Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Pulled Pork Sandwiches....With a Side of Humility


Ten days ago, I was driving with my wife, we were discussing our BBQ Sauce and Spice Rub that we sell and I mentioned that I would like to look into opening a food booth at a carnival or fair this summer to sell BBQ.  Yesterday, I removed the last bit of equipment from the parking lot where we opened our first BBQ concession. 

This may seem to be less-than-prudent and maybe even a bit rushed.  It was but, you know, the longer you put off, plan and wait for the perfect time, you realize there is no perfect time and you just have to jump in.  This was something I had thought of and planned for years and ten days ago, all I had was years of inactivity to look back on.

Six days ago, on a shoestring of a budget, we bought the bare essentials, bartered some of my sauce for some after-hours time in a licensed commercial kitchen to do my prep work and I convinced a not so receptive health inspector that I knew what I was doing, I was competent and begged him for a chance to set up.  Then, I had to sweet talk the local Fire Marshall's secretary and remind her of my 6 years of fire protection and suppression experience and gently pull the mandatory fire permit from her grasp. 

I lined up my friend Dean, my sister and brothers to help run the BBQ tent, expecting that I would not be able to pay any of them for their time, except in food of course. Over the four days the carnival ran, I slept no more than a few hours, when I could, partly because I needed to look after the smokers, but mainly because of my nerves. 

Costs were high and I made some foolish mistakes but we didn't lose any money.  I worked hard for a few bucks but as I look back on this, the true value of the experience stands firm in my mind.  This is something that I hope to continue to pursue over the summer.  There is a great deal of information that will be gleaned over the next few days as we reflect and try to take notes.  This information is only attainable from the actual experience.  This alone, is of great value and will help tremendously if we chose to repeat the famous Pulled Pork Tent. 

For me, there is a great deal of value in the experience.  My wife and I did this together, but I know she was doing it for me.  She has zoned out of more than a few of my "we should sell BBQ at carnivals" talks over the years.  Furthermore, I had an entirely different experience than she did.  I was there, alone at night and early in the morning and I had to deal with the stress and guilt imagining if it didn't work.  How selfish of me to risk our money for my personal dream.  Without the constant strength and reassurance of my wife along for the ride, I know I couldn't have seen this through. 

I also had the great pleasure of meeting a great group of guys.  Carnival workers and other vendors who knew I was green and extended themselves, because they were gentlemen.  I know what I have thought of carnival workers in the past, and maybe some of that is true about other Carnies, but not the ones I met.  I'd like to tell you about one of these guys in particular.  His name is David, not Dave, and that's exactly how he introduced himself.  He's been "working shows" his entire life.  His family owns the largest Carnival in Florida and he's worked it since he was a child.  From November to April he works in Florida.  In the summer, the family business shuts down or heads to "winter quarters".  That's when David heads north and works here, in New Jersey.  Come September, he'll head back home, visiting some friends along the way and then he plays golf for two months, until the family business calls.  I'm not kidding. 

I hung out with David quite a bit over the last few days and I learned more than just the questions I asked him.  After the first day, I noticed that he had an assistant, or that's what I thought.  His name was Mikey and he hadn't said a word to me yet.  I asked David about his assistant Mikey and what followed was one of the most remarkable stories I have ever heard.  David explained that last year, he was in North Carolina, helping a friend at a ten-day carnival before he headed home.  He noticed a man, walking around by himself, for days at this carnival and finally approached him.  That's how he met Mikey.  Mikey's father and mother had died a few years back.  He wasn't able to take care of himself, so Mikey went to live with his brother, who had been shot and killed the day before the carnival started.  Mikey was walking around the carnival, alone as David had observed, because he was.  No money, no home, no family.  David took Mikey back home to Florida, gave him a room at his house, some cash for food and smokes and a permanent, paid spot on his family's carnival.  When the season was over, David called up to his New Jersey boss to discuss a job for Mikey.  By that time, all the spots were full, but Mikey came to work anyway.  What Mikey didn't know; David paid his salary every week, last summer while he learned how to work a "show". 

