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Biltong Recipe
By Dr. Borgardt Food, Health, Meat, Nutrition, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recipe | Biltong | Weekly Wakeup

Making your own biltong is extremely easy and very rewarding. Here are some reasons why you should just buy some basic ingredients and get it done.
  • It is the best snack ever.
  • There becomes a moment when you realize that you are using chemistry as your ancestors did, allowing you to create a food product that is extremely healthy and safe to travel with.
  • That sudden appreciation for the moment when you need more because it's so delicious and its all gone.
The history of biltong is really about how we humans learned how to survive in conditions where we did not have the ability to refrigerate food. I think it is important to learn these basic food preparation techniques for several reasons, most of which, we live in a region that often allows us to travel, hike, or camp in places without the latest food storage techniques. On a personal note, I think what makes this recipe special, is that it comes from South Africa, an area of the world that was the center of travel, allowing many cultures to intertwine and create something really special.  

Ingredients

  • A - Supply chunk of cow, lamb, elk, or venison meat. Preferably a cheeper cut if you're going to be being it as honestly it makes the toughest meat tender as a ribeye steak.
  • A - Supply of rock sea salt
  • A - Supply of fine ground sea salt
  • A - Supply of whole coriander seeds
  • A - Supply of whole black pepper seeds
  • A - Supply of malt vinegar

Please note: Above when I listed an about as 'A - Supply' I am referring too the fact that there will be a ratio of each of these items and there are no real measurements, just guidelines. Yes, I said it you're going to be curing meat without a measurement, deal with it. That being said, it is safe as long as you go by these two basic guidelines:

  1. The use of salt, vinegar, coriander, and black pepper is not about tase, as much as it is about allowing the meat to dehydrate chemically at the same time of being able to resist the growth of pathogens.
  2. People have been curing meat with salt for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. Regionally, there are some variants especially considering any regionally grown anti-bacterial or fungal herbs. However they have one main ingredient; Salt.
 

Instructions

  1. Take the chunk of meat, in this case it is a 'rancher steak' out on the counter and observe how you can cut in into as many 1 inch thick 6 inches long slices. Here is an example of what I just bought for $30.
    • Once you have the slices cut you will notice that there will be some that are smaller slices, that is quite all right. The only goal is to make sure that you have them to an even thickness as shown in [Step 1B photo].
  2. Place slices of meat in a bowl with enough fine salt, malt vinegar, hand ground coriander & black pepper (you can do this in a spice grinder or a hand grinder as shown), covering all surfaces. This example to the right I placed the following ratio:
    • 2 - Heaping table spoons of fine sea salt
    • 1/2 - Cup of malt vinegar
    • 2 - Heaping table spoons of ground coriander
    • 1 Heaping table spoons of ground black pepper
  3. Place meat strips close together in a flat glass or food grade plastic bin as in the next photo for 24-48 hours [4].
    • You don't have to cover the meat while it is in the fridge, if you don't however you will just have a fridge that smells like coriander and malt vinegar.
  4. Take meat strips out of plastic container, wash them down in the sink with the malt vinegar
    • The goal here is to just make sure you are washing again anything that has even thought about growing off of the meat that includes some of the fine salt and some of the ground coriander.
  5. Take each strip set it on a clean flat pan or cookie sheet, douse it with the rock sea salt and ground coriander, don't use the black pepper.
    • You can use the same container as the previous for the next step just wash it out and dry it off.
    • The amount of rock salt and coriander will be comparable to the ratio above however remember rock salt is more salt per granule. I prefer to just use a lot, cause I like salt.
    • Remember this is the last real stage that you will be handling the meat, just focus on the fact that it should look like the photo here [5]. Please note that as long as you used a lot of salt in the first part and you follow the basic guidelines here after you should have a great product. You will get the hang of it in regards to the ratio of ingredients - everyone is different. I have had super, super salty biltong and I ok with it. Others thought that it was the best they have every had. It is all up to you!
  6. Hang the meat strips with a bacteriostatic hanging method (food grade plastic or a stainless steel hanger or wood that has been treated) in a location where you can clean the floor as the meat will drip for 24 hours or so.
    • Notice in the photo I have of my pieces of hanging biltong over my kitchen counter for draining purposes.
    • I am using non-food grade plastic paperclips and I am ok with it because I would know the signs of mold or other issues from experience.
    • Traditionally biltong boxes are used to solve both issues I have pointed out above. However, if your just starting out you do not have to use one. Place a fan on low pointing in the general direction or place a light below witch produces airflow through something called a 'stack effect'.
    • I have never seen mold or fungus growing in any piece of biltong. You will quickly know it from how it looks, grey or white, fury or flat growths. That usually happens because there is
      • No air flow
      • Biltong pieces are touching
  7. Wait until it is firm to the touch. Some like it a bit 'wet', some like it dry. I honestly am just a bit too impatient to wait a full 7 days for standard conditions. Every situation is different but I have had biltong cure in 4 days with thin cuts and a lot of salt in the summer time.

