BevMo! Paso Robles has opened their store on Theatre Drive, in Paso Robles, California. I've been anxiously awaiting the opening day too. As a cook, who likes to drink, I've always considered BevMo! (formerly Beverages & More!) as something special. And in a relatively small town like Paso Robles, getting a store like BevMo! is pretty exciting.

Unfortunately, excitement turned to disappointment today when BevMo! Paso Robles repeatedly dished out "non-help." After all the trouble they go to to win my business, they've lost sight of the big picture.

If you don't have BevMo! in your area, it's a supermarket for people who like to imbibe. They have a huge selection of wine, liquor, and beer. They also have obscure liqueurs and snacks. If it's connected to drinking, BevMo! probably carries it.

I've been a "ClubBev!" member for years. ClubBev! gives discounts when you swipe your card. Their website is handy too, you can place your order online, and have it pulled and waiting for you when you arrive at the store. I have loved BevMo! for years. I felt good going in there. It feels like the prelude to a good time...felt...like that anyway.

BevMo! Paso Robles - An Unfortunate First Impression

First let me say - I'm not a whiner. I get it that sometimes things don't go my way. For example, BevMo! Paso Robles offered a $25 gift card to the first 500 people through the door on opening day. I missed out - barely. That's okay, I wasn't upset about that. I went on in and took a look around.

Since the store was so full, I figured I'd visit later in the day. All day I kept hearing the radio ad talking about getting $10 off of your $50 purchase. So, even though I missed the first 500 promotion, I figured I'd risk angering my wife - and spend enough to get that $10 off.

When I got to the store, they had beer tastings, little snacks and even samples of chocolate with bacon. It was an event!

In a store like BevMo! Paso Robles, it doesn't take long to hit the $50 mark. I picked out some good gin, and a couple of other things and went to ask about that $10 discount. Turned out, I needed a coupon.

Let me start by saying that in the morning, they were actually giving coupons away for that promotion. I didn't get one, since there was a line, and I knew I'd return later. My point is that the coupons were not numbered tickets or anything special - they were printed in the local newspaper. A photocopy would have even worked. I also want to say, I stayed very calm through this whole saga.

So - I asked a cashier about the discount - and she said, "Well, we had some here we were giving away, but it looks like they're gone."

She said, "Let me ask my manager." Without looking up, the manager, who was about ten feet away said, "They're in the paper."

The girl returned and said, "You can find one in the newspaper." I replied, "I don't get the paper." She then said, "I'm sorry. I know we had some around here earlier." (That didn't exactly make me feel better.)

I said, "Well, I guess I'll put this all back, and get the cheap gin." You see, I mistakenly thought that would tip her off to the fact that I was not really getting what I wanted. I also thought that she would care that I was now spending less money at BevMo! Paso Robles. After all, I wanted to spend more money there...and with the bad economy and all - well you know. But she bravely stood her ground and said, "I'm sorry."

BevMo! Paso Robles - Strike One! Strike Two! Three Strikes!

1. The "manager" couldn't be bothered with my measly $10 coupon problem. So I put my stuff back and got the cheap gin. Their total sale from me went from at least $65 (minus the elusive $10 coupon) down to $12.99.
2. When I got the less expensive gin, I waited in line and thought - "this can't be happening, they said they want my business, surely this cashier will take the time to find a coupon, do an over-ride, or something to save my opinion of BevMo!" Nope.
   As I approached the register - she asked, "Did you find everything you wanted?" I said, "Yep, but I put it all back because I didn't have the coupon from the newspaper."
   Guess what she said..."Aww, I'm sorry 'bout that."
   How about "let me get my manager to see if we can fix the situation"? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?
   Then - to top that off, she asked me for my ClubBev! card so I could pay $12.99 for my gin. (I haven't had an actual card for years, because I'm told they won't replace them. You have to open a new ClubBev! account to get another card.) Instead of a card, you can also use a phone number. Guess what. My phone number didn't work in her "system," so she was going to charge me $16.99 for the gin.
   Instead, after trying every phone number I've had for the past ten years, I just told her to forget the whole thing.
3. As I was leaving BevMo! Paso Robles - empty-handed - a cheerful girl was standing outside the door and thanked me for shopping. (All I did was shop - since I didn't actually get to buy anything.)
   She asked how my visit was - and I told her. What do you think she said? "I'm sorry."
   She didn't get a manager, she didn't give me a hug, nothing.

