rezcook

Just my 2c... I think Robinson has the directions down pat. I prety much follow these steps and get the ribbon effect. I do like to thicken the soup a bit with a cornstarch slurry before adding the egg. I also love the addition of frozen peas at the end of cooking. Pretty much defrost them at room temp and drop them in as a last step when I turn off the heat.

I jumped on the deep fried turkey bandwagon a few years ago and am now hooked. A large bird can be cooked in less than an hour and the results are great; dark, crispy skin, and juicy meat. Older members of the family (mother, mother-in-law, etc) insist on a conventional oven method during any holiday. Side by side, the fried turkey goes twice as fast as the oven bird, and there's no leftovers (we're eating the oven turkey leftovers for a week...) OK, maybe not as healthy as a roasted turkey, but hey, its only 3 times a year or so! There is an initial investment of the propane burner kit, pot, etc. Plus you should cook this outdoors, but in my opinion, all well worth it.

As I mentioned, my friend (who has sadly passed away a few months ago...before I could learn his many old world techniques) enjoyed his Italian sausage air dried. It is not cooked, but rather hung from a stick in his cool basement room. The salt content (which is carefully measured per kilo of meat) cures the meat. He never used nitrates, but salt alone...he never used sulfites in his wine either - real old school. After it dried to his liking, which was still chewy, he'd vacuum pack it and place them in the fridge until he ate them all. I miss the old guy...

My Italian friend immigrated to Canada in the '40s when he was 15 or so. He taught me how to make salcicca. He preferred them air-dried, but I like 'em fresh. He showed me one variation where you grind up pig skin and include it when mixing the meat with seasonings, afterwhich it is stuffed into hog casings. Excuse my spelling, but I think he called it Cotechino? Is this a popular sausage in your area as well? He also showed me other variations including a liver mix and even a lung mix. Again, are these popular in your region? On another note, I knew a South American woman who always liked to say salcicca (she pronounced it "sal CHI cha" as well, the Spanich pronounciation). I'm not sure she meant the same thing...

I'll tell you, it was a comical set of happenstance and coincidence that landed me there: I saw a small blurb in the Gazette about Bourdain at the Carona. I made a mental note of it and promptly shredded that section of the paper and threw it out. My plan was to pick up tickets and surprise the wife. Next day the wife asks where that section of the paper was. I shrug "I dunno..." and that was that (or so I thought). Few days later I pick up the tickets and give them to her with a flourish. She says "I knew it......John and Mary picked up a pair FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY. That's why I wanted the paper...to hide it from you so it'd be a surprise..." So I call Bon Apetit and ask about refunds - only return for store credit. OK, no problem, but I didn't necessarily rush out immediately just for the credit. I waited until I was in the neighbourhood, about a week later. After getting the credit from Michelle, she asks "you guys want to join us at Liverpool for a private meal with Anthony Bourdain?...there's only 6 sopts left." My jaw fell then started moving up and down with no sound coming out. Finally, I asked the wife to call our friends and ask if they would be interested and told Michelle to sign us up...4 of the last 6 spots... So as with many things in life, it was a case of many coincidences that brought me to the right place at the right time. By the way, some names have been changed in this narrative to protect the innocent.

I was there and it was also my first time at liverpool. It was somewhat low key, Dave was behind the bar and Fred on kitchen duty. Tony made a few table visits between courses and beers. He was also dragged around a bit by tipsy women haha. He graciously signed books and made small talk. The food was very simply prepared, but the courses were many and portions HUGE to say the least. Seating was assigned and the meal was served "family stye" where a platter of each course was brought out and members at the table share. Looking at the chalkboard menu, it looked as though we'd choose one appetizer from a selection of 5, one main from 3, and one dessert from 2. Lo and behold, we were going to be served ALL 5 appetizers, ALL mains, and ALL desserts. Appetizers: grilled, skewered quail and chicken livers, cold seafood (salad bowl full of cold shrimp, lobster, clams, scallops), deep fried calf brain, bruscetta with tripe, and a plate of salumi (prosciutto, salami) cheese and olives. For mains, there was a hare lasagna, duck sausage, pasta with pig skin. Again, all very simply prepared and presented. Not anything completely standing out, except for the vast amount. Dessert was a chocolate tartlet and ice cream. A glass of wine was served with each course (champagne style with apps, red Italian with main, and a dessert wine with the last courses). Speaking with Tony, he said that he "was toast", that he had a 5:00am flight and a full schedule the next day (he was going on to do another episode of Top Chef). I think he just wanted to duck out without alot of hooplah or fanfare, which might have delayed him longer than he wanted. He just stepped out, said goodbye to a few people and hailed a cab.

