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OMG! I’ve been hijacked!

Food/Drink, Video / by

Over this past weekend, Feyma and I were watching a TV show about street food in the USA.  They showed street foods from different locations all over the USA on this show, and believe me, most of it looked extremely delicious.

As we started to watch the show, in the introduction they were showing quick shots of many of the street foods as a sort of teaser.  I saw something that made me sit up and take notice.  They showed some pork that looked exactly like Liempo Balamban, the rolled pork that Feyma and I regularly cook on my MindanaoBob’s BBQ Grill.  I told Feyma that I saw what looked like our pork recipe, and she quickly agreed with me.

Well, as the show progressed, they featured this truck that goes around to different locations in San Francisco.  The truck is called “Roli Roti” and it is basically a rotisserie on wheels.  They cook chicken, pork and roasted potatoes on the truck and go to various locations around the SF area selling their food.  It seems that mostly they go to Farmer’s Markets where people are hungry from all of that intense shopping they are doing!  As we watched about this Roli Roti place, they were showing how these folks cook a pork belly, rolled up on their rotisserie.  Indeed, this thing is exactly like what Feyma and I have been cooking on our BBQ grill for over a year now!  In fact, I contend that this “Roli Roti” Rotisserie truck is nothing more than a MindanaoBob Deluxe BBQ Grill on wheels!  They have hijacked my idea!  They must have seen it right here on LiP!

I must say, I am not too happy about having my idea hijacked by some entrepreneur in San Francisco!  However, I must also admit that seeing this guy’s food makes my mouth water.  In fact, I picked up an idea or two from him!  For one, he cooks the roasted potatoes down underneath the rotisserie units, so that as the chickens and pork are cooking, the juices from both drip down on the potatoes.  What a great idea!  I am going to have to engineer something like that.  In fact, I can even envision cooking rice down underneath the rotisserie, having those juices flavor the rice!  Wow!  I’m going to be busy on this.  Hmm… maybe I could make a mobile version of the MindanaoBob Deluxe BBQ Grill too, and travel around the Davao region with my delectable foods!

Check out the video below showing the Roli Roti mobile!

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Comments

  1. Looks gooooooooooooooooood Bob…How ever I do not ever visualize
    You riding around Davao region with all your lovley foods.But that would look pretty cute you on your converted moto with a mobile version of the MindanaoBob Deluxe BBQ Grill with the nice smell of BBQ foods drifting in the wind , travel ingaround the Davao region . How ever that be the day that happen.

    • You are right, Dan, that Roli Roti looks really good! I like the idea of the potatoes being cooked with the juices of the meat dripping down on them! 😉 How can you go wrong with that!

      • You could never go wrong with that Bob. “big” guys like us may not be good at sports but we sure know a thing or two about pleasing someones appetite.

      • Bob

        It sure looks good, not too healthy, but good. When i cook a pork tenderloin i put olive oil on to help it brown and season it with lemon pepper seasoning. Pork tenderloin is very lean and healthy for you. Bob you could also put some cutup carrots and onions in with the potatos to give it added flavor. Does your grill come with a motorized rotisserie in case you get tired or just the filipino way hahaha. Very enjoyable. Have a nice day!

  2. Bob I am here in the san francisco area. I will look this guy and his truck up and take some pics and see how he got the idea. All under cover of course. Take caee

    • Ha ha… if that’s your idea, Jeff, I think you got it from my articles a year ago when I first built my grill! 😯

      On the show where I saw this fell, it was funny. He said that one time he was on his way to an even with some food cooking on the rotisserie, and the police pulled him over. He asked what he had done wrong, the officer told him that he had done nothing, but he just wanted to pull him over because it smelled so good! 😆

  4. Hi Brent – Ha ha… I am sure you will check him out… in other words, you will find where he is set up and go enjoy some pork sandwiches! 🙂

  5. Bob;
    As the proud owner of the “Second” Mindanao Bob Deluxe BBQ Grill (Luzon version), I’m appalled that someone would blatantly steal the idea from you, I at least asked permission before I made (stole) mine. It’s a shameful world we live in, but it does look tasty. I’m with you on the potato idea. I’ve been BBQing fresh corn in soaked husks for years, potatoes will look good beside the corn.

    • Hi Paul – Maybe we could work out a settlement deal with Roli Roti? An exchange of recipes might be a start! 😉

      Those potatoes have been on my mind since seeing the TV show!

    • Hi Paul,

      You mentioned roasting corn with soaked husks. I usually pour beer inside which creates a great flavor. Sadly the alcohol evaporates during cooking so you may not be willing to sacrifice a San Mig. I have a feeling though that being a sailor has introduced you to many beer based recipes. HaHa!

