Growing up as a kid, I was not a picky eater; however there was something about cheap hot dogs that just didn’t sit well with me – seriously!!

Smokehouse Glenn brought in genuine, bonified – great tasting Dearborn product once again. Coney dogs were his featured item this week; made exclusively from Glenn’s old meat processing stomping ground for 30 years. Two types of coney style franks – natural casing and skinless franks.

For the Best in Coney Dogs

Natural casing for that distinctive “snap” when you bite into them or the skinless version either way, those great tasting coney dogs are sought after by many Detroit area businesses desiring to sell ‘their version of a great tasting coney dog.

However, coney dogs are not complete without a GOOD chili sauce!!! National brand coney island hot dog chili sauce is delicious!!!! Just like Dearborn dogs, according to Glenn, numerous stores purchase National brand sauce to add to their version of coney dogs to sell. Look at these dogs…

Truly the BEST in Coney Dogs

original coney island dogs with chili sauce packed with delicious flavor in every bite.

Northern Meats new location in the Country Village, 1040 Country Lane, Ishpeming, Michigan – - for the Best in Quality Meats – see your “Custom Cut Butcher”!!!

Ishpeming – 04/04/12 – Smokehouse Glenn brought in his own home-made brats this morning that filled the office with the office with wonderful aroma and give my taste buds a robust flavor experience.

Glenn brought in two type of his turkey brats – turkey brats and turkey brats with cheese. These brats start out from using bone-less dark meat turkey thighs; possessing a 90 – 95% leanness factor and containing the needed moisture content for delicious texture while enhancing the seasoning throughout the product.

Staying true to a already proven recipe, Glenn flavors his turkey brats with his same spice mixture recipe which he incorporates when making his beef brats. His in-house “secret recipe” has been developed by Glenn himself through many attempts to achieve just the right balance of spice flavors that please your taste buds!

Glenn’s brats with cheese use a high temperature commercial grade cheddar cheese which aids in better handling during processing. Normal cheese would break down as it reaches room temperatures, resulting in a softer texture. Consequently, using a normal grade of chedder will further lose its consistency and melt into a sauce-type fluidity within the casing; blending it into the meat mixture; losing the intended “bits” of cheese that you receive in every slice of brat!

Take a G-O-O-O-O-D look at those brats with cheese; will ya look at the size of those brats!!! Smokehouse Glenn uses only natural casings when stuffing his brats, resulting in the “plumper than normal sized” brats compared to other brats manufactured by commercial companies. Those other companies use synthetic/collagen-based casings in their goal to produce uniform, consistent packaging appearance. Ishpeming’s “custom-cut butcher” all about the natural, down-home flavor in his home made recipes that satisfy his customers!!

Cooking time is a snap in the pan or on the grill with these brats which would go great with home-made french fries and cole slaw!!

Stop in and visit Glenn at his new location in the Country Village Plaza across from Country Cinema V but remember…your “custom-cut butcher” experience will progress from seeing the product, buying what looks appetizing and finally TASTING what you just brought home!! Don’t be surprised when you find yourself repeating this sequence of steps on a regular basis! Mmmmm, look out, taste buds!!!!

Episode 21 – Turkey Brats Audio

Marquette – 11/30/2011 – Smokehouse Glenn is tagged as our area  “Custom – Cut Butcher” in Marquette but he is definitely your  “Go-To” guy for an extensive assortment of choice, tasty varieties of meat.

Today’s featured product is the Porketta roast, a tasty main entree that draws a portion of it’s distinctiveness from  a woman in Amasa…but more on that later.

Porkette Roast

Smokehouse Glenn, as his experience and reputation displays, begins with the utmost of quality product. Glenn starts with Dearborn Meats’ own Chairman’s Reserve selection of pork shoulder; boned and trimmed. These roasts can end up weighing approximately 8 to 9 pounds after processing but Glenn is accommodating to custom cut any roasts to smaller 2 to 3 pounders if desired.  Each roast is given the butcher’s special treatment, being  tied up nicely with butcher string to make the roasts easier to handle when cooking and serving.

Next comes Glenn’s special seasoning and he’s the first to admit that the uniqueness of his porketta roast’s flavor did not come from his own kitchen. Glenn’s business side-kick, Butcher Bob, owns property in  southwestern area of Marquette County, just outside of Crystal Falls. While in the area, Butcher Bob stopped into a small general store located in Amasa, where he discovered the store owner was selling her own local favorite blend of porketta roast spices. Bob decided to make a purchase and bring it back to the shop to try on Glenn’s roasts. WOW!!! Glenn and Bob both agreed that this blend was outstanding!! A smart businesman that he is, Glenn decided that his roasts with this newly discovered spice blend would be an outstanding taste combination. A kitchen-tested blend of black pepper, salt, garlic, dill weed, rosemary and crushed red pepper, make this porketta’s flavor one of a kind in this area.

Amasa's Porkette Spice

Finally, the most important point to remember is to cook this roast SLOW!!!! The most important cooking tip to remember for the kitchen is to not get in a hurry and don’t have your cooking temperature too high.  Keep this in mind and you will experience a taste sensation like you would never believe!!!!

Episode 16 – Porketta Roast Audio

The Final Product