I’m so excited I don’t know where to start. I’ll just go this way and see how we do.
I haven’t been out to the Berkeley Farmer’s Market in a few weeks. I miss my pals there, but I’ve been a busy boy. What with smoking meats and all. I finally got a chance to head out today (saturday) and go see what was new. I usually park in this one area that puts me directly in the path of the Fatted Calf’s stall. I had to stop by and see Taylor & Kim and catch up. I met a new friend there, Christine. She and her family have been MeatHenge fans and spend their days cooking as well. She’ll send me her email soon so I can go get those nice cookbooks she mentioned. I’ll post the info as soon as I get it myself.
Author Archives: Biggles
MeatHenge hits Gourmet Magazine
Go see Page 65 of April’s issue of Gourmet Magazine.
This is either pretty cool or quite silly. Probably a good dose of both.
Here are the other fine sites that made the article:
The Radical Chef
Chocolate & Zucchini
MeatHenge
The Food Section
Bourrez Votre Visage
eGullet
p.s.
I’ll be signing those issues by appointment only.
Hugs.
Sukie’s Country Kitchen – v2.0
Hey ever’one. I just figured I’d stop by say hi. With this last weekend’s birthday meat fest my inspiration for cooking hasn’t returned. Just plain wor’d out. Sure I could write a column about something, but that isn’t what I do (clearly). So just hang tight until I can get back on the home cooking trail and we’ll get you some pretty pictures of tasty foodses.
Today was Eric’s day to have his Country Fried Steak Breakfast at Sukie’s Country Kitchen. I’ve posted about this before, so do a search on MeatHenge and you’ll find contact information if’n you’re interested. Suffice it to say that Sukie’s is one of the last strongholds of the traditional 50’s style American … well you get the idea. At this moment they are nearly surrounded by new construction (dirt and big trucks everywhere), they promise they aren’t closing. The old booths look as though they might have been updated sometime in the early 80s with that funky pastel blue and pink and brass (shudder here). But they are booths nonetheless and mostly filled with seniors passing the time with friends. Sukie only employs real waitresses (quick, efficient competent staff) who’ve been there for years. It is always a great time.
This time was no exception. 3 of us headed out in search of an individual ‘splatter’. Take a close look at E’s lunch (above). There must be a new cook, because you can SEE the food. The previous ‘splatters’ have been absolutely swimming in white country gravy. Here we can clearly see the hash browns and fried eggs. Oh and look, you can see an edge of the steak. Neat. I don’t know which is better, but I know Eric cleaned his plate pretty darned well each time we’ve been.
Southern Fried Chicken
Featuring Kallisti’s (my sister) Chicken Girl Doll. Check out her site for more pictures of that and many other infamous dolls of distinction.
This last Sunday was Uncle Cindy’s 50th birthday. What does the MeatHenge crew do for someone’s birthday? That’s right, cook a lot of meat. Sunday was no different. This time though, we had a guest celebrity that came all the way from Mobile Alabama to give us a demonstration for cooking Southern Fried Chicken. I know, the variances here are enormous, but I can’t dwell on that. I wanted to see what John Bell was up to.
barbecue sauce – unmixed
Sauce – Unmixed.
I don’t know of anyone that hasn’t at one time or another had to deal with a barbecue sauce of some kind. Do we grill dry and dip at the end? Do we sauce at the beginning and watch it char? Do we sauce near the end to watch it glaze over with glistenny love? These are only a few ways to handle a que sauce and they are many more. The quest will always go forth.
Pork Loin Roast for the Weekday
What’s good for a pre-spring happy luscious meal? That’s right, a pork loin roast! Normally I wouldn’t have mentioned it (yeah right), but I hear so little about this cut. Heck, I don’t even see it in the grocery store that often, if at all. Rick the butcher always has one on hand, which is why we love our butchers, don’t we? Yessir.
Dinner suggestion – Ham Steak
Quick dinner suggestion 9-14a.
Here’s a quick way to have a really nice meal. Hamsteak. That’s right, a ham steak. My butcher usually has a ham he can cut a slice off of, but all grocery stores carry a nice ham steak. Just heat & serve. With this you can have a salad or any greenery. We usually go for the mashed potatoes (Z loves them the best).
Dang man, good fast meat.
Piri Piri II – The Second Story
The piri piri is done! Well, okay it was done a few days ago. At first I was excited to see how it would come out. Then, after seeing it stew in its own juices for those seven days I was a bit apprehensive. If I didn’t do it right opening that jar could unleash some unholy brewness …
Everett & Jones Super Q Barbecue Sauce
Maybe about a month ago or so my dear sister & her husband gave me a bottle of Everett & Jones BBQ sauce. This is a local place for us, even so I was hesitant to buy into a bottled sauce. I figure everything is worth a try, once.
A Roast Chicken Breast Portion Story
It’s been quite a few years since I bought a chicken piece. Back in the early 1980s I bought chicken pieces because I found the texture of raw chicken … icky. With those nifty little packages all nice and clean, I was able to just dump them into a bowl for marinading purposes or directly onto the grill. There used to be a package called the “combo pack” which gave you a few more pieces than a whole chicken, I felt like I was getting over on the industry and usually walked out tall and proud. “Check me out, I have one package with more than a whole chicken!” Sounds awfully silly, today. But then, I was The Man.
Feb 25th – Oil Thy Blade Day
Don’t forget everyone! February 25th is National “Oil Thy Carbon Blade Day!”
Get out your old carbon knives and send them some oily love!
Remember, rust not only sucks, but it pits & ruins.
Hugs and happy Mardi Gras.
Pollo Adobado Con Papas
Well, I don’t know what the weather is like where everyone else is, but here brother … it’s rainy. Another damn weekend on the inside looking out. My kitchen is still half painted, my awning that covered my grilling area blew away and my hardwood floors need attention. Can I work on any of those projects? No. You know why? That’s right, it’s raining. Time for a little cheffing.
Piri Piri – Portuguese-African condiment
Over the last few weeks I’ve been searching for some interesting marinade type stuff I could use for this year’s grilling season. My new hangout, Chuck Taggart’s gumbo pages and my old hangout bbqsearch.com found me with a ton of great ideas. I decided to start with a recipe I found on the gumbo pages, Piri Piri.
It’s darned hot Portuguese-African condiment … or so I am told. You see, once you put it together, it has to sit a week and I have until next Friday to find out.
It’s meat free Jebbers, just for you.
Roasted Teriyaki Tri-Tip & Onions
I know I’m pretty easily excited when it comes to meat and/or food. But I have to say this was one of the best, easy meals I’ve cooked in a long long time. It was very rich and flavorful, exactly what a hearty meal is supposed to be. Plus it’s low in carbs …
Fatted Calf’s Salami
Yeah !! Clearly I had fun taking this shot. Uncle Laurent’s gift to the children (dinosaurs & palm trees) almost made it to their hands. I just had to knock off a few shots before E tore the leaves into tiny bits.
And yes, this last Saturday I visited the Berkeley Farmer’s Market. I wanted to see what Jan was up to at the Blue Bottle Coffee company and see what Taylor had in the way of sausages. I was hoping for the Spanish Chorizo, but it wasn’t ready yet and most of it was ear marked for the Spanish Table in Berkeley. He said he’s save me one, yay!
I walked away with this little salami. It is amazing, the first hit on the texture is bright and not too forgiving. Then, you break into the middle where it’s like butter in your mouth. The finish is clean and smooth without the bite of too much damn salt. YUM !!! This time I didn’t eat it all though …