photograph by Bart Nagel
That’s right boys and girls, the Biggles is 44 today! I want everyone to stop by and wish me a happy birthday, then have a cool refreshing beverage in my honor.
xo, Biggles
Author Archives: admin
Testing thine softwares
Here’s the body, the first page you see. Lately, this has been overwritten by the Extended entry when I publish. What’s up with that?
I’m going to make a few changes here and see what happens.
Am now testing a little bit more, see what the scoop is, page 1
Sunset in Richmond on August 5th 2008
Monday Evening, an easy grilled dinner.
Grilled hard over maple charcoal, logs of cherry fer flavors. Set to the side until 127 degrees F, rest and slice. We did have sides, but who cares?
Biggles
ps – add salt
Catahoula Coffee Company presents: Harry Gray
This is Timber’s publication, not mine! It’s a PSA, I care that much.
Catahouligan Expresso – July 30, 2008
Greetings folks,
As usual, I’m in a manic rush to get this out to you. So please bear with me and forgive the typos. (The later it gets…the more grammatical ears!)
Please be kind enough to place the announcement of the music this Sunday on your neighborhood chat boards….N&E, RCH Heights (formerly know as “View”) and any others I may not know about as of yet. Thanks!
Music: Sunday August 3, 2008 – 10am to 12noon
Catahoula Coffee Company presents: Harry Gray
° Mr. Gray is back and looks to be a regular at Catahoula. Singer/ Solo Guitarist whose background ranges from teacher to musician….and back to being a teacher.
° Important to Note: Mr. Gray will do a “Puff the Magic Dragon” set (From 11am – 11:30am) for kids of all ages to sing along. Kids are encouraged to sit on the coffee bags surrounding Mr. Gray and sing along. (Adults too….if you dare!) Please note the “Puff” set is for kids….there will be no Hookah Pipes at Catahoula. (It’s not that kind of set mind you…..)
Blog me up Scotty:
° Check out: www.catahoulcoffee.wordpress.com It’s Catahoula Coffee’s new blog site, eeeeer Web-bloggy thing. I truly hope it develops into an interactive site about not only Catahoula and its coffee but for the pulse of the community. (OK…It really only about the Coffee!!) WordPress.com is a wonderful tool to present info to you as well as invite you to add your thoughts and opinions too.
° As you can see, I have just started the blog and I really don’t know how to properly set it up. There’s a few pounds of fresh roasted coffee for anyone brave enough to help me out. I would like a separate section, other than the main blog page for any new news of coffee, its availability (or lack of), what was roasted or new coffees being delivered.
° Check it out… I hope it works….Sometimes I hate this Internet thing!!! You can (I believe?) submit pics, articles and especially opinions to the site.
Coffee:
° Ethiopian Harar “Horse” DP: **** Limited Micro Roast **** I took this coffee abit darker. A previous roast was lighter, thus much more “Wine-y” with a very full “Fruit-al” cup. Taking the bean darker has soothed the front end (you get the hint of blueberry rather a full frontal snap) and the middle and finish is full, dark and chocolately. It pulls incredible as espresso. $12/pound. Batch is Limited. (Order Now: Ship on Monday)
In Review: The “Horse” is a very primitive coffee. This is a “Dry” processed coffee, hence the “DP”. Majority of coffees around the world are processed (“Milled”) with what would be best described as a “Lap Pool.” Nothing wrong with this method, but “Dry” processed coffee is Old School. Beans are picked, placed on raised African beds to dry and then HAND sorted. (Yeah, I am pulling sticks out of the cooling tray). Yep, you can’t get more Old School than that. However, method helps produce a fabulous unique coffee
° Kenya Peaberry: Look for this coffee to take PNG’s place in the line up for a while in the near future. Though PNG is a fantastic coffee, it is getting crowded out by the Yemen’s, Mocca-Java’s and especially the Monsoons.
Speaking of which……..
° Monsoon: (Indian Arabica): Yikes. Much like an Ed Wood movie….this coffee has developed an active and, I do say, devoted following. We have even served it as drip to the delight of those who need the extra kick in the morning.
° Butkus Blend:
OOOOOH Yeah…….:
° Aero-Press: Rocks!!! If you haven’t tried it….get on in here and blop down two bucks for delicious cup of hula.
Special: Aero-Press – $30.00 (Get a ½lb of coffee free to start you off)
° POS System: I Promise I am working on it….Catahoula Coffee will take Credit/Debit Cards Soon!!!
