Gear Patrol

Though Skyfall has Bond piloting the classic DB5 (of “Goldfinger” notoriety) rather than this new 510 hp rear-wheel-drive beauty, we felt it only proper to salute our favorite (rebooted) hero with some auditory and sensory overload. The full Behind The Wheel is on the way in the next few months, but this little teaser is…

There are sacred destinations for people of all faiths, religious and otherwise: Mecca, Islam’s holiest city; Paris or maybe Milan for the fashion set; Kona for triathletes. But what about those who follow the beef creed — at which temple do they gather and pray? We’ve been hot on the trail for a full month,…

If you’re lucky enough to visit the Limeys in London, you’ll need a memento to remember all the rare roast beef, English IPAs and au naturel smiles. Forego the last minute airport tchotchkes and get the far more clever MONUminis by Another Studio (~$24). These tiny etched stainless steel pieces lock and fold together to…

Maserati’s singular focus on high-end beautiful Italian machinery has made them masters. The GranTurismo, GranTurismo Convertible and the Quattroporte are all essentially a variant on one auto. They’re vehicles with gorgeous lines and roaring V8s; each is designed to be (Maserati vernacular) “a good host” (however, as Olivia Munn and Mario Lopez demonstrate, good hosts…

Ah, the Advent Calendar. A clever vehicle for teaching children the values of Christianity, patience, and that bingeing on 24 chocolates and then framing the dog is an acceptable — nay, glorious — action. In a great American tradition, Master of Malt has bastardized this holiday fun by subsituting vice. It’s the Ginvent Calendar (~$129),…

After years of making stylish and functional cases and bags for our coveted gadgets, Incase enters the carry-on luggage fray with their new EO Travel Collection ($150+). The five bags of the series range in size from a weekender duffle to an extended trip roller, but all include padded pockets for a MacBook Pro and…

Next to a steak, anything is a side dish. Serve a beautifully roasted capon on the same table as a steak and you’ve got a side of capon. Traditional accompaniments for steak like garlic mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms are altogether nothing to scoff at. But this being the Month of Beef, and…

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, the saying goes. The same is true for cooking a steak. Most of the time the way we cook at home is dictated by circumstance: grill when the weather permits; pan fry if it doesn’t (or if we live in an apartment); broil, uh, when the…

As Hurricane Sandy furiously barrels on like a scorned woman — and the East Coast grinds to a halt — we thought we’d leave you with a parting post today recapping some of our recent survival and outdoor gear. Keep in mind: this doesn’t include a basic survival kit, which we assume you already keep…

We’ve given you a beef baptism in buying beef online, the rules of store-bought beef, beef’s lesser-known cuts and even beef you can drink. Kicking things up a notch (BAM!), let’s explore the breeds of cattle that end up on your plate — putting a face on things, so to speak. Get your breed on…

The problem with fresh herbs is a matter of practicality. Show us a single man that has ever used up one of those giant bunches of cilantro on himself before it’s started to spoil, and we’ll show you a liar. Here to save your salsa accompaniment is the Prepara Herb-Savor Mini Pod ($15+). Made from…

In-N-Out Burger is something of a cult to those living outside of the chain’s west-coast bubble, proselytized by endless waves of sunkissed acolytes devoted to spreading the good burger word. Their brief testaments, filled with whispers of “animal fries”, “secret menus” and multiplied stacks of beef and cheese, speak of a fast-food paradise whose divine…

It’s time to give up sipping the double IPAs of summer, but not quite time for a winter warmer. If you have a strange itch for a liquid sort of pie, there’s an explanation: it’s pumpkin beer season. Tragically, this classic fall seasonal is damn easy to mess up — we’re tired of one dimensional,…

For city slickers, Lincoln is the company car to a midtown meeting. The recently discontinued Town Car was easily the most recognizable Lincoln: the car of choice for livery cab drivers and Warren Buffett. This wasn’t sustainable. Not too long ago, parent company Ford and primary competitor Cadillac faced a similar problem. How do you…

We’re no tartare noobs: Under the guidance of chef Wes Whitsell, we concocted a spicy steak tartare that would send even the most elite of dinner party snobs into a beef tailspin. But in the beef pecking order, the butcher always pulls rank. Need further proof? See above, one of a series of videos produced…

