Green River: Today's Specialty Burger at RUB BBQ

Photo by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is NOT tonight's burger

Per A Hamburger Today:

Today's Special Burger at Rub BBQ: Pacific Northwestern Burger

Today's special burger at Rub BBQ is the Pacific Northwestern Burger ($7.50) topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and Thousand Island-type dressing. (They describe it as an In-N-Out-style burger, although In-N-Out isn't from the Pacific Northwest.) It will be available for dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. 208 West 23rd Street, New York NY 10011 (map); 212-524-4300

Wish I could be there, but I'll be at Fatty Cue, instead!

Picture at top Previous Burger cooked by the expert hand of Scott Smith at RUB

Read more!

I'll wear it proudly: A good laugh

Read all about this tremendously gifted bullshit artist and watch him in action as he flails about with his yo-yo, then shows up for an appearance sans-string for his yo-yo. Is he that talented a faker, or is he truly cuckoo-- you be the judge.

Read more!

A Quack-Quack Here: Home-Cured Duck Prosciutto

I followed the recipe in Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn's Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing.
The basic (and total) recipe is to pack the breast in kosher salt for 24 hours and then rinse it, dry it, dust it with white pepper, then wrap it in cheesecloth and hang it in a cool (50-60 degree) and humid place for about 7 days. In Italy some people use caves for the Prosciutto. If you have access to one, go for it.

When done it will lose about 30% of the original weight and will be denser, but not like jerky. The color will be a deep rich crimson and when sliced quite thinly, will be a beautiful red. This was Magret Duck Breast from D'artagnan. Here's a photo of the finished product sliced. I wish I had a nice deli slicer at home....

Read more!