SpaghettiWestern

I have a question about the Guittard unsweetened oban chocolate wafers...... are they the same chocolate as the Guittard unsweetened baking bar that you can buy in the grocery stores ? i dont know if the oban wafers are 99% or 100% but the baking bar says its 100% i was wondering if they were the SAME chocolate but in different form. does anyone know ? if not.... i'll call Guittard and ask. lol thought i would ask here first though. thanks

I never have been into taking pics for some reason. lol i dont even own a decent phone that takes good pics.... i'm still using a flip phone that i got 6 or 7 years ago. i dont carry the internet around with me... and my phone is off all the time. i have a pay as you go plan because i dont usually use the phone more than a few times a month. my friends tell me i am the most disconnected person they know because i only have a laptop at home. if i am not home.... i am not online.... and even then its spotty at best. lol so.... sorry about that.... but i dont have any pics. in my world..... its just about eating the meal.... i dont do anything more than that.... except to give an opinion here from time to time... AND.... look for info about places when i move wherever. i have only been in Austin a few weeks so i am still getting the lay of the BBQ landscape. i do value everyones suggestions on where to go so..... let me know if there are places you like here. thanks

you know ......i LOVE good BBQ SOOO MUCH..... that IF this was REALLY worth it..... i wouldnt wait in line again.... but find another way around it. Like..... if you pre-order more than 5 pounds of anything at Franklin.... you can just walk in early before they open... and pick it up. IF...... it was to my liking and i was really in love here..... i would do that. LOL BUT.... this is the first and LAST time i wait in a 3 hour line for any food item...... and THIS was not even remotely worth it to me. but... thats just my taste.... lots of other folks feel differently. i suggest to you out of towners coming in to Austin for whatever reason you need to be here...... GET DOWN TO LOCKHART ! and check out the other guys ....... THEN go to Franklin..... that way you can judge for yourself. If you want the deep flavor of the pit in your meat ...... you will find it in LOCKHART ! there may be others in Austin.... but i havent had time to find them yet. LOL

OK.... so i FINALLY got to Franklin BBQ because i have moved back to central Texas.... to Austin. WELL ....... i stood in line for 3 hours like everyone else.... when i finally got up to my turn... i was FAMISHED. NEVER go buy BBQ when you are famished. i bought ALOT more than i intended because it look FANTASTIC ! BELIEVE IT ! ... all those TV shows and videos you see about it online and on TV.... it looks even BETTER in person. lol i didnt eat anything there..... i took it home so i could rip into it in private. LOL and i couldnt wait to get home. and the verdict ? ........well......Let me tell you what...... it was just OK. i'm NOT kidding you..... it was good..... NOT bad in any sense..... but NOT GREAT ! the smoke flavor was very mild..... and the brisket that looked SO fabulous.... didnt taste as good as it looked. the texture was fantastic..... but that WAS the most fantastic thing about it. he REALLY knows how to bring the texture.... but the flavor ? i hate to say this...... and PLEASE... dont hate me on it..... but..... the brisket tasted more like it came out of an oven and not a pit. in fact..... it was just so average in flavor i was shocked... the smoke flavor is just too mild....the flavor of the pit is just barely there. the texture though... WOW ! now THAT was unbelieveable. maybe it is his intention not to put more smoke into the meat..... but good brisket is lovely with decent smoke. and the ribs..... they looked nice but they were just ok..... not alot of bite.... a tad on the mushy side..... good but not great. BUT !!! they looked FABULOUS ! i am sorry.... i dont know what to say. i was so disappointed..... i couldnt believe it. this is NOT what i expected from this place that people have been raving about for so long. BUT !..... the absolute worst dissapointment was the sausage ! without a doubt..... the most average links i have had ANYWHERE in Texas...... barely better than the links you get in the grocery store. maybe because they are only in the pit for an hour.... there is barely any smoke flavor... and the meat in the link had gritty bits of what seemed like tendon ground up but didnt soften in the cooking. it was just not good. i am now cutting up the leftover links and putting them in my eggs to flavor an omlette in the morning but even that doesnt work too well. lol PLEASE..... dont hate on me for this..... but i have been eating BBQ all over the region for years now.... I MOVED HERE FOR THE BBQ for goodness sake ! when i got here i was eating it every day for months on end. i guess this place is just not to my taste. if you are a fan of very little smoke on your Q.... then Franklin is for you. the texture is first rate..... the flavor of everything is just ok. i wont be back there again.... there are other places with real pit flavor in their meats. and... i am not talking about any heavily smoked meats....BUT ! enough to know you are eating REAL pit BBQ ! Like when i first went to Taylor... to Louie Mueller years ago..... after you are done eating.... the smell of the smoke and flavors of the pit are all over your fingers and the aroma stays with you..... you feel satisfied .... like you got the flavors you were coming for. after eating Franklins Q ..... there was NO lingering smell or tatse of smoked meat... ...no nothing. it was as if i had eaten a plate at Lubys for lunch. lol i kept eating and hoping i was imagining things.... that at some point i would taste more of the pit ... but it didnt happen... it just wasnt there. it was very good quality meat but...... hardly any pit flavor. it left me VERY unsatisfied ! hunger was satisfied.... but THAT was all. in ALL the places i have been in Texas.... this is the first time i have had this happen and its weird. so..... i dont know what more to say except that if you like good meat with little smoke flavor.... Franklin is your place. for me.... i'll stick to the guys in Lockhart and Luling.... and whatever else i come accross in Austin thats got more flavor from the pit. after all..... isnt that the point of good BBQ ? .... to taste the pit in the meat ? and BOY .... i NEVER thought i would be saying this about Franklin.... but.... its just my 2 cents.... and i am in the minority here. lol and thats ok. just wanted to let you know what i thought.

