ronnie_suburban

I've probably handled 7 bellies to this point and not one of them had nipples. Abra, that looks like a great set-up. I've got to improvise something similar for myself. I'm suddenly feeling deprived. Susan, I have 3 smokers, a Weber kettle and a Weber Genesis grill (gas). They all play very nicely together, and the only one I've really obsoleted is the gas grill, which was left here by the folks who sold us the house. You're always going to use that kettle; they're too useful to just abandon. So, even if you buy some new equipment every once in a while, you're not foresaking the weber, you're buying it a friend. =R=

Inspired somewhat by this thread, the family and I decided to make a trek down to Johnnie's today . . . Combo, juicy with sweet peppers and easy hot peppers. The sandwich was really good but not as good as I remember it being the last time I was there. In fact, I have to say that the last sandwich I had at Al's on Taylor was superior to this one -- as were the fries. Johnnie's fries are fairly soulless and the bizarro-brand diet cola was one of the 5 worst I've ever had. Still, the sandwich was very, very good. =R=

Susan, I can't find a pic of the exact unit I own, but this one is really similar to it: http://stores.yahoo.com/epod2000/smokmounser.html As you can probably see in the pic, there are dampers on each side of the cabinet and one on top. Hopefully, the method I described above will work out. =R=

I've purchased a 12' piece of flexible dryer hose (4" diameter) of which I'm going to attach one end to the fully-open, top damper of my weber kettle. I'm going to attach the other end to one of the side dampers on my smoker cabinet which will be positioned a few feet away. I'll close the other side damper on the smoker and open its top damper all the way. I'll burn the wood in the weber and hopefully, the smoke will travel from the weber through the dryer hose and into the smoker cabinet. And hopefully, it'll be cool enough when it gets there to cold smoke the food in the cabinet. Once I get the rig set up, I'll be sure to take some pics. =R=

I think the Untraditional Shepherd's Pie is a 'can't miss.' The skirt steak is also fantastic. =R=

This sounds like a ready-made experiment. I've loved the bacon I've produced via hot smoking but have yet to try a cold-smoked version. I've been to the hardware store and bought some supplies to rig a cold smoker, which I will use the next time out. But for now, I'm still working through my last 2 batches of hot-smoked product. =R=

I am just drooling! ← Great stuff, Elie . . . it never gets old! =R=

I almost completely agree with this statement. But I'm not sure about the "absoluteness" of the dichotomy. Most of us Heartlanders seem to be able to find value in many food offerings, regardless of their specific origins. Now, back to the mall. =R=

It may just be my persnicketiness but I don't go to that location unless it's absolutely unavoidable. I greatly prefer their original location. =R=

I thought episode 3 was better than episode 2. That said, being able to cook for children doesn't seem to be a critically important part of being a 'top chef.' But, as we saw in the aftermath, customer accomodation -- and the ability to provide it -- are certainly going to figure into who wins this thing. Tiffani really popped up on TC's radar for appearing to not even consider it. And, as it turned out, she was lucky she'd won the earlier, Quickfire challenge or she would have been history. On that note, do you believe that the number of times chef Colicchio has refused to accomodate a customer's request is really "almost never"? I have no trouble believing it because it seems plausible but I've never eaten at any of his restaurants so I can't even really begin to gauge it accurately. I was a bit surprised to see octopus billed as a surprise ingredient. It just doesn't seem that uncommon or exotic to me -- especially for a chef with some experience. I didn't like that there was an effort made to freak the kids out by parading the whole monkfish around in front of them before they ate. That was cheap. And I believe both teams should have been asked to leave the cafeteria while the kids were being served. That they were able remain there and patronizingly perform for the kids during the service was a poor choice on the part of the producers. =R=

Yes, we have them around here too -- one at Northbrook Court -- the mall I mentioned earlier. Decent stuff. I was addicted to their seared tuna salad for a while there a couple years back. =R=

el bulli =R=

The cab from downtown hotel x to Johnny's and back should probably be something you pre-arrange with the cab company or concierge at the hotel at which you're staying. That trip is about 14 miles each way. The 'Al's - Mr. Beef - Jim's Original' loop could easily be negotiated with any local cab driver as they are all within a few miles of each other. Here is some addy info: Johnny's Beef 7500 W. North Avenue (at Harlem Ave) Elmwood Park, IL 60707 708 452-6000 Al's Italian Beef (original location) 1079 W Taylor St Chicago, IL 60607 312 226-4017 Mr. Beef 666 N Orleans St Chicago, IL 60610 312 337-8500 Jim's Original Hot Dog Stand 700 W O Brien St (at the Dan Ryan Expy) Chicago, IL 60607 312 733-7820 . . . and if all else fails, you can always call a friend for a ride =R=

