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Food Thread: Baah, Baah, Fat Sheep, Get Onto My Grill!

For whatever reason, lamb isn't particularly popular around these parts. Sure, during holidays I see a bit more of a selection, but aside from a few packs of loin chops and some boneless legs, it is slim pickings.

But I like lamb, and buy it when I see something good. Unfortunately the last several times I bought lamb it was underwhelming. a bit too fatty... a bit too gamey, a bit too tough. And that's not surprising, since most of the lamb around here is commodity lamb from Australia or New Zealand. It's not bad, it's just not that good.

So imagine my surprise when I walked past the sad, small corner of the butcher's display at my favorite market and saw some lamb shoulder chops with "AMERICAN" labels on them! What the hell... why not!

And there was great joy at Chez Dildo that night! Delicious! I trimmed out a couple of pieces of fat, then salt, pepper, garlic, Rosemary and olive oil. That's it. I let it marinate for a couple of hours, and then grilled them on a hot fire for about six-eight minutes.

The meat was relatively tender, it didn't have that greasy, gamey flavor, and it was flavorful. It was absolutely better than the typical Australian stuff I have become used to around here.

I am hoping that this wasn't a glitch in the matrix and that they will be carrying more American lamb. But I will have a chat with the manager just in case. I am looking forward to finding those little loin chops that are an absolute hoot to cook and eat, and maybe if I can get a second mortgage, a rib rack!

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I am all for people being able to eat and drink what they want. Well... except for maple syrup on French Toast, but that's a discussion for another day!

Raw milk is probably the biggest issue in the United States when it comes to meddlesome government drones telling us what we can't drink for breakfast. So when I see that our rights are being respected, I am pleased... sort of.

North Dakota House advances bill to allow the sale of raw milk to consumers

But raw milk is absolutely more dangerous than pasteurized milk, and people get sick, and sometimes die, wherever it is allowed. Like in France!

I am torn between a rational respect for straightforward food safety regulations, and my profound disgust with an overweening government that is absolutely convinced that everything they do is correct. And that means that they will send SWAT teams to farms to stop them from selling milk!

I'm tending toward more freedom.

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I wonder what it was about this wine that caught my eye?

I've actually had it. It's not bad, sort of a generic Sonoma County Cabernet.

And look what I found!

I wonder which one is better?

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My mom made Brunswick stew a few times, and while I would love to say that I remember it fondly, I...um...don't. I do remember that it was made because my dad brought a ton of pulled pork back from North Carolina, and Brunswick Stew is the natural progression. I think it's in the Bible.

This recipe looks like a classic. Traditional Brunswick Stew With Pork and Chicken.

Anyone have an old family recipe? Or is it like biscuits...everyone has a recipe!

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My go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies is great! I usually have some in the freezer, just ready to go on a moment's notice. One of my SiLs thinks I have some ultra-secret special recipe from the ruins of the original Tollhouse, and I'm not sharing it with her because I am an evil and perverse cook.

The truth is that I use the recipe on the back of the Nestle's chocolate chip bag. But she doesn't believe me.

Let's face it, fresh chocolate chip cookies are great, regardless of the recipe. Sure, there are probably a few crappy recipes out there, but most of them are pretty much the same.

So when I see this sort of stuff, I just roll my eyes. Martha Stewart Fired Me Cookies

Apparently these are the best cookies in the history of the world.

Somebody make a batch and get back to us!

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Oh good, a food writer is fixing a nonexistent problem!

Bacon in a Hurry: How to Make Homemade Bacon in Just 48 Hours!!

First, there are lots of steps in his process, so you won't be saving any time. It's just compressed into a frenetic day. Second, using a brine injector rather than simply brining the pork belly is not going to produce consistent brining. Third, he didn't do a comparison with traditionally-made bacon, so this is sort of silly. Fourth, he doesn't address the real issue, which is that he is a sh*tty planner, and should have started his regular bacon recipe a week before.

Yeah, this article irritated me.

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[Yes, It's a repeat, but it makes me laugh]

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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!

posted by CBD at 04:00 PM

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