Thu Dec 8, 2011

I'm totally "that guy" in Japanese restaurants. You know, the one person at the table who doesn't eat sushi and skips 3/4 of menu and goes straight for the tumpura, katsu, or teriyaki put on the menu just to placate people like me. While I'm slowly getting over a lifelong seafood aversion, raw fish has yet to successfully make its way into my diet, and I'm left ordering off of the "kitchen entrees" of shame. In my own messed up mind, sometimes I turn to negimaki—thinly sliced wrapped around scallions—and trick myself into thinking it's some sort of "meat sushi" because it's in a roll form. I know that's incredibly ridiculously, but you can't deny that this is some pretty good eats.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Thu Sep 1, 2011

I was racking my brain on what type of grand piece of meat I'd present to all of you for Labor Day. The more I thought about it, the more I got a little depressed as the grandness of this grilling holiday is quickly followed with grills being covered and quickly forgotten. It's this that got me thinking about treating the Labor Day lead-up just like any other day on the Meatwave—which still involves a lot of incredibly delicious meat, just without a grand gesture. So what I have prepared for all of my meaty minions are these Thai beef satay skewers, which would be an excellent addition to any cookout menu, even if it doesn't have the presence of, say, brisket or pulled pork.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Tue Mar 15, 2011

Next month I'm going to attempt to climb the highest peak in Texas (contrary to popular belief, Texas is not flat, it actually stretches up to the sky in the area of 8,700 feet). In theory, I should be able to achieve this, but my chance of failure is pretty high in my current physical state. It's high time I start to put some real action behind my goal to lose a little and shape-up. I'm writing this off of a weekend that had me biking 40 miles, a week where I forced myself to eat *gasp* 2 salads and walk a minimum of 15 miles. Part of this plan was not really to eat stuff better for me, but exercise portion control while enjoying the same high quality of flavor I'm used to. A perfect example is this beautiful bowl of Vietnamese pork resting atop a pile of vermicelli.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Thu Jul 1, 2010

It wasn't that long ago that I was answering to the stunned responses I got when I admitted that I had never had Korean BBQ. As such a meat enthusiast, it was dumbfounding to others that I had not experienced the greatness of the cuisine. I had no excuse for not trying it, it was just one of those things that never happened, until this winter, when the wait for Korean fried chicken was too long for my rumbling tummy and Korean BBQ was the inevitable back-up in an area of the city dominated by Korean joints.
Maybe it's the fact that I had put Korean BBQ on a pedestal after so many enthusiastically sold it to me, but I was not totally blown away. Don't get me wrong, it was damn good, just not life changing as fabled stories had led me to expect. This rang most true for the bulgogi—marinated thin slices of steak—so much so it never crossed my mind to make it at home, but during last weekend's Korean meat feast, it made the cut, and what came off the grill was not only heads and shoulders above what I experienced at the restaurant, it immediately stole the show from all other meats that day.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Thu May 27, 2010

Blogging is such a funny thing, a constant pull between complete anonymity and total exposure. Being more than a bit shy and reserved in my real life persona, I rather enjoy the wall I get to hide behind while I ride on this internet superhighway, so I didn't know what to make of an email I received shortly after posting this Asian turkey burger with Sriracha mayo recipe asking if I'd like to be interviewed for a documentary about Sriracha.
A couple of years ago I would have quickly shunned the idea—too much fear and pressure in plopping in front of camera to be a talking head—but right now I'm in a "busting out of my shell" phase, and decided to dive right in, for better or worse. As the interview looms later this afternoon, my head is whirling with mixture of anxiety and tasty tidbits I could impart in my love for Sriracha, which got me thinking of this recipe I had lurking in the back log for Thai beef rolls with sweet chili sauce—featuring a brief cameo by Sriracha, of course.
More and recipe after the jump >>