Really Nice!

Ouch. :-( Snowangel, know that there really is no set time for cooking a large piece of meat. There are too many things to consider. For a turkey at the end of May, I would guess you'll need 4-6 hours depending on the size of the bird, weather conditions etc. Check out The Virtual Weber Web site. I don't know what your setup is, but this site should give you a few great tips. Also, here's what I wrote for my family cookbook: Smoking First, follow your smoker's directions. You should get the basics from its documentation. (This is especially true if it is gas or electric; I accept no responsibility if you follow these directions and blow yourself up.) These instructions are for a water smoker, as the recipes are not designed to dry the food but rather slow cook it. A 'cylinder-style' charcoal and wood blocks/chips water smoker is the most common smoker. It looks much like a capsule or a bullet about 1 yard tall and 18 inches wide. It is divided into 3 sections. The very bottom holds the charcoal or wood; the lower middle is a water basin used to keep the food moist and the upper 2/3s is where the food cooks. Water smokers can be found in hardware stores for about $30 but can go as high as $300 at specialty shops. One of the main problems in smoking food is the inconsistency of temperature during the cooking process. This is where an electric or gas smoker clearly has the edge. However, you shouldn't use an electric smoker if it is raining or where the ground is wet or damp. When using charcoal and wood, the secret is to start off hot. Each of the smoking recipes included here use a 250°F (120°C) as the target temperature. It is easier to start hot and maintain a high temperature than it is to boost up a low one three hours into cooking. Also keep in mind the usual variables, season, air circulation, moisture, weather temperature, wind, and quantity and proximity of coals used can hinder or vary cooking times. Where and when are you smoking? Christmas Eve in Chicago is significantly different than Christmas Eve in Sydney, expect different weather patterns to change your finishing time. A 12-pound turkey can take 4 hours in the summer, 7 or 8 in winter. Water smokers usually have a thermometer built in. Unfortunately, the temperatures warm, ideal and hot are not very descriptive readings. To get an actual reading I drilled a hole in the cover of mine and inserted a meat thermometer. The best way to maintain a high temperature is to use a smokestack charcoal starter. (Never use lighter fluid... yeech!) They sell for about $12. It's just a round metal cylinder with a wire screen inside to hold the charcoal. Fill it up with your coals, crumble up a newspaper underneath and light the newspaper. 10-15 minutes later your coals are red hot and ready to add to the smoker. At first I thought it to be a little ridiculous to buy a gadget like this but it makes sense to use it. Without it, when you put coals in the smoker, the energy that is used to cook the food is transferred to getting the coals hot, not cooking the food. Putting coals in while they are reaching the red hot stage allows additional energy to cook your food and you don't have to wait 20 minutes for the coals to get ready and the temperature to get back to where it was. It works wonderfully. Another aspect to achieving and maintaining the 250°F temperature concerns water. For the same reason you don't put charcoal in the smoker without firing it up first, boil the water in the microwave before pouring it into the basin. I use a long plastic funnel (designed for putting oil in a car) that works really well for funneling the water through the small opening at the bottom of the smoker. Try to keep the water at a reasonable level. Not too much, not too little. The more water you have, the more energy required to boil it; the less you have, the dryer your meat will be. I usually use between 1 quart (litre) for stuff like ribs to 6 cups (1-1/2 litres) for whole turkeys. Another problem I have encountered is the charcoal smothers itself out after a few hours. I solved this by buying a good quality metal colander (the kind you use for draining pasta). Inside the smoker I put my coals in the colander. During the cooking grab the colander with a tong and shake it about every hour. The ashes fall through and the coals show their red-hot surface. Using the right wood can add some nice flavor to your food. Soak the wood for about 15 minutes before adding it to the fire. You want the wood to smolder, not flame up. The listing below, SMOKING FOODS - A GUIDE TO USING THE RIGHT WOOD, should help guide you along. Don't add your wood to the smokestack charcoal starter. After adding the charcoal to the smoker place the wood blocks on top. Also, if you are smoking for more than two hours, you will need to add additional water and charcoal/wood. I alternate every half hour between adding wood or water. For example, if the food goes on at 2 p.m., I’ll add more charcoal/wood at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30 and so forth. I’ll add additional water at 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 and so on. This method helps make that 250°F (120°C) goal as close to being a constant as you can. So basically, the steps for a good smoke are: 1. Take the weather into consideration when smoking or barbecuing. Is it windy, raining and cold? 2. Bring meat to room temperature before starting 3. Start off with a lot of charcoal in a smokestack charcoal starter (the goal is to get to 250°F (120°C) 4. Soak your wood for about 15 minutes 5. Place a metal colander inside the smoker 6. Boil about 1 quart of water in the microwave 7. Place charcoal and wood in the smoker 8. Insert basin and pour water in 9. Place food on wire racks above the water basin 10. Keep smoker covered because it takes about 30 minutes to recover the heat after opening 11. If you are cooking more than 2 hours, keep an eye on the thermostat and add charcoal/wood and water; alternating every half-hour or when necessary 12. Don't open the cover except to check the temperature of the food (if you inserted a thermometer into the meat) or to remove it. No peeking! Other things to do I also experiment with adding things to the water. Sometimes adding 1 cup of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot wine in the water basin along with some fresh herbs, whole peppercorns, mustard seeds, or liquid hickory smoke can add nice flavors. Stove Top Smoking I have also smoked foods on my kitchen stove. I use a fish steamer and wood chips. Soak the chips for about 15 minutes and place them in the steamer, no additional water is necessary. Place the tray above the wood, add your food and cook over medium heat. Cooking times are about the same as a barbecue. I've tried this with chicken and fish and have had favorable results. SMOKING FOODS - A GUIDE TO USING THE RIGHT WOOD Sorted by wood Alder - A medium, tart smoke taste goes well with beef, fish and game. Apple - A light, sweet flavor goes well with game, pork and poultry. Cherry - Distinctive and delicious goes well with beef and game. Grapevine - A strong smoke flavor goes well with beef and poultry. Hickory - Heavy smoke flavor goes well with bacon wrapped roasts, fish and lamb. Maple - Sweet, hearty smoke flavor goes well with bacon wrapped roasts, fish and lamb. Mesquite - A light smoke flavor goes well with bacon wrapped roasts, beef and pork. Oak - Heavy smoke flavor goes well with bacon wrapped roasts, jerky and pork. Pecan - A rich, sweet flavor Goes well with everything! Sorted by food type Bacon Wrapped Roasts - Hickory, Maple, Mesquite, Oak and Pecan Beef - Alder, Cherry, Grapevine, Mesquite and Pecan Fish - Alder, Hickory, Maple and Pecan Game - Alder, Apple, Cherry and Pecan Jerky - Oak and Pecan Lamb - Hickory, Maple and Pecan Pork - Apple, Mesquite, Oak and Pecan Poultry - Apple, Grapevine and Pecan Use about 4-6 wood blocks to start with charcoal barbecues and smokers. Use wood chips with gas or electric barbecues and smokers, or, if you want to smoke over the stove in the kitchen. Soak wood or chips in water for 15 minutes for best results. This prevents the chips from burning too rapidly which gives a bad charred flavor.

