paul o' vendange

"Another ambiguity in your position that perhaps you could clarify: While the Sandhill Crane is certainly not crucial to the survival of anyone in the U.S., not to mention just this discussion, neither, for the most part, are any game birds and animals. Most people hunt them because they they enjoy the experience of the hunt, as well as enjoy eating what they kill. The vast majority of people who hunt could much less expensively go to the grocery store for their meat. I understand that you object to trophy hunting and why, but nonetheless I think I am missing part of your point again. Can you shed any light? ..." Richard, precisely my point: in the absence of the need to hunt to survive, why hunt? You mention two, and I believe you herein restate my position(s): "Most people hunt them because they they enjoy the experience of the hunt, as well as enjoy eating what they kill." I abhore hunting for "the sheer enjoyment of the hunt;" it dishonors the life taken. And unless I enjoy eating the animal, I don't want to hunt it. But I support hunting, in the absence of the need to do it to survive, where I both tap some primal memory, and enjoy, specifically enjoy, the flesh, etc., of the animal I kill. I restate my position: is the Sandhill Crane so desirable to eat? If so, no argument, provided it is not in danger of being hunted out of existence; if not, aren't there other quarry? Paul

Then you wrote, You appear to be taking your first statement back with the second statement. Would not "hunting for food" justify killing a sandhill crane? Why would there need to be something unique about its meat, bones or fat? Or are you applying that standard to duck, goose, quail, dove, squirrel, pig, deer, elk, etc., too? How do you decide? This is a topic of interest to me that people from at least a half dozen different positions can have very strong feelings, so I am trying to go to some lengths to say that I am interested primarily in understanding other's thinking about taking game animals and birds for food. ← Richard, yes - hunting for food would justify killing a sandhill crane, provided it is not an endangered species. As to my statements, I would say the latter statement fulfills the former. Let me clarify: I kill only that which I intend to eat. I can legally kill a host of animals. I do not desire to eat a host of animals ('possum, for instance), therefore I would not kill those same animals, much as I would not choose alligator earlobes at a restaurant, although they may be available. And if I would not consciously seek out the flesh of a sandhill crane because I specifically desire it (the meat, etc.), I am loathe to kill it. Lots of other things I enjoy to eat, my family enjoys eating. More to the point: I thoroughly enjoy the meat, stock, and whatever else I can exploit of venison, certain species of waterfowl, and a good many field birds. Now, perhaps I have made a terrible leap of pre-judgment here, but is the sandhill crane so desirable for its intrinsic culinary qualities as to warrant its death? I don't believe the Crane is crucial to the survival of any one in this discussion, and so I admit it cries somewhat to me of what I abhore among a good many of my hunting confreres - sheer and utter ego, trophy hunting. But I admit I may be shortsighted and if sandhill Crane hunters just can't wait to make that Crane fricasee, then godspeed. Paul

I hunt. My only question here regarding the Crane is --- Why? I vociferously protect the act of hunting for food. I love the earth, I love the woods and I honor and acknowledge the preciousness of the life I take. I vigorously detest the act of hunting for hunting's sake. Unless there is something unique about the sandhill crane's meat, bones or fat I don't know about, I cannot see any justification for taking one down. I can legally shoot a good many things, but think it asinine to do so simply because I can. My humble $.02. Paul

I would prepare a cooked marinade (raw alcohol pickles the meat - cooked, the flavor of the wine is what's left), then season the meat with S&P for an entire day. I would also choose a cut from the shoulder area - more flavor generally. That, a good and lengthy slow sear to develop caramelization and an adequate amount of aromatics, are what I depend on to deepen the flavor. Paul

I was responding to the "breast" end of the thread.... I hope you are o.k. If you are shattering bones, you have missed joints. Find the articulation of the joints, where movement takes place, and cut there - if you have to work too hard you are hitting bone and not connective tissue. Many times you can wiggle the knife back and forth to find the "notch" or depression between limbs, or limbs and the carcass - if you place your thumb at the shoulder notch - between the wing's main limb and the carcass - it is especially evident where the joint lies. Good luck, Paul

One of my favorite cuts for this, or any presentation requiring this type of cut, is the cap meat off the export rib (taking the cap meat off, cutting ribeyes and frenching the rib allows us to do ribeyes or cotes de boeuf, with the cap steak reserved for other uses. This strip along the rib is a wonderul, flat piece of meat - and I treat it just like any flank steak. Paul

I've always known of it as a suprême of chicken breast. Paul

Adding more sugar may do nothing without adequate viable yeast in suspension. By adding more sugar tabs to finished beer which has effectively stopped fermentation, you may end up with, well, sweeter beer.

