A Jewish Puerto Rican Thanksgiving

Want to make the ultimate Thanksgiving turkey? That’s bursting with flavor and juicy as all get out? Follow our instructions below.

This is by far the most colorful Thanksgiving plate I’ve ever seen.

So after visiting Guavate, Rachel and I knew that we had to try making Pavochon ourselves, the real Puerto Rican way. This year, it happened that Thanksgiving was only going to be 4 of us — Rachel’s parents and the two of us, so we were assigned to doing the cooking. So if we were in charge, why not mix it up and do it Puerto Rican style?

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NJ Dining: Strip House Strip Steak

Nothing gets my glands going like a good piece of meat! Marbleized, thick, and rare – it’s the stuff Pavlovian dreams are made of!

Hot From The Kettle has been inside many kitchens, but few have left me in an absolute state of salivation like Chef Bill Zucosky at the Strip House.

The Strip House is located in the award-winning Westminster Hotel in Livingston.  Decked out in red, black and velour, the Strip House might be the setting for scandalous affair, but it is always the place for a phenomenally satisfying meal and excellent cocktails.

Chef Bill taught me how to cut the Strip House’s signature strip steak.  Check out the video!

Grillin’ on the Bay 2010

There are many things to like culinary-speaking about Brooklyn. It’s a huge melting pot for different cultures and many of New York’s food traditions, and most of the country’s best and most iconic ethnic dishes originate from there.

It has some of the best Pizza imaginable in the entire country and is the cradle of Jewish cuisine as we know it in the United States. Arguably the best hot dog on the planet originated in Brooklyn. And so on, and so on. Brooklyn is America’s premium brand name for ethnic culture.

However, I don’t normally consider Brooklyn to be a huge barbecue town. But last Saturday, my views on this were seriously challenged.

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Keiles BaconBowl 2010 Re-Cap

Okay, the Saints won. WHO DAT! But more importantly, WHAT DID WE EAT? Here’s the play-by play for the most incredible (and insane) Superbowl party I have ever attended.

Are you ready to attend the ultimate bacon bacchanal of Superbowl parties that has ever been seen by the likes of man? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

Meatopia VI: Oy With The Lamb Already

Every year, at the time during the late summer when the stars align in the shape of a medium rare hamburger, the foodie elite of the world converge on a single place, much as in ancient times when the Pagans converged on the Stone Henge to celebrate the solstice.

But instead of dancing around naked and eating questionable vittles around giant stone monoliths, we converge (mostly) clothed upon Water Taxi Beach to celebrate the birthday of one of our own, Citysearch.com food editor, notorious carnivore Feedbag food blogger Josh Ozersky, aka Mr. Cutlets, also known as the devourer of worlds.

Each year, it’s been a different themed creature that is sacrificed and prepared a multiple of ways in order to feed the hunger of the Beast from Brooklyn. This time, it was a whole flock of lamb.

Here’s one of the cute little animals being cooked over hot coals on a rotating spit. Wanna see it on video? Yes, of course you do.

The smell that was permeating Water Taxi Beach was absolutely seductive. With all this Lamb, shouldn’t we be celebrating the re-birth of our lord and savior?

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A 2009 Big Apple BBQ Block Party Montage

Website: http://www.bigapplebbq.com

The 2009 Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, held in New York City’s Madison Square Park, was a blast as ever. This year Rachel and I only went for a few hours on Saturday, but it was more than enough barbecue to last us for a while! You can still catch the second day on Sunday if these photos are making your mouth water (click for slideshow of full size hi-res photos).

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Richmond VA Dining: Buz and Ned’s Real BBQ

Buz and Ned’s Real BBQ
1119 Boulevard, Richmond VA 23230
(804) 355-6055

Web Site: http://www.buzandneds.com/

There’s just so much Asian food and salads at Panera Bread a business traveler can eat. Sometimes, a man craves meat. And in my case, that’s a gnawing on bones, primeval, genetic de-evolution to Neanderthal times desire when I’m really, really hungry.

So when I heard about this “Authentic” barbecue place in Richmond — a city hardly known for its BBQ culture — I had to go check it out.

Ready for some finger-lickin’ good ‘Q in downtown Richmond? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more

NJ Dining: Kochers Meats

Kocher’s Continental Specialty Meats
634 Bergen Blvd
Ridgefield, NJ
(201) 945-7086

I enjoy living in the New Jersey suburbs, but I envy Manhattan and NYC residents for their easy access to top specialty meat purveyors, such as Lobels, Dean and Deluca, Citarella, Schaller & Weber and Pete’s Meat (in the Arthur Avenue Retail Market). I thought we Jersey residents were seriously deficient in that department until my recent first time visit to Kocher’s Meats in Ridgefield, a long-established quality meats purveyor.

Kocher’s is a German-style butcher and makes ALL of its sausages and charcuterie onsite.

They’ve got many varieties of sausages, including their own hot dogs, bratwursts, weisswursts, kielbasas, and also Italian-style sausages as well. Everything is made in-house.

Cocktail franks. These are nice and smoky and are great grilled.

Kocher’s makes its own hams, bolognas, salamis and other cold cuts under the Continental brand. Oh yeah, their own bacon too.

In addition to top quality pork, Kocher’s also carries Prime beef cuts.

Ground Beef grinded to order.

Thick Cut Bacon

Frickadels, huge, meatloaf-like meatballs intended for use on sandwiches.

If the cuts on display don’t exactly fit your specifications, Kocher’s will cut your meat to order. Here are some thick-cut Pork Chops I bought for tonight’s dinner.

In addition to meats, Kochers also sells other gourmet food items, including great breads (like Eastern European style Lithuanian Ryes) and dried noodles such as Spaetzle.