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There are several species of Listeria bacteria. L. monocytogenes is the human pathogen. They are, unfortunately, a widely distributed bacterial pathogen and have been found in a wide variety of foods. Unlike other pathogens we should be concerned about, L. mono. not only can survive...

Good stuff Tim.

I've not been on this board in some time - but I wanted to post this because I think many here might find it useful. I just posted this elsewhere, am now rather tired (been a long day), so am simply quoting my post in its entirety. Maybe some of you will find this helpful. The stuff at the...

I only cook briskets at high heat and most are in the 13-15 lb range. Never had a tough one. Size shouldn't matter.

Quite right. And since there are alternatives to mustard for this it isn't at all required. Notwithstanding Kirk's claims, using mustard on the meat will not enhance flavors. It can't. Applying heat to mustard inactivates the enzyme that is responsible for mustard's pungency and flavor (and...

At 265F, sugar is at the top end of the 'hard-ball' stage. It is still clear. There are two more stages left to go (in candymaking terms)--'soft-crack' (270-290F) and 'hard-crack' (300-310F)--before sugar will start to color and caramelize (320F). It burns above 350F. The rub is usually the...

Bummer. Trout need only brine 60-75 min. I use a base of 3.5 T DC kosher to 1 qt water, then flavor it with lemon zest, crushed fresh parsley, a fresh bay leaf, a thyme sprig, crushed coriander, crushed green peppercorns and some granulated onion. Rinse briefly after brining, pat dry, then air...

Thanks John Eric, I'll be in Fairfax at the end of the month, then southern Calif. :( But perhaps I could swing by and make you some real Mexican food? :D One doesn't find chimichangas in Mexico (save for Sonora; they're from Arizona and likely worked their way a bit south--many Sonorans...

Most TJ's carry unseasoned tris. I have sometimes found them buried under the seasoned ones. Try that TJs again and see if you can find one (or a few; they freeze well). If not, ask when they get them in. There are other TJs in N. Va--they are all fairly close to each other miles-wise though...

Really it doesn't. The outgrowth of pathogens that likely occurs during a slow come-up isn't an issue if the turkey is taken to safe internals. The two pathogens most associated with turkey, Salmonella and Campylobacter, are not heat resistant. The turkey will be pasteurized once temps and time...

Thanks! I always buy whole and mostly always cook whole. This one I cooked whole. I got it in Fresno, Calif (I drive for a living) at Trader Joe's.

Right. It adds moisture and flavor. Larry-- Why is it you often seem to think I am arguing with you when I am not? I did not say you or anyone else said that brining was required. I am pointing out that it is not, i.e., it is not required for good results but doing so widens the done window...

By overcooking. Though greater leeway might be afforded by brining, the meat can still be overcooked. The less soft fat/connective tissue the meat starts off with the easier this is to do. Brining might give you more time till done, it might allow you to go a bit past the high end of the...

The issue here is not overcooking. Techniques like brining, frequent basting, cooking in foil (or in a covered container) in liquid or not, can give the cook more leeway in terms of time by widening the doneness window (the time that 'done' is reached to the time the meat moves into...

Quite moist and tender. With chuck, they key variable is the cut. It's important to get better, more finely marbled cuts if you can. That said, you can finesse any lack by making a finishing sauce out of the juices (leave the fat in them) and adding some to the meat as it is pulled. Emulsifying...

This past Friday, tri-tip for dinner. I made a rub blend similar to Susie-Q Santa Maria-style but added granulated onion and replaced the dried parsley (which I strongly dislike) with fresh parsley, making a paste by mashing in a mortar the chopped parsley leaves with the granulated garlic and...

I did a 4.4-lb boneless chuck roast in the WSM the other day. Started it at 1:50 EDT with some apple and hickory and an MM start with about 22 lit; empty foiled standard pan. Temps rose to 225 within the first couple minutes. Over the next hour temps rose to 300, helped halfway along by...

Jaccards are better for meat with a dense grain that is not destined to be cooked to the 'done' we associate with barbecue, not cuts like brisket. Since you're looking for more marinade flavor, can I ask what you're using, what the ratio os salt to liquid is, and how long you're marinating?

Cliff-- If a Themapen isn't in the budget at the moment tey a PDT 300. It's not quite as fast but is a thermistor therm (so you'll get a reading in < 6 secs). At $21, it's a quarter the price of a Thermapen and is accurate. See here.

Temp frequently does not indicate 'done'. Tender does. A temp or a temp range might correlate with tender but neither a temp nor a temp range causes tenderness.

That's why many commercial places do chicken quarters (leg/thigh combos) only. One can cook them to death and they're usually fine. I've done numerous chicken breast jobs. I cook them to a low internal and hold for some time. Keppes them moist, still tender, and no pink. It is actually easier...

. . Precisely. Cooking to pasteurize and cooking for palatbility are not necessarily the same. I cook chicken breasts to 158-160. And I cook whole chickens and turkeys to that point as well (depending on how I am cooking them, sometimes I'll ice the breasts of whole birds before cooking so...

(AKA trichina or trichinae) A couple or three decades ago when many of us in the restaurant biz became aware of the possibility for lower finish internals in pork, 137F became the new number. As commercial pork had been getting increasingly (and unfortunately) leaner over the years, many chefs...

So you're dealing with the raw belly, right? I'd pitch the 'marinade' and make a dry cure. Got any curing salt?

See here.