OOOps, Sorry about that (new here...) Just my 2c. I think that BBQ as we generally know it was born in the southern US (I don't want to spark a debate as to what the Arawaks were doing or cavemen for that matter...or even grilling vs BBQ....I think you know what I mean). As such, I think, they developed good Q in the south and it became a benchmark. And as everyone developed their own regional techniques and tastes, they themselves became 'standards', such as Carolina, Memphis, Texas, Kansas City, etc. Everyone wants to emulate the 'best' and thats why joints in the rest of the world advertise "Memphis Style" or "Kansas City BBQ" . As for fuel, nobody was importing Brazilian hardwood charcoal. They simply used what was local, be it hickory, oak, mesquite. As their wood was accepted, they probably shrugged and just turned their nose to other woods. Why do north eastern joints use maple? Not because it offers that perfect nuance, or flavor, but because its nearby, easy to get, and cheap. Ask locally for charcoal and the first thing a supplier will probably offer is the feuille d'erable 100% hardwood lump charcoal from Ste Christine/Cte Portneuf (brown bag, red and blue print, red maple leaf). (Queue de Cheval uses it, Chalet BBQ uses it, etc). There are many techniques with smoking, some heavy, some light. I would like to think it depends on the application and the preference of the pit master. Can some stuff be oversmoked? Yessir. In the same breath, I'd say some stuff can be undersmoked. I think "embalmed with creosote" is a bit extreme. As for the health aspect, apparently any amount of smoke carries carcinogens (a risk I'm more than willing to take HAHA). OK, that said, I don't think you can properly compare Bo Finger and Mesquite. I wholeheartedly agree with wattacetti here (and on many other points) that Bo Finger is trying to be a BBQ pit and Mesquite is a restaurant selling BBQ. Both have a lot of potential and both fall short. Does this mean they're failing? Certainly not, as they are doing a brisk business (Bo Finger is apparently opening soon on the West Island). I was just hoping for BETTER Q. Mesquite, to me, was so lack luster that I simply lost interest. Bo Finger's opening had me jacked up, but my first visit was disappointing, as most everything was way too dry. OK it was their first week, so I tried again 3 weeks ago. Samething. I'm not that critical on their sides...they are after all only sides. What should be shining is the ribs, brisket, and sandwiches. But to my tastes, too dry. I only hope they can resolve this.

Certainly, Otherwise, they really could not call themselves a smoke house n'est pas? If you get a chance to speak with Steph, one of the owners, he can tell you about the trials and tribulations of selecting the right smoker and manufacturer. BTW as a side, the beans are worth a try, as is the Potato salad. I side with the pork ribs over the beef, and the brisket is juicy and properly smoked. Not over smoked, as most places do. I have had too many less than enjoyable experiences at Mesquite to want to venture back. This is too bad, because I know the owner is capable in the kitchen. Yet, it seems when he is not there he trusts his kitchen to hacks. Try a dry over smoked chicken that was dropped in a deep fryer to reheat. or stiff stale buns on a pulled pork sandwich... What were they thinking as they sawed through the dry bun.. "oh, I am sure no one will notice this giant crouton"? ...NEXT. Side note: Remember, if you see billows of smoke coming out of a smoker, stay away, as the food is not being smoked, but embalmed with creosote... which the last time I checked was toxic. Proper smoking involves low and slow heat and almost a vapor of smoke. I will never forget some road side joint in New Hampshire that has a tar coated shack that was just billowing smoke, and seeing dark chunks of their 'famous' smoked cheddar by the cash... Probably a good substitute for patch users. ←