col klink

This was a very enlightening book, but worse than the way the meat is treated is how the workers on the floor are treated. It broke my heart.

I suppose it's more fun to make the kids happy than yourself, for me I *love* candied yams, but I've never liked the marshmellows or anything else on top or the orange juice. Just butter (lots) and brown sugar over slices of boiled yams. However this year I think I'll add a little nutmeg and some cinnamon. I also do the standard stuffing and a new take on mashed potatoes. My stuffing is just breakfast sausage, mirepoix and maybe mushrooms. Maybe this year I'll add giblets. My taters though are based on some twice baked potatoes of a brewpub in Austin, TX. I fry up a pound of chopped up bacon, remove most of the fat and saute 6 or 7 cloves of garlic in it. Add a cup or two of cream and the bacon back and reduce. Then just hand mash this in with a stick of butter and standard milk. The restaurant version uses more bacon and also adds blue cheese. My mashed potatoes slay everyone, but they mostly come for the smoked and deep fried turkeys on Thanksgiving.

Just bring the bacon candy, it will instantly promote you.

This sounds like an excuse for the meatpackers to include substandard (read: OLD) cuts in their ground meat. Give me an old-timey butcher that grinds his own meat any day of the weak. The idea of buying ground meat in a grocery store is simply too disturbing to contemplate.

Thanks for the link Cathy. Down in Lockhart, Texas (the official bbq capital of Texas) they serve smoked prime rib at Kreuz's market. Positively one of the best smoked meats you can buy. They smoke it at a really low temperature for I believe somewhere between 4 and 8 hours and serve it medium rare. They achieve this by not raising the internal temperature about 130~135F meaning the temp of the smoker isn't too far above 150F. Also, they smoke the whole prime rib which what a couple of feet long? The bigger the piece of meat the longer it can stay or the longer it needs to be in the smoker. I do the same for my tender red meat roasts and I pull 'em off the smoker when they reach 135F. Lamb is so good this way.

Hey Fat Guy, I've really been enjoying your posts about coffee. Keep up the good work and the attention to detail. I wish I could help you out and do experiments as well, but I've had to give up coffee though I love it dearly. I'm really sensitive to caffeine and every once and a while I need to sleep. Guess I'll just have to help mamster out with growing coffee beans.

Damn, Jaymes. What an utterly fantastic idea, even if you don't have a day job.

I've tried the cookies too, damn, those are the type of cookies I really like and I wish they were more popular here in America. The public just doesn't appreciate cookies that aren't over the top sweet. Nightscotsman, great work on those cookies, there was just enough sugar to complement that really dark cocoa, what a treat. I had one for breakfast too! Oh and great presentation as well!

I presume your friends prescribe to the old adage "when in Rome..."

I've tried a couple of different smoked beers in my day and if they're not too malty, I'll drink them. It's kind of a novelty. Unfortunately I'm unable to remember their names. tighe, though you're kididng, that's not a bad idea. I've got a buddy who's a serious homebrewer and I could easily throw a 10lbs of grain on the smoker, well, maybe 5lbs, but the idea is the same. I'm very confident he hasn't made a smoke beer yet. Good idea!

I do appreciate a good hot buttered rum and I don't know if I'm dating myself (used to a lot of that in high school), but a Tom and Jerry makes for a damn good cold weather drink. A couple of Christmases ago, I was at my folks place in Upper Michigan and we went to an neighbor's party. She's in her nineties and not much taller than 4 feet and used to own one of the town bars so me made some pretty kick-ass Tom and Jerrys. She was a hoot, every two weeks she would move all of her furniture and vacuum every nook and cranny. It was enjoying to listen to her bitch about the new owners who use "those damn frozen fries, in my day we made the fries fresh!"

At Uwagjimaya? Don't get me wrong, I love the meat at A&J's and I love the guys at The Butcher Shoppe, but I think I'm getting ripped off. I had to pay $1.21/lb for my fat. Oh well, it's not like I'm making 1000 lbs of the stuff (yet). I'll know better next time.

Sorry to hear that Dave. You should really start talking to butchers at the super market. They're usually pretty nice to talk to since they don't do much talking all day long, they'll welcome the change. It really pays to know your butcher.

I just had another sandwich from Paseo and as usual I had the Midnight Cuban which is slow roasted pork with red jalepenos on a toasted, crunchy bun with their homemade mayo, garlic and romaine lettuce. Damn! They make a good sandwich. My roomate had the grilled chicken. All of the sandwiches are $6.25 and come with the accompanyments except for the red jalepenos, they're only on the Cuban. He said the chicken was good, but not as good as the Cuban or the grilled pork tenderloin sandwich. There's also a prawn sandwich which I haven't tried before, I just can't say no to the jalepenos. If y'all haven't been here yet, make it your mission.

