Dignan

And here in the US, at many breakfast joints you have the option between (or of both) links style sausage and patty sausage, though the patty would more likely be circular and not square . . . .

Thanks . . . . I was getting an image of it as an integrated baked product, something like dough that was 'stuffed' with our filling, then baked. But I think what I'm hearing from you is that the roll is a seperate baked item, which then is cut open or in half and then combined with your favorite whatevers.

I'm a US of A guy who's been reading a lot of Ian Rankin lately. His characters often dine on a roll, often called a filled roll, which might have any number of things inside of it: for example, Rebus might attempt to quiet a hangover with, of all things, a bacon roll. My question is to the composition and construction of these items. Are they simply a sandwich? I mean, a bun of some sort cut open and made into a sandwich? Or are they "filled" in the sense that the roll/dough is filled/made with a stuffing prior to baking? Thanks....

How do you boil anything in a bathtub?

Crab boil! Now that sounds awsome! I'll have to try that. Boiled peanuts are farily common throughout Asian countries. Here's something interesting... peanuts are not really "nuts", they are actually in the legume family. Dignan, I don't know how you talk them up but you need to explain that they are not at all like the dry, crunchy peanut they are used to, but as mentioned above, similar to eating blanched soybeans. Don't know if there are other beans you can harvest fresh which end up with the same texture you can compare them to but you need to get their expectations away from the usual and prepare them for something completely different. Sure, I'm aware of the texture differences, but since it didn't bother me . . . . That is the main issue though, it seems. People won't move onto the taste itself, because of the texture. And to everyone, sorry for the surplus of responses today, I have'nt been able to before now and this is a topic I enjoy.

And Publix is where my mother buys me my (uncooked) green peanuts. It's Tampa Bay FL but the local Publix sells green peanuts both by the bulk and prepackaged in convenient 1lb styrofoam and cellophane wrapped bundles. So when those bundles show up in the market, I get a couple in the mail a few days later....

Yes, I've heard that's the way to go without the green item ... I'll try them one day. Thanks.

Welcome to egullet Dignan. I don't know much about you but I think your Mama must be o.k.! Mine just sent me a fresh bottle of Mexican Vanilla today. She's pretty much o.k. as well. I still like 'em spicy though. Rest assured, MM, my mama is Good People. I moved to Texas thinking green peanuts wouldn't be a problem, but after many a conversation with many produce managers I realized I might as well have moved to Portland (you can pick the state). My mother came through.

Thanks for the welcome. I've a good buddy with The Dirt Road gang.... A smaller group as far as space but of course big on tastes. I added to their experience by subtraction -- from the meat and drink supply. They did brisket, ribs, pork loins, chicken, sausage, and "heart attack" chili. Some real good stuff. My real concern for those who don't have a team to visit is how and what they get fed?

I don't really have anything to add as far as making proper boiled peanuts, except that I believe that salt water is the only proper medium and disapprove of added spice, etc. One of my earliest memories is squabbling with my uncle over access to a small wet brown bag of boiled peanuts on a drive from Atlanta to Ellijay GA. He was trying to drive the car we were in, but I had to stand and reach over the back of the front seat from the rear seat in order to get to the bag, so it evened out (forgive me, this was before car seats and most seat belts). I've boiled raw dried peanuts for 5 hours before getting them close to properly edible. I had to add agua to the pot many times. I've heard that a pressure cooker can be employed but haven't tried it. My mother mails green peanuts to me during the season so that I can have them during football. I've also found this a topic that polarizes folks, but not in a predictable way. I've promised dear friends with whom I had shared many favorable culinary experiences that they are going to love boiled peanuts, and have been sorely disappointed by their reactions. The taste definately changes (from the roasted peanut flavor that most folks are familiar with), but it's usually the texture that sets most people against them, and that happens almost immediately and I think before the taste can be enjoyed.

This is a great time, The Houston Livestock and Rodeo, but I've only been with a BBQ team hook-up, so I can't speak for those who attend without an invitation to a team's tent. It's a great atmosphere with tons of friendly folks, so you'll have a good time, I'm just not sure how one gains access to BBQ without an invite to a tent. The smell in the air is incredible, and I'm still trying to get it out of my clothes (only because it is embarassing to have folks in a bar ask "What's burning?" when I sit down). Don't let me sway you if you're inclined to attend, please do, but as fifi said a lot of what you see you can't sample without an "in," so figure that part out better than I have before you make travel reservations.

My reaction exactly, Tommy. Traveling-Wilburysesque talent-layering is demeaning. Chris Cognac, maybe you could ask any of the four if he wouldn't prefer to stand or fall on his individual effort, if offered the choice. That would be a good question, though I think the intent here on the part of FN producers is to bridge the old show with the new one. They'll have the original Chefs with whom we are all so familiar in this context, paired with FN originals we know (largely) from other contexts. What will be the format of future shows -- continued team matchups or the 3 (or 4) iron chefs for selection by a single challenger?

I think I need to find a new source. I've tried each of the local big chains, and the Whole Foods and Central Market. And the heads are so darn puny. That's why I was excited (and subsequently disappointed) by these until I cut into them. At least they remained good-sized heads.

Just straight minced garlic? No freezing medium, like some water? Does it "cube" that way?

