Things have been even more nuts around the homestead as of late. Puppies have taken over the house. The quick tip / little secret I wanted to mention is a place I have going to for years, but don't think I have ever mention here. If you want quality meat at the best price I have ever seen, and you happen to live (sorry Tim and Jeff) on the south side, check out Berywn Fruit Market. I moved to Homer Glen about 1 and half years ago from La Grange. When i lived up there, I was at Berwyn Fruit Market weekly. With everything so crazy, I wanted to take a shopping trip and really stock up. Only $70 later, I had over 30lbs of meat (including 10 choice rib eyes @ $2.99lb) and am set for the next week or two. If anyone has a place like this that they swear by, please let us know. Below is a pic of one of the "beasts". 
37 comments:
Yup, Terrence, we Northerners are stuck with overblown corporate prices until somebody finds the little local. I will pay a bit more if the quality and selection is there.
By the way, what have you been cooking?
Happy smoking to all!!!
I've touted it many times before -- Ream's in Elburn. Wonderful selection and their stuffed chicken breasts and pork chops are heavenly in the smoker.
Dad lays out a tray of cold cuts on Christmas, so he employed me to smoke a spiral ham yesterday. I happily obliged over apple wood. Well, he really didn't employ me -- but he bought the ham.
You selling those pups, T?
West suburbs, good place to go is Fresh Market in Geneva and also, Blue Goose Market in St Charles. Blue Goose is good for a really neat mom and pop grocery store, but the prices are a little higher. In fact, lately I've been buying all my ribs from Blue Goose, good quality meat and they are packaged with the membrane already removed. Nice touch.
Yes, pups are for sale. Just set up a website for them, though I am still working on it, check it out www.vonschultzshepherds.com . As far as cooking goes, I have made squat out doors all week, though that will change this week. I did do Paris style rib eyes thursday. Pan sear with fresh parsely and butter, finished in the oven.
Are you going to continue breeding?
I think so, been around breeding my whole life. I had that in mind when I bought my first few dogs.
I really wish we could have had the time money and space to breed Ellie, our oldest Lab. She's very smart and athletic and would have produced great pups. Breeding is fun but as Terrence knows it is a LOT of work.
I have no life! Jeff you are not kidding. I have to say, since it is best to not breed a dog every heat, the most they would have is 1 litter a year. Thank goodness for that. As you can see from my earlier comments, I have not even had time to cook outside. I do have to say they are pretty darn cute. The pic on this post is of one of the sable ones.
I can't imagine having my dog siring litters of pups. Copper's the real-life version of Disney's Pluto -- a big dope who runs around and does funny stuff. He's a good boy, though.
Osephus (O-see-fuss) my white shepherd, is very smart and conforms to breed standard, and is a great pet. He is a triple threat! By the way, just updated the website with more puppy photos.
Tim, that sounds like our Great Dane, Dodger. The perfect goofball, puppy minded old dog. Gotta love 'em!!!!
What is everybody making for Christmas dinner?
Happy smoking to all!!!
Turkey brined and cooked on the spit, over lump hardwood and apple wood. Of course with all the trimmings. I was thinking about adding 2 cans of chipotle in adobo to the apple cidar brine, let it sit overnight.
Have you used chipoltes in a brine before? Great idea, I would be concerned that two cans in the mix might end up a little too powerful.
That would be a great brine for some smoky-hot ribs!
I've been cooking like a maniac with chipotle in adobo lately! In fact, I was just telling Jeff H in an e-mail conversation off line that if he hasn't tried it, do so immediately.
I've got a brisket in the slow cooker as we speak. Put it on a bed of onions and dumped a combo of chili sauce, chiptole in adobo (I made a paste out of the peppers), garlic powder and a pack of onion soup mix. I turned it on low before work and set it for 10 hours. I CANNOT WAIT to walk in that front door in an hour or so!
Heading to the in-laws' on Christmas Eve and I'm taking the gear to smoke a ham. I'll get my hands on it tomorrow to give it the proper rubdown.
Stay tuned on the brisket report, fellas! I can't seem to master it (not even close) in the smoker, so maybe I'm onto something ...
Never used them in a brine before, but I am quite familar with chipotle in adobo. I am doing a 21 lb turkey, in about five gallons of water and a about 3/4 of a gallon of apple cidar vinegar, along with other goodies. Not sure if I'll try 1 can or too, I dont want it to be too spicey, you might be on to something Chuck.
