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col klink

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by col klink

  1. My turducken was for a party too, it made for a lot of interesting conversations in both the weeks before and after the party. I smoked all 19 pounds of it over alder for 5 hours at roughly 225. My smoker is a standard offset smoker. It's hard to see, but behind the turducken is a whole brisket that smoked for 13 hours: I pulled the turducken off when the chicken hit 155 at which point, thanks to the brining, the turkey was only 165. I served it with a smoked goose and turkey gravy made from stock leftover from Thanksgiving. The next time I smoke a turducken, it will be with a stronger wood. Since the cavity is closed up, the turkey doesn't get as smokey as if it was unstuffed and you loose flavor that way. I'd at least use maple or if I can find some, mesquite or hickory. But those are tougher to find whole in Seattle!
  2. On my latest foray into kielbasadom, I know what it’s supposed to taste like and I know it’s supposed to feel in your mouth and all I have left to do is figure out how to get from bulk cuts of meat to one of the best sausages in the world. I’ve also decided that samples will be given to the eGullet public at large for which I’m very grateful to for providing an audience. In my last diaries there were a couple of steps that I left out pictures for so I thought I’d introduce them here. For instance, hog casings have to be reconstituted and rinsed before you can stuff them (sorry about some of these pictures, the camera isn’t exactly fool proof): The results of this excursion I’m pretty happy with, although I’m still spending far too much time setting up and taking down all of the equipment. For instance, it took me 45 minutes to shuck 7 heads of garlic by hand. Luckily I bought one of those Black and Decker small food processors so it hardly took any time at all to mince everything up. That little guy has already paid for itself. Next time, depending on the size of the batch, I’m seriously considering buying pre-shucked garlic and hopefully the result will be just as good. Another problem I ran into was forgetting that I didn’t have enough hog casings. Two out of three times I’ve made kielbasa I’ve run out of casing and that really bothers me. In another case of absent mindedness, when I ground the back fat I used a fine grinding plate and I forgot to change back to the coarse plate before I started grinding the pork and the beef! Luckily the new stuffer just stuffs and doesn’t grind like the Kitchen Aid that my buddy lent me and the final texture wasn’t too bad, just not chewy enough. And yes I know, the grinding kit comes with a plastic blade that you use to stuff sausages so you don’t grind them again, but it’s missing. Maybe this absentmindedness is due to what’s in the foreground? For the most part the new stuffer worked better than I had expected. I knew that there would be a pretty decent chance that some meat would leak around the edges of the piston. I lost a lot of meat this way the first night because the meat wasn’t as cold as it could have been. When I went back and stuffed the rest Tuesday morning (I would’ve done it Monday, but I was pretty hung over from the Super Bowl party I went to and therefore somewhat lackadaisical), the meat was thoroughly chilled and I hardly lost any at all around the edges. What I like most about the stuffer is that it is feasible for one person to stuff alone. Now if only I could mount it on something it would be even easier to use, oh and have a more ergonomic handle. Your hand gets pretty sore if you don’t use a towel. Because of the grind plate snafu, the texture is finer than I wanted. This doesn’t mean it isn’t kielbasa; it just means it’s not authentic as it could be. And folks, I’m still working on consistency issues. The sausage I cased the first night weren’t as tightly packed as they should have been and so some of them suffered from fat rendering out and moving to outside of the link. This was partly because the meat wasn’t as cold as possible and also it was my first attempt at using the device and still figuring out the best way to do things. This was remedied in the second stuffing. I’m pretty happy with the taste of the kielbasa. I used more pepper than last time (I didn’t have enough and had to shop for more, also lengthening the process) but I think I can cut back a little on it though. I cut back on the garlic from last time but I’ll increase it for the next batch. Though the previous batch was too garlicky, that garlic wasn’t as finely minced as this time; you’d get huge blasts of overpowering garlic instead of a strong baseline of garlic that is supposed to be in kielbasa. I also think the smoking level is just about right, although I would like to get them smokier but that will be difficult without a completely different