They work during the day setting up rides, game booths and the concession trailers.  When the carnival opens, some of the guys go to the bunk house to "rack up" or sleep and others are assigned to work the rides.  David changes into some khaki shorts and a golf shirt and quietly walks through the crowd just observing.  I asked him why he does this and he pretended not to hear me. 

Here is a guy that doesn't have to work another carnival for the rest of his life, in fact, he probably doesn't have to even work ever again in his life, yet he does.  He says that he loves it.  That may be true, but after hearing the story of Mikey, I can't help but think there may be other reasons too. 

I left the carnival with all of my money (back in my wife's possession), a great appreciation of my friends and family who came out to help at the booth or look after my kids or lied to me when they said that wanted to eat pulled pork sandwiches four nights in a row and insisted on paying full price and I left the carnival realizing that perception isn't always reality.  It certainly wasn't with my new friend David.  See you next year, Buddy.

      






Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Salt Of The Earth

I am not one that loves the spotlight, I don't like public speaking.  I usually just prefer to blend in.  There are two situations where my personal preferences are overshadowed; cooking for others and my opinions.  The latter, you may say I can help, but I really can't.  I only speak when I know I'm right (I said this in a sarcastic voice). 
As I have said before, I cook out of love for those I serve, I don't cook for the attention.  I don't cook for praise and I never ask if you enjoyed my food.  Of course, I care about how people perceive my food, if they enjoy it or not,  but I hate the feeling of soliciting some positive feedback so I keep quiet. 

I cook quite a bit for my church during the fall and winter.  During the summer, I cook almost exclusively at my church's summer camp.  This is my service, provided to people I love and I get uncomfortable when people compliment my food.  I don't think I cook anything too amazing, everything I cook is homemade, just like I cook at home.  Maybe part of the uncomfortable attention I receive is partially due to the fact that I'm a guy and the cooking has traditionally been handled by the ladies.  I, however, think it has to do less with me and more, if not everything to do with the preparation.  More specifically, how seasoning is applied.  Recently, Food Network personality Michael Symon said something that I have thought for years but have been unable to put into words.  He posted the following on Twitter; "If you don't cook with salt and your friends say your food tastes good, they are lying".  I couldn't agree more, but allow me to expand on this thought.  People always compliment food that is properly seasoned.  The ability to properly season food and understand how to develop more complex, deep and memorable flavors in meals lays entirely on the shoulders of your ability to master the use of salt (and other things!). 

I have heard people say how they wished they could recreate a dish from a certain restaurant that they love.  It's not so hard, just use more salt than you normally use.  It wasn't by accident that one of the first products I decided to sell was a super premium, high-end salt.  For a home cook, mastering the use of salt and other seasonings will translate into consistently better food, faster than any technical mastery. 
To highlight this point, today I made some of my "famous" Roasted Corn Salsa.  Famous is in quotations to emphasize how the use of this term is not my own.  Using the term "famous" to describe my own food seems somewhat conceited, but this salsa has a reputation around my church's summer camp.  I made this a few years back and it has been a perennial favorite ever since.  I learned the basics of this recipe while working in the kitchen of a restaurant years ago. 
A few years back, I had a dinner to cook at "The Camp".  I was shopping and stumbled onto a crate of 50 or so ears of fresh corn.  I couldn't help myself and impulsively bought the case of corn.  Now what?  I had a dinner that night and had to find a use for 50 ears of corn.  I remembered the salsa recipe and went for it, with a few modifications.  It's fresh, it's pretty easy to make and always leaves a great impression on the crowd.  The secret...just use good salt!  I'm not kidding.  There's a few other unexpected ingredients but that's basically it. 

