MatthewB

Spent a week in SF last Xmas holidays. Did plenty of eating. As far as moderately priced, some stand-outs . . . --Zuni Cafe --Chez Papa --Vietnamese spot in Chinatown (can't remember the name right now but could find it) --Spanish place in the upper Haight (again bad memory)

The recipe is from Jasper White's Lobster at Home, so the technique may be more White than Bayless. Not sure. Here's the basic technique . . . --Take live lobsters & use cleaver or large chef's knife to halve lobsters --Clean lobsters --Grill lobsters--shell side down--on hot grill for about 6 to 8 minutes (cover lobsters with pie pan or similiar to help prevent drying out) That's it, if memory serves. (I don't have the cookbook with me right now.) edit: cleared up poor quoting on my part

Decision made. Tomorrow evening's meal will be Rick Bayless' "Grill Lobster w/ Toasted Garlic, Avocado, & Chilies" with Cactus Salad & Grilled Plaintains (the latter two from Steve Raichlen's Healthly Latin Cooking). Hopefully, I can talk the SO into making her marvelous flan. I've collected some thoughts on smoking lobster. Big thanks to everyone that provided feedback & recipes. Later, I'll provide a brief synopsis on where I plan to go with smoked lobster. I'm still going to attempt it, but, alas, not this weekend. If anyone is interested, I can report on tomorrow's grilling. edit: clarity

FWIW, the Cascade D&W has the best seafood--hands-down. Of course, if you can bring some from Chicago all the better. But next time you're in GR, check out that D&W's seafood, if you have a chance. That B-52s song brings back memories of sunny days in the '80s at Holland beach. Being fair-skinned, I always felt as if all eyes were on me when that song was on.

Fresh lobster is available at the D&W chain of groceries. Unless, of course, you know of a better supplier here! Maybe I should try the Jasper White method with the Rick Bayless recipe that I mentioned earlier. However, the link that Huevos del Toro provided certainly looks like I could pull it off in the Weber smoker. At this point, I'm fairly convinced that if I want to do "Asian-style" smoked lobster that I should use my wok. But I don't want to sound like the "shoddy workman who always blames his inferior tools." I'm still wavering but I think Mexican-style grilled lobster is the plan for this Saturday.

Couldn't find an email address so I called DC Coast this afternoon. I was politely told that if the recipe wasn't on the website that "Gourmet magazine may have it but I'm not at liberty to divulge any additional information concerning that recipe." So, I searched epicurious.com to no avail. Perhaps I'll send a snail-mail letter to Chef Jeff Tunks at DC Coast. But I still need to decide what to do for this weekend.

:ponders: well, klink, let me sleep on this smoked lobster in the Weber thing. But it's just me & the SO this weekend so I can always pick up a dozen fresh kielbasas in case I fuck up the lobster. Any more advice anyone? I'm still listening!

col klink, you're causing me to hesitate . . . Perhaps I should fall back to grilling. There's an appealing recipe in White's Lobster at Home from Rick Bayless. :wrings hands:

Plan would be to serve hot. Might a hotter temperature--say, 250*F--be better? (And, thus, not blanch? My only reference is grilling technique from Jasper White where lobster is halved, cleaned, & then grilled.) Also, might a tea & spice rub plus a finishing oil (perhaps olive oil--or peanut oil--with garlic, scallions, ginger) be a good aim?

Time for a new adventure. So . . . While thinking about grilling lobster this weekend, I was reminded that the best lobster I've had was a "Chinese Style Smoked Lobster" at DC Coast in Washington DC. So, my thoughts moved from grilling to smoking. Any advice on how I might pull off "Chinese Style Smoked Lobster" at home? (I would smoke it in my Weber Smokey Mountain, so that's not an issue.) I'm assuming that I would smoke half lobsters (~1.5 to 2 pds each) for about an hour at ~200*F. Sound close? And what about marinate, seasonings, etc.? I remember said lobster having a tea flavor.

