Friday, August 30, 2013
Seems we forgot to mention that we're relaxing in the Florida Keys for a mini-vacation and brought Carol's mom with us...
Today we went down to Key West, which is about 30 miles from where we're staying. We did a little shopping, gave Mom the nickel tour of the island, saw the sunset at Mallory Docks, then had a delicious dinner at El Meson de Pepe, a wonderful authentic Cuban restaurant we first went to with Lisa's sister, brother-in-law, their daughter Katie & son Scott.
El Meson de Pepe has a medium-sized dining area that feels much larger due to its high ceilings. The atmosphere almost feels a bit like you're in EPCOT. All servers speak perfect English but feel free to order in Spanish if you want to use your old high school Spanish.
After glasses of water were delivered (and no inquiry about whether we wanted other beverages), a basket of hot Cuban bread arrived. As is the custom in Cuban restaurants, the bread was split, buttered, and grillled on a flattop to crispy goodness. Also accompanying the bread were two small dishes of sauces...one was a garlic mojo-type while the other was rip-your-lips-off hot. The hot sauce was very tasty but not typical since Cuban food isn't spicy.
Mom wasn't too hungry so she had only a bowl of black beans, sided by white rice. She said the black beans were pretty salty but adding the rice cut the salt.
Lisa ordered ropa vieja (English translation is "old clothes" since the beef is shredded and resembles old clothes or rags), which came with black beans, rice (choice of white or yellow...she chose white), and sweet plantains. Ropa vieja is Lisa's "usual" when we go to a Cuban restaurant and she likes Pepe's version which contains red wine.
Carol had the "Completa Tradicional", a combination plate that included lechon asado (roast pork), a tamal Cubano, and the prerequisite sides of black beans, rice, sweet plantains, and yucca. The pork had been marinated in a cumin-mojo sauce and had been roasted perfectly...it was succulent and flavorful! The tamal was a Cuban version of a tamale...a cornmeal base with some meat, steamed in a corn husk. The menu stated these were "filled with roast pork" but Carol didn't find any meat at all! That was a disappointment... Yucca is something Carol has tasted before and hasn't enjoyed but she gave it one more try. She found it, as in previous attempts, to be kind of tasteless. Even the garlic sauce that came with the bread couldn't help it much.
We all enjoyed eating at El Meson de Pepe! Not only is the Cuban food great but you can't beat the location adjacent to Mallory Square!
El Meson de Pepe 410 Wall Street, Mallory Square Key West, FL 33040
305-295-2620
www.elmesondepepe.com
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Baby's Coffee and Shave Ice in Key West
We had two new experiences in Key West today. The first was a stop at Baby's Coffee. We had a late breakfast so decided to skip lunch and go directly to coffee and snacks. We each had a frozen coffee which is just like a frappucino. Carol and I had mocha and Mary had a latte. They were very good and hit the spot just right. We each had a snack to go with. Oatmeal cookie, chocolate crumb cake (the crumbs were chocolate) and mocha chocolate chip muffin. It was an excellent mid-day snack. Apparently, Baby's is the spot for folks who are on long bicycle rides to stop. There were three who stopped in while we were there.
We were on a roll with snack foods so after taking a driving tour of Key West, we stopped along the beach at the shave ice truck. These are much like snow cones only the ice is very finely ground and mounded to where there was almost as much ice on top of the cup as there was inside. We chose dark cherry, pineapple and lemon. She asked if we wanted evaporated milk on top. I thought that was a strange concept but wanted to try it. Of course we did not get the milk on the lemon flavored one. I don't know how much the milk added and I don't think I would add it the next time. But the shave ice was very good! It was an excellent snack and quite refreshing
We had two new experiences in Key West today. The first was a stop at Baby's Coffee. We had a late breakfast so decided to skip lunch and go directly to coffee and snacks. We each had a frozen coffee which is just like a frappucino. Carol and I had mocha and Mary had a latte. They were very good and hit the spot just right. We each had a snack to go with. Oatmeal cookie, chocolate crumb cake (the crumbs were chocolate) and mocha chocolate chip muffin. It was an excellent mid-day snack. Apparently, Baby's is the spot for folks who are on long bicycle rides to stop. There were three who stopped in while we were there.
We were on a roll with snack foods so after taking a driving tour of Key West, we stopped along the beach at the shave ice truck. These are much like snow cones only the ice is very finely ground and mounded to where there was almost as much ice on top of the cup as there was inside. We chose dark cherry, pineapple and lemon. She asked if we wanted evaporated milk on top. I thought that was a strange concept but wanted to try it. Of course we did not get the milk on the lemon flavored one. I don't know how much the milk added and I don't think I would add it the next time. But the shave ice was very good! It was an excellent snack and quite refreshing
Craig's Restaurant - Tavernier, FL
On our way into the Keys and thinking of a place to stop for lunch. Of course, the locale and the mood says we should eat fish! Carol suggested we stop at Craig's and try their "world's famous fish sandwich." So we did!
