tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27336458180782847412024-02-23T06:17:44.541-08:00Bob's Brew and 'QueBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-73024589789685877002014-09-12T18:49:00.001-07:002014-09-12T18:49:21.014-07:00Smoked Beef Plate RibsOne of the things I have wanted to try my hand at cooking for rather a long whole, was a whole beef plate rib section. This is perhaps the most visceral of meat cuts off of the steer, often sectioned into short ribs, or chuck ribs, I don't often see them as a rack. I finally got the chance, as my frequent cooking partner in crime and I got away, largely to do some work on a rental property of his, in Lake Tahoe. Prior to leaving, Rob managed to secure a dry aged, Angus, three bone rack of plate ribs for us to cook. We would cook this on his BGE, which is a great cooker for the altitude at Lake Tahoe. We ended up using lump, two medium sized chunks of white oak, running at 275°F for the first 3 hours, and then bumping to 300°F for the last 2 hours and change.<br />
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The rack, unadorned, was well trimmed, and required little more from me that unwrapping from the paper. I decided to use a commercial rub, Ted and Barney's H3, with some added black pepper and a small amount of smoked Spanish paprika.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nice Rack </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rubbed and Ready </i></span></div>
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From here, it was onto the cooker, not a whole lot more to do, than sit and wait. Or go build a bunk bed and sort of do what I was supposed to be doing.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>About halfway </i></span></div>
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The reason for the split temperature was just to get a little more smoke around the meat before getting the meat cooked. I find that if I go hot early in the cook, the smoke flavor and aroma is a lot more faint. There was no hurry, sitting on the deck, about the only worry was calling in a bear or something.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Yup! </i></span></div>
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Well, that looks about done, check it with the thermometer, I have no idea what temperature it was, it was tender and the thermometer slid right in. Time to wrap and let it rest for a couple of hours.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Done, look at at that smoke ring </i></span></div>
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Some vegetables were harmed in the making of this dinner.<br />
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If you need captions to understand those photos, I just don't know about you. In any event, dinner was served.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>No Sauce! </i></span></div>
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Without a doubt, this is the way to cook chuck plate ribs, and the dry aged beef was outstanding. Yes, those are just simple Japanese quick cure pickles. A really nice complement to the rich and smoky beef. Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-59254269351914383062014-08-31T19:19:00.000-07:002014-08-31T19:19:49.660-07:00Shrimp and Grits, with a Cali twistFor some reason, I got to a place where grits were on my mind. Growing up in California, and in a Japanese-American community, grits were never on my mind, and to be honest, the first few times I tried them, they did not make any sense. Along the way, that changed, cheesy grits, and then shrimp & grits suddenly became a dish I could really enjoy. Herein, is my riff on that classic.<br />
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For starters, I marinaded the shrimp for 4 hours, the recipe was really just to get some seasoning on the shrimp for the grill.<br />
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Shrimp Marinade:<br />
3 tablespoons Sudachi juice<br />
2 tablespoon whiskey<br />
1 tablespoon Kosher salt<br />
1 tablespoon black pepper<br />
pinch of sugar<br />
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I just mixed it all up with 1/3 pound of shrimp. Later these would be skewered for cooking on the Konro. A word on that, what most folks call a Hibachi, is actually a device called a Konro, in it's original form, it is a ceramic cooker with metal grating. Skewers are either laid on the grate or directly over the charcoal. In one form or another, these exist all over Asia.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Veggie Players </i></span></div>
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Back to the meal, I decided I wanted to have a complete meal, and that meant vegetables. I found some great Red Chard, so that was the play, a quick riff on what could really have been Collards. The red bell pepper just looked great and I needed some of it for my gravy. So, some onions, Chard and red bell pepper went for a ride in the wok. At the end, I adjusted with a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of white pepper and a splash of vinegar, I would guess about 1/2 cup. Want to keep it southern here.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Meat on sticks </i></span></div>
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I also planned to make a roux, to support the gravy with the shrimp, that is what the finely diced onions, red bells, chard stems and some celery were going to go in to. But first, prepared the grits, kept them a little watery as they would tighten up while I did other things, had the Konro fired up, using basic hardwood lump. Once the grits were on stand-by, it was off to the grill. I skewered up the shrimp, some wild caught stuff I found, along with some chicken jalapeno sausage from Roundman's Sausage in Fort Bragg. Then it was all seasoned with a dose of Ted and Barney's H3 butchers rub. This is a spicy version of their salt and pepper rub. I find it adds a very nice piquant heat, I can imagine it doing very well in their home market of Humboldt County.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>On the fire </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A little color </i></span></div>
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Once this was done, I built the roux, a basic affair of oil and flour cooked until a dark brick color was achieved, I didn't take it to the full gumbo stage, I wanted the lighter brown color and to retain some of the nuttiness of the toasted flour. Add in the veggies, then the meat, and then on top of the grits, which I reheated and seasoned up with some butter, white pepper and a touch of Kosher salt.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Almost...there... </i></span></div>
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Decided to forgo the parsley, didn't get that done. Plated the grits, then the chard and red bell peppers and finally the shrimp and sausage. The final touch...<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/closeup_zps54ea79dd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/closeup_zps54ea79dd.jpg" height="260" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cheese! </i></span></div>
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A few shavings of Parmesan cheese to round out the flavor and give it just a bit of that cheese aroma. I know that taking an Old South favorite and playing with it is not everyone's cup of tea, but, these grits are outstanding, hitting all kinds of flavors, while definitely hitting all of the traditional flavors as well.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-41683687045635755172014-08-10T19:28:00.003-07:002014-08-10T19:28:53.161-07:00Boudin SausageI do love sausage, and it doesn't take much to get me wanting some. In this case, it was a thread about Boudin sausage on the <a href="http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/">BBQ Brethren</a> that got me wanting some of this classic Louisiana pork and rice sausage. At one time a ubiquitous staple of any road trip or celebration in the Acadian areas of Louisiana, this sausage represents the height of a poor food economy, often made with liver, leftover rice and pork that has already been cooked, it was an ideal dish for using up food from previous meals. In it's most native version, it is an acquired taste, usually served boiled, and mostly consisting of rice, it was squeezed out of the casing, a soft, screaming hot, liver-y road side meal for many travelers. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Fresh off the smoker </i></span></div>
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Here is what I used for a recipe<br />
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<u> Bob's Boudin:</u><br />
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4 lb Pork Butt, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes<br />
<s>2 lb Pork Liver, cut into 1" cubes<br />
</s>1/2 Vidalia Onions, diced<br />
4 stalks Celery, diced</div>
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1 red bell pepper, diced<br />
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped<br />
<s>2 Jalapenos, seeded and diced<br />
</s>3 TBS Kosher Salt<br />
1 TBS Black Pepper<br />
1 TBS White Pepper<br />
1 TBS Cayenne Pepper<br />
1 TBS Chili Pepper<br />
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Also:<br />
3 Cups Cooked Medium Grain Rice <br />
1 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cup Italian Parsley, chopped<br />
1 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cup Green Onions, chopped<br />
Hog casings (32-36 mm)</div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/pork1_zps72831425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/pork1_zps72831425.jpg" height="275" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pork and Grandma's knife</i></span></div>
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Note, that I did not find any liver handy, and I flat forgot to add the jalapeno. In any event, I cubed up the pork, diced the veggies and added it all to a stock pot, with enough water to cover the entire thing about 1" under. I simmered this until the pork was tender to the touch, you want it to fall apart with a light pinch. Strain the stock, and save it, you will need it later. Grind up the pork, adjust the seasonings with the salt, pepper and chile powders. Since the filling is cooked, you can simply taste until you have the desired levels of salt and spice. </div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/grind1_zpsf23d470d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/grind1_zpsf23d470d.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Stuff added </i></span></div>
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From there, add in the rice, which I moisten with the pork stock to get it to fall apart easier, also note that the aromatics are in there as well. Lightly blend the mixture, folding from the outside, the rice will turn to mush if you are too rough. I added additional pork stock as the rice absorbs it along the way. The mixture ends up being quite soft, too soft to easily hold a ball shape. I opted to stuff the sausage into casings, it is often served fried into balls. I wanted to stick with the casings as I intended to smoke these.</div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausageraw_zps468ae493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausageraw_zps468ae493.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Raw and Ready </i></span></div>
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From thence, it was into the smoker, running at 225°F, with some pecan wood for flavor. The sausage was allowed to smoke until the casings became firm and the sausage was heated through, about an hour, give or take. Rested for 15 minutes, and ready to slice. Since these are already cooked, there will be less juice than what you might normally expect from a sausage.</div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage1_zps09dc6368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage1_zps09dc6368.jpg" height="280" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rested and Ready </i></span></div>
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The rice does a great job of absorbing the flavors throughout the process. The actual texture, even off of the smoker is a very soft and tender sausage, with a slight juiciness from the rice. It is distinct from just about any other sausage I can think of. </div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage3_zps95a51d1e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage3_zps95a51d1e.jpg" height="285" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Fine texture and lots of flavor </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage2_zps0de8bac6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage2_zps0de8bac6.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Grainy mustard is perfect </i></span></div>
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I went with a Creole Mustard and some Lucky Dog Dia del Perro hot sauce, to finish off the dish. Pretty much what I was looking for, a subtle yet complex flavor and the addition of a little smoke, made for a satisfying sausage dish. And I have quite a few to freeze for a later meal.</div>
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Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-86502704690379688512014-07-21T14:41:00.002-07:002014-07-21T14:41:21.945-07:00Wagyu Top Block Sirloin, Santa Maria styleSo, the idea of doing an outlandish cook to mark the middle of summer occurred to a few of us, and the subject of meat, specifically something exceptional came up. I have been wanting to do a Santa Maria inspired cook of what I know as Top Block Sirloin for some time now, and figured, why not grab a full-blood line Wagyu steer sirloin from Strube Ranch in Texas. These folks are one of the few ranches in the United States raising full blood line wagyu cattle. And Sterling Ball of Big Poppa Smokers sells a 12-15 pound sirloin, which turned out to be two Top Block cuts.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-raw_zps43a02290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-raw_zps43a02290.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Top Block Sirloin </i></span></div>
