Au revoir for now fellow pig lovers. I am off to France and l’Allemagne today. I am looking forward to lots of sausages and you will hear all about it eventually, but for the next 3 weeks, expect nothing. I don’t know if I will have much access to a computer.
Yes, this is a cardboard box. But if you wanna try a little smoking, with a minimum investment of cash, I think this could be a fine idea to try. Please, have a hose or a fire extinguisher though!
I seriously doubt you are gonna be able to get the temperature up to a nice constant 225-250 degrees, but if you wanted to get a some smoke flavor from the cardboard smoker, and finish up your dinner in the oven or on the grill, I think this could totally work. Try it!
Getting my palette ready for my upcoming trip to Europe, I busted out a can of Liverwurst that Alissa had brought me back from Germany last year, and has been sitting on my shelf a little too long. I noticed the sticker on top had a very festive pig in overalls doing a little jig, and I asked Alissa to translate the German text. I learned that if I can collect 49 more of these stickers, presumably by eating 49 more cans of Liverwurst, I can send them in together for a “free” Pluschschwein, translated as “Plush Piggie.” If anyone has some of these stickers and would like to contribute to the cause, please let me know. This could be my big chance to score a Pluschschwein.
This afternoon I was thinking fondly about how delicous the food was at Texas Hill Country was last week, and decided that I should swing by there for a follow-up sampling after work. It was hot as all hell out today, and I just wanted to go for a “lite” meal of a couple of ribs and a side or something, and I figured that the by-the-pound model they have would make that possible and very affordable.
It was Tuesday, so I was a little surprised to see that the place was pretty much a zoo when I got there at 8:20 pm. They said there was a 15 minute wait until they would even give us a meal card. We gave them our names but ended up not having to wait very long at all. The friendly hostess came and got me and gave me the run down of the restaurant. I have to say that over all the staff at Hill Country is very friendly, and go out of their way to make you feel welcome, which I like.
The line at the meat counter had died down to just a few people. We got in line and decided on our orders. The line moved like arctic molasses while a doofy guy in front of me heckeld his buddies about their inability to decide on an order and proclaimed his opinion that this place was nothing but a gimmick. He seemed kind of like a wiener:
The doofy guy and his friends moved along, and when I got to the front I ordered 2 pork spare ribs and a leg quarter of the smoked “market” chicken. I headed over to the sides counter and got a small order of the “Texas Caviar” which is basically a cold bean salad made with black-eyed peas.
We went down and grabbed a seat. Again, the ribs did not disappoint. They were pretty much just like I remembered which was what I hoped for: simply loaded with smokey flavor, and delicious. The outside, a little chewy and savory with a touch of sweetness, the inside tender and firm and dripping with flavor. Also, I would like to point out that this rib was freaking ENORMOUS:
I thought that bigger ribs tended to be tough and harder to cook. Obviously not in this case. I am in love…I would love to figure out how to cook a rib like this, but it seems daunting to say the least. It is so good.
Now enough gushing about Hill Country. Yes, the food is awesome, but it is by no means affordable. I guess that is fine for them though, cause they are packing the place in every night with a bunch of expense-account weilding Manhattan-ites. My 2 ribs were almost $10. Yes they were big, but 2 ribs for $10, that is pricey. I also got a small leg quarter of chicken (delicious and more affordable, almost $4) and a side of the Texas Caviar, which was fine, but just a small cup of bean salad for another $4. So, 2 ribs, 1 small piece chicken and some beans ended up costing almost $20. That is definitely Manhattan pricing, but then again, it’s in Manhattan. I realize I was spoiled by my first trip there when they picked up the tab for the band…I guess I just gotta hope we get another gig there!
Even though they should probably count as more three, we can add on two more ribs for the Year of the Pig. That brings the count to 108 ribs, or 3 pigs 18. Thank you the pigs!
This is called a ‘preview’ because it won’t be a ‘review’ until PIGGIE himself goes there. In the meantime, I’m happy to report that the much discussed Fette Sau (right by Havemeyer & Metropolitan in Williamsburg) is a wonderful restaurant. For starters, the staff was friendly and helpful (but not fake); the atmosphere is pleasant and unpretentious; and the available meats are on display for easy decision making.
I was there with five others, celebrating my pop’s birthday. We ordered a rack of ribs, flank steak, pulled pork (pork shoulder), and three sides. All the meat was fantastic: full flavored, perfectly well done on the outside, tender inside. No sauce is put on for you; if you want some, they have several kinds on a self-service table. I didn’t feel the need, though some of my companions opted to dip. The ribs had a subtle, delicious rub, and were an excellent blend of ‘tender but not soggy’. The flank steak (not pork, I know) was to die for. The pork shoulder was, for my tastes, exactly the right texture (so important in pulled pork!). The sides were okay, but the only standout was the beans, which should not be missed. (For comparison, HT felt that the sides at Hill Country were superior.)
