Got a new barbecue grill today, and did my best to make the horrid dog meat that passes for beef around here something close to palatable, and succeeded somewhat.
Now, all of Iowa was pretty much as bad as Gainesville in that genuine slaughtered cow fixin's were quite disgusting. The NY/NJ/Eastern-PA/Southern-CT area has the best, tied with a few cities in Texas, Chicago is somewhat okay but it can be dicey, Miami is pretty much the same in that one day you can buy heavenly beef and the next you're beginning to understand why all of the stray dogs up and vanished from the neighborhood. Suprisingly, for me at least, Jacksonville has fairly good stuff, but move on up into Georgia and it's back to gamey, venison-like fare masquerading as bovine.
How's about the Left-Coast? Good beef in pricey restaurants, but try and find anything that doesn't make you gag in the supermarkets and you'll be spending a lot of time trying. An entire generation was raised believing McDonalds to be what a hamburger should taste like, and why should anyone dissuade them when they're willing to pay through the nose for fancied-up oxtail with a little hoof thrown in for that extra touch of fiber.
Why is this, you ask? Ask the fast food places that cut-throat the beef suppliers down to the last half-penny. In most places, you're going to pay outrageous prices for anything resembling decent beef, and in some places it cannot be found at any price unless you go to one of those free-range, tree-hugging establishments, and avow to leave your common sense at the door.
And no matter what the wannabes say, grilling is not rocket science and can be done by anyone after but a few wholehearted tries. You can add or detract wood flavorings, smoke or not smoke to your hearts content, but if the meat sucks the end result will be flavored sucky meat.
Ribs, and sausages, and chicken are a horse of a different color, and the glaze is all important. Anyway, I did what I could with what I had, and it's off to find a decent butcher.
In Gainesville? Ha.
2 comments:
The only decent beef in California was in expensive restaurants but out here in the sticks the cattle roam free in green pastures and arrive at the butcher fresh and sweet.
That sounds like heaven, Pat. I do miss fresh beef. Thinking of getting some birds because I'm also fond of chicken, but Lisa is a tad squeamish so maybe no.
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