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So, what is Top Block, and why do I want it. Top Block is the upper 4 to 6 inches off of the Top Sirloin sub-primal, it is the premium meat from this area of the steer. It is typically very lean, and have a bit of chew, and a distinctly beefy flavor. The color is usually a rich red. Since these were off of a Wagyu, I was not sure what to expect, the meat we got was very soft, but, lacked notable fat veining. It was well trimmed, although I decided to clean up a bit of this and that.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-dressed_zps41b3d572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-dressed_zps41b3d572.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Dressed and aromatic </i></span></div>
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The tradition of Santa Maria BBQ is distinct, in that it was originally a seasonal celebration of the steer harvest, when marketable steer were driven down to the rail head for sale and distribution. The tradition deriving from the Spanish heritage of the California beef tradition, held that the men who worked the cattle drive would be treated to a dinner of beef and seasonal sides. The rub was generally simple and other then pepper, was mostly local products. The choice I made, was to rub the meat with a mixture of parsley, garlic and olive oil.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-rub_zps13803ca8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-rub_zps13803ca8.jpg" height="256" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rubbed and Ready </i></span></div>
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From there, the meat was rubbed with a spice mix, that was 45% medium grind black pepper and 45% sea salt, and 5% each of granulated onion and sugar. This was not allowed to melt into the meat, from here, it was straight to the BGE, our cooker of choice for this cook. An open rotisserie pit would have been the traditional choice, perhaps one of those great adjustable grate pits also, but, the BGE was what we had. I had opted to burn down some red oak, white oak and come lump charcoal, to build a coal bed.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-bge_zps61a33ecf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-bge_zps61a33ecf.jpg" height="261" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>It kinda fits </i></span></div>
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The meat was slowly roasted over this fire, indirect at 250°F for 90 minutes, about 60 minutes less than I expected. Thankfully, since I am still not comfortable with Wagyu beef, I had decided to check early, it was already at 125°F, my target temperature with 3 hours to dinner. I pulled the meat and tented it. About 45 minutes before dinner, I refired the BGE with more oak, this time with no plate setter, as I wanted the heat to be directly firing on the meat, and got a hot fire going.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-fire_zps02868c9e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-fire_zps02868c9e.jpg" height="270" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Oooo...fire! </i></span></div>
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I put the meat back on, the roasts were both around 6 pounds each, so the internal temperature had dropped just a few degrees. Right onto the flames, and seared off for a nice color and surface texture, took the meat to 135°F, and pulled and rested under foil for 15 minutes.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-board_zps4a643c5c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-board_zps4a643c5c.jpg" height="260" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Kinda rare </i></span></div>
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The slices were mostly what I would call a uniform medium rare, although the center cuts, as you can see, were more rare. And yes, I season the cutting board for this kind of meat, with parsley, chervil, olive oil and sea salt. Each slice gets a little extra seasoning this way. There were a few slices of medium-ish meats, so that those with a background in parasitic sciences could be okay with the meat.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-plate1_zps942d9e2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-plate1_zps942d9e2a.jpg" height="262" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Little bit of a smoke ring </i></span></div>
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Overall, there was a lot less smoke than I expected, the cook time was much faster than I expected (something I am coming to expect with Wagyu beef) and the meat was leaner than I expected, but, exceptionally tender and with a nice flavor. We discussed the meal after and decided that the meat was well worth the cost and we would do this again. I really would like to add a real wood fired rotisserie grill to make these cooks even more in keeping with what I learned of /Central California coast/Santa Maria BBQ.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-plate2_zpsb9b9a069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu-plate2_zpsb9b9a069.jpg" height="252" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Just a little frou-frou </i></span></div>
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The most distinct difference I found between this, and the tri-tips and steaks I have eaten off of Wagyu cattle, is that this meat was clean tasting, very beefy, and had less of the mouth coating fat that the more marbled fatty cuts of Wagyu beef might have. This was great meat for summer eating, and remained melting tender, despite lacking the heavy, visible, marbling of what most people think of Wagyu beef.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-35218970523657641242014-07-19T19:55:00.000-07:002014-07-19T19:55:43.939-07:00Smoked Spicy Chicken WingsI got back into the swing of cooking and taking pictures, and today was the day to try out a couple of new-to-me products that I have been meaning to get around to. Finally did it. For a while now, my friend Ryan Chester has had out two new sauces for use in BBQ cooking, and I finally was able to get around to buying a couple of bottles. And the company Oakridge Rubs has had out a product called Habanero Death Dust that kept getting great reviews, and I finally ran across a bag of it.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/spices_zpsb7cd9ba0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/spices_zpsb7cd9ba0.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The spices </i></span></div>
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The Death Dust was blended with some Ted and Barney's and Simply Marvelous Sweet and Spicy rubs. The ratio was:<br />
<br />
60% Oakridge Habanero Death Dust<br />
25% Ted and Barneys (much like a Santa Maria rub)<br />
15% Simply Marvelous Sweet and Spicy<br />
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The chicken was washed and allowed to air dry, then coated lightly with the rub. I didn't want to go nuts with a rub called Death Dust, as I want to taste the chicken, and some complexity.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yup, those look like chicken </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Chicken with rub </i></span></div>
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The kettle was setup with some Royal Oak briquettes, no smoke wood, and was fired up at 300°F, indirect heat, the chicken went on first, for 20 minutes skin side up. After 20 minutes, the chicken was flipped, then the corn was added, indirect to heat the ears up. Another 15 minutes, and the chicken temped at 150°F, I moved the corn over the fire and tossed the chicken with the Tropical Heat sauce from The Rub Company. This sauce is sweet with a strongly fruity and complex flavor. I don't find it hot, but, that is what makes it perfect for these wings. I put the wings back on for 10 minutes indirect, while I flipped the corn about.<br />
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I also made a baste for the corn, combining some ideas I have heard of from various grilled corn sources.<br />
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Corn Marinade:<br />
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise<br />
1 Tablespoon Lucky Dog Dia del Perro hot sauce<br />
1 teaspoon Softened butter<br />
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I mashed all these ingredients together, then basted on to the corn once it was beginning to char. This sped up the char process and I used a mixture of the Habanero Death Dust and some umami salt I had lying around as a dusting.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Mmmm...dinner </i></span></div>
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Everything worked great in unison, the spicy chicken, the sweet glaze and the corn all made for a nice finish. A little salad and dinner was a winner.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Chicken close-up </i></span></div>
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I am very pleased with the overall color and flavor of the combination of spices and sauce I used in this cook. The chicken really does shine with this sauce.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/corn_zps301b3283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/corn_zps301b3283.jpg" height="300" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Yum, slightly over cooked corn </i></span></div>
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One of my favorites, slightly over-cooked grilled corn. This worked out great as well.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-71554789192401284662014-06-11T19:26:00.002-07:002014-06-11T19:27:43.996-07:00Fire Roasted Duck and PotatoesI know, dead blog come back to life. In any event, here it is, I received a roast from 4505 Butchers, for my birthday. It was a sandwich of duck breasts with chorizo sandwiched in between. This was going to be interesting. Chorizo needs to be cooked hot, to well past where I would want duck breast to be done. Upon really looking at the roast, I noticed that one side was thinner than the other, my answer. Clearly, I was to use the thinner side to the heat. Here is what happened.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Oh, there was bacon </i></span></div>
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The raw roast was a thing of butchering beauty. I decided I wanted the skin to be glazed up, and taking from the technique when making Chinese Roast Duck, I made a glaze.<br />
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2 tablespoons of the corn syrup<br />
1 tablespoon bourbon barrel maple syrup<br />
1 teaspoon Tamari<br />
1 teaspoon Sudachi (citrus) juice<br />
1 teaspoon Balsamic-ish vinegar.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Glaze Players </span></i></div>
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The duck was hung with care, and then brushed with the glaze. Four coats over a one hour period, with a fan blowing. The object was to "lacquer" the skin. I decided to do the entire surface.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>That Duck won't Rustle no more </i></span></div>
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From there, I fired up the kettle and got some of the players going. Some Roma beans, Shiitake, Cippollini onions, some small red potatoes, all getting nice and roasted. The kettle was setup with a fairly neutral charcoal burn. Veggies ran at around 300°F.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>That pan is 40 years old </i></span></div>
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Once these got a little soft, I pulled them, and got the roast warming on the counter. I let the kettle roll up to 400°F. I also had a demi-glace of duck stock and sherry going.<br />
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1 cup duck stock<br />
1 cup Sherry<br />
1/2 yellow onion, diced<br />
2 cloves garlic, chopped in threes<br />
1 small carrot, diced<br />
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This was all reduced down, and once it was reduced by half, I removed from heat and filtered. I then made a quick shiitake stock, with some tamari and rice wine vinegar, this was reduced by 2/3, then added to the duck demi-glace. This was further reduced by half, and the finely chopped onions along with some basil and parsley was added in.<br />
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The roast on the kettle...seared on all sides<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Seared </i></span></div>
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Ran at 400°F for 15 minutes, then down to 275°F for 25 minutes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Done! </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/duck3_zps3a10b325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/duck3_zps3a10b325.jpg" height="280" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Plated! </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shiny! </i></span></div>
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Yes, it was better than it looks.And the top breast was able to be kept to a medium rare, which I prefer, while the bottom layer cooked to medium, and the sausage was cooked. Overall, it worked out great.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-15479168177064996422014-05-11T19:37:00.002-07:002014-05-11T19:37:39.364-07:00Brisket just for gigglesDecided to cook a brisket, it had been a while, and felt the need to run the smoker.<br />
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Details:<br />
Packer Brisket, 16 pounds, Angus Choice grade <br />
Cooked on UDS<br />
CoShell briquettes and apple wood chunks<br />
Cook temps-2 hours at 225°F, 5 hours at 295°F<br />
Rested for 2 hours in cooker, with vents closed <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The packer </i></span></div>
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The overall appearance was like a meteorite, there was a little scorching on the fat cap, but, that is acceptable to me. Overall, the feel of the brisket as it came off the cooker was that it was very soft and pliable.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Lean </i></span></div>
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There was a little crumbling on the edge, but, overall, the slices held together just enough to be lifted from the board, The shot is deceptive, the flat was very moist and tender. The bark had a great saltiness to it, and the fat cap was nearly gone. Perfect flat cook.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/point_zpsb031f50b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/point_zpsb031f50b.jpg" height="291" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Point </i></span></div>
