CFB 51 Cookbook, equipment discussion, techniques

[Drew4UTk]

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:
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.

[Drew4UTk]

First - gasoline is cheap!  so, is diesel fuelI need a wireless thermometer - maybe next year for xmasif I'm a good boy 





I believe BGE calls that do-hicky a "plate setter."  They're more than willing to sell you all kinds of accessories, that's where they make a ton of their money (like any other business).  But the plate setter is well worth it and the most important accessory you can buy, assuming you want indirect cooking, which obviously you do.Plenty of wireless temp probes on the market, I've had a couple and they work well enough but all tend to crap out after a few years.  Currently I just use a cheap $15 wired one, the probe goes through a potato that sits on the grate, and the read-out part sits outside the cooking chamber on the handy shelf my offset has.  My lid-mounted thermometer has gotten WAY out of whack over the years, it now reads almost 100 degrees too low, so if you think you're cooking at 225, it's really about 315.





Ah, yes the 'plate setter'.  I would argue there's no reason to get a BGE without the plate setter do hicky.I do agree that eventually all of these wireless probes crap out.  I'm currently using a 'Char broil' version somebody gave me (I think that's the Lowe's house brand of grill stuff.   It works fine, I'm sure it will suck before too long, after it is dropped or whatever.  There is nothing beating homemade workarounds.The lid mounted thermometers are about as good as Bank Thermometers at telling you the temperature outside.  However, as long as I know which way it is off, and by how many degrees, that's ok.  It's kind of like a clock that is four hours slow, and you just know it.  My lid mounted BGE thermometer is between 20-40 degrees warmer than the grate level probe and it was again last night when I made some chicken





My lid thermometer was right on for several years, when measured against the grate temperature with a separate probe.  Which of course, means that it was NOT correct for the actual temperature at the top of the smoker, but as you point out, knowing the approximate delta means you can still use it.So I stopped being a fanatic about checking the grate temperature (especially since my last wireless probe crapped out), and awhile back I noticed that for a couple of cooks in a row, my briskets were finishing up sooner than I expected.  That's when I busted out a new digital instant read thermometer and checked it, finding it was ~80 degrees off.Gotta tell you though, those briskets were still delicious, so I finally had to break down and admit to one of my BBQ buddies (who cooks hotter and faster because he's a BBQ competition pitmaster), that higher heat actually works just fine.  I was always a 225 degree religious fanatic, but 315 works just as well, and dramatically reduces the cook time.  I still go 225 most of the time because it's tried and true, but on those rare occasions when I can only find a really big brisket (14 lbs or more) then I won't hesitate to crank up the temps and avoid cooking all night.





After much research, shopping  and review, I've decided to not pursue the Big Green Egg for my home. There is nothing I cannot prepare on it that I can't accomplish now with the equipment I already have. I don't do a whole lot of smoking as I'm not around here in the summer and I've taken more to stove cooking in the cold months. I haven't touched my outdoor equipment since before Thanksgiving, actually. It just didn't make sense to drop that kind of money on another piece of equipment and all the Eggcessories. Maybe 15 years ago.. I should have bought one when I first saw it. Oh well.For the record, I have a Weber Genesis and a Weber Performer on my deck at this time.





That's a prudent decision.  Having overlapping equipment (at those price points) is not my kind of thing.  (yet my wife still thinks we need two shop-vacs....sigh).   As we all say in my biz,  'we can't have redundancies,' around here  My modest sized decade old gas grill has seen better days, so I know it is on its way out, but its still gonna bang out burgers/sausage for the rest of its days.





I just finally got the gas grill, and only because I won it at a silent auction for charity. I know I paid too much for it... but I was feeling good that night so whatever.As for the charcoal grill... That's coming up on 15 years old and it still looks new. You can't kill a Weber.





I made chicken parm last night.  I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  I bought chicken breasts and was going to slice them, but then I thought, why am I slicing raw chicken into the shape of boneless thighs?  Seeing how I had leftover thighs in the fridge from making fajitas, I went with those.  Turned out pretty well - the breading was flour, then egg, then a mixture of oregano, parmesan reggiano, and panko bread crumbs.  Further, instead of cooking it in the sauce, I baked it with mozzarella and more parm then served it with a sauce.  This maximized gooey and crunchy, two of the most important things in any chicken parm.





So I often wondered about this for chicken parm. I've had it dry out in the past so it seems like using the thigh prevents that from happening?Good call. I'm going to have to try that sometime. Did you brine at all? Buttermilk?





I won't speak for MaxSam, but I keep 'em thin, and simply eat more than one.   but otherwise, I would agree thighs are the best way to go, though a lot of people don't like the thighs for some silly reason.





I didn't bother with a brine. Thighs are tough to dry out





yup, I'm a breast guy when it comes to chicken, but the thighs are much better for chicken parm





Going to look at Big Red Kamado Grill on sale for $249.00 at Menards.  Thoughts?





I only know folks with BGE, so can't  really comment on any of the other brands out there.  One thing I've heard is that the off-brands have a tendency to crack under high heat, which is kind of the point, but that's just anecdotal so take it for what it's worth.





utee94 wrote: I only know folks with BGE, so can't  really comment on any of the other brands out there.  One thing I've heard is that the off-brands have a tendency to crack under high heat, which is kind of the point, but that's just anecdotal so take it for what it's worth.Thanks utee.  I bought it.  I seasoned it and used it once, so far so good.  It seems to be well insulated and the online reviews suggested that it may even be better insulated than the BGE.  I'll see how it holds up.  At $250 it was a LOT cheaper than the BGE and even significantly cheaper than most knock-offs.  First meal from it:I marinated chicken-brest in a mixture of diced peaches, pecan pieces, and apple-cider.  I then smoked the concoction over pecan wood brushing some of the leftover peach/pecan/cider mixture over it a couple times to maintain moisture.  It was VERY good.  I had veggies and cornbread for sides.





Sounds like an interesting tool in your toolbox.Maybe brine the chicken next time. I've been brining all the breasts I do now and it works really well. Pork tenderloin and chops too.





