Gay Hullar

Mike Barkley wrote:Ahhh, yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. That explains why the grocery store had corned beef for sale. Tiny things vacuum sealed in plastic with gooey looking spices or something. Bzzzt, I think that's the wrong way bubbas. I think daylight savings time started a few days ago too. Sneaky.

To me (being from TX) brisket IS BBQ. All the other smoked & grilled meats are just something to munch on while the brisket is cooking. East of the Mississippi River pulled pork is mainly what is called BBQ. It's hard to find brisket in TN stores or restaurants. I truly enjoy a NY deli style corned beef sandwich or a nice pulled pork but in my opinion those aren't BBQ.

The big secret to cooking brisket is patience. It takes about 12-16 hours to BBQ one like a born & raised Texan. I start a day or two before by brining it in salty water. Then somewhere between midnight & 3 am on the day you want to eat start the fire & make some hot coals. Lots of them. I like using a combination of oak & mesquite wood. Careful with the mesquite if you're not accustomed to it. Very pungent stuff. Put the brisket(s) over the hot coals for a few minutes to sear it a bit. Sear both sides. Then remove about half the coals or raise the grill to use less heat. Then cook it directly over the coals for an hour or maybe two, fat side up. Once the coals die down & it seems partially cooked I start using a smoker process. Lots of smoke & indirect heat for the duration of the cooking process. Low & slow with fat side up is crucial for a tender result.

When it's done there will be some "bark", especially on the small end & any bumpy parts. Bark is basically charred meat. Some might call it burnt. Let it rest 15-20 minutes after removing from the smoker so the juices don't escape. Cut it across the grain. There should be a reddish layer (about 1/8") toward the outside, which indicates it was smoked long enough. The few restaurants who serve it here in TN seem to use meat slicers to cut it thin & then toss it under heat lamps. Please don't do that.

In TX it's traditionally served with potato salad, cole slaw, & beans or as a sandwich. There are many other tasty uses though. One of my favorites is chopped up on top of cheese enchiladas with a spicy TexMex enchilada sauce. Or in migas. Makes a darn good taco too!

This is an excellent & famous BBQ place that does FedEx deliveries. Their BBQ sauces are amazing too. Best lemonade I've ever tasted. https://saltlickbbq.com/

Stay calm & brisket on y'all!

Mike, do you do your briskets whole or separate the point from the flat?

My favorite way for brisket is smoked. Since I lack skills in that area, when I make it I usually make Barbacoa in a slow cooker, then use it in burritos or tacos. I made about 40 pounds of it last fall for my daughter's backyard wedding at our place. I was able to make it ahead, freeze it, then heat in roasters on the day of the wedding.

Juniper berries are also good tossed in with your cabbage when making sauerkraut.

This article has a lot of good information on nitrates and nitrites. https://chriskresser.com/the-nitrate-and-nitrite-myth-another-reason-not-to-fear-bacon/

Years ago we used to be able to get a fly spray from Germany that was really good at keeping bot flies away from the horses. It came in an orange bottle as a concentrate. It worked better than any other spray I tried. All the writing was in German so I didn't even know the name of it. Haven't seen it around in a long time. What I remember most about it is that it smelled like clove oil. It smelled wonderful. Perhaps a mixture with clove oil added would work.

Destiny Hagest wrote:I've never tried vodka before - I'm curious, why does that make for a flakier pie crust?

According to the author it keeps the gluten from developing to much. Very interesting. I may have to give it a try.

David Livingston wrote:Also usually I use butter since neither lard nor suet are readily available here in France . Anyone use any other fats or oils . I've tried solid palm oil - not impressed by the outcome honestly . Marge is ok ish  if I have too

David

I use a Betty Crocker crust recipe that calls for a liquid oil. I typically use grapeseed or some other mild tasting oil. We avoid any vegetable or corn oils in our house. It's a very good recipe and makes a delicate, flakey crust. It is harder to work with though, and really needs to be rolled and handled between two pieces of waxed paper. I've learned you need to roll it and flute it immediately or it dries and crumbles. It's harder to work with in that you need to use the waxed paper and form it immediately, but easier in that you don't need to remember to chill butter/lard and then work that in. In mixes up quickly without any prep.

I second all of the suggestions of gut healing and whole foods eating. I think I read in one of your comments that you are now vegetarian/vegan? That would be something I would encourage you to reconsider. While short term vegetarian menus might be helpful for a cleanse, it does not offer the proteins and animal fats your body needs for healing. Natasha Campbell McBride has a real good book on gut healing and the GAPS diet. I think you are also wise for trying homeopathy. Homeopathy gets to the root of the problem and roots it out. It can also provide you with relief while you are working on healing through diet. The hardest part is finding the right remedy for you. You may need to try several in order to find the right one. I have found that the combination remedies purchased for "allergies" are lower potency and can help temporarily but they don't always root out the underlying issue. Calc Carb 200c, one dose every other day is a good remedy to take to try to root out the underlying problem. It is a slower acting protocol and may need to be taken for a year or more. I have, however, seen improvement within a week with this remedy. If there's swelling of the lips, tongue, throat, eyes, etc. Apis Mellifica 6c, 30c or even 200c. The more severe the reaction up to anaphylaxis (use 200c), the higher the potency should be chosen. In severe cases it can be used every 3 to 6 hours, until improvement is seen. If not so severe try two or three times a day. A really good web site for learning more about using homeopathy personally is http://joettecalabrese.com/ There is a search engine to look up conditions. Joette uses a different method than the typical classical homeopathy usually used here in the US. She is classically trained and practiced it for 20 or 25 years but has gotten better results with the protocols she now uses. She is the homeopath our family uses to consult with.

Are all paddle cactuses that produce tunas considered Prickly Pears and are they all edible? Or are there particular identifiers for edible cactus? I see them growing all over here in Southern CA but I'm not sure if all are edible.

Hi Thekla, You will get curds and whey if you let raw milk sit out at room temperature without adding anything to it. There are enough natural "good" bacteria in it. This is called clabbering. If it's real fresh it will take several days to separate. It seems to work best if you have raw milk that has been in the frig for a little while. This is the way cottage cheese used to be made. Some say they rinse the curds after it has separated to reduce the tang and somewhat bitterness of the whey. I've never rinsed mine. The curd isn't like the firm curd you would get from a cheese using rennet. It's more the consistency of cream cheese. Years ago fresh cream would then be added back into the drained curd to make cottage cheese as well as salt.