I'm sure BevMo! Paso Robles will look at their opening day as a great success. I'm sure my little bit of money didn't make a difference in the big picture. But how many other people who don't vent on a blog went home empty-handed? Or how many others drove to Albertson's (like I did) and got what they wanted - without the balloons and chocolates?

The bottom line for me is the sad realization that another one of my favorite stores has succumbed to the mindless, 'we can take or leave your business' mentality of many of the other big stores. I'm not excited about BevMo! Paso Robles anymore...okay, I guess now I'm whining.

Tri-Tip in the Oven: It can be done - here's how.

I've been asked how to cook tri-tip in the oven many times. I'm in between houses right now and a friend is babysitting my grill. So I thought it would be a perfect time to do a tri-tip in the oven and report back to you.

First, get an oven.

Then get yourself about a three pound tri-tip and either marinade it or rub it with your favorite flavoring. If I didn't have a prepared spice, I have just rubbed the meat with olive oil and used salt and pepper to season it. It is absolutely delicious.

Just as when cooking a tri-tip on the grill - let it come to room temperature before you start to cook.

Pre-heat the oven to 425° F.

I used a sheet pan with a roasting rack to cook the meat. It wasn't a set, but they fit together. I didn't want the meat to sit in its own juice and fry, so the rack kept it up off the bottom of the pan.  (Personally, I like to line the pan with aluminum foil to help make clean-up easier.)

Center the pan and rack with the tri-tip on the center rack of the oven - fat side up. The fat will drip nicely down the sides and keep basting the meat. Set the timer for about 30 minutes.

Just like with the grill recipe: NO Poking, NO Flipping, No cutting yet. The juice is all in there, it's not going anywhere.

Check the meat after 30 minutes to see how it's doing. It should barely spring back when you touch the thickest part. It should still be rare in the center, but it should have a nice brown crust on the fat. You can let this go a little longer if you like. But at the point I get a char on the fat, I flip the meat ONE TIME.

Cook it on that rack another 10-15 minutes. Then, take it out and tent it with aluminum foil and let it rest about 5-10 minutes. Slice it across the grain for maximum tenderness. It should be delicious.

Since I used the oven, I wrapped a couple of potatoes in foil, with a little butter, and baked them with the tri-tip. By the time the meat was done, the potatoes were too.

Just be kind to your meat. Don't stab it or poke at it. Don't flip it every two minutes - let it cook! What did your meat ever do to you?

"Should I buy tri-tip trimmed or un-trimmed?"

If you find tri-tip in your grocer's meat section, you may be faced with a choice between "trimmed" or "untrimmed." Some grocery stores really get all fancy-pants and label their tri-tip as "hand-trimmed." Which is best for cooking? Is it really worth paying more for trimmed tri-tip? Just what the heck are they trimming anyway?

Trimmed tri-tip at the meat counter.

What is trimmed from the tri-tip?
A whole tri-tip naturally comes with one side covered in a solid layer of fat. The fat layer can range from ? to ½ inch thick. The tri-tip is usually packed fat-side down, so it can be a little tough to tell how much you're getting when you buy an un-trimmed piece.

Some people buy their tri-tip un-trimmed, because it's cheaper, and then they trim it at home. That slab of fat can amount to nearly a pound of the total weight! So if it's just cut off and thrown out, the buyer is not only spending time trimming it at home, but also tossing money in the trash.

