(Image: The History Channel)

Reclusive rillette maker Jamie Stachowski is ready for his close up, and he’s bringing all things animal flesh along for the eye-popping ride tonight with Meat America.

The two hour episode (airing from 9-11 p.m. on the History Channel) appears to follow the now familiar food doc/travelogue format, with Stachowski bouncing around the U.S. gathering odd bits of our culinary history for every bite of mixed protein he wolfs down.

A show teaser places Stachowshi in Chi-town, The Pelican State and Cali during this initial installment; Stachowski apparently didn’t find much worth filming in our collective backyard–”There’s no TV talent here,” he joked–but did give a shout out to local farmers market standby Mark Toigo of Toigo Orchards.

“It’s pretty simple: Jamie goin [sic] around meeting people, talking meat, havin [sic] fun wit it, and giving a bit of, duh, history … you know, the Jamie show,” was the way Stachowski encapsulated what we should expect to see on the screen tonight.

Here’s the official show description:

Can’t watch live/DVR Stachowksi’s star turn? Operators are standing by to rush the feature length DVD right to your door.

–Warren

Taco Bell’s PR department was forced to do damage control, but they weren’t given enough time to think through their response. A new print ad campaign called “Thank you for Suing Us,” shows how taken aback they were by these allegations. The statement admits they don’t use 100 percent beef, but swears the composition isn’t as low as we’re led to believe. Everything else they add in is solely for taste and preservation purposes. Without them, they say their beef would be extremely bland.

PETA of all organizations defended the mixture, jokingly calling it an “almost vegan recipe.” I’d be willing to bet the farm that it has more to do with cutting costs than minimizing animal cruelty. I’ve always heard that Taco Bell’s beef was more fit for dogs, but that never stopped me from getting something off the value menu on a Saturday night. A “fourth meal,” if you will. After a night of drinking, I seem to have more of an appreciation for the gourmet chefs they employ.

The low cost of this tasty cuisine is also mind-blowing, but there’s a logical question you have to ask yourself. How could they be selling a quality product for less than $1? The underlying purpose of any business is to attract customers in order to make a profit. Taco Bell recently came to the realization that its primary clientele are budget-minded night owls. They will continue to cater to them no matter what.

One other important question still remains though. Where’s the beef?

-Ryan Robertson

(image: Taco Bell)

(Image: Bartolomeo Passerotti)

Arlingtonians are getting a new sustainably-focused protein pipeline today courtesy of EcoFriendly Foods‘ satellite butcher counter at the always community-minded Westover Market.

EcoFriendly specializes in humanely-raised animals plucked from 40 family farms spread across Southwestern Virginia and the North Carolina.

“We’re going to bring pretty much the full line of EcoFriendly products,” EcoFriendly co-founder Bruce Saunders said of his vision for the full-service butcher shop.

For the initial roll out, Saunders plans to whet people’s appetites with: “steak-ready” cuts of beef, ground pork, beef and lamb, marinated kebabs, homemade meatballs, meatloaf mixes and make-at-home stir-fry kits (fresh basil, garlic, shallots and hot peppers bundled with the ground protein of your choice).

Discerning carnivores can also claim their share of fresh rabbit, a whole Duroc pig, two spring lambs and the 1/2 side of raw beef Saunders will carve on demand.

Future additions to the display case could include: pasture-raised poultry, homemade sausage–Saunders suggested they would likely lead with a sage-black pepper breakfast blend, as well as bulk, hot and sweet Italian sausage–and marinated beef hearts.  Meanwhile, anyone looking for hard-to-find offal or special orders (Saunders envisions filling whole ham, pork picnic shoulders, suckling pig and brisket orders on a case-by-case basis) can take advantage of the shops newly minted email address: westoverbutchershop@yahoo.com

Meanwhile, Saunders suggested that anyone worried about boosting their beef intake after all the media harping about slack regulation should know EcoFriendly maintains a strict, single-animal per grind policy.

“We’re calling it the 1-cow revolution,” he said of their closely monitored and readily traceable production practices.

The operation gets (quietly) underway today at noon, with a full-on grand opening–think: pig roast, beer garden and possibly some live entertainment–scheduled for Saturday, June 5 at 2 p.m.

–Warren

This latest cold snap notwithstanding, it’s time to switch to outdoor cooking mode.

And whether you prefer the even cooking of gas or the inherent smokiness of fruit-bearing woods, you’d better start working on your best barbecuing techniques/recipes.

Because there may be gold (read: cash and prizes) in them thar grills.

* The beef lobby is calling out all amateur chefs for their “So You Think You Can Grill” challenge, taking place at the annual Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor (6/12 – 6/13). Entries are due by May 21–think: original recipe, based around beef or veal and good for 4-6 servings–and 4 semi-finalists will be selected to battle it out live at the “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” tent.

