Year: 2022

Before you take a sip of a summer beer, you should know a few things. All summer ales are summer beers, but not all summer beers are summer ales. Confused yet? Fine, a little background: there’s no set definition for what a “summer beer” can be. But there is a beer style called “summer ale,” and that beer is usually low in alcohol, light, and easy to drink, often with a citrus element. While a summer ale is a summer beer, it’s not the only kind of summer beer.

Technically speaking, a summer beer can be any style, although lighter styles are more common. In the simplest terms, a summer beer is a beer that makes you think of summer.

Along with swimming, sunbathing, and surfing the internet for new A/C units, another activity we typically associate with summer fun is grillin’. Who doesn’t remember dropping cannonballs into the pool while a dad (be it yours or someone else’s) blew his eyelashes off with a lighter-fluid fireball? As logic would dictate, summery beers go great with grilled food — steaks, sausages, veggies, burgers — or at least, they should.

That’s why, for our latest summer beer blind taste test, we tried to make our tasting as situationally appropriate as possible. Instead of just blindly nosing and tasting a handful of well-known summer beers, we decided to pair them with a bite of a juicy cheeseburger. To see which combination was more than the sum of its parts. How else could we finally find the best summer beer?

It’s a little hard to grill up a consistent product while nosing, sipping, and taking notes, so in lieu of making our own, we selected the most standardized product we could imagine, a Quarter Pounder with cheese from McDonald’s. You’ll probably prefer to grill your own, but if you don’t have the time or space a fast food burger and a beer do make a great “mind vacation.” Now then, onto the test!

Today’s Competitors:

• Samuel Adams Summer Ale
• Allagash White
• Victory Summer Love
• Brooklyn Summer Ale
• Bell’s Oberon
• Sierra Nevada Summerfest
• Long Trail Summer Ale
• Shipyard Summer Ale

Part 1: The Taste

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

The nose is loaded with myriad aromas like coriander, cloves, and other spices as well as banana candy, caramel malts, and a light fruity scent. The palate, when paired with a bite of the cheeseburger, is very fruity, yeasty, malty, and has a nice mix of banana and spices. All of these flavors only add to the savory, umami flavor of the burger. It’s definitely a great beer to pair with grilled foods.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

A nose of biscuit-like malts, wet grass, citrus zest, and slight, piney hops greeted my nose. Sipping it, when paired with a bite of burger, brought forth caramel malts, more citrus, and light, floral hops. It’s crisp and easy to drink and pairs well with a savory, cheesy, fatty burger. But there’s nothing really interesting in the flavor profile that sets this apart from many other crisp, easy-to-drink summer beers.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are aromas of bready malts, earthy grass, fresh hay, citrus peels, and floral, slightly piney hops. After a bite of burger, the palate continued this trend. The juicy, meaty burger paired very well with the Meyer lemon, tangerine, caramel malts, and piney, slightly resinous, subtly bitter finish. This is the crisp, malty, citrusy beer you’ve been looking for to pair with your summer burgers.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a bit uneventful with some light tropical fruit esters, citrus zest, and maybe some subtle floral hops. But I really had to dig to find them. The palate isn’t much more exciting even when paired with a juicy burger. Some more tangerine, grapefruit, and other indistinguishable citrus flavors are paired with some lightly floral, subtly bitter hops. They all worked fine with the savory, salty meat, but didn’t really wow me. Overall, a lot of citrus and not much else.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Lemon zest, floral hops, and sweet malts are prevalent on the nose. Otherwise, the nose is a bit light on the aroma. I took a bite of my burger and washed it down with this beer. The juicy, salty meat paired well with the sweet wheat, orange peel, and lemon zest of the beer and the cheese was a good accompaniment to the gentle spices. Overall, it was a decent pairing. But just not an overly interesting beer.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

The nose has some hints of sweet wheat, lemon zest, and orange peel. But really not much else. It’s not a very good start. I took a bite of the burger and then washed it down with some beer. The meaty flavor of the burger paired well with the wheat, citrus, and slightly floral hops flavors. The problem is that there isn’t really much more going on with this beer. It’s pretty boring and unexciting overall.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Complex aromas of banana peels, citrus zest, caramel malts, and light yeast met my nose before my first sip. After a bite of the burger, I took a sip. I found notes of orange peel, lemon curd, banana candy, bready malts, and a nice, slightly sweet, lightly bitter finish. The balance of yeast, malts and light citrus paired perfectly with the meaty, savory, salty burger.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

The nose is surprisingly complex with aromas of earthy grass, caramel malts, citrus zest, slight pepper, and subtle, floral hops. This is the first beer that really seemed to mesh well with the umami, salty, cheesy flavor of the burger. The meaty flavor paired well with the citrus zest, sweet grains, caramel malts, and floral, slightly piney, barely bitter hops. I would definitely enjoy this combination again.

Part 2: The Rankings

8) Shipyard Summer Ale (Taste 6)

ABV: 5.1%

Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

While it seems like there are new summer beers every year. Some have been around since well before the craft beer boom. One of the most popular timeless summer brews is Shipyard Summer Ale. This 5.1% American wheat beer is brewed with Saphir and Williamette hops as well as 2-row British Pale ale malts, Munich malts, and malted wheat.

Bottom Line:

While Shipyard Summer Ale pairs fine with a cheesy burger, it’s the burger itself doing the heavy lifting. The beer is fairly muted and boring on its own.

7) Long Trail Summer Ale (Taste 4)

ABV: 5.4%

Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This re-imagined summer ale was created because of the popularity of a small-batch brewery-only release. This pale ale (they call it a “juicy golden ale’) features Cashmere, Mandarina Bavaria, and Amarillo hops. It’s known for its juicy, citrusy, slightly bitter flavor profile.

Bottom Line:

Long Trail Summer Ale isn’t a bad beer. It has a nice citrus profile. It’s just fairly one-dimensional and it works well with a burger not because of, but in spite of it.

6) Samuel Adams Summer Ale (Taste 5)

ABV: 5.3%

Average Price: $11.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

There are few summer beers as more well known as Samuel Adams Summer Ale. This American wheat ale is subtly spiced and gets its main flavor from the addition of orange, lime, and lemon peels. There’s a reason it’s one of the most anticipated summer beers.

Bottom Line:

Personally, if I was going to pair a burger with any Samuel Adams beer, it would be the classic Boston Lager, with its mix of malts and Noble hops. Its Summer Ale isn’t a bad beer, it’s just a little bit of a one-trick pony with the citrus flavor.

