Food

Weekend. Of. Jerky!

March 8, 2011 by Dave!

I’ve always loved jerky… a friend of mine recently exposed me to Mingua Beef Jerky which is some pretty outstanding stuff. Or so we thought. That was until we found BestBeefJerky.org which has a ton of jerky reviews, including Mingua. Their review of Mingua jerky was *spot on* in terms of description… and they only gave it three stars (out of five)!!

So here, the best jerky I’d ever had was only getting three stars. That meant we had a mission: to try some five-star jerky. As it happens, the jerky they rated best was Ed’s Roadhouse Jerkly which happens to be made in the Chicago area (Buffalo Grove, to be precise).

Ed’s website looks like it was made with Geocities in 1998, but my god, can that man make some jerky. I tried the Black Pepper and the Sweet Black Pepper, and without a doubt, it was, hand’s down, the best jerky I’ve ever had. I still love the Mingua–it’s got a totally different style/taste thing going. But Ed’s is some incredible jerky. Still, it’s not cheap. And I wanted to be able to tweak the flavors. You know what that means… I decided to make my own.

I spent some time researching techniques and recipes online, but in the end, I decided to go with my man, Alton Brown.

Brown’s technique appeals to me on several levels. First, I don’t dehydrate a lot of food, so I didn’t really want to purchase a dehydrator. I also didn’t want to use the oven drying technique, because leaving an oven propped open for hours at a time with a toddler running around is too much work.

So, I made a trip to the hardware store, picked up a cheap box fan and some paper furnace filters. Then a trip to the butcher for some flank steak. All stocked up, it was marinade time.

I tried three different marinades for this batch. The first was Alton Brown’s recipe. The other two follow:

Dave’s Variation
2/3 c. Worcestershire Sauce
2/3 c. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Honey
2 tsp. Fine Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp. Coarse Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Medium Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Liquid Smoke
1 tsp. Cayenne Powder

Teriyaki Style
2/3 c. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 c. Teriyaki Sauce
1/4 c. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Honey
3 tsp. Black Pepper
2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Liquid Smoke
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Powder

I also tried an experiment with cutting the flank steaks, and cut one with the grain (as Alton suggests) and one cross-grain, just to compare textures. I marinated each batch for about 5.5 hours, and then carefully laid out the marinated strips onto my furnace filters, one batch per filter. I then used bungee cords to secure the filters to the box fan, set it up in a cool, dry area, and let it sit.

It took about 16 hours for my jerky to be ready and then it was time for tasting!

My first batch of homemade beef jerky!

Texture wise, both jerky cuts were good. The cuts made with the meat grain were definitely more stringy and chewy. The cross-grain cuts were pretty good, and definitely my preference. They still had a nice “chew” factor, but didn’t take quite as much work. Going forward, I’m going to stick to the cross-grain cut, but if you’re trying it, you should do both at first to find your personal preference.

Flavor wise, the Alton Brown was a solid, damn good jerky. But no surprise, I think my variation was better. First, I like a little more pepper in the initial taste than Alton had, and second, I think the pure ground cayanne (as opposed to red pepper flakes) helped boost the flavors of the marinade, and gave a little more residual heat, which I really like. The most disappointing was the teriyaki, which wasn’t as “teriyaki” as I’d hoped. It was still tasty, but definitely the weakest of the three. I did a taste test among some other jerky aficionados and we were all pretty much in agreement: Alton good, Dave better, teriyaki weak.

This was definitely just the first batch, so there’s still room for tweaking. I’ve already planned some improvements:

1. I’m going to tweak the “Dave” recipe a little more. I’m going to add more pepper, a little teriyaki to the recipe, and boost the garlic a bit. I may play around with different kinds of peppers… not sure yet.

2. I’m definitely going to stick with the cross-grain cut.

3. I’m going to try a couple off different cuts of meat, some top round, and some bison. I like the flank steak, but want to see how the different cuts compare in texture.

