Monday, July 13, 2009

Monkey see...monkey do?

While results are deemed premature, dieting monkeys may offer hope for living longer. In similarly conducted studies involving mice, favorable results were produced. When consuming 30% less calories than their uncontrolled counterparts, mice have been seen to have significant increases in longevity -- up to 40% longer, in fact [1]. Impressive.


Would the same be true in humans? Primates? One study researched into the latter. Using rhesus monkeys, 30% reduced-calorie diets were observed starting over 20 years ago. With an average life span of 27 years and a maximum life span noted at 40 years, the study has surely required patience from the team leaders, Ricki J. Colman and Richard Weindruch of the University of Wisconsin [1].


Despite the known life span of the primates, the results were reported this past Thursday in Science. The researchers describe the study results as "showing many beneficial signs of of caloric resistance, including significantly less diabetes, cancer, and heart and brain disease". Colman and Weindruch conclude the study's data proves caloric restriction slows the aging process in the primate species [1]. Is such the same true in humans?


Most know that humans are most similar in genetic make-up to that of the primate, so the study results appear quite promising as far as human longevity is concerned. Based on similar mice studies, an additional 10-20% in longevity was hypothesized. Critics declare the death rate in the experimental reduced-calorie primates was not significant compared to the death rate of the control group. Though there is a difference in the number of deaths, the statistic is not significant [1]. As can be guessed, the researchers explain the experimental monkeys deaths to be attributable to undergoing anesthesia during blood sampling, and others from gastric bloat related to endometriosis. With those deaths accounted for, the results would be deemed statistically significant [1].


All-in-all, the study raises interest of reduced-calorie diets and their benefits, as there are no obeserved harms. As always, eat less and move more for better health.

[1]. Wade, Nicholas. Dieting Monkeys Offer Hope for Living Longer. The New York Times. July 9, 2009.

Wild Game

Before I continue on in the regional style series I want to talk about wild game and its place on the barbecue. Most people shy away from wild game on the grill because it gets to dry during cooking. But if you turn the brisket into an edible work of art why can't the same be done to a good piece of venison? Wild game is all about preperation. What you do before it reaches the grill is just as important as the cooking itself. A good marinade is all that is required to turn a tough inedible hind quarter into a juicy and tender feast. Red Wine, beer, pineapple juice or even a combination make a wonderful marinate. My personal favorite is a mopping sauce that I will reveal the recipe for at the end of this post. 24 hours of soaking in this will leave an indelible impression on you taste buds. It's good for all wild game and is also excellent to soak chikens. And of course there's always aluminum foil. This will keep juices in but also locks out the wonderful wood flavor so I just go with the marinate and mopping during cooking.
Alright heres the recipe. Nothing special but works wonders

Al's Backwoods Marinate and Mop Sauce

2 cups Distilled White Vinegar

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoon Coarse Salt

2 tablespoon garlic powder or use crushed garlic if you wish(I do)

2 teaspoon Black Pepper, or more to taste

2 teaspoon Hot Red Pepper Flakes, or more to taste

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 small Onions, thinly sliced

2 JalapeƱo pepper, thinly sliced

mix all ingredients together and marinate meat in a cool place for 24 hours
cook over indirect heat or preferrably a smoker grill for 8-10 hours
mop sauce unto meat every hour

BBQ Jokes and Stories


Some BBQ jokes and stories pulled from the world wide web.

It's Barbie Time
I was waiting at a customer services station at Asda when a woman in front of me was returning a disposable barbeque. When asked why she was returning the barbeque, she replied, 'There was no meat in in it'

The shop assistant patiently explained that the disposable barbeque was simply to cook the meat and it did not include any food. Whereupon, the customer looked very embarrassed indeed.

The assistant checked the receipt and asked: 'There are 3 barbeques on here, are you returning the other two as well?

'I can't', said the woman, 'they are at home in the freezer'.

Debra Hails, Hartlepool.

Stupid Joke: BBQ Butt
Ted and his wife
were working in their garden one day when Ted looks over at his wife and says: "Your butt is getting really big, I mean really big! I bet your butt is bigger than the barbecue."

With that he proceeded to get a measuring tape and measure the grill and then went over to where his wife was working and measured his wife's bottom.

"Yes, I was right, your butt is two inches wider than the barbecue!!!!"

The wife chooses to ignore her husband. Later that night in bed, Ted is feeling a little frisky. He makes some advances towards his wife who completely brushes him off.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

She answers: "Do you really think I'm going to fire up this big-ass grill for one little weenie?"


As the coals from our barbecue burned down, our hosts passed out marshmallows and long roasting forks.

Just then, two fire trucks roared by, sirens blaring, lights flashing. They stopped at a house right down the block.

