Meat

Perfect Pennsylvania Peaches

One of the reasons I love this time of summer is the local peach harvest.  We have been working with the same family farmers since my dad, Elwood McGinnis, discovered wonderful Pennsylvania Peaches back in the 1970’s. Call it a fortunate accident or serendipity, but Elwood found this family farm when he was driving me back to Shippensburg University to start the school year. Dad always had a knack for produce so whenever he saw a great farm stand we would always stop, look around and strike up a conversation with the farmer.

Back then stopping to talk with farmers and making an agreement on a hand shake is the way things were done. Now a days most chain stores turn to huge industrial farms for produce and purchase decisions are made  on price rather than on relationship and quality.
 
We feel so lucky to still have those great relationships with many of the farms my dad began working with over  30 years ago.  One farm that grows and hand picks our peaches is also family owned and is in their third generation. The kind of quality and care they have passed on through the generations always makes us look forward to peach season and this year is no exception.

A lot of folks ask us what makes a Chambersburg peach so good and what really is the big deal? After all, Georgia is thought of as the peach capital of the United States. The fact that we can grow great peaches in Franklin and Adams County Pennsylvania is serendipity itself. This area along with the Cumberland valley is known for a perfect, but unusual, climate that is great for fruit trees. Warm air from the South and East gets trapped between the mountains and creates an ideal atmosphere for the fruit trees. The soil of the region also plays an important role in making Chambersburg peaches unique. The soil is classified as Ardentsville Gravelly Loam and is quite precious. The farm we work with is very concerned with protecting the soil and has implemented a trickle irrigation to reduce erosion.

I think another reason I love Chambersburg peaches is because the remind me of my dad, Elwood.  Each day he would head down to the store bright and early in the morning to get his first Chambersburg Peach. He would have bit into the fruit quickly and let the juice run down his chin not caring who noticed or if the juice made a mess. This was “part of the fun” he would always say, and part of the excitement of enjoying the first peach of the season.
 
We hope you will stop by our farmers market to begin your own appreciation for Chambersburg peaches. Share these Pennsylvanian jewels with your family and make summer memories that are sure to last a lifetime.

Posted By: Noreen on July 14, 2010

Introducing McGinnis Family Reserve Polska Kielbasa

I was flipping through today’s mail and the words “What is your legacy” popped out at me in an advertisement. For my sisters and me, it’s about keeping the reputation that our parents, Elwood and Rosella worked diligently to build in the old days at their Custer Avenue store in Baldwin Borough just above the South Side.

For those who were never in the Custer Avenue store, picture us kids (there were 8 of us!) running around in our swim suits, barefoot and mugs stained with popsicles. We would get the neighbor kids to help us “stack” pop bottles for two reasons. One, our dad would give us all a quarter for an ice cream and equally important, once we got our “work” done, we were free to roam the hills and valleys with our friends until the street lights came on.
 
 
Another fond memory of working in the basement of that old store was the years our dad had a smokehouse right on site and he and Andy Shultz, a first generation immigrant from the German-Polish border, made homemade Polska Kielbasa. We eagerly lined up with our friends to get a piece of the hot kielbasa when our dad arrived on Saturday mornings to open up the smokehouse doors, the delicious smell permeating the whole neighborhood. He would serve it to us on a hard crusty roll from a famous Italian South Side bakery – now long gone – and we would run off with the juices running down our arms.
 
 
 About a year ago our brother, Pat McGinnis, was rummaging around in an attic and came across the coveted recipe book from the Custer Avenue Store. Pat could hardly read the faded recipes but secretly contacted a spice purveyor and several smokehouses in Pittsburgh to ask for help – he didn't’t even tell us what he was up to! After months of tweaking and testing and re-discovering the exact spices, Pat started to smoke small batch after small batch until he recreated that old world South Side Kielbasa we remember as kids.
 
Through Pat’s hard work and ingenuity, we are proud to once again offer our McGinnis Family Reserve Polska Kielbasa. This legacy Kielbasa is course ground just like the Kielbasa found in Europe and in South Side Butcher Shops 50 years ago. Using our finest pork and beef along with Elwood’s secret spice recipe, he gently makes our Family Reserve Polska Kielbasa using all natural hog casings, authentic imported spices from Europe and then smokes it to perfection. Also, Pat is now making the Hungarian Kielbasa Loaf which he slices thick and fries up with eggs for a delicious breakfast!
 
This week, Pat has been in the smokehouse and made three batches including the Family Reserve Polska, Slovenian, and Hungarian Kielbasa. The McGinnis Family Reserve Polska Kielbasa is created with imported spices and the perfect blend of pork and beef. Pat double smokes the McGinnis Family Reserve Polska Kielbasa to achieve the rich color and flavoring of the old country. The Slovenian Kielbasa is also made from the best cuts of pork and beef but with a touch of caraway seeds. Finally, imported smoked paprika gives the Hungarian Kielbasa its rich and traditional flavor.
 
Each recipe is made in a small batch to preserve the artisan quality of each batch.Available at all three McGinnis Sisters for 4th of July weekend but only while supplies last.
 
Upcoming Availability in our stores plus – Polska Kielbasa Sandwiches at these community events.
 
Cranberry Community Days July 8, 9, 10.
Zelienople Horse Trading Days July 15, 16, 17
 
McGinnis Family Reserve Polska Kielbasa is also available wholesale for your bar or restaurant in larger quantities by order only. Send an email to mary@mcginnis-sisters.com for more information.

Posted By: Noreen on July 1, 2010

Grill the perfect BBQ Ribs this weekend!

