Harry does not serve the Kobe brisket all the time. We called and arranged a time he would be serving this special beef. We wanted to compare and taste the Kobe side by side with some regular brisket. Kobe beef is graded above the 'Prime, Choice, Select" grades. Harry explained this beef was rated 'Kobe Supreme 10". This regular brisket was no chump. It had a pretty impressive pedigree itself of USDA Choice grade Black Angus. This will be a battle of two heavy hitters.
Both briskets were smoked for 15 hours, flavored and fueled by oak wood. They were both rubbed with a dry rub. Harry mentioned the Kobe was rubbed with a sweeter rub because it is a sweeter meat. They were both pulled out of the smoker and place on the cutting board. (Kobe is positioned on the left of the image.) You will notice the Wagyu does not have a distinctive flat and point shape of the regular brisket. Harry took a wickedly sharp knife and began to carve. Both of these brisket oozed with juices of flavor. I wanted to take a straw and suck the cutting board.
Now for the verdict. The Kobe was so very tender with a beef flavor that had a hint of sweetness. If you place a bite in your mouth and closed your eyes, the beefy rich flavor will take you on joy ride of meat pleasure. How did the regular brisket compare to the Kobe? This Black Angus was also on the tender juicy love train of beef flavor. It may have been a tad less tender and maybe not as sweet, but would be a stellar and superior meal on its own. I would like to give credit to Harry for smoking both these cuts of beef to maximize the flavor and bring out the tenderness.
(Kobe on bottom)
Was the Kobe superior to the regular brisket? This would be a close call. The Kobe beef cost twice as much as the regular. The Kobe-style may have a subtle difference of sweetness and texture from the Black Angus. I am declaring a tie. The Kobe is something that I would recommend to experience. Harry has worked magic with both of these cuts of meat and I would recommend both. What a beefy day!
'Come Join The Fun' was what was advertised at the Solano county fair. We decided to go because we heard that there might be chocolate covered bacon and onion rings. Our visit to the fair was very brief. I am not sure if it was the economy or the twelve dollar beers. The fair was a pathetic shell of its former glory. Vendors, exhibitors, entertainers and customers were sparse. We never did find chocolate covered bacon. We decided to go home and create some fun of our own. We are going to make some pulled pork appetizers.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Take a won-ton wrapper and place in your hand. Dip a finger in beaten egg and run your finger around perimeter of wrapper. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in center of wrapper. Fold wrapper in half and press edges. Heat some oil to 375 degrees. Fry until golden brown. (Aprox 3 minutes).
I am not sure how these compare to chocolate covered bacon but they sure hit the spot. These smoky, creamy pillows of love were a porky delight. It is a great use of leftover pulled pork. The uncooked pork pillows will freeze very well for use at a later time. See you soon!
Willie Birds restaurant has been around for 30 years. They specialize in comfort food that is served in huge proportions and is priced very reasonably. We arrived around the noon hour. There is a huge dark mahogany bar that was well stocked with adult libations. We hunkered up to the bar and were greeted by the friendly local clientele. After a pint of 'Russian River Blind Pig IPA" we chose a seat in the dining room. The menu is turkey specific but you can order steaks or burgers if you must. My plate of choice was a 'turkey fried steak' smothered in cream gravy with a side order of stuffing. Ms. Goofy wanted a open face turkey sandwich that also was smothered in gravy. It is a good thing we are in training for the 'Couch Olympics". 
Willie Birds is a unique restaurant that showcases turkey. We enjoyed our experience and indulged in some very comforting food. I might suggest to stay away from the Turkey Bacon but would highly recommend anything else. We plan to return soon, but for now, we are in training on the couch.
1150 Santa Rosa Ave
Santa Rosa, CA
707-542-0861
Some of the tools of the trade that make Meat Adventures happen are Google and a GPS machine. It is always nice to find a local treasure. Fritz's Quality Meats is a local find. Concord California is only a 30 minute drive from our abode. Fritz's is a tiny meat market that stocks some high quality meats.
Fritz's is a link to the past. The corner butcher has been lost to the Mega-Wally-Marts. It is refreshing to see and support business's like Fritz's. We picked up a Flank steak and some of Rockys home made horseradich sauce. They both were delicious. I am looking forward to the next Meat Adventure.
A corned beef roast and some chicken were smoked on the Smokenator 1000. The sauce was added at the end of the cooking time. Pappys XXX White Lightnin was a keeper. This sauce is complex with all its flavor. Bourbon probably adds to the sweetness. What is good about this sauce is the nice balance of sweet, heat, smoke and flavor. You can order Pappy's at the good people at Hot Sauce Planet.
It was warm and muggy in the cooking arena. Smoke filled the air with sweet barbeque aroma. The black iron were lined up to feed the hungry mass of cooks. Some competitors had been up all night cooking and needed a rest.
It was a beautiful day in Penn Valley. It was fun to see the shooting demonstrations. It was just like being in the old west except the bad guys were mounted balloons. Thirty two competitors all cooked some fantastic food. Congratulations to Harry Soo of 'Slap Yo Daddy' barbeque team for winning 'Grand Champion". We hope to return next year.
The instructions for the PizzaQue are simple. Light a fire, let the stone heat and then cook. That is what we did. I used a chimney full of briquet's. The thermometer registered 600 degrees. I am a little skeptical on this reading. We cooked our pizza for about 10 minutes. It looked oh so very good. It even tasted better than it looked. Now the reason I am skeptical on the temperature reading is because the crust bottom never crisped up as it should. It was cooked, but not to the degree our wood burning oven could achieve.
