Learning to like red meat

[AdamSmith]

Also very pleasurable to be in a thread with fellow posters who enjoy the topic meandering by free association off into side avenues on Fermi and so on, then back to the main theme.

 

As good convo over coffee or bloodies generally does.

[mike carey]

As @Eric Hassan says, there is no 'correct' way to make chili, like any folk recipes (I hesitate to call it peasant food) everyone has their own recipe. Chili tends to have a 'settled' look in the US, so variations on the theme are frowned upon. Those of us further away can get away with being more adventurous. Take this Jamie Oliver recipe as an example:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/good-old-chilli-con-carne/

All those extra vegetables! I wouldn't use chick peas, but I have used white beans (cannellini or navy beans) rather than red ones, or the black beans Eric suggested. I would note that the 'difficulty level' listed in the recipe is 'super easy'.

[Epigonos]

Here is an easy Chili recipe. Make it on a Saturday or Sunday. Buy plastic containers at the Dollar Store or the $.99 Store and then freeze the Chili in serving amounts for future use.

 

CHILI

 

Ingredients

 

2 lbs. Ground Beef

1 medium Onion, chopped

3 to 4 lg. cloves Garlic, minced

2 TBS Chili Powder (Gebhardt)

2 tsp. Cumin, ground

1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1 tsp. Paprika

1 6 oz. can Tomato Paste

1 14.5 oz. can Beef Broth

1 12 oz. btl. Dark Beer

3 8 oz. cans Tomato Sauce

2 15 oz. cans Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed

1 4.5 oz. can Green Chilies, undrained

1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce

 

Method:

 

Cook first three (3) ingredients in a five to six (5-6) quart dutch oven over medium heat, stirring with a fork for eight to ten (8–10) minutes until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well, and return to dutch oven. Add chili powder and the next three (3) ingredients: cook one (1) minute. Add tomato paste and cook one (1) minute. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer two (2) houjrs.

 

Several of the ingredients (the beef broth for example) can be found in certain markets, like Trader Joe's, in low sodium versions

[mike carey]

I know this will be TMI for many of you, but I make stock (call it beef or any other meat broth or whatever) all the time. I keep the tops and bottoms of onions, celery leaves, bacon rind, bones (cooked or not), meat off-cuts, other vegetable offcuts in a bag in the freezer and when I have enough I put it in a large pot, cover it with water and cook it for three or so hours, then strain it. All sorts of flavours over water for whatever you are cooking.

[+ deej]

I know this will be TMI for many of you, but I make stock (call it beef or any other meat broth or whatever) all the time. I keep the tops and bottoms of onions, celery leaves, bacon rind, bones (cooked or not), meat off-cuts, other vegetable offcuts in a bag in the freezer and when I have enough I put it in a large pot, cover it with water and cook it for three or so hours, then strain it. All sorts of flavours over water for whatever you are cooking.

 

I do the same thing. I also make a turkey broth after every Thanksgiving turkey (the meal itself tends to generate plenty of veggie ends), and I save the carcasses of rotisserie chickens bought from the deli for chicken broth.

 

I usually pressure-can the resulting broth once strained. It saves freezer space. I haven't bought a commercial broth in years.

[MikeBiDude]

I do the same thing. I also make a turkey broth after every Thanksgiving turkey (the meal itself tends to generate plenty of veggie ends), and I save the carcasses of rotisserie chickens bought from the deli for chicken broth.

 

I usually pressure-can the resulting broth once strained. It saves freezer space. I haven't bought a commercial broth in years.

It's been said my Thanksgiving turkey/andouille gumbo is my best of the year. I start the stock Thanksgiving night and let it go 24 hours. Reduce, make a roux, use leftover turkey, throw in andouille.

 

I make stock a LOT, (chicken/veal/turkey/duck/shellfish) and freeze it all into 2 and/or 4 cup containers

[+ poolboy48220]

@deej , what is pressure-canning? Like using a mason jar?

[Epigonos]

Pressure-canning if a form of canning that is used for low acid vegetables, fruits, and meats. It requires a pressure-canning devise that puts the jars and their contents under considerable heat and pressure and thus kills dangerous bacteria such at botulism. The older devises were dangerous, if not used properly, and thus my mother never canned items requiring this process and therefore neither do I. Another way to can low acid vegetables and fruits is to pickle them using vinegar, the acid in the vinegar, kills the bacteria. I, for example, can pickled beets, dill pickles, pickled peaches, and bread and butter pickles all of which use vinegar. With all of these I use the water bath method simply to seal the jars.