So now that I've proven my point, there are just a few other matters to address.   As I write this, I am preparing for the anti-salt argument.  All I say is prove it.  Prove that salt is bad for me, prove that its worse than any processed food and prove it without the help of some ancient medical journal.  The human body requires salt.  I require salt and your taste buds require salt, you may not know it yet.   

"Trust no man unless you have eaten much salt with him." - Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43BC)



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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Don't Eat The Hot Dogs


We have all heard of the game "telephone"?  Well, if you haven't, let me sum it up.  Typically, a group of persons participate by receiving a message and "repeating" the message to another, until the original message and end result are compared.  The game is used to demonstrate how the original message differs significantly from the ending message. Some people just lack the ability to repeat a message accurately, some people change the message to ensure a different end result.  As communications and "knowledge" increase in this age, the game of telephone has taken on different roles.  Misinformation regarding food seems to be like the sniffles at a preschool; uncontrollable. 

I have been hearing two food myths lately that I would like to specifically address.  I do not seek to persuade you in any direction, my intentions are simply to criticize the myths for their lack of due diligence and encourage the reader to make their own, independent decision.   

As I have stated in my last article, I prefer homemade food over any other kind.  I also prefer "good stuff", by now you probably know what I'm talking about here.  If not, go back and read.  As previously stated, I also have a few exceptions to this rule and I'm not inviting you to judge me.  I make no apologies for this position. 

There are some comments floating around about hot dogs not being biodegradable, thus, they are not suitable for consumption.  I found this quite intriguing so I searched some keywords and found dozens of articles containing the words "biodegradable" and "hot dogs".  I also found several articles speaking of 25 year old hot dogs in landfills.  On its surface, this could be called true.  That is, if all you did was read the two sentences in the search results and did not seek the truth any further than just at a glance.  I did, and found dozens of articles criticizing the modern landfill for not allowing natural decomposition to occur.  The articles went on to state how 25 year old hot dogs, corn cobs and lettuce leaves were unearthed.  The authors blamed the suspended state of these items on the landfill design, not the ingredients of hot dogs.

The second myth that has me scratching my head involves the 6,12,15 month old McDonald's cheeseburgers, left out on the counter, which did not decompose, rot or undergo any noticeable changes since it's purchase and abandonment.  In all of these experiments, it is seemingly impossible, that a cheeseburger could just dry out or  dehydrate when left exposed.  Our ancestors dehydrated meat to preserve it, some of us, myself included, still do this now.  Why has nobody even mentioned this?  Has a similar test been performed and reported using organic ground beef, bread and cheese?  Well, actually, according to seriouseats.com, that very test was conducted  (http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html, 2010).  They prepared 9 samples, some homemade and some from McDonalds, and found no significant difference in any of the samples.  No mold, no rot, actually, besides slight weight loss in all samples, there was really no changes.  This experiment has concluded that the small size and relatively large surface area of all the samples aided to naturally dehydrate and preserve.   

This is a great way to discourage our kids from eating at McDonalds.  It's a great anti-McDonalds "experiment", but the truth is, McDonalds doesn't need this food spin to mobilize people in economic protest.  They can manage without these lies. Beyond this organization demonstrating its value of the dollar over food quality, health, sustainability, fair trade and environmental protections there is little left for any further argument. They can manage simply on the merits of their own racist agendas, for what they support and who they offer their business opportunities and partnerships to.  This is why, among many other reasons,  I do not  economically support McDonalds. 

I am not a person that shies away from a debate.  I say things because I believe in it, and I welcome a debate.  I am not afraid of an opposing point of view.  I can respect that.  What I don't respect is believing hype and internet non-sense and then repeating that non-sense as if it was based on truth.