The meats are sold by the pound. Not including the drinks and desssert (which is also yummy), we ate our fill at quite a reasonable price for smoked goodies (about $11 a person). I will be going back there, no question about it.
I was up in Bearsville, NY this weekend for a gig, and on my way back I passed by the “Smokehouse of the Catskills,” just west of Saugerties. I have driven by this place many times and have always admired the great mural on the side of the building depicting angelic pigs trumpeting their brethren to heaven.
This time I decided it was necessary for me to stop, and I was hungry and ready to see what they had to offer. I walked in the door, and realized that it was a butcher shop. It seemed like a perfectly nice butcher shop, and the people seemed friendly, but it hardly seemed like much of a smoke house. In the corner of the butcher case I saw a couple very sad little smoked chickens looking like they did not want to be eaten. Other than that there was some smoked bacon, and I am sure that was fine, but I didn’t see much else. In fact the most interesting thing I saw were some big soft “bavarian” pretzels sitting out on a table for a dollar.
I moved along, but took a couple pictures of the piggy mural, which is still tops in my book.
This past Monday, I was getting ready to head out to M Shanghai’s regular monthly gig (every first Monday of the month) at the Rodeo bar, when I checked my email and found that our gig had been cancelled. The Rodeo bar has been having some kind of trouble with a city inspector, and so they had to shut down that night. I read on in my email and found out that the same guy that books the Rodeo Bar also books the new barbecue restaurant that I have been dying to try, Texas Hill Country, and he offered to let us have our show there instead, as long as we “promised not to defect” from the Rodeo bar. I was very excited, and promptly headed out the door, to make sure I got some time before the gig to check out the food, which I have heard very good things about.
In case you haven’t heard, the long awaited Texas Hill Country opened a few weeks ago in New York City, conveniently located for me, only a couple of blocks from the PATH station in Chelsea, on 26th Street. The idea of this place is to duplicate a Lockheart Texas Style barbecue joint in Manhattan. It seems they have spared no expense, even trucking up loads of native Post Oak, which only grows in Texas, for smoking. The space itself lookes great, and still has a nice relaxed atmosphere. The downstairs area, where they have music is a nice big venue filled with long wooden tables, and I thought the sound in the room was quite good too.
I was most excited to learn that Hill Country feeds the bands and picks up all the beer, which is sadly not always the case in New York. They handed me a meal card, which you can take to individul stations or to the bar. You order what you want and they mark it on the card, and you pay when you leave. It seems like their system can get kind of chaotic when they are busy, especially with the seating, but I had no problem. I got in line for the barbecue, which is all served by the pound. The menu includes Brisket, Beef Shoulder, Prime Rib, Beef Ribs, Pork Spare Ribs, Pork Chops, Kreuz Sausage (pronounced “krites”), Market Chicken, and Game Hen. It all looked good I must say, but I ended up sampling the Moist Brisket, the Pork Spare Ribs, the Kreuz Sausage, the Beef Ribs, the Coleslaw, the Deviled Eggs, Baked Beans, and Potato Salad. I was impressed with everything I tasted, except for the Beef rib, which was completely dry and frankly terrible. I have to assume it was a fluke based on the quality of everything else. If it wasn’t free, I would have taken it back for sure. Everything else I had was excellent and above par.
As for the Spare Ribs, absolutely delicious: juicy and firm, smoky with a spicy, chewy exterior and a very attractive red smoke ring all around the meat. They were unreal, and come highly recommended! It may not be pork, but for the record, the brisket and sides were all delicious. I liked the coleslaw very much, and all of the other sides that I didn’t try looked really good too. There is a lot more on the menu I want to try, and I will be back, trust me. Probably many times.
A word about sauce: Don’t drown your food. Their bottled sauce is even called “If You Gotta Have It.” I stuck my finger in some of it and tasted it. It made no impression, but then, I was really concentrating on the barbecue. This style of barbecue is typically sauce-free, and that is how I would recommend trying it!
I sure hope we get to play there again, cause that was a really great night for me: playing music, wonderful (free) food and free drinks, plus a really great atmosphere and very friendly staff. Hill Country might be my new favorite NYC venue to play in, and I could see myself becoming a regular there. I am a defector!
To keep up the count, I had 2 spare ribs at Hill Country, pushing the Year of the Pig count up to 106 ribs. Thanks to all pigs involved!
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