s'kat

You've given me some good, and varied, opinions. Looks like I will have to talk my husband into smoking some ribs soon, as I'm curious to try it both ways. In fact, I may also try the membrane-scored method, to boot.

I shop at a merry-go round of markets. Costco has become a recent addiction. I shop there at least once a week. The produce selection is usually quite nice, as are the cuts of meat, and the prices simply can't be beat. I can also buy unsalted butter, cream, flour, etc, for a much better price that the local supermarkets. Even the breads are good. I love Costco. I used to be a Harris Teeter shopper until I moved to the other side of town. Now it’s Farm Fresh that is close and convenient. They’re not too bad, very similar actually in many ways to H.T. The customer service in this store, at least, has been exemplary. Williamsburg and Suffolk are both areas that are scattered with people selling produce out of the backs-of-trucks, or quickly improvised farmer’s markets. The quality is amazing, and I peruse them every opportunity I can. Williamsburg also is home to the only area Ukrops. If it were closer, I’d do most of my grocery type shopping there. Fantastic. I round out my shopping with visits to ‘Games’ Farm Market’. The store is ancient, and is a ramshackle collection of additions and strange walkways. They have some of the freshest meat in the area, at extremely competitive prices. The butchers are always happy to come out and help, or to cut whatever you need to order. The produce section is ‘rustic’, but much of it from local farmers. Shopping there is always a real slice of Americana (re the ancient, overweight cashier who has only one, giant snaggled tooth jutting out of her mouth. It’s the years of plaque build-up upon the thing that really gets to me.). There will always be a special place in my heart for Game’s. Only in moments of true desperation, or if I'm in Duck, will I enter a Food Lion. I hate shopping there.

I'm just curious who does and doesn't remove that little membrane on the back of ribs. I've never removed it, but haven't been terribly put off by its presence in the final product. Does it make that big of a difference?

More wonderfully spicy kimchee. Keeps me happy, and keeps my office mates at arm length. It may be the perfect food.

I borrowed a digital camera, and took a picture of the 'Sunshine Fund' drawers, for all my hapless office mates who may have forgotten to bring along a snack or two. Top drawer: Bottom drawer:

In the past couple of years, I've begun having desserts on a semi-regular basis, after many years of forsaking most sweets. I will always make dessert for company, and am often asked to bring it when going to other people's houses. As my husband loves to cook, baking and dessert-making are two areas that I'm able to go completely free-form with. Summer is all about the fruit; winter desserts are warm, and pulled from the oven. In keeping with the girlish figure trend, I send most of the leftovers to friends or family. Some of my husband's coworker's are lucky enough to receive them, and have actually done favours for him in order to garner status in the dessert que.

Tomatoes. I'll take 'em any way I can get 'em. My husband would say meat, and if it's not made of meat, it's really not worth eating. cayoqt: you need stronger narcotics.

I just finished a bowl of yummy, spicy kimchee. Mmm. I didn't go so far as to annoy my office-mates with Jinmyo's kimchee song... but I thought it as I was eating it.

Best: pulled pork (okay, its not really cooked in the kitchen, but those first few minutes after you bring it inside to 'rest' are pure olfactory heaven. Also, meats that have been pan-seared, and then finished in the oven. Worst: I have been forbidden by my husband to make kimchee at home, due to his experience of spending time at a Korean friend's house, whose Mother made kimchee all the time. There was something about opening the fridge in the middle of summer to get a cola, and being greeted with the ripening scent of kimchee... I love kimchee.

My office is currently in the midst of a microwave popcorn 'debate'. Half of the people here can't get enough, and the other half are extremely verbal about being repulsed by the chemcial-laden fake-butter smell that wafts down the hallway. I'm repulsed, but quietly.

Technically, yes. It just didn't seem to work here.

I ordered two of the 8-oz Wagyu sirloin steaks, which arrived yesterday. My husband fired up the grill last night, and cooked away. We were exultantly hopeful that this would be some form of transcendent experience. Alas, we were left rather disappointed. The steaks were a bit on the tough and chewy side. It’s possible that my husband may have cooked them improperly on the grill, but he is, as they say, ‘one with his Weber’. We like our steaks somewhat seared on the outside, and leaning towards very rare in the center. The meat wasn’t smooth or buttery or any velvet-lined adjective… it was just an expensive hunk of rather tough, and ultimately uninteresting meat. Perhaps I should just stick with the Delmonicos from local butcher.

