Chris: So Hey Phil, how are you doing Phil: Nan I'm feeling I'm feeling auspicious today. How are you feeling? Chris: Apparently that makes two of us. It's a, it's a good day. Tuesdays are great. I think, I think these days are good days. Phil: Well, it's a good Tuesday when it's the Tuesday, following that first Monday in November, every four years. Right? This being that fourth year, there's something going on today? Something electoral. yeah. I don't know how I feel about anything right now. I just know that I get to hang with you for the next half hour. Chris: yeah, this is a great way not to watch. Anything that's going on. So in those terms is fantastic. Phil: indeed. Indeed. did you have a good Halloween? Chris: Honestly, I kind of forgot that it was Halloween. I got pretty tied up in a little house project and we literally just working on that all weekend. Phil: Did you get many trick-or-treaters. Chris: I don't think that we did, I turned off the porch light, like Phil: nah. Yeah, that's a good way to get him. Keep him away. Yeah. Chris: I was just exhausted from working all day. So, I don't know if it's COVID related or the UN appeasing front that we put on, but we succeeded. Phil: so now not many goblets ghouls or poltergeists per se. Chris: No, we did not have any, poultry slaughters, dark in our doorstep. Phil: you totally, in that knives episode, you totally said that a poultry list is a Poltergeist. Chris: Yeah. You know, it's like, the, the poultry guys, that's the etymology of it. Phil they're they're poultry guys. They, they make Turkey Phil: poultry guys. No, but you're saying, you're saying poultry Geist, and I'm saying Poulter Geist. Chris: Yeah. It's the same thing. It's the same thing for they make, they make Turkey ghosts. I think it's the spirit of the dad joke that is, uh, been coming over me over the past several years. Phil: What kind of ghosts is that? Chris: I don't, I don't know if I want to know I've been fighting it, but, The battle is hard. So sometimes they just have to give in. Cause we gotta get that out. So like I said, it's, it's getting, it's getting bad. It's it's taking over me. Phil: Hmm. Hmm. Chris: But then Turkey farmers, Phil: Yeah. Here's one for you. the pork butcher, you know, much about those guys. Chris: I actually know a couple pig farmers Not necessarily butchering, Phil: literally, you, you do think you know them, Chris: actually. Yeah, Phil: huh? Would they call themselves? Chris: no, probably not because, they live in the U S of a Phil: okay. Well, I, for one, I live in France. Chris: yeah. One can, one can wish. Phil: but if I did, if they lived in France, they might call themselves shark. Who TA Chris: I'm gonna go out on a limb and, and ask, uh, is that, um, where we get the phrase charcuterie as in like a charcuterie? Phil: I've got to ring the bell for a segue. Terrible man. Yeah. Uh, . Yeah. That's, that's where they get the, the word sharkutery. I used to think it was sharp coutry and I even think, I, I feel like I remember correcting someone a while ago that it was, not charcuterie and here we are. All these years later, I was the one that was wrong. Well, I think we'll learn that about me. On this podcast. Like, I definitely think I know what I'm doing and then realize I don't so Chris: it's really, it's really cute. When you say a charcuterie. Phil: yeah. I like to put the cute and charcuterie okay, Chris, so sharkutery what is it, how would you, how would you define that? Chris: Well, I know it's a very, very tiny bit, but, from a super, super basic standpoint, I want to say that is a French word that stems from, Shar or charred, like to cook or to. Char to alter with heat, I suppose, maybe. , I think it, if I'm remembering right, and that might not be, I think it actually has to do with like pig. Neat. So like try and pick me, but it kind of grew a little bit to encompass the, the preparing and curing of in general. Is that kind of in line with, what you remember and or have Phil: Yeah. I mean, basically just. Based off of a couple of factors. One what I thought I already knew of the dish or the, or the platter, if you will. Chris: discipline, maybe Phil: Oh, okay. I like Chris: of charcuterie as a, like in the same vein as sushi, they should make a charcuterie doc, like Jiro Phil: I mean, one that does charcuterie is a shark QDA. so it's more than just a dish for sure. it is an art. It is a practice and yeah, it, it does, it does come from the French as do most wonderful things. And, it, it does deal a lot with, pork, ham and sausage. So yeah, a lot of the lot of the pig farming for sure. And then we kind of get into like patties to reigns and aspects, which is, Oh, bother Chris. What do you, what do you know about and aspects other than