[Slow-roasted, brined, pulled pork]

So my roommate requested i make pulled pork this weekend, should be simple enough though i dont have a smoker which is a shame. Nevertheless im debating on whether this needs a brine or not. I was going to dry rub it and then cook it in the oven after browning on low temp for a loooooong time. We got pork butt so theres a nice amount of fat on it meaning moisture loss is not something im worried about. I was then going to make my own bbq sauce of some sort and finish it with that.

So if i do brine it, what should the salt % be to water? Any other interesting ideas or tips to make pulled pork awesome?

[London from Christmas to early Jan.]

Whats so special about the Porcupine Pub? Might be interesting to meet a fellow egulleter though! Enjoyed reading about your experiences in Vegas.

[London from Christmas to early Jan.]

So ill be in London from Christmas until the 6th of Jan and i feel kinda out of the loop at the scene going on over there. I know i want to try St Johns, ive heard its worth it and im a big fan of bone marrow so just trying that would make me happy. Obviously the Fat Duck would be terrific but their closed during the period im there and im not sure the family is willing to spend that amount of money.

So im looking for something that may be interesting, new or thats really cool which should be checked out. Since i'm staying with family, are there also any farmer markets open at that time that need looking at?

cheers

[Getting people in the door]

I agree with Hathor on the twitter and bloggers, those things seem to work really well these days, i think having a Facebook page won't hurt either.

Honestly i think samples are the best, flyers for me are never a draw to a product, too me they give off a sense that their cheap or there's something wrong especially if it goes "DOUBLE THE MEAT!!!!!!".

How about a loyalty program though? You said that you already have returns which is great but that might entice newer people to try you out just because if they work in the area and are deciding between Subway or yours (not that Subway has a thing on the quality of their sandwiches compared to yours, but you know how it is with loyalty programs), the loyalty thing might be another incentive.

good luck!

[Freezing egg yolks]

interesting, what does the sugar or salt do? what happens if u dont put them?

[Pumpkin]

I had a small pumpkin i quatered and roasted in the oven the other day. I've been eating the flesh slowly in a whole bunch of applications but yesterday involved a 'light' and every quick soup. A bit of water heated up some frozen peas, chunks of the roasted pumpkin added to it a few mins after. In a small pan, fried up some sausages and then a little sliced onion. Curry powder added spice and then deglazed with a little water. Everything in the small pot, season to taste, thickened with a little roux that i had lying around.

Wasn't bad with some fresh bread i made earlier

[Cream cheese frosting]

Well here are the results. I did about 170g of cream cheese, juice and zest of a lemon and a little salt, melted over a baie marie with a little butter. Whilst melting i made a quick italian meringue with about 2parts sugar, 1 part water, beaten to stiff peaks then folded in. Flavored with cinnamon powder afterwards. Texture was a little gummy and gluey eaten by itself, i think too many sticky components. In the macarons however, it seemed ok though perhaps its my shells being too sweet, but for these it was better to be generous with the filling.

[Pumpkin]

In my family we sometimes chop pumpkins into chunks and stir fry em with a little garlic, thinly sliced onion, oyster sauce and a cracked egg. its a real mess but its very tasty over rice. comfort food

[Flatiron steak]

I feel like if your steak is thin you just need to do a quick sear like everyone has said already, though I don't think you really need to put it in the oven like some have said. Wouldn't it be thoroughly cooked through by then? That's what im guessing. If its over cooked and you feel its a waste, no worries, stir fry!

[Tips for almost-following a specific bread recipe]

Craiglist is your friend. I managed to get a 5 quart kitchenaid with all the standards attachments and a meatgrinder attachment for $150. Best kitchen buy ever IMO.

[Cream cheese frosting]

Hmmmm goat cheese is a little pricy for me. So what i've come up with:

Cream cheese

Lemon juice and zest

Icing sugar

Butter - if i whip the butter, this should add lightness, no?

Sea Salt

Cinnamon (person im making it for requested cinnamon)

[Cream cheese frosting]

Almond extract might be a little hard to find for me but that's possible. I was thinking instead of adding butter would EVOO be a lighter replacement? For some spice i was thinking white pepper - when i make strawberry macarons i always like adding fresh cracked pepper into the jam before filling and a little sea salt flake on top, so could white pepper and sea salt do the same trick?

