Alright, so I knew I was going to be late in to work this morning because I had to wait for the phone guy. Tiny E showed up sick on Sunday and knew Monday would be at home, okay. Z and I got up and were ready to hit the road at 6:45 and I decided to clean my glasses, like I do every morning.
Ping! Why do I have my glasses in my left hand and a lens in my right?
Sigh, no driving for Biggles this dark and early morning. Fine, I’ll just cruise the net. No, the screen was a complete waist of time. Okay, I’ll just watch tv! No, even with a 36″ tube that didn’t work either. Dammit! See, I’m nearly legally blind in my left eye and my right isn’t much better, glasses bring me back to ‘normal’, at least my vision anyway. Do I have a spare? Sure, at work!
The sun came up and wore my prescription sunglasses to go get them, yay. No yay, the prescription is so old I’m nearly typing this by silhouettes of the letters. Grrrrr. And speaking of prescription, the phone number of the place where I buy my specs has been disconnected or is no longer in service. Phlesbsbsbsbsttt !
Mondays, right?
What didn’t suck? Last night’s supper, that’s what. I procured me a top sirloin beef steak from Ted the Rancher (Highland Hills Farm) at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning. Ted’s herd is the true organic, grass fed, heritage breed situation. Usually I find grass fed beef not to my liking, the grain does give a distinctive flavor that I adore.
Pulled it from the fridge Sunday, let it sit out for an hour with a kosher salt rub.
The cast iron griddle with grills up, super heated. Rub bacon fat all over steak.
Grill hard until done, a rare medium will do nicely, thank you very much. Wow, and double wow. I really have to admit Ted’s top sirloin was absolutely divine. I’m going to do this again soon, I can hardly wait. I apologize for any illnormal writings or editing of the pictures. I had to do it based upon feel and silhouettes, I can’t see worth a pinch of moon poo.
Biggles
Meathenge featured on The Perfect Pantry
I can’t remember when I started reading Lydia’s The Perfect Pantry. It wasn’t too terribly long ago, I don’t think. Not only does she know what she’s talking about, able to lay it down well, but she’s fun. So many attempt to write well about what they know, but it’s no fun. I like fun, fun is good.
On a regular basis, she’s got this thing she does. Readers send in their pantries to share, I’m #45 in that game. I wasn’t going to participate because my pantry lacks pretty much everything. But what the heck, eh?
Here’s a direct link to Other People’s Pantries #45 featuring my wonderful pantry.
Biggles
Umpqua Indian Foods Premium Steak Jerky – Jalapeno (roll the “n”)
Editor’s Note (that’s me, eh): There’s going to be a few of these jerky reviews and am going to use the intro from the first one, for all. So, if the first part seems a little redundant, it’s because it is, foo.
A few weeks ago the fine people at Jerky.com sent Meathenge Labs a load of jerky for our consideration. MmMmmm, Review Jerky! I smell a party comin’.
A meeting of the minds were scheduled for a mid Saturday get together. These would be, Cookie & Cranky of I’m Mad and I Eat, Chilebrown and Ms. Goofy of Mad Meat Genius, Zoomie of Zoomie Station, Sourdough Monkey Wrangler & his monkeys (even if for a few moments to share some home brew) and a good friend.
If you so choose, please visit for a few snapshots of the afternoon.
Here’s the new stuff, you knob.
This is a handmade product from the Oregon Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. Hmm, band of Indians? Okay.
At the start of this jerky taste off, I wanted to make sure each one was tasted and reviewed on its own merits. Not to compare it to others, or what-have-you. It had to stand on its own, by itself. To be honest, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, it’s more of a meat tooth. Just in case you haven’t guessed that already. Not that I didn’t enjoy the others, but I like this one a lot. For my own personal tastes, this one hit the spot.
It’s fairly thick, medium dry with a good solid chew factor. The fat and the chile pepper quickly send a green spike throughout your mouth. Not too complicated and finishes cleanly. The ingredients list some teriyaki & maple sugar, but they are very subtle. Jalapeno comes in #3 on the list and it shows. I like this jerky and it likes me, I can tell.
Thank you so much Jerky.com for your care package, we enjoyed the afternoon greatly.
Biggles
Thanksgiving Day Gone – What now?
Make stock?