the that we've talked about on a previous episode? Chris: Yeah, so I feel like in general, there is. This whole category of meat preparation that can include things like, uh, Golan teen as well, Phil: that sounds right to me. Chris: so some of it can be a little bit more processed, patties, I think of as, and I can be totally off on this because, you know, I'm still just figuring all this out, but, I think of as a little bit more of like a processed meat, kind of formed into a solid again and I more or less. Yeah. I'm sure there's, I'm sure that somebody will let us know the more technical process that goes into it. But, you're taking the, meat, grinding them all up and reforming them in various ways, whether that's with like some type of gelatin base or, Phil: much like politics, aspects seem to me like maybe one of the most disgusting things in the world and, Yeah. It's it's, from what I understand, it's like this meat jello and it jiggly. Chris: this is disgusting. Praise me and jello, which you like a Galante and is pretty much a meat jello. It's like, Phil: Yeah. I don't know why, but it kind of came to be part of this charcuterie board. so that's kind of one other aspect of it. And then another notable piece to the charcuterie is, some form of cured or cured meats. And, just real quick, I thought it was kind of fascinating. Like I've always wondered what the difference is between the cured and the young cured basically the difference between cured and uncured is, uh, whether or not it was preserved with salts or with chemicals and, cured meat, which often I feel like here in the U S survey, we are referring two bacon. That just seems like the most common one, just because everybody consumes bacon. So I'm not a nutritionist, a guy with some air pods and a Cape. Chris: That should be part of your weekly podcasting, uh, that can be an episode, Phil: Okay, but a nugget Chris: one camp, one nugget. just gonna leave it as that. Phil: I love it. I love it. Okay. so, so a cured meat is basically preserving the meat with nitrates or nitrites. Which is I guess, something else. And, and uncleared me is definitely not going to last quite as long, but it's a little more natural. Chris: So in a charcuterie board, we have, some meat jello, some cured meats, and traditionally does that kind of encompass what, shuck your tree board consists of Phil: traditionally. Yes. Chris: but these days not so much. Right? Phil: now? I'm Chris: think of what I think of a charcuterie. Yeah. Phil: Yeah, no, not my sharkutery. That's not my sharkutery at all. Chris: like meat jellos. Should that be anybody's charcuterie right now? I don't think personally that's my opinion. Phil: See, I feel like you would like it. I feel like you could totally get down with a little meat Chris: nah, I like my meat a little bit more, uh, to some, if you will. Phil: Awesome. That was good. I like that. Your vocab. Well, as it were, charcuterie has changed whether by way of time or region. but yeah, what I know of is a charcuterie board today is way more palpable, way more toothsome as you say. and, and we love it. Like it's kind of the trendy hip thing to put on a menu these days. Would you agree? Like you go to a fun little hipster joint and they've got a sharpshooter board on the menu. but, here's the thing, Chris, you're a dad, I'm a dad. Charcuterie is of the easier things to prepare and kids love it. They love a good charcuterie board. They may not love the meat, jello being shoved down your throat, but you know what they do love prosciutto. You know what I'll say, love chevra. They may not know they love it, but they love it. It's all in preparation. It's all in the, on the decor. Chris: well, and it's also something that's a little outside of the ordinary. It almost feels like you're breaking some of the. Traditional dinner meal rules. So that, that can be kind of fun too. Phil: Yeah. And I always, I guess I thought that sharkutery was like this really gourmet luxurious thing that was only kind of found it like these exclusive dinner parties, like a, like a new year's Eve party or whatever. and it certainly can be, those are, wonderful places to have it, but it can also just be a meal. Uh, for dinner at the home, you know, it can be, a casual Thursday night meal Chris: yeah, which actually kind of brings up a question. Do you think of sharkutery as more of. an appetizer type plate or something that can serve as like a whole Phil: honestly, Chris, I feel like that question was kind of the premise for me wanting to do this episode. Yeah. Like. this idea of what makes an entree, you know, your protein and your starch and your vegetable or whatever. Like, obviously that's a great meal, but Chris: proteins can be beans and other things as well, but we