I brined some pork tenderloin and cooked them side by side with un-brined.  I actually preferred the un-brined.  Just for reference, this was for BBQ not grilling, I slow-smoked them at 225 for about 1.5 hours and pulled at internal temp of 140 (which is low for some people, but I always cook pork to 135-140 and haven't died from it yet  ).  The brined ones were not any moister. and were noticeably saltier, which is unusual because that's never been the case for me when brining fowl.Anyway, I do brine most fowl, and the brined turkey I BBQ'd over Tday was probably the best BBQ bird I've ever eaten.





I'm not sure I'd brine pork for smoking either. It's not hot enough to dry it out like charcoal can do.I like to include a brine to add flavor. I never use the full amount of salt called for, for obvious reasons, and it still works fine. I'll include an array of chiles in almost all of my brines. For Saturday's chicken I used ancho, habanero and chipotles (all dry).





I probably could have cut the salt in the rub, but since it didn't come out any moister, which is the main point, I don't feel the need to brine pork for BBQ anymore.  I did brine some thick chops that I seared in the skillet and finished in the oven, turned out really well, but I'm not sure it was better than the way I normally do it.For fowl, though, I definitely brine, and love the results.





I was driving west on I-40 just out of NC in TN and hit something, I know not what exactly, and the front tire went dead flat inside a minute.  I managed to exit and examine it, and tried to inflate it with air with no luck.  These are "run flats" and I drove carefully to the nearest town of any size on back roads and got it changed the next day.  The sidewall was torn out.  The wheel fortunately was OK apparently, as this happened two months ago locally and the rim was bent and had to be replaced.We had to stay overnight and the tire was almost $400.  Bummer.I am not a fan of these low profile tires.  These are 35s and there isn't much rubber between wheel and outer tire.





that is a bummerexpensive tire, lucky it was a run flat, otherwise you'd have been jacking and putting on the spare along side the interstateno fun





How'd it go?





847badgerfan wrote: How'd it go?It went well!  The new smoker works great.  At the price ($250), it was a bargain.  So far I have smoked skinless chicken breast, chicken legs/thighs, and ribs.  All were great.  I also baked cornbread in it because the oven was otherwise occupied and that worked great as well.  Next few things to try are pizza (I have two stones and can fit both in the smoker at once so I'll be able to do two) and then chicken wings (I just bought racks to hold up to six-dozen chicken wings so I'm planning on making six flavors of smoked chicken wings next time I have a group to cook for:Plain:   (just smoked chicken wings)Honey-Bourbon BBQ:  I made the sauce using local buckwheat honey and I love it but g/f and most of her family think it is too hot.  Honey-mustard BBQ:  I made this sauce as well roughly following the recipe I posted in this thread (see page 21).  Creamy Buffalo:  I'll just use Sweet Baby Ray's for this one.  Garlic-Parmesan:  G/f's favorite flavor.  I found a recipe online that looks easy and good.  HOT!:  My plan is a combination of smoked habaneros, jalapeno innards (left over from making the 'armadillo eggs listed in this thread, see page 18), honey, and vinegar.  I'll add the Garlic-Parmesan wing sauce recipe if it goes well.  FWIW:  LetsGoPeay's "Armadillo Eggs" recipe on page 18 is excellent.  He suggests to bake it and utee suggests to bread and fry it, but I've been grilling them at tailgates for the four years since he posted that and it works great.  I also recently did some in the smoker and that works too.  One tip, he mentions to freeze them and this helps a LOT.  If you don't freeze them it is hard to keep them together long enough to get them cooked.  Another tip, the jalapeno innards  (that you take out to put the cream cheese in) make a great 'heat' for BBQ sauce.  Usually, I make up a bunch of Armadillo Eggs at once when I need to make BBQ sauce then just throw them in the freezer and take them out as needed for tailgates and whatever else.  As far as smoking chicken wings, what do you folks suggest?  To brine or not to brine, that is the first question?  After that I'll probably smoke them over apple or pecan (mostly because that is what I have available).  Thoughts?





I'm pretty busy right now so it will not be right away, but I noticed when looking up some recipes on here that the index hasn't been updated in quite a while.  The last recipe included in the index is ELA's Tequila Lime Chicken on page 18, added on 8/22/12, so it appears that I have about four years and 11 pages of recipes to add to the index.  If you have anything you want included in the new-and-improved index be sure to add it in the next few weeks.  Also, if you have any thoughts on improvements for the index feel free to share those.  If they aren't too hard, I'll add them.  If they are then I'll just nominate you to be in charge of the new-and-improved index, LoL.





EastLansingAdam wrote: 847badgerfan wrote: Torch works pretty well on fish and shellfish, as well as cheese toppings.I'll endorse this, although I haven't done it myself.Are we talking plumbing torch with MAPP or bringing in the Acetylene?





ELA and Badge:You two had a discussion of wings back on page 11 (August, 2011).  Since I'm getting ready to smoke some wings I have some questions:Badge, you mention that grilling has less fat and that is part of the reason I want to smoke them.  My dad has a heart condition so he shouldn't eat fried wings.  Then you talk about brining them in "heavily salted water".  Well, dad shouldn't eat too much salt either so that might defeat the purpose.  If I skip the salt is there any point in brining them?  What if I go light on the salt?  I'm thinking that is going to be the worst of both worlds, not enough for the desired taste and too much for the desired healthy eating.  ELA, you questioned cooking them using Badge's method (20 mins on the grill then 20 mins in the oven at 350) then you said that you tried it and they "turned out perfect" but when badge said he was "glad you liked them." you said "well, I wouldn't go that far, but the problem was not in the method."  Ok, what did you mean?  Would you use the method again?  I think smoking them will be great for flavor but I wonder how people will react.  Most people are used to crispy wings because they are used to deep-fried wings.  It seems like badge's method is an attempt to get the crispy effect without frying, am I right?  I'm just looking for ideas here.