The spoils: free passes to the National Harbor fest and the title of “D.C.’s Best Amateur Grill Master.” Enter here.

* Beringer Vineyards is getting in on the grilling action with their inaugural “Great Steak Challenge“–a nationwide hunt for those with a predilection for red meat and robust wines. The selection process will start with online submissions (local entries are due by June 15; each submission must feature steak and a Beringer wine pairing) which will lead to 10 regional cook-offs–the D.C. grill fest is set for August 5 at a TBD location–followed by the finals in Napa Valley.

The spoils: grand prize winner takes home $15,000. Runner-up pockets $7,500. Second runner-up scores $2,500. Enter here.

* Steven Raichlen and Sur La Table have cooked up a more free-form barbecue recipe trial, inviting would-be grillmeisters to share their favorite: grilled appetizer, grilled meat, grilled vegetable and/or grilled dessert. Entries are due by May 15 (again, original recipes are the focus).

The spoils: grand prize winner gets a $1,000 Sur La Table gift card plus free admission to the June 2011 session of Raichlen’s self-styled BBQ University and $500 in airfare to help get you there. The winners from each grilling category will receive $500 Sur La Table gift cards, while category runners-up will walk with $250 Sur La Table gift cards. Enter here.

Need some inspiration to get your creative juices flowing?

Grill enthusiast Doug DuCap serves up over two dozen burger recipes to kick grilling season into high gear.

Summer at its most delicious.

–Warren

Well, yesterday I got the chance to make my own phone call about resplendent beef, albeit from a much closer locale in Upperville, Virginia where the Second Annual What’s the Beef? Tasting sponsored by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy occurred yesterday at Ayrshire Farm.

Would be tasters ran the gamut from fellow farmers, to press, to a professor from the University of Virginia, as well as a celebrity tasting panel including Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora, Jordan Wright (The Georgetowner) and Akiko Katayama (a food consultant who also moonlights as an Iron Chef judge). We all put our tongues to the test as everyone got the chance to assess ten different heritage breeds of beef. 

The top two winners were the Ancient White Park and the furry-fringed Scottish Highland. Both displayed good flavor and texture but the Ancient White Park pulled ahead as the judges’ favorite due to a more resilient texture that provided a little more mouthfeel. The Scottish Highland’s mouthfeel was a tad flimsier, though it was my personal favorite of the ten. The beef this breed produced had a taste I classified as “retro” because it sparked memories of family cook outs in the backyard on special summer occasions; a base flavor of muted grass, which finished with a balsamic tang.

But more than the beef was on display at yesterday’s tasting. Tasters were as eager to know as much about the beef as the farms’ practices as a designated sustainable, humane-certified farm. The fact that they raise heritage breeds on the farm is not just mere preference for a specific color of animal or the wish to achieve a desired meat taste. The use of heritage breeds represents a reclaiming of sustainable farming methods. Whereas hybridized beef cattle on industrialized farms mature at twice the rate and are fed a diet of corn or grain-based feed filled with antibiotics, the heritage breeds at Ayrshire mature at a normal rate and eat a grass diet where they are finished with grain in the last 100 days before slaughter. 

Heritage breeds also provide a genetically diversified gene pool that has been critically depleted in the scramble for factory farms to process ever increasing quantities of cows at a faster and faster clip.

An Ancient White Park (center) contemplates getting a drink. Photo: Amy Loeffler

For butchers like Tanya Cauthen of Belmont Butchery in Richmond, however, raising cattle for ease of processing is like telling a winemaker, “you can only grow Merlot grapes and you can only process them in this type of tank,” she says. And similar to wine, beef she continues displays subtle nuances that demonstrate terroir according to breed. “We need to raise awareness of the nuance [in different breeds].”

But why bother with humane practices at all if the ultimate destination for farm animals is the butcher’s block?

Adele Douglas is CEO of Humane Farm Animal Care and thinks the issue of humane farming practices has been “bubbling up” for a while as evidenced by books such as Fast Food Nation and films like Food Inc. that have endlessly chronicled the horrors of factory farming. “For however long [the animals] are here people want to know they can express their behaviors. Imagine living your life in an airplane seat,” a reference to some farm animals that are so cramped they can’t turn around in their own stalls.

Critics of humane farming say that the term is a misnomer and that killing any sentient being for food is not humane. On this issue Douglas’ organization is philosophy neutral but points to the reality at hand. “10 billion farm animals are killed in the United States each year. Our goal is to improve the lives of those animals.”

Yesterday at dinner I cut into a pork chop I purchased from the Home Farm, a retail establishment that sells Ayrshire Farm products. The taste? An uncommon earthiness almost like bacon and a buttery texture like lamb. For me the proof that sustainable and humane farming works was in the pudding, or pork rather. 

