Rib Tips

Under the heading, "Delicious, inexpensive, simple meals that require forethought" comes this entry on beef ribs. Our local mini-chain grocery store put beef ribs on sale for $0.99/lb, causing my taste buds to pulse in anticipation. Conventional Wisdom looks down at beef ribs in favor of pork ribs, perhaps because of their low meat-to-bone ratio, but this hierarchical attitude is a mistake. Pork ribs can be great but meaty, properly cooked beef ribs are arguably better. Often you see orange "Great on the Grill" stickers plastered on beef rib packages in the grocery store meat case, which may be why so many people pass over beef ribs in favor of pork spareribs or baby back ribs. At one point these poor sops probably bought a rack of beef ribs, threw them on the grill until they were brown on the surface and pink at the bone, like you'd grill a New York or Rib-Eye steak, then spent the next couple hours gnawing away at them like stray dogs trying to extract the meat (not to mention an hour flossing afterwards). Who wouldn't think poorly of beef ribs after an experience like that? Beef ribs, like pork spareribs (not baby back ribs*) are fatty and tough until they've been cooked thoroughly. They need to be slow cooked at 200 to 250 degrees for several hours to render out the excess fat and to break down the fibers to the point of tenderness. When cooked this way the ribs will be "fall of the bone" tender and will still be juicy and flavorful. This is the principle behind true barbecue but I wasn't in the mood to fire up the smoker yesterday. Instead of getting one big rack of ribs I purchased two small packages that contained a total of five individual ribs. (The only reason I did this was because the packages I selected seemed to be the meatiest ribs I could find. ) I trimmed excess fat off the surface of the ribs, sprinkled them with kosher salt and put them on foil-lined cookie sheet in a 250 degree oven. I pretty much forgot about them while I ran errands and put together a plastic garden shed. Four hours later I pulled them out, tented them with foil and made side dishes. I don't think most people think to slow cook ribs in the oven, which acts like a smoker without the smoke, but they should because the meal was delicious. For prime rib fans, you know that outer strip of super well-marbled meat around the outside of the prime rib? That's pretty much what the meat tastes like. As you can see from the photo the meat exterior is a deep brown color. It condenses down to a virtual 'meat concentrate' while not drying out. Unlike undercooked ribs, I was able to easily chew off all traces of meat from the bone and no floss was necessary (of course I flossed before bedtime last night, like every night). We had steamed broccoli and boiled new potatoes with a local Zinfandel that tasted like Port. At 16% alcohol it was the malt liquor of wines but it cut the rich meat perfectly (it was a Mission View 1996 vintage from Paso Robles but the winery must have changed ownership because it has a different name now). The ribs took almost no preparation time but did require me to put them in the oven four hours prior to eating. They cost about five dollars total but it was as good as any meal I've had in a restaurant in recent memory. The moral of the story is that Conventional Wisdom is an idiot - buy beef ribs.

Tri-tip cooked whole, sliced into medallions and topped with a red wine pan sauce. This was even a little too rare for me. 

A shining example of well-marbled meat - note the stripes of fat running throughout and the beer meant to lower my cholesterol levels. 

Butcher Shoppe 2 - Well-marbled tri-tip

The butcher's didactic lecture on the importance of beef cows sticking to a strict grain diet to develop well-marbled meat was illustrated by a tri-tip I bought from him and cooked the other night. As you can see from the picture of it prior to cooking, the white, fatty striations are thick and bountiful. After browning in a cast iron pan on the stovetop then roasting in the oven at 350, I sliced it into medallions. In my zeal to avoid overcooking I pulled it out a tad early for my taste. I like tri-tip medium rare and this was firmly in the rare camp. At this level of "doneness" I generally find meat too chewy and metallic tasting so I put my slices back in the oven for finishing (the wife was fine with hers). I served it with a red wine pan sauce, pressure-cooked rice and an artichoke. It didn't really matter what I served as side dishes - the flavor was so good that it was the single best tasting tri-tip I've ever had.

Short Ribs with Delicious but Deadly Crust 

Weeknight Meal - Good baked chicken breasts

A good baked chicken breast seems to be strangely elusive. It seems so simple but avoiding flabby skin and dry meat is difficult. From a 2004 issue of Cook's Illustrated I found an easy recipe that produces crispy skin and juicy meat. This is a solid weeknight meal. I made it with mashed potatoes and braised cabbage. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and put a rack in the middle slot Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil (if not available, line a cookie sheet with foil) Smear under the chicken skin a mixture of softened butter, salt and any herbs you want (lemon zest is good) Smear olive oil on the outside of the skin and sprinkle with salt and pepper Put on pan and roast for 30 to 40 minutes for decent sized bosoms. Check with thermometer (160 degrees) or finger push to test for "doneness" Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. If not overcooked they will be juicy and the skin should be crispy. The butter keeps the meat moist without the need for brining. It's a subtly flavored but very satisfying dish and easy to make.

