To Brine Or Not To Brine, That Is The Question!!!

Photo Courtesy of Chef Johnny JArticle submitted by Chef Johnny J

Ahhhh yes, it is that time of year again where Chef and home cooks alike savor the chance to prepare the perfect bird! Now I have heard it all, “too dry, no flavor, missing something”….yada yada yada! Well, lucky for you I have a solution, a brining solution. Relax, I know, “brining solution” is a big fancy Chef term that scares the heck out of home cooks however, it is so simple to do and the results are amazing. You will be taking home the blue ribbon this Thanksgiving from all of your friends and family!

A brining solution or brine as we call it is a method of marinating in seasoned, salted water to increase the moisture content of the turkey. Amazingly, it doesn't make the turkey taste salty at all.

The brine itself is a solution of water, sugar, salt, and other flavoring agents that bring flavor and moisture into the bird through osmosis. It also locks natural moisture into the turkey by breaking down the protein.

With that said, I want to share a great brine recipe that I got from Chef Patrick O’Connell of the Inn at Little Washington in Virginia years ago. He calls it his Spruced-Up Turkey!

So, first you will need to clean the turkey and set aside. In a large pot you want to bring 8-10 quarts of water to a boil. While that is fixin’, in a separate pot add:

1.25 cups of kosher salt

3 cups of sugar

2 cups of honey

6 sprigs each of parsley, thyme, rosemary, tarragon and sage

1 cup of pickling spice

2 cinnamon sticks

1 Tbl spoon of juniper berries

2 lemons, halved

5 star anise

8 sprigs of spruce branch or I found any pine tree branch will work also

Remember that recipes are merely guidelines and don’t get sour if you don’t have all of the ingredients. For instance, I didn’t have cinnamon sticks so I sprinkled some ground cinnamon in. No juniper berries, try all spice! The main ingredients are the sugar and salt so the aromatics are up to you!

Now once the water comes to a boil you want to pour the boiling water into the mix of ingredients and let steep covered until cooled to room temperature. Once cooled, submerge the turkey and refrigerate for 1-2 days. Then just rinse, pat dry and cook as directed. I like to rub butter on and in the skin and season with salt and pepper. That’s it!

You let me know if that’s not the juiciest most flavorful bird you have ever had!

It is so easy and the results are so rewarding that you have to try it.

So the answer to the question is: To Brine Or Not To Brine? B R I N E !!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and Bon Appetit !

What Kind of TOOL Makes Wine in the Desert?

The following post was submitted and written by Culinary Mercenary:

Ah, wine country.  The beautiful vineyards, the relaxing atmosphere, the wonderfully colorful people and the amazing landscape; Arizona is truly a remarkable place.  Whoa!!  Arizona?!?   Hell yes I say, Arizona.  Welcome to the new wine country, here in the Verde Valley in northern Arizona. 

Recently, I took my annual trip to lend my hands to the harvest and crush, an experience that everyone who “thinks” they know wine should endure.   I come out to Arizona once a year, in September, not just to visit my viticulturist friends, but to expand my ever so thirsty lust for knowledge of wine. 

I’m not just talking about the day to day general information, but a deeper understanding of how, why, for what reason, in what stage, on what level and much, much more.   I want to know what it takes to actually get that grape drink into those bottles, from dirt and vine, to fruit and bin, to barrel then bottle.  It is a long and tedious process that I feel most wine drinkers have no real understanding about.   I believe it is the general consensus that wine making is nothing more than a few well dressed Frenchmen pontificating about the smells and aromas of a wine and then talking about it and laughing irritatingly; wrong.  Wine making, as I am told, and have experienced, is 49% moving heavy shit, 49% cleaning shit and 2% drinking beer. 