I was away this weekend, on a golf trip.  I had the pleasure of spending time with a bunch of guys I know well, and one that I didn't.  I spent both 4 hour car rides with him, ate many of our meals next to each other and we played a round of golf together.  I found how similar an outlook we share on food, I respect his knowledge and commitment to a sometimes difficult belief.  We spoke of this McDonald's burger myth.  I wondered what his opinion on the whole debate is.  The response, "the burgers may be a myth, but look at the fries".  After Adam's well-delivered explanation and a day or so of pondering this statement, I have resolved to simply do the experiment myself, fries included.  I will let you know the results, although I still maintain that it really doesn't matter much with talking about McDonald's, there are so many reasons to shun them aside from what we already know; food quality isn't a hallmark of this organization and responsibility is shadowed by profits. 

Just in case you were wondering, I thought I was holding my own on the golf course, until Adam joined my group.  As he watched me for 18 holes, I can only imagine what was going through his mind.  He must have seen me as a gorilla swinging some expensive clubs.  We were very different golfers! 








Thursday, April 26, 2012

Is It Over Yet?

I am acutely aware that I will undoubtedly draw nasty looks from many reading this, but here goes.  Cupcakes annoy me.  Well, actually the cupcake trend annoys me.  The only thing that would annoy me more would be a pink, cupcake food truck, with a cliché name like Crumbs, Buttercream, Sweet Dreams, and so on, that sold cupcakes for 5 bucks each, and I'm sure there's one of those around.

As fast as real businesses are giving in to the reality of the struggles of this economy, moving their business out the back door, the cupcakesters are moving in the front door.  Taking advantage of eager property owners, favorable, short-term rentals and cheap, second hand or home kitchen equipment, that they have little experience using and they move in.  Cupcake shops lack the real world expertise to run a profitable business, so instead, they show us their lack of control when purchasing their ingredients, pass those costs on to the customer and tack on huge markups for profit.  You pay the price for some recent, know-it- all college grad and their marketing degree, which of course, lends the knowledge and respect for business that one would need to participate in such an endeavor.  With arrogance and self-righteousness they sell cupcakes for $4 and $5 a piece and preside over cake pops, whoopie pies, yogurt shops, gastro pubs and truffle popcorn producers everywhere as the king of all things trendy, that also possesses an expiration date.  Cupcakes represent the dumbing down of the skilled trade of baking, they are the triumph of appearance over substance.  They are given a cold shoulder from real bakers, people who have spent years learning an art, they are granted credibility from the Food Network and other media outlets who, are just capitalizing on the trend for their own profits.  Nonetheless, they have found a special place in hearts and town centers of many.  Yes, they remind us of our childhood and some could say they are fun to eat, although I use a fork most times.

I'm sure most of us have tried one of these fad cupcakes.  Your observation was probably like unto my own; this thing is way too sweet.  Let's compare these fancied-up, high priced servings of cake to something a bit more meaningful; pie.  When made properly, with quality ingredients and by someone who cares about the product, pie is rarely very sweet.  Why would you mask the awesome flavors of the fruit and the hard work that went towards preparing the dough from scratch?  This is the difference, since pie is relatively NOT considered a fad, it has been spared the pollution from the trendy types who really have no idea how to bake.  Pie is found attractive to  different groups of individuals; people who actually value the food they eat and people who actually value the process behind producing something good to eat. Pie requires skill, finesse and a thorough understanding of flavor and appreciation of quality.  Pie doesn't have to look attractive, it's not hiding anything, or trying to divert your attention away from what it lacks.  The skill of a cupcake baker seems to be more in their ability to dress up the top of an otherwise poorly baked, small cake.

My cousin Jess started an interesting project over a year ago.  She bought the largest cookbook she could find, that was filled of pie recipes only.  She then began the arduous task of recreating every pie in that book.  On occasion, when she visits, she will actually commandeer my kitchen and produce one more pie.  Her blog and the picture journal she has created to chronicle her efforts tells an interesting story and confirms my thoughts on what baking truly is.  Baking is something that you work on to perfect, it's not something for which a kit is sold, and it's not something that a bit of fancy camouflage will be sufficient to make desirable.  Follow her blog and judge for yourself.  A year after she began this project, her technical aptitude and passion is shown in every pie she shares with us. 

