Jay D's Bites: Blackened Shrimp with Corn Grits

by Jay Ducote

Shrimp and grits is a quintessential southern dish, so much so that it's hard to avoid it when dining around the Gulf or Atlantic coastlines. In Louisiana we take our shrimp and grits very seriously, but there's no right or wrong way to tackle the dish. A classic New Orleans barbeque shrimp recipe with spiced butter smothering the grits is something to salivate over.

I like to use my Jay D's Spicy & Sweet Barbecue Rub as a blackening seasoning on shrimp as well. The rub adds a nice layer of sweet heat, and the blackening process develops some nice char and smoky flavors. Serve the tasty shrimp over some creamy, buttery grits and you've got a great combination of southern flavors! I used this recipe at the James Beard Foundation's Taste America Event and it impressed all the spectators. Feel free to use it for your gatherings as well.

Blackened Shrimp with Corn Grits

A tasting of my Blackened Shrimp with Corn Grits at the James Beard Foundation's Taste of American event.

Serves 8-10 entree portions or around 70 tasting portions

4 cups chicken stock
4 cups whole milk
2 cups stone-ground yellow grits
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. unsalted butter
3 lbs peeled and deveined gulf shrimp (21/25 ct)
6 Tbs. Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Barbecue Rub
1/4 cup canola oil
1 bunch scallions, chopped


In a large Dutch oven, bring the chicken stock, milk, and a pinch of salt up to a boil.

Whisk in the grits and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for approximately 30 minutes. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Season the shrimp with Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the canola oil to medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, or until they’re opaque in the center. Serve the shrimp over the grits and garnish with the chopped scallions.

Jay D's Bites: Turkey Chili with Sweet Potatoes

by Aimee Tortorich

It’s officially chili season and we love this chili that uses sweet potatoes and black beans! Use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey for a quick and healthy edition of this cozy favorite. A little heat and smokiness from the rub is the perfect touch to give this dish a unique flavor.

Turkey Chili with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

Yield 4-6 servings

1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper
2 jalapeños
1 ½ lbs shredded turkey, cooked
1 Tbs cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub
1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 quart of chicken stock

Heat a medium pot on medium heat and saute onions, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapenos in olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, barbecue rub, and chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are almost tender. Stir in shredded turkey and black beans and simmer for another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Meat, Smoke and Freedom: A Taste of the Red, White & Que Food Truck

by Chuck P

Back in 2010 it was hard not to find a food truck rolling around the streets of Baton Rouge. These weren’t the old run down, dirty and dingy trucks that once operated everywhere that were affectionately given the title of “roach coaches”. These were clean and well equipped vehicles with names like Taco De Paco, Fleur de Licious, Dolce Vida, Three Bones Catering and by far the most popular food truck, Curbside Burgers.

From lunch pop-ups downtown and Friday night round-ups at Tin Roof to just parking at the entrance of an LSU apartment complex, people were scouring social media trying to find out where their next pit stop would be. The food truck scene thrived...until it didn’t.

In a few short years...it was over.

Taco De Paco changed owners and never seemed to recover. The Dolce Vida pizza trailer was destroyed by a drunk driver and the owner left to open a brick and mortar in New Orleans. Nick Huft, owner of Curbside, also ventured to New Orleans to help open and run the kitchen at Barcadia. Without the powerful following that came with those trucks at events and a lack of organization, the once popping food truck scene had come to a dead stop.

Although there aren’t as many food trucks as long ago, there are a few that still fight the good fight in trying to bring their dishes to the masses. Gone are the food truck round-ups. Nowadays, these trucks can be mostly found at special events like Live After Five or The Baton Rouge Blues Festival or catering private parties. One of the newest trucks in particular I found parked right outside of Brickyard South located right across from the 13th Gate and that is the Red, White & Que truck operated by Kyle Rome.

Kyle’s passion for food started at the early age of 5 when he would stand next to his grandmother in the kitchen. She would let him help with adding ingredients and stirring the stews simmering in her giant cast iron pots. After high school he attended college but soon realized that his mind was on culinary creation and not collegiate studies.