If you are a fan of this peanut butter ...... get over to costco and stock up ! i just found out today that they are no longer going to carry it because the factory in New Mexico has been sold to a Canadian peanut butter company and they may or may not use the valencia peanut to make the same wonderful valencia peanut butter. i got my stash now ... enough to last for a while till the new owners of the factory decide if they are going to manufacture this hard to find variety of peanut butter. i just wanted to give a heads up on this in case there are any other costco valencia peanut butter freaks like me. lol

YES ! you are right ! it is stomach. i asked around again and it is indeed stomach of the pig. just WONDERFUL STUFF ! i love love LOVE this place ! its always an adventure when it comes to good food.

OK... i can see there were no responses to my post about Mexican buffets in El Paso. LOL thats ok. i cant say i am not disappointed. i did find several that were great..... and really satisfied my huge appetite. if you really want to know the names of the places.... you can send me a PM and i'll let you know. but this post is about Buche....... this odd meat i found in my favorite Mexican grocery in the take out section. i bought a small piece and i discovered i LOVED it. from what i can tell... BUCHE meat is a pigs throat. they fry it in lard and you can eat it chopped up in a warm tortilla. really it was wonderful ! it is thin slices of meat from the throat.... its chewy but its very tasty. so ? has anyone had this and if you have ? did you like it ? i am crazy about it. lol man i LOVE El Paso !

i like that idea but... but....who can wait for it to self emulsify ? when i get it home.... i want it NOW ! lol i dont mind the mess of getting it stired up ... then i get to lick the spoon.

OK.... i did go back to Costco and buy the regular non organic 100% valencia peanut butter. i didnt need to do a blind taste test. after i stired it and chilled it in the fridge i tasted them both side by side. to my taste... the organic has a stronger more roasted peanut taste. i LOVE valencia peanuts... they are sweeter and have more of the taste i am looking for in peanut butter. anyway....i like the organic better. so i am going to give away the regular to a friend of mine that craves any peanut butter. i always keep my peanut butter in the fridge.... i keep all nut butters in the fridge... and sometimes in the freezer. even when i use to eat Jif ... i always kept it in the fridge, I have never had any go bad on me but the natural butters are alot better off refridgerated..... for me anyway. i dont mind that when i get them they need to be stired..... thats just the way they are and its ok with me. i stir them once and then the fridge keeps them nice and silky smooth.... and ready for whatever i put it on. i guess i answered my own question here. i should really have never bothered to post it because everybody likes something different when it comes to nut butters. its a very personal thing.... peanut butter. lol i happen to love the tase of valencia peanuts while others may find them not to their liking. SO i am thrilled to find that costco now carries this peanut butter. even if i couldnt get the organic.... i'd still buy the regular because of the kind of peanuts they use. i was always buying valencia peanut butter from Trader Joes till that went away. i am a huge Costo fan and it was only by accident that i discovered they have this peanut butter. i had given up hope of ever getting good valencia peanut butter ever again. ok well.....thanks for posting your opinions. now i gotta go... i think i feel an peanut butter slathered apple coming on. lol

what i would like to know is..... which one has a better flavor ? has someone tried both of these ? Kirkland natural or Kirkland organic .....they are both 100% valencia peanuts which are my favorite. organic doesnt always mean better flavor. does anyone have an opinion ? thanks.