5) Sierra Nevada Summerfest (Taste 2)

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $24 for a twelve-pack

The Beer:

Sierra Nevada briefly discontinued this summer staple last spring (and dropped Summer Break Hazy IPA) only to bring it back just as quickly due to demand. This 5% crisp pilsner is brewed with Munich, Pilsner, and 2-row Pale malts as well as Perle, Saaz, and Spalter Select hops.

Bottom Line:

I understand the appeal of Sierra Nevada Summerfest. It’s a great American take on the classic Czech-style pilsner. It’s just that it’s on par with countless others that you could easily plug into this spot instead and be just as happy.

4) Brooklyn Summer Ale (Taste 8)

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $11.50 for a six-pack

The Beer:

While many breweries opt for wheat beers when crafting their summer beer, Brooklyn instead opted for an English-style pale ale. Available from March until August, this 5% brew is known for its crisp, crushable flavor and balance of citrus and floral hops.

Bottom Line:

I’m not surprised Brooklyn Summer Ale paired so well with a cheeseburger. It’s a combination I’ve definitely enjoyed in the past and will do so in the future. The flavors work really well together.

3) Bell’s Oberon (Taste 7)

ABV: 5.8%

Average Price: $11.50 for a six-pack

The Beer:

One of the most eagerly anticipated beers in the spring and summer, Bell’s Oberon is an American wheat ale made with simple ingredients like water, barley, wheat, hops, and house ale yeast. Unlike some wheat beers, there are no spices or fruit flavors. It’s simple, flavorful, and filled with citrus and hop flavor.

Bottom Line:

There’s a reason Bell’s Oberon is a beloved summer beer. It’s well-balanced and flavorful and the citrus, yeast, and wheat flavors pair well with the burger ingredients.

2) Allagash White (Taste 1)

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $12.50 for a six-pack

The Beer:

There’s no American wheat beer more highly rated and beloved than Allagash White. It’s also one of the greatest summer beers of all time. This Belgian-style wheat beer was brewed with malted wheat, raw wheat, oats, coriander, and Curaçao orange peel.

Bottom Line:

Allagash White is such a widely loved beer, I’m not surprised it fared so well when paired with a burger. The gentle spices, yeast, and orange peel play well with the meaty, salty burger.

1) Victory Summer Love (Taste 3)

ABV: 5.2%

Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

There might not be a more aptly named beer than Victory Summer Love. This eagerly anticipated blonde ale is brewed with Pilsner and Carapils malts as well as Tettnang and Simcoe hops. The result is a crisp, light, citrus, and pine-forward summer beer.

Bottom Line:

When it comes to well-rounded beers to pair with burgers, it’s really tough to beat the malt, citrus, pine, earthy, floral flavor profile of Victory Summer Love.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Just like with other beer blind taste tests, complexity and balance were key in rating and ranking these beers. A cheeseburger can be very heavy, fatty, and salty and it needs to be tempered with the right beer. It’s clear beers (regardless of the style) that have a broad, expansive flavor profile fared better than lighter, simple beers.

Pusha T’s nationwide takeover for his new album It’s Almost Dry has been extended, as the Virginia rapper has announced the second phase of his ongoing tour in the wake of his performance at Pharrell’s Something In The Water festival. The album was Pusha’s first-ever No. 1 after over 20 years of his career, driven by singles like “Diet Coke,” “Neck And Wrist” featuring Jay-Z, and “Call My Bluff,” as well as album standout “Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes.” You can see the full run of tour dates below.

Sep 03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Made In America*
Sep 04 – Las Vegas, NV @ Day N Vegas*
Sep 16 – Rochester, NY,
Sep 17 – Cleveland, OH*
Sep 18 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
Sep 20 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
Sep 22 – Norfolk, VA @ NorVa
Sep 24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
Sep 25 – Queens, NY @ Rolling Loud*
Sep 28 – Indianapolis, IN @ Old National Centre
Sep 29 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
Oct 01 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave-Eagles Club
Oct 02 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fillmore, Minneapolis
Oct 04 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
Oct 06 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
Oct 08 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
Oct 10 – Dallas, TX @ The House Of Blues
Oct 11 – Houston, TX @ The House Of Blues
Oct 12 – New Orleans, LA @ Fillmore
Oct 14 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
Oct 15 – Orlando, FL @ Plaza Live
Oct 16 – Miami, FL
Oct 19 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
Oct 20 – Washington D.C. @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
Oct 22 – Richmond, VA @ Brown’s Island
Oct 27 – Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theater
Oct 28 – Providence, RI
Oct 29 – Boston, MA @ The House Of Blues
Oct 30 – Wallingford, CT @ Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre

The 2022 NBA Draft cycle has been marked by uncertainty, and that continues into the final hours before the big night arrives. While there is a consensus top four with Jabari Smith Jr., Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, and Chet Holmgren in some order, most of the focus at the very top of the board has been on Smith and Holmgren. Then, almost on cue, a flurry of activity transpired in the handicapping world with Banchero and the No. 1 overall pick, bringing even more clouds to the mix.

Barring a total shock, one of the top four players will land in Orlando on Thursday, with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets reportedly likely to snag other players from that grouping. From there, things might fly off the rails with the always entertaining and unpredictable Sacramento Kings at No. 4 overall, and in a draft that projects as relatively flat in the mid-to-late lottery, “consensus” may be moot by eight o’clock hour on June 23.

With that as the backdrop, it is time to check in with a final mock draft look at the 2022 board, acknowledging that chaos will almost certainly reign on the festivities with trades and unexpected selections in the offing. Keep in mind that this is not a big board, but rather an educated estimate on what might transpire, taking into account public and private intel and reasonable team needs as they are known at this juncture.

1. Orlando Magic – Jabari Smith Jr. (F, Auburn)

Smith is the consensus No. 1 from a mock perspective, and he’s here until the behind-the-scenes info changes. With that said, it doesn’t feel like a lock by any means, and this is a true “eye of the beholder” class all the way through. As a player, Smith is arguably the best shooter in the draft with the length to shoot over anyone, but he also tends to settle for contested shots, rather than showing the ability to get by defenders and attack the rim. With his high-end shooting and defensive potential, though, there is a ton to like.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder – Chet Holmgren (C/F, Gonzaga)

Holmgren is my personal No. 1 player, albeit not by a wide margin. He is reportedly viewed highly in Oklahoma City and only worked out for the top two teams. That is likely for a reason, and the idea of Holmgren is exceptionally tantalizing. By now, anyone paying attention has heard endless discussion of his frame, but Holmgren’s defensive feel and length are off-the-charts, and he is the archetype of a rim protector and floor spacer that teams certainly covet in the modern game.

3. Houston Rockets – Paolo Banchero (F, Duke)

Banchero might be a heist for Houston. He is viewed by some as the best prospect in the draft and, if you buy his shooting and/or his potential to be solid defensively, that makes sense. Some of the public reaction to the Christian Wood trade as a tie to Banchero was likely overblown, but he’s the best player available in this slot, and he’s a very popular mock selection here for a reason.

