Allen Brothers has you covered. Lay in a package or two of mini steak dogs, and your party will practically host itself. Just like the bigger Great Steakhouse steak dogs—but made especially with cocktail parties and family gatherings in mind—the mini steak dogs are all-beef, with a firm, subtly crisp bite giving way to a super-juicy, perfectly seasoned, beefy interior. No one does Chicago-style hot dogs quite like Allen Brothers.

To prepare the steak dogs, just remove them from the packaging and cook in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, or split and brown them in a skillet with some butter or olive oil, or grill them over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes.

The mini steak dogs come with their own mini buns too, so you’re all set. Just lay out some ketchup, mustard, relish, and your other favorite condiments, and watch your guests, young and old, break into big smiles.

Happy noshing!

Yours,
Allie B.

Allen Brothers has sourced four kinds of lobster tails from some of the most premium waters around the world: succulent Tristan tails from an island off South Africa; tender, sweet West Australian tails from the land down under; firm, buttery Maine and Canadian tails from the northern-most reaches of North America; and moist, juicy South African tails from an area known for its wonderful, bountiful seafood.

Note that the Tristan and the West Australian lobster tails serve one person each; for the Maine & Canadian and the South African tails, two tails serve one person.

Try one kind of lobster tail at a time (each order comes with either 4 or 8 tails) or, better yet, go for the lobster tail sampler and sample two of each kind (that’s 8 tails total). Mix and match the lobster tails for a fun, unique holiday dinner party, or save them for quiet, romantic, luxurious dinners at home.

You can prepare the lobster tails any way you love most: steam, broil, bake, or grill. See the Cooking Guide for handy tips, and get ready to celebrate winter in grand style.

Enjoy!

Yours,
Allie B.

Then you’ve got to go for the stuffed pork crown roast, one of the most stunning dishes ever to grace a December dinner table. Think about it: a majestic presentation of an ultra-juicy, 16-bone pork crown roast, served with a delicious seasonal stuffing made with apples, cranberries, onions, rosemary, sage, and a tinge of maple brown sugar. It’s impossible not to go back for seconds!

The Allen Brothers pork crown roast is incredibly easy to prepare. Make sure to defrost it in the refrigerator well ahead of time: It can take up to three days to thaw. As for the stuffing, defrost it in the refrigerator about a day ahead of time.

To prepare the roast once it’s thawed, just brush it with olive oil inside and out and season it with generous amounts of salt, pepper, and garlic. Then roast it in the center of the oven, on a roasting rack or a heavy roasting pan, for about 2 to 2 ½ hours, until the internal temperature reaches 150F. Let it rest for half an hour before you serve it (during that time the internal temperature should hit 160F).

The stuffing is so easy too: Once it’s defrosted and you’ve removed it from the bag, place it in an oven-safe dish and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes or until the temperature reaches 150F. Then arrange the stuffing in the center of the roast and fluff it up as you go.

Voila. Dinner is served! Get ready to knock your guests’ socks off. After all, isn’t that what the holidays are all about? Delicious surprises, and beautiful, memorable moments with friends and family.

Wishing you a very merry holiday season!

Yours,
Allie B.

Well, first of all, Allen Brothers sells the hands-down best, most delicious USDA Prime steaks in America, plus a whole range of unique, premium-quality, signature meats and seafood and prepared foods—but we die-hard Allen Brothers fans already know that. Still, how exactly does a family-owned Chicago company that has been in business for more than a century stay at the very top of its field year after year?

To find out, I called up Dr. James Marsden, Regents Distinguished Professor in Food Safety and Security at Kansas State University, science advisor for North American Meat Processors, and a valued consultant to Allen Brothers, and I learned there’s another secret to the Allen Brothers success story: Every day, behind the scenes at the Chicago headquarters, entire squadrons of staff are hard at work ensuring that Allen Brothers maintains the shiniest, most hygienic, most state-of-the-art facilities, so that every single product lands on your doorstep at its tip-top flavor and in perfect condition.