I really LOVE this place.... but i have a big appetite and i need a buffet that makes really REALLY good Mexican food. i damn near went broke when i went to L and J cafe the other day. their chili rellenos were AMAZING and i had to order more to get enough. lol so... for me... a Mexican buffet is the answer. does anyone have any suggstions ? being new here in town....i am asking everyone.... so what about you guys ? any help would be much appreciated. thanx

Where in the El Paso area can i find a market with a large variety of fresh quality produce ? Asian or Mexican markets usually have a large variety and good quality. a place on the west side would be best but i dont mind going to where the best is.... i just want to make sure i can find the fruits and veg i want. can i have your suggestions please. thanx

Hey THANKS ! thats just what i am looking for.... now.... if i can only find some really good smoked brisket.... THAT would be wonderful ! having lived in central Texas for a while.... i am now well spoiled. lol

every once in a while i get a craving for Indian snacks... i'll be moving to El Paso in a month or so... just wondering if there are any Indian grocery stores in the area. i love the spicy curry flavors and chick pea flour crunchy snacks that come in a bag. if you know of any... let me know. thanks.

my friend LOVES the diabetic chocolates and knows all about what they can do to the system. i dont know all about her diet but i do know that she does eat plenty of nuts and some fruits. i am sure shes aware of the carb issue with foods. i dont think she would like the idea of real chocolate with sugar. i know she does eat some sugar but as a rule.... she seems to like to stay away from it, anyway... thanks for your posts.... i really appreciate all the suggestions

Hey thanks..... i just checked out the site.... this looks like really good stuff !

Hey Shel ..... those look great ! thanks

Can anyone please recomend a brand of No Sugar chocolates. I want something good to give to a diabetic friend. i know rocky mountain chocolates makes some good ones but i am not near one at the moment. i am in the philadelphia area. She likes chocolate covered english toffee and chocolate covered dark carmels or coconut pieces. i have tried the Ashers brand and they are ok.... if anyone else has any suggestions for stores... or online shops that sell good stuff.... please let me know. thanks

Thanks everyone for your answers. what you say makes sense. i have been off of sugar, bread,pasta, cake cookies, pies and real ice cream for a LOOOONG time. one day i just decided that maybe i was feeling bad because of all the sugar and junk i was eating. i cant really call good food junk but i was eating my fill of baked goods, ice cream and all things with sugar. it took me MONTHS to get off all of it .... my body just didnt want to let go. But... when i did... an amazing thing happened. I started to feel like a teenager again. YEAH ! THAT GOOD ! LOL i wasnt following any prescribed diet ... i just eliminated all the things i thought might be making me slugish and slow. well.... it sure did the trick. NOW i have NO cravings for ANY of my old diet.... i DO eat ALOT of plants and i dont miss pizza and pasta. TWO things i use to love. in fact.... i cant even stand the tastes of southern Italian food anymore. go figure that one. i gave away all my fancy imported pasta and sauces. now i just eat simple foods.... whatever i feel like eating. my body tells me what it wants. i dont overeat because i dont feel like it. dessert is usually fruit.... or some 'ice cream' made with frozen bananna and unsweetened coaco powder wizzed up in the vita mix. i know all this sounds terribly boring but believe me.... i wouldnt trade the way i feel now for any food i use to eat in the past. i never would have believed this was possible to do.... but i am doing it..... and every day i am amazed at how easy it is to just listen to my body and eat what i feel like eating. all my life.... i have been plagued with cravings for things with sugar and grains. now..... its totally gone. thats why i was asking about beer. i have always cooked with beer in the crock pot but i didnt want to disrupt anything in my body if i used it. i still get plenty of carbs thru fruits and root veg. i can see now i wont have a problem with eating the meat and a bit of sauce from a beer stewed chuck roast. thanks for clearing this up for me. i'll be putting a roast in today with beer thats been in my fridge for the past year. lol

no... i would be using a crock pot.... it would be a gentle simmer. so then... that means that the chunk of chuck thats been simmering in the beer is now not just a piece of protein .... but a high carb dish even if its just a piece of beef ?

If i put beer in the crock pot with a nice piece of chuck..... what happens to the chuck when its cooked ? does it absorb the carbs from the beer or what ? i hate to sound like an idoit but..... do the carbs stay in the sauce or do they get absorbed into the meat ? or what ? the meat is going to be flavored by the beer..... what happens to the carbs ? the alcohol evaporates .... but what happens to the carbs ? does the meat then become a high carb food? i know this all sounds stupid but i really want to know what happens. does anybody know for sure ? thanks

Yes.... i am well aware of the chips in Great Britian. in fact they call them crisps. i have family there and i well know about WALKERS SMOKEY BACON CRISPS ! in fact .... i once ordered them from a british store online some years back. ..... a WHOLE case of them ! i savoured ever bite. still..... that is not something i care to do over and over again to satisfy my cravings for smokey bacon chips. i guess i'll just have to wait for Lays.... or some company to come round to bacon flavoured chips here in the USA.