The brisket came out tasting quite good, but was still a bit underdone, and we had cooked it for much longer than anticipated. The following day, I went out and purchased two oven-type thermometers (my husband had drilled a hole through the door and stuck a dial thermometer there, but I was suspicous it wasn't reading the correct temp). Last night, we fired it up and cooked some ribs. The two thermometers that I placed on the top rack agreed almost precisely with each other- and 100-degrees off from the door thermometer. I can't believe we've been cooking with this thing so far off the target temp. Thank goodness nobody came down with food poisoning! (by the way, the ribs were the best that we've made yet!)

I think it is a brisket flat, but I'll need to check it again when I get home. However, I do have a ridiculous amount of bacon hanging out in my fridge, that needs to have something done with it soon. This could work out well. The force is strong here.

My husband picked up a brisket this morning to be smoked for dinner tomorrow. I had to pop by the house on my lunch break, and peeked in the refrigerator. To my horror, he had purchased a rather thin, longish, fully trimmed Costco brisket. Now, I know very little about the manly art of cooking with fire and smoke, but I'm pretty sure we would've wanted one with some fat on it. My question- can this thing be used? Would the lack of fat mean simply we would do a lot of mopping?

Keep it simple. Just make White Trash. White Trash 2 cups Chex cereal 2 cups Cheerios toasted oat cereal 2 cups peanuts 2 cups M&M's 3 bags white chocolate chips Mix together all ingredients except chips. Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave and then pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Lay the mixture flat on cookie sheets and refrigerate until hardened. [Note: you may want to use a couple of cookie sheets so that the hardened mixture is thin, or else it will be a bit hard to break up.] Remove from refrigerator and break the mixture apart. And, um, ya can get all fancy n' stuff with this recipe n' make it gourmet. It's jes' like, a steppin' stone, ya know?

I just wanted to sneak in here and give my thanks to everyone who steered me towards the WSM as well. I purchased it for my husband as a birthday gift. He's used it almost every night that he's been able to, since receiving it. Of course, he is still in the process of getting used to the way it works. We've had some hits, and some misses. But the hits are good. As he is pretty anti-internet, I print out discussions like this, and leave them tucked casually about the house. The smoker is awesome, and I think I love it almost as much as he does. Thanks all. As a funny aside, he went to the airport the other day to pick up his brother. As he was standing in the terminal waiting, a woman was walking by him, whirled around, and stopped. "What cologne are you wearing?" she gasped. "BBQ," he answered proudly.

The classics never go out of style. I, too, have a growing base of take-out packets of Texas Pete, s&p, canned tuna, various pieces of fruit (usually apples & bananas), balsamic & red wine vinegars, garlic pepper & ground cinnamon. Recently I've begun collecting the various brands of breath strips, too.

I'm working my way through the menu of a Korean restaurant that my husband and I go to once or twice a month. He always orders the same thing. I've had something new everytime I visit, but the seafood dishes are always the most... interesting. I love exploring menus.

Definately before. But if you goof, and indulge after brushing, a second beer should be included. The first one to thoroughly wash away the nasty toothpaste aftertaste, and cleanse the palate. The second? Well, as Tommy would say, it's noon somewhere.

I was recently tempted by a colourful display of red-and-orange tomatoes stacked next to each other at the local supermarket. I gave in, and bought the orange tomatoes- and guess what they tasted like? My pantry is filled with tinned tomatoes: my freezer is filled with frozen tomato sauces. I'm not ashamed.

I love eating sexy platters of fruit.

No can of Spicy Nuts is safe when I'm around... I can eat an embarrasing number of handfuls of these things.

The subject of new area restaurants came up in the breakroom recently. The secretary told me in an awed voice of her spectacular trip to the new Olive Garden- the food and service were just superb, superb! Oh, and the portions were just right.

I couldn't agree more! When I used to ride the bus home in Atlanta, I'd pass right by a Cheesecake Factory. Every single night it was mobbed, every table full, and scores of folks milling about the entryway. I could never understand what the draw was.