Longtime Culinaire, First Time Briner

Lately anytime there's a cooking program, or a cooking spot on a talk show, dealing in pork chops, they brine them. Even in culinary school they didn't mentioned brine and pork chops. Brine for pickling fish, sure (we've actually used brine for pickling fish, so maybe "first time briner" is a bit misleading...). But brine for pork? It's weird, not having heard much about meat brine (outside of making bacon or ham) until recently, weird since brine seems like the answer to doctoring so much bland-tasting meat of which there is plenty of here in the US of A. (Meat from corn-fed animals have far less taste than grass-fed - it's why meat tastes so much better in other countries where they are primarily fed on other grains and grasses)
But what about the ins and outs of brine: what exactly goes in a brine, how much flexibility is in a brine, how long do you really have to soak the meat? Thankfully, there's the internet for that.

Brine is basically an oil-free, vinegar-free, marinade. Mostly it's a solution of salt and water, with (optional) aromatic herbs and spices thrown in to boost the flavor and moisture of some unsuspecting chunk of meat. Really it can be whatever things you think might taste good together. Avoid vinegars, as the acid in it will "cook" the meat (unless you're making a pickled fish of some sort - in which case vinegar is essential in most cases) causing discoloration and structural integrity issues of said meat.

After weeks of eyeing thick slabs of pork chops in the grocery store, inspired by local tart apples picked from a neighborhood tree on nightly walks, and fresh onions from the (mother's) garden - the onions in our own garden have not had a good year - it became time.
Time to brine.

Like with any recipe, you look at the bones of it, the ingredients that make it what it is. Most recipes have them, the essential ingredients - in this case salt and water - which all brine recipes reviewed had. At that point go to your cupboard, your fridge, your garden (herb or vegetable) and mix and match what you think might taste good "infused" into your hunk of protein (hey, you can brine tofu too!)

The brine invented today was great. The hint of ginger and garlic was excellent, and the meat was amazingly juicy. Combined with fresh local ingredients, Sunday dinner was one to be proud of:

Brined and grilled pork chop with garden fresh (white, orange and purple) carrots & potatoes sautéed with fresh oregano, red and white onions pan fried with tart local apples, and beet tops steamed with minced garlic. Garnished with fresh green onions.

Brine Ingredients:
4 c water
4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp agave syrup*
1 Tbsp country Dijon (grainy) mustard
1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped (or about 1 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or about 1 tsp dried)
1/2" thick slice of fresh ginger, rough chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
3 medium cloves garlic, crushed (or 1.5 tsp dried)
4 pork chops, thick cut (or 6 thin)
- Place pork chops in large glass pan for about 6 hours-24 hours (the longer the better, of course). If the pan is too shallow and one side of the pork is not submersed make sure to turn each pork chop halfway through your planned brine time.
- Remove from brine, remove any large bits of ginger or other ingredients to prevent burning, and trim any fat you might want to trim off (if there is excess, like real excess, otherwise why would you do that?! The fat is magical.) and season, as desired, with salt and pepper.
IMPORTANT: Make sure to dispose of the brine. Do not reuse the brine. Never reuse liquids you have soaked meat in, as they may cause foodborne illness)
- Cook as desired: bake, pan fry or grill.

For grilling preheat the grill to high, place the pork chop on and close the lid. Turn pork chop and close the lid for another minute.Turn the grill down to medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side (depending on thickness) until the the center, after a three minute rest, reaches 145-160° Fahrenheit, depending on desired done-ness.
No matter how you cook your pork make sure the internal temperature reaches at least 145°F.

Handy Meat Doneness Graphic:

Image Source: Men's Health

Enjoy!

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*Agave syrup can be substituted with 3/4 Tbsp honey.
Note: Not all agave syrup is created equal. If you already use it and have never reached information about it you might want to fire up the old Google. If you plan to start using agave, for its several potential marketed "health benefits", make sure that you research the best types to use/buy, and logically think about the pros and cons people are throwing around about the product. Further, sugar is sugar is sugar if you eat too much of it. Not having real reliable sources about this "new" "hot" "trendy", dare we say "hipster", product called agave syrup, use at your own risk, like with any other manufactured sugar product. As always, use common sense.

