a shortcut homemade Pastrami

Shortcut Pastrami by using Harris Ranch Corned Beef and throwing it into a smoker!

I was at the market the other day and the young man checking out my cart remarked that  seeing the briquets that I was ready for a summer barbecue. I said that I was going to make Pastrami by smoking an already prepared but not cooked corned beef. This subtle difference between what is corned beef and what is Pastrami always seems to surprise people. Before I left I answered a variety of questions… what makes the meat red even after cooking ( sodium nitrate), how do you know it is done, what type of wood to use and what kind of smoker is best. I was there for quite a while.

Maybe next time I will just say… “Yeah, I am going to barbecue” and leave it at that.

bison schnitzel is a snap

“Mechanically Tenderizing” Meat

A while back I wrote about the  various methods of tenderizing meat… one of which was to ‘Mechanically” tenderize as pictured above turning Bison steaks into ‘Schnitzel!”  (I start off with the larger spikes and end with the flat side to return the meat to a smoother texture)… I wrote:

Mechanical Tenderizing:

As the name implies, Mechanical tenderizing is simply beating a piece of meat with one of many of the tools designed for this task. Usually, the hammer-like tool will be surrounded with a variety of spikes with the largest for the toughest cuts. Also available are needle like tools that help to increase the depth that the chemical tenderizers and marinade can reach.”

Personally, I think many game meats lend themselves to this method best… as other techniques tend to turn game into mush.

Bison Schnitzel!

I did brush the Bison with Worcester Sauce and placed into the fridge overnight allowing the flavor to infuse. The next day I added a bit of mustard to my egg mixture and a little salt, pepper and garlic powder to the bread crumbs before frying the Bison… as you can see above it turned out wonderfully tender and flavorful!

My South African hunting & dining experience

[vimeo width=”440″ height=”330″]http://www.vimeo.com/46577337[/vimeo]

My daughter Karen produced this short 3minute video on my wonderful hunting and dining experience with  Lukhulu Safaris   in the Free State of South Africa!

We dined on what we hunted… what could be better than that?

South Africa is definitely on every American hunter’s “bucket list” that I know… and honestly, I want to go back!

a perfectly yummy spanish tortilla

spanish tortilla
Oh, my Spanish Tortilla is a bit different, but it is the difference that makes it so… so… yummy! CLICK on this picture for my basic recipe

One of my favorite mid day meals is a Spanish Tortilla full of various aged ham, sausage, numerous types of onions, cheese and wondrous potato! All of this topped with sour cream, sliced olives and sectioned avocado.

Cooked in a pan and shaken slightly during the cooking process to keep the mixture from sticking and flipped to bake again … produces this beautiful composition!

In this picture above you can see the sliced aged ham making its appearance as well as the cilantro and fire baked green peppers if you look close enough!

Even the raw mixture and its delicious aroma has a come hither attraction.

If you haven’t ever made a Spanish Tortilla… maybe this is your chance… I have some step-by-step pictures on the link that will help you get there… oh yes, although I didn’t place it into the recipe… a cup of cheese into the mixture makes a wonderful addition!

My Spanish Tortilla!