4. My wife made cookies yesterday and had out her baking cooling racks when it hit me: they would be perfect for sandwiching jerky strips in! I’ll probably put the jerky strips between the racks, and then put one furnace filter on the front/back (to filter the air blowing through). But that will allow me to reuse the furnace filters.

I’ll be sure to post my future results here, on my quest for the perfect jerky!

Update (4/23/11):

I’m trying a new “sweet” recipe, based on some of the feedback I got on my previous batches. Here’s the new recipe…

Dave’s Sweet Jerk

3/4 c. Soy Sauce
1/2 c. Worcestershire
1 1/4 c. Teryaki Sauce
1 T. Honey
1 T. Dark Brown Sugar
1 T. Ginger
1 tsp. Fine-Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp. Garlic
2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Each Paprika (Smoked Spanish, Hungarian Half-Sharp, California Sweet)
1.5 tsp. Ground Cumin

Glaze (Yes, glaze!)
1/4 c. Dark Brown Sugar
1 tsp Honey
1 tsp Maple Syrup

Filed Under: Food

The “Natural”

January 14, 2009 by Dave!

Thankfully, I live in Chicago, so my pizza options are boundless. However, I’m led to believe that in some parts of the country, people must resort to ordering pizza from a “hut”. Well, last night, I saw a very disturbing Pizza Hut ad for a new pizza they are touting as “The Natural”. It features (get this!) “all natural” pepperoni and “all natural” sauce. *shudder* So… up until now, apparently Pizza Hut pizza’s have featured unnatural pepperoni and unnatural sauce.
Conspicuously left out of their ad was any mention of the cheese. Guess that is still not of this world.

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: "Pizza Hut", Ads, Commercials, Food, Pizza

Chicago’s Best: Marion Street Cheese!

June 26, 2008 by Dave!

The Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago 2008 is out, and I just wanted to give a shout out to my local cheese monger, Marion St. Cheese–which The Reader pegged for best cheese selection.

As noted in the article, they are getting ready to move across the street into some swank new digs, and I can’t wait. Erik and his staff do an outstanding job bringing in cheeses from Midwest artisans and run a first-class cheese shop right in little ol’ Oak Park. If you’re ever in the Chicago area, I highly recommend stopping in!

Filed Under: Cheese, Chicago, Food Tagged With: Cheese "Oak Park" "Marion St. Cheese" "Chicago Reader"

Essen-Haus

May 20, 2008 by Dave!

I was in Madison, Wisconsin last week for a conference and after finishing my last law school final exam one night, I decided to go out and have a mini-celebration. As luck would have it, there was a German restaurant not too far from my hotel: The Essen-Haus.

The Essen-Haus is pretty much what I’ve come to expect from a German restaurant: dark wood, German beer paraphernalia, and a guy in lederhosen playing an accordion. The food was also exactly what I’ve come to expect, too: brown.

Look, German food is ugly, there is just no denying it. Ugly and delicious! I stayed traditional and had some Sauerbraten. It was brown meat, covered in brown gravy, with a light brown dumpling, and some dark red cabbage. Seriously, I don’t think you could make German food look less appetizing if you tried. No matter, the stuff tasted great. And besides, I came for the beer.

It’s taken me a _long_ time to become a beer drinker… I never drank it in college, and for the longest time, I would only drink wheat beers (liquid bread!). But over time, I’ve been broadening my horizons. So, with 16 German beers on tap, I sampled a few.

I started out with with the usual: weiss. I tried the Franziskaner Weiss which was a light, cloudy weiss, great citrus taste and really wheaty. Not bad at all, but I moved on to the Franziskaner Dunkel Weiss, which I preferred. It’s darker and the flavor is a little more complex.

There was a beer on the list called Spaten Optimator, which I was dying to try… I mean, what an awesome name for a beer, “Optimator”! Who wouldn’t like that?! But sadly, they were out. So I tried the Spaten Lager instead. It was light and crisp–pretty tasty overall.

The beer I ended up with for my meal was a Kostritzer Schwarzbier . I’d never had a Schwarzbier before, but damn, that was one amazing beer. It was a deep brown and had a smooth, roasted taste–very malty. I could have consume quite a bit of this beer. Oh, wait, I did!

