lancastermike
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Posts posted by lancastermike
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I hope you can find it Katie. My asking the guy for it just after he got it is one of those priceless moments. It does go wonderfuly with bourbon. I know you will like it.
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Good news, just ate the butt i made today, 13 hours on WSM, 1 hour rest
Good news, I got the digital camera to work!!
Bad new, can't find the #%*&! USB cable.
Pictures to come when I get another cable
No beer, butt sandwiches go good with Oregon Pinot Noir
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I'm going to give the AB method a try next weekend. I've read elsewhere that the hotplate can be problematic-- it either doesn't get hot enough or burns out before you're done. Any thoughts on how to best select a heavy duty hot plate? Also, does the pie pan thingy go directly on the hot plate? I would imagine this could cause the wood to ignite rather than smolder-- isn't that a problem?
Al,
I watched the show were he did this just the other night. He said to use a heavy duty pan to hold the wood. He banged it with his fist to show it was not a flimsy pie plate. What the heck, electicity, wood, sounds like fun. Too bad there is not some alcohol involved. I guess you are supposed to drink the alcohol. It ought to work, but I am sticking to the WSM. Guess I am not adventuersome as you guys. Whats the worst that can happen? I little fire? My biggest saftey idea is to make sure your extension cord is heavy duty enough to carry the current for 12 hours and plug it in to a GFI outlet.
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I have some I made a week ago following a receipe in the book "Raising the Bar"
I think there are e-gullet rules about posting receipies from books verbatim.
There was no alum involved. Essentaily making a syrup with some flavorings including one star anise and mixing in red grape juice and than adding the cherries for just a brief time on the stove and than cooling them. Very tasty and not at all like the jarred kind.
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scrapple usually comes off as surly as a Lancaster bartender.
Hey, I was a Lancaster bartender for 20 years and never surly. Sort of an uncalled for shot. Also, I love scrapple and Holly is more than right about it. His tourist suggestions are also great. I took some of my friends to Ralph's and they loved it.
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Susan and everyone,
When you do your spares do you trim them to "St Louis Cut" or put the whole thing on? Some on the WSM virtual site do this. I have never done this, and I think they come out great. I did two full racks this weekend and they were great. Hickory and Kingsford on the WSM about 6 hours at dome temp of 250 which equates to grill temp of 230 or so. Great stuff. My wife likes sweet tomato sauce on hers so I put one rack on the gas grill with Sweet Baby Ray's sauce for her. I ate the naked ones. Very tasty. Do you wrap and hold them like butt? I usually do not. Would this be of help?
Hey everyone, keep smokin'. Once again thanks to all e-gullet smokers. The butt thread made me order my WSM and I have been smoking every weekend since.
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The easiest and best thing I've come across is to surf eBay and pick up a Rival Ice-o-Matic electric ice crusher. These things date from the 50s and 60s, they have powerful motors and are adjustable from a rough crack to a fine crush. Just search for "ice crusher" at eBay and look for the big, heavy ones with fine-course adjustment. The ones you want have a curvy, vaguely art deco design.
I don't see any for auction right now, but they are frequently for sale on eBay.
Thanks Sam,
Just what I need another kitchen appliance. My wife will be thrilled. However, the kitchen is the one room of the house that is pretty much mine so I will search for one of these. Till than I guess my sledgehammer will have to do.
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Last night, I needed crushed ice for the cocktail I mixed for my wife and I. I put the ice in a plastic bag, wrapped it in a towel, and beat it with my short handled 10lb sledge hammer. Besides making a hell of a racket and scaring the dogs and making my whole counter shake, it worked fine and I got the ice I needed. I have a blender, but I don't think it works well for this. Anyone else have any thoughts on this process?
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Just keep baking! The best way to become comfortable is to bake. I am not a professional baker but a home baker like you. Jennifer is, and her advice about reading the reciepe is very important as is her advice about measurement. Cooking is fun, throw some of this and some of that in and see what happens. Baking is different as precision is important. It took me a while to learn that.
And do ask. The professionals here, like Jennifer, are very kind with their support of us amatuer bakers. Somone will certainly answer your questions.
The Malgieri book is outstanding for a beginner as is Baking with Julia. Both of mine have plenty of flour and other things coating their pages
Have Fun!!!!
edited for spelling
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I have been vacationing on the Outer Banks for more than 20 years. Have not been yet this year as we go in the fall. Lots of good food, lots of overpriced drek. My only specific comment here is about Elizabeth's Cafe. Highly rated almost everywere but not by me.