smoker. Here’s all sixteen (yes only sixteen!) pounds of smoked kielbasa: I probably shouldn’t be mentioning this since it really doesn’t have a place in the world of kielbasa, but this was so good I just had to. I bought four half-shoulder roasts for the kielbasa but they had bones and skin. Now I didn’t put any of the skin in the kielbasa (maybe I will sometime as an experiment) but I did brine them and after I finished smoking the kielbasa, I put the skins, a brisket (for Jason) and a trout (for dinner) on the smoker to finish off the evening. Despite spending over 45 minutes on the smoker, the trout didn’t pick up the smoke as much as I would’ve liked but that didn’t bother me, as it was an experiment. On the other hand, the experiment with the pork skins did pan out and I can say WOW! Those were GM Chrysler good! I know it’s sounds disgusting to eat straight pork fat, but until you’ve tried real smoked pork, AND its respective smoked fat, you just don’t know what heaven can be. It was at this moment, that I realized that smoked animal fat just might be the best fat in the world. If you’ve had good smoked brisket and not the lean stuff, than you have an idea of how divine smoked fat can be. I remember the first time I truly understood what good brisket was; I sat down with a whole mess of brisket on butcher paper and I noticed that fat on the outside edge and thinking, uh, no, that’s not for me. I’ve always been told that fat is bad for you. But for some reason I was overcome by the situation and I thought “what the hell?” I ate some and it was an epiphany! I realized then and there that brisket is nothing without the fat because that’s where the smokiness and most of the flavor is. The closest non-smoking experience I can think of is biting into a roasted duck. You break the crunchy exterior and there’s a gush of fat that melts in your mouth and rushes everywhere it can. It’s then you realize why you eat meat. These luxurious lipids coat every portion of your mouth and reach down inside you and say “despite everything happening in the world, you are happy.” This is where you realize that somebody on this Earth hasn’t known the extreme pleasure that I know, and I must spread the Gospel. Despite how good roasted duck is it’s still not as good as smoked duck fat. The main reason for recidivism for vegetarians is bacon and there’s two reasons why. Bacon comes from a pig, and bacon is smoked. This isn’t a loin (a highly overrated cut), nor is it a ham, bacon is about pork fat smoked hours on end. Don’t get me wrong, the best roasted duck has skin that everyone must try at some point but it doesn’t compare to unprocessed pork fat smoked until it loses most of its structural integrity. Ever think, “why this is a fantastic vegetarian dish” only to think, “it could be even better if had bacon?” Smoked fat provides to the palate an omnipresence that no vegetable fat or even non-smoked fat can. But is this true? I recently bought a whole duck and instead of smoking it, I decided to quarter it and render all of the excess skin. The duck fat is wonderful and made for some of the best roasted potatoes I’ve ever had but it doesn’t quite hit the mouth like smoked duck fat. All last night and this morning I’ve been wondering why smoke works the way it does and now I’m on a quest to figure out if it can be bested. I’m going to experiment with several fats both smoked and non-smoked and do taste comparisons. This is where I need your help; please tell me what are your favorite fats to eat and cook with because I would truly like to know if there’s something better than smoked animal fat. My first experiment is with the pork skins that smoked for 4 hours. I’m currently rendering the fat in my skillet and I’ll do a comparison between taters roasted with duck fat and taters roasted with smoked pork fat. My plan is to do a “Battle of the Fats” to see who is the victor! So far I’m planning to eventually include the major poultries: chicken, turkey, duck and goose then work with the red meats like beef and lamb. Then I’ll move on to fatty fish like salmon and mackerel. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn of some exotic game that has incredible flavor, but I’m looking for the fat that most people can get through their supermarket. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t given up on kielbasa, not even in the slightest, but my quest for learning meat will never end. << Previous Installment
  3. Amanda, I'd just like to thank you for writing the turducken article. It inspired a friend of mine to demand that I smoke one and it was a lot of fun. I likened it to the meat version of a three-tiered cake. Here's a cross-section: I took pictures throughout the whole process but I save you and everyone else the sight of the untrussed birds!
  4. Crock Pots are great! Just ask Jaymes, she has some great recipes for it.
  5. col klink

    Sugar!