I don't always use the entire amount of salt in the water, and I rarely brine wings anymore these days. They are fatty enough so they don't dry out. I'd just season them and put them on. Pretty hard to screw up wings.





MisterBlack wrote: I smoked the salmon on Sunday, and it came out pretty good.I did a brine with kosher salt, but only had about 2 hours to let it soak.  It still did a nice job though. I made a wet rub using lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, sea salt, black peppercorn, and thyme.  After the brining, I rinsed the salmon with cold water and patted it dry.  Then I coated with the rub and let it sit for a half hour while I got the smoker ready.I smoked the salmon skin side down, on foil, for 3 hours, keeping the temperature between 160 - 190 degrees.  I used Alder to smoke with.  About every hour I added another coat of the rub.  I had a pretty good size filet, big enough for 4 generous portions about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick.  The flovor was very nice, and it was tender, not dried out at all.  I served it with homemade ceasar salad.  Overall pretty good dishMisterBlack wrote: The brine was 2 TBS kosher salt to 1 cup water.The rub was something like this (not exact , as I eyeballed it):zest and juice from 2-3 limes1-2 TBS fresh thyme1 tsp black pepper1 tsp sea salt1-2 TBS olive oilI juiced 1/2  of a lemon and added 1 clove crushed garlic becuase I had it left over from the ceasar salad and I figured it would add some flavor.I got the salmon from a store close to where I live.  I live in Florida, and to my knowledge there is no natural or man made places to fish salmon here, so I'm not sure where it came from, but I know it was fresh.  The skin didn't seem to have an affect on the flavor.I did this over the weekend, very good!  G/f's step-dad said it was the best Salmon he had ever had.





I was pleasantly surprised with my rookie effort on the BGE yesterday with two racks of baby back ribs.  Again, what a great device, especially for indirect purposes. What was most surprising was my wife's appetite with them.  Normally she pick at a few ribs and that's all.  She was startled to be caught eating them right off the bone.  I think that's the most I've ever seen her eat (ribs).  Generally she's big into 'smoked' anything.

[Drew4UTk]

MarqHusker wrote: I was pleasantly surprised with my rookie effort on the BGE yesterday with two racks of baby back ribs.  Again, what a great device, especially for indirect purposes. What was most surprising was my wife's appetite with them.  Normally she pick at a few ribs and that's all.  She was startled to be caught eating them right off the bone.  I think that's the most I've ever seen her eat (ribs).  Generally she's big into 'smoked' anything.Hope it works well for you!  We should compare notes sometime.





BGE is a great and versatile cooker.





Whole  packers went on sale this week for $1.97/lb, so I picked up a couple.  One went in the deep freeze for later, and one is going on the smoker for Mother's Day.  Also got a few racks of St. Louis cut pork spare ribs.Makes me wonder how low beef prices will go this summer?  Usually the best sales are the week before Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day, when back in the old days before beef prices spiked, they'd go on sale for $.99/lb.Anyway, maybe one of these days I'll sign up for a web photo hosting site and post up some pictures of the goods.





your facebook page will host pics





I ain't linking my FB page to this joint.  





medinabuckeye1 wrote: Ahh, the Akorn. Yes, I actually do hear folks say that these are even better insulated than a clay kamado. And all that with two shells of steel with some foam insulation in between.Good cooker. If you're not already on it, check out Kamado Guru. Great place to learn about how to make the most of these wonderful contraptions.





bwarbiany wrote: Ahh, the Akorn. Yes, I actually do hear folks say that these are even better insulated than a clay kamado. And all that with two shells of steel with some foam insulation in between.Good cooker. If you're not already on it, check out Kamado Guru. Great place to learn about how to make the most of these wonderful contraptions.I've been very happy with the insulation so far, but I haven't tried cooking in winter yet.  A friend has a cheap, uninuslated one and he says it is completely useless in winter because the heat zones are so bad.  Thanks for the Kamado Guru link.  I looked around a bit and I'll get back there at home when I have more time.





I'm thinking when my Weber pukes, I'm getting one of those. Of course, when my Weber pukes, I might be in diapers. So probably not.





Topolobampo Mezcal Maragaritas(from Rick Bayless via the Washington Post) Ingredients   Coarse kosher salt, for garnish   6 to 10 ice cubes   1 1/2 ounces Wahaka Joven Espadín Mezcal (see headnote)   1/2 ounce Torres 10 Imperial Brandy Gran Reserva (see headnote)   2 1/2 ounces limonada (see NOTE)   3 dashes Peychaud's bitters   Lime wedge or wheel, for garnish    Directions  Wet the rim of a cocktail (martini) glass. Invert it onto a dish of coarse salt to coat the rim. Fill a cocktail shaker with the ice. Add the mezcal, brandy, limonada and bitters; seal and shake vigorously until frothy and cold; tiny ice crystals will appear in the drink after about 15 seconds of shaking. Strain into the glass. Garnish with the lime; serve right away. NOTE: To make the limonada, combine 1 cup of fresh lime juice, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water in a pitcher or glass container. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. The yield is about 2 3/4 cups.   * 847 NOTE: Fresh limes are key int this thing. I know it's a pain in the ass, but man, ya gotta do it.





takes a few limes to produce a cup of juice, but it's not that toughpatience





847badgerfan wrote: Topolobampo Mezcal Maragaritas(from Rick Bayless via the Washington Post)IngredientsCoarse kosher salt, for garnish6 to 10 ice cubes1 1/2 ounces Wahaka Joven Espadín Mezcal (see headnote)1/2 ounce Torres 10 Imperial Brandy Gran Reserva (see headnote)2 1/2 ounces limonada (see NOTE)3 dashes Peychaud's bittersLime wedge or wheel, for garnishDirectionsWet the rim of a cocktail (martini) glass. Invert it onto a dish of coarse salt to coat the rim.Fill a cocktail shaker with the ice. Add the mezcal, brandy, limonada and bitters; seal and shake vigorously until frothy and cold; tiny ice crystals will appear in the drink after about 15 seconds of shaking. Strain into the glass.Garnish with the lime; serve right away.NOTE: To make the limonada, combine 1 cup of fresh lime juice, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water in a pitcher or glass container. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. The yield is about 2 3/4 cups.* 847 NOTE: Fresh limes are key int this thing. I know it's a pain in the ass, but man, ya gotta do it.Lots of sugar, looks pretty girly to me. 