[+ deej]

@deej , what is pressure-canning? Like using a mason jar?

 

Yes, using mason jars. As Epignos explains, pressure canning uses extreme heat (caused by the pressure) to both seal the jars and kill bacteria.

 

In years when I garden I typically grow enough green beans to can them and feed myself all winter. (No garden this year because of drought and watering restrictions.) It started when I couldn't eat as fast as the garden produced and neighbors tired of seeing me coming with a bucket full of fresh tomatoes and green beans.

 

Ironically, you hear stories about jars exploding (which likely means presence of botulism so it's nature doing you a favor) but the only breakage I've experienced was a jar of jam that broke apart lowering it into a water bath. <shrug>

[RM]

Although I try to minimize red meat in my diet, especially at home, I sometimes crave a traditional hamburger. This, for me, means a quarter pound of lean, organic hamburger with whole-grain bread, a slice of tomato, a thin slice of zucchini and spinach leaves. The problem is, you can't buy a quarter pound of anything at the store. So, I buy a pound, separate it into 4 raw patties, wrap each one in plastic wrap and put them into a storage container in my freezer. That way I've got a ready supply of quarter pound patties which is great for a single person in a one-person household.

 

Regarding the hamburger; I don't think the extra cost of grass-fed is worth the benefits -- but I always buy organic. I use a cast iron skillet to cook the burger. Some say grilling is healthier, but if you start with extra lean beef, I doubt it makes much difference. If you do use extra lean like I do, you can make if juicier by mixing in a smidgen of olive oil before you cook it. (Okay... now let's here the chorus objections to using extra lean ground beef for a hamburger.)

No onions? I always put chopped red onions inside my hamburgers.

[+ FreshFluff]

It turns out octopus is high in heme iron. Finally, an iron-rich food I already like. I'm having some tonight.

[BasketBaller]

Has anyone mentioned lamb? It's my favorite red meat, slightly stronger in flavor than beef. There aren't many boneless cuts usually available, but you can often find boneless stew meat and lamb stew is great. One of our summertime treats is butterflied leg of lamb on the grill, and nowadays you can get ground lamb a lot of the time. Rib chops of course have a bone but they're great, and you can even pick them up and eat them that way.

 

To the British, shepherd's pie is made with lamb, which makes sense. If it's made with beef it's "cottage pie."

[mike carey]

@BasketBaller, I had hesitated to mention it as I've found Americans aren't usually fond of lamb. Here, you can always buy it, leg or shoulder roasts on the bone, the same joints butterflied, and likewise as rolled roasts. Over Christmas, my sister's partner (who doesn't like lamb) found frozen slow braised lamb shanks [the lower legs] in Aldi, cooked in tomato and red wine sauce. The meat fell off the bones! As a bonus there was enough of the sauce left to make a pasta dish and repeat the flavour. Greek roasted lamb (lots of lemon and garlic) is another way to go.

[mike carey]

@escortrod, why was I not surprised when you 'liked' my previous post!!

[escortrod]

@escortrod, why was I not surprised when you 'liked' my previous post!!

Cultural differences with the US, roast lamb, Aldi... Your post had it all!

[Rudynate]

@mike carey is correct in that "processing" to put something like beans in a can is generally not an issue - it's the "processing" that involves adding substances that you would not find on a shelf in a grocery store - such as high fructose corn syrup or sodium benzoate. These additives are used to provide color, extend the shelf life of food, provide texture/mouth feel, emulsify, etc.

 

If you are not able or willing to make chili (it's actually super easy - you can whip it together in about 15 minutes), you could get chili from a local restaurant as it's probably made on premises (you can always ask). If you wanted to make it, there are plenty of recipes and while some people might argue this point, there's no right or wrong way to make chili. If you were to chop up a small onion, add some already minced garlic and half a pound of lean ground beef with a bit of olive oil to a pan and cook that until the beef is brown and the onions are soft, then add a can of tomato puree, a can of tomato paste, a can of black beans and some chili powder (start with just a little - you can always add, and with time, chili powder gets stronger), then let it simmer for 30 minutes (or longer), you'd have chili.

 

I gotta say, I love that you've started a conversation on here that has started a conversation about health and food. It's nice to have a variety of topics to discuss and it feels good to have a community where we can share ourselves!

 

I have a chili recipe that I got from Men's Health magazine years ago. It goes together in about 15 minutes, cooks for an hour and is simply the best chili I have ever had. I don't know how many times I have made it.

