FOOD

We Smoked Wiz Khalifa’s Weed And Sampled The Menu Of His New Virtual Kitchen Concept, HotBox

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Wiz Khalifa HotBox
HotBox/Getty/Uproxx

Good eats and great weed go hand in hand. The whole thing about weed giving you the munchies isn’t completely true (some weed does and some weed doesn’t) but one thing is for certain — weed makes food taste better. I don’t just mean marginally better. Eating while stoned can be a downright religious experience. After taking a fat rip you start laser focusing on the varying flavors, textures, and smells of your food. Suddenly a burger goes from a good lunch to a vivid sensory experience that borders on the psychedelic.

I know this because I write about food and weed constantly. So when I heard famed stoner and musician Wiz Khalifa was launching a food concept (appropriately dubbed HotBox) to pair with his Khalifa Kush weed brand, I knew it was something I had to experience.

Made in collaboration with the virtual restaurant brand NextBite, HotBox by Wiz Khalifa is a delivery-only virtual restaurant that is currently available in Miami, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City, Houston, and more and is actively expanding to additional cities nationwide. The food is sourced from local restaurants that meet the specific ingredients and preparation practices required by NextBite — so the dishes should be pretty consistent, no matter what city you’re ordering from. The menu is a stoner’s paradise of indulgent carb-rich snacks like Hot Cheeto dusted cheeseburgers, zesty buffalo wings, tater tots, mac and cheese, cookies, and more.

None of Wiz’s food is actually infused with cannabis. But the brand and Wiz himself confirmed in a Zoom tasting I attended that they were actively exploring the idea while also looking for ways to offer plant-based options to the menu. The lack of any cannabis-infused treats may seem like a missed opportunity, but I think the food actually stands a chance of tasting better without any infusions. Better, in my opinion, to smoke up and treat this as a post-stoned meal.

Which is exactly what I did.

The Weed: Khalifa Kush

Wiz Khalifa Hot Box Review
Dane Rivera

Before we get into the menu, we should probably talk about Wiz Khalifa’s cannabis brand Khalifa Kush — currently available in California in preroll and flower form. The cannabis is sourced from Northern California’s Bay Area by Colorado-based cultivator RiverRock Cannabis and is apparently the only weed Wiz smokes. He affectionately refers to the brand simply as “KK” on social media. I’d call bullshit on that as purely a piece of marketing but, having smoked the brand, I can actually buy it.

Khalifa Kush has a pungent flavor and provides a sensory-enhancing high with a THC level in the mid 20% range. Smoking the pre-roll had me feeling good and hypersensitive to my surroundings, while still keeping me from feeling weighed down and sluggish. It didn’t have the best flavor to it (I was smoking a pre-roll after all) but the high was powerful and definitely lifted my spirits. Not a bad pairing to go with a menu launch… but with all the weed I smoke for work (living the dream over here) my tolerance is through the roof, so I plan to be as harsh with the HotBox food as I am when I’m ranking french fries, chicken sandwiches, or any other food.

Nice try though Wiz!

The Bottom Line

If you want to smoke what Wiz smokes in the studio, this indica-leaning hybrid is definitely worth a pickup.

The Food: Ranked From Worst To Best

5. So Baked Hybrid Cookies

Wiz Khalifa Hot Box Review
Dane Rivera

Nope, not hybrid like a weed strain, this is simply a mix of caramel, chocolate, and pretzel, all mixed up into a single cookie that is served with a salted caramel dipping sauce. This cookie is easily the weakest link on the menu. It’s not it tastes bad — it’s a damn cookie we’re talking about — but it’s not really that good either. The cookie is dense, a bit dry and is more cookie than you want in a single sitting (which, consequently, means it’s perfect for being stoned) and despite having pretzel bites and a salted caramel dipping sauce, this thing comes off as much more sweet than it does salty.

A better balance between the salty and sweet flavors might’ve made this cookie a winner but as it stands, it’s just okay. Don’t let those stoner goggles fool you into thinking you actually want to order this. You’re just high.

