This NYT Cooking recipe is actually pretty simple to put together and provides an opportunity to grill-up some rub/marinated steak. Sirloin worked great for me. Note that this recipe incorporates all the separate flavors that make up common “Chili Powder” (chile, cumin, garlic, oregano, salt) so it may not be worth special-sourcing “Ancho Chile Powder”. […]
Author Archives: Mark
Cold Smoked Rump
Smoke-roasted a small rump roast using reverse searing (250 F then 500 F) process (Chris Grove) in Kamado grill setup with heat deflector and drip pan. Rubbed a day ahead w/simple blend of 2t salt, 2t brwn sugar, 1t onion powder , 1t garlic powder, 1t blk pepper, and 2t mustard powder. Smoke-roasted @ 250 […]
Not Crowd Bull
We’re about straight talk, not storybook oversimplification and bait’n switch imagery. Let Joe and Ethan forever rehash their already worse-for-wear pet adjectives “craft”, “artisanal” and “curated” peddling to the crowd while exploiting their simple-but-good farmer/enablers. What worked in the misty urban Northwest of Portlandia prob’ly won’t in the not-so-estranged from ag midwest. We’re about folks […]
Search Rank Echo Chamber-Trash vs Real Wine Reviews
Recently risked purchasing a Franzia Red box wine labeled “Vintners Select” and “Dark Red Blend” unwisely believing it’s promise of “rich, juicy flavors, slightly sweet, aromas of black cherry and currants…finishing with a hint of vanilla and pepper spice” Bar graph rated “full bodied”. Sounded a lot like Bota Box Nighthawk Black -only way cheaper. […]
Red Wine/Juniper Beef Stew
Prob’ly last stew recipe of the season what with warmer weather on hand. Great for cool, rainy days. Very flavorful sauce goes a long way with boiled new potatoes and fresh parsley. I used a Hay Creek chuck roast and Almaden box “Merlot” wine. Skipped the fussy, seemingly low-impact steps like #3. Used dried herbs, […]
The Magic Pill
“If it could only be this simple” that is a switch to ketogenic diet as a central solution to the myriad (non-infectious) ailments of modern humans. US, AU and So African doctors and researchers continue unraveling the reality of big cereal, big sugar and the worldwide explosion of type 2 diabetes. Lots of smart, articulate […]
Beer-Braised Beef and Onion Recipe Review
Excellent NYT recipe. Chunked-up Hay Creek grass-fed beef chuck roast holds it’s own in the intensely flavorful sauce. Fat Tire “Belgian Style Ale ” worked well in the recipe and as an accompaniment. I used dried parsley and thyme and chopped-up bay leaves coarsely with knife and left them in with the beef. Sourdough bread […]
Dry Aging: Less (H2O) is More
Dry aging (hanging carcass beef in a cool, climate controlled environment) has a long history but the modern beef industry has abandoned it in favor of a poor substitute deemed “wet aging” where all the excess fluids associated with a beef primal cut are supposedly captured with it in vacuum sealed plastic. Dry aging is […]
Hot Hanging Weight Pricing : the Dark Side
Hot Hanging Weight (HHW) based pricing is common in this business and can seem attractively priced but the freedom to choose (cutting instructions) comes with the twisted consequence of having been “provided enough rope to hang yourself”. Everyone else (farmer and processor) involved in the yield outcome takes 2 giant steps backwards and you are […]
All Hat No Cattle
It takes a decent breeding herd, fertile land, fencing, drinking water delivery works , expertise (luck too) and most of all; time ( 6-12 months more than grain-fed) to produce a quality true grass- fed beef. It’s not about just jockeying random maybe-grass-fed cattle between a convenient “sale barn” and processor. Nor is it waylaying […]