By Lauren DeVito
This post is a continuation of our discussion on How Dizzy Pig uses Superfoods.

Heading into the colder months has me bummed. I am 110% a fan of longer days in the sun, warm weather, peach sangria and farm fresh tomatoes! However, as the leaves turn and the sun sets earlier, the one thing I actually do look forward to is the comfort foods that come into season, and slowing down to sit around the table and enjoy a hearty meal (except I swap the Sangria for a nice Pinot Noir.)

Let's talk about ginger root

As I think about fall foods, I can’t help but think about how part of cold weather cooking includes working in Superfoods that keep us healthy and nourish us to stay well. Ginger is a big player here.

Not only does ginger pair well with year round cooking, it is probably the number one Superfood around. Lucky for you, all of us at Dizzy Pig enjoy ginger and have worked it into some of our best seasonings!

Cooking with Ginger

Ginger - whole, julienned, diced and minced

Ginger can be used fresh, dried, powdered, or juiced. It’s a very common ingredient in recipes.

  • Ginger is known for its potent aromatic smell. It can be intimidating to cook with because it is not shy about dominating a recipe if not properly balanced (but don’t worry – balance is our specialty!)
  • Asian cuisine has incorporated ginger perfectly into its dishes for hundreds of years.
  • Ginger is used in both sweet and savory dishes due to its delicate combo of sweet and peppery.
  • When you ask yourself what that slight zing in a dish is, very often it is ginger.

Health Benefits of Ginger

What most people do not realize is that not only is it delicious and exotic, it also has antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties – that’s a power punch to the immune system!

When I was a kid with a stomachache and I would stay home from school, my mother’s cure was sipping Ginger Ale on the couch while watching “The Price is Right.” At the time I thought Bob Barker was a miracle healer, turns out it was the Ginger!

That’s right. Did you know that:

  • Ginger helps with preventing and relieving nausea – pregnant women use ginger to stave off morning sickness, and if you are on a boat or a car ride it will help you keep motion sickness at bay.
  • Beyond the stomach, ginger also helps in preventing colds and soothing a sore throat – ginger is high in vitamin C, calcium, zinc, sodium and phosphorus, all of which boost the immune system and help your body fight infections.
  • Ginger root helps improve blood sugar and cholesterol as well as inflammation from arthritis.
  • For athletes, ginger has been proven to reduce muscle pain and soreness from working out.
  • The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that ginger aids in the destruction of ovarian cancer cells.

It is pretty clear why ginger earns the classification as a superfood. But how do you incorporate it into your food? Well, you came to the right place! At Dizzy Pig, we care about you and want to make it easy for you to use superfoods in your cooking.

Here are some of our options:

Number 1Tsunami Spin

Tsunami Spin 8oz shaker
There is no possible way that we can chat about ginger and not talk about our Tsunami Spin Asian-infused seasoning. Partially because it is one of my favorite Dizzy Pig seasonings, but also because it has won awards – like, a lot of awards, including those from the Jack Daniels World Championship! I do not lie, it’s that good!Tsunami Spin is an obvious choice for poultry, but I implore you to try it on mushrooms and green beans.

Bonus: Here is a recipe you should try: Orange ginger curry-ish wings. (You’re welcome in advance.)

Happy Nancy

Happy Nancy 8oz shakerWant to ease into ginger? Happy Nancy is for you! It is a mild seasoning designed for those who do not like heat but still love life and want all the tangy, floral, sweet, rounded flavors that make food delicious. Happy Nancy is also popular with kids as they won’t spit it out and complain that it’s spicy.

Don’t believe me? Here is what our customer, Fred19Flintstone said:

“Everybody liked it. No small feat for my daughters who are my most unforgiving critics! It was very tasty and best of all for me, nobody said, “This is too spicy!”

I wonder if he is taking about Pebbles? When you can give your kids the benefits of ginger in a way that they will enjoy, I call that a win-win!

Peking Chinese Style Seasoning

Peking 8oz shakerLastly, let’s talk about Peking. To me, this seasoning is an obvious choice for ginger. Ginger together with star anise are so tied with the smells we think of when we think of Chinese food. The combo, along with turmeric, garlic (both superfoods) and orange peel, basically makes me think that anything cooked with this combo is healthy (don’t quote me on that!)

Peking works beautifully with poultry and seafood, shrimp in particular, but also with dumplings and noodle dishes. It has a medium amount of heat to get things going and keep you coming back for more!

Want to try Peking? Roasted duck is a great idea!

Whatever ails you, ginger can help!
Try incorporating more of it into your life and give your body the key nutrients it needs to work better.

Tag us @dizzypigbbq in your ginger recipes on social media! We are always looking for more ways to weave superfoods into our lives while elevating our dishes to a whole new level.

By Lauren DeVito
If you grew up in the 1970’s and 80’s in America you probably did not eat very much avocado.

However, it seems like in the last decade, avocados are everywhere!

Row of avocados

They are on toast and in smoothies…
Avocado is even now featured on the Wendy’s menu!

Avocados have arrived!

Why is that?
Because the push in food and health has been for us to incorporate superfoods into our daily lives. This has caused us to jump on the avocado, kale, acai, green tea bandwagon with a fervor I have never seen before.  Most people cannot even pronounce Acai yet we consume it whenever we can.   We all know we should eat these things, and we don’t bat an eyelash when Chipotle reminds us that guac is extra because avocados are so special.