The Bottom Line

Unless it’s free with the meal, skip this one, you’re not missing out on anything.

4. Taylor Gang Tots

Wiz Khalifa Hot Box Review
Dane Rivera

I’m a little torn on these. First of all, tater tots, while delicious, just don’t travel well. When hot and crispy tater tots are trapped in a wax-lined paper box, the heat that emits off of them and bounces off the walls of the container turns what should be a crispy masterpiece into a soggy mess. That’s exactly what happened to these tots so if you really want these to shine you’re going to have to put just a bit of work into it. After a few sad tots, I grabbed my order, spread the tots on a sheet of aluminum foil, and threw that shit into the toaster oven for a good ten minutes until they were nice and crispy again.

The tots themselves are delicous, they’re fluffy, a bit buttery, and full of flavor, but given that they don’t travel well, we can’t rank these much higher than this placement. Especially considering if you’re stoned and hungry, you’re going to be less motivated to put the work into helping these tots shine.

The Bottom Line

Delicious, but tater tots don’t travel well so if you don’t have the patience to reheat these in a toaster oven to get them crispy again definitely skip these.

3. Bigger Blazier Buffalo Wings

Wiz Khalifa Hot Box Review
Dane Rivera

My HotBox order came with the Bigger Blazier Buffalo Wings order, not to be confused with the menu’s Bigger Better Buffalo Wings, so I can’t speak to how much “blazier” they are compared to the OG, but as far as buffalo wings go these are pretty excellent. I prefer a crispier exterior, but given the travel time I knew I wasn’t going to get that. I didn’t feel the need to reheat these though like the tots. The chicken is tender and juicy while the buffalo sauce gives a nice zesty and spicy kick. The wings are served alongside a side of ranch or bleu cheese dressing and the ‘ol standard wing accompaniement of carrot and celery sticks.

The HotBox wings match the sort of quality and depth flavor you’d find from a WingStop or Buffalo Wild Wings. It’s not mind-blowing, but the wings are perfectly serviceable and I find little if nothing to complain about.

The Bottom Line

A pretty solid wing effort. Wiz would be wise to add a few more flavors, hopefully a dry rub is in the cards.

2. Fully Packed Bowl

Here is where things get really interesting. Wings and cookies are all fine and good, but the Fully Packed Bowl truly lives up to the stoner food utopia promised by this culinary concept. It comes off as a greatest hits package of the entire HotBox menu, a bed of tater tots is bathed in a blanket of saucey macaroni and cheese drizzled with the same zesty buffalo sauce used on the wings accompanied by crispy chunks of fried chicken and some Hot Cheeto dust sprinkled on top of it all. The bowl has crunch, thanks to the fried chicken (the tots still leave something to be desired) and Cheeto dust combination, and is full of savory salty flavors that serve as the perfect stoner cat nip.

You have to be high to even want to eat this thing, but from your first forkful on you’ll be pleased that you took that big rip before diving in.

The Bottom Line As decadent and delicious as it sounds. The Fully Packed Bowl combines an appetizer sampler’s worth of flavors with the form factor of nachos. It’s the most stoner-friendly item on the menu and a must order.

1. Blazed OG Cheetos Burger

Wiz Khalifa Hot Box Review
Dane Rivera

I know I just sang the praises of the Fully Packed Bowl, the best stoner food I’ve had all year, but what really blew me away from the HotBox menu was the Blazed OG Cheetos Burger. I’m not the biggest Hot Cheetos fan — yes, I ranked every single flavor of Flamin’ Hot ever, but I wouldn’t count myself as a true fan and I certainly am not a fan of Hot Cheeto dust in food. I find it incredibly gimmicky. Or I should say, I “found” it incredibly gimmicky, because the Blazed OG Cheetos Burger has completely changed my mind. It might be banned in Europe, but Hot Cheeto dust is a fantastic blend of artifically spicy flavors that deliver on the heat without drowning out any of the other flavors.