Regarding the "where" in your topic title, there's a Web site: The Guide to Career Cooking & Wine Schools. It's a free, online directory from ShawGuides with 522 career cooking and wine schools worldwide. It looks pretty good. I took a look at my school (Art Insitute of Seattle) and here's what it shows: Website http://www.ais.artinstitutes.edu Year Established...................1996 Sponsor Description .............2-year college Program Description .............7-quarter AAA degree in Culinary Arts, 4-quarter diploma in Baking & Pastry, 4-quarter diploma in The Art of Cooking Accreditation ........................NASC, ACF Admission Months ................Rolling Total Enrollment ...................300 Enrollees Per Period .............60 % Accepted ..........................65 % Financial Aid .....................75 % Part Time .........................13 % Employed .........................95 Facilities ...............................Kitchens & classroom space, dining room overlooking Puget Sound Courses ...............................Basic skills, baking & pastry, desserts, American regional, classical, international, & Mediterranean cuisines, health-related cooking, charcuterie, cost mgmt, menu & facility planning, dining room operations, show platter design & competition Intern/Externships ...............Internship program with restaurants & resorts in the Western U.S. Faculty .................................18 culinary instructors with industry experience Student:Teacher Ratio .........19:1 Tuition .................................$13,680/academic yr for AAA degree programs, $8,208/academic yr for Diploma programs Admission Requirements ......High school diploma and admissions interview Scholarships .........................Yes Loans ..................................Yes Quarter ................................Yes Core Curriculum ..................Yes Location Description ............On the waterfront overlooking Puget Sound U.S. Locations ......................Seattle, Washington Months .................................January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December Tuition Range >9mos ..........$10,000+/yr Contact ...............................Lori Murray, Associate Director of Admissions Art Institute of Seattle Admissions Dept., 2323 Elliott Ave. Seattle, Washington 98121 Phone: 800-275-2471, 206-448-6600 Fax: 206-448-2501 E-mail: aisadm@aii.edu