4. Sacramento Kings – Jaden Ivey (G, Purdue)

The Kings are the Kings, and speculation is rampant that Sacramento could move this selection for a player that is more present-day ready. That would be a mistake in a vacuum, at least when viewing the Kings’ roster through a rational lens, and one reason is that Ivey is a tier above the rest of the players on the board. Is the fit between Ivey and De’Aaron Fox great? Probably not, but if a team lands in the top four, taking the best prospect is the best thing to do on about 99 percent of occasions.

5. Detroit Pistons – Keegan Murray (F, Iowa)

This is a perfectly fine outcome for Detroit, though many (including myself) would be fascinated by a partnership between Ivey and Cade Cunningham. Alas, Ivey should be the No. 4 pick, no matter which team makes that selection, and Murray is believed to be one of the favorites in Detroit. The Pistons could easily go off the board with Bennedict Mathurin or another interesting prospect, but Murray’s statistical profile was tremendous at Iowa, and he checks a lot of positive boxes, even without presenting grand slam upside.

6. Indiana Pacers – Bennedict Mathurin (G/F, Arizona)

There is a ton of smoke that Indiana is interested in landing either Ivey or Murray. Since we aren’t projecting trades in this mock, the Pacers have to go elsewhere, and Mathurin seems logical. He is widely projected to be a top-eight pick, and there is a chance Mathurin is one of the best shooters in the draft that has some off-dribble juice and a reasonable defensive projection.

7. Portland Trail Blazers – Shaedon Sharpe (G/F, Kentucky)

This is kind of cheating, because I don’t think the Blazers would take Sharpe. But Portland is widely expected to take offers/calls on the No. 7 pick all the way until the selection is made if necessary. With that in mind, I’ll slot in Sharpe as the mystery player of the draft, but as a guy with legitimate star upside as a shot creator if it all comes together. He does have real downside, but it is easy to be enticed by what he could be.

8. New Orleans Pelicans (via LA Lakers) – Dyson Daniels (G, G League Ignite)

Daniels has been a personal favorite throughout the process, and this might be his practical floor with the way the intel is trending. The big question is whether he can shoot at a high enough level to be a massive offensive threat, but Daniels is a gifted defender who plays the game with tremendous feel. He also has great size at 6’7 for a player with guard skills, and Daniels is comfortable as a playmaker to the point where he should be able to solidly perform as a secondary option.

9. San Antonio Spurs – Jeremy Sochan (F, Baylor)

Things get very interesting from here, in part because the Spurs are prone to going off the board a bit. Sochan is a perfectly solid value at this slot, and San Antonio seems to be a team that would value his defensive versatility. In fact, Sochan projects as the most intriguing defender in the entire class, at least outside of the center options, and San Antonio has a reputation of fixing issues on the offensive end. The offense has a long way to go, but Sochan could be a multi-faceted, highly valuable future piece.

10. Washington Wizards – Johnny Davis (G/F, Wisconsin)

Washington has been leaning on players who are “NBA-ready” in the recent past, and Davis does check that box. This time, Davis would actually be appropriate in terms of future-facing value as well. In fact, there was a time in which it would not have felt strange to see Davis at No. 5 or No. 6 on big boards, and not too much changed when it comes to his evaluation. Everyone wishes he was 6’7 and could play small forward on a regular basis, but Davis is a very good basketball player who competes and brings two-way equity.

11. New York Knicks – A.J. Griffin (F/G, Duke)

This is a splendid value for the Knicks, as long as Griffin’s medicals are in order. He was the No. 1 player in his high school class at one point and, while Griffin’s athleticism has declined a bit, he shot the ball at an absurd level at Duke. If he can recapture some burst and improve his defense, look out.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via LA Clippers) – Tari Eason (F, LSU)

Oklahoma City is the first team to make multiple picks, and that makes the Thunder even more interesting. Beyond the stockpile of assets they already possess, the Thunder add Chet Holmgren in this mock, and go with another defensive disruptor in Tari Eason. While Eason isn’t a polished product, he is physical, aggressive, and talented.

13. Charlotte Hornets – Jalen Duren (C, Memphis)

Duren might be gone by No. 13 but, if he isn’t, he slots into the Mark Williams Memorial Draft Slot. That isn’t a slight to Williams, who you will see shortly, but Duren has the higher ceiling and is largely viewed as the better prospect. He’s still 18 years old and has room to develop, but Duren lobs from LaMelo Ball could be special and fun.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers – Ochai Agbaji (G/F, Kansas)

Agbaji is one of the better shooters in the class and Cleveland needs shooting and wing depth. There is a potential bonus in that Agbaji projects to be able to contribute sooner rather than later, but the trade-off is that his ceiling is lower than some of the other options available in this range.

15. Charlotte Hornets (via New Orleans) – Ousmane Dieng (F, New Zealand Breakers)

This is probably too low for Dieng based on where the intel is with him. The Hornets also might be interested in moving one of their two top-15 selections, so it’s also a placeholder. He’ll need some time to grow into his game, but Dieng’s raw tools are tremendously intriguing with his playmaking chops, length, and defensive potential.

16. Atlanta Hawks – Jalen Williams (F/G, Santa Clara)

Hawks President of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk has always been fond of “dribble, pass, shoot” players, and Williams checks every box. He was a late riser in the process, but Williams is 6’6 with a 7’2 wingspan and he operates at his own tempo and under complete control. The challenge is that he’s a fairly limited athlete by NBA wing standards, but Williams has been impressing on the workout circuit, and he can run a pick-and-roll to give the Hawks some secondary creation.

17. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn) – Malaki Branham (G/F, Ohio State)

This is a best player available choice for Houston, at least within reason. Branham does have some downside as a middling athlete and a very poor defender at this stage, but he has a reported 6’10 wingspan and a varied offensive game. He can get to his own shot, connect from long distance, and give the Rockets another long-term shot creator.

18. Chicago Bulls – Mark Williams (C, Duke)

The Bulls are heavily linked to Rudy Gobert as a one-man plan on defense. Obviously, Williams won’t be at Gobert’s level anytime soon, but his calling card is the ability to act as a defensive anchor and potentially elite rim protector. This also doubles as a strong value compared to my personal big board.

19. Minnesota Timberwolves – E.J. Liddell (F, Ohio State)

Rumblings indicate the Wolves could be in the market for a true center to pair with Karl-Anthony Towns, and Liddell isn’t that. However, if they don’t go with strategy, Liddell is a versatile, effective defender at the 4 that could help Towns and fit seamlessly with Minnesota’s pieces. A team in the top-20 would need to buy his shooting improvement from last season, but that is reasonable.

20. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto) – TyTy Washington (G, Kentucky)

Washington could benefit from a team buying into the “Kentucky combo guards are undervalued!” narrative from recent seasons. However, he hasn’t had much helium during the draft process, and a top-20 landing spot would be just fine. Washington has great feel and makes some sense next to a big creator like Dejounte Murray.

21. Denver Nuggets – MarJon Beauchamp (G/F, G League Ignite)

This is a bet on the rest of Denver’s offensive ecosystem. Beauchamp would be one of the more limited offensive players to go off the board in the first round, but he’s a very good defensive player already and might be an excellent one in the future. The Nuggets just need more defensive juice on the whole, especially when building around Jokic, Murray, and Porter Jr.

22. Memphis Grizzlies (via Utah) – Dalen Terry (G/F, Arizona)

It used to be trendy to view Terry as a top-20 pick. Now, many have wised to that viewpoint. Regardless, the Grizzlies seem to have Draft Twitter Brain, and Memphis nabs another riser as they did with Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, and De’Anthony Melton in previous seasons. If Terry’s jump shot plays, he’s terrifying.

23. Philadelphia 76ers – Jake LaRavia (F, Wake Forest)

LaRavia is a huge riser at the end of the process, but those paying close attention to his season at Wake Forest aren’t surprised. He profiles as a genuinely valuable role player who can shoot, pass, and defend. He’s not an upper-tier NBA athlete, but there is enough there to hold up, and the Sixers could use a player who doesn’t need the ball to succeed.

24. Milwaukee Bucks – Christian Braun (G/F, Kansas)

The hope with Braun would be that he can function as a 3-and-D wing with transition appeal. Milwaukee’s pre-draft rumblings point to a desire for contributions in the near term, and Braun was a multi-year guy at Kansas who can hold up defensively, shoot it, and provide real athleticism. His biggest vulnerability is on-ball creation, but he won’t need to do that in Milwaukee.

25. San Antonio Spurs (via Boston) – Nikola Jovic (F, Mega)

Jovic is a bit of an odd player. He is a really gift ball-handler and potential creator with power forward size. If his jumper matches his creativity, he’ll be an offensive monster. On the other side, his defense could be a forever kind of problem, but the Spurs have multiple picks and can perhaps maximize his talents.

26. Houston Rockets (via Dallas) – Blake Wesley (G, Notre Dame)

Wesley is a very tools-y, theoretical prospect at this point, but the tools are very intriguing. He struggled at Notre Dame from an efficiency standpoint, but he’s a very good athlete that could put pressure on the opposition. Houston’s current front office tends to swing on upside, and he has some.

27. Miami Heat – Jaden Hardy (G, G League Ignite)

On one hand, this would represent a bit of a tumble for Hardy, who was once projected as a potential top-five pick in this class. On the other, Miami is a fantastic developmental situation, and Hardy has shot creation upside that most prospects simply can’t bring at this juncture in the draft.

28. Golden State Warriors – Wendell Moore (G/F, Duke)

Moore shot it well this year, dispelling some previous concerns about his ability to space the floor. He isn’t a lock first-rounder, but Moore is a very good and willing passer who can operate a pick-and-roll and hold up on defense. That does sound like someone the Warriors would enjoy.

29. Memphis Grizzlies – Kennedy Chandler (G, Tennessee)

This doesn’t really work if the Grizzlies decide to invest in Tyus Jones long-term, and that wouldn’t be the worst idea for Memphis. However, Jones is overqualified to be Ja Morant’s backup, and Chandler is a good value at this point in the draft. He’s small, but there isn’t much to worry about other than the size limitations, and it’s possible that Chandler is being needlessly overlooked.

30. Denver Nuggets (via Oklahoma City) – Andrew Nembhard (G, Gonzaga)

Does Denver actually want to make two picks? That’s unclear. Nembhard is a guy who has gotten enough first round buzz to draw an inclusion, though, and he would give Denver another interesting guard with size and the ability to play in the relatively near future.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is the defining album of Wilco’s career: It saw the band pursue a more experimental sound, which caused a rift with the band’s label, Reprise, who actually refused to release the album. So, after Wilco streamed it online themselves, they joined Nonesuch (which would remain the band’s label home until they launched dBpm Records in 2011) and gave the album a proper release in 2002. It went on to become the band’s best-selling LP and their only one to be certified Gold by the RIAA.

Now that the album is 20 years old, the band is celebrating. In April, they announced a deluxe reissue of the album that includes a whopping 82 previously unreleased tracks. They shared one of those today, a new version of album highlight “Kamera,” dubbed the “The Unified Theory Of Everything Version.” This variation of the song is distinctly different from the final album recording, as it’s rough around the edges and is carried by a more aggressive guitar sound.

In a recent Paste interview, Wilco’s John Stirratt said of “Kamera” making its way to the song it eventually became, “I’m a little hazy on all of it, but I do remember several versions of ‘Kamera’ that all had weird potential and different angles. I remember joking with the guys that they’ll just have to wait for the box set for these versions to come out — of course never thinking there would be one.”

Listen to “Kamera (The Unified Theory Of Everything Version)” above.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Deluxe Edition) is out 9/16 via Nonesuch. Pre-order it here.

All three members of Migos have successfully Eurostepped the rumors that they’ve broken up by simply saying nothing. Instead, they’re all living their lives, releasing or teasing music, and gifting their loved ones. In the latest example of their gift-giving, Quavo presented Takeoff with a new “3-Headed Monster” chain per a TikTok video posted to his Instagram on Monday (June 20). Huncho was taking fans through a day in his life, and it goes without saying The Last Rocket artist is a major part of it.

“Happy birthday Take, you know I had to get him the three-headed monster,” Quavo says as his nephew fixes the chain around his neck.

This isn’t the first time people have seen this, as the trio has all worn it at some point throughout their careers. The last time it was seen was during the Culture III rollout.

Quavo and Takeoff recently released the single “Hotel Lobby” under their new duo name Unc & Phew. The two also delivered a scorching rendition of the track for ColorsXStudios’ Juneteenth and Black Music Month celebration in partnership with Motown Records. The popular phrase states, “You know a wise man once said nothing at all,” and Unc & Phew have no plans of allowing rumors to stop their grind.

Check out Quavo’s Instagram video above.

Scout LaRue Willis always knew she wanted to be a musician — it was a dream she’s harbored since childhood. But it wasn’t until 2016 when Willis played her first solo show that she finally found her voice. In the eight years since, the musician has been honing her wistful and folksy sound and unique, textured vocals.

