[1] Maker’s Mark Burnt Ends barbecued brisket (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Sam’s Club).

[2] A popular way to serve burnt ends.

[3] A two-pound package is $19.98.

[4] Be sure to include a side of coleslaw (photo © Ildi | Panther Media)…

[5] …and baked beans. Here’s the recipe (photo © Delallo).

[6] Add the burnt ends to a salad (here’s the recipe from Cooking Chew).

[7] A brisket from Double R Ranch. Brisket is a cut from the breast or lower chest of the steer. (photo © D’Artagnan).

May is National Barbecue Month. Spell it barbecue, barbeque or the abbreviated BBQ‡, it’s a mandate to help yourself to some juicy grilled meat.

As an apartment dweller with neither grill nor smoker (nor yard!), we’d love to enjoy an occasional barbecue dinner at home. Our only option instead was a BBQ restaurant. Until now.

> The history of barbecue is below.

> So is the history of Kansas City barbecue.

> The year’s 25+ beef holidays.
 
 
MAKER’S MARK BURNT ENDS

Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark brand has recently introduced Burnt Ends, a Kansas-City style barbecued pork ends. (There’s more about the style and history of Kansas City Barbecue below, preceded by barbecue since the dawn of mankind.)

You need neither grill nor smoker to enjoy this tasty barbecue: fully cooked, ready to heat and eat.

What are burnt ends? They’re pieces of the crusty outer edges of a smoked brisket: a fatty, flavorful meat cut that’s juicy and tender on the inside (nothing is actually burned).

Burnt ends are a hot cut in Kansas City, and Sam’s Club jumped on the trend. For Maker’s Mark, seasoned morsels of bite-size beef brisket are slow-smoked for 10 hours with a brown sugar and coffee rub.

A package of classic tomato based Kansas City-style barbecue sauce is included with the two-pound package of beef. It’s the easiest way to enjoy smoky, crispy, tender little nuggets of barbecue at home—for $19.98, just 62 cents per ounce.

The Member’s Mark Burnt Ends were developed for Sam’s Club by a four-time world champion pitmaster, Todd Johns of Plowboys Barbeque in Kansas City.

The result: the highest-quality, most delicious, Kansas City-authentic product for Sam’s Club Members to enjoy. (Here’s a video showing how).

The development team did such a good job, that Burnt Ends earned a seal of approval from The Kansas City Barbeque Society (and a two-thumbs-up from THE NIBBLE).
 

HOW TO ENJOY BURNT ENDS BARBECUE MORSELS

 
 
THE HISTORY OF BARBECUE

While drying meat in the sun is the oldest method of preserving it (it creates jerky), a smoky fire keeps insects away from the meat, further helping in the preservation.

About about 1.8 million years ago, Homo erectus, an predecessor of Homo sapiens (that’s us!) discovered how to make fire and began cooking their meat over or on it. They dug a pit for the wood or other fuel, and cooked over the fire.

Homo erectus emerged 1.5 to 1.9 million years ago. By the time Homo sapiens emerged some 315,000 years ago, man had been enjoying barbecue and jerky for thousands of centuries [source].

Big leap forward: Prior to the relatively recent debut of home refrigeration in the 1930s (the first ice boxes arrived in 1915, affordable by few people), meat from slaughtered animals had to be either cooked and eaten promptly, or preserved by either salting or smoking.

Over the centuries, in what are now the southern United States, smoking evolved into what we now call southern-style barbecue.

There are many styles of barbecue around the world. American barbecue has evolved to use chicken, pork, or sometimes, beef, covered in a sweetened sauce and then grilled.
 
The Word “Barbecue” & The Modern Barbecue

Our word barbecue derives from the Spanish adaptation of barbacoa, from the language of a Caribbean tribe called the Taino. Their barbacoa was a raised wooden grate over a fire of wood or charcoal, where meat was grilled.

Spanish explorers observed the technique, and the word first appeared in print in 1526, in an account of the West Indies [source].

As the practice evolved, the wooden racks of the Taino were replaced with pits and smoke houses†. The modern backyard barbecue grill evolved for homemade barbecue.

While the ancient pit barbecue is still a tradition†, most Americans barbecue over a backyard grill, with spices and basting sauces—not from the cooking traditions of ancient man, but from recipe origins in the Caribbean.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY BARBECUE

Kansas City barbecue is characterized by its use of a wide variety of meats: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, sausage, and sometimes even fish.