I made a batch on Sunday and cut the sugar in half. It worked fine, but I like tartness (as does my wife).





Tart is fine.  Originally margaritas were made with the juice of (key) limes only, no additional sugar added.   I like them that way, or with some sugar, but I definitely don't like them when they get too syrupy sweet.





I like upside down margaritas





What's not to like?  





I believe that pic is from a place in beloved Lubbock 





I did more than my fair share of that in South Padre, and Matamoros, Mexico.  Good times.





Good timesso many that I finally had to shut it downI still have 4 pour spouts in the cupboard if neededI assume it might be even better today with the advances of better tequila





My wife got me a KettlePizza topper for my grill to turn it into a pizza over.  Anyone used those before?





Nope.But I did BBQ a brisket and 3 racks of pork spare ribs over the 4th of July weekend.  Had just enough leftover to cube up and save for some brisket enchiladas this weekend.





I'm still fooling with it.  I'm trying to get temps in the 1000-1200 range but haven't gotten close to that yet.





How would you get the temps that high? Is that really even possible?





coal might get you to 1,000 degrees 





847badgerfan wrote: How would you get the temps that high? Is that really even possible?I've read things from people I trust that it is doable, but I can't confirm it yet.  But I still have a few tricks to play.





Wood fires can get up to 1600 degrees.  Oak can burn 900-1200 degrees.  Even in my offset,  I've had the furthest point of my main cooking chamber up to 600-700 degrees without really overloading the firebox.  That was with mesquite, I was intentionally burning it down to coals before cooking.





Smoking a few racks  of baby back ribs and some chicken today on the green egg,  its a hot one today, fortunately I get patio shade by 2 pm est.   Actually fighting to keep the temp down today beneath 275 for a little while.    I've tinkered and done 235, 275, 250,  I think there's a decent range in there where you can't mess things up, though in a perfect world, I'd keep it closer to 235.  Yes, I do a variation of the 2-2-1 on these racks.  Pretty doggone consistent work product.Best thing, is when the people get here, the work is all done, save warming up the cornbread.





you got gravy for that cornbread?





FearlessF wrote: you got gravy for that cornbread?Hmm, I'm intrigued, may I subscribe to your newsletter?No,  our friends brought the tasty cornbread.   The ribs were crushed, even by one of the kids.   Four kids all 7 and under and only one of them has the wits so far to take down some ribs.   We've got work to do with this generation.  I threaten to send my girls to Food Camp.  I've even got their cousins worried about trying exotic foods like cole slaw, summer sausage and grilled cheese sandwiches.   I may actually start this damn Food Camp myself.





hah, reminds me when my brother was about 7 years old, thought gravy was too greasy and put butter on our Grandma's cornbreadI was never like that.  Interestingly, my daughters enjoy all types of food and not afraid to try things.  It's more an attitude than anything





My kids love ribs.  And brisket.  And smoked chicken, turkey, and sausage.They're not too big on cornbread, not sure why.

[Drew4UTk]

I get being a bit picky, and loving your staples as a kid, but its getting to be a standstill with the 7 yr old.  She could/would eat peanut butter sandwiches, pancakes, bread, tacos and cheese pizza for a year straight and be happy with it.I think the only food I tend to avoid is tuna, and olives, but even then I'll eat certain presentations of it (rolls, generally raw only, I would never turn down a piece of Toro).  Never tuna salad.  I don't understand why I don't like olives, I love briny flavors and mediterranean food (plus sea urchin, oysters, olive oils).  No olives though.





I don't like olives either, not by themselves anyway.  I can take them in prepared methods, like tapenade served on sandwiches and the like, but never by themselves.I also loathe pickles.  I like pickled jalapeno, pickled carrots, pickled cabbage, but not pickled cucumbers.  I'm not a big fan of fresh cucumbers either, though.Other than that, I'll eat pretty much anything.But yeah, my kids are pretty picky too, at age 6 and 8, especially concerning vegetables.  The boy loves green beans, and the girl loves broccoli, but neither likes the other green vegetable.





I can't eat liver as just liver. But I like things like rumaki (bacon) and such. I like foie gras too, when prepared right.





Yeah, preparation makes all the difference in the world.   Liver and onions sounds like a perfect combination, what could go wrong?  Liver, and offal in general are particularly challenging, as if it doesn't fit just right for your palette it can kill the meal.   Of course the best way to do (or introduce)  liver is in Braunschweiger, or just liverwurst.





Yeah, liver pate is interesting I guess, but I need a good cracker, mustard and raw onion to make it good for my palette.  I need to get back to posting some recipes here. We all do, actually. I've got a few new ones I made this summer that I'll get posted soon.





I live olives in my beer





FearlessF wrote: I live olives in my beerWeirdo dirt farmer. 





MarqHusker wrote: Yeah, preparation makes all the difference in the world.   Liver and onions sounds like a perfect combination, what could go wrong?  Liver, and offal in general are particularly challenging, as if it doesn't fit just right for your palette it can kill the meal.   Of course the best way to do (or introduce)  liver is in Braunschweiger, or just liverwurst.What's the difference





847badgerfan wrote: Yeah, liver pate is interesting I guess, but I need a good cracker, mustard and raw onion to make it good for my palette.  Cindy got me liverwurst back in May.Toasted Pumpernickel or Rye w/brown mustard and raw onion is exactly how I had it.It was pretty damn good for a change of pace.Somewhere the old folks are salivating





utee94 wrote: FearlessF wrote: I live olives in my beerWeirdo dirt farmer. Bug eater - get it right





------------------------------------------------ MrNubbz wrote:MarqHusker wrote: Yeah, preparation makes all the difference in the world.   Liver and onions sounds like a perfect combination, what could go wrong?  Liver, and offal in general are particularly challenging, as if it doesn't fit just right for your palette it can kill the meal.   Of course the best way to do (or introduce)  liver is in Braunschweiger, or just liverwurst.What's the difference---------------------------------------------Braunschweiger is always smoked. Often spreadable and frequently has pork in it along w liver. Some ttimes I think bacon too.Liverwurst is in a casing typically sliceable.





