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Video: Behind the Scenes at Edzo's Burger Shop
Thanks for the link, guys. JJChampion-- yeah, sometimes details like that are hard to explain in a video without eating up a lot of time, and since that's the sort of thing you can find out elsewhere, I decided to focus on other parts of the process and how he arrived at doing things his particular way.
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
"However remote the chance" is the death of every form of cooking.
You're in a lot more danger from the drive to where you're having T-day dinner than from the deadly stuffing in the center of your silent killer turkey. Get a grip!
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
Right, Lawofmurphy, the point is that to get the hard core of stuffing at the center to 165F, you have to cook the outer bird to the consistency of pine bark. Unless it's something other than ice cold to begin with.
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Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
Dry rub is just weird. It's like dragging your barbecue through a litterbox. But I had several very good chopped pork sandwiches in Memphis. The thing is, it really IS a sandwich, I mean, the unit here is the sandwich, not the meat itself. You have to eat the meat, the cole slaw, and the sweetish bun together. That's different from other places like KC or Texas where it's about the meat, pure and simple.
Video: Behind the Scenes at Edzo's Burger Shop
Thanks for the link, guys. JJChampion-- yeah, sometimes details like that are hard to explain in a video without eating up a lot of time, and since that's the sort of thing you can find out elsewhere, I decided to focus on other parts of the process and how he arrived at doing things his particular way.
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
"However remote the chance" is the death of every form of cooking.
You're in a lot more danger from the drive to where you're having T-day dinner than from the deadly stuffing in the center of your silent killer turkey. Get a grip!
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
Right, Lawofmurphy, the point is that to get the hard core of stuffing at the center to 165F, you have to cook the outer bird to the consistency of pine bark. Unless it's something other than ice cold to begin with.
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
I tend to prefer cooking it outside, but it's not hard at all to cook it in the turkey in a way that doesn't require cooking the turkey dry. Heat the stuffing in the microwave to, oh, 130, 140, something like that, then stuff it into a makeshift cheesecloth bag in the cavity. It will hit temperature fine, the bird will stay moist, and you simply pull the bag out in one piece. (Thanks to Cook's Illustrated for both ideas, I believe.)
Standing Room Only: 35th Street Red Hots
Yes! Excellent, underrated place. For me, the best part of these minimalist places is eating the fries gently perfumed with onion and mustard from being wrapped together with the dog. Alinea wishes it could do something so artful.
Data Visualization: Subway Locations in the U.S.
Thankfully, the free enterprise system is able to bring this form of public transportation to areas that would otherwise be unserved!
Video: Sky Full of Bacon Explores the Midwestern Land of Whitefish
Thanks for the link and the kind words, Erin!
Serious Eats Is Bringing Hot Doug's to NYC October 7
That's great! I know it's not the most exotic thing he ever offers, but if he does the thuringer, that's one of my top 10 things to eat in Chicago. Anything involving game meats is usually excellent, too.
More Movies That Go Beyond Food Inc.
Hey, you forgot one series that's frequently linked here: my Sky Full of Bacon podcasts, which have often dealt with sustainability, local food, confinement pork, etc.:
http://www.skyfullofbacon.com
http://www.vimeo.com/album/19289
Guy Kibbee Eggs
Wow, Guy Kibbee eggs. I can hardly wait for Warren William sausage and Ned Sparks clam chowder.
Standing Room Only: Mario's Lemonade
Mario's is great street theater and I like the lemon, peach and canteloupe ice fine, but my favorite ice these days is Miko's on Sacramento just south of Fullerton. My issue with Italian ice is that it's basically unknown in the northwest 1/3 of the city-- Miko's and Anthony's on Southport are the only ones even vaguely up that way, unless I've missed something....
Schoop's: My Most Craved Burger Near Chicago
The problem is you're still looking at this in terms of what makes a big fat bar burger good, which is lots of beef and nothing else matters. It's okay if a patty is well done if it's lacy-thin. (The crispiness at the edges seems to be a fetish specific to Indiana.) It's not all about the big hunka beef in the middle, it's supposed to be the sum of all its parts, the soft bun, the onion and pickle and mustard and cheese and salt (the often-underutilized foundation of great burgerdom).