So what’s it like inside the gleaming, high-tech plant where Allen Brothers does all of its packing and shipping? The technology details are top-secret! But I learned a few tantalizing details:

Dr. Marsden told me he’s been working closely with Allen Brothers for the past five years, helping to implement food-safety technologies that are at the cutting-edge of the field. He emphasized that Allen Brothers begins by sourcing only superior-quality meats and foods that are already USDA or FDA inspected and approved, but he explained that the company goes the extra mile, implementing its own high-tech, in-house system for making sure every single product is up to Allen Brothers’ own exceptionally high standards.

Ever heard of Advanced Oxidation Cells? Neither had I. When Dr. Marsden mentioned these, my best guess was that they’re some kind of expensive beauty treatment for youthful skin. But Dr. Marsden set me straight. “UV based Advanced Oxidation Cells, in addition to providing a germicidal effect from the ultraviolet light, produce low levels of vapor hydrogen peroxide which kill harmful bacteria on the surface of meat and in the environment.” These AOCs are strategically located at Allen Brothers headquarters to keep all of the products extra-safe and at the peak of freshness and taste.

And then Allen Brothers doesn’t stop there. “Working with Kansas State University specialists, Allen Brothers conducts constant in-house microbiological studies to document the effectiveness of its food safety systems,” Dr. Marsden revealed. The result is a record of quality and safety that makes Allen Brothers the envy of its competitors—and it’s another big reason why customers come back again and again and again.

After all that science talk, I asked Dr. Marsden a slightly easier question: What are the Thanksgiving dishes you love most?

“My favorite holiday dishes are traditional ham, made the way our ancestors cured ham a century ago, and fresh turkey with homemade dressing,” he told me, making me instantly hungry for Thanksgiving dinner. And where does his family, which includes his son, the young Hollywood movie star James Marsden (of X-Men and Cats and Dogs), buy its favorite meats and food products? “I live in rural Kansas, and my family always relies on the Allen Brothers catalog for our special food purchases.”

But of course!
Bon appétit!

Yours,

Allie B.

My all-around holiday all-star? Crowned filets mignon, one of Allen Brothers’ most elegant main courses. All the juicy, meaty lusciousness of filet mignon, with a luxurious crown of lobster, wild mushrooms, or crabmeat on top. Surf-and-turf lovers will glory in the plump lobster meat topping, in a buttery mix of cream, fresh herbs, sweet onions, and breadcrumbs. Or go for the shiitake, Portobello, and oyster mushroom topping, spiked with truffles and combined in a rich sauce of demi-glace and red wine. The Venetian topping combines lump crabmeat, fresh mozzarella and feta cheese, and fresh spinach with hits of garlic and rosemary. Better yet? Order the Crowned Filet Mignon Sampler and serve all three varieties, for a truly over-the-top feast.

Stock up now, and you’re all set for festive dinners with friends and family all season long. Now you can focus your attention on the rest of the holiday hustle-bustle: The decorations… The holiday cards… and yipes, that neverending gift-shopping list!

Happy holidays!

Yours,
Allie B.

Every time it’s my turn to host Thanksgiving dinner for our big family, I try a slightly different twist with the turkey. There’s a terrific recipe for a classic roast turkey in the Allen Brothers Cooking Guide, and below are three of my other favorite techniques. What do they all have in common? Allen Brothers all-natural, free-range turkey, a 12-to-14-pound beauty that serves a dozen or more people (even if your uncle Joe can eat enough for three!). Order yours now, then decide on the new turkey twist you’ll try this year—and guarantee a Thanksgiving dinner your family will remember fondly, forever.

Please note: For recipes 2 and 3, you’ll have to start the brining the night before, so plan ahead (not that you were about to leave Thanksgiving dinner until the last minute… You weren’t, right?…)

A word about the stuffing: I prefer to cook the stuffing separately, instead of packing it into the turkey cavity and cooking it along with the bird. But choose your own favorite method. The recipe in the Allen Brothers Cooking Guide is for cooking the stuffing inside the turkey, and the recipes below offer some other stuffing options.

Ready? My three favorite turkey tricks:

1) Butter! Come on, it’s a holiday. You can get away with eating a wee more butter than you normally do. Here’s an extra-buttery, easy-to-make turkey recipe I love, courtesy of Mark Bittman and reprinted in O, The Oprah Magazine. Bonus: With this recipe, it only takes about 2 and ½ hours to roast the entire 12-pound turkey.