I keep mine at 36F which is about 4 degrees lower than the typical default setting. Things last much longer with that extra 4 degrees. Milk lasts 2-3 weeks past expiration, and very few things get moldy. I do have to be careful with greens, however. Sometimes it'll be too cold for them and they wilt.

It seems that everynight I see a commercial advertising this place. Where is he getting his funding? Did he get out of the internet boom before the collapse? Has anyone been here? Is it worth it? What's the pricing? He claims that you don't have to go downtown for fine dining; but how fine is this place. Thoughts?

What's the temperature of your refrigerator?

Yes, that's also where I got mine for $160. It was the full kit including the machine, 2 11-inch wide rolls, 2 8-inch wide rolls, three plastic canisters, an adapter for sealing mason jars, a demonstration video, and a bunch of coupons. You can also get them at Fred Meyers, Target, K-Mart (are they still around?). I think they're around $30 a box for 6 rolls (4 11-inch, 2 8-inch). I use the canisters for storing coffee, cereals, grains... I've sealed whole chickens, IQF (individually quick frozen) fruit and vegetables at the height of the season, individual slices of foie gras, steaks, duck breasts... you name it. I also like to take a beef brisket, seal it, and then age it in the fridge for about three weeks. It comes out more tender. There's a thread on cooking lamb and mjmchef says that he used to use a cryo vac (which is what this is) to seal the meat and cook it in the bag. I'd like to try this, but I don't know what the high-end temperature range is this plastic. Since you can boil it, I assume it's okay to at least 225F. I'd have to say that I can't live without mine. Edit to add: Regarding clothes. If you go camping, sealing socks and a wool sweater is a lifesaver when the rains come.

If its properly vacuum sealed, with little to no air inside, couldn't it theoretically last for months? Not that you'd realistically want to risk doing that. No. The microorganisms on the chicken could continue to thrive even if all oxygen is removed from the package. Microorganisms are placed into three categories: Aerobic, Anaerobic, and Facultative. Aerobic: requires oxygen to grow. Anaerobic: can grow when oxygen is absent; botulism is anaerobic. Facultative: can grow with or without oxygen; Salmonella, Listeriosis, and e. coli 0157:h7 are all facultative. Most microorganisms that cause foodborne illnesses are in this category.

Welcome Mathew, I know what you mean. I too was recently 'released' after 11+ years with the same company. For a long time I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning, but the last two years... Anyway, how do we go about starting a new network?

At one time there were well over 1,000. A couple garage sales for benefits (to friends of ill health) reduced it drastically. Now it's around 600-700, but my most prized are those that are autographed; Thomas Keller, Alice Waters, Jacques Pepin, Julia Childs... But most I treasure my culinary school notebooks. You won't find those in any bookstore, until I gather my notes together and...

The preview of Food Fight appeared tonight. Is this a redneck show? The opening episode was completely different from the commercial spots we have been forced to get excited about for the last three weeks. The scene, environment, and locale were not as advertised. It sadly looks to be from the same people who developed Date Plate... and that's not a compliment. What can you do with pork chops, $20, and two hours? Sounds sadly familiar with date plate, a sad program in and of itself. EDIT: Wait a minute, they "validated" themselves when they anounced at the end of the program that time was up. Someone from Team 'X' said, "Hang on, I need to kick this up a notch." Ahhhh, put this on my TIVO. ...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... EDIT II: At the end of the program, they gave away 'gourmet prizes.' The 'gourmet' prize of prizes was the George Foreman grill! Even local PBS stations have higher budgets than these new FoodTV programs!

Developed?

