Category Archives: Meat

Tradition Reigns at Neto’s Market & Grill

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Neto's "burger,'' a thick sausage patty in a sub.

People have endured a lot to get their Neto’s sausage fix.

My husband, Meat Boy, included.

At its tiny, hidden away, former location at The Alameda and Harrison Street in Santa Clara, the third-generation Neto Sausage Company would sell its grilled Portuguese sausages at lunch-time to a hungry crowd in need of hefty sub sandwiches.

But the sandwiches were only offered on Tuesdays and Fridays. And only weather permitting — since the sausages were grilled outdoors.

Good luck to those who weren’t familiar with the “system,” too. You’d get in one line at the grill to pick your cooked meat, then carry it in an aluminum tray inside the store to get into another line. You would hand your meat to the counter-person, who’d ask you what kind of bread, condiments, and chips you wanted. Next, you’d wander over to the cooler to pick a beverage, then get into yet another line to pay for your lunch and to pick it up. Whew, got all that? This game of musical lines happened in a very narrow, very cramped space, too.

Even with all that, the ever-present line out the door was a testament to just how good the sausages are. Of course, there was never a place to sit once you got your sandwich; the place was just too teeny to have tables and chairs.

Earlier this year, though, Neto’s Market & Grill opened at 1313 Franklin St. in the old VFW building in what could be considered palatial in comparison to the old location. Plenty of tables and chairs here in what’s more than four times the size of the old place. Grilled sausage sandwiches are available every day now. Plus a whole lot more — fried calamari ($10.99), penne and sausage ($10.99), and even cioppino $16.95).

There’s even a sizable deli/market in the front, where you’ll find everything from dried beans, frozen raviolis, quince paste, canned sardines, air-dried beef from Uruguay, and even a frozen coiled-up octopus. A decent selection of cheeses, hot dogs, and of course, sausages of all manner, also are available by the pound to tote home to cook.

Meat Boy and I were there for the sandwiches, though, which we took home to eat.

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Bruce Aidells On the Finer Points of Cured Pork

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Meaty Duroc ham.

Less is more when it comes to curing pork and bacon.

Indeed, it’s what you don’t put into them that matters most, says Bay Area meat guru, Bruce Aidells.

It’s been years since Aidells has been associated with Aidells Sausage Company, which he founded and which still bears his name. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy with all things meaty. In fall 2010, the veteran cookbook author will publish a new comprehensive meat book that will include information on grass-fed beef, buffalo, goat, venison, sustainability, pasture-raised, and the importance of buying local.

Moreover, for the past three years, he’s been working with Vande Rose Farms in Iowa, helping its pig farmers cure bacon and ham, and find distributors for these artisan products. You’ll now find Vande Rose featured at restaurants such as BarBersQ in Napa, and sold at stores such as Andronico’s and  Mollie Stone’s in the Bay Area, Central Market in Texas, and Balducci’s nationwide. The products also are available on the Vande Rose Farms Web site.

Aidells’ ham and bacon cure is essentially just salt, pepper, brown sugar, and nitrates. No water is added, which is key.

The term, “ham,” means no water added, he explains. In contrast, “ham with natural juices,” means that water has been added. So much so that after cooking, the latter will weigh 10 percent less than it did when you bought it.

“True ‘hams’ are very hard to find,” he says. “Not many people sell them, and not many people can tell the difference between them. But ‘hams’ are more expensive.”

It’s not hard to guess which type Aidells prefers.

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Filet Mignon — Bison-Style

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My new favorite filet mignon isn't made of beef.

As a kid frequenting Sizzler with my parents (yes, the Food Gal did haunt that establishment back in the day), my Dad would always order a filet mignon for me.

Because it was smaller than the other cuts on the menu, it was the perfect size for a smaller eater. It was always tender, too, a good choice for a kid who didn’t like chewing too much.

As I got older, and started cutting back on the amount of red meat I ate, filet mignon still popped up in my diet, but much less frequently. As my taste buds changed, I started enjoying it less, too, because it was always a little lacking in the flavor department, if you know what I mean.

Enter filet mignon made from bison. (Not to be confused with buffalo, which are a whole different species, even though the two terms are commonly used interchangeably.)

Before Northern Europeans settled North America, there were upwards of 70 million bison on the continent. But by 1889, after overzealous slaughtering, less than 1,000 bison remained. In 1905, the American Bison Society was formed to protect the animals from extinction. Today, thanks to efforts from ranchers, bison number more than 350,000.

Two such bison ranchers are Ken Klemm and Peter Thieriot, otherwise known as the Buffalo Guys (see what I mean about interchangeable terms?). Their herd of about 500 bison graze in northwest Kansas. They also contract with other ranchers in Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Montana. Together, they sell ramge-raised, hormone-free, antibiotic-free bison meat in stores nationwide and on the Web.

Leaner than beef, buffalo meat even has fewer calories and less fat (including saturated) than skinless chicken breast. It also has more iron than beef, pork or chicken.

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The Mother of All Burgers

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A burger so flavorful, you won't know what hit you.

Sure, there are fancier burgers. There are even more expensive burgers.

But Snake River Farms American Style Kobe Beef burger patties are pretty hard to beat.

And this is coming from a Food Gal who is not typically much of a Burger Gal, either.

The huge, 1/2-pound patties are made of American-style Kobe — Japanese Wagyu cows that have been crossed with American Black Angus ones. If you’ve ever experienced the over-the-top, fatty heaven known as Kobe beef, then you have an inkling of what these burgers are like.

If fat indeed equates flavor, these burgers are exploding with both. Take a deep breath and let me fill you in. Each of these patties alone has 750 calories — 610 of those from fat. Yowza! Indeed, each patty has more than 104 percent of a person’s daily recommended allotment of fat, and 126 percent of your daily value of saturated fat. Lordy, that’s a true case of too much information, if there ever was one.

It would be an understatement to say that you probably can’t eat these burgers too often — and still live to tell about it. But boy, what a treat at least once.

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Food Gal Contest: A Meaty New One, And Winners of the Popchips One

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Wouldn't you love to sink your teeth into this juicy filet? One winner can. (Photo courtesy of Morton's)

I hope you found the last Food Gal contest involving Popchips a blast to participate in. The three winners of that contest who made my heart go pop the most are unveiled at the end of this post.

Now, wait until you get a load of the latest contest that starts today.

It’s especially made for carnivores.

Morton’s The Steakhouse in San Jose is generously offering one Food Gal reader a complimentary dinner for two at any Morton’s location worldwide. Yes, that’s right — a dining certificate for two people that’s good for up to one year at any Morton’s around the globe.

Now that I have you salivating, I’m sure you’re wondering just what you have to do to win, right?

No worries. It’s very easy. Keep reading.

You already know that my hubby’s nickname is Meat Boy for obvious reasons. What you might not know are some of the ways he’s truly earned that moniker. Let me tell you.

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