.

CaJohn's may hold more awards than any other hot sauce manufacturer with over 200 international, national and regional awards.  They offer over 150 products including Salsas, Hot Sauces, Barbecue Sauces and more. Cajun, Southwestern, Asianand Caribbean cuisines are all represented.

All-natural and preservative free, carefully prepared in small batches, and monitoredto insure a high level of quality and a consistent taste. CaJohn's uses only the finest ingredients and they process their own fresh chiles every fall to use exclusively for their products.

                                        Magma Hot Sauce Video

We offer Magma, Frostbite and Holy Jolokia in our hot sauce store.  You can't go wrong with this choice for your favorite hot pepper lover!

        

It is the end of the growing season which means zucchini and yellow squash are on the cheap right now.  Squash is $0.99/pound at my local grocery. For a couple of bucks and just a small amount of pepper jelly or pepper relish you can be in business.



Often, the problem with fried squash is that the texture is way too soft. The key for crispy fried squash is cutting it into small "chunks"instead of slices.  You will want to cut the pieces into 1/2" to 3/4"chunks. The small chunks combined with quickly deep frying results  in a nice and crispy outside with a nice,firm texture on the inside.

This recipe is really simple and quick.  You can use the fried squash as a side item with dinner or as an appetizer.  The last time I made this it was the very first item that disappeared.  You can try several different condiments including pepper jellies and various types of pepper relish.
Ingredients

• 2 small zucchini squash
• 1 small yellow squash
• Minorcan Datil Pepper Spice to taste (probably less than 2 teaspoons, but we will come to that later).
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup yellow corn meal
• Serving condiment.  My first choice is a pepper relish.  You can also serve with pepper jelly or a mild chow-chow relish.

Procedure

1. Cut the squash into into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces.


2. Combine the egg and milk in a bowl. Whisk thoroughly.  Place a handful of squash in the mixture.


3.  Mix the flour and cornmeal on a large pan or you can use wax paper.  Spread out in a thin layer. Sprinkle the Minorcan Datil Pepper Spice over the top of the breading mixture. There is no need to measure. Just make sure you cover the breading lightly. This will give your squash a nice 'bite". The Minorcan spice is made with Datil Peppers and Seville Oranges. Yes, we do sell it in our store, but this is more than just a plug. This is a great, all-around spice that you can use on everything from meats to vegetables to popcorn.

4.  Remove the squash from the egg and milk mixture, roll-around in the cornmeal/flour to cover all sides.


4.  Heat a deep fryer to 375 degrees.  Carefully lower the breaded squash into the deep fryer.  It only takes 2 to 3 minutes to brown.  Repeat the process for the remaining squash.  NOTE: Prior to breading the squash each time, re-sprinkle the Minorcan Datil Pepper Spice over the breading.

5.  Serve with your favorite condiment.  Our favorite for this dish is the Cran-Datil Pepper Relish.  For me, the jalapeno relish is a close runner-up.



Don't forget to enter our contest to win 3 Jars of Pepper Jelly!  Hurry, contest ends December 9th. No purchase necessary.  Have a great Thanksgiving!

        

It is that time of year when you might be hosting a party or responsible for taking a dish to a gathering. Meatballs and more specifically Armadillo Balls are a perfect choice. They are easy to prepare and to keep warm for extended periods of time without becoming too dry.

When it comes to meatballs there are about as many different names as there are countries. In Portugal and Brazil, meatballs are referred to as 'almôndegas'. In Italy, polpette are generally made from beef, pork or turkey and eaten as a main course or in a soup. In Germany, Frikadelle or Klopse can include anchovies or salted herring. In Finland, lihapullat can even be made with Reindeer.

So, what are Armadillo Balls?


Armadillo Balls with Cranberry Datil Sauce are a perfect choice for a party appetizer. Easy to make. Using your Crock-Pot, they are simple to cook and keep warm without getting dry.


Ingredients

Armadillo Balls

• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ cup Chipotle Ketchup. Use regular ketchup if you don't have Chipotle.
• 1/3 cup onions, diced
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs. Note – 1/3 cup will make soft meatballs. If you prefer the more traditional firm texture, then use 2/3 cup breadcrumbs. You can also brown the meatballs in a frying pan prior to cooking in the crock pot/oven.
• 1 tablespoon Bourbon Molasses Dry Rub
• ¼ teaspoon Cracked Pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

Cranberry Datil Sauce

• 2 jars Minorcan Cran-Datil Pepper Jam
• ½ cup chili sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Procedure

1.  Mix cranberry datil sauce ingredients in a pan.

2.  Place on stove, stir and heat on medium until Cran-Datil Pepper Jam is melted.


3.  In a separate bowl mix the Armadillo Ball ingredients. Mold ground beef mixture into 1 to1.5 inch balls.


4.  Place Armadillo Balls in a Crock-Pot.


5.  Set Crock-Pot on high and add Cranberry Datil Sauce.

6.  Cook for 1 hour or until Armadillo Balls are done.