• 12Oct

    Spice Sample Roundup

    Though this article is well overdue, I’ve finally gotten around to writing up the Bag O’Spices that JAY gave to me from the Fancy Food Show.  Trying all the samples out on different types of meat and other consumables has been a delicious blast.  Plus, I’ve chosen a few blends that will find a permanent space in my cabinet.  Without further ado, I submit the following reviews:

    Dizzy Pig:  I tried four samples by this brand and three were very good as BBQ rubs.  The regular Dizzy Dust, Jamaican Firewalk, and Tsunami Spin had distinct flavors and aromas before and after cooking.  Dizzy Dust was a great all-around rub with everything you’d expect from a BBQ seasoning, a.k.a., smoky, slightly spicy goodness with a touch of sweetness.  Jamaican Firewalk did have a kick, but I wasn’t put off by it.  I could taste allspice and a touch of cinnamon, which rounded out the rub.  Tsunami Spin definitely incorporated a pungent and tangy set of ingredients in its blend.  Incidentally, I used it to flavor some homemade fried rice and I was impressed by how well the flavors complemented the vegetables.  The Pineapple Head was just too subtle to use as a regular rub.  I tried it out on both chicken and pork, but to no avail.  It tasted as though I had used a brown sugar rub with a little cinnamon and black pepper on the meat.  However, upon consulting the company’s website, it turns out that they recommend Pineapple Head for desserts and grilling fruits.  Lesson learned.

    Lisa Shively’s Quick Meal Mixes:  I tried three samples by this brand, all of which were tasty.  Each pouch had simple instructions for coating a couple pounds of meat, or how to prepare the meal.  First up was the Cajun Chicken.  It was pleasant to pour the mix into a large zip-top bag and shake the chicken around — that’s all the preparation necessary.  The flavor held up on the grill, and it was nicely spicy.  I appreciate heat in a blend, but I don’t want my tongue on fire through a meal.  The Jamaican Chicken blend was definitely hotter than the Cajun Chicken mix.  It wasn’t too hot for me, but I think that picky kids wouldn’t like it.  Again, the flavor was good for grilling (we used it on pork chops).  I couldn’t identify the source, but the blend had a bit of an exotic taste.  The last mix I tried was the Best Roast Ever, which had the subtitle of For Crock Pot.  I must confess that I ignored the package instructions and rubbed the seasoning on a bunch of steaks.  Personally, I rather enjoyed the grilled pot roast taste; however, I can certainly understand that anyone trying this method might be disappointed.  Some of the subtlety is definitely lost due to grilling, but I’m thinking pan-frying a steak with the Best Roast Ever mix could be a good balance for those without the luxury of time.

    Satisfy Your Soul:  I tried two blends by this brand, and both were good for different reasons.  The simply-named Cajun Seasoning was exactly what you would expect.  It was pushing the envelope on “hot” but didn’t go overboard.  The blend contained the usual paprika, pepper, herbs and salt necessary to any rub.  Therein lies the cleverness; the Cajun Seasoning tasted good on chicken, pork chops, mahi-mahi, steaks, and potatoes.  Would it stand out among other rubs for grilling?  Probably not.  Will it taste good on just about everything?  Definitely.  In contrast, the Egyptian Dukkah was exotic, unusual, and slightly harder to work with.  For a spice blend, the seasoning had fairly large chunks of almonds and garbanzo beans (about the size of split peas).  I found that these pieces fell off during turnovers on the grill, annoyingly disappearing into the depths of the flames.  A much better idea is to dip your chosen meat (I used chicken, of course) into a mixture of one beaten egg and a splash of milk, then roll around said meat in a dish containing the Egyptian Dukkah.  A deliciously crusted piece of chicken really makes the effort worth it.  The sesame seeds, cumin, and coriander really stand out in this blend.  The addition of the almonds and garbanzos makes the seasoning both unusual and memorable, not to mention crunchy.

    Chef Salt:  I tried two flavors by this brand and one was very good.  I used the Bacon BBQ rub on a pork chop.  I know, I know — pork seasoned with more pork.  Unfortunately, my piggy wishes were not granted.  The taste of bacon was definitely missing from this seasoning.  It smelled like bacon when I applied the rub, but after grilling the pork chop it dissipated.  Personally, I would have been okay with that, but it didn’t taste like bacon.  Don’t get me wrong, it was a good general-purpose rub.  It just lacked the bacon-taste.  On the other hand, the Tunisian Fire was delicious.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened the tiny plastic baggie.  Instead of burning my tongue to a cinder, the rub contained highlights of lemon, coriander, cardamom, and a comfortable level of heat.  The blend was different, and held up on the grill.  In fact, the smokiness brought out a touch of sweetness from the rub.

    Char Crust:  There was only one sample by this brand.  I was intrigued by the idea of creating a crust on my meat without grilling.  I applied the product as instructed and cooked a couple steaks under the broiler.  The crust created was pretty cool, I have to say.  The only issue I had stemmed from the flavor, which was All American Barbecue.  It was tangy, smoky, spicy, and sweet all at the same time.  I think I would have preferred a single taste profile, rather than the flavor competition in the blend.  If I saw this brand in a store, I would be willing to try other flavors.

