Brisket

I believe in bootlicking boosterism as much as any columnist, so if you want to tell me that Baltimore has the best crabcakes, the nicest harbor and the most plentiful downtown parking in the world, hey, I'll pass it on.But I have to draw the line when it comes to pastrami. Journalistic integrity and my own taste buds demand it.Loyal readers (i.e., blood relatives) know that I am somewhat of a pastrami expert. I have eaten it in such exotic and unlikely locations as Saudi Arabia, Beirut, Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

A braised beef brisket makes a delicious dinner for Rosh Hashana, the upcoming celebration of the Jewish new year. Long, slow cooking in liquid tenderizes the boneless brisket to melt-in-the-mouth perfection.K? This recipe is from the National Live Stock and Meat Board.Beef Brisket with Savory Onion Sauce3 to 3 1/2 pound boneless beef brisket, flat half2 medium onions, thinly sliced2 large garlic cloves, minced1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper1 cup beer1/2 cup chili sauce2 pounds, about 10, small red potatoesTrim excess fat from beef brisket.

Having just moved back to Maryland after 23 years in Dallas, I think I can bring some insight as to Texas' merits vs. Maryland. ("A Texas remedy for what ails Maryland jobs," June 22) First, there is the myth that Texas is cheaper to live in than other states. Go to any online cost-of-living calculator and you will find that the cost of living in Maryland is 4 percent to 4.5 percent less than living in Texas, even with the Maryland state income tax. If you earned $50,000 a year in Texas, you'd have an extra $20-$25 a week in your pocket simply by moving to Maryland.

Shin Chon Garden is popular to the point of overflowing. Even on a drizzly weeknight, the tables at this Ellicott City restaurant are full of diners. A friend, arriving a few minutes before I did, texted: "place smells AMAZING. " When Andrew Zimmern, the host of the long-running Travel Channel show "Bizarre Foods," came to Shin Chon Garden last summer, he told the world, via Twitter, that Shin Chon "is one of top ten Korean BBQ experiences in America. A must for anyone who loves food.

Winter does not stop a serious smoker. You put on a coat, go outside and confront the elements. That is what I did recently on a brisk February afternoon as I ministered to a 5-pound beef brisket on my backyard kettle cooker. The air smelled like smoke, and so did I. Hickory smoke, to be exact. That was the type of water-soaked wood I had tossed onto the ashy charcoal briquettes, part of the process cookbook author Steven Raichlen refers to as "smoke-cooking." The idea is that through this slow, low-heat cooking process, meat is transformed into tender morsels, almost like edible smoke.

This is one of those kosher wines you don't have to be Jewish to love. It's a big, ripe, meaty, dry red wine with good varietal character, lush texture and penetrating flavors of blackberry, wild berries, chocolate, meat and herbs. It should age well for up to a decade, but it's perfectly smooth now. (Note to the observant: It's not mevushal, so take appropriate precautions). 2004 Yarden Syrah From: Galilee, Israel Price: $25 Serve with: Brisket of beef, lamb

Got to Kansas City on a Wednesday. By Thursday, I had learned a thing or two. Up until then, I didn't have an idea of the finer points of barbecue. Oh, I knew ribs had to be skinned - peeling a membrane from their underside - and I knew they had to be cooked around 250 degrees for four to six hours. But until I had been in the presence of rib royalty, namely an outfit of fast-talkin', good-cookin' women who call themselves the Que Queens, I was ignorant of the butter-and-apple-juice treatment.

Wanda Reynolds from Baltimore was looking for a recipe for baked shad. She remembered seeing a recipe for making the fish some years ago in a local newspaper. She thought the recipe called for a long baking time that helped soften the bones. Pamela Green from Arnold sent in a recipe that she says she found in either The Washington Post or the Capital in Annapolis in the 1980s that calls for wrapping the fish in foil and baking it for six hours at a very low temperature.

From: Galilee, Israel Price: $25 Serve with: Brisket of beef, lamb This is one of those kosher wines you don't have to be Jewish to love. It's a big, ripe, meaty, dry red wine with good varietal character, lush texture and penetrating flavors of blackberry, wild berries, chocolate, meat and herbs. It should age well for up to a decade, but it's perfectly smooth now. (Note to the observant: It's not mevushal, so take appropriate precautions).

From: Galilee Price: $30 Serve with: Brisket, lamb Keeping kosher certainly isn't a hardship when it means drinking wines like this. This is a lush, ripe, intense cabernet that isn't far off the character of a top wine from the Napa Valley. It offers fragrant aromas of fruit, cedar and vanilla, along with flavors of blackcurrant, black cherry and chocolate. This complex, structured wine can be enjoyed now or cellared for at least a decade for future seders.