This begs the question, what is a superfood?

According to the Cleveland Clinic’s dietian, Beth Czerwony, RD, “Superfoods help promote health by increasing your immune function and decreasing your chance of disease prevention or progression.”

Superfoods can help:

  • Prevent cancer
  • Reduce inflammation
  • Promote heart health
  • Lower cholesterol

It is clear why we should be incorporating them into our daily lives, as heart disease and cancer are leading causes of death worldwide.

Superfood spices and herbs

But beyond the usual suspects mentioned above, there are many spices and herbs that are superfoods.   Using superfood spices is an easy way to not only make food taste better but also get the health benefits we have all learned are vital.

This is where Dizzy Pig Craft Seasonings can help. We source the freshest and highest quality spices to maximize flavor and efficacy.

Garlic, turmeric, star anise are superfood spices

Here are just a few of our superfood spices.

Number 1Garlic

Garlic

Not just for warding off vampires

Garlic helps kill over 20 types of bacteria such as the common cold. Besides tasting great, garlic helps improve the good cholesterol and lowers the bad, it is an immune booster and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Shameless Dizzy Pig Plug:
  • SPG Garlic, with the big G in its name, can help boot your immune system and keep vampires at bay.
  • It’s easy to get your garlic fix with our seasonings since 32 of our 34 seasonings contain this major superfood!

Turmeric

Although it’s been used in Asia for centuries, it’s having a moment right now
TurmericMuch like the avocado and kale, turmeric is one of the cool kids right now. For good reason, Turmeric packs a major health punch! Turmeric has antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as antioxidant effects. Doctors are recommending Turmeric for Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Combining turmeric and black pepper increases the absorption by 2000%!
Shameless Dizzy Pig Plug:

Star Anise

You know the scent but let’s be honest you have no idea how to use it
Star aniseExotic, sweet and a little spicy; star anise is one of those things you know but you really don’t know. Not only is star anise antiviral and antibacterial, it helps to relieve cough & cold, improve digestion, prevent menstrual cramps and nausea.

This excellent flavor enhancer is like a trip to a far away land.

Shameless Dizzy Pig Plug:
  • Our Peking seasoning will bring the authentic taste of Chinese cuisine home with this little superfood, star anise. Bonus points because it includes ginger which we all know is the mother of all superfoods!
  • We can’t forget to mention that Dizzy Dust, the OG seasoning that started it all, has a hint of star anise that will make your head spin with delight on almost any dish.
  • And, last but not least, Tsunami Spin is truly a superstar with several superfood spices (star anise, ginger, turmeric ) in its arsenal!

Stay tuned next month for the mother of all superfoods and the prettiest girl on Gillian’s Island: Ginger!


Dizzy Pig competition barbecue team wins in Harpoon Vermont

Howdy, y’all, I’m Chris Capell

Owner & co-founder of the multi award-winning Dizzy Pig Craft Seasonings, and pitmaster for the Dizzy Pig BBQ Team.

It’s safe to say that I’ve cooked my fair share of BBQ. In fact, for me, BBQ is a way of life, which is why I spent more than 20 years on the pro BBQ circuit. I’ve smoked more briskets and have pulled more pork than I care to remember.

Our competition career

We started competing in 2002, mostly in competitions sanctioned by KCBS (Kansas City Barbecue Society). During my time competing, myself and the rest of the Dizzy Pig crew honed our skills and cooking processes in over 130 contests across four categories.

We cooked a heck of a lot of food, and gained heaps of experience along the way.

Recently, I decided to call it a day and hang up my BBQ tongs for the last time as I retired from competing. I’ll never stop grilling, though. I don’t think I could if I tried.

Winning over a pro BBQ contest judge is not easy, it takes moist, tender, and tasty BBQ and a lot of know-how. As I’m no longer competing, I’m lifting the lid on my knowledge and will reveal my BBQ secrets, the very same secrets which allowed the Dizzy Pig BBQ Team to win countless awards over the years (as you can see in the graphics).

Dizzy Pig BBQ team achievements

Remember, we’re talking bona-fide BBQ here, the type of meats that start off tough but end up tender and juicy — meats that benefit from seasoning liberally and cooking for hours.

Here are my top 6 tips for unforgettable, fool-proof BBQ.

Number 1

Respect the smoke

During my time competing, one of the most common mistakes that pitmasters and backyard barbecuers alike would make, would be going overboard with the smoke.

Now, y’all are like me, and you know your BBQ, which means that I don’t need to tell you how much of a difference smoke can make to your finished dishes. When it comes to smoke, though, you can have too much of a good thing.

Food cooked with charcoal and wood has an amazing flavor dimension that gas grills or ordinary kitchen appliances just won’t give you. To achieve these flavors, though, you need to respect the smoke.

Big Green Egg smoking away at the DC Barbecue Battle

Salt and pepper can enhance most dishes, but you wouldn’t tip half a bottle of salt and pepper onto your dish when seasoning, so why would you smoke the holy heck out of your BBQ?