Here are the beginnings. Oh sure, I forgot to truss the pretty bird, sorry about that. But the breast turned out creamy, juicy and it just didn’t matter. For me, Thanksgiving is more about friends & family than producing the “gourmet” crap.
Share the love,
Biggles
Hawaiian Jerky Co. – Pineapple / A Review!
Editor’s Note (that’s me, eh): There’s going to be a few of these jerky reviews and am going to use the intro from the first one, for all. So, if the first part seems a little redundant, it’s because it is, foo.
A few weeks ago the fine people at Jerky.com sent Meathenge Labs a load of jerky for our consideration. MmMmmm, Review Jerky! I smell a party comin’.
A meeting of the minds were scheduled for a mid Saturday get together. These would be, Cookie & Cranky of I’m Mad and I Eat, Chilebrown and Ms. Goofy of Mad Meat Genius, Zoomie of Zoomie Station, Sourdough Monkey Wrangler & his monkeys (even if for a few moments to share some home brew) and a good friend.
If you so choose, please visit for a few snapshots of the afternoon.
Here’s the new stuff, you knob.
Here’s a jerky I wasn’t expecting, a fruit. Hmm, okay, sure I’ll bite. And we did!
This jerky is individually wrapped, very thinly sliced, as you can probably see. Tell you whut, it’s huge in flavor. I’ve never been to The Islands and have always heard that the pineapple served there is by far the best you can get. And in these slices deliver. It’s dried, but after a moment it rehydrates and sends a smooth, rich pineapple sensation throughout. I don’t detect any smoke flavor, the package lists the ingredients as pineapple & honey. That’s it. And brother, it’s a winner. We all enjoyed this treat immensely and would most certainly recommend it to anyone, jerky lover or no.
Thank you so much Jerky.com for your care package, we enjoyed the afternoon greatly.
Biggles
Saturday Fires
Just do it.
And then? I did it.
Blam! Just like that.
Taqueria Del Palmar – El Cerrito, CA – v2.0
Keeripes! I just checked the last time I wrote about Taqueria Del Palmar and it was fricken’ over 3 years ago! Weren’t we just 23? No, huh.
It was soon after that the food seemed to fall off kilter, I think I had 5 off meals in a row. Big D wasn’t impressed either. So, we let it go for a while.
Well, Mr. Owner Guy is back and the last few weeks have been pretty fricken’ good. The warm house-made tortilla chips fried in lard seem to be as good as they should be. The meat is tender, flaky, full of good flavors and plentiful. The red sauce on the Burrito Especial is also house-made. Everything, so far, is spot on and I will return again this week and more than a few times next week.
Plus, get this. I noticed their prices are lower, at least on the burritos. Yet another reason why I stopped going. I mean, nearly 10 dollars for an All Pastor Burrito? Yes, the size of the rig is down as well, but that’s fine by me. It’s still way large enough for a 220 pound, 6’2″ tall man to get a good lunch down, perfection. If you haven’t been in a while, it’s worth a return trip.
Taqueria Del Palmar
11252 San Pablo Avenue
El Cerrito, CA 94530
510-307-4312
xo, Biggles
Why cry for a soul set free?
The good Doctor Reverend Biggles raises his hands, bends his head towards the heavens and draws forth the roast’s true form!
Praise thine meat! Look what you’ve done for us! Time for 24 hours of marination oh heavenly body.
Bless you my child!
When you are tired and hollow of tummy
Go to the beef roasts we know
And bury your sorrows in eating well.
Dr. Reverend Biggles
Jerky Review – Garden Valley’s Natural Beef Jerkey – Original
Editor’s Note (that’s me, eh): There’s going to be a few of these jerky reviews and am going to use the intro from the first one, for all. So, if the first part seems a little redundant, it’s because it is, foo.
A few weeks ago the fine people at Jerky.com sent Meathenge Labs a load of jerky for our consideration. MmMmmm, Review Jerky! I smell a party comin’.
A meeting of the minds were scheduled for a mid Saturday get together. These would be, Cookie & Cranky of I’m Mad and I Eat, Chilebrown and Ms. Goofy of Mad Meat Genius, Zoomie of Zoomie Station, Sourdough Monkey Wrangler & his monkeys (even if for a few moments to share some home brew) and a good friend.