The price difference.
Trimmed tri-tip costs more than its untrimmed counterpart. That makes sense since someone had to spend time trimming that big slab of fat off each piece. It's common around here to see a difference of $1.50 to $2.00 per pound difference between trimmed and untrimmed tri-tip. Assuming you don't want all that fat left on the meat, is it worth the difference in price?

Let's do the math.

For our example, let's say untrimmed tri-tip is $4.97/lb. and trimmed tri-tip is $6.49/lb. At that price, an untrimmed, 3.5 lb. tri-tip would be $17.40.

Now, I have weighed the fat trimmed off of a 3.5 pound tri-tip. It weighed almost a pound. So I essentially paid $17.40 for a 2.5 pound tri-tip (after trimming).

So what would a 2.5 lb. trimmed tri-tip cost us? Using our example prices: $16.23. Plus, we spent some time trimming. Conclusion: Unless there is a sale on untrimmed tri-tip, trimmed is the best deal per pound.

But wait a minute! I love fat!
Okay, I'll admit, I do love crispy, browned fat from the grill. So maybe you want to leave that wonderful fatty goodness on the meat. I don't blame you.

Even though I love the flavor of the grilled fat, I still cook the trimmed version. A good tri-tip is already marbled with fat through the whole piece. As it cooks, the fat melts and bastes the meat, leaving it moist and juicy if cooked properly. (Click here to see "How to Cook a Tri-tip without Ruining It")

That being said, if you leave your tri-tip untrimmed, make sure to give it plenty of time fat-side up. Your goal is to let much of the fat melt away, basting the meat. Then when you flip it over to finish it, cook the fatty side with high heat so that it browns into a crispy piece of deliciousness.

More dripping fat means more chances for flare-ups on the grill, so prepare for that just in case.

Okay, now I'm hungry.

Every one of the 98 million head of cattle in the U.S. has two tri-tips just hanging there ready to be grilled. That's a lot of tri-tip. So why are they so hard to find in your area?

If you want to know the reason you can't find tri-tip locally, read on. If you're just desperate to get to the meat,
visit my Tri-tip for Sale page and see how to order it online (yes, really). Click here to see what's available.

Why You Can't Find Tri-tip

Thank goodness I don't live far from Santa Maria, California. Next to the Michael Jackson trial some years ago, I'll bet Santa Maria is most widely associated with the tri-tip. It's common to see tri-tip labeled as "Santa Maria Tri-tip" on menus and in stores. But why are they so hard to find in some regions? To get an idea of what's going on, consider the following information:

When I lived in Michigan, I requested tri-tip quite often from my local supermarket meat men. I was beginning to think the farmers had bread the tri-tips out of their cattle. It was next to impossible to find them. I've seen similar accounts from Texas (of all places), Washington, D.C., and other areas - especially east of the Mississippi river. I never did get my local markets to get them for me.

One of the meat department heads explained that the meat comes in pre-cut in most cases. He said that some areas just don't make that special cut to carve out the tri-tip. Of course it's there, it's just split between other primal cuts. If you've never seen where the tri-tip comes from, look at this chart right where the back leg meets the belly:

Now, if you want to see the primal cuts - likely the way your meat department gets their meat - look at the image below - NO Tri-tip!!

Some people think the tri-tip is an "inferior" cut of meat. Oh but I say nay-nay. Despite what I say, the result is that many tri-tips get ground up into ground sirloin, or just divided up between other cuts. A lot depends on what is common in your area. If stores don't offer tri-tip, people can't fall in love with it, because they can't buy it. So the MBA running the grocery store purchasing program scratches his head and says, "My records show that people must hate tri-tip because they never buy it. So - I'll order ZERO."

Trying to nail down a recipe for timpano is like trying to settle on a recipe for chili. The possibilities are endless. There is no "official" timpano recipe, although many would say their family has the most authentic version.

I have been making timpano for years, on one special night each year. Since our "Big Night" is such a big deal for my wife and me, I'm reluctant to mess with the recipe. I have to admit though, that I've never been happy with the crust on my original recipe. It comes out a little "leathery" and tough.

