The Food Rag - March, 2010 Edition

"About the Chef (background)"

I mastered the art of shopping at supermarkets, by cherry picking among the ordinary food selections to gather the necessary ingredients to follow various intricate recipes from my cookbooks. Supermarkets, by definition, offer everything. However, while some supermarkets are better than others, I could never find quality products—products that would elevate the taste of the dish I was preparing. And after years of driving all over New Jersey and Manhattan to buy good quality food, I had an epiphany. I decided to research and develop a concept for a full service gourmet market in Northern New Jersey. The idea grew out of my own frustration and morphed into a legitimate business plan thus my first store Echo + Whetstone Gourmet Fine Foods was born.

I knew the venture would be no small task, and that most start-ups in the food industry fail within the first year. Yet, whether it was hubris or ignorance, I quit a lucrative sales position in the restaurant industry and accepted a managerial position at a renowned seafood market in Manhattan. I didn’t know the head from the tail of a fish, but somehow convinced the owners I was the best man for the job. I figured, and in hindsight rightfully so, that the fish business was the toughest within the food industry to learn and until I had a grasp of it, I wouldn’t even consider proceeding with my venture.

I loved it and immersed myself in the business. I read everything I could about seafood….the difference between wild and farm raised salmon…the different grades of sushi quality tuna….whether or not Chilean Sea Bass is on the extinct list (which it is not,) and so on and so forth. I was hooked….pun partially intended.

I quickly learned three distinct lessons about the retail food business. One, there is no substitute for quality food….once you’ve tried it there is no turning back. Two, quality food is expensive….at every level, from wholesale to retail. Three, consumers will pay for the best product on the market. But, it’s got to be the best.

Truth be told, however, I closed down Echo + Whetstone one year to the day I opened it. Echo was a great store and my catering business flourished but the store was too large and overhead too great to keep it alive. I learned another valuable lesson about the food business along the way….some great places fail, for whatever reason. Whether it be a bad location or bad timing its just the reality of the business. After Echo closed down I returned to my old restaurant sales position, but my heart remained on the retail end. And it wasn’t too long before I started to think about a new store, a different concept, a smaller store which would utilize the areas of Echo + Whetstone that worked and scrap the rest. In that sense, I’m glad to have gone throughthat learning curve—a secondary benefit of misfortune as it were. Enter Park & Sixth Comfort Food. I opened my second store Park & Sixth on June 10, 2009. I am proud to say the store has taken off almost immediately from that day. Maybe we filled a void in mid-town Hoboken or Park & Sixth is an affordable alternative to more expensive food establishments…oh or maybe we just plain have great food. Whatever the reason, we are off to a good start.

Thank You for Your Patronage,

Brian Dowling
Chef and Owner

Dish du Jour - Park & Sixth Braised Brisket

Ever wonder how, at a great restaurant, the chef prepares a meal unlike anything you’ve prepared at home? Preparing great meals at home can be a daunting task, but its not impossible. It requires a bit of everything: technique, knowledge, proper prep time and the right ingredients. We want to break this process down for you. Each month in the food rag, we’ll select a dish and supply the ingredient list. We’ll also offer some helpful hints; secrets restaurant chefs use to elevate the dish.

For our inaugural issue, the dish du jour is Park & Sixth Braised Brisket. Braising is a cooking technique that requires a fattier cut of meat to be cooked over a long period of time over low heat. Braising is near and dear to my heart. It is actually quite simple, but requires considerable time to gather and prepare the ingredients. The French call this preparation process misenplace(pronounced meez-on-plaas,) which loosely translated means having all of your ingredients ready, vegetables cleaned and cut, and arranged in an orderly fashion to facilitate the process—having your proverbial ducks in a row.

There are six critical rules that must be followed in order to achieve the desired outcome of braised beef brisket. Follow them along with the recipe and you’ll have a brisket that melts in your mouth.

1) Coat the brisket in flour and shake off the excess. Anyone who has attempted to follow the Atkins Diet knows that white flour=sugar, and sugar caramelizes (develops a dark crust) when heat is applied. Caramelizing is a technique that develops a wall around the brisket, in theory akin to the shell around an egg. Bottom line, it must be done to seal in the juices the meat inherently wants to leach out during the cooking process.
2) Do not touch the “burnt” brown bits left behind by the meat after the caramelizing process. They may be brown and look like they should be scraped away immediately before they stick to the pot, but for the sake of God!….leave them there! They are the backbone of the dish. They supply an extra dimension of flavor. This step is the difference between good brisket and crazy out-of-this world brisket; restaurant brisket.
3) After you cook the veggies, deglaze the pot. Deglazing is a versatile cooking technique, which involves adding liquid to a hot pan. The liquid helps loosen the burnt brown bits from the bottom of the pan thereby increasing the complexity of the broth in which the brisket is braised. Pour any of the liquids in the recipe over the brown bits and scrape them from the bottom of the pot.
4) Allow the brisket to rest before they are thrown back into the pot. The same juices that wanted to escape during the caramelizing process redistribute themselves and keep the brisket moist and succulent. The juices eventually leach out during the cooking process, but this is a good thing….they flavor the broth.
5) Do not over fill the pot with liquid, no matter what or how much liquid the recipe suggests. The people who write recipes (in this case me) have no clue how big is the brisket you purchased, and how much room it requires in the pot. A great rule of thumb is to pour enough liquid in the pot to cover half way up the brisket, measured from bottom to top. Do not allow the brisket to swim in the liquids.
6) Cook the brisket low and slow for as many hours as you believe is necessary. It should be at least three hours. The brisket will be done when you say it is done. It should fall apart easily and you should be able to cut it with a blunt object, such as a telephone book.