Done.

Rancher Steak
Step 1A
Step 1B
Step 2
Step 3
Step 6
Grilled Spatchcock Recipe
By Dr. Borgardt Food, Health, Meat, Nutrition, Weekly Wakeup , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recipe | Grilled Spatchcock Chicken | Weekly Wakeup

Grilled Spatchcock Chicken, sounds infamous, however it seems to be an unknown within our grilling culture. I can honestly say, any other method of grilling chicken on a bbq is completely worthless.

I know some of you may like to use a specific cut of chicken on a grill, example being a leg or thigh in a family pack. I do understand this to some extent, especially if you're trying to cook for a party of 10 or more. Just trust me, this is a better way. This recipe is inexpensive, easy, and consistent every time.

To add: If you admit to anyone that you only bbq the breast all by itself because you like it that way, stop reading now. You are not up for the challenge, I mean this, go away. Learn about a DIY method of cleaning your grass with a vacuum.

 

Special Facts About Chicken & Grilling

They are dinosaurs, they are not mammals. Histologically (study of size and structure of cells), chickens are organized differently than mammals [1]. Taking this into account, you need to be ware of a few key concepts:

  • Chicken muscle has less water than red meat. This can often lead to a very dry chicken if grilled incorrectly.
  • Chicken fat has more connective tissue than red meat. This can lead to small fires in a bbq causing over charring. This is why you often see a bottle of water next to a bbq. Not cool, man.
  • Chickens are lumpy objects. Grilling chicken evenly, can be almost impossible. However there is a solution, spatchcocking. Otherwise known as medieval butchering, [Old English: a fowl that is dispatched quickly]. It consists of two cuts with scissors, that is it. Watch below and just get it done!

 

Ingredients

  • 1 Whole chicken
  • 2 Tablespoons of salt
  • 2 Tablespoons of freshly ground pepper
  • 1 Lime cut in quarters
  • 1 table spoon of chili powder

Instructions

  1. Start BBQ 25 min before cooking, whether it's a coal or a gas at 350F. If you have neither, then get the oven started to 400F
  2. Spatchcock the chicken. Spread all of the salt and pepper on top of the chicken.
    • Just watch the video, use more salt than pepper. Do not set the chicken out for longer than 20 min. This is a safety thing.
  3. Place 'spatchcocked' chicken breast side up over an even medium heat for 30 min.
    • Be sure to cover bbq lid, try to almost suffocate the bbq of oxygen. This is a good way of dampening the possible flair-ups by the chicken fat melting on the flame or coals. If you are using an oven just leave it in a pan, I like to use vegetables cut in 1' squares as a base so the chicken cooks above its own fat.
  4. After cooking the chicken for 30 min, turn chicken over and cook it for 10 min.
    • You will see that the inside of the ribcage of the chicken is now face up. It will hopefully be a bit chard and blackened, that is what you want as you don't want to eat that part. If you are using your oven just keep it in the oven for the rest of the time suggested for turn overs.
  5. Turn chicken back over, squeeze lime over top, dusting the chili powder to finish until the chicken is at a temperature of 165F.
    • Please note: you can test one part and it may be 165F. However the part that you should test is the thickest, usually the part where the breast and the thigh connect.

Done.

