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Friends, I do apologize for this not being a recipe post, but I hope you can spare me a few minutes of your time to help share some of the culture of the islands with you and the thousands of visitors that come here daily. BTW, thanks for your continued support. I promise to have a new recipe ready within the next 48 hours (maybe this time I’ll do some baking). As you all know (if you’ve been part of the Facebook Group we were unable to be in Trinidad and Tobago this year for carnival and it was very stressful knowing what we were missing. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to be part of Carnival, you’d know what I mean. And for those of you who’ve not had the pleasure yet, make it one of those things you MUST do in this lifetime.The people, culture, food, music and overall “let loose” fun is truly something to experience, at least once.

If you’d like a little taste of the festivities and live in Canada, you’re in luck. I’m helping in the distribution of the official “Tribe 2010 Carnival Magazine” but I have limited supplies so you must take action today!

Tribe Cover 2010(2)

About the magazine.

Basically the magazine is produced to showcase the efforts of one of the most popular bands in Trinidad and Tobago carnival, Tribe. It covers all the events they’re associated with, in pictures. The 115 plus pages are packed with hundreds of top quality pictures and is well put together in high quality paper that feels more like a book than an actual magazine. From all the fetes leading up to the big days as well as Jouvert and carnival Monday and Tuesday, you’ll be blown away by the rich colours of the costumes and the sexy nature of the people in the costumes. This is truly a collectors item and would make a great conversation piece on your coffee table or to just show friends and family a bit about the rich cultural heritage of the islands and the wonderful job the people at Tribe does on a yearly basis.

Personally I’ve been collecting these magazines ever since the first edition was published and I now have friends asking me if I got the latest issue when they know it’s carnival time. It just so happens that in the 2009 issue my wife and sisters were included in the magazine, so if you played mas with Tribe in 2010, who knows.. you could see yourself in this years issue.

Cost | Reservations.

As I mentioned above I have limited copies for distribution, so if you’re interested in getting a copy you must contact me quickly (I think I have about 25 copies left). The cost is $20 Canadian and that includes shipping within Canada. Once you contact me I’ll reserve a copy for you and discuss payment arrangements. Local pick-up is also available (so you don’t pay the shipping cost).

I really wish I could show you some of the pictures and the quality of the magazine itself, so you’ll know why I didn’t hesitate in making this recommendation.

To learn more about Trinidad Carnival and the Tribe band itself, see below for links.

Tribe Carnival Band

Carnival Scene (be sure to say hello to Richard for me and mention that I sent you over)

Trinidad Carnival Diary (probably one of the best I’ve come across) Saucy the owner is very comprehensive in the information she provides.

WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN!

I’d like to also run a little contest. If you leave me a comment below, your name will be entered to win one of these magazines. YUP! It’s that simple. I’ll cover the cost of the magazine as well as any shipping charges (no matter where in the world you are). All you have to do is leave a comment below and you could win. Feel free to enter (leave comment) as often as you want, since each time you comment your name will be entered. Good Luck. This contest will close April 30 21010

Thanks for your time .

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Spreading the culinary culture – Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

May 28, 2025January 19, 20103 Comments

My first experience with “food tv” was many years ago when we had just 2 TV stations on the island (both showed the same programs) and there was a lady name Sylvia Hunt who had a wonderful cooking show showcasing many of the traditional and regional dishes we grew up on. To this day I have a lot of respect for Ms Hunt and the fact that she can be partially credited for my love for sharing our culinary culture and being a foodie in general.

Then when I moved to Canada, I would sit in front of the TV on a Saturday and watch public television as that was the only channel that had cooking programs back then. Shows such as Two Fat Ladies, Julia Childs, Jacques Pépin, James Barber – The Urban Peasant, Wok With Yan and Pasquale’s Kitchen Express to name a few. Now with all the specialty TV networks, we’ve got the Food Channel that’s creating celebrities out of everyday cooks and exposing people to foods they would never have known before.

Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives trini food

I recently caught an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives which is hosted by Guy Fieri and featured on the Food Network, that I just had to share with you all. It’s a great look at some traditional dishes being made and enjoyed in Seattle. It’s nice to see Pam of Pam’s Trinidadian Caribbean Kitchen spreading the culinary culture of the islands.

Here’s a direct link to Pam’s Trinidadian Caribbean Kitchen in the event you’d like learn more about her and or you’d like to give her menu a test!

Caribbean Pot on Facebook

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Spreading the culinary culture of the Caribbean.

