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Food Thread: What's The Temperature Kenneth?

Of course they want to sell thermometers and probes and such, so obviously they are going to tout how important temperature is to smoked meat. But it's actually true, as most of you already know. And the technique sounds good; I absolutely love the cut they are using...nice, meaty short ribs instead of traditional beef ribs that have been butchered and shaved to about a 1/4 inch of meat. Talk about hardwood!
Smoked Beef Short Ribs: Temperature Is the Recipe for Success
I think the mustard base for the rub is a fine idea too. These cuts have lots of fat, even after trimming, and the tartness and bite of the mustard will balance the richness of the fat.

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Gin & Tonics are marvelous drinks, but too many of them, especially in bars, are ruined by inattention to detail. And it's not that they are difficult to make...on the contrary, they are easy as pie!

• four ounces gin (Don't use expensive stuff, but don't use crap either)
  
• eight ounces fresh tonic (The fancy stuff is nice, but obscenely expensive)
  
• 1/2 lime, quartered (yes, that's math...sorry)

In a tall glass, muddle the lime so that the oils are released from the skin.
Add the gin and stir a bit.
Add the tonic gently, so you don't lose all of the carbonation.
Top with ice.
Repeat as necessary.
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STOP EATING VEGETABLES!
Attribution of Foodborne Illnesses, Hospitalizations, and Deaths to Food Commodities by using Outbreak Data, United States, 1998-2008

Produce (a combination of six plant food categories [Fruits-Nuts, Fungi vegetables, Leafy vegetables, Root vegetables, Sprout vegetables, Vine-Stalk vegetables]) accounted for nearly half of illnesses (46%).

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I am posting this recipe because it's interesting how long the potatoes are cooked. I'm going to try a variation of this tonight, and if I remember (which I won't) I will report breathlessly next week.
Best roast potatoes
It calls for some weird Brit potato called the "Maris Piper," which as far as I can tell look just like Yukon Golds, but with bad teeth and fat ankles.
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We rant and rave about excessive government regulation all the time, and here is a great example of its insidious effects on, of all things, selling beer. It's not enough that the system of selling alcohol is insanely corrupt and complicated, thanks to the post-prohibition money grabs by state legislatures and big business. No, government has to dip its beak into every single transaction, including different flavors of beer produced by a single company.
Brewery agrees to pay $975K fine for bootlegging
That headline is of course ridiculous. They weren't bootlegging, they were simply selling legally produced beer without the proper registration labels for all of their products, instead of just one. Wow....I feel so much safer now that they have been fine a million bucks. And if anyone can explain the following quotation to me I would be eternally grateful.

The labels are required to ensure public safety.

Huh? No claim was made that the beer was flawed or dangerous. How does writing a check to the state liquor authority and placing a statement on the bottle protect me?
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There are thousands of variations of dry rubs, but this one is from Sam Sifton of the NYT (I know...I know) and is very simple and pretty damned good. It allows the flavor of the beef to shine, and that's important, because it's tough to find good beef ribs, so when you find them, do the cow a solid and cook them well. Or just try the recipe at the top. Whatever floats your boat, as long as I am invited for dinner.

Smoked Beef Rib Rub

• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
  
• 2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon paprika
  
• Red pepper flakes, to taste

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Food and cooking tips, tender meatballs, really good jelly beans that aren't just cloyingly sweet, gefilte fish replacements, thick and fluffy pita and Browning Hi Powers: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com. Any advocacy of French Toast with syrup will result in disciplinary action up to and including being nuked from orbit.