Solid Dudes Kitchen - Season One DVD Review

When one thinks of cooking shows, it often brings to mind images of snooty chefs in five-star restaurants making bizarre dishes in sparrow-sized portions. So what are regular folks who enjoy eating a good, hearty meal to do? Two dudes from Michigan aim to solve that problem in Solid Dudes Kitchen - Season One.

Now available on DVD, the show originated as a series of web shorts starring Derek Swanson and Dave Graw as very unconventional chefs. Their Super Bowl episode for instance, finds them making roasted beet salad with fennel and Dijon vinaigrette as opposed to typical game day fair such as burgers or wings.

Another episode finds the dudes interacting with Jeff Tuttle, the guitarist for Dillinger Escape Plan. They make a point and he illustrates it by shredding on his guitar while the definition of his shredding appears in text on screen. The humor here is decidedly lowbrow as one instance finds Tuttle saying he'd like to butter their casserole dish with his penis. This is not your mother's cooking show for sure.

The dudes decide to make pot brownies (Though the special ingredient is never clearly shown on screen) and after they kick in, ponder their favorite fake words, such as "supposebly" and Aerosmith. Instead of Dave and Derek telling the viewer the ingredients, the band Gentlemen instead sings them.

Hangover food is the subject of one episode, with pasta carbonara and biscuits and gravy being the dishes of choice, while another episode finds the dudes making venison pasties using meat from one of their friend's hunting trips. The duo's piece de resistance or their Empire Strikes Back as they call it, is their pork burger with the unrepeatable name.

The burger started from an idea to make a burger out of all bacon. When that wasn't feasible, the dudes did the next best thing and made one from all pork. When finished, the burger is assembled as follows: bun, pork belly, ribs, onions, pork patty, cheese, bacon and bun. Mayo, which includes bacon, is spread on both halves of the bun. One can feel their arteries clog just by looking at this burger, but it was so good it make the dudes - two grown men - hug each other.

The DVD and other merchandise are for sale on www.soliddudeskitchen.com, and all the recipes from the show can be viewed there as well. Solid Dudes Kitchen is not for everyone. Those easily offended by toilet humor and cursing should stay away, but those with that sense of humor and the appetite for good food should check out the show.