Smoke should lift the flavor of your BBQ and compliment it, not overpower it. Before adding your meat to the grill, make sure the fire is burning cleanly, and forget all this nonsense about soaking your wood before adding it, as wet wood smoulders and won’t burn cleanly.

A good pitmaster cooks with all his or her senses, so trust your nose in this case. If the smoke smells pungent and acrid, wait for the fire to burn cleaner.

Number 2

Use fresh ground seasonings on your meats

Obviously, I’m slipping this one in. After all, we won all our awards using our signature Dizzy Pig spice blends, so it would be a crime not to include this tip.

Loose whole spices

When barbecuing, seasoning is everything, and our fresh ground seasonings and rubs are just what you need to take your BBQ to pro level.

These are the blends we used on our competition meats:

Chicken Tsunami Spin (also won awards using Wonder Bird)
Ribs Raging River (also won with Dizzy Dust)
Pork Butt Raging River (also won with Crossroads)
Brisket Cow Lick (also won with Raising the Steaks and Game On!)

Number 3

Wrap your meat

Back in 1998 when I was a fresh-faced BBQ contest newbie, I’d cook all my meats straight through without wrapping. I was scared that wrapping would stop the smoke from getting to the meat.

Now, don’t get me wrong, folks seemed to enjoy it, and I even picked up my first few awards with this method, but after a while it became clear that something was missing. My cooks were good, but I wanted perfection and it was clear that I was losing moisture when cooking. How did I know? I opened my eyes and saw the juices literally dripping out the meat.

Wrap with foil to retain moisture

Back in 2005, my good buddy Tuffy Stone, who is now a multiple World Champion winning pitmaster, said something I’ll never forget:

‘Foil is a tool, it ain’t cheating’.

Since then, I always wrapped my meat and the difference is a gamechanger. Once you’ve built up a great flavor crust and have a nice smoky taste in your meat, your focus should turn to moisture preservation. Your goal is to maintain as much moisture as possible, rather than allowing it to evaporate while the meat is getting tender.

I won’t start a war by getting into the whole foil vs paper debate, though for the record, I use foil. The most important thing here is that, once you have your flavor, get that meat wrapped!

Number 4

Cook until tender, not up to temperature

Another common mistake that BBQ newbies tend to make, is obsessing over numbers and cooking their meat until it reaches a specific temperature, rather than cooking it until it’s tender.

Some meats such as chicken breast, pork chops, lean beef, and seafood, will become dry, tough, and chewy if overcooked past a certain temperature. BBQ meats, however, are tough when they’re undercooked.

The goal of a good cook is to achieve soft, moist, tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat and the only way to achieve this is by look and feel because each cut of meat is different. Low and slow is the way to go here, and the longer the cook, the lower the internal temperature will be when tenderness is achieved.

Cook until it looks and feels tender

Generally, the finished internal temperature of barbecue meats will be between 180°F and 210°F, but there is no magic number that tells you when it is tender. The feel of the thermometer probe is the way I’ve always judged tenderness, and it’s worked like a charm. It should pull out as easily as it pushes in… some people say “it should probe like butter”.

Number 5

Rest your meat as soon as tender

Once your meat is tender, get it off the heat and leave it to rest. Don’t you dare even think about unwrapping your meat and cutting into it yet, no matter how amazing it smells. Resting is arguably just as important as cooking it right.

Once you’ve wrapped your BBQ and have halted evaporation, the tenderization stage is now in full swing. For me, I usually find that after the wrapping process, it takes 1 – 3 hours to achieve the melt-in-the-mouth tenderness that we BBQ fanatics can’t get enough of.

Rest to achieve the melt-in-the-mouth tenderness

Probe the meat occasionally during the cooking, touch it and feel for tenderness. The last thing you want to do is overcook your meat and make it mushy! Yep, it is possible for meat to be too tender, and yep, overcooked BBQ is mushy.

Check the meat occasionally during cooking and when you’re happy with where you’re at, go ahead and leave the meat to rest. I normally start checking for tenderness when the internal temperature reaches 185°F. As soon as I’m happy with the tenderness, off it comes from the heat.

I normally rest my briskets for around 30 minutes, my pulled pork for around 1 – 3 hours, even 4 sometimes, and my ribs for maybe 10 – 15 minutes at the most.

Number 6

Serve straight away after pulling or slicing

Finally, my last tip for you today is your timing. You must serve your meat straight away after pulling or slicing.

Serve BBQ immediately after pulling or slicing

As soon as you pull your pork butt, or slice into your brisket or ribs, the quality of the meat will begin to deteriorate, and that, Houston, means you’ve got a big problem. Liquid evaporates, the surface of the meat will start to dry out, and within minutes the texture will change, and not in a way that you’ll like.

Just to show you how serious this is, I’m going to use the term ‘paramount’. It is paramount that you aim to get your food into the mouths of your hungry guests as soon as the meat is ready.

You want your guests to enjoy a nirvana of smoky, well-seasoned, tasty, juicy, tender, perfectly pulled/sliced BBQ, not have them bite into chewy and dry meat with the texture of old boot leather, so get it served straight away!

There you have it… my six tips for moist and tender BBQ.
Now go wow your guests with the best BBQ they’ve ever had.

