Norm Matthews

Basquecooks pictures of cassoulet made me miss my mom's Southern cooking so I went looking for some ham hocks. I didn't find any but did find some nice meaty ham shanks. I made them with brats, collards and navy beans. I still have time to make some cornbread for supper tonight. And the cornbread. Next to it are some vanilla buttermilk cupcakes made yesterday.

Norm: Caramelized then braised in the broth? A little more info', please? I sent you the recipe. The oxtails were simmered then caramelized with the sauce.

An Asian friend gave me this recipe last spring and I have been wanting to try it ever since. It's Caramelized Oxtails. Caramelized sauce is butter, shallots, garlic, jalapeno, sweet soy sauce and beef broth. It has not been garnished yet but will be with green onions and lemon juice.

When roasting a pig, the temperature isn't terribly critical. Something that big won't suddenly jump from under done to overcooked. Most competition smokers use an instant read Thermapen to check the temperature. When its about done, check every half hour or so.

Thermocouples for kilns can reach over 2000º. Weber makes remote thermometers for smokers and BBQ grills, but the probe connects to an outside sensor. edit: Kiln thermometers aren't very accurate at low temperatures under 800ª and even at higher temperatures, they are used mostly as a guide. The accurate temperature needed for glazes is read by observing a pyrometric cone inside the kiln. It melts at a precise time/temperature ratio.

I have one with the sensor that sits outside the oven and sends temperature information to a remote. I think any other type would be pretty expensive.

That looks really good and is making me hope I can find some big meaty ham hocks at the market soon. It's getting to be that time of year here.

I looked up Luigi Bormioli Michelangelo Masterpiece wine glasses and it says they are Lead-free blown crystal glass. Does that mean they aren't really crystal?

Thank you. The onion, wine, grainy mustard and honey were the original glaze. I added the mushrooms to the glaze but added the pineapple at the end to heat through. We thought it was pretty good. Cassie said she would not have thought the mushrooms and pineapple would go together but she thought it was a good combination

We had brined pork loin chops sauteed with onions, mushrooms and fresh pineapple with wine, honey and whole grain mustard cooked down into a glaze. Also served with potato cakes and asparagus.

Luigi Bormioli looks to me like Baccarat and it sounds like crystal. It sings when you put liquid in it and go around the lip with a damp finger and chimes when you tap it. I believe it is crystal. I was attracted to it because it looks like Baccarat. I saw some at Marshalls the other day. I already have plenty and don't need anymore but they have lower than regular retail prices. I might get some water glasses though.

One way you can tell if a glass is not crystal: If the top edge has a rolled or thickened rim, it isn't crystal.

I have stemware crystal by Luigi Bormioli in the Michaelangelo style because it looks a lot like the kind of Baccarat that I like, minus the Baccarat price. I have white wine, red wine and champagne flutes in this shape where the stem flows into the bowl. They also make barware. http://www.amazon.com/Luigi-Bormioli-Kitchen-Housewares/b?ie=UTF8&node=13013251

Where might this tatonka dust be purchased? It sounds yummy, unless it's loaded up with chiles... %) I ordered it from Owens BBQ out of North Dakota. It is very good on beef. I don't think it is too spicy with hot seasonings but that is just my opinion.. http://www.owensbbq.com/index.html

Our dinner will be rather rustic. There is a chill in the air. We will have brisket marinated overnight in a coffee rub and tatonka dust (with powdered Worcestershire sauce, charcoal flavoring, and powdered soy sauce along with other seasonings) with orange zest and orange juice, olive oil, then braised in beef broth along with new potatoes, carrots and brown mushrooms . Served with thickened au jus.

I have gotten both in-store coupons and online only coupons from BB&B. If you are on their email-ing list they should send both.

It isn't slimy if it is fried. Don't get big pods. They are more tender if medium sized. Rinse, drain, slice into rounds, toss them in salted corn meal or flour or both together, add Cajun seasoning if you like. Place in strainer and toss to remove excess coating and fry in a little oil until just crispy. They are delicious and not slimy at all.

My son did not tell me the complete recipe for the kalbi but I can tell you he started by combining ingredients from recipes from his uncle, a recipe from a cookbook of well known Korean restaurants in LA and from his mom and then added some of his own ideas. It is marinated and then basted with the sauce while being grilled. I know it includes Pear Nectar, Coca Cola, garlic, gochujang, ginger, soy sauce, salt and pepper, and sesame oil.

My son made dinner tonight. It was Kalbi.

I never thought about stuffing squash before. Great idea.

I too have had well rested medium rare beef lose a lot of liquid before and after cutting and still remain juicy. Sometimes it just does.

I understand the chemistry of yeast in baking and wine making. I didn't realize the other action of preservation was fermentation too.

I use Tender Quick for true curing things like Canadian bacon and a little of it mixed in with salt for corned beef. ps I don't think there is any bacteria in salt 'ferment' either. Pickles, Kraut and kim che aren't 'spoiled' or fermented per se but rather salt preserved. Someone can educate me if I am wrong but I've made those things and wine and beer too and they are totally different.

I use Mortons Canning and Pickling salt for brines and curing. It's all salt and dissolves better than Kosher salt. I like to use Kosher salt on things like steak because it doesn't dissolve into the meat the same way as table salt. I use Himalayan salt as a finishing salt only. It looks nice that way and just provides (expensive) salt flavor in any other application that dissolves the salt.

I consider a recipe a list of suggestions.