All twelve of us raced out of the back yard, down the street, where we found the owners of the blazing house standing by helplessly.

They glared at us with looks of disgust.

Suddenly, we realized why………we were all still holding our roasting forks with marshmallows on them

tolong... terima kasih!




sy bkn nak minta tlg... hehe. cuma, da lame nak buat entry ttg ni. tp tak terbuat. hari ni paksa jgk diri, jari n minda tulis~! ahah. erm, tentang budi bahasa dan tanda hormat kita pd org lain. selalunya, ble kte mintak tlg org lain, kita main suruh je... main ckp je. main arah je. pastuh, x ucap terima kasih plak tuh. ahah...slalunye jd mcm nih ble da kelam kabut sgt. kan? tak pun mmg da jenis x berbudi. mmg x kan ckp la elok2 walaupun nak mintak tlg org lain kan? hurm...rasenye x elok n x patot btol.


ayat majoriti
"weyh. bagi aku kertas tuh"

ayat sebaik - baiknye
"weyh, TLG bagikan aku kertas tuh. TERIMA KASIH"



nape ssh sgt eh kte nak gune perkataan TLG dan TERIMA KASIH tuh? ahah... kalau dlm keadaan x disengajakan mcm yg sy ckp td, kelam kabut ke, x pela... maybe kte x bermaksud camtuh. tp, kalau keadaan tenang, ok je, x rushing, tapi... kte still tak gune perkataan TLG dan TQ tuh? erm. mcm x elok kot. x berbudi bhse. n cam.... org yg tlg kte pon rase bengang je. ye laaa,ssh2 die tlg kte, kte senyum pon tak. ckp TQ pon tak. haih~ mengundang fitnah org dkt kte je kot...


ade seorg junior lelaki sy. sy pernah tanye die, pas SPM nak gi mane?


junior ; erm... buat mase ni just nak study betol2. n nak gi oversea n jauh2. x nak dkt dgn fmly.

me; kenape? what do u mean by x nak dkt dgn fmly?

junior ; sbb... benci fmly. benci semua. so, mmg nak belajar sungguh2 sbb nak dpt offer g oversea je utk jauh dr die org semua.

me ; eh... nape sampai benci fmly??? nape..??? x baek kot camtuh... darah daging jgk.

junior ; yer laaa... mama, kakak2, abg semua asyik taw nak memerintah je. itula inilah. ckp nak marah2 je. asyik org je kene... pastu ckp org malas... pdhal die org tuh x buat ape langsung. asyik memerintah je. sape lg malas sebenarnye..???

me ; erm...kan tanggungjwb jgk sebagai anak n adik, bongsu plak tuh? sbb tuh camtuh kot. jgnlah buruk sangka sbb dkt fmly sdiri kot. hurm...

junior ; yerlaaa... tp tak boleh ke ckp TLG / PLZ??? then ckp TQ??? at least~ bkn ssh pon. kalo ckp leklok, org ok je nak tlg... ni tak. cam ape je.


hurm. ade betolnye jgk kan? cam sdeyh jgk sbb sampai camtuh skali die sanggup study utk pergi jauh2 hanye kerane kesilapan yg asalnye kecik je... owh yar, he did it. mmg die score gempak gile SPM n dpt g jepun~ ahah... congrats 2 him~! act, die bkn student yg cam best mule2 nye...time f4 n f5 mmg die study gile. n his great result mmg amat sgt gempak n mengejutkan semua org. ahah~ ok. enuff bout that. just...SEE... fmly sdiri pon memainkan peranan yg amat besar kot? hurm... x dela. just bkn sgt kte nak ckp TLG / PLZ & TQ / TERIMA KASIH.

kalau sy, kdg2 sy terlupa jgk nak ckp thank u sbb tgh berckp dgn org lain, ataw sy segan dgn org itu. ahah...cam bodow je jgk sbb guna alasan 'segan' utk x berckp thank u~! SORRY~!!! huu.. baiklah aqilah...pasnih cuba SENTIASA hargai semua org yg membantu. tanda kita berbudi, hormat, dan hargai org lain... =]



Memphis Style Barbecue


In our continuing series of different styles of BBQ today we will look at the Memphis style.

Memphis style barbecue is mainly made from pulled pork and ribs. Memphis is known most for its dry rubbed barbecue. Memphis dry rub will consist of spices such as garlic powder,onion powder,paprika,cumin and others. Was rubbed the ribs will be placed in a smoker until fall off the bone tender.

The meat will be served with a decadent sweet and tangy tomato based sauce on the side. This is used for dipping the ribs or pouring over the pulled pork.

Memphis is home to the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest which regularly draws over 90,000 barbecue lovers from around the world. Guinness Book of World Records has established this event as the "largest pork cooking barbecue contest in the world.

