Willie B's Has Closed :(

A brief note. We all went out to Fire Island this weekend to close the house down and enjoy the great weather. We tried calling Willie Bs, the BBQ place in Bayshore, NY and discovered their phone was disconnected. A visual inspection as we passed the storefront on 5th Avenue confirmed this: Willie B's is no more. I will miss their second cut brisket. Having said that, I tried the Thai Place across from the Bayshore Train Station and was pleasantly surprised...more on this after I eat there again.

Pineapple Dessert: Yeah You Can Use Malibu Rum, Too!

It was another Saturday night in Fire Island. Although many of us were not around, thanks to visiting day at camp in the Adirondacks, some of us were. After trying a variety of commercial prepackaged ribs (take home tip: do not do this yourself, they were gross) we settled down to dessert: yet another pineapple dish. Dan, who discovered the pineapple dessert we used as a basis for this current recipe, didn't want to use tequila again. I suggested rum, and Dan countered with Malibu Rum (Did you know that Malibu Rum was made in the tropical country of Canada?). The lovely wife suggested we use a bit less sugar than we did last time, as Malibu Rum has some already. The results: pina-colada-riffic!

INGREDIENTS

Large pineapple, peeled and cut into 3/4" slices. You can core it, but, yet again, we did not.
1 cup coconut Malibu Rum, or more
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

ice cream

EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED:
Hot clean grill, with minimal flame or grease

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the rum, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon together until dissolved. Place pineapple on grill. Baste the mixture while grilling. Be careful to avoid burning with the sugar and tequila. Takes about 15 minutes if not done on a high heat. Serve with ice cream or plain.

Willie B.'s BBQ: The Full (Smokey and Tasty) Picture

I have eaten at Willie B's BBQ in Bayshore three times now, and I have almost nothing but great things to say about it. The lovely wife has been calling when we get past the morass of traffic in mid Nassau County and we have been picking the food up on our way to the Ferry. Last Friday, we surprised the folks at Willie B by coming with our friend Robin. When the lady behind the counter saw both the lovely wife and Robin, she almost plotzed! Although Plotz may not be a word commonly heard at a place that sells pulled pork.

Willie B's, (631-206-2580 at 222 Fifth Avenue, Bayshore, NY) has perhaps the best ribs any of us eaten in the New York Metropolitan area. Although I prefer dry ribs in general, they do have an excellent wet ribs. Their burnt ends are some of the tastiest left-overs available, and demand to be eaten with a beer! Sliced brisket was quite good, although not as good as the ribs. The cubed brisket (which is second cut brisket) was excellent one time, but undersmoked a second time. Having said that, both times they were done perfectly in terms of moistness, etc. Sides were a hit with everyone: collards (lots of vinegar), regular and sweet potato fries, corn and even mac and cheese. The only disappointment in the whole mix was the pulled pork, which may have been because it was late in the day by the time we made it to Willie B's that night. Having said that, pulled chicken, which in a million years I never thought I would like, was terrific.


Willie B's will kill my diet most Friday nights between now and October. My tailor will smile, my cardiologist will frown, but I can live with both. The bar-b-cue is great.

OFFICIAL WILLIE B BBQ WEB SITE

Willie B's BBQ

I wish I had a photo to show you the sandwich I ate waiting for the Fire Island Ferry from Willie B's (631-206-2580 at 222 Fifth Avenue, Bayshore, NY). Nice, tender, fatty (in a good way, to the overly health conscious), chunks of well smoked second cut brisket, a smokey, tomato based barbecue sauce, and two sides: collards and beans, both of which were quite good. I ran into a friend at the ferry: she agreed with me completely about the brisket, and also told me about her excellent takeout experience at Willie B's as well. I personally haven't eaten enough to give it a full review, but it seems to be a no brainer to or from the ferry.

You can call ahead from the car and place your order for pickup as you head to the ferry. The man I spoke with in the store said that they will deliver to the ferry (Bayshore side) as well. They also sell Willie B's at the Inn Between (in Ocean Bay Park) on Friday nights. Willie B's is takeout only.

Please let me know what you like and don't like if you stop at Willie B's.

Greetings From Fire Island: Roast Eggplant

I'm sorry I didn't write about this last night, but I spent the better part of the day at the South Side Hospital Emergency Room (part of the North Shore University Hospital Network), getting my shoulder put back in. They did a great job, but I do not recommend this to anyone! When the lovely wife and I finally made it back to Fire Island last night, we were treated to dinner by our friends. Although I didn't cook (I in fact, slept on the couch), I did help with the eggplant. One of the problems I have with grilling sliced eggplant is getting making sure that the slices are nice and brown on the outside and cooked on the inside. Often, I end up with some burned pieces and some raw ones. Sort of a bell shaped curve of eggplant. This is especially painful if I am cooking for lots of people.

Whole eggplant is actually pretty easy to grill. After the eggplant is completed, it can be salted a bit and eaten as is or used in another dish: such as making baba ganoush. More on that later. If your home, you can actually do the same thing by steaming the eggplant. Although you lose some of the "grill" flavor, its a great way to make a lot of eggplant fast.

INGREDIENTS

Whole, medium sized eggplant(s) (not to small or overly huge)

EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED

Grill with cover (such as a Weber)

INSTRUCTIONS

Using a fork, prick holes in the eggplant (see photo for the excellent holes made by Dan). This will stop the thing from exploding like popcorn. Place on extremely hot grill (500 degrees is good). Cover grill. Turn every few minutes or so. Don't worry if the skin burns: it will. The eggplants usually cook in about 15 minutes. You should be able to easily stick a skewer through them. Take them off the grill and let them cool. Peel off the skin (which, if burned a little, will come right off). Prepare as you want.