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Perfect for me, I prefer the point to be cooked on the packer, and not separated to make burnt ends. The point on this packer was cooked to where it just clung together, none of that chewy texture that flats can show when undercooked. Great flavor in the bark, just a hint of sweetness from the fat caramelizing, I think.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-62393061350374023912014-05-11T12:22:00.000-07:002014-05-11T12:22:00.860-07:00RibsJust a shot of ribs...<br />
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Cooked in the UDS, over charcoal and apple wood, rubbed with Melvin's, Simply Marvelous Sweet and Spicy and some of my Santa Maria rub. Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-27819107444616831462014-04-21T15:17:00.003-07:002014-04-21T15:17:45.873-07:00Chuck Burnt Ends and a little SausageIt was time to fire up the smoker, it's been a while, don't want to let moisture build up in there. The decision was to double smoke some sausage and get a nice batch of Chuck Burnt Ends. I also decided I needed dinner and that called for some CAB short ribs.<br />
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Details:<br />
UDS running initially at 225°F for two hours, then ramped to 300°F for remainder of cook.<br />
Fuel was a mixture of Coshell Coconut briquettes, Cowboy Lump and Pecan chunks<br />
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<u>Sausage:</u> Locally produced linguica and kielbasa<br />
<u>Chuck Burnt Ends:</u> CAB chuck roast, seasoned with Simply Marvelous Sweet and Spicy, then The Rub Company Original BBQ, then medium grind Campot black pepper, Sauced with a 50/50 mix of Big Butz Original and Bart's Blazing Q Hot<br />
<u>Shortribs:</u> Prime CAB, seasoned with Simply Marvelous Sweet and Spicy, then SM Cherry, then medium grind Campot black pepper.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Double smoked Kielbasa and Linguica </i></span></div>
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The sausages were put onto the cooker at 225°F and allowed to smoke for about 45 minutes, all I am looking to do is get an additional layer of smoke into them. They were removed and wrapped for later use. This just kicks the smoke flavor up a bit. And makes use of the cooker a little more efficient while I prepare the other meats.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/chuck1_zpsabdcc311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/chuck1_zpsabdcc311.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Nice Chuck Roast </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/chuck2_zps76f4d27c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/chuck2_zps76f4d27c.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Three layers of Seasoning </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Nicely marbled short ribs </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Three layers of seasoning </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/chuckends1_zps0eb7dc4e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/chuckends1_zps0eb7dc4e.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cubing the Chuck </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sauced and Ready for more heat </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/burntends_zps73d38be3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/burntends_zps73d38be3.jpg" height="270" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Done! </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shortribs1_zpsc3da729f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shortribs1_zpsc3da729f.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Slicing the Short ribs </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Tender and Juicy </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ready for the eating</i></span></div>
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The burnt ends worked out great, and the short ribs were fork tender and had great flavor. I did not sauce the short ribs, they were fine without, the cheesey hush puppies were just for kicks. Everything went per plan, a good return after over a month off from smoking something.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-86369376373113747002014-03-13T13:06:00.000-07:002014-03-13T13:06:01.280-07:00Pastrami on the UDSIt's that time of year again, where inexplicably, corned beef brisket is 1/3 the price of normal, untreated brisket, so time to make a pastrami. I started with a nice, 4 poundish corned brisket point, which was then soaked for 48 hours, with the occasional change of water. The process of soaking is to remove the salt and cure that is built up in the meat. The end result is anything but appetizing.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Yum, gray meat </i></span></div>
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From here, a rub is made from the pickling spices that were included in the package or corned beef, along with additional black pepper, coriander and fennel seeds. All fed through the grinder with a coarse grind. The rub is coated onto the meat, then wrapped in plastic wrap and pressed to create some pressure on the meat. I keep it in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rubbed and ready to wrap </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pressed and ready for chill </i></span></div>
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After 24 hours, the meat was placed on my UDS, running at 225°F for 2 hours (I used Stubbs briqs and apple wood), I then wrapped in butcher paper and back onto the UDS at 350°F, the internal temperature rose to around 190°F, which I then pulled from the cooker and allowed to rest for 2 hours. Wrapped in foil and chilled overnight.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Smoked prior to wrap </i></span></div>
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After chilling overnight, sliced of about 1/3 pound of pastrami, nice thin slices which I placed in a steamer for 15 minutes, while I prepared everything else, got the saurkraut and Russian dressing ready, got the Jewish Rye out etc...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sliced, clearly needle brined </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Gotta love a toasted Rueben </i></span></div>
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Yes, it took three days, but, the flavor is spot on, and so much better than what you can buy from most grocery stores. Plus, I have enough for a few more sandwiches.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-89042507266329934842014-01-12T12:54:00.000-08:002014-01-12T12:54:52.761-08:00Kettle Smoked Chuck ChiliIt seemed like a good time to throw together some chili. It is allegedly winter, which is chili time, so I fired up the kettle and threw a chuck roast in there. I opted to use a commercial rub, actually being involved in working, a pre-made rub was just too simple. I used Ted and Barney's Rub, a product from Humboldt County, which is very similar to a Santa Maria rub, salt and pepper heavy. The chuck was smoked over a pecan and charcoal fire, at 225°F for two hours and 300°F in foil for 1.5 hours. This lead the chuck to be just a little underdone, perfect for the use as chili meat.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Smoked Chuck</span></em></div>
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The meat was removed, placed in an ice chest, while still wrapped and allowed to cool to 150°F then chilled. In the end, I ended up with about 3/4 cup of rendered collagen along with a nearly tender chuck roast. This was all saved for the next morning.<br />
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On the day of the cook, some Pinquito beans from Rancho Gordo were procured, and yes, these are worth the hassle of finding. I think that Rancho Gordo is producing the best dried bean product widely available, and they just cook up a whole lot better. The beans were sorted, cleaned, washed then tossed into a pot, with twice as much water and beans, by volume, I also tossed 3 short ribs, for additional flavor. It was brought to a boil, held there for 5 minutes, then reduced to a simmer, covered, for 1 hour. I then salted the beans and simmered until soft. Total time, just around 2 hours.<br />
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At the same time, we ground up three types of dried chile, one being Chilhaucle Negro, a rare dried chile commonly associated in it's native region of Mexico, with dark mole sauces. We also had some dried jalapeno and dried New Mexico type chiles. I added some chile powder to round out the heat component. We used a total of 6 tablespoons of this chile powder seasoning.<br />
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Two large yellow onions, 3 carrots and 6 cloves of garlic were chopped, and sautéed with 1/3 of the chile powder seasoning. These were sautéed until the onions became translucent.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Second addition of powder</span></em></div>
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Some chorizo was added at this point, about 1.5 pounds of sausage was removed from casings and added to the aromatics, along with another 1/3 of the chile powder seasoning. This was sautéed until the sausage was cooked through, then the smoked chuck was added, along with a large can of crushed tomatoes, and the final 1/3 of the chile powder seasoning. This was then cooked, and the seasonings adjusted with a little saly, pepper and sugar. This ended up taking about 2 hours, so the beans were added and everything was allowed to simmer for another 30 minutes. We used the bean water to adjust thickness. At this time, some fresh toasted cumin was ground and added, as was oregano. Roughly 2 tablespoons of each. More salt to pop the flavors.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ready to Serve</span></em></div>
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Note, that there are two large Dutch ovens worth here. This chili was rich and flavorful with a nice slow burn that develops throughout the mouth and just a little at the top of the throat. The smoke flavor of the chuck, which adds both aroma and flavor is a nice complement to the chili. Yes, there are beans and tomato, but, this was an outstanding bowl of red.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-91556172036692375162014-01-07T19:59:00.000-08:002014-01-07T19:59:14.215-08:00Pulled Pork, South Carolina-styleI was recently the recipient of a very generous package, which included several sauces and the rub from Melvin's, a company in South Carolina. A fellow BBQ Brethren, who goes by PatAttack very generously sent me these from his home state. I have never had South Carolina style mustard sauces, and the style of BBQ plays a secondary role to the more famous North Carolina styles. Thus, this package was a great chance for me to try a new flavor of BBQ.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Melvin's Sauces and Rub</span></em></div>
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I chanced upon a 3.8 pound pork shoulder butt, from MarinSun Farms, a local pasture grown meat company, this is likely a breed of heritage hog, that has spent it entire life on pasture in Marin County. I was thrilled to find that a local store now carries it. I gave it a quick rinse and trim, then tied it, as it had been boned. I applied a liberal coating of Melvin's rub and let it sit while getting the Kettle to 225°F, which it locked in to like it was an oven. <br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fresh and Shiny</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tied and Rubbed</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">On the grate</span></em></div>
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As you can see, the kettle was setup for indirect cooking, the foil provides just a little protection from direct heat. I let the butt run at 225°F for 2 hours. Oh, the little cast iron skillet was a Christmas gift, not quite sure what I am going to do with it, but, it is seasoned and what I wanted. After two hours, the meat looked like this.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ready for butcher paper</span></em></div>
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Because I was not familiar with the rub, and how it would perform, and I was working, so lost track of time before starting the cook, I decided wrapping and bumping the heat to 300°F was the combination to get to dinner at the right time. A few hours later, the meat felt soft and pliable to the touch, so I pulled and rested it for around 45 minutes. It was wrapped in foil and just sitting on the counter. I had throw together a quick soft bun recipe and it was also just cooling on the stove.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nicely Barked and Aromatic</span></em></div>
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Nothing smell better to a BBQ cook than the aroma of pork butt, just ready for pulling. This meat was just tender enough, when I removed the string, and pushed on the top, it simply relaxed into 4 large chunks of meat, a few quick chops with a scraper and it was ready.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pulled and Coarsely chopped</span></em></div>
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My preference for sandwiches is to smash the meat and then give it a coarse chop. This was perfectly cooked for that method. The meat was dusted with a little more of Melvin's rub, tossed and placed on the sliced bun.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Little bit of Melvin's Golden Secret</span></em></div>
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I wish I had gotten some cole slaw together, this sandwich sang without it, but, some cole slaw would have been perfect. I also ended up dipping the sandwich in the sauce that had spilled onto the plate. That is some great sauce, a real nice mustard twang, complements the pork perfectly. No doubt, the rub and sauce are meant to work as a team.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Great Texture</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Perfect texture of bread, meat and sauce</span></em></div>
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This sandwich did not disappoint, and I don't care what you might think about sauce and BBQ, this was very, very, good food. The bread, meat, rub and sauce worked perfectly together. I probably could have shoveled three of these things down. Such a great and generous gesture from PatAttack, and now I can say I have tried a real South Carolina mustard sauce.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-80786067880227305802013-12-29T22:22:00.002-08:002013-12-29T22:22:44.252-08:00Butternilk Fried ChickenDecided it was a good time for fried chicken, and since the entire family was gathering, it was time to really do it up, using references from many old friends, who have been gracious enough to teach me bits and pieces of Southern Cooking. These were to be fried in cast iron, shallow fried. Day one was to get the chickens parted up, and get them soaking in a butttermilk brine.<br />