Get this dust in the hands of a professional chef ASAP! The Blazed OG Cheetos Burger comes with a thick and juicy burger patty, American cheese with Hot Cheetos dust embeded into it, as well as lettuce, tomato and what HotBox is calling Thrill Sauce on a brioche bun. For whatever reason, my burger didn’t come with the Thrill Sauce but it was so good it honestly didn’t matter.

The beef has a nice depth of flavor, it’s juicy, salty, and perfectly cooked. The burger quality matches the same sort of flavor you’d find at a Fat Burger or Shake Shack. Not quite as juicy, but definitely a contender for best deliverable burger in the fast food space. If you’re going to order one thing off of the HotBox menu I still suggest you try the fully packed bowl, but in terms of which menu item has the best flavor, it’s hard to beat this. Though I haven’t tried the delicious looking chicken sandwich that is on the menu which Wiz counted as a personal highlight.

The Bottom Line So good I wish it was a double!

You can order Wiz Khalifa’s HotBox online at the official website or through third party delivery services like DoorDash, UberEats, Postmates, and GrubHub.

Doja Cat Uses Her Song Placement In A Taco Bell Ad To Campaign For The Return Of Mexican Pizza

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doja cat taco bell mexican pizza
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

Doja Cat, who had a huge year with the release of her third album Planet Her, is trying to leverage her influence to bring back a beloved fast-food menu item: Taco Bell’s discontinued Mexican pizza. Last year, Taco Bell cut the menu favorite in an effort to streamline its gargantuan selection (and save over 7 million pounds of paperboard in the process). The move was met with general outcry on social media as fans mourned the loss of the topping-stacked tortilla in a box.

At the time, Doja Cat was one of those who lamented the pizza getting axed, “asking nicely” for the fast-food giant to reconsider. However, in the past year, Doja has apparently accumulated some goodwill at Taco Bell corporate — or, at least, at Taco Bell’s ad agency — landing her song “Get Into It (Yuh)” on the company’s new commercial for its Double Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito. In the ad, a geeky cosplayer (SAGA!!) appears to have met their match, until the infamous Taco Bell sound effect prompts a late-night snack run instead (surely, they could have done both, but I digress).

Doja, seizing the opportunity, tweeted, “Hey @tacobell, just heard my song in your commercial… I’m a #TacoBellPartner now. So where’s my Mexican Pizza?”

When a fan answered, prompting her to speak to Taco Bell’s “Chief Impact Officer,” who is a friend of Doja’s — it’s Lil Nas X, by the way — the Taco Bell account responded in typical personified corporate account fashion: with a the three-emoji string of eye-mouth-eye, implying… well, there are a lot of potential definitions, but in this case, it seems to be a sanguine interest in the topic being discussed.

Of course, that only opened the door for more of Doja’s meme-ready shenanigans, as she hit Taco Bell with that infamous three-letter acronym, “WYD?” When the response turned out to not be “rolling out those delicious Mexican pizzas,” though, she dismissed her new playmate, telling them to “STFU” until further notice.

Could this be the beginning of the return of the Mexican Pizza menu item? Wouldn’t it be a weird way to begin the rollout? And isn’t “weird” pretty much Doja’s (and Lil Nas X’s) whole brand? And how does Rico Nasty — Doja’s good friend who occasionally goes by the alter ego “Tacobella” — figure into all of this (they’ve swapped profile pics for the past week or so)? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out. Fingers crossed for a “limited-time” sort of deal, a la Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hottie Sauce” collab with Popeyes.

It’s Nearly Christmas, So Of Course, Mariah Carey Is The Latest Star To Get Her Own McDonald’s Menu

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mariah carey mcdonalds
Getty Image

Complain about Christmas creep all you want, but you know you can already hear those sleigh bells ringing — which means that it’s the perfect time for McDonald’s to announce its latest season-appropriate recording artist collaboration with Ms. “All I Want For Christmas” herself, Mariah Carey.

