I realised that in my last blog I didn’t mention the Feast that was held at the end of the F&B Feast Day. I was lucky enough to score a free ticket due to my not-so-squeaky-microphoning job up the front so we only had to pay for Himself.
There was duck liver pate and oysters to start (clearly not together, separate like). Goats cheese and asparagus to follow. Two delicious types of fish sashimi style with dill and vinaigrette after, then plates of spit roast lamb and pork to devour and fresh fruit for dessert.
The interesting bit (in terms of whole-of-animal philosophy) is our love of the spit roast. A whole lamb or pig, or in our case both as we were very lucky and F&B is very generous, is roasted slowly over charcoal until it’s meltingly tender and succulent. You’re all drooling now right? Well that’s the fascinating thing. There is no ‘prime’ or ‘secondary’ cut on a spit roast. It’s all good and all served with gay abandon. There is no one clamouring for the fillet or the loin, no-one complains when they get a piece of neck. An interesting phenomenon no?
So what’s so special about a spit roast? Does it magically make all that meat taste the same? Is it all shredded and mixed to a point where there is just a glorious mass of delicious meat? Why are the masses happy to eat this but not buy some neck or shin from the butcher and treat it essentially the same way? Slow cook it, baste it regularly and await a glorious result.
I’d take to the streets to find out why but this is not that kind of blog. But if you are a prime-meat-eater-no-secondary-cuts-for-me-thanks-Jack think on this yourself and how you can replicate the spit roast with a slow cut to blow your own mind.
3 comments:
i am a new fashion blogger from indonesia living in singapore :) i really like your blog. i will really appreciate & it will be an honor to have u as my blog member.
and of course i will folback!:D also, u can mention me anytime on twitter @tiodang if you want me to check out your latest post & leave a comment ^^ ,please list me on twitter, so i will know u're my follower!! ;)
i've just recommend your post to google!u can check it! that's what u got if you keep in touch with my blog too!! hope u will do the same ^^
(u can add me on facebook and contact me at : cheeringwinda@yahoo.com)
Junkie, I like secondary cuts. Nothing like delicious slow cooked meat. I think some of my favourite food uses that type of meat. Fajitas aren't fajitas unless made from skirt steak!
I picked up a pork shoulder amongst other things from F&B today. It's destined for this http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/11/homesick-texan-carnitas/ tomorrow night.
And these types of things tend to be ok cold or reheated while a prime cut steak, not so much.
Can I just say that, despite working in this business for a couple of years, it had never dawned on me that one of the great joys of the spit roast is not just how good it tastes, or how wonderfully communal it is, or what a great spectacle it is, or even how it forces you to come to terms with the fact that this is definitely a whole animal you're eating! No, it's taken the wonderfully wise FBJ to point out the obvious fact that the wondrous thing about a spit is the fact that it's truly egalitarian. No part of the animal is valued over another part - it's all equal, it's all for everyone and it's all delicious! Thank you, again, FBJ. From now on I will be shouting this from the rooftops and, with your permission, in my next Monday newsletter. It's a revelation! Mrs Feather