Frankie's Fifth Floor Pizzeria: Critical Error in Execution Dooms This Visit
My theory is that Lettuce can run two decent Italian restaurants at the same time: Scoozi and only ONE of the new ones. By all accounts the latter slot is filled by Osteria via Stato, so I'm not surprised that the tourist/suburban shopper-oriented Frankie's is poor (as its predecessor Tucci Benucch was too).
Great Lake Is Great Shakes: The Windy City Finally Has Great Pizza to Call Its Own
"I find that all too often Chicago pizza is uninspired."
Hey, I find the average pizza pretty much everywhere to be uninspired-- it's not like all those Original Ray's slice places in Manhattan are any better than the typical Chicago slice place (probably worse, actually, though that's meant to be very faint praise).
Best 1930s-Style Burgers in Chicago
Hey, NotAmerican, not sure if 4000 miles away is California or Argentina, but they have one in Las Vegas now, oddly enough, if that's any help.
Anyway, thanks AHT for the link!
Video: Sky Full of Bacon's 'A Better Fish'
Thanks for the link & very nice writeup, Erin. And cool, Robb Walsh in the comments!
World's Strangest Fast-Food Items
Years ago I worked on McD's advertising and tried some things they were playing around with at the lab kitchen; one was a whole line of adult-flavored shakes, non-alcoholic but literally tasting like Kahlua, a margarita, etc. As I recall the Kahlua was damned good but the margarita tasted like Pez.
In Season: Basil
Don't fully make pesto and freeze it. What you want to make is... the beginnings of pesto, what we call "basil brickle" at my house. Take your basil, food-process or stone-grind it, and mix it with JUST ENOUGH olive oil to make a smooth paste. Put that in small freezer bags, spread it out flat so no air is touching most of it, and freeze.
Then, when you want to make pesto, you break off some of the basil brickle and thaw it. Only NOW do you add most of your oil, garlic, salt, pine nuts, and cheese, because that way they come to the party with their full fresh flavor, not with 6 months in the freezer behind them. (Frozen cheese is an abomination anyway.) The results, assuming you started with good basil to begin with, are much more flavorful than if you freeze finished pesto.
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
When I was 12 or 13, I made peanut butter cookies for my sisters and myself. And I didn't really think the distinction between tablespoon and teaspoon was any big deal, I guess, so I added a tablespoon of salt. The result was, well, let's just say briney. I have baked absolutely amazing things since then, and yet, I could be making fantastic homemade napoleons or something and one of my sisters would say "Don't put a tablespoon of salt in it!" The hell with elephants, it's families that never forget.
Video: 'Sky Full of Bacon' Visits Iowa Prosciutto Producers La Quercia
Thanks for the link, Adam!
Rhetor-- That was one thing that didn't make it into the final cut, but Herb mentioned that he was very proud that he had strong local support (and I think in turn, it's great that he's helping raise the level of local dining with his products and his example). When Des Moines has nearly as many restaurants buying into Acorn Edition II as New York City does, that says a lot.
Speaking of mail order, they now have sliced product available again-- you don't have to buy a $300 ham. I strongly recommend trying the organic Green Label prosciutto, it is another level above the already stellar La Quercia product.
Should Fast Food Chains Give Kids Toys?
1) Absolutely, my kids have a preference for certain places based on their toy offerings.
2) Funny, I'm still the one with the car keys, so I decide where we're going and the kids deal with it.
There's no cure for these problems like simply having some backbone as a parent.
What Fictional Foods Do You Wish Were Real?
Damn, Roald Dahl has certainly cast a long shadow over today's foodies.
Anyway, here's a few:
1) The sushi from the Marianas Trench that the Michael Eisner-like mogul serves in Christopher Buckley's Thank You For Smoking.
2) Apparently not mythical (people have published cookbooks of them), but certainly used for a touch of the exotic: all those old English dishes in the Patrick O'Brian books, like Boiled Baby and Spotted Dick. I've had a touch of the marthambles lately and that would fix it right up.
3) Ugly chicken for Thanksgiving. (See: Waldrop, Howard.)
O'Fame: Fresh Ingredients Do Not Necessarily Make a Good Pizza
Well, every tomato in May is probably devoid of flavor. O'Fame isn't an artisanal place per se, but in the universe of delivery pizza around here, I happily take it over Pete's Pizza or whatever; it's a little more real.
Alan Richman Names Top 25 Pizzas in the U.S.
(I suppose I should say that I really do like Great Lake a lot-- I just don't think pizza is only one thing, and that not getting Chicago deep dish as a style is not a virtue, as so many food writers seem to think it is. Some days, only a two-inch-thick spinach from Art of Pizza will do.)
