http://brutusphere.com Information and ideas for the Practical Gourmet in all of us. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:59:31 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The content for this site has been available in three separate locations. That meant each new post had to be cross posted twice. Making it time consuming and annoying at times. The reason for leaving the site spread out this way was because I hadn't decided which way to consolidate ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/03/18/where-did-it-go/ It was commented by Seriouswriter (a contributor here), sometime ago, that I should try coating a ham with a 50/50 mixture of brown sugar and mustard. Being distracted by all life has had to offer, it has taken all this time to give it try. Last night we had some ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/03/02/sweet-and-tangy/ All: Two events have occurred: I’ve taken a new job (minor), and my mother has become very, very ill (major). I won’t be around for a bit until the dust settles here. I’ll post when I can, but at the moment, I have to spend my time and thought elsewhere. Brutus, I’ll ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/03/02/hiatus/ For most people, getting good sausage is as easy as going to the local store and grabbing a package of bulk sausage. Some people like to make their own or are curious what it takes to make tasty sausage. So here we go, a short tutorial on this breakfast treat. First ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/02/04/what-makes-good-sausage/ We use salt in our daily lives all the time without much thought. It's just one of those things we have on the table and throw around freely. When we are cooking, however, the salt we chose can make a noticeable difference in the final result. ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/01/27/and-you-thought-salt-was-simple/ I like to write about subjects that interest me and I hope it interests some of our readers.  Once in awhile, there is an item that I have found useful in the past or that I am interested in and I like to share that item with everyone.  It is ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/01/17/a-new-addition/ Just in case you are a bit squeamish, I should let you know this is not about food. This post is one of those sideline interests of mine. It's about the curing of hides. Not only is it about hides but it is about the Indian ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/01/13/not-for-the-faint-of-heart/ I've gone on and on about the different ways to smoke meat. Finally, I am going to have to pick one and write about it. So here we go. First of all, I am most familiar with using a brine to cure and flavor the meat. In a bit of ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/01/08/i-like-brine-in-mine/ Wow, this is good: Apple Crisp Filling: 3 huge granny smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced and chunked, or tart apples to fill a 9-inch pie pan 1/2 c sugar 1 teas cinnamon Topping : 3/4 c flour 1/2 c sugar 1/3 c butter, melted Oven 400 Grease a 9-inch pie pan or equivalent size casserole dish. Toss the apple pieces with ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/01/08/you-have-to-try-this/ As I sit here again thinking about what an article explaining smoking meat should consist of, I am still amazed at the amount of data there is to relate about the different types of curing and cooking techniques available. So this post is still going to be a ... http://brutusphere.com/2008/01/05/the-maze-of-smoked-meat/