--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)
I was lucky enough to be in Texas earlier this month and thru the lovely
(and sometimes ugly) world of social media I learned that it was also
Hatch Chile Fest at Central Market
locations throughout the state. If you've never been to one I think
they're one of the best regional grocery chains in the country. On top
of stacking up on Chili powders they had Hatch everything going on
including the roasting of them out front. Hatch Chiles are native to Hatch, New Mexico and are only available for a few weeks each August up into September. I was able to stuff 12 pounds
into my carry on bag and I spent a week cooking them while roasting and then freezing the rest.
'tis the season!
It's a shame these unique tasting peppers dont really make their way down to Chicago but someone over on LTHforum had mentioned seeing them at Whole Foods in the suburbs. Maybe thay had some this year but I can almost assure you they weren't the .98 cents a pound I paid. No problems with TSA at the airport as I stuffed my backpack with them and made the car smell wonderful on the ride back from it.
Roasting Away
Lots of places near and around New Mexico including the market I was at in Texas will roast the peppers out front in one of those spinning rigs. People that live near and shop at these spots have the good fortune of buying Hatch Chiles roasted and ready to go. I had to roast my own and its really not all that hard on top of tha fact your yard will smell great when doing so. Grill or over the stove works and the key is to throw them on when its really hot so that they blister to black asap. This makes for the peeling of them much easier.
Roasted and Peeled
Chopped and Ready for Use
First up is Guac. Hatch Chiles are great in it. I usually make mine with diced onion, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro, lime, and salt and maybe some tomatoes if they're around. The addition of the peppers and their subtle smokey flavor that just tingles your tongue made for some of the best I've made. If I had access to these chiles on the regular I'd always use them in any guacamole I'm making.
Hatch Chile Guacamole
My
first day back we got into town early and the smell from the peppers in
the car was too much to resist. I decided I was using some that evening
and jumped online for an idea.The Colorado Burrito was the one that first caught my eye. I followd it to an extent but like to add my own touches to things now and then.
Just about ready for rolling
My additions were a black bean spread made from chicken fat and stock as
well as choosing to roast the corn on the grill and then take it off
the shuck. Also some diced avocado. Last but not least, I grilled
chicken thighs and then chopped them up and reheated them with sauteed
onions and the hatch chiles which are what really made this thing wonderful and something I'll cook again using some of my frozen ones.
Colorado Burrito
There's two things I knew I was making as soon as I had the option to purchase some first one being a New Mexico style Green Chile Cheeseburger. Some day soon I'll get myself to Santa Fe which has always been high on my US places to visit list. When I do I'm for sure hitting the Green Chile Cheeseburger trail. I've always wanted to since I love a good green chile cheeseburger but never had one in it's own backyard. Well I'm not gonna be bashful, the places I do go too have some high standards to meet. From what I've gathered many places in NM do them different but they all
share the namesake green chile. I'm not sure if all the places there
use Hatch Chiles exclusively because of their short sprout life each
year. You can freeze them but you'd need alot of space to store enough to get you thru the year.
Smashed Grilled Onion and Green Chile Cheeseburger
Simple recipes for both styles made. Take small ball of fresh beef and put it aside. Take a thinly sliced fully intact onion and place it on a hot flatop with melted butter, let it cook then flip after a few. Take beef and place it on flipped onion and smash it using something powerful enough to do so while not getting burned. Add cheese, let it melt, add chopped green chiles. So simple so good. For the other I sauteed a bunch of diced onions in butter and and cooked away until they started to brown. Then add the chopped Hatch Chiles and heat thru. I used the relish atop a beautifully thick char grilled burger with melted Colby Jack cheese served on a toasted bun. I eat alot of burgers and these two might of been the best I ate in sometime.
Char Grilled Green Chile Cheeseburger
So the combo of beef and Hatch chile turned out to be as good as advertised. Now the other thing I knew I was going to make was some Green Chile Stew. I used a recipe from the Pink Adobe cookbook. It's an old one made with recipes from a restaurant that shares the same name. Again I loosely followed this. For the pork I used butt, it was perfect but keep in mind it needs more time if using it. As always with chili and stews they're best made a day ahead. The next day I added in diced potatoes and also corn which I roasted on the grill then sliced off the cob. For serving I added diced raw onion, chopped cilantro, shredded colby jack cheese along with sliced avocado and some blue corn chips tucked alongside the bowl. Some excellent stuff. This I'll be making one day this winter. No doubt about that.