Forklifts, pallet jacks, one ton bins, seven ton bins and 1500 pound barrels (when full) stacked up to five stories high, that is an average day in a wine makers life and let me tell you, it is worth every blister, bruise and sore muscle.  Physical labor is a must and the bigger/stronger the worker the better.  I stand six foot one and tip the scale at 250 pounds, I tend to think I am in pretty good shape going to the gym and such, but this was brutal work even for me.   Lifting, pushing and pulling over a ton of dead weight for hours on end, this is real blue collar work.

I had the opportunity to visit two of my good friends Eric Glomski of Page Springs Cellars (PSC) and Maynard Keenan of Caduceus Cellars.   In a separate project they come together to produce Arizona Stronghold Vineyards (their national brand). 

I started down at Page Springs Cellars in Cottonwood AZ, about half hour south of Sedona. The climate was cool, yes cool.  Peoples biggest misconception about these wineries is, "hey, isn’t Arizona full of just desert, cactus and cement?"  The answer is no.  In the Verde Valley the elevation is between 3500 to 5100 feet, and this makes for an amazing mix of micro climates to go along with the every so changing over lay climate that can be the most challenging issue for the farming aspect of the vineyards.  Frost is an issue, and pests such as raccoons, birds, javelina (a small wild pig) and other varmint, but not heat as many would expect.  I was able to assist in the stemming, inoculating, punching and ultimately pressing of some of the wines, those that were already oppressed I would help to barrel and wrack.  I enjoy my time at PSC because by now I am “one of the crew,” after a few years.  I spent some time in the lab as well where the wine is tested for progression, acid and base levels and for malolactic (ML) fermentation testing.  This is what occurs in the wine after the fermentation of sugars into alcohol, it is when the malic acid (a very sharp tannic acid) converts into lactic acid (a smoother more palatable acid, like in milk). 

The night before I left Eric at PSC we enjoyed an amazing meal at the renowned restaurant Elote in Sedona, authentic Oaxacan cuisine.  I tell you this, if you are in the Sedona area do yourself a favor and go here!!!  It is that good!!  I was fortunate enough to be in the company of friends that knew the Chef/owner Jeff Smedstad, a truly gifted chef in authentic Oaxacan Mexican cuisine, so we received  the “special” treatment.  I can not tell you all that I had because after the fifth course I lost my sights, maybe it was the constant crafty margaritas that miraculously kept appearing at my table.  Those, by the way, were outstanding!  But seriously, get out to Sedona, get a cab and get to Elote!

After an amazing meal and a great time at Page Springs Cellars I headed up north to Jerome, AZ to meet up with my friend Maynard Keenan, winemaker, viticulturist, musician, professional multi-tasker and all around good guy.  I had the pleasure of also working with wine consultant Greg Stokes from Paso Robles California, he was in town assisting Maynard in his crush.  Jerome houses the tasting room for Caduceus Cellars and has quite a history of its own.  It was once known as the billion dollar copper town and it burned to the ground three times in its history, for a while it became a ghost town and is now been revitalized as a home for artists, free thinkers and mostly hippies.  It is situated at an elevation of 5100 feet so for the first few hours your there, don’t go jogging.  It is a quaint little town with shops restaurants and bars, and of course a kick ass tasting room.  

Sangiovese Grosso was what I work on this time around.  Merkin vineyards produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sangiovese, Mouvedre, Malvasia Bianca, Nebiolo, Sauvignon Blanc, Tempernillo, Grenache, and more!  We stemmed, crushed, and barreled, but more than anything on this trip I had an opportunity to talk and pick the mind of a creative genius.  Whether he is making wine or music Maynard has a dedication and passion for everything and anything he does, maybe that is why we get along so well.  We made wine, moved and cleaned lots of shit, drank beer and talked about wine, life, food and much, much more but at the end of the day, as I drove away down the mountain lookkng back up at the town of Jerome perched ever so snug up high, I realized that this IS the new wine country, this IS the new frontier and this is worth it.

What I like most about both Maynard and Eric is their passion for their product, their respect for the land and their views on life in general. They do not make wine that chases the critics; they make the critics chase them.  The wine of Arizona is different, and as much as you may not believe it; it is that good.