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<u>Buttermilk Brine:</u><br />
1 quart buttermilk<br />
2 cups water<br />
4 sprigs fresh thyme<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
1 teaspoon rubbed sage<br />
1 cup kosher salt<br />
1/8 cup fine turbinado sugar<br />
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Bring all items except for buttermilk to 165°F, steep for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Filter the herb tea brine and combine with buttermilk. Chill until cold.<br />
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Add chicken to sealable container and soak for at least 12 hours. Turn a few tunes through the soak.<br />
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After 12 hours, the chicken should be drained and allowed to sit for 15 minutes. Assemble dredge.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Dredged in Flour </i></span></div>
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Flour Dredge:<br />
(for 3 chickens)<br />
2.5 cups AP flour<br />
1 cup cornstarch<br />
1 tablespoon black pepper<br />
1 tablespoon salt<br />
1 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg, granulated garlic, granulated onion<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground clove<br />
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Coat each piece of chicken and lay in single layer on racks. Allow coating to cure for 15 minutes. Repeat entire dredge process a second time and allow chicken to sit on rack.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Frying in the first stage </i></span></div>
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Heat two cast iron frying pans, one to 315°F and one to 375°F. Fry three to four pieces at a time, for 15-20 minutes in the lower heat, and 5 minutes in the higher heat. Monitor the heat, as adding the chicken will cause the heat to drop. The first cook is to assure the pieces are cooked, the second is to get great color and crunch. Store pieces in a 200°F preheated oven. I use a heavy steel oven pan, with a rack in the bottom, to allow drainage and maintain the crisp texture.<br />
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Ready for grabbing</div>
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The chicken ends up quite tender and juicy on the inside, and true to pan fried chicken, is just as good the served at room temperature as picnic chicken.</div>
<br />Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-33036026842325539682013-11-17T09:06:00.002-08:002013-11-17T09:06:58.436-08:00Easy Gumbo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Recipe:<br />2 cups each of celery, bell pepper (I used a mix of red and green) and onion (I used a mix of green onions and shallots this time)<br />1 cup of okra (you can use less, or more, I used what I had)<br />1/2 cup of oil (use a high smoke point oil, the reason to follow)<br />
1/4 to 1/2 cup AP flour<br />
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Meat:<br />
Can be any meat you want, traditionally, chicken, sausage and seafood are used. In this case, I used a fresh Andouille, and some large shrimp.<br />
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Stock:<br />
Use a good stock, you want at least 4 cups, I used 6 cups of a very good stock. In this case, it was a bunch of stock from boiling down chicken backs.<br />
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1. Prepare all of the vegetables. This is pretty important, as the process goes really fast. I like to chop everything into a medium dice. I keep the ingredients separate, but, the vegetables (celery, onion, peppers) can all be together, it doesn't really matter. Place vegetables next to the stove. Keep Okra separate, as it does not go in with the other vegetables.<br />
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2. Make the roux, you want to use a large, heavy bottomed stock pot, place the oil and flour into the bottom and start stirring over medium high heat. You can do it over high heat, but, the process goes too fast. You are going to cook, stirring the entire time. The roux will go from a pale tan and seemingly slowly go to a brick red. Keep paying attention, as it will start to turn a dark brown. As it approaches the dark brown stage, you will notice a whisp of smoke. Add the vegetables.<br />
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3. Once you see the whisp, add the vegetables. Note, that the oil is very hot, and if you are senstivie to steam, you should wear gloves when adding the vegetables. This must be done at one time, everything. Fry the vegetables for a couple of minutes.<br />
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4. Add the stock, note that it is all still very hot, so gloves are still a good option. If you are in a hurry, you can cut the time down by boiling here, it is better to assemble the stock, simmer for 45 minutes and let rest for a few hours.<br />
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5. Meanwhile, prepare whatever meats you are going to use. Since I used a very highly seasoned fresh Andouille recipe, there was no need to add salt or spices. But, salt and black pepper should be used if you are using other fresh meats. In my case, I had steamed the sausages before hand, reserved the water and added the water and sausage to the stock. This seasoned it enough. I add the meats and okra and thensimmer the sausage and stock for 15 minutes, then added the shrimp for the last 5 minutes.<br />
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6. At this point, remove from heat, serve with a scoop of long grain rice (I like Tex-mati Rice) and some file powder, if you like.<br />
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<i>Note: </i><br />
<i>1. I use either a high smoke point oil, or lard, or a mixture of the two. The heat level you will be taking the roux to, is so close to the flash or burn point of many common kitchen oils, if you use something like Canola oil, it will never get to the right color.</i><br />
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<i>2. A variation on the roux, I learned from a Louisiana cook, that what she does, is fry up some very spicy fried chicken, I mean, the flour was red with Cayenne. She then used the resulting red oil, a mixture of peanut oil and chicken fat. I didn't do that this time. It makes for a very spicy Gumbo.</i><br />
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<i>3. The ratios are really one of preference, I use a little less flour than oil, as it seems to get the color I want and has less of a risk of burning. The okra ratio is the trick, too much okra and it can get slimy. But, that is a preference issue. 1 cup was perhaps a little too much for the amount of stock I had, but, I had to buy the okra frozen, thus, I had one cup. And I only had the stock on hand. I will add more stock today, as it was just a little too thick last night.</i><br />
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<i>4. The roux has to be dark brown, that is where the color and flavor of the dish comes from. I added nothing in terms of color than the roux. Done properly, it has a deep complex flavor or toast, nuts, caramel that complements the dish. Literally, a few seconds too long and you are looking at black roux, that taste bitter. </i>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-83383250258184448102013-11-03T18:39:00.002-08:002013-11-03T18:39:21.897-08:00Baby Backs, or why did I thaw these when I wanted GumboI really wanted to eat Gumbo this weekend, but, for some reason, a few days ago, I removed these baby back ribs from the freezer. They needed to be eaten. So, no Gumbo, we go with smoked ribs. Might was well do something good here.<br />
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<br />
The ribs were rubbed with a layer of salt and pepper and then a layer of salt-free rub, basically, granulated garlic, granulated onion, brown sugar, and smoked Spanish paprika. These were wrapped and let sit for 2 hours, meanwhile, I fired up the UDS, with some pecan and all of the charcoal I could scrounge up, I need to buy more charcoal apparently.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsrubbed_zps0545ce68.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsrubbed_zps0545ce68.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rubbed and Ready </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsmelted_zps4aea1e35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsmelted_zps4aea1e35.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sweaty meat </i></span></div>
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The meat went on to the cooker and ran at 225°F initially, and slowly rising to 250°F over two hours. I then sprayed the ribs with what I am calling Peach Pig Honey, which is a variation of my normal Pig Honey, in that I added a can of peach juice, and 2 tablespoons each of molasses and corn syrup (real corn syrup, not flavored of modified). Then I dusted with The Rub Company Barbeque rub. I would normally powder this, but, thought I could just use it straight from the bottle.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsdusted_zps0805a6ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsdusted_zps0805a6ed.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Peach Pig Honey and Rub Co. </i></span></div>
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In any event, things were back to cooking, and four hours later, we ended up with cooked baby backs, with a nice bark, and good bend, well, too good bend. I apparently lost track of testing. None the less, dinner was rested and looked great.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribspanned_zps92bd8f29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribspanned_zps92bd8f29.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Fresh off the UDS </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsrest_zps2d73f744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsrest_zps2d73f744.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rested </i></span></div>
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Then it was time to eat. Standing in the kitchen. Who needs a plate?<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsplated_zps86560efe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsplated_zps86560efe.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Done and done! </i></span></div>
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Honestly, not my best effort. The surface texture was a little harder than I prefer and the meat was a little overcooked, the thinner parts were too dry, the fatter parts were fine. These we more like loin back than baby backs (although they were baby backs by definition). I needed to go hotter, and I think these would have been fine. And they were a little salty for me, that will need to be adjusted in this method.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-26083343294769511582013-10-16T18:37:00.002-07:002013-10-16T20:18:39.165-07:00High heat SpareribsPretty straightforward post here, I wanted to throw together a sparerib cook with the conditions, beyond my control, that I had to get them cooked Tuesday night for serving on Wednesday morning. No all night cooking, no getting up at 3:00 a.m. It was to be hot and fast, no nonsense cooking, but, it had to be at least decent.<br />
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Cooker of choice: The NorCal Brethren UDS<br />
Fuel: Royal Oak lump charcoal<br />
Wood: Pecan and Apple chunks<br />
Temperature: 300°F<br />
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The meat was two racks of spareribs that I got from my local carneceria, decided to give this place a try, as I figured it would not be worse than Safeway, and might well be better. And because I ended up having to sit around at the courthouse for jury duty, I was not able to hit my usual restaurant supply place. This was some great pork, quality was excellent, and at around $3 a pound, priced like spareribs and not pork loin.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/bones1_zps350ae73f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/bones1_zps350ae73f.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Trimmed and Ready </i></span></div>
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Gave them what I know as a modified St. Louis cut, I have heard this called a Kansas City cut rib as well. Essentially, the flap of meat and membrane under the bones are removed, the tips are cleaned up, the surface fat is removed and if there is any chest bone, it is removed.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/bones2_zpsb7afb992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/bones2_zpsb7afb992.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Chest Bones, never on Cryo-vac ribs </i></span></div>
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The rub was a Maple and Pepper rub, which was applied in two layers, one was a medium layer, as seen in the photos below, the second was a dusting, more on that later.<br />
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Maple and Black Pepper Rub:<br />
5 parts maple sugar<br />
3 parts medium grind black pepper<br />
2 parts Kosher salt (I use Redmond RealSalt)<br />
1 part smoked Spanish paprika<br />
1/2 part each granulated garlic, and granulated onion<br />
1/4 part Allspice<br />
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Made one and a half batches of this stuff, used one as it was, for layer one of the rub. This was sprinkled and patted onto the meat and left to melt for one hour (I use that time to get the cooker fired up).<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribrub2_zps7bcd0698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribrub2_zps7bcd0698.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Medium coating, could be more even I suppose </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/rubrib1_zps8ff62541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/rubrib1_zps8ff62541.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Or not, should be fine </i></span></div>