Timpano with Pasta Frolla

While doing some investigating, I found information on a type of crust called "pasta frolla." Pasta frolla is similar to shortbread, and is used primarily to make pies, cookies and crostate (delicious fruit or jam pies), though it does also get used in some savory dishes. It has a lot of butter instead of oil, and uses egg yolks instead of whole eggs.

I have tried it with the timpano for the past two years and the regular guests have raved over the difference. It is tender and slightly flaky - and it tastes really good. It is plenty strong enough to hold the ingredients together too. I am going to amend the original recipe to include this type of crust for my "official version" of timpano.

Here is my Pasta Frolla Crust Recipe for Timpano:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup salted butter (cold)
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup ice cold water

Directions:

As with other pastry crusts, keep the butter cold

• Cut butter into small cubes (about ½ inch)
• Combine flour & butter in mixing bowl
  • Cut mixture together until it looks like big crumbs (after this I worked it a little more with my fingers, pinching the "crumbs" into big flat "flakes")

I use a stand mixer and dough hook to:

• Mix egg yolks, one at a time, to butter - flour mixture
• Add salt
• Dribble water in as needed until dough forms a ball and pulls from the side of the mixing bowl
• Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate for about an hour

After it has chilled, roll it out as the recipe says. Aim for about one-eighth inch thickness. Just make sure you have plenty of flour all around so the dough doesn't stick to your table.

Here is another tip: Use a french rolling pin to roll the dough and you'll find it's easier than a traditional rolling pin with handles.

I think you'll enjoy this crust much better than the earlier version. Anything with butter has to be better! Oh - and have a glass of wine while you're rolling that dough out - it's a lot of work and you need to stay hydrated!

UPDATE: I was recently asked how I got the grape leaves and vines on the crust. It's pretty easy, first grease the pan as you normally would (I use butter). Then cut your design from a very thin piece of extra crust. Stick the designs (facing out) to the inside of the pan (see photo), then place the big, main crust inside. Everything else goes as normal.

When I first moved to California's Central Coast many years ago, I was introduced to the Tri-tip. Tri-tip is a triangle-shaped cut of beef from the bottom of the sirloin. There are two per animal. When I temporarily moved away from California some time back, I found it is almost impossible to find tri-tip at the local market.

Tri-tip can be roasted, but most commonly it's grilled. It is wonderfully marbled with fat and if cooked properly, is a succulent, juicy piece of meat. Unfortunately, many of the "cowboys" around here don't know how to cook it without ruining it. They stab it, trim ever piece of external fat off, stuff it with garlic cloves, and constantly fiddle with it on the grill. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Here's how to cook a tri-tip perfectly every time. Your guests will think you're a great cook, but this method involves doing less. Just remember - "less is more." (Repeat that over and over as you cook.)

Selecting Your Tri-tip

Tri-tips are usually available in "trimmed" or "untrimmed" versions. The untrimmed version has a thick layer of fat on one side, and is understandably cheaper by the pound. Some people leave the fat on, and some trim it off at home.

Also, when selecting the meat, look for nice, even marbling. There shouldn't be any section wider than your finger without the little lines of fat running through it.

Preparing to Cook a Tri-tip

Which is right? Trim the fat layer off or leave it on?

Well, it really is a lot of fat. And it causes flare-ups on the grill. My advice is to trim off most of the fat layer, but leave a little. When you cook it, place the fat layered side up. As the meat cooks, the fat will melt and baste the meat.

I have seen the local "cooks" randomly cover their tri-tip with all kinds of salt, pepper, garlic, Lawry's seasoned salt, you name it. Seasoning is good, but just arbitrarily throwing it on the tri-tip can ruin the meat's potential.

I've cooked literally hundreds of tri-tips over the years. Here is the best way to cook yours:

This is important: Take the tri-tip out of the refrigerator 2-4 hours before you cook it. It should be at room temperature when you grill it or roast it.