Carol had a fried grouper sandwich with coleslaw. I had a grilled mahi-mahi sandwich with pasta salad (cost a dollar more for grilled). Mary, Carol's mom had clam chowder with a grilled cheese sandwich and fries. The food was excellent if a bit pricy. Carol's grouper sandwich was $18.95!
The sandwiches come on wheat bread. The grouper was breaded with a light cracker crust. Grouper is a light mild flavored fish that is firm but flaky. An adult grouper can weigh up to 800 lbs. though they average 20 lbs. I will not post a picture of the fish... They are UGLY! Back to the food... The sandwich was a bit messy as fish sandwiches tend to be. There was PLENTY of fish in the sandwich. The sandwich came dressed with American cheese, tomatoes and tarter sauce. The coleslaw was chopped finely and was sweet with a nice tartness. The mahi-mahi was well spiced and plentiful. Mahi-mahi is a light flaky fish that is not so firm as grouper. Again the sandwich was quite messy. It was hard to keep all the fish on the sandwich. There was enough going on with the sandwich that it was hard to taste the tarter sauce. In this case, that was not a bad thing. I chose to have no cheese on the sandwich as all fish sandwiches come with cheese. It was an excellent sandwich. I had their pasta salad as a side. It was made with sliced banana peppers and LOTS of olives! (Olives are one of the very few foods I will not eat.) In spite of that, the salad was good. I skipped the peppers and gave the olives to Carol. Mary says the conch chowder was ok. She expected some spicy heat and there was none. It was a bit sweeter than she expected too. The grilled cheese sandwich was typical and very good. She says the fries were the highlight of the meal. Potatoes were freshly prepared and the oil was clean all of which went together to make excellent fries.
Service was average, not spectacular. We found ourselves waiting for our server more often than not. Mary had finished the chowder long before the server was available to ask for hot sauce.
Overall, this restaurant comes highly recommended!
On our way into the Keys and thinking of a place to stop for lunch. Of course, the locale and the mood says we should eat fish! Carol suggested we stop at Craig's and try their "world's famous fish sandwich." So we did!
Carol had a fried grouper sandwich with coleslaw. I had a grilled mahi-mahi sandwich with pasta salad (cost a dollar more for grilled). Mary, Carol's mom had clam chowder with a grilled cheese sandwich and fries. The food was excellent if a bit pricy. Carol's grouper sandwich was $18.95!
The sandwiches come on wheat bread. The grouper was breaded with a light cracker crust. Grouper is a light mild flavored fish that is firm but flaky. An adult grouper can weigh up to 800 lbs. though they average 20 lbs. I will not post a picture of the fish... They are UGLY! Back to the food... The sandwich was a bit messy as fish sandwiches tend to be. There was PLENTY of fish in the sandwich. The sandwich came dressed with American cheese, tomatoes and tarter sauce. The coleslaw was chopped finely and was sweet with a nice tartness. The mahi-mahi was well spiced and plentiful. Mahi-mahi is a light flaky fish that is not so firm as grouper. Again the sandwich was quite messy. It was hard to keep all the fish on the sandwich. There was enough going on with the sandwich that it was hard to taste the tarter sauce. In this case, that was not a bad thing. I chose to have no cheese on the sandwich as all fish sandwiches come with cheese. It was an excellent sandwich. I had their pasta salad as a side. It was made with sliced banana peppers and LOTS of olives! (Olives are one of the very few foods I will not eat.) In spite of that, the salad was good. I skipped the peppers and gave the olives to Carol. Mary says the conch chowder was ok. She expected some spicy heat and there was none. It was a bit sweeter than she expected too. The grilled cheese sandwich was typical and very good. She says the fries were the highlight of the meal. Potatoes were freshly prepared and the oil was clean all of which went together to make excellent fries.
Service was average, not spectacular. We found ourselves waiting for our server more often than not. Mary had finished the chowder long before the server was available to ask for hot sauce.
Overall, this restaurant comes highly recommended!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
First Time Brisket on New Masterbuilt Digital Electric Smoker!
You may have followed the progress on Facebook of our overnight smoking of a brisket last weekend on our new Masterbuilt digital electric smoker. Here are the details:
First, let's settle the issue of charcoal vs. electric smoker. We own two CharGriller units that use charcoal to grill or smoke. We've been very successfully with them but there are always issues because the units are very drafty and difficult to keep a steady temperature. The Masterbuilt electric unit is well-insulated and holds its temperature very well. It cooks from 110-275 degrees so its great for smoking jerky and smoking other things that need lower temps. Of course, we'll still use our CharGrillers but the Masterbuilt allows us to do things like this overnight smoke with a minimum of trouble. Now on to the brisket!
We used a 13 pound "packer" brisket. This is a whole brisket in its Cryovac wrapping. A whole brisket includes both the "flat", the larger, narrow, leaner portion and the "point" (also called the "deckle"), the smaller, fattier (and therefore moister) part. We neglected to take photos of the raw brisket but you can search Google images and see exactly what we mean. Also, if you look at the final two photos of the cooked brisket the flat and the point can be clearly seen.