I made a pie this morning with my daughter.  She loved helping measure some ingredients and lay out the crust.  I think she loves making pies so much because she thinks I can't see her when she steals some of the fruit out of the bowl, but that's fine by me, I had her in the kitchen and that's all that matters. 
As we see what unfolds around us, with this trend and every other, I can't help but wonder; is there a strong enough demand for these premium-priced cupcakes to justify this kind of market expansion? Or, are cupcakes just another soon to be forgotten, food fad?      



**Throughout this article are pictures of my pie, that I made today and some of my cousin Jess' creations.  I purposely left the edges of my pie sloppy, because I like making statements.   ©2012 http://peace-of-pie.com/



Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Sum of a Thousand Lies


Imagine for a minute, that you own a beef business.  By that, I mean you either raise or process beef for human consumption.  The ever tightening economy has you up at night pondering business practices to increase your profitability.  Maybe then you realize how much money your business has been spending on the disposal of those extra cow parts, the fat, connective tissue and tiny bits.  Maybe you wish there was a way to somehow market this product, but who would buy this waste, and for what purpose?  Then the idea hits you like a cattle prod.  Take this waste, blend it into a pink mass and flood the mixture with some ammonia to kill  the E. Coli, of course.  Then, all that's left is to sell it to profit-over-quality fast food restaurants and some school lunch programs.  This actually isn't your idea, it's the genius minds at Beef Products, Inc and they have made some business of feeding us this junk.

I didn't actually have to tell you this story, like me, you have known this for some time now.  This information has had such a profound effect on how I shop for food and what I prepare for my family, it owns a piece of this blog.  This was one of a handful of reasons I can identify for taking a hard look at what comes into my kitchen, and it should be for you too.  As I sat and thought about how we have been deceived, I struggled to define my course of action, but I refuse to allow my children to be fed this for-profit poison.  Finally, I have my course of action; prove to myself that I can make it better, or at least just as good, by using single ingredients (whenever possible) and document my experiences.  So here we are, you're reading it!   

I love a good burger.  Beyond the fact that I can no longer support food establishments that serve this waste beef product, I fundamentally disagree with some business practices of these large establishments, but I will spare you those details, for now.  I will just focus on the burger.  With this being said, I am aware that I have basically limited myself to eating burgers at home.  Rest assured, I do not miss the fast food version one bit.  I don't buy frozen beef patties anymore.  We have seen exactly what they contain.  I don't get excited by phrases like "angus" or "prime".  These are mostly a dog and pony show, skirting around the USDA guidelines to add "value" to an otherwise valueless product.  I go to a butcher, I look at a piece of beef and then I ask for said piece of beef to be ground to a specific coarseness that I request.  Assuming you can trust the butcher, as I do, you know exactly what is in the ground beef you bring home.  I made some burgers for this article.  They were very good.  I mixed in a bit of olive oil, shaped them into patties and sprinkled a healthy dose of my Hickory SmokedSea Salt and some fresh black pepper.  I grilled them over natural oak char-coal and made some caramelized red onion to top them off. 

I keep my grills and smoker out all winter, and yes I have two grills.  I have a propane grill and a char-coal grill.  The idea behind the smoked salt was for the odd occasion that I may not be up to standing outside in the dead of winter.  Smoke the salt in the nice weather, and enjoy the "grilled" taste in the warmth of your house.  Now, I really don't care what season it is, I just like the salt and use it quite a bit. 

When I was young, every day I would make "the rounds" with my grandfather Rocco.  We would visit the Dairy for milk, the bakery, the produce guy and the butcher.  Most times he was buying a little something, and sometimes we just went to say hi.  Countless times, I watched my grandfather buy a piece of beef, bring it home and grind it with a hand grinder for whatever he was cooking.  As I would sit and watch, I remember always thinking to myself how he is inconveniencing himself, how the stores have this already prepackaged.  My grandfather was a firefighter, but worked a part-time job for a while as a butcher at a local market.  It wasn't until I was sitting here writing this article, when I actually realized why he took the extra step and did it himself.  My grandfather knew well the value of doing it yourself.  He understood that quality is something produced, not purchased.  The food industry has been lying to us since my grandfather's days, and well before.  They continue now and pursue more profitable, more egregious and more pervasive means to achieve their goals.  Sometimes, you miss out on the knowledge others may have to offer.  Sometimes, you get lucky and remember.    


