KeystoneNate

I made the same Scofflaw last night with Old Overholt and homemade grenadine, and I thought it was a great drink. Nicely balanced, in my not-at-all expert opinion. Also, I tried Katie Loeb's "My Best Negroni" this past weekend, and again found another winner. I added it to my Kindred Cocktails book, but as a private recipe. Katie, if you see this post - do you mind if I change it to a public searchable recipe? I entered your name for you to receive proper credit.

I made the corn bread this past weekend using the isomalt (obtained through Amazon). I've never seen it in a store, but my experience in the local area (small town) is hardly a good indication of the general availability of isomalt.

I mixed a Perfect Negroni last night based on EvergreenDan's recommendation. To be honest, I didn't think I'd be able to tell much difference with only a half-ounce change in the overall drink, but I was really surprised. Sure, the drink is still sweet up front, but definitely less syrupy. Not as heavy, if that makes sense. Anyway, thanks for the tip! I'm going to try some of the other variations KD1191 mentioned, but for now the "perfect" version is my preference.

Definitely, I'll give that a shot tonight. Any preferred gin for a Negroni? I have Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, and Hendrick's at home (not to say I wouldn't run out in search of something new). I've only used the Tanqueray so far - I thought the Hendrick's might be too subtle with the vermouth and Campari.

I recently picked up a copy of Dale DeGroff's The Essential Cocktail hoping to get a better understanding of some classic cocktails. Last night's drink was a Negroni using the recipe in his book. I've never ordered one at a bar (my local haunts don't make good cocktails, so I stick to craft beer or bourbon - both fine with me) so I have nothing to compare it to, but I think his 1-1-1 version is great. I definitely like how the Campari dries out after each sip. I'm also a fan of hoppy beers, so the bitterness appeals to me.

I received the shipping notice from Amazon yesterday evening. I ordered on April 22nd, for anyone keeping track or interested. As a side note, the shipping date on the product page hasn't been updated and Amazon still lists the collection as out of stock. I was obviously surprised to receive the shipping notice without receiving an update on product availability. Not a complaint, just mentioning it for the sake of sharing info.

I don't have any issue with good craft beer in a can. Both cans and bottles are recycled in my neighborhood, so that isn't really a deciding factor for me. I'm a homebrewer, but I've amassed enough bottles that I don't need to worry about that anymore, plus I'm moving on to kegging in the near future anyway. I think one of the issues with beer from a bottle or a can is that you really do need to pour it into a glass, as mentioned above. Both bottles and cans prevent most aroma from reaching your nose when you drink, and I have noticed odd metallic or stale flavors on the rare occasions I do drink without a glass. Three breweries (off the top of my head) produce exceptional beer and can some, if not most, of their offerings: Sly Fox, based in Pennsylvania, has six beers distributed in cans, three of which I think are really standout selections - the Pikeland Pils, the Route 113 IPA, and the Royal Weisse Ale. 21st Amendment out of San Diego offers five beers in cans. I've tried all of them, and I think their black IPA (Back in Black), Belgian dark (Monk's Blood), and their watermelon wheat (Hell or High Watermelon) are worth giving a shot. I'm not normally a big fan of fruit beer, but their watermelon wheat is nicely flavored without being too sweet or overpowering. Oskar Blues from Colorado cans all of the beers they distribute, and I think their imperial red (G'Knight, formerly known as Gordon), imperial stout (Ten Fidy), and the imperial IPA (Gubna) are all fantastic. I also agree with a comment made earlier regarding Young's Double Chocolate from a can or a bottle. That is one of my wife's favorite beers, and we first had it from a can (poured into a glass). We found it in a bottle at another location, and the strong dark chocolate flavor was almost gone - nothing compared to the can.

Octaveman, those ribs look great. Kim, I could go for some of that fish right now as a late-night snack. I'm curious to try the key lime tartar sauce. Dinner tonight was fried soft-shell crab sandwiches: Made a quick salad for Sunday afternoon - chopped romaine, cucumber, hard-boiled egg, and a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette:

I've had luck with opening the bottom vent about a quarter of its full open setting. I do the same with the top vent, then adjust the top vent as needed. A half to three-quarter chimney of charcoal is enough to get started, then I throw another unlit handful in every couple of hours. If it's not too windy, the temp stays pretty constant. Keeping the vents just barely open helps hold the temp low, although closing them too far chokes the fire. Trial and error is your best bet!

Scallops, rhubarb pie, pizza...who couldn't love this thread? Tonight's dinner was a quick salad with dandelion greens, bacon (home-cured thanks to the Charcuterie book and thread), and mushrooms. It's an Eric Ripert recipe I found in the Food and Wine recipe search. And some form of required starch with a salad: Trois Pistoles from Unibroue

I think a no-mayo coleslaw is best for pulled pork sandwiches. I wasn't a huge believer of coleslaw on pork until a local barbecue joint opened (but has since closed, unfortunately) and I had one of their sandwiches with slaw. My wife also prefers a vinegar-based slaw over the mayo variety anyway, so that's what I usually make. I like both versions, but for a pulled pork sandwich, the vinegary slaw wins my vote. The pork is deliciously fatty as it is, I don't think the mayo enhances that at all.

I'm afraid looks are deceiving, in this case. The pancakes were pretty dense. I just mixed the leftover mashed potatoes with an egg and some flour - too much flour, because the mixture ended up thicker than intended. I spooned the batter into a skillet with duck fat for frying. The potato mixture is usually moist enough to form into patties without being too sticky. This time, it was incredibly sticky, I assume from using too much flour.

This morning's breakfast was a potato pancake (leftover mashed potatoes with goat cheese), poached egg, and hollandaise.

Bruce, that chicken looks great. I smoked some chicken and ribs a couple of weekends ago, but never posted the pictures. The chicken was brined for a few hours, then smoked. The ribs were dry-rubbed and refrigerated overnight. Nothing too complicated - dried chiles, smoked paprika, brown sugar, dry mustard, star anise, salt, cayenne, maybe some other spices that I can't remember. I pulled them from the smoker a little too early, and they weren't as tender as they should've been. A short steam in a covered pan worked the following evening, not only to reheat them, but also soften them up nicely. Last night's dinner was a quick soba noodle soup with edamame. Just some dashi, fish sauce, and sliced green onions for garnish.

Is this the thread you were trying to find? I usually have the best luck with the Google search, compared to the standard site search. Cooking with "All About Braising"