DTBarton

I'm not sure what kind of sausage you're looking for (like hot dogs or breakfast sausage) but I really like the bangers from Williams British style meats in North Carolina. It's definitely British style, i.e. there's a good shot of rusk (bread crumbs) in the mix, but they're really good if you like that style. They make a small banger they call chipolatas that have about 16 links to the pound. Cut them in half and they'd be about right, I think. http://www.britishbacon.com/ click on bangers.

The Kevlar Gauntlets look great, but $379 for 12 pair kind of blows my potholder budget! Potholders and oven mitts used to be great products in my youth. They were relatively thin and flexible and easy to use. This was because the old ones had a thin layer of asbestos built in. The asbestos frenzy by the lawsuit professionals has taken away our ability to have good mitts and potholders (even though they pose no danger from airborn dust). That's why a modern day thin potholder or mitt burns your hands or they make them so thick that you're all thumbs, as one above said. As an aside, that's why your winshield wipers don't last very long any more if your car sits outside, can't have asbestos in them any more either. My solution is to use towels for smaller stuff and keep one pair of thick clumsy mitts for big heavy hot things.

I'm as foodie as the next guy, but $40 for 250 ml of olive oil (about a cup) is a lot of money. I'm currently enjoying a Sicilian olive oil from Claudio's in the Philadelphia Italian market. I paid $30 for 3 liters!

Excellent web site with instructions for Weber bullet (aka Smokey Mountain) and link to Amazon for purchase: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

I've had good luck making oven jerky with beef and venison. One trick if you want to lower the oven temp for the drying portion is to put a dish towel in the crack of the oven door with the oven on its lowest setting. Keeps an even lower temp although it runs a little more.

I wouldn't use the sirloin tip roast, could be tough. If tenderness is the prime (pun intended) consideration, then use a more marbled cut like filet mignon or rib eye. I like sirloin for its combination of beefy flavor and texture, but it will be a little chewier than a fattier cut.

I think sirloin is the better choice for meat. It can be marinated if you like, but not too long or it might fall off the forks! Canola oil should be fine, I would think. For sauces, I like a horseradish one made with mayonaise, white vinegar, a little A-1 steak sauce, and a good shot of hot horseradish. Another good one is to take small portobello mushrooms and shallots and chop them really fine in a food processor. Saute them really well in butter, salt and pepper, get them nice and cramelized. Add either some nice Pinot Noir or some good Marsala and reduce by about half . Yum.

Great luck! Based on experience from my father in law's cellar with wines of similar pedigree and vintage, the Bordeaux should be OK (although elder statesmen), the Burgundy maybe not. In any event, drink up ASAP! He inspired me to have a wine cellar and also to try not to overbuy. A lot of his wine is past it's prime.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't really like crabcakes. I think its because most of the ones I've had have been overcooked and had lots of shells in them. That's still better than an imitation crab cake chappie, you are right about the old bay...there is WAY too much of it on the crabs that my parents usually get (and they always say "light" seasoning). Most of the time before I eat a crab I run it under the faucet to wash all the seasoning off. Also, nothing is worse than cutting your finger on the crab's claw and then getting old bay smeared into the open wound, or just eating crabs with paper cuts. ← I'm from Maryland and they drown the crabs in way too much Old Bay here. Burns your fingers after a while. We like to take live crabs and steam them over water with some white vinegar and Penzey's shrimp and crab boil added, no Old Bay. Then, when you eat them, I like a small bowl of rice vinegar with some Penzey's Chesapeake Bay seasoning added. The Penzey is mellower than the Old Bay, doesn't overwhelm the crab.

Crabs are running hot and heavy in my creek in Edgewater, MD right now. Been eating a good many with no ill effects. I like a little mustard, but I don't seek it out for it's own right, just enjoy the bit that comes out with the meat. Since we've veeered in to interesting hard crab preparations, here's another: Steam crabs without Old Bay over water with some white or rice vinegar added to the water. Break the steamed crabs in to body halves and claws, clean out the middle stuff like you were getting ready to pick the halves and the claws. Quickly stir fry the crab nalves and claws in Asian black bean sauce. http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/ch...ean-sauce1.html Top with some chopped fresh cilantro and pick away!

One thing I like to do is search out a good deli where I'm traveling. Then I get a nice pastrami or corned beef sandwich on rye with mustard. Keeps forever in the carry-on.

That's a beautiful ceramic cooker. However, if you'd like a BBQ smoker that will hold heat nicely and not break the bank (or your back moving it!) try the Weber Smokey Mountain cooker. Not as versatile for high heat or cold weather cooking as a ceramic, but $200 and it holds temperature beautifully. I've left mine for 4 - 6 hours at a time without problem. Also, there's a comprehensive fan web site that makes the learning curve immediate. Just follow the directions given here: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ There's also a link to Amazon to purchase it. I love mine and have achieved great BBQ results from the first time I fired it up.

It's interesting that wines from great producers can sometimes transcend bad vintages, like your 1967 Margaux. It helps if they've been stored well. I had the opportunity to enjoy a couple of bottles of 1973 Petrus from my late father in law's cellar. A totally great wine from a totally undistinguished vintage enjoyed 32 years later.

