« First-World Problems... | Main | Gun Thread: More Re-Runs Edition! »

Food Thread: Prime Ribs! Put A New Starter In The Jar!

I'll tell you a secret; I like grilled rib steaks better than roasted prime rib. I think that the lovely fat in a nice rib steak handles the grill perfectly, with that unctuous and delicious combination of richness and crispiness that is so very difficult to achieve in the oven.

And when I say difficult, I mean impossible, at least in my oven with my skills. But there is something undeniably impressive about a large rib roast sitting contentedly in the middle of your Christmas* dinner table, and while I might prefer a different preparation, I will happily sit down as close as possible to that roast and angle for the first slice! Besides, grilling a bunch of steaks for a full table of guests is a pretty big undertaking. Roasting them as a single impressive chunk of beef is far easier!

I'll even help with the Yorkshire pudding which, when done well, risks a lovely burn or two as the cook wrangles the hot pan before it cools off and he is left with Yorkshire biscuits. Yes, that has happened to me, and yes, I ate them, and yes, they were pretty tasty.

Anyway, there are lots of great ways to cook a roast...I have tried a bunch of them and I don't recall ever being disappointed.

One tremendous advantage is that timing is pretty straightforward, and the roast will probably need to rest, so there is that lovely 20 minutes before dinner when everything is ready to go and you can sneak a glass of champagne or another beer or even a Manhattan made with maple syrup.

*For whatever reason, I have never made a rib roast for a religious holiday. Birthdays? Absolutely. New Year's Eve? Sure! But Jewish culture doesn't see a rib roast as festive as lamb and brisket. Although I have a dim recollection of my mother making one for Passover, so maybe I'll shut up now.

******
Okay...it's a busy day...there is a birthday dinner to cook! But my MiL made the latkes, so I have one less messy task to complete.

And of course I decided to bake bread today. I was given some new starter by the wonderful chef at Anton's at the Swan in Lambertville New Jersey. My old starter just gave up the ghost a few weeks ago, and no amount of flour-based CPR could revive it. I know the new stuff is grand, because the bread he made with it is spectacular. Whole-wheat heavy, but he has a deft hand, so it wasn't boring.

And he can cook too. Superb chicken-liver pâté, and an excellent pork chop! Some other stuff that looked good, but my dinner companion held out on me!

******
Well this is interesting...From a mostly-lurking Moron who has sent along a lot of very interesting food stuff. Let's call him "M.F."

So, a few weeks ago, while browsing Farcebook Marketplace, I came across a BNIB dry ager. It was a prototype that had been featured on Shark Tank. Got it for a pretty good price and decided to try it. Got a decent prime rib from my local butcher, and today it was aged 33 days. For comparison, I had an exceptional prime rib I got at the grocery store a couple weeks ago when they were on sale. I cut both into 2" thick steaks and did them reverse-seared on my charcoal grill.

I lost a lot of trim from the dry ager. Doing it again, I would be sure to remove the cap as air got into the space between the cap and the main roast and ruined a lot of meat. I probably lost 50% in trim, which I expected a certain amount of loss, anyway.

This is the control...pretty obvious difference!

And doesn't this look tasty!

******
Oh boy...this is punishment for something you did in a past life.

[Hat Tip: M.F.]

******
Well this looks pretty tasty! My plan was to try it last night, but the auguries were ominous and we went out to dinner instead. Good food...crap service...fun people watching (I saw my plumber!).

It looks like a solid dish, and the chef seems to know what she is doing.

Southern Comfort: Chicken and Dumplings

The dumplings are really easy too, so you have no excuse!

******
Eat A Bag of Dick's!®

[Hat Tip: Someone Who Prefers Not To Be Named]

******
The oyster imperative remains in effect, and send pork rib roasts with the pork belly attached, carrots that don't taste like stalky chalk (and speaking of vegetables; were all of our snap peas stolen by space aliens?), garlic...lots of garlic! (and basil! My basil did not do well this year!), well-marbled hanger steaks and elk chops to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

And don't think that the rest of you are off the hook with maple syrup and French Toast: so why don't you put maple syrup on your steaks and chops and chicken?

And yes, I used to demand fancy bourbon, but let's face it, $1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.