MrNubbz wrote: 847badgerfan wrote: Yeah, liver pate is interesting I guess, but I need a good cracker, mustard and raw onion to make it good for my palette.  Cindy got me liverwurst back in May.Toasted Pumpernickel or Rye w/brown mustard and raw onion is exactly how I had it.It was pretty damn good for a change of pace.Somewhere the old folks are salivatingonce again, very good pared with BEERlike olives





Olives are gross.But beer is delicious.





I broke down and bought a pressure cooker on Amazon Prime day.  I don't use it much now, but as the weather cools down I anticipate making all my chili and many other stews and soups.  Anyone with good pressure cooker recipes?





pressure cookers are good for Longhorn beef from Texas...it's a joke, utee





But probably true.  Longhorn cattle are a tough and stringy breed.  I know several people that ranch them, but I don't know anyone that actually eats them!  I'm curious how/why you use a pressure cooker for chili?  The long cook time isn't just to break down the meat, but also to meld the flavors.  I can't comment from personal experience, but I'd worry that pressure cooking chili would skip some valuable melding time.Like other similar dishes, actually refrigerating overnight and consuming the next day tends to enhance chili's flavor.





For not so tender cuts of beef, this can be great.....http://pressurecookerconvert.com/pressure-cooker-smoky-swiss-steak/





utee94 wrote:But probably true.  Longhorn cattle are a tough and stringy breed.  I know several people that ranch them, but I don't know anyone that actually eats them!  I'm curious how/why you use a pressure cooker for chili?  The long cook time isn't just to break down the meat, but also to meld the flavors.  I can't comment from personal experience, but I'd worry that pressure cooking chili would skip some valuable melding time.Like other similar dishes, actually refrigerating overnight and consuming the next day tends to enhance chili's flavor.Cause I ain't all day. I like a five hour cook, but I doubt the differences are very obvious and I can get it out on a weeknight.  Also, pressure cookers do have a reputation for getting a little more flavor out of meat compared to slower cooks.





I've never used one of those things. For chili I use a cast iron skillet to brown the meats and then a crock pot to slow-cook the mixture, usually for 12-15 hours, on low. Most of the cooking happens while I'm sleeping.





KFC Original Recipe, from the Chicago Tribune.





ground ginger is probably the only spice that throws me off.I wonder if  'oregino'  is simply a misspelling or something else?





The Trib chalked that up to spelling error.





847badgerfan wrote: I've never used one of those things. For chili I use a cast iron skillet to brown the meats and then a crock pot to slow-cook the mixture, usually for 12-15 hours, on low. Most of the cooking happens while I'm sleeping.You should get one.  I'm finding it pretty awesome for breaking down chuck roast quickly into a variety of things, taco fillings, pot roast, that sort of thing.  I've heard they are awesome for getting flavor out of bones, too, but I haven't gone that route yet.





Sounds interesting, but are they really as effective as a long cook in extracting/building flavors? That would be the key to me.Had a great Osso Buco they other day that I'm going to try and replicate. Seems like that might be a way to do it, as opposed to a long cook?





847badgerfan wrote: Sounds interesting, but are they really as effective as a long cook in extracting/building flavors? That would be the key to me.Had a great Osso Buco they other day that I'm going to try and replicate. Seems like that might be a way to do it, as opposed to a long cook?http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/01/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-make-stock-in-a-pressure-cooker-slow-cooker.html





847badgerfan wrote: I've never used one of those things. For chili I use a cast iron skillet to brown the meats and then a crock pot to slow-cook the mixture, usually for 12-15 hours, on low. Most of the cooking happens while I'm sleeping.15 hours?mine takes 3 hours





I use some ground beef, chorizo, fresh onion, fresh garlic and fresh peppers in my chili. After the 12-15 hour cook, all those things are completely broken down and invisible. All that's left is the cubed steak meat variety. The rest is a nice, thick and flavorful gravy.It's how it's done.





utee94 wrote: I don't like olives either, not by themselves anyway. They go great in chili w/beans





847badgerfan wrote: I use some ground beef, chorizo, fresh onion, fresh garlic and fresh peppers in my chili. After the 12-15 hour cook, all those things are completely broken down and invisible. All that's left is the cubed steak meat variety. The rest is a nice, thick and flavorful gravy.It's how it's done.I'm sure this tastes great but how much nutrients are left in the vegetable content after the meat has been cooked to perfection?Taking care of this Adonis like earthly vessel is a priority of mine





847badgerfan wrote: I use some ground beef, chorizo, fresh onion, fresh garlic and fresh peppers in my chili. After the 12-15 hour cook, all those things are completely broken down and invisible. All that's left is the cubed steak meat variety. The rest is a nice, thick and flavorful gravy.It's how it's done.you got that right - meat with good spicy gravymy cubed Tri-tip is cooked and tender after 3 hours and the chopped onion, garlic, & peppers are gravycrock pot on high - a nice 7 bubble simmerI could see 5 or 6 hours, 15 just seems too long, but it must work very well, because I know how the food you cook tastes 

[Drew4UTk]

I grilled quesadillas in the pizza oven for Labor day.  They turned out ok.  Not as good as ones in the skillet, but all right.





I think the tortillas in a quesadilla require the skillet to achieve proper texture and crispiness. Oh, and my chili usually goes for 8 hours or so.