Keep on cookin’!
Chris Capell


Max’s Tips for Perfect Gravy

Gravy is universally loved, and for most people it is a big part of our Thanksgiving meals. And since gravy goes on top of delicious food, you want it to be the best it can be. Follow these great tips from “Mad” Max Rosen and you are well on your way. Max not only knows his turkey (grilled on the Big Green Egg using his Mad Max Turkey Method), he knows his gravy too.

 

Number 1

Make your own stock for better gravy.

Gather turkey parts (necks, giblets, wing tips), chicken backs, and maybe even duck carcass in a big pot of water with onion, carrots, celery and Mad Max Turkey Seasoning. Bring it to a low simmer and let it go as long as possible. At least 6 hours, and maybe even overnight. Add water if it gets too low and let the magic happen. The more flavorful the stock, the richer your gravy will taste.

 

Number 2

Get good pan drippings from your turkey roasting pan.

Gravy is often made right in your roasting pan after removing the turkey, and the better the pan drippings, the better the flavor. This is pure concentrated flavor, making for a darker, richer gravy.

 

Number 3

Aim to finish your turkey a good 1-2 hours before serving.

Turkeys don’t mind a good rest, and this will give you plenty of time to make your gravy and let it simmer to a great finish. The longer you can let your gravy cook/simmer, the less flour taste you will have.

 

Number 4

Keep stirring for smoothness.

A whisk is the best way to work the flour into the fat, and you will want to keep it moving until all the flour is incorporated and your liquid is added. If you need to add extra flour to thicken your gravy don’t add flour or cornstarch directly to your gravy or you’ll get lumps. Mix it with stock (make sure it’s not hot) to make a slurry, then stir it in.

 

Number 5

Use the meat from the neck and giblets.

After you pull the giblets out of the stock, chop them finely and add to the gravy at the finish. If you have the patience, pulling the meat out of the neck bone makes a delicious addition as well.

Many Dizzy Pig fans are proud and passionate about their ability, desire and passion for cooking outdoors, regardless of the weather conditions. In fact, come winter time, they often elevate their energies toward outdoor cookery, with wind, snow and sleet simply an added element to drive their cooking enthusiasm.

For many cooks, the dark cold weather that winter brings is a signal that it’s time for a brief interlude from bbq and to focus on flavor-filled Dizzy Pig inspired dishes from the oven and the stovetop … or even the air fryer, crock pot and pressure cooker.

After all, Dizzy Pig spice blends aren’t just for the grill or smoker; they awaken the dishes from deep in your recipe file and elevate them to new heights, inspire new twists and give life to newfound ideas altogether! The only difference with cooking in the kitchen is the way that the heat is applied to the food.

So, if Dizzy Dust is your ‘go-to’ for pork tenderloins on the grill, why not pound out pork tenderloin medallions, hit with some Dizzy Dust, and have awesome pan seared pork cutlets for dinner tonight?

Even proven winter comfort food staples like soups, stews, casseroles and chili can be brought to new levels by layering on flavors from Dizzy Pig blends.

Whatever you can do on the grill during the summer, you can re-invent and re-interpret for dinner in the kitchen this winter!

Re-think, re-tool and refill your recipe file with flavorful winter ideas using Dizzy Pig. Here are a few of our favorite winter recipes:

 

Chicken Parmesan-ish
Chicken Parmesan-ish
Caprese Stuffed Mushroom
Caprese Stuffed Mushroom
DrBBQ's Air Fryer Chicken Legs
DrBBQ’s Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Vegetable Lo Mein with Tsunami Spin seasoning
Vegetable-Lo-Mein
Peruvian-ish chicken stew
Authentic Shrimp Étouffée
Venison Backstrap with Cognac Mushroom Sauce
Venison Backstrap with Cognac Mushroom Sauce
Best Vegetarian Chili on the Planet
Best Vegetarian Chili on the Planet
Peruvian-ish Chicken Stew
Peruvian-ish Chicken Stew


About the Sponsored Team Series: Dizzy Pig Sponsored Teams are professional competition BBQ teams that depend on Dizzy Pig seasonings to flavor their meats. Getting the judges to give the entries high scores is the name of the game, and we asked Old Town Smokers to tell us a little about what they do to achieve success.

The Old Town Smokers’ Story

Your Team Is…

Hello world! I am Dave Robbins, pitmaster of Old Town Smokers. We are a good-timing team based out of Alexandria, Virginia. Our team slogan is “GOOD FRIENDS. SLOW COOKING. COLD BEER.” and we do our best to live that dream.


Your Team Members Are…

We have a big, fun team! Many of us met 15-20 years ago at the College of William & Mary. Another common thread is our hometown of Old Town Alexandria, VA.

A big team means big fun so typically it’s more the merrier. We now have satellite team members in Charlotte, Boston, Louisville & NYC who join us frequently.

How long have you been competing?

2018 is our fifth year together, and we have competed in about 20 competitions in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Favorite Dizzy Pig rub?

We have benefited from Dizzy Pig Seasonings long before sharing vows and making our relationship official.

We like to layer our rubs and often use Dizzy Dust and/or Crossroads on pork shoulder. We like Tsunami Spin and Raging River on chicken and ribs. On beef, we like Cow Lick and Red Eye Express.

