Brisket, redeemed (sorta)

Hash makings. Stubborn damn brisket.

Hash, completed, with a cheese biscuit and bacon jam, and a duck egg.

;

You will recall the disastrous brisket from the other night. Not to be defeated by the thing, I plopped it in a pot of fresh water, and set it to simmering. For about two hours. Checked it, and it was still tough. Put it away for the evening, and set it back to simmering, again in fresh water, the next morning. And finally, it got tender enough that I cut it up and used it in hash.

It wasn’t bad. It most assuredly was not worth the time, trouble, effort and frustration, not to mention expense (buffalo is PRICY, y’all!), but at least I didn’t throw it out. I diced up the brisket, which had been a little more than a pound before it was cooked; diced up four russet potatos. Put the potatos in a pan with a couple of tablespoons of canola oil, and let them brown a bit before I put the corned beef in. Let those sizzle along for a little. Then added about a quarter-cup of half-and-half, covered it, and turned the heat down to medium low to let it simmer while I tended to the biscuits.

They were the first REAL biscuits I’ve made in a good while, and I am happy to report I have not lost my touch. Though the sheep’s cheese was a little too mild; should’ve used something sharper. But it was nice to have something to roll out the bacon jam for.

Today, I did Scotch quail eggs and scrambled duck eggs for breakfast. I continue to be enthralled with Scotch quail eggs. Child C is fond of them, too.

Sometimes you just shouldn’t cook, or, an eventful Memorial Day

Confession time.

For years, I didn’t buy whole chickens, because the first time I tried to cut one up, it looked like the guy from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre got hold of it. If I got a whole chicken, it was to roast. I haven’t cut up a chicken for probably 25 years.

But it’s Memorial Day weekend. I had two whole chickens in the freezer. And I was bound and be damned that I was going to grill chicken, because I have five more coming from the farm in June. So after breakfast, said birds having thawed in the fridge, I determined it was time to try it again.

Sigh. I’m done with corning brisket.

What WERE going to be sides. Until they were an entree.

In the overall cook-vs-corned brisket, I am now 0-for-2. And not being an abject fool, I ain’t goin’ there again.

It may perhaps be because it was buffalo brisket, rather than beef. But 20 hours in the sous vide produced an inedibly tough, not to mention way too salty, brisket.

Dammit.

Dinner, however, was saved by the presence of fresh vegetables, courtesy of the Farmers Market, of which I attended two today. The male diners, NS and Chief Taste Tester, had pizza for their entree. Child C and I had veggies — fried squash and onions, roasted potatos and carrots, and fried green tomatos for Child C, because she loves them so. All procured this very morning at the market.

First peaches of the season at the market today.

We started out the day at the Hot Springs market, which has been bursting with veggies for the past couple of weeks. Our market’s a wonderful place; lots of artisan foods, lots of crafts, great music. Today’s music was a Russian violinist.  There were the tamales, the baked goods, the honey, the fried pies. Home-brewed root beer. Green beans have started to come in. There’s apparently a bumper crop of squash, judging from the amount out there. All manner of greens, from Laotian family’s bok choi to kale to cabbage and assorted other stuff. And lots of folks with dogs. Info booths for all sorts of community organizations.