The specific regional style of slowly smoked meat originated in 1908, in the pit barbecue restaurant of Henry Perry in Kansas City, Missouri. An African American from Tennesee, he operated his business out of a trolley barn in the legendary African-American neighborhood around 18th and Vine.

The restaurant is still open in another location in the neighborhood. It is called Arthur Bryant’s, after the employee who took over the restaurant in 1946.

Kansas City barbecue is rubbed with spices, slow-smoked over a variety of woods and served with a thick tomato-based barbecue sauce, most commonly sweetened with molasses (most local restaurants and sauce companies offer several varieties with sweet, spicy and tangy flavor profiles) [source].

*In the millennia before the invention of the mechanical ice box, people kept food cold with ice and snow, saved during the winter months or brought down from mountaintops. The first “refrigeration” consisted of a hole dug into the ground and lined with wood or straw. It was then packed with snow and ice. Ice boxes existed from the mid-19th century, a response to the ice harvesting industry in America. The devices had hollow walls that were lined with tin or zinc and packed with insulation (cork, sawdust, straw, e.g.). A large block of ice was placed in a compartment near the top of the box, enabling cold air to circulate down into the storage compartment(s) below. Fresh ice was delivered by an iceman. While commercial refrigeration was available by the late 1800s, the home electric refrigerator didn’t arrive until 1930.

†What Southerners consider “real barbecue” is still cooked in a traditional open pit, not in a smoker. A whole hog is cooked over direct heat from charcoal, sometimes with wood added.

‡As of today’s publication date, BBQ has 603,000,000 in Google; barbecue has 176,000,000 and barbecue 48,500,000 searches.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Is popcorn salad a way to get kids (and salad-avoiding adults) a way to eat more salad? Is it a way to get more fiber into your salad? Is it food fun? Or is it all three?
 
 
POPCORN SALAD HISTORY

While it may sound quirky and new, popcorn salad has a long history.

According to Sylvia Lovegren in the 2005 book ‘Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads, American housewives made banana and popcorn salads back in the 1920s.

The recipe involved cutting a banana in half, placing it on a lettuce leaf, and dotting it with popcorn and dabs of mayonnaise. Sort of a green salad banana split?

Author Lauren Hough encountered popcorn salad in a church basement in Happy, Texas decades ago [source].

A popcorn salad was featured in 1994 community cookbook compiled by members of the Mercer County Historical Society in Beulah, North Dakota [Ibid].

Popcorn company like Jolly Time feature a popcorn salad recipe.

Food celebrity Molly Yeh notes that “Popcorn salad is one of those classic Midwestern dishes that you would often find in a church basement potluck.”

Yeh’s dish has roots in the mayo salad culture of the Midwest—we just can’t pinpoint the original source.

Yeh’s recipe uses fresh greens, sugar snap peas, shallots and white cheddar popcorn.

The more classic recipes are a mix of popcorn, bacon, water chestnuts, celery, carrots, chives and cheddar cheese, bound with mayonnaise.

While some people snicker at popcorn salad, food writer Allison Robicelli pointed out that, “If this [were] being served at a Michelin restaurant, people would say it’s genius. Eleven Madison Park, which was named the World’s Best Restaurant in 2017, has served popcorn with seared tuna, and the legendary Jean-Georges Vongerichten has paired popcorn with sea bass,” she notes [source].”

More recently, other grains—puffed quinoa, puffed sorghum—have made their way onto high-end plates.

So here’s a starter popcorn recipe. You can use your own creativity to take it from here.

Thanks to the National Popcorn Board for the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: POPCORN SALAD

You can put your own touches to this salad. We added dried cranberries for a touch of sweetness (raisins work, too). We also added more greens: baby spinach leaves and frisée.

You can make it a main meal by adding diced chicken.

Our tip: Don’t mix the popcorn into the salad as a last step. Sprinkle it on top of the salad like croutons, to prevent sogginess. It will get mixed in fast enough as people dig in.

Check out popcorn nutrition below.
 
Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the popcorn in an extra large bowl.

2. SAUTÉ the bacon until crispy, then drain on paper towels. Chop or crumble the bacon and set aside.

3. MIX together the mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in small bowl. Set aside.

4. COMBINE the celery, carrot, bell pepper and green onions in medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise and mix thoroughly.

[1] Today’s retro popcorn salad (recipe and photo © National Popcorn Board).

[2] An arugula and fig salad with a popcorn garnish (photo © Le Coq Rico | NYC).

