Static Zombie

50 Best Foods: Beef and Pork

Paseo pork sandwich: The best sandwich on the planet, served from a tiny little hole-in-the-wall in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Why is it the best foods always come from tiny holes-in-the-wall? The marinated pork is unlike anything I've ever had. It's served on a fabulous Cuban roll with mayo, cilantro, and the most incredible marinated, grilled thick-cut onions you'll ever find. The Paseo pork sandwich redefines finger-lickin' good.

bosna: An Austrian sausage I spent most of my visit in Salzburg greedily inhaling. Served doubled-up on a bun with curry, mustard, and onions, bosna was love at first bite.

steak: Your plain old basic steak. I could specify New York strip, porterhouse, filet, or even my Costco value pack tri-tip, but I love 'em all. Just rub it with some olive oil, season with kosher salt and coarsely-ground black pepper, maybe a dash of Worchestershire, and cook on the Weber until medium-rare. Sometimes, you can't beat the classics.

skirt steak: I'm listing this separately because, while it's still a slab o' cow, it's an entirely different thing from other steaks. The texture of skirt steak is similar to flank, but unlike any other cut. And once again, we can trace my love of it back to mom. I grew up before fajitas hit the big time, sending the price of skirt steak soaring. Back then it was a very cheap cut of meat, and it was the only form of steak that ever made it to our dinner table. And I relished every appearance. Mom used a marinade of soy sauce and brown sugar that I've never been able to replicate-- in part because she never measured anything. But damn, did it make a scrumptuous steak. .

chili: I favor Cincinnati style (with cinnamon), but a good bowl of Texas red is a fine, fine thing. The key is to eschew ground beef in favor of cubed-- the difference in texture and flavor is remarkable. I generally buy a chuck roast and dice it into tiny cubes manually. An hour well-spent. Serve it over white rice, top it with some cheddar cheese, and spoon it up with tortilla chips. And no beans, please. But imagine my surprise to discover that Stagg makes some very credible chili-in-a-box in the form of their habanero variety-- useful to keep around the office as emergency rations.

lamb kabobs with red onion: Lamb is underutilized in the U.S., but not in my house during the summer. A Costco leg of lamb makes for terrific kabobs when diced into large cubes, seasoned with kosher salt and pepper, rubbed with olive oil, and threaded onto a skewer between wedges of red onion. While many would consider the onion an afterthought, to me it's essential. When grilled, the onion loses its edge and takes on a surprising sweetness that balances the lamb. It's a perfect combination.

Seven Flavor Beef: If you ever visit Seattle or have guests in from out of town, the one essential restaurant is Wild Ginger. Their signature Crispy Fragrant Duck is all well and good, but I make a beeline for the Seven Flavor Beef: slices of flank steak cooked with lemongrass, peanuts, chilies, hoisin, basil, garlic and ginger. The flavors dance on my tongue and make me swoon every time.

Chinese barbequed spare ribs: Ubiquitous in New Jersey but seemingly impossible to find here in Seattle, spare ribs pink with marinade and charred black around the edges are the best way to eat pork ribs. A dip in duck sauce is optional.

pulled pork barbecue: I'm not getting into the debate over what constitutes "real" barbecue-- a tomato-based sauce or Carolina's mustard-and-vinegar approach-- because I like them both. I'll eat it in a sandwich or mounded high on a plate. If the pork's been mixed with chopped onions, so much the better.

Posted by Peter at January 3, 2006 03:42 AM