Nick

Besides not helping out a great cause, this is what you all missed and let me say it was an impressive assortment: Man! I wouldn't have known where to start or finish with so much good eating as you listed on that menu.

I'll take all the help I can get! Here's a link to a photo of a traditional pig cooker: Click for da Cooker That's quite a cooker. Never seen one like that before - made out of a 275 gal. fuel tank. Looks like it might work pretty good, but where's the heat and smoke from the firebox get into it?

For beer, pork, and hushpuppies I'll build the firebox and help tend the pig. But what's a "traditional pig cooker" down your way?

Maybe somebody that's there tonight could give us a blow by blow account of what's happening. Gatti's got a connection in his office. Since he resigned from gullet (wimp ), maybe Elyse or Nockrel could could give us a report on what's happening and how it's going.

Thanks for the links, Bux. A few weeks ago when I stopped by Nezinscot Farm to pickup some of their good, natural meats I got a small boneless goat shoulder. I've never had nor cooked goat before and your links bear out how I figured I should cook it - braise, long and slow. Also, after I got this goat meat I called an old customer of mine who years ago gave up building masonry heaters and went into raising goats for meat. He has 150-200 goats - with a llama that protects the kids from coyotes. He recommended marinating the shoulder over night in beer or wine with rosemary and garlic. He said the best goat meat he's done was slow roasting in one of those plastic (cellophane-like) bags than one uses for chickens and turkeys sometimes. The main thing is to keep the meat from drying out. I think I'll do a slow braise. He recommended 4-6 hours for that depending on size.

You don't happen to work for the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture in the lamb promotion division by any chance? How would one in Maine get hold of this Ontario lamb?

American eating. It's an interesting thought and one which most Americans never consider as they eat their way through the fast food, the microwaveable frozen food, the take-outs, and the "family" restaurants. Then, of course, there are the people who just have to go to the latest upscale place, plunk down $100/plate and brag or complain about the meal. American eating. I'm happy that we have black people that know how to do chicken livers, and Mexican people that know how to make a good bean burrito with chorizo.

I completely agree with that. Lamb should never be cooked past very rare. The best rack I've had was one that my friend with the slaughterhouse/meatshop had boned and given to me because he thought it might be too old for the retail trade (it wasn't.) I rubbed it with garlic (might have inserted a few slivers of garlic) and cooked at 350 for a very short while, then let rest - though not as long as some here recommend. It was the best lamb I've ever had.

That's a shame. It's one thing to enjoy being anonymous while in the general public, but to be a person of his caliber in excellence and be unrecognized among your peers... Da bastards! Years ago I used to be known for doing a few things well. Mostly guitar playing. It was always nice to show up at a jam or a party and not be recognized. Keller might have dug it. Nice to go places and not have everyone coming up to you and telling you how much they're into what you do.

Just checked out the Wolf at Ebay. Bid is at $720 but I imagine will get run up in the last hours. No reserve. When I was checking out ranges last year (still haven't bought one), Wolf was having problems and had what seemed to be a big recall on them. I can't remember the details but it was enough to make me shy away from them in the future. A significant safety issue as I remember. About the same time Viking was getting in the news for customer unhappiness. I'm still leaning toward a Peerless which is not known for its great cooking abilities, but which works well with solar electric systems (which I have) and which also works during power outages - including the oven. I called the factory and talked with an older gentleman (it's an old company) about their ranges. I mentioned the recall Wolf was having and asked him if Peerless had had any recalls. He replied, "We're a small company. We can't afford to have recalls." He was a quiet person with no hype and I said I thought I might get one of his ranges. He said simply and quietly, "I think you'll be happy with it."

Well, by God. The Cod End is only about 40 minutes from here. I'll give it a try. Thanks.

Just think of the rust that accumulates on the steel from all that salt - and then gets into the salt. They probably have magnets to remove the rust and oil skimmers to get rid of the lubricants.

Try to imagine making a pea soup without peppercorns in it. Or many braises. And stocks. Potatoes without ground pepper on them? Okay, not french fries. Oops, bad word - freedom fries. PJ's got it right on the McCormick's Whole Black Peppercorns. I recently got some Sarawak and Tellicherry from Penzy's. Nothing to write home about. Then got some Bounds' Tellicherry. Marginally better. Later I was out at Susie's and we did some ground pepper testing. The three I just mentioned plus some McCormick's she had. McCormick's was the easy winner.

That is not good news.

The only thing I can think of is that you're boiling them too long or the shrimp are too fresh. At least when peeling raw shrimp that are a few days old (kept cold), they peel easier than shrimp right off the boat. When boiling, I bring the salted water to a boil, add the shrimp, when it comes back to a boil turn down the heat and cook for two minutes. I don't add anything to the water other than salt. I like the taste of the shrimp.

Got an email and it turns out that 90% of the money collected from this will actually go to helping feed people that need it. And while I couldn't afford $150 a plate, I guess there are folks in that area that can. Sounds like a good deal. Folks with the money get to eat at the Alpine, and the folks that are hungry get something to eat.

I don't use books that much but, when I do, I use the "Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening (1959) from Rodale.

Good question Smarmotron. Rat control?

What did everyone get for $2k?

Get your two year old to love the pepper plants.

$75 per person would seem more reasonable. Maybe it's limited seating.

Deer meat. Think deer meat. Some of the best meat you can have.

When is it? Where is it? You've got to go to Nick's link at the first post, wait an hour for the site to load, and then, if you read carefully, you'll see that it's at the Alpine on May 15th. Just bustin' chops.

I thought so myself. Black, Cavendish, and Rumford have nothing on me.

Okay. I have to confess that I LIKE baked potatoes. Especially the skins with some butter, but also the meat with salt and pepper. Good, freshly ground pepper. I also have to confess that I bought one of those Polder meat thermometers that you stick in the meat and trail the wire to the outside of the oven. They're great! Anyhow, in several of my manic moments I have used the Polder to keep track of the baking potatoes' temperature. Through my diligent research, I discovered that the potatoes were done when they reached 212F, the boiling point of water.