Breast of veal, how would you cook in the WSM?


 
Alan D

Alan D

TVWBB Super Fan
I went over to Lunardi's in Los Gatos today, and was looking for something different. Saw the breast of veal, which looked interesting...my family loves ribs, and these look like veal spareribs.

What would be a good rub to use on these? Would you use a beef rub?

I will trim them up St. Louis style.

Any ideas welcome before I wing it!
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So far my plan is to treat it like beef, and use a brisket rub. These might be good like that with no sauce. I have some vinegar based sauce that's pretty good...planning to use it after the butts are pulled.

I'll trim and rub these in the morning, but if someone has any cool ideas for this breast of veal, would like to hear. Certainly won't let that stop me if I don't hear anything.
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Hmm. Veal? I may be too late, but I'm almost thinking a little non-traditional BBQ. How about a red wine reduction type sauce? Maybe include a tad of balsamic vinegar? Perhaps a garlic/oregano/basil type rub? You see where I'm going w/ this? Italian style!!
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I'd likely stuff it. If I had no time for prepping stuffing I'd go without. In either case I would cook ~350 and would finish as a braise. No or minimal wood. If stufffed, say, with wilted chard, aromatics and sausage, I'd rub with black pepper, garlic, sage and lemon; if stuffed with, say, aromatics, diced apricots and pine nuts, I'd rub with thyme, garlic, onion, black pepper, fennel and a little sage. If unstuffed I'd go with green pepper, garlic and herbes de Provence.

I would not trim much if at all.
 
Kevin, Jim,

I see where your going, and could try something like this. My butts are looking good, I just sop'd them. I'm doing my butts at 260, and think I might let them finish, they've been on 5 1/2 hours, about 160 inside, I'm going back to bed.
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If I do that I can just bump it up to 350 to cook the veal breast. I'm sending my wife an email, maybe she'll make something before I get up again...
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Alan,

You better get your veal while you can since Prop. 2 outlaws growing veals in CA. Let me know how it went. I’m going to my Lunardi’s in Danville Monday, so I’ll see if they have it there. As an aside, you can’t beat Lunardi’s for their meat and produce. I love walking into the produce section because you can actually SMELL the fresh fruit and veggies.
 
No, it doesn't. Prop 2 rightly (imnsho) bans veal crates. Veal can still be raised but calves will no longer be allowed to be neck-tethered and confined, unable to lie down or turn around. (It's horrifying.) I haven't bought commercial veal in 30 years because of how it is typically raised. Fortunately there are producers out there that do not mistreat their animals though, for veal, there are fewer. (Whole Foods sells veal produced without confinement.)

Prop 2 doesn't kick in till 2015.
 
Actually, Lunardi's only sells quality veal that is naturally raised, as stated at this link..

EDIT: Chuck, the butcher even cleaned off most of the membrane for me, a nice touch.
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Something else they had that looked very good was English Cut Short Ribs, I think they were $4.99/lb.

No shots of the veal yet, but this is our side dish for the veal!
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Here's a shot of the veal with the rub:

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Kevin,

How would you determine when they are done?

Do I use the tear test? Doesn't seem so...seems like a high heat cook, and I'm gonna wrap in double foil in a cooler most likely.
 
Alan,

That looks really great!

Have you tried the Destil Free Range Turkey from Lunardi’s? If not, try it. It is the freshest and best tasting bird I have ever had. They are raised out of Sonora, close to where we had a mountain cabin, and learned about them up there about 8 years ago and have never bought another since.
 
Alan, I don't use the tear test for anything. A probe inserted between the bones will enter effortlessly when tender.
 
Chuck,

I haven't been to Lunardi's for quite a while.

I once got veal to make scallopini, it was really good. My uncle loves their veal, and he turned us on to Lunardi's.

Oh, reminds me that they have chiopino (sp?) sauce from Taddich Grill in SF City, my wife used that before to make her own chiopino as my uncle brought us a bottle. He got it at Lunardi's. (although my wife prefers to make her own;-)

I would rate their meat department up with Whole Foods, and in fact Lunardi's had some fine looking skirt steaks, similar quality as Whole Foods, same price. They had some beautiful fresh swordfish, similar quality to Whole Foods also, and also pricey at $20/lb.