Places to eat while visiting Memphis
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous(serving ribs since 1948)
Cozy Corner(great food at a great price)
Jim Neelys' Interstate Bar-B-Q(a local favorite)
Leonard's Pit Barbeque(serving their famous pork sandwiches since 1922)
There our many more BBQ restuarants for you to choose so make sure you plan to stay a while.

Dry Rub Recipe
Ingredients:
•4 teaspoons paprika
•2 teaspoons salt
•2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
•2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
•1 teaspoons cayenne
Preparation:
Mix ingredients together. Store in an airtight container. Spread evenly on prepared ribs that have been patted dry and let sit until the rub appears moist.

Memphis Barbecue Sauce Recipes
Ingredients
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes; serve warm.

Eating New York - Cheeseburger & Fries

If there is a meal that sums up New York better than this, I didn’t find it.



While much of the food available in the city reflects the diverse nature of the population – noodle bars next to falafal huts and pizza parlours – this is the all-American meal.

While they may not be able to lay claim to creating the individual components - the burger from Germany and the fries from Belgium - here is where the two were thrust together in a happy and enduring marriage.

There are a number of elements necessary to create the perfect cheeseburger and each must be just right before you can consider the possibility of creating something significantly greater than the sum of its parts. All good burgers are greater than the sum of its parts.

The bun should be soft and yielding and of an absorbent nature to suck up those delicious rich and beefy juices from the patties. The cheese has to be sufficiently melted with a distinct but subtle flavour of its own that doesn’t overpower the taste of the beef. As a result, blue cheese is a no-no for me.

Thinly sliced tomatoes should cut through the whole thing with a sweet freshness and a slick of mayonnaise and a dribble of ketchup must complete the ensemble, ready to squirt out at any moment over a clean shirt. Lettuce is window-dressing.

Whilst a good cheeseburger, when presented, must tower in an intimidating fashion, the first bite should compress the whole thing together into a manageable thickness so that all the components can be taken with every mouthful.

The side order, whilst not as important as the burger itself, needs also to be frighteningly oversized but the individual fries should be no thicker than a plumber’s finger.



And they must not, under any circumstances, be stacked in the manner of a virginal game of Jenga, merely tossed happily into a warm bowl. Melted cheese is optional but highly recommeneded.

According to trusted reports, the ultimate burger experience is to be enjoyed at Shake Shack, a veritable institution at Madison Square Park, within spitting distance of the wonderful Flatiron Building.

It’s not unusual for the queue to snake through the park and out towards Broadway as hungry residents wait patiently for upwards of an hour for a little taste of the city.

We didn’t wait quite that long but the lack of breakfast made the fifteen minutes pass achingly slowly.

But, oh, was it worth it. A truly excellent burger recreated in all its magnificent glory below.

Cheeseburger & Fries

Inside sources have revealed that Shake Shack use a combination of beef cuts (with a ratio of 80:20 meat to fat) in order to create their tasty patties. Budget and practicalities prevented me from taking this Heston Blumenthalian approach to burger making but beef skirt is a great alternative. Tasty, juicy and cheap enough to not feel guilty about forcing it through a mincer.



To make two thick or four thin burgers:

300g beef skirt - Good beef, please (goes without saying, no?)
Salt and pepper.
That’s it. No, really. That’s it. Don’t mess around with egg or breadcrumbs or onions. Leave it pure and let it sing over your tastebuds.

Slice the meat into 2cm pieces and salt generously. Leave, covered, in the fridge for a couple of hours. Rinse the meat under cold water and mince finely. Season with salt and pepper and shape into burgers. Let them come up to room temperature before you fry them.



The buns were made with the exact same recipe as the hot dog buns, just shaped differently and brushed with a little beaten egg before baking. They freeze just fine.

Tip: I used a cutter when making these little fellas but they would have risen better if shaped by hand. As a result instead of slicing one bun in half, I just used two for each burger.

Other items:
Cheddar cheese
Thinly sliced tomato
Lettuce
Mayonnaise
Ketchup
A little butter

Get everything ready before you go, that way there is no waiting around and you can assemble and attack as soon as possible.

Get a frying pan nice and hot, dribble in a little cooking oil, season each side of the burgers and fry for about four minutes. Flip them over – the underside should be browned nicely – place a couple of slices of cheese on the cooked side and leave to cook for a further two minutes.

Remove the burgers from the pan and put them on a warm plate to rest. Add a small nugget of butter to the pan, return to the heat and fry the cut side of the buns so they mop up all that lovely beef juice.

Smother one half of the bun with ketchup, the other with mayo and layer up.



Serve with cheesy fries and a hearty appetite.