The Meatwave

There's no sadder moment to mark the end of the summer than the last Meatwave. That time was upon us on Sunday, and we spent the day washing away our sorrows with plenty of meat and with what remained of the summer ales. As we end the summer and shift into fall, I take comfort in knowing that all those in attendance on Sunday endowed with a nice layer winter fat to get them through the cold, Meatwaveless months that lay ahead.

The Thanksgiving theme of Turn Up the Meat came pretty last second. I polled Meatwaves on what they'd like to have as their final meal, and turkey came up more than once, so turkey we had. I made the same recipe for smoked turkey I cooked up last year, a bird that I can easily say is my favorite, even beating a fried turkey I made one year for Thanksgiving. I had not planned an entire feast to go along with the bird, but Meatwave day came, I was up early with a lot of time on my hands, so I decided to run to the grocery and picked up some potatoes for mashing, stock for gravy, and buttermilk for biscuits. Although I may have overworked myself a tad, the end result was worth it, as nothing seems to go with turkey like some good ole Thanksgiving sides.

The RSVPs on the Meatlist this week were unusually high, so I wanted to make sure there was enough meat to go around, in case turkey ran out. So I picked up 5lbs of beautifully fatty chuck from my butcher and then ground and formed them into enough hamburger patties to feed an army (if the army was only 15 people). The burgers might not have been totally necessary, but they kept the waves of meat come as people finished their turkey and looked to other ways to induce meat comas.

k-money brought it this week, making not only the delicious biscuits (which took great restraint to keep myself from eating them all), but also a great bowl of crudite with an excellent herb dip. The best part of this were these awesomely purple and orange carrots we got from the CSA. Not a huge raw carrot fan myself, I can safely say that if all carrots were as good as these, my eyesight would easily put a hawk's to shame.

An unprecedented event took place, as Tea offered us gifts as a thanks for the bounties of meat we shared with her over this past summer. We were enthralled by these checkered chef hats, which now makes it impossible for me to blame any hairs in my food (not that I've seen any) on my slowly balding cranium. Tea also showered us with tasty treats to accompany the turkey, like cranberry sauce and strawberry-pom relish.

Peter and Roni, those ever creative chefs, bestowed upon us a Meatwave first, homemade pita. A clear rival to store bought pita, this stuff was gone quickly and served as Pete's hamburger "bun." From this point forward, pita will have to be another thing we no longer buy, but make, or have Peter make, for all future Meatwaves.

We're all glad to see Mike become such a Meatwave regular. He's always helping out with the Meatmaster's chores, which end with one of fine beers he's brought to the party. This week he also brought along his friend Beth, who really rounded out the Meatsgiving meal with slaw and stuffing.

This last Meatwave also marked the return of Allison, who has been lost in the vast snow drifts of Syracuse. Her partner in crime, Suzun, cooked up some tuna, which Kate and Bianca (my cats) seemed to enjoy as much as the less feline crowd.

I know that the end of the Meatwave has been hard on a lot of you. I've had emails from those who haven't yet made it, and those who just don't want it to end, calling for more. I have a reputation for adding more Meatwaves after the official end, especially if there are unseasonably nice day, but this year I'm taking a harder stance and calling the Meatwave over. That doesn't mean that grilling is over, and that you won't be invited over for your own private "Meatwave." So watch your inboxs and keep watching this site, because even though I've called an official end to this summer's Meatwave doesn't mean the meat is over, not by a long shot, as the meat never stops!

Published on Thu Sep 27, 2007 by Joshua Bousel

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