That’s right, this December, the Mariah Menu comes to McDonald’s from the 13th to Christmas Eve. The menu will include daily deals — advent calendar style — on one free menu item each day (so long as customers spend at least $1). For instance, when the special kicks off on the 13th, they’ll be able to get a free Big Mac. Later on in the month, the free item is an apple pie, and on the final day of the promotion, you can get free cookies.

In the press release for the new menu, Mariah gives the following quote: “Some of my favorite memories with my kids are our family trips to McDonald’s, and of course, each of us has our go-to order,” she explains. “Mine is the cheeseburger, and I get it with extra pickles.”

The celebrity-branded meals McDonald’s has been pushing over the past two years have been incredibly successful, with the Travis Scott deal lifting the company out of a pandemic-fueled sales slump. Most recently, the company partnered with Bay Area star Saweetie, and now, even competitors like Popeyes have begun their own promotions with collaborators like Megan Thee Stallion.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Megan Thee Stallion’s Latest Popeyes Merch Drop Pays Homage To Her Love For Anime

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megan thee stallion
Getty Image

No offense to any of the various musicians who’ve partnered with fast-food chains for co-branded merchandise, but Megan Thee Stallion’s latest drop with Popeye’s might actually be the coolest one yet. Dubbed the “Animegan” collection, the latest set nods to the Houston Hottie’s love of Japanese cartoons with a tote bag, T-shirt, hoodie, and bandana featuring an illustrated Megan surrounded by flames — a clear reference to one of her favorite characters, Shoto Todoroki from My Hero Academia, whose powers make him a human flamethrower. Megan has cosplayed as him a number of times in the past.

But the coolest item — at least, to me — is an adorable Megan Thee Stallion plush doll with a cowboy hat and a Hottie chain. I mean, come on, just look at this thing:

megan thee stallion popeyes plush doll
Popeyes

The latest drop follows the “Thee Heat” collection, which included a flame emoji emblazoned bikini, a Popeyes three-piece box dog plush toy, and a cropped “Saucy” T-shirt. There’s still no word on bottles of the Hottie Sauce, but it’s Megan Thee Stallion — if nothing else, she gives her fans what they want (see also: her new EP, Something For Thee Hotties, and her booty-baring graduation photos). Fingers are firmly crossed.

You can check out the new merch here.

Action Bronson Talks Self-Help, Diet, And How To Make Plant-Based Food That’s Legitimately Good

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Field Roast/Uproxx

Action Bronson may have lost 140 pounds since last year, but he’s still got that unmistakable Action grin. It comes paired with a “smiling eyes” brand of warmth that’ll make you feel like you’ve known the guy for years. His vibe has always been to live loud. Smoke what you want, eat what you want, do what you want, and give yourself over completely to life’s pleasures. It’s part of what makes his personality so infectious and why people flock to catch his show F*ck That’s Delicious, currently airing on YouTube, which is literally just about Action eating at the places he likes to eat (now with more kettlebell squats!).

But if you were worried that the new, healthier Action Bronson might live like a monk, fear not. He’s still the same dude with the same passion for food and life. He just felt like the fast life was catching up to him and he needed an adjustment.

“I put it out there for people to be free and fat and this and that, and eat what you like,” he says. “But unfortunately, some people have genetics like me where it just fucking sticks to your ass. I wanted to make amends… I realized that I was a fuckhead and I should stop doing these things and change shit up.”

That realization came while the multi-hyphenate was working on his new self-help book, Fuck It I’ll Start Tomorrow, which Action admits began as an attempt to get a check before morphing into a genuine journey of self-examination. We linked up last week over Zoom to talk about writing the book, getting fit, eating plant-based, and how it will all affect Fuck That’s Delicious going forward.

***

Let’s talk a bit about your new book Fuck It I’ll Start Tomorrow. It’s positioned as a self-help book — what kind of lessons do you teach people in the book?