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Once things were ready in the cooker, the ribs went on, and were left to run, flat on the rack for 2 hours, then I put them over a pan, and onto a rack, with the fatter ends up, this encourages a little higher heat on the tip ends, which gets the cook more even. The second layer of rub, that was the half a recipe of the rub that I
had made, which I ran through the mortar and pestle, to grind it into a
powder. Fine powder. This was then used in conjunction with my Pig Honey
spritz, first the Pig Honey was spritzed onto the meat, then a layer of
the powdered rub was sprinkled over. This was done when I moved the
meat to the rack. Another coating of the Pig Honey was applied about 15
minutes before I moved the whole thing into the oven.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsrest1_zps265e9a63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsrest1_zps265e9a63.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Here they are on the rack </i></span></div>
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I ended up bringing the ribs in at this point, and putting them into the oven at 225°F for another hour. They actually were very close to being done, and I could have let them go in the UDS, but, I wanted to control the last two hours, and it was dark outside. I cheated. 225°F for one hour, then off for another 2 hours, while I was in bed reading. I foiled and tossed them into the refrigerator, wrapped in foil for reheating the next morning. Started at 3:30 p.m. was in bed by 11:00 p.m. Not too bad.<br />
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Tossed them, still wrapped for 40 minutes at 225°F this morning, then unwrapped for 20 minutes at 245°F unwrapped. Got this.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/doneribs_zpsbc0ccd20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/doneribs_zpsbc0ccd20.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Looking good so far </i></span></div>
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From here, they were packaged up in a pan and taken to their final destination, waited for around 30 minutes for serving, still hot and looked like this.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/slicedribs1_zpseba25457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/slicedribs1_zpseba25457.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Nice Texture </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/slicedribs2_zps287d0996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/slicedribs2_zps287d0996.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Nice bark too </i></span></div>
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All in all, a very successful cook, the ribs were moist and tender, not fall off the bone, but, just short of that. The overall flavor and texture were about as good as I would expect from myself. I would never turn in full spares for a competition, but, the flavor and texture of these ribs were good enough for just that. Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-64217629725372472472013-10-14T16:01:00.002-07:002013-10-14T16:01:44.966-07:00Tri-tip, more Tri-tip, Sausage, Short Ribs, Gluttony!After a brief hiatus, during which my friends Rob and Michael, along with I, recovered from the last run of ridiculous dining, we decided it was time to start up with the next round. Farmer's markets and butcher counters were hit up, home made sausage was attempted, coffee was imbibed and the feast was organized. There would be sausage, tri-tip and short ribs as the main meats. Roasted baby squash and beets, tomato and burrata salad and some Drakonic stout from my local brewery to welcome in fall.<br />
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Step one was to prepare and smoke the short ribs, as these would take the longest to get right. I wanted to take these to fully done, previous attempts have been a little under done for my taste. I gave these a basic rub, and let sit while I lit the BGE up. Once the cooker was up to 300F, I put the meat on to the cooker and let them run for 3 hours.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shortribsraw1_zps50285357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shortribsraw1_zps50285357.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Prime short ribs </i></span></div>
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Basic Rub (used on tri-tip and short ribs)<br />
3 parts Kosher salt<br />
3 parts medium grind black pepper<br />
1/2 part Spanish paprika<br />
1/4 part Cayenne<br />
1/4 part fresh lemon zest<br />
I mix the ingredients together by hand, kneaded the salt with the zest and other ingredients to infuse the citrus oils through the rub, and to bind the paprika and chile powder into clumps.<br />
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After three hours, I wrapped in foil as time was getting short and they needed a kick in the pants to get done. 30 minutes later, and another 10 over direct heat, I had this.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shortribs1_zps3b5307bd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shortribs1_zps3b5307bd.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For the rest period </i></span></div>
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Step two was the home made sausage, detailed on <a href="http://smoke-n-brew.blogspot.com/2013/10/homemade-sausage-attempt-one.html">this post</a>. I decided to poach them in a court bouillon first, just to tighten up the skins and assure myself that things were cooked. Then, cooling, and into the smoke for an hour, which gave the sausages a nice smoke flavor. These would be grilled shortly before dinner.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage2_zpseefce13d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage2_zpseefce13d.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>One hank for dinner </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/poachedsausage_zpsf8d87494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/poachedsausage_zpsf8d87494.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Poaching </i></span></div>
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And on to Step three, the tri-tips. We ended up buying something called a Black Jack tri-tip, which seemed intriguing, although we have passed on these many times before, we finally broke down and bought one of these. They are jet black and shiny, marinaded in some mixture that seems quite odd, so few black foods out there, and I hoped that this was not some horrible licorice experiment. There was also the Wagyu tri-tip that we have some to love. It is so incredibly tender and rich, this time, I hit it with the aforementioned basic rub, and onto the BGE running closer to 285F to 295F. These two tri-tips were to be cooked for an hour or so.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/tritipraw1_zps6bd5a721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/tritipraw1_zps6bd5a721.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Wagyu marbling-obvious </i></span></div>
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Oh, there were snacks too, some wild caught prawns, which we gave the Zatarain's boil treatment...<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shrimps_zps4366bb6b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shrimps_zps4366bb6b.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Snacks for the cook </i></span></div>
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Okay, back to the tri-tips, onto the BGE and cooking along...<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/trisonbge_zpsa968bafb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/trisonbge_zpsa968bafb.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>You can see that black tri-tip </i></span></div>
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That is not a shadow or weird exposure, that is a jet black and shiny tri-tip. In any event, things got cooked, these were slow cooked at 300F, until 128F internal, then the BGE was setup for direct grilling, my fingers were burned a bit, all things went along fine here.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/panOmeat2_zps0bc6cf7c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/panOmeat2_zps0bc6cf7c.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pan O' Meat</i></span> </div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/panOmeat1_zpsea05293c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/panOmeat1_zpsea05293c.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pan O' Meat again </i></span></div>
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You can see the texture of the meat here, with Wagyu, I have found that the lean parts barely hold together when the cooking is done. These were reverse seared, which I don't do very often, but, working with the cooker I have, and the expectations, reverse sear was the best option. I prefer a slow, direct fired, method of cooking for tri-tips, which gives me the best texture and appearance, but, that is a different story. The short ribs had rested for over an hour, these meats were given a 30 minutes rest as well.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu_zps7c41790b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu_zps7c41790b.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Wagyu Tri-tip </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/tritip1_zps64ce2c90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/tritip1_zps64ce2c90.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Black Jack Tri-tip </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shortribs2_zpsd31a8b18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/shortribs2_zpsd31a8b18.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Short-ribs </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage3_zps3b11680e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage3_zps3b11680e.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pork sausages </i></span></div>
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Even though the Wagyu tri-tip looks pretty lean, it is deceptive, that meat is so tender texture, almost melting on the tongue. Even the parts I cooked to medium (one member of our group does not eat rare meat) were tender to almost a falling apart level. The Black Jack had a great texture and a complex flavor, similar to Hoisin sauce, it is one of the very best marinaded tri-tips I have ever had. The short ribs were perfect, flat out, as good as that cut of meat can be. The sausage was also a winner, despite an almost too mild flavor, the smoke and texture held the day, they were even better with a little mustard. Overall, the meats were nailed. The salad and vegetables were incredible as well.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">We won't mention the Radish Tsukemono. </span>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-7807736837236012472013-10-14T15:21:00.003-07:002013-10-14T15:21:59.651-07:00Homemade Sausage, Attempt OneOne of my favorite foods in sausage, in all of it's permutations. And over the years, I have always thought I was going to try making it. I even went so far as to start collecting equipment along the way, that would make the act of sausage making easier. And I have made my own bulk sausage many times, but, never the real deal, in a casing. An impulse purchase of some casing finally lead me to make the move.<br />
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I started with the aforementioned purchase of some dry cured hog casings, which would yield a nice medium sized dinner sausage. From there, I decided to go with a simple pork sausage recipe, why get fancy when everything else was going to be a learning experience. So, some pork shoulder (3 pounds), some pork belly (1.5 pounds) and some spices. The meat was nearly frozen and then cut into small cubes.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/meatcubes_zps186510b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/meatcubes_zps186510b9.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Very cold cubes of meat </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Spice mix </i></span></div>
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2 tablespoons medium grind black pepper<br />
3.5 tablespoons kosher salt<br />
1.5 teaspoon fine sugar<br />
1 teaspoon New Mexico chile powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon each granulated garlic and onion<br />
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The spices were dissolved in 1/8 cup warm water and 1/8 cup bourbon and allowed to bloom for one hour. That was the amount of time it took for me to grind the meat and cool it again in the freezer. Here is the grind just before stuffing. Up to this point, this was pretty familiar, the process of making a mild bulk sausage. Normally, I would have gone with a lot more seasoning, but, since I was going into casings, I went light, just in case. <br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausagegrind_zpsaa9596e4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausagegrind_zpsaa9596e4.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bulk sausage </i></span></div>
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The casings were soaked in warm water, 4 rinses for an hour, that was done before I even started with the meat. Just made sense to get out in front of that process. The KitchenAid was setup for stuffing sausage casings. I have owned the stuffing horn tool for years, they are still brand new. In any event, off we went, stuffing meat into pig guts.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/meathorn_zps8c304810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/meathorn_zps8c304810.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Not the prettiest thing </i></span></div>
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It turns out, getting the casing into place was the hardest part of the process, it just took more time and patience than I expected. I now see why some people pay extra for pre-stretched casings. In any event, stuffing went smoothly, if slowly and somewhat unevenly. Some quick smoothing and the whole thing looked like I had an idea of what I was doing.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/meatsnake_zps393c53c9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/meatsnake_zps393c53c9.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Texture looks okay </i></span></div>
