dls

A somewhat more traditional rendition - Pate De Chateau Blanc

Publix - Sarasota, FL - 10/24/08 ~ 1.5 lb live - $14.99/lb

I've never hot smoked amberjack, but I do a lot of king salmon. Following a citrus and spice brine of around 5 hours, I rinse and pat dry it then put on a cooling rack over a plate in the refrigerator for a few more hours to develop a pellicle. I then apply a honey based glaze and smoke it at 160F for approximately 2 hours, checking and reglazing a couple of times along the way to make sure that it doesn't dry out.

I was at my local Whole Foods today and saw the La Panzanella croccantini in the 8 oz. plastic bags @ $6.99 ($13.98/lb.). A 40% increase since the original post in less than a year. BTW, a quick check showed that 20%-25% of each bag was broken crumbs.

I'm certainly no expert, but I've done exactly what you're considering several times using a setup quite similar to yours with excellent results. My hot smoker is a Cookshack electric, and my cold smoker is a cheapo styrofoam cooler. The units are connected and vented as you have done. Following my standard procedure for pork butts, the meat goes in the hot smoker around 10:00 P.M. I add 2-3 ice cube sized chunks of maple, close the door, and set the temp to 180F. I then add several frozen ice packs to the bottom of the cooler, insert a cooling rack that's been cut to size so that it "locks in" about 5" from the bottom, add the maple cured bacon (Ruhlman with a few spice tweaks), close the box, and go to bed. Around 8:00 A.M. the following morning, I remove the bacon, increase the smoker temp, and fiish the pork butt. With the Cookshack, maintaining a low temp for an extended period of time is not an issue. I'm can't identify your smoker, but that might be a challenge. I recommend that you give it a try anyway.

Chufi - I believe you are referring to Hummus bil Awarma (meat). It's essentially as you describe it. Hummus topped with spiced meat (typically ground or cubed lamb), lightly toasted pine nuts, and sauteed onions. As I recall reading somewhere, Awarma was originally a method of preserving lamb in its fat by Lebanese mountain dwellers for the winter. Sort of a lamb confit. Can't help you with the spice ingredients. Looks like you have a good start, though.

An excellent online source that I use for my sausage making supplies is Butcher & Packer.. They sell everything that you would ever need for sausage making, meat curing, etc. Outstanding service and speedy delivery (I placed an order 2 days ago that was delivered an hour ago via UPS standard delivery). Best of all, their prices consistently beat any other online source that I'm familiar with. My recent order included 1 lb each of PP1 and PP2. Their price was $2 per pound versus $6 to $9 per pound elsewhere.

Count me (1) in as a probable for Sat.

Ditto me and Bob! ← Same here.

Peter - I'll vouch for this grinder. I've had one for about 4 years and it works flawlessly. A lot of power for a home unit. Also, it disassembles easily for quick clean up.

I don't know if it can still be done but, I've ordered the self-rising flour alone by phone in the past. Try calling them on Monday at 1-800-742-6729 to see if they will help you out.

I am. I'll brine it for 24 - 36 hours then smoke it on Thursday with an apple & cherry mix.

Nothing unique as far as preparation is concerned but this certainly would make an interesting way to present your turkey at the dinner table.

This thread/tutorial w/pix from little over a year ago might be of interest.

Correct. The maker, SAR Knives, calls it a "uTu". Used for primarily chopping. Another photo here.

Ah, you were there during Tet, too, then. I spent Tet trapped in a MACV compound in Bao Trai - with CRIP. ← Yea, I was there for the Tet festivities, sort of. Happened to be "Over The Fence" with a few friends for a short visit at the outset. Shortly afterwards, we were extracted and returned to Da Nang.

Kent - They do. Check out The Big State BBQ Showdown. 10/13 and 10/14 at The Texas World Speedway - College Station. A friend of mine has entered his team and I may join them to help out.

Nice stuff, Chef. Very nice. As with Squids upthread, I finally got a chance to read your material. Brought back a lot of memories. Some good. Some, not so. As you, I was there in '67 and '68. MACV-SOG. Interesting times.

I was in the clubhouse during The Players and was told that it was only open to members. Maybe the heavy debt load of the new facility made them rethink their position. Or, it may be as it is at another TPC course in FL where I have a house. The clubhouse, on a limited basis, is open to the public during the off-season. Non-members, who happen to have homes on the property, can use the facility. It's not open to the general public. Helps support the operation somewhat during a much slower period.