  



Thursday, April 19, 2012

Never At A Ballpark


As I sat in the doctor's office, my wife a few weeks pregnant with our daughter, I listened to the doctor review a list of eating and lifestyle changes that would have to be made.  Just before we walked into this appointment, I was aware that certain foods were now off limits for my wife for the next 9 months.  I made the decision that, in order to be more supportive, I would adopt the restricted diet as well.  The doctor starts to list the restricted foods; no sushi, no alcohol, no caffeine, take vitamin, blah, blah, no hot dogs.  That was the exact moment in time that I gave up on my short-lived, but most genuine attempts to be supportive.  No hot dogs, that a deal breaker. 
I realize that the focus of this blog, so far, has been centered on the idea of "homemade" and generally "good" stuff.  I am also aware that hot dogs do not fall into either category, therefore have no business in this arena, however, I am the author.   I make the rules and if you have trust in me at all, there are two exemptions to this rule; hot dogs and Taylor Ham.  if you're not from Jersey, I'd bet you don't have the foggiest idea of what Taylor Ham is, and that's a good thing for now.  I will further discuss Taylor Ham at a later, unspecified time.  Right now, it's all about hot dogs, and to finish my story, all I'll say is that I am now familiar with eating hot dogs and sucking down a burning hot coffee, in the privacy of my vehicle while running "errands".

New Jersey is a Mecca for Hot Dog lovers.  Chances are good that in your home town, there is a Hot Dog place.  Chances are even better that the ideas, flavors, cooking style or the actual proprietor of that very stand, are from New Jersey.  There are no Taco trucks and very few roadside BBQ joints here.  There's Hot Dogs.  Our newspapers rank the best Hot Dog places around the state, and so do me and some of my buddies.  We make a pilgrimage around the state to the best of the best.  One guy handles mapping and site selection, one guy handles research, most of them just eat and I drive.
Businesses where Hot Dogs are cooked and sold to the public are broken into categories.  You have Hot Dog trucks, restaurants which sell other things, but are known for their Hot Dogs and finally, you have Hot Dog joints (like a stand).  These places do Hot Dogs and they may have other menu items, but nobody pays attention to them. 
Growing up, a good friend of mine owned a Hot Dog truck.  To be more specific, his family owned the truck, all of us just felt like we owned it every Saturday at 12:30pm when we would show up and hit the dogs hard.  Everything sold on this truck, except the Hot Dogs, was homemade.  I have spent many nights, in a basement kitchen, helping my friend peel potatoes and onions for their famous sweet onion topping for these dogs.  For this article, I am preparing my most favorite sweet onions, which I learned in that basement.  Out of respect to my friend (who took over the family business), I can't give out the entire ingredient list, but what I'm making tastes great anyways.  Email me for the abbreviated recipe, that will change how you do dogs.

When you come to New Jersey, you have to try some different Hot Dog joints.  I'd be happy to use this as an excuse to eat more than 6 dogs in a day, but if you didn't want me around, here is the absolute and final say on where you need to visit.  These are the best, and trust me, I've been to them all. 

Best Hot Dog Truck: The Original Chris' Red Hots- Branch Brook Park (by the tennis courts), Newark, NJ.  A semi-mashed potato mixture with chopped vinegar peppers and cheese is almost beyond words.  My second dog here is just the sweet onions and mustard.  Yes, it's a dirty water dog, or the more colloquial "tube steak" but they are just perfect.    

