MARKET NEWS July 26, 2017 CHEESE TRENDS Southern Cheesemaker: Kenny s Farmhouse Cheese SPECIALTY INSIGHTS Seasonal Highlight: Chill Out with Escabeche FROM OUR CUT SHOPS Beef Market Update Market Dips Down Re-Run: The Brisket The new player in NC BBQ Fish Market Update NC Brown Shrimp is in the house! Local Spotlight Outer Banks Yellowfin Tuna
BEEF MARKET NEWS 7.26.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Beef Market News MARKET UPDATE Tenderloin: Steady/Decreasing Ribeye: Steady/Decreasing Strips: Steady/Decreasing Ground Beef: Steady RE-RUN: 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
Beef Market News 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 7.26.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Seafood Market News Local Red Drum, Black Drum, New England Skate, Monkfish, Florida Yellowtail Snapper and Red Snapper are all part of our seafood mix this week! GROUPER (Mexican) Supply is good with plenty of big fish landed from the Gulf of Mexico. Pricing is up from last week. SNAPPER Yellowtail Snapper is being sourced out of Key West. Whole fish are running 2-4lbs each and fillets are 6-12oz. SCALLOPS Fresh North Atlantic Scallops are in good supply and price will be down for the next few weeks. Expect U-10 s to soften in price and 10-20 s to remain steady. There are cheaper scallops being harvested from the Mid-Atlantic (Elephant Trunk and Closed Area 5). All of our product is sourced from George s Bank and the Nantucket Light ship, all hard bottom areas that produce the firmest and sweetest scallops out there. TUNA Yellowfin We have 2G and 2+ from NC this week. See the Local Spotlight below. SALMON Canadian - The market is steady with pricing down from last week but still strong due to summertime grilling demand. Local Catch We are seeing great landings of local headoff shrimp this week. SUPPLY IS VERY LIM- ITED so first come, first served! 50lbs just came in with hopefully more soon. Talk to your rep ASAP as these will go QUICK! ALASKAN HALIBUT Alaskan Halibut looks great and pricing is steady. Whole fish are running 10-20lbs each and fillets are 2-4lbs each. Seafood market news provided by: Dave Forcinito Fishmonger dforcinito@southernfoods.com Local Spotlight: Outer Banks Yellowfin Tuna Local fish are still being caught with abundance, fish are running a bit larger than they were last week, more in the 40-50lb whole fish range. Still very well priced and quality is great; great time to promote Local Tuna for the next 2 weeks.
ARTISANAL CHEESE TRENDS 7.26.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Artisanal Cheese Trends A New Favorite Southern Farmstead Cheesemaker The farming and dairy started with Kenny s father, Ken Sr. In many ways, Sr. set the standard for dairy farming in the area, near Austin Kentucky. Kenny s herd is made up of a crossbreed of American Holstein, European Holstein (smaller), Australian Red, Brown Swiss, and Jersey. It is a closed herd and has been for several years. That means he has total control over the breeding process and calves are raised at the farm from birth. The cows are bred to be happy, healthy and efficient in making great, consistent quality milk for cheese. Check out these three cheeses! Each one is made on the farm where the cows are raised and milked. Kenny Jr. and his son Jared Kentucky Rose - named for Mary Rose Mattingly. She was the first cheese-maker, marketer, and started selling cheese at the farmer s market in Louisville. This is a very simple, gently pressed farmhouse cheese with a tiny kiss of Roquefort Blue (mostly on the outer rind) just to give it a floral and earthy note. Added cream creates a level of decadence that carries the experience further. Although this is very buttery and creamy, it is also light and airy at the same time. There is nothing to compare this too. Just like Mary Rose, this is one of a kind! Ted - a natural rind farmhouse cheddar named after Kenny s Grandfather Ted, a quiet but incredibly large and capable iron worker. Just like its namesake, this cheese is resilient. It is aged in the blue cheese cave to ensure that it develops an earthy rind. They also use a bit of lard on the rind to keep it from cracking and to maintain the right kind of moisture. This is a well-balanced cheddar with lots of flavor and including some fruity notes Kentucky Bleu - a decadent blue cheese with added cream. It s creamy with an amazing sweet and salty Roquefort blue thing going on. The blue wax is partly an homage to the Bluegrass Kentucky is famous for. It is also to celebrate the local tradition of basketball. It has an effect on the cheese as it ages to keep things really nice and creamy. You will know it when you taste it. Artisanal cheese trends provided by: Sasha Shreders, ACS CCP Cheesemonger sshreders@southernfoods.com
