Most liked posts in thread: Soooooo Whatcha Eating?

We've made something similar for some of our home events in the past. Pork butts trimmed and sliced between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick and threaded on bamboo skewers. Dust liberally with butt rub and let sit in the coolers for a couple of days before slow smoking it in a 225º cooker fired with oak and a little hickory for flavor. Smoke them for about six hours, then baste them with our homemade BBQ sauce, pan them and cover with foil and return to the cooker for another hour. It's like meat candy. Leftovers are great in a pot of pintos, soups, or stews also.

 

I usually grill or smoke something on Memorial day, but today I made some chicken fried steak, fried okra and white gravy. Basically, heart disease on a plate. I didn't make any mashed potatoes, so it only felt like I ate two-thirds of a bowling ball after supper.

I went to the liquor store, too. If you are going to taunt the grim reaper, you may as well go all the way. :beer

Oatmeal and Lipitor for breakfast tomorrow.

CD

 

No pictures today. Korean BBQ, rice, kimchee, takuan, and mochi for desert. Almost forgot the cold Sapporo beer.
Food from two of my favorite places to have been stationed.

 

Working on some testing with my client for a new butcher opening here in Columbus.

We tested the BBQ Spice Blend and a salt free Herbal Blend.

You see a Country style Pork Rib that was seasoned with the rub and left to sit for an hour or so. Seared and braised with Belgian Pale Ale and Hickory Syrup. The sauce is made from local strawberries combined with rub,beer syrup along with the juice and zest of a blood orange.

The herbal blend is a mix of tarragon, lavender, white pepper and a bunch of other stuff I forget. A dressing consisting of the blend, garlic scapes, garlic, olive oil and the leftover vinegar from a jar of pickled ramps coated new crop red potatoes and English Peas.

 

I have been lax in my serious cooking since the weather got HOT!!! I do have a nice USDA Choice NY Strip for Sunday, that I plan to sous vide to medium rare, and flash sear over some scorching hot charcoal. Maybe some grilled asparagus on the side -- or maybe some fresh grilled corn on the cob. Sweet corn is in season now. Strawberries are in season, too, so dessert is covered. I may need to start with a Caprese salad, since tomatoes are in season, too.

I love June when it comes to fresh produce. It is the one month I could actually be a vegetarian.

CD

 

Ooooooh my. I just had a burger epiphany.

I've never been to Smashburger. So I did some googling and YouTubing and got the low down on what a "smashburger" is. And tonight, I made one at home.

Wow, that thing was awesome. That is going to be my new go-to burger.

I started with some very loose 80/20 Angus Chuck, loosely rolled into a ball. I got my cast-iron skillet up to med-high, put some clarified butter in the skillet, put my meat ball in the butter, put some parchment paper on top and smashed it flat for ten seconds with a cast-iron press.

While that side was cooking, I seasoned the top side with salt, pepper and granulated garlic, and after about two-ish minutes, flipped my burger seasoned that side, added finely diced red onion and a slice of white American cheese. Another two-ish minutes, and you have a "smash burger ready to bun-up.

The burger was juicy, and the flavor was amazing.

Try it!

CD

 

Last summer while I was doing chemo and rad I had to stay at a hotel during the week. There was a "Smashburger" around the corner. Not many things tasted good, but the smashburgers never let me down. I've been back a couple times since. The fries and milkshakes are good too.

 

There is one about five miles from home. I'll have to try it sometime to see how close I got with mine.

CD

 

Oh, I forgot to mention the clarified butter clusterf--k.

I've always made clarified butter the old fashion way, in a small pan on the stovetop. Well, I read all kinds of tips about making it in the microwave, so I gave it a try. I put half a stick of butter in a small pyrex vessel, and followed the directions to the last detail.

It started off good, with the butter melting. Then, I watched and waited for the butter to separate. Then, BOOM! I ended up with most of that half a stick of melted butter coating the inside of my microwave oven. :incazzato:

I had just enough to make my smashburger. But, I will NOT be doing that again.

CD

 

The wife s making her own one of a kind steak burgers today.

Pictures later, if I remember. :drool

 

It's a gas station. It's a taqueria. It's a gas station AND and (damn good) taqueria in Austin.



I had some awesome barbacoa tacos, and a cold cerveza. Melt in your mouth meat. Killer crema sauce.

CD

 

Tomorrow, it is lunch at Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas. Traditional beef BBQ, with salt and pepper rub. Simple. Excellent.



I've got my taste-buds prepped for brisket and sausage.

One of the best auto restoration shops in the country is also in little Taylor, Texas -- Jeff's Resurrections. I was going to take Jeff to lunch, but while I'm in Taylor, he'll be in Dallas. Go figure.

CD

 

Ooooohhhh Maaaahhh Gaaawwwddd. The brisket and sausage at Louie Mueller's was outstanding. I got brisket from the point (fattier end). It cut with a plastic fork. Fantastic flavor -- just the perfect amount of smoke. The sausage was beef, too, and it was awesome, as well. It was a twenty-dollar lunch, but it was worth every penny.

I got there ten minutes after they opened at 11AM, and there were twenty-plus people in line ahead of me.

You tell them what you want, they slice it, weigh it and serve it on butcher paper on a plastic tray. No air-conditioning, just fans scattered about.

I've eaten a lot of good Hill Country BBQ, but this is now my favorite. Other joints come close on the brisket, but not quite as good, and Mueller's sausage is the best I've ever had, by far.

CD

 

Did you not take at least 1 phone picture? Lovely description but I want to admire how it all looks.


Don

 

Ooooops, sorry guys. I was too busy eatin' to take pictures. Besides, I don't wanna' look like a tourist.

I had just enough leftover brisket to make a tasty sammich for lunch today.

On a side note, I went on a beer run today, and picked up a small bag of Crunchy Cheetos -- my occasional guilty pleasure. I got the Flamin' Hot ones, because it was all they had. My dog was begging for some, so I gave him one, thinking he would not like the heat. He loved it. I cut him off at five small Flamin' Hot Cheetos -- don't want any barf action later.

My fingers now look like Donald Trumps fake tan. Of course, my hands are bigger. :biggrin5:

CD

 

Thanks for not posting a 'Hot Cheeto" picture, but a nice picture of your dog would have been nice.

:smilewinkgrin:

Don

 

Okay, you asked for it. Meet "PsychoPoodle."



CD

 

Were you holding steak?