Duvel

I like Leberwurst with pieces/slices of caramelized apple (fried in butter and dusted with icing sugar) and/or caramelized onions. Bit of sweet-sour chutney works also (mango is great). Spreadable smoked Leberwurst also goes well with in butter fired sage leaves …

In this specific case - the US version - I am not much of help. I explained the two vastly different products in its country of origin here … NB: There was a bit of discussion on the topic, especially since both have undergone a bit of a sea change. In short, also in Germany the Braunschweiger is smoked, but not based on liver but more of a Mettwurst/Salami subtype, yet spreadable. Liverwurst/Leberwurst can be easily obtained in a more sliceable version - as in the US - or spreadable, and is available unsmoked or smoked.

Put in a „c“ and you are all set … Amerikanisch !

If it is available, please have a look at a Schwenkgrill/Schwenker … same principle, much leaner design and thus a cheap(er) invest to try.

@BonVivant, @KennethT & @Anna N: Thanks for thinking of me and my apologies for getting anyone worried. I have just boarded the car ferry from Newcastle back to continental Europe after 2.24 weeks of travelling Scotland (and some related digital abstinence 🤗) … I‘ll resume posting soon 🥳

In my experience the „separation“ part can be achieved by: 1) the double dredging technique that @AlaMoi described, if you give sufficient time to rest and form a casing, or 2) precooking the protein and then dredging & resting. The latter might be impractical for a commercial operation, so I‘d assume they do a well executed old school double dredge.

Please see above: everything sounds better in Italian 😜

I wash rice as well, especially to remove residual starch before the rice goes into the rice cooker. Concerning the risk of contamination from unsanitary growing conditions I‘d be comfortable that post-harvest processing, milling and polishing will take care of that in white rice.

The pizza shop in our company used to be pretty decent. As prices went up (especially on flour and oil) they decided to make the pies a tad smaller and thinner. They also use a different (and I suspect more economical) tomato sauce. As a result the pizza has changed its character completely and is less than mediocre. Me (and quite some colleagues) have complained and will not frequent the place anymore. If they’d increased the price by 50 cent or so, everyone would have understood and pies & patronage would have remained constant. So for me: (moderate) price increases with transparency as to why beats shrinking portions or cheaper ingredients.

Fantastic … you would not know what I would give to join in on such a place. Cheap & local drinking places like that are just heaven. Thanks for that 🙏

100% 🥳

I think genetically we are unable to resist salted raw animal protein. I can’t. Think oysters, carpaccio, rare steak … It is umami central. Then mentally add some background spices (think nutmeg, bit of clove, …) and a bit of ooomph (freshly ground black pepper, raw onions). Imagine this on a buttered rye roll (more fat & those great toasted Maillard flavors). This is what you are missing …

And the law. As per German law, every large animal will undergo the Fleischbeschau, where selected pieces of the animal (including organs) will be examined before it is released for consumption. It seems to be effective: from 2001-2011, an average of 6 cases of trichinosis per year have been reported for Germany (RKI).

Luckily, I do not own a keyboard 🤗

Normally, you go to a good butcher. Only if you partake in slaughtering the animal you’ll make your own. Freshness is key, and “just” grinding up a piece of purchased meat might not be enough in that regard.

My apologies, but this is article deals with Mettwurst, not with Mett. Loosely related, yet two different products. Mettwurst is cured meat and - well stuffed into a casing to make Wurst - and Mett is just ground, spiced raw meat.

You’ve got to be kidding me … Mett - the closest thing mortals can experience to Ambrosia (provided the latter is - as I suspect - a pork product). Find an earlier account from me here …

No, just got those from our last trip to Spain. Maybe they’ll get replenished in summer - I will look out for “vintage” …

Very busy these days. Very warm outside. Very unmotivated to do anything. Turned on the grill, got a few items this morning while getting my Mett from the butcher. Pork loin “steaks”, coarse (= raw) and fine (= preboiled) sausages. Served the fine Bratwurst with a homemade curry sauce. As Herbert Grönemeyer put it many, many years ago: ”Gehst Du in die Stadt, was macht Dich da satt ? Die Currywurst ! When you go town, what fills you up ? A Currywurst Kommste vonne Schicht, wat Schönres jibt es nicht, wie Currywurst ! If you return from the shift, nothing will beat the Currywurst Mit de Pommes dabei, ach dann geben Sie gleich zwei- mal Currywurst ! With french fries, well, then just make it two Currywurst” It’s a dish for all occasions … The marinated pork loin wasn’t bad, either. Pretty lean, but with some garlic butter quite palatable …

Just checked what we have in our stock. Might not satisfy the more gourmet tastes, but seems to work for us.

Technically, this could have been in the lunch thread, as I made it around 14.30h. Didn’t feel like lunch, though … Instant ramen (Nissin Shrimp), upgraded with the mayo/garlic/chili crisp treatment plus a fried egg on top. 4 min to make, 3 to eat: snack 😉

Because when it is natural, it couldn’t possibly be linked to cancer !

Fully with you. That’s why the ultra-high end stuff usually doesn’t make it out of country 😜

Select for export ? For canning ? Certainly not for fishing … Rest assured, in both Spain and Portugal you‘ll get cheap & „inferior“ sardines. It just that export might be limited to the higher quality items (maybe because the inferior stuff is available everywhere anyhow) ?

I don’t think they are more expensive per se. From the two national economies and their salary and price level structure you won’t find much facts supporting a general price gap. What you will get is broad range of products with different qualities and thus different price tags. So my hypothesis would be that price differences are a result of exported brands and availability.