Wednesday, June 9, 2010

J Dawgs!

J Dawgs is a magical place full of mystery and wonder. That guy up there in the picture? He's the grand wizard. I know they just sell hot dogs, but they are magical hot dogs. Trust me. See, I pointed out in a previous post the difference between a "foodie" and a "gourmet" and yes, a foodie can be excited about a hot dog, and in the case of J Dawgs, should be excited about a hot dog.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Homemade Brats: First Iteration

Ok, so those are the brats. First, they simmer in some sort of amber liquid of undetermined origin. Then, they go on the grill.  That's me man-handling them, and that's my son coco wondering why someone is taking his picture.

I made these with my friend Fish. He has a grinder attachment for his stand mixer. Here's how we did it:

Homemade Bratwurst
Ingredients
  • 4 Pounds 80% lean pork shoulder (Boston Butt)
  • 1 Pound veal or beef (ground beef is all you really need here)
  • 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 Tablespoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 Teaspoons ground mace
  • 1 Teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 Cup cold milk
  • 2 Whole eggs, beaten
  • 1 Cup non-fat dry milk powder
Directions

  1. Cut pork (and beef if it's not already ground) into 1 inch cubes, and grind it twice through the fine plate of your sausage grinder.
  2. Combine the spices in a 1 quart container and mix with the cup of cold milk and beaten eggs.
  3. Pour the spices, milk and egg combination into the ground meant and mix thoroughly for at least 2 minutes. Use your hands for mixing to assure even distribution.
  4. Add the milk powder to the mixture and combine it all thoroughly with your hands. At this point you can pass the finished sausage mixture once more through the meat grinder if you choose to, or straight into 32-35 mm hog or collegen casings. Refrigerate or freeze immediately.