KMFDM, the way I remember them:

These tracks kill facists.

I'm not particularly feeling...well. So here's a bit of rage.

In non-review, non-food related - life of Joshua news:

Just a personal update:

In case you haven't heard or haven't been told for one reason or another: Amanda is moving to "The Peach State" a.k.a. Georgia (yes the state not our cat) for Grad school.  I am going to finish out my undergrad here in the Great State of Texas because I like SFASU.  That means things are gonna be a bit crazy for the two months for us. 

My phone number and electronic contact information will stay the same so if you need to get ahold of me you know where I am.  I will be moving into my new apartment with Moxie the last week in May and will send out my new address ASAP, which - knowing me will be 2031. 

To shred or not to shred:

I don't know about you folks but I think about spicy pork a lot.  Pioneer Woman Cooks has a good recipe.  This one seems a little...white bread.  The foundation of mine came from Robert Rodriguez's Ten Minute Cooking School.  Over the years it has changed and developed based on the factors of: what I have on hand, what new spices I have burning a hole in my pocket, whether the wind is Southerly, and my sobriety.

There has been one change I have maintained though, my pork isn't shredded or pulled or left in chunks or rough chopped.  I cut the pork into cubes initially and then let everything cook until it becomes almost the consistency of dense, chunky chili. 

Now before you get all uppity, I love pulled pork more than I love ham, and I fucking love ham.  If there's one major problem I have with the great state of Texas it is that they are not real hip to the swine.  That being said, I am also a sauce man (preferably on the side in the case of pulled pork) and simply adroitly drizzling some au jus over the pulled or shredded pork with pinkie extended just doesn't hack it for me.  No sir.  While it may look prettier plated and food pron atmosphered, with Giata cooing over it I think that's a crime. 

For me pulled pork is mayhem food, an orgy of feeding during which I use my arm to wipe my mouth and I get sauce in my nose (See also: Joshua and the Destruction of the Crawfish, Joshua Attacks a Giant Pile of Crabs, and Joshua Nearly Bites Off a Finger While Eating Ribs, Vol 2).

In order to really get that melding of meat and sauce I believe that whatever method you use to cook your pork, return it to the pot after chopping, slicing, dicing, pulling, or shredding.  Get every damn drop of goodness mixed in with the meat (the dregs of it can be mopped up with bread).

This is my favorite stage because all the chunks can be mushed with a wooden spoon to varying degrees.  Lower the heat even more, go have another beer (or two), smoke some smokes, and voila.  This is also the stage I make my sides - usually rice.

I prefer my method over plain old shredding because no matter what the shredded always kind of end up dry and brittle or gloppy and flacid.  Plus it loses something from the pot, don't get me wrong it's still swine and I'll still eat it.  I'll just take my portion back to the kitchen and throw it in the pot goo. 

p.s.

Enough with the cumin.  No mas.  It makes everything taste like generic Mexican food.

Chile stuff.

So for the upcoming Phi Alpha Theta potluck I plan to make spicy pork.  Though I may not make it as infernal as might for others I do plan to bring a bottle of bhut jolokia vinegar.

I still have a whole bunch of ghost chiles just sitting around, menacing everything else in my spice cabinet.  I figure it's time to put them to good use.  Ghost chile vinegar to give the spicy pork an extra kick.  nom.

A reflection on Easter and a declaration of moritorium on "Zombie Jesus".

I usually don't spout off about religion on HYR but a conversation me and the missus had this morning has me thinking.

To begin with I am declaring a moritoium on the phrase "Zombie Jesus".  It's not cute, it's not original, and it's about as pithy as any other trite hipster t-shirt logo.  It's not simply a matter of a dose sacreligious smirking, it's rather rude. 

The underlying reason that "Zombie Jesus" irks me is because it to me that the term is (often) used by people who purport the practice of religious tolerance.  You can't pick and choose what you're tolerant of.

I guess this all might sound a bit weird coming from me who has about as twisted, inappropriate, sacreligious, and filthy senses of humor as they come but for some reason this made me get on my soap box.

Personally I'm your standard late 20th Century grab-bag of religious beliefs kind of guy, an amalgamation of: Protestantism, Buddhism, animism, and a good bit of folksy superstition thrown in.  I have interests in religions around the world, etc, etc, etc. 

I'm not sure if I really understand Easter completely.  Yes, I know the story of Easter and the gross commercialism involved and qua qua qua but it seems like such a morbid holiday.  Come to think of it Christianity is pretty morbid, what with all the martyr worship.  I think I am missing a piece of the story so if anyone feels like explaining you're more than welcome to. 

In any case, Happy Easter no matter how you feel about the holiday.  Eat some candy, hug your kids, have something good to eat but please, stop saying "Zombie Jesus".  Now if you absolutely have to call someone a zombie call Lazarus a zombie.