Shop LOCAL

I have written about varied interests over the last 6 months. One interest that I haven’t touched on is the issue of Shopping Local. Shop LOCAL can mean a lot of things, from just shopping within a few miles of where you live to keep fuel costs down or the convenience of being just down the road from your house. To me as a small business owner it means patronizing local small businesses. I shop at small mom and pops as often as I can. In this day an age of Big Box retailers, you can’t possibly get the same level of customer service from the BB’s as you can from a small independent retailer. I am not suggesting that all your purchases have to be from a local independent shop, but at least give them a chance.

Rebuild our Local Economy

In my experience the idea of shopping at the Big Guys involves the time it takes to navigate the cavernous aisles and then get in and out of the giant parking lots.  Sure some of the prices are lower, the door stoppers and lost leaders, look around and the prices are not that much cheaper. The level of quality is usually not that good and the throwaway value is always present. Why purchase a product that will degrade and fall apart in a short amount of time when a quality product will give years of service.  If you do go to a small retailer and the owner or employee is not very friendly or appreciative of your business let others know, which always happens. If you are treated with respect and the service that you were given was good or even exceptional – give a shout out on Facebook,  Yelp, Google Places or Yahoo Local. Speak up and take the time to do a review. I see the negative reviews, seems people always find the time to write those, but when they get super treatment you don’t see those.

The 350 Project

When you do visit a smaller retailer, service business or trades person thank them for putting themselves out there and if you don’t see what you are looking for mention it to them, most of us would be more than happy to add that service or product if available.

Thank you to all my Customers – I truly appreciate you and your patronage. Over the years I built friendships with you and continue to add new friends on a daily basis. On this Memorial Day Weekend lets thank all the Service Men and Women who protect us now and those that have past.

We will never forget

Pork Tenderloin Tips w/ Apple-Pear Marinade

This past weekend, May 12th and 13th, I had the pleasure of displaying my products for Long Pond- Hot Tub | Fireplace | Fence at the Zoo Crew – Relay for Life Carnival at the Brooklyn Fair Grounds in Ct. During the event I had time to meet some of the other vendors. One in particular was Shannon’s Jammin’, Shannon makes homemade jam from scratch in her kitchen in Old Lyme, Ct. I sampled a couple of her jams and bought the Bacon Jam and the Apple-Pear Jam. I told Shannon I would create a marinade and pass along along the recipe and results of the pork tips. The tips were great and you could get a little hint of the Apple.  BTW – I put the Bacon Jam on an egg sandwich this morning – Yummy.

Here’s the recipe, ENJOY!

Pork Tenderloin Tips

Pork Tenderloin Tips w/ Apple-Pear Marinade

1 1/2 lbs Pork Tenderloin Tips

2 TBS Apple-Pear Jam

2 TBS Bourbon

3 TBS Olive Oil

2 TBS Soy Sauce

2 TBS Fresh Sage Chopped

1 Garlic Clove Chopped

1 tps Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, whisk together and add Trimmed pork tips ( remove silver skin ), marinate for at least 8 hours, overnight is better.  Set grill or smoker to 300°, smoke with maple chips until internal temp is 165°, let rest for 5 mins. and serve with favorite sides.

Steve’s Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

When I put this meatloaf recipe together I wasn’t sure if putting Sweet Italian Sausage would work well. I am very happy to say that this was one of my better meatloaf recipes. My daughter and I had this for dinner last night and when we were done eating I asked her if she would mind having the meatloaf for leftovers tonight – she said not at all, this is great! Plus it has BACON.

I smoked this beautiful creation on the Green Mountain Pellet Grill for 4 hours at 220°. When the internal temp reached 185° I foiled it for an hour. This foiling softened the bacon a little and drove the smoke flavor into the meat. When I sliced it I had a very nice 3/8″ smoke ring. The flavors of the loaf were blended perfectly. No need for ketchup or BBQ sauce. If I could, I like to serve this directly off the smoker so the bacon is slightly crispy. Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

1 lb Ground Chuck

1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage

1 lb Bacon

1 Egg

1 Udi’s Gluten Free Bagel (any white bread will do)

1 Med Onion diced

3 tbs Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbs Garlic Powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

½ cup beef broth

1 tbs Dried Oregano

½ cup milk

2 tbs Olive oil

¼ cup Jeff’s Naked Rib Rub (or your favorite rub)

 

Saute  diced  onion in olive oil, toward the end turn up heat a little to get some browned bits. Crumble bread in a bowl and add milk, let soak while preparing the meat mixture. Add all ingredients in a large bowl except the rub and bacon. Mix thoroughly using your hands, let sit while you weave the bacon.

bacon weave

Add 1/2 the rub to the bacon as shown, form meatloaf into a log shape and place in the center of the bacon. Fold the bacon from back and then from front. Sprinkle the rest of the rub on the completed loaf.  Place directly on the grate of you smoker. A drip pan can go under if you want. Smoke until your internal temp hits 185°. Mine took 4 hours. Hope you enjoy this. Leave a comment if you liked it, loved it or have a changes to make it better.