Food and Drink, The Daily Feed

Third Annual DC Meat Week Starts January 29th

Courtesy Mike Bober

Dry rubbed, smoked, pulled, braised and brined–no matter how you like your barbecued meat, there’s something for every meat-eating, ‘cue lover at DC’s third annual meat week. For eight nights, you can head to different restaurants around the city (and close by in Virginia) and try all sorts of slow-cooked dishes ranging from dry-rubbed Texas brisket to vinegar-based Carolina pulled pork or saucy Memphis or Kansas City ribs.

In 2005, Meat Week began in Tallahassee, FL and arrived in DC in 2009 after food blogger, Mike Bober of Capital Spice started the Washington Chapter. This year is the first that the event has expanded to eight nights.

DC Meat Week starts Sunday, January 29th and runs until Sunday, February 5th. All of the events are open to the public and most are set up as “pay as you order.” You can find the full schedule after the jump.
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Cochon 555: Get Your Pig On

Photo courtesy of

courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

This little piggy went to market. This little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef. This little piggy had none. And this little went “wee. wee. wee” all the way home. And by home, I mean The Ritz-Carlton for Cochon 555 on Sunday, May 2.

This yearly competition travels the US in search of  the “Prince / Princess of Porc” and has 5 local Chefs go head-to-head in a pig preparation throw down. Last year’s Prince, R.J. Cooper of Vidalia returns to defend his title and chefs from Bourbon Steak, Bibiana, Eola and Westend Bistro will try to usurp him. Lots of Pre-cooking, braising, grilling, pressing, pickling, rubbing, smoking, searing, saucing, spicing, injecting, marinating, etc. is involved and top-chefs have been known to use the entire animal.

Tickets for the event go for $125, and guests not only get to enjoy some tasty pork, but will witness a whole pig butcher demonstration, taste great wines, brews and enjoy a plethora of pig perfect desserts. There will also be an after party at a location to be determined.

Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, The District

Featured Photo

20080713L1000014 by furcafe

‘Tis the season for barbecuing, the time to gather up your friends and family, fire up the coals, and throw down some of your favorite meats and vegetables. It’s also a great opportunity to toss back a few cans of beer or your favorite blueberry drink of choice. But be careful, DC. When you mix an open fire pit with alcohol consumption, you may very well set the neighborhood on fire.

This brings up a good question. Last year it was discovered that at least 25% of DC’s fire hydrants were out of order. So what state are our hydrants in now? Have they all been fixed? Are we down to 5%? I know the hydrant across the street from my house still has an “out of service” collar on it which is not exactly a comforting feeling. I have to say, from the Georgetown Library fire to the recent one in Mount Pleasant, DC should also be known as the “fire capital” of the United States.

Photographer Chris Chen (furcafe), an omnipresent “man on the scene”, did a great job of capturing the spirit of a backyard barbecue in this shot. While you’ll normally see him with a film camera strapped around his neck (and please note that I have never seen Chris without a camera), this photo was captured using his digital Leica M8.