Best Restaurant that's known for Hot Dogs: Max's- Long Branch, NJ (a block from the beach).  Some of my fondest childhood memories are of taking the trip to this place.  It's always packed and the dogs are awesome.  No frills, just simple and well done, with a pot of sauerkraut on every table (whether you want it there or not).  Anytime I'm even close to their neck of the woods I swing by.  For the longest time, no store sold this very distinctive Hot Dog, so, every time we would go there when I was young, we took a cooler of them home with us.  Now, a few stores around sell the Hot Dogs that they use.  On the grill in the summer, I can get pretty close, but there's just something they do to it that I can't figure out.   

Best Hot Dog Joint: Jimmy Buff's- West Orange (this is where I go, but I'm a creature of habit), East Hanover, Scotch Plains, Kenilworth and Randolph, NJ.  These guys are winners of more than a handful of awards, local recognitions and a personal favorite of the "Munchmobile", which is sponsored by a local newspaper.  I have been here countless times, and for the life of me, I don't know if they even have a menu.  It really doesn't matter, I only get the Italian style dog.  Its fried with sliced potatoes, peppers and onions and I get some mustard.  Its served on Italian bread that I won't even try to explain.  It's just awesome.  They are unique, special and perfectly executed, every time.  I have never had a bad experience here.  Even at lunch time, when the lines are long, the service is remarkably fast.  That's a good thing because you can smell the aroma of the perfect creation frying, before you open their door and you only have a few minutes before you're going crazy.  Great dogs and no apologies, this should be first on your list.  It's amazing just how many people travel to eat here.  I can't tell you how many times I've been eating here and I see cars with out-of state plates in the parking lot.  People travel to visit these guys.   

My grandfather worked for a few years in a meat factory, that produced Bologna and Hot Dogs.  This is actually how he met my grandmother.  Apparently, back in those days, Bologna and Hot Dogs were manufactured using an inedible casing in order to maintain shape as the product cooked.  When I was young, my grandfather would lecture my sister and I on the process of Hot Dog manufacturing, noting on a regular basis, that some lesser-quality Hot Dog manufacturers still left this "skin" on.  After some research, I have discovered that this practice ended over fifty years ago, but as a child I heard of these unscrupulous Hot Dog purveyors, and I'm pretty sure my grandfather knew this too, but would tell this same story every time he peeled the "skin" off our Hot Dogs, leaving a barely palatable resemblance of the original product.  To this day, when my sister is over and I cook up some dogs, she will smirk and ask if I remembered to peel the "skin". 

The most ironic bit of this whole story; my wife is less than enthusiastic about Hot Dogs and just last week, I asked my 2 year old daughter if she would like a Hot Dog.  Her response; "no thanks, I'm allergic to those".  Impossible, I say!   





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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

It Doesn't Exist, But It Does....


If you live in New Jersey, you are most likely a victim of the Garden State's toll roads, and the "legend" surrounding them.  As the story goes, many years ago, the State needed funding to support some cause or cover some debt.  So, the government, like with all things, decided to impose a tax in the form of a toll on these roads.  One small caveat to the law; the toll collecting had to be justifiable and represent a current need for the funding, which would be used on those roads.  Simply put, so long as there is "work" being done on these roads, the toll is collected.  The result; overpaid and rude toll collectors, roads that are in various states of disrepair and strategically placed paving machines and excavators every so often on the center median.    

Once a tax is collected, the government has the most difficult time imagining life without.  I am writing of the New Jersey paradigm simply to highlight the existence of this most pervasive trend, and its survivability to this very day.  This story is intended to expand upon a story with a far richer history, dating back to the Civil War.  Alcohol, more specifically home brewed beer, wine and spirits, also known as Moonshine, in many parts of the country. 

