Henry

GRAAAHHH!!!!! Mother Fffiddle dee dee.... Sigh, I guess I was wrong. If Food Network is to be believed, Chaps does indeed cook their beef from scratch. But it is bottom round and not top round, which may account for the inferior flavor, but makes me really respect the place for being able to get it so tender. Sorry Chaps.

I guess I assumed most folks don't own a dutch oven large enough to accommodate an entire brisket, but if so of course use it. My thought was that it's far more likely to have a roasting pan available, which when tented with foil, provides sufficient cover and easy access for temp checking. Btw OP, how did the dinner go?

Hmm, this is an interesting point. There's a lot of conflicting info out there. I don't have my McGee in front of me, but I do know that the smoke ring results from a reaction between myoglobin in the meat and nitrogen compounds in the smoke, similar to curing meat with sodium nitrate or nitrite. I do not think that smoke ring = smoke flavor though. The smoke ring does contribute a flavor of its own, but I'm not sure it's smoky necessarily. Indeed, if you ever have ribs cooked in a high-speed, self contained device such as a SmokeChef (prevalent in Baltimore City due to environmental codes), you will note a good smoke aroma and flavor, but no smoke ring. Thus I think that though cooked or "set" proteins may not be amenable to a smoke ring, smoke flavor penetration is still possible. Also, for ribs I've found that smoke flavor pretty much maxes out at around 3 hours, and the ribs reach 140 way before that. There is also the less respectable technique of par-boiling ribs first, then smoking them, which does still imbue them with smoke flavor, though perhaps not as much. So perhaps it's a combo of density and myoglobin damage as a result of cooking. So why start the meat cold? Basically because that seems to be the consensus of those that smoke meat far more often than I. I don't believe it's due to the muscle fibers being more "open" when cold, although I guess that could be possible. In any case, it probably takes less than 10 minutes for the surface to get back to room temp in the cooker, so maybe it's just more convenient than letting it rest. I guess it's worth investigating the difference - next time I will! Also, for anyone interested, I'm going to be on the Dan Rodricks show on Tuesday, June 24 (1:00 pm 88.1 WYPR) talknig about BBQ.

Some pics: Briskets in the cooker - the wood is in there because it was cut very recently, and this is a fast way to season it a bit. Note the re-positionable fat pieces. Double hook-up of the thin blue! The smoke on the right actually is blue, just looks white in the shot. You want to avoid thick, white smoke at all cost - this is what causes that acrid taste and sometimes that thin, black residue on meat. Keep intake vents at least half open and exhaust wide open. Control temp via amount of fuel, not venting. Never soak your wood! Finished product.

That's right, an IR thermometer only measures surface temp, which has limited value when BBQing. A probe thermometer is essential. If you get a digital, avoid the cheapest of the cheap since they tend to take a long time to display the accurate temp. The most convenient device is a probe that will alert you when a certain temp is reached, either via audible alarm or page, depending on how fancy it is. As far as smoking a tender brisket, it's hard to put a time on it, since brisket these days come in many configurations, i.e. whole, flat, point, first cut etc. I address it briefly in my pastrami treatise. It's better to go strictly by temp, and is actually quite simple. I do employ one trick that purists may deem heresy. Most ppl tend not to trim the brisket of its fat cap, since it acts as a self-baster during smoking. I do however, into several large slabs, and reserve them. Apply your rub of choice (simpler the better for beef, as far as I'm concerned) the night before. When you're ready to start, your cooker should be at around 270, but anywhere between 240 and 290 should be ok. Transfer meat directly from fridge to cooker, since cold meat takes smoke better apparently. Then take your reserved fat trimmings and place on top of brisket. This way, you get the self basting benefit, and the rub gets into all the meat surfaces. While cooking, reposition occasionally to achieve even browning (another benefit!). Smoke until internal temp reaches about 175, usually about three hours or so for me. Then, wrap tightly in heavy duty foil and cook using coals only, but still maintaining cooker temp, until internal temp reaches 190. Though beef is well done at 175, you need this extra time and heat energy in order to convert the tough collagen in the hard-working brisket muscle into melty gelatin. Finally, there is the essential resting period, wherein the hot, volatile juices can redistribute and become more stable within the beef. To ensure maximum juiciness, let it rest in a cooler for at least an hour. Note that there will still be a lot of juice in the foil, which you can make into a sauce or whatever. I always end up with a significantly dense and tasty "bark", but after resting you can reintroduce the brisket to a hot cooker briefly for a chewier "bark". As with BBQ in general, it's all about feel, which comes from trial and error. But I've found this template to be pretty effective. Fall-apart tender is easy, just cook it for 12 hours. I always assume chopped brisket is just a salvaged fail brisket. What I look for is brisket that can be sliced easily, hold its structure, and still be tender. Also, though I never use it for pork, I settle for hickory with beef, just to preserve my dwindling stash of apple and cherry. And of course, thin blue smoke at all times!

