Varmint

Cheer up, Al. Those were actually Martian imposters, not the real tommy and MatthewB. tommy would never, ever, act so touristy as to "wave enthusiastically." How tacky.

By the way, Dave, how many road trips to Raleigh do you have scheduled before October 11 to allow me to taste your stews in progress?

And mushrooms! I've seen lemon in a number of places -- there may be some legitimacy there. Remember, this will be for a North Carolina pig pickin'. We can't stray too far away from the norm!

If I may chime in regarding the end product, this dish should not be a carrier for spice. Dave hit it on the head in his initial post: meat, veggies, tomato, natural thickeners, some spice and some sweet. I personally don't think green peppers should be in this dish. Some sour (lemon/vinegar) and sweet appear to be common. Damn, Dave, you have indeed taken on quite a task!!! Malawry's in charge of the hush puppies. Who wants to do the slaw??? BTW, my Tennessee friend Todd used to make my slaw for me -- he called it "Haw River Slaw" because he included clover picked from the banks of the Haw River. Top that one!!!

Hard boiled eggs?? That must be a Texas version!

We sure as hell ain't gonna use no Yankee squirrels! I'll put out some feelers for varmints (squirrel, possum, coon) that we could use in the Stew. It won't take much, I can assure you.

Country ham might be a bit strong for Brunswick Stew. Actually, it's "butter beans" down here, Dean.

From Marion Brown's "The Southern Cook Book" (1951) 1 hen 2 lbs. stew beef 2 squirrels 2 lbs veal 1 qt butter beans 1 lb. tender okra 4 medium onions 18 ears corn 1/2 peck Irish potatoes 1/2 cup tomato catsup 1 large bunch celery 1 qt. can tomatoes, or 3 lbs. fresh tomatoes 1/2 lb. real butter 1 cup vinegar 1-1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp black pepper Salt to taste Good pinch cayenne 1 Tbsp prepared mustard. Poach meat until tender. Remove. Cook veggies. Add butter. Add cooked meat. "After mixtures of meat and vegetables have been blended, cook to a thick mush." Add seasoning. "Cook to a thick mush." God, I love that!

Dave, now that I'm home, I've found what may be the quintessential recipe from Bill Neal's "Southern Cooking." What is very important is this final sentence from the introductory paragraph: "[T]he devotees of this hearty meal still stir it slowly and continuously with long oak paddles as it bubbles away in iron pots over hardwood flames." Find a big ass iron pot, and I'll get the oak paddle! Here's a list of ingredients: 1 chicken 1 rabbit Heart, gizzard, liver from chicken Liver and kidney from rabbit Pork sidemeat Onion Celery Carrots Cabbage Garlic Thyme Bay leaf Red pepper flakes Tomatoes Lima beans Potatoes Corn Stock S&P Additional vegetables in season I'll provide details later, but this may very well be the base recipe to follow. Notice the lack of any sugar, which is fine with me. Let the corn do the sweetening. Finally, "VD Stew????" Whassup with that?

We're lining up the dinner reservations. We're going very small on that end, looking at this opportunity to spend some time with each other and a few friends. We haven't nailed down the details, but we're looking at Babbo, Tabla, Blue Hill, and March. Babbo reservations have been secured, as have, to my knowledge, Blue Hill. Obviously, if we go to March for dinner, Tabla will be a lunch destination. I also just learned that we'll be arriving in time for lunch on Thursday, so I get to find another destination!!

In North Carolina, we generally use the closed environment pig cookers, but we still cook over direct heat. We keep the temperature inside the cooker very low (app. 200 degrees F) during the first several hours to allow a slow rendering of fat. A good NC-style pig requires the burning of the fat on the wood embers, creating a different type of smoke. It's a delicate process, but the results are worth it. FYI, I actually plan on brining my pig in a bathtub. The children will be scared shitless, I'm sure of that.

Thanks for the lesson. You used apple wood because it was readily available at your pit-site. Which wood do you prefer to use in cooking your pig? I generally use some green hickory, which has a strong smoky flavor and combine it with some sweeter flavored smoke, such as pecan or a fruit tree.

Bloomsbury will be the only tough part, as that's a pretty high end restaurant. Search for their website for a menu. Other than that, everything is within 2 blocks of each other. You also have a coffee shop (Third Place), a bar or two, another pizza joint, and a great movie theater. Have fun!

First, that Kathleen Purvis is indeed our kpurvis, Food Editor of the Charlotte Observer. I can't speak for Kathi, but I do know that she meticulously researches her articles, so this could have been something in the works for some time. Moreover, cobbler articles are standard fodder for summer food writing. Could she have gained some information from this thread? She's a smart lady, so she probably did!!!

Wow, going from Chinatown to the Bronx. People actually do that?? Sounds like a great idea!

