EAT MORE HOT DOGS

Stalking The Muse

This business is about food. Period.

Okay, it is about leadership and service and cleaning toilets, too, but if the food is not compelling, then you are sunk. You could be the best toilet cleaner in the world and lead folks blindly through big brick walls, but at the end of the day, you cook for people. You provide sustenance. It is a challenge and an honor that we take very seriously.

And it is not always easy to create menu items over the long run that really resonate with people. Sometimes, the food will tease you. She will whisper right in your goddamn ear, look you straight in the eye, and then disappear just as you try to kiss her on the mouth. Poof! She gone…

Muses are fickle and tantalizing beasts.

But every now and then, she lets you in for a little sugar. Maybe it is a perfectly caramelized onion - crispy and complex. A ripe grilled zucchini brushed with olive oil or roasted corn on the cob, redolent with smoke and literally bursting with joy. These are the moments that keep us going. When we are all in the kitchen, nodding in unison with a mouthful of the muse. This happened the other day as we were tasting this month’s Sausage of the Month offering, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Many folks have been asking for a lower-fat sausage with poultry, so we figured, with bikini weather on the horizon, we would oblige. So we are offering a Country Style Chicken Bratwurst with Caramelized Onions and Dijon Mustard. It features some subtle herbs and spices that we purchased from Amy and Scott at Savory Spice Shop. Marjoram, Smoked Paprika, Peruvian Ginger and Summer Savory, to name a few, with a little cream, eggs and white wine to bind it all up. Then we poach it in chicken stock and grill it to order. The crispy caramelized onions complement it nicely and the Dijon mustard finishes with a heady little punch.

This is being served with a rich yet simple ratatouille – sautéed seasonal vegetables stewed in tomatoes – that complements the meaty Bratwurst nicely and makes us long for the red hot summer.

Please enjoy this month’s Sausage of the Month while you can. No telling when the muse will return, but she did give me her digits. So, do I wait three days to call, or….?

spices from our friends at Savory Spice Shop

Fresh Veggies for Ratatouille

The Chicken Sausage is being served with a rich yet simple ratatouille –
sautéed vegetables stewed in tomatoes – that complements the meaty Bratwurst nicely. 

Chicken Sausage with Caramelized Onions and Dijon Mustard

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It just felt right. 

BrewDogs | The Results Are In!

The Unknown Brewing Co., The Dog Without Boundaries, featuring beer cheese, bacon, Sriracha and fried okra (fried in batter made with their Over the Edge beer). 187 sold.

NoDa Brewing Co., DogMadChad, featuring bacon, grilled onion and peppers, sweet pickle chips and mustard made with NoDa Stout. 148 sold.

Charlotte Beer Blog (charlottebeer.com), Put That In Your Pipe, featuring bacon, smoked cheddar, red onion, smoked jalapeño ketchup. 140 sold.

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Doppel Dog, featuring JJ's house-made bratwurst, copperkraut ( traditional sauerkraut steeped in OMB's Copper Ale and anise seed), beer mustard and fried jalapeños. 127 sold.

Good Bottle Co., Goodness Gracious, Great Dogs on Fire!, featuring chili, bacon, jalapeño and corn salsa, tabasco and Andy Capp hot fries (from the packaged snack). 94 sold.

Salud Beer Shop, La Dominicana, with plantain chips, onions, banana peppers and BBQ sauce. 80 sold.

We want to thank all the participating breweries for creating and promoting their signature hot dog for our  2014 Brew Dog Series.

Click here to read the article in The Charlotte Observer

Read more here: http://shoptalkclt.blogspot.com/2014/04/jjs-red-hots-local-beer-vendors-brew-up.html#storylink=cpy

i blame the bacon...

The day after a big event is always a struggle. A little because of the alcohol consumption, (sorry, occupational hazard) but a huge part of it is simply the event hangover itself.

The relief of putting another event in the books is a great feeling. And an even better feeling is the fact that it went off without a hitch. A wildly successful evening and another slew of great memories for our little brand. The weather was perfect, the 'cue was smoky and savory, the pops creamy and bacony and salty and spicy... and the beer....oh, good lord, the beer. Kudos to Triple C for concocting a damn fine bacon-infused elixr.

Most of all, our staff was on point last night.  I'm so proud of the leadership, management, teamwork and overall effort put into creating a great evening for our guests.  THANK YOU TEAM DILWORTH - Terrel, Gloria, Zo, Kelly, Will, Sydney, Ebony, Meredith, Miguel, and Campbell!

