Get ready for the Holidays with Marczyk's

12/12/2008

“Look round and round upon this bare bleak plain, and see even here, upon a winter's day, how beautiful the shadows are!”
Dickens

Trust the Marczyk brothers to find the best tasting meats in the nation and bring them to you:

Niman Ranch hams: applewood smoked boneless, $6.99/lb; spiral bone-in, $7.99/lb; and petite, $8.99/lb. The centerpiece of the holiday buffet and Williams-Sonoma’s ham of choice. 1.5 lbs to 12 lbs.

Niman Ranch dry-aged beef. Prime ribs, $19.99/lb, or boneless ribeye roasts, $23.99/lb.  A Marczyk exclusive. The phone is ringing with orders for holiday prime ribs! We buy early and dry-age* them, then Jimmy custom cuts them for you. This is the best tasting beef in Denver. We say so, our customers say so, and Gourmet, Bon Appétit and Saveur say so too.

Marczyk beef tenderloin. $29.99/lb: Marczyk’s tenderloins are fully trimmed and peeled, then hand-tied for 2 people or 20.

Niman Ranch pork crown roast. $9.99/lb. A standing pork crown roast, crispy and juicy, is one of the most dramatic presentations of the season! 14 point minimum.

Scandinavian skin-on pork loin.  A Marczyk exclusive. Imagine a juicy Niman Ranch pork loin, topped with a layer of succulent marbled meat, then crispy pork skin. We learned of this unusual cut from our Scandinavian customers. They arrive on the 22nd, very limited. Call 303 894-9499 for availability.

Marczyk-made tamales. The runaway hit last year! Pete, Paul, and Francisco are going to roll up their sleeves and make these again this year. A new holiday tradition in our family, they’ll be the best Polish/Mexican tamales you’ll ever taste.

Caviar! Trout roe, pretty and red; American Wild Sturgeon, or Dom Petroff Trans Montanous. Blinis and crème frâiche help make the yuletide bright.

Fresh Pheasants. Our chicken friends (Northern Colorado Poultry) up in Nunn, CO, are raising all natural, fresh pheasants outside in the light and fresh air. They arrive the week of Christmas, call if you would like to reserve one. 303 894-9499.

Lamb crowns, racks and roasts; Christmas goose (very limited!) or duck; Grade A foie gras, Niman Ranch fresh leaf lard (what our great-grandmothers used for their pie crusts and deep frying), and kidney suet. And don’t forget the duck fat! Potatoes cooked in duck fat, yummm.

Pete’s Pumpkin Pies got the shout out from our customers, one young man going so far as to holler right there in the store “That pie was (bad word) awesome!” And the pecan pies got the same reception, even from Southerners who “know pie.” He’ll be at it again this holiday, and already has moist cranberry nut and banana nut breads for sale.

Christmas FAQ’s

What’s up with dry-aging? In the past, beef was slaughtered in a central area with good proximity to railway (like Denver or Chicago) and then it was shipped, whole and hanging, around the country to skilled butchers closer to the final point of sale. Two technologies changed all this: Cryovacing (Cryovac is like Kleenex—a brand name for the process of removing all air from a plastic bag and sealing it) and refrigeration. Centralized slaughter became centralized meat packing. Now beef is packed in plastic bags and boxed very soon after slaughter (2-4 days) then shipped in trucks and “aged” in the bag, aka “wet-aging”. In the dry-aging process, approximately 20-30% of water weight is lost. The result of dry aging is a densely flavored (less water to dilute flavor) extremely beefy and tender piece of meat. This is the meat you will only find at the very best of the very best steak houses and markets. Dig in! For a slightly more in-depth explanation go to our blog.

Is there a grade B foie gras? Yes, foie gras is graded by size and cosmetic appearance. The smaller and less perfect looking the lower the grade. Generally, A and B taste the same.

Goose is so oily. What’s the trick? Render the fat! Goose is made to float and repel water so there is lots of fat surrounding the juicy meat. Prick the skin at the fattiest parts, prick it more than you think you need to. Then slow roast it with lots of room at the bottom of the pan for the fat to drain. Your goose will be cooked…and delicious. Save the fat for roasting potatoes.

Can I eat caviar without feeling like a heel? Heck ya! Most caviar comes from farmed sources now, and Marc