Fabrication
Well on Tuesday last I had to drive in to Manhattan. Knowing I would be unlikely to be back on Manhattan while Fairway was likely to be open, I stop by their cold room, ever been in a 10,000 square foot meat locker?
They sell some semi-primal cuts, chuck in 15-20 pound chunks, 8" short-ribs in the same weight put up. Half-shell steaks, whole loin of lamb. The chuck was $1.99 a pound, the short ribs $3.29.
Now I like to do this in a dutch oven at a very low temperature, 200 F is about right. Fill the rest with various root vegetables and onions and cover in 2 cups of what ever you are drinking for dinner with it, red wine or water, and the rest with Thomas Kellar's Onion Soup (less the crouton and cheese). You don't have Thomas Kellar's Onion Soup? Sweat some onions, butter and onions over very very low heat for about 6 hours the day before. I do it in 20 lbs batches and freeze in 1 1/2 cup units. Use 3 cups of sweated onions and as much rich HOMEMADE beef stock as needed.
I used to do this with dry onion soup, then it became chicken stock based and I decided I could do without the extra salt. Now the dry onion soup isn't that bad, but a real onion soup is simply in a different league and no harder. I mean I've already got the beef stock and sweated onions in the larder. Those are both just staples now.
Next Saturday, not tomorrow, I'll be driving out to Dietrich's Meats (check side bar for link) and maybe to the farm Bob DelGrasso (Hendrick's Farm also in side bar) works at as well. Two whole fresh hams, two pork loins, 4 fresh bacon slabs and a smoked pigs head. The wife wants a centerpiece.
They sell some semi-primal cuts, chuck in 15-20 pound chunks, 8" short-ribs in the same weight put up. Half-shell steaks, whole loin of lamb. The chuck was $1.99 a pound, the short ribs $3.29.
Now I like to do this in a dutch oven at a very low temperature, 200 F is about right. Fill the rest with various root vegetables and onions and cover in 2 cups of what ever you are drinking for dinner with it, red wine or water, and the rest with Thomas Kellar's Onion Soup (less the crouton and cheese). You don't have Thomas Kellar's Onion Soup? Sweat some onions, butter and onions over very very low heat for about 6 hours the day before. I do it in 20 lbs batches and freeze in 1 1/2 cup units. Use 3 cups of sweated onions and as much rich HOMEMADE beef stock as needed.
I used to do this with dry onion soup, then it became chicken stock based and I decided I could do without the extra salt. Now the dry onion soup isn't that bad, but a real onion soup is simply in a different league and no harder. I mean I've already got the beef stock and sweated onions in the larder. Those are both just staples now.
Next Saturday, not tomorrow, I'll be driving out to Dietrich's Meats (check side bar for link) and maybe to the farm Bob DelGrasso (Hendrick's Farm also in side bar) works at as well. Two whole fresh hams, two pork loins, 4 fresh bacon slabs and a smoked pigs head. The wife wants a centerpiece.
I love the primal cutting here, very fitting for Halloween, LOL!
You need to be a butcher for Halloween, I have lots of ideas, you could be really scary!
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I could carry my ex-mother-in-law's cleaver and my ex-wife's head!
I haven't dressed up for Haloween in close to 30 years. I did go the the Village (Greenwich Village) Haloween parade as an Arab Terrorist with a captive Native American Princess in chains. We never did figure out what an Arab Terrorist was doing with an Native American Princess, but those were the costumes we had.
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I am dressing up in my Chef togs and going as the "Head" chef (Styrofoam head in a pot with some bones.
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