  1. Comparison of adipose tissue cellularity in chicken lines divergently selected for fatness: Poultry Science, Volume 90, Issue 9, 1 September 2011, Pages 2024–2034

Golden Curcumin Tea
By Dr. Borgardt Food, Health, Nutrition, Studies, Weekly Wakeup , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recipe | Golden Curcumin Tea | Weekly Wakeup

This Golden Curcumin Tea recipe is the best anti-inflammatory tea ever. I mean this, it's inexpensive, easy to make and delicious!

Special Facts Regarding Curcumin

For those of you who are new to the subject, as my wife says, let me 'man-splain'.

Curcumin, is a chemical compound found in the root of 'Curcumin Longa', otherwise known as Turmeric. In the western world, intrigue into the health benefits of this compound started in the 80's by a research team (Jiang et al., 1983; Kuttan et al., 1985). In recent years the number of research studies has included over 5,600 studies from 2005-2015 alone. Today, the culmination of all this intrigue due to the potential procurement for business opportunities has skewed some scientists, natural medicine advocates, and drug companies to look past the basics. The problem being, the products they are selling are just too damned expensive, especially when there are known examples within many cultures that use this 'food ingredient' in their 'food medicine' for thousands of years and are very effective.

Honesty, why reinvent the wheel when you don't have too. If done correctly, this Ayurvedic recipe or 'method of preparation' can be easy and extremely inexpensive: $.25 / serving as opposed to some 'solutions' being $5.00 / serving. Providing you with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, and overall a good tasting ingredient without having to buy an over priced 'miracle product' at a ghastly cost.

So, here is the honest to goodness best recipe EVER; Clinically, medicinally, and most of all deliciously.

Ingredients

  • 1 heaping tablespoon of turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
  • 1 teaspoon of almond oil (do not under any circumstances use any other oil you have this recipe needs a type of fat structure that is in almond oil specifically you can use coconut or no oil at all)
  • 1 1/2 cups of full fat milk (skim milk is milk that is lying to you about being milk - don't do it. If you want to substitute because you do not like milk, you are welcome to use almond milk alone or with a half combination of oat milk - this tastes great by the way!)
  • 1/4 cup of filtered water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Some type of sweetening agent: Honey is my preference.

Instructions

  1. Add water, turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamum to a small pot. Turn the pot to a low heat and constantly stir until a paste is formed.
    • The key here is to not burn the paste. You want to make a warm paste that has the consistency of soft toothpaste.
  2. Add oil to the paste and stir for 30 seconds keeping the low heat on.
    • Remember this is an Ayurvedic recipe and there is a reason to everything. Adding the oil while paste is hot will allow the oil to absorb chemically the chemical substrate; Chemistry is amazing isn't it?
  3. Add milk or a milk like product and slowly heat. Take off of heat prior to boil.
    • If you go to a boil you haven't ruined it, you just might be a bit constipated after.
  4. Use some sweetener to taste, stirring with cinnamon stick.

Done

By Dr. Borgardt Meat, Recipe , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recipe | The Porterhouse Steak | Weekly Wakeup

Dr. Borgardt's famous - Porterhouse Steak Recipe. Yes, it is finally spring here in Kalispell, Montana. I would like everyone who has a BBQ or a cast iron skillet to join me in cooking the best cut of meat, ever, the porterhouse steak. So lets get to it!

Ingredients

  • One - 2 inch or so porterhouse steak (preferably however if you end up getting more of a T Bone that is just fine)
  • Two - Table spoons of small grind quality salt (Preferably a salt that includes many salt types, usually Himalayan or sea salt is fine)
  • Pepper grinder to taste

