One Eleven: DnD Michelada, Green Onions, and Barbacoa Tacos

No. A01

1. Down ’n’ Dirty Michelada

Are you going to make a Michelada? According to the web, first, search for the premium clamato, a combination of premium fish sauce and soy sauce, fresh-picked limes, and, OK, Modelo Especial. Get a shaker, some ice … wait!

No. That’s not this recipe. You can find plenty of those recipes on the Intertoobs.

When you find the premium clamato, get yourself some mediocre vodka, Worcestershire, tabasco, celery salt, freshly ground pepper, horseradish, lemon juice, celery, carrots, bacon, shrimp, dill pickles, and, I guess, fried chicken, for an over-the-top Bloody Mary. (Side note: No thanks.)

If you’re up for some Fun Trouble, go down ’n’ dirty and instead have a DnD Michelada. Simple. Quick. Delicious. Simple. And it won’t take long to make. Best of all, there is minimal cleanup involved.

Can of Modelo. Open. Drink a nice sip. More of a gulp.

Get some Tajin Clasico. Shake a liberal amount on the top of the can and in the opening. The Tajin is going to be key to the end product. It has some chili, with lime and salt. It is perfectly blended.

Worcestershire for me comes next. Just a couple of dashes in the can. Really if you do any more, I think you start to over dominate the taste of the Michelada.

Hot sauce. I prefer Cholula. Some prefer Tapatio. Either works for me. I’ve used various hot sauces. While I have my preferences, whatever you like in the hot sauce area seems fine. I like to do about eight good dashes, and three more for good luck. If that’s too much for you, adjust down.

Orange bitters comes next. Just a dash or two. To me this adds a nice hint of sweetness.

Limes. I like to use two or three lime wedges.

Swirl the cocktail around in the can. Then, enjoy.

If you want to have a little more sumthin sumthin for your Michelada, there is another step you can take. You can up your DnD Michelada game to a Ridin’ Dirty Michelada. Just add a little floater of a good tequila (I use Don Julio Blanco) and another little floater of Grand Marnier. (Of course, there are those who think that a tequila floater is not optional for a Michelada.)

The DnD Michelada is ideal for a summer day. It also works well in the fall, when the air is crisp. Or early spring, when it is damp and nasty. Winter, snow. Whenever.

2. The Story of Booker T & the MGs “Green Onions”

The Guardian ran a story several years back about Booker T & the MGs’s “Green Onions” and the path to this classic becoming a hit. Booker T Jones was 17 when he wrote it, and it was a B side to another song at first. The group was the house band at Stax, and when a vocalist up and left a recording session, the band had the studio to themselves. Booker T and the band jammed with some riffs that he had been working out on stage.

The unnamed cut that became “Green Onions” was the third take, said MG guitarist Steve Kropper. Kropper took the tape to Elvis’s guitar player Scotty Moore at Sun Records to cut a disc, then brought the record to DJ Reuben Washington at Memphis station WOLK. He played it, the song caught on with the public, and Memphis Soul pretty much was launched! According to Booker T: “‘Green Onions’ started the “Memphis soul sound,” that deep organ.”

The guitar solo on “Green Onions” is one of my fav solos of all time. Falls right into the song.

3. Micklethwaite’s Beef Cheek Barbacoa Taco

I had my life vastly, vastly improved the other day. I had a beef cheek barbacoa taco at Micklethwaite BBQ in Austin. It was amazing! It was so tender and juicy, with the right amount of smoke. It was seasoned just right. The picture doesn’t do it justice, because I was half way through when I thought that I should take a picture of the damned thing.

I DID take a shot of the brisket. It is outstanding.

4. King in Memphis

Martin Luther King Jr. was in Memphis on April 3 and 4, 1968, to support the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike. He gave his “Mountaintop” speech on April 3, and he was shot and killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.

Here are some articles for further information:

NPR “When MLK Was Killed, He Was In Memphis Fighting For Economic Justice”

Stanford “Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike”

Wikipedia “Memphis sanitation strike”

5. Mary J. Blige

MJB released her second album “My Life” in 1994. It is hailed as a landmark disc blending Old School R&B with New Jack Swing. Diddy produced the album, and Mary J. is outstanding on it.

“Mary Jane (All Night Long)”