fifi

AAAHHH... Another convert to the magic of brining. David Rosengarten would have you take that same chicken, slather it with goose fat and use a convection oven. THAT is a whole 'nother chicken.

I know I said "irradiate it" like that was a simple thing. It is not that simple. The easiest part is the equipment and that is very expensive. I suspect (but don't know) that only the big houses like McCormicks would have such a thing. They are using it to knock down bacterial counts that the FDA monitors on imports. (FDA has jurisdiction over imported foods.) But then it is the USDA that is charged with protecting crops, aided and abetted by the Customs Service. I think we have now been through 3 cabinet level organizations. Then a test would have to be devised to assure that the irradiation method destroys all of those organisms. Then you have to get all of those agencies to agree on the test then go about certifying the facilities to do the irradiation. Are those facilities at the port of entry? Can the pepper be transported safely to the facility? More tests. Sorry, but I have oversimplified here in the name of brevity. Now after all of that, the importer that is immersed in this swamp has to justify the headache. I doubt that there is enough of a market for these obscure (at least to most in this country) peppercorns. It is a lot easier to just take the easy way out and ban them. You can bet that the story would be different if this was common black pepper or cinnamon. Edit to add: More than you probably want to know There is all kinds of stuff if you google: irradiation AND spices

Stupid question #42... I trimmed the brisket and have about 1 1/2 lbs. of "fat". Is this beef fat any good for rendering? Brisket fat seems to have more connective tissue than what I would call tallow. After you have the beef fat, what is a good thing to do with it? I use lard a lot and I just learned about keeping chicken fat from stock making. With beef fat, my pantry would be complete! Strategy... I ended up cutting the brisket in two, the point and the flat. It will be easier to position on the bullet that way. Also, once the little pork roast is done, I can move the point up to the top grate for the long haul. And I can take out the flat before it goes over the hill. GREAT TIP! This one I figured out all on my own. Some of you gurus may already know about this but it is a revelation to me. I bought some of those 2 gallon ziploc bags in anticipation of putting the brisket in there with the rub on overnight. One of the brisket pieces fit in one bag with plenty of room so I just poured in some of the rub and tossed to evenly coat and massaged it in. The rub all stuck to the meat and not the plastic. And I don't have a 1/4 cup of rub under my fingernails and they won't be stained for the next week. I am just giddy with this discovery. edit to add: I just found out this is going to be a soggy weekend due to tropical storm Grace that snuck up on us. It will be interesting to see how the Weber performs in those conditions. It is on a balconey under a roof but it sure won't be the same as a couple of weeks ago at 94 in the shade.

fresco... That is a really cool site! I'll probably even send the guy a donation. I am always wondering about words. Ain't it amazing what you can learn on eGullet. Back to pastrami.

Just check out the number of views versus replies. The percentage of replies is a LOT lower than most threads. We are indeed waiting with bait breath. Oh... that is baited breath. (What a stupid expression.)

I can't think about food in Hawaii that I don't remember some spectacular meals that we have cooked. I prefer to rent a condo with an equipped kitchen. My son and I both like to cook and have a great time with the produce that we pick up at roadside stands and the wonderful fish that you can get even in the grocery stores. My daughter appreciates this as she likes to eat what we cook. We haven't been together in a few years and that is our next trip. On our trip last year, our kitchen in Princeville on Kauai was very nicely equipped. The balconey had a fabulous view. The fish in the grocery store was amazing. We took pictures of our meals they were so gorgeous. This is our favorite beach. They have condos for rent here. Click on the web cam if you get "Hawaii-sick". Napili Bay

I am wondering why they don't just irradiate the damn things. That would kill the bacteria and leave the peppercorns pretty much alone. (Before anyone freaks... A lot of spices get irradiated and you should be very happy about that. Spices are surprisingly filthy. Years ago, we did a bacterial, rat shit and bug part survey of them at FDA. Not a pretty picture.)

I did a similar recipe with pork not long ago. My sister had sage and rosemary in the herb garden. I had not combined sage and rosemary before for some reason. It was WONDERFUL.

Put the stock in the oven on about 200. It will be fine until morning. So says the SSB.

I pronounce it and have always heard it pronounced with a hard "g" like you would maggie as in maggiethecat. (Though she would probably not want to be associated with this thread.) I would be honored to be recognized as an (a?) SSB. All of the adjectives fit.

OH MY GOD! I forgot all about Zippy's! On the first trip that I took the kids, they were about 12 and 15. (Early 30s now.) They were, even at that age, quite the gourmands and we had been to some really neat restaurants in Waikiki. We were late getting to Kauai and were starving. In those days, Kauai rolled up the sidewalks about 7:00 so there were very few choices for food. We stopped into Zippy's. We ordered some kind of pasta thing. My daughter tasted it first and broke out into uncontrollable giggles. "Mom! This tastes like Chef Boyardee!" We still laugh about that to this day.

