bbq – Mikeular Gastronomy

It’s summertime, which means lots of sun, beaches, BBQs and beer – preferably enjoyed all at once. My recent posts have had a bit of an Italian flair, but considering last weekend was the 4th of July, I think it’s about time I started to focus on the American Summer. Between outdoor BBQs (I use that term in a loose sense, we’re usually not talking real BBQ here), pool parties, clambakes, pig roasts and everything else that comes with the season, there’s no shortage of great food. Of course it’s not just the food – there’s something about sitting outside during the summer that actually makes American light lagers taste good.

The best part of eating during the American Summer is that the simple, old fashioned classics still take center stage. There’s something dare I say magical about the simplicity of hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill with plenty of cheap, cold beer in the cooler. To kick things off, let me introduce you to something that combines the two. Meet the “beer can chicken”…

Continue reading “Wet Hot American Summer” →

I only first discovered “the short rib” about 4 years ago. Since then I’ve seen it on the menu of just about every trying to be trendy or Asian fusion restaurant I’ve been to (on a side note, I’ve noticed a distinct trend in restaurants trying to be trendy lately). I’m sure some of that comes down to some culinary “Keeping up with The Joneses, but in its defense, the short rib makes for a fantastic dish. If you haven’t tried it, it’s a very tender and very flavorful cut of meat. Most often appearing on menus either marinated and grilled or braised and topped with a reduction of some kind.

Since that first discovery of short rib 4 years ago, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had one – somewhere between 40 and 50 would be my guess (I’m a shameless carnivore). Up until now though, I’ve had no idea what a short rib actually is. It’s beef – I could taste that that much, but there were so many more questions. Does a Kalbi short rib come from the same place as a regular short rib? What part of the cow does the short rib come from? If it’s a rib, why is it sometimes boneless, sometimes bone in and sometimes has lots of little round bones? Most importantly of course, if there’s a short rib, where’s the long rib!? Continue reading “Deconstructing: The Short Rib” →