First, we wash the brisket under some running water to remove blood and that "raw meat smell". We always wash our meat before we smoke it. We then like to trim it down to 1/4" of fat and also trim a lot of the fat between the flat and the point, almost separating the two parts. Indeed, for this cooking we DID separate the brisket into halves to fit it into the smoker although one half had point and flat while the other had just the flat. Your tolerance for fat might lead you to trim more or less of it off. Some fat is necessary to baste the meat as it smokes.
After trimming we coated the brisket with our special rub (you may use store-bought rubs, find a recipe, or create your own), and allowed it to warm up a bit. There are conflicting opinions about allowing meat to come up to room temperature before cooking but we do it and are always happy with the results. The photo shows the two halves waiting to go into the smoker.
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We turned the Masterbuilt digital electric smoker on and set the temperature to 250 degrees. Once it was hot enough we added a combination of hickory and apple wood chips. Hickory, although it's been the favorite smoking wood for most meats, can bit a bit strong so we sweeten it up with the apple.
The meat then went into the smoker with the probe thermometer placed into the thicket part of the brisket but not into the fat. We wanted the meat to cook to 165 degrees for this first step of the cooking process, which would take about 6 hours. The time was 1:45am...time to go to bed for a few hours!
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Carol woke up at 4:30am and added more chips, then woke up at 7:30am. The meat was at a perfect 165 degrees and so she removed it to wrap it. We used a wrapping mixture created by chef Adam Perry Lang for his "Serious Barbecue" cookbook. Combine 4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, 1/2 cup of honey, and a 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar to make this mixture...try not to taste it or you might end up finishing it all before you get it onto the meat! It's delicious! Here's a photo of the ready-to-wrap brisket, the two halves stacked...
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Using a double layer of heavy duty foil, Carol placed the brisket onto it, partially wrapped it, then poured the wrapping mixture on and completely closed the foil. The probe thermometer went back into the brisket and the brisket went back into the smoker to cook until it reached 200 degrees. This took about 2 1/2 hours.
First, let's settle the issue of charcoal vs. electric smoker. We own two CharGriller units that use charcoal to grill or smoke. We've been very successfully with them but there are always issues because the units are very drafty and difficult to keep a steady temperature. The Masterbuilt electric unit is well-insulated and holds its temperature very well. It cooks from 110-275 degrees so its great for smoking jerky and smoking other things that need lower temps. Of course, we'll still use our CharGrillers but the Masterbuilt allows us to do things like this overnight smoke with a minimum of trouble. Now on to the brisket!
We used a 13 pound "packer" brisket. This is a whole brisket in its Cryovac wrapping. A whole brisket includes both the "flat", the larger, narrow, leaner portion and the "point" (also called the "deckle"), the smaller, fattier (and therefore moister) part. We neglected to take photos of the raw brisket but you can search Google images and see exactly what we mean. Also, if you look at the final two photos of the cooked brisket the flat and the point can be clearly seen.
First, we wash the brisket under some running water to remove blood and that "raw meat smell". We always wash our meat before we smoke it. We then like to trim it down to 1/4" of fat and also trim a lot of the fat between the flat and the point, almost separating the two parts. Indeed, for this cooking we DID separate the brisket into halves to fit it into the smoker although one half had point and flat while the other had just the flat. Your tolerance for fat might lead you to trim more or less of it off. Some fat is necessary to baste the meat as it smokes.
After trimming we coated the brisket with our special rub (you may use store-bought rubs, find a recipe, or create your own), and allowed it to warm up a bit. There are conflicting opinions about allowing meat to come up to room temperature before cooking but we do it and are always happy with the results. The photo shows the two halves waiting to go into the smoker.
We turned the Masterbuilt digital electric smoker on and set the temperature to 250 degrees. Once it was hot enough we added a combination of hickory and apple wood chips. Hickory, although it's been the favorite smoking wood for most meats, can bit a bit strong so we sweeten it up with the apple.
The meat then went into the smoker with the probe thermometer placed into the thicket part of the brisket but not into the fat. We wanted the meat to cook to 165 degrees for this first step of the cooking process, which would take about 6 hours. The time was 1:45am...time to go to bed for a few hours!
Carol woke up at 4:30am and added more chips, then woke up at 7:30am. The meat was at a perfect 165 degrees and so she removed it to wrap it. We used a wrapping mixture created by chef Adam Perry Lang for his "Serious Barbecue" cookbook. Combine 4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, 1/2 cup of honey, and a 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar to make this mixture...try not to taste it or you might end up finishing it all before you get it onto the meat! It's delicious! Here's a photo of the ready-to-wrap brisket, the two halves stacked...
Using a double layer of heavy duty foil, Carol placed the brisket onto it, partially wrapped it, then poured the wrapping mixture on and completely closed the foil. The probe thermometer went back into the brisket and the brisket went back into the smoker to cook until it reached 200 degrees. This took about 2 1/2 hours.
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