Thanks for this thread. We had the macaroni salad at the Luau at the Coconut Grove on Kauai. (It was my sister's first trip to Hawaii. I have been going for about 20 years.) She found a local cookbook with a recipe in it and has been making it since. She will make up a big batch for my nephew to take to various BBQs and wild game cookouts and it is always a big hit. When I first encountered it my first reaction was EEEWWW! I have since come to like the stuff. I'll have to get the recipe from her. This one wasn't really too heavy with mayo. Oh! I forgot about the plum stuff! There is this powder made from dried plums that you sprinkle on papaya or mango. Wonderful stuff but for some reason I always forget about it when I get back to the mainland. This will require a trip to Hong Kong Market. I almost always get something with Spam when I go out to breakfast when I am there. AAAAHHH! Sweet memories.

I think we have a winner.

ARG! Warning: [science geek coming out of the closet.] All of these things are chemical brews. Maggi doesn't have MSG as an ingredient but it is probably there. The predominate flavor components in these sauces are salts, typically sodium, of amino acids. For example, MSG is a single-molecule-of-sodium-salt of glutamic acid. The amino acids come from hydrolysed plant proteins (or animal in the case of fish sauce). I suspect that enzymes are used in the commercially made types. In the really good stuff, the hydrolysis is accomplished by a natural fermentation, still enzymes but from friendly microbes. Now, the natural fermentation adds other flavor notes from the fermentation organisms, and usually phenolic compounds from the lignins in the vegetable matter, and some assorted ketones and esters that are waste products from the microbes. (Bug poop?) That gives the naturally processed sauces a richness and depth of flavor. But all of that is wasted if you put a few drops in a soup, sort of like using some exotic sea salt to boil pasta. But where the sauce is a main flavor component, the good stuff rules. [/science geek returning to closet.]

Been shopping. I snagged a nice USDA Choice brisket on sale. I will be putting a rub on it that I got out of Virtualweberbullet. The rub recipe doesn't look much different from what I usually use. That site also shows trimming more fat off of a brisket than I usually do. I may trim it some. I abandoned the pork loin for a really pretty 4 lb. pork sirloin roast. It was also on sale and they left a nice fat layer on this one so it called to me. It is now sitting happliy in its brine bath. I added a good sized glug of some Chinese mushroom soy 'cause I have a big jug that I am trying to use up. I also added some Goya bitter orange 'cause the bullet heads went nuts over pork brined with some orange. I think I will stick with the Central American seasoning and maybe inject some mixed with orange juice and make a mop with the rest of it. We will see. All of this should make for some good Labor Day eats. Anyone else doing something special for LD?

Oh good... I can blame all of this on you.

Yeah. In my mind the good stuff is for dipping but the grocery store stuff works just fine for adding a bit of umami. That is how Maggi is used in Mexico. I have never had it used so that you could really tell it is there. (UH OH! I just realized that I am agreeing with tommy. )

Yeah... You are right. I will be in the Netherlands in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to get me some. I have approximated Dutch mayo by whisking Hellmans vigorously and adding whatever flavoring. Inexplicably, my kids' favorite was adding a little soy sauce. Or you could add some Maggi. (OOPS... That is another thread. )

OK... A parallel... There is the 50 year old balsamic vinegar and then there is the Colavita that you buy at the grocery. Likewise, there is the REALLY good stuff (yes, I have some) that is made in small batches by true artisans (in a hollow tree for all I know). Then there is the Kikkoman that you buy at the grocery. For all practical purposes, it is the Kikkoman that gets used the most in most kitchens and we still call it "soy sauce". Maggi is like the grocery store Kikkoman and quite similar in taste.

For a Texan, I think this is heresy. I don't like French's yellow mustard on hamburgers. Hellmans is the only thing for me. Actually, I don't like it on hot dogs either. In both cases, all I taste is the mustard which I don't like anyway. I don't really like hot dogs. Well, maybe the occasional chili dog. I have already admitted on that cravings thread that I will very occasionally have to have a somewhat burned hotdog on a toasted bun with mayo. Now THAT qualifies as a gross use of a condiment.

HOORAY! I will now be paying attention. I need to learn about veal.

Pesto on a corn dog. (No, I am not done with corn dogs yet. I was about to put my Jack Daniels mustard on my daily corn dog when I spotted this nice jar of pesto that my sister brought me. Had to try it. Now you don't have to.)

Another question... Have any of you tried substituting the Brinkman pan as suggested on the web site? http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/waterpan.html They have these pans at my local Academy store and it looks like more water is a good idea.

I found another bottle... This one has the label in Spanish and English. Water, hydrolyzed corn gluten (=corn protein), soy protein, caramel color, artificial flavor Hecho in Mexico, Distributed by Nestle, blah blah blah, under agreement with trademark owners The Mexican Maggi is indeed quite a bit darker in color than the Swiss product. I put drops side by side on a white plate. I didn't need to get that picky. The difference is obvious. As to taste difference... not much. If blindfolded I probably would have a hard time telling the difference. The Mexican version did taste a tiny bit "browner" but that may have been visual contamination. Why is everyone going YUK? This stuff is a LOT like soy sauce.