Just talked to someone about braising bison "hump." He was told the same thing (don't go about 140F), and thought it was ridiculous, but he tried that (taking it to 140)--said it was like trying to cut through a brick.
He ended up braising for 20 hours, covered @ about 300F (if I am recalling correctly) to break down all the connective tissue. He said the end product was amazing. I'll point him to the site here and see if he has anything to add.
(Forgot to note: Spike is a hack. No other comments needed.)
Richard is several lengths better than the anyone else, and anything less than a straight-up win for him would be a major disappointment.
Dale is very much a technician and a grinder. If he can calm down and just work, then he should make top-three. (He is fussy, but I think he's a pretty authentic representation of the average 20-something male cook in an upscale restaurant.)
Stephanie is so up and down each week that I have a hard time putting her in the top three--still, she's got decent technical skills and the smarts to keep her head down and cook.
Similarly, when Antonia is at her best she's great: a solid palate and enough raw skill to push through; but I leave some weeks being completely unconvinced.
Lisa is sort of the female equivalent of Dale, by and large she's "just a cook," but she's obviously worked in some very good kitchens and has learned enough party tricks to impress the judges on a regular basis (that bacon thing that impressed everyone, e.g.). Imagine how well she'd do if she could learn to season properly!
If I had to choose today, as much as she irritates me, I'd put Lisa at #3. And just imagine the drama of Dale and Lisa hurling fireballs while Richard rises to the top in the finale!
I know I'm going to start a riot here (after reading the above comments), but San Antonio should not even be on this list. There are several decent taco joints, but that really is the extent of it. Most of the "Mexican" food here is really lacking, and other than a handful of recent arrivals (the aforementioned Picante Grill, as well as Cascabel's, and Guajillo's), there is almost no real Mexican food. We specialize in Texican, characterized by flour tortillas and chili gravy. Taco trucks have started to arrive in San Antonio in the last couple of years, so perhaps things are on an upward trend.
On the other hand, Chicago has phenomenal Mexican food all over the place, and a long weekend in Santa Fe last year was among my greatest runs of consistently amazing food (90% of it Mexican or New Mexican) ever.
(Full disclosure: My recent life: San Antonio 6 years -- Chicago 6 years -- San Antonio 2 years.)
If you're into simple mixed drinks (a liquor + a cola, say), then you need to go get your self some Old Overholt rye. It is just good, honest bourbon, and it mixes great with ginger ale (Blenheim is awesome).
Sonny Bryan's on Inwood is very cool, and it's definitely the closest you're going to come to a real BBQ experience (a la Smitty's in Lockhart). It should be your first stop--it's not too far from either airport!
I agree with fivrforfun. I live in Bend and the Mexican food at Pepe's rocks. My friend Marcos has a restaurant called La Rosa that is also a locals favorite.
Some really awesome burritos de carne asada can be found at El Grullense in Salem OR. In fact when I'm there I get a cooler and ice and load up before driving home... yes, that good!
When playing in the future...
There is a restaurant in Austinburg, OH that features Bison pot roast...
No prob! Try it with a pork roast if you prefer, it's awesome that way. I have one of those cast iron stove top smokers. Whenever I roast a bone-in pork roast, I use that rub, then smoke it with hickory. It's delicious and makes an excellent crust.
Glad your method worked out, makes me want to try it.
Thanks maxwell, sounds amazing. I'll definetly try the long cook next time. Simon, love the leek greens in a rub idea, never would have occurred to me.
Turned out that the brine worked great, super tender after only 3 hours of cooking. I even overcooked it a little - center by the bone was probably at medium. Went with a coffee/ancho thing for a rub. Looks like I've got a new favorite roast to play with.
If the bison is truly bison (and not milder, fattier beefalo), it'll appreciate a berry-based sauce. Chokecherry sauces are popular in the Dakotas (because chokecherries and bison happen to be local ingredients), but you could probably do the same trick with blueberries, sour cherries or huckleberries.
The best place to eat BBQ in Ft. Worth is Angelo's located on White Settlement.
Houston? What you have there is Tex-Mex. Chicago? I think not. I have lived in both cities. San Diego, CA which is 15 miles north of the Mexican border by far, has the best Mexican in the US. Old Town is dedicated to offering you one Mexican restaurant after another in addition to all the other Mexican restaurants and taco stands located around the city. Real Mexican food is found there.
@ zekks: The reason Dale was doing everything was because there was no leadership, which Nikki should have assumed since she has the most experience with Italian cooking. She should have set a tone with a menu and split up the responsibilities accordingly. Fish rots at the head. And I loved how she had the audacity to say she wasn't leading the sinking ship. Nikki should have been kicked off weeks ago for the Italian sausage blunder during the tailgate.
@ shell0724: I have to disgree about Dale. I think that he didn't "only try to rescue a meal that was doomed." He just tried to put his hand in a little bit of everything and I think that instead it appeared that this was his reasoning behind getting into so many different things was that to use that excuse that he did so much so the judges would keep him around. Nothing he did was great. He did a lot of things mediocore. Like its been said before, I think its worse to do a bunch of things at a so-so level than a few at a great level. I think that's why Spike was saved (by the chilean sea bass). I can't disagree with the choice to eliminate Nikki at all but I think that Dale is real close to the chopping block and has become exactly what Spike called him....to put it politely.
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