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
I love Chicago, and I think it doesn't get the credit it deserves. Even so, this is a bold claim and having 4-5 good/amazing BBQ restaurants does not establish it as a BBQ city. A good BBQ city has a culture where residents argue about the best cuts and the best sauce, residents drive a few hours for BBQ and even the vegans have BBQ-time-outs. (I'm biased - I'm from Austin. But I also think the other BBQ capitals have similar traits.)
If you're headed to Texas to try BBQ, I like http://fcg-bbq.blogspot.com/ and Texas Monthly's guide.
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
I won't argue about most of the things mentioned in this article, but all i have to say is, you're wrong about the Ribs. The first time I had ribs at Neely's I was so shocked because I had never envisioned ribs to be this good. I will defend their ribs to my grave. Everything else about memphis bbq may be overrated, and hell the pulled pork and brisket at Neely's was below average in my opinion, but damn, those ribs. Can't stop thinking about them. There's no way anything in Chicago comes close, sorry.
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
Born and raised in KS on KC bbq.
Chi City 98-06 and still there every other month.
Married a Memphian and live there now.
I can't attest to the overall scene being better, but from a restaurant standpoint I would definitely put Smoque up against anyone (especially the tourist traps). Love the dad/son combo at Honey1: I'm glad to read they are still around. That plexiglass/aquarium smoker is the goods!
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
I am a Chicago native, but I must say that your claim is ridonkulous. I've spent a significant amount of time in Memphis, and their barbecue outshines ours by miles. It's true that Uncle John's hot links are amazing, but Cozy Corner's cornish game hen puts every other barbecue I've ever eaten to shame. The tourist traps are trash, but that's true here in Chicago as well (hello Pizzeria Uno, I'm talking to you, still have a soft spot for Gino's East though). Plus, Chicago barbecue is a hobby, Memphis barbecue is a lifestyle. BBQ spaghetti, BBQ nachos (BBQ Shop's nachos are worth going to prison for), BBQ bologna, plus ribs that are meaty and spiced perfectly, allowing the meat to shine through. We just don't have that here, the sauce overtakes the meat. Rib tips are the one place where I'll agree Chicago has an edge. Finally, I shall end my rant with perhaps the most important point. Sweet. Tea.
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
As a Memphis native who has spent some time in Chicago recently, I both agree and vehemently disagree with the article. I still think there are some great barbecue places in Memphis that far outshine what I've had in Chi-town, but most people haven't heard of them or hadn't been. However, I do agree that the restaurants noted above (except for Central IMNSHO) are no longer representative of what Memphis 'cue was/is all about. See, a lot of the 'cue places in Memphis have become "industrialized" - that's our dirty little secret. I grew up about a block east of the original Corky's on Poplar Avenue - I still remember when it was converted from an arcade (and a 76 gas station before that) into Corky's. It was delicious and really was some of the best around. However, over time they have tweaked and adapted their original recipes to service the mass market - bottles, grocery stores, etc. The same thing has happened at all the other places - Rendevous, Commisary, Neely's, Interstate, etc. Once they start changing their recipes to be shelf stable and mass-produced and they start using their mass-produced product in the restaurants, they become just another place to eat.
Right now my two favorite places are Central (I like the Summer Ave location - much more room than the one on Central; they have the best brisket and their homemade bbq potato chips are great - especially freshly made) and Tom's on Getwell and Raines (bbq bologna is a must-try!).
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
@Michael Nagrant
I'll have to respectfully disagree with the statement. But I am proud of Chicago. It has better barbecue than most large cities, and certainly New York.
What I do love about Chicago barbecue are places like Honey 1 and Uncle John's because they are totally unique. They weren't researched or market driven. For the most part, the pitmasters learned their craft from their fathers who at some point learned it in the South. It feels natural and inevitable. The rib tip and sausage meals are such a brilliant combination.
I think Eastern North Carolina is probably my favorite region, with places like Wilbers, the Pit, and Allen and Son's really sticking out.
In Memphis, I am absolutely smitten with Cozy Corner, which I'm glad you liked. I don't think we have anything in Chicago that can quite compete with it. Smoque is very good, and their sides are beyond any other sides I've had elsewhere. But the barbecue has always just been perfectly solid. I suppose I'm looking for that edge, a little more heart and soul. Maybe Smoque just needs some more time to develop. It is relatively new.
