Good Morning Carnivores,

I’ve been thinking about this for some time. There are quite often ‘Hot Button’ topics I’m asked to explain, this is one I’ve been asked about a LOT lately.

What I’m about to write will come as a surprise to some of you, some of you are already aware of this ‘Process’.

Controversy.

It makes headlines, sells newspapers and leads off the evening news. Sometimes it’s good for careers, sometimes it shatters them. Often it provokes an angry reaction.

This topic is one of those that provokes an angry reaction.

You’ve all heard the term “mechanically separated”. If you haven’t, take a look at a package of Hot Dogs.

‘Mechanically separated’

It’s been going on since processed meats have been available, and it refers to a “heat-treated method” the industry uses to extract every available ounce of usable meat from a carcass, once an animal has been…

Greetings Carnivores,

Well, … the 1st long weekend of the Summer has come and gone, and what a spectacular weekend it was!

Bright sunshine, moderate breeze, perfect for … chores???

Yikes, … the long weekends of my youth were spent in a carefree way, swimming, hanging out with good friends and … maybe even a little bit of drinking … WHAT HAPPENED???

Oh ya, … with age comes responsibility and, just like death and taxes, … yard work and planting are a Spring passage that’s unavoidable.

New fence, planted pots … what else do you do on a warm early Summer day?? Oh ya, smoke some Pork back ribs while you work !!

Fortunately for me, I WAS able to smoke some Pork back ribs but … only because it takes HOURS to do them and, guess what?  Between swapping out the snow tires for the all season radials (they’re not really ALL season around…

Greetings Carnivores,

Today I want to talk about something that happens on a fairly regular basis.

If you discover a sealed package of meat (a fresh steak or maybe some Bologna … I won’t judge) that looks like it’s been blown up with air … don’t eat it. Through a natural order of things, microscopic critters (organisms) are always hard at work doing their level best to cop a free meal. During the breakdown of the food item, these bacterium are releasing by-products, one of which is gas.

Now, without getting too technical, the type of gas (Methane, Carbon Dioxide … the list goes on) is determined by the type of Bacteria and the food it’s consuming. The important point to remember here is: the food is in an advanced stage of spoiling.

Best before dates are really only a “Guideline” for you to consider ie: the item ‘should’ be…

Greetings Carnivores,

Who doesn’t like Chicken? It’s one of the highest volume, commercially produced, affordable proteins … period. They’re always available, the price doesn’t really fluctuate seasonally like Beef, Pork and Lamb and, whether you choose Free range or Grain fed, it’s always a great value for your protein dollars. The only time it’s NOT really a bargain is when you choose to buy parts vs. the whole bird because then you’re just paying for someone else’s labour.

I know I’m not really telling you something you don’t already know here and, I mean no offence to anyone … I thought I’d just highlight a few things for you that I ALWAYS do.

I ALWAYS look for specials on Drums, Thighs, Leg quarters and Whole birds. Whenever possible, I will buy the bird whole. This to me is a no-brainer since they’re just so easy to take apart. When…

Greetings Carnivores,

Today’s topic: the Freezer.

It’s always best to eat fresh but that’s just not always practical and of course GREAT savings can be had when buying in bulk so, … everyone knows that in order to ‘prolong’ the shelf life of meat, fish and poultry it’s a necessary ‘evil’ to put it in the freezer.

We’ve ALL put a bottle of something in the freezer to give it a ‘quick’ chill, only to forget about it until it’s too late. The resulting mess of broken glass and frozen liquid demonstrates exactly what happens to meat at a cellular level when it freezes.

Fresh meat can contain up to as much as 75 % NATURALLY occurring water. When water in the cells of meat freezes, it crystallizes and expands, rupturing the cell walls (just like the forgotten bottle). When thawed, the water from the ruptured cells melts (ever notice…

Greeting Carnivores,

I often find it funny in a really tragic sort of way, that the very BEST steaks in the display case are the ones that frequently remain unsold. How can this be?

Simple … education.  Hopefully, that’s where I can be of some service.

Many, MANY times I come across a particular primal Strip loin or Rib eye that is really exceptional.   You can’t easily tell by looking at the outside but, once you start cutting and, it reveals a really WELL marbled texture with specks, flecks and ribbons of well dispersed fat throughout the lean flesh … well, I either set them aside for myself or, I tray them up for you. Here’s the problem: more often than you would think, folks leave the best ones behind because … ewwwww TOO MUCH FAT !!!.

I believe people just don’t know what to look for in a…