Butcher And The Boar...A Restaurant Review of Meaty Proportion

We're in Minneapolis until tomorrow (for reasons we'll write about tomorrow), in the meantime James secured a good deal on a one hour massage at a place called Keep in Touch Massage (http://www.keepintouchmassage.net/) with a great masseuse named Ben. We had a brutally painful deep tissue massage (they are supposed to be painful) that was better than the last few years of massage therapists we've had. We highly recommend him.

After the massage we went to dinner at an interesting little place we found perusing http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/ called Butcher and The Boar (http://butcherandtheboar.com/). Butcher and The Boar, a 2013 James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, is in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, and specializes in house smoked/preserved meats (Charcuterie), craft beers, and Bourbon.

While we did not partake in the alcoholic offerings this time around, we took the meats head on.

The host and hostesses of Butcher and The Boar are friendly as they great you at the door. As they take you into the restaurant you are greeted with tasteful decor, comfortable surrounds and music at just the right volume, as you pass by the bar into the dining area, which are separated by large panes of glass. The feel of dining room is not so much restaurant, and dining hall. Think German Beer Hall.
The smell, like walking into a bottle of Liquid Smoke, divine.
While there were women present, the clientele appears overwhelming males ages 24 and up; the environment undoubtedly masculine, without being pushy. It all makes sense really: beer, bourbon and meat heaven...it's like man mecca.

The service was prompt and courteous, not overly friendly, which for diners like us, was pretty nice. Not everybody wants waitstaff that are obviously disingenuous - we like our servers attentive, without being familiar.
A woman, not waitstaff, came around and silently kept the water glasses full, while the waiter left us with our food and conversation. Perfect.

The only real complaint about the service, which is a direct reflection of the menu, was related to the two dishes ordered that contained nuts - one peanuts, one pecans; only once we were served the dish that contained peanuts (Stuffed Jalapenos ~ yes, you read that right) did the staff who delivered it say there were peanuts in it, and we actually had to ask what was on the dish containing pecans (the gratin on the Coal Fired Sweet Potatoes, as they cleared away the plates). Thankfully we don't have nut allergies, but our mind was on those who do, and also the liability of the restaurant.

Overall though the food was amazing, platters of pickled items, expertly smoked and preserved meats accompanied by vegetables, sauces and mustard - what's not to love.

House Pickle Plate with
Pickled Heart & Beef Heart

James doesn't like pickled things so we took on the House Pickle Plate "solo" and added Pickled Egg & Beef Heart for the extra $2 (if you are an avid reader of our cooking entries and recipes, you know we have a thing for animal hearts). Broken down item by item the least favourite thing on the Pickle Plate was the beets, but that's just because we prefer the lighter (less clove) taste of the ones we pickle. The best thing on the plate turned out to be the Pickled Egg, and the Beef Heart; the pickled eggs not too strong, and the pickled heart, something we had never tried, was such a unique texture for heart, and not overly pickled. Forcing James to try select item, he was pleasantly surprised, particularly regarding the heart - he is not a fan of that delicious offal - saying that the pickled preparation is probably the only way we could get him to eat heart in the future.

We must not forget to mention the Stuffed Jalapenos, which were not at all as expected, in that they were inspiring and unique. Stuffed with a smooth peanut butter mixture, and garnished with golden raisins and feta, the Stuffed Jalapenos were a surprise, a spicy sweet treat. To be honest, had the menu said they contained peanut butter we probably would not have tried them. (but that still doesn't justify the non-disclosure of the peanuts by menu or waitstaff)

Stuffed Jalapenos

Bring on the Charcuterie!

Instead of choosing one of their several main course meat offerings, we opted to go big and order both the Butcher Sampler, and the Sausage Sampler to share, and James chose the Coal Fired Sweet Potatoes, and Skillet Cornbread, as sides.