    Todd’s Dirt:  I only tried one sample by this brand.  Though this company makes various blends which I have not tried, I must say that I was impressed by the versatility of this seasoning.  I used Crabby Dirt on chicken, pork, catfish, and tilapia.  It truly was good on all the different meats.  I suspect this is because the ingredient list reads like a spice cupboard.  I’m okay with that, but it should be noted that Crabby Dirt does not make your meat taste amazing.  Much like the Satisfy Your Soul’s Cajun Seasoning, it is a reliable go-to blend that can easily season potatoes or fish or pork chops.  Although I haven’t tried it, I suspect it would be very good as dipping oil seasoning for baguettes.

    -TKW

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  • 17Jul

    The Dirt on DIRT

    At the Fancy Food Show, I sat down with Todd Courtney, the creator and namesake of Todd’s DIRT. Although this was the middle of a major food convention, his personality made me feel welcome and I could imagine we could have a great time at a Ravens’ tailgate party, sharing ideas while he watched ribs on a parking lot grill.

    Almost two decades ago, a friend of Todd’s father was known for his spice rubs. When Todd married, he asked for a jar of the rub as a gift. Todd was inspired to make his own rub, based on what he could identify in the taste of this family friend’s creation. Although the friend did not share the recipe, he did offer insight to Todd into the creation of his own.

    I got the impression, as Todd spoke with emotion about the perfecting of his original DIRT, that had the friend just handed him the recipe, it would have just moved from generation to generation without much outside notice. But, because the friend inspired Todd to perfect his own, it instilled a passion and pride for his own creation.

    You can taste the result of that pride and passion in the samples of chicken cooking at the front of his display area. Of course I had to try samples of all three versions of DIRT.

    The Original DIRT has a hearty taste. The flavors I found included oregano and garlic. These were not over-powering, but were the tastes my tongue enjoyed most. In the container, it looks a lot like a class three felony, and like Todd said, the name “Todd’s CINSAMILLION” made for too big a label. It also resembles grass clipping, so after using a few different names in trials, DIRT seemed to be the name that he and his customers kept coming back to.

    Crabby DIRT had the taste that another popular seafood spice puts together. However, Crabby DIRT adds flavor to the meat, and unlike its competitor does not become the dominate taste. Like its original counterpart, this spice looks like dirt. However, the color is that of sandy earth from my house on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Unlike the Original DIRT, you will not get arrested on suspicion for carrying a jar of it, although just the smell of these spices in the jars is addicting. (Todd gave me several samples to return home with. I shared them with buddies who love to grill. As we sat around the table, playing cards, they each would take a moment to smell their samples, and the most common utterance was, “Mmmmm…” followed by, “I can’t wait to try this out.”)

    The third flavor is Bayou DIRT. I cannot talk about whether the spice looks like Louisiana swamp dirt, because I have never been there, but true to its name, it does look like a red clay-based dirt I have seen many places. This was my favorite taste on the chicken samples. I used to work at a famous restaurant chain as a waiter and happy hour cook and their food is good for the price, but I got the impression their idea of Cajun cooking was to cover chicken in paprika and cayenne pepper then burn it to a crisp. Todd’s Bayou Dirt is how I wish every Cajun food was spiced. It had a bit of kick, but the reward for handling the kick was a flavor that makes me hungry just thinking about it. Unlike my former employer restaurant, this creole taste first delivers flavor and finishes with the kick.

    The most prevalent ingredients in all three DIRTs are: sea salt, pepper, and oregano. Each develops its own distinct flavor from the additional ingredients.

    Todd Courtney did not just one day start making DIRT and had a ready market. He first bottled DIRT in 1993 and gave it away in labeled Mason jars as gifts for Christmas and weddings, as his father’s friend did before him. Word of mouth grew that his was the best stuff around to use. As it grew popular, the demand for making it grew.

    In 2009, while he worked as the finance manager for a local car dealer, he requested to have one weekend off per month that he dedicated to making DIRT. The dealership’s response was to choose…either cars or DIRT. As Todd put it, paraphrased, “Let’s see…sell cars, or follow my dream of becoming my own boss selling something I love,” and so the choice was fairly easy.

    That choice was not so easy financially. He gave up a sure paycheck in the middle of one of our toughest recessions in American history to start his own business. His wife who helps in the business has kept her full-time day job.

    But, I have a feeling his financial end will soon pay off big.  A year ago, Todd’s DIRT was on the shelves of 40 stores. Currently, it is on the shelves of 500 stores and he shared that a major grocery chain has agreed to display Todd’s DIRT in the spice aisle.

    Unlike his father’s friend, the recipe will not die with him. He plans on growing the business to build a future for his three teenage children, of which at least one will be directly involved in the company.

    -Guest Writer Sensei Miller (SEM)

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