Thank you to our partners in crime King of Pops (Brandon DeCurtins) and Triple C Brewing (Harker, Will, Justin and Scott). I'm proud of our little collaboration and am extremely grateful of your willingness and open-mindedness on this idea.

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who joined us last night. Not only for buying tickets and committing to us YOUR Thursday evening, but for ALWAYS supporting us. We hope you thoroughly enjoyed yourselves so much that it hurt a little this morning. :-)

I'm sure glad it's over but damn glad it happened. Bacon, Beer and BBQ - check. Onto the next great idea....

Click here for the playlist from last night.  And of course, a few photos:

BBQ Sliders | Pulled Pork, Slaw, Sweet & Sour Pickles, Smoked Amber BBQ Sauce

Sweet & Sour Chips

Sydney! 

Welcome to all things bacon beer and bbq

The gentlemen of KOP + 3C 

Ms. Ellen Gurley, ladies and gents. 

Baby Makers

Ms. Yelp Charlotte | Nikki Wolfe 

Awaiting the bacon beer....

Capellos! 

Joe Hall with JJ's Owner, Jon Luther

So good they might go on the menu

smokey bacony beer

chocolaty bacony salty pop with a kick

Team Bacon Beer & BBQ

q on q on q on q

love this lady | cassiday 

The Luthers

rockin' the roof 

Pop Culture

I met Charlotte King of Pops Co-owners Brandon and Reade DeCurtins about a year ago. I can't remember how we were introduced but I'm sure glad I adopted "pop culture" early.  Now, we get the pleasure of having a KOP cooler and rainbow umbrella in our East Blvd parking lot about 6 months out of the year. Hooray!

King of Pops serves ecologically responsible, fresh, all-natural frozen treats in all sorts of flavors. Some even include local craft beer. A few of our favorites are the Pineapple Habanero, Mexican Chocolate, Girl Scout Cookie Series, Thai Tea, Orange Cream, Lemon Basil, Salted Watermelon, Strawberry Lemonade, Banana Puddin', Blackberry Mojito... ok well damn, that list got a little out of control. You get the idea (to see a full list of flavors click here). You can find their carts all around Charlotte. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for their daily schedule.

Our NEW FAVORITE flavor is JJ's very own concoction: Chocolate, JJ's Bacon, Cayenne, Sea Salt. JJ's Red Pop is sweet and creamy with a kick!  We had the opportunity to be pop kings for a day at KOP's local Charlotte facility. Some pics below. JJ's Red Pop will hit Charlotte pop stands on 4/24! Let us know what you think by posting a pic of your JJ's pop #jjsredpop @jjsredhots @kingofpopsclt.

ONCE YOU POP.....

pop logo

pop coolers

f r e e z i n g pops

pop sticks

add a little bit more bacon ;-)

 jjs red pop. done. 

Bacon Beer & BBQ Dinner

 

Featuring Triple C Brewing & King of Pops

Join us, in celebration of NC Craft Beer Month, for a firkin’ good time. JJ’s has teamed with Triple C Brewing and King of Pops to bring you all your favorite things: Beer. Bacon. BBQ. 

Place                     JJ’s Dilworth, Rooftop

Time                     6pm – 9pm

Cost                       $12 per person

Beverage             1 Pint Bacon-infused Smoked Amber Cask

Main Course       2 Pulled Pork Sliders topped with Smoked Amber BBQ Sauce, JJ's Slaw and House Dill Pickles. Served                                  with a side of our house-made Onion Rings (side substitution available)

Dessert                 JJ’s Red Pop, a collaboration with King of Pops, Bacon/Chocolate/Sea Salt/Cayenne 

*Additional pints available for purchase while supplies last. Questions: Brandy Newton, bnewton@jjsredhots.com

TO PURCHASE TICKETS CLICK HERE. Did I mention that we'll be giving away tickets to JJ's VIP Party Deck at the new Knights Stadium

RECIPE | Triple C Smoked Amber BBQ Sauce

2 C        Ketchup

¼ C       Brown Mustard

½ C       Molasses

¼ C       Brown Sugar

2 T        Chili powder

½ tsp     Cayenne

¼ C       Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp      Granulated Garlic

1 tsp      Black Pepper

1 tsp      Cumin

8 oz       Triple C Smoked amber, reduced by 1/4 over med heat. About 10 min.

Combine ingredients in a large stockpot, cook for 30 min, whisking often to combine flavors. Makes about 1 Qt.

the pig digs

saucy