So, if you’re in Madison, I think it’s worth stopping by the Essen-Haus for a nice meal of German beer, I mean _with_ German beer.

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: Essen-Haus "German Food" "German Beer" Beer Madison

Piper’s Pyramide

May 15, 2008 by Dave!

Unquestionably, some of the United State’s finest goat cheeses are being made a Capriole Farms by Judy Schad and Piper’s Pyramide is no exception.

Piper’s Pyramide is modeled after the French Valencay, and is a bloomy rind cheese, which is dusted with paprika. The name for Capriole’s version comes from Schad’s “red-haired granddaughter, Piper” and of course, the shape. Her grand-daughter should be honored, because this is one stellar cheese. My cheesemonger said they can’t keep it in stock, and it is not hard to see why!

Underneath the bloomy rind is a soft, velvety interior that is light and buttery. If you let the cheese age, it will start to get runny (which isn’t bad!!) but I don’t know if I would ever last long enough to age in my house. The charactaristic flavors of a goat’s cheese are there–slight citrus notes–but the difference between the Piper’s Pyramide and a more in-your-face goat cheese is the degree… the Pyramide is all about subtlety. I think this cheese would make an amazing addition to any cheese board, and although Capriole recommend pairing it with a crisp, light sauvignon blanc, I don’t think it needs to be paired with _anything_. Talk about a cheese that stands alone!

Filed Under: Cheese, Food Tagged With: Cheese Goat Capriole

Cimonino Semistagionato Valsassina

April 21, 2008 by Dave!

I was at Whole Foods the other day with my wife, and while she was buying the food we actually needed for the week, I was hanging out at the cheese counter. (I always say support your local cheese monger, but if you’re in a grocery store with time to kill, the cheese section is better than anywhere else!) While there I spotted this tiny little tube-like cheese called Cimonino Semistagionato Valsassina. I’d never had it. It was cheap. I was hungry. I think you see where this is going.

The Cimonino comes in a cylindrical shape, pretty small, and is a cow’s milk cheese with a moldy rind. It’s quite soft, and to me, slightly reminiscent of a Gorgonzola. Now, I am a salt nut, so salty doesn’t bother me–but let me warn you, this is an extraordinarily salty cheese. It’s balanced with a slight sweetness when it first hits your tongue, but then, wham! Piquant. That’s the polite way of saying it’s got some bite. It’s a peppery, almost astringent, taste, but without the citrus notes you would usually expect with a tart cheese.

I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I think it would go really well with a big, in your face red wine. If you like piquant cheeses, or if you like moldy cheese in general, give it a shot. It’s pretty inexpensive and would make a nice addition to a cheese plate or paired with wine.

Filed Under: Cheese, Food Tagged With: Food Cheese Cow

Dalessandro’s Cheesesteaks

January 31, 2008 by Dave!

I told you I’m not a food snob. Yes, I do love a really, really good meal–one that takes hours and involves many dishes, so you can relish the different flavors and enjoy the entire experience. But there’s more out there to experience than just posh places–there’s places like Dalessandro’s.

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, pretentious about Dalessandros. It’s a corner joint, with a formica counter and the most uncomfortable chairs I’ve sat on in a while. But who cares? This place makes a killer Philly Cheesesteak.

Dalessandros Cheesesteaks

We went here on the recommendation of our friend who was getting married, she grew up in Philly. I knew I would love this place when I walked in. It smelled amazing. On the grill, just mounds of onions and mounds of meat. What more could you ask for? Grilled meat and cheese–two great tastes that go great together.

The ‘steaks were awesome. Dripping with cheese (they mix it in with the meat) and with a tomato sauce that rules… and they have peppers on the counter so you can spice it up if you want–although you certainly don’t need to. I also had one with cheese and mushrooms that was great, too. (Yes, we went back multiple times.) If you’re ever in Philly, I’d take this neighborhood place that knows how to make a killer sandwich over any of the touristy cheesesteak shops you see around anyday.