The food is good, the wine list extensive to that I agree. However, I do not need to pay that much money to be condesended by the staff. I know a litte about food and wine. In particular wine. When I attempted to engage them in a discussion of the wine choices all I got was alot of eye rolling and haruphing. I was supposed to take what they had and not question it as they were the experts and I was some chump. Unlike some I know who work in the business I work very hard not to be a nit-picker and overly critical when I go out. I am going out to have fun not to be a pain in the ass. However, I do know what is right.
What they want you to do is: read the reviews, eat, leave. My wife and I have a term that we use to describe this and other places like it. It is a place for RWF. RWF=Rich White Folks.
Save your money and enjoy two or three other meals out at some of the places mentioned above. We really do like Meridian 42 and Red Sky Cafe
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Thank you, Dean. Wonderful food, even more wonderful family. I enjoyed reading very much.
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Another splendid use of maraschino is this Gary & Mardee Regan revision of the Brandy Crusta:
Bourbon Crusta
2 ounces bourbon whiskey
1/2 ounce triple sec
1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur
1/2 ounce lemon juice
2 dashes orange bitters
Shake with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
Good stuff indeed!
Christopher
Made one of these for the first time last night. Indeed, good stuff. First taste was the bourbon, than the lemon, with the maraschino finishing. The maraschino makes wonderful cocktails. I tended bar for many years and never knew of it till I read this thread. Two bad that it seems to have disappeared from general use in bars.
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For me, the processer was revalation in crust making. I was convinced I could not make crust by hand. The steel blade in my processer works magic for me . Now, pie is easy.
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Recently I have spent alot of my free time using my smoker. Smoked pork is wonderful stuff. Tried several Chairmans selections and have yet to hit it. The St. Francis Cab was pretty good but the smoke was too much for a Crawford PN. I think maybe Reisling? Anyone ever try to match smoke meat with wine? I would be thrilled to receive any recomendations. I have a couple bottles of the Consetino Poet left. Maybe.
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After just a few washings, my Chefwears started to look more like capris, and I looked like a dork.
Due to my height (6'1" with a 36" inseam), I always feel like I'm ready for the floodwaters! I did treat myself to a pair of Culinary Classics women's chef's pants which I shelled out extra bucks for to get them long enough, and they're all cotton (as opposed to my other pants, which are 65/35, but were cheap), and they're at least a little better, but really, who wrote the rule that chefs/cooks are short and round?? I really do feel now that I'm getting my groove together, when it comes to getting things done - a few things here and there that I realize later that I could have done more efficiently. I'm getting faster at some of the time-intensive tasks (pouring that damned custard!) and more efficient/less painstaking at others. I left work today really feeling like I'd done a lot today. I'm at that point where I have really very few questions, or if I do, they're about things I haven't done yet ("What ratio do we use for the swiss meringue that goes on the lemon tarts?") I have most of my recipes memorized, just need to look up the ones I've only made once or twice, or where we've upped the quantity.
I even had enough energy yesterday (admittedly, Wednesdays are light) to go to the gym after work!
Jennifer,
So glad you love your job and your cat. I am 6'4" and kitchens are not made for tall people. At age 44 I had to leave the bar and the kitchen behind because of my back. I believe all that stooping and leaning down when I tended bar and cooked did not help my back.
Take care of your back! Never cheap out on shoes. Do stretches and back excercises. If it hurts, rest it as you can.
Luckily for me I found a second career I love. I hope you never have to.
Good-Luck, in spite of your hard work I envy you. Would love that job.
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Admin: Split from the discussion on maraschino liqueur in the Fine Spirits and Cocktails forum.
While visiting my local PLCB store on Sunday to wine shop, I asked the manger if he could special order maraschino liqueur as I knew they did not stock it. I was flummoxed to hear him reply that he had just got some transferred from another store at the request of another customer and it was in the cordial section. I hurried back and discovered 3 bottles of Luxardo. I grabbed one like a drunk reaching for booze[Note to self: Work on anaolgy choices.]
We went home and fired up an Aviation or two. Everything you guys say about it is true. This is a wonderful cocktail. The Luxardo I also sipped on it's own and the taste is hard to describe. A litte bitter, followed by some sweetness. As an old borboun drinker I am waiting to try some of the suggestions above for borboun and Luxardo cocktails. This is good stuff, and thanks to all for this thread for pushing to look for it.
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I did a 5 lb butt today along with a spatchcocked chicken that I had brined. The chicken came off after 3 hours and was delicious. It has been turned into chicken salad with herbs from our garden.