Cheese of the Month - Smells Like Compost, Taste Great

The other day at Trader Joe's I was in search of a different cheese so I bought a wedgie of Rougette, a triple cream cheese from Germany. I knew nothing about it but it looked like a brie with an orange-tinted rind and figured it was worth a try. Before dinner I put out this cheese with a couple others as an appetizer and I was struck by the piercing stench that filled the air. Our friends Mark and Stacy were visiting with their 18 month old and they, along with the wife, refused to give it a try. I can't blame them, the aroma was probably a ringer for their daughter's soiled diaper. To me the smell was somewhere between rotting garbage and sweaty socks, but I had to try it. And it was delicious, tasting like brie with a little kick. The smell is so strong that it penetrates the ziploc bag I'm keeping it in and I'm disgusted with it until the cheese actually hits my tongue. The smells bad-tastes great paradox is one of the strangest in the culinary world and I'm sure many people miss out on some great cheese because of it. If you are somewhat adventurous, give Rougette a try. It was about $9/pound.

Quickest Dinner I Know - Broiled Salmon

Short of opening up some toxic bag of prepared food, broiled salmon is the quickest meal I know of. When preparing salmon simply like this you must keep one thing in mind -like a hernia test, nothing is hidden from your audience. Poor quality salmon will be exposed for what it is so only use this method when you're confident in your raw material. I recently used some borderline salmon and even my emergency lemon tarragon sauce couldn't make up for its lackluster flavor and texture. It was wild Alaskan salmon that had been frozen and was sold defrosted. My gut said to go for the fresh farm-raised stuff but I was lured by the ruby color of the wild stuff. (To a certain extent I also considered the alleged problem farm-raising causes when the salmon inmates escape from the farm and mess with the locals. Who knows if that's true or hype.) The distinction between good and inferior salmon is not always clear because I've had bad salmon from Whole Foods while the grocery store produced a respectable fillet (once). These examples are abberations so I generally follow a couple rules - buy it fresh (not frozen or previously frozen), get it from a trusted source and don't get it from the big chain grocery stores that give you "Member Rewards" cards. (I should add that I've had good seafood from Costco when they roll out their weekend seafood roadshow.) To prepare, pre-heat the broiler (leave the oven door open so it doesn't cycle the heating element on and off) and put the rack in the highest position; rinse the salmon with cold water; dry thoroughly with paper towels and remove bones with a needle-nosed pliers (optional); after placing on a foil-lined cookie sheet, rub with extra chaste olive oil; sprinkle with kosher salt and grind pepper over it according to your taste. When the broiler is nice and orange put the salmon/cookie sheet on the top rack. Unless you have some unusual rack arrangement in your oven or your salmon is incredibly thick it shouldn't be too close to the heating element. If you put it one rack lower it may never form the nice, mahogany crust or the crust will take so long to show up the salmon will be fish jerky. Once under a hot broiler it will cook quickly so don't flip on an episode of Momma's Family thinking you have some time. I crank on the exhaust fan and/or open the kitchen window because sometimes there is a smoky, mini-fireworks show from the oil sputtering and igniting when it hits the element. It makes the wife nervous but it doesn't seem to cause any real problems. After about four minutes it will probably be done or at least close to it. Pull it out and push on it with your finger. If the fattest part of the fish feels like your pushing into someone's double chin it's probably still raw in the center. I like it a touch rare in the very center but if it needs to go back in and the crust has pretty much formed, put it back one rack lower so it doesn't burn the top. You can also put it several racks lower and close the oven so it roasts to finish cooking. The key is not overcooking it (aka ruining it). For a small fillet the total cooking time is rarely more than 6 or 7 minutes. A full-length fillet takes significantly longer. I often get the salmon ready for the broiler then prepare green beans and start the respective cooking processes at the same time. I put the green beans in a pot of boiling, salted water for four minutes and they're always perfect (assuming you're using full-sized green beans and not the little French ones). I drain the water, leave the cooked beans in the pan, squeeze some lemon over them, throw in a pat of butter and let that melt while I put the salmon on plates. To keep it fast I serve it with bread. I don't care about wine "rules" and like red wine with salmon (something lighter, like a Pinot Noir or Merlot*). The whole dinner - from grocery sack to placemat - can take 30 minutes or less if you hurry. If the salmon is good quality, it's a toothsome meal. * The trendy anti-Merlot sentiment, driven by the new wine "connoisseurs" whose wine knowledge is based on watching the overrated Sideways, has made me want to turn my attention back to Merlot. I admit that I pretty much stopped drinking it a few years ago when I discovered some other varieties but I had a glass the other night and it was refreshing to have a red wine that wasn't decribed as "big" or a "monster" or "explosive" with "tons of fruit". Sometimes a little guy is just right. Bucking the Sideways trend is reason enough to choose it.

