Beef
Thu Mar 10, 2011
Five-Spice Short Ribs
It only takes a couple days of the mercury hitting above 50 to get me in a Meatwave state of mind—I'm already making lists of all that I want to accomplish this summer. Most are things I've failed to do, or failed at doing, in previous summers. Big on my list is to tackle more smoked beef. A brisket or two will be thrown in there, but I'm looking at expanding my bovine barbecue into the realm of beef ribs, short ribs, and tri-tip. This reminded me of one of those somewhat flawed experiences a few years back, when I tried my hand at short ribs done with a Chinese five-spice rub and a hoisin barbecue sauce.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Wed Jan 26, 2011
The Most Evil Steak Sandwich
I tend to consider myself a pretty nice guy. Heck, for six months out of the year I invite all of my friends and then some over to my house consistently for some grilling and barbecue. Even if there is some narcissistic component to that (who doesn't like to be told their cooking rocks), my main joy is watching other people be happy and relish in the good times. Still, there's an evil side to me that lurks underneath, and I have all the proof right here, concealed in this very steak sandwich.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Wed Oct 13, 2010
A Sea of Excuses & One Great Brisket
The seventh season of the Meatwave just ended, and looking back at the years of good times and great meats, there's one big hole in my repertoire that never ceases to be an embarrassment, barbecue brisket. In all the time I've been smoking, through the countless racks of ribs and pork putts, the photo above represents only the second brisket I've ever tackled. The reasons behind this are numerous, but there's no excuse that can truly do justice for the shame of admitting that one of my favorite barbecue foods is also my least seldom made. The years of barbecue have at least brought some quick brisket success my way though; even though this brisket was still a learning experience, it stood head and shoulders over my first, which was pretty decent to begin with.
Tue Sep 28, 2010
Sadness in the the City of Lost Chiles
For all the reasons I love living in NYC, there's times when it can be a total disappointment. I've been vocal about the sorry state of Southwest and Tex-Mex cuisine here, which happens to be up there next to barbecue as my favorite. Although barbecue has be righted to some extent in the past 5 or so years, my other true food love continues to get little to no respect. So I'm left to my own devices to pick-up the slack, but the city doesn't make it easy with inferior or non-existent ingredients that are required to replicate the real deal. One of these large holes is Hatch chiles—one seriously awesome pepper.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Tue Jul 20, 2010
Invasion of the Meatwads
There are some people that are just pure genius, my good friend Chris falls into that category. Being separated by the distance between New York and Chicago, we don't see each other much, but when we do, it's often life changing. The last time he was in New York, way back in 2003, he told tales of how the Windy City was experiencing a full on Meatwave, and from that came all of this. He stopped by for a quick visit this winter with another nugget of brilliance, explaining the concept of the meatwad, leaving me once again bowing to his greatness. So without further adieu, I'm ready to drop some Meatwad my knowledge unto you.
