=Mark

The veggie being spelled as "chile" seems a new world phenom. In much of Asia, Austrailia and Africa they seem to gravitate to "chili" or "chilli." I've learned not to take issue with it as long as we know we are referring to the fire little pods us Chileheads like to refer to generally as "El Grande!" My current fave, while not strictly a variety is the smoke dried jalapeno or Chipotle. I use it to give a round smokey flavor to sauces and marinades I use when grilling meat. I was at a "Hotluck" last week, a physical gathering of online Chileheads and served this Satay: Thai Beef Satay 1 Lb. Beef sirloin, cut into 1/2 by 2 inch strips Marinade: 1/2 cup good soy sauce 1 oz. rice wine vinegar few drops of toasted sesame oil 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 tsp chile powder (Cayenne, red pepper flakes, etc. this version I used chipotle) or to taste 1 inch nub of ginger, peeled and finely minced 3 or 4 cloves of garlic minced a bunch of green onions chopped Juice of 1 lime Mix it up! Dipping sauce: 3/4 cup creamy all natural peanut butter 1/2 to 1 oz soy sauce to desired consistency a splash of rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp honey splash of sesame oil 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp chipotle powder (or to taste) Store this at room temperature or it will solidify like paste. The peanut oil will tend to separate, but it's no big deal, just mix it up before serving (The chile powders will actually add an enticing reddish tinge to the oil, when swirled around!). The meat, marinade and dipping sauce can be prepared ahead of time. In a non reactive container (Ziplock bags are great for this) add the marinade to the beef, Refrigerate for one hour. If using wooden skewers, soak them for a couple hours, and use 2 skewers for each kebab to avoid the "Spinning Food" syndrome. I got me a set of great steel double skewers for this. Make sure the bits of chopped veggie in the marinade are incorporated into the skewered beef. Grill, turning every couple minutes while drizzling with reserved marinade (Don't forget those chopped veggie bits!) Remove when done (You know when!), remove from skewers and serve with the dipping sauce Best when served paired with a good chilled Pilsner Urquell.

So, might the next eGullet NJ meal be Korean? (hint-hint) The few times I've been to Korean restaurants I've really enjoyed myself, but have felt somewhat overwhelmed by huge menus and waitstaffs lack of english skills. We never felt unwelcome mind you, in fact one of the girls serving us had even a harder time understanding as she seemed prone to fits of giggling. I really would enjoy going to a Korean place with someone who knows the ropes...

Using flank steak in the mixture sounds comparable to the suggestion for using brisket. As far as the brisket goes, do they trim the fat from it? From a ground beef perspective you would think it would be best to leave the fat cap on.

My grandmother wouldn't let me have the center when I was a child. She said it was too sweet. Needless to say, as an adult I crave all the Oreo filling from my repressed childhood! I can picture your grandma going through a newly purchased box of Oreos's, deftly opening them and scraping out the creme centers with a spatula... What did she do with the leftover filling?

Tommy, I've been following your sense of the restaurant scene for at least 3 years with great respect as I really find you to be an astute diner. But I wish you, Rosie & Marc would think before making statements like this. What is there to think about? It's just a statement of fact. There are some odd little rules about BYO places in NJ which are universally ignored. This was not meant to be a statement for or against places with liquor licenses.

Anyone else able to add to these? =BYO restaurants are not allowed to advertize they are BYO (Almost never enforced) =Waitstaff in BYO place can open but not pour wine (Ditto) =Hard liquor is not permitted in BYO (Never enforced)

Never done whole fish, but have done seafood like scallops at about 210 for 45 minutes, figure something like a whole trout at 210 to 220 for an hour. Ribs I do at 230 to 250 for 4 to 5 hours. Large spares take a bit longer than babybacks for the extra fat to render out.

So where would this restaurant be? I've heard varying ideas as to what "Central NJ" comprises...

Have you had experience smoking with a Weber Smokey Mountain? I've achieved a 10 hour session without adding any lump charcoal, and maintained 240 to 250 degrees the whole time.

So, this would explain why junk cuts of meat such as flank and skirt steak, spare ribs, short ribs and chicken wings are twice as expensive or more comparitively than they were 20 years ago?

The new Weber One Touch Gold has larger intake vents than the old Weber, so putting the lid on does not kill the fire. This grill allows ashes to be emptied from the bottom into a large container. Using Lump Charcoal will vastly reduce the amount of ash, to less than one 10th of that produced by briquettes. PS - Weber does offer a Rotisserie inset for this grill.

Village Bistro in Little Silver does a great bacon cheddar burger. Great thick sliced bacon. The burgers are not too fat and are really tasty. Served with sliced red onion and those silly assed little widemouthed bottles of Heinz.

Bayona in NO several years ago. A Thai pork and crispy noodle salad appetizer and a seared steak of elk with a fabulous reduction. Plus Chef Susan Spicer signed my menu...