Road House Mac: Pulled Pork, BBQ Sauce and Cracklin' Crumbles

He travelled the south for a while working in different kitchens whenever he could before eventually bringing the skills he learned back home. He created his own dry crawfish boil mix and bought his own trailer to boil crawfish for private parties and company events. Now, after taking a couple of years off from cooking, Kyle decided it was time to return to his true passion. He partnered with his friend Conley Pellerin and his girlfriend Brittany Moreau and the Red, White and Que food truck was born.

Kyle and his team are serving up some really tasty dishes like the Road House Mac with pulled pork, their house BBQ sauce and cracklin’ crumbles, a pork and mac n’ cheese quesadilla, and some really solid tacos such as the Chuck Norris featuring pork and pineapple chutney. The menu also includes nachos, burgers, gumbo and a salad to ensure there’s something here for everyone. 

The Chuck Norris Taco: Pulled Pork, Red Onion and Pineapple Chutney

Make sure to follow them on Facebook to find out which Baton Rouge event or late night dive bar they’ll be parked it. Morning, noon or night there’s never a wrong time to support the Red, White and Que.

Jay D's Bites: Spicy & Sweet Hasselback Potatoes with Louisiana Molasses Mustard Dipping Sauce.

by Aimee Tortorich

Hasselback or accordion potatoes are trending across the nation and rightly so. Not only do they look impressive on a plate, but they taste like a combination of a crispy potato chip and baked potato in one. We used smaller potatoes that are easy to eat and enjoy with friends, but you could also use any large potato. Our line of products go great in this version with the a Louisiana Molasses Mustard dipping sauce and the rub for a nice, smoky kick.

Spicy & Sweet Hasselback Potatoes with Louisiana Molasses Mustard Dipping Sauce

Yields 4 servings

8 small potatoes, Yukon Gold, Fingerlings, or Red Bliss
1 cup Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub Butter (see recipe below)
2 Tbsp green onions, chopped

Louisiana Molasses Mustard Dipping Sauce:

¼ cup Greek yogurt
3 tsp Louisiana Molasses Mustard


Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub Butter:

1 cup unsalted butter
1 Tbsp Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub


In a small saucepan, melt butter with Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub until incorporated.

Preheat oven to 425F.

Place a potato between the handles of 2 wooden spoons or 2 chopsticks. Using a sharp knife, make crosswise cuts in each potato, about 1/8-inch apart. The spoon handles will prevent you from slicing the potato all the way through. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.

Pour BBQ Butter in between each slice and bake until golden brown and tender, about 55 to 60 minutes.

To make dipping sauce, combine Greek yogurt and Louisiana Molasses Mustard. Garnish with chopped green onions and enjoy!

Looking Back: Hot Chicken on a Tin Roof

by Marit Schroeder, intern

My first event as a Bite and Booze intern was Hot Chicken on a Tin Roof, and it was such a fun night! I wasn’t entirely sure about the amount of people that were going to show up and how the whole night would go down, but we had such a good time and it was a great start to my internship.

We did recipe testing at the #officehouse for about a week beforehand, so I got to try a bunch of spicy chicken recipes with different blends. I don’t usually get my lunch cooked fresh from a chef so I was living the high life. Some of the recipes were killer fire and some missed a key spice, but the final recipe was the perfect mix.

Hot Chicken Drumsticks

On the day of the event, we spent all day prepping food and getting stuff over to Tin Roof Brewing. It was also my first time in a brewery, and all the equipment was super cool to check out. (P.S., head over any time their taproom is open and take a free brewery tour.) I even got to try most of their beers that night and came away with a few favorites.

When the event started, I was pretty blown away with the nearly 400 people that showed up, and 20% of the food and beer proceeds went towards flood relief for the Great Baton Rouge Food Bank. We teamed up with some of the folks over at Roux 61. They helped us source food donations and came out to help cook the chicken and keep it rolling out all night. It was cool to see all the people that came out to Tin Roof and help serve food. I might’ve have dropped a few servings, it’s fine. My parents showed up to the event, too, just to make fun of me a bit while working, but they bought some trays of food so I’ll allow it.

Hot Chicken Plate complete with Mac and Cheese and Greens.

The event lasted for about 4 hours, and there was a steady stream of people coming and going all night. We served up hot or mild chicken, greens, mac and cheese and a dessert option of homemade banana pudding. The mac and cheese was definitely my favorite, and I loved the leftovers we got to take home after the event was over.

Overall, the event was a success and I’m still working here long enough after to tell my tale!