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Rub the Right Way

July 2, 2009

When it comes to grilling steaks, chicken or pork, a lot of folks like to mop on the marinade or sling on the sauce.  Me? I reach for a rub.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate a great sauce (especially my wife’s “secret” family recipe), but those are best set aside for dipping or dousing after the grilling is done.  They’re simply accompaniments to meat, not part of. 

Unlike a rub.

Dry rubs – those marvelous mixtures of spices and savory seasonings – are applied before grilling begins. They’re used to enhance the meat’s overall flavor without overpowering it, the way a sauce can.

The most basic ingredients are salt, pepper, perhaps paprika and, of course, sugar – usually brown or raw sugar. Beyond that, it’s up to your imagination and individual taste. You can overdo it, though, so it’s best to start simple, avoiding the common mistake of trying too many seasonings at once.  

It should come as no surprise that one of my favorite ingredients – and one that can add depth and dimension to any dry rub – is finely ground coffee. Bold, dark-roasted coffees or espresso blends work best with hearty meats such as beef, pork or wild game, while lighter roasts are ideally suited for poultry and even fish.

Bold Bean Coffee “Wake-Up” Rub

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons finely ground coffee

• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper

• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown or raw sugar

• 1 teaspoon coriander (heat whole coriander seeds, then crush or grind)

• 1 teaspoon ground or granulated garlic

 • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

 • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

 Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Into a separate bowl or container, pour enough rub for the amount of meat to be grilled. Gently massage mixture into meat, making sure the meat is thoroughly coated. Store any remaining rub from mixing bowl in a sealed container, having made sure not to put your hands into the original mixing bowl.

Though unnecessary, a little moisture – such as a light coating of olive or canola oil – can help the dry rub adhere to the meat. Set aside rubbed meat for 30 minutes to overnight to allow seasonings to permeate the meat. Grill as desired.

Enjoy!

 – Jay Burnett

Breakfast Beer?

July 1, 2009

There was a time during our frequent and sometimes misspent summer sojourns (more than a few years back) when my buddies and I would roll out of our beds or sleeping bags and toast each new day with a “breakfast” beer.  A refreshing, effervescent eye-opener, for sure, and one that continued to be a source of amusement and camaraderie throughout those heady days of youth.  Good times, indeed.  Still, there was something missing.

Fast-forward 30 years, and I’ve finally found (besides an aura of respectability) that missing – but now obvious – ingredient:  coffee.

For those of you who would dare think coffee and beer don’t mix, think again. It’s the perfect pairing of two of the world’s most perfect beverages. And, when done well, can produce a most enjoyable and even ethereal elixir.

In fact, coffee has for years been and remains a popular and oft-used ingredient among craft brewers. Dark-roasted malts used in producing stouts can produce somewhat bitter, coffee-like flavors in those dark beers, and some brewers enhance these flavors by adding actual coffee to their brews.

Credit brewmaster Brian Miller and the good folks at Jacksonville’s Bold City Brewery (www.boldcitybrewery.com) for crafting what is in my opinion a perfect balance of beans and brew.

 Bold City’s tasty new micro-brew – a dark, rich, traditional stout infused with the flavor and caffeinated kick of our own Bold Bean coffee – seems the perfect pairing for a grown-up breakfast beer. It’s artfully brewed with a blend of the same dark-roasted coffee beans that go into Bold Bean Coffee’s certified organic St. Johns Riverkeeper Roast. The result is a smooth, full-bodied brew made even better by the slightly smoky, bittersweet kiss of our Bold Bean coffee.

 Available on tap at Bold City Brewery, and in limited release in 22-ounce bottles at these select retailers and restaurants on Florida’s First Coast:

Native Sun

Riverside Liquors

European Street

Pine Grove Grocery

Kickbacks

Rendezvous

Three Layers

Cork and Keg

Walker’s Wine Bar

 As with our St. Johns Riverkeeper Roast, a portion of the profits from Bold City’s new coffee stout goes to benefit St. Johns Riverkeeper (www.stjohnsriverkeeper.org).

