Sponsored Content
« Broward County Sheriff's Mantra: Got To Put In That 20 Without Actually Doing The Job! | Main | Gun Thread [Weasel] »
September 09, 2018

Food Thread: Pork Belly Is God's Way Of Saying He Loves Us And Wants Us To Be Happy

Albion pork belly.jpg

If pork belly is on the menu I will probably order it. All too often it is a poorly executed blob of fat with very little flavor. But when it is done correctly, it is a glory of unctuous fat and wonderfully flavored meat and a cracklingly crisp exterior. I think it is partly a function of the quality of the pork, and while the Brits are failing according to almost every one of my measures, they still have a great pork industry that provides spectacular quality stuff.

This pork belly was simple; it wasn't over-seasoned with weird stuff (star anise does not belong on pork, except in Chinese food) or undercooked so the fat was raw, or overcooked so the meat was dry. It was just perfect. And yes, I ate the whole, very large, portion, along with those great crispy potatoes and even the green stuff that seemed like...shudder...kale! Oh, that is a grand and glorious English Bitter, at about 4% alcohol, so one can drink two or three pints (20 ounces to boot!) without being blind drunk.

I have made pork belly, and while I am a reasonably good amateur cook, I haven't come close to making it this well [Limey bastards!].


******

tomatoes goat.jpg

I'm not sure why, but this summer has been great for tomatoes. We got plenty of rain, and aside from a few short stretches of miserably hot weather, it was temperate. Whether that is perfect tomato weather I have no idea, but I am going to keep eating them until the inevitable transition to horrid factory-farm ersatz tomatoes hits the market.

That is goat cheese and a sprinkle of kosher salt. And that's it! The cheese was particularly tart, and that went well with the sweetness of the tomatoes.

******

I had a pretty good hanger steak with a red wine reduction that was almost ruined by the addition of truffle oil. Why are people still using it? I think that it is an interesting flavor that has its uses in a few foods, but this indiscriminate use of an artificial ingredient that mimics (poorly) the flavor of truffles has run its course. Just stop!
******

Existential sausage crisis.jpg

"Thou shalt not put inane things in good food." it's in the bible!

A good bratwurst (or any good sausage) is just fine on its own. I will grudgingly accept a few variations, but when well-meaning people stray this far afield nothing good can come of it.

******

I had a ginger-based cocktail recently, and it was a revelation. I asked for the recipe, and it specifies a ginger-honey syrup. I found some recipes on the internet, but my first attempt was not particularly redolent of ginger. I think the next time I will blend the ginger to maximize extraction, and then figure out how to filter the water so it isn't a mess of ginger pulp..

Anyone have any thoughts about this? I could use some help. Not having the correct ingredients is cutting into my drinking!

******

Why yes, I am having lamb tonight! It is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and it is a festive holiday that requires good food, and lamb certainly fits the bill. Boneless leg that i will rub with a parsley/garlic/Rosemary/mustard mash and then grill to medium or, if it is raining, roast in a hot oven. But lamb takes to the grill so well, I might just brave the cold and hunch miserably under an umbrella for the few minutes I need to be in front of the grill.

1st World Problems! I love it!

******

Food and cooking tips, Haggis, Henry Big Boys in .357, Scotch Eggs, thick and fluffy pita and good tomatoes that aren't square, pale pink and covered with Mestizo E.coli: 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.

&topic=world_news">digg this
posted by CBD at 04:00 PM

| Access Comments




Recent Comments
Barkingmad59, wandering lurkette: "Ahhh, pet thread... Our little guys and gals give ..."

weft cut-loop[/i][/b] [/s]: "[i]No more than 2 yolks a day! Posted by: San Fra ..."

Martini Farmer: "> Green eggs go good with ham. __________ That ..."

Eromero: "Green eggs go good with ham. ..."

lin-duh: "I haven't had to buy a store bought egg in over 10 ..."

JEM: "We have two pairs of rescue dogs. No idea how old ..."

Martini Farmer: "> There are no store bought eggs that compare. I'm ..."

Indignacio Vindacatorem: "The pride flag is awesome - Schlichter called it i ..."

San Franpsycho: "When we go to Sonoma this summer we will have a lo ..."

Notsothoreau: "And turkey eggs are brown with dark brown speckles ..."

lin-duh: "You need Aracuanas for blue eggs. I no longer have ..."

Notsothoreau: "Most of the colored ones are Americanas. All I eve ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64