In other news (apolitical thread)...

[MrNubbz]

I assume that it's theoretically possible to operate a smoker without consuming beer...

...but I have no empirical evidence of that.

Don't go pushing the envelope, Buster - stick with what works. A home brewer that won't lift some suds whilst grilling, just might be a sign of the Apocalypse

[betarhoalphadelta]

Not like meatloaf, though definitely tender.  They hold together just fine.  It depends on the percentage of fat in the beef, the higher the fat the more they fall apart.  Mrs. DeL always does the meat, I just throw them on the Traeger.  She's a fat-Nazi.  No fat escapes her preparations.  They have some sear.  Most notable thing to me is how red they are.  Not like meat-thats-not-done red, a different kind of red.  Seems like everything I've done in the Traeger has a reddish tint to it, though, so a patty might not be unique in that regard. 

LOL... Keeping the burgers from falling apart is always my difficulty. And it's due to the fat content.

I take an entire chuck roast, cube it, and run it through the grinder on the coarse setting. (When I'm really fancy I mix ~50/50 chuck roast and brisket point.) So it's fatty. I used to form the patties by hand, but bought a burger press and now I swear by that little sucker. It compresses them JUST enough that they don't fall apart, but makes them super uniform so they don't plump like meatballs when grilled / griddled. 

Part of that is that I actually cook them to at least medium. Generally 145 IT before I put the cheese on. Largely based on the AmazingRibs idea that once you grind something, you've now distributed the dangerous stuff from the surface of the meat all through the insides, so you have to actually cook it through. Yet... When you cook a burger with THAT much fat in it to that temp, it stays absolutely juicy and delicious. 

Can't do that without fat. 

Fat is flavor. 

[FearlessF]

amen - fat is good

[FearlessF]

Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick.

The program announced Flagg's move in a social media post Monday following a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old become only the fourth freshman named as The Associated Press national player of the year while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four.

Flagg had reclassified to get to Duke a year early, and his decision was expected all year, even as he generally declined to spell out plans about his professional future as the season pushed into March or mentioned how much fun he had playing in college.

“I mean, it's been an incredible year with a really great group of people," Flagg told the AP in March after winning national player of the year.

[Cincydawg]

In a time when Calories are at a premium, fat indeed is good.  A working man ca. 1900 struggled to maintain weight, usually, so fat was used in a diet of cheaper foods in things like gravy, fried foods, eggs, etc.  Wealthy folk were fat, working folks were slim.  

Fat is a cheap way to infuse flavor, which humans prefer because WAY back every Calorie was a struggle, hunter gatherer days.  The first fat man must have been a novelty, some king or high official in some developing civilization.  Likely it was viewed as a mark of status.

[FearlessF]

the discovery of sugar - candies and sweets were luxuries for the wealthy

[Cincydawg]

The history of sugar and especially salt is very interesting, I think.  Both were expensive items "back in the day".

I have made a conscious effort to reduce my sugar intake, mostly by not eating dessert (at least not often).  It's almost unavoidable in a modern diet.

I was reading about how humans consume starch in large quantities, from rice, wheat, potatoes, depending on region.  Starch is rapidly converted into glucose, which is a simple sugar of course.  Table sugar is glucose and fructose, the latter I think is pretty bad for us.  HFC 44 actually has slightly less fructose than table sugar.

[847badgerfan]

We use stevia/truvia.

[FearlessF]

I rarely eats sweets and/or desserts - no soda pop

[FearlessF]

[Cincydawg]

Some apparently Big News around here involves the Soccer World Cup thing, I guess some preliminary rounds will be in MB Stadium.  I don't really get why it's such a big deal, I mean, it's fine with me, but will it really bring in some vast hoard of visitors?

Seems like minor news to me, 420 days ahead of time.  The downtown development is pretty major but not really related, was happening anyway.  This is all being built over existing rail yards west of downtown.

Photos: Where Centennial Yards stands, 420 days before World Cup begins | Urbanize Atlanta

[FearlessF]

it really will bring in a vast hoard of visitors

Kansas City is excited about hosting the event

[utee94]

World Cup is big.  Very large international crowds.

[FearlessF]

it's WAY bigger than SEC football