Random Thought Thread

bluemax_1 said:
I like Mexican food, but authentic Mexican food.

Been to Taco Bell and Chipotle twice each in my life. Meh.
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That's one of the many things I love about where I live; there's really good Mexican food here. There's actually a wide range of good food here; Vietnamese, Indian, Argentine, french-fusion, Japanese, Seafood, Mediterranean, Peruvian, German.....heck we even have Ethiopian!

You know what we don't have? Not one single spot of good barbecue. It's all crap.

There was a guy that moved here from Texas that was big into bbq there; he says part of the problem is the elevation and lack of humidity.

I've never had texas bbq brisket. Is it really all I hear Texans and oklahomos (jk jk) raging about?

ferider said:
Weirdly enough, I miss Taco Bell. And Chinese food - too much work to cook myself. My wife does a killer Indian chicken, though.
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I love Indian food! Do you think your wife would be willing to share her recipe?
 
Synov said:
I used to be into refried beans but now I prefer charro beans. Beans should always be made with bacon.

Mexican-Beans-500x500.jpg
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Or smoked ham!IMG_4073.jpeg
 
bluemax_1 said:
In the mid-90s, for a little while, Denny’s had Prime Rib for $10.99. I used to get it topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions. It was actually better than stuff at many steakhouses.

Was a regular there on Friday nights with a group of friends.
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I think I remember that!

Jo and I used to get that all the time when we were in school.
 
carnifex knifeworks said:
That's one of the many things I love about where I live; there's really good Mexican food here. There's actually a wide range of good food here; Vietnamese, Indian, Argentine, french-fusion, Japanese, Seafood, Mediterranean, Peruvian, German.....heck we even have Ethiopian!

You know what we don't have? Not one single spot of good barbecue. It's all crap.

There was a guy that moved here from Texas that was big into bbq there; he says part of the problem is the elevation and lack of humidity.

I've never had texas bbq brisket. Is it really all I hear Texans and oklahomos (jk jk) raging about?



I love Indian food! Do you think your wife would be willing to share her recipe?
Click to expand...

Brisket down here is excellent, but it varies widely between BBQ joints. There's lots of places here that get rave reviews and make all the top lists, but their Brisket is so overcooked it's basically salted, smokey mush that costs $36.00 or more per pound. Other, smaller places make perfect Brisket and remain virtually unknown.

I imagine the problem in Utah is access to good hardwoods like live oak or post oak, which is traditionally used to smoke the good stuff down here. I don't think dry air would be an insurmountable problem, but I'll defer to your acquaintance.
 
carnifex knifeworks said:
That's one of the many things I love about where I live; there's really good Mexican food here. There's actually a wide range of good food here; Vietnamese, Indian, Argentine, french-fusion, Japanese, Seafood, Mediterranean, Peruvian, German.....heck we even have Ethiopian!

You know what we don't have? Not one single spot of good barbecue. It's all crap.

There was a guy that moved here from Texas that was big into bbq there; he says part of the problem is the elevation and lack of humidity.

I've never had texas bbq brisket. Is it really all I hear Texans and oklahomos (jk jk) raging about?



I love Indian food! Do you think your wife would be willing to share her recipe?
Click to expand...
The Texans saying it is just typical Texan braggadocio. Okies saying it is legit :D
 
oldmanwilly said:
Brisket down here is excellent, but it varies widely between BBQ joints. There's lots of places here that get rave reviews and make all the top lists, but their Brisket is so overcooked it's basically salted, smokey mush that costs $36.00 or more per pound. Other, smaller places make perfect Brisket and remain virtually unknown.

I imagine the problem in Utah is access to good hardwoods like live oak or post oak, which is traditionally used to smoke the good stuff down here. I don't think dry air would be an insurmountable problem, but I'll defer to your acquaintance.
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Dry air does matter because it causes meat to stall at lower temps due to evaporation (at least that's what I'm reading). I've done a couple cooks that I suspect that's what happened.

The bigger factor is that water boils at 204 degrees due to elevation. So you need to cook at a much lower temperature, which (at best) greatly extends the cook length. I think this affects how profitable proper bbq can be, so we get a knock off version.

When asking about brisket I was meaning, "is it really as good as some people rant and rave?"

I smoked a usda prime brisket for Thanksgiving and it was juicy and tender, not mushy though. I just felt like it was overhyped. Some bites even tasted like smoked beef roast. I smoked a couple chuck roasts a few days later and I thought it tasted so much better, beefier, delicious.

I'll probably just have to try texas brisket to know for sure.

I use hickory and mesquite hardwood for beef.
 
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carnifex knifeworks said:
It's not the dry air, does matter because it causes meat to stall at lower temps due to evaporation (at least that's what I'm reading).

The bigger factor is that water boils at 204 degrees due to elevation. So you need to cook at a much lower temperature, which (at best) greatly extends the cook length. I think this affects how profitable proper bbq can be, so we get a knock off version.

When asking about brisket I was meaning, "is it really as good as some people rant and rave?"

I smoked a usda prime brisket for Thanksgiving and it was juicy and tender, not mushy though. I just felt like it was overhyped. Some bites even tasted like smoked beef roast. I smoked a couple chuck roasts a few days later and I thought it tasted so much better, beefier, delicious.

I'll probably just have to try texas brisket to know for sure.

I use hickory and mesquite hardwood for beef.
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That's interesting re the dew point and boiling temperature, I hadn't considered it before.

To answer your question, yes, I think it is. But, I have to qualify that because it really depends on who is doing it. Most brisket that is available is pretty good, some is truly excellent, and a lot is pretty bad. I've never been able to do a satisfactory brisket so I defer to the experts who are willing to spend much more time than I.

I tend to think that oak is the best to use for brisket. I like mesquite, but it can be overpowering and smoking with it for 10+ hours raises those chances. Both are great for grilling as they burn consistently hot and give a lot of flavor.
 
carnifex knifeworks said:
It's not the dry air, does matter because it causes meat to stall at lower temps due to evaporation (at least that's what I'm reading).

The bigger factor is that water boils at 204 degrees due to elevation. So you need to cook at a much lower temperature, which (at best) greatly extends the cook length. I think this affects how profitable proper bbq can be, so we get a knock off version.

When asking about brisket I was meaning, "is it really as good as some people rant and rave?"

I smoked a usda prime brisket for Thanksgiving and it was juicy and tender, not mushy though. I just felt like it was overhyped. Some bites even tasted like smoked beef roast. I smoked a couple chuck roasts a few days later and I thought it tasted so much better, beefier, delicious.

I'll probably just have to try texas brisket to know for sure.

I use hickory and mesquite hardwood for beef.
Click to expand...
Yes, you’ll have to try Texas brisket. Like oldmanwilly oldmanwilly said, it’s excellent. I’ll add, some places are excellent and others places are an out-of-this-world experience.
 
carnifex knifeworks said:
That's not worth the trip to me.
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As others have mentioned, some places the brisket is blah and some places it is phenomenal. My favorite places around San Antonio sold it by weight and served it on butcher paper. One of my brothers was really into the competitions and had a huge pit he could tow with his truck. Everything that came off his grills was fantastic. I have been away from TX for 30 years, but I remember the taste of great brisket on white bread with sliced pickles like it was yesterday!
 
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