I wish I could smoke something for the tailgate.. But between traveling all week for work and having to haul supplies between states, I just stick to grilling. I save my smoking for at home weekends. Add pork shoulder is my meat of choice. Kids love it and I can eat it meal after meal.Also with all the 11 am games in the BIG, I'm starting to get better at breakfast tailgates.
Nothing wrong with shoulder for breakfast!
847badgerfan wrote: Nothing wrong with shoulder for breakfast!Nothing wrong at all, just let it smoke overnight, and it's good to go in the morning.Down here in Texico, we'd put that on a tortilla and call it a breakfast taco. UT Breakfast Tacos
I'm thinking like a griddled Johnny cake with pork shoulder and a peach salsa with lime juice and jalapeno.
you could roll it in a pancake and dip it in maple syrupsweet and spicy
FearlessF wrote: you could roll it in a pancake and dip it in maple syrupsweet and spicyWrap that in bacon, deep fry it, and then we're talking!
great idea
Just looked at the index on page 1, it seems I've never shared with y'all how to BBQ beef short ribs. I did a batch recently that, and I'm being serious here, was the best food I've ever eaten. I'm sorry that wasn't humble, but I don't care. I'm dreaming about those beefers right now.I don't have time to tell you right now, but I will soon.
OK, the key to great BBQ beef ribs, is getting the right rib. There are basically two kinds of beef ribs available at the butcher. The first is called the "back rib." These are small, and are primarily what you see in grocery stores. Don't buy them.What you want is beef short ribs. They're big, real big-- so big some people call them dino bones or brontosaurus bones-- and if you can get the butcher to cut them well for you, they're going to be really meaty. A lot of butchers don't like to leave too much meat on them, because it means sacrificing some of the meat that would otherwise go to the ribeye and chuck cuts. So getting meaty beef short ribs can get expensive.But it's worth it.There are two styles of beef short ribs-- short ribs off the plate, and beef chuck ribs. The short ribs off the plate are better because these are next to the ribeye, but the chuck ribs are still great for BBQ (and that's what I used the last time I made them).Preparation is super duper easy. Get your rack of beef short ribs (will most likely be either 3 bones, or 4 bones, depending on how it's butchered), and smear some hot sauce on all sides. I used Cholula, but Tobasco or other Louisiana hot sauce works too. Your rub is going to be kosher salt and coarse black pepper, I do about 1:1. In the video link I'll provide at the end, you'll see (James Beard Award-winning) pit-master Aaron Franklin put the salt on first, and then the pepper, which he does so he can see exactly how much salt went on. That''s fine too. You can put it on pretty thick, there's a lot of meat and fat to absorb the salt and pepper, and you want a really good, crusty bark at the end of it.Pit goes to 285 (hotter than I do for brisket which is 225), and the ribs go on, bone-side down. You don't even need to open that lid for at least 4-5 hours.After 4-5 hours, you can check for doneness with your temperature probe. You're not really worried about the temperature, so much as the feel. If the probe meets resistance and the meat still feels "tight" it needs more time. If the probe slides in easy and the meat feels loose, it's ready to come off. A small rack might take 5-6 hours, a large one up to 8 hours, at 285.Oh, and the first time you check for doneness, Franklin recommends spritzing the meat anywhere it's looking too crusty with water or other liquid of your choice (some folks use apple cider vinegar, works well, I used apple juice + apple cider vinegar).When they're done, you'll be able to probe easily through the front side of the rack, through the meat between the bones, and also easily through the membrane on the back side (bone side) of the rack. Temperature will probably be between 198 and 204, but every rack is different, so the feel is more important. Remove using a towel instead of tongs (to preserve the bark). Let it rest for ~20-30 minutes, and then slice the ribs apart. Finished products should look something like this: Now, down here in Texico, we wouldn't put any sauce on this. Certainly not before or during cooking, and typically not afterward either. The meat should have so much juiciness, it makes its own sauce.BUT, if you really like sauce, I have a recipe for it somewhere further up the thread.Here's the link to Aaron Franklin's video for those that are interested:
VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFVu_XwLrew and if you make 'em like that, and then elect not to make beef stock at a later date with those rib bones, you should be punched in the face.
Yup, makes great beef stock for sure.
beef ribs like that will ruin you for pork ribsmy favorite thing to eat, hands down
FearlessF wrote: beef ribs like that will ruin you for pork ribsmy favorite thing to eat, hands downI'll be headed over to John Mueller Meat Company for lunch on Thursday, and beef ribs like that are part of the plan!
enjoyed some fabulous beef short ribs in Minneapolis last Friday nightShould have taken a few pics, but it was quite dark in the dining roomand the martinis were flowing with potato vodka!
Bought The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez-Alt. Wonderful cookbook, if you like to read about the why of a recipe more than the recipe.
I've been fooling around with fried chicken. A quick or long soak in butter milk, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and cayenne. Followed by a dust of flour, corn starch, and baking powder. My main issues have been fry temp. What works on a chicken tender beautifully can lead to too dark crust on a bone in piece. I did a batch that I finished in the oven, but I didn't love that, either.
I've always just done it in a large cast iron skillet the way my grandmother did, and it turns out well.But I have a buddy who became obsessed with it the same way I am with BBQ, and after a lot of experimentation, he decided that using a pressure cooker was the way to go. And I have to admit it's great.
utee94 wrote: I've always just done it in a large cast iron skillet the way my grandmother did, and it turns out well.But I have a buddy who became obsessed with it the same way I am with BBQ, and after a lot of experimentation, he decided that using a pressure cooker was the way to go. And I have to admit it's great.Frying in a pressure cooker? I am intrigued.