So try something new, take a chance, get out of your comfort zone and live a little.  Stop following what magazines and critics say about wine and drink what you like.  Remember a $24 bottle of wine could be better than a $350 bottle if you know what you like and what to look for. 

As I like to say, if you are going to drink; drink well.

Viva La Cuisine!!!!

Culinary Mercenary

Out of the Frying Pan: Critiquing the Critic!

Everybody's a critic; food writers, restaurant reviewers, and dare I say, food bloggers. But what are they good for?

Here's another Out of the Frying Pan guest editorial from the Culinary Mercenary!

Mission: To question authority…                 

Objective: To find the answers…

      Like an elevator in a horror movie, our economy has once again plummeted just short of that ground floor saving use from a certain terrifying and tragic ending.  Our country is yet again being thrown into a state of panic and furthermore people are becoming sick and tired of being scared.  So, how you may ask, does this tie into the restaurant world?  Are we headed towards another three to five years of crappy “recession proof menus” or discounted tastings; Gross.  As if it’s not bad enough that we have to settle for the mediocrity that is currently disguised as food and are so easily led by false reviews and bias reviewers who regularly choose the “same ol’ thing”, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone; or is it?  Maybe it’s time we question where our “reviews” come from.  Who are these people leading the sheep to graze and why is it that only the “select” few are chosen time and time again to be spotlighted for mediocrity, question it.  Allow me to apologize to the almost 100 awesome restaurants in the state that never even get a second look by those reviewers because they can’t afford to advertise with your publication, or won’t offer you a free-bee.   I digress, I do not apologize for them, in fact I challenge them! 

                  Challenge:  What is the point of someone reviewing a restaurant (Chef) who obviously has less knowledge than said Chef?  That’s like allowing a sophomore in high school to do your taxes because they took a calculus class.  Maybe it’s time we put the reviewers under the microscope.

      Who are you, where did you train and what is his/her  background?  My friends, shall we all stop heeding the flock and begin to make conscious decisions about food and restaurants that we like and enjoy patronizing rather than hanging on the obvious favoritism of others.   We are in a time of revolution on many fronts, we want quality not quantity.  The days of the three pound bowl of pasta are over, that to me is not a bargain or a deal, it is just disgusting.  I do not want to have to unbutton my pants or have a movement immediately following a meal.  Why do we confuse being stuffed to the point of purging with being satisfied?  We are educated consumers; do not allow artificial intelligence to sway the right of choice, it is a glorious privilege so exercise it regularly.  

 I believe we must analyze everything for ourselves.  The revolution, my friends, is near. 

-Culinary Mercenary

Out of the Frying Pan: Culinary Mercenary

Please enjoy another installment of Out of the Frying Pan.  Today's entry is from Culinary Mercenary!

Mission: Introduction to the beginning of free thinking…

Objective: To serve and protect

What is food?  Is it simply fuel that drives a body, or is it merely the necessary nourishment needed to survive?  Negative; it is something much, much more.  Humans are the only creatures known that take eating to a level of creativity and passion that no other species can.   We eat for enjoyment, we eat for comfort, we eat when we are happy and we eat when we are sad.  Sometimes we eat when we are bored, which is disgusting and a whole other conversation.  But unlike any other species we establish culture around food, we establish an industry surrounding food and what we eat as diners is out of choice not necessity, but it’s owning that choice that differs us so greatly from any other form of life. 

                  Choice; it’s a simple word that we take for granted most of the time.  We choose to eat the things we eat, and we choose to buy the things we buy, so why do we constantly choose mediocrity.  We are living in an economic time that has only been matched by the great depression, yet we still choose to not support our local food resources.  No, I don’t mean just restaurants but our farmers and farmers markets as well.  Supporting local business is admirable, taking that a step further and supporting our local farmers, breeders and ecosystem is honorable.  We are proud residents of the “Garden State”, take advantage of that, take advantage of the mass amounts of produce and product that we have at our finger tips. 

