Jay D's Bites: Spicy & Sweet Boiled Peanuts

Boiled peanuts are the perfect salty snack for your upcoming Super Bowl party and crawfish boils. In this addictive southern staple we used locally grown peanuts and featured Jay D’s Spicy and Sweet Rub that will leave you lickin’ your fingers. Enjoy them hot or cold!

Spicy & Sweet Boiled Peanuts

Serves 8-10

Photo: Jordan Hefler Photography

1½ cups salt, more to taste

2 lbs raw or green peanuts, in shell
5 oz Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub

If using raw peanuts, allow to soak overnight. If using green peanuts, soaking overnight is not necessary. In a small pot pour enough water over peanuts so that they are covered. Bring to boil, then add salt and rub. Reduce to simmer and cover for 6 hours or until very soft. Reserve a small amount of cooking liquid to store with peanuts. Store in airtight container and refrigerate.

Jay D's Bites: Black Bean Chili

When it comes to comfort food during the winter, we think of chili. We love that you can use different proteins and make it unique to you, especially during Louisiana hunting season. The depth of flavor coming from all of the different vegetables in this chili will have you going back for more. The chipotle and guajillo peppers from Jay D’s Coffee Chile Rub gives this dish a kick of heat. This colorful, heart warming chili will satisfy your comfort food craving all winter long!

Black Bean Chili

Serves 4-6

Photo Credit: Jordan Hefler Photography

2 Tbsp canola oil
2 lb beef stew meat
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 ear corn (off cob)
1 cup carrots, diced
¼ cup jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
28 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes
5 Tbsp Jay D’s Coffee Chile Rub
2 Tbsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1¼ cup canned black beans
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lime, wedged for garnish
1 diced avocado for garnish
½ bunch cilantro, chopped for garnish

Heat canola oil and brown beef with salt and pepper to taste. Do not overload the pan, brown in batches to prevent steaming. Remove beef from pan and set aside. Add onions, bell peppers, carrots, jalapeños, corn and tomato paste to pan. Over medium heat, cook for 6 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Jay D’s Coffee Chile Rub, chili powder, cayenne and balsamic vinegar and bring to boil. Add black beans and chicken stock, then bring back to boil. Reduce to simmer and allow chili to cook 45 minutes to 3 hours. Garnish with lime wedge, diced avocado and chopped cilantro.

Beers with Chuck: Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee Barrel Aged Quad 2015

by Chuck P

Back in the summer of 2015 I made a trip up to Portland, Oregon on a guys trip with Jay and a few of our friends. Portland is a destination spot for craft beer lovers with a plethora of local and regional craft breweries spread throughout the city. One of my goals for this trip was getting my hands on some local beers to take back home as well as any other West Coast brews that are unavailable here in Louisiana. Luckily, I was able to find some brews from Firestone Walker out of California and had to bring this particular brew back with me: The Stickee Monkee Barrel Aged Quad.

A Quad or Quadrupel is a Belgian style ale whose ABV normally runs between 10-13%. It’s a full bodied beer with a rich malt backbone. Normally I’m not drawn to this style but after having a taste at a local pub I was hooked.

Unfortunately Jay’s brother Eric had bought the last bottle in the cooler, but my disappointment was short lived as the bartender informed me he had a bottle in the back he could sell me but it wasn’t cold. This was perfect because that meant I could take it home and enjoy it back home. Success!

Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2017. I was about to head to a Friendsgiving that my buddy Damon was hosting and I was trying to decide what beverages to bring. After searching through my cellar I spotted the Firestone Walker box hiding behind a few Bourbon County bottles. With two years of aging on it, I decided to open the bottle up and see how she was doing.

Pouring it into a glass the beer was a deep mahogany color with a nice foamy head that dissipated quickly. While pouring, the booziness made itself known in a big way. I smelled it immediately which is just the way I like it.

Hiding behind the booziness you get scents of oak, coconut, vanilla and toasted brown sugar.

Flavor wise, the booze is right up front but very smooth. Other flavors that I picked up were caramel, fig, dates and some cocoa along with the vanilla and brown sugar I got from the nose. The long, warm boozy finish was absolutely perfect and had me reaching for another taste.

The few people I shared this with at the party really enjoyed it and were sad to see it go so quickly. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my hands on another bottle again.

Chuck P's Best Bites of 2017

by Chuck P

Another year has come and gone and now with 2018 here it’s time to reflect back on 2017. It was definitely a busy one here at Bite & Booze headquarters with road trips, pop-ups and private events filling up the calendar on a regular basis. Somehow, in between all of that, we found time to try some delicious dishes both locally and regionally that inspired and satisfied our ever expanding palates.

Here are just a few of my favorite dishes from 2017. I promise it won’t be completely filled with burgers.

