World Series Feature: Houston Astros Burnt End Tater Tots

Of course Houston would have kick ass BBQ! Of course Astros’ Minute Maid Park would stack the deck and top tots with BBQ! I’m happy they did. 

What is a burnt end? 

When smoking a brisket or a pork butt certain outer regions take on a bit more char than others. These end pieces tend to be a little on the fattier side, so while they’re beautifully charred on the outside the inside still remains juicy and tender. And, just by chance, these tender vittles usually end up getting trimmed when the pit masters gets to slicing or pulling. When saved they become an entirely different BBQ treat~and a great deployment on MMP’s part as a nacho-esk tot topper. 

Half the time Hacks… This recipes is loaded with semi-homemade hacks. Stop by you local BBQ joint to pick up burnt ends, especially if you’re not planning on smoking (and taking a day to smoke). 

Frozen tater tots are the bomb. I sometimes forgo the traditional baking instructions (when they say ‘no need to spray or oil’) and drizzle a bit of reserved bacon grease over the pan before baking. Go big or go home. 

BBQ sauce. Sure, make your own or use a recipe you love. I used a store bought sauce for this recipe and I’m not mad at it (nor feel like I’m slighting my cheffy abilities).

Burnt End Tater Tots 

serves 4

Ingredients

Queso Cheese Sauce: 

2 tablespoons butter 

2 tablespoons all purpose flour 

1 1/4 cup whole milk 

1 cup pepper jack cheese, grated 

1/2 cup white american cheese, grated 

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional) 

1 package frozen tater tots, cooked following package’s instructions

1lb. bbq brisket burnt ends (your local bbq joint will have em), reheated

1/2 cup bbq sauce (your favorite store bought sauce)

2 kosher dill pickles, sliced or 3/4 cup dill pickle chips 

1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced 

Instructions 

1. In a medium pot melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and lightly cook for 1-2 minutes, just to remove from of the ‘flour’ flavor.

2. Whisk in whole milk and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Once the milk is simmering (NOT boiling) and thickened slightly, begin adding in the cheese in 1/2 cup intervals.

3. Continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened and cheese has completely melted (about 3 minutes) remove from the heat and season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Set aside and keep warm.

4. To assemble, evenly distribute tater tots to bowls and top with burnt ends. Drizzle with cheese sauce and bbq sauce. Finish with dill pickle slices and scallions before serving.

Weekend Review: Getting Healthy

It is estimated that 45 million Americans go on a diet each year. Partner that with a yearly average spend of about $33 billion on weight loss products...I think we can safely say that healthy eating is a top priority for many of our customers.

I spent the better part of last week (and most of this week) buried in Keto recipes. This is one of many projects that I've taken on that appeals to the diet trends. Be it Low Carb, Whole30, Paleo or Keto...the health seekers are actively searching for creative ways to incorporate these trends into their daily meals.

It's not easy...dieting

I am sure many of you have started and promptly quit a diet. It is not easy. Those that are in it for the long haul or those looking for a more stable start, turn to the web for inspiration and motivation.

Showing customers that you or your products can be included, creatively, into their diet preference builds trust. It also attracts more diet seekers to your site and product through SEO.

But...we're not a health food 'thing'.

Shouldn't matter. I'm not on a diet but I do provide and create content that is. It's not all that I do, but I gladly explore and develop. Diversify, my good food friends.

Diet content will not automatically put you into a 'health food' category. Adding some creative pieces to your existing arsenal of content will only engage more people. Or, better yet, retain customers that are exploring diet trends- seeing that you have options that support their new food focus.

Diet-curious Content: The trends on the trend

What's attractive, buzzy or sticky to those looking for dieting inspiration?

• A taste of the familiar. Having to modify your eating habits sooo drastically is not good for early diet adopters. Giving them recipes or cooking tips that fit into the diet, while mimicking everyday grub (or even guilty pleasures), is a big bonus. Think keto friendly waffles or low-carb pizza.

• Easy Peasy. The time crunch issue, when meal planning and prepping, has not changed. Customers still need options that can be prepared quickly, easily... all while still tasting good. Think 30 minute meals, shakes and smoothies.