Now preparing for the release of her self-titled debut album, which is out Friday, Willis translates her personal growth and self-reflection into a stunning 11-track project. Her songs evoke the dusty folk music of greats like Patsy Cline while her lyrics share the complicated journey of modern-day womanhood. “I feel like I am singing these songs to the girl I was — that young, thrashed, courageous version of myself who just kept making art no matter what,” Willis said about the album. “I feel so grateful to finally be at this point, ready to send these stories out into the world to have a life of their own.”

Ahead of the release of Scout LaRue Willis, the singer sits down with Uproxx to talk about her love of Harry Styles, her penchant for emotional support, and getting a matching tattoo with her dad in our latest Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music? 

Enchanting, delicious, honest, and loving.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered? 

I suppose I would love for people to still be connecting to it! For it to be remembered as a moment in time, yet also connected to as something timeless and true!

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform? 

Toronto was an amazing place to play! I played a festival there with my first band and it was like entering a fantasy world where we were big rock stars and everyone was so kind and loving! Right now, it’s wherever I played last though, so Ojai and Santa Rosa!

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why? 

Patsy Cline. She is my numero uno vocal and musical influence. She puts so much of herself into each and every song, the depth she shares is so generous. It’s incredible how authentic she is in every song, even if she didn’t write it!

Where did you eat the best meal of your life? 

In a tiny restaurant in Peru where the chairs are giant paper maché tangerines and the food was so beautiful and fresh it almost made me cry!

What album do you know every word to? 

The Strokes’ First Impressions Of Earth.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended? 

There are a few that come to mind for different reasons: Daft Punk on my 16th birthday at the LA Sports Arena, Beirut in high school with my younger sister, hearing Willie Nelson play at Outside Lands, and one of the greatest was seeing Air and Phoenix play at Versailles when I was 15.

What is the best outfit for performing and why? 

This entirely depends on weather and what mood I am in! I’ve performed in jeans and a tattered Hawaiian shirt and I’ve performed in spangled boots and a mini dress and felt equally wonderful! For me it’s whatever connects me to my power, confidence, sensuality, and embodiment in that moment! As I am typing this though I’m also struck by the idea that a fleecy animal onesie would be pretty primo.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram? 

It’s less about one person for me and more about kinds of accounts! Interior design accounts, astrological meme accounts, and my top tier is sexual wellness educators. To me they are the coolest, most fascinating, magical individuals and the service they provide in our puritanical, repressed yet desperate-for-a-sexual-awakening society is invaluable!

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?  

Sheryl Crow’s “Favorite Mistake.”

What’s the last thing you Googled? 

Nicole Kidman’s astrological sign.

What album makes for the perfect gift? 

Best vinyl I’ve ever received as a gift was Ted Lucas’ self-titled, one and only album. It’s perhaps my favorite of all time.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour? 

A funny little ranch house outside of Austin with crumbly, beautiful rose wallpaper and people asleep on every surface available!

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo? 

My first ever tattoo is a small white circle on my inner ankle, I’d been drawing it on for years. When I turned 18, my dad took me to shamrock tattoo on Sunset Boulevard and Mark Mahoney, who is an incredible, famous tattoo artist did this super simple little tat for me, and my dad got a matching one on his ankle as well.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio? 

Harry Styles. I honestly just adore him, sue me.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you? 

There are so many! The first thing that comes to mind are the occasions when I shared something really vulnerable with my partner and he accepted me for things I still hadn’t learned to love about myself yet.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self? 

Just focus on having fun, seeking pleasure, enjoying yourself, from that place of joy everything else will fall into place! Just because something is challenging or painful doesn’t make it automatically more worthwhile!

What’s the last show you went to? 

I saw my friend Odessa play while we did a mini tour together up the coast of California.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV? 

Frequency, it’s a time travel father and son redemption story with a true-crime twist!

What’s one of your hidden talents?

Facilitating people through emotional crises.

Scout LaRue Willis is out 6/24. Pre-order it here.

Make no mistake, whatever your preconceived notions are of The Grabber, he is not someone who is good at heart, but got saddled with an unfortunate name. No, In Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone, The Grabber lives up to his adjective of a name and spends his free time kidnapping and murdering kids. This behavior is, frankly, way out of line.

What’s funny is when Ethan Hawke was first approached by Derrikson to play The Grabber (the two had worked together before on Sinister), Hawke’s initial reaction was, “Are you nuts?” But the more he thought about it, hes never really played a true villain before. He did worry that he’d be remembered as a villain, but, at this point, it would take a lot more outings as The Grabber to match the 37 years of non-The Grabber roles Hawke has played.

In The Black Phone (based on a book by Joe Hill), it’s 1978 and kids in a suburban town keep going missing. This was more an era where kids would be warned of the dangers, then given a pat on the back, “good luck,” before being sent off to fend for themselves until dark. When young Finney (Mason Thames) is captured by The Grabber, he must outsmart The Grabber, being helped by the ghosts of prior victims that communicate to Finney over a mysterious black phone in the basement where he’s kept.

Ahead, Hawke (who, like me, thinks The Grabber crossed a lot of lines over the course of this movie) explains why he had so much fun playing The Grabber, it led him to take another villainous role in Moon Knight. Speaking of Moon Knight, Hawke gives us his assessment of the reaction to that series. He knows it’s an off show, but that’s something he’s proud of in that it doesn’t fit in squarely with a lot of what we’d seen before in the MCU.

I’ve been trained over many, many years to root for your characters. I have to admit, some of The Grabber’s behavior? He lost me.

Yeah. He’s pretty reprehensible.

I’m watching this and thinking, this is way over the line.

“This is not good.”

You know what? I even reached a point with him when I was like, “This man should be in jail.”

Yes, I think so. I have a funny joke about that.

Okay.

My whole life people say, “Well, did you like your character?” Or whatever. And I say, “I don’t think in judgment of my character.” My line is that I’m my character’s lawyer. I see the world. I defend his position. I justify his actions. But there is no lawyer in the world that wants to have The Grabber as his client.

And I didn’t want judge a book by its cover, but the name “The Grabber” does not have many positive connotations.

It does not. The Grabber, you don’t want to draw that name from a hat.

No.

It’s not going to go your way.

I literally can’t think of some attribute where I would nickname someone The Grabber and go, “I mean that as a compliment.”

He is definitely incubus or something. It’s some manifestation of the Id of darkness.

At one point I was like, “Maybe he’s a good magician?” Then no, not even that.

No, no, no, no. Not one positive attribute.

You said you were worried about doing it at first because you don’t want to be remembered for your entire career as being a villain. At this point, I don’t think you could do that if you tried. If you wanted to be remembered only as a villain I think you have some more work to do.