A couple favorites for home are Raising the Steaks on chops and Fajita-ish on poultry.

Old Town Smokers team's ribs

What’s your competition BBQ process like – before, during, and after?

During contests, we divide up primary duties by specialization. We have a sauce-guy, a pitmaster, a timeline specialist, and a hype guy (our cheerleader!), for example. We try and cross-train these responsibilities to keep it fresh and keep growing as a team. When new team members or guests join, they typically start with responsibilities such as “carry the heavy water jugs” or “empty the stinky trash” or “make the drinks cold”, but that’s fun too!

We love our BBQ cookers as well and have a hard time playing favorites. That means you will catch us switching up our cookers at competition all the time. This may not be the best technique for winning, but it’s a great technique for staying in love with BBQ. We started with a Weber Smokey Mountain and continue to use it alongside the Big Green Egg, Rec Tec Pellet Grills, Humphrey Pint, Stumps Baby XL, UDS, Spitts & Pitts Offset, Grillworks, Camp Chef, Backwoods Party & a Carson Rodizio. We also have a team member that has built many smokers including large offset rigs and a gravity feed. Watch out, if you learn to weld, the sky is the limit! All you need to get into competition BBQ though is a cheap smoker so don’t let that scare you.

What’s your success record like?

We have had some success on the BBQ trail including 25+ top 10 “calls” but our proudest award is the Spirit Of BBQ, which we won at the National Capital BBQ Battle in Washington DC. We love this award because it reminds us that BBQ is fun and is meant to be shared and celebrated.

Old Town Smokers team in DC

Typically, the most successful BBQ teams win through repetition and careful refinement of recipes. Newer BBQ teams, like us, have an empty palate and the sky is the limit. We have benefited from classes taught by experienced teams such as Dizzy Pig, 3EYZ, Aporkalpyse and Old Virginia Smoke. These have been invaluable growth opportunities as well as great networking events to make new BBQ friends and acquaintances.

We are very grateful for the support of Dizzy Pig. They are a huge part of our BBQ program. We also benefit tremendously from our butcher Let’s Meat on the Avenue (where you can buy Dizzy Pig Seasonings!) and our friends at catering mainstay Rocklands BBQ and Northside10 restaurant.

One of our dreams is to help teach an intro to competition BBQ class where we can get more people involved in the BBQ community so keep your eyes peeled for that someday!

Want to follow our BBQ fun? You can find us online here:

Facebook
Email Dave Robbins

Hamburgers are delicious, especially when done right.

There’s a reason they are one of the most popular foods to cook on the grill. But not all hamburgers are great though, and everyone has had a burger that didn’t live up to expectations.

If you are going to go through the process of preparing burgers, firing up your grill, and setting out toppings, you really want them to shine.

We’ve put together a collection of tips and tricks to elevate your burger to mouth-watering status on your next cook.

Number 1The Meat

If you don’t want a burger that feels like cardboard in your mouth, you need some fat. Preferably at least 20%, like an 80/20 mix.

Why? Because Fat = Flavor.

Ground beef is best bought from a trusted source that grinds fresh daily. Grinding your own beef is a great way to go, plus you know exactly what you are getting. Chuck is always a solid choice for ground beef, but many cuts can be good as long as they have some fat. For a true gourmet experience, try a brisket and short rib mix.

Forming Patties

When forming your burgers, one of the first things to consider is the size of your bun. Meat will shrink when they cook, so make your patties a bit larger than the bun. The thickness of the burger is a personal preference, but we’ve found that ¾ inch is a good size to shoot for.

Try not to pack your burger too much, but you are definitely going to need to press it a little while forming to get it to hold together nicely. And it’s true…making an indentation in the center is a great way to assure you end up with a nice flat burger instead of a big meatball!

Seasoning

Burgers are the perfect canvas for adding flavor. It’s difficult to beat the flavor of a layer of Dizzy Pig’s Cow Lick Beef Rub for seasoning, but at the very minimum, you need salt and a dusting of black pepper. Don’t salt your burgers until just before grilling, though.

Other Dizzy Pig Seasonings people love on burgers:

Grilling

Okay, now that you’ve got your burgers formed and seasoned, it’s time to cook!

The key to cooking a great burger is to cook it hot enough that you can build a well-browned flavor crust on both sides while having the middle done perfectly at the same time. You can do this in a pan on the stove or on a griddle, but there is nothing quite like a burger cooked directly over a fire. And charcoal imparts the best flavor – you know it!

The secrets to truly great homemade burgers are:

  • Get your fire hot enough to get good browning in 5-6 minutes on the first side. On our Big Green Egg cookers, we’ve found a grilling temperature of 450-550°F to get the job done, but make sure you have a good hot fire whatever you are cooking on
  • Only flip once, no matter how strong the urge to flip is
  • The second side generally browns quicker – usually about half the time as the first side
  • It goes against our natural thinking, but use higher heat for thinner burgers. That way you can brown quickly without overcooking. Aim for 3-4 minutes per side.
  • Thick burgers need more time to cook all the way through, so dial your fire back a bit if they are over an inch thick. That’ll give them a little more time to cook through as you build up your flavor crust and char.
  • An instant read thermometer will help you cook your meat to a safe temperature.
  • For commercial ground beef, USDA recommends cooking to an internal temperature of 160°F to kill all bacteria. But 160°F is a fairly well-done burger. If you want a safe burger done medium (140-145°F) or medium rare (130-135°F), it’s really best to grind your own beef.
Perfectly cooked hamburger
See Grilled Hamburgers with Caramelized Onion Aioli recipe

Other Tips

There are some other things to keep in mind as you set out to create YOUR perfect burger. Being prepared just makes the process smoother, and lets you focus on cooking the burgers perfectly and being ready to eat when they come off.