Instructions

  1. Take the steak out on your counter, set on a rack and liberally coat it with all the salt you see. Yes, as Ron Swanson said "All". Let it set out for at least one hour. Unless you have flies or bugs hanging out in your house don't worry there is enough salt and not enough time for anything to start inoculating the meat causing any issues. If you do just put a bowl on top of it and give it an extra hour to come to room temperature.
    • The preparation goal is to do two things get the meat to room temp and to allow the salt to pull out proteins that when seared create a crust.
  2. Start BBQ 20 min before cooking whether its a coal or a gas we are looking for degrees if possible of more than 800F. If you are using gas, that means turning your gas on full. If you have neither then get the oven started to 475F and start a cast iron skillet 10 min on full flame to imitate the act of heat from the BBQ.
    • The goal here is to create a surface that will sear those proteins drawn out of the meat by the salt at room temperature.
  3. Sear both sides of the porterhouse steak over the hottest portion of the grill, covering the top for 90 seconds a side, no more, no less. In between the one flip that will occur - DO NOT TOUCH IT.
    • If your using coals, set them an area that is concentrated allowing an intensification of the heat. This also allows you to reserve the other area of your bbq to act as an oven.
    • The same concept is applicable for the gas, just turn off gas lines on the side where the steak is and turn down the one burner to medium / low to resemble an oven.
    • Using a cast iron skillet make sure that you have that thing almost smoking hot it will again take 10 min. When it is done on the second side place in the oven.
  4. Now here is where the argument happens. I like my steaks bloody rare. I take them off the grill at this point setting them on a butchers block and let rest for 10 min. Generally additional cooking times are going to vary for their doneness. However, if you go by this guideline of letting them rest in their respective oven types they are all equal.
    • 05 minutes of time in their respective oven type = Rare
    • 10 minutes of time in their respective oven type = Medium Rare (most common however not the most nutritional)
    • 15 minutes of time in their respective oven type = Medium (if you do this please don't show me a photo or talk about it to anyone you should be ashamed of yourself).
  5. Set on a wooden butchers block for 10 min. Do not use plastic. Plates and cookie sheets are acceptable.
    • I know you have heard this before; DO NOT TOUCH IT FOR THE NEXT 10 MIN. This is a resting period. If you cut through the meat prematurely, it will be like other things that are labeled with the same adjective; Null and void.

Done.

By Dr. Borgardt Coffee, Food, Health, Nutrition, Studies, Weekly Wakeup , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Coffee & Diabetes

Quality coffee is an important part of any good morning ritual. Now researchers have found that it is playing an important role in warding off abnormal lipid levels, hyperglycemia, and excess body fat. A plethora of studies recently have connected drinking a cup of 'bean water' as my wife says, with an improved metabolism for glucose, insulin, and being responsible for a significantly reduced risk for diabetes. Researchers have started to connect the dots so to speak. Showing that coffee's inverse correlation with diabetes seems to be associated with its antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory properties. Through the mechanism of chlorogenic acid, thought to directly reduce glucose absorption.

 

  1. Coffee in relation to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review with meta-analysis:  2009 Dec 14;169(22):2053-63. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.439.
By Dr. Borgardt Brain, Fermented Foods, Food, Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract, Health , , , , , , , , , , ,

Microbes Influence Brain Health | Weekly Wakeup

Over the last few years It has become apparent that fermented foods of the past, however uncommon they may be now in our American diet today, were important aspects of our heritage affecting our metabolism, immunity, and brain health.[1] A recent review of studies from Stony Brook University has demonstrated how microbes within your gastrointestinal tract influence neurodegeneration in your brain.

My favorite quote from the article:

The multidisciplinary nature of the processes by which our partner organisms influence our health suggests that we realize how little we know and recall the saying of James Clerk Maxwell, “Thoroughly conscious ignorance is the prelude to every real advance in science.”

Now I am not going to go on some treatise for a 500 word essay about ignorance and how we as a society think we can outthink the culture of food; However, what I will say is this: Here is a list of common fermented foods, we as Americans used to eat on a daily basis:

  • Amazake - Fermented rice drink
  • Atchara - Pickled vegetables
  • Ayran - A cold milk yogurt beverage
  • Bagoong - Fermented fish paste
  • Boza - Fermented millet drink
  • Beer - Fermented and good for you
  • Cheonggukjang - A Korean chili paste
  • Cocoa - Yes fermented and good for you
  • Cod Liver Oil - Originally fermented with salt
  • Creme Fraiche - Goes well with fruit
  • Dhokla - My favorite non baked bread
  • Dosa - My favorite South Indian food snack

I am stopping here for one reason. It is a long list and the only items you probably know are beer and cocoa, right? Give me a month and I we will work on making some fermented foods on our YouTube Chanel. Till then, eat some yogurt, sauerkraut, or kimchi to start off with. I promise it will help. For what I hope is obvious, if you end up choosing beer and chocolate as your only introduction, try to have some of the local brews within the Flathead Valley and dark chocolate.