• Use a very light sprinkling of Adolph's meat tenderizer - use Adolph's and not some cheap store brand. It's the real deal. Don't use too much though or your meat will get mushy. No one likes mushy meat.
• Follow with Grizzly Joe's "Trail Dust" as a dry rub all over the meat - I've tried everything, this is the absolute best spice for tri-tip (and this is NOT a paid endorsement).
  • As a guide to how much rub - you should still be able to tell it's a tri-tip when you're done. You're not wrapping a present, just seasoning the meat.
• Set the meat on a cookie sheet and let it reach room temperature. If you cook it when it's cold inside, you'll burn the outside and the inside will still be raw.

Not too hard right? But many backyard cooks have the habit of stabbing the meat and stuffing garlic inside. If you do this, the juice will just run out as you cook the meat, and it will be dry. Another thing I've seen is slathering the meat with oil, then pouring on the spices. The oil is not necessary. This meat is pretty fatty already. Just rub it, and leave it. The natural juices from the meat dissolve the salt and spices and pull that flavor into the meat as it waits for grilling.

Grilling the Tri-tip

I prefer grilled tri-tip over oven-cooked. I've done both and they are both excellent. Here we'll talk about grilling your tri-tip.

Get the grill nice and hot. I shoot for around 400 degrees F. I have a gas grill with three burners. I start with the burners all on high. Once I'm ready to put the meat on, I set the left one on high, the middle one on low and the right one on low. Then I place the tri-tip, fat side up over the space between the center and right low burners. It will drip and flare up so don't put it right over the fire. This gives a nice indirect heat to the meat. The corners of the roast are thinner and cook quicker. It's easy to dry them out.

A lot of wanna-be cowboy grillers poke, and cut, and flip the meat over and over - then poke it again just for good measure. Never, ever stab the meat. Every hole you make lets more juice run out. Poking and flipping the meat should also be done as little as possible. Leave your meat alone! Let it cook.

I always flip the meat the exact same number of times for every tri-tip. ONCE. Flipping the meat does not help your meat cook sooner, or more evenly, or anything. It is just the sign of an impatient cook. There is only one reason to flip your meat over. To cook the other side. Do it one time - usually after about 15 minutes of cooking on the first side.

Once you've turned the tri-tip, and cooked it for 5 minutes or so, press the center to test the firmness. If it feels mushy like raw meat, you may need to raise the heat just a bit. Most people like their tri-tip pink in the middle. Medium to medium-rare. It should not be hard when you press on it. You are looking for about the same texture as the muscle in the palm of your hand just below your thumb.

Generally, about 25 to 30 minutes should be plenty for a tri-tip, depending on size of course.

Let Your Meat Rest

The meat will cook another 10 minutes or so when you take it off the grill. You need to let it rest. If you don't, you'll have dry, tough meat. Remember, you're cooking a muscle. When that muscle gets hot it contracts, squeezing the juice out of the center. When it's taken off the heat, it relaxes and the juices are drawn back into the center of the meat, making it juicy to eat.

Let the meat rest under a tinfoil tent on your cutting board for about 10-15 minutes.

Cutting Tri-tip

Tri-tip has a definite "grain" to the meat. Cut against the grain for best results. I like to cut the meat into steaks about 1/2 inch thick. Many people cut tri-tip very thin, which is good for sandwiches. But the real reason they cut it thin is because they've poked, stabbed, flipped, salted, and burned it into a hockey puck. The only way to eat a hockey puck is to cut it thin.

If you're tri-tip is juicy and flavorful, cut nice steaks onto your guest's plates. It is my favorite piece of a bovine.

Summary

Serve tri-tip with garlic bread, salad, and maybe a potato. If you use the Grizzly Joe's seasoning, you probably won't need to add steak sauce.

You may not be able to pick this up at your local store. But if you ask your butcher to get tri-tip for you, he or she may be able to order it, or cut it special. It's well worth the effort.

Go Get a Tri-Tip!