SCHawkeye2
Well-Known Member
Speaking of sausage sandwiches....
Does anyone remember an Italian place on the south side of DM in the early '70's.
Papa Joes I think? Or Joes?
Best Italian sausage sandwich ever.
Top round roast
- Thread starter CP87
- Start date
Does anyone remember an Italian place on the south side of DM in the early '70's.
Papa Joes I think? Or Joes?
Best Italian sausage sandwich ever.
I have had to do the exact same thing. Especially when it came to getting back into lifting. About 3 years ago, I started back lifting 2 days per week, literally doing almost nothing. I would do like 3 exercises, 1 set, miles below failure. While it felt like nothing, that allowed me to slowly build back up, and within a year I was deadlifting 300 lbs (not great, but a lot better than where I started). But, even within that year I had some setbacks. When things are going well, and I am making progress, instead of saying, "Well, this is clearly working, I should stay the course," I instead say, "This is clearly working, now I am going to really drop the hammer!" And then I mess myself up, somehow.
I fell out of the habit of lifting when my workout partner left, I am trying to get it going again.
For the last couple of summers, it has mostly been biking. I have always liked to bike, and my kids have gotten involved with the MTB club here in town. That has given me an excuse to learn some stuff about MTB and get out and ride some. This has mostly gone well, but I always get to a point where I pile on too many miles, too quickly. I know better, but I just can't help myself, it seems.
So, I will definitely take your advice, and I will hope to show better discipline in the process.
Fryowa
Administrator
My best friend had a hunting dog that got way up there in years, couldn’t see for shit and his body was shot. Struggled getting up and down stairs, up on the couch, etc. Loved hunting though.
Any time my buddy got a shot gun out that dog would go nuts and start running around the house like crazy, ran right to the truck wanting to get in and go. He’d lift him up in the pickup and take some training decoys out to a farm place, throw them up in the air and shoot them. The dog was in heaven and would hobble out after the decoys and bring ‘em back. Then he’d get home and the dog would basically sleep for two days straight, I’m assuming in pain lol. He couldn’t resist it.
I feel like that dog a lot of times.
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
Don't recall that one but Graziano Brothers on South Union has Sausage that is well known nationally
and is considered by many to be the best sausage in America
They make very good sandwiches, especially sausage that are very good
Probably a top round roast!
Besides that, I always get one of those cheap packs of chicken breast from Hy-Vee ($3.59 - 3.99/lb), brine them, and then roast in the oven. Gives me cheap, easy protein throughout the week. You can always take a cup of rice, a cup of frozen veggies, a cup of chopped chicken breast, and some sort of tasty sauce...away you go!
I haven't made this in a few weeks, but one of the best sauces to have on hand is a chimichurri. https://www.loveandlemons.com/chimichurri-sauce/
You can mix and match whatever fresh herbs you want to use, and I always make mine spicy. If you like herbs, but you get sick of how fast they go bad, this is the way to go.
I usually try to make myself some large bean dish, as well. The rest of my family doesn't really eat that sort of thing, so I can make something on the weekend and then have it available for lunch the whole next week. Lentil curries are pretty tasty, but my favorite is probably Cajun Red Beans with Rice. Just basic great northern beans with some garlic, onion, and chicken broth is also pretty good (very creamy).
Fryowa
Administrator
Love this.
GF and I love pulled pork and we always have lots of it in the freezer. Aside from really enjoying the flavor of it it's ridiculously cheap ($1.74/lb at Walmart), and you can make a ton of different things out of it to keep from getting bored. Can eat it plain, make tacos/quesadillas, we put it omelets, nachos, you name it. Typically I'll buy two pork shoulders and do both at the same time, smokes for about 12 hours. I start it early Saturday morning about 5AM (I'm up early anyway) and then we can have some for supper. I shred it, then put it a couple 9x13's overnight in the fridge overnight. Vac seal it in 10 oz. portions, and leaving it in the fridge overnight solidifies everything up so it doesn't pull any juice into the sealer. We buy meat in bulk when it's on sale and the vac sealer has been a godsend for saving money even after the bags which we get on Amazon crazy cheap.