Same thought crossed my mind. I have a second home in Florida that, at the time of purchase, had a dishwasher that was approximately 7 years old. As a rule, I spend about 30% of my time there and, I eat out often. As such, the dishwasher is used around 20 times a year. The prior owner's profile was similar to mine. After about 3 years, it would not drain completely following a wash cycle. Shortly thereafter, it began leaking when draining. I called a repairman who informed me that a rubber bladder and the seals had dried out and were cracked and non-functioning. Probable cause was lack of use. $200 later, it worked fine for a few months until something else broke. Then, I replaced it. Doing a little research at the time, I learned that the life expectancy of a dishwasher was 10-12 years. I figured my unit had run its course which, is why I chose to replace it instead of continually having it repaired. At 16 years, your washer has had a pretty good run. If I were you, based upon my own experience, I would start shopping.

WF carries President which, is from Normandy. I'm not sure if they have other brands from Normandy.

Abra - My experience pretty much mirrors yours. I received the KO about a year ago and have never sharpened it. I'm the only one in my family that uses it and I take pretty good care of it. It still seem as sharp as it was when I first got it. A few months ago, I was taking the knife to a 2nd home I have in Sarasota, FL, connecting through Miami. Upon arrival, I learned that my bag decided to go to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. When I finally got my bag, the knife was there but, my socks were missing. I guess I got lucky. Prawncrackers - Thanks for posting the link for Knife Maintenance and Sharpening. . An excellent tutorial. After reading the piece, I came to the conclusion that my mentality, and impatience, won't allow me to get into the Zen of sharpening a ton of knives by hand in the traditional manner. The tutorial did recommend a number of devices to assist in sharpening, one of which I ordered today - The Spyderco Sharpmaker. Looks like it might be just the thing for a person like me. The little stand thing is nice and it does its job in protecting the blade. On the other hand, it's just one more thing to take up valuable counter or cabinet space. I would much prefer a protective sleeve or guard that fits the blade. From what I can tell, these are not offered by the company.

Interesting - I ended up in ER a couple of weeks ago with 2 fractured ribs. As I was lying in my bed with an IV pumping pain medication into me, I noticed that most of the staff were walking around with these odd looking springy type shoes. Reminded me of Tigger. Upon inquiry, my nurse told me they were Z Coil shoes and she then went about praising the benefits of wearing them in her line of work. A few days later, thinking about my wife, who suffers from chronic lower back pain, I called a friend who is an ER doc at a different hospital and asked if he had ever heard of Z Coils. His immediate response was, "Certainly, we all wear them". He followed by stating "Anyone with a job that requires them being on their feet 5 or more hours a day, everyday, should seriously consider Z Coils". My wife has an appointment for a fitting next week.

The Setai is a fairly new hotel / condo complex in South Beach. Stunning place. I've never stayed there (I usually stay next door at The Shore Club). Also, I have not dined at the primary restaurant but I have had apps and drinks at the beach bar.

Re: Key West Lodging. With the exception of mega-resorts, there's wide range of lodging available in KW. At the low budget end, all of the usual players are there - Best Western, Fairfield Inn, etc. At the other end of the scale, there are a few mini-resorts, such as one's mentioned by Miami Danny - Hyatt (with several locations), Westen, etc. In this category, my personal favorite is Ocean Key. In between, there is a ton of boutique hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs. Here, my favorites are The Gardens, Marquesa, and Ambrosia. For a milestone birthday super treat, a little north of KW is Little Palm Island. It's around MM 29 and would be a great place to stay on the last night before heading back. Hands down, it's easily the best place in the Keys. Expensive, but memorable. Not to dispute Miami Danny but, in my opinion, The Cheeca Lodge really sucks. It looks good in print but that's about far as it goes. I've stayed there 2 times in the past couple of years and would never go back. The rooms are several years (decades) away from needing to be refurbished. The food in the restaurant is mediocre at best and the service is real crappy. On our last visit, our waiter left for the evening without telling anyone midway through our meal. The only positive thing I can think of is that they serve some pretty potent drinks at the palapa bar which, become a necessity if you're staying there for any period of time.