Query: Do people tend to change what they typically eat when they do these foodblogs? I did.

Egad, do you really want me to bore you with the details of the HIPAA Privacy Rules that govern patient privacy??? This is some of what I do for a living!!! The rule states that a hospital may: Use the following protected health information to maintain a directory of individuals in its facility: The individual's name; The individual's location in the covered health care provider's facility; The individual's condition described in general terms that does not communicate specific medical information about the individual; and The individual's religious affiliation. If a person calls the hospital and asks about a specific patient by name, the hospital may reveal all of the above information except for the individual's religious affiliation. Of course, a patient can object to including this information in the hospital's directory, and the hospital would then be prohibited from disclosing anything. Moreover, many hospitals do not maintain such directories anymore, because of the risk of violating HIPAA. There's your Health Law 101 course of the day.

=Mark (2) Hjshorter (4 + 2 kids) (plasticware, plates, napkins) Jaymes (1) (pinto beans and a vegetarian side dish) Marlene (2) (butter tart squares – needs kitchen) Mummer (1) Malawry (1) (hush puppies!) Ladybug (2 + 3 kids) (chocolate cupcakes) ZebA (2) Jason & Rachel Perlow (2) Helenas (2) Varmint (2 + 4 kids) Tarka (2) (England!) Holly Moore (1) Weka (3-4) (bread pudding or gumbo) Blondie (2) Edemuth (1) (corn on the cob) Maggiethecat (1) Ditsydine (2) Tommy (2) Joler (4) – Bourbon bread pudding Aurora (1) Ditsydine (2) timothycdavis (1-2) kpurvis (1-2) HungryChris (2) Dave The Cook (1) KatieLoeb (1)

Just promise me he won't come in Dungeons and Dragons garb!

This is the list of those who have confirmed (or at least, have answered me and have indicated that they still plan to come). There are a number of other people who have previously indicated that they're coming, but they haven't confirmed (beans, KatieLoeb?). As you can see, our numbers have dropped, which is not overly surprising, as this is indeed quite a haul to get down here. Nevertheless, this will be a big party. The pig is ordered, the tent, chairs, and tables have been reserved, the wood has been sourced, and we'll be ready to go. If you have not confirmed, please do so via PM or by posting here. If you are planning on making or bringing anything, let me know that, too! Thanks, y'all, and please forgive me if I made any mistakes. =Mark (2) Hjshorter (4 + 2 kids) (plasticware, plates, napkins) Jaymes (1) (pinto beans and a vegetarian side dish) Marlene (2) (butter tart squares – needs kitchen) Mummer (1) Malawry (1) (hush puppies!) Ladybug (2 + 3 kids) (chocolate cupcakes) ZebA (2) Jason & Rachel Perlow (2) Helenas (2) Varmint (2 + 4 kids) Tarka (2) (England!) Holly Moore (1) Weka (3-4) (bread pudding or gumbo) Blondie (2) Edemuth (1) (corn on the cob) Maggiethecat (1) Ditsydine (2) Tommy (2) Joler (4) – Bourbon bread pudding Aurora (1) Ditsydine (2) timothycdavis kpurvis HungryChris (2)

Actually, legend has it that the lack of teeth was the reason Eastern North Carolina barbecue is often chopped so finely. An easy, gummable source of protein!!!

Hell, Sam, you're responsible for the cultural side of my trip. You know, "How to Wear Blaze Orange and Look Like a Native New Yorker," or "Singing for Food", or my favorite, "How to Suck Up to Mario Batali with Pride"

It's amazing what a little pig fat will do for veggies!!

dscott- It's pretty clear that you already know the Triangle dining scene quite well, so I'm not sure how much more I could add. However, if you're not going to drink, Magnolia Grill still turns out to be quite a bargain, but I understand that $50 a head for 3 courses may be more than some (crazy) people want to spend. Yikes! Have you thought about going ultra-rustic, and just focus on the fun side of dinner, and break it up into a couple of destinations? How about going to a place like the Q Shack in Durham on a Friday night, when they have live bluegrass, and then venture over to Mad Hatter's for some dessert? Another option is to come to Raleigh and eat at NOFO (or Lilly's Pizza FWIW) and then get dessert at Hayes Barton Pharmacy. Get away from the concept of having to stay at one place for 3 different courses. Franklin St., Ninth St. and Glenwood South all give you the option of parking your car and venturing from place to place. Some people like to bar hop. I like to food hop.

What do you want to accomplish with your meal? Food, atmosphere, crazy fun? If the food, what kind of food? What type of beverages? And how much money do you really want to spend? Sorry to ask so many questions, but when you're in the next lower tier, there are different experiences for different people. FWIW, I don't care too much for Pop's, although I appreciate Scott's work. Lantern is indeed a great place, and I'm looking to get back there soon.