[Cream cheese frosting]

So I just made some plain macarons without any coloring or cocoa and i thought it would be interesting to continue onwards with the whole white/plain color.

Cream cheese frosting seems like a good idea but I've always found it way to cloying and sweet. And yeah, you could just reduce the amount of icing sugar but any ideas on how to make it lighter? Incorporate a Swiss meringue? Whipped cream?

Ideas?

[Restaurant/Bar Annoyances]

but what if your feeling for something big co-operation and chain like?

[NYC Nov 20-25, eating on a budget as a tourist]

so we've decided we're going to stay here instead since it was waaaaay cheaper then the Loft and it's on Manhattan:

http://www.hostels.com/maps/Central-Park-Properties-Private-Rooms-&-Apartments/33897

[NYT Articles on Food, Drink, Cooking, and Culinary Culture (2011– )]

So what does everyone think of Eric Asimov's latest review?

I'm intrigued that we have a guy with a wine background covering food, wine is big interest to me so I'm quite happy with his style of writing and knowing that the guy has a palate - although to be fair thats very subjective and what not.

[Momofuku Ssäm Bar (2007– )]

I would very much like to go,haven't had duck for waaay to long. How much does it average per person? You said $16 for a plate, so is that $16 per person on average?

[NYC Nov 20-25, eating on a budget as a tourist]

Sorry, didnt clarify but yeah, its the Aloft hotel: http://www.oyster.com/new-york-city/hotels/aloft-new-york-brooklyn/#checkin=2011-11-20&checkout=2011-12-25

[NYC Nov 20-25, eating on a budget as a tourist]

ScoopKW, we're gonna be walking and taking the trains/buses. Actually im coming over from WA state (havent changed my location yet...) so im quite happy eating Asian food since im starting to miss it. But definetlly gotta go for the NY style pizzas and dirty hot dogs i guess.

Thanks for the suggestions so far!

I think we're looking at staying in the Loft Hotel in Brooklyn - is that hard to get to around the sights? Also food wise around Brooklyn? Oh also, if anyone has any suggestions on accommodation please share, theres 4 of us and we're trying to keep the budget to under $50 per person, per night. I checked a number of hostels but some are more expensive charging upwards of $70 per person for like a 8 person dorm which is pointless..

[Italian Meringue Buttercream woes]

Yea i believe the paddle is the way to go. I read somewhere on some other post saying this person just whipped the eggs on the paddle attachment. But the whip attachment would curdle the butter and make it separate too quickly hence your soupy mess, i think.

Try doing a swiss meringue butter cream, might be slightly easier.

[Confections! (2006-2012)]

oh those look pretty good! the air bubbles dont seem to be much of a problem if i had that, then again, ive never made my own chocolate like that.

Whats a candy ruler btw? I've never used one or heard of one.

[NYC Nov 20-25, eating on a budget as a tourist]

Great, thanks for the suggestions so far!

I have to say though, i'm not familiar with the streets - university place for example, what's that near?

MOMA cafe looks great, though one michelin star our budget is not too bad, though, i'll definitely want to try it if my parents were with me.

[NYC Nov 20-25, eating on a budget as a tourist]

So i was hoping fellow egullet-ians could give me some advice on where to eat on a college budget. I'm thinking some NY style pizza, perhaps shake shack, a hole in the wall joints and what not. Since we are visiting as a tourist, might there be also any decent places around the sights (museums, statue of liberty, empire state, ground zero, wall street, central park(i know thats huge), more museums).

Also anything we should be aware of when we visit? Festivals, fairs, weather, places to NOT go to...

thanks!

[Confections! (2006-2012)]

i dont know if macarons count as confectionery but i made a roasted pumpkin pie-spiced macaron to welcome in the fall. The roasted pumpkin was mixed with pate a bombe from the left over egg yolks and i think is is a pretty solid substitution for butter cream that utilized the yolks. Quite pleased with the results.

[Overworked sourdough (I think)]

So when it comes to feeding my starter, can i just add small amounts of my dough into it? Do i need to add any water, or put it this way, what should the starter look like? Right now its kinda pasty, i dont think its too watery. The dough i have feels quite wet so i feel like i dont need to add water. Then again, if i just add chunks of dough into the bowl, will it eventually break down or does it need some extra force be it physical or chemical?

thanks