Unfortunately, eGullet doesn't support some of the latest HTML tags so I'm forced to leave in the raw tags. [AITICON] (Am I Tongue-In-Cheek Or Not?) tommy, In the interest of protecting your emotional health, I'm offering two new things to hate with your new reasons to hate! Don't squander those new-found talents! 1. Wood smoke--let's ban it! Think Zuni Cafe will win another Beard award when the wood oven disappears?! 2. Cities--let's ban 'em! [/AITICON] Check the following for less heat & more light . . . NYC CLASH Forces International

As far as (1) . . . Hardly end of story. Constitutional rights specifically aim to establish justice for all citizens. Thus, law & political theory can be distinguished but not separated if one aims for a liberal constitutional democracy. Given that, the fact that a law is "presumptively legal" does not establish that said law is just. The story continues. (I.e., where's the justice in closed down working-class bars?) As far as (2) . . . I'm unclear concerning the "specious" quality of my invocation of "tyranny of the majority." Nor am I clear on the remainder of this point. More light & less heat, please?

I understand what mogsob is saying; however, I disagree. The quoted material contains several declarative statements of "fact" that simply are not "facts." mogsob: "The greater good must be the focus of all reasoned policy-making in a democratic society." This is a statement rising from a utilitarian theory. There are competing theories concerning justice. mogsob: "The rights of the minority are adequately protected by the Constitution." This is a hypothesis. Constitutional theorists would argue that the Constitution alone is not sufficient to protect minority rights. mogsob: "Surely, this must have been made clear to you in a basic political science class." This statement attempts to make an ad hominem argument. Irrelevant. mogsob: "The legislative branch in our government is designed to respond to democratic urges -- and thus reflect the desires of the majority (here, non-smokers)." Again, this is a "factual" statement that derives from a utilitarian theory. mogsob: "To the extent minority rights are trampled, smokers/business owners etc. have the right to appeal to the courts for protection. As such, tyranny of the majority is checked in the US by the courts' enforcement of consitutional rights." Historically, the US courts have not always protected minority rights in a timely manner. Tocqueville--the originator of the phrase "tyranny of majority"--held a more nuanced view, a view that ultimately looked to civil society as a complex network of relationships (both formal & informal) that seek & engender societal justice. mogsob: "And your pithy comments comparing my stance to Hitler, Stalin, Rumsfeld, and Moses" No one claimed that! mogsob: "banning smoking is good policy, as it drives down health care costs without any offsetting costs associated in lost business profits to bar/restaurant owners or lost tourism (see the California studies)." "See the California studies." This is an appeal to authority.

As J.S. Mill pointed out long ago, "the greater good" often operates as a euphemism for "tyranny of the majority."

I bought the kielbasas at a local grocery where they make sausages themselves. I'm going to soon try my own hand at making kielbasa. I'm waiting to see if I receive my grandparents' hand-crank meat grinder from their estate. A lot--and I mean a lot--of meat has been ground in that thing. For a time--early & mid 20th century--my grandfather butchered & smoked on his farm and sold to the public. I so wish that I had my current interests when my grandmother & grandfather were alive & in good health. My mother still loves to tell the story about the cow tail my grandfather gave me when butchering one Sunday afternoon. I took the tail to school the next day for "show & tell."

$7.99 on Amazon. I don't know how to do the eGullet Amazon link thing, so search for "Replacement Probe for Polder."

Stone, Hanging up your Bullet or giving up on smoking?

Stone, Have you tried testing the Polder? (Boiling water, etc.?)

I'm in the midst of reading Becker's Denial of Death. I can't help but understand some anti-smoking slants as yet another form of Becker's heroism--heroism as the penultimate avoidance of dealing with death. (And, no, I'm not advocating smoking.) Edit: clarified that I'm not advocating smoking.

Excellent feedback. Thanks much! Three follow-up questions . . . 1. What target temp (at top grate) are you aiming for before you load meat? (I've been aiming for about 280*F & experiencing a ~50*F drop from the added meat & the top off.) 2. How long does it typically take to get your initial target temp stablized? 3. Using lump charcoal in the manner you described, are you able to just use the standard charcoal grate without having a lot of charcoal drop into the firepit? (I've been using the smaller Weber 7501 grate cross-hatched over the standard grate as suggested on the VWB site.)

