MARKET NEWS May 31, 2017 CHEESE TRENDS Parmigiano Reggiano Learn about the exact Italian dairy from where we source our DPO Parm: Dairy #2852 SPECIALTY INSIGHTS Ultimate Pantry Mash-Up Find that one secret ingredient you re missing. FROM OUR CUT SHOPS Beef Market Update Future live cattle pricing is forecasted to decline HIGHLIGHT: Brisket The new player in NC BBQ Fish Market Update Alaskan Halibut is in Local Spotlight NC Mahi Mahi
BEEF MARKET NEWS 5.31.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Beef Market News MARKET UPDATE Tenderloin: Steady Ribeye: Steady Strips: Steady Ground Beef: Increasing Future live cattle pricing is forecasted to decline. As the cattle become cheaper and with Memorial Day behind us we should see some relief in the near future. HIGHLIGHT: THE BRISKET There s nothing like the flavor in a well-marbled and properly cooked CAB Brisket. As I travel the Carolinas, I m in awe of how timelessly popular and essential pork barbeque is to the cuisine of the Southeast. I m also in awe of how every city, small and large, is exploding with new neighborhoods, restaurants and chefs from all over bringing national and global influence to the Southeast. It s this outside perspective on barbeque that is creating a curiosity among chefs and increased demand from customers. Is it time to go beyond the hog and expand the legacy of Carolina que to cuts like smoked beef brisket? Many Carolina chefs think so. To understand the power of well marbled, precisely cooked brisket, just google Franklin Barbecue in Austin Texas. Patrons stand in line starting as early as 5 am to get a shot at this succulent brisket. Franklin Barbeque is a world famous smoked meat destination. To incorporate brisket in your BBQ repertoire, start by understanding what makes brisket so tricky to cook. The brisket is essentially two parts: The Flat has more meat, The Deckle or Point has more fat. In a perfect world, I might prefer a deckle only smoked brisket, but that is just not economical. A deckle-on brisket will shrink by nearly 50% during a normal cook, and a majority of this loss comes from the deckle. Most BBQ joints prefer deckle-off to increase yield and this is where the way you cook is as important as what you are cooking. Technique is what will set yours apart. But I warn you, patience and discipline are essential to prevent a dry, flavorless result that could resemble pot roast more than barbeque. Brisket, Deckle Off Brisket, Flat Cut Brisket, Point Cut
When it comes to cooking brisket, everyone has an opinion and rightfully so. Every smoker, every oven, every rub and every brisket is different and there may not be any other product in the culinary world that s as reactive to every nuance of these differences. The trick is to get to know your smoker or oven and then practice.alot. It is all about the perfect balance of time and temperature. The BBQ circuits are seeing more and more pre- and post-cook injections, and the amount of salt and sugar in a rub can help or hurt depending on the ratio. Interestingly, Franklin Barbeque does neither, they simply season very generously with course salt and black pepper and smoke overnight on very low, direct heat. Once you have mastered the perfect brisket cook, the next potential pitfall is slicing the brisket. In most Texas or KC BBQ joints you will be given a choice of lean or rich (fatty). If you wish to serve separately, you can just cut the brisket in half after a very long rest. If slicing the whole brisket at once, cut against the grain from the point first, then reposition your knife so that you cut against the grain of the flat. Photo courtesy of Kamado Guru Photo courtesy of Chowhound The bottom line is beef brisket has a place in Southeastern barbeque, and the complexity should not intimidate you. It can be a great menu performer highlighting your cuisine and your craft and be very profitable when a plan and a process is created to ensure success. If you want to get started, ask your account manager about our whole CAB beef briskets. Deckle-off Item #10052580 5/12# avg. and 10050429 1/12# avg. Beef market news provided by: Chris Casey CAB /Protein Specialist ccasey@southernfoods.com