For years, I loved Claim Company which was at Northbrook Court (NBC), an 'upscale' mall near my house. They had great burgers and a decent salad bar, etc. It's been gone for several years, though. NBC now holds Di Pescara and The Palm, so clearly the higher end is well-covered. There's also a PF Chang's out there somewhere in the parking lot but not within the confines of NBC proper. The food court at NBC is a fairly typical incarnation, with Johnny Rockets being the most "exciting" thing there. But hey, how can you knock Sbarro pizza? I'll admit that it's not very good but every once in a while it really scratches the itch. =R=

Nice cache, Bombdog. Thanks for the appetizing images. =R=

While I generally agree with Ronnie, I'd place Mr. Beef as king with Johnnie's as a close number two. The difference, in my opinion, is more noticable if you order the sandwich extra juicy. Mr. Beef may use a bit more aromatic spice (oregano?) in its gravy. ← I really think it depends on the day you go there. I generally love Mr. Beef but the last 2 times I was there the sandwiches were a bit dry. What I love about Johnnie's, aside from the great sandwiches, is their excellent gardeniera. =R=

First, here's a link to the Chicago portion of Pellegrino's Dine Out site: Pellegrino's Dine Out Chicago 2005 (edit: this for the 2005 edition, not 2006) Winter Delights was also offered this year but it was fairly lackluster. And you're right; it was spread out over way too long a period -- and it wasn't well-promoted or defined either. I ended up finding out about it from a friend who works for AMEX concierge services but never actually saw any promotion about it until that friend directed me to the city's web site. Thanks again, lizard, for the solid info. =R=

Yeah, I feel the same way. I have easy access to good commercial product as Nueske is sold fresh at many markets near me. Additionally, my own butcher -- the one from whom I source raw bellies -- has a smokehouse on premises and turns out some really fantastic bacon. Yet, unless I run into some sort of time crunch, I cannot foresee buying it "out" again. =R=

Congrats, Susan. That looks great. And I agree that store-bought bacon is a now a thing of the past in our household. =R=

I'm with doc on this one. Can't argue at all with Judith's suggestions but you haven't "done" Chicago until you've been to one of Bayless's spots. In a town known for its chefs, Bayless is always going to appear near the top of the roster. Happily, Topolobampo and Frontera Grill are open for lunch which makes hitting them a bit easier than some other places in town. =R=

Mr. Beef next, although if you have the time, Johnnie's in Elmwood Park is King. =R=

As an aside, there was a very upbeat 'review' of Charcuterie, by Nicholas Day, in today's Chicago Tribune: Embarking on a lost art =R=

March 22, 2006... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Happy 5th Anniversary, Dinner Tonight!...the Good Eating staff marks 5 years of this feature with a "10-recipe celebration." The flavor of Sicily...Bill Daley explores "Inky nero d'Avola [which] delivers dark fruit taste at good price." Off The Shelf ... at the International Home & Housewares Show...Renee Enna reports some of the highlights from this recently completed show. Watercress...Bill Daley with a useful guide. Embarking on a lost art...in this special to the Tribune, Nicholas Day spends some time cooking from Charcuterie, the latest tome from Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. Becoming a bone vivant...Bill Daley reviews Bones: Recipes, History & Lore by Jennifer McLagan. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Kids get cooking in kitchen (sorta)...Jennifer Olvera explains how parents' inclinations toward all things culinary influences the toys their children play with. Body and soul pampering...Denise I. O'Neal reports on Thyme's upcoming transition to Timo, as well as a few other tidbits of industry news. Drink up!...Celeste Busk previews upcoming events at WhiskyFest (taking place at the Chicago Hyatt Regency), Kiki's Bistro, Shaw's Crab House, Olivetti's and Morton's. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Festivals offer opportunities to immerse yourself in wine...food editor Deborah Pankey previews The Grand Tasting and Wine Auction, coming up next week in Galena, IL. Food and wine classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, tastings and classes; broken out by day. ===== In this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish, Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby throw down the gauntlet and challenge us readers to guess which popular local chef is preparing to open a new place which will focus on craft beers, pork and oysters. ===== =R= <><><><><> Media Digest Notes... Updates from some Chicago media outlets, which do not 'go to press' on Wednesday mornings, will be edited into each week's post as they become available. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or digester who will be happy to do it for you. <><><><><>

Yes, but the skin will come off more easily when warm. Can't wait to hear how it turned out. =R=

Definitely yes, when making fresh sausage. I've used it in such applications with outstanding results. As for Sorpressata, my guess is yes but I'd love to hear from someone with some actual, hands-on experience. =R=