 Cheers!

 – Jay Burnett

Come on, at least try!

June 30, 2009

There’s no denying, I like playing with food. You know, trying different combinations that at first blush might not seem a perfect (or even passable) pairing, but often turn out to be nothing short of spectacular. Spicy chicken enchiladas smothered in Amish-made apple butter, for instance. Hey, you’ll never know unless you try it.

When it comes to coffee, though, I’m more of a purist. I drink mine black. As it should be.  And, while I do enjoy a good blend, I’m partial to single-origins – those coffees originating from a single coffee-growing region. 

Sure, with coffee I might wear the purist mantle, but I’m certainly no elitist. I won’t look down my nose and admonish you for “ruining” that cup of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe or Harrar, even if you do have the audacity to add cream and sugar before taking that first sip (which, in my opinion, is no different than reaching for the salt shaker before you’ve tasted your food). What I will do, though, is gently suggest  you first try it without the added ingredients. Come on, at least try. If you don’t like it my way, then add away. After all, I’m not the one drinking it. But, I must confess, it is a bit of a blow to the ego to have someone alter your work.

That’s the approach we always use when serving our coffees and someone reaches for the cream, sugar or a squirt of flavoring. More times than not, the offending party takes our suggestion and ends up rethinking their morning cup. 

Not surprising. A small-batch, artisanal approach to roasting brings out the best flavor and aroma characteristics in every batch of beans – delicate floral notes, a natural sweetness not unlike that of fruit and berries, bittersweet chocolate, caramel and cinnamon.

People who have never ventured beyond the mass-produced mega brands – those folks most likely to play with their coffee – are amazed at the flavor notes they discover when they try an artisan-crafted coffee and forgo their regular routine. They quickly realize the nature of specialty coffees, and that any additions are habit, not necessity.

So, come on. At least try.

– Jay Burnett

Brisk Brew: Move over iced tea

June 28, 2009

We could tell by the line for samples – and the number of folks coming back for seconds (and thirds) – that our “Brisk Brew” iced latte was a sure hit at Jacksonville’s Riverside Arts Market. And, it didn’t take long for actual orders to start coming in for our Bold Bean “Brisk Brew” organic coffee concentrate, the essential ingredient needed to re-create our hot-weather referesher.

Unlike most iced coffee drinks, we don’t start with doubled-strength coffee or shots of espresso. We start with our organic coffee concentrate made using a cold-brew process. Cold-brewing uses no heat and extracts the coffee bean’s full flavor while eliminating much of coffee’s natural acidity. Cold-brewed coffee is nearly 70 percent less acidic than coffee brewed by conventional hot-brewed methods. The process produces a bold, super-smooth coffee when diluted with water or milk.

And, by using a concentrate, there is no waste. Coffee can be made one cup at a time – and at the strength you prefer – simply by adding steaming-hot or iced water, or milk. It’s also microwavable. Coffee concentrate should be refrigerated, and will stay fresh for up to two weeks.

It’s easy to make your own cold-brew concentrate. Just steep one pound of coarse-ground coffee – preferably Bold Bean Coffee, of course – in nine cups (72 oz.) of cold water for 12 hours. Begin by adding one cup of cold water in a bowl or other container, followed by a half-pound of the coarse-ground coffee. Do not stir. Add four more cups of water, making sure that grounds are saturated. Add remaining half-pound of ground coffee, followed by three more cups water. Let stand five minutes, then add one final cup water, making sure grounds are saturated. Do not stir. After 12 hours, strain grounds, and pour the remaining coffee concentrate (40 oz. – 48 oz.) into a bottle or jar. cap and refrigerate for up to two weeks. For each cup of coffee, add one part coffee concentrate to three parts of cold or hot water.