Eating like a local: Regional food specialties -Through the Heart of Brisket Country
This is the first of a three part "Chowing in Texas" series. I took my first steps (outside an airport) in Texas a couple weeks ago
and had a little BBQ itinerary planned for it. You know some things just
come with too much hype and cant live up to the expectations but that
wouldn't be so on this trip. Where and what region in America one can
find the best BBQ will always be an argument but you'd have to be Skip
Bayless to not include Texas in any "best of" list compiled. Folks who
follow the foodsphere over on Twitter might of seen some RT's from a
@BBQSnob who's the man behind one of the best jobs in the world. "BBQ
Editor" for Texas Monthly Magazine and he's also the author
of 'The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue'. The
mans been everywhere as far as BBQ in Tejas goes and he created quite a
controversy over on Twitter when he named the "50 Best Barbecue
Restaurants in America" and all were from Texas. Of course he's just
being a Homer but they really do some fantastic 'que down in the Lone
Star State. Here's five worthy places I ate.
_______________________________________________________________
Pecan Lodge
Dallas, Texas
Dallas
is where I was flying into with my GF who's from there. This was my
first trip back with her and I had plenty of spots to try but the one
place I would not be missing was Pecan Lodge at the Downtown Dallas
Farmer's Market (For now). This place is new to the Q scene having come onto it
just a few years ago. Sitting in Shed #2 this is the reason to come to
the market and many do as there's almost always a line. It help's that
they also have an express line for business lunches of 5 lbs of meat or
more so it was only about a 20 minute wait on my weekday visit. It was
ranked #2 overall by Daniel Vaughn aka BBQ Snob on his 50 Best List and I
could see why.
Three Meat Combo (Brisket, Pork Rib, Sausage) w/ Collard Greens
First
up we're in Texas so beef is what they do here. My gf likes pork though
so we tried the rib and they were just ok. The brisket though? Holy
smoke. This was the finest example of it I had ate to date. Euphoric in
many ways. One has to wonder if it can be used to heal poor vegetarians
who were led astray by the hippie movement. I
believe meat in its most purest form can come two ways. One is a big
beautiful bone in dry aged ribeye and the other is in top notch Texas
BBQ Brisket. This is it.
Brisket...damn, damn, damn...damn!
That
wouldn't be it though. This is Texas and they do everything big so my
first BBQ meal in-state would be just that. As good as the brisket is I
had heard their beef ribs were something to behold here. I saw the
tweets from @BBQSnob one day and made sure I wouldnt miss out on one. I
almost did as they had two left when I asked about them when ordering. I
took the smaller of the two which was still 1.70 pounds. Again this is
whats its all about. While I still preferred the brisket, the rib was
rich in flavor and came with the perfect kiss of smoke.
1.5+ Pound Beef Rib
No
resistance here, otherwise you'd be looking like a caveman after a long
winter, trying to gnaw your starving ass thru this feast. The meat was
as tender as a Cowboys cheerleaders behind. Not to mention the collard
greens were the best side I ate on the trip. All in all my lunch, which I
was sharing, cost close to $50 with the rib alone taking up half the
tab. But when In Texas! You cant really ask for a better
start but is it all downhill from here?
They couldn't serve these in prison, the bone could be used to beat someone...
After
spending a couple days in Dallas it was down to Austin for the same. I
had a few spots planned out for the ride down including Vitek's BBQ in
Waco which is en route. Vitek's is coming up on their centennial
celebration in 2015 so they've been around for a while and that was
evident with the different generations of customers in line and dining
in at the 100+ tables inside and out. They've obviously come a long way
since William Frank Vitek started his spot in 1915. It was in the late
50's that his son Willie took over and decided to start expanding the
locals favorite his father built. That's when they started selling their
family sausage which is still made to exact specifications today. It's a helluva link.
House Smoked Sausage Sandwich
I'd
seen a tweet from the Snob showing Vitek's most famous eat which is
called the Gut Pak. It's easy to see why this concoction won "College
Eat of the Year" but don't let that fool you. Those kids will eat well
if they know where to go. Vitek's is that spot. The crown jewel of all
Frito Pie's is found here. It was really good as the pickles and onions,
both staples with Texas style BBQ mashed well with everything else
which wasn't just some stuff from a can thrown in a bag. Their chopped
beef, brisket and sausage are what most people are there for. I'll be wanting one aplenty as winter rolls thru.