Tim, a brisket in the slow cooker? Keep smokin' 'em 'til you get it. With all the awesome stuff you have posted, I am surprised you went that route. A nice rub on the brisket and then set in fridge overnight. Smoke at about 190 degrees for about 7 hours and you should have natural gas type results, PERFECT!!!!!!
Happy smoking to all!!!
GK, it turned out awesome. The sauce really did it and the meat fell apart.
I've basically thrown my hands in the air when it comes to smoking brisket. The flavor's always good, but it's too damn chewy. The last one I made was better, but still tough. The good news is we used it as a meat base for smoky chili (smoked the bacon and peppers, too), so it gurgled for a few hours and got pretty tender.
There's nothing worse than investing an entire day of food prep, only to have your main attraction turn out so-so. It's actually embarrassing.
No more brisket in the smoker for me. Unless I'm making chili ...
After about 6 or so hours in the smoker, I usually finish my briskets in the oven, sealed in a heavy-duty foil pouch with a bottle's worth of beer inside. They always come out fork tender!
Tim, it's gotta be the "indirect" heat of those egg looking smokers you guys use. I understand a water pan being in between the heat and the meat, but having it off to the side, where the heat can't rise up to the meat is best.
But how come everything else comes out delectably juicy, tender, fall-off-the-bone, etc.? I mean, I could put my baseball glove in there and it would be fork-tender!
What kind of temperature gauge is on your Brinkmann? I am seriously considering changing the "cool-ideal-hot" gauge that came with mine to one that actually says what the temperature is!
I know that some wrap the brisket in foil for the last hour or so of smoking.
James Minion (the Weber WSM guy) seals his brisket in foil and leaves it in a cooler to rest for 2-4 hours before serving. In my opinion that may be a little impractical, but maybe just an extended rest period would help.
I've got the cool-ideal-hot thing too, Chuck. I bought one with the temp, but it didn't fit (imagine that). I do use an oven thermometer that sits right on the grate, so I can monitor internal temp.
Tim, have you ever cooked anything besides brisket with such little connective tissue? The way those smokers are set up, I would have to think the heat hitting the bottom of the meat is hotter than it should be, which wouldn't be too much of an issue unless you were cooking a piece of meat with little to no connective tissue i.e, briskett
And yes, a temp gauge is key. Mine goes from 150 to 550. But like I said, think about the temp of the air under the meat, by the time it bounces off the meat and around the shell it has to drop in temp, but that intial hot air under the meat has got to cook it faster and thus would leave a temp gauge ineffective. That's what I mean about not being indirect. Something like a pork butt or shoulder should have enough connective tissue to negate this prob.
Congrats, Terrence. We have finally reached the "Alton Brown" level for this topic!
(He is my Hero, BTW).
T,
You're clearly outta my league. I'll just keep smoking everything BUT brisket ... it's that simple. Not worth the time or aggravation. And I'm totally cool with that.
Terrence makes a good point. I'm like Tim, everything comes out moist if I don't neglect my water pan or run too hot, which happens sometimes. But there's now way Tim and I could compete with the big dogs on those Brinkmanns. I've been watching that BBQ Pitmasters show on TLC. Those guys would laugh us out of the lot with the gear we have.
Those guys might laugh at the equipment, but they would not laugh at the results. Well, except for my equipment, that they would laugh at, until they taste my smokin', that is!!!!!
Happy smoking to all!!!
Chuck, I LOVE Alton Brown! That man is the master, and Tim, please don't take offense, non was intended, it is just my nature to try an perfect everything. Sometime I can be a bit over zealous.
That is the great part about this site, most of us are obsessed with grilling/cooking in general. My family/friends would be the first to say that I tend to have an OCD streak when it comes to stuff like this.
Over-zealous? Nah! Helping each other make better BBQ? Yep!
Kumbyaa... sorry got caught up in the moment.
Thanks Chuck, listen I LOVE brisket, and I cook mine for about 16-24 hours and never have a problem.
1pm turkey bathing in a big ol tub of brine with uno can of chiptole in adobo
Merry Christmas and God Bless to you and yours!!!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!
Not too far away from the Fruit Market is Tony's Finer Foods in North Riverside off Harlem Ave., South of Cermak Rd. Nice selection.
For something smaller, try Casey's in Western Springs, (see link).
http://caseysmarketonline.com/
Thanks Chris! When I lived in La Grange, I used to drive by Tony's all the time, just never stopped. I am going to make the trip now! Thanks again
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