That's basically about it, except I asked for 5 lbs. I have two butchers and all I did was ask for it. He had to place an order and because of beautiful timing, it was here the next day. His supplier asctually gave him 7lbs, but he said he could easily use the rest. The fat is in 1" to 1.5" cubes and I have no idea if they're even from the same animal, let alone a particular locale.

Cathy, thanks for the info on the book and the store, I've already ordered a catalog. If water is not removed, then your sausages are spotted when they come out of the smoker and the refrigeration is to keep them out of the danger zone. I have first hand experience with this with the sausages I made two weeks ago that I smoked, they weren't the prettiest belles at the ball. Um, I haven't made it yet. It will be metal, probably stainless steel and will somehow hold up sausages for drying and smoking. To be less glib, I'm kind of thinking of just buying a metal dish drying rack if I can find one with the right dimensions. I chose the initial temperature (of the smoker Bouland) just so I can keep the sausages in the smoker for longer periods of time without overcooking them. Once my cold smoker is finished, I'm sure I'll keep the temp as low as possible for up to days at a time. But probably not for kielbasa. I'm sure there is a good internet source, but there are a couple of butchers in the area that sell them. Skillz, pork fat and soon.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that.

Sausage Diary, Day 1 I have a hot smoker and I’ve smoked a lot of different meats. However, I am getting to the point where I am reaching the limits of what I can do just short of expanding the scale upon which I smoke. That is except for smoking my own sausage. I've smoked sausage before, but never my own and never for the pure interest of smoking sausage. The beauty of sausage is that you can use very economical (but still high quality) cuts of meat and transform them altogether into a new art form. Plus, it runs in the family. My great-grandparents on my mother’s father’s side used to be butchers in the Polish section of Detroit. You could visit the store, go into the back yard and pick out a fresh chicken and my great-grandmother would run it down, kill it, pluck it and dress it for you all while you were waiting. They also made the best the best kielbasa in the city. They gave the business to my Grandparents and they took over and after they got older, they eventually they sold that to an uncle and eventually he sold it (behind everyone’s back) because the liquor license that went along with it went against his wife’s theological beliefs. Of course that famous recipe is now long gone, but I’m hoping to duplicate it with the help of my grandparents while they are still here. As a side note, my grandfather’s name is Skomski, and as the last male in his family alive, when he goes, so does the name. Reviving the family’s kielbasa is my way of lengthening the legacy of his name. At one point though, my mother did ask for the recipe from Uncle Ed after a few mellowing drinks on his part. He was very ready and generous to share it with her. He told her to get a pencil and paper and then sat there holding an unlit cigar and swirling it on his lips in his typical, happy fashion and says: “OK, here goes, are you ready? Good, get 400 lbs. of pork butts and…” Mom: “WHAT? Four hundred pounds?!?” So this basically means I’m starting almost from scratch. I have made sausage only once before, about two weeks ago with a buddy of mine who used to work in a local sausage shop, Schultzy’s here in Seattle, for three years. We had just come into some fresh venison and I was able to help out. We made some spicy venison sausage, some mild pork and some chorizo. We chopped up the large cuts into small cuts and seasoned them. After the first grind (coarse), we tasted the initial results, seasoned again and then went through a final grind (still on the coarse setting) and stuffing at the same time, all the while the meat was kept as cold as possible without freezing to avoid gumming up the works. Natural casings of medium size were used. For the most part, they were good though I don’t think there was enough pork fat in any of them, especially the spicy venison as we only relied on the natural fat of the shoulder roast to compensate completely for the lean venison. The proportion of pork to venison was about 60/40. But even the mild sausage with just pork was too dry. The only other thing I would change besides the seasonings is using a fine ground for the final stuffing. It’s my turn now. For my kielbasa, I’m going to use a basic recipe of 80% pork, 20% ground beef, roughly a 2 to 1 ratio of meat to fat, lots of garlic, some mustard seed, salt and pepper. Perhaps other spices as I see fit before the final stuffing. I have the use of Kitchen Aid and the accompanying sausage grinder attachment as well as my hot smoker. Instead of the large casings, I will use the medium casings as the Kitchen Aid grinder only has small and medium. I’ll use cherry wood because that is what I have on hand and I will smoke the links first at around 100F for around an hour and then finish them off with 225F for half an hour. But before I smoke them, I will let them dry overnight in the fridge, hanging from a contraption that I will build either tonight or tomorrow and then use in the smoker so I won’t get grill marks. I understand it’s wise to let the liquids drain from the links so they don’t “shrivel” and they look better as a final product. Since these temperatures put the links in the “danger zone” I will use an agent to reduce the possibility of botulism. I’ve read that salt is a tried and true method, but enough will make the end result too salty. As a diner, I prefer my food to be saltier than the average bear and I will salt the links for taste, will that be enough? I plan on sending my results to my grandparents in Detroit for advise and confirmation. I have one of those vacuum food savers and plan on sealing the links immediately after they’ve been pulled out of the smoker. I am also aware of sanitation theory since I used to be a home brewer, but am still learning the ropes when it comes to food preparation, especially sausage preparation. Tomorrow will be the actual grinding and stuffing of the kielbasa, and Friday I will smoke them. I’m about to leave right now to pick up my pork fat and later tonight I will coarsely chop the pork and brine it. Since this is my first time I appreciate any and all help and advise. I should point out that this is only the beginning of a large investment in time and energy in what could be a giant meat empire but at least it will be an homage to my heritage. I will be keeping an ongoing diary here and I will also be taking as strict notes as I know how on my methods, ingredients and times of each processing step. I also appreciate advise that might not mean much on the home or hobby scale but relates more to the small-scale sausage production, the more I learn, the happier I am. Hope you enjoy this as much as I will! Next Installment >>