• Balancing Breakfast. Breakfast can be a pain point for dieting customers. Many of the quick and easy 'out the door' options (oatmeal, granola bars, cereal) are on the 'do not consume' list. Getting creative without taking up valuable morning minutes is golden.Think about 'make the night before' options-things that just need to be reheated or can be eaten asap.

If you're looking for some assistance with developing healthy, diet trending, catchy, sticky and overall delicious food content...let's connect.

Culinary Content Weekend Review

Playing with food is my favorite and today we'll look back on all the creations that came out of the lab last week!

Up first...Pappardelle with Summer Greens and Artichoke Walnut Tomato Sauce.

Pasta dishes, recipes and images are always a hit with the hungry public. Evergreen as can be, Utilizing seasonal ingredients and interchanging trends keeps this content fresh and engaging.

Second... Cantaloupe, Basil and Prosciutto Salad.

Easy, simple and delicious is a staple trend in our fast paced world. Keeping content approachable (under 10 ingredients and under 30 minutes for prepping and cooking) builds confidence with your audience...The 'I can make this!' approach to customer engagement.

Third....Crafting your own Cheese and Charcuterie Platter.

A little education goes a looooooong way with building customer trust. And How-to's are a great way to tell a story, educate and promote your product. Picking engaging, trending topics (like this one for creating a cheese and charcuterie platter) to 'how-to' drives more people to your site and your products.

Fourth... Garden Gimlet

Say you have a great product, but it is really only seen to have a singular use. Like one of the ingredients for this recipe, bloody mary mix. Get creative. Show that these cornered ingredients don't just have to be regelated to their original/stereotyped use. And sometimes, it can be as simple as switching up a couple of ingredients to showoff the possibilities ...In this case, gin for vodka, adding in fresh lime juice and garnishing with a garden/pickle blend of veggies.

Fifth...Habanero Marinated Fish Tacos

There are few things as tried and true as a great taco. Reel 'em in with fabulous content around evergreen popular food categories. This recipe is a great example of applying the first 4 listed methods of engagement into one tasty bit of content: trending topic, simple/easy, how-to's and creative ingredient use.

Lastly...Creamy Blueberry Popsicles

What's the weather like in your target demo? Hot as an oven? Pouring down rain? Freezing cold and snowing? Customers search for weather appropriate food topics all the time. Keeping tabs on the weather and having a little stockpile of weather related content puts your brand at the tippy top of the search.

If you're looking for some assistance with developing catchy, sticky and overall delicious food content...let's connect.

How to Tell a Food Story

Every food has it’s origin story.

Was it Nonna’s cookie recipe that inspired you to start a cookie company?

Is it your family’s farm that started you selling pickles and jams online?

Were you always fascinated by the corner store butcher that made you want to create your own charcuterie?

Any external factor or internal passion can be ‘that thing’ that propels us into our given food field. And people want to hear about it…

Heck, take me for instance, I fell in LOVE with recipes as a kid. My family cooked, not really COOKED cooked, but made really tasty things and I was always inserting myself into someone’s kitchen.

No one in my family worked in restaurants, no one went to culinary school or even talked about the term culinary arts. But I was still propelled to discover it.

I remember the exact day that I knew I wanted to become a chef. I was standing outside of my high school with all the other freshmen and sophomores, waiting for the bus, when an upperclassman friend approached my huddled group.

He was wearing…a chef’s UNIFORM!!!

Now, at this point , I knew OF chefs- they were on TV… Julia, Galloping Gourmet, Yan. I had never made the connection before, that, there could be chefs among us. And here was Nick, 16 (of course not a real chef, yet), wearing the tall toque, white coat, checkered pants and shiny black shoes!

He had enrolled in the Culinary program at the vocational school, attached to the high school, and was showing off his new uniform.

Light bulb moment …………..I COULD BE A CHEF??!!! I could play with food and recipes for A LIVING?!

I enrolled in the program the following semester and the rest, as they say, is history.

That little 300+ word blurb I just provided is a perfect example of an origin story. A way for you to get to know me. A way for you to feel a little connection with me.