No, Alan, I hadn't thought about a dry rub, but thanks, interesting idea. I think my dilemma comes because the flavor of this meat is so extraordinary that I don't want to mess with it too much at all, save, at least as an experiment for now, for a bit of smoke pickup.

Hi Jim: Thanks. I should have specified I am aware of the food safety issue and bacterial window - in terms of the cold smoke plan, they would be tossed in the freezer for 1/2 hour then the walk-in cooler, then cooked off that night. The window above 40 would likely then be less than 2 hours. However, for comfort's sake I would like to hear from the community about other effective methods of control besides a salt/sugar brine cure. I suppose a very light brine for a limited time would be doable, particularly in tandem with another liquid - Just yesterday I was speaking with Steven Loppnow (VenisonAmerica on our boards), who uses an apple juice soak for 2 hours prior to cold smoking, though I don't believe he salts. With such a low acid content, I wonder how efficacious this would be, but, still, he got me curious, particularly since I will be doing an applewood smoke and serving the racks with caramelized shallots and apples (and parsnip puree and a rosemary Sauce Robert). However, these racks are double racks, quite thick, and penetration would be low, esp. on a light brine and limited soak. I am also considering a bit of "dry aging." The fat and blood content on the pork is high comparably speaking, again, it is most decidedly not "the other white meat," esp. in this blade area that I have spec'd. Any and all thoughts greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jim and intraining, and others, keep 'em coming! P.S. - Intraining, I should have mentioned that I initially was not able to get the article by the link above, but, going to the paper and searching for the topic, it came up just fine. Thanks very much for the heads up. Paul

Bueller - Bueller- No one with any thoughts?

*bump*

Dunno, and don't know the recipe, but one rule of thumb might be that whenever going with something like you describe (I'm guessing), e.g., a whole bird, roast, etc., a fairly tight fit in terms of saucepan/pot diameter, might apply. Then, when you "cover," and you have a bird of a given size, the bird-water ratio would always be within a certain range of play. Just a thought. Paul

Hello all. I use Berkshire Pork in my restaurant, currently a spec of the blade end, 8 ribs, blade excised so I present a double rack. Extraordinarily flavorful, juicy - "old line pork," before it was bred for lean and flavorless character. Hence my problem. My normal treatment is nil - S & P, pan-roast with thyme, sage and butter-basting, and it is wonderful. However, as we move into the fall, I am interested in doing some cold-smoking on the racks prior to cooking them. For things like salmon, I use the "Le Smoker" cold smoker, and a relatively short cycle of 90 minutes. For the pork, I am not a big fan of brine/hammy taste on the loin, and would like to leave the flavor profile alone, save for a bit of smoke pickup. Any with any thoughts on methods of cold smoking for this window of 90 minutes without brine curing, I'd appreciate it. Paul

I do find a significant difference between fleur de sel (with trace remnants of many minerals) and refined salts composed simply of CaCl (like Kosher salt). I have had many different fleur de sels, and what they share, to me, is a length of taste and a roundness not possessed by kosher salt, which has a bracing, harsh "saltiness" back of throat. The coarseness, combined with a gentle, complex flavor, is ideal for me to do last-minute treatments on meats, poultry, fish, grilled vegetables, etc. Paul

A couple of miscellaneous thoughts: Oxygen is the enemy of finished beer, though it is the friend of green beer (newly fermenting wort). Yeast require O2 to respire and replicate, after which they enter anaerobic fermentation. Once the beer is fermented out, yeast flocculate (settle, to varying degrees) and it is during this time that you want to avoid introducing new 02, as this 02 will not be used up by the now inactive yeast. Residual 02 causes oxidative changes via chemical reactions with malt and hop compounds, causing staling and other effects (typically, a "cardboard" taste, among others). If I could humbly disagree a bit with wnissen, I would advise against shaking a closed bottle, for safety reasons, as well as for the aforementioned 02 pickup - 02 resides in the headspace. Next time, I'd suggest you run a final specific gravity on your beer. This will tell you more than anything the level of residual sugar in your beer, therefore the need for and quantity of any priming sugar to use. Hope this batch turns out well, though, cheers.