SEAFOOD MARKET NEWS 5.31.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Seafood Market News Grey Tilefish, local fresh Mahi, NC-caught Swordfish, and Red Drum are all part of our seafood mix this week! The weather has been great, and with warmer water temps we are seeing a great mix of species being caught. GROUPER (Mexican) Supply is getting better with plenty of big fish landed from the Gulf of Mexico. Finally, we are seeing moderately priced fillets. SNAPPER (Gulf) We are sourcing Gulf of Mexico True American Red Snapper out of Florida. Expect to see good landings for the next 10 days. SCALLOPS Fresh U-10 George s Bank Scallops are a great buy right now. The Nantucket Lightship opened up this month. We have seen great landings, excellent quality and a drop in price. ALASKAN HALIBUT Alaskan Halibut looks great and pricing is steady. Whole fish are running 10-20lbs each and fillets are 2-4lbs each. TUNA Yellowfin Supply is abundant and pricing is steady. We do have 2+ and 2G available with new fish coming in. SALMON Canadian - The Canadian Salmon market is up slightly from last week, summertime grilling has put demand on the cost of the fish from the farms. NC CATCH Gray Tile The local and regional catch features a mix of Mahi, Swordfish, Red and Black Drum, and Sunburst Rainbow Trout. Local Spotlight: North Carolina Mahi Mahi Catches of Local Mahi have been excellent. The quality is nice and as we see landings increase, pricing should drop as well. Great item to promote for the next 6 weeks. 10048787 Mahi Mahi Whole 10048752 Mahi Large Fillet Skin-On Seafood market news provided by: Dave Forcinito Fishmonger dforcinito@southernfoods.com
ARTISANAL CHEESE TRENDS 5.31.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Artisanal Cheese Trends Parmigiano Reggiano Dairy #2852 All Parmigiano Reggiano has a PDO seal of approval by a consortium. PDO stands for Protected Designation of Origin. Under a PDO there are a lot of specific criteria the cheese must meet, including where it can be made, to be sold as Parmigiano Reggiano. These rigorous standards guarantee if you buy a chunk of this cheese anywhere, anytime, you are getting a perfectly crafted product and it will be nothing short of excellent! But that doesn t mean it s all the same. You can find a lot of variety from one wheel to the next. Quality is not always equal. In Italy, the cheeses are often split into two taste profiles as they age: soft and slightly sweet, or a little more robust, savory and nutty. The profile determined at the dairy can be big and modern or small like dairy #2852 where our main Parmigiano Reggiano comes from. Nothing in the PDO says whether the cheese is to be handmade or with modern methods and robotic arms doing the work. However, cheeses made by hand tend to have character that stands them apart of the rest. This cheese is no different. The diary is built onto the back of the owner s house on the side of a hill high up in the mountians. There are 2 cheesemakers that do everything by hand including cutting the curd. Cutting curd for Parmigiano is very hard, and gives every muscle a workout. The results show up after the cheeses are brined, aged for 12 months, and after another 12 months at the Parm bank. The bank is the big aging house where a few wheels of each batch will be cracked open, looked at and tasted. After watching a rigorous cheese make (with a short break to eat fresh ricotta made on the spot with whey from the vats), I went off to crack and taste wheels from this diary after 24 months of aging compared to other batches from other dairies. Later that afternoon I found myself comparing a bunch of open wheels and the difference in color and texture was obvious from the start. The cheeses from this diary broke apart better. The texture was less pliable and snapped apart without any rubbery bending. The color really stood out with a glowing pink hue, everything else looked pale next to it. The taste, savory and nutty flavors in stark contrast from all everything else. Check your Parmigiano Reggiano, if you see it is branded #2852 then it was made at this dairy 100% by hand with a lot of hard work and care behind it. I expect you will taste the difference. Artisanal cheese trends provided by: Sasha Shreders, ACS CCP Cheesemonger sshreders@southernfoods.com
LOCAL & SPECIALTY INSIGHTS 5.31.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Local & Specialty Insights The Ultimate Pantry Mash-Up There s nothing worse than getting a dish 98% there and realizing you re missing that one little nuance only found in that rarely used, somewhat obscure and often potent ingredient. Adding a cultural punch to your pantry can amplify your creativity and provide you and your team with options. Use ingredients from varying cultures, combining them with the techniques of your personal cuisine. Don t confuse a mash-up of mutli-cultural ingredients with the Fusion Cuisine phenomenon of the early 1990 s. In an age of information we have the opportunity to find ingredients that we can laser focus to get the results you deserve. Some