Ingredients

4 lbs. Beef Brisket
1 cup of all-purpose flour
4-5 tablespoons of peanut, canola or olive oil (I prefer peanut oil)
½ cup carrots peeled and diced
½ cup celery peeled and diced
½ cup yellow onion peeled and diced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups quality red wine (cabernet or merlot)
5 cloves of garlic whole/peeled
4 sprigs of thyme (Fresh)
2 sprigs of rosemary (Fresh)
1 tablespoon of Basil (Fresh)
1 tablespoon of parsley (Fresh)
1 28 oz. Can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups of Chicken stock
1 teaspoon of Thai chili sauce (optional)
2 tablespoons of molasses
ground pepper and salt to taste

*Please note: this recipe will self-destruct within 5 minutes.

Cooking Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2) Coat brisket in all-purpose flour and shake off the excess (critical rule #1.) In a crock pot, (preferably enameled cast iron,) heat two tablespoons of oil over high heat until you see smoke rising……be patient….let the pot get really hot.
3) Add the brisket
4) Remove the brisket and let it rest (critical rule #4) in a bowl. Do not discard the juices the brisket leaches out….pour them into the pot when you toss the brisket back in later.
5) Discard the excess oil and fat from the pot but leave the brown burnt bits on the bottom. (critical rule #2)
6) At this point, the pan is too hot to proceed so turn the burner down to medium and add the remaining oil, celery, carrots, onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally. Get some color on those veggies. It adds yet another layer and complexity of flavor to the dish.
7) Add the molasses stirring constantly until it melts and coats the veggies, then toss the brisket (with the juices) into the pot. Jostle it all around for a few seconds.
8) Time to deglaze. Pour the Tomatoes, chicken stock, chili sauce, and red wine into the pot (critical rule #5). With a wooden spoon, scrape the brown burnt bits away from the bottom of the pot….use some elbow grease….they’re stubborn (critical rule #3)
9) Add the thyme, parsley, rosemary, basil, and lemon zest and bring to a boil.
10) As soon as the liquids start to boil, cover the pot and place into the oven.
11) Take a nap, run some errands, feed the dog.
12) After an hour to an hour and a half has elapsed, turn the brisket over so that the tops are now submerged in the liquid.
13) Take a nap, change the oil in your car, pop on the Food Network.
14) At the three-hour stage, remove the brisket from the pot. Let it cool down a bit and attempt to cut it with a butter knife. If the brisket resists, throw it back in and resume leisure.
15) Check them every fifteen to twenty minutes repeating step #14 until it falls apart to the touch.(critical rule #6.)
16) You’re in the home stretch. At this stage, the brisket can be served, but if you want to go the extra mile follow the next and last step. It is labor-intensive but worth the effort.
17) Remove the brisket from the pot and set aside. Remove any floating bits of waterlogged herbs (especially the rosemary) with a metal spoon, skim and discard any oily (fat) substance floating on the surface of the broth. With an emersion blender or Cuisinart, blend the liquid until it becomes a smooth sauce and pour over the meat.

*Enjoy the fruits of your labor and remember to accept compliments graciously. No one likes a boastful chef.

Product Info: Dry Aging

Each month, we’d like to share with our customers some information about the products we offer. The featured product this month is our dry aged beef. Dry aged beef is now on the retail extinct list because it requires constant monitoring and care. If you ask me, it is a shame that retail chains and other meat purveyors have allowed the art of dry aging to die out. We, however, are committed to reviving it. It is essential that our customers understand why dry aged beef is a more flavorful product and, as a result, why it is more expensive than other beef products sold at retail stores.

What is dry aging? There are only two cuts of beef worthy of dry aging, the rib section and short loin. Both are cut from an area along the back of the steer. These cuts are unique in that they contain the quintessential proportion of meat to fat, which means they are lean enough to be grilled, broiled or pan fried, but fatty enough to remain juicy and flavorful when heat is applied.

Dry aging is a process that begins after the rib or short loin is placed, uncovered, in a controlled environment, which is above 32 degrees but below 38 degrees Fahrenheit. We have a refrigeration unit designed specifically for dry aging. Unlike conventional refrigerators, which have fans that distribute cold air in a circular motion (similar to a convection oven,) our dry aging case releases cold air from the top of the unit downward. This allows the beef to, for the lack of a better term, breath and not dry out too rapidly because the dry-aging process requires 28 days.

Why does dry aged beef taste better? Dry aging increases tenderness because natural enzymes are released that help soften the connective tissue in the muscles. Not only is dry aged beef tender, but a great deal of moisture evaporates (as much as 20 percent weight loss.) Consequently, the meat mellows and the rich beefy taste is accentuated.

Why is dry aged beef so expensive? There are two reasons, shrinkage and trimming. The refrigeration process causes an approximate 20% loss of weight. Another 10% must be trimmed. Therefore, the total cost (pre-retail) of the post-dry aged cut of beef is 30% higher. And in my opinion, worth every penny!