My Morning Jacket - Holdin on to Black Metal

We Love Ramen

Created by: Hack College

Lambchop (the band) - Gone Tomorrow

If you are looking for lamb chops, or any other lamb cut for that matter, check out Border Springs Farm. Otherwise, listen to Gone Tomorrow from Lambchop's newest album titled Mr. M.

Whipped Mangalitsa Lardo

Chef Sean Brock on Charlie Rose

Click the image to view an absolutely amazing interview.

NASHVILLE BBQ: US News & World Report Names Nashville One of America's Best BBQ Cities

Nashville has been on kind of a roll of getting named to various and sundry lists and top tens. 50 Best Places to Live. Top 10 Cities for College Grads. Top 10 Cities for Single Women. Top 10 Pickup Cities. Top 10 Shopaholic Cities. And my personal favorite, Top 10 Unhappiest Cities.

Well you can add another list to the list. U.S. News & World Report has just named Nashville on its list of America's Best BBQ Cities.

And Music City has some pretty lofty company on the list - Memphis, Central Texas, Kansas City, North Carolina - all places that are considered the barbecue capitols of the world.

A couple of years ago, when we did our rundown of Nashville's barbecue joints, we set out to answer the question of whether Nashville is a great barbecue town. What's funny is that we never really explicitly answered the question. Maybe you can infer your own answer based on my reviews. By volume, I think Nashville is a major league barbecue town - there are a LOT of barbecue restaurants in this city. And like the U.S. News blurb says, there is a lot of variety. But as for quality (and more importantly - consistent quality)? I think we're a long way from the Memphises and the Kansas Citys of the world.

Nashville's current food scene is dyanamic, and I think we're in an exciting time. Things are changing and there are people who are committed to greatness and to doing things the right way. The future is bright and only getting brighter, and I think barbecue can be a part of that. But at the same time, barbecue, more than many other cuisines, is very rooted in tradition. And I'm not sure that Nashville has the foundational bedrock of tradition that many of the other great barbecue cities have on which to build.

Speaking of new places, we'll soon have reviews of some of the new barbecue restaurants that have sprung up in Music City. So stay tuned...

The Features - How It Starts

On The Road: Two Boroughs Larder

I recently went on a little culinary escapade to Charleston, SC. If you are reading this blog, you probably care something about food, and therefore know that Charleston has been a great food destination for some time. You may even know the names of several of the top restaurants. There are Sean's Brock's two places, McCrady's and Husk, Mike Lata's Fig, and Craig Deihl's Cypress, along with other notable local establishments Hominy Grill, Magnolias, 82 Queen, and the list could go on and on. I've been to some of these places and had excellent experiences, but on this latest trip, one new place really stood out: Two Boroughs Larder. Open less than a year, it is quickly establishing itself as a hot spot in Charleston. 

The concept is a little market pantry with a kick ass restaurant serving southern/local with often times an Asian twist. As you can see in the image above, I had the noodle bowl proper with all the add-ins (kimchi, sesame greens, pickled mushrooms, and extra pork).  The best part of this ramen bowl is the house made organic whole wheat flour noodles. They make their noodles fresh everyday and the time and care they put into it really shows. I will confess that the ramen bowl in the photo above was from my second trip to Two Boroughs Larder in as many days. On the first trip, I got a little taste of the noodle bowl, and I had to go back for more. I also tried the beef belly tartar, the fluke crudo, and the country fried sweetbreads - you can check out their menu here, though it changes frequently.

If you are a person that likes to find the little gems amongst the diamonds, check out Two Boroughs Larder. 

OCMS - Mary's Kitchen

Boudin

I made some boudin before Christmas, but I never got around to posting the pics.

The pork and liver came from Porter Road Butcher, and the recipe was courtesy of Donald Link via The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook.

Special Feature Preview: Dizzy Pig

Just a little preview of a feature coming up on Dizzy Pig Rubs

Sausage Making

Just made up a little batch of Berkshire breakfast sausage.

Pimento Cheese, Please!

Pimento Cheese, Please! from Christophile Konstas on Vimeo.