      • Tom;
        Beer on corn, now that is a great idea! I will try it the next time and report back. But fear not about wasting a SMB, they make Beer-Na-Beer for just that purpose! (I marinate many meats in beer, the carbonation breaks down the fibers and the hops adds the flavor.) The alcohol, well don’t fret about that, I get that while cooking.

  7. LOL well ok i will have to try it, then when i come over, i will have to try your BBQ as well. Have to compare right, make sure your still the Davao King of BBQ, that is until I move in. LOL

    • Bob

      Maybe you can have a BBQ Cookoff. I saw one on Food channel they other day where they cooked chicken, ribs, beef brisket and pork shoulder. I was so hungry after that.

  9. Wow, that sandwich brings back memories from East Los Angeles, where a Mexican friend of mine made sandwiches like that, He had a pit down below and hung the meat up above, told me he basted the meat with bacon grease. A killer snadwich. A good mexican sandwich recipe for pork is, put some mayo, cilantro, onions and avacado and find a good french roll like that and dump on the pork.. (make sure you put alot of garlic in it when you cook it)),.., makes for a delicious sandwich..

    • Hi Mars – When I write the article, I was thinking of that Johnsonville Big Taste Grill. I remember it, but had forgotten who brought it up before, now I remember it was you! You are right… I could be the “BBQ King of the South” if I had a rig like that!

    • Hi Mars – Ha ha… good sounding name…. but ihaw is Tagalog. If I were naming it, I’d definitely use Bisaya instead of Tagalog. Did you know that “ihaw” in Bisaya means to butcher? So, people would think it was a butcher shop on wheels. How about the “Sugbang Sakyanan” which would be the “grill mobile” or something like that? 😆

  12. Hi Bob, This might be dating my self, but when I was attending East LA Jr College, there was a guy and his wife that had a rig on wheels that was right behind his Taco Van. He had a son and the guy in that flick you show looks alot like him….long story, ..There also was a guy in San Jose State College that did the same thing and he told us his trade was past down to him via his dad in LA. So to say that someone hyjacked your idea….Come-on Bob….The Mexican ‘s have been doing potatoes,corn, long peppers, Porkand Beef Briskets for ever!! But you probably have the lock on Davao!! By the way I’ve seen the guy in San Francisco near the Baseball stadium (AT&T Park) which is also very near the Ferry terminal. Didn’t stop we were going to a game and were late!! We need to have a BBQ showdown in Davao!! ? Just like the Chile showdown in Texas. By the way it’s soooo cold here right now,can’t to get back in April….O’Bie

    • Ha ha… lighten up O’Bie… when I said my idea was hijacked I was making a joke! Perhaps I was too subtle… it was all a joke! 😆 I am not talking about the potatoes and corn either, I am talking about the Liempo Balamban.

      Take care!

  13. Bob,
    You did not have to do this to me today! I am stuck in pork free land right now and my taste buds are exploding off my tongue! How do I make it another 34 days???? Getting the recipe so I can oder the stuff to be ready when I get to the house! Looks like Liempo Balamban is on the menu for when I get home! And I am going to try the potatoes underneath to see how that works! Will let you know! Thanks for giving me “sweet dreams” today!

  14. Hi bob ive got it ,buy a trailer get some concrete fill half the trailer up with concrete ,tear up the mindanoa bob bbq set it in the concrete in the trailer and wamo there you have it mindanao bobs roli roti hook up to tow vehicle, feyma can be the cashier in the back seat or lift tailgate and set up register in back, see what an idea were gonna be rich !, only stirin bob hahahaha if the traffic wasnt so bad it might just work but by the time tyou got to the markets you would probably have burnt embers for sale
    chris

    • Hi Chris – It sounds like you have a plan! Traffic being slow and heavy is good for business…. we can cook for people while still staying on the road…… especially at the stop lights! 😆

  15. Well Bob, if you ever get your mobile barbeque going, pop down the El Rio Vista sub dv …i guarantee you a couple of sales, lol… MindanoBob Master Chef on wheels, love it, lol

    • Ha ha… sounds like a good idea, David. I might have to practice for a while before achieving the Master Chef status, though! 😆 Will you volunteer to be a taster during my practice sessions? 😉

  17. ???/ are you serious? Do you think you invented the rotissery BBQ?
    you drinkin too much ferminted Buko juice brother!

    I amazed my pinay GF with a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich last week, I should tell her I invented it, pretty sure she would believe that.

