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Victoria Day in BC


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I am going to a friend’s BBQ tomorrow and TONIGHT is going to be a long night. Picture chefs, cooks, servers, foodies, etc all together (50 of us) in a backyard on a beautiful rainy Sunday Victoria Day long weekend afternoon.

Four, 3lbs Wenzel ducks, cured in brine all day (more like a blood bath by the end); were just put on the smoker (11:30pm) for a long, slow charcoal smoke (with mesquite added in the 1st and 11th hour). I am aiming at keeping the smoke’s heat between 60c and 77c. I have added a pan of water to my smoker to help render the fat.

I know for a fact that at least 5 smokers are burning tonight to get ready for this event; Pork butt, brisket, plate and ribs…

Every year THIS BBQ happens on the West Coast…

What other food events are happening this long weekend? Anyone else having a BBQ, event, party; what are the foods being prepared?

Darn…the heat just spiked to 86c…got to run!

Edited by Chef Fowke (log)

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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I am still awake, waiting to refill the fire box:

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Lately, I have been reading a lot about BC Hothouse products, something about them not always been grown in Canada. I buy from a local green grocer and this is what he gets, year round. I love the product for one reason…when I walk into his shop I can SMELL tomatoes! 30 feet way…you can smell them.

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...and the sticker:

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Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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The dish that I am going to make is really simple….the duck, smoked for 12 hours.

Stuffed into a soft shell taco:

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With a hothouse tomato, scallion, sweet onion and cilantro salsa (heated with chipotle):

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With a jalapeño and lime crème fraiche:

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Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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While I am waiting to feed the coals…here are my new favourite knives…. TWIN Four Star II:

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And my new sharpener…I am not sure if I will ever use this in public, but it hones my knives better then any steel I have ever used:

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Opened and ready to hone:

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Edited by Chef Fowke (log)

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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Okay, the fire box is hot and glowing:

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I will post pictures tomorrow ~ the quintessential West Coast Long Weekend BBQ…looking forward to seeing photos from everyone else weekend adventures!!!!

Happy Victoria Day Weekend.

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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Dude, I can make it happen...

Take the day of, come and photograph this BBQ.

The people want to see what REALLY happens at Hospitality Industry parties....and more importantly, they want to know what hat Arnie is going to be wearing!

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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Nice post! guess I'm off the vip list for Arne's party :huh: Helen and I are actually doing a sous vide version of Tetsuya's signature dish "ocean trout with fennel salad and wakame" for an old family friend visting from Kenya tonight. Smoke duck sounds lovely though.

Stephen

Edited by SBonner (log)

"who needs a wine list when you can get pissed on dessert" Gordon Ramsey Kitchen Nightmares 2005

MY BLOG

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...after a long sleep I can begin to write about the quintessential West Coast BBQ;

• Smoked duck

• Brisket

• Venison, chorizo, Italian (all handmade) sausage

• Grilled Albacore tuna

• Pork ribs ~ done three ways

• Pulled pork ~ done two ways

• Little spicy turnovers

• Smoked white, spring and sockeye salmon

• Smoked and steamed Sablefish collars

• (I am missing a few items…)

After all this, dessert, chocolate overload…I am sure there was a pastry chef in our presence!!

I also saw about 20 people who regularly post on eGullet, so I image more descriptions will appear here soon.

For me, the true West Coast flavour was the Sablefish collars. Never had them before. The meat is the texture of butter. Very messy to dig through the cartilage, but once in; amazing.

And, of course, I have to say that I love Arne’s butt.

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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My stomach is growling right now. Why oh why did I pass up on this event? And what hat did Arne wear?

Tim Keller

Rare Restaurant

tim@rarevancouver.com

Metro Restaurant

timkeller@metrodining.ca

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Why oh why did I pass up on this event?
Yeah well, we could have used an extra stomach. I have a feeling I'll be eating pork for the next couple weeks :wacko:
And what hat did Arne wear?

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Arne is sporting a stylish, yet functional Corian© ballcap which today reeks of smoke. The beer's yellow label (Leffe) nicely offsets the smokey surroundings.

This also shows the new smoking-grotto at the Daddy-A household. There are now two Bullets, a Kettle and my favourite addition, a tent!

Some pictures from the weekend's cooking endeavors:

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Smoked Chicken - Thai Style

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My son prepping ribs

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Two ways to increase your Bullet's Rib-capacity

Top - Rib Rack (modifed file holder from Staples)

Bottom - The Nautilus Technique

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Don't know if you can see the rain ... but believe me it was there!

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One of 3 Butts to be pulled

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The Finished Pull

So we're knackered, full, and looking forward to a week of salads. Of course today, the sun has come out.

A.

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Aaaargh! Forgot to add thanks to Chef Fowke for some amazing Smoked Duck Tacos (they make a nice breakfast too!), nwyles for the Brisket and the use of his Bullet and HKDave for the sausage that I completely missed out on!

If I forgot anyone else, I'm blaming the meat-coma I'm enduring today :huh:

A.

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Aaaargh!  Forgot to add thanks to Chef Fowke for some amazing Smoked Duck Tacos (they make a nice breakfast too!), nwyles for the Brisket and the use of his Bullet and HKDave for the sausage that I completely missed out on!

If I forgot anyone else, I'm blaming the meat-coma I'm enduring today :huh:

A.

...mmmm mmmeat-coma

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Yeah well, we could have used an extra stomach.  I have a feeling I'll be eating pork for the next couple weeks :wacko:

So we're knackered, full, and looking forward to a week of salads.

Three times as much food as last year, easily.

Forget the salads, Salvesen. Bran's what you need. :raz:

If I forgot anyone else, I'm blaming the meat-coma I'm enduring today :huh:

You're welcome for the pork empanadas. ;)

Joie Alvaro Kent

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg

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Those pictures were pure torture.

Arne, very creative use of the file holder. Will