Speaking of using Skillets.   My favorite breakfast for dinner dish (or anytime for that matter).This is often a great empty the refrigerator dish, and works for all kinds of substitute ingredients, so don't take this as the only way to make it.Frittata (w/ bacon)10-12 eggs8 slices bacon2 shallotsa large bunch of 'greens'1 cup of cheese (parm or asiago)1 container of ricotta (full fat, maybe 12-16 oz)preheat oven , I do 350 degrees.Cook/fry some bacon (about 6-8 strips), save a few tablespoons of the bacon fat.   Let bacon dry on towels, eventually break it into 1/2 inch or so pieces.Slice a bunch of shallots really thin (about a cup maybe) and saute them using about a tablespoon of bacon fat in a big skillet (something that can go into the oven, such as All-Clad, or an iron skillet.  Saute on medium for about 4-5 min.A whole bunch of greens, really any kind (spinach, mustard greens, kale if you are so inclined, chard, whatever)  rough chop those, after you clean them of course.Take 1/2 of the greens and add them to your sautéed shallots until they wilt after a minute or so, add the rest of the greens and add them to this skillet and stir (toss in pinch of kosher salt now), and let them wilt and basically dry out, this takes about 10 minutes.    Put them onto a plate and they will cool a bit.   Wipe you your skillet, doesn't need to be totally cleaned out.Whisk a lot of eggs (10-12 is norm) in a big bowl.  Add 2/3 or 3/4 cup of parmesan or asiago, cheese, the wilted greens/shallots and 1/2 the bacon pieces.   I might pinch kosher salt here too.   Stir in some ricotta cheese (I use about 3/4 of a 16 ounce container.  It need not be perfectly blended in, Put another tablespoon of that reserved bacon fat back into your skillet, heat it at medium again.  Pour your egg mixture in the skillet.  Sprinkle the rest of bacon and your remaining greens on top.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until the eggs begin to set in the skillet on the edges.Into the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until the whole thing has set.   Remove from oven.  Use silicon or soft spatula to loosen frittata on the edges and slide it out onto a platter.  I let it rest for a solid 10 minutes, before cutting into pizza slices.Tasty for dinner or breakfast, left overs good too.  Add Crystal hot sauce for fun, I do.





That looks good.We do some of that here at the harbor on Sundays, except we use a grill. 18 eggs and a whole bunch of leftover meats and veggies. Works out really good in a foil pan too.





utee94 wrote: Oh, and my chili usually goes for 8 hours or so.sure, but you use that tough longhorn beef that needs time to soften 





NOBODY eats that stuff, man. We do, however, keep Longhorns as pets.  





Well, I knew that Hooky Hornstein had a few of them as pets in the yardI figured as a tax break





FearlessF wrote: Well, I knew that Hooky Hornstein had a few of them as pets in the yardI figured as a tax breakYup, you can get an agricultural exemption depending on various circumstances.  Lots of people have "ranches" that are actually deer/dove leases.  





deer in Iowa taste good





I like venison chili.





I love venison chops, cut from the loin, on the grill





Great day to use the pressure cooker.  Made some black bean soup that turned out well.  All measurements are estimates as I used no measuring devices.3 cans black beans with liquid3 links garlic smoked sausage (I bought CostCo's version)1 onion, chopped3 cloves garlic, minced1 cup chicken stock (I used CostCo's organic)1 Tbsp chili powder1 Tbsp ground cumin2 teaspoons oregano1/8 cup apple cider vinegar2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon ground pepper1 teaspoon fish sauceI put it on 30 minutes, and it came out wonderful.





Man, that sounds right up my alley.fish sauce.  very intriguing.   Do you do any searing or char on the sausage?





MarqHusker wrote: Man, that sounds right up my alley.fish sauce.  very intriguing.   Do you do any searing or char on the sausage?I did not, though certainly that could add something good. Cooking has been a challenge since I'm usually also watching three girls, so I tend to try things really easy lately.





I'm going to try that one.





yep, almost soup season





Did someone say soup weather?Although, it was about 90 degrees here in SoCal, but I decided to simmer beef broth for 6 hours and make pho.Used this recipe from Serious Eats, although I used filet rather than flank as the tender meat, along with sliced brisket from the simmer steps on the stock.





Looks good, I'd eat it.  I've made it a few times myself, using that recipe and and couple of others.  But I still can't get it to be anywhere near as good as my favorite place in town-- their broth is simply off the charts unbelievable.





man, it's lunch time here too 





I like to make pho. Very time consuming, but the end game is worth it.





bwarbiany wrote: Did someone say soup weather?Although, it was about 90 degrees here in SoCal, but I decided to simmer beef broth for 6 hours and make pho.Used this recipe from Serious Eats, although I used filet rather than flank as the tender meat, along with sliced brisket from the simmer steps on the stock.Where do you get beef shin?





MaximumSam wrote: bwarbiany wrote: Did someone say soup weather?Although, it was about 90 degrees here in SoCal, but I decided to simmer beef broth for 6 hours and make pho.Used this recipe from Serious Eats, although I used filet rather than flank as the tender meat, along with sliced brisket from the simmer steps on the stock.Where do you get beef shin?I changed the recipe a bit... I doubled the oxtail to replace the beef shin, and used 2# brisket instead of 1# chuck and 1# brisket. Here in SoCal, we have excellent Asian markets... But even so, I couldn't find beef shin.





Regular supermarkets here carry beef shank (shin is part of the shank), but beyond that, Mexican carnicerias should have it pretty much everywhere?  I'm surprised you couldn't find it in SoCal.





utee94 wrote: Regular supermarkets here carry beef shank (shin is part of the shank), but beyond that, Mexican carnicerias should have it pretty much everywhere?  I'm surprised you couldn't find it in SoCal.Admittedly, I didn't search that hard... It's beef broth. Substitutions aren't *that* meaningful.But I was at the Asian market, and didn't find it there. I didn't think of the Mexican market... Or the Persian market... I'll probably do more research when the time comes that I do a 5 gallon stock batch for freezing though.