I still need to hit Kansas City and Texas before I can say for sure. But I am no hungry for barbecue...thanks!
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
All things considered, Memphis is still my favorite barbecue town, hands down. And, good sir, I do object to your calling it the land of Elvis. I eat only in the good graces of Stax Records.
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
I haven't had the good fortune to try Chicago BBQ first hand, but I've eaten extensively at the rest of the nation's BBQ capitals. I'd have to agree with you that Rendezvous and Corky's are not even worth the visit, and Central is underwhelming at best. I'm also curious as to the mythical status of dry ribs anywhere... when I was in Memphis the concept of barbecue as pork sandwiches with slaw and sauce seemed just as valid as it would be in North Carolina (though not as religiously maintained). If there's anything that makes Memphis stand out to me, it's the the healthy blaance of styles (namely, ribs and sandwiches), the availability of BBQ Spaghetti, and the general feel of the city (touchy-feely, perhaps, but extremely important to me).
In any case, the next time you get a chance to go back, I'd recommend three places: The Bar-B-Q Shop, Payne's, and Interstate. The Bar-B-Q-Shop has amazing ribs (and you can order ribs individually with your meal), and Payne's makes the best pork sandwiches I've had this side of Lexington.
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
If it's on TV, it must be true. That being said, man can only eat at one place at a time. I'd rather have one perfect bbq joint, than mediocre ones.
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
There was a piece on TV night before last on the best BBQ, it was between Texas, KC, South Carolina and Memphis, judged by Texans. Memphis won hands down and Chicago was'nt evan a mention.
I guess if I was from Podunk, Idaho and we had a couple of descent BBQ joints, I could write a piece and claim WE had the best BBQ. Dave
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
There are several types of BBQ sauce. Most traditional BBQ sauces either use tomato sauce, mustard, or vinegar as a base, and they come a variety of thicknesses. Each state also specializes in certain types of meat.
Kansas City barbecue typically consists of brisket and burnt ends, pork, lamb, and beef ribs, steaks, chicken and turkey. Their barbecue sauces are tomato based, thick, sweet, spicy and sticky.
Meat used in South Carolina is consistent throughout the state, slow-cooked, hickory-smoked pulled pork. They are more mustard based, but feature some vinegar too. North Carolina also uses much pork but their barbecue sauce is usually vinegar based, thin and runny.
Memphis-style barbecue is known for wet ribs made with a mild, sweet BBQ sauce that's basted on the ribs before and after smoking; dry-rub crusted ribs, made with a spice rub that forms a crust on the surface, applied during or right after they've been cooked; and pulled pork.
East Texas barbecue is an extension of traditional southern barbecue, similar to that found in Tennessee and Arkansas. It is primarily pork-based, with cuts such as pork shoulder and pork ribs, indirectly slow smoked over primarily hickory wood. The sauce is tomato-based, sweet, and thick. It's most common in Houston and Dallas. West Texas features "Cowboy" barbecue, cooked over an open pit using direct heat from mesquite. The meat is primarily beef, shoulder clods and brisket being favorite cuts, mutton and goat.
Barbecue in St. Louis often uses pork and features a sauce that is typically tangier and thinner than its Kansas City cousin, with less vinegar taste. It somewhat resembles the Memphis style sauce.
While barbecue is typically associated with tough cuts of meat, barbecue ribs in Chicago BBQ tends to be from very good cuts of pork, perhaps because of the abundance of good meat and resulting higher expectations in this meat industry town. South- and West-side Chicago is noted for smoked ribs and Deep South style rib sauce.
Of course this is all American BBQ. Brasilians and people of other Latin heritage are disgusted at all the sweet sauces we mop on our BBQ. Look up Rodizio in google if you aren't familiar with it yet. There are many Churrascarias that come to your table every 5 minutes and serve up to 15 types of BBQ meat that Americans don't normally define as BBQ. But it's so good that it doesn't need sauce!
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
We do BBQ different here in NC.,but I have fond memories of the County Line in OK City....ate there once,25yrs ago...
Its got to be good to remember that long..
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
Albert Einstein wouldn't exist without his father Hermann, but it's pretty apparent which of the two ended up displaying more brilliance.
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
I have to say that Chicago BBQ wouldn't exist without Memphis BBQ. Texas, Memphis Kansas, and North Carolina BBQ came FIRST!
