Perhaps I've used the wrong word, but is the "flavor" of garlic more
soluble in water or oil. Here's what I'm thinkin' and any comments or
suggestions would be appreciated.

I am still basking in the glow of my success making pastrami, using a
commercial (Safeway) corned beef and smoking/slow cooking it for a long
while. The pickling process I've read about for making corned beef
involves brining the brisket with garlic and bay leaves. The brining is
more to carry flavor into the meat than to cure it, I suspect, and the
saltpeter is probably for the pink color.

My guess is that oil would work as well, particularly in a Foodsaver
vacuum marinating dish, and perhaps even better.

What I'm thinking is that I could make a decent version using something
along the lines below. I'm not using anyone's recipe, but just what
comes to mind:

4-5 pound flat, trimmed to 1/4" fat cap to fit in Foodsaver flat
marinating dish
cup EVOO
2 tbsp commercial pickling spice (Safeway brand) or Crab boil, partially
crushed in mortar
2 heaping TBSP crushed garlic
4 bay leaves

Put all this into the Foodsaver dish, add the brisket and put on a
vacuum. Let it set in the refrigerator with daily shaking, vacuum
release and revacuum for a week.

Smoke it at 220f until 190f internal, and hold it there for 12 hours.

Trim off fat cap and see how it is.

Now, what suggestions do you have?

--
---Nonnymus---
No matter how large your boat,
the person you are talking with will
have a close friend with a larger one.
---Observation by my son

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:12:11 -0800, Nonnymus > wrote:

>Perhaps I've used the wrong word, but is the "flavor" of garlic more
>soluble in water or oil. Here's what I'm thinkin' and any comments or
>suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>I am still basking in the glow of my success making pastrami, using a
>commercial (Safeway) corned beef and smoking/slow cooking it for a long
>while. The pickling process I've read about for making corned beef
>involves brining the brisket with garlic and bay leaves. The brining is
>more to carry flavor into the meat than to cure it, I suspect, and the
>saltpeter is probably for the pink color.
>
>My guess is that oil would work as well, particularly in a Foodsaver
>vacuum marinating dish, and perhaps even better.
>
>What I'm thinking is that I could make a decent version using something
>along the lines below. I'm not using anyone's recipe, but just what
>comes to mind:
>
>4-5 pound flat, trimmed to 1/4" fat cap to fit in Foodsaver flat
>marinating dish
>cup EVOO
>2 tbsp commercial pickling spice (Safeway brand) or Crab boil, partially
>crushed in mortar
>2 heaping TBSP crushed garlic
>4 bay leaves
>
>Put all this into the Foodsaver dish, add the brisket and put on a
>vacuum. Let it set in the refrigerator with daily shaking, vacuum
>release and revacuum for a week.
>
>Smoke it at 220f until 190f internal, and hold it there for 12 hours.
>
>Trim off fat cap and see how it is.
>
>Now, what suggestions do you have?

I have never done what you are about to attempt. But I do know that
garlic soaking in oil can produce botulism (not sure of the spelling).
An acid (like vinegar) prevents that from happening.

I didn't notice an acid in your list, but I don't know much about
saltpeter and/or what is in the pickling spice. Did you forget to list
an acid? Perhaps it is not needed in this process.

That said, garlic imparts it's flavor better in oil than water only in
that your taste buds open up for the oil, but not for water. You
digest oil. You do not digest water. Saliva is part of the digestive
process.

This may or may not be helpful. But I did want to mention the botulism
thing. I would hat to see anyone get sick.

Cheers!

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:12:11 -0800, Nonnymus > wrote:

>Perhaps I've used the wrong word, but is the "flavor" of garlic more
>soluble in water or oil. Here's what I'm thinkin' and any comments or
>suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>I am still basking in the glow of my success making pastrami, using a
>commercial (Safeway) corned beef and smoking/slow cooking it for a long
>while. The pickling process I've read about for making corned beef
>involves brining the brisket with garlic and bay leaves. The brining is
>more to carry flavor into the meat than to cure it, I suspect, and the
>saltpeter is probably for the pink color.
>
>My guess is that oil would work as well, particularly in a Foodsaver
>vacuum marinating dish, and perhaps even better.
>
>What I'm thinking is that I could make a decent version using something
>along the lines below. I'm not using anyone's recipe, but just what
>comes to mind:
>
>4-5 pound flat, trimmed to 1/4" fat cap to fit in Foodsaver flat
>marinating dish
>cup EVOO
>2 tbsp commercial pickling spice (Safeway brand) or Crab boil, partially
>crushed in mortar
>2 heaping TBSP crushed garlic
>4 bay leaves
>
>Put all this into the Foodsaver dish, add the brisket and put on a
>vacuum. Let it set in the refrigerator with daily shaking, vacuum
>release and revacuum for a week.
>
>Smoke it at 220f until 190f internal, and hold it there for 12 hours.
>
>Trim off fat cap and see how it is.
>
>Now, what suggestions do you have?