Change; is coming and is in all of us, and we can do it together.  Next time you are out to eat, question where your food is coming from.  Why would you want to eat lamb that was raised three thousand miles away in Australia when you can have a better, healthier and safer product raised right here in NJ!  Why do you want to eat tomatoes in January, you know they have been picked green and gassed to ripen on a truck.  That’s not even a tomato, it’s a farfetched memory of what a tomato is.  Question your choices, question your decisions, question your servers and chefs and most importantly question your food. 

                  I believe in supporting your local community, always have and always will.  Question the things in life that others may ignore or take for granted.  And never stop being creative and experimental, that my dear friends is what I love about being a Chef.  Choice-Questioning-Creativity

Viva la Cuisine!!

Culinary Mercenary………

Out of the Frying Pan: The Battle of the House - Front V.S. BACK

Guest editorial submitted by Chef J.J.

We all know about some famous battles in our nation’s history; Gettysburg, the Alamo, the Battle at Wounded Knee, even Run D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys but no battle is fiercer, more intense than the longest ongoing battle ever. The battle of the front and back of the house!!!!

First let me define the opposing teams, what they consist of, and the battle field.

 Team FOH (Front of the house) is led by a Manager, look at the manager as a 4-star general, the Commander if you will. Well groomed and riding so “high on his horse”. His Army, aka the wait staff is a hardworking bunch that makes up most of the army with a few higher ranked positions in between. The problem is that they are unreliable most of the time and can be sidetracked by the smallest interference. Some have even been known to leave their posts during battle and never seen again!

The Hostess represents the team and is usually well manicured and pleasant, the bartender is a glass hoarder who is usually stern with the “soldiers” and doesn’t take lightly to jokes and horseplay during battle but is the first to celebrate once the fight is over. Win or lose!

The FOH are like rebels that would desert their team and/or the whole battle for that matter if there was another team in a battle somewhere that had better “accommodations” for their soldiers!

Team BOH is run a little different. A closer group of soldiers, a more……structured bunch. There are not as many as the FOH however they are more powerful and experienced in battle than their counterparts.

The BOH is also led by a 4-star general called a “Chef”. Usually dressed head to toe in bright white attire that is smeared with the blood from battle; this is the person nobody wants to mess with! Even the whole FOH are petrified of the Chef. There are many stories of the powers that the Chefs have. They are not pretty and do to the graphic nature of most of these stories I will leave it up to you to research some of this horror. The “Sous” or 2^nd in command is probably the cockiest “soldier” from both teams. Arrogant, boisterous, demanding…..these guys are like short-fused firecrackers just waiting for someone to come along and light their wick and would not give it a second thought before slapping his underlings back if they were to get out of line. Those underlings are called “cooks”. Not very happy with the rank they’ve been given, the cooks while respecting the Sous watch him like a hawk, hoping that a serious mistake by him will free up an opening and move them up the ladder. The lowest ranking BOH is the dishwasher, often underestimated, these “soldiers” have played large rolls in past battles. They play dirty!

The Restaurant is the field of fight, separated by a wall in the middle and a revolving door. Although both sides of the wall are open for battle, most of the fighting occurs on the BOH side. The rules are pretty much thrown out the window except for one. The FOH can enter the BOH and take jabs whenever they want but for NO reason can the BOH army ever enter the FOH side. If they do this is a very serious offense and will be terminated.

As a Chef I have led my team to victory in numerous battles but have endured some extremely volatile exchanges. The bartenders versus the dishwasher, the Sous versus the wait staff, even the hostess and the manager. I just don’t think that this battle will ever end.

What is it that fuels the rage in this ongoing struggle to bring both sides together and what can we do to bring this fight to an end?

I have this vision that someday, somewhere, both sides can coexist in harmony. After all they are both striving for the same goal!

Chef J.J.