Dinner tonight was magical. I went by the butcher shop for a special trip because I knew they'd have freshly made hot dogs.
Let me repeat that. FRESHLY MADE HOT DOGS.
The Belmont Butchery makes their own links from (I believe) beef shoulder, presumably garlic, salt, some fat, and whatever other seasonings they choose. They handle the stuffing and smoking, and I was delighted to see them trussed up with string when I arrived. They're a quarter-pound each, so I grabbed two for dinner.
I decided that I'd try my hand at deep frying, so there was a reprise of my potato chips - only this time cooked in peanut oil. MUCH better. They cooked considerably faster, were more evenly crispy, and delightfully browned. I toasted up some nice rolls while the hot dogs cooked up...
I felt as if I'd never eaten a real hot dog until tonight.
I'm finding that I'm consistently delighted (but not surprised) by the extreme difference in quality and flavor between what I'm buying from the butcher and what I've previously eaten in its industrial format. The snap of the casing, the juiciness, the texture, the taste! You can't begin at one without the others. I'd have a hard time getting these for a cookout (they're not cheap), but I think my every-two-or-three months hot dog habit is about to change to once-a-month.
I washed down this perfect warm weather meal with some lemonade, and now I wish I had some gelato to cap off my evening's meal :-)
Let me repeat that. FRESHLY MADE HOT DOGS.
The Belmont Butchery makes their own links from (I believe) beef shoulder, presumably garlic, salt, some fat, and whatever other seasonings they choose. They handle the stuffing and smoking, and I was delighted to see them trussed up with string when I arrived. They're a quarter-pound each, so I grabbed two for dinner.
I decided that I'd try my hand at deep frying, so there was a reprise of my potato chips - only this time cooked in peanut oil. MUCH better. They cooked considerably faster, were more evenly crispy, and delightfully browned. I toasted up some nice rolls while the hot dogs cooked up...
I felt as if I'd never eaten a real hot dog until tonight.
I'm finding that I'm consistently delighted (but not surprised) by the extreme difference in quality and flavor between what I'm buying from the butcher and what I've previously eaten in its industrial format. The snap of the casing, the juiciness, the texture, the taste! You can't begin at one without the others. I'd have a hard time getting these for a cookout (they're not cheap), but I think my every-two-or-three months hot dog habit is about to change to once-a-month.
I washed down this perfect warm weather meal with some lemonade, and now I wish I had some gelato to cap off my evening's meal :-)