The Gut Pak - Chopped Beef, Sausage, Fritos, Cheese, Beans, Jalapeño, pickles, onion + bread
We
hit up Louie Mueller on the way back to Dallas from Austin. I believe
it was ranked 4th overall on the list and it's always been on my to get
too list. Taylor is about 45 minutes NE of Austin and Louie Mueller is a
state treasure. It's one of the holy stops on the smoke trail having had a
history there since 1936. It was around 1949 they started slanging BBQ
and since then they've been written up 100's of times, first appearing
in Texas Monthly in 1976. They've also been the set for a few movies. The 54 years old pit suffered from a fire recently and was deemed
unrecoverable but all is well these days.
In Line
We
stopped in on a Saturday and were lucky to not see a line out the door.
It was still a good 30 minute wait but as was the case which each other
place we waited, I met some nice people. A couple from Austin by way of
Rockford were on a little BBQ tour of their own and made for good
company while we waited. All these places tend to sell out of meat and
when they do it's done for the day so plan accordingly.
Menu
The
Mueller's are one of the most well known families of Texas Barbecue and
I guess there's some interesting drama as there tends to be when places
like this go big. I wasn't hear for hearsay though so who cares about
that. I wanted to try their brisket which gets rave reviews most
everywhere you go and also their award winning all beef sausages which
comes plain and also blended with jalapenos or chipotle. As soon as you
step up to place your order you are greeted with a bite sized piece of
brisket for you to enjoy. Anyone that eats some and doesn't order it
needs to have their head checked.
Meat Storage
I
was coming from brunch and heading into Dallas for a magnificent home cooked feast
so I had to contain myself when ordering here. The only thing they were
out of was the beef sausage so I went with a link of chipotle and also a
sandwich with the jalapeno blend and brisket one as well.
Jalapeno Sausage Sandwich
Sausage
as expected was excellent. Not only was it cooked just right but he
extra bite from both the peppers really made for some of the best I've
ate. Same goes for the brisket. I was wondering why I didn't order extra. The combo of pickles and raw onions with your BBQ down in these
parts is one of the great pairings in all of food so these sandwiches loaded with both rocked.. It's too tough to
name best brisket but the places visited that were ranked near the top
all put out a top shelf product. Here the briskets seemed
to be rubbed with black peppercorn which made for some righteous bark and deep
pink rings in the meat. I really liked their version which I guess makes sense since
there's a reason they've been so well known for so long for. It's
really, really good. I took a large thing of their homemade peach cobbler to my gf's mom who's a tough judge...she loved it. So did I.
I
made it a point to eat at as many food trailers as I could on my trip
into Austin. Most of them will be shared in a separate post
but one of the up can coming trailers is "Craft Meats" which I had seen
on Twitter and then read good things about. I made a mental note and
tried them right upon their opening at 4p my first day in town. Lots of
the food trailers will serve lunch until a certain time and then open
again in the late afternoon or early evening. Since I was getting there
at opening there were only a couple people ahead of me
so it was the fastest of all the stops but judging by their product
that's not going to last long. They're already generating buzz and do
sell out so plan accordingly.
Menu
What
I'd heard good from about here was their sausage. The offering can change
daily because they're always making it fresh. On my visit during Hatch
Chile season they were selling a pork and beef based blend with them in
it. Perfect as I love some good green chiles and Hatch which are grown
in New Mexico but reach markets in Texas are one of the best. I ate some
great sausage this trip and I think this was the best. With it I got
some brisket which was also top notch. I really liked the use of
homemade pickles and red onions in addition to some really well smoked beef. This was a good product being put
out from a trailer with the smoke rig next to it so it also made for an awesome
almost authentic so to say experience. As it turns out you can get some
really good 'que just down the street from that place that gets all the
hype.
What
spot is that you ask? Well unless you've been living in a hole or just
don't pay all that much attention to the food worlds rumblings, that
would be Franklin Barbecue. This was the spot ranked #1 in the now
infamous Texas monthly roundup. This is where Aaron Franklin has taken
the game to another level.