Last weekend HyVee here had whole pork loins on sale $1.78.lb, I was able to get 19 boneless pork chops out of it one, sealed those 2 to a pack and threw them in the freezer.
One of the best deals is when HyVee has sales on chicken hind quarters which is about once a month, they do 10lb bags for $7. I take all the skin off and do the whole works at once on the smoker (you could easily do the oven). When they're done I pull the bones out, throw the meat in a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to shred it. Then vac seal like the pork. Super cheap and pretty efficient.
One other nice thing about the vacuum bags is they work great to boil in. I like that way better because you don't lose any moisture or flavor and when you cut the bag open its' basically like it came straight from the oven/grill.
She and I are both tightwads and we waffled for a couple months over spending $120 on a sealer, but it's paid for itself long ago.
Fryowa
Administrator
Side note, you don't have to have a smoker to do really great pulled pork. Yeah you don't have smoke flavor, but do it in the oven with BBQ rub like normal, then mix a little more rub in it after you shred it and you're golden. Oven works great if that's what you have.
Trim most of the fat cap off, put the rub on, then throw it in the oven at 275 ish until 205 internal. It will stall out around 160 internal, if I'm pressed for time I'll wrap it at that point and it helps get the rest of the way. Check for probe tender, shred 'er up, and enjoy the hell out of it.
Trim most of the fat cap off, put the rub on, then throw it in the oven at 275 ish until 205 internal. It will stall out around 160 internal, if I'm pressed for time I'll wrap it at that point and it helps get the rest of the way. Check for probe tender, shred 'er up, and enjoy the hell out of it.
Fryowa
Administrator
What's your brine? Just salt or do you spice it up?
I've brined pork loin before but not chicken. I can see how that'd be good with white meat.
We typically get the whole pork loins anytime we see them $1.99 or cheaper...we pretty much always have 1 or 2 in our freezer at any time.
I will need to check out the vac sealer, never messed around with such a thing.
We do have a sous vide (received as a gift), and we have used that occasionally for really thick cut chops/steaks. I don't know if it is considered cheating by meat purists, but that thing has always delivered. The only time we ever had a bad result is when we tried to follow a sous vide recipe for a whole beef roast (after hours and hours in the water bath, it came out like toothpaste...tasty toothpaste, but still).
Just salt (supposed to be 1/4 Kosher to 4 cups of water, I usually use 1/8 cup of fine-ground salt), and then rinse, pat, and rub with olive oil and a seasoning blend before roasting. Sometimes I just want to throw them in the oven and skip the rigamarole of the brining, but chicken breast can be so bland and dry.
We have cut our loins into chops (my whole family loves thin-cut pork loin chops fried in butter), but I usually cook whole (or rather, chop into 3 pieces to better fit on the pan). I use some sort of rub, and I cook at 450 until an internal temp of 140, and that one is always a hit...except with my Dad, who is still of the mindset that pork needs to be cooked to a bone-dry 160 degrees.
Fryowa
Administrator
Total game changer. DM me if you decide to take the plunge and I can give you a good recommendation of one I’ve put through its paces, and where to get good bags for a good price.
Not cheating at all, I use one too. Got the cheapest one on Amazon with the idea that if I liked it I could get a better one and the thing just won’t die lol. I actually sorted price low to high and bought the one at the top of the list haha.
Friend of ours owns a steakhouse up my way and he sous vides all their steaks. Said it flipped his operation on its head. Instead of his cook doing every steak to order and having to check temps while they’re cooking etc, he knows roughly how many rare, med rare, and medium steaks he’ll sell on a weekend night. Comes in in the morning and throws that many steaks in one of 3 sous vide tubs, and when they get an order they just grab the right one, sear it, and the order is out in like 2 minutes. Brilliant idea in my opinion. Saves a lot of labor and screwing around in the kitchen
Fryowa
Administrator
That's how I grew up too, I call it the "midwest pork chop."