We appreciate the chain cup o’ joes that keep us rolling on the road; but at home, we especially attend to the efforts and offerings of the world’s coffee-roasting elite. To make sure those efforts don’t go to pot, keep your morning motivators in the Friis Coffee Vault ($22+). Like most coffee canisters, the Friis…

Raw food seems somehow un-American. Maybe it wasn’t always this way. But today, a byproduct of industrialization in the food industry — which prizes efficiency, mass production and a homogenous product with little chance (in theory) of food-borne illness — is a broad uneasiness about undercooked or uncooked food. Growing up, a pink pork chop…

People always ask us, “How do you find time to read when you’re busy eating all that beef?” We kill two steer with one stone — that’s how. The market for beef books is robust, so we’ve winnowed the list of our favorite beef-related cookbooks and resources to only five. That should be easy enough…

Briggs & Riley is a brand known for their intelligently designed, immensely practical luggage that’ll stand up anywhere from the sub-Saharan to the subway. Using lightweight, rugged materials that are easy to clean and able to withstand all the (ahem) care an airport staff is happy to provide, the luggage gurus at B & R…

You know the rib-eye, T-bone, porterhouse and NY strip, but how about the tri-tip, bavette or flat-iron? Expanding your repertoire of steak choices graduates you from a one trick pony to a culinary stallion of meat mastery. The tenderloin, that prized cut from which the filet mignon comes, makes up half of one percent of…

The Boy Scouts of America’s motto is simply “Be prepared”. They’re spot on: failing to do so can lead to some seriously bad outcomes when true disaster strikes. The AE Light SolarMine Emergency Lantern ($115) is made to give you light in exactly that unfortunate occasion, and having proved itself during Japan’s horrific 2011 earthquake…

We can remember a time when cooking a brisket was a gamble of the highest order. Sometimes mom lifted the lid off the pot and produced a cut of meat so tender you could spread it like pâté. Other times, a tough piece of meat produced a quiet, collective disappointment rivaled only by mealtime in…

The Beef Council successfully hijacked America’s dinner plans in the early 90s with one simple phrase. Now, we’re executing a hostile takeover of your bar with just two simple words: “beef drinks”. Yeah, you heard us — that same intoxicating meat flavor that works wonders on your taste buds at mealtime is just as delicious…

There’s something to be said for the adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. We believe in it. Meat plus bun plus ketchup is a very good meal, indeed. On the other hand, anyone who’s walked into Mr. Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers in Cambridge, MA, and sampled the brain-thwacking assortment of burgers, can surely attest…

Buying a steak to grill is as easy as trotting into the Piggly Wiggly, Vons or Safeway down the street and grabbing one of many plastic wrapped Styrofoam packages, right? Not so fast, kemosabe. If you’re the shy type looking to avoid eye contact or a conversation, that might be the way to go. You…

Think of the best home cook you know. Now think of their kitchen. It’s probably full of pots, pans, mixers and gadgets galore. Know what it’s not full of? Cookbooks. That’s because they don’t need them. Anyone can follow directions from a recipe — well, almost anyone — but not everyone knows that a salty…

Moonshine is dangerous: for backwoods brewers, the lawmen chasing them (whom we imagine as bumbling Sheriff Roscoes) and for your sobriety. Palmetto Moonshine, South Carolina’s first legal moonshine distillery, claims to deliver a hooch that tastes less like jet fuel and more like fine liquor. We were skeptical. Don’t get us wrong — the stuff…

Ground beef has fallen on hard times in the public eye. It started with the October 3, 2009 New York Times cover story, “The Burger That Shattered Her Life” about a woman infected by E. coli from a frozen Cargill burger patty. Since then: more stories, many recalls, and debates about the safety of “pink…

You can purchase nearly anything online in the year 2012. Jeans and vintage watches, virtual assistants, unicorn head costumes for Halloween (a guy we know) — even brides, though it’s a rather complicated transaction (again, a guy we know). Beef is no exception. From traditional mail-order companies like Omaha Steaks to farm-direct sellers like Crystal…

Update 2: Well fellow Beefeaters, it’s been a long and arduously delectable Month of Beef. You’ve learned how to braise, order beef online and match your cut with your preparation. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed yourself, tried new things and maybe even gained a few pounds of beef weight. What you’ve also done, for the benefit of…