The Butcher Sampler, a platter of house preserved meats served cold, was our primary choice, the offering included Turkey Braunschweiger, Texas Wild Boar Ham, Red Wattle Sausage, Rooster Terrine, and Wild Boar Head Cheese. Of all the items the Head Cheese, which is what sold the sampler, and the Braunschweiger, were our favorites; though the Braunschweiger, in it's luxuriously smooth texture, was very rich - half the amount of it would have sufficed (but then, these platters are meant to be shared among a table, so...). While the various accompaniments, pickled and crunchy, clearly have their place in cutting the heaviness of the fat on the tongue and cleaning the palate a bit, to make way for each new selection, every item is worthy of naked enjoyment.

Butcher Sampler
Left to Right: Rooster Terrine, Wild Boar Head Cheese, Texas Wild Boar Ham, Red Wattle Sausage, Turkey Braunschweiger - served with crisps

A quick primer on some "strange" things:
Braunschweiger - a liverwusrt, a pâté made of mashed livers
Head Cheese - made from boiling pieces of the head, feet and/or tongue of an animal until it is jellied and then formed into a loaf.
Terrine - a pressed loaf of loosely chopped meat.

James' pick, The Sausage Sampler, a trio of house smoked sausages: Wild Boar Hot Link, Texas Beef Link, and Berkshire Pork & Cheddar, is an experience. A plate with three large juicy sausages with a very spicy Dijon English mustard called Zataran to be paired with the Wild Boar, and other sauces and veggie mixtures. A plate of smoked meat to behold.

Of all the offerings the Wild Boar Hot Link turned out to be both his, and our, favourite. A nice balance between the smooth cheesy Pork & Cheddar, and the Beef. We both found the Pork to be a bit gamier than we anticipated (at first thinking it the Boar), but nonetheless delicious.

Sausage Sampler

The sides James ordered only got enough of a taste from us to ascertain that they were indeed very, very, good. As he liberally spread the smooth mapley buttery mixture onto his large skillet corn bread, we lusted after it, cursing our midsection.
The Coal Fired Sweet Potatoes were topped with a sweet pecan gratin covering a perfectly smooth and buttery interior encased in a charred skin.
The mouth salivates at the memory.

Skillet Cornbread

Coal Fired Sweet Potatoes

This amount of food was far more than enough for two people, half of each sausage came back to the hotel room with us and James was forbidden to order dessert, because while it may not look like it based on this eating experience, we are on a diet - a high protein, low-carb/gluten diet, so this restaurant fit nicely into our diet). Otherwise we would have welcomed the dessert menu, which looked amazing, with open arms and drooling mouth.

Bottom line, if you love smoked meat, or meat in general, beer, and bourbon. A good atmosphere and new eating experiences, check out Butcher and The Boar next time you visit Minneapolis.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ButcherandBoar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Butcherandtheboar
Website: http://butcherandtheboar.com/

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Our other food-related writing:

Restaurant Reviews 2012: (redirects to our advertisement free travel blog)

• London, Part 1 - Hangin' With Dickens' Ghost At Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
• The Anchor of Rowhedge (England)
• The Green Room - Colchester, England

2013

• It Was Just Begging For It...[Cheesecake]
• Cooking With Frank: Egyptian Spice Sauce

2012

• Cooking With Frank: Venison Heart Ragout
• Hot Water Bath Canning
• Cooking With Frank: Green Tomato Chutney
• Zucchini Coming Out Our Ears
• Weekend Recap (Tomatoes)
• From River to Plate in Under Four Hours
• Cooking With Frank: A BBQ Dinner
• White Bread, For The Zombie Apocalypse
• Romancing The Sandwich 

2011

• Cooking With Frank
• Cooking Shepherds Pie With Us, Drunk
• Cooking With Frank, Ratatouille 
• Cooking With Frank: Zombies & Brains...Oh My
• Cooking With Frank: Venison Tenderloin
• The Enlightenment of an Englishmen: Part 1

Cooking With Frank: Venison Heart Ragout

A deer heart gifted from Dad,
before we cleaned it

To start this is a recipe utilizing venison heart, but can be substituted with beef heart. If meats of the offal family (organ meats) turn your stomach, retreat now...