I rarely bake brisket in the oven (I normally smoke), but I do not recommend using brown sugar. My default rub is salt, sugar, black pepper, coriander and garlic. Combine with little neutral-flavored oil and rub the brisket the night before. Btw, the source of brisket I've found is the Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Hunt Valley - it's grass/silage-fed beef and is usually $3.69/lb. Anyway, forming a crispy "skin" is really not possible, but I do recommend either an initial oven temp of 450, for perhaps 20 minutes, or searing in a hot pan to induce browning. Then tent with foil and bake or braise(with water, broth, beer, or other flavored liquid if you wish) at 300 until the internal temp reaches 190. When it reaches 190, bake for another hour, then wrap in foil, then in a towel, then let it rest preferably in a cooler. Should take about 4 hours total cooking, much preferable to leaving your oven on overnight, in terms of both temp and energy. Also, don't trim the brisket and cook it fat side up. I don't think leaving it cooking in an oven overnight is a good idea, because then you risk cooking it too long and making the brisket too tender. I happen to prefer a brisket that is tender, but with enough structural integrity to slice easily without shredding apart.

Hard. Core.

Yep, sorry I meant Leo's and it's at 1403 Chester Pike, Folcroft, PA 19032, 610-586-1199. I have a some photos and such, I will post a topic on the subject tonight.

Haha yes the farmer's market one looks pretty alluring, but Dmnkly I'm gonna save you 45 minutes of waiting in line - kinda sucky. I have absolutely no idea why the line is so long all the time. I've even asked people randomly why they think the line is so long. Shrugs. I've concluded it's one of those crowd/herd behavior things. The beef is actually not that bad, but not worth the wait, and the sausage is just plain bad. Damn I'm just a hatin' fool today, sorry for all the negativity.

hillvalley, i gotta know - what did you read it as at first? Only thing i can think of is maybe "Night of the Hookers"?

Also, and I will confirm this next time I go, the cuts on the grill looked way too uniform, semi-spherical with a distinct flat side. Real pit beef tends to be much more irregular: Now I suppose I could be wrong about all this, but I'd bet money there's no raw beef in the Chaps walk-in.

To me, the beef had that supermarket deli meat injection brine flavor, and again the tenderness draws suspicion. I didn't mean that they take sliced deli meat and grill it (which they actually do do at Key Pit Stop), I believe they take whole cuts of cooked, brined roast beef, grill them for a time, then slice. When you buy this kind of roast beef, you can get medium-rare or fully cooked styles, thus I think if/when they run out of the medium rare cuts, they can't just take out a raw cut of top round and start cooking it. I also think the excessive moisture content in the commercial deli-style meat is what prevents a proper char crust from forming on their beef. This is gonna sound nasty, but although my sandwiches also had pink stains, I believe it was brine solution, because it didn't taste bloody at all. Ewww. I mean mmmm. When you have the real stuff, you will immediately be able to differentiate. Also, based on the size of the building and what was visible of the kitchen, I couldn't imagine where their actual pit would be. What I did notice was meat being taken out of storage drawers, already cooked, and then being grilled. I really don't know jack about cooking pit beef, but I imagine you wouldn't get good results actually cooking such large cuts on a flat-top grill.