Thank you for your support!
take care, timber
Catahoula Coffee
12472 San Pablo Avenue
Richmond, CA 94805
(510) 235-0525
Operation Cold Smoke – A Meathenge Labs Project
Cold Smoking. Most of you already know, but for those of you who don’t? It’s simple, you smoke your food at a temperature of about 90 to 120 degrees F. It’s how smoked sausage, bacon & hams and chile peppers are done. Oh, don’t forget CHEESE, MmMmm smoked cheese.
Years ago I went through my own trials of cold smoking my own chile peppers and onions. They were the best ever, but it just about killed me. Maintaining temperature & smoke for 24 hours isn’t exactly a love trist. I knew then I needed a smoke generator, a device that would combust wood bits for up to 12 hours without reloading. Heat is easy, an electric hotplate does the trick in a pinch. Combine the two and you have a cold smoker that will run unattended for maybe 12 hours, this is what I knew I wanted and needed.
Well, yesterday Salvage pointed me towards a device that would generate hardwood smoke for 12 hours, cost about 1/3 to 1/4 less than anything else I’ve seen, and it is made by hand by some person I’ll introduce to you later (once I find out who exactly he/she is).
What you see here is my prototype. It’s a 55 gallon steel drum with an old weber kettle lid on top. This will give me a nice domed lid (promotes good heat/smoke distribution) with an adjustable exhaust that looks good and works great. Multiple horizontal racks will be installed near the upper portion of the drum so we can put slabs of bacon & acres of chile peppers for the most awesome smoking adventure of all time! Each rack will have some type of thermometer so I can see what each level is up to.
Ultimately, I’d like to get an industrial heating element that will allow me to put the temperature adjust on the outside of the drum. And as soon as the ordered smoke generator arrives, I’ll let you know.
Cheers,
Biggles
ps – Please don’t leave any comments about Alton’s cold smoker in a cardboard box. That is so what I don’t want.
Manteca de Puerco Alert !!! – Got Lard?
Oh man, oh man oh man, oh man. I knew I should have asked months earlier, but here it showed up at my favorite market, Joya de Ceren!
Shut it, Little Miss Lard is Bad.
I want to see raised hands. Who here, when walking in to a taqueria and see, “We use NO LARD!”, walk out directly? Good, thank you. You know, you understand the love that is manteca. From greasing a cast iron skillet, griddle, to refried beans, tamales, savory pie dough and browning meat & veggies.
Lard is King. And since I now have a tub of fresh lard in my fridge? I’m King. Nyah.
Biggles
Joya de Ceren
12545 San Pablo Ave
Richmond California
(510) 235-5315
Am I going to let this week go out without a post?
Am I going to let this week go out without a post?
Yes, yes I am. Been way too damned busy to post or even cook something worthwhile. We’re doing fine here at Meathenge Labs, just lacking time & inspiration. In fact, in the last 3 days my diet has been downright nasty. It’s even coming out the pores of muh skins. Leaves with the thought of specific Vegans that tout a diet that consists of meat will leave you smelling bad. Bullshit. A diet that is bad, nasty and isn’t good, leaves you smelling the same. It has nothing to do with eating meat. I usually smell great, hunky and full of goodness. Hooboy, not today though!
The photograph today is of my little grapefruit tree. While I mowed my garden and left it dry, I’ve been cultivating my citrus. Lemons, grapefruit, limes, oh my!
Cheers to you and yours, all is well here, just kinda boring. Sorry we’re normal.
xo, Biggles
If it’s so easy, how come I rarely do it?
I’m dedicating this post to Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. She recently put up a post about grilling bell peppers, simple & yet way easy. I made a comment about it being beneath her skill level and to take a step up, or something along those lines. She fired back a comment, “If it’s so easy, how come I’ve never done it before?” Yes, I can be an ASS.
I found myself wondering throughout the day repeating her question to myself, over and over. All I could come up with is, “I don’t know”. And I didn’t, I don’t. Why don’t we do it when it’s so damned easy?
That evening I found myself standing at the open door of my bachelor fridge attempting to find something to make the boys for dinner. I’d just purchased yet another package of corn tortillas with 1.5 bags of stale ones still sitting behind the empty box of juice bags. If it’s so damned easy, how come I don’t make tortilla chips more often?
And that was that.
