Meat Nativity

"This photograph of unknown provenance shows a Nativity scene made out of meat and sauerkraut. All it needs is an angelic host made out of deviled ham."

Hat tip to Mark Mastin. Thanks, bro.

What's For Dinner?

Check this out. A gingerbread house made from meat. It looks good but it also looks like one big mess.

Taste Test: KFC's New Skinwich

Brain Residue is taste testing Kentucky Fried Chicken's new sandwich: The Skinwich.

5 layers of fried chicken skin, lumped on a bun and topped with white American cheese and bacon. It’s only available at a handful of KFC's (for now).

Brain Residues verdict:

Nasty. The richness of all that fatty seasoned skin is totally overwhelming. It’s also tongue-parchingly-salty.

I started to gag and got that “brushing the back of your tongue” feeling. Had to spit it out. In KFC’s defense, the sandwich was luke-warm after taking the pics. But I doubt it would be much better hot.

With this latest move and the Double Down‘s success, KFC may be catching up to Hardees/BK in the “making sandwiches so nauseating they generate buzz” dept.

I think I will pass on this one.

Hat tip to www.brainresidue.com

The Great Bacon Odyssey: One Burger, Ten Strips Of Bacon!

Oh yeah! This burger from GeekDad is right up my alley. The chef used uncured bacon to keep the salt level tolerable to his circulatory system. Then, he chased it down with a very stout beer--the Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA--to help cut the richness of the fat.

My wife would love the burger but pass on the beer.

The Great Bacon Odyssey was prepared as follows:

I began by putting down some aluminum foil on a kitchen counter, because I didn’t want to have to scrub down the counter afterward to get rid of the raw bacon smell. I created a lattice, weaving five vertical strips with five horizontal. I then placed the perfectly ordinary, roughly 1/3lb hamburger my lovely wife had made in the center of the lattice. I tried to neatly enclose the burger in the lattice, but the bottom became a bit of a mess regardless. The top looked very nice, though, if I do say so myself (see the picture, above).

I cooked it using my oven’s broiler, the burger set on a rack over a Pyrex dish to catch rendered fat. Burgers of course taste better on a grill, but consider how many flareups ten strips of bacon would create and you’ll see why I chose not to go that route. I had to trim a few of the strips’ ends when cooking the bottom side, because they got a wee bit too close to the heating element and set off all the smoke detectors in my home. At most, though, I cut off a half-strip’s worth (and probably less), so my experiment was not terribly compromised.

And then I put it on a bun, with an excellent Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA to wash it down, and I proceeded to eat the whole thing. It was really, really good! The burger was probably the juiciest burger I’ve ever eaten, which I suppose makes perfect sense. Probably due to the bacon being uncured, I was able to stand the saltiness, leaving the richness of the pork fat the only obstacle to consumption. The hoppiness of my chosen beer helped cut the richness of the fat enough that I was able to eat the burger in less time than it took my kids to eat their bacon-wrapped hot dogs. And I even had room for corn and a little dessert afterward.

To read the whole article, click on the blog post title or copy and paste this: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/07/the-great-bacon-odyssey-one-burger-ten-strips-of-bacon/#ixzz0t6FjWQSB

Hat tip to David McComb. Thanks for the tip!

Friendly's Grilled Cheese Burgermelt

I just saw this burger on Fox and Friends. It blows the KFC Double-Down away. This burger has 1,500 calories and 79 grams of fat. I wish we had a Friendly's in Corpus Christi. Check it out:

Friendly's Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt
Grade: B+
Nutritional Info: 1500 calories, 97 grams fat, 2090 mgs sodium

While completely over the top, this sandwich is also pure genius. Yes, it's higher in calories, fat and sodium than the Double Down, but the ingredients in this sandwich are more harmonious, making it an embarrassingly pleasurable eating experience. (As one of our readers recently commented, "...at its heart, all this is is a cheeseburger on buttered toast.")

The grilled cheese "buns" were buttery, oozing with just the right amount of cheese and just the right amount of greasiness. True, the burger could have been more plump and juicy but it was the right amount of beef to balance out the two grilled cheese sandwiches. The only thing we'd do differently is skip the lettuce. Watery, shredded lettuce did not pair well with the grilled cheese.