Like the rest of the animal, venison (deer) heart tends on the strong side flavour; while not unpleasant to an adventurous palate, if you are trepidatious it's best to taste it for the first time with someone who likes  it, if only so someone eats it.

Venison heart is a muscle organ that is extremely lean, low in fat, high in B12 and iron.

'Ragout' is a French cooking term for slow cooked stew, and can include any number, and kinds, of vegetables and meat. While the meat of the heart cooks pretty quickly, the majority of "slow" cooking in this recipe we created is done with vegetables.

Note that this recipe is not a true ragout, hovering instead somewhere between a stew and a thick gravy.

STEP ONE: CLEANING THE HEART
Obviously you'll want to rinse the heart before you start working on it, to remove excess blood, hairs and any other debris. (If you purchase the heart from a supplies/butcher, it's likely been washed and cleaned).


(Thanks to our cook buddy, Ryan, for locating and sharing this great instructional video)

STEP TWO: THE INGREDIENTS
2-3 Tbsp Butter
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 an Onion (medium-large sized), sliced
10 Button Mushrooms (medium-large sized), sliced
1/2 a large Venison Heart (or 1 medium), diced
5-6 Tbsp Flour
1/2-1 tsp Salt
1/2-1 tsp Pepper, fresh ground
1/4-1/3 c Water

STEP THREE: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Mince the garlic and thin sliced onions. In a pan on a burner over medium heat melt butter and add olive oil. (this where the dish becomes less healthy)
Sauté onions and garlic slowly until the onions are just turning brown.
Season flour with salt and pepper, and toss the diced heart in the flour mixture, shaking lose a bit of the excess flour.
Fry the heart until it just starting to get a medium brown "crust". (this should prevent the gravy from holding onto the floury taste)
Slowly add water to the mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring slowly and continuously.
Continue adding water, keeping the pan over the heat, until the sauce (gravy) becomes a desired thickness.

STEP FOUR: SERVING IT

Notes:
Serving Recommendation: Over a bed of mashed potatoes and squash, which are great fall vegetables that naturally pair with venison meats, as fall is also the seasons for hunting most wild game.
Suggested Accompaniment: A personal variation of a fresh slaw, great for mellowing the richness of the dish: Add thin sliced plum tomato (center/seeds removed) with thin sliced orange/yellow peppers, and thinly sliced celery. Squeeze fresh lemon on top, season with salt and pepper and toss. It also adds a nice splash of colour.

ENJOY!

More food stuff from us...
Food & Cooking
2012

• Cooking With Frank: Green Tomato Chutney
• Zucchini Coming Out Our Ears
• Weekend Recap (Tomatoes)
• From River to Plate in Under Four Hours
• Cooking With Frank: A BBQ Dinner
• White Bread, For The Zombie Apocolypse
• Romancing The Sandwich 

2011

• Cooking With Frank
• Cooking Shepherds Pie With Us, Drunk
• Cooking With Frank, Ratatouille 
• Cooking With Frank: Zombies & Brains...Oh My
• Cooking With Frank: Venison Tenderloin
• The Enlightenment of an Englishmen: Part 1
  

Also...Frankie Skins a Deer (this year we'll be hanging it, making it easier on our back, and making gravity help us with some of the work)

Romancing The Sandwich

Okay, so the title is a little misleading, you're not going to romance a sandwich, it's just a play on the movie title Romancing The Stone (and 80's Action/Adventure flick starring Michael Douglas) and today's blog entry is about sandwiches, delicious, yummy sandwiches, and making them a romantic idea. We could have written it last week then some of you lady readers (and even the men) could have used our sandwich tips for a romantic post-coital Valentine's feast, like we did.