[3] A takeout popcorn salad with jalapeños (photo © Just Salad | NYC).

[4] A bowl of popcorn, the indigenous snack of the Americas (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[5] We added dried cranberries to the popcorn salad (photo © King Arthur Flour).

5. ADD the vegetable/mayonnaise mixture, bacon and cheese to the popcorn in bowl. Toss very gently to just combine. Do not over mix. (Or, per our earlier suggestion, just scatter the popcorn on top of the salad, like croutons.)

6. SCOOP on top of the lettuce. If desired, garnish with extra shredded cheese and chopped bacon.
 

POPCORN NUTRITION

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF POPCORN

> MORE POPCORN RECIPES

[1] Rich and delicious, a boozy strawberry “shortcake” (photo © Baileys).

[2] There are plenty of fresh strawberries in the market (photo © In Harvest | Facebook)

[3] Crumble shortbread cookies for the “cake” layer, or use cubed pound cake (photo © Lark Fine Foods).

Looking for something special for Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day, or Valentine’s Day, or any day you just want a nifty dessert)?

Check out this swoon-worthy strawberry recipe from Bailey, made with Baileys Strawberries & Cream Liqueur.

The result: a beautifully boozy strawberry shortcake.
 
 
RECIPE: BOOZY STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

The recipe calls for crumbled shortbread cookies. You can substitute cubes of pound cake, if you prefer.

Or heck: Use both!

And of course, you can serve a glass of Baileys Strawberries & Cream liqueu with the shortcake.

You can build the shortcakes in pint glasses, large goblets, or anything else you have on hand.
 
Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the Baileys Strawberries & Cream liqueur and the cream cheese with a balloon whisk, until smooth.

2. WHIP the cream add it to the bowl with the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the strawberries.

3. CRUMBLE the shortbread into two glasses. Add the strawberries and cream mixture. Top with the strawberry garnish and chill for 30 minutes or longer. Serve and swoon!
 
 
THE DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF BAILEYS CREAM LIQUEUR

Since the debut of Original Irish Cream Liqueur in 1974, Baileys has expanded its portfolio to include Almande (vegan, made with almond milk instead of cream), Chocolate Cherry, Espresso Crème, Salted Caramel, Strawberries & Cream and Vanilla Cinnamon.

Some flavors, such as Crème Caramel, Hazelnut, Mint Chocolate and Pumpkin Spice, have been retired, leaving behind fond memories.

No doubt, there will be new varieties on the horizon!
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF BAILEYS IRISH CREAM
 
> THE HISTORY OF CAKE & THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAKE
 
> THE HISTORY OF SHORTBREAD
 
> THE HISTORY OF STRAWBERRIES

Soursop is in season. It’s harvested in April and May, and again in September through November.

What is soursop, you ask?

Also known as graviola and guanabana, soursop is a heart-shaped tropical fruit (photo #2) native to the Caribbean and South America.

Other names include thorny custard apple, thorny mango and thorny fruit, due to its exterior spikes (which are lightly prickly, and break off easily when ripe).

The fruit now also grows in tropical regions across Africa and Asia.

Is it sour?

Nope! Soursop is a deliciously sweet-tart fruit with a bright flavor.

The name was bestowed due to its slightly acidic taste: a pleasant tartness, like pineapple.

The flavor evokes coconut and banana, with notes of citrus, pineapple, apple or strawberry, depending on where it is grown.

The thick creamy, texture reminiscent of banana.

Ready to blend it into a smoothie?
 
 
MORE ABOUT THE TROPICAL SOURSOP

Soursop is the fruit of Annona muricata tree, a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree (photo #2). It is native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean.

Soursop is in the Annonaceae family (also known as the custard apple tree family); and in the same genus, Annona,, as the cherimoya (photo #5—more about the family relationship below).

The size ranges from 4 to 12 inches long and up to 6 inches wide. A single fruit can weigh up to 10 or 15 pounds, so it is often cut up and sold in pieces (photo #1).

Soursop should be ripened at room temperature.

As it ripens, the fruit will lighten in color to a bright yellow-green color and the spines will soften. It will have a hollow sound when tapped.

A ripe soursop should yield to the touch and be somewhat fragrant of pineapple.
 
 
WAYS TO USE SOURSOP

Like most fruits, soursop is often eaten raw. You can scoop the pulpy white flesh right out of the halved fruit, with a spoon.