Similar to the discriminatory New Jersey road tax (poetic license), that civil war didn't pay for itself, so the government decided to impose a "temporary" tax to help fund the Union.  After the war, they needed that tax to rebuild.  Afterwards, take a guess what happened to the tax, or better yet, look at your receipt the next time you buy some wine for dinner.  Still there.  This eventually lead to a revolt and was probably the single largest catalyst for home brewing in the history of our country.  Many people reverted back to brewing or distilling spirits for their own consumption (and maybe a bit for their neighbors too).  Some did it to illegally resell, some in protest of the tax and others as a matter of continuing a family tradition.    

It's no secret that the government loves to tell us what they know is best for us. After all, who but Big Brother should know ourselves better?  This, of course, seems to be their preferred method of "guidance".  Obviously, liquor produced in one's home doesn't create a positive revenue source for the government, so the war began.  We are told of the dangers of a product that isn't regulated and the lack of quality controls that make it unsafe.  We are shown images and told stories of distillers of all kinds portrayed as backwoods hillbillies, uneducated, inept and criminals.  Is this really true? Or is the government showing you a small group of bad seeds to persuade your opinions of the entire group?  According to some home brewing associations and groups, the majority of home brewers:
           - Have technical or professional occupations.

          - Are well educated, with the majority possessing college degrees.

          - Most fall into the middle to upper-middle class income range. (RaiseYourPints.com, 2009) 

Just to be clear, there is a difference between someone who is engaging in the criminal act of marketing spirits for the purpose of avoiding tax and someone producing beer, wine or spirits, at home for their personal consumption.  Today, taxes have changed slightly, with regard to alcohol.  Today, alcohol is subject to one of the so called "sin taxes", which has proven to be the most ineffective forms of taxation.  In my opinion,  sin taxes represent a group of individuals who are attempting to force change upon the people they tax, by calling it "immoral".  Once again, proving they know best.  Never once is any consideration given to the idea that an individual may be able to produce a small batch of wine that puts to shame a 92 point Pinot Noir in their basement. 

I very rarely drink beer.  Sometimes, I'll have some wine but I would always choose homemade wine over a something commercially produced.  I always look forward to the late fall, when the homemade wine is ready.  In my laundry room right now, is a shelf, full of my home brewed, blueberry ale.  I have to say, it's a decent beer.  What makes this beer really special?  Obviously, it's homemade.  You may be wondering why, after I just told you that I didn't often drink beer, would I make my own.  Like many other things, it's the process.  I went to the market and bought all of the ingredients, I cooked it, I waited three weeks to bottle it, and there is sediment at the bottom of the bottle, and that's special.  My mark is on that beer.    

Last week, I received a gift from my cousin Levi, a long time "Rocco sympathizer" and Founding Member of our 2011 Championship BBQ team.  It was a plain brown bottle, given to me by his wife.  It survived a cross-country journey, to be delivered to me with specific instructions; "Levi says don't drink it 'till Thursday".  Well, I waited a few extra days to fully respect the brew and consume it as I am composing this article.  It's not just the beer.  Don't get me wrong, the beer is excellent.  Its malty, with a gentle bite with hints of caramel, sweetness and fruit.  But what is really special here, what's really special with most foods and drinks is knowing the person who created it.  Its special to get something from someone across the country, who took the time to think of me and enlist the help of spouse (with directions for consumption) just to get me a single beer.   
Like I've said, I rarely consume alcohol but my experiences with home brewed beer and homemade wine have further proven my position on "homemade".  This would be a great project to take on.  It's fun and the beer at least, would be ready just in time for the summer.  I can tell you one thing for sure, as Levi and I stay up all night, running our smoker for the 2012 BBQ competition, there may be a homebrew or two consumed. 

As for the experience of home brewing as a whole, I can almost hear the words out of the mouths of all those before; "Don't tread on me".  Take advantage of your 200 gallon federal exemption!  

Excuse the wine glasses....I can't find a pint glass
"Some people believe that everything in moonshining boils down to the almighty dollar and who is going to get it- the government or the moonshiner.  Some question which is the greedier of the two."- Sarah Quinn Hambrick "The Quinn Clan" 1993.