Austin, Texas
Franklin
Barbecue started out as a trailer run by Aaron Franklin and his wife
Stacy. But the story goes back past that. Aaron's parents owned a BBQ
stand in Bryan, TX and one day when he started experimenting with
brisket in the backyard it was the start of something bigger than even a
Texan could dream. His place became the most popular spot to stop and
just like how it's supposed to go (ATTN: Chicago) they went from tiny
trailer to full brick and mortar. They had no other choice as supply
needed to meet demand and people were going to wait for the good stuff
no matter how long it took. In my case that would be 3.5 hours. It was a
Friday and people were in town for UT welcome week. But that's not why
there was a line, there pretty much always is. Tuesdays and Wednesdays
it might not stretch around the block but you're going to wait if you
wanna eat what many deem the best BBQ in the state.
On this day the line would extend from the meat counter out the door then down and around the block
Some come prepared...
...some do not
So
this was the middle of August meaning it was HOT. Lucky for me though
it was only 92 "this isn't bad at all, first time we've been under 100
in a week" is what the Bears fan standing behind me in line said. They
say you can find Cowboys fans anywhere you go, well I was finding Bears
fans everywhere in Texas I rolled. Thank the smoke gods, the clouds were
out on my wait which was being made hungover. I got there around 10:00a
and took my place in line and within a few minutes a couple ladies came
and asked what I might be eating while warning me they may be out of
ribs and pulled pork when my time to order comes in the 3.5 hours they
told me the wait would be.
I'm doing it...
For about 30 seconds I thought about saying
screw it and then the Bears fan offered me a beer and I said screw it
the other way around, I'm staying. People in Austin are nice so you
shouldn't have a problem with leaving the line to go get yourself
something from your car or just to use the restroom or anything like
that. Some people shift in and out with their groups. Some bring
full fledged tents with table and chairs to play card games while taking
turns in line. The atmosphere while you wait is that of a tailgate. I
met great people including an Austinite who worked as a chef for 15
years in Bucktown before moving back to consult there. The line moved
faster because everyone there was enjoying themselves and their new
friends.
The man of the hour attending to one of six rigs in back
As
mentioned you can bring your own beer or booze or buy from them. They
have vendors that come up and down the line every 15 minutes or so and
also offer free water from a cooler so you can stay hydrated. While
waiting in line you get constant whiffs of the goodness due to the fact
all the trailers are right there in back. Once you get under the shade
amongst the spray fans it's not all that bad and they were dead on as
far as time goes. It was around 1:30p that my turn to order came up. On
this day they had everything left but pulled pork. Important to note
that they tend to run out of the pork products first because they cook
alot less of it. Brisket and sausage are what people are willing to wait
for so they make sure they smoke enough so people can get some.
3.5 Hours Later
The
line seemed to be moving quick at first but then once we got inside
where it was nice and cold it was about another 40 minutes from there.
You can see all the articles on the wall and drink a Smoked Porter
brewed in their honer while trying to figure out just how much meat is
too much. I wanted the Tipsy Texan Sandwich which comes stacked a mile
high with chopped beef, sliced sausage, pickles and onions but instead
went with the Brisket and Ribs platter along with a pound of their house
sausage which is a beef and pork blend. Sure enough the guy taking my order had just moved to Austin from Chicago.
Action
So the question everyone will ask...was it worth
the wait? I say yes. Although next time I'll just pay a hippie
panhandler that never left the city to wait. Not gonna lie, the first
guy in line looked like he was asking for change all night and once he
finally got enough for food and drink he got drunk and then passed out
at the front door becoming the first in line the next morning But the
first time around is worth it. Not just because it really is some of the
best damn brisket you will ever eat but also because of the experience.
It was a mixed crowd but everyone was there because they shared a
similar love. That being smoked meats. All the folks I talked too knew
about food spots in Chicago and elsewhere. We all love good food, that's why were here.
Thanks for the hospitality y'all!
The ribs were good not great.
A fall off the bone variety with plenty of smoke flavor. I liked them
but not as much as what they're known for. The sausage was a blended
kicked up black pepper mix which made it really tongue tingling. They
know how get you excited here as they pass out half links wrapped in white
bread while you wait. The brisket was what people in line kept describing as "like none other". The man has it down to a science that not even
Christopher Kimball can mimic. The sides? What you'd expect from your
sister in-law who goes textbook Betty Crocker. They were average and I
was fine with that. I'm here to eat meat and that I did, every single
tidbit that fell into the container was consumed. Yes the hype is real.
Those of us here in the city that follow the food worlds rumblings have known about Fat Rice for a while now. The Logan Square restaurant which brought the flavors of Macau to Chicago had lines long before it was named the 4th best new restaurant in America over at Bon Appetit. Apologies for the poor pics, it got dark inside. I hate using flash but wasn't going to not get a pic of the namesake dish. I don't care if you're offended by it. I'm getting my pic dammit!
