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Food Thread: Raccoons, Brisket, And Latkes...A Match Made In Heaven!

America took the brisket to the heights of culinary excellence when we figured out how to smoke it. But that is the gold standard of barbecue, and there are lots of examples of mediocre, dry, bland, stringy smoked brisket to be had in barbecue joints across the nation. Not so much in Texas, but even there it isn't always perfect.

Braising brisket is another thing entirely. Braising in general is pretty easy, but when you start with a cut that has a fair amount of fat, and needs a lot of time to become tender, braising is the way to go.

However, it seems like brisket is the red-headed stepchild of braising. Pot Roast is America's sweetheart, and everyone's mother made it. That's usually a chuck roast, or even shoulder (clod). How come brisket isn't in the forefront? It is an inexpensive cut, is forgiving, and comes in large sizes so it is perfect for big dinners.

I made one for Hanukkah, and it turned out very well. No particular recipe, other than using a lot of onions (2+ pounds!) and carrots and celery. And I cheated and used some homemade beef stock (remember the Yorkshire pudding from last week...). It was tender and tasty and the gravy (sauce?) was flavorful. Just about exactly what I wanted.

But...there is a ton of gravy left over! All of those vegetables converted very nicely into liquid, so what's a fellow to do?

Of course I just bought a couple of pounds of chuck and am in the midst of making a stew. That's what a fellow should do!

So from one brisket I am getting about 20 meals. Not bad!

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Organic food is a scam. It is inefficient, more expensive for the consumer, and the only benefit is the virtue signalling that pompous hipsters wield as they brag about their free-range strawberries and organic lamb lips.

But there is a dangerous downside to the developed world's desire to one-up the neighbors. All of that land dedicated to organics could be producing more food at a lower cost!

Factory Farming is Better Than Organic Farming

Read the whole thing...there aren't any money shots because the entire article is worthwhile.

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Cleaning cast-iron pans is a challenge. Dish soap tends to erode the painstakingly earned nonstick coating, so elbow grease is the preferred way to clean.

That thing is simply a square of chain mail, and it works wonders on my cast-iron pans! It's fantastic! Of course there is some knight who has a very obvious weak spot in his armor, but that's a sacrifice I am willing to make.

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Lurker "RTW" sent me this, and it is one of those foods that sounds pretty awful, but might actually be delicious. Smoked Bacon Wrapped Oreos? I will admit that I would try one. Or four. Smoked bacon is delicious. Oreos are good. Why not combine them? Lots of reasons, but I can't think of any right now.
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Legette on the @StBrownPodcast talking about eating “Coon”… bro their reactions 😭🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/v5j0pvXDsS

— 𓃮 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚 𓃮 (@CPPfanfromtheD) December 11, 2024

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Latkes are deep fried potato pancakes, traditionally served during Hanukkah. They are also a messy pain in the *ss to make, because stove-top frying is the worst sort of cooking for anyone who likes a clean kitchen. But this recipe (sort of) fries them in the oven, which is great, because ovens often have cleaning cycles that work very well! Besides, they also have doors, so no matter how dirty they are, you can just close the oven door...like you close your bedroom door when company comes over!

Shockingly Crisp Baked Latkes

Good recipe, excellent technique!They were tasty and crisp when made fresh, and even today, out of the refrigerator, they had a bit of crunch. I recommend it.

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Compostable storage bags? Talk about virtue-signalling bullsh*t!

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What the hell happened to all the vegetables? 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 souls We 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!