You can find the whole fruit in specialty produce, Caribbean and Latino markets. The pulp is also sold with the seeds removed, for easy consumption.

Important note: Don’t eat the seeds†. Otherwise, use the pulp to make:

 
 
NUTRITION & HOMEOPATHIC USES

Soursop is low in calories and high in fiber, with zero sodium or fat.

It includes a wide range of antioxidant phytochemicals*.

In terms of vitamins and minerals, soursop is packed with B-complex and vitamin C, and a hit of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.

Homeopathy

Soursop tea is used by some for medicinal purposes, for its perceived help in reducing the risk of certain types of cancers.

It may also help to alleviate pain and decrease inflammation.

However, it’s important to note that research on these applications is limited.
 
 
SOME SOURSOP RECIPES TO GET YOU STARTED

 
You can find many more soursop recipes online.
 
________________

*Phytochemicals are chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants; beta carotene from carrots is an example, as is lycopene from watermelon and tomatoes. Diindolylmethane, found in vegetables from the Brassica genus (bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens and turnips, among others) is being tested against respiratory tumors, cervical dysplasia and prostate cancer. Cooking may destroy the phytochemicals, which is why a raw diet is popular among a growing group of health-focused consumers.

†The seeds contain some toxic compounds.

[1] Soursop can be sliced and eaten like pineapple, either in larger pieces or in smaller bites for a fruit salad (photo © Mallivan | Panther Media).

[2] The fruit growing on its tree (photo © I Like Plants | CC By 2.0 License).

[3] The fruit is ideal for the “frozen group”: ice cream, ice pops and sorbet (photo © David Driver Fotografo | Panther Media).

[4] Ready for a Soursop Colada (photo © Wally G | CC By 2.0 License).

[5] Cherimoya, a similar-looking, much smaller fruit in the same genus (photo © Sid Wainer).

[1] A Mexican torta with beef on the tradition bolillo roll (photo © Hofack 2 | Panther Media).

[2] Fusion food: an avocado and beef torta on a French baguette, instead of a Mexican bolillo roll (photo © Avocados From Mexico).

[3] In Mexico around 1900, the French baguette was shortened and widened into a roll called bolillo (photo courtesy Glane23 | Wikipedia).

[4] The telera is another roll used for tortas. Here’s a recipe to bake your own (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[5] A vegetarian torta: black beans, avocado and Oaxaca cheese (photo © Frontier Foods).

May 5th is National Hoagie Day. It’s also Cinco de Mayo, where Mexican food is the cuisine of the day. So how about some fusion food: a celebratory mashup. Make a hoagie sandwich with Mexican ingredients—in other words, a torta sandwich on a hoagie roll.

First, let’s clarify: Torta means different things in different cultures (and it’s not to be confused with tart, tort or torte).

 
But in Mexico and some other parts of Latin America, torta is a sandwich, made on a roll called a bolillo (photo #1).

Telera (photo #3) is another type of roll used for a Mexican torta: flatter and thinner than the bolillo.
 
BOLILLO ROLLS

Some sources say that bakers in Mexico took inspiration from the French baguette, and made a shorter loaf called a bolillo or pan francés (French bread) to make sandwiches.

Telera rolls are also used. Here’s a recipe to bake your own (photo #4).

According to Spoon University, the most traditional torta, whether on a bolillo or telera roll, is stuffed with pork carnitas (braised slices of pork).

The torta is then either media ahogada (“half drowned” or partially dipped) in spicy salsa, or bien ahogada (“well drowned”).

Modern tortas are made in endless varieties—including vegetarian and vegan. Different regions of Latin American have their own favorite ingredients.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE A TORTA SANDWICH

Bolillo or telera, the roll is spread with butter and filled with any desired ingredient (or at home, anything at hand):

 
Compare these to typical hoagie ingredients: There’s a lot of overlap, just with a different national flair.

So celebrate two holidays at once: Instead of a bolillo or talera roll, place the ingredients on a hero roll.

Or get fancy, and use a baguette or ciabatta roll.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE A HOAGIE SANDWICH

The ingredients are not too far apart from a torta. Ingredients also vary for a traditional Italian-style hoagie versus an American variation, with roast beef or turkey and American-style cheeses.

 
Ready to celebrate? Grab the ingredients and start building those sandwiches.
 
 
> CINCO DE MAYO HISTORY
 
 
> HOAGIE HISTORY & HOW TO MAKE A GOURMET HOAGIE
 
 
> SANDWICH HISTORY