She may not be the prettiest girl in the room, but she sure does taste good. She’s bursting with flavor, moist and tender to the bone. Why, you say? Because she had a spa treatment of sorts, a long, cool bath in a salt and herb brine. After the cooling bath, then it was […]
Asian Brined Pork Chops with Gai Lan
Do you have the feeling of deja vu? I do, since I am posting this recipe for the second time, after my blog ate it! What really gets me is that I thought about running my backup program, then got busy packing for my trip to New York or something. This is why you must […]
Homemade Corned Beef
This post was originally published last year. Since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner I wanted to post this again so you can make your own corned beef! Every year on St. Patrick’s Day my family goes the traditional route and has corned beef and cabbage. Am I Irish? Well, I do […]
Homemade Pastrami
In the world of cold cuts, pastrami reigns supreme. It is at turns salty, spicy, good served warm or cold, piled high or low. It is the ultimate sandwich meat. When I joined up with the increasingly impressive group of food folks doing Charcutepalooza, I knew I wanted to tackle pastrami. Last months challenge was […]
Cooking 101: How to Make a Basic Brine
Soaking meats or poultry in a brine is a great way to add flavor and juiciness. Meat loses a lot of juices while cooking, so when you start by brining your meats or poultry before cooking, you essentially start with more juice. Therefore when you lose the juices to cooking, you still have more than […]