As a general thought, I've always found that Thai chefs are willing to make your food incendiary if you request it that way. My saying is "don't challenge a Thai chef". A lot of Chinese places are afraid to make it too hot for the round eyes because people send it back, but any decent Thai guy will hook you up.

Les Folies on Riva road in Annapolis has consistently good raw oysters. They also usually have a variety so you can try oysters from different areas. http://www.lesfoliesbrasserie.com/

Here's a web site from one of my favorite places in Philadelphia's Italian Market where you can order good olive oil and vinegars. http://www.claudiofood.com/

I don't know if brisket would handle that well. I do my briskets at about 220 - 240 degrees in the smoker and they take 12 hours or more and you're always fighting dryness. I think if you double cook (especially if the second cook is at higher heat) you might not get the results you want from a lean cut like brisket. However, I freeze slow cooked brisket and pulled pork barbecue and it reheats beautifully wrapped in foil with some cider vinegar and spices. I did invest in a home vacuum packer, it makes a huge difference in quality coming from the freezer. So, I guess I'd recommend that if you want long cooked barbecue at a tailgate. If you want to try it, I'd do pork shoulder, it's much more forgiving than bef brisket. Cook it to 190 internal temperature so it pulls nicely. Or you could go traditional and have steaks. Have fun!

Interesting. How were you fishing? Trolling, drifting? Friends of mine used to catch sharks while they were night drift fishing in deep water for swordfish. I don't have any experience with Lemon shark, though. Too bad if it's not good when you've got a lot! Right before Ernesto? You must be in the eastern Caribbean somewhere!

I have never been a big fan of shark meat except for Mako. The difference is that the Mako is a blue water shark that feeds on live fish. It's the only kind of shark I've ever caught offshore trolling. This live fish diet contributes to high quality meat for eating. Other sharks tend to be scavengers and they can't seem to process the junk they eat like crabs do. I find the meat to be lacking in both texture and flavor. I let 'em all go.

I'm very partial to the flying fish roe and quail egg sushi wrapped in seaweed, no booze. The sake sounds intriguing, though.

We traveled a lot with our recently departed golden retriever and always had good luck with the old "you take the dog and I'll get the take out routine" One walked the dog in some shade and gave her some water and the other grabs the grub.

Monkfish is one of my favorites to cook in soup, stew, chowder, bouillabaisse, gumbo, etc. It's sturdy texture holds up well in the pot and it is forgiving if it goes a little too long. I've found that it is so dense you have to cook it a little longer than you think to get the texture right.

A few more ideas for the denizens of greater Annapolis for getting local stuff. The Riva Market carries very nice Roseda aged beef. Roseda is a farm in Monkton, MD. They don't have a huge amount and they seem to have more on Friday and Saturday (i.e. they stock up for the weekend). We tried a piece of dry aged sirloin and it was delicious. Last weekend they had tenderloin, strip steaks, sirloin, and hamburgers (the burgers they always have, they're frozen and vacuum packed). Riva market is on Riva Road in Riva, not surpringly, about a half mile south of the South river bridge on the left. A little further down Riva road on the right is Riva Gardens (notice a trend here?). A nice garden center that also carries local produce in the summer. Usually not a huge selection, but what they have is usually good. Another good local supplier is My Butcher and More in Crofton. http://www.mybutcherandmore.com/ Nice quality meats with a good selection. Lately they've had beautiful hangar steak that we've been enjoying for a nice price, $4.49/lb on sale this week. Owner Mike is very helpful and they have a nice feature in that they will vacuum pack any of your purchases for keeping a few days or easy freezing. I did check out the Mt Airy U-pick farm the other day and the corn and raspberries aren't in yet. I'll post if I find that to change. Peninsula Farms has been having a nice run of soft shell crabs and local produce lately also.

My mother in law gave us a wine of the month thing a couple years back. We got a red and a white each month for several months. Came in a styrofoam package with two bottle sized holes wrapped in a box. Supposed to be illegal to ship wine to Maryland, like in most states where this is the case, the local distributors have greased the politicians to keep out mail order/internet competition, but we got all those shipments from California no problem. Wish the wine had been better! At one of my favorite local wine stores (who shall remain nameless!), I had an experience a few years back. A guy come in off the street and asked if they would ship wine for him as a present. They said basically no way Jose, it's illegal and we're shocked, shocked that anyone would even ask! The fellow went on his way. Then the store guy came over to me, well known customer, and said "Dave, we'll ship anything for you. Just don't do it for folks we don't know" My father in law was dying of cancer last year living in Gloucester, VA. One of the few things he could still enjoy was some Ouzo and the local VA state store often didn't have it. I sent him a care package UPS of 4 different Ouzos from our local places. Bottom line is if you're discreet, you probably won't have any trouble. Many wineries will ship to you with the caveat that it's at your own risk if it gets caught. When shipping to someone, just make sure you wrap the bottles carefully with bubble wrap or something and pack the box full with newspaper so it isn't obviously bottles rolling around in the box. A little white lie as to contents and you should be OK. At your own risk, of course!