The Fried Chicken Biscuit at Willa Jean

If you’ve never eaten at Willa Jean then I highly suggest you change that the next time you’re down in New Orleans. Listed under their “Biscuit Situation” section of the menu, this beast of a meal is a must have. A juicy chicken breast sitting between two warm, flaky biscuits in a pool of Tabasco honey. It’s big enough to share, but I’m not giving up a single delicious bite!

The Brisket at Franklin BBQ

This is absolutely without a doubt THE BEST brisket I’ve ever had. Franklin in Austin, Texas is well known, especially their brisket, and it totally lived up to the hype. 

Juicy, smokey and packed with deliciousness. I think I could have eaten it all by myself. Every time I look at that picture I start trying to figure out when I can get back there for more.

Deep Dish Cheese Pizza from Giordano’s

Unfortunately I didn’t get to travel to Chicago to try this but I was lucky enough to try it thanks to my lead singer Hana who ordered one for our guitar players birthday. Giordano’s ships their pizzas packed on dry ice with sauce packaged separately and cooking instructions as well. This true Chicago deep dish is fantastic. The red sauce was really good and it was packed with cheesy goodness. I’m hoping the next time I get to try one of these it’ll be at the restaurant, but I’ll be happy ordering one online until then.

The Slamburger at Brickyard South

I love the fact that one of my favorite hangout spots also has one of my favorite burgers. Danny Moore and Danny Wilson serve up this classic burger every Friday night at Brickyard South for the insanely low price of $5. A simple burger that’s perfectly seasoned, smashed flat and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and Danny Moore’s signature sauce. No gimmicks just a great tasting classic burger.

Jumbo Carrot Cake at BRQ

I’m sure you’re asking yourself why I’m choosing a dessert from a BBQ restaurant. The answer is simple. This is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Period. No contest. I mean look at that thing! You can feed four people off of that slice! After having this cake I had dreams about it for like, a week after. IT’S THAT GOOD!

Fried Chicken At Willie Mae’s Scotch House

There’s a reason that Willie Mae’s is famous. Their fried chicken is otherworldly; the flavor of the crust and the juiciness of the chicken is unreal. It’s been a staple in New Orleans since it opened in 1957. Presidents and celebrities have eaten here and Food Network declared it as having America’s Best Fried Chicken. There’s no other fried chicken that comes close to it.

The LIT Pizza Burger At Curbside Burgers

This was a special burger for their ‘Curbside Turns One’ anniversary celebration and although every burger that week was really good (and yes, I had all of them) this was the one that stood out for me. An awesome Italian sausage patty, swiss cheese and gremolata sandwiched between two pepperoni pizza buns. The flavor profile for this thing was off the charts. It was everything you would want out of a pizza burger and so much more. I’m hoping this pops back up on their menu as a special soon.


This was a tough list to put together. There were so many dishes I had this year that were really good but these definitely were the ones I still talk about. I’m hoping that 2018 will be just as delicious.

Wakey Whiskey: Chicago Distilling's Blind Tiger Bourbon

by Eric Ducote

Good morning Bite and Booze readers, and welcome to 2018! This morning's wakey whiskey is serving a dual purpose, as not only is it the start of a new year (at least according to the Gregorian calendar) but it's also an LSU football bowl gameday! I hope 2017 treated everyone well enough, and I definitely wish you all the best in 2018.  LSU is in Orlando today to face off with Notre Dame... the Tigers lost to this Irish on a last second field goal in the Music City Bowl following the 2014 season in the most recent meeting. I think it's time for a little revenge for the seniors, plus a little 3-game bowl win streak would be nice.

For this selection, I went with a whiskey that I picked up on a trip to Chicago earlier this year, the Blind Tiger Bourbon Whiskey from Chicago Distilling out of, duh, Chicago. This is a "small batch" bourbon that is distilled and bottled by Chicago Distilling and I actually have batch 3, bottle 503. The name Blind Tiger comes from prohibition era where watering holes would place a tiger icon in the window to let patrons know that they were serving whiskey inside. How this didn't alert the authorities, I don't know, but hey maybe they were on the take as well?

On to the whiskey on this cold morning, the aroma is a little on the weak side at first, then comes through with a strong candy corn note, follows up with hints of vanilla. That candy corn note is an indicator of a young whiskey, and this 90-proof bottle has no age statement, nor is it called "straight" bourbon which indicates a minimum of two years in the barrel. The taste is a lot of the same, a definite candy corn flavor with hints of vanilla, a bit of cinnamon, and a little maple-ish sweetness. It's really not a bad whiskey despite the candy corn descriptor, I can tell this is a well produced mash that just needs a little more time in the barrel, but that's the real catch-22 of a small distillery.

I suppose in some ways this Blind Tiger whiskey reminds me a bit of the LSU football team, good but not great. I think the folks at Chicago Distilling are on to something though, this mash bill could be terrific in a few years if they are saving some barrels for a good aged product. It hits all the right bourbon notes except the mellowing that can only come with time. Best of luck to them, best of luck to everyone out there in all your endeavors this year, and best of luck the Tigers this afternoon! Geaux Tigers!