Good Mexican Food in Kettelman City

Anyone who has found himself traveling between San Francisco and L.A. on I-5 knows there is a dearth of decent food available to motorists along the entire route. The arrival of In & Out Burger a few years back was a red letter day in I-5 dining but there's a limit to how many times you can only enjoy a Double-Double (or tolerate raucous kids on some "team road trip"). Harris Ranch, at roughly the halfway point, seems so promising but the food is underwhelming and prices exploitative. Maybe you've wondered, as I have, if there is anything beyond the roadside fast food clusters but have declined to risk heading east or west into the middle of nowhere. At least at one point along the highway I’ve discovered the antidote to the I-5 meal problematic. My recent weekly trips to Fresno include heading west on Highway 41 from the coast, which bisects I-5 just before it passes through Kettelman City. On my first trip through I was curious to see what was in Kettelman City proper after so many years passing by, out of sight, a few miles away. * About two miles east of the gas stations and the Taco McJackers Jr., right on the highway, sits a little shack that puts out a nice spread of carnitas and organ meat. I'm not sure of its official name because the signage is dominated by the word "Carnitas" in huge letters but if you take the Kettelman City exit and head east a couple miles you can't miss it. My first trip I had two carnitas tacos - delicious. While I was waiting for my order a guy who may have been the owner or manager gave me the guided tour of the glass case full of offal. I recognized the kidneys and the pig snouts but I needed his help identifying the rest. He spoke reverently about some organ that he loves to eat so I told him that I might try that next time. Next time was this evening, on a trip back home, and I ordered a carnitas burrito. The guy ringing up my order asked who was going to help me eat it, which I suppose I could have taken as a personal slight about my stature but I think he was only boasting about the size of their burritos. He stated that they use the biggest tortillas available for their burritos and the final product weighs about 1.5 lbs. When it was bagged up he threw it on the scale to prove his point and it weighed in at 1.47 lbs., which visibly distressed him. At $3.50 for the massive log I figured I had room in the budget for something from the hot case. I passed on anything that I recognized from medical illustrations and opted for chicharrones. I chose the version with meat attached because fried pork skin with no meat seemed too decadent. The burrito was a meal and a half so the skin is sitting in a brown paper sack on the kitchen counter, waiting for me to build up an appetite. Although I haven’t tried anything beside the carnitas I suspect the other traditional meats they serve would be good (chile verde, chili colorado, etc.). Don’t let the slaughterhouse spread in the front window scare you – the tacos and burrito rank as some of the best I’ve had, and I’ve had a lot. I marvel how most people slog through the fast food in view of I-5 when outstanding food is only a couple miles away. I was one of those people but now I know better and I highly recommend a visit if you’re passing by. * I actually had been out to the edge of Kettelman City once before. It was sometime around 1990 when my college roommate, Mark, and I were returning from LA to Berkeley in my 1967 Mustang when we stopped for gas at about 10:00 PM. Prior to the trip, Mark prophetically jested that if I didn't replace my erratic starter motor we would be trapped in Kettelman City. The words were echoing in my ears when the turn of the key produced nothing but silence. The nearby 76 station had one starter motor in stock for my car, which they thankfully tested before selling me, revealing it was bad. We had no choice but to spend the night where we were until the Napa Auto store in Kettelman City opened in the morning. We rotated between J's Coffee Shop (now the site of In & Out) where we tried to stay awake and the Mustang where we tried to sleep. At 5:00 A.M. we began the couple mile walk from the gas station to Kettelman City. Fortunately they opened early, had a good starter in stock and we hitched a ride with some sort of public utility employee on the way back. I crawled under the car and installed it with the tools I had on hand and we made it back safely. As it turns out, the Napa store is the first establishment you come to as you approach KC, as I now call it, and I pay homage every time I pass.