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The texture looked okay, but, next time, I am going to split the total amount of meat into smaller parts, and keep some in the freezer, to keep it colder. Once the force meat got at all warmer, it started to emulsify in an unsatisfactory manner. That was lesson one. Lesson two would be not to sweat the size, as long as you don't over stuff the casings, when you are linking, things even out nicely.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage1_zps09c1e7ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage1_zps09c1e7ad.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Coiled up and ready </i></span></div>
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From here, the linking went fine, I decided to store them in the coldest part of the fridge for the rest of the day, somewhere, I read that this leads to a better overall flavor in the sausage. I think this was as good a result as I could have expected for a first try.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage3_zps3b11680e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/sausage3_zps3b11680e.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Final Product </i></span></div>
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The final product was a nice, mild, sausage, with great texture. Lesson three would be that I could have easily doubled everything but the salt in the seasoning mix and it would have been fine. The flavor was so mild, the sausage had great texture and was just a little too mild. It had a fine pork base note, but, nothing to brighten up the flavor. These were poached, then smoke and grilled. Very much a success and great first step.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-76312829371862574152013-09-01T18:37:00.001-07:002013-09-01T18:37:41.292-07:00Brisket Cook, the Grand Experiment, Part OneSo, it was a beautiful weekend, a long weekend, and it seemed like a perfect time to pull out the stops and try something that my friend Rob and I have been wanting to do for a while. Rob had already secured a Piedmontese Heritage brisket, and he was working on scoring a Snake River Farms American Wagyu brisket. Now, there are a couple of mouthfuls, we will look at those soon. All I needed to do, "you're only job", was to get a Choice Black Angus brisket. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Three Briskets, before the fire </i></span></div>
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Using the impeccable skills of timing and planning that Rob and I have honed over years in business, we planned on cooking these, starting at 8:00am, running the cookers at 300F, grate temperature, and we expected to be eating at 6:00pm-ish. As soon as I arrived at 9:15am, we got the cookers fired and the meat prepared.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu_zpse1165e0d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyu_zpse1165e0d.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>SRF Wagyu </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Trimmed SRF Wagyu </i></span></div>
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In terms of the Wagyu, this is a hybrid beef, a cross between original Wagyu cattle genetics bred to American Black Angus cattle. The meat is far more marbled, at the point of grading, than USDA Prime beef. In handling this meat, it was clearly softer than regular beef. The image above shows ho the meat starts to pull apart once the membrane is removed. One of the things we noticed, was the when we pushed out fingers into the meat, the indentation stayed, unlike normal beef, that has a notable resilience. The deckle, or point, portion of the packer was so marbled, it was far more than any other brisket I have seen.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedmontese_zps68cc7b92.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedmontese_zps68cc7b92.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Piedmontese Heritage </i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Piedmontese Beef </span></i></div>
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Now, to the Piedmontese, this is a breed of cattle that is barely known in any circles. Originating in Italy, the Razza Bovina Piedmontese is a dual purpose cattle breed, that is most noted for a characteristic called "double-muscling". A genetic mutation that leads to excessively muscular cattle. As it happens, the beef ends up with lower fat levels, lower calories per gram and higher Omega-3 acids, it is a healthy beef. It is also alleged to be more tender. We shall see. One thing was for sure, while trimming, this beef 'jiggled' like gelatin. It was unbelievably soft, in BBQ circles, this was the ultimate floppy brisket. It appeared very lean, and a lot more pink than the other meats. Originally considered a dual purpose breed, this breed of cattle has become endangered, as it is so unknown.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/angus_zps963c6ec2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/angus_zps963c6ec2.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Certified Choice Angus </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/angus1_zps4217af9a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/angus1_zps4217af9a.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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The Angus packer </div>
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Finally, there was my brisket, the Choice Angus beef, which I got from my usual supplier for these types of cooks, this is what I consider my bargain beef, from a local restaurant supply shop, it is normally a very good brisket, I ended up with a 14 pound packer. In the realm of 'you get what you pay for', the Wagyu and Piedmontese briskets required very little trimming or cleaning, a little membrane and some fat. The 14 pound Angus ended up around 11 pounds by the time I got done trimming. Several large hunks of fat had to be removed. This still appeared to be a good packer for our purposes.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/briskets2_zps57ac3178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/briskets2_zps57ac3178.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Three Brisket trimmed and ready for rub </i></span></div>
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In terms of the rub, the point of this exercise was to pull together three briskets and get a good feel for the taste of the meat. That doesn't mean that adding no spice makes any sense. I prepared what I consider to be a simple rub, consisting of equal parts of Kosher salt and medium grind black pepper. I used RealSalt Kosher salt, and a Kampot Black Pepper/Tellicherry Black Pepper combination, along with small amounts of granulated garlic, granulated onion, citrus peel and sugar. This was applied with a moderate coating to all of the surfaces of the briskets. I do this as the cookers are coming to heat, so the rub sits on the meat for about 15 to 20 minutes, which gives it some time to 'melt' onto the meat.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/briskets3_zps8f87c951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/briskets3_zps8f87c951.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rubbed and ready </i></span></div>
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These were places onto the cookers, the Piedmontese, as it was smaller, went on to the large Big Green Egg, the Wagyu and Angus, closer in weight, went on to the 26" Weber kettle. The BGE was fired with Cowboy lump and apple wood, the kettle has a mixture of Cowboy lump, natural briquettes and apple wood. Both cookers were run at an average of 300°F. Barring the fact that I arrived nearly an hour late, and took far longer to prepare, as I was enjoying fussing with the fancy beef, this was the last point where we were even close to staying on the plan. Did I mention we started the morning with Bier de Chocolat slushies? Anyways...<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/thehost_zpsc16e9847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/thehost_zpsc16e9847.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Our host </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/fatty_zps7942b8bf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/fatty_zps7942b8bf.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Maple and Pepper rubbed fatty </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/brekkie_zps36cb7485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/brekkie_zps36cb7485.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Fatty Sandwich, with Arugula slaw and fried egg </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/anguswagyu_zps2a65fba8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/anguswagyu_zps2a65fba8.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Angus on the left, Wagyu on the right </i></span></div>
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No, I did not forget about the brisket, but, a man's got to eat breakfast. This was a few hours into the cook, no foil or paper, these were run straight through. briskets were flat down for most of the cook, I flipped after 6 hours, yes, 6 hours at 300°F, go figure.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedandends_zps6a071077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedandends_zps6a071077.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Piedmontese and Burnt Ends </i></span></div>
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Well, a couple hours later, the Piedmontese was ready, as were some Burnt Ends. These were made form the Angus, which was nowhere near ready, but, I figured I would separate them point and do this. Rob and I had discussed burnt ends for a few days, I don't care for them, at least, compared to properly cooked and sliced point. Rob loves them, the compromise was the Angus was cubed and braised. It is worth noting, that along the way, some guests arrived, some bacon wrapped jalapenos and padron peppers were eaten, along with fried squash blossoms and loofah in tare.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/civilized_zpsd866d963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/civilized_zpsd866d963.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>These people did not smell of smoke </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/thecookers_zpsf2084afb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/thecookers_zpsf2084afb.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Cookers </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/burntends_zps6422ac38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/burntends_zps6422ac38.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Okay, burnt ends do not suck..but, lookie... </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedmontese2_zps4913ac9e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedmontese2_zps4913ac9e.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The finished Piedmontese </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedmonteseflat_zps4383c176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedmonteseflat_zps4383c176.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Piedmontese Flat </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedmontesepoint_zpsc6ad9188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/piedmontesepoint_zpsc6ad9188.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Piedmontese Point </i></span></div>
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What you see there, is a moist and very tender flat, and a point that is perfect, absolutely perfect, rendered out, tender beyond belief. You could actually pick up those slices, but, once you placed it in your mouth, it melted. The flat was amazing, moist and just a little pull, so tender. But, the key thing, was this tasted so much better than any beef I have had in years. To this point, this was the best taste of beef I have had in a long time. In terms of what we had this night, this tasted the closest to the beef I grew up eating from my uncle in Idaho. What beef should taste like.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyuflat_zps9849822f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/wagyuflat_zps9849822f.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Wagyu Flat </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Wagyu Point </i></span></div>
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The Wagyu, my photos don't do it justice, the flat was dripping with moisture, that shot is after wiping the board. It literally flooded the board with juice, to the point I thought I had pulled it too soon. But, the flat draped over the knife, it was supple, and just perfect to the tooth. As I was cutting, fingers from other people kept swiping the meat off the blade. The point, unbelievable texture and moisture. It was not as rendered as the Piedmontese, which would be true to the difference in fat and marbling, but, this was delicious fat, rendered almost to liquid, a perfect cut of meat. The difference in flavor was marked though, like other Wagyu I have had, the beef flavor is quite subdued, refined, it lacks the edge of blood and minerality of beef. This is not a flaw, so much as a difference in taste. If I was going to cook one brisket, to stake my reputation on, it would be a Wagyu brisket.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Angus Flat </i></span></div>
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I'll some right out and say, that I was not happy with this Angus brisket. Almost from the point it hit the heat, it felt and looked wrong. It cooked painfully slow, refusing to color at all for 4 hours, despite a 300°F grate temperature. The flat that I pulled and ended up cooking at 400°F for the last 30 minutes never rendered. I had little hope for the flat. In truth, having gone on the cooker at 10:00a.m., this brisket was not pulled until 10:00p.m. But, when it finally came out of the stall, that stall, it sat at 165°F for 6 hours, it was actually pretty good. Even after eating the other two briskets, this flat was tender and juicy. It may be the worst cook I have had of a packer in 5 years, but, the end result was certainly good. <br />
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In terms of the take away, if I had it within my means, I would never cook another Choice Angus packer again. The Piedmontese had such a great flavor, something that was a throw back to when beef had a stronger flavor, with the blood and muscle still in beef. The Wagyu was subtle and transcendent in texture, the point was amazing, the flat was the most moist and tender flat I have ever had. I loved this cook, despite the blown schedule, good company, too much junmai daiginjo, and a lot of good eats.<br />