Deceit, lying, lying to yourself, coming to the realization that you’ve lied to yourself and you’ve lied to everybody else… you know all kinds of things. It’s experience-based, a lot of people can relate to some of the things I’m saying, but I wrote it with deceit in my mind. When I wrote the book I had no intention of putting my all into it, which is unfortunate because I only do things that I put my all into. This I did strictly because it was a check and a way to get to another cookbook, which I really wanted to do. I didn’t want to do a fucking self-help book because “I don’t fucking give a shit,” that was my attitude.

The bottom line is, this book was written with bad intentions but somehow it turned a mirror on me and I realized that I was a fuckhead and I should stop doing these things and change shit up. Never do anything that you don’t put your all into and this book taught me a lesson.

The book ended at the pandemic, it was a prequel to all the change that’s happened now, but it was a catalyst. The book was a catalyst unknowingly, I hated every second of it, you could ask Rachel Wharton the woman who wrote the book with me, James Beard award winner, two times New York best-selling author. She went through hell with me to do this shit, I feel terrible. At one point I called them up and was like “Yo, I’ll give you the money back I’m not fucking doing this.” It was a shit show, but I’m just glad everything worked out.

In the book, you could feel my pain and my joy.

This year has been a definite journey, you’ve totally changed your life and changed the way you eat. What has impacted you the most about transforming, not just the way you look physically, but your diet, which was originally built around excess?

I’ve always been able to eat right, I actually went to school and got a 100 in nutrition, I know what we’re supposed to eat. I know what we need to eat to be healthy, I know what not to eat, I know not to eat 10 desserts at one time, but I’m an addict.

You have to break through that addiction, but the mind is stronger than anything and I feel like my mind is ironclad. 140 pounds bro. That’s not easy, I was disgusted I had 140 to lose, I still got to lose another 20 to 30, it’s unreal. At least I’m at a normal weight now, before I was so abnormal, it was disgusting.

I caught some of the new episodes of Fuck That’s Delicious, and I noticed just because you’ve gotten healthy, you haven’t gotten soft, you’re rocking the kettle ball to the pizza joint, you’re still as passionate about food as you’ve always been. That’s particularly inspiring because you’ve changed your whole life around but you haven’t given up the joy, and I think that’s an important message to share with people. What was your thinking going into the new season?

My thinking going into it was pretty much trying to mix my new lifestyle with the show. Every time we do Fuck That’s Delicious, all this shit was made up because this is my life. It was chronicling my life with the homies, and that was it, we never put any stage shit on, it’s all just one take, put a camera on and we just lived. So I just put the camera on and lived again, and this is just the way I’m living now so we’re capturing this.

For so long, it’s been just “blast yourself with 45 meals a day and desserts. It’s okay, just laugh, drink your face off, and smoke your life away.” Yeah, cool. There comes a point where it catches up and it caught up heavy to me. I had to chill out but the love of food is always going to be there. It doesn’t mean you have to stop eating, it just means you have to stop being an animal.

You gotta know when to hold them and you gotta know when to fold them. I learned when to fold them. Before, I didn’t know how to fold them.

Right now you’ve got a partnership happening with Field Roast and their show Make Taste Happen, what should we expect out of that partnership?

Big things man, it’s exciting, I love doing things where it’s something I use organically and it’s not just some bullshit. I was once a little bit intimidated by food that was mimicking real food but is made with plants, but these things, they’ve made in an approachable way. I understand sausage, I understand the way it is, I understand what’s going on in the world now.

It’s innovative and delicious and healthy. It’s this canvas that allows you to make unbelievable things, not just from a taste angle alone. It allows you to imagine and take the mind places you’ve been in the past — some real nostalgia stuff.

What makes Field Roast different? Why partner with them?

Just in my own opinion, I’ve tried plant-based sausage and plant-based burgers, and the texture usually isn’t there. It’s grainy or the flavor is off. There are only a couple of brands that seem like they’re doing the right thing, and in my estimation, Field Roast has been the best product I’ve tried so far. It’s very versatile, it browns up the way it should, it tastes amazing, it’s a vehicle for all kinds of flavors.