May 28, 2025October 25, 20093 Comments

food Very rare will you find a post on here that’s not a recipe, but after speaking with Chris from Food & Drink Caribbean I felt compelled to share the amazing work they’re doing promoting the cuisine of islands such at Antigua, St Kitts & Nevis and Dominica. I always tell people that if when I move back to the Caribbean and if I didn’t end up in my country of birth Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua would be my next choice. We been fortunate enough to have visited a number of the Caribbean islands while cruising and Antigua is etched in my mind as a true island paradise. The people, natural beauty and lifestyle are all amazing. BTW, you must visit Darkwood beach… I don’t want to say much more to have it over-run by tourists 🙂 (like me)

Rather than go on about the long conversation Chis and I had about what Caribbean Food and Drink is all about and what his partners (and friends) main goals are behind the website and magazine, here’s a teaser video they have for their upcoming DVD release:

A Taste of Antigua from Food&Drink Caribbean on Vimeo.

If you live, visit or plan on visiting Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis and /or Dominica (Not Dominican Republic) be sure to pick up a copy of the restaurant guide the people at Caribbean Food and Drink publish on a yearly basis. I believe it’s free on the islands and if you’re a foodie like me, you’ll get an insight into the respective island’s dining options. BTW, maybe I can convince one of you guys to grab me a copy while you’re down there?

Couple pics from our visit to Antigua (first one is Darkwood beach and the 2nd is from the top of Shirley Heights)

darkwood beach antigua

shirley heights

Please take a moment to check out the Caribbean Food and Drink website and mention that Chris from CaribbeanPot.com sent you.

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Some BBQ tips and techniques for finger licking ribs.

May 28, 2025July 8, 200926 Comments

bbq pork ribs Since the post I did a couple weeks back went over so well (Some BBQ tips and techniques for chicken) I thought I’d share some pointers with you on achieving tender and juicy ribs. The biggest mistake I ‘ve ever made in my brief cooking avocation, is when I purchased ribs in one of those vac-sealed bags that’s pre-seasoned. YUK! I’m sure you’ve been tempted if not already fell for it and lived to regret it. The batch I purchased was pre-seasoned with some sort of sweet Thai chili thing.. just plain old NASTY! I make good, if not great ribs from scratch and I was hoping this would turn out good, especially since it was on sale and I’m always looking for a deal.

Here are some pointers to achieving a wonderful BBQ dinner with the special guest of the evening, ribs!

Don’t ever boil your ribs! The problem with ribs is that they can be a bit tough and ornery. They are full of collagen, and if not cooked properly, they will be incredibly tough and chewy. You want fall off the bone BBQ ribs, and you can achieve this by boiling them, but it’s a bad idea. When you boil ribs, what you are effectively doing is making a pork broth. You are stealing a lot of the delicious potential flavors from the ribs, and they will be much blander and more one dimensional when cooked this way.

What you really want to do is sort of roast the meat. BBQ is a low heat method of roasting, and by dry roasting will concentrate the great flavors of the meat.

Low and slow! The secret to tender BBQ ribs is a long cooking time over a low temperature. If you roast these slowly, the collagen in the meat will transform into luscious gelatin, and the meat will be tender and flavorful. You want to keep the heat between 250 and 300. Lower than 250 and you risk drying the meat, and higher than 300 is getting too hot for tenderizing cooking.

Probably the most important tip I can give to you other than cooking low and slow is… Take off the silver skin. The silver skin is a membrane that is attached to the underside of the bones. You can’t chew it and marinades, rubs and sauces can’t penetrate it. It’s got to go. Take a knife and pry a little bit off, then grab it with your fingers ( I use a paper towel as well) and peel the while thing off.

Season the ribs the night before you plan on cooking them. Rub whatever spice rub you’re using on the meat the night before, to give it enough time to penetrate and flavor the meat.

bbq ribs recipe

Cook them over indirect heat. Rib connoisseurs will convince you that without some sort of smoke flavour you’re not really appreciating the “true” essence of BBQ ribs. I HATE smoked ribs, so I stay very far from this technique. With the indirect method of grilling, all you’re doing is placing the rack of ribs on the section of the grill with no heat. I light half the grill and have the other half bare of any flame.

We were over at our friends’ place last year and as a young couple they were excited to show off the new stainless steel grill they got and their BBQ skills. However, they marinated the raw ribs in BBQ sauce. Don’t sauce until the ribs are done (they’re done when you lift up the rack in the middle a bit, and it threatens to split in two). When they are done, heat the grill up to medium and grill the sauced ribs for a few minutes. If you want to achieve very sticky ribs like our girls like, baste, baste and baste with tons of BBQ sauce near the end.