There is NO way Chicago BBQ is better; the author should try real bbq from the states I just mentioned and I bet Chi-town doesn't stack up!
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
Chicago BBQ? As a Texan, I never thought I'd see those two words back to back!
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
Full disclosure - I went to middle and high school in Germantown (Houston), and never understood why everyone was so in love with Commissary. "Eh" is how I would describe it - nothing I couldn't do at home better. The defining memory concerning this revelation was when my dad came home with pre-seasoned ribs from WALMART and I thought they tasted better. I mean...seriously. Blech. Also - potato salad that is mostly mayo and not much else, and banana pudding with consistently soggy Nilla wafers, blah slaw.
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
Chicago... Memphis... neither matters to me. I live in central Texas. I need not cross state lines, or even county lines, for good BBQ. I feel sorry for you people who do. :-P
(Ok, I'll concede that Kansas City or Carolina style BBQ sauces pair better with pork. Texans are the experts when it comes to beef brisket.)
I guess you can tell I'm in the "wet BBQ" camp. To each his own, but I just wanted to make sure that west Texas BBQ beef brisket got some love. :-)
Chicago BBQ is Better than Memphis BBQ
I appreciate the comment regarding the brisket being the best "this side of Texas." Anyone who tips their hat to Texas BBQ is a friend of mine. :) I would love to try the Chicago (and Memphis) BBQ scene that you mentioned (the pictures make it look wonderful), but all I've ever had to this point is what I grew up eating in Texas. I tell you what, I sure do miss it being up here in Boston where I'm pretty sure they think that a smoked brisket is somewhere along the same lines as a pot roast. :)
Video: Behind the Scenes at Edzo's Burger Shop
Old fries..thats a new one for me....still bet they are killer..
This guy is doing it right...
Video: Behind the Scenes at Edzo's Burger Shop
@Sky Full of Bacon: Thanks for the great video! I wish all burger places were like this one.
Video: Behind the Scenes at Edzo's Burger Shop
Excellent! More posts like this. Would have been nice to have seen the finished product come off the griddle.
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
I work in a public kitchen (a non-profit) and we get all types of people volunteering and one thing that I know is that most people have no real idea of food safety and for the most part it is an act of G-d that they have not killed themselves.
On a lighter note what you can always do is 30 mins before the turkey is done remove the stuffing and put in rough cut veggies and some of the stuffing on the outside just for looks. Return the turkey back to the oven to finish. With the stuffing just put in in the oven until it cooks also. You get the best of both worlds
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
I like stuffing the bird because, in my pseudoscientific experience, it seems to keep the breast from cooking as fast... seems like the bird cooks more evenly when stuffed. But, it's true... when you take it out, let's just say it's not something you'd want to serve to someone with a compromised immune system. So... stuff the bird, and make enough to bake some outside the bird as well. Eat the dressing while the stuffing comes up to the proper temp in the oven. Satisfy both the dressing AND the stuffing (with yummy drippings) devotees.
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
I never put anything inside any bird except some aromatics, herbs, half a lemon, etc, whether chicken, turkey or duck. For the person who said the dressing otherwise doesn't get all the fat and flavor, that's easy: Put turkey stock in and on the dressing. Every year I make quarts of turkey stock in the weeks before Thanksgiving, from turkey backs, wings, necks, and other bony bits that start showing up in the market about now. Roast them first of course, with some aromatics, and then simmer. Chill, remove fat, strain, reduce by half, and freeze the resulting luscious dark demi-glace, so it's all on tap for Turkey Day. How on earth do you get enough gravy otherwise?
I like the crunch of baked dressings; in the bird they just get gooey. We do two dressings; cornbread-pecan-sausage-lovage and oyster. I would hate to see either one of them buried in a turkey.
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
Welcome back Gator Pam!
I think AB changed his opinion on stuffing. I caught an episode on Sat at the gym (no cable at home) where he was in fact stuffing a turkey with challah stuffing... which was pre-stuffed in a cloth bag.
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Dry rub is just weird. It's like dragging your barbecue through a litterbox. But I had several very good chopped pork sandwiches in Memphis. The thing is, it really IS a sandwich, I mean, the unit here is the sandwich, not the meat itself. You have to eat the meat, the cole slaw, and the sweetish bun together. That's different from other places like KC or Texas where it's about the meat, pure and simple.