If you just have a couple of items in your pantry it’s really all you need — you can create masterpieces.

What are some of your favorite things to prepare? You sent me a photo of you doing apple sausage, broccoli, onions — what are we cooking here?

See that’s a classic Italian dish, I believe it’s a Roman dish, when you do the sausage with the orecchiette, the little ear pasta, with the broccoli. I decided that I’m going to mimic a dish that I have and I love and make it ethnic as well and take you around the world and give you flavors that go “mmm.”

I made this unbelieved pistachio pesto [full recipe here] to top it with, you could eat it every day. Use a little bit of Sambal. People submitted some items that I should be using and they tried to trick me on some Chopped stuff but I just created a masterpiece.

Field Roast

What’s your secret to a plant-based meal?

Not treating it as if it’s something different. You don’t put white gloves on like “ooh its plant-based” you just hit it with hard flavor like you normally would. It’s all about flavor, good olive oil, good products, it’s still all about the products. Make sure you keep it nice and fresh and creative.

We Tried To Devise Lorde’s Perfect Onion Ring — Here’s The Recipe

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Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

Lorde is back! Well, she’s back reviewing onion rings, at least, and we’re here for it. In her first onion ring review of 2021, the world’s most famous onion ring aficionado reviewed the Pickled Onion Rings at Auckland’s Hotel Ponsonby, which serves elevated English pub fare.

On her (no longer secret) onion ring-focused Instagram, Lorde wrote this about the pub’s rings:

We’re talking PICKLED onion rings which is a first for this reviewer. I totally vibe the concept — used to eat pickled onions out of the jar as a youngster — however I think if you’re gonna go there, go there, and let acidity rather than sweetness dominate. Absolutely sensational batter, perhaps the best I’ve tried. 4/5 overall ringsperience.

This is a solid review and will surely lead to a ring boom at Hotel Ponsonby. It was also glowing enough to motivate us to break out the ol’ wok and try these rings for ourselves (since we’re probably not going to be in Auckland anytime soon).

To master this recipe, I looked into New Zealand pickled onion culture (yes, that’s a thing). There’s actually a fair number of recipes for pickled onions throughout New Zealand’s food media outlets. The thing is, I don’t really have a week to let something pickle in a dark cupboard. So I took my cues from New Zealander’s recipes and adapted them to make it doable in about an hour with a sous vide.

I’ve used my sous vide to make a lot of pickles (root veg, eggs, fish, etc.) in the past and it really only takes about an hour to have a fully-brined pickle. For this recipe, that sped-up process will do nicely.

Lastly, I really focused on the batter. I knew it had to be something “sensational” for Lorde to give it full marks. So I made sure I was devising something that’d have a beautifully crunchy exterior while still providing a softer interior, leading to the briny and savory pickled onion inside. That’s enough preamble, let’s get into the recipe!

“Lorde’s Favorite” Pickled Onion Rings

Zach Johnston

Ingredients:

Pickle Brine:

  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/8 cup salt
  • 1/8 cup sugar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10 peppercorns
  • 10 coriander seeds
  • 10 mustard seeds
  • 2 bird’s eye dried chilis

A quick note on the brine. This is where I’m drawing acidity from. There’s a low amount of salt and sugar that’ll give you that “briny” edge of a pickle. Then the addition of apple cider vinegar will bring that mild pH acidic vibe to the whole thing.

Otherwise, you do you on the pickle brine spices. If you want it spicier, add more chilis. Mix and match with seeds and barks. Overall, this is a mild pickle brine with a classic edge that leans towards the New Zealand-centric pickle recipes I found online.

Zach Johnston

Ring batter:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 bottle or can of pilsner (more as needed)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Large pinch of salt
  • White pepper

Other:

  • Two yellow onions
  • Neutral oil
  • Aioli
  • Salt

Another quick note: As you can see in the image below, I’ve removed the inner skins between the layers of the onion. This is crucial for a bite-able onion ring. If you’ve ever had an onion ring that immediately slid out of the batter, it was because of that slippery film that’s between every layer. It takes a little extra time but is as easy as simply pulling the skin off after you’ve made your rings.

