My Passion for Cast Iron

I only cook with cast iron. Period. The reason is simple – it cooks better. There is nothing better that having that seasoned flavor built in that comes from cooking many dishes (if not a little bacon grease).

It all started with my great-grandmother, Emma Fisher. She had an antique set of cast iron skillets which I inherited. When I brought them home, I was originally going to keep them aside as an heirloom, but it wasn't long before they were cooking up bacon, cornbread and other classic Americana dishes. I was hooked.

But I quickly found out cooking an egg in a cast iron skillet is next to impossible. Sure you can fry it in bacon grease, but that's not my thing. So I relegated my scrambled eggs to the old "stir two eggs in a bowl and nuke it in the microwave for 2 minutes" trick. "Nuked Eggs and Pan Fried Bacon", not exactly something you'd see on The Cracker Barrel menu, is it?

That's when I saw the new generation of cast iron cookware, with the enamel coated interior and the exterior available in another color besides black. So I ordered a set and after six months of constant use, I have not one complaint. After you season the cast iron (a 50/50 solution of EVOO and VegOil baking for an hour or so is excellent) it's ready for anything you throw at it – chilis, casseroles, bacon, even a fried egg.

I made my grandpa bacon and eggs in my cast iron skillet and his reply was, "In my 86 years, those are the best eggs I've ever had". It's easy to see why, slow heat and a seasoned surface lets the flavors seep out instead of being "flashed out" as can happen with other styles of cookware. It's your choice, but mine (and a growing number or others) prefer the new cast iron for these reasons.

Cast iron's advantage is also its downfall, it's heavy. Its dense metal construction is the very thing that can help it stay hot (or cold – freeze a cast iron pot and use it for salad or cold side dish for your next party and you'll be amazed how long it stays cool). But a filled 5 quart heavy cast iron pot can be cumbersome. So I understand why some will shy away from it.

But, if you are considering buying cast iron, I will advise you to only buy cast iron that comes with an all-metal construction. Here's why: I love to take my pots and skillets from stove top to the oven to slow roast while cooking, and you can't do that with pots that come with plastic or rubber handles (unless they're rated for 500°+). It's a great method to mix your chili recipe then put it in the oven as it gives the dish heat from all directions, not just the bottom. Doing this really releases the flavors and prevents your dish from being burnt on the bottom.

Cleanup is as simple as a paper towel to wipe out the loose stuff. And that, friends, may just be the best part.

So go ahead, break out your grandma's (or great-grandma's) cast iron, season it and make some classic Southern cornbread, fry up some bacon or fry up a pork chop or two and I think you'll start to get your own passion for cast iron cooking as well. Lemme know how it goes.

Carroll Shelby wasn't from Cincinnati

I live in Cincinnati, originally from Indiana. Now, in Indy, when people make chili, it's their own recipe, sure. But it's got the typical red tomato base, meat, beans and spices (if you're my dad you use one of those chili-flavored dry-spice packets and say that, "Boy, you just can't beat that.").

In 2000, I came to Cincinnati and was introduced to Cincinnati-style chili. If you're from Cincinnati, this is truly chili the way God intended, but for the rest of the chili-eating universe we're frankly not sure what to make of it. Chocolate? Cinnamon? Ginger? What is that taste? And better yet, why is it in the chili? And why is it poured over spaghetti noodles? I respect it, I just don't get it.

So getting to Carrol Shelby. Carroll Shelby is a legendary race car driver, and even more famous car builder as well a recognized Texas-style chili maker (apparently they ate a lot of chili at the race tracks back in the day).

And that's how it started with me. Shelby packaged his chili mix and sold it to the public. So when I was a kid, I wanted to learn how to cook and being a fan of the classic Shelby Mustangs, I picked up a packet of Mr. Shelby's chili mix bag and proudly followed the directions to a "t" on a Friday evening. It was one of those great moments in life.

I was making chili. Texas-style. On my own.

It wasn't perfect (my fault), but it opened a window to what was to come. Cumin. Paprika. Garlic. Peppers. Onion. Chilis. Pepper and salt. All mixing and melding together to not just have a taste, but to have a "roll". A roll of flavor where you have an initial taste, then a secondary flavor, a third and then finally a nice finish. When a recipe's done correctly, all four stages work in perfect harmony to create a carnival of excellent flavor, one merging effortlessly into another like easy conversation.

Yeah, I got all that from making chili from a packet at age 12. Which is the backbone behind this blog, to share with you my cooking experiences, successes and failures as well as ask some of the hard questions, stir up a little friendly controversy, seek your expertise and make it a place where you want to check out some TexMex, down-home recipes that I sincerely hope you and your friends will enjoy.

From full-blown dinner ideas, to Friday Night EZ recipes to tailgating tips, I'll work to bring you my and my family's best recipes to enhance your next occasion. (BTW–My family and tailgating? We make everything from classic Louisiana Gumbo to gourmet veal meatballs, beer and brats, brisket and beans to made from scratch cakes and pies. My family earns its "foodie" reputation at the games and make new friends at each football game. And we never, ever have any leftovers.)

Recipes. Community. And expanding the experience. That's the job of this blog. To offer a place that inspires you to try a new recipe, spice or technique. No matter what you put in your chili.

Right Mr. Shelby?