Kim Shook

So happy to see you! Welcome back!

In clearing out my late grandmother's kitchen last weekend, I found this little steam pot with handles that fits perfectly inside the IP:

Sorry, @gfweb, I missed this. Yes, hot smoking. He has a WSM 22 - Weber Bullet.

Eight and a half hours into the cook. In the stall right now. Looking good: Six hours/30 degrees to go. Then we pull.

??????

No baste. Just dry rub. He says he's tried apple juice, but hasn't noticed any difference. He uses a mix of apple and hickory wood for pork. All rubbed and ready to be wrapped:

Yep, pork butts. He's just finishing putting on the rub and I'm helping him wrap them in plastic wrap for the fridge. He'll start them tomorrow morning at 5 or 6am. I'll post updates and the final results!

Bringing this old thread forward to show Mr. Kim's latest project. He's agreed to smoke some butts for a fundraiser for our church womens' group. This is less than half of what he'll end up smoking:

This actually reminds me of something that I hate. The new "upside down" bottle that Heinz is now using. Does anyone else have trouble with this? It is so hard for me to squeeze that I inevitably OVER squeeze and squirt ketchup all over the place. Just me???

@Ann_T – your blueberry cobbler just looks incredibly good. And is the recipe for the shrimp etouffee available somewhere? I couldn’t find it on your site. (side note: Matt is your son? And a vegetarian? With the way you cook, he manages to stay true to his vegetarianism? He is truly dedicated! He must just fill up on your gorgeous bread! LOL). @HungryChris – I think crab is the perfect topping for fried green tomatoes! @scubadoo97 – lamb shanks are probably my favorite meat and those look fantastic. Last night was fixed up canned baked beans, “BBQ” chicken, the last of the NC tomatoes, and green beans: This chicken was “BBQ” in that the sauce was Bullseye BBQ sauce and honey. When I was growing up BBQ chicken was just chicken pieces that my mom cooked in the oven and then sauced and broiled. That was basically what I did, except I cooked mine in the CSO on bake/steam and then broiled it to finish. Served with Hawaiian rolls and fruit:

Mr. Kim, who is on vacation this week, surprised me by taking me to lunch today and yesterday at two new (to me) places. Yesterday was Nomad’s Deli. Fantastic place. Mr. Kim had the Big Chick sandwich – when everyone in Richmond was losing their minds over the new Popeye’s chicken sandwich, the Richmond Times Dispatch published an article listing better than Popeye’s or Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches – this was one of them: Huge, perfectly cooked breast on a garlic roll with grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms, jalapenos, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. It was fantastic! I had the shrimp po’boy: This was a 12-inch sandwich. I didn’t notice that until I got it. It was truly delicious. Perfectly fried jumbo shrimp, slaw, cocktail sauce, tomatoes (I requested no onion). I figured out a trick about halfway through the first half – I knew I’d never be able to eat the other half, so I pulled all the shrimp out and stuck them in the half I ate! I was shocked at how good this was – the slaw was really robust – cut large, very crunchy and aggressively seasoned. We loved this place – a true family owned and run neighborhood joint. Lots of vegetarian options, diverse clientele and they even sell steamed crabs on Friday nights. Today was Lulabelle’s Café – kind of a Southern Ladies Who Lunch vibe. We both started with soup: Mr. Kim had the turkey and rice. I had the NE clam chowder. Both were very good. My chowder was especially nice – in texture it was somewhere in between a thick, creamy NE chowder and a brothy, briny NC Outer Banks chowder. The clams were incredibly tender. I had the fried green tomato BLT with a side of collards: The sandwich was good, but the pimento cheese was a little over spiced for me. I almost ordered deviled eggs as my side, but the waitress told me they had jalapenos in them, so I chose collards instead. Very, very good. One point off for only having red wine vinegar. If you are a café in Richmond VA serving collards, you need to stock some apple cider vinegar. We can’t remember the name of Mr. Kim’s sandwich: It had turkey, pimento cheese, jalapeno relish, bacon, and red onion. He loved it – I tasted the turkey and it was fresh and properly cooked. He said the deviled eggs were great – creamy and not too hot. The pickles were good, too – pretty sure they were house made.

