NealH

I recently saw a recipe on Kevin Weeks' blog "Seriously Good" that intrigues me and might fit the bill here. I haven't tried them yet, but plan to soon. They're called "Cece Fritos" - Fried Chickpeas. Simply fry the chickpeas in olive oil and add spices - seems similar to spiced nuts - Has anyone made these before? http://seriouslygood.kdweeks.com/2007/08/cece-fritos.html

No less an authority than Paul Prudhomme describes this technique in his "low-fat" cookbook "Fork in the Road". I don't have access to it at the moment, but I recall that he considered it a passable roux when all was said and done.

It's hard to put my finger on it. I thought there was an off flavor to the crust, the sauce had no flavor at all, and the vegetables were flavorless as well. Other than that I guess it was fine! I'm still a little surprised that Frontera put its name on them. Neal

I love Frontera salsas, Frontera Grill, and pretty much anything else from Rick Bayless that I've tried. So I was very surprised how much I did not like these pizzas. I didn't think they were good at all, and I don't consider myself very picky about frozen pizzas. One man's opinion.

I have made fried green tomatoes several times without great suceess - they've never been nearly as good as ones I've had in restaurants (maybe I need a good deep fryer!). I'm intrigued by the differences I see in the recommended recipes - some have brown sugar, some have some spiciness, the "classic" one has only salt and pepper for seasoning. The ones I remember liking best had a little kick to them. Are these regional differences - is there a "Georgia Style" and a "Louisiana Style" for fried green tomatoes? And if so, what would the characteristic ingredients be?

There's a chill in the air here in Chicagoland, and I'm looking at all the green tomatoes on the vine .... so before they freeze any ideas on what to do with them? It hurts me to throw any away - it's that last nail in the coffin for summer The Crispy Fried Green Tomatoes recipe in RecipeGullet looks great - give me some more ideas!

Icdm, I have a hard time maintaining 300 on my smoker (depending on weather conditions) - so I don't think that will be an option to me. My father smokes turkeys at that temp. but they come out pretty black and ugly looking, but very good. Let me know how this recipe works out, I was considering that one as well. The other thing I'm concerned about is time - I see wildly varying time estimates. One of the recommeded links about said between 15 and 30 minutes per pound at 225-250 - that seems very short to me. Smoke and Spice says closer to 1 hour 15 minutes per pound at 225 - that seems closer to right to me (maybe a little long). The eGForums tutorial says "Usually a 20 lb bird will be finished in 2 1/2 hours time" at 225 - there is absolutely no way that's correct, brined or not brined. I've had 5 pound chickens take over 4 hours at 225-250 (and yes, they were brined). I'm very confused!! So I wonder, when people talk about temperature for a smoker, where are they measuring the temperature? There is a huge temperature gradient across the smoking chamber, both horizontally and vertically. I usually place a wireless temperature probe close to the meat to measure the actual temp at the meat, and try to maintain that at 225-250. But the temp at the gauge is very different. If a 20 pound turkey is cooking in 2 1/2 hours at 225, that says to me that the temp at the meat is much, much higher. Anyone else have comments on this?

I found this from Steve Rachelin at bbqu.net - gravy from his smoked turkey recipe. Sounds interesting .... I may try it - the madeira, cream, and maple syrup may cut the smoky flavor enough - Maple Red Eye Gravy Makes 3 cups 2 cups turkey drippings 1 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1/4 cup Madeira wine 1/4 cup coffee 1/4 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons maple syrup coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Okay, I will brine my turkey. I will brine my turkey. Got it. Quartering the birds is a fantastic idea! The dark meat always takes so much longer - And I forgot a very important question - can you make gravy from the smoked turkey, or will it be too overpowering? Recipes?

So, Thanksgiving is coming up and I've committed to smoking a turkey for 18 (!!!) guests - Now, I have an offset firebox smoker and I've smoked many chickens, pork butts, racks of ribs, etc., but not yet a turkey. I'm assuming I'll smoke two smaller birds instead of one huge one, and I'll have to start it in the wee hours of the morning, but I'm looking for some other tips. Brines? Injection? Rubs? Any recipes? What temperature for a turkey? And how do you avoid having the bird come out completely black when you smoke it that long? Help please!!

Pizza!! Now we're talking! In the past I've had a problem with the crust drying out too much while waiting for the cheese to brown, so here's my latest technique - Place pizza stone in upper part of oven (not the highest position, but the second highest). Preheat to 500 (more if you can!) for 1 hour Place the pizza on the stone and turn on the broiler - the stone will hold the heat to brown the bottom, and the broiler browns the top. I think this is the closet thing to a pizza oven because the top of the oven will be well over 500 degrees. And the crust gets a nice crisp without drying out. I can't wait to see other techniques here!

Mmmmmmmmm this sounds wonderful. Do you have a recipe? ← Like most of the Lithuanian recipes I've seen it starts with: fry bacon with onions and reserve the fat .... How could it turn out bad?!! I'll find it the recipe and post it. ← Kugelis - Lithuanian Grated Potato Pudding 5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and grated (or grind fine with food processor) 1 large onion, grated 1/2 lb. bacon 1/4 pound of butter, melted 6 eggs 1 lg. can evaporated milk 1 Tbs. salt pepper to taste (about a tsp) Peel and grate or grind (fine disc) potatoes and onions. Do not drain. Fry and crumble bacon, add to potatoes and onions, along with drippings. Mix well. Beat well 6 eggs, add evaporated milk, melted butter , salt and pepper, and mix well. Add egg mixture to potato mixture, and mix together. Pour into a well greased 9x13 cake pan Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. Slice into squares, and top with sour cream (applesauce is also good) Leftovers are best reheated sliced thin and sauteed in melted butter. My father-in-law would sometimes cook it in muffin tins

Mmmmmmmmm this sounds wonderful. Do you have a recipe? ← Like most of the Lithuanian recipes I've seen it starts with: fry bacon with onions and reserve the fat .... How could it turn out bad?!! I'll find it the recipe and post it.

Have you ever made Kugelis? My wife's family is Lithuanian and they make a potato and bacon pudding called Kugelis - my father-in-law made it in muffin tins. Individual servings with sour cream - fantastic!

Ahh! Having control of the top and bottom heat makes sense!! My Weber wouldn't work very well - it would be like putting the pizza stone on the bottom of a gas oven and burning the crust. Where were you when I couldn't justify buying a more expensive grill!!! NealH

What kind of grill do you have that reaches 800 degrees, and how do you keep from burning the pizza with the direct flame? I have always been frustrated by home-made pizza in the oven, and I often wondered if I could use my gas grill as a pizza oven. It seems to me that placing a pizza stone in the grill should work - is this what you're doing?