If you so choose, please visit for a few snapshots of the afternoon.
Here’s the new stuff, you knob.
This jerky shows up about twice as thick as the last batch and not quite as dry (this is neither good nor bad, just different). The meat can be cut with your teeth fairly easily. As you can see the texture is quite smooth compared to the last one. It’s a very subtle, meaty little jerky, sweet with a little smoky and finishes fairly clean. The ingredient list is quite short and doesn’t include all kinds of wacky language or preservatives (read here: I knew what was in there). Chomp!
Thank you so much Jerky.com for your care package, we enjoyed the afternoon greatly.
Biggles
Book Review: The Best Barbecue on Earth by Rick Browne
Some things set me off more than others, elderly drivers being cautious does not set me off. Meandering motorists with cell phones glued to the side of their heads sends me in to a fury. Oh and don’t even remotely attempt to say anything about that hands-free crap. It isn’t the fact that you’re holding your hand to your head that distracts you, it’s the damned conversation. Moron. I’ve been reading studies for years about hands-free versus hand-held. The studies have been done from the Federal level, state level, universities and even The Myth Busters. Ah heck, the state of New York went hands-free years ago and they showed no drop in cell phone related collisions. Get it?
Here’s another little tidbit you’re not going to like, Americans are not the originators of Barbecue. OoOoOoOoOo, there, I said it. Ain’t you fuming now?
Rick Browne has sent forth this small tome to take us in to Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, France (yeah right), Germany, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico (oh yeah baby), Morocco, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Tahiti & Figi, Thailand, Turkey, United States and Uruguay. Phew!
Ten Speed Press published it so you know the layout, photographs, text is all superb. I like this book and hopefully some day real soon I’ll get to cook something from it, oh yeah.
So, to sum it all up, this is a good read and a solid performer for recipes from all over the world. I like the book and would be happy if I found it as a gift for this holiday season coming up. Take care and happy fire making,
Biggles
Jerky Review – Buffalo Bill’s Western Cut Beef Jerky
A few weeks ago the fine people at Jerky.com sent Meathenge Labs a load of jerky for our consideration. MmMmmm, Review Jerky! I smell a party comin’.
A meeting of the minds were scheduled for a mid Saturday get together. These would be, Cookie & Cranky of I’m Mad and I Eat, Chilebrown and Ms. Goofy of Mad Meat Genius, Zoomie of Zoomie Station, Sourdough Monkey Wrangler & his monkeys (even if for a few moments to share some home brew) and a good friend.
If you so choose, please visit for a few snapshots of the afternoon.
This jerky is quite thin & chewy, broad pieces that can be easily torn for a mowful. The pepper is clearly visible and is the second flavor that rolls in. The first is the sweetness from the brown sugar, the pepper gets brighter and lingers for a while. The meat flavor is quite light and the chew is of an appropriate length, not going on for minutes nor does it disappear quickly. If you’re a fan of some sweet with a back of pepper, this is for you!
Thank you so much Jerky.com for your care package, we enjoyed the afternoon greatly.
Biggles
a little pork roast snack treat
A little pork roast I snagged at the Fatted Calf store last weekend.
Cheers!
Sing Ob La Di Ob La Da !
Last evening I found myself taking out the trash, it’s what I do, and saw this. Um, do you have any idea how fast I moved to get my camera? Nope, faster than that. And, I’ve had this song in my head for a few days, maybe this will help to change muh tunes.
These are exactly the colors that I saw with my eyeballs, zactly.
Everyone knows this tune, pull it up in your head and sing along! Ready? Go!
Desmond has a barrow in the market place
Molly is the singer in a band
Desmond says to Molly girl I like your face
And Molly says this as she takes him by the hand
Obladi oblada life goes on bra
Lala how the life goes on
Obladi oblada life goes on bra
Lala how the life goes on
Desmond takes a trolly to the jewellers store
Buys a twenty carat golden ring
Takes it back to Molly waiting at the door
And as he gives it to her she begins to sing
In a couple of years they have built
A home sweet home
With a couple of kids running in the yard
Of Desmond and Molly Jones
Happy ever after in the market place
Molly lets the children lend a hand
Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face
And in the evening she’s a singer with the band
And if you want some fun, take obladi blada
Lyrics by John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Recorded by The Beatles and sung in my head by me
Biggles
Fatted Calf – The Store
Over a year ago I stopped posting the weekly Fatted Calf Newsletter. If you ain’t hip to their newsletter, it’s a weekly note to let everyone know what’s going on in their world and the upcoming menu for the Berkeley & Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Markets. It was something I did out of inspiration, love and devotion. But it was time to move on, times change. The only thing that didn’t change is their love & devotion for all things meat.