    Cool article by the way, ..just dont think your state of the art BBQ is a groundbreaking invention 😉
    Peace Bra!

    • Maybe you should work on your reading comprehension a bit…. it was a joke! Of course I don’t think I invented the rotisserie…. I was joking about it! Lighten up a bit.

      • Oh well Bob, like Robbin Williams always say: “Just remember, if they can’t take f**k, joke ’em”. Sooner or later they’ll figure it out…or will they?

  18. Saw a cooking show from Norway where a man cooked a leg of lamb in his oven. The top grate had the lamb without a pan under it (just on the grate). The bottom grate had a pan filled with root vegetables such as onion, potato, parsnip, rutabaga, beets, that catch the juices. We are going to try it next time we do a pork picnic.

    And, Bob, maybe we’ll read this coming April 1 that you have ineed opened just such a business as you describe.

    • Hi Senn – Sounds delicious! I’m not a fan of beets, but the rest sounds great. Ha ha… I haven’t planned ahead for April articles yet! 😉

  19. Hey Bob, as soon as I saw the title with an OMG! he he. I thought uh oh… what the duck! :). Yeppers, some should lighten, or they need probably need to see and eat your Pork Liempo Balamban. Yum. I’m getting hungry just saying that! In our house, for every occasion, there has to be Liempo. Question, do you sell the Mindanao Deluxe BBQ grill?

    • Hi sugar – I don’t sell the MindanaoBob Deluxe BBQ Grill, but everybody is free to copy my plans from the picture. I know of at least a half dozen that have been built since I had mine built about a year ago. Feyma, the kids and I all really enjoy having a family cookout around the MindanaoBob Deluxe Grill!

      • Ok, Bob. I just read “oops I did it again” article, I saw the pics of the rotisserie. Cool work and idea there with the steering wheel. Looks fun… and you’re right it’s practical too.

      • Hi Bob, you should put a disclaimer though, that BBQ and drying hanging clothes does not mix. Last year I was visiting and we had several roasting chicken on an on ground grill and my clothes were all hanging to dry = new flavorful clothing with tanglad smell and smoke, hmmm, maybe I’ll patent that before Gap or J. Crew beats me to it.

        • That’s the only thing I hate about cooking BBQ, Mars… I always come away smelling like smoke! But, I’ll endure it, I think. Can you imagine walking around all day in one of those shirts? You’d be hungry all the time!

          • Just one problem though, I was to leave the next day for Manila for a couple of days and depart for the US, so the maid had to wash them all again, although I left some of it to gave away to cousins. Did not go back as bad as Ricardo, at least I still have my shoes!

  20. Bob;
    Great mines think alike and in this case your great mind bumped into another great mine when it comes to LIEMPO BALAMBAN or in his case rotisserie pork. Better put a patten on your BBQ and idea before someone beat you to it. If you have the patten they pay you royalties. Chu-Ching$$$
    Would you consider having a Roli Roti, but change the name to Bob’s Deluxe Grill and Go.
    Bet you would sell alot of Liempo Balamban and chicken on the streets of Davao. 🙂

  21. that grill looks just like my brothers grill in michigan he has had for over ten years now,the pan with potatoes can be used for hardwood chips also for smoking meat

  22. Food trucks, pork, bbq, potatoes, carrots, corn. I am trying to skip breakfast to lose a few calories and your not helping. (-: Seriously though food trucks are a money maker as long as you have good food and most of them do. I have a friend that has a hot dog cart. Retired guy that was bored. He sets this cart up in front of Loew’s (Builders Supply Store-very large) and sells nothing but Hot Dogs, chips and a soda for 3.75. He makes a great Chicago style dog and from what I can tell a few hundred dollars profit a day for about four hours of work. The Food Channel here in the U.S. had a show last year called “The Great Food Truck Race”. Was fun to watch and the food they cooked up was incredible. Ok Bob you win I am going to eat breakfast.

  23. HO HO BOB
    What are u doing man leting them get away this thing stilling ur grill it is just not right thing to do mate but……may the best man win…….peter martin…..tassie

  25. This post about roadside food reminded me of landing in northern Nigeria after midnight and extremely hungry – no food in the hotel so went searching with a taxi driver and a young Iranian colleague.Found some beer in the Christian area and finally some goat which had been barbecued at the side of the road on a pile of clay. The goat was chopped up for us and sprinkled with a red powder.Took it back to the hotel where we found that the red powder made chilis seem tame and the goat must have died of old age as it was like leather -absolutely inedible so we went to bed hungry- it looked and smelled so good.