  • Don’t put the cheese on too early! Cheese usually takes less than a minute to melt on a hot burger on the grill, and the last thing you want is for the cheese to drip on your fire and create a nasty smoke
  • Prepare all of your toppings ahead of time — before you start cooking
  • Toast your buns for better flavor and a little crunch
  • If toasting buns on the grill, keep a close eye as bread browns really fast
  • Consider savory toppings like bacon, ham, fried egg, prosciutto, mushrooms
  • Plus creamy toppings like cheese, mayo, aioli, avocado
  • Then cool crisp toppings like tomato, lettuce, spinach and tangy toppings like pickles, relish, pickled peppers – and there’s nothing wrong with ketchup
We hope our secrets to juicy, mouth-watering burgers will help to elevate your burger game this BBQ season!

Enjoying our Dizzy Tips?

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It sure is getting warm around here! The recent seasonal release of Ghost has us pretty excited here at Dizzy Pig. It’s also a great reminder of how important chiles are to the culinary world as well as to our products. Whether you spell it chili, chilie, chilli, or chile, these peppers are not only nutritious, they are packed with flavor. Some are hot and some are mild, but most of them have at least a little heat depending on the amount of Capsaicin they contain.

The Scovile Scale

The “heat” in chiles is commonly measured using the Scoville Unit scale, sometimes abbreviated SHU (Scovile Heat Units) or HU (Heat Units). We won’t get too scientific with all the details here. But for reference, check out the SHU levels for some of the most commonly used chiles:

  • A red bell pepper has 0-100 SHU
  • Habanero registers between 100,000 and 350,000 SHU
  • The hottest pepper known to man at this time, Pepper X, has 3,200,000 SHU… that’s 100 times hotter than a habanero

Dizzy Pig’s Top Ten Chiles

There are thousands of chile varieties in the world. However, we will limit this post to the top ten chiles that are used in our products, from mildest to hot. As a testament to chiles’ versatility, it is important to note that all of our small batch craft seasonings, with the exception of our Happy Nancy, contains some form of chile.

Red bell pepper and paprika

Paprika

Origin: Spain
Heat: 85 SHU (very-mild)
Did you know that paprika is a chile? Actually, there isn’t a chili called paprika – it is a combination of ripe, dried and ground chiles, such as bell pepper, tomato pepper and other sweet peppers. It has been around for a long time, and for good reason too. It has a wonderful flavor that is a little tangy, slightly sweet, and quite earthy with hints of tea and berries. The color ain’t too shabby either. The Spanish Paprika we depend on here at Dizzy Pig has a bright red to red orange color.

Dried Guajillo chile

Guajillo

Origin: Mexico
Heat: 2,500-5,000 SHU (mild)
You may have tried Guajillo (pronounced gwä’he yo), and not realized it. It is a very common ingredient in Mexican cuisine – in salsas, marinades and spice rubs. Made from dried Mirasol pepper, it sports a fruity, slightly tart, and gently smoky flavor, but mild enough to not overwhelm fish or chicken. We find both the heat level and the flavor to be complex, but not in-your-face kind of way. It’s a wonderful ingredient for both flavor and mild heat.

Dried Chipotle pepper

Chipotle

Origin: Mexico
Heat: 2,500-8,000 SHU (mildly-hot)
Chipotle is such a delicious ingredient that they even named a restaurant chain after it! Cherished in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines, this tasty concoction is made by drying and smoking ripened red Jalapeño chiles. The flavor is quite earthy and mildly smoky – adding richness and a splash of mild heat which naturally compliments grilled foods. And there is just enough heat to get your attention!

Dried Cayenne pepper

Cayenne

Origin: French Guiana
Heat: 30,000-50,000 SHU (medium-hot)
With a long list of health benefits, cayenne is considered by many to be the healthiest spice in the world. The list of uses for cayenne is also long because it is such a versatile spice. The heat is definitely present, but not over powering. The flavor is very mild with floral and hay notes, making it perfect for adding heat but not radically altering the flavor of the food.

Dried Aji-Amarillo pepper

Aji Amarillo

Origin: Peru
Heat: 30,000-50,000 SHU (medium-hot)
Aji Amarillo translates to “Yellow Pepper”, and this delicious chile is quite popular in the cuisines of Peru and Bolivia. As one of the main ingredients in our Peruvian-ish seasoning, it provides a very tasty fruity flavor with hints of mango, passion fruit and dried berries. Sometimes referred to as “the chile that tastes like sunshine”, we find that to be an accurate description. Similar to the heat level of Cayenne, Aji Amarillo provides a lot of flavor bang with very little heat.