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-53993897772943383592013-08-04T20:01:00.000-07:002013-08-04T20:01:30.944-07:00Baby Back RibsDecided to test out a couple of ideas, and since I was going to be at home futzing around with a few repairs, I went with some ribs. Low cost, low time investment, low effort was my thinking. It is odd how this never works out.<br />
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The ribs ended up being the extra meaty ones, which I actually dislike, and then they were pricey, as the local grocery store didn't have the pork I like, so off to the butcher counter. Now I was spending more time and money than planned. Oh well...made up this stuff.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ready for eating </i></span></div>
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The Rub: (total 1/3 cup)<br />
3 parts kosher salt (I use Redmond Real Kosher Salt)<br />
2 parts medium grind black pepper (Tellicherry from Oakland Spice Shop)<br />
1-1/2 parts Maple sugar<br />
1/2 part smoked Spanish paprika <br />
1/4 part ground nutmeg<br />
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The Injection:<br />
1/4 cup apple juice<br />
1/4 cup white wine vinegar <br />
3 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce (brand matters, no MSG, no sugar, no wheat)<br />
2 tablespoons of Yuzu hot sauce<br />
1/2 teaspoon of the above rub<br />
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Combine all ingredients, load into injector <br />
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Pig Honey:<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
1/2 cup apple juice<br />
4 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce (brand matters, no MSG, no sugar, no wheat)<br />
1/4 cup maple syrup<br />
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Heat all ingredients to combine, do not boil. <br />
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First off, I used a typical injector and injected each of the spaces between the ribs, as well as the top part of the extra thick ribs. You could see the meat plump with the liquid. The membrane was left on for this part of the cook. I wrapped the ribs up and let them sit for an hour in the fridge. Then they were removed and sat on the counter for a few minutes.<br />
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Step two of the process was to strip the membrane, I feel this makes for better bite through once the cooking is done. I apply the rub using a shaker bottle, trying to get a fairly even coating, although it doesn't matter all that much. I do manage to get it around all sides of the meat. I let it sit while I fire up the cooker.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Injected, Rubbed, Ready </i></span></div>
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The UDS was fired, largely because I hadn't used it in a while. I loaded about half the basket with charcoal and chunks of apple wood. Set it on fire and let it ride up to 215F. Got the light, sweet, smoke I wanted, so put the ribs on and left two of the vents open. The UDS rode up to 300F and settled in, so I left the vents set and went about with doing other things. After 4 hours, I hit it with a dribble of the Pig Honey, and then again an hour later. By now, the cooker was almost out of fuel, temperatures were down around 225F, and the ribs were just about done. Took them off between 5 and 6 hours in, tented in foil for 20 minutes. This looked promising.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The ready to eat rack </i></span></div>
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Sliced off a few bones, and was a little concerned about the texture, but, as I sliced more, things seemed to be alright. Very juicy and the knife slid right through.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Dinner </i></span></div>
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There was a slight smoke ring, the texture was terrific looking, there was a lot of juice and some fat, the yellow discoloration showing the fat that stayed in the meat. I find that this is common with the extra thick baby back ribs, there is a layer of fat in them, that renders and leaves that extra grease. It takes that extra hour to render them up right.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsd3_zpsee1b2329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/ribsd3_zpsee1b2329.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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The Bark </div>
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I neither use, nor believe in the use of a slather. I have never seen the reason for it, as the rubs I use build up fine without it. This rack had beautiful color and the bark was just crisp, but, broke with just a slight bite. Texture of the meat was tender, with a little pull when you bit into it, but, leaving a clean bone. Once off the bone, the meat had great texture. And there was loads of juice. I need to try this with spares, as I was really happy with the cook.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-48659942849345363342013-08-01T12:06:00.001-07:002013-08-01T12:06:12.845-07:00Porchetta on the Big KettleMy friend Rob is moving from the temporary rental house he and his family have been living in for the past year and a half, after finally finding the next great home for them. And it was time to do a farewell cook to the patio that has hosted quite a few great cooks. It had to be epic. And it was up to me to do something special, enter the Live Fire Bucket List. The idea of digging a huge pit was not really a good idea, so it was to Item Two that we turned. Porchetta! To be more specific, a version of the real deal, we went with a pork belly wrapped around a tenderloin, and smoked, then roasted. A true Porchetta, still Item Two on the list, is a small pig, boned whole, and stuffed with herbs, then tied and roasted in a wood oven (this will happen). In any event...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Porchetta and Beef Ribs </i></span></div>
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How did we get there? Well...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Herbs </i></span></div>
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To start the process, I took some home grown sage, basil, thyme and store bought rosemary and flat leaf parsley, reduced this to a very fine chop. Added the zest from a lemon (for this use, organic lemon, as I want a clean rind) and mixed it all together. Three-fourths were to be used as herbs, the other fourth was ground into the salt and pepper, to make a spiced salt. This brings out more aromatics and integrates the flavors into the salt and pepper. I also toasted some fennel seeds and coriander seeds, these were powdered in the mortar and pestle.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Herbs and Zest </i></span></div>
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That may not look like a lot, but, it is plenty of herbs for this size roast. I also minced up three shallot bulbs and a dozen garlic bulbs were first minced then turned into a paste.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pork Belly-untrimmed </i></span></div>
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And here is the pork belly, untrimmed. I needed to remove some silverskin and clean up some excess meat and fat. Although I am a huge fan of carbon steel and Japanese blades, when working with meat like this, I default to my Dexter-Russels, the handles remain secure in wet hands, and the blades have the right edge for me. I can make very precise cuts with these two knives. I should note, the skin side got a thorough scrubbing with kosher salt and vinegar, this was both to clean it, and make sure it had a coat of salt and acid. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Nice and trimmed </i></span></div>
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I went ahead and scored the meat at this point, about 1/2 the distance through the meat side and through the skin as well. This aids in getting the meat evenly cooked, and it getting the fat to render. It is pretty important, as if you don't do this, the meat folds and makes it harder to roll. It also enables more of the herbs and spices to penetrate the belly. I happened also butterflied two tenderloins.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/spice1_zps91ce16c3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/spice1_zps91ce16c3.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Salt, Pepper, Fennel Seed and Coriander Seed </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/herby_zps2b2984a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/herby_zps2b2984a3.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shallots, Garlic, Herbs </i></span></div>
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At this point, I took the time to force the spices and herbs into the slices in the meat, and to work it around enough to get an even layer. Then the tenderloins.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/loins1_zps64b0d6a9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/loins1_zps64b0d6a9.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Butterflied Tenderloins </i></span></div>
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And now, time to roll it up into a single roast. It is just for this reason, that I keep a roll of butcher twine handy. It actually ended up being quite easy to get a 10 pound pork belly to wrap around 3 pounds of tenderloin.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/tide1_zps09b08808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/tide1_zps09b08808.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The small end </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The large end </i></span></div>
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I was a little worried about the large end being open, but, there was no practical way at this point to get it closed. Ended up being a non-issue. That last two inches were sacrificed for beans anyway. You can see the slices in the skin at this point. Again, these will enable the fat to render and hopefully the skin will crisp.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>And we're on the way... </i></span></div>
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At this point, I added a paste made of kosher salt, lemon juice and olive oil to the surface.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/almost1_zps0d20adea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/almost1_zps0d20adea.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I want a rotisserie... </i></span></div>
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These are progress shots, I think the roast ended up staying on the cooker for at least another hour and a half. It was not quite as dark as it looks here, but, there was some singing. These areas did not taste at all bad though. Shortly after this shot, the end towards the camera as removed to add some pork and smoke to the fresh cranberry beans someone else was cooking.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/halved1_zpsa503c5d7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/halved1_zpsa503c5d7.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>And here we are </i></span></div>
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The first few slices, you can see the herbs, if only you could smell what I smelled when I cut into this. The entire kitchen and dining room filled with the fennel, coriander and herbs. The skin had some room for improvements, but, some parts of it were brilliant. Crunchy and salty. The pork was tender and moist, but, not as fatty as it would have seemed.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/chunks1_zpsd36e13fd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/chunks1_zpsd36e13fd.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Chunks before chopping </i></span></div>
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Some chunks were served as a fine chop for sandwiches, I had bought some slider buns from Cakebox Bakery, a local bakery that makes the best burger buns. Other larger chunks/slices were served as they came off the roast. Some of the above pork may not have made it to the table.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/slice1_zpsf71be359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/slice1_zpsf71be359.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The small end sliced </i></span></div>
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The small end stayed together quite nicely. You can see the skin didn't pop quite as well. Still, this shows how the salt and herbs worked with the meat. We ended up eating only about 1/3 of the roast for 6 people. It was very rich.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/slice2_zpsefe6d973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/slice2_zpsefe6d973.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Leftovers </i></span></div>
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Yep, there were leftovers. I was sort of expecting more than 6, but, having leftovers like this, not a problem. Next time, I will start earlier and run a hotter fire earlier in the cook. I will also use a loin, not a tenderloin, as the meat in the center was so delicious, and I am certain a loin would have been even better. But, I was very happy with the flavor, texture and overall quality of the cook. Especially for a first time.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-51580976663055786372013-07-31T18:23:00.001-07:002013-07-31T18:23:51.597-07:00Picking Hops at Sauly'sLast Saturday, I had the chance to go pick some hops from the hop bines of my long time friend Saul. Saul and I went to school together in junior high and high school. As it turned out, I eventually landed about 6 blocks away from him, in our mutual new home town of San Leandro. And it was here, that Saul planted 5 hop rhizomes, and has nurtured then along for many years. He has a mix of Cascade and Nugget hops, which I have already had the chance to brew with, but, now had the chance to join in the harvest. Here are the bines, all wired up and ready for picking.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/c6b77c35-794e-4c14-ab56-ec5607974ca7_zpsc27577e2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/c6b77c35-794e-4c14-ab56-ec5607974ca7_zpsc27577e2.jpg" width="298" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hop Bines </i></span></div>