It's no secret men love sandwiches, but women do too. And sandwiches can be romantic. (at the bottom of this entry we posted pictures of our strange Valentine's Day sandwich feast...)

The way to a man's heart could very well be through a sandwich perfected.

We figured today we could suggest to you what you could do for that someone special in your life, any day of the week - or even just yourself.

First, a little history and context...
Sandwiche, a word first coined by the 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, in Sandwich England, in 1762, but whose tradition goes back further than the Middle Ages, has a variety of forms.

Despite what Wikipedia might tell you, a sandwich being two or more pieces of bread with fillings, we'll take our bets with the definition provided in culinary school both by our instructors and our textbook. There are several categories of sandwiches as a matter of fact, other than the traditional two bread slice version; hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, grilled sandwiches, sealed sandwiches, pocket, open face cold, open faced hot.

There is debate about pizza being an open face sandwich, "A pizza is a pizza" they say, but by that token you can say "a hamburger is a hamburger"...but it's still a sandwich (as per our culinary school textbook). Our definition of a sandwich would be an assembled food which contains any sort of bread product either as a base or means of delivery. Makes sense, right?

The construction...
The main component of a sandwich is a bread product and the addition of an assortment of meat, cheese, veggies, and spreads. We decided we're going to help you by providing lists of yummy ingredients, links and an easy formula (just for silliness sake).

Make a Sandwich!
Main components of a sandwich include a bread product and an assortment of meat, cheese, veggies, and spreads. We decided we're going to help you by providing delicious suggestions to wet your creative appetite.

BREAD TYPES:
 Sliced Bread:
- White, Whole Wheat, Multi-Grain, Dark Rye, Light Rye, Sourdough, Potato
Bun/Rolls:
- Ciabatta, White, Hamburger, Hotdog, Kaiser, Hoagie, French, Bap
Other Varieties:
- Flatbread, Croissant, Tortilla , Baguette, English Muffin, Bagel, Focaccia/Fugassa,

Without getting into too much more, the list of breads in the world is extensive if you're interested in more visit this list from a bakery in New Hampshire: Breads of the World. Breads come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and can be a flavoured with a wide range of things such herbs and spices, cheeses, fruits (sundried tomatoes and olive for example), nuts…

You can even cut sliced bread into shapes, or cut the crusts off...endless.

The point is you can make a sandwich with nearly any bread you want, why stick with sliced?

FILLINGS:
Meats/Proteins:
Chicken, beef, pork, duck, venison (deer, moose, etc.), rabbit, meat/protein alternatives (tofu, eggs, peanut butter, etc), Hot, cold, smoked, grilled, plain; cold cuts, whole, thick sliced, thin, shaved; the variety is endless. Thinking outside the box will guarantee a food adventure.
Here are some idea’s to get your brain working.

• Pate (also can be used as a spread)
• Smoked duck
• Smoked fish
• Pickled Eggs
• Venison
• Peanut butter
• Marinated and grilled tofu
• Hamburger
• Steak
• Kielbasa
• Hot dogs
• Canned meats (tuna, chicken, oysters, etc.)
• ….the list is exhausting really, any meat can be put into a sandwich, for a decent list from Wikipedia of traditional cold cuts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_cut

Cheese:

Source: http://www.marcellathecheesemonger.com
/beer-cheese-and-food-pairings-chart/

Hard, Semi-hard, semi-soft, soft, creamy; fresh, aged; sliced, wedged, spreads, curds; stinky, sweet, mild, nutty, smoky; sharp, cow, sheep, goat…

Who doesn’t love cheese, and there are so many more than mmost people even know, mostly because average grocery stores only carry typical types like cheddar, swiss, processed (American), parmesan, cream cheese, and all the other well known cheeses…

Glossary of popular cheese: http://www.gffarms.com/index.php/products/cheese/10.html
Love cheese even more? Visit cheese.com for lists of cheeses by texture, country of origin, name and milk type...there are more than you've ever dreamed of...

