"You can find your way across this country using burger joints the way a navigator uses stars."
------ Charles Kuralt, American
journalist and author
Tailgating at Tiger Stadium in our Airstream, we naturally used ham and turkey for hoagie sandwiches. But I knew it was just a matter of time before my husband Rodney pulled out the hamburger patties. To the best of my recollection, "Where's the beef?" was the slogan for a fast-food ad campaign, that of Wendy’s, during my youth. This was long before I had heard of Wagyu. The son of a dear friend of mine married into a family with a significant meat packing business in Chicago. He travels to Japan to select the Wagyu.
I suppose the only folks not in search of beef would be vegans. My better half and I are not those people. We were relieved to find Ruth's Chris, a Louisiana landmark, in Boston, enjoying traditional Christmas dinner there, in old City Hall, the past two years with our daughter and son-in-law. But always curious, we have tried the competition - Peter Luger's in NYC and Bone's (that's all that's left) in Atlanta. While we have returned again and again to the latter, we always circle back to Ruth's.
I am inclined to think that our proclivity stems from our upbringing in Washington Parish where beef is bountiful. Rodney fondly remembers, as a young boy, helping his dad unload cattle at the stockyards. As I mentioned earlier this month, it was there that my grandfather - the late T. C. Brumfield - worked on Mondays and where I visited him as a youth. I had thought the stockyards were limited to cattle, but my better half informed me that all kinds of animals were brought there, from goats to sheep.
The latter segment of the business, I can't discuss. My first pet was a lamb, a gift from neighbor and friend Mr. William Crain - with my parents' help, I raised Rambo at my family home down on the Enon Road, and as a full-grown sheep, he lived out the rest of his days at my grandparents' farm. Neither he nor Sugar, my second pet lamb, went to market.
Back to the beef, it has always been not only big business but also tradition in Washington Parish. There was Mike's Restaurant, owned by Mike and Brenda Miller, that was famous for offering locals the very best beef. But a do-it-yourselfer, every Saturday night of my youth my father lugged out the behemoth black barbecue pit, grilling beef over charcoal, while my mother tossed green salad with vinaigrette in the teak wood bowls. It was a ritual set in stone, following her Saturday hair appointment at Margie Passman's.
Some families raise beef cattle for their livelihood, and others use it to supplement their income. While some millennials, friends of my daughter and son-in-law, opt not to consume meat - to each his own -- we fortunately are not dissuaded from ordering and enjoying our favorite cut of red meat. And it definitely doesn't have to be filet mignon, NY strip, or ribeye. With Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Sonic, and Glynn's Drive-In all right here in Franklinton, we're quite content with our beef ground into hamburgers. And the scrumptious cheeseburger from Red Brick Cafe in Franklinton is in a class all its own, absolutely supreme. Rodney devoured umpteen burgers as a kid, so many that his brother nicknamed him "Wimpy" for J. Wellington Wimpy, a popular character in the iconic Popeye cartoon. Wimpy was legendary for his love of hamburgers, particularly those that were free. But unfortunately, it's hard to find anything free these days.
While my mother and father grilled ribeyes on Saturday night, our hearty weeknight suppers consisted of other formats of beef. Momma had a recipe box filled to the brim with options, from meatloaf to beef stroganoff. And she also made great grillades. One favorite recipe was that of my "Aunt G" - my mother's beloved first cousin Genevieve Wood Magee - for apricot-glazed beef brisket. She was married to Marvin Magee, a prominent Franklinton businessman (Maurice Magee Furniture). The late Genevieve and Marvin were the parents of JoAnn (Phelps), June (Byrd), Ricky Magee, and Larry Magee.
While "Aunt G" took me, as a little girl, home with her, we never made the beef brisket together. But it surely was a mainstay for her family. Digressing, my dad had an apricot tree, situated on the slope next to my childhood home, that was prolific. The recipe for "Aunt G's" beef brisket, which was published in the Bowling Green cookbook "Country Fare," follows - bon Appetit.
Apricot-Glazed Beef Brisket - recipe of Mrs. J. Marvin Magee
4 lbs. fresh boneless beef brisket
1 medium onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
Salt
1-17 ounce can unpeeled apricot halves, drained
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons salad oil
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
¼ Teaspoon ground cloves
Early in the day or the day before serving, cover brisket with water, add onion, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Simmer 2 hours or until fork tender. Drain; discard onion and bay leaves. Cover and refrigerate. Combine in blender 1 tablespoon salt, apricot halves and remaining ingredients; blend until well mixed. Place cooked brisket on grill or in 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally. During last 10 minutes baste brisket frequently with apricot mixture. Serves 10 to 12.
