Joseph Frost has joined Max Hansen Carversville Grocery as executive chef, and he’s wasting no time cooking up tasty and unique menu items at the quaint Bucks County grocery store that doubles as the town’s post office.
Frost is showing off his cooking chops with his homemade short rib pastrami sandwich available only at Max Hansen Kitchen. “It’s out of this world,” proclaimed Hansen. “Not too salty, just the right amount of smoke, oh so tender and flavorful—there’s nothing quite like it.”
Pastrami is generally made from the navel end of the brisket meat, but Frost makes his with short ribs. “First, the short ribs are brined for five days,” explains Frost. “It’s a traditional corned beef brine for the liquid, with some secret spices and herbs and a spike in the level of some of the ingredients to get our flavors to stand out in the smoker.”
The drying process is also incredibly important. “If we don’t let them air dry long enough, they will be too wet when they smoke and the rub won’t bond into the crust,” said Frost, who air dries the meat for 24 hours before rubbing it with spices. The meat is then smoked with a mixture of wood chips and pecan chips.
“Now that it’s colder out, the smoker loses heat quicker when we open the doors and it has to work harder to maintain the heat,” observed Frost. “It really comes down to when the short ribs tell me they are ready.”
Frost most recently worked as executive chef at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill with stops along the way at Georges’ in Wayne, Brasserie Perrier and The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia. The 36-year-old has been mentored by the best in the business: Georges Perrier, Kevin Sbraga, Guillermo Pernot, and Chris Scarduzio and it shows in his flavorful fare.
There are two short rib pastrami sandwich options on the menu:
Breakfast:
“Caversville Cured” Pastrami & Egg Sammy – shaved short rib pastrami, two fried eggs, Cooper American, smoked paprika hollandaise, griddled kaiser ($8.95)
Lunch/Dinner:
“Carversville Cured” Hot Pastrami – shaved short rib pastrami, dijon, swiss, griddled rye bread ($8.95)
Max Hansen Carversville Grocery is located at 6208 Fleecydale Road in Carversville. Learn more about Max Hansen Carversville Grocery online.
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