Zach Johnston

What You’ll Need:

  • Large Zip-lock bag
  • Sous vide circulator
  • Large pot
  • Small pot
  • Large bowl
  • Whisk
  • Wok or deep fryer
  • Slotted spoon
  • Metal grate and baking sheet
  • Paper towels
  • Tongs

Method:

For the pickled onions:

  • Set the sous vide circulator to 185F/85C in a large pot of water.
  • Add the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a small pot and bring to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from heat and let cool for ten minutes.
  • Peel and slice onions, making sure to remove the film between each layer of the onion as you push out the rings (it should slide right off).
  • Add the spices and onions to the Zip-lock bag. Pour the warm brine into the bag.
  • Immerse the bag into the bath and use the pressure of the water to remove any excess air and seal the bag. Use a clip to hold the bag to the side of the large pot.
  • Cook the onion rings for 30 minutes.
  • Prepare an ice bath. When the 30 minutes are up, place the Zip-lock bag into the ice bath to stop the cooking and cool the pickled onion rings.
Zach Johnston

For the onion rings:

  • Combine flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and white pepper in a large bowl.
  • Add the egg yolks and beer while whisking until you get a thin batter (sort of halfway between a crepe and pancake batter).
  • Lay the onion rings on a paper towel and pat dry.
  • Heat about one-half gallon of neutral oil in a wok or heavy-bottomed pot (I used sunflower) to 375F/190C.
  • Using tongs, dip the rings into the batter and then gently lay them into the hot oil, creating a single layer of onion rings.
  • After about one minute, flip the rings with the tongs to brown them evenly on both sides.
  • After another minute, remove the onion rings to a rack over a baking sheet. Immediately hit with a pinch of salt.
  • Repeat until all the rings are fried.
  • Serve with aioli dip.

Bottom Line:

Zach Johnston

I love fried pickle chips, so I knew I was going to love these. And, wow, thank you, Lorde, for turning me onto pickled onion rings. These are, hands down, some of the best onion rings I’ve ever tasted. And they were without a doubt the #1 best rings I’ve ever made. The onion was soft and hot with a deep pickle brine that had a touch of heat and acidity. The sweetness was there but tied more to the onion than sugar. Really though, the sweetness took a back seat to the overall brininess of the onion.

The batter was freaking sensational. The addition of corn starch allowed the batter to be super crunchy on the outside while still feeling supple on the inside. Moreover, as these rings cooled down (onion rings always get cold too fast), the batter stayed super crunchy.

Zach Johnston

Using aioli as a dipping sauce is a win as well (I used some good stuff from Spain). The lemon/garlic/mayo feel was the perfect counterpoint to the pickle brine and crunchy batter of the ring. This was comfort food in its purest form.

Finally, there was the side-by-side look of these rings compared to Lorde’s. You can judge for yourself below. I haven’t tasted my competition, but I do know that this is the only way I’ll be making onion rings from here on out. Lorde, if you’re ever near Uproxx’s offices — we got you.

OnionRingsWorldwide/Zach Johnston

Lil Nas X Wants Fans To Troll Chick Fil-A By Playing ‘Call Me By Your Name’ In The Drive Thru

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YouTube

Lil Nas X is very, very good at trolling his critics on the internet. Whether through direct responses to his detractors like Joyner Lucas and Dave East or more subtly calling out the hypocrisy behind negative commentary against him, Nas X has shown himself to be one of music’s most creative clap-back connoisseurs.

In the wake of his new song “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” those critics are giving him plenty of ammunition. On the day of the song’s release, he gave a measured response to the complaints against the video, joking, “Y’all love saying we going to hell but get upset when I actually go there.” After five days of escalating attacks though, he’s going on the offensive.