I seem to always be purchasing garlic that has begun to germinate. Sometimes it's obvious just looking at a head that sprouting has begun, but other times I can't tell until I've cut into it (which I just did, into a big beautiful head I'm roasting, only to have a dozen green clove eyes staring up at me). The puny heads I always have to choose from are annoying enough, without they've already begun to sprout. I suspect it's partly a case of transit and slow turnover by my purveyors, but the question is: Is there a time that I can expect the best garlic, and if so when is it? Edit: it was a "dozen" green cloves, not "dozed" green cloves.

Are the filled rolls, such as those shown in the linked pictures, baked with the fillings inside, or are they added/injected later?

Robb, This is your Q&A. Maybe you could discuss why you try to dine anonymously when reviewing?

While the behavior doesn't appear to have been habitual, Ma catches the pregnant Rose of Sharon nibblin' on a little dirt in The Grapes of Wrath: "Come on, what you nibblin' on?" "Jus' a piece of slack lime. Foun' a big hunk." "Why, that's jus' like eatin' dirt." hmmm, slack lime....

Can a restaurant adjust its food and service in order to provide a better experience to a particular diner? I think that they can, if they're determined to do so, through inordinate attention to that meal -- maybe a larger hunk of meat, more attention to the prep of the sides, focused expedition, increased vigilance on part of the service staff, etc. In a good restaurant, I don't think that the impact should be all that significant. The groundwork for a good meal was established before you walked in the door. But when the purpose of the visit is to judge the place, it may be enough to change the result of the sampling. When a reviewer rates as well as reviews, such attention may be the difference in stars (or forks, spoons, whatever the device) awarded. So my lightly held opinion is that anonymity is the better practice.

Thanks, Colonel. That's a well written descriprtion of the process. And it would have been helpful if I had read it before I trashed my smoker, which, yes, was the bullet type. It such a mess that I junked it and was going to go for one with the side fire box (my theory is that I overloaded the former unit, and the rendered fat was making its way down to the rocks over the burner -- combine that with my inattention, and I got a nice cracklin' fire). But I then moved and now am in an apartment with no appropriate place for smoking meats. I'll get back to it sometime, though.

Robb, One of my favorite reviews you've done with the Press is Bagels Rip My Flesh. In the course of visiting several bagel shops, you had a series of confrontations with one manic shop owner who seemed to fear that you were trying to steal his bagel high concepts. Keeping your visit and purpose a secret probably doesn't always happen for you when you are reviewing. Have you had any other vigorous confrontations like the one described above? Also, how do you deal with the likely more common situation where you've simply been recognized as a reviewer and are being treated extry special because of it? Thanks. I enjoy your work.

...preheat an oven with 5 beers hidden in it. This was technically my buddy's fault, 'cause he's the one that physically turned the knob on the oven to commence preheating, but I'll share some of the blame for two reasons: we both knew the beer was in there, and I sure as hell woulda eaten some of that pie he had inexplicably decided to bake. Ssssssssssss!!!! Then: Bang!!!! Bang!!!!! Bang!!!!! Bang!!!!! Bang!!!! Two perplexed 17 year olds pause in their pursuit of Nintendo, each getting to watch the comprehension spring into the other's eyes as we realize what has happened. Boy, it made a mess. Of course, the really odd thing was that we had five beers to our collective names and we weren't drinking them. Another one: .... use a cylinder style combination grill/smoker. I was trying to slow cook some ribs and brisket. The thing was relatively new to me, and I was expirementing and ended up just loading the sucker with meat: ribs and brisket. I had my chips in there, water pan, etc., and got things going. But I was having trouble getting it to a good temperature, and fiddled around with the burner for a while. When I got comfortable with the temp, it started to rain lightly. The smoker was exposed to the elements, and the rain gets the temp to fluctuating again, so I mess around with it some more. The temp seemed to stabilize, the rain stopped and I think I've got things under control. Which means it's time for a little GTA:Vice City on the ol' Playstation 2. (Perhaps a pattern is emerging?) So I'm upstairs creating all kinds of mayhem and havoc in Vice City, blissfully unaware that I'm creating a certain kind of mayhem and havoc downstairs in my own driveway. After some unknown period of time -- and it's easy to lose track of time when you are heavily involved in a game -- I checked on the smoker from the window, and saw that it was smoking grandly, though I had been thinking that a fresh infusion of chips would probably be called for by this time. So I went down to check on things first hand. Pulled off the dome and started quite the bonfire. The meat is burning, and the inside of the cylinder itself as well. The O2 provided by the lifted lid livened things further and now the outside of the cylinder is on fire, the paint bubbling up and burning off. I hopped around and flapped my arms for a bit, but that didn't seem to help any. It occured to me that the propane tank was a scant few feet away and attached to the inferno with a rubber (and I'm sure flammable) feed hose, so I moved in and shut off the gas at the tank. But there didn't seem to be any hope of actually disconnecting the line without I get me some of my tools, like a crescent wrench. Besides, it was a tad warm that close to the thing. So at this point I go for the hose. Which obviously had to be in the front yard. Run around to the front, disconnect it, run back reconnect, moments later the fire's out and I have cheated death once again. Ribs were crisped and brisket was charred, but that's okay because they were soggy too.

Nessa, Zapp's I think are also sold in a stripey bag. Bob's Texas Style Chips do have, by some coincidence, a map of Texas, or use to anyway. They have somewhat muted stripes on the bag. Both companies make a jalapeno flavor. Poore Brothers

Bob's Texas Style Habanero Chips. The heat fluctuates from bag to bag, but sometimes just one or two will make the top of my head sweat. I love 'em. Not sure where they are available -- I first had them when I moved to Houston.