Yeah, oxtail is plenty good enough.  But like anything, the more variety you have, the more complexity you can introduce.Like I said before, I've made pho several times, and it turned out tasty, but just not anywhere close to my favorite local place, which has by far the best broth I've ever had anywhere-- and that includes Vietnamese places in the Bay Area, the LA area, Houston (which has a very large Vietnamese population), and above all of those, in France, where Vietnamese food is simply unbelievable.   Except, not as good as this one place in Austin.  And since that place is so good, I finally stopped trying to make it myself, and just go there.  You know, I never thought of it, but I bet they could just sell me their broth by the gallon or something...





Live oak will prolly roll out a Oxtail Saison or sumsuch





MrNubbz wrote: Live oak will prolly roll out a Oxtail Saison or sumsuchOne can only hope!Had plenty of their Oktoberfest this week, which is delicious.





I'm smoking a turkey tonight for my family's early Thanksgiving on Thursday.  I'll see how it goes!





I've got some prime rib hanging out in the fridge.  Just having my wife's dad over for Thanksgiving so I shelled out for something good





I'm doing Alton Brown's Good Eats Roast Turkey for Thursday.

[Drew4UTk]

I intended to use that recipe this year as you had suggested, but the future son-in-law is deep frying a turkey in peanut oilnot about to tell him he can't cook for mehe's a lifelong Husker fan!





We BBQ a turkey, and deep-fry one, every year.  I typically do the BBQ and my dad and brother take care of the deep frying.  So good!





847badgerfan wrote: I'm doing Alton Brown's Good Eats Roast Turkey for Thursday.Same, well kinda. We'll be using the cooking method and aromatics from Alton Brown's Good Eats Roast Turkey, but using a dry brine instead of a wet one. This one here specifically: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/dry-brined-turkey-with-classic-herb-butter-recipe.html





I pressure cooked some ribs.  I put them in for 30 minutes and I think they were too tender.  Would probably do 20 minutes next time.  I didn't really season them - some salt and Baby Rays and some chicken stock.





Took a stab at making cajeta - a caramel sauce made with goat's milk.  I took the easiest possible path - a quart of goat's milk, a cup of sugar, a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and an 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt.  Put in pot over medium heat and occasionally stir until brown, thick, and delicious.  When you stir and can see the bottom of the pan, it is about done.  Rick Bayless recommends putting a cinnamon stick in there.  I had no cinnamon stick, so that was a no go.  I've also seen recipes with a vanilla bean.  In any event, it came out pretty delicious.  The goats milk certainly adds a dimension that regular caramel sauce doesn't quite have.





So some yahoo left a can of beautiful oysters in my fridge last Friday night ,  I need to find something good to do with these suckers.  Any ideas?





MaximumSam wrote: Took a stab at making cajeta - a caramel sauce made with goat's milk. I took the easiest possible path - a quart of goat's milk, a cup of sugar, a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and an 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt. Put in pot over medium heat and occasionally stir until brown, thick, and delicious. When you stir and can see the bottom of the pan, it is about done. Rick Bayless recommends putting a cinnamon stick in there. I had no cinnamon stick, so that was a no go. I've also seen recipes with a vanilla bean. In any event, it came out pretty delicious. The goats milk certainly adds a dimension that regular caramel sauce doesn't quite have.Sounds awesome, I'd try that.  And I'd skip the cinnamon anyway, but the vanilla bean sounds like a good addition.





utee94 wrote: MaximumSam wrote: Took a stab at making cajeta - a caramel sauce made with goat's milk. I took the easiest possible path - a quart of goat's milk, a cup of sugar, a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and an 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt. Put in pot over medium heat and occasionally stir until brown, thick, and delicious. When you stir and can see the bottom of the pan, it is about done. Rick Bayless recommends putting a cinnamon stick in there. I had no cinnamon stick, so that was a no go. I've also seen recipes with a vanilla bean. In any event, it came out pretty delicious. The goats milk certainly adds a dimension that regular caramel sauce doesn't quite have.Sounds awesome, I'd try that.  And I'd skip the cinnamon anyway, but the vanilla bean sounds like a good addition.I recommend it - ridiculously easy.  The local grocery sold the goat's milk - I've read using the ultra-pasteurized version is better as it is less clumpy.





 MarqHusker wrote: So some yahoo left a can of beautiful oysters in my fridge last Friday night ,  I need to find something good to do with these suckers.  Any ideas? Eat 'em!





847badgerfan wrote: MarqHusker wrote: So some yahoo left a can of beautiful oysters in my fridge last Friday night ,  I need to find something good to do with these suckers.  Any ideas?Eat 'em!





MaximumSam wrote: Took a stab at making cajeta - a caramel sauce made with goat's milk. I took the easiest possible path - a quart of goat's milk, a cup of sugar, a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and an 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt. Put in pot over medium heat and occasionally stir until brown, thick, and delicious. When you stir and can see the bottom of the pan, it is about done. Rick Bayless recommends putting a cinnamon stick in there. I had no cinnamon stick, so that was a no go. I've also seen recipes with a vanilla bean. In any event, it came out pretty delicious. The goats milk certainly adds a dimension that regular caramel sauce doesn't quite have.I love cajeta. In Mexico the Starbucks' even offer cajeta frappicinos which IMO are far superior to their caramel counterpart.





Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup - Recipe





2 pounds of beef?  perfect!





Decided to eschew the green egg today for my Boston Butt (pork shoulder) and do an oldie but goodie, slow roast.  This gives you the chance to make some cracklins.  Take the 4 lb butt and score the fat cap, rub it with kosher salt, roast it at a high heat for a short while, foil it, bring the heat down and roast it for about four hours.   Add some aromatics to the roasting pan, return the roast to the pan to finish, and then make a gravy out of the jus.Pull the pork, mmm, mmm.  I'm sure my kids will sauce it up tonight, but it won't need it with the gravy.   The cracklins are just sublime.





I'm going to be using one of those to make Carnitas this weekend. I'm doing a slightly different approach to them in that I'm not going to braise them in fat, but rather put some smoke on them, then slow roast, then deep fry to crisp.I'm going to use a garlic sauce to finish them.