don't, we don't want to Phil: they can no. Okay. It's it's 2020. Yeah. We're uh, we're a progressive bunch. We don't want to exclude the. The Limas and the the garbanzos Chris: How'd you feel about Navy, Phil: Is that a bean? Chris: beans, maybe it being savy. Beans, meat, love sandwich. come on. Phil: salmon. Yeah. Oh man. I forgot Chris: Lunch lady land, man. Phil: Yeah. Oh man. Oh man. Love me some added Sam there. okay. I used to think yeah. Of charcuterie as like this grazing either appetizer or just kind of have at a, at a cocktail party and just kind of snack on it. Yeah. As the night goes long. Sure. but, but I just feel like breaking all the rules. That's not, that's not a charcuterie board is to me anymore. It is, it is dinner. Like you could totally order our charcuterie board off the appetizer menu for dinner at a restaurant. And. It'd be the cool kid at the party, Chris: I th I think I was kind of at the same place until several years ago. Like most of my food exploration and adventure business, honestly, I'd probably have my wife to thank or blame or somewhere in between. but I think they'll like sharkutery or stack board or whatever idea, honestly, it came from her too. So I'll, I'll give her the credit for that. Where, you know, I, I used to think of it as like, a snack or like a picnic in a movie. but. That is something that we have done for full on meals often, whether that's at home or going out to someplace like Chavez. yeah, it's just kind of fun. And especially when we're at home, it's most often tied to, I'm not sure the best way to phrase it, but this feeling of, let's just try some things. So we'll often have, you know, like a bunch of different cheeses that we've been wanting to try, like at the whole foods, cheese counter, we'll just get like a, a large selection of those. And that becomes kind of the basis of it. It's like this adventurous thing where we're just trying new things and it's a very interactive meal. you very much feel like you're sharing it with the other person. Phil: I like that. I think that a lot, I don't know if I'd consider it, thought it through like that, but that's perfect. It's like a, it's like a, almost like a communal experience. Chris: Yeah, it is. And when there's something out there that's special that you want to try, whether that's, you know, like a really fantastic age to go to, or, if it's like some. You know, type of chocolate or like a different type of a cheese spreader. All I can think about is cheese right now, Phil: there's this other dish completely unrelated. I'm sure you've had Paya before. Chris: Yeah. Phil: Okay. So Paya, it's kind of like this brothy Stewie seafood gumbo meal. and it's a Hispanic dish. And it's generally served in like this huge, massive pot right in the middle. And it's meant to be enjoyed by everybody at the table. I remember having it for the first time at this, a little Mexican place in Denver, after a Broncos game that Ashley and I went to, it was super late. I think it went into overtime. It was like, Close to midnight. And it was like, yikes, 10 degrees outside, stopped in and we split a huge bowl of Paya and it was so filling so good. but, but yeah, that was the first time we had ever had it. And we were just kind of feeling adventurous that night. So you're right. Food is meant to be shared in a way. You know, it goes beyond just like this TV dinner ask, like, here's my meal. Here's my compartmentalized portions. There's yours. And I don't know, like when you guys go to a restaurant, do you try each other's food? Chris: we absolutely do. And I think, honestly, my wife's preference is to get a couple of things and share them. I think it's, it's. Partially just due to that whole idea that yeah, you can, you can take a utilitarian approach to food, but I don't know. I think sharing a meal with somebody is, an opportunity to connect. I just think of some of my most. I don't know, deep and memorable conversations happening over a meal or drinks or something like that. There's something about taking time to step away from the busy-ness of our lives. Sit across the table and like actually engage with somebody, especially in this day and age, all of the distractions, the phone in our pockets, television, that's always on, but to sit across from somebody, look at them and have a conversation. And. I think food brings another level to that. and especially the shared experience that dishes like these can provide. know. It's it's just this really simple, interesting connection of, I love this. Try it. Do you love it too? it's simple. It sounds dumb, but there's something that is, Phil: Dad's kitchen is dumb and catchy, but it is exactly where it needs to be. It's in my heart, Chris, your heart. Hopefully it's. Yeah. Okay. So