hwilson41

Fifi, the trick is to find a real, honest to God butcher, not one of the make believe wannabes that populate most supermarket meat counters these days. I go down to the Eastern Market in DC to Union Meat Co, and they either have or will get you anything you want in the meat line. And best of all, they're competitive on price. I'm still fiddling around off and on with trying to make real Texas Hot Links, and want them to be all beef, like the ones we ate when I was growing up in Fort Worth (I think). So I decided I needed suet for the fat. Suet didn't seem to exist in any of the regular supermarkets around here, so I went to Union. Sure enough, he said he could get it for me, but I'd have to take the whole chunk (from an Angus kidney). It was 70 cents per pound, and I ended up with a bit over 12 pounds , but that's fine with me because I'll freeze it in 1 pound packs and it will, I'm guessing, keep til the end of time. I'm loving this news . I have suspected this for a long time, and there hasn't been a stick of margerine in our house for at least 25 years, but the new info on trans fats is just starting to get widely circulated. Thanks for sharing that.

For desert, a Cuban or Mexican flan would be heavenly, but would also be quite a bit of work.

I've been pretty busy and just discovered this thread today. My loss, but all OK now. Amen to that. I'm a native Texas, now living in Virginia, and I hate to admit it but there are two joints around here that serve pretty decent chili. At one, when you order, you specify the amount of grease you want on yours. I usually order what is called "Texas medium with cheese, onions, no beans", but lots of folks order "Texas wet". Sans grease, it just ain't the same .

Marlene, I'm guessing you got the flat (the long, relatively thin under part) but not the point. See here for an excellent discussion. Having only the flat isn't necessarily bad, as it is very difficult to get the thick end with the point cooked to where you want it without making the thin end way overdone. Yours will be easier, and quicker, to cook, and should be fine as long as the butcher left a decent amount of the fat cap that is between the point and the flat. If not, try to get some suet and drape a thin sheet of it over the whole thing.

Splendid folks, just utterly splendid! Wish we could have been there, but maybe next time. And the food...sacré bleu...I have seldom if ever seen such a feast prepared by so many loving and competent hands, with or without jewelry . I showed some of the pics to my wife and suggested we do a mini version here. The concept was fine with her (because I'm the cook ), but she got a little queasy about the pig in the bathtub, so we're doing BBQ shrimp tonight . With cheese grits, and biscuits...or maybe hush puppies. Thanks again to all, and especially the McCords, for allowing me to enjoy this vicariously.

Omitting the flour sounds good to me. You continue to amaze. I'm suspecting that somehow you've managed to get 28 hours into your days, whereas mine only have 20 . Thanks very much for the help.

Jackal, I'm making a (late) leap and going to start making Christmas puddings. I've read your recipe several times, and for the life of me I don't see any suet in the recipe, your remark above notwithstanding. Should I add 1 pound of suet to the other ingredients? Re the "large" glass of brandy, how large is "large"? Thanks for the help and the great work.

andi, did the version you ate as a child have mayo on it? ← I can't speak for andiesenji, but the Texas version certainly had a big dollop of mayonnaise on it. Here in VA, we're just thinking about garden ripened tomatoes (but don't have any yet). Next week is vacation on the Outer Banks, and we should be able to find some there. Round tomato sandwich just got put on the vacation recipe list . Thanks for reminding us how good they are.

Amen to that, and they are wonderful. We've been going to Whalehead on the Outer Banks every summer for many years with friends from SC, and across from the Food Lion is a vegetable market with a shrimp vendor beside it. The shrimp are fresh off the boat that morning - with or without heads, as you prefer - and the flavor is better than anything I've found up here in Fairfax. Makes a jambalaya that will bring tears to the eyes of a strong man (but take your andouille with you). Couldn't agree more. Most of the farm raised stuff sold up here taste like pink cardboard. It's cheap, but you're getting exactly what you pay for. It's like those damned tomatoes that are bred for durability rather than taste. Sure they last a long time (because the skin is as thick as split cowhide), but why would anybody care? They have absolutely no flavor.

We are 100% cheese in this house. The only debate is among American, good sharp cheddar, or feta. So many cheeses, so little time .

I'd be very interested in the answer to this also. I don't know Peruvian chicken from Adam's off ox, but it sounds like I could get very interested in it quickly .

Johnnyd, thanks for the help. Sorry to be so long replying (I lost track of the thread). Anyway, I'm having a serious debate with myself about whether I'm willing to pay $90 for a quart of shucked clams . I'm going to check Wegman's and try to figure out what theirs would cost in that quantity. Maybe I can practice on theirs, and then hit Ipswich when we're having a party. Thanks again.