=Mark, How many full loads are you doing in the chimney starter to get a "full fire grate"? I've been doing one full load in the chimney starter but I'm having to add lump charcoal about every 90 minutes. Should I be doing more charcoal right off the bat?

Dave the Cook, Due to juggling domestic chores with smoking on Saturday, I didn't get a chance to compare temps via different themometers. I'll try next time. Should be a fun experiment. I've described some of Saturday's smoking experiences in the Smokin' meat thread. Stone, I too tried some of the Weber hickory chucks. Quickly went back to pecan chucks that I picked up at a specialty store. Time to get back there. Also, Stupid Move That I Hope Not to Repeat (SMIHNR?) Only smoked on the top grate in the Weber Smokey Mountain. But left the lower grate in. Decided I was an unintentional masochist while I was cleaning that lower grate.

After the SO asked about the grilling/bbq'ing & carcinogens, I did a bit of searching & e-mailed her this summary. I'm no expert on this, so does anyone have any feedback on the accuracy of my summary? Summary 1. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed when fat drips from food onto hot coals or lava rocks. The smoke that forms rises up to the food and deposits PAHs on the surface of it. Best way to avoid PAHs: Do not allow fat to drip directly on hot coals or hot heating elements. I.e., cook with medium heat and/or use some form of "indirect" method--do not cook directly over coals and/or place a drip pan under the meat. 2. Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are created within muscle meats during cooking--particularly when cooked at high temperatures as with frying, broiling and barbecuing (sic--grilling is high temp; bbq is low temp). However, according to the July 1996 issue of Environmental Nutrition, the risk of getting cancer from HAAs is very low-- one in 10,000 over a lifetime. Best way to avoid HAAs: Cook meat at lower temperatures--less than 400 degrees F and, more importantly, do not eat a lot of well-done meat. 3. As far as cancer risk from charcoal versus gas grilling and from charcoal briquettes versus lump charcoal, there is no real evidence concerning cancer risk from either charcoal or briquettes.

col klink, Thanks much for the feedback. That helps a lot. Next time, I'll use a brine & a whole butt. (Suggestions on a brine mixture?) The most important aspect might be aiming for "roast" pork. I, too, stop at 145*F when oven-roasting. I'll try that with the next bbq'd butt. Might I ask why you favor "roast" over "pulled" when bbq'ing pork butt? Mainly, the juicy factor? (I was assuming that I could turn out juicy "pulled" on my first try.) As for the kielbasas, they were fresh. I did this last week, too, but with an assortment of sausages. What I'm doing is smoking at about 200*F (at the grate) for ~2 hours. This is giving me a smoke ring about 2/3 to 3/4 into the sausages. Then, if they're not all consumed as "fast food," I'm grilling them over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes (turning once). This "crisps" up the casing. Good stuff.

quajolote, As far as how it turned out . . . Overall, quite well given that the SO & her parents enjoyed it. However, I thought the pork butt was a bit drier than I'd hoped and it didn't "pull" very easily. On reflection, might the following how contributed to my slight disatisfaction? 1. I cooked until the meat was at 180*F. Should I have waited until 190*F? 2. I marinated in 2 cups brewed coffee, 2 cups cider vinegar, & half cup molasses. Should I have brined? 3. The last hour I increased the cooker temp--at the grate--to 255*F in order to get dinner on the table--it was 7:15 pm when the meat hit 180*F. (The SO's parents like to eat dinner at 6 pm & they're not big drinkers. So I couldn't just ply them with wine in hope of their losing track of their appetites.) Might the higher temp have been a no-no? 4. Might it have been something else that I erred on? BTW, I smoked salmon before the pork. (And a dozen kielbasa after the pork. Mmmmm, smoked kielbasa for breakfast this morning!) The salmon was a pound fillet cut into 8 pieces and marinated overnight in an Asian-style sake marinate. Served it as an app last night--shreaded over sliced baguette spread with homemade creme fraiche. That rocked!