House of Beef – Oakdale California | Pork Belly Bacon !!!
Sunday morning, cool & overcast. Slight ocean breezes bring a brief respite from the hellish, smoky airs. A very low rumble begins from down the street, Thor Sr. approaches. He creeps ever so gently to Meathenge Labs, like only thunder can. This Thor Sr. is our neighbor, Mad Meat Genius. A bacon delivery is in progress, oh yes.
enough of the tofu – here’s some chops
I just couldn’t stand looking at the vegetable/tofu post anymore. So, here’s last Thurday’s chop dinner.
xo, Biggles
Tofu Yu – Deli / Cafe – Organic & Vegetarian – El Cerrito California
Whoa, whoa whoa, hold on there Tex. I’m a complex man and I got my reasons for posting this. Just hang on a moment and give me a chance. Besides, the damned place ain’t even open yet.
Some of you may or may not know, it could very possibly be, a vegetarian dish could be worth eating. Even enjoying, no really. Remember, a large percentage of the world’s population eat vegetarian. The deal is tho’, they have many dishes per meal, not just one plate o’ shrimp.
berry berry, on the vine …
berry berry, on the vine
who’s the suiciest of them all?
Why of course, you are. Suicy berry!
meat of the week wrap up
Not anywhere near every meal is postworthy, nor is it noteworthy. However, if it was memorable and the photographs came out, that just squeaks by my meat-radar. Sure, I was going to try to use, MeatDar. But that sounded really dumb.
All the meat this week was purchased from the Grocer of the Year, Omar of Joya de Ceren, Richmond California. First up we have these fine pork chops. Yeah, they’re cut pretty thin, it’s the Latin way. So, for 1 adult and 2 boys I bought 5. MmMmmm, 5.
Tucked away in the corner is a load of El Salvadorean rice, cooked in butter and chicken broth. Oh yeah, and some steamed broc. The rice is so plump, so tender and full of flavor even without the butter and broth, it’s the best white rice I’ve ever had. While thin, the pork chops turned out really well. There was enough fat and I didn’t cook them very long. Preseasoned with salt is all, SEAR.
#2 this week was a rather large, yet happy tritip beef roast. We arrived home later than usual and didn’t have much time to get this one rolling. In fact, we ate about 30 minutes later than usual. That’s okay, I jacked the oven to 400 and preheated the cast iron skillet with a trivet underneath.
The fat was still on the roast, thank you Omar! I cross-hatched it with a sharp knife. Poured in extra virgin, salt, pepper, fresh rosemary & lemon zest.
I think it only took about 45 minutes or so to cook to a bare medium rareish. I should have checked it at 35 or 40 minutes. Even so, there was enough pink for me to enjoy. Man, beef can go from perfection to boot in no time flat.
The tritip was just as expected, tender, toothy, rich with beefy flavors and the citrus really drove home the action. The only thing that would have made it better would have been maybe 3 bacon rosettes perched up top. And gravy. Gravy or ‘sauce’ (the low calorie cousin, wink-wink) would have dotted the i’s.
Cheers,
Biggles
Forbidden Fruit
Alright, I wanna see some hands. How many of you reading blogs the last week have run across some blogger who has posted a glorious image of something they’ve culled from their budding garden? And prepared something luscious with it? And eaten it? And told you all about how wonderful it was?
Thought so, and my hand went up as well.
By my own hands, I don’t have a garden this year. I mowed it flat with a 6.75 horsepower lawn mower. And I feel GREAT about it! No tending to weeds, fussy watering schedules, no meddling kids with soccer balls, and oh don’t get me started on the squirrels. Sunflower seeds this year? No, they ate them all.
I spend my time at the grill or lounging about doing absolutely nothing I don’t have to. Heck, I’ve even got time now to take up smoking cigarettes if I wanted to. Am now reminded of a quote from one of my favorite movies, Tremors. Picture Valentine & Earl out in their backyard (trash & junk everywhere), pulling cold beers out of the wayward toilet, about to rest on an old truck seat. And this is where Val says, “You see, we plan ahead, that way we don’t do anything right now.” Yeah, just like that. I’ve always loved that quote.
So, it’s a darned good thing I can run back to the far fence and grab a load of the neighbors plums! Oh man, even without the rain, they’re juicy, sweet and perfect in every way. I’d make something out of them, but got no fricken ideas. I just eat them, like they are, and they’re good.
Biggles