Filed Under: Food, Personal, Travel Tagged With: Cheesesteak, Dalessandro, Food, Philly

Morimoto

January 31, 2008 by Dave!

Last November (yes, November) my wife and I visited Philadelphia for a wedding. While there, I couldn’t resist visiting Morimoto.

Morimoto: Toro Tartare

For those who may not know, Morimoto is Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s restaurant in Philly, which was his first in the United States. In addition to being an accomplished chef, Morimoto was also on Iron Chef, and even though he wasn’t my favorite Iron Chef (go Sakai!) he’s still pretty damn good.

I had the pleasure of meeting Morimoto when he was here in Chicago at Fox & Obel for a book signing and tasting. At the Fox & Obel event, he made a daikon linguine which was pretty good (although most impressive were his knife skills, wow!!) and a tuna sashimi “pizza” that rocked.

My wife and I stopped by Morimoto for lunch, thinking it would be less expensive than dinner. It probably was, but we still spent an obscene amount of money for lunch–and it was worth every penny. We both had the chef’s degustation menu, and I had the wine pairing as well. And now, here’s the rundown:

*1. Toro tartare*, with shallots, caviar and fresh wasabi, in a dashi-shoyu-miran broth. Served with a mountain peach as a pallate cleanser.
*Pairing*: Brut Champagne, Veuve Clicquot, Reims France
The tuna tartare was amazing. Simply amazing. The fresh wasabi was delicate and floral, with just a hint of heat–not the punch you get with Americanized green horseradish passed off for wasabi so often (although, I like that, too–it’s just different). The broth was a nice compliment, and the shallots, fried and crispy were the perfect texture offset to the delicate tenderness of the tuna. And I normally hate champagne, but I have to say this was an excellent pairing. Finally, the mountain peach–a tiny little ball of peachy goodness… it made me really, really want a good Japanese peach, which you just can’t get in the U.S.

*2. Kumamoto oysters*, with a japanese salsa
*Pairing*: Sauvignon Blank ’06, Kono, Marlborogh New Zealand
Another hit. The oysters were amazingly fresh–in fact all the seafood was, which is why it was so delicious–and the “salsas” were very simple and complimentary. They tasted like the sea. It was fantastic. And the pairing hit the spot, too… a white that I really enjoyed!

*3. Scallop Carpaccio*, with hot oil and mitsuba leaf
*Pairing*: Riesling ’03, Ratzenberger, Steeger St. Jost, Germany
I think this was my favorite dish of the meal, if not, it’s a close tie. The scallops were just amazing, so fresh and delicious I am at a loss for words to describe them. I think I’d still eat this if I had a seafood allergy. Take a bite, EpiPen shot. Bite, EpiPen. Yes, it was that good. And once again, the pairing of the riesling was perfect. A wine I normally hate, that was just taken to another level with the delicate flavors of the scallops and the hot oil–which was not overpowering in the slightest. This was the dish.

*4. Sashimi Salad*, mixed greens with tuna tataki, striped jack and shoyu dressing
*Pairing*: Chardonnay ’05, Daniel Gehrs, Santa Barbara County, California
Can you go wrong with sashimi? Not when the fish is this fresh. Seriously. I wouldn’t say the dish was out of this world, or anything special, but when you have really fresh, high quality ingredients, it doesn’t need to be over the top to be amazing.

*5. Honeydew Sorbet* as a palate cleanser
Have you ever had honeydew sorbet? If not, have some!

*6. Soba carbonara*, soba with edamame, bacon and scallops
*Pairing*: Morimoto Soba Ale
On to the hot dishes… the soba carbonara is my second/tied favorite dish of the meal. First, you have to understand that I love soba. If buckwheat isn’t your thing, this wouldn’t be the dish for you! The soba were perfect… cooked just right to noodlely perfection. Then you add those amazingly fresh scallops and the coup de grace–bacon–and how could this not be amazing? Then, the pairing was a soba ale–hearty and with a nicely developed buckwheat flavor that just complimented the dish so well–as good if not better than any of the wine pairings. I want this for lunch today!