not so obvious Pantry essentials. Jaggery (Palm Sugar) Jaggery, a palm-based sugar product, is the main sweetener in Indian cooking. Used in dessert preparation as well as savory, palm sugar has an earthier complex flavor and is significantly less sweet than other sugars. You can buy it in powder form or in blocks, which must be grated. Either should be kept tightly wrapped in a cool, dark place. Amchur (Dried-Mango Powder) Unripe (green) mangoes are dried in the sun, and then pulverized into a powder. It adds tartness and sweetness that cannot be accomplished with citrus or vinegars. Amchur also acts as an emulsifier in vinaigrette and sauces. Black Rice Vinegar (Chinkiang Vinegar) I ll use vinegars from any culture to achieve the perfect balance of sweet and sour. While dark in color, Chinese black rice vinegar has a mellow acidity, vibrant fruitiness and a caramelized sweetness that doesn t overwhelm. There should also be a bit of malty-ness going on, adding a unique alternative to your vinegar arsenal. Black rice vinegar is perfect with salty seafood dishes and fresh raw vegetables of any cuisine. Fruit Molasses Cooking fruits or their juices down to a thick, sticky syrup has long been a means of preservation in many cuisines throughout the Middle East and I used to add a multidimensional fruity tartness to savory dishes. Adding a fruit molasses to braises, stews and roasted roots can leave you so impressed with the added flavor that this ingredient is easy to overuse. Guajillo Chilies A mild dried chili with a maroon-colored skin, guajillos add a woodsy, tangy, and slightly raisiny flavor especially to sweeter dishes. They might not have the fruitiness and spice of anchos or mulatos but they are still powerhouses of flavor. Stem and seed them before toasting, frying or rehydrating for use in sauces or marinades.
Local & Specialty Insights Achiote Achiote lends deep red color and a subtle earthy flavor to anything it is added to. You can find it in seed form, in a pure paste, or in blocks seasoned with other spices and vinegar, called recados. I generally make a seasoned paste to keep on hand consisting of achiote, cloves, bay leaf, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, oregano, peppercorns, garlic, vinegar, lime zest, orange zest and salt for a quick go to meat and vegetable marinade. Sansho and Yukari Sansho is sharply citrusy, with a lemongrass-like fragrance. It is sometimes compared to Sichuan peppercorn for its mouth-tingling effect. Sansho is one of the key ingredients in the popular seven-spice mixture shichimi togarashi, which also includes red chili, sesame seeds, ginger, nori, and dried citrus peel. Sansho, on its own or as Seven Spice can be used with big impact in rubs, broths and marinades. If you ve gone to a new restaurant in the past year or so, there s a good chance you ve tasted shichimi togarashi mixed into various dishes. But you may not have seen the vibrant purple powder yukari. Yukari is made from red shiso, or beefsteak leaves, that have been pickled in tart plum vinegar and then dried and pulverized. Yukari is yet another example of how you can introduce color and sweet and tangy flavor into your cuisine without using harsh acids such as vinegar and citrus. DIY Preserved Lemons There are varying techniques on how to cut the lemons and I encourage trying them all. Ultimately we are talking about lemon and salt, put back for 1-3 months and then uses as a condiment or ingredient in everything from marinades to tagines. The main reason I like DIY preserved lemons is because of all of the additional flavors you can add whiles preserving them. Fish sauce and chilie s for spicy and umami or juniper, clove and mustard seed for something more aromatic. Makham Pjak (Tamarind Pulp) Tamarind provides bright, sweet, and tart notes with a fruitier depth than those found in almost any other fruit. Look for cellophane-wrapped blocks of moist tamarind pulp, break into four or more pieces, place them in a bowl, cover with hot water, mash it up and then strain. Use Makham Pjak in place of lemon on roasted meats and seafood, though it is certainly earthy enough for braises and broths. Fish Sauce Fish sauce may not have the sexiest name or most appealing aroma, but there s a reason why the Southeast Asian liquid seasoning is a staple in pantries around the world. This may be my best secret weapon. Eastern NC pork BBQ, Texas Chili, simple roasted chicken and even Bloody Mary s are immediately transformed with just a dash or two. Local & specialty updates provided by: Bobby Zimmerman Southern Foods Brand Manager bzimmerman@southernfoods.com