Or, for producing perfect cold-brew coffee every time, we recommend using the Toddy® Cold-Brew system, which can be found on the Bold Bean homepage at www.boldbeancoffee.com, or the Filtron® Coffee System at www.filtron.com.

For re-creating our “Brisk Brew” iced latte using coffee concentrate, use two parts coffee concentrate to three parts milk, and sweeten to taste with Torani or Monin syrup.

For example, to make a gallon of iced latte, use 48 oz. coffee concentrate, 72 oz. milk (we use 2% milk) and 8 oz. of Torani vanilla syrup, or slightly less of the more concentrated Monin syrup. Shake well. Serve chilled or over ice.

For hot coffee, use one part coffee concentrate to three parts hot (195º – 200º) water, or simply adjust mea­surements to taste.

Enjoy!

– Jay Burnett

The Great Escape

June 27, 2009

We try not to look at the thermometer on days like today . . . or yesterday, the day before that, or any day for the next few months. Don’t need to. Or, want to. We know it’s hot. And, it’s going to stay that way for awhile. No sense confirming the obvious or, worse, discovering it’s actually hotter than we think and succumbing to the power of suggestion.

Such is summer in the South.

For many coffee roasters, summer is the brutal season. Imagine doing 20 consecutive roasts on a near-triple-digit day. Hard to beat the heat and not reach your baking point when standing beside a 400º “furnace” in a windowless room with no AC. Still, it beats laying asphalt, insulating attics, or roofing houses. A lot more rewarding, too.

There are ways to cool down, of course. In the roastery, we tank up on fluids and crank up the fans, hoping to stave off dehydration and stir up a breeze.

I can at least retreat from the heat for the air-cooled clime of the office; the pretense of paperwork or starting this blog my handy excuse. Zack, our well-roasted roastmaster, has no excuses. He must remain in the hot zone behind the door for a few hours more.

But his escape will come later, soon after the day’s roasts are done.

What better way to steel yourself to greet the heat of another day?

– Jay Burnett

Hello World!

June 26, 2009

Welcome to our new (and alliterative) Bold Bean blog – words fresh from the roastery, direct to you.

Just like our coffees.

I’ve been wanting to begin posting for more than a year, but starting a roastery, keeping it running and growing the business is akin to triage. There’s little time to spare, accept for those immediate and most pressing needs.

Finally, though, I’ve settled into something of a routine where I might actually find time to take care of all (well, at least some) of those things I’ve been putting off too long. Couple more time with summer temperatures that make working in the roastery just short of unbearable (and the AC in my office highly desirable), and NOW seems an ideal time to begin blogging away.

But, first, a few words about our company and where were coming from . . .

To Share is to Care

There’s an old yellow mug – chipped, stained, somewhat faded – sitting on a top shelf behind glass cabinet doors in our kitchen. I’m not quite sure how old it is, but do know it had a spot at the family table long before I did.

That time-worn tankard today shares space with other retired, mismatched pieces that have become unlikely family heirlooms – household relics retrieved from our childhood homes that through the decades manage somehow to avoid going into trash bins, yard sales or charity drives.

What makes that cup a keeper is that it was my dad’s. A one-man, multi-purpose mug – just the thing for coffee in the morning, beer in the afternoon.

I keep it around to remind me of him, but also as a reminder of the magical power of sharing.

You see, it was from that old mug that I took my first sips of sweetened coffee (and surely some bitter sips of beer) while sitting on my dad’s lap – magic moments shared between a father and young son.

But it wasn’t so much the mug, the coffee or even the occasional bitter brew that made those moments magical. It was that simple act of sharing.

I think about it now and want to believe that whenever I sipped from that mug, it wasn’t because my dad was giving in to a precocious child. No, I like to think he was knowingly passing on to me his enthusiasm for sharing with others those things that are to be enjoyed and considered special.

I hold to that belief. And, it’s a belief that our young and growing company is built on. Sharing, after all, keeps good things going . . . and growing.

– Jay Burnett