 –Amy Loeffler

We’ve got a copy of the latest Morton’s cookbook up for grabs. (Whet your appetite here).

To claim it, all you have to do is share:

a) where you shop for choice cuts of meat (local butchers, sustainable farms, commercial groceries, etc.), or;

b) the best steak deals you’ve discovered around town (prime rib nights, chateaubriand specials, cut-rate sirloin sandwiches).

We’ll randomly choose a winner from all comments posted by 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 23.

Anyone who misses out on the gratis meat manual can snag a signed copy from Morton’s co-founder Klaus Fritsch at next week’s D.C. and Reston receptions. Each ticket ($59) nets guests a book, access to a dinner auction and includes a $5 contribution to Feeding America.

–Warren

(Photo: Laurent Jung)

Because this area boasts a slew of custom meat purveyors par excellence.

Tallula/EatBar ex-toque Nathan Anda left the Arlington gastrohub last summer to develop his own charcuterie concept, which has since evolved into the Red Apron Butchery. Though he’s still scouting final locations for the shop–something Anda hopes is “weeks, not months away”–Anda already envisions a full-service facility replete with homemade sauces, gourmet foodstuffs and exotic proteins.

“It’ll be an experience, going in there,” Anda insists. He plans to specialize in “stuff that isn’t available everywhere,” tossing out pig ear terrines, cured lamb bellies, handmade lardo and trotters as potential impulse buys.

In the meantime, Anda’s current catalog (cured meats, homemade hot dogs) will be available for retail purchase at Planet Wine and officially debuts in Buzz‘s panini line. Anda is also firming up his relationships with various local farmers markets, estimating that he’ll make the rounds to the weekly Ballston, Penn Quarter and possibly one other open-air showplace beginning early next month.

Anda is also talking with fellow Neighborhood Restaurant Group chefs Anthony Chittum (Vermilion) and Frank Morales (Rustico) about weaving some of his wares into their menus.

“Hopefully, in the coming months, he’ll be using my pepperoni,” Anda said of the spicy sausage he’s developed for Morales’ gourmet pies. He also plans to make his products readily available to incoming Tallula chef Barry Koslow–though he suspects the charcuterie-savvy Koslow will not want for jaw-dropping snackables.

“With Barry coming in, it’s [Tallula] going to be awesome,” Anda predicts.

Meanwhile, Robert Wiedmaier’s new gourmet shop, The Butcher’s Block should be up and running shortly. Chef Chris Watson will oversee a gourmet retailer (along with the fledgling BRABO/BRABO Tasting Room) poised to offer fresh breads, wild game and a bevy of Belgian beers.

Down the road in Del Ray, Aussie butcher Stephen Gatward has developed a loyal following at Let’s Meat on the Avenue by serving up hard-to-find items (kangaroo meat, anyone?) as well as neighborhood necessities (smoked dog bones).

For those who enjoy a a dash of intrigue with their entrails, the mercurial Jamie Stachowski continues to peddle his cured goodies in the darnedest places (next delivery: tomorrow at noon).

And I would be terribly remiss if I didn’t give a nod to the gourmet links that spring from the mind of improbable sausage baron, Stanley Feder.

We’ve never had it so good.

–Warren Rojas

Patrick Dinh
Executive Chef, Tuscarora Mill

Tuscarora Mill’s Patrick Dinh said he prefers to keep his cooking “straight up” rather than overly embellishing dishes. “This burger recipe has wonderful flavor, especially with Fiscalini Farms smoked cheddar that gives the burger the ‘punch’ that makes it irresistible,” he estimated. Don’t have a smoky grill handy? Dinh said a cast-iron skillet is an excellent surrogate.

Photography by James Kim

PREP TIME: 20 min.
COOK TIME: 10 min.
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds 80/20 ground chuck
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
4 thin slices Fiscalini Farms or Grafton smoked cheddar
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter
4 sliced, ripe beefsteak tomatoes
Shredded lettuce
4 sesame seed buns or Kaiser rolls
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil for frying (if using a skillet)

PREPARATION
Mix the ground beef with the mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and egg yolk. Form the meat into 4, 8-ounce patties. Season with salt and pepper.

Saute the sliced onions in the butter over medium-high heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Outside: Preheat your grill to medium heat. Inside: Heat oil in skillet at medium-high heat to smoking point.

Sear each burger on one side for about 2 minutes, flip and repeat another 2 minutes, then cook to desired doneness. Melt smoked cheddar on burger while in skillet or just before removing from the grill.

Place burgers on buns, garnish with tomato and shredded lettuce. Serve with your favorite pickles and chips.

(June/July 2008)