Actually, I wouldn't lose hope. If you haven't already gone the prime tab route, I would hold off, and would ask how certain you are you fully fermented out (most homebrewers, esp. when starting out, do not pitch adequate yeast, they get a slow ferment, and are, understandably, eager to drink the brew - so they bottle early, with considerable residual sugar). At least that was my story. An APA is not a Pilsner. Depending on your likes, of course, you could get away with a lower CO2 charge and it would still be an enjoyable product (I usually go with 2.25-2.5 atm. C02 in my ales; true English bitters are much lower). And any time you open your beer, you risk contamination. Tis true, it's a choice - risk flat beer, or by opening your bottles to add primetabs, you risk funked beer (although the risk of funking your beer is fairly low if you follow proper sanitation protocol). Paul

Providing you can properly, at elevated pressures (therefore, temperatures) for the proper time, I know of no organism which can survive. Don't rely on this as I do not have the specifics before me nor am I making any qualified advice (so I am absolved of any liability herein - god, too many years in the Chicago loop), but it's my impression nothing can survive under the proper regimen. Paul

I have nothing but good things to say about NW Cutlery. I used to go to them all the time while still living in Chicago (on my way to the meat district!), and still do business with them online now (just yesterday, as a matter of fact) for my restaurant. I can't speak for their in-house service anymore, but they have always done right by me. Fox & Obel was my candy store while in Chicago; that, and Paulina Meat Market. Paul

Thanks Andie, yeah, a bit smaller than I am hoping for. All - still looking for a small pie or larger tartlette mold source, ideally 5" x 1.5" smooth. Thanks. Paul

Thank you both. Lady, couldn't see anything quite right on World Market, but thanks for the heads up; Andie, great call - Big Tray's quiche is perfect (ironically, just bought from them a few days ago - completely dropped off my radar map to look there). Now, just looking for the tartelette molds... Thanks again, Paul

Hello all - remaining outfitting of my kitchen, need to find a source of (approx. 75+ each) creme brulee molds and tartelette molds, trying to hold the line to below $4 each. Sizing: On the brulee molds, looking for wide shallow molds, 6" x 1", not standard ramekins; on the tartelette molds, ideally looking for plain sided, 5" x 1.5" or so. Ebay is a wash, not found much on Fantes, Pastry Chef, abestkitchen, JBprince, Ace mart, or other usual suspects. Kitchen opening in a matter of weeks, any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Paul

You are asking what would happen if the big three ever entered into making more flavorful beers. To what has been written I would add that to some extent, they already have, either under their own label or by acquiring existing breweries making "flavorful" product. I don't have the stats before me, but, at least as far as Miller is concerned, the early forays into "craft beer" proved largely to be a big wash. Paul

In The Cooking of Southwest France, Paula Wolfert attributes stringiness to rapid heating and suggests placing the meat in the fat as soon as it has liquified. Then slowly heat the fat to 190ºF, a process that should take about an hour. Hold the temperature at 190º for an hour to an hour and a half (duck legs take the full 90 minutes), then allow the meat to cool in the fat. Works beautifully for me. Ms. Wolfert's excellent book is currently out of print but a new edition is slated for release in 2005. Although it's more a flavour issue than a stringiness one, I'm surprised that no one has discussed the species of duck used. One of Quebec's better confit makers, a transplant from southwest France, insists that moulards (aka mulards; they're a muscovy-pekin cross and the most popular species for foie gras production) are best, although muscovies are a workable subsitute. She shuns pekin ducks as inferior for confit. My recent survey of local purveyors tends to support her claim: the best confit legs were moulards; most of the second string were muscovies; none of the pekin legs rated highly. Did you recycle the fat from your first confit attempt? If so, did you skim and strain the fat well? Did you add any new fat? How hot did the fat get? In my restaurant we use 100% moulard (magret, confit, prosciutto, rillettes, etc.). Agree for the most part re: pekin, but I would argue that, in the States at least, might this not be as much a function of breeding practice as breed ... i.e., here, Pekin is the breed used in mass production (e.g., Maple Leaf Farms) and its flavor doesn't always rise to the occasion. I do know of one breeder of Pekins in Minnesota (Wild Acres) whose family has worked hard to raise an excellent stock, and his ducks feed on good material; the flavor is extraordinary, rivalling muscovy and moulard. The only reason I didn't go with him for part of our need (incl. confit) is logistics - wanted magrets for searing/entree and prosciutto, his legs for braises and confit, but as we use the whole animal for stock/integral sauce, I was left with excess of his Pekin breasts. Just an example, but I would be spending my time looking for local producers, whatever the breed, if possible. Nice method from Paula Wolfert, I will look forward to the release of her reprint, thanks for the heads up. Paul

In my experience, in terms of toughness, the key is temp. I confit tougher cuts all the time - lamb shoulder, muscovy leg, etc. I add a bit of water to the fat and keep it to a near poach temp, just a very, very mild simmer (bubble rising occasionally). If you had a more violent simmer or boil, this would explain the cloudiness, much like when making stocks.