LOCAL & SPECIALTY INSIGHTS 7.26.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Local & Specialty Insights It s Hot Out There. Chill Out with Escabeche It has been hot this summer in the Southeast Very hot. For many Chefs, the dog days of summer are awful. The kitchen is unbearably hot and humid, tempers flare and creativity is stifled. Food just isn t the same right now, understandably. Look around the kitchen. Your culinary team is dreaming about a cold beer with an evening breeze and some tacos Al Pastor following the grueling 120 degree service that lies ahead of them today. When the sun beats down day after day most folks turn to DIY sangria and a light snack of the increasingly popular avocado toast on their well-shaded back porch. What is a Chef to do? You are feeling inspired, you need a feature for this evening! Salads are dull, chilled soups do not sell, and you just keep thinking about bright spicy flavors. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce ESCABECHE. Eska-BAY-chay A memory I have from my early days in the sweltering New Orleans heat as a stagier is a quote from the British food writer Elizabeth David - Summer cooking implies a sense of immediacy, a capacity to capture the essence of the fleeting moment. This quote describes perfectly what escabeche is all about. Escabeche is everywhere, that is, it comes from almost everywhere. The Mediterranean, France, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Peru, The Philippines, and Belize all have their own version of escabeche. The concept is simple: take the freshest ingredients of the moment and stop the clock freeze their fading beauty by encapsulating them in a chilled, oi and vinegar-based sauce. The word escabeche comes from the Perso-Arabic sikbaj, or vinegar stew, a reminder of one of many culinary traditions the Moors introduced to the Spanish. Escabeche is typically used as a method of preparing fish, either whole, sliced or minced, but the technique can apply to almost any ingredient. Shrimp, shellfish, and octo are common features in many countries. In Spain, chicken, pork, rabbit and quail are popular, while other cultures may even feature cassava, green bananas, chicken livers or fried crickets in escabeche. One of my favorites is simply vegetables en escabeche - you can feature Shishito peppers, peanuts, any dried bean, olives and artichokes just to name a few. Photo courtesy of EatingWell.com
Local & Specialty Insights Generally speaking, escabeche is a poached or fried ingredient (seafood, fowl or vegetables) that is conserved in a pimento or saffron-infused brine and served chilled or at room temperature. Traditional versions use white or red wine vinegar and contemporary versions can use citrus juice, fresh herbs and honey. There are very few rules. You can prepare an eat now version with a whole, flashfried snapper with a chili pepper-infused mojo and fresh coconut, cilantro and ginger, or try the put back method, conserving for up to a week or more. When preserving with escabeche, the sauce must have a minimum ph level of 4 to ensure that a proper cure is achieved. Escabeche is great as an individual dish but also shines as a part of a larger presentation. Try a trio versions with fish, octo, mussels, shrimp or vegetables accompanied by some nicely charred flat breads and an array of salsas and pickles with plenty of spice. Summer will end and soon. The days we be shorter and the nights will become longer and cooler. In a few short weeks you will be craving roasted roots, red wine braises and be ready to trade in fresh herbs for toasted spices. Do not let the forecast frustrate you, embrace the heat and blaze your own trail with escabeche! Stay cool and keep cooking! Standard Escabeche 1 cup red or white wine vinegar 1 cup olive oil 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup water 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, halved 10 black peppercorns 1 teaspoon sweet pimenton 2 bay leaves 1 rosemary sprig 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 lbs of fried or poached fowl, seafood or vegetables Combine the liquids and the spices into a marinade, stirring well to mix the flavors to make the brine. Poach, pan fry or deepfry the fowl, seafood or vegetables. Let the food cool completely in the escabeche brine and then store in the brine at room temperature for a day or so or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Local & specialty updates provided by: Bobby Zimmerman Southern Foods Brand Manager bzimmerman@southernfoods.com