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So, that shows the bines, prior to harvest. A note, I know how to spell. Hops grow on bines, technically, a bine is a plant that climbs by entwining a support structure, as opposed to using aerial roots or tendrils. The bines in the above image, are on a 25 foot tall supports structure, with an ingenious pulley system, that not only allows harvest of the hops, but, allows for growth exceeding 25 feet. As the bines reach the 25 foot mark, Saul lowers the ropes through the pulley, giving him more room. These bines were actually closer to the 35 foot mark.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/hopclusters_zps0c122e15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/hopclusters_zps0c122e15.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hop Clusters </i></span></div>
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Here are the hops still on the plant, the actual hop that we are interested in, is a flower, that grows in clusters, hanging from the terminal of the branches of the bine. The hops appear as cones, and are often mislabelled as flowers, In truth, they are strobiles, cone structures that house the reproduction for the plant. The resin, which is what makes hops so valuable to brewers, is a yellow powder that is located along the central core of the hop. These are actually quite beautiful structures as they hang amongst the dark green leaves.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/hop_zps6ef7424d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/hop_zps6ef7424d.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hop Strobile/Flower/Cone </i></span></div>
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Just a glamour shot of a large and quite lovely hop strobile. This is something you never see at a brew shop, the large, fresh, hydrated version of the little green pellets or smashed up petals in a vacuum pack. These are far less delicate than they look, but, so valuable to a brewer, you want to take a little extra care when handling them anyway. I also found out, that the billions of tiny hair like thorns on the bines, which I blithely ignored (after all, I am the son of a rose grower) actually scratched up my arms so much, it took two days for the feeling of burning to calm down. Next time, long sleeves.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/0a7d4295-e214-424f-af1a-9afd0d23003c_zps636e77ce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/0a7d4295-e214-424f-af1a-9afd0d23003c_zps636e77ce.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Tub o' Hops </i></span></div>
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And the end result, this is actually around 2/3rds of what was on the plants. Saul estimated that this would make about 5 batches of ale. These will be air dried and then Saul vacuum packs them for use throughout the year. I ended up with about 15 ounces to take home, which will end up as around 3 ounces of hops once dried. I will be brewing a Saul ale at that time. What a great time I had, both with the fact that I got to experience the harvest of an integral part of one of my hobbies, and for the fact that I was able to catch up again with my friend Saul and his lovely wife Carla, whom I also went to high school with. There are not a lot of better ways to spend an afternoon.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-45172691953102424722013-07-22T14:21:00.000-07:002013-07-22T14:21:40.184-07:00Food Trends WeekThis past week was spent on the move, from Carmel, CA to Willits, CA, and hitting the home base for a day or two in between. And due to that, there was precious little cooking, but, a fair amount of eating that was accomplished. One of the key things for my life, is good coffee, which I have yet to find a great place in Willits, but, I do love the Carmel Roasting Company for very decent coffee every morning. I did sneak in a visit to Blue Bottle, for a latte, and they never disappoint. One of the best pulls anywhere. Along the way:<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/parkburger_zps0377bcab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/parkburger_zps0377bcab.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Parkburger with Fried egg </i></span></div>
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Park Burger in Oakland, is one of the latest additions to the upscale burger trend in Bay Area food, and this place did not disappoint. It was not cheap, and it was not a challenger for what I consider to be my benchmark for burger joints in the Bay Area, that would be Kronnerburger in San Francisco. But, this was quality meat, and excellent presentation, they offer a fried egg, huge plus there. The fries, onion rings and sweet potato fries were all excellent. Definitely a place to go to again. It successfully fits into the local burger scene, by being both trendy and distinct.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/pastrami_zps33ba77ea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/pastrami_zps33ba77ea.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shorty Goldstein's Pastrami </i></span></div>
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Yet another addition, to the trend of house cured meats and pickles, Shorty Goldstein's in the Financial District of San Francisco, featuring their own cured corned beef, and smoked pastrami, house sour pickles, that are clearly soured and not dill, and a house mustard that has a great kick of horseradish. All great stuff, the pastrami sandwich I had used a cracked seed Rye bread, and the pastrami was terrific. As good as any I have had, tender, chunky, salty, all things it should be. I am lukewarm about sour pickles, so that these being great sour pickles, means I am greatly lukewarm about them. The cole slaw, though, is a different story, and exceptional slaw, that worked great as a complement to the pastrami. I would buy this slaw if I was cooking pulled pork. This was the second great slaw I have had in a week, with my friend Hiroo's edging it out, but, both being very original.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/mnstrtbbq_zpsc4f2574f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/mnstrtbbq_zpsc4f2574f.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Main Street BBQ </div>
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I created for myself a little embargo on BBQ restaurants for this season, and have been pretty good about not going into any BBQ place since April. This was the exception, it was 110F outside in Willits, and I did not want Mexican food, so this new BBQ joint was the place. And it was a surprise. I consider brisket to be the measure of how good a cook is, in terms of BBQ. Pulled pork is too easy, ribs as well. Have the patience and understanding to cook and hold a good brisket and you get my attention. The couple running Main Street BBQ in Willits, CA are doing a great job. The brisket flat was excellent, tender with that dry edge of real smoked brisket. They serve it unsauced, and offer a thin, vinegar and pepper heavy red sauce, or a uber-tangy mustard sauce. I tried both, and both were excellent. I associate thin, vinegar and pepper heavy sauces with Kansas City and mid-south BBQ. The couple hail from Georgia, and this reflects in the cooking. The slaw was creamy, which I associate with foods other than brisket, but, it was tasty as well.<br />
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I am not travelogue writer or restaurant critic, instead, what I found with these three distinct food places, was that there are folks creating their own spins, on classic foods, looking to raise the bar on local and everyday foods, in such a way as to appeal to our memories of foods, while elevating past fast foods, or the mundane of yet another burger, yet another mass market pastrami or just copying BBQ from some other place. I love the story of cooks who care about making good food.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-12913527792333233082013-07-07T17:39:00.001-07:002013-07-07T17:39:40.138-07:00Day on the Bay-Dead Oyster-styleTomales Bay, that is. Today found four of us on Tomales Bay, with some unlucky oysters and clams, several different sausages, a couple of different sauces and some beer. It was a beautiful day to be waterside at The Tomales Bay Oyster Company. Kevin has prepared a mignonette of some form, along with some "Rockefeller Mix", some Tabasco and some Chinese BBQ sauce. The plan was to just hang out, enjoy the day and play around with food. This is always a good plan.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/oysters-bag_zpsb459192c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/oysters-bag_zpsb459192c.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bag of Smalls </i></span></div>
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Naturally, we started with just popping them open, adding a little lemon, Tabasco and some of Kevin's Mignonette. Raw oysters from Tomales Bay are always sweet and mild. From there, we started some charcoal, and started roasting things. Some oysters were filled with the "Rockefeller Mix" and roasted on the fire, then I arrived and more of the same occurred. <br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/oysters-table_zpsbda53aa1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/oysters-table_zpsbda53aa1.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Oysters! </i></span></div>
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Some sliced Portobellos and sausages were then onto the grill, which was a fortunate thing, as these make a great complement to oysters, and to the clams that were soon to follow. We actually coated the mushrooms partway through with some Chinese BBQ sauce, which comes in a large tin, and appears to be a mixture of oil, ground dried fish and roasted shallots. Intense, to say the least, it melted onto the mushrooms and tripled the umami. Then the clams were dumped onto the grill.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/clams_zps4957b74d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/clams_zps4957b74d.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Mixed Grill </i></span></div>
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And here we have a mess of food, the mushrooms just about done, the clams popping, some of the filled oysters roasting and of course, the sausages. Everything just sort of trickled off of the grill over the period of an hour or so, the open spaces filling just as slowly. The clams made a great complement to the sausage, a classic pairing of briny clam and salty pork, if you slid a bite of mushroom in there, you have an 'off-the-grill' version of a Classic Chinese dish I know as Clam Sycee.<br />
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I really enjoyed the day, and that is always enough, to be with friends, to meet some new people, eat some good food, that is always a good day. Interestingly though, joining my friends Kevin, Jason and I were a couple of guys from 'over the pond'. And they brought up an interesting point. They mentioned the fact that they couldn't believe that we could get so many oysters from such a small bay. In explaining to them about the bay, it reminded me of what an amazing location the Bay Area is, and really, how we benefit so much from living here. It is easy to take for granted, until a person with a new viewpoint reminds you of the great resources we have around us.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733645818078284741.post-72523486549336217102013-05-04T18:12:00.001-07:002013-05-04T18:12:15.065-07:00A Simple PastaThe weather has gotten a tad warm, and I have over done the meat the past few days, it was time for something a little more straightforward and light. There were some nice artichokes at the market, that had to be the 'go to' for today. Pasta seemed like a good choice to go along with it all.<br />
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First, to make some pasta, Basically, I found that I did not have everything I needed to make any form of regular pasta, I had enough to make half a recipe of something, or enough to wing it. I chose to wing it. Here is the recipe.<br />
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Wing-it Pasta recipe<br />
1 cup "00" flour<br />
1 cup Semolina flour<br />
1 large egg<br />
1/4 cup warm hot tap water<br />
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt<br />
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Basically, whisked the flours and salt together, then tossed in the egg and water that had been whisked together. Kneaded for 5 minutes, rested in plastic wrap and a flour cloth for 20 minutes. Kneaded for another 5 minutes, and rested for another 20 wrapped in plastic wrap. From there, pretty muck rolled it out in 1/4 pound batches into a fettuccine shape. I needed to go one level thinner on the roll, but, next time.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/pastadough_zps4e6c7e65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/pastadough_zps4e6c7e65.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dough ball, nice and smooth </span></i></div>
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For the 'sauce', if you will, an artichoke was boiled up in 4 cups of water, once the artichoke was nearly done, I cooled it and reserved the water, which I used to boil the pasta as well. Naturally, it took a lot more water, but, I figured there was flavor in that water. I sliced the artichoke heart, minced up some garlic and sauteed it all up in 1 tablespoon of butter and a little grapeseed oil.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/stuffpasta_zps30441e55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/stuffpasta_zps30441e55.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Really, wanted it simple </i></span></div>
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Once the saute was going, drop the pasta for 1 minute, then toss it, along with whatever water came with it into the saute pan. Toss, toss...a little olive oil the minutes it came off the burner. Several grinds of black pepper, some parsley and some grated Asiago cheese to finish.<br />
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<a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/plated-pasta_zpsd135c0a9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/landarc/plated-pasta_zpsd135c0a9.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pasta with Artichoke and Black Pepper </i></span></div>
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Quite satisfying actually. I can quite understand why a dish such as this would be popular in a Mediterranean climate, despite being a plate of pasta, it sits light.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777038095251149758noreply@blogger.com0