Recipe for the dish I served at the Hotluck: Thai Beef Satay 1 Lb. Beef sirloin, cut into 1/2 by 2 inch strips Marinade: 1/2 cup good soy sauce 1 oz. rice wine vinegar few drops of toasted sesame oil 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 tsp chile powder (Cayenne, red pepper flakes, etc. this version I used chipotle AND Jims Hab powder) or to taste 1 inch nub of ginger, peeled and finely minced 3 or 4 cloves of garlic minced a bunch of green onions chopped Juice of 1 lime Mix it up! Dipping sauce: 3/4 cup creamy all natural peanut butter 1/2 to 1 oz soy sauce to desired consistency a splash of rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp honey splash of sesame oil 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp chipotle powder (or to taste) Store this at room temperature or it will solidify like paste. The peanut oil will tend to separate, but it's no big deal, just mix it up before serving (The chile powders will actually add an enticing reddish tinge to the oil, when swirled around!). The meat, marinade and dipping sauce can be prepared ahead of time. In a non reactive container (Ziplock bags are great for this) add the marinade to the beef, Refrigerate for one hour. If using wooden skewers, soak them for a couple hours, and use 2 skewers for each kebab to avoid the "Spinning Food" syndrome. I got me a set of great steel double skewers for this. Make sure the bits of chopped veggie in the marinade are incorporated into the skewered beef. Grill, turning every couple minutes while drizzling with reserved marinade (Don't forget those chopped veggie bits!) Remove when done (You know when!), remove from skewers and serve with the dipping sauce Best when served paired with a good chilled Pilsner Urquell.

Let's amend that to "Most commercial BBQ is Junk" I've been dabbling in the art of smoking for a number of years and have found that even the first attempts at serious BBQ by amateurs almost always blows away that sold at 95% of commercial barbecue joints. Don't know why this is the case other than the fact that most commercial places try to lessen the costs involved in long, slow cooking with attention to fire control that results in great BBQ. Most are using gas fired smokers and pre boil their product, then hide their sorry results under gobs of over sweet sauce. Good BBQ needs no sauce! A lot of this is the result of local fire codes that forbid the use of open pits with hardwood coals in many urban areas. Truly good BBQ, whether it be ribs, brisket, pulled pork or poultry can be as nuanced and interesting as any other exacting high end cooking. Unfortunately most of the US just does not apply the standards of excellence to BBQ that exist in parts of the Carolinas or Texas. Even in those parts of the US the number of truly good BBQ joints is eroding.

Barnacle Bills in Rumson.

Had a great time at the ChileHead "Hotluck." There was the spicy sesame noodles, Risa's kickbutt Hummous, Nancee's Vietnamese springrolls, Chip Welch's spicy Texas Brisket and Dougs mistakenly mild sausage. Interestingly there were 4 eGullet members attending. Nancee attended last weeks eGullet NJ Thai dinner (eGullet), attended today's Hotluck (ChileHeads) and may attend a BBQ Cookoff in WildWood next weekend (BBQ List). It's possible I may see her 3 weekends running as a result of 3 separate online forums we share! Small world!

Hey Cab! You been away? Have not seen you posting for a few days...

It's totally casual, no judging. It's also not a Macho pissing contest to see who can "Take the most heat." It's more a reflection of how creative one can get with the spicy stuff. One of the past hits were Doug's "Evil Chocolate Chip Cookies," tasted quite normal and very good until 10 or 15 seconds later when the powdered habs kicked in. To his credit on the TV Food network special they did get a shot of Doug chomping down whole habs.. There are hotplates and a grill for cooking

I've read through all 5 pages of this thread and still for the life of me can't figure out what in blazes it has to do with peeps.

Am going to a ChileHead Hotluck this afternoon in Warren Township. This is the venue that was filmed for the TV Food Network special Eat the Heat a couple years ago. Am doing a Thai Beef Satay with chipotle spiked peanut dipping sauce.

Wasn't Tony Bourdain looking at pairing up with Batali? Do you figure it's just a ploy to hit up on Nigella, who he obviously worships?

I think they should just change the name to, "All Emeril, All The Time." What about the Flaymiester?

Disagree. I don't let the price tag on or esoteric nature of what I eat dictate my interest in it. A great pizza can be as interesting analytically as tea. I would suggest that in an area as subjective as food and dining that it serves little to denigrate the interests of folks whose opinions of food differ from our own. There are certain ingredients and methods of preparation I don't particularly care for, but if others enjoy them and take pleasure in it what point is it to dismiss them as not being worthy of interest?

This should be interesting. I've brined poultry but not pork. I'd be concerned that the extra surface area of ribs might result in over brining and mushy texture. Bear in mind that much of the pork availabe in supermarkets has already been injected with a brine solution. Again, I think the "falling off the bone tender" thing is over-rated. I like a little resistance, a bit of a tug, in my ribs. By the way, I figure it's in there somewhere, but am too lazy to check, are you doing babybacks or spares?