Summertime and BBQ ribs on the grill are a perfect match, but we know cooking ribs at home can seem intimidating for new cooks. Each summer our meat cutters are asked how long to cook ribs, which cuts to select and how many ribs are needed per person. To help we created this easy guide to help our customers navigate the many choices. Sister Sharon’s simple recipe found below makes grilling BBQ ribs at home super easy and will have your family coming back for seconds!
 
Of course the very best ribs start with the very best pork! McGinnis Sisters ribs are cut from Pennsylvania farm fresh pork. We work with a family of farms that have been raising tender, juicy, natural pork for over 100 years. These hogs are raised in a stress-free environment and given the best care. As with all of our meats, our pork is hormone and antibiotic free.
 
The main cuts of slab ribs are McGinnis Sisters Baby Backs, Restaurant Style and St. Louis Style ribs. That’s right we have our very own cut of ribs!
 
McGinnis Sisters Baby Backs cut from lean, curved slabs, taken from the pig’s rib cage near the backbone. Our ribs have two extra inches of meat left on the bone and are prized for their sweet, juicy meat. A full rack has about eight ribs and we recommend about 1 pound per person.
 
Meat Team Leader Ed with our McGinnis Sisters Style Ribs
 
Restaurant Style ribs are baby back ribs that you would expect when ordering ribs at a typical restaurant. They are still lean and tender but don’t have those extra two inches of meat found on the McGinnis Sisters Baby Backs.
 
 
 
Meat Team Leader Ed with Restaurant Style Ribs
 
St. Louis Style Ribs are a trimmed down version of pork spareribs, this Midwestern favorite has a fatty strip of cartilage and the connective tissue removed. The result is a delicate cut that is easy to handle and cooks more evenly than some regular spareribs. A full rack has about thirteen ribs and weighs about 2½ pounds. We recommend about 1 to 1½ pounds per person.
 
 
 
Team Member Richard with our St. Louis Style Ribs
 
Pitmasters may swear by "low and slow" grilling, but the easiest way to get tender meat on most pork ribs is to precook them in the oven before grilling. Sister Sharon’s recipe is super easy and will result in perfect ribs every time!
 
McGinnis Sisters Easy BBQ Ribs
Ingredients:
4 slabs McGinnis Sisters Style Baby Back Ribs
McGinnis Sisters Rib Rub
your favorite BBQ Sauce
olive oil
 
Directions:
Preheat your oven 250F. Brush your ribs lightly with olive oil and dust with McGinnis Sisters Rib Rub on all sides. Add 1/4 cup of white wine, apple juice or chicken broth. Wrap ribs tightly with foil and bake for two to three hours. Remove from oven and smother with your favorite BBQ sauce. Finish the ribs on your grill at medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until the BBQ sauce is heated through and sticky.
 
Serve with grilled corn on the cob and our mother Rosella's potato salad.

Posted By: Jennifer on June 30, 2010

Local Corn is Here!

We are very excited that local corn is available at McGinnis Sisters! This year the local corn is two weeks early. We attribute this good fortune to a warmer spring and lots of rain in May. Currently, we have corn from Triple B in Elizabeth, PA and as soon as the harvest is ready we will add in corn from McIlheny's farm in Butler! The corn is super sweet, almost like pure sugar water.

An ear of local corn, a McGinnis Sisters hamburger, and my Mother Rosella's Potato Salad are all you need to make a great 4th of July meal. We hope you enjoy this holiday with your family and have a wonderful weekend.

Posted By: Sharon on June 28, 2010

Thanks Dad!

My father Elwood McGinnis was a great man. Our dad taught my sisters and I the many lessons of life as we grew up, and grew up in the family business. Dad was quick with a joke and a compliment for a job well done. Even well into his eighties you could find him each morning working in the produce department of our Brentwood store trimming lettuce and inspecting the quality of the product.

 
Dad was a stickler for being on time. He would often tell us “if you’re on time, you’re late” and to this day I always try to be at least five minutes early for any event. Dad would also say “treat your employees like family and your customers like good friends” these principles still guides us today. One of my favorite things to do is to get to know our customers. I like to find out a little bit about them, what they enjoy and their favorite things to do.
 
One of the greatest lessons dad taught me was to love what you are doing each and every day. He would say things like “live everyday to the fullest because we are only here on a visit” and “if you love what you do you will never work another day in your life” in fact he would never say he was working at the store, he would say he was playing. I really understand what he meant and I truly love working in our store alongside our team members and customers. Sometimes the day will be over and it will feel like no time has passed at all.
 
Dad loved a good meal and Father’s Day would have meant a big meal followed by banana cream or coconut cream pie his favorite dessert. Dad loved New York Strip Steaks and I can remember the many blind taste tests he did with our meat cutters to ensure the quality of the aged American Angus. The taste tests are another lesson he passed on to my generation. If my parents were still with us I would imagine that on this Father’s Day dad would be enjoying one of his perfectly aged New York Strip steaks with some of our mother Rosella’s potato salad and maybe a wedge salad with Roquefort dressing. Their children and grandchildren would visit and we would probably all end up outside talking on the porch.
 
I don’t need a special day to remember and celebrate the great man that dad was but this Father’s Day I will fondly remember the day trips he would take us kids on so our mother could have a break, the fun we had and of course the great lessons of life he passed on to us. I wish you and your family a happy Father’s Day and hope you are able to spend the day with your loved ones. Remember to live everyday to the fullest…after all we are only here on a visit.

Posted By: Bonnie on June 19, 2010