Crushed red chile pepper

Crushed Red Pepper

Origin: United States
Heat: 40,000 SHU (medium-hot)
You most likely have seen this ingredient provided as a pizza condiment alongside parmesan cheese, but it has many uses. As the name implies, it is made from hot dried red peppers. But did you know that it comes from more than one type of chile? This concoction consists of many chiles, like red bell peppers, cayenne peppers, and other dried red peppers. There is usually a high ratio of seeds to take the heat level of this flavorful ingredient up a notch. The flavor is familiar to most and the heat is moderate, but definitely quite noticeable, especially on the back end.

Dried New Mexico chiles

New Mexico Chiles

Origin: New Mexico, United States
Heat: 0-60,000 SHU (medium-hot)
New Mexico Chiles are one of our favorite chiles to use here at Dizzy Pig. These are “modern” peppers, developed at the New Mexico University in the late 1800s, and grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico (often called the chile pepper capital of the world). They are useful in both green and ripened states. The flavor is sharper when green. But when ripened to red, the flavor mellows and the front heat becomes more of a back heat.
There are many varieties, but we use ripened chiles with a mildly warm 30,000 SHU here at Dizzy Pig. The flavor is earthy and reminiscent of tea and dried cherries, and the mild heat comes in gently and slowly on the back end. We use this chile more for flavor than for heat.

Dried African Bird pepper

African Bird Pepper

Origin: Africa
Heat: 150,000 SHU (hot)
As their seeds are often spread by birds, this chile also goes by the name Birds Eye Pepper. It grows throughout Africa, and commercially in Australia as well. It packs quite a punch, so we use it more for heat, but still enjoy the flavor it provides. The flavor of this chile is very mildly fruity, with notes of citrus, herbs and hay. The heat builds quickly in your mouth and could even leave you with some sweaty brow!

Dried Habanero chile

Habanero

Origin: Amazon
Heat: 100,000-350,000 SHU (very-hot)
Habanero chiles are gaining in popularity. Here at Dizzy Pig, we value their powerful heat, and especially love the intense fruity flavor that leads the way. Habaneros were the hottest chili in the world around the turn of this century, but they have since been dwarfed by other varieties. There are new varieties of Habanero that have little or no heat but still pack the great fruity and floral flavor, like the Habanada Pepper. It will be fun to watch as new varieties of this delicious chile are created. The Habanero we use at Dizzy Pig is between 120,000 and 140,000 SHU.

Dried Ghost chiles

Ghost pepper

Origin: India
Heat: 1,000,000 SHU (extremely-hot)
Grown in Northeast India, the Ghost Chile (Bhut jolokia) was deemed the hottest pepper known in 2007 and it is hot, hot, hot! We received a sample of some smoked Ghost Chiles and fell in love immediately. The fruity sweet flavor right up front is impossible to ignore, at least until the heat hits you! The fact that we could use such a flavorful pepper and get enough heat to make true chili-heads happy made it an easy decision to create our seasonal Ghost chiles seasoning.
There are diehard chile-heads out there that think a Ghost chile is not hot enough, so growers have been quite busy trying to outdo the rest. These days a hotter variety comes out almost every year, and 3 million Scoville units has been topped. How far can they go?

Rainbow of Dizzy Pig seasoning bottles

From paprika to ghost chiles, we take advantage of several different chiles to make Dizzy Pig the most flavorful seasonings on the planet.

Flavor and heat are not the only benefit of chiles, though.
Packed with vitamins, antioxidants, they have anti-inflammatory properties, are anti-allergens, and support a healthy digestive tract too.

Shop All Seasonings


Dust it hot for a great cause!

Being part of the community has always been a goal for Dizzy Pig, and the release of Spicy Dizzy Dust was the perfect time for us to support one of our favorite charities!

Through our popular Manassas, VA location, we get a chance to meet a lot of great people in the community. One of those people is Larry Zilliox. He is the Culinary Services Director for Serve Our Willing Warriors, which has become a charity that is close to our hearts. And we’ve gotten to know Larry well over the past few years.

Larry invited us to tour the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run. The Retreat gives wounded soldiers, often suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a place to escape the sometimes brutal recovery process. As we met many of the caring volunteers, we knew we wanted to get more involved. We’ll be donating a portion of every bottle of Spicy Dizzy Dust sold for this amazing cause.

 

About Spicy Dizzy Dust
Dizzy Dust is our flagship seasoning, dating all the way back to 2002. The familiar orange bottle has seasoned tons of food, and we don’t see its popularity waning. And people love the spicy heat levels of our Swamp Venom, Jamaican Firewalk, and our seasonal Ghost chiles seasoning. So, for those that crave a little burn, we took our delicious Dizzy Dust and kicked it up a few notches. After some quality time in the test kitchen, we’re pleased to announce the release of Spicy Dizzy Dust!  It is really not just Dizzy Dust with heat. You can really taste the fruitiness of the chiles before the heat hits you.

 

What is Serve Our Willing Warriors’s mission?

Our mission is to provide cost-free retreat stays and other programs that positively impact the lives of wounded, ill, or injured military service members. We inspire and lead communities and volunteers to improve the lives of military service members and families adversely affected by service to our Nation. Our vision is to serve as many military service members as possible across the Nation.