if you were to share a charcuterie board with your wife and you were to make it at home, what would you put in it? Chris: Kind of, kind of, like I said, for us, it's often about, those things that you see when you're walking through the grocery store that you're like, Oh, that sounds really good. But, it's not in my meal plans for this week. Or maybe it's like a little bit more than I want to spend right now on some random piece of cheese or, you know, some random crackers or whatever. But, um, I would say that it's about the little bit of splurge on things like that. And. Keeping it simple, um, for us, one of our go-to is, and I think we actually did share this with you guys. When, uh, one of the times you were out, it might've been a couple of summers ago, but gotten into, kind of radishes and radish sandwiches. yeah. So Phil: I remember. I know what you're going to say. Yeah, that was Chris: that, that like ends up being just this kind of essential part of Our little a snack boards, just because it's something that we both know that we love. and it like most things in a modern day charcuterie board, you can approach it several ways. So we typically have, uh, rashes that, you know, we'll probably even just leave a hole and then we can cut them. However we want, butter. So in a nice, like Kerrygold salted and bread, and then some type of salt. And so, uh, there, there are several ways that we'll go about eating those. Sometimes it's just taking the radish and dipping it in the salt. Sometimes it's putting like a little bit of butter on it and then sprinkling some salt on top or taking a piece of bread, buttering that. Putting radish slices on that and putting salt over the top of all of that and that whole combination, for some reason, there's just something about radishes and salt. That is amazing. And we as a sidestep and you know, we've, I've mentioned Maldon salt several times. so. That's that's a finishing salt as opposed to, you know, assault that you're going to put into your recipe. but it's a finishing salt that we really like. And I think it's, it's something that's fantastic to always have on hand. They have a couple of different varieties have like a smoked salt. That's really good, but it's, uh, basically just a large crystal sea salt that is a little less salty, a little less better than your average salt. And. You can sprinkle it on the top of different things, whether that's a, a salad or eggs or rashes on some bread. And it gives it an elevated feel, kinda adds a little bit of crunch and texture and, a little bit of extra saltiness, but that is an absolute mainstay of any snack board or charcuterie board that we're going to have. Phil: super fascinating. well I hope we get. Some inquiries from some listeners regarding your butter on your radishes. I remember having it for the first time at your place a couple of years ago, thinking like way what, like you just, you just smear a bunch of butter on some vegetables and you eat it and it is as crazy as it sounds like it can be done really, really well. and honestly like choosing the right butter. Makes such a huge difference. Cara gold is a national monument. Yes. Kerrygold butter. Like just get some Irish butter. It's honestly, not even that much more expensive, just as such a better flavor. And like it's so much healthier than just like any, any other butter or margarine Kimmy get rid of that stuff. Yeah. Kerrygold butter did. It's so good. But, um, okay. What I would put on my sharkutery board, my snack board, if I'm not going to overthink it, like if I have a mainstay is, as you say, I'll probably start with a per Shuto and, for what it's worth prosciutto it's dry aged. So, it's generally served cold. so we'll, we'll typically start with, prosciutto. I am a huge fan of olives, like calamata and green. And, there's this there's this way to do all is called all is Jubilee, uh, which is basically just like a medley of different types of olives. And they're soaked in olive oil with some spices, like say Rosemary, Maybe some mustard seeds might be in there. and, and some other things, but typically if you go to a deli section at a, at a local grocery store, they'll have all this Jubilee. so I'll do some of those. I will do two types of cheeses, a hard cheese, like a double liner, is, is one of my favorites And then a soft cheese, like, like chevra, or goat cheese, and then I'm stopping right there. Like one of my favorite flavor combinations is to spread some chevra over in all of ' particularly the column model. If I feel like that is just such a rich flavor combination right there. So man, if we do anything, Chris, It's like, Oh, like let's spread some Chevron over some call bought all his life, changing life, changing flavor combo. Okay. We'll