Welcome, Snooky. Sorry to hear of your loss. It appears to be a common theme... There's plenty of discussion regarding restaurants on the way out and those on the way in, in Farewell & Welcome, Restaurants out of biz and starting anew.

This is a recipe my dad used for english toffee and turtles. 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) 1/4 cup water 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract In a large saucepan add sugar, butter, water and salt. Cook about 10 minutes; stirring constantly to prevent burning. You want the mixture to start turning a light brown. When this happens remove mixture from heat, add vanilla and stir. Careful, it will bubble up. Allow to cool to near room temperature for it to thicken up.

Hello mjmchef, I like this idea! I want to try it. How hot was your oven? Any idea how hot it can be before the plastic starts melting? (I know it can go in boiling water so it should be at least 212F. Thanks!

Isn't that warning sign next to the video camera that records your face as you enter the store? Taking pictures at grocery stores, restaurants etc. isn't an everyday event, so it's natural to be suspicious as to the purpose of the recording. Remember, Chicago-area Jewel Foods stores had that salmonella outbreak in its milk, sending over 20,000 people to hospitals in the winter of 1985. You couldn't watch TV for weeks without seeing some Jewel dairy department on the news. The same results occured with Jack n' the Box and the E. coli bacteria they had in their hamburger meat in February 1993. If you're driving up to a place like Superdawg and taking photos, they're probably thinking one of two things: you're looking to copy the look and feel of their establishment, or you're trying to catch them doing something (stealing, bad HACCP practices...).

How are you measuring the temperature? If you're using a thermometer, have you calibrated it? Are you giving it time to rest so the juices redistribute back into the meat? Without this extra time, even a medium-cooked piece of meat will leak raw red juices. How does it feel when you cut through it? I mean to touch it with your fingers. Does it feel like raw meat? How much resistance does it give?

Can't tell you exactly how much a jigger is, but isn't a "pony" double that? Also in, Cook's Book of Essential Information: A Kitchen Handbook page 86: 1 pony.............3/4 ounce 1 shot.................1 ounce 1 jigger........1 1/2 ounces 1 split.................6 ounces

I have recipes that call for a "#2 can" of something. What is that? A number 2 can is 20 ounces. 2 1/2 is 28 ounces 3 is 33 ounces 5 is 58 ounces

Thanks, all. I'm talking about the stems above the (single) bulb. They looked and tasted much like green onions. I thought they could be eaten, but when I couldn't find any recipes I started to wonder. For last night's dinner I made zucchini 'spaghetti'. Slice the garlic bulb very thinly with a truffle slicer; mince about two tablespoons of greens. Slice the zucchini into thin strips (about 1/16" thick) using a mandolin. Spinkle it with Kosher salt and wait about 5 minutes to help draw out excess water. Pat dry with paper towels. Toss it into a skillet with olive oil. Toss for about 1 minute; add garlic bulb and greens. Toss for another two minutes. Served it with slow roasted baby back ribs.

I just came back from the market with a bunch of fresh garlic. The greens are about two-feet long. Are they edible? If yes, what can I do with them. I checked my French and Italian cookbooks and came up with nothing. I'd like to try infusing an oil with some, and sauteing the rest. Thoughts?

I would cut it with an acid, such as champagne vinegar or a citrus juice. Experiment a little and see what you like. Also, bitterness diminishes the perception of sweetness. Maybe a little brewed coffee will help.

If you play this chicken backwards on your turntable you hear a secret recipe with 11 herbs and spices. Jim Actually, I think this was a song from the '50s. Looooove Chicken number Niiiiiiine.

Can sizes. Arg. #1 is 10.5 ounces #300 is 15 ounces #1 1/2 is 16 ounces #303 is 17 ounces #10 is 106 ounces Source: Cook's Book of Essential Information: A Kitchen Handbook page 87. Where is the logic in this? Who does this make sense to?

Due to the slumping economy, the Brewwerks - Hole in the Wall Barbecue in Kirkland (I'm a financial partner in the restaurant) will be closing its doors for good this week. The brewing side of the operation opened in 1996 and added the restaurant in 2000. The BBQ was decent food, and it gave me my first experience in the restaurant biz, albeit a small, simple operation. Someday... someday... I'm going to address this relentless passion and open up a place of my own.

Isn't this ham?