Larry Zilliox and guest chefs at the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run
Culinary Director, Larry Zilliox and volunteer Staff Chefs

About The Warrior Retreat at Bull Run

The Warrior Retreat at Bull Run is the flagship program of Serve our Willing Warriors. It is where service members recovering at military hospitals around the National Capital Region can go to get away from the hospital environment. The average hospital stay is 300 days, and that takes a heavy toll on everyone involved. Their main focus is to rejuvenate service members by providing a relaxing environment where they can spend quality time reconnecting with their family and friends.

The Retreat is located on 37 acres in the scenic foothills of the historic Bull Run Mountains of Northern Virginia. The most frequently used adjectives by guests and visitors are “beautiful” and “peaceful”. The view from the property includes the historic Bull Run Mountains just a short distance away. Common sightings on the property include deer, fox, groundhogs, and hawks, with occasional appearances of wild turkeys and bald eagles. The newly renovated and spacious lodging house includes full handicapped accessible features with many wonderful amenities.

Guest Chefs working the kitchen at the Warrior Retreat
Guest Chefs working the kitchen at the Warrior Retreat

Their Guest Services Program includes a full menu of 60+ great activities. One of the highlights of the program is a custom-ordered, gourmet meal. On Sunday afternoons, guests are treated to signature dishes prepared and served by one of 40+ professional chefs and their volunteer assistants from the Visiting Chef Program. Every attention to detail is considered to make warrior families feel extra special.

The objective is that everyone returns to the recovery process feeling refreshed, inspired, and motivated to succeed in rebuilding the lives they wish to lead.

Get some Spicy Dizzy Dust, and you automatically help support the cause. You can also donate directly.

 

Dizzy Pig owner Chris Capell talks with Larry Zilliox about The Warrior Retreat at Bull Run:

Use St Louis cut spare ribs for competition style ribs

There are two common types of pork ribs — spare ribs and baby back ribs.

Spare ribs are cut from the bottom section of the ribs, whereas baby back ribs are cut from the top. Spare ribs are large (2 to 4 lbs or more), very meaty, somewhat less tender but have more marbling throughout than baby backs.

You can find spare ribs sold as whole untrimmed slabs or as St. Louis style spare ribs. St. Louis style ribs are spare ribs that have the rib tips removed and are more uniform in shape. Rib tips (also called brisket) are full of cartilage. For competition-style ribs, we only want to use the bone, so we purchase St Louis cut. However, it is easy to buy whole spare ribs and trim them St. Louis style yourself. We’ll show you how.

 

Choosing Ribs

We like large ribs for our competition cooks, so we select slabs that are at least 3 pounds. Look for ribs that have good fat marbling, but not too much fat. Stay away from slabs that have “shiners”, where the meat cutter cut too close to the bone so that the bone shows through the meat.

 

Trimming Ribs

The first step I take is to remove the sheet of membrane on the backside of each slab of ribs. I find working a knife under the membrane, lifting up and then grasping and pulling that loose ‘tag’ with a paper towel will quickly and efficiently remove the entire sheet, usually in one piece.

If starting with untrimmed spare ribs, remove the breast bone from the rest of the slab. There’s some nice meat here, but it doesn’t really present well, so we’ll cook it on the side and put the meat into baked beans. To make the spare ribs into ‘St. Louis style’, continue to trim off the tail end at the last bone, remove any large ‘blobs’ or extraneous fat as well as the ‘brisket flap’ of meat that appears on the backside of the ribs. Again, this piece is fine for smoking up and adding to chili or beans, but detracts from ‘presentation-quality’ ribs.

If you purchase St. Louis cut ribs, often there is still some rib tip material left. Cutting off this material to the bone is optional, but for competitions, we remove it. The key is finding the end of the bone, and cutting right where the bone meets the cartilage.

On the meat side, trim all visible membranes and excessive pockets of fat. On the thicker end of the slab, the end rib often has a blob of fat and sometimes a piece of meat that is not actually a rib. I trim that as well.

 

Seasoning Ribs

Ribs cook for a long time, and when the spices are cooking on the meat for that long, they get mellow and nutty and even more delicious. So don’t be shy with laying it on!

The way I like to think about it is to cover the meat so you can’t really see it. Don’t season it like you would on a big pork butt where you try to pack as much on as you can by pressing into the meat, but shake on a good solid layer – more on the meat side than the bone side.

Since Dizzy Pig Seasonings are not heavy on the salt, consider shaking on a little salt before you season.

 

Want to Learn How to make BBQ Ribs? Check out our Recipe!

Chris' Competition Style Spare Ribs Recipe

Remove membrane (a paper towel helps to get a grip on it)
Remove membrane (a paper towel helps to get a grip on it)

Trim flap from bone side of ribs
Trim flap from bone side of ribs

If desired, trim cartilage to the end of the rib bone
If desired, trim cartilage to the end of the rib bone

Trim excess-fat from meat side of ribs
Trim excess-fat from meat side of ribs

Cover meat with seasoning so you can't really see it
Cover meat with seasoning so you can’t really see it


Raging River 8oz shaker

Add Amazing flavors to your Spare Ribs

Raging River Salmon Seasoning

May be the best thing ever made for salmon, but salmon is only the tip of the iceberg. Truly all-purpose seasoning for all taste buds.

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