Once we had the DOH permit in hand, we decided it was time to test out the cook house and the kitchen before actually opening for regular business. As we got approval on January 6, Saturday the 9th seemed like the perfect time for an open house. We’d take a couple of days to cook everything on the menu and then offer up a sampling plate for $15.

Rather than find ourselves overwhelmed via advertising, we chose to keep the open house event low key using only the Cha Cha Hut Facebook page, word of mouth among friends, a sign on the Hut’s door and the open flag hanging out front. We were pleased to have a turn out of 15 folks with about half being people we did not know.

The first Cha Cha Hut sale ever went to Eric, Roxbury Central School’s principal. While technically it was a take out – he had friends dining here bring it to him. Our first actual phone in take out went to Bob who called about half way through the evening.

We started the evening at 3:30 and closed at the scheduled time of 8pm. We had a great crowd and learned a lot of lessons – especially about the lack of proper take out containers. Then again – that was the point of the open house. In addition to giving people the chance to sample our menu, we were looking for issues to solve before our official opening. The evening did just that and we were better prepared for the Wednesday January 13th first official day.

What: Cha Cha Hut Open House
When: January 9, 2010, 3:30pm – 8pm (or we run out of food)
Where: 2310 Bridge St. Roxbury, NY (next to the Roxbury Motel)
Cost: $15 for full menu buffet (beverage not included)

You’re invited to drop by for our open house to sample all of our menu for one low price. This is not our official grand opening. It’s an event for us to work out kitchen issues before opening and for you to sample our menu in the new space.

Hope we see all of the Grill Club folks at this event or at the Hut in the near future. Sign up for the Grill Club to get the latest on this event and our upcoming Grand Opening.

We smoked Bambi!

Or at least Bambi’s ribs.

With the first real winter snow fall coating the valley, we fired up the smoker to take a run at 11lbs. of venison ribs. I had done a smoked venison roast and had grilled moose strip steaks, but smoking venison ribs was a new one for me. Not much online about doing this – other than most hunters choose to not take the ribs. So, I decided to treat them like grass fed beef and work from there.

When raw, the ribs are a dark dark red with basically no fat. That should have been a bit of a warning sign, but I missed it. I decided to go with the Cha Cha Hut BBQ rub – created for pork and chicken – but probably should have opted for the Brisket rub (a bit less spicy and suited to beef). With ribs prepped and the smoker up to 260 degrees, in went Bambi for the next three hours.

While the ribs cooking, we headed off to an open house at Hudsonpress Print Studio (777 Carroll Hinkley Rd. Roxbury NY 12474). The studio is owned by artists Gerda van Leeuwen and Peter Yamaoka. Absolutely wonderful pantings and pottery plus great food and conversation made for a nice way to spend time while Bambi smoked.

Returning home, we found the ribs done and ready for resting. Out of the smoker, into foil and into the cooler to rest for a bit. (Yep – coolers also keep things warm…) Cherie’s experiment for the evening was the latest in Cha Cha Hut baked items: a sweet potato biscuit. Like a denser buttermilk biscuit, one of the tasters for the evening called them “moist scones”. They went so fast we forgot to take a photo though the blurry pic at the right shows Sean eating one. (The photo is perfectly clear – it’s Sean that is actually blurry.)

All in all not a bad first run at both venison ribs and sweet potato biscuits. I’d give the ribs 6/10 and the biscuit 8/10. A bit more moisture in the rib cooking, less spice in the rub and a shorter cook time should do the trick with Bambi. Slightly smaller biscuits will make for biscuit perfection.

Good thing we have more venison ribs coming soon…

When: November 12, 2009 – 5:30pm
Where: Roxbury Arts Group, Vega Mountain Rd.
Contact: 607-326-7908

On Thursday November 12th, we’ll be bringing Stewbilation 2 to the Roxbury Arts Group for the Sponsors Dinner – an event RAG hosts for area businesses and organizations to promote sponsorship of the arts in our region.

If you are a local business owner – big or small – or interested in sponsoring arts in the Roxbury area, come to the Roxbury Arts Center on Vega Mtn. Road at 5:30pm. We’ll be serving Catskill Stew, Black Bean Stoup, smoked chicken wings, pulled chicken and – of course – our famous pulled pork. Wine and Beer will also be served along with other appetizers as RAG discusses their annual sponsorship program. This is all in an effort to convince you that becoming a Roxbury Arts Group Business Sponsor has lots of hidden benefits.

Call 607-326-7908 for more information about this exciting event.

 

Catskill Stew
Just a touch of spice
Our take on Brunswick Stew. We skip the traditional squirrel & chicken and make a thick vegetable stew featuring a base of our Thundernagi BBQ sauce. Add our pulled pork & chicken for the full carnivore experience.

Black Bean Stoup
Medium spicy
Somewhere between soup & stew lies the stoup. We pack this with plenty of black beans and veggies for a hearty meal. It gets even better with a bit of our pulled pork as a topping.

Chili Veggie Stew
Quite spicy
We call this a stew rather than a chili to avoid the chili police who will no doubt cite us for the lack of beans and meat. It’s still a hearty meal – with a definite spicy kick – perfect for Fall & Winter in the Catskills. Add in some pork or chicken & the full array of toppings to make this a true chili extravaganza.

Toppings
Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, Sour Cream, Scallions, Shredded Cheese

Baked Goods
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ginger Snaps
Cha Cha Hut Flat Bread

foamybeer
My Cherry Amore Wheat
A Taste of Honey Amber
Ring My Belgian
Vanilla Twilight Cream Ale
Red Red Ale