Got this from http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/CornedBeef.htm

Making your Own Corned Beef


This recipe has been around a long time. I don't even remember where
it came from. Over the years
we've passed out hundreds of copies of it through The Restaurant Show.
1 beef brisket
1/4 tsp salt peter
1/4 C warm water
2 T sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp paprika
1 T mixed pickling spices
3/4 C salt
2 quarts water

Place the meat in a large crock. Dissolve the salt peter in the warm
water. Add the next
four ingredients. Dissolve the salt in the 2 quarts of water. Mix
everything together and pour over the meat. Be sure the meat is
beneath the surface of the liquid. Refrigerate for three
weeks, turning the meat once or twice per week. Prepare according to
any standard
recipe for corned beef.

Nunya Bidnits wrote:

> FWIW alcohol is also a solvent, and perhaps more fun than water, acid, or
> oil. :-) Try crushing the garlic and soaking in some red wine or red wine
> vinegar. If you are trying to get more garlic flavor into a liquid, try
> using garlic powder, or roast some garlic and puree it with some liquid of
> choice. I save leftover garlic pieces from the center of cloves and dry
> (dehydrate) them, and grind them to garlic powder. I get instant garlic
> flavor in liquid as opposed to having to wait for fresh garlic flavor to
> meld in.
>

I enjoy a martini almost every night, so it's not a case of not caring
for alcohol. However, my personal taste buds don't enjoy foods flavored
with wine or other spirits, for some reason. I cannot explain "why,"
but for some reason I just don't like wine in foods like beef stew
(whatever the french call that). My reason for thinking about using
EVOO instead of a brining solution for a brisket was due to my need to
hold down on sodium in foods and the desire to try something different.
Thanks for the alcohol suggestion, though.

BTW, I've purchased the jars of riced garlic and also peeled cloves
before. The riced garlic doesn't seem to have as good a flavor as fresh
crushed garlic, but the peeled cloves, when crushed, are about as good
as peeling a fresh clove from a head.

Nonny
--
---Nonnymus---
No matter how large your boat,
the person you are talking with will
have a close friend with a larger one.
---Observation by my son

On Feb 12, 11:59 am, Nonnymus > wrote:

> I enjoy a martini almost every night, so it's not a case of not caring
> for alcohol.

Ahhh... a cold martini.... dirty I hope. An occasional gimlet...
yessir, that's good stuff.

>However, my personal taste buds don't enjoy foods flavored
> with wine or other spirits, for some reason. I cannot explain "why,"
> but for some reason I just don't like wine in foods

Marty's suggestion of red wine vinegar might be something you would
want to consider. There is no wine taste, aftertaste, or any other
tasted with red wine vinegar. It is a milder (less acid than some),
more colorful vinegar. If you are after a nice tang in your marinade,
this is good stuff. It will keep the garlic, too since the acid level
is higher.

I use a lot of garlic and olive oil, giving up butter as an ingredient
almost altogether for my health concerns. I also became interested in
finding a reasonable substitute for butter when my parents became
chronically ill, at least partly to bad eating habits. So I make up a
lot of infused oils from the herb garden, but I always keep a jar of
garlic/parsley/olive oil around to use instead of butter. That is why
I learned all I could about it a few years ago.

I use the mixture as a quick fix to make garlic bread (excellent on
the grill), as a rub for chicken when I roast, occasionally as a
slather for my ribeyes after I apply rub, a dressing for steamed or
grilled veggies, and on an on.

As noted above, the EVOO will not keep with herbs or vegetables in it,
even if the veggies are cooked first. It doesn't have enough acid in
it to keep the bacteria in check. But if you make it up and put it in
the fridge, it will keep almost indefinitely. I date the jar, and
have used the contents of a large jar I made up for a party for 90
days after I made it, making sure it stayed refrigerated.

> EVOO instead of a brining solution for a brisket was due to my need to
> hold down on sodium in foods and the desire to try something different.

Reading you loud and clear. See the above. You can get enough flavor
out of that mix to avoid salt altogether on vegetables. I even use it
in mashed potatoes on occasion.

Somehow, it isn't fair is it? Two things I really love, butter and
bacon... they are almost poison. I broke down a couple of Sundays ago
and made a ton of smoked chicken wings for the Bowl game, and made a
traditional Anchor Bar Hot Wings Sauce. Butter, Bleu Cheese, Hot
Sauce, and a pinch of salt. With the Butter and Bleu Cheese alone,
each wing probably had enough calories and fat to rival a small deep
dish pizza. Damn it was good.

> Thanks for the alcohol suggestion, though.