I think I do, too. If you work for 30 years, you can’t undo it with one part.

“Look, he was nominated for two Academy Awards, but he is The Grabber now.”

“But he is The Grabber now.” I think that when I was younger, I was really just slightly aware of the baggage that actors can create. When they really excel at playing a horrible person it does get harder for you to see them as a benevolent soul.

I see.

Once Anthony Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter, it’s hard to watch him as a sweet grandpa with the puppy, because you’re worried he is going to bite his head off. But then you get a little older and you realize that, ah, it’s okay. And this movie is really funny. I mean, I know it’s scary, but it’s ultimately really a story about a brother and sister who love each other. And The Grabber is really a larger metaphor for how older people do not have the kids’ best interests at heart. You feel the world above these kids – whether it’s the cops or the school people who aren’t looking after them, their parents. The grownups are no help.

It’s set in 1978. You were about the age of these kids in 1978.

Yeah. You know what was even funnier about that? I did my first movie when I was 13. So, 1983, close to the same time. And I was the same age as Mason was. And I was wearing all the same clothes and the cars they’re driving when we were making Explorers.

Okay yeah, I was going to ask if you were talking about Explorers.

Yeah. It’s totally my era. I really related to this kid.

So I was a kid in the ’80s and it’s funny if you even try to explain to someone 10 years younger that this movie is pretty accurate. We were warned all the time about being kidnapped. There was that TV movie about Adam Walsh that everyone watched. My parents were like, “You might get kidnapped, you have to be prepared for that.” Then it’s like, “Well, good luck. Be home by dark.”

“Have a good day at school, by the way, don’t get in a van with somebody who’s offering you candy.”

Exactly. It was always candy and a van.

Actually, when I saw my character’s van, I laughed because when I was a kid, that was exactly the van my mom was warning me about.

It was always the van. Be careful of the van.

Always the van. Don’t get in the van.

And The Grabber parks his van in an outdoor garage, you can see it. It’s like, of course, that’s The Grabber. Whoever owns that van is The Grabber.

It doesn’t take a genius. What kind of lunatic would drive that van? The Grabber.

Did it take a little bit for you to decide, “I want to play the Grabber”?

When Scott called me up and said that he was sending the script and told me a little bit about it, and I laughed and I was talking to him and said, “Listen, Scott, I’m dying to work with you again, but there’s no way in hell I’m playing a character called The Grabber.”

Was it the character or the name or both?

He said, “Yeah, I want you to play The Grabber, he’s the guy that abducts and kills children.” I’m like, “Are you nuts? I’m not playing that character.” And he’s like, “Well, just read it then.” I warned him before I read it. But then I read it and it just seemed like a really good genre movie to me. And I thought that the mask work was something I’d never done before. And exactly all the reasons why I didn’t want to do it might be exactly the reasons why I should do it. Because it’s fun as an actor to make yourself uncomfortable and play against things that suit your vanity. It’s fun to play John Brown, he’s a hero. He’s a stud. He fights for justice.

Right.

But I thought it might be good for me to do something outside my wheelhouse. And also, let’s face it, actors, we only go as far as our opportunities. When you have an opportunity to work with a top tier director, you just have to do it. Basically, my theory about it, Scott’s really smart. He knows how to make a good movie. If it doesn’t work, it won’t work. And the downside of it working great is for the rest of my life, people will be calling me “The Grabber.”

Well, like you said, you do have a mask most of the movie.

That helps.

Now a 12-year-old kid will pass you on the street, “It’s the Grabber!”

“That’s the Grabber. Run!”

I hope that happens at least once in your life.

I hope so. Isn’t it funny that Alec Guinness had this huge long career. Epic, beautiful career. And at the end of his life, everybody knew him as Obi-Wan. A movie that I don’t think he ever even saw.

I mean, I’m sure he was happy with the money he made off those movies, but he seemed annoyed that people weren’t talking about Doctor Zhivago or…

Exactly. All the David Lean movies.

So that’s your positive connotation about The Grabber. In your mind, Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Grabber have a lot in common.

Both wizards.

Did you do this first or Moon Knight?

I did this first.

Okay.

So this was the first villain I’d ever played. I remember while we were doing this, I think is right when I was offered the Marvel movie. And we were talking about it and Scott was really helpful about his experience on Doctor Strange and how he thought I should do that movie. So it was strange. I went right from The Grabber to Harrow. So after not playing villains, I did two back to back.

With The Grabber, I was pretty turned off by his actions right away. I’m not signing up for what this guy’s offering…

You’re not going to his convention.

But Harrow, the jury was out there because you don’t know where he’s coming from.

Yeah, exactly.

I mean, literally, because he could just be a kindly doctor.

He really could. And the thing is, he operates more in the old-fashioned sense of the way I used to think about characters, which is that he’s the antagonist, he’s not evil. He’s just the opponent to the protagonist. He’s just in opposition.

Well, it is interesting, so you play The Grabber and you were really doing some soul searching about playing a villain, and then you play a villain immediately next. So you had to have enjoyed playing The Grabber.

Just, I don’t know, it just walked me through a door to different kinds of characters. Then I went immediately into Harrow, and that was fun because so much of The Black Phone is about mystery. And what was fun about the Moon Knight is, oh, you’re never sure in Moon Knight what’s a dream and what’s not a dream. But it was a much bigger canvas to paint on as far as characterization.

A few years ago I was interviewing you and you joked that if you had known there would be so many Purge movies you wouldn’t have let them kill you off in the first one. I’m not sure you’re taking your own advice lately. How will you feel when The Grabber 7 comes out?

As much as I said that, I also love that about movies: a beginning, middle and an end. One story, one thesis statement, one larger metaphor. You can really make something beautiful. I think I said that about The Purge to make you laugh…

I did laugh. It worked.

I don’t mind dying at the end of a movie. I think one thing that’s funny though is, my mother who obviously loves me, whenever I die in a movie, she finds it completely unbelievable.

Well, that’s probably a good thing.

Because she’s my mom. “I didn’t find that believable.” I’m like, “You didn’t find what believable?” “I don’t feel like you would die, honey.”

Has she seen The Black Phone yet?

Mom?

Yes.

Oh, she’ll never see The Black Phone.

So you never have to worry about your mom seeing you as the Grabber.

She went to see Sinister and it took her five years to recover.

I’m curious what you thought about the reaction to Moon Knight. I’m not just saying this because I’m on a Zoom with you, but I loved it because it’s so weird. But when something goes for something different of course there will be people who don’t like that. But it is going for something.

I mean, Oscar and I were really into that.

I can tell. Both of you were looking like you were having the time of your life.