  1. http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1006654
By Dr. Borgardt Chiropractic, Medication , , , , , , , , , , ,

Narcan vs Chiropractic

Being ignorant of our opioid epidemic is not an excuse, but the solution by our Surgeon General to go buy Narcan is completely ignorant. If you have not been paying attention their is an opioid crisis underway. A large portion of the addictions we see today did not start off as addicts. They just wanted to be pain free, not needing to get high.

Yet, the Surgeon General just thought it was a good idea to , "urge more Americans to, purchase, an antidote those that overdose accidentally": Narcan.

I can not tell you how angry this makes me. As if the solution wasn't a completely horrible option. Now the answer to the the solution for the solutions issues is another thing you and I have to buy? I know I am not supposed to show, or talk about this in a manner that makes me seem as if I am an angry, irrational person. However, I admit, this makes me an angry, irrational person.

My family and friends often help me through these times. Again, they have some good advice.

Control the things you can. Conservative Management of pain through chiropractic care is what I can do about this problem.

The prescription painkiller epidemic vs chiropractic care:

Opioid dugs only mask the pain. They do not fix or treat the problem. They make the pain less so you can do more. That being a huge problem because doing more when its a physical issue causes more issues. This misunderstanding can lead to a huge delay in your healing process and often lead to permanent problems that will never go away.

Drugs given by their associated profession for back pain: [1] [2]

Primary care MD:  28%.8

Internists:  14.6%

Orthopaedic Surgeons:  7.7%

Chiropractic Physicians:  0%

Yet to our amazement, a research paper written and published in the British Journal of Medicine back in the 90's was the most eloquent of them all:

Conclusions: " At three years the results confirm the findings of an earlier report that when chiropractic or hospital therapists that patients with low back pain as they would in day to day practice treated by chiropractic derive more benefit and long term satisfaction that those treated by hospitals" [3]

 

  1. Practice analysis of chiropractic 2015. NBCE.
  2. The Opioid Epidemic: Impact on Orthopaedic Surgery. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic surgeons, 2015; 23 (5): 267 10.5435/JAAOS-D-14-00163.
  3. Randomised comparison of chiropractic and hospital outpatient management for low back pain: results from extended follow up. BMJ 1995 Aug 5; 311(7001): 349–351.
By Dr. Borgardt Coffee, Nutrition, Strokes, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , ,

Coffee Update | Reducing the Risk of Strokes

Coffee is healthy, and it reduces the risk of strokes. There, I said it.

The consumption of coffee has now been associated with a 25% reduction in having a stroke. Thats right, a healthy cup of coffee. To think, nutrition does play a role in your life. [1]

The study specifies that the consumption is 1-6 cups of coffee a day, not a triple breve latte with two extra shots of huckleberry syrup. So please, don't take this as an excuse to give yourself diabetes.

On a personal note: I would like to thank everyone at Colter Coffee for knowing how to make it, knowing how to serve it, yet most of all just being the basic coffee snob. It makes me feel not so alone in the world.

1. Coffee consumption and risk of stroke in women. Stroke. 2011 Apr;42(4):908-12. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.110.603787. Epub 2011 Mar 10.

By Dr. Borgardt Allergies, Chiropractic, Medication, Studies, Weekly Wakeup , , , , , , , , , ,

Allergies & Medications

According to a new study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, they have associated those children and adults that develop allergies in their life to be directly linked to acid-suppressive medications and antibiotic use as an infant. [1]

Yet another perfect reminder, unless it’s an emergency, use conservative management methods before you reach for a magic pill solution. Throughout chiropractic, medicine, or other forms of clinical management of any patient the primary goal is to do no harm. Unless its an emergency, conservative management of any patient needs to be the first step to fixing our overall prospective in our health care system. Especially when we observe the expected need for medications rather than education and self improvement is considered.

 

Contact Flathead Chiropractic for a consultation if you have any questions about you or your children's health!

 

  1. Use of Acid-Suppressive Medications and Antibiotics During Infancy and Allergic Diseases in Early Childhood. JAMA Pediatr. Published online April 02, 2018. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.0315