I actually spent a few nights working in the kitchen at Petit Loius, believe it or not! I wanted to expand my knowledge of French cuisine, but in three days I'd pretty much learned the entire menu. This is not a knock or self-aggrandizement, on the contrary it's a testament to the true "bistro" nature of menu, although I've always believed most places that bill themselves as bistros are priced too high to be accurately regarded as such. This includes Petit Louis. But, the quality of ingredients and skill of preparation is no joke. The kitchen staff there is without a doubt one of the best I've ever encountered. The dining room is very attractive and has great energy. One thing they need to improve on is their bar - I ordered a negroni and it was terrible. On the other hand, Pazo has arguably the best bartenders in Baltimore.

Do you live in Philly? Happens to be one of my favorite food cities. Every couple of months I make my way up for Ocean Harbor, Dmitri's, and cheesesteaks of course. I was at Morimoto about a month ago and was sadly disappointed. It used to be my measuring stick for Japanese food, but I fear quality is slipping slightly as of late. Recently, Leon's, a bit south of the city, has assumed my top spot for best cheesesteak in Philly. Come to think of it, I can't ever recall seeing pit beef anywhere else but here. That's definitely worth investigation. I want to go to NY to sample beef on weck - one of the most poetic accountings of meat ever was in Gourmet's Road Food column many years ago, wherein the sliced, medium rare beef was described as (and i paraphrase) looking like soft, velvety rose petals. Mmm, rose petals. By the way, has anyone been to Little Texas on Pulaski? I've driven past countless times, but have never been inclined or able to stop and check it out.

The only question, really, is domestic or imported crab meat? Even how a place answers is telling - if they know right off the bat, bonus points, even if it's imported. If they are sheepish or claim not to know, I'd say don't bother. If they use domestic, go immediately.

Thank the lord, real pit beef is not dead in the city. Seems like fake pit beef is spreading out of control in the area. Many places now seem to use straight-up deli cuts, expose them to an open flame for a few minutes, and pass it off as the genuine article. Well we are not rubes dammit! Anyway, I knew there used to be a spot in Dundalk that was good, and I finally made my way back. I did not however, realize it was named Bada Bing Bada Beef. Despite this uh, whimsical attribute, this place is the real deal. Sandwiches are constructed from sturdy, cornmeal-y kaiser rolls and unapologetic shards of meat hewn from big, fatty, bloody hunks of top round (though I was told they may be switching to bottom round due to rising costs). Fries were very good, sauces and accoutrements were pretty run of the mill. The sweet tea is no joke - liquid diabetes in a styrofoam cup. I haven't been to the Canopy in a while, but for now this is my top pit beef spot. I got my beef medium rare, of course: A telltale sign of true pit beef, bloody bread yeehaw! Pit ham was excellent as well, though it could have been better trimmed of fat:

Like so many other foods, real pit beef is dying off right before our eyes. I happen to live within a few miles of which I guess recently has attained a rep as the go-to pit beef spot round these parts, even referenced in the pit beef thread that seems to have died a while back. It's pretty good but not really real. Two things should jump out at pit beef enthusiasts from the get go - there's barely any char or crust on the meat, and it is way too tender (also a characteristic of the "pit" beef at Key Pit Stop, which I sorta reviewed for the Citypaper '08 Eat Guide). After peeking into the kitchen from across the counter, it's immediately apparent that this place uses pre-prepared deli meat, instead of cooking from scratch. Now this may make some sense for pit ham, or perhaps even pit turkey, but not for pit beef. This may explain the sporadic availability of rare and medium-rare beef encountered by some. They do however use real wood charcoal, fwiw. I need to have that deep, dark char and slightly chewy, bloody texture you get from medium-rare top or bottom round. Here's my default order at chaps, the bulldog (pit beef, sausage, cheese), genius in concept if not execution: The ribs here are actually worse than I could have possibly expected. They're completely untrimmed spareribs, so in a full order you actually only get 3 ribs, with lots of the coarser "outside" meat, fat and gristle attached. Very unattractive. Plus they are obviously boiled or baked, lacking any smoke flavor at all. Another candidate down in the search for decent bbq in Baltimore: ...and then simply thrown on the grill briefly before getting doused with sauce that tastes like genereic supermarket or Sysco. Very bland and more akin to eating pork roast than ribs. DO NOT WANT! Note the total absence of a smoke ring: As has been mentioned in the pit beef thread, fries were terrible, one step away from mashed potatoes - yeah, that soggy.