    Nightscotsman, some day I will have some semblance of the experience upon which you draw. And I'm saying this now, before you go to school!
  6. col klink

    Superbowl Food

    For the Super Bowl I brought over some freshly smoked kielbasa to my buddy's house and I got drunk! edit: the kielbasa was enjoyed by all.
  7. You guys aren't the only one who remebered either! I was with Mamster at Uwajimaya when he bought everything. Unfortunately for me though, I was there buying 30 lbs of meat and fat to make kielbasa so I didn't have time to do the basket.
  8. I don't know about cooking from scratch in plastic bags, but on several occasions I've vacuum sealed bbq, froze it (or not) and reheated it in the very same bags via boiling in water and microwave and they come out at least 85% - 90% as good as when I took them off the smoker. I highly recomend getting a vacuum sealer.
  9. Let alone smoke them!!!!! Both Batgrrrl and I were still a little hungover from the Super Bowl and were hardly ready to even put forth a 1/4 assed effort.
  10. D'oh! I accidently erased that last image. Here it is again: Later on tonight (or tomorrow morning), I will post the next installment! All of the next batch is smoked and I'm quite happy with them! They aren't fully authentic, but I'd say they're 90% there.
  11. Good ideas NSM!
  12. Sweet! Can I help out in any way?
  13. This doesn't have anything to do with the upcoming dinner, but last night I roasted two Cornish game hens and had really good crispy skin. For some reason since these birds are smaller than standard hens, I didn't feel right roasting at 500 and instead I roasted at 450. Next time I'll roast at 500. They were pretty tasty and I didn't even brine them!
  14. Last night I just happened to have a couple of FOG's whilst making kielbasa (sorry about the blurriness, it's tough to get the lighting and timing right and have the orange flames show up): I can't wait until I run out of my current Falernum because I'm going to try both 1:1 and 1:2 marinated rum to 1:1 simple syrup instead 1:4. It just seems that more alcohol is needed to represent myself and the other dedicated drinkers on eGullet.
  15. Nuts! I thought they were Tweety and Kitty flavored. Oh well, guess you can't win 'em all.
  16. col klink

    Chili con Carne

    Lots of cheese and sour cream. Have milk available for your guests or get them completely drunk first!
  17. col klink