I'm going to have to whip up a batch this evening.

10 Best BBQ/Grilling Gift Ideas

Thermapen™
One of the best tools when it comes to cooking meat is the Thermapen™. There are several cuts of meat that have a small window of perfect doneness, and the only way to nail it every time is with a Thermapen™. With 3-second readings and High accuracy to ±0.7°F, no other thermometer can match it. Note: the red one is the fastest.

Cookbooks
There is no better way to explore your horizons than with new cookbook Here are a couple of my favorites:

The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook

Primal Cuts: Cooking with America's Best Butchers

Whole Beast Butchery: The Complete Visual Guide to Beef, Lamb, and Pork

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing

If you are looking strictly for a BBQ cookbook, I would go with one of these:

Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue: Barbecue Your Way to Greatness With 575 Lip-Smackin' Recipes from the Baron of Barbecue

Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book: Recipes and Secrets from a Legendary Barbecue Joint

Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking

Knives
Who doesn't love a good knife? Knives are the essential cooking tool, and you can never have too many. Here are a couple of good options:

Need a brisket slicer? Check out the Forschner Fibrox 12" Granton Edge Slicer.

How bout a nice Japanese Knife? The Shun Pro Usuba 6.5" is a really nice choice.

Edge Pro Knife Sharpening Kit
Once you have sharpened a knife with the Edge Pro, you will never use any other method. This kit allows you to get a mirror finish on a blades edge. If you are ever in a pinch and need to shave with a household kitchen knife, I would be sure to sharpen it with the edge pro first. There is no gimmick, and the price tag kinda gives that away, but you will never have to use another sharpening system again.

Big Green Egg
Why not go all out and get an egg. You know you want one, and what better time to splurge than at Christmas. They come in all shapes and sizes, so I'm sure you can find the one that is right for the special person on your list. Note: just because they may already have an Egg does not mean that they couldn't use another one.

The Pig Tail Food Flipper
A great alternative to the bbq tool set. Easily flip and handle smaller cuts of meat. I recommend the medium or small version. The largest one is just too big.

A BBQ Class
For the serious bbq'er in your life, look into some of these cooking classes.

Pellet Envy Competition BBQ Classes

Bub-Ba-Q Competition Cooking Class

Jack's Old South Cooking School

Chimney Starter
Most grill masters are probably already using one of these, but if you've seen a bottle of lighter fluid at your buddies house, by all means buy them a chimney starter. If they are using the lighter fluid in other ways you might want to check into this.

Epicurean Cutting Board
These cutting boards are rock solid. I have two of them that I use daily, and they are still as good as new after 5+ years.

Booze
What goes better with meat than booze? This one is really up to your preference, because most booze goes with bbq. Well everything except these:

10 Worst BBQ/Grilling Gift Ideas

Apron Sets
No one really wants one of these things.

BBQ Tool Set
If you want to get someone a nice spatula or tongs, that's fine. However, the items that come in these sets are crap.

Bacon Themed Anything
These were slightly funny about two years ago, but don't waste your money.

Hamburger Press
If you feel like someone needs a hamburger press, they probably shouldn't be making hamburgers.

Fork Thermometer
You shouldn't poke you meat with a fork to turn it or to get the temp of it, and the thermometer on these is about as accurate as this guy.

Grill Branding Iron
Clever idea? In theory maybe, but they don't work very well. Beef is too dark for it to really show up, and your chicken and pork really don't need to be branded for any reason.

Indoor Grill
A true grill master will fire up the grill in snow, sleet, rain, or a tornado. Also these things are a bitch to clean up.

I Can't Believe It's a Lighter
Is that a shotgun shell? That's a cute little camera. No, they are lighters silly.

Themed BBQ Sauce
Really? I like Georgia, but I don't need some generic bbq sauce just because it says Georgia on it.

Bottle Brush
Have you ever tried to use one of these? If you have, you would never buy this for someone.

Check back tomorrow for the 10 Best BBQ/Grill Gifts.

Cured: A Short Film by Joe York

Have you ordered your ham yet?

CURED from UM Media Documentary Projects on Vimeo.