This connectivity, that ‘getting to know you’ feeling, is crave worthy for our customers.

It is sound marketing practice. Connectivity leads to trust and trust leads to community (more customers). Simple.

Ways to achieve connectivity through food story telling….

1.) Your food story should be nice and a little funny

Nice, as in kind, happy and up-lifting.

Your food (story) should not make people cry, that kinda thing works for shows like ‘This is Us’ not food. Find the good in the story and begin with that. Lead with nice.

Grandma Nonna Jean’s cookies were the highlight of the holidays! Every year the grandkids would jockey for position by the oven door to be the first kid to nab the prized peanut butter chocolate chip double fudge wonders. It’s a wonder that any of us still have fingerprints. Juggling was my cookie cool down method but Joe (brother and business partner) would immediately stuff his cookie into his mouth, I’m surprised THAT man has any feeling left in his face (it explains A LOT).

2.) Your food story needs characters

Name your starring characters. The customer connection lives with the people behind the food, not just the food itself.

Bobby ‘The Beef’ Wickowsky owned, operated and manned the counter at Beef’s Butcher, our family’s neighborhood butcher shop in Meattown, Tennessee. Mr. ‘The Beef' Wickowsky’s claim to fame was his smoky kielbasa……

As a little weeny, Kicking Kielbasa owner Jack Knife was given his first job mopping floors at Beef’s Butcher…

3.) Your food story must paint your food in a delicious light

As much emphasis as you put into the characters of your food story, the same courtesy should be given to the food.

There is nothing like vine ripened tomatoes picked fresh, grown bright red and juicy in the warm SoCal sun. The recipe behind our Tomato Basil Jam is as heirloom as the tomatoes on our farm. Each small batch is slow simmered with garlic, basil and olive oil before adding just a touch of local honey to draw out the natural sweetness…

4.) Your food story needs to have a home (and be shared)

It’s one thing to put in the effort of writing down your food story, it’s another thing for customers to be able to find it. These are the tricks I like to employ to help spread the story and get the message out there.

• ‘About Us’ Page: A perfect platform and location for your food story (and an easy way to backlink to your site).

• Product Descriptions: Multiple products have multiple stories, adding a little blurb in the product description section, that is unique and engaging, is a great way to increase the frequency of customers putting that item in their checkout basket.

• Email Campaigns: This goes hand in hand with the About Us page, food stories are email gold and a great way to reengage customers or create new.

• Blog or Social Posts: Food stories show the care and passion behind the product and that resonates big time with your social audience and blog subscribers.

• Thank you notes: You should always thank your customers. I like adding in a little ‘did you know’ piece in that popup thank you message or emailed receipt. A great way to keep customers engaged and encourage future visits.

If you're looking for some assistance with your food story or developing catchy, sticky and overall delicious food content...let's connect.

Why Recipes are Important for your Food Business

Inspiration for the home cook… 

Recipes are a creative way to drive engagement with customers. Partnered with visual images (and we all love sexy food shots) and trending food topics, recipes will inspire and drive customers in the direction you’d like them to go…directly to your product in retail, to your website or social media platforms.  

Use that product UP! 

Say you have a relatively common product or something that is perceived challenging to the average home cook. Recipes are a great way to bridge these issues and turn them into creative solutions. Not to mention that giving customers a multitude of ways to utilize your product will create additional demand and an increased frequency of a repeat sale. 

Hungry Hungry Customers… 

Recipes are an SEO goldmine. Creating recipes that are following the trend patterns will consistently channel customers to your website. And by being seen as a reliable recipe leader will lead to more brand recognition and increased feelings of trust, connection and community with your customers. 

Market Diversity…

Just because your product might be intended for a specific cuisine type doesn’t mean that it can’t creatively be used for another, i.e.; fish sauce as a secret ingredient for meatloaf and chicken noodle soup (it’s an umami ‘bang-a-rang’ ingredient) or ketchup for sweet and sour Chinese takeout-style glazes, etc… You’ll attract a wider range of customer demographics by broadening the creativity. 

Are you interested in getting cranking on making deliciously sticky recipes? Let's connect!