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Food Thread: That Pork Is Seared Into My Memory!

That's a nice chunk of a Berkshire pork loin. I bought it because they had very nicely left a lot of fat on it, and as you all know...or should...fat is flavor!

But I didn't feel like Sous Viding it or grilling it (I know...I know...I am pathetic), but plan 3C was a quick sear in a heavy pan, followed by a roast in a medium oven (300 degrees). After that? All bets were off, but in between searing it and taking it out of the oven I figured I could think of something.

So why did I sear it? The nonsense about sealing in the juices is just that: bubbe meise (an old wives tale, in Yiddish). But it does add flavor and crispiness and it is undeniably lovely. It also firms the meat a bit, and that seems to help cook evenly. Maybe.

Anyway, I did it. And scoring it allowed me to get salt deep into the meat a lot more quickly than my usual 24 hour dry brine. Yes...this was a last-minute decision.

So I pulled it after about 20 minutes, then put a glaze of Dijon Mustard and brown sugar on it. That's my go-to for pork. 10 more minutes and it looked pretty good!

Yeah. It worked out well, although I cheated and put the broiler on for a minute or so. I call it a success, and will play around with seasoning next time.

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By all means! Let's bring millions of denizens of 3rd World sh*tholes to our shores so they can work in our restaurants and open little cafes and breakfast joints! I can't wait for the explosion of gastrointestinal illness!

And maybe if we are really lucky they will bring their vaunted distilling expertise, and we can watch alcohol poisoning skyrocket.

Anger in South Africa after child deaths linked to food

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These fun-looking dishes are courtesy of long-time lurker "MF," who snapped the photos at a friend's backyard barbecue.

This is called "Ouha," which is a fish soup.

This one is a simple rice pilaf, but that meat looks mighty tasty. I love onions with rice, so this is right up my alley

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Dad Cooks Dinner is a fun website that is decidedly not preachy about anything, although his fascination with pressure cookers has narrowed the focus somewhat. but here he does what he does best...a nice simple recipe that has been tested and thought out and is an excellent base for expanding into other flavors. His BBQ Sauce Recipe is about as simple as it gets, and that's fine, because BBQ should be simple. If you want it hotter...go for it. If you want it sweeter...go for it. If you want it to taste more like rutabagas...go for it.

That's the point! It's a blank slate (tabula rasa for you snobs).

Although, if anyone has the recipe for Flint's Barbecue sauce I will happily trade one of naturalfake's kidneys for it! Yeah...that is all a shaken Manhattan aficionado is worth. Do a side-by-side test if you don't believe me!

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Everybody needs a basic pizza dough recipe, and here is a good one to start with. That doesn't mean it's the best one. Your particular needs and desire will drive the perfect dough recipe.

I cut this one in half, because my waistline doesn't need four pizzas in three days. Which is what I do when I have pizza dough in the refrigerator!

BY the way, I have been kneading dough by hand more and more. I find it therapeutic, and it teaches me how the dough changes as the gluten develops and the water is absorbed.

Pizza Dough

Adapted from Andrew Feinberg

Time: 45 minutes, plus overnight rising

• 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
  
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for coating dough
  
• 1½ tablespoons salt
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 5 cups bread flour.

1. Put 1¾ cups warm water in a mixing bowl, add yeast and stir until it dissolves. Add oil, salt and sugar, and mix well. Stir in flour. Knead either in mixer using dough hook or by hand on a floured surface, until dough comes together. Cover, and let rest 20 minutes.

2. Knead dough until it is springy, about 5 minutes in mixer or 10 minutes by hand. Form into a ball, coat with oil and place in a large bowl. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate overnight.

3. Remove dough from refrigerator, and let it come to room temperature (about 4 hours) before proceeding. Press dough down, and knead briefly. Divide into 4 pieces, flatten into disks and cover with cloth towels until ready to use.
Yield: Enough dough for 4 12-inch pizzas.

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Yes, his lilting narration is particularly irritating in this one, and the title of "Lazy Giant Meatballs" isn't really true. They are giant, but the recipe is fine, and easily improved by swapping the onion and garlic powder with real onion and garlic.

I would also make eight meatballs instead of four, but aside from that, this is a solid recipe, and not very different than my Italian guru's version. Yup...Marcella Hazan!

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We are entering tomato hell, so beware. And send me garlic that isn't grown in heavy metals and human waste in China, well-marbled hanger steaks and elk chops to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Who are those poor deluded soulsWe know who shake their Manhattans! These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

$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.

The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty of fifty years, but it is worth it!