Chickenlounge
Well-Known Member
I actually do it in the insta-pot when I'm pressed for time. Cut it up in to 3-4" chunks, brown each side, throw in the instapot with some apple cider, seasoning, and a dash of liquid smoke. 90 minutes later it comes out and shreds beautifully.
Hay Man
Well-Known Member
I've done that too. I love using the insta-pot for quick meals, works great
I love a good cabbage and white bean soup. A bit of sausage for flavor, and that always satisfies!
As I am sure you know, there is no magic food to eat, or to avoid, for consistent, healthy eating. Always be skeptical of any diet that claims that excluding a certain subset of foods makes all the difference, or including a certain subset of foods makes all the difference.
Lots of studies on the various named diets, and the only consistent take away is that FOOD QUALITY is the most important factor. So, you don't have to hit some magic macro-nutrient ratio; and you don't have to eat like a caveman, or a Spaniard, or an Eskimo, or a Buddhist monk. You need to minimize overly processed foods; eat plenty of veggies, fruits, and whole grains; and make sure you have some good protein sources included.
Beyond that, find what you ENJOY. Anyone can force themselves to eat in a super strict way for a few months, but no one can do that for the rest of their life. If you lose weight with a 90-day heroic push, that weight will 100% come right back when you go back to living how you lived prior to the heroism. Not only have you not improved your situation, but there is plenty of research showing the negative metabolic impact of weight yo-yoing. So, the only way to effectively lose weight is to start with the question, "What are the habits that I can realistically maintain for the rest of my life?" Any weight loss that does not start from that point is doomed to fail.
Even though I teach this stuff, it took me a remarkably long time to internalize the above message. I haven't solved the equation yet, but I have identified my biggest hurdles, and I am working to overcome them. For me, the biggest problems are...
Stress
Injury
The fact that I have to cook for 4 other people in my household, none of whom are especially interested in eating the healthier food I want to eat
For the stress problem, I am trying to get better at time-management and list-making, and I am avoiding social media and stupid message boards (oops).
For the injury, I am prioritizing consistency and ultra-slow increases in activity, trying to avoid my tendency to overdo things. I am also getting more regular about stretching, yoga, and foam-rolling. And SLEEP!
For the food, I make sure I have some healthy things I truly like to eat. I have tried being ultra-clean with my diet before, and it is not sustainable. A much better approach FOR ME is to go for about 90% clean...it is okay to have some processed meat here and there, or the occasional treat. I do tend to go overboard in a hurry, so if I am going to eat "sometimes" foods, I need to have a strategy to avoid over-consumption. I am also terrible at listening to my body and responding to signals about satiety, so I use a food tracking app. That can be tedious, and I feel like it SHOULDN'T be necessary, but I just don't seem to make any progress without keeping track. If you want to try this route, I strongly recommend Macrofactor. It is a paid app (about $70/year), but it is far and away the best tracker I have ever used. I would NOT be able to track calories consistently if this app didn't make it so easy.
Sorry, went way overboard on a simple question about cabbage soup! As you can tell, weight management is something I have struggled with, and hence have thought about a lot.
It turned out pretty good. I rubbed with salt and some chipotle seasoning, seared on all sides in a cast iron dutch oven, and then threw a small, sliced onion in the bottom of the pot. Threw in a roasting rack to boost the roast up, and then cooked at 425 until it reach an internal temp of 120. Let rest, sliced thin, in the meanwhile added some red wine and worsterchire sauce (and a bit of water) to deglaze and create an au jus. Served on toasted brioche buns for the wife and kids...I had on tortillas with some cilantro-lime slaw and chimmichuri.
Everything was good, though some slices were a bit gristly. Thinking I probably should have trimmed the inner membrane out prior to roasting? If you got the right slice, it was juicy as can be, and pretty tender.
I really appreciate the help, this was definitely an upgrade over what I have done with the top round, previously. I think my family is more of a chuck-roast crew (they love the pull-apart beef), so I will probably go that route next time I get a chunk of beef. But I will definitely come back to this recipe, especially for my own lunches throughout a week!