Yup, frying in a pressure cooker. He says that's how some of the chains like KFC do it and get such consistent results. I've never researched to determine if that''s true, but he has and I have no reason to doubt him.Speaking of birds, I'll be hosting Thanksgiving for the extended family this year, and we're going to deep-fry one turkey, and BBQ another. I'll try to post up some pictures this go-round.
http://www.food.com/recipe/jersey-disco-fries-507069An East Coast theme seems appropriate this week, what with the Huskers headed to New Jersey. So how about Jersey Disco Fries? Check out the recipe at food.com. Let's see … steak fries covered in chicken gravy and cheese. Tell me you're not intrigued.
FearlessF wrote:
http://www.food.com/recipe/jersey-disco-fries-507069An East Coast theme seems appropriate this week, what with the Huskers headed to New Jersey. So how about Jersey Disco Fries? Check out the recipe at food.com. Let's see … steak fries covered in chicken gravy and cheese. Tell me you're not intrigued.Looks okay, but I'd rather cover those fries in chile con queso instead of Cheez Whiz, and I'd rather use pico de gallo over gravy. And some jalapenos, serranos, gucacamole. NOW we're talking...
Turkey's been in the brine for 20 hours now, about to take it out, rinse it, and let it dry in the fridge overnight. It'll go on the smoker at 325 tomorrow morning around 9, should be ready by 12:30 or so.
This is a recipe for Biggie Mama's tomato sauce, kinda, because I was 9 when she died. So, much of the stuff is based on a memory from 40 years ago, which is probably better than my memory from 40 hours ago. Some of the stuff, like the baking soda, is my deal. And I'm not sure what kind of tomatoes she used but in the summer she used the ones from her garden.This was my great grandma from Sicily, and yes, I called her Biggie Mama because she was the oldest grandma and also was about 4' by 4' or so.Anyway, the sauce: Extra virgin olive oil 1 large yellow onion, diced ½ tsp Crushed red pepper flakes (optional, or more if you like it spicy) Salt and black pepper 6 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced 4 Tb Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped 1 can of whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, 108 oz can Sugar (optional) Baking soda (if needed) In a large stockpot, add about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add the onions and red pepper flakes and season with salt and black pepper to your taste. Cook until the onions become slightly translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes, being careful to not burn the onions or garlic. Add the parsley and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes to combine the mixture. Reduce heat to medium/low and cover. Simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. For a rustic sauce, use a potato masher to crush the tomatoes and onions. For a smooth sauce, use an immersion blender (if available) or a traditional blender (be careful to cover lid with a towel if sauce is still hot, or wait for sauce to cool). When blended to the consistency you like, taste for salt and pepper. For a sweeter sauce, add sugar to taste. If the sauce is too acidic, stir in baking soda about 1/8 tsp at a time and taste. Cook for 5 minutes longer and serve over your favorite pasta or add meats of your choice for braising.
Looks good, will have to try that soon. Thanks bf.
I had a successful debut using the Big Green Egg last week. The brisket turned out very nicely, great smoke, nice bark. I made some mistakes on the whole pork shank (though the clock and family schedule put me in a tough spot to finish it properly), but it was still pretty good, just needed a little more time. the half chickens I grilled were delicious, I am pretty convinced that Big Green Egg is far and away superior at indirect cooking than any possible gas grill set up.Regulating temp is definitely the toughest task. Also getting a thermometer probe at grate level is key. The built in (as suspected) thermometer was off anywhere between 15-40 degrees from the grate surface probe that I had.
well done!I'm sure if the debut was successful, the results will be fabulous going forwardI'd like to have one of those some day. Just too busy golfing....... in the summer
MH should probably post some pictures and give us a list of all the accessories.Also... what does that thing weigh? I'd have to make sure my deck could structurally handle that kind of a dead load in addition to the live load I apply to it.
put it on the boat
847badgerfan wrote: MH should probably post some pictures and give us a list of all the accessories.Also... what does that thing weigh? I'd have to make sure my deck could structurally handle that kind of a dead load in addition to the live load I apply to it. If I could get a tutorial on posting pictures (what happened to the sand box thread we used to have?) I would be happy to do so. I have a 'L' Egg and it weighs about 168 lbs. Proper and precise assembly is very key (no, I didn't do it myself, my wife had that taken care of, that was part of the surprise). The XL is 200+ and I think the XXL is over 400 lbs. I do have it on a metal 'nest', which is on locking wheels, which is a BGE accessory. I noticed on the website, but didn't study, they have lots of useful tips/pointers for how to handle the BGE on a wood deck. I have mine right on our back patio.I also have the stone plate insert which has some cheeky EGG name, which I've forgotten , which is what you need to do indirect heat.My wife also got me a few large bags of the BGE branded natural charcoal (chunks), and a nice cover (I do grill year round), so I don't anticipate moving this to the garage or storage. I see there are a whole host of other 'EGGcessories' which I haven't yet shopped. I can tell you the one thing I will get is the device that connects the grate to the stone plate, which then be lifted in and out in one piece and also give you a slightly raised grate. I watched some master of the EGG on a you tube video using it and I can tell that's something that is worth it.I used my own probe thermometers, which I can read from inside the house to monitor temps. I have yet to do any direct grilling on it.
Thanks.What kind of thermometer do you have?FF... Gas mileage is bad enough on that boat.