Some Pig; Bob Baker's Marionette Theater; Mid-Century Chimes; Cattle Call; Deep Beef; The ABC's of BBQ; Domanick on Spector; Songs of Protest; The Big Picture; Letters
Some Pig
Magician Ricky Jay shows John his collection of centuries old ads of performing pigs, legless wonders, and flea circuses. The collection is at the Hammer Museum.
Bob Baker's historic Marionette Theater up for sale
UPDATE: In a statement, Bob Baker has announced that ticket sales haven't been enough to cover the overhead of his Marionette Theater in downtown LA, so he's putting the property up for sale. "I will stay in business and the Bob Baker Marionettes will continue to perform to delight the public with the magic of puppetry." Meantime, here's former Off-Ramp Queena Kim's audio and video reports on the venue, America's longest running Marionette Theater.
Mid-Century Chimes
John goes to the Huntington to play what might be the world's biggest set of wind chimes. It's a 19-foot sculpture by mid-Century master Harry Bertoia.
Cattle Call
More than three hundred cows - not to mention cowboys and dogs - hit the streets of Costa Mesa as crowds of people watched history march by. Producer Ben Markus sent us this audio postcard.
Deep Beef
L.A. Times food writer Charles Perry takes us to an old-fashioned pit barbecue, born when California cattle barons were shipping hides back East and meat was pennies a pound.
The ABC's of BBQ
LA Times food writer Russ Parsons gives advice on throwing a barbecue that you, the chef, can enjoy.
Russ Parsons' Ultimate tri-tip
(Total time: 50 minutes, plus at least 1 hour marinating time)
Servings: 4 to 6
Note: Oak chips are available at Barbecues Galore stores.
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup oil
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 (2- to 2 1/2 -pound) tri-tip roast, with thin fat layer
1. In a blender, grind the garlic, oil, salt and black peppercorns to a coarse paste.
2. Pat the tri-tip dry with a paper towel and score the fat layer with a sharp knife, cutting through the fat, but not through the meat. Place the meat in a sealable plastic bag, scrape in the garlic paste, press out the air and seal tightly. Massage the meat with the garlic paste until it is evenly coated. Set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour. If you are going to marinate more than 2 hours, refrigerate the meat but remove it 1 hour before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
3. About 1 hour before serving, start a fire on the grill using 1 chimney full of charcoal briquettes, about 50. Put one-fourth pound of oak or hickory chips in a bowl and cover them with water. Place an inverted plate on top of the chips to keep them submerged. When the flames have subsided and the coals are covered with white ash, dump the chimney into a mound on one side of the grill. Drain the wood chips and scatter them across the top of the coals.
4. Sear the fat side of the tri-tip, cooking directly over the flames with the grill lid off. This will only take 3 or 4 minutes. Don't worry if there is a little char; that is almost necessary in order to get a good crust. When the fat side is seared, turn the tri- tip and sear the lean side directly over the coals. This will take another 3 or 4 minutes; again, don't worry about a little char.
5. When the lean side is seared, move the tri-tip to the cool side of the grill and replace the lid, with the vents open. Cook to the desired doneness, checking the temperature of the meat every 4 or 5 minutes. It will take 20 to 25 minutes for 125 degrees, which is on the rare side of medium-rare, 25 to 30 minutes for 135 degrees (on the medium side). Cooking times will vary according to the type of grill and temperature of the fire.
6. Remove the roast to a platter and set aside for 10 minutes to finish cooking and for the juices to settle. Carve the tri-tip fairly thinly (at most one-fourth-inch thick), against the grain and with the knife held at an angle to give wide slices. Spoon the carving juices over the meat.
Domanick on Spector
Joe Domanick fills us in on the Phil Spector murder trial, which is set to close soon.
Songs of Protest
The Latin American musical form called nueva trova was big during the protest movements of the 60s and 70s. In the Southland, trova hasn't taken root until recently. KPCC's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez reports.
The Big Picture
Douglas McCulloh tells us about the world's biggest picture.
Letters
Last week, on our food show, there was a lot of lip smacking, mmmmming, chewing noises, and fairly frank talk about how animals that wind up on your plate, and we heard about it from listeners.