Beef jerky is so simple to make, it's almost impossible to screw up. Like barbeque, the secret to good beef jerky is in the wait. more ›

Carry your St. Patrick's fever into the weekend and try this ultimate "green" sauce - chimichurri. Chimichurri is a versatile condiment that can be used as either a marinade or a sauce. Its bright Kelley green color matches the Chicago River - this sauce should really put you in the mood for spring. The sharp bite of raw garlic packs a punch for your meat or fish. In this recipe, we used the chimichurri as a sauce for roasted salmon filets. Try marinating chicken or beef in the chimichurri before throwing it on a hot grill. Money. more ›

A couple of weeks back I hosted a pizza party for the staff at my apartment in Bridgeport. Since they (mostly) were taking the time to come from points north of Madison, I thought I'd make it worth their while to go the extra length and make all the pizzas from scratch. That meant whipping up a lot of dough and sauce. more ›

We'll add bacon to just about anything, and Brussels sprouts are no exception. Many of us have nightmares memories of mushy, drab, stinky Brussels sprouts that had to be faced and defeated before leaving the dinner table. We cried for mercy and threatened that the entire kitchen would become a vomitorium, but we still had to choke down those cabbage abominations. more ›

Rick Tramonto has a new cookbook coming out next week. Steak With Friends compiles 150 recipes for entertaining friends in the backyard or in the kitchen. As a charcuterie enthusiast, one recipe that caught our eye was a for salmon pastrami with cucumber dill salad. Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn have a few salmon curing recipe in Charcuterie, including one for salmon pastrami, and a quick search on epicurious for gravlax turns up some interesting recipes. But we never tried it. So we took the Tramonto recipe, then smoked it later. more ›

Last week a couple of us Chicagoist staffers were on hand to represent at Hideout's Soup and Bread. It was a delight to participate and help raise a healthy chunk of change for the Lakeview Pantry. more ›

Fresh Dill, for garnish (optional) more ›