Yeah, that won't be any good.  slow roasts give you the best base for sauces you could ever ask for.  A lot less burnt bits, versus the brown bits, much easier to deglaze.





I'm winging in the green egg today w a 3.5lb chuck roast.  I think I'll finish inside in the oven w the veggies potatoes , stock and red wine, herbage. 100% improv.





Damn nice payoff today, even if the potatoes and carrots were way past doneness. Got egg fired to 400ish, seared the 3.5 lb english style chuck roast, dry rubbed, I use yellow mustard as base, and then my english roast rub for about 6minutes a side, inserted the ceramic plate for indirect, pulled back throttle on egg to barely 300 and left the roast for a few hours while I went for a hike w the kids. Pulled the roast at 160 degrees internal, oiled the la creuset dutch oven and put the roast inside on medium heat to sizzle and leave the browned bits in bottom for a few minutes,  remove roast,  sweated a whole diced onion and an entire garlic clove, deglazed with 1/2 a bottle of red wine and about 3 1/2 cups of beef stock, added rosemary/thyme sprigs and returned roast to the dutch oven and into the oven at 350 degrees.   Once roast was at 180 ish I added the carrots, red potatoes (quartered) and a cup of celery.  The only rule I had on this was as always to take the roast to about 202-204, the best temp to get it to where you can pull it apart with little fuss.   It took longer than an hour to get those final 20 degrees or so, thus the carrots and potatoes were way too soft.   Oh well.   Pull the dutch oven out, transfer roast to a aluminum sheet  tray (the kind Badge and i love) and separate the veggies into its own serving pan (covered in foil).  Strain the liquid into a large vessel (you're gonna get 3 cups or so).  While the fat separates, clean up your work station, while the meat rests, then either have somebody pull your beef apart, or have them make the gravy, or just make the gravy and pull the beef later yourself.   Make a roux, 2tbl butter, 4 tbl flour, melt butter add flour and whisk continuously until you have your nutty roux, then, I add my liquid gradually over medium heat, whisking constantly,  and salt/pepper to taste.  This stuff is luxurious gravy, one of the best gravies I've ever made.   Pretty good bark on the meat, and chuck roast has very little fat within the meat, so yeah, it isn't going to be as juicy and succulent as a good brisket, but it really retained moisture pretty well and takes a gravy better than any meat IMO.   Since my kids suck at eating  stuff like this, I'll have some good leftovers all week, so long as I have the gravy.  





nice workI ate a bit too well on the trip to Texas last weekneed to refrain from large meals for a week

[betarhoalphadelta]

Just made this on Sunday

Garlic Beef and Veggie Ramen

I first noticed when I read the instructions something strange... "That don't look like no soup!"

And it's true. We think of ramen, we think of soup. This is more of a stir-fried noodle dish using ramen noodles.

But it's freakin' delicious, and actually very, very easy.

[847badgerfan]

I added the index from the old site. At least that way we can know what is in here.

[utee94]

You are el hombre.

[847badgerfan]

This was a recipe from BuckeyeCMO.


BUCKEYECMO's ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS


2lbs hot Italian sausage
2 large red peppers
2 large yellow peppers
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
28oz can of chopped tomatoes
1/2cup of marsala cooking wine
1tsp. of oregano
fresh basil
1/2tsp. of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of olive oil


I cut up all of the vegetables the night before, so as to eliminate as much prep work as possible. This recipe really only is convenient if you have a large grill. I cook the sausage on the grill just like anything else, and then set it aside and cut it into bite size pieces. Take the peppers, onions and garlic which should already be cut from the night before and wrap it all in aluminum foil with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook the veggies on the grill until all are almost done. Add the sausage, the peppers/onions mixture and all of the remaining ingredients to a larger pot and let simmer on the grill until the sauce thickens and the flavors mix together. Serve either on hoagie buns or as a side.

[fezzador]

My wife makes some pretty tasty pizza sticks.  I never tried making them myself, but I think all that's needed to make them is a can of Pillsbury pizza crust, a jar of marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese sticks, and (optional) garlic butter and pepperoni.  She would wrap up the cheese sticks and pepperoni slices in dough rectangles (roughly 5" x 3"), put some garlic butter on them, and put them in the oven at 450 for about 10 minutes.

The marinara can be used as a dipping sauce, or placed in the wrap.

[ELA]

French Onion Soup
2 1/2 lbs yellow onion
3 tbs butter
1 tbs canola oil
little bit of sugar, salt and pepper
2 cups red wine
8 cups beef stockbay leaf
6 slices of course bread
3 cups gruyere cheese

Melt the butter in a pot and add sliced onions, sugar, salt and pepper over mid-low heat til carmelized.

Add the wine and incread heat to mid-high til half the wine is cooked off

Add the bay leaf and beef stock, lower heat and simmer for 35-45 minutes

Toast the bread in the over for 8-10 minutes and 400 degrees, turning halfway through

Add the soup to bowls, removing the bay leaf.Put one piece of the bread in each bowl and cover with about a half cup of the cheese

Bake for about 12 minutes, but keep an eye on it, you want the cheese fully melted but not burned and the toast becomes lightly browned, again not burned.





Great recipes!





Looks good Adam. Let me know how it turns out with the red wine. I always use Cognac. I also put garlic in with the onions in step one.My guests loved it last night. What a coincidence you went to a farmer's market like me yesterday, 1000 miles apart!

So I've been hankering for french onion soup, and I'm going with this one I made a couple years ago.  Perhaps with badges suggestion though.  Any others with thoughts

[847badgerfan]

4 Vidalia and 4 Red. Two cloves of garlic. Chopped thyme. Cognac. Beef stock. Toasted French bread. Gruyere. Broiler.

Save some Cognac for drinking.

[ELA]

64 as a high and rain all day tomorrow too, easier to get into to soup on a day like that than your typical opening weekend.

Love it.  I think every fall Saturday should have a low of 35 a high of 55, with rain maybe about 1/3 of the time.