Those dirty bastards!

Fresh turkeys and artisnal turkeys are only minor improvements on what brining can do. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt with a ratio of one cup per gallon of water and I turn out magfuckingnificent birds every time with the cheapest bird I can find. My birds even beat deep fried birds, though I smoke my turkeys instead of roast. Last year my bird was free because I spent over $100 on Thanksgiving groceries. Canning salt will work, but use 1/2 cup of salt per gallon instead of a whole cup. I wouldn't use table salt as it has iodine as well as other things and would most definitely result in a bird that was too salty. Tommy, I'm sorry you haven't tried a brined turkey, I bet you grew up with dry turkey, dry pork chops, dry [insert poorly cooked meat here] and just don't know how good a turkey can taste. I know your pain, my parents don't know the first thing about cooking meat and I grew up with the most horrible of cooked meat in general, let alone the driest turkey I ever did eat. Good luck this year. As for aliwaks complicated brine, all you really need is salt, the rest is a waste of money unless you let your bird sit in brine for a week. But at that point the meat is too salty. Salt, vinegar and a little sugar are all that you need. For the extra flavor, use arromatic herbs and spices under the skin and in the cavity during the roasting process, that will add far more flavor than anything in the brine.

Less than 15 minutes to fry up and the skin is awesome. Just brine the duck overnight and you can't go wrong.

Brining adds moisture to the bird and accentuates the natural flavor of the bird. I wouldn't dare cook up any poultry without brining it first. Just try brining some chicken parts and cooking them up next to unbrined chicken. The brined chicken will be infinitely more excellent than the unbrined.

I can attest to the Alton Brown method. That's exactly the way I've roasted turkeys in the past. However, I'll mention that I have to double that brine recipe and nothing really matters in the brine except for the salt, sugar and vinegar, you'll get more spice and herb flavors from stuffing the cavity with aromatics. Also, I'd use the darkest brown sugar for the most color and flavor.

Fat Guy, I was all set to watch you on TV there, but I found something odd in the mail. It was a picture of how I was going to get my ass kicked, Sa Da Tay! I was in tears within 10 minutes. Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see you on TV.

Grilled is the one way I haven't tried whole turkey, but my roomate's folks do it every year and he's always liked it. I prefer my turkey's smoked though. No, you don't have to use a rotisserie to get a good result if you brine it first. Plus, rotissering a turkey is really a big pain in the ass, I've tried it and I don't recommend it. It will make a great bird, but the problem is that turkeys are pretty heavy and there's a lot of balancing to do. Plus, since the bird is rather large, you're really prone to cooking one side more than the other. If the bird is left free to roam the grill, you'll get a more even roast. The birds that I've smoked have tasted just as good rotisseried as the ones that weren't. But personally, I would go back and try to smoke a turkey again, tag team if you have to. Luckily I've trained most of the people who enjoy my smoker how to do it in a pinch. For me it takes less than 3 hours to smoke a large bird, but of course, I don't have any juices for gravy. A tip for smoking cheese, do it at the beginning of the smoke while the smoker is still warming up, that way you still get plenty of smoke with a smaller chance of melting and loosing the cheese.