*7. Black Cod Miso*, cod, with red and yellow sweet peppers and sweet beans
*Pairing*: Pinotage ’05, Wildekrans, Walker Bay, South Africa
This was probably my least favorite dish of the meal… although, that is to say if you served it to me, I’d still be impressed. The problem is cod–I’m just not a cod fan. But I really did enjoy the sweet beans, and combined with the pepper they really did compliment the cod nicely. I just can’t get past cod. This was my favorite of the wines. I’d never had a Pinotage before, but I have to say, I like this grape. It was a deep red, and reminded me a lot of some American Zinfandels–not a wimpy wine. It’s not an expensive wine, either, but very tasty!

*8. Sushi Course*: oh-toro, kanpachi, kohada, hamachi, and mirugai
*Pairing*: Morimoto Junmai Sake
Delicious sushi and a sippin’ sake! What can I say about the sushi? It was so fresh it was very good. And the sake was very nice, too. Sometime sake can just be too harsh to me and have more of a chemical taste. This was a smooth, smooth sake… no knocking back this stuff, it had to be sipped to be enjoyed. And did I mention that by this time in the meal, I was enjoying a serious buzz? A serious food high and more drinking that I’d done in ages. They were not stingy with the portions of drink.

*9. Sweet potato cake*, with sweet beans, spiced whipped cream and a sweet potato chip
*Pairing*: Madeira, Blandys Alvada, 5 year
Another first. I’d never had a Madeira, but I enjoyed it a lot as well. The sweet potato cake was fantastic, of course. It was just sweet enough to satisfy the desert lust we were feeling, but not cloying or over-powering like some seven layer chocolate cake of doom. Very typical of the sweets/desserts I’d had in Japan, the sweetness was understated,but complimented by the sweetness of the Madeira. It was a perfect end to an amazing meal.

So, there you have it. If you read this far, you must be hungry. If you are ever in Philly, I recommend stopping by Morimoto’s, and believe it or not, you can have an enjoyable _and_ affordable lunch if you don’t go all out like we did. Many of the dishes we sampled were on the lunch menu as ala carte entree.

Don’t get the impression that I’m always this shi-shi with my dining. Next up: Dalessandros, the best “steak” I had in Philly.

Filed Under: Food, Personal, Restaurants, Travel Tagged With: Food, Morimoto, Philadelphia, Philly

Bathtub Cheese

October 27, 2007 by Dave!

I enjoy all kinds of cheese. I love queso fresco and queso oxaca. But under no circumstances would I advocate, let alone eat, bathtub cheese.

Filed Under: Cheese, Food

Topolobampo

April 8, 2007 by Dave!

A few weeks ago my wife took me to Topolobampo with friends for my 35th birthday. It was actually a birthday surprise, which was pretty damn cool! I’m not easy to surprise… Topolobampo is Rick Bayless’ fine dining Mexican restaurant in Chicago, the “upscale sister” to the Frontera Grill. The name comes from a port in Mexico that was also once home to a utopian colony in the late 1800s.

The atmosphere is really fantastic. It’s adjacent to Frontera, but much darker and more sedate. It’s quieter, which lends itself to good dinner conversation. Our server, Oliver, was friendly without being pushy, had excellent recommendations and was very attentive without being obnoxious. Oh, and Bayless himself was dining a few tables over, which is always a good sign.

Now, the food! My friend Ken had the Pato al Pasilla con Higos, which was a pan-roasted duck breast in a sauce made from pasilla chiles and figs, with a bacon and potento torda, green beans, and a fig-jicama salsa. It looked very delicious. His girlfriend Kelly had the Borrego en Mole Coloradito, which I was able to sample as well as part of the chef’s menu.

Since it was my birthday, my wife and I splurged and went with the degustation menu. I went all out, and got the wine pairings as well–and I’m glad I did!

