I know many people who go shopping for food and have a list, I’ve tried it. Yeah well, my list is usually the one blowing through the parking lot after it falls from an ill placed spot in my front pocket. I’ve given up long ago at keeping up with the routine and figure if I miss something, I can come back tomorrow.
Yeah, so I was shopping for tonight’s dinner at my local Latino market, Joya de Ceren. All I needed was a pound of Molida (ground beef), but the pork caught my eye. And because I’ve made friends with the butcher, I knew I could get other cuts, like right now. We do loin chops frequently, but what about a roast? Pork loin roast.
I made a few gestures, pigeon Spanish and Carlito was dragging out a full pork loin! I motioned about yay big. Um, that comes to 8.25 pounds in English. Did I have any plans? Nope. Do I now? Nope.
The fruit shown are all gifts from friends. The peaches are from Zoomie at Zoomie Station, large pears from from Cookie of I’m Mad and I Eat, and the cute little juicy pear rigs are from Claire of Clutter Coach.
Anyone got any idears? What you gots?
xo, Biggles
Joya de Ceren
12545 San Pablo Ave
Richmond California
(510) 235-5315
Tent with foil? That’s so 1969.
I asked Z what he wanted for dinner, it’s Saturday after all. I ran down a short list, but his eyes lit up at Beef Roast. I can do that, so I headed off to our local mart that’s going through some renovation (it’s time they put some money in the poor ol’ gal).
Hurm, the meat department is still under construction and the choices were either this chuck roast or spending nearly 30 dollars on some fancy cut. Considering the source (no ideas), I opted for this 3 pound rig. I figured if I cooked it gently, with some flavors, pulled at 130 or so, we’d get something we could sink our teefs in to. This remains to be seen since it just went in to the oven.
Extra virgin, s&p, fresh rosemary, tent with bacon on the little end. Install to 14″ cast iron fry pan with trivet in to 325 degree oven. Jack heat to 350. In an hour, will drizzle with red wine, squeeze of fresh lemon juice with a few pats of butter. When done, I’ll pull and let rest.
The jury is out, but I’ll bet you dimes to limes, this roast will do just fine.
xo, Biggles
It’s hot – A Meathenge Labs Technical Letter
Um, we’re in the middle of some kind of summer thing, heat. Oh sure, we’re near the bay (a little cooler) and the inland areas are shooting upwards of 109. But our fog is gone since last week and there hasn’t been our usual wind storm in the afternoons either. This means we just sit and bake. We don’t usually get our warm days and evenings until October, and it’s mild even then. Nope, I just checked the thermo meter at about 4pm and it’s 86!
Dude, I’m totally sweating. Just sitting here, sweating. I don’t get it and I don’t like it.
What does one do in such desperation? Cut the legs off yer jeans. Problem solved. This is a Meathenge Approved Tech Note and I approved it personally.
Biggles
ps – Yeah, I have 4 pairs of speakers in the living room. There’s 5 more pairs on the property. And yes, Spongebob Squarepants is also Meathenge Approved.
Trash? Recycle bin? I don’t think so. Old Smoker, I love you.
This post isn’t for you people who are already hip to the love of an old, well used smoker. But for those of you who may feel they need the new stuff, the bells and even a few whistles. As with many crafts, it’s about the person wielding the brush, not the brush itself.
Yeah well, before we left for Calistoga Jeffrey said a friend had given him an old smoker that someone had tossed out. It looked complete, but old, rusty and kinda funky. He sent me a picture and it looked serviceable. While I have used and owned a few of those bullet shaped smokers, I’d never actually used one with no visible air vents or access door to the fire.
Squeezing Summer for all it’s worth
Where or where is our little meat henge, where or where could it be?
Fishin’, bikin’, hikin’, eatin’, basically just goofing off and attempting to enjoy every last moment of summer. That’s where. See, for many of youse guys, summer is when it’s warm. For persons such as myself, summer ends when school starts, this would be next Tuesday.
The image to the right is Tiny E at Highland Lakes, 8600 feet up in the Sierra mountains off hwy 4. See? That’s what we’re up to!
Yay for us. See ya’ll later, bye!
Biggles
Here come the judge – 5th Annual West Coast BBQ Championship
You heard that right, myself, Chilebrown and Ms. Goofy will be officiating this food related event. How’d we get to hold such a position? We were asked, that’s how. We’ve never done such a thing, so we’re really looking forward to it.
Our day starts early, but you don’t have to. I think the judging starts about noon, so you’ll wanna come by a little earlier than that to see what all the hubub is about. Where?
The general vicinity of Texas and Jefferson Streets (and surrounding areas), Fairfield, CA. Comon by and enjoy yourself, there’s tons of stuff going on, tomato festival, vendors, games & clamato.
xo, Biggles
ps – Am writing this at 4am and not quite right with the world yet. Am taking the boys to the mountains, 8600 feet up! Whar’s muh coffees foo?
Operation Cold Smoke – Update #1 – Make up your damned mind Biggles !!!
For the last 10 years I’ve dreamed about making a cold smoker. Bacon, ham, sausage, pork chops, fish & chile peppers oh my! Cold smoking ain’t quite as straight forward as hot smoking, plus the equipment is different. This coupled with being dead lazy, I’m only now taking the project on.
The cold smoking thing all came together when Salvage sent me a link to a Cold Smoke Generator on ebay, I bought it that moment. The wheels spun and I posted last week about making a cold smoker out of a 55 gallon drum. I thought I had it made, but I was wrong. The drum was “lined”, that means it’s bad for food related craft projects. The protective coating keeps organic solvents from attacking the steel, good for them, bad for us. You want an unlined, clean, steel drum for such things and this was not it. And then? Creepy E took the week off so it was going to be 9 days before the new drum could be ordered. I have an attention span of a gnat and I needed satisfaction, needed it like now.
I figured I could use my hot smoker and talked to Salvage about it. Sure, not a problem, but you have to be very careful about Ptomaine and Botulism. See, with a hot smoker you got fats/juices all over the darned place and they’re generally cleaned up by a good hot fire. But cold smoking rarely goes above 120 degrees F. This means whatever nasties are there, they incubate. Here’s what he has to say on the subject.
Ptomaine is the enemy you can smell. Botulism is the real culprit in this realm. It wants 3 things, the spores, absence of Oxygen, and temperatures between 70 deg and 140 deg F. You are building the Botulism incubator. Hmmmm It is odorless and tasteless. The good thing is that Botulism and Ptomaine do not get along at all. So, if it smells rotten it will only make you very sick. If it smells good it can kill you dead. Heat botulism to 265 deg F and the organism dies, but the poison remains and you still die. So the moral here is to never grow Botulism. Like genital warts, you have to catch it from somewhere.
Saturday morning’s ToDo List:
Clean up a few grates, drill a hole for the generator and find some smokable food stuffs.
Happy Birthday Biggles! I’m “this” many years old today.
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
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