2) Beer! Yes, beer. I’ve tried a few recipes for brining turkey in beer, but one of my favorites is this one, from Bruce Aidells, printed in this month’s Bon Appetit.

3) Salt! Lighter than using a stick of butter (as in recipe #1 above), and simpler than beer-brining, salt-brining is a foolproof technique. Some cooks swear by salt-brining the bird the night before, and others don’t bother. I personally think brining in salted water overnight is one of the best ways to ensure a moist, flavorful turkey. Here’s a brining method that works beautifully, courtesy of the late Edna Lewis, a wonderful Southern chef, and chef Scott Peacock, printed in Food & Wine.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Yours,

Allie B.

Leave it to Allen Brothers to track down a producer that specializes in the best veal on the market: Strauss Meadow Reserve veal comes from the elite Limousin heritage breed, and it’s all-natural, milk-fed, and pasture-raised—and fed a secret, high-quality diet that gives it its meltingly tender texture and beautiful milky-white color. Food & Wine Magazine recently chose Strauss Meadow Reserve veal as a top holiday food gift—so start putting that holiday shopping list together early, for all your veal-loving friends.

Here’s another bonus: Strauss Meadow Reserve veal from Allen Brothers is lower in cholesterol than boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Hard to believe, since the meat is so extra-juicy and bursting with rich flavor.

Try both the veal loin and the veal rib chops (they each cook in just six minutes or less per side in the oven or on the grill), or sample the extra-thin veal slices (perfect for veal scallopini), and decide which cut you like best. And for a soul-warming winter feast, don’t miss the veal osso buco, a classic Milanese dish made by braising a bone-in veal shank in a decadent veal demi-glace, then slow-roasting it with garlic, shallots, tomatoes, and a flavorful blend of herbs and spices. At Allen Brothers, the osso buco comes ready to just heat and serve—or if you want to try making it yourself, order the uncooked veal shanks instead and use your favorite recipe to make your own signature osso buco.

Strauss Meadow Reserve and Allen Brothers veal loin, veal rib chops, veal slices, and osso buco… all-natural all-stars, and always a treat.

Enjoy!

Yours,
Allie B.

The only problem: Just before the dinner party, I found out my friend David doesn’t like crab cakes. I was stumped. First thought: How can anyone not like crab cakes? Second thought: Could David be a freak of nature? Do I even want to be friends with this guy? After I got over my shock, I asked him a polite question: “David, are you insane? How can you possibly not love crab cakes?”

Turns out he had a good reason: Over the years he’s been subjected to too many disappointing crab cakes, made with tiny shreds of crab meat held together in a gloopy, bland mix. And while this sad description is, admittedly, true of the way crab cakes are often made—especially since crab cakes were invented by colonial settlers around the 17^th century as a way to economize and stretch the scarce crab meat—the Maryland-Style Crab Cakes from Allen Brothers blow all those out of the water. They’re absolutely jammed with fresh lump crab meat — 75% of each cake is fresh crab— held together with a delicious, just-right mixture of breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, and spices. The mix adds a wonderfully creamy-tangy taste, but the powerhouse flavor comes from the fresh crab meat, loads and loads of it, picked from sweet, all-natural blue crabs.

David and I made a deal: If he tries and likes my crab cakes (by “my crab cakes,” I mean, of course, “Allen Brothers crab cakes”), I’ll agree to try anything he wants to cook for me, including his Scottish grandfather’s notorious haggis recipe.

So David showed up at my crab cake party. He grabbed a crab-cake, put it on a toasted brioche bun slathered with my favorite condiment (I make it by spiking mayonnaise with a squirt of Sriracha hot sauce), and took a bite. I watched him. Poker face. He took another bite. Then another… and another… and less than a minute later the crab cake was gone. He looked at me, another crab cake sandwich in his hand, and whispered: “You win. No haggis.” I was triumphant. I was relieved. I was about to help myself to seconds—but they were all gone, two dozen piping-hot crab cakes vanished without a trace, and a tableful of extremely happy-looking guests.  Mission accomplished!

Yours,

Allie B.

Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Labor Day, celebrated this year on Monday, September 6, was invented in 1882 to honor the toil and dedication of workers all over America—but let’s be honest: The best way to celebrate the holiday is by not laboring. Allen Brothers is here to help, with the world’s best, juiciest, most grill-ready meats and seafood, designed to help you enjoy Labor Day with as little laboring as possible.

My advice for a luscious and memorable holiday: Order up some skirt steaks from Allen Brothers, throw them on the grill, and make the best fajitas ever. Just let the thawed steaks sit for 30 minutes before cooking, then heat a charcoal or gas grill heat to medium-high, sauté the steaks 4-6 minutes per side for medium rare, and let them rest for five minutes before serving. Now slice up the steaks into long, thin pieces, place a few pieces on a flour tortilla, and add guacamole, salsa, grilled onions and bell peppers, sour cream, shredded cheese—whatever you love most on your fajitas. Roll up, eat, smile.

An even faster, and just as delicious, way to enjoy skirt steaks: Along with the steaks, order some Allen Brothers chimichurri, an Argentinean-inspired sauce that comes from the steak-loving gaucho (cowboy) culture of Argentina’s ranchlands. The sauce, made with oregano, garlic, olive oil, jalapeno peppers, and herbs, adds zing to just about any meat, but it’s especially perfect with skirt steaks.  You can make the sauce yourself, but why bother, when Allen Brothers has a wonderful, handmade, authentic version—no labor necessary. Just drizzle the chimichurri over the cooked steaks; you’re done.

Skirt steak fajitas, or skirt steak with chimichurri: festive, flavorful, and fabulous.

A very happy, relaxing Labor Day to you and yours,

Allie B.

Korean Ribs

If you live in the L.A. area—or even if you don’t—you might have heard the buzz about the Korean-style tacos at Kogi BBQ, made from sweet-and-spicy barbecued beef or pork topped with tangy condiments and rolled up in a warm tortilla. The runaway success of Kogi BBQ’s tacos is inspiring imitators to offer their own versions of Korean-inspired tacos and burritos, and now a slew of spots specializing in this tasty hybrid invention are opening up around the country. Want to preview the trend at home? It’s easy.

First, order and cook up some Korean-style ribs from Allen Brothers.  (Personally, when I’m not making Korean tacos, I love to eat these ribs all on their own, or with just white rice and a salad on the side.) Inspired by traditional marinated Korean ribs, known as kalbi, they’re incredibly juicy beef short ribs, soaked in a flavorful marinade made from soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, ginger, rice-wine vinegar, and pears: spicy-sweet, and fall-off-the-bone tender. Whenever I serve the ribs to friends, they practically fly off the plate— and the same thing happens when I use the ribs to make my own at-home version of Korean tacos.

To make Korean-style tacos, all you have to do is:

1) Thaw the ribs for 30 minutes before cooking them, then heat up two teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-heat, until the oil is nearly smoking. Then cook the ribs for two minutes on each side.

2) Now slice the beef off the bone, place the thinly cut pieces on a flour tortilla that you’ve heated in a pan for 45 seconds on each side, and top with a small dollop of good-quality store-bought kimchi, a tangy Korean condiment made with any combination of cabbage, carrots, and radishes pickled with ginger and garlic; you can easily find kimchi at well-stocked stores like Whole Foods. Then, add a few pieces of shredded romaine lettuce on top, squirt some hot sauce (such as Sriracha) if you like your taco extra-spicy, and roll up the tortilla. Done. Delicious.

3) Alternatively, you can top the beef with a sweet-and-tart homemade cucumber salad instead of kimchi. All you do is: Thinly slice up a cucumber into 1/16^th-inch rounds, then cut the rounds in half and place them in a bowl; add 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and let sit for 20 minutes; then drain and pat the cucumber pieces dry. Now stir in 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon dark sesame oil. Mix well, and spoon the cucumber salad over the beef on the tortilla. Roll up the taco and dive in.

Instead of a tortilla, you can also roll up the beef in a lettuce leaf—another popular way of eating Korean barbecued meat—and add whichever of the condiments above you love most.

Pure decadence, and you don’t even have to fly to Korea or L.A., or stand in line, or wait for a Korean taco spot to open near you. The only problem? These ribs are seriously addictive. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Yours,

Allie B.