YumSugar

Do You Enjoy Eating Meat Caveman-Style?

YumSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:45:15 -0700

During the Sparks, NV, Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off, I had a Flintstonian moment while eating an oversized beef rib. Although I enjoy biting into meat right off the bone (smoked turkey leg, I'm looking at you!), a co-worker told me should would have been disgusted by gnawing at any kind of bone, let alone a giant one. How about you?

Does Raw Meat Gross You Out?

YumSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:50:00 -0700

A fellow Sugar staffer recently shared stories about her raw meat woes. She can't look at - or touch - raw meat without getting grossed out and feeling nauseated. In particular, skin-on chicken makes her skin crawl, and the juice from red meat leaves her queasy. This got me to wondering: how many of you feel the same way?

Fast & Easy Dinner: Steak and Potato Salad

partysugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:00:48 -0700

Tonight serve your loved ones a meal inspired by the classic steakhouse dinner of meat, potatoes, and wedge salad. The potatoes are roasted in the oven, while the ribeye steaks are seared on the grill. A quick but wildly flavorful salsa verde (a mixture of chives, capers, oregano, thyme, and garlic) coats the cooked and crispy potatoes. Serving the potatoes and steak on a bed of crunchy romaine lettuce makes this a balanced meal that's sure to be enjoyed by all.

Check out the recipe when you read more.

Steak and Potato Salad
From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

2 lbs. small new Yukon Gold potatoes, halved or quartered
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 to 2 lb. ribeye steaks, cut 1-inch thick
2 heads romaine lettuce
1/2 cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped chives
3 tablespoons drained capers
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
2 cloves minced garlic
5 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place potatoes in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Roast, uncovered, 50 to 60 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.
Meanwhile, brush remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil on steaks. Season with salt and pepper. For charcoal grill, grill steaks on rack of uncovered grill directly over medium coals, 10 to 12 minutes (145 degrees F for medium-rare), turning once. (For gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place steaks on rack over heat. Cover; grill as above.)
Slice romaine into six 2-inch-thick slices, reserving tops for another use.
In bowl combine parsley, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, chives, capers, oregano, thyme, and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
Place slice of romaine on each serving plate; drizzle; with 1/2 of the salsa.
Toss warm potatoes with remaining sauce and green onions. Spoon onto romaine. Thinly slice steak and place on top of potatoes.

Serves 6.

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The Buffalo Guys Say Give Buffalo a Chance

partysugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:50:15 -0700

When I first heard that buffalo meat was leaner than chicken, I thought the joke was on me. However, it's true: Due to the fact that buffalo is a wild animal, it has less body fat than its domestic counterpart. Take a look at the buffalo steaks and you'll notice that it lacks the fatty marblization found in beef. Recently, I was invited to an event hosted by the Buffalo Guys, an odd couple who raise free-range organic buffalo. They turn the meat into a variety of products, from hot dogs to steaks.

Being a buffalo virgin, I was incredibly surprised at how good it tasted. The steaks were pink, moist, and meaty. I falsely assumed that buffalo would be gamy or more like lamb. If I hadn't known it was buffalo, I would have guessed the steaks were a lean cut of beef. It's extremely important to properly cook the meat because it can dry out quickly. Generally a buffalo steak cooks a few minutes less than a beef steak.

Check out my photos below and tell me: have you eaten buffalo? What did you think of it?

View 9 Photos ›

Yummy Links: From Bacon to Imitation Crab

partysugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:50:56 -0700

Has bacon mania run its course? - The Feedbag
Kelly Choi's twittering is out of control - it might be time for a twittervention. - Eater
The pastes of Provence: learn the difference between tapenade, pistou, and aioli. - Serious Eats
Grub Street, New York Magazine's food blog, has gone national. - Grub Street
Celebrate Bastille Day by making a French 75. - Gourmet
Can you really seal the juices into meat? - Chow
A traumatizing behind-the-scenes look at imitation crab manufacturing. - Eat Me Daily

Do You Use a Meat Thermometer?

YumSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:45:42 -0700

Michael Symon's Pointers For Preparing Meat

YumSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:30:54 -0700

At his seminar in Aspen, Iron Chef Michael Symon had a lot to share beyond flavor and spice. The pork-loving chef demonstrated how to make a double-bacon "BBLT" sandwich, with bacon, pork belly, lettuce, and pickled tomato, and kept the crowd entertained with his wisecracking (in addition to wanting to kill the inventor of the garlic press, Michael also wants to go after the guy who invented turkey bacon). As he paid homage to the pig with his 'wich, he also had plenty of pointers to offer when it comes to preparing meat. See them after the jump.

Poor Economy Spawns "Recession Flexitarians"

YumSugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:30:14 -0700

With cost increases, the economic downturn and a focus on all things green, could meatless meals be poised to become the next great food trend? Last month, Ghent, Belgium, made headlines when it became the first city to go meatless once a week. Then a recent vegetarianism poll generated surprising results: more than 25 percent of you said you're vegetarians, and nearly another quarter of you eat fish and not meat. But all of this comes as little surprise to Gourmet, which argues that the country's financial woes have prompted a new wave of meatless eaters: recession flexitarians.

More than half the shoppers surveyed by the American Meat Institute say they have reduced the amount of meat they eat as a result of the economy. Many of them have become flexitarians, or mostly vegetarian consumers who occasionally eat meat. The USDA estimates that every category of farm animal will experience a drop in meat production for the first time in more than 35 years, and the publishing industry has seen a wave of new books focused on eating less meat.

Since forgoing meat will also help address increasingly popular issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, obesity, and world hunger, the growing number of meat-free eaters seems to make sense. Still, I can't help but wonder whether America will return to its steak-gnawing ways once the economy improves. What do you think? Have you found yourself eating less meat?

Source

Definition: Salt Pork

YumSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:00:14 -0700

Cut from the belly and sides of a pig, salt pork is a salt-cured cut of fatty meat. It is packed in salt for months, to draw out the water content in the meat, then used to add flavor to dishes.

Unlike bacon, salt pork is not smoked, and contains more salt than fatback. It's traditionally cut into lardons to stir into beef Bourguignon, used in New England dishes like Boston baked beans, or employed to infuse flavor into vegetable sides such as green beans.

Should Meat Be Eaten Seasonally?

YumSugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:45:26 -0700

Although many of you believe produce should only be consumed if it's in season, would you feel the same way about meat? In their regular food column for The Atlantic, sustainable agriculture pioneers Bill and Nicolette Niman claim that meat should be treated with the same seasonal sensitivity. The couple makes this argument:

If we are seeking something better from our food and our food system, we must begin regarding meat and other foods derived from animals as among foods that have a season. Environmentally sustainable, humane animal farming is based on grass. All animals - cattle, pigs, chickens, turkeys - benefit from being on pasture. Like other vegetation, grass has a season of plenty, a time of growth, reproduction, and then retreat.

While I think there's a great deal of validity to the Nimans' perspective, I also think it would be a drastic and impractical measure given the economic environment we face today. How do you feel about it?

Source