And I wanted to push the whole Marvel thing a little more Kurt Vonnegut, a little more Philip K Dick. To press the weirder elements of it. And if you’re dealing with the main hero, that’s what’s different about that show, is that the hero is suffering from mental illness. So it seemed like it needed a perspective about what is reality. Because the hero has no reality. I found that the most dynamic part of the show. I mean, that’s what that show is about to me. So, I don’t know. I feel really happy that if Oscar and I if, when we started, we wanted to do Marvel thing, we wanted to contribute. You don’t want to just color in the lines where everybody else has colored before. We wanted to try to do something that might be worth your time. If you’re going to do that, you’re going to lose some people. Because it’s a lot different than the rest of the stuff.

I think it accomplished that, of doing something completely different in that universe.

Oh good, good. That’s what we wanted to do.

So, for the record, I’m not on board with the behavior of The Grabber. I just don’t like what he stands for. But I enjoyed watching you play him.

All right. Noted. It’s on the record.

‘The Black Phone’ hits theaters on Friday, June 24th. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

In case you were wondering where Senator Ted Cruz stands on video game regulation, his approach is the same as his attitude toward mass shooting incidents at elementary schools in his state: It’s not his problem.

Now look, you’re probably thinking, “Why would anyone care what Ted Cruz has to say about gaming?” Yet really, “Why does anyone care what Ted Cruz has to say about anything?” The reality is that this guy, who fled the country for a Cancun vacation as Texas residents froze during a snowstorm and then blamed his poor choices on his pre-teen daughters, is a sitting United States senator and so, his opinion somehow holds weight.

On a recent episode of his podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz, the Republican congressman was quizzed on his stance regarding loot boxes in video games. Loot boxes are virtual treasure chests that can either hold cool in-game upgrades, like weapons, currency, and skins, or they can be duds. You can earn loot boxes through in-game play, or you can buy them with real money. The issue here, for some, is that the unpredictable nature of what’s inside a loot box makes buying them akin to gambling — they’re that proverbial box of chocolates Tom Hanks always warned us about — and parents don’t want kids gambling while playing video games. Is it an interesting issue? Sure. Is it one a Texas senator should be focusing on instead of addressing desperately needed gun regulation in his state after dozens of children were shot up at an elementary school? Nope.

Still, Ted Cruz has an opinion on all things — some other topics of conversation on his podcast include whether Elon Musk could beat Vladimir Putin in a fight, if “woke Disney wants kids to see lesbian toys smooch,” and “can America survive on windmills and unicorn tears?” (We say yes.) His attitude towards loot boxes is weirdly wishy-washy.

On the one hand, Ted gets annoyed with players who cheat by buying them instead of working hard in the game to earn upgrades. On the other, he doesn’t have six months to spend playing a game in order to earn rewards — he’s got beaches in Mexico to bronze on — so he admits to paying money to purchase them while playing.

“Now I’m something of a gamer,” Cruz confessed while clearing up his stance on video game regulation.”I’m not a gamer like hardcore Twitch streamers and I don’t do the massive multiplayer games. I’ll tell you, I don’t like it when you can buy in-game items and sort of make your character stronger or get advantages. Now I’ll confess when I play some games, I’ll sometimes buy it because it is more fun in some way. Your character has a lot more great stuff that would take you six months or a year to build up.”

So basically, loot boxes are bad unless Cruz wants to buy one, then it’s okay.

“I’m open to hearing arguments on this, but I approach the issue with a pretty strong libertarian bent,” Cruz continued. “I’d like to not see kids exploited and harmed, and so I’d be interested in his views, but at the same time, I’m not sure that the federal government really has a dog in the fight.”

Sounds like the same argument he’s used while fighting against gun control after a group of kids was massacred in his own state, but oddly enough, the loot boxes issue isn’t the weirdest pop culture take Cruz had during the show. He ended his video game musings by referencing one of his favorite genre films, Ready Player One. Apparently, Cruz gives the Steven Spielberg-directed disaster multiple rewatches a year — which should already call his judgment into question — and he thinks the virtual reality-addicted dystopia might be where all this loot box nonsense is heading.

“People amass money in virtual reality and it ends up for many people subsuming the world,” Cruz said while outlining the plot of one of his favorite movies. “There are hard challenges, and we’re not yet to the dystopian world of Ready Player One, but well, we might be on a path towards that.”

Again, this is a sitting United States senator.

(Via Vice)

After Game of Thrones’ controversial ending in 2019, HBO has been quick to promise fans that there would be more GOT content on the way. A lot more. The first will be House Of The Dragon, which will premiere later this summer featuring a star-studded cast donning long blonde wigs, accompanied by giant dragons.

HBO has released some more images from the highly-anticipated series, which will take place a few hundred years before the main GOT storyline fans all know and mostly love. The plot will be based on the Targaryen family and its complicated history before Daenerys is even born.

The new poster image features Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen as she is backed by a massive Smaug-looking dragon. She is standing upon a bunch of familiar swords. And yes! They get their own Funko pops.

The series will star the former Doctor Who lead Matt Smith as prince Daemon Targaryen, who’s the younger sibling of well-respected King Viserys, played by Paddy Considine. The series is expected to provide some context to the complex family and their connection to the dragons. The cast also includes Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, and Sonoya Mizuno.

House Of The Dragon will premiere August 21st on HBO and HBO Max.

After years — years! — of searching, I’ve finally identified the crispiest, juiciest, most flavorful fried chicken sandwich I’ve ever tried. The search was not easy, it took a lot of research and by research I mean, it took a lot of trips through fast food drive-thrus and visits to expensive fast-casual restaurants. And while it was all delicious it was all, ultimately, for naught.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great fast food chicken sandwiches out there. Ever since Popeyes’ sandwich entered the scene in the summer of 2019 every single fast food chain has revamped their own respective chicken sandwiches in the image of the GOAT. In 2022 and for the foreseeable future, if you love fried chicken sandwiches, you’re spoiled for choice.

But as good as the Popeyes chicken sandwich is, it’s not perfect. The bread is dry and flavorless, the sauce — whether you opt for mayo or the “spicy” version — is unimaginative, and the pickles are there, but they aren’t anything special. All the other fast food sandwiches have their flaws, too. So what is this magical and oh-so-tasty sandwich I’ve found? Well, it’s my own. Made from drawing certain elements from all my favorite chicken establishments and combining them.

Here’s my recipe:

PART I — The Recipe

The fried chicken sandwich is actually a pretty easy thing to make. That’s why it’s a fast food staple alongside the cheeseburger — you don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to make a great one, you just need to balance unctuous and bright flavors and provide a crunchy, audibly pleasing bite paired with a tender and juicy mouthfeel.