The butt was on for about 10 hours and the WSM held 250 dome temp the whole time using a Minion start. It is now resting in foil. With luck the picture will post. My wife Maggie was kind enough to take a picture with her Motorola V155 cell phone as the &%#@* digital camera would not work.
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Abra,
Those are the best looking butts I have seen since snowangels.{Hope my wife does not see this}, I may try more butt this weekend and if I do I am going to get the old digital camera to work. We bought it a years ago and hardly ever used it. Last week I could not find drivers or the software as it was several computers ago. I know I can make it work, but last weekend I was too busy admiring my own butt to mess with it.
Happy Smoking to All!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Ok, I'm ready to join the eG Smoker Goddesses. Thanks to Emma, I've found and read both this and the butt threads, and now I'm almont ready to tackle smoking with my new offset firebox Smokin' Pro. It has a huge cast iron grate, so I might be able to do butts and briskets all at once. Sigh.
That Minion method looks quite far out, one of those things I would never have figured out on my own. I did see a comment in the method description about off flavors from ignition - do any of you experience that?
The Minion method was developed for Weber Smokey Mountain cookers. In your offset cooker you may indeed be able to fire up with wood alone. It depends mostly on the construction of your cooker and it it it built to take a 100% wood fire. I use a WSM and wood chunks for my smoke and fire it with Kingsford . I did a butt yesterday and it was wonderful. I use the Minion method and cannot discern any off flavors. Perhaps others may, but in a WSM for any extended cooking time it is really the best way to go
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I have a butt on the Weber Smokey Mountain as I post. Been on for 4 hours now and the WSM is holding nicely. Like Fifi and snownangel I put it on cold and naked. I also have a rack of spareribs on the top rack which are coming off soon. I will see if I can get my old digital camera to work to post a butt picture for all you butt oglers. Also hoping my wife finds my hickory smoked smell of some interest at bedtime akin to the response snownangel recieves from her husband. That remains to be seen but I believe the butt will turn out fine
edited for spelling
The butt was wonderful. naked and cold is the way to go. Cleaning up certainly does suck. I scrubbed the grates and the water pan and smoker will have to wait till after work tommorow. I can see why the clean up would make you think twice about firing it up. But boy oh boy it was good. In the world of food I just do not believe that ANYTHING is better than smoked pork.
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I too wish your wife well. I know the risks of this. October 4, 2005 my darling sister Christine had gastric bypass surgery. I wrnt to the hospital to see her that night and am so glad I did. Two days later she was dead. The surgeon who did this used to brag that he never lost a patient. No more. My sister knew the risks. I urge anyone thinking of this to go to a large teaching hospital even if it means leaving home. Make sure that aftercare is as important to them as the surgeon. This guy NEVER once contatced my mother, me or any of my family members after Chris died. He is still doing them and the hospital still puts ads in the paper flacking this. Oh God, be careful. Please make sure that you do not try every other method to loose weight. I have lost more than 100 lbs by adopting a low carb lifestyle. Please be careful. My heart aches EVERY day. Chris was 43.
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I have a butt on the Weber Smokey Mountain as I post. Been on for 4 hours now and the WSM is holding nicely. Like Fifi and snownangel I put it on cold and naked. I also have a rack of spareribs on the top rack which are coming off soon. I will see if I can get my old digital camera to work to post a butt picture for all you butt oglers. Also hoping my wife finds my hickory smoked smell of some interest at bedtime akin to the response snownangel recieves from her husband. That remains to be seen but I believe the butt will turn out fine
edited for spelling
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1. Lebanon bologna and swiss cheese on a potato roll with Zatarains Creole mustard.
2. A well made Reuben
3. Roast pork and brocoli rabe with sharp provolone, from Tony Luke's in Philadelphia
However, when I can go into my yard and pick a tomato and some basil and put it on Italian bread with some olive oil and sea salt and a couple turns of pepper all bets are off. That is the all time best
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I have made the version from Baking with Julia with good success, also Rinehart's fro The Bread Bakers Apprentice. Two important factors are a long cold proof, overnight in the fridge and the boiling. Toppings are a matter of choice
Behold My Butt! (2003–2006)
in Cooking
Posted
I found the USB cable, have the camera working and here are some pics from last week
The WSM fired up
temp at 250 at dome
butt on top rack and chicken breasts on bottom after 3 hours
chicken done
I hope I now have all my camera issues resolved and will post more pics.
Smoked butt is wonderful stuff