News from Up North
June 16th, 2013 · No Comments · Posted in News from Up North
The chef with his barbecue “pig.”
Could this possibly be the best pork barbecue in Upstate New York?
Recently a crude, handwritten sign advertising barbecue appeared outside the Masonic lodge in Coila, a small crossroads on the edge of Cambridge. Then one day driving past I noticed a man in shorts kicking back in a lawn chair next to a strange device belching smoke.
I had to stop and investigate and soon learned that the man feeding chunks of maple hardwood into an old propane tank converted into a pig-shaped barbecue smoker is Craig Phalen, chef at the county prison, who has set himself up in a new sideline turning out some of the best pulled pork sandwiches this correspondent has ever tasted.
Pulled pork doesn’t get any better than this
For $10, Craig serves a half-pound of mouth-watering pork barbecue along with sides like beans with bacon and cole slaw made by hand from old family recipes. As if that weren’t enough to tempt you off the road, he also has a big pot of oil boiling in which he fries unbelievably tender pork rinds that he tosses in a spot-on spice mix. A big bag of rinds sells for $4.
Craig and his wife Meghan are calling their new business Un Petit Cochon–cochon being French for pig–and word is spreading fast. New and improved signage has appeared on the road outside the Masons lodge. The couple is only open for business on Saturdays beginning at noon and until they sell out. Yesterday, at the request of some customers, Craig also offered Texas-style smoked brisket, but the last of it had already been sold before I arrived on the scene. If it’s anything like the pork, you won’t want to pass it up.
Craig says he’s been working on his barbecue skills for years, starting with a little electric smoker just like the one I use. How lucky are we that he and his wife decided to set up shop just down the road?
In other news, Ralph Bentley, Horicon town supervisor for the last 16 years, announced he is retiring. Bentley explained his decision with these words to live by: “I’m 63 now, and I’ve got brook trout to catch and a few more deer to kill.”
Jackson Town Supervisor and local realtor Alan Brown denies he had anything to do with the disappearance of $20,000 worth of fuel oil from the local transfer station during a recent change of ownership.
Sale of the star-crossed Cambridge Hotel, said to be the birth place of pie a la mode, is scheduled to become final within the next 30 days. The stately hotel was prominently featured in a television series called “Hotel Hell,” following which the owner abruptly left his local law practice after going into considerable debt. The hotel will be operated henceforth as a seniors home.
On Saturday, June 22, an actor will portray President Franklin Roosevelt to mark the 75th anniversary of the Saratoga Battlefield Park. Roosevelt played a critical role in preserving the battlefield site and was a visitor there.
The fifth annual patriotic hymn sing and free dinner will take place at East Hebron Presbyterian Church June 29. The event celebrates “America the beautiful.”
Also in East Hebron, the Washington County Historical Society recently drew a large crowd to learn about life in a one room schoolhouse. Craig and Karen Vallkommer of the Washington County Draft Animal Association provided wagon rides for attendees with their team of Belgian horses.
Members of the Cambridge area branch of the National Farm and Garden club are scheduled to tour George Allen’s Farm in Easton on Thursday, June 20th. Those wishing to car pool should meet at the Methodist Church parking lot at 10:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, the Cambridge school board was booed by a large crowd when it voted not to extend the contract of Superintendent Vince Canini. Carl Flint, a teacher and local resident, told the board that the behavior of certain members surrounding the dismisal of Canini “modeled the exact behavior teachers and administrators work so hard to stomp out….”
In Hoosick Falls, arts and owls programs, live owl demonstrations and nest box building are being scheduled to celebrate a “Summer of the Owls.” The word “Hoosick” is said to come from an ancient Indian term meaning “valley of the owls.”
The Washington County Band will be giving a free concert Tuesday evening at the Ft. Salem Theater in Salem. The program is set to include marches, show tunes, light classics and “pop favorites.”
Finally, Rensselaer County Dairy Princess Lindsey McMahon continues her whirlwind activities marking National Dairy Month. She recently appeared on Joe Condon’s radio program–the first dairy princess from the county ever to be heard by radio–and she served ice cream and sundaes at the Schaghticoke Fair Grounds during “basket bingo.”
For a cool treat, McMahon suggests making “vanilla melon coolers” with honeydew melon, lime sherbet, strawberries, two cups of vanilla yogurt and as much ice as necessary to thicken. “Blend all of the ingredients together, pour and enjoy the vanilla dairy chill cool your entire body.”
This edition of The News from Up North was culled from actual news reports in the Washington County Area and is presented here for the enjoyment and edification of our readers. As always, stay alert and please drive carefully.
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