Veggies/Extras:
Go ahead and build your sandwich with veggies, there are so many things you can put in it how can you resist. For example:

• Grilled/roasted veggies (onions, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, peppers, mushrooms
• Fresh veggie (tomato, cucumber, mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, avocado)
• Lettuces & greens (butter lettuec, romaine, ice berg, spring mix, watercress, pea shoots, herbs such as fresh basil and oregano)
• Pickled vegetables (cucumber, beet, onions, mushrooms, cabbage (sauerkraut) etc.)
• Artichokes, Olives, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Jalapenos
   

Spreads:
Horseradish, pesto, marmite (that’s a vile yeast spread from England), grainy mustard, English mustard, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, mayo, flavoured mayo (aioli), chutney, hummus, preserves/fruit spreads, cream cheese spreads, peanut butter, ketchup, BBQ sauce, salad dressings the list is also extensive, you get the idea.

Tips:
When coming up with combinations think about your ingredients. Smokey meats pair well with a creamy soft or semi-soft cheese that's not too strong, otherwise you lose the flavour of the smoked meat.

Think about what part of the sandwich you want the focus to be on, and build around that with delicious additions. You can use as many or as little fillings as you want. What we've provided here are suggestions, just the tip of the ice berg to sandwich creativity.

Remember, romantic doesn't have to be a hot meal, it can be a well thought out platter of an assortment of sandwiches. The way to a man's heart could very well be through a sandwich perfected.

Formula:
Bread + Meat(s) + Cheese(s) +/- Veggie(s) +/- Spread(s) = Sandwich

Some of our favorite (and strange) ways to eat a sandwich:

• Grilled cheese on raisin bread using mayo on the outside instead of butter
• Cheeseburger with french fries inside
• Cold cut sandwhich with potato chips inside

Our Valentine's Day sandwich platter:

Top left, clockwise:
Turkey & Pastrami on Sourdough with Sauteed Leeks. Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms, Pesto and Mayo; Oak Smoked Ham on Croissant with Sauteed Onion, Havarti, Red Pepper, English Mustard and Mayo; Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato on Brioche; Smoked Venison on Baguette with Zucchini, Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms, Red Leicester Cheese and Horseradish sauce; Ox Tongue on Ciabatta with Bri, Watercress and Hot Mango Chutney.

Which was the best? Turkey & Pastrami on Sourdough with Sauteed Leeks. Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms, Pesto and Mayo

Valentine's Day Dessert:

Brioche French Toast with Vanilla Custard,
whipped Cream, Berries and Bananas

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Sources:
History of Sandwich Kent: Origins of the Sandwich, Open Sandwich http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town_history/sandwich_origin.htm

Recommended link:
Beer, Cheese and Food Pairing Chart http://www.marcellathecheesemonger.com/beer-cheese-and-food-pairings-chart/

Frank Skins A Deer

**We'll say it because, well...there are some people who will find this offensive...this is a real dead deer...there are scenes of blood...(no real good ones of course). If you are offended by the practices of hunting/the procedure of processing animals please do not watch the video, rather we suggest you read the entry from a couple of days ago: http://just-call-me-frank.blogspot.com/2011/11/cooking-with-frank-venison-tenderloin.html...or anything else on this blog**

Yeah, so....we never did edit it (like we mentioned in the last few days of posts) - sometimes it's hard to keep on task and get anything done.

The audio was stripped away because The Mother was yapping in the background, and we were bitching about and/or saying stupid shit while lost in our own happy knife wielding world.

Why the outfit? Well, aside from the apron and the (duck) hunting "ski" mask, it's what we were wearing...together it looks ridiculous, we realize that. We also don't care. We hate doing laundry.

It was a small deer by any account, but wasn't exactly a (baby) Bambie
...and so, for fun, because *giggles* they said "Twitterpated"...

Yeah, we're sick, posting these two in the same blog entry.

We're okay with who we all are...and this is just some of us. Sick smart ass that we are today (often).
...and *gag* Disney...he was an evil evil man with many brilliant and mistreated people working beneath him.

~Frank et al