I can't wait to try this place out, always need to support earnest intention and skillful execution. Hunan Manor seems to have fallen off a bit lately, perhaps this is why.

The search for decent BBQ in Baltimore is a thankless, soul-crushing endeavor. Night of the Cookers, which opened in one of those "cursed" locations in B-more that seems to have a revolving door policy for restaurants, seems to be the latest in a long line of posers. My visit was a few months ago, so things may have changed by now, but I'm guessing not: I visited the carry-out annex, next door to the the dining room proper, after ending up on labyrinthine Howard St. while trying to dodge traffic. I'd heard that it had opened, but reviews/opinions were strangely non-existent. Anyway the place bills itself as modern Southern or some such variant, so I warily ordered a rack of ribs. As I did, the gregarious cook/chef excitedly recommended I try his gumbo. Naturally I asked how long a roux he used (I go for the medium chestnut 25 min. flavor), and he replied that he cooks his for TWO HOURS. Me: Uh, two hours? Just for the roux?" Him: Yeah, uh, well, uh, you know how roux after you cook it for a while separates?" Me: Um, yeah (thinking to myself, yeah that's how you know you've fucked it up!) Him: Yeah well I let that happen a few times and mix it back together. Ok.... Well you never know, so I ended it there lest I spark a futile, unnecessary exchange, and went home with ribs, gumbo, mac and cheese, and greens. Here is the gumbo, which logically, if based on a two hour roux should be very dark brown, but instead has a suspicious ruddy tinge (may indicate the presence of tomato, which is of course totally unacceptable): The gumbo was oily and lacked depth, and worst of all, perhaps due again to the absurdly long roux cooking time, contained many shards of jagged ash, such as this one: In a word, sucky. Even the andouille sausage was mushy and bland - how hard is it to order decent sausage, honestly? The ribs were disappointing. I should have known better than to order them when I noticed a total lack of smoke in or about the place. I asked another cook what kind of wood they used to smoke the ribs (the menu indicates that they are smoked "low and slow"), and he openly squirmed. In any case, an obvious visual indicator of steamed/baked/boiled ribs is when the meat has retreated dramatically from the bone: And then of course there's the absence of a pink smoke ring: And finally the lack of any smoke flavor. These ribs were clearly cooked conventionally, probably braised, and the thin, bland sauce was oily, and did nothing to help. The mac and cheese was actually one of the best retail versions I've ever had, and the greens were slightly above average. I guess I should try a sit down dinner before casting final judgement, but needless to say this does not bode well. Also I have a hard time justifying paying $23 for a plate of fried chicken when I can make a superlative version at home with my trusty pressure cooker.

The one place in Westminster that I recall as being exceptional is Paradiso, which serves good Italian, but I think it's more of a sit-down dinner spot. As for fried chicken, if I recall correctly we used to make the drive up there merely to eat at the KFC in Cranberry Mall for their all-you can-eat bar. All-you-can-eat KFC, how horrible and beautiful. In any case, also in Cranberry Mall, Brass Hen serves good fried chicken, more akin to the type you would find in a typical Baltimore City "Chicken Box".

