Chris Amirault

Sure can. Gives the spicing a chance to sink in deeper, and makes grinding easier. Sure can. Just make sure everything is frostbitten-fingertips coooooooold.

I'll be intrigued to find out if the store is at all chi-chi, given that the ones I've been to are not at all.

Pam, what are some examples of the hard-to-get kosher items that you're now providing?

It's not a reference text but a useful cookbook organized seasonally: Molly O'Neill's 1997 cookbook, A Well-Seasoned Appetite.

I picked a bad week to have the flu! This stuff looks amazing. Jason, I hope you'll put that recipe into Recipe Gullet -- and, Ron, can you write up that Folse recipe as well? I agree with Michael: that is some hunger-inducing definition!

I don't bring anything on planes, but if we're driving down to Provincetown for a weekend at a house we sometimes rent, we'll bring two or three knives, a skillet, a pot, olive oil, S&P, butter, good vinegar, coffee beans, and -- always! -- our Racilio Silvia espresso maker.

20% or nothing -- and I rarely leave nothing.

I think Sneakeater is onto something. It seems to this outsider that both the rhetoric and the ramifications of negative reviews are profoundly affected by the food community context.

ok i've got a question: how much smoke billows out of the thing as you use it? you probably couldn't tell from when you were down here, but i live in a tiny rowhouse with a tiny deck for a backyard, in a crowded city. if it contains the smoke pretty well, there could be one in my future, but if it's pouring out smoke all day it's not going to work... ← I'm not sure how to answer that question. It was windy most of the days I was smoking, so I probably think that there's less coming out than usual. It definitely leaks out of the connection between the smoke box and the main unit, and the damper on top leaks a tiny bit. But I certainly wouldn't say that it's "pouring" out. Having said that, I peeked quite a bit, and it billows when you open the door. That's all to say: I think I'd be pissed if I lived above you. Sorry, man. My condolences.

About three hours, as the book suggests.

Actually, I used the fresh bacon cure without thinking -- and it turned out great.

Thanks, Ron. Frankly, both taste fantastic; I nibbled while I was cutting stuff up to seal and freeze. And your idea about switching them is smart. Works for cake pans....

Hot-smoked two slabs of bacon today. Yesterday, I put the two cured bellies into the fridge to develop their pellicle (pellicles?): This morning, I loaded up the Bradley with apple pucks and the two bellies: A couple of comments about this set-up. I thought that the thicker belly would be warmer toward the top of the Bradley -- heat rises, that sort of thing. It's the one with the probe in it. However, I should have put both bellies in the top two slots of the Bradley, with the thicker one closer to the bottom. I didn't think it through, but the reasons are now obvious: it was windy today, so the heating element had to work hard to stay at 200F and was likely on continuously -- and that means that the lower belly got blasted. I didn't notice this until I pulled them out, sadly. Here's the one on top, which came out right at 150F: And here's the one on the bottom: Obviously, it curled bc it was so hot. It reached (gulp) 170F. You can see on the right that the belly actually cooked dark on the corner; what you can't see is that the fat in spots actually had started to liquefy. I'm not really sure what this is going to do to the bacon, but it didn't seem to ruin it exactly. Maybe it will be a bit dry? I dunno -- what do you think? I'm not going to cry about it, though: I'm thinkin' that there may not be such a thing as bad homemade bacon....

In the "Smoked Andouille" (again, 156-7), I definitely felt that the mace, cloves, and allspice added a spicy, round dimension that was appealing. Honestly, I don't know that the Colman's mustard added too much. Next time I probably will bump up the pepper by adding some black and white and lose the mustard.

Ron, how much water does one add to 1/2 c of milk powder to get reconstituted milk? Maybe that would be a useful guide?

Thanks, Abra and Ron. I've already vacuum-sealed and frozen it so I think I'm going to be set with your suggestions.

Yes, "Smoked Andouille," pages 156-7. By the way, can anyone give me a sense of how safe it would be to ship a link or two of this sausage via overnight? I'm about to put the bacon in the Bradley; updates to follow.

The conceit of these sorts of lists is mind-boggling. Has the author visited the most populous 500 cities or something? It's so absurd....

Ah Leung, I'm very excited for you and look forward to your search, seasoning, and use. In Grace Young's fantastic Breath of a Wok, she writes extensively about San Fransisco's Wok Shop (718 Grand Ave), which seems magical. I think you'd have great luck getting in touch with owner Tane Chan and letting her know about your celebrity status here on eGullet. Perhaps she can give us a tutorial about wok purchasing! Glad to see that you've got a great heat source. I've taken some crap for my Patio Wok around here, but it's absolutely fantastic. I'll bet you'll be happy with your choice. Finally, I hope you won't retire that skillet! It has a special place in my heart, and I'm sure in many other eGulleteers' hearts as well. edited to add: As often happens, Andie beat me to the punch!

100 ct (25#) for $25. A quarter a pop.

I just had to delete a few posts that were making personal comments. We've kept this thread up and running in the hopes that people can discuss the concept of giving negative restaurant feedback without attacks on others. Please keep it civil.

Folks, I've changed the thread so that it better reflects a "General Food Topic," and thus is more appropriate for discussion here. I think that the topic about how we do (and don't) give feedback about less-than-stellar experiences applies to more than posting on eGullet, for example.

That's about five pounds of turkey breast smoked with alder. It took about 4 1/2-5 hours at 200F to reach 160F, but I wouldn't treat that as a very useful number, since it was very windy today and I had to shut everything down for 30 min while I got my daughter at school. I haven't tried the meat yet because I wanted it to rest a while... and, well, because as soon as I finished these photos I ate about three-quarters of the skin in a rather sick frenzy. Man oh man.... Tomorrow's an off-day for smoking (lousy weather and personal commitments), but I'll have two pork bellies in the fridge waiting for some serious pellicle development. Sunday will be full of smoke, with the bacon smoking in applewood and, if I'm sufficiently with-it, chorizo.

Puck feeder update. I just talked again to Katie at Bradley (800.665.4188) and reported that my timer is still screwed up. She's sending out an entirely new smoke box and has told me I can keep the one I have for parts! As you can see, my experiences with Bradley customer service run counter to the claim I've read around here and elsewhere that it leaves something to be desired. Thanks on the props. I'm not sure, actually, about the source for the hog casings. They are standard sausage casingsthat from Whole Foods for pretty cheap. I'll ask and report back. And thanks, Susan, for confirming my suspicion about the skin! edited to add: Oh, and I changed the spices I listed above (more cayenne, Colman's mustard, allspice, thyme) by about 25%

Thanks, Ron, and everyone else. As for getting the Bradley, as long as this puck feeder problem works out, I'm considering it money very well spent indeed. If you do order one, check out Yard and Pool's eBay store: I got mine for $310 with free FedEx shipping, even with $50 of pucks added to the order. Great comms, too. I'm going to take a crack at the turkey breast now, which has been drying in the fridge after 2 days in the cure. I'm leaving the skin on, right?