Alton Brown's lamb and barley stew

[Robin Garr]

I just watched Alton Brown make this on a DVR'd episode of Good Eats, and it made me want to go turn on the lights in the kitchen and make some right now. No barley grits in the house, though, and I'm not sure whether this would be available locally. AB used a home grain mill to beat hulled barley into grits, then into barley flour. I'm wondering whether a Cuisinart would serve, but I'm doubtful. Still, I must have this dish! Ideas, anyone?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alto ... index.html

Our local grain mill has a product called, "plump soup barley", I love it for the al dente, nutiness is has when cooked. It has a nice mouth feel, something to sink the teeth into.

Thanks Robin, we just happen to have a leftover leg of lamb in the fridge!

Hi Robin, do you think bulghur will be a substitute for barley grits?

I just watched Alton Brown make this on a DVR'd episode of Good Eats, and it made me want to go turn on the lights in the kitchen and make some right now. No barley grits in the house, though, and I'm not sure whether this would be available locally. AB used a home grain mill to beat hulled barley into grits, then into barley flour. I'm wondering whether a Cuisinart would serve, but I'm doubtful. Still, I must have this dish! Ideas, anyone?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alto ... index.html

Robin,
I'd be more inclined to use a blade-style coffee grinder. The size and hardness of barley is close to that of peppercorns and allspice, both of which I routinely "grind" in the blade grinder. If I continue long enough, I get a powder the consistency of flour.

Mark Lipton

[Robin Garr]

Hi Robin, do you think bulghur will be a substitute for barley grits?

Heinz, I think bulghur would make an interesting alternative, but of course by using a different grain you will achieve a different dish. I'd like to find (or make) some barley grits and try the recipe with lamb and barley at least one time. But I know the combination of lamb and bulghur can be very good!

[Robin Garr]

I'd be more inclined to use a blade-style coffee grinder. The size and hardness of barley is close to that of peppercorns and allspice, both of which I routinely "grind" in the blade grinder. If I continue long enough, I get a powder the consistency of flour.

Good points, Mark. I'd really like to source commercial barley grits once, to familiarize myself with the desired product. One commercial website spoke of breaking each hulled barley grain (which means "unhulled," go figure) into six pieces. It's hard for me to see how any process could run a control that fine. But seriously, it seems parallel to hominy grits or cornmeal: You'd want to stop well short of reaching a flour consistency for this particular dish.