enjoy that later this evening. and I, typically will have something crunchy. Like a, like a little Cracker. it really could be any type of Cracker. I, I like a little Cristini Cracker, just like a super, super dry it's kind of like a cretin, basically. It was a little bit larger and flatter. and then some sort of like dried fruit, like apricot, apricot is a nice little touch to that. And maybe some nuts, maybe some cashews or pistachios, something like that. it's kind of a lengthy list, but. Just having an assortment of so many different types of things on your board, just makes for a really fun little adventure and yeah, kids, kids enjoy it. They get a little grabby with, uh, who cares, man. It's just, just a fun thing to enjoy. so that's my rundown of the charcuterie board at the, can I pass? Hold? Chris: It sounds fantastic and pretty, pretty similar to, you know, what we're doing. but you know, we'll add some radishes and maybe some, oddly enough, we might add some like fresh Apples, Phil: Yeah, Chris: And, Phil: board. Chris: for sure. Phil: Oh, a hundred Chris: That's that's a must ingredient there, it is. I think an absolutely fantastic meal for a family because of a lot of different reasons that, it feels a lot more interactive and engaging. It's not, you know, I think normal dinners, you can, detach a little bit. And it's just like, yeah, we're and eat, but shaking it up with a struck history. It does something interesting. It. Yeah, it does it like, causes you to engage a little bit more and it's fun. it's out of the ordinary. It's like having them waffles for dinner. it's something that isn't a hundred percent like the routine Phil: yeah. And that whole list, my list Chris's list. We'll, we'll, we'll put that in our show notes, just to kind of give people somewhat of a rubric to go off of, but what I'm really interested in is seeing what you guys put on your sharkutery board. So, Reach out to us. what I would really like to see is how you guys do your sharkutery board. So, so let's chat, uh, one over to your favorite social media platform and let's connect. We would, we would love to see what you guys are putting on your sharkutery board. And who knows? We might just do a little feature feature, feature, feature. Chris: Yeah, Def definitely do that. And, uh, let us know what you think about kind of everything that we're doing as well. You know, this is something that we are still trying to figure out as we go, and we're refining the process, whether it's our, in the studio approach or our in the kitchen episodes, you know, this last in the kitchen, we used a slightly different format, which I think was a step forward, but I think there's still plenty of things that we can learn from that. Like, I don't know me personally. I like to clean up as I go. While I'm cooking, but that doesn't necessarily make for a good podcast. I don't think because you hear the water constantly running. So, yeah, if, if there's stuff that you guys are interested in hearing more about, let us know, we're interested in your interests. uh, ultimately we want to make the kitchen more approachable for you guys, our listeners. So Phil: Yeah. Or conversely, if you hate the show and you don't ever want to hear from us again, the best way to. To fix that is to jump on over to Apple podcasts and give us a five star review with a really great rating because algorithms are funny and somehow that gets us canceled. So it's really a winner. Chris: for us you hate it, or if you love it. Phil: So I was at this cocktail party, I think it was a new year's Eve party several years ago. and I remember this guy who I was talking to just, he kept snacking on these Fritos and. I, this is actually kind of what gave me an idea, to, to do this show. or this specific episode, he, he just kept eating Fritos all night long. It was like, you know, his little finger food and, and the smell of his breath, just snacking on the Fritos all night long. Chris: were they Phil: ones. Yeah, though. They weren't the chili, they were just the corn. The regular corn and Frida Chris: of Fritos there are. Those are the only two. I know. Jalapeno Phil: actually, yeah, I think those are the only two kinds of free does there probably is. Chris: Shrimp Fritos. Phil: I think they already have pepper Chris: Yeah, maybe. Phil: Um, Chris: of something. Some type of chip or something. Phil: Hm. Anyways, this idea that you shouldn't be eating Fritos at a dinner party. Chris: Yeah, there's a better way to live your life. Phil: Yeah. Like prosciutto would just be such a better thing to eat at a dinner party. Chris: tastes better. It's more healthy for you. And Phil: Yeah, it might have more nitrates, but nitrates don't repel friends. So less Fritos, more olives Jubilee.