The first course was Sopes de Papa con Mantarraya, which were these little potato-masa “boats” that were filled with a tomato braised skatewing. It was topped with some roasted tomatoes, capers and pickled jalapeno salad with queso fresco. They were delicious. The skatewing was perfect, and the potato-masa boats gave a nice texture contrast. This course was paired with a 2004 Nora Da Neve Albarino, a Spanish wine that was *perfect* with this course. Absolutely perfect. By itself, I think the wine was decent, but not something I’d normally drink, but it just matched the flavors of the tomato and and skatewing to perfection.

Next was Sopa Azteca de Hongos Silvestres, which as a wild mushroom broth, flavored with pasilla chiles, tomatos and epazote, with crispy torillas, mushrooms, and cheese. I wasn’t as impressed with this dish–it was server lukewarm, and I just prefer my soup hot. The taste of the broth was nice, and the cheese was fantastic. But overall, I was a little disappointed with the dish. It was paired with a 2004 Andrew Murray Vinyards “Enchante” from California, which was a nice pairing, but after the perfection of the first dish, my expectations were built up to expect more.

Fortunately, the next dish, Arroz a la Tumbada, was back on top. This was a Mexican “paella” which had mahimahi, shrimp, scallops, Dungeness crab and baby octopus, served over white rice with a roasted tomato-jalapeño salsa. Oh. Man. The seafood was perfectly cooked. I mean, perfect. The scallops were done to perfection, and all of the dishes components came together perfectly as one–not a collection of different ingredients. It was paired with a 2002 Joan D’Anguera “Finca L’Agrata” from Spain, which at first seemed an odd pairing–it’s a red, syrah/cab blend(?), a bright berry taste and a hint of pepper, not unlike a Zinfandel. It was quite tasty on it’s own, and it actually worked as a pairing, so I was pretty pleased.

The final dish was Borrego en Mole Coloradito, which was the lamb dish that Kelly had. The lamb was done to perfection, delicate and succulent. It was served in an ancho chile mole, with wild mushroom/chocolate tamales and spinach. The lamb itself was my favorite dish of the night. I’d never had lamb with a mole, but it was divine. The mole was one of the best I’ve ever had, and it was just fantastic with the lamb. The spinach was great (it be hard to mess up spinach!) but I really could have lived without the tamales. They didn’t look particularly appetizing, as they had a dark brown color and a shape that just–well, let’s say if you ran across them at the dog park… At first, I thought they were interesting, but after a bite or two, the mushroom and chocolate were just not working together well. Overall they were the biggest disappointment of the night. This dish was paired with a 2004 Betts & Scholl Grenache, from Australia, which wasn’t the best pairing of the night, but was solid.

Finally, we ended with a sample of desserts: a chocolate and banana tart with peanut frangipan, prickly pear ice cream with chocolate sauce, and a passionfruit panna cotta. The tart was good, but somewhat typical, and the prickly pear ice cream was pretty good. I’d never had prickly pear ice cream before but I would again. Really, though, it was the passionfruit panna cotta that really stood out, it was incredible. It was a great balance of sweet and tart, and was garnished with a thin slice of dried passionfruit that just put it over the top. I would have gladly traded the other two desserts for more of the passionfruit! The dessert was paired with a 2005 Hirschbach & Sohne “Binger St. Rochuskapelle”, an Eiswein from Germany. I may love German beer, but I really don’t care for German wine. If you like eiswein, it would probably be a good pairing, but I find it cloying.

Overall, I thought Topolobampo was really a fantastic dining experience. The atmosphere was exactly what I want in a fine dining restaurant: subtle and elegant. The staff were on their game and the service was excellent. And the food was out of this world. Yes, there were some “misses” on the degustation menu, but I think that’s to be expected. It means the Chef is taking some risks, and on some dishes, it really pays off, even if occasionally it doesn’t.

There was also a final surprise (my wife really went all out this year, did I mention how much I love her?!!) which was a copy of Mexico: One Plate at a Time that she had gotten Chef Bayless to personalize for me. A very cool 35th birthday, indeed.

So, if you’re looking for a great fine dining experience in Chicago with a great ethnic twist, I think Topolobampo is an excellent choice. I will definitely be returning!

Filed Under: Chicago, Food, Restaurants