While sipping your martini, had you thought of giving your beef a
couple or three good shots of vodka? I personally haven't tried it,
but I know there are some recipes out there that call for vodka in the
marinades and dressings.

Just a thought.

Robert

wrote:

>
> Somehow, it isn't fair is it? Two things I really love, butter and
> bacon... they are almost poison. I broke down a couple of Sundays ago
> and made a ton of smoked chicken wings for the Bowl game, and made a
> traditional Anchor Bar Hot Wings Sauce. Butter, Bleu Cheese, Hot
> Sauce, and a pinch of salt. With the Butter and Bleu Cheese alone,
> each wing probably had enough calories and fat to rival a small deep
> dish pizza. Damn it was good.
>
>> Thanks for the alcohol suggestion, though.
>
> While sipping your martini, had you thought of giving your beef a
> couple or three good shots of vodka? I personally haven't tried it,
> but I know there are some recipes out there that call for vodka in the
> marinades and dressings.
>
>

I've given thought to renting myself out to the medical researchers,
since I'm the perfect "Canary in a coal mine." If I like something,
it's bad for you. If I dislike it, it's healthy and will surely make
you live longer.

I've said many times that if I absolutely knew with certainty that they
were going to hang me in a couple months, that I'd go out and buy a box
of maduro wrapped cigars and a big bottle of Jose Cuervo to enjoy with
my butter biscuits, bacon and egg sandwich. <grin >

Nonny

--
---Nonnymus---
No matter how large your boat,
the person you are talking with will
have a close friend with a larger one.
---Observation by my son

On Feb 13, 6:33 pm, Nonnymus > wrote:

SNIP

> I've said many times that if I absolutely knew with certainty that they
> were going to hang me in a couple months, that I'd go out and buy a box
> of maduro wrapped cigars and a big bottle of Jose Cuervo to enjoy with
> my butter biscuits, bacon and egg sandwich. <grin >

OK, add in a quart of black, fresh roasted coffee, and a jug of fresh
squeezed OJ to chase the tequila, and that would be wonderful.

At lunch: 1 1/2" ribeye seared over white hot coals, a pan of
cornbread with jalapeno and burnt ends mixed in, a potato with
everything including a pile of crispy bacon, plenty of cold dark beer,
and for dessert a highball glass for some Ezra Williams Black enjoyed
with a 52 ring (of course maduro wrapped!) stogie.

After those two meals in the same day, I would probably die, no notice
needed.

Robert

wrote:
> On Feb 13, 6:33 pm, Nonnymus > wrote:
>
> SNIP
>
>> I've said many times that if I absolutely knew with certainty that they
>> were going to hang me in a couple months, that I'd go out and buy a box
>> of maduro wrapped cigars and a big bottle of Jose Cuervo to enjoy with
>> my butter biscuits, bacon and egg sandwich. <grin >
>
> OK, add in a quart of black, fresh roasted coffee, and a jug of fresh
> squeezed OJ to chase the tequila, and that would be wonderful.
>
> At lunch: 1 1/2" ribeye seared over white hot coals, a pan of
> cornbread with jalapeno and burnt ends mixed in, a potato with
> everything including a pile of crispy bacon, plenty of cold dark beer,
> and for dessert a highball glass for some Ezra Williams Black enjoyed
> with a 52 ring (of course maduro wrapped!) stogie.
>
> After those two meals in the same day, I would probably die, no notice
> needed.
>
> Robert

Dinner would be a heaping pulled pork sandwich with slaw made with
Marzetti's original slaw dressing. The pig would have LOTS of Mr. Brown
and there would be a bottle of Texas Pete to sprinkle on top. I'd heat
up the leftover cornbread and add a heaping serving of baked pintos.
Dessert would be warm banana pudding with meringue. The libation would
again be Cuervo, followed by one of those cigars I'd bum off of you. If
death didn't soon follow from natural causes, I'd have a bedtime snack
of the cold pintos and banana pudding.

A friend sent me the video of Saddam's hanging. He'd probably have
broken both his legs if the rope hadn't been there to stop the fall
before he hit the ground.

Speaking of OJ, we were on a cruise ship a few weeks back and they had
an OJ squeezer on the Lido Deck. Oranges or other citrus went into a
hopper on top and dropped one-by-one into a clear vertical container.
As the oranges descended, they were mechanically squeezed by
progressively tighter cams. The juice ran out the bottom into a
container and the spend rinds were lifted upward by the cams and
deposited into a separate container. It was a lot of fun to watch and
the cleanup was surprisingly simple appearing. The only concern I had
was that the oranges being dropped into the hopper appeared to come
direct from storage, in 10# bags, and anything on the outside was in
direct contact with the cams, juice and container.

--
---Nonnymus---
No matter how large your boat,
the person you are talking with will
have a close friend with a larger one.
---Observation by my son