"deckle" news and stories

Nation's Restaurant News had a mouthwatering article today on what it terms a long-overlooked beef cut: the deckle. Maybe it's been overlooked by the chefs of top restaurants quoted in the piece but barbecuers have known about the fatty part, or cap, of the brisket for years.

As a competition barbecuer, I've engendered a healthy obsession with the deckle for years and enjoy a rich fantasy life as my alter ego, Joey Deckle. But I have to say that myself and my fellow meatheads have never really cooked with deckle in the way the chefs from The French Laundry do. The deckle includes not only the fatty part of the brisket, but any part of the strip of muscle and fat that lies right on top of the ribs. So that means that rib-eyes also have a deckle, which is precisely what chefs are starting to use. The French Laundry grills its deckle and serves it with such high-end accoutrements as Perigord truffle macaroons. They're also curing it and making into lardo to shave on to salads. Good lord, lardo!

By the way, if you're interested in cooking some deckle at home one chef recommends searing it and then cooking it at 300 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, to medium rare, and then letting it sit for 4 to 5 minutes. In case anyone's wondering, this cooking tip applies only to the rib-eye cap and like cuts, not the brisket portion, which as all pitmasters know, needs to be smoked for hours on end to achieve superlative succulence.

I was overjoyed to hear that one of my favorite New York City barbecue joints is back open for business today. RUB (Righteous Urban Barbecue) was closed for a week while its owner, Andrew Fischel, was getting hitched in sunny Costa Rica and the dining room was getting some renovations. I can now quench my jones for burnt ends, and no longer have to use the above photo to fantasize about the object of my barbecue desire. RUB has the distinction of being the only 'cue spot in New York City serving burnt ends, which are as ubiquitous in Kansas City as hot dogs are in New York. Burnt ends consist of the deckle or cap of the brisket that's been smoked and then cut into chunks of crusty, meaty goodness. Words fail me. I'm off to Chelsea to sate my carnivorous cravings.