[BasketBaller]

@BasketBaller, I had hesitated to mention it as I've found Americans aren't usually fond of lamb. Here, you can always buy it, leg or shoulder roasts on the bone, the same joints butterflied, and likewise as rolled roasts. Over Christmas, my sister's partner (who doesn't like lamb) found frozen slow braised lamb shanks [the lower legs] in Aldi, cooked in tomato and red wine sauce. The meat fell off the bones! As a bonus there was enough of the sauce left to make a pasta dish and repeat the flavour. Greek roasted lamb (lots of lemon and garlic) is another way to go.

Yes, I know there are those who don't like lamb, which mystifies me, but de gustibus non disputandum, I guess. Braised lamb shanks are wonderful in the winter, such a hearty flavor.

[Brian Kevin]

I never knew octopus had iron! I recently cut out red meat and I'm not as warm blooded as I once was, I wonder if I can eat Octopus, I know it's not a shell fish but neither are sardines. Those trigger an allergic reaction with me, this is why I just avoid seafood. Anything to help get my iron up I am down to try. Thanks @FreshFluff

[+ Eric Hassan]

Yes, I know there are those who don't like lamb, which mystifies me, but de gustibus non disputandum, I guess. Braised lamb shanks are wonderful in the winter, such a hearty flavor.

 

I'm middle eastern and grew up on a lot of lamb. I can't imagine not liking it!

[MikeBiDude]

It turns out octopus is high in heme iron. Finally, an iron-rich food I already like. I'm having some tonight.

Looks delicious. Living in a coastal Left Coast town octopus is easy to find here, try simmering it for a bit in whatever then grill it. Anthony Bourdain's latest cookbook has a recipe for octopus stock!! And a few recipes to use that in.

[Rudynate]

Yes, I know there are those who don't like lamb, which mystifies me, but de gustibus non disputandum, I guess. Braised lamb shanks are wonderful in the winter, such a hearty flavor.

 

 

There's lamb and there's lamb. I don't like lamb that has a strong mutton-y taste. But there's also lamb that doesn't have that taste, that is superb. Foodies mostly like lamb. I know lots of foodies, so as a guest I get served lamb a lot. Sometimes it is sublime, when it is the right kind of lamb and it isn't overcooked. Other times, I have to choke it down.

[Epigonos]

Over the years I have spent a lot of time on the Navajo and Hopi reservations in Arizona. Both groups prepare "mutton stew" for important festivals. They use mutton NOT lamb and it does have a strong flavor but I have come to love it.

 

Most of my friends stick their noises in the air with even the mention of lamb let alone mutton. I do, however, have a “small” group of friends who like lamb. I have a great, simple recipe for Sheppard’s Pie and it is a wonderful winter dish. Some substitute beef for the lamb (Cottage Pie) but I find it uninteresting and tasteless.

[+ FreshFluff]

I have a chili recipe that I got from Men's Health magazine years ago. It goes together in about 15 minutes, cooks for an hour and is simply the best chili I have ever had. I don't know how many times I have made it.

 

Sounds yummy.

 

Has anyone mentioned lamb? It's my favorite red meat, slightly stronger in flavor than beef. There aren't many boneless cuts usually available, but you can often find boneless stew meat and lamb stew is great.

 

I like ground lamb cooked tandoori style.

[+ quoththeraven]

There's lamb and there's lamb. I don't like lamb that has a strong mutton-y taste. But there's also lamb that doesn't have that taste, that is superb. Foodies mostly like lamb. I know lots of foodies, so as a guest I get served lamb a lot. Sometimes it is sublime, when it is the right kind of lamb and it isn't overcooked. Other times, I have to choke it down.

 

In addition to being the right cut, lamb cannot be cooked past medium rare. I haven't had any really terrible lamb, but sometimes it has that special piquancy and sometimes it just blah. I buy lamb chops for myself occasionally and when I feel motivated enough, I make lamb stew (which is far more authentic than corned beef and cabbage; that's more an Irish-American thing) for St. Patrick's Day, when I celebrate my Irish-American heritage. I almost always make Irish soda bread as well. If I don't make it, I buy it.

 

I also like Indian dishes with lamb in it, although I can't remember which off the top of my head. Tandoori isn't one of them; I make a mean chicken tandoori, though, with my own fusion of raita with a country-style cucumber, onion and dill salad.

[BasketBaller]

DC has had an explosion of Afghan kebab places, and grilled lamb shish kebab is delicious.