It's never too old to start something new. Released at 6:56 PM on Tuesday, July 11, 2023
robert st john
food columnist
“The best challenges in life come from patience.” – Author unknown
As a child, I grew up across the street from a house on the lake. It was in the middle of town and the property covered 40 acres. I thought it was cool that someone could stay near the lake. I have made a personal goal to build a house on a lake sometime soon.
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About a decade ago I purchased property on the lake and hoped to build a home there sometime soon. This plan never came to fruition for a variety of reasons and the property was finally offered. After six years on this planet, I'm starting to see that my childhood dream and goal of having a house on a lake will never come true. Then, in the last 12 months, an opportunity arose and we bought a house on the lake. When you set a date and time to accomplish that childhood goal, it never sticks in your mind. I probably would have made it known to myself that I wanted to own my own lake house before I turned 60. If so, I would have missed home for months.
There have been several instances in my life where, for whatever reason, I waited before starting to do one thing. A few years ago, when a good friend told me about the next hot music band, I sometimes didn't quite get caught up in the enthusiasm, often deciding to attend a month or two before I started playing music. I tend to answer my phone late. I can remember saying this to someone one day in the late 80s: “If I’m driving and you really want to make a name for yourself, I’ll stop and use the gas station pay phone.” Additionally, purchasing a fax machine took a lot of time. I used it at my job as an accountant for the first three years I was with the company.
Over the past few years, I've had friends encourage me to shop Blackstone Grill. They raved about the cooker. I didn't because it didn't look like it was any bigger than a giant flat iron plate. After preparing a steak for dinner, it is a good idea to grill it over wood or charcoal. This is because the fat that drips onto the charcoal most effectively creates the aroma and taste of grilled meat. Cooking a steak on a flat prime griddle has never appealed to me. Nonetheless, the burgers and sizzling dogs are both special elements, and with the lake house facing a large number of visitors, I believed an acquisition might be a good proposition. It worked fine. I cooked burgers and sizzling fangs for dozens of people over the Fourth of July weekend.
This weekend I used my Blackstone grill in a special way, cooking my family's entire breakfast yesterday morning.
The 36-inch base has five zones to adjust warmth. I cooked the bacon first. As soon as the bacon was fully cooked, I roasted the diced potatoes in the melted bacon grease. Then, on the free side of dinner prep prime, I cooked up my grandmother's pancake recipe. I'm not sure if Blackstone saved time, but it certainly saved me in terms of actual cleanup. Forged iron cooking bases are easy to clean if you know how to store them.
My grandmother, who was a master of forged iron skillets, would never have dreamed that her pancake recipe would soon be cooked outdoors in such a large appliance. She no doubt knew it was a complete waste of cash and he or she was probably right.
I spent the whole day at the lake. I rarely do this. Sometimes I wake up early, go downtown and start my day at desk 19 in the breakfast restaurant. Currently, I have skipped church and been lying at home across the lake all day. The next sentence I'm trying to put together may seem unbelievable to some, but it's definitely a real claim. I can count on one hand the variety of bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches I've eaten in my life. It's true. I am a latecomer to this staple of the Southern pantry. But the fact that I'm a beginner doesn't exclude my passion or opinions on how to make a proper BLT.
A BLT that suits my style relies on the right proportions of elements. The bacon should be the star of the moment, and the bacon should be crispy. Many people prefer tomatoes over bacon. I'm not a proponent of the sort, even though the most effective heirloom tomatoes can be found in the summer. I agree that tomatoes should be of the highest quality. But I think most of the flavor comes from the bacon.
Tomatoes come second. It brings brightness, a bit of sweetness and acidity to the flavor profile. But the sandwich only needs two layers of tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick.
Mayonnaise is a major player, and this is where a lot of the competition from my colleagues has come about lately. I am a Blue Plate Mayonnaise fanatic. It's something I grew up using and still use to this day. Its origins are in New Orleans and the company is still located there. I know the Riley family. They are nice people and we use their iced tea in our dining area as well.
In the past few years, Dukes Mayonnaise has begun to grow from a Carolina location to a national player. Come to think of it, this is the second mayonnaise. Some of my famous chef friends boast about it. I respect them and their style, but I'm a blue plate guy nonetheless, and in a BLT I spread liberally on both sides of the bread.
There's another level of competition for BLT fanatics when it comes to bread, and that's whether to toast it or not. If you're making a turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving, make a BLT and include the turkey, but toast the bread. My summer time BLTs are not baked. It almost always comes down to aspects of toasted bread, including the texture of the sandwich, so it goes against every little thing I imagine in flavor profile and texture. For some reason, BLTs (my BLTs) taste best grilled.
Bread selection offers another level of controversy. Some people need white bread, while others need whole grains. I don't like wheat bread no matter how much I bake it.
Lettuce is the part of most concern when it comes to BLTs. I don't need icebergs, I just want one to add another element of flavor, but lettuce is neither the star nor the co-star of the moment. One of many solid characters that appears at the end of the credits.
As always, salt and pepper are important. Spread mayonnaise on both sides of the bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the tomatoes as well. This step should never be ignored.
I sometimes have a sandwich with some kind of chips, applesauce, or pickles. When it comes to pickles, I'd go with Wickles (what are you doing with your life if you haven't tried Wickles yet?). In my world, BLT stands alone. I don't want chips or pickles. I can benefit from its grandeur and ease even without accompaniment.
I wish my grandmother knew how many people love her pancake recipes and how many people are preparing them since I've been writing about them for the past 25 years. I wish I had had a BLT every Saturday afternoon when another grandma was making one.
Pancakes were central to my life. BLT is a latecomer. Enjoying each of our own pleasures in a lazy day not only made me miss the family I passed on, but also made me recognize the culinary legacy I inherited. In the long term, we believe it is never too early to start something new. Some problems take time.
from now on.