For our recipe, I took aspects from all of my favorite fast food chicken sandwiches, the points of reference are as follows:

1. Buttermilk Marinade (Popeyes-inspired): As I was developing this chicken sandwich I tried brining it in pickle juice a’la Chick-fil-A but I didn’t like the results. I found buttermilk to give me the most tender end result. If you don’t have buttermilk use milk with a squirt of lemon juice or a splash of vinegar as a substitute (though your milk might curdle).
2. Batter (Shake Shack/Chick-fil-a): I hand-battered my chicken in a mix of flour, fresh cracked black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. For a spicy kick, I took a cue from Chick-fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich and added some smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.
3. Brioche Bun (Crack Shack-inspired): A lot of sandwiches across the fast food universe utilize the brioche bun. It’s airy and buttery and less dense than a traditional sesame bun or a potato bun, allowing you to taste the meat more. If I had the skills I’d make my own, but for now, any small brioche bun from the market should work.
4. Sauce (Raising Cane’s-inspired): You can do mayo but I like a bit more flavor so for my sauce I took inspiration from Raising Cane’s famous Cane’s sauce. It’s your basic comeback-style sauce with a few twists.
5. Dill Pickles (Howlin’ Rays-inspired): Dill pickles give you that earthy and brine-y tang that all good chicken sandwiches have. Buy the best, freshest, crispiest pickles you can find.
6. Fresh Pepper (Jollibee-inspired): This is an underrated ingredient inspired by Jollibee’s delicious Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Jollibee uses jalapeño — I’m using serrano which is hotter. Feel free to sub in jalapeños if serranos are too hot but make sure they are fresh and not pickled.

Now let’s talk about the chicken…

PART II — Thigh or Breast?

I get it, the chicken sandwiches you’re used to are made with chicken breast and for whatever reason, some people seem to be scared of dark meat but… get over that. Aside from being a juicier and more flavorful piece of meat due to the higher ratio of fat, there are a lot of other advantages to choosing thighs over breasts.

First, thighs are smaller. A chicken breast is way too big for a chicken sandwich. Sure, you can filet a breast, and pound it flat, but then it takes up way too much area and far exceeds the bun (plus that becomes a schnitzel). I know, I know, I used to be team breast too — then I tried Crack Shack’s Firebird chicken sandwich.

Now I’ll never look back.

PART III — Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 pinch of Kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 cracks of fresh black pepper

Season your marinade. You’re going to taste the blend of spices more if the bird has seasoning on it before you dredge it. If you opt not to season the marinade (or forget to) add more seasoning to the flour mix itself.

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup of Kewpie mayo
• 1/4 cup of ketchup. In the picture is a packet of Hunts, I don’t like Hunts, I used Heinz but threw the bottle away after. Team Heinz!
• Garlic powder to taste (start with a teaspoon)
• Fresh black pepper to taste (start with four cracks)
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp of hot sauce (optional, any hot sauce will do, I used a Sriacha for some brightness)

Combine ingredients in a small bowl until well incorporated. Taste and adjust along the way, the best sauce you’ll ever have isn’t a recipe, it’s your recipe. Refrigerate overnight or at least one hour before serving.

This should yield enough sauce for two to four sandwiches (meaning you can save some sauce for fries!). There are several copycat Cane’s sauce recipes across the internet that read the same but none really come close to the savory magic that is the real thing. My guess is Cane’s uses a proprietary blend of seasonings. We can spend a whole week trying to figure that out or we could just use Kewpie mayo instead of whatever cheap brand Cane’s uses and we’ll be left with something altogether richer in flavor and much thicker and more luxurious, no special spice blend needed.

If you’re not familiar with Kewpie Mayo, it’s a Japanese style of mayonnaise that is made using egg yolks (rather than the whole egg-like American mayo) and rice vinegar and/or apple cider vinegar (rather than white vinegar). If you haven’t tried it yet, immediately remedy that for this recipe. Kewpie Mayo will change your life, it brings an umami-backed richness to mayo that’ll make you wonder why anyone in the world, even the staunchest mayo fans, ever bothered to eat something like Hellman’s when this savory godsend has been around since the 1920s.

Flour Mix:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch of kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 8 cracks of fresh black pepper

Whisk spices and flour together. Again, the above measurements are a ballpark. This should yield enough batter for two chicken sandwiches, whether you use breast or thigh. After the chicken has marinated for at least an hour — up to 24 — dredge the chicken through the flour and place it on a wire wack until frying.

Other Ingredients:

• Sliced Monterey Jack cheese
• Brioche Buns
• Dill Pickles
• Fresh Serrano (Or Jalapeño) Pepper
• Chicken Thigh/Breast

PART IV — Method

• Cut dill pickle into equal 1/4 inch slices, enough to cover your bottom bun.
• Thinly slice serrano pepper into wheels.
• Slice Monterey Jack (or use pre-sliced cheese if you like wasting money). Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Deluxe uses Pepper Jack, but I find that to be too earthy and dry compared to Monterey Jack which is creamier, nuttier, and just more interesting. Use pepper jack if you don’t have fresh peppers.
• Set aside.
• Dredge marinated chicken thighs in flour mix thoroughly, and set aside.

• Heat half a pan of neutral cooking oil in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat (I used peanut, which Chick-fil-A uses, it’s not neutral but is one of the best cooking oil options for anything fried)

• Fry chicken until golden brown or about four minutes per side. Once flipped, spoon oil on top of the chicken to even browning. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temp of 165 Fahrenheit. Don’t do as I did and over-fry it, remember that the chicken will brown further after it is done cooking.
• Remove chicken from oil and place on a wire rack or baking sheet. I don’t have either so I threw mine on a napkin-lined plate.
• Place a slice of cheese immediately and evenly space out the peppers on top of the cheese.
• In a separate pan with butter, toast brioche buns.

• Once toasted, set aside and generously apply sauce to the bottom bun.
• Place pickles evenly across the bottom bun until the entire surface is covered.
• Add chicken and assemble the sandwich.

PART V — The End Result

If you used serranos prepare yourself to get smacked in the face with some serious heat. You should now be chomping on a chicken sandwich that is as every good chicken sandwich should be: tender, satisfyingly juicy, and audibly crunchy, but with this recipe, you’ll also find a lot more. Every bite is bursting, let me repeat, bursting with flavor — the breading will be well balanced between the earthy and distinct qualities of black pepper and the fragrant mix of onion and garlic powder with a smokey finish and a spicy kick. And that’s just the chicken.

When those flavors combine with the sumptuous and luxurious umami-packed sauce, the salty briny flavor of good pickles, and the fresh vegetal burst of serrano all wrapping it together it’s the closest thing your mouth will ever have to an orgasm. Popeyes who?

It was so good, I ate two back to back.