Sorry, not me. I detest Subway's sticky, mankey meat and the unmistakable Subway stench. I'd rather eat a dozen BK tacos. 😁

I did more chicken pieces in the CSO last night. Cooked legs and thighs at 400F on the bake/steam function for about 20-25 minutes. I took it out before it got to 165F and brushed with a mixture of BBQ sauce and honey, then broiled it until slightly charred. It was SO moist. The skin was crispy from the first cook and, of course, less so after being bathed in BBQ sauce, but not flabby or unpleasant.

Honestly, I just let it drip and pull out the tray on the bottom and clean it when it is cold. 😏 Also, with that kind of crust, I usually use the toast function for about a "2" or "3". Rack positioned with the U legs down so that it is a little farther from the top elements.

That is one perfect and gorgeous egg, my friend!

Thick enough to actually PILE up and eat with a fork!

I actually remember going to the Trader Vic's in Washington DC as a kid. I know I loved the ribs, the noodles and the chow sui. I remember feeling very elegant and grown up eating there!

We went to Reidsville NC to sort through my late grandmother’s house this past weekend. Just grabbed a Hardee’s biscuit on the way down, but we had a great breakfast on Sunday at the Reid’s House Restaurant: Biscuits and sausage gravy, grits, egg, and country ham. Notice the menu: I can’t remember the last time I saw a reference to “sweet milk”. And I love that the salads consist of (I’m SURE) canned fruit or Jello and are “seasonal”. Also, the only “salad” thing on the salad menu is the lettuce under the cottage cheese!

@Ann_T – that roast beef dinner from a few nights ago is something that I crave all the time. So delicious looking! @ninagluck – I was so happy to see you back! Welcome home! @BonVivant – those are perhaps the most perfectly cut and seared scallops I’ve ever seen. Wow! Mr. Kim and I went down to Reidsville NC to start going through my late grandmother’s house. She was just shy of 95 years old and a bit of a packrat, so it was exhausting, dusty, sad, and funny work. Comfort food was very much needed. Saturday night was BBQ at Short Sugar’s (open since 1949 and my standard): Dinner that night was at a fairly local fish place called Libby Hill. Why a tiny little town HOURS from the ocean should have two VERY popular fish places is a mystery to me, but they’ve both been there forever and are always crowded. Mine: Good fries, decent hushpuppies, ok flounder, good shrimp, and absolutely delicious and perfectly prepared oysters. Mr. Kim had the catfish. The less said, the better, but he was very sorry a little while later. Dinner on Sunday was us dragging our worn out butts into the only late night place (open 'til 10! LOL) and scarfing down a cheeseburger (Mr. Kim) and grilled cheese with bacon (me) before going to the hotel to collapse! No pictures. I was too tired to cook when we got home Monday night, so it was off to Mr. Kim and Jessica’s favorite Vietnamese place. I got the yellow pancake (also called the Vietnamese crepe): A little skimpy on the filling, but I liked the crispy edges. See, @Margaret Pilgrim, I told you this is what I always get! Yours looked much better! Tonight was BBQ that we brought home: Along with NC tomatoes, green beans, creamed corn, and tots.

I looked and couldn't find this topic - if it exists, just tag this onto the existing thread. I love old menus. If I needed to start another collection, that's what I'd collect. I do sometimes come across them, though, and keep them. Of course, I can't find the others right now! But Mr. Kim and I were down in Reidsville NC going through stuff at my late grandmother's house. I found a menu from the "Pig N Whistle" in Tunica Mississippi. This location doesn't seem to exist anymore and the Pig N Whistle in Millington TN (about an hour away from Tunica) seems to be mainly BBQ. But there is some connection because they both claim to be named after a tradition of a tavern in England. My mother's family is from the Mississippi Delta - Memphis, Shelby MS, Clarksdale MS, and Rosedale MS mostly. So, I'm guessing that this was a "nice place" to go for a "nice meal" for them. @kayb - do you know anything about this place? The menu:

Unintentionally funny. Sign in a grocery store in tiny southern town - South Boston VA: My reactions were: "Um...what??? NO!!"

I love that glass. Neither Jessica or I can comfortably use most stemless glasses. Our fingers are too short and we just can't hold them stable - we end up having to use both hands, which is awkward.

They are, for me - I just double them.

I’m sure there is an official difference, but I use egg roll and wonton wrappers as “pasta” when making ravioli or cannelloni or lasagna. Delicious and more tender than any pasta I’ve ever tried.

I must confess to actually liking McD’s. Not my favorite by any means- but I’m just fine with their sandwiches and fries. NOT their breakfast, though- I draw the line there! 😄