If you’ve been lucky enough to sample any of their meaty gifts, you know of what I speak. I fondly remember showing up each Saturday in Berkeley to see what was new, rely on what’s a family standard and to enjoy the market in general. Nearly each week Taylor and/or Toponia had cooked up something special for all, like a kid in a candy store I was! I thought I’d seen just about everything they had to offer over the years. And speaking of years, I triple dog dare you to use the search function here at Meathenge and type in newsletter. There’s about 4.5 years worth of posts, pretty crazy.
Earlier this year Fatted Calf opened up their new shop at the new Oxbow Market in Napa. I’ve been more than a few times and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Again, I thought I’d seen it all.
Jlee and I sped up early this last Saturday morning for another visit and to check out a small gun shop, just for fun. I found a cool wrist-rocket I knew the boys would enjoy, but guess what I found at the fancy charcuterie masters shop? That’s right, hands down the most badass salumi sammich of all time! Nabbed that one big time! I don’t know how many different kinds of hand-made pieces of meat were in there, but it was tremendous. The depth of flavor all delivered with a fresh made tapanade with a little more extra virgin all nestled in a wonderfully toothsome sammich roll. Luckily, Toponia was there and we got to hang out a bit and talk about stuff. The weather was cool, overcast with a chance of rain. Her eyes lit up and she reached behind the counter and produced a gratin! A hot, beautiful, steaming gratin that is! As with many items they have for sale, tasting each thing is a huge part of the experience. Floopf the spoon heavily laden with gratin went in to my mowf (I still have the spoon in my pocket, use it for flinging coffee beans at employees). A rich blend of delicious, gooey cheese, finished with some bright tangy version to finish. There’s pasta in there! There’s onions in there! “I’ll take 1 pound please.”
These are two things you cannot get at the markets, you have to visit their locale in Napa. You’ll probably have to drive, but go. Now. It’s worth it, every minute you spend behind the wheel embiggening your carbon footprint is worth it. I have no idea what it cost me, I don’t care. I’m going again and again.
Biggles
ps – Check out the pork belly roulade, the gratin and the sandwiches there, see?
Playing with meat
Am I terribly busy? Yes. Am I cooking much? No, duh!
Sunday at noon on a fancy, bright, crisp November day found Biggles racing through the store so he could spend some quality time in the meat section. The powers that be tossed some money out and decided to remodel our local largish grocery store. Ya know, it’s funny where the money goes. You’d think they’d hire some people with brains in their heads, nope.
… oh no. I feel a rant coming on and it wasn’t planned. I started off with me in the meat department and just about flew in to a rage about the new doors. OH sure, they’re new and quiet and fast. But, you see, before, you could have 1 person leaving and 1 person arriving. The new door allows only 1 at a time through it. Oh, ghod and the flood of prepared foods! Holy crap! …
Gah, didn’t mean to do that. What I meant to say was that I’d finally, at last, found myself in the meat department. Was looking for some pork spares or loin ribs on sale, gotta pinch that penny baby. Nope, still 15 dollars for a rack of anything. But, for a 1.67 a pound the pork shoulder roasts were selling briskly. Mr. Butcher man said he’d refilled the bin 3 times already and it was only noon!
Yoink. Just like that, for the fun of it.
Raced home, kosher salted it and left it resting on the counter for an hour. Preheat oven to 300, bottom rack. Cast iron skillet with a trivet in the bottom. I think it was nearly 3 hours later when the roast got to 190 and I pulled the sucker.
The textures and flavors were excellent, very porky. It’s a good solid performer, that salt stuff. However, without the smoker, I was missing a dimension of something I wanted. This could easily be taken care of … with … oh something, GRAVY !!! Minced onion in the fat, add flour & stir, add chicken broth and simmer.
Toot toot, here comes the Beaver Valley Express, next stop? Gravy Town.
xo, Biggles