Andrew Mark Veety

Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality

Kudo's to The West Virginia Surf Report for this detailed analysis of Fast Food Ad's vs the Real Deal. According to the site:

"Each item was purchased, taken home, and photographed immediately. Nothing 
was tampered with, run over by a car, or anything of the sort. It is an accurate  representation in every case. Shiny, neon-orange, liquefied pump-cheese, and all."

The real truth after the jump...

And while I am thinking about it, this analyis reminds me of a great scene from the movie Falling Down, where Michael Douglas tries to find breakfast at his local Whammyburger.

 

Enjoy your lunch.

Kitchen Tools - Egg Rings

Years of watching Alton Brown has drilled into me the importance of avoiding one purpose tools in the kitchen - with the exception of a fire extinguisher - which every kitchen should have. 

For the most part I am in agreement with Alton. However, every once in a while I find a tool that clearly only has a single, totally awesome purpose. At these times I have to expand my definition of multi-use to include the creation of joy - as in the joy it brings to friends and family when it is pulled from the dark recesses of a drawer or cabinet and put to use.

My set of egg rings are just such a tool. 

Yes, they are only good for making perfectly round eggs, but when combined with a cast iron skillet they let me make restaurant quality egg sandwiches at home in short order.

 

I highly recommend picking up a set for your next Sunday breakfast, mine were about fifteen dollars at Williams Sonoma. The price point would also make these rings an affordable gift as well - why would you not want to give the gift of awesome sandwiches to a friend the next time you are hard up for a last minute gift? 

The "process" (if it could be called that):

I like to add a small pad of butter to the center of the ring, using a brush to coat the sides of the metal ring as it comes to temperature. In addition to adding a great nutty flavor to the egg, it helps the ring release before its time to flip the egg. If you would like, you can also use the fat released from cooking bacon or sausage in place of butter - its up to you - I know I would never say no to an egg cooked in pork fat.

Cooking time for an egg is about equal to the time it takes to toast an english muffin. 

Yes, a great egg sandwich breakfast at home is really that easy.

Papa John's Love (Pizza) Is A Lie

Via The Consumerist

"As is custom for Valentine's Day, many businesses are offering heart-shaped merchandise. Papa John's Pizza is offering a such a themed pizza. But, as is often the case, reality can be strikingly different than advertising."

Evidence of the pizza shaped crime after the jump...

Food With Faces - Eggs Benedict At The City Diner

The City Diner in South St. Louis consistently serves up comfort food for the folks in my neighborhood, and Sara and I stop in on a regular basis for great burgers, killer BLTs and breakfasts that keep you fueled up all day long.

I visited the City Diner today with friends to recapture a few of the calories we burned running around Forrest Park in the St. Louis Track Club's Frostbite Series race. 

This happy plate of eggs benedict was just begging for a french fry smile. 

My love affair with diners, eggs benedict and making faces out of food continues.

Thanks for Jeff Lash for his handy iPhone camera and picture.

A Super Bowl Brisket - Part 3

The Super Bowl came and went, as did the brisket that I put together for the party. As you can see above, twelve hours of hickory and apple smoke left its mark on this brisket, penetrating over a quarter inch in some places. 

The ends of the meat were caramelized and perfectly toothsome and tender, however I estimate it would have taken another two to three hours in the smoker to turn the middle from a chewy and pink center to something that I would be completely proud of. In the end I just ran out of time before the game started to finish this long cooking cut of beef.

Regardless, I had a great day tending to the smoke and slowly mopping this brisket with the sweet and spicy sauce that was a hit at the party. I really enjoyed the fact that my friends dug into this six pound slab of meat, leaving an empty cutting board by the time the Steelers came from behind to win the game. My only regret is that I didn't shave myself off a few slices to keep for a midnight sandwich after the game. 

Beef brisket is a treat that is a serious investment of time and resources, but is so very worth it in the end. I hope you enjoyed walking though the process, and I hope you give it a try soon.

Additional Information:

A Super Bowl Brisket - Part 1 - Know thy butcher, what to buy, dry rub

A Super Bowl Brisket - Part 2 - Mop sauce and Barbeque Sauce

A Super Bowl Brisket - Part 2

It's a around 4 hours into the smoking process for this years Super Bowl brisket and I've just applied the first mopping of the jalapeno and peach barbeque sauce I finished up last night. 

The sauce started with a base of beef stock, white wine, vinegar, honey, peaches, jalapeno peppers with most of the ribs and seeds removed, shallots, garlic, apricot preserves, sea salt, cracked pepper and chili powder. After brining the ingredients to a boil, I used an emersion blender to combine the mixture and then lowered the temperature to a slow rolling boil. 

After reducing the liquid by a third, I reserved part of the sauce to use as a mop for the next days smoking, allowing the mixture to cool and the flavors combine in the fridge overnight. Then I continued to reduce the remaining liquid until it was a sweet and spicy sauce to use as a side for the game.

After the first few hours, its a good idea of mop a brisket every hour or so. The vinegar in the mop will help keep the brisket moist, and will also help tenderize the meat. Because of the sugar content of this mop, its a good idea to apply it in thin coats, allowing it to build a nice caramelized layer over the course of the day.