“OMG if you roll down your window at Chic Fil A playing ‘Call Me By Your Name’ they give u a free sandwich and a lemonade,” he tweeted, slyly pointing out how the restaurant chain had reportedly spent millions supporting anti-LGBTQ groups such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Paul Anderson Youth Home. Nas, who is gay and pointed out how the “Montero” video was a commentary on anti-gay messaging in pop culture, warned his haters: “I had 9 months to plan this rollout. Y’all are not gonna win bro.”

Some fans are already taking his advice to heart, tweeting their own joking — and polar opposite — results after trying out his tip.

Nas also continued his campaign of mockery against the Satanic Panic by sharing an extended version of “Montero.” You can check that out here.

Lil Baby Is The Face Of Rap Snacks’ New Beverage Line, Oowee Lemonade

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Since they first launched in 1994, Rap Snacks have been giving nods to today’s biggest hip-hop artists on their chip bags. Rappers like Rick Ross, Cardi B, Migos, and Lil Yachty have their own flavors, but now, Rap Snacks is expanding their enterprise. For a new line of beverages, Rap Snacks tapped Lil Baby to be the face of their product.

Rap Snacks unveiled their line of Lil Baby Oowee Lemonade products Monday. The drink comes in five flavors: Fruit Punch, Strawberry Watermelon, Mango Pineapple, Blueberry, and Sweet Tea. Along with featuring Lil Baby on the wrapper, a portion of the proceeds from Oowee Lemonade will be donated to the organizations Atlanta Children’s Center and Covenant House in Atlanta.

About his endeavor, Lil Baby called the Rap Snacks partnership “life-changing.” “I know my fans are going to love this line of Oowee Lemonades,” he said. “Rap Snacks are about hip-hop culture, I’m about the culture, and I’m excited that proceeds from every purchase are a ‘give back’ to help our communities. It’s exciting to be a part of something that will lift people from my hometown and nationally through the BossUp Foundation. It’s life-changing—I’ve never been a part of anything like this before.”

Echoing the rapper’s statement, CEO of Rap Snacks James Lindsay said: “We’re so excited to make this announcement after Lil Baby’s show stopping appearance at the Grammys. This extension of his partnership with us will connect with his growing fanbase the world over. We are the only company to feature hip-hop icons in association with our products. Our lemonade is a great-tasting product. We’ve combined flavors that haven’t been done before, and we’re expanding our market.”

Check out the new products above.

Snoop Dogg Is Releasing Another 19 Crimes Wine, This Time A Rosé

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19 Crimes

It’s been nearly a year since Snoop Dogg first unveiled his years-in-the-making partnership with Australian winemakers 19 Crimes. He released his Snoop Cali Red bottle last summer, a wildly successful blend that Uproxx named “impeccably smooth.” Now, Snoop returned to announce he has another wine in the works.

The rapper once again teamed up with 19 Crimes wine, this time to create a fruity rosé. Named Snoop Cali Rosé, the new wine has tasting notes of fresh raspberry, strawberry and red cherry, and blends together Zinfandel, Grenache and Pinot Noir.

Speaking about the new bottle, Snoop said:

“We did it big with 19 Crimes Cali Red, so you know we had to do it again – and this time, I was thinking pink. I can’t wait for everyone to sip on my Snoop Cali Rosé and bring those fresh feels from spring into summer and beyond. I hope when you open a bottle of this wine you take a little mind trip to my Cali home. This is how we Rosé the Snoop Dogg way!”

Echoing Snoops statement, Treasury Wine Estates marketing vice president John Wardley said: “Snoop has been a dream collaborator that has taken 19 Crimes Snoop Cali Red to the top of the charts as the no. 1 Wine Innovation of 2020. We can’t wait for this second release to hit our loyal 19 Crimes fan base and see how they Rosé with Snoop Cali Rosé. This is 19 Crimes’ first California rosé and we are already seeing high demand from our retail partners to get it in store as soon as we possibly can.”

Snoop Cali Rosé is available now in the US. Get it here.