This breast of veal was only $2.69/lb, I think, only cost me $8.50 for both pieces. Seems like a nice addition to a 'que, at least to try. I always like to try something new...

I did get a Destil turkey from Whole Foods one year for Thanksgiving, cooked it in my kettle. It was superb, but pricey.

The Los Gatos store has a huge meat counter.

BTW, where the heck did you ever find that avitar?
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Kevin, I will use the "poke test".
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(Thanks!)
 
[pedantics] It's cioppino. [/pedantics]

I almost popped into the Tadich the other night but opted for Brandy Ho's new outpost in the Castro. Did end up at Vesuvio for post dinner cocktails though. North Beach was kind of hopping for a Thursday but the weather was beautiful.

If you like the veal breast try it stuffed sometime. The butcher will cut a pocket for you if you don't want to bother yourself. Tie between the bones to secure then remove strings for service, cutting between the bones. Makes a nice presentation.
 
Kevin,

Tadich Grill (I also mis-spelled...
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) is one of my wife's favorite places in the city, she absolutely loves their cioppino.

It's great ambiance...but I 'spose some folks don't care for it. There's a place in Los Angeles, Musso & Frank Grill, which is kinda similar but nearly as classy. I think the fact that it's the oldest establishment in Cali lends to it's ambiance. So many great places to eat in the city, we rarely get up there though. Last time I went up there I found out that Original Joes closed over on Taylor/Eddie...that was a loss...(they were remodeling I heard but not anymore...there was a fire...).

My wife did want to stuff it, but we didn't have anything, and she kept saying..."I used the last of the dried apricots a few days ago...next time we'll try stuffing if we like it.
 
I'd heard about Original Joe's closing (used to eat breakfast there often) but, on Monday morning whilst trekking through downtown San Jose pre-sunrise in search of a Starbucks, walked by the one there. Had no idea SJ had one.

I had a show playing at the 1177 Club (1177 California, the club is defunct) in '84 and we'd go the Tadich often. Post show it was usually Tosca, Vesuvio, Basta Pasta or Enrico's, sometimes a great dive called The Blue Lamp on Geary (that I believe is gone now, or morphed into a blues club, not sure).

The last time I did stuffed breast I combined the stuffings noted upthread mixing Italian sausage with finely diced apricots (semi-rehydrated in cheap white wine), finely chopped toasted pine nuts, wilted-then-squeezed chard, shallot, garlic, and just enough bread crumbs, grated parm and egg white to hold it together. Sour, salt, bitter, sweet and umami. Tasty.
 
The San Jose Original Joes is good, but I've had some problems with them in the past. Love their bone in rib-chop, with mushrooms over the top...ah, that's good stuff...but once about 10 years ago I went there with some friends and ordered Swiss Chard, at Marin Joes that's a great dish, with some vinegar and parmesan over the top, I don't like veggies much but like that. The waiter got all huffy with me, saying how all Original Joes aren't the same...blah-blah...I picked up the tab for my buddies so I could tip him $0.01.
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Food is good there though, notably the bone-in rib chop...
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I notice you have wilted chard mentioned a couple times here, I like chard, but do you just use it for stuffing and toss it after, or do you serve it?

That stuffing sounds great, now I'm remorse for not trying it...I just check them, they were a bit tough still, been inside for just over an hour. I'll check about every 30 minutes. I hope they don't get too dried out, was pondering if I should foil them or not...
 
I'd foil.

The chard in this case is part of the stuffing that goes in the pocket cut in the breast. For service, the breast gets cut along the bones and the stuffing is served still in the meat.

I like all greens but often gravitate to chard when I want a side dish of greens for something.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Alan D:
Actually, Lunardi's only sells quality veal that is naturally raised, as stated at this link..

EDIT: Chuck, the butcher even cleaned off most of the membrane for me, a nice touch.
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Something else they had that looked very good was English Cut Short Ribs, I think they were $4.99/lb.

No shots of the veal yet, but this is our side dish for the veal!
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Here's a shot of the veal with the rub:
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

So what did you use for the veal rub? I think I see garlic, black pepper and thyme in there. Looks good. As do your "side dishes".
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