    Pulled Pork

    How did it go Stone?
  18. col klink

    Pulled Pork

    Thanks for reminding me Snow, since the my meat thermometer has a timer on it it's easy for me to forget. I don't use the time to watch the meat but I do use it to remind me to check the fire. The timer is useful, but I think that (alcoholic) drinks are more so. Stone, since your butt is only 4.5 pounds 6 hours at 225F will be just fine. An internal temp of 190 to 210 should give you pulled pork; just test it with the fork method to be sure. If it isn't quite there yet, just let it go longer and get another beer! As for saving the drippings it's a waste of time. All that's going to happen is the drippings will crust on the pyrex and you'll be left with a big mess. In an oven it makes more sense because the heat from below isn't that intense, but when you put a drip pan over coals it's a different story. You've probably already put it in but don't fear. After one use it shouldn't be that difficult to clean. Next time get a tin pan and save yourself a hassle. Theoretically you can save the drippings if you put water in the pan, that way the drippings are caught and not burnt off. However, if you don't want to reduce a half gallon of water just to get to drippings after you've pulled the pork off, you'll have to constantly leave just enough water in the tray and that would be too much trouble. Anyway, you should be putting water in the tray to help stabilize the temperature and reduce the stress on your drip pan. When you switch to tin pans (and you should), if you don't add water, the coals will burn holes and you've lost your drip pan. edit: I hope it's going well!
  19. I picked up a baguette at the bakery too, only $1.50 and quite tasty.
  20. Miss J, I'd love to try the smoky bacon and beef & mustard sometime. I'm not sure I'd like it Charlene (I could, I do like Marmite), but the bovril sounds like something I have to try before I die!
  21. Isn't there always a long story for every wedding?
  22. Sweet! I was really impressed at the restaurant. They have some interesting dishes and very nice presentation and the price is absolutely perfect. Parking was a pain but it's difficult to park anywhere near Broadway. I had the pork tenderloin cooked medium rare which is the how it's normally served (the other two tenderloins that were ordered were medium). I wholeheartedly applaud Square One for serving their pork at the perfect temperature and not copping out to the USDA or popular opinion. I also ordered the Mexican inspired soup which had the consistency of a fine salsa though not as spicy. It was topped with a tortilla chip filled with a guacamole. It wasn't bad but the way everyone was gushing about the hot and sour soup being orgasmic, I felt left out.
  23. Thanks torakris! I actually forgot about another bag of chips that I believe were from Japan that were okonomyaki (sp?) flavored. They pretty much tasted like mayonaise.
  24. I recently had the great pleasure to visit the insanely gorgeous interior of British Columbia. Unfortunately all of the vineyards are closed for the season (in July I took over 4 cases back with me) but luckily the grocery stores are open which means I get to buy flavors of potato chips that you can't get in the States like "Roasted Chicken" and "All Dressed." This gets me very excited because I usually don't crave the domestic chips (or "crisps") as I find them boring. Ranch, cheese, salt and pepper, dill and sour cream and chives do nothing for me. Kettle cooked sea salt and vinegar I like, but don't *need.* Likewise the same style in jalapeno. However, when I’m in Great White North, all bets are off and I go to town. Last weekend, still high on great potato chips, I went to the International District (ID) of Seattle and bought a whole bunch of chips that I’ve never tried before. Here’s the first one: In my explorations of the ID I’ve found that there are several types of fried snacks based on seafood flavors. I first tried some shrimp chips last summer and was completely surprised to find out they were shrimp flavored or even flavored at all. I had hope for the Crab Chips. Alas, they tasted more of the fried and puffed starch than anything else and the good people who make these chips save millions each year by not allowing flavor into their no-doubt well selling products. The other set of chips I picked up were the Pizza Chips shown below: These are easily the WORST chips ever made. They smell of old gym socks. It’s a very disturbing aroma to come out of a bag of chips that you’re planning on eating, but luckily they don’t taste as bad as they smell. Just don’t plan on tasting anything like pizza. The bag actually labels what the different flavor crystals are supposed to taste like: “vegatable, gouda cheese and chedder cheese.” Had I noticed these “flavors” I most assuredly would not have purchased them. These potato chips are so detestable it is the reason why I wrote this little report. But don’t fear I have yet to get to the good stuff and I’ll start off with the best, Rave “Xtra Salt & Vinegar, flavoured Potato Chips,” shown below: These chips are the pinnacle of chipdom, they took the best flavor (I’ve tasted so far) and improved upon it by launching an acid and salt attack. What makes these better than standard salt and vinegar or even the upscale sea salt and vinegar chips? You can eat just a couple without going through the whole bag! It’s physically impossible for anyone except a masochist to polish off a whole bag in one sitting. You’d be lucky to take in 10 to 15 chips in and not pucker up. I will grant that it is possible to improve on these chips by doing a kettle version with thick and hearty chips instead of the standard Lay’s texture, but with so much flavor in every bite it’s very hard to complain. Another fun bag of chips is the roasted chicken flavor by the same brand. They have the same texture as the extra salt and vinegar but they’re dressed with chicken bouillon! It’s a little weird to get over the first time but they are delightful in their own way and you find yourself craving them more and more. So does anyone else have odd or strange potato chips they enjoy or detest? I’ve recently heard of a British chips flavored, excuse me, flavoured with a cheese (I’m not sure which) and Burgundy wine. So how about it?
  25. I'd thought I'd add a new novelty for me: Though I've only tried "For Skinfresh." Because of the packing though, it doesn't read that way.
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