I think they are calling for rain this weekend, which means it'll probably be sunny. In any case, James Joyce Pub in Harbor East has a nice little patio, and their food is pretty solid. Despite ample outside seating, I would avoid any of the Harbor restaurants if at all possible. If you don't mind traveling a bit, there's "b" in Bolton Hill, which is actually owned by the Karzai family, who also own The Helmand. A little further in east in Fells there are a few options, including the dependable if ordinary DuClaw, and Kawasaki which has decent sushi. Take the fam on the water taxi from the harbor to Fells - it'll be an adventure!

Folks I've been smoking the good stuff for close to sixteen hours now. By which I mean meat, with fruitwood, of course. I've been dry aging a whole ribeye for the past couple weeks, which I put in my fearsome Tirenan cooker last night at 8:30. 12 hours later, and voila: I am now halfway through the ribs (20 lbs of beautifully trimmed spareribs), which are smoking over apple and cherry: Bordering the ribs are several feet of my homemade boudin blanc. Also on the menu is some kind of spring asparagus/pea/lemon zest rice thing, paella-ish, and my first annual deviled egg competition! If my calculations are correct, I'm expecting 144 deviled eggs to be offered up today. As the saying goes, "huevo duro, pedo seguro", so I have also stocked up on air freshener. Ahem, anyway updates are forthcoming. What are you cooking on this unspeakably gorgeous holiday weekend?

Linda- Perilla is actually not shiso, they are related but are distinct both in appearance and flavor. Perilla, at least the kind you can find around here, is considered the "korean" or "purple" variety and has less pronounced jaggedness around the leaves. The flavor is milder and lacks the licorice-like notes of Japanese shiso. The stuff grows EVERYWHERE! Once you successfully identify your first perillas, you will start noticing them all over the place, in much the same way as when you buy a new car, you start noticing that car all the time.

Indeed! A commenter on my article noted that perilla is considerd an invasive plant. At the downtown farmer's market last year, I spoke with a vendor who was selling purslane for $5/lb, and she noted the irony of it being her best seller, since only the year before she was pulling the stuff up as a weed. Keep in mind that wild perilla has a sharper flavor, and sometimes coarser texture, than the farmed stuff. We Koreans almost never eat the leaves raw, instead they are either pickled or steamed with a buttload of garlic and red pepper, then used as wrappers for rice usually. And as a bonus, more pics! I happened upon a thick patch of urban flora on the corner of Maryland Ave. and 22nd St.(first pic), and right in the middle was a big old epazote plant (second pic). It's also called wormseed, and apparently Baltimore used to be a major production center for wormseed oil. The herb can be used in soups like chilaquiles or sopa de res.

Attman's is the only place in Baltimore that doesn't use readily available, commercial (e.g. Saval, Boar's Head) pastrami. From what I understand, they have two sources, one local and one not local, who supply them. The recipe is their own, and they specify the cut of beef. The cut they use is really the only flaw in Attman's pastrami. The flavor is really very good, sharper and stronger than Katz's (which is in fact quite mild), but the texture is, for me, not good. Whatever the cut is, it comprises what looks like several different muscles with varying grain, interspersed with connective tissue that isn't usually cooked down into gelatin, and is thus stringy. I have a load of pics of Attman's, Katz's, and my own homemade stuff here, which I took while researching my Citypaper article on the subject. Despite the small problem with texture, I had heretofore considered it the best pastrami available in the area. Last weekend, I was proven incorrect. Mark's Deli up in Reisterstown of all places, has what is in my opinion the best, by a fairly long shot, pastrami within 100 miles. The owner Rodney Metlan drives up to NJ to a supplier for his cured beef, then steams it in house. The cut used is navel plate, the same used for Katz's, although the flavor is closer to that of the old Carnegie Deli, I think - "redder", if you know what i mean. I will be posting a review with pics very shortly, but in the meantime I cannot recommend this place highly enough - everything I tried was excellent, and real, in the deli sense of the word.