The verdict: Considering the nutritional facts, it's going to be hard to eat another one of these without feeling significant guilt and remorse. However, we applaud Friendly's for the invention; they've guaranteed that cardiologists around the world will not be short of business.

We're starting to nervously wonder what crazy concoction will be thought up of next, and kindly ask fast-food establishments from around the country to go easy on us.

Read more: http://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/23/friendlys-grilled-cheese-burgermelt-taste-test/#ixzz0rxyBDWm9

I want one!

How About A Sausage?

This is not the way I want to die. I am glad that the maintenance man made it. Next time you bite into a sausauge and get a piece of something unidentifiable, you might think of this story.

Police: Man Sucked Into Sausage Seasoning Machine

DANVERS, Mass. – Police said a cleaning man was taken to a hospital after being sucked into a machine at a sausage-making company in Danvers. The accident happened Thursday night as the man was cleaning the vacuum-type machine that is used to season the meat at DiLigui Sausage Co. Police said the man's head and shoulders became stuck in the machine after it somehow activated while being cleaned.

Lt. Carole Germano told The Salem News that the man — whose name was not released — was freed from the machine and showed no obvious sign of trauma, but was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the mishap.

Calorie Monster From IHOP

This looks good, too. You can tell I am hungry by my last two posts.

ITEM: Cheesecake Pancakes
RESTAURANT: IHOP
PRICE: $4.99
INTRODUCED: April 26, 2010
REPORT CARD: INCOMPLETE

Two weeks after KFC’s Double Down induced media banter, IHOP launched its own calorie monster: cheesecake pancakes crowned with strawberries, blueberry or cinnamon apple compote, and whipped topping.

To sample this breakfast/dessert, get to an IHOP before June 20. The item is an “LTO” or limited time offer. LTOs are a safer way for restaurants to dangle stunt foods, said advertising exec Carroll. The Double Down also is an LTO.

Where “a true new product” must “build traffic with new customers” and “increase frequency of visits by existing customers,” an LTO only needs to “be consistent with the overall menu offerings,” Carroll said. “If it is, an LTO can build interest in the restaurant’s core products.”

How is the cheesecake pancake selling? When asked, IHOP spokesman Dan Ischy said: “They are popular with our guests and compliment our expansive menu.”

KFC’s Double Down Bet Pays Off

Apparently, the KFC Double Down has been a big hit. I have yet to have the pleasure of eating one:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Meat lovers, relax. But chickens, beware.

KFC says Americans are gobbling down so many Double Down sandwiches that the fast-food chain will offer the bunless, meaty sandwich longer than it had planned.

Originally the sandwich — bacon and cheese surrounded by chicken filets — was to have been available through Sunday.

But KFC said Wednesday that the sandwich will be available now for as long as customer demand remains high . . .

KFC said it has been one of its most successful sandwich launches ever. Later this month, KFC expects to sell its 10 millionth Double Down. They cost about $5.

Some have questioned the sandwiches' nutritional value. The original version has 540 calories and 32 grams of fat, and 1,380 milligrams of salt. A grilled version cuts calories to 460 and fat to 23 grams, but sodium rises to 1,430 milligrams. By comparison, the Big Mac from McDonald's has 540 calories, 29 grams of fat and 1,040 milligrams of sodium.

KFC's Double Down

Here is a picture of Kentucky Fried Chicken's new Double Down sandwich. It is a bacon and cheese sandwich that uses two pieces of boneless fried chicken as "bread."

The sandwich will be available in two forms. The Original Recipe sandwich will set you back about 540 calories, 32g of fat and 1380mg of sodium. The not-as-bad-for-you Grilled Double Down totals 460 calories, 23g of fat and 1430mg of sodium.

This is a real KFC menu item. To read the article, click the blog post title or copy and paste this: http://consumerist.com/2010/04/kfcs-bacon-sandwich-on-fried-chicken-bread-kills-people-everywhere-on-april-12.html

The Hickory Rancher

This burger looks really good. Here are the ingredients:

1/2 pound beef patty, muenster cheese, 7 pieces of maple bacon, sauteed onions and a housemade honey hickory BBQ sauce on a kaiser roll.

I want one.

Pass the Lipitor

Here is a giant mug made of bacon filled with chedder cheese. It can induce heart attacks by just looking at it. Pass the Lipitor.

For similar dishes, check out: http://thisiswhyyourefat.com

Bon appetit!