One of the countries hottest new restaurants in Logan Square
Lets be honest, alot of people don't even know where Macau is. "Is that an island in Hawaii?" one might ask. No it's actually one of the two peoples republics of China, the other being Hong Kong. This is the first place to serve food from here so unless you've visited Macau no one at first was or is quite sure what they're going to get. Well sometimes hype is real and this ranking by BA felt deserved on the night I ate there. Try and ask for a seat at the counter so you can watch all the action happen.
View from the Counter
Bon Appetit did a good job of describing the food of Macau as a "Culinary Mutt" due to it's influences from a handful of places including China, Portugal, India, Africa and all across Southeast Asia. To me this is what it's all about. Never mind that it's a popular critics pick, I love trying exotic things and for us over here in the states who havent yet traveled to Asia, it's basically the goldmine for those willing to dig thru thick and thin to find a plate of food that makes our taste buds tickle. First up for me was going to be their potstickers. These have been a favorite since my youth so these days if I see them homemade I'm getting them.
Potstickers
Gold Medal Good
I wasn't sure I was going to ever see the style of 'stickers I had at the Dumpling House in Toronto. But Fat Rice brought them back into my life. Both places use a unique technique of steaming and then frying them in a pan lined with batter. This allows them to mold together as one and creates crunchy edges like you get on old school griddle cooked burgers. The inside pork filling was excellent with strong kicks of ginger and props for the fact they give you more than a few.
Crazy Squid Special
I wish I could tell you all more about this dish. You see we were here for my birthday this past July and I was flying high with the drinks before and during. They take black ink squid? and make it go crazy with bird chilli, sweet basil, green garlic, and cashews on top. The perfect amount of chew with bursting flavors this was something I'm still thinking about a month later.Then there's the Arroz Gordo aka Fat Rice. The namesake dish feeds two ($42) and is best described as Paella on HGH. This was a colony controlled by Portugal at one time and this dish has big influences from it. They take a claypot and stuff it with jasmine rice, the best of which gets crispy on the bottom. On top of that goes whats basically everything in the fridge. Portuguese chicken, roast pork, linguica, salted duck, prawns, tea egg, littleneck clams. BAM! You're in for a fight. Fat Rice...I like.
I've become a big fan of Peruvian food since first being introduced. I'm not sure I've got the full taste of everything they offer so I try and check out places offering one of the trendiest cuisines in the country. So when I saw on Groupon that 4 Suyos had a deal being offered I decided it might be a good way to try the place. For just $20 I was being offered an appetizer to share and two entrees. With it being a BYOB I thought "Why not?". As is the case with most other groupons I buy, I almost let it expire before using it.
Peruvian Food on Fullerton
4 Suyos is tucked away on Fullerton between Western and California. If driving by you might not see it blended in with the other businesses behind the trees across the street from a popular public soccer field. There's outdoor dining and the aforementioned BYOB which makes it a nice place for a weekday date night. I was tempted by some of the specials that day but our Groupon only allowed the appetizer to come from what's written on the regular menu. Mussel's are always ok by me so we went with an order of the "Choros a la Chalaca" which sounded like a good way to start.
Mussel's marinated in lime and garlic topped with pico de gallo
I was expecting these to come served warm but they were chilled. Maybe not was I was expecting but not a bad option on what was a nice hot summer day. The mussels were plump and the salsa was in season. She had the seafood rice paella. It was pretty good but just not great like this dish should be. The calamari was a little bit too rubbery and the rest of the seafood was thrown in with a minimalists hand. I liked this dish but that's considering the price with the Groupon and all.
Arroz con Mariscos
I had a tough choice for choosing my entree. I'd wanted to try the Jalea Mixta which is a bunch of different seafood fried and served with a salsa criolla but I also know that lomo saltado is one of the countries national dishes and something I enjoy eating. So I went with the saltado. To make this national dish you take strips of steak and serve them with french fries sauteed with onions, tomatoes and other options that can vary from space to space. I'd recently made this dish and really enjoyed my creation so I was going to hold 4 Suyos to its level when trying theirs. Unfortunately it just didn't live up to mine. Despite the use of good local meats the steak was just bland and not cooked properly. It tasted more like it had been steamed than sauteed which was too bad because I really wanted to like this place. Friendly service but just sub-par food.