Same answer for Dungeness . Quality is all over the board. I've eaten the real thing in CA, and it is wonderful, but sometimes doesn't travel very well.

I've refrained from speaking because I really don't have anything profound or maybe even intelligent to say. But this is just a splendid thread. Thanks to you both for the time and effort contributed. Truly a joy to read and the vicarious experience is also fun .

My wallet is weeping as I type this . Here on the east coast, I just paid $25/lb for CR sockeye fillets at the Wegman's in Fairfax. But it's worth it to me. I absolutely love the flavor. Sauteed in butter with a tad of kosher salt, white pepper, lemon juice and chives (swoons at keyboard). Alas, one more price to be paid for living on the East Coast .

Only, I can't answer your specific question about Black's, but I've had brisket from Angelo's in Fort Worth several times, which many in the Ft Worth/Dallas area regard as the summum bonum of BBQ, and it just doesn't travel very well. We used to eat at Angelo's regularly when we lived in Ft Worth, and it was always superb and deservedly legendary, so I'm assuming it's the traveling and aging that doesn't work. The Q gets dry and is nearly impossible to reheat and recreate the goodness that was there when it was "fresh". Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings .

This almost sounds too good to be true. Does Dan sell any of the hams and bacon or do you have to get invited to the BBQ to taste it. I scanned over his web site and couldn't find anything like a price list or list of available items, but maybe I just didn't look hard enough. TIA.

This is the best news we're likely to read today . I love it!!

Be very careful if you decide on Knorr's beef bouillon cubes. There is A TON of salt in it (check the label). That's one of the reasons I now make all my own stock .

"Cooking" wine for real wine (in cooking). "Just relax, you'll never know the difference." Bullshit!

Fifi; perhaps this isn't what you're looking for, but I've got a killer recipe for Vidalia onion soup that I'm sure would be excellent made with the 1015s. Let me know if you're interested, and I'll either PM it to you or post it if you like.

I'm sure you don't really need to be told, but those are absolutely beautiful. I have a friend who loves to make Yorkshire pudding, and about half the time it falls on one side or the other like some poor deformed souffle. You obviously didn't have that problem . How was the texture of the little ones?

Thank you snowangel . If I can time it right, I'll post a few pictures later tonight or tomorrow. Boundaries are usually pretty flexible around here, which is one of the many things I love about egullet. OT: I'll be saying silent prayers for you poor folks in the upper reaches of the midwest. I'm in northern VA, and we're going down into the 30s tonight. What the hell ever happened to Spring ?

Hmmm. Don't know if this is legit or not, since this thread really seems to be concentrating on chicken, but here's a batch of enchiladas I'm making as we speak that is damned good. They are Tex-Mex and beef, so if this is heresy, get the fire going . But there is no gloppy goo in them, and they are pretty straightforward (after the chili is made). First just a smidge of background. I grew up in Fort Worth, and Joe Garcia's was THE Tex Mex restaurant for years in the 1960s and 70s. The kitchen was filled with a string of black iron stoves manned by a host of little Mexican grandmothers. Their English was non-existent, but the food they cooked would bring tears to the eyes of a strong man. The "standard" dish was enchiladas, cheese and chili, and it was mother's love on a plate. Over the years, I fiddled around until I came up with what I think is a tolerable approximation to the same dish, which I'm making tonight. Step one, of course, is making the chili, which for us is a big pot of kick-ass Texas chili (which is about 75% done now). Then corn tortillas are slipped very quickly through chili gravy (lard, beef stock, chili powder and coriander), laid into a baking dish, and filled with scant portions of chopped scallions, cheese, about 1/4 C of chili, and a bit of picante sauce. These are rolled, topped with a bit more cheese, and baked just long enough to melt the cheese, then pulled out. Top with another 1/4 C of chili and shredded iceberg lettuce (nice temperature/texture contrast there). I'm biased, of course, because these are what I grew up with, but casting modesty to the winds, they are pretty damned good . Edited because I am a lousy proof reader .

Bump. I'd like to second, or third, or whatever the recs on Poche's. Just received earlier this week some andouille, crawfish etouffeé, and pork boudin. The etouffeé and the pork boudin are both outsanding. We are having them tonight for the second time this week, and I'll either have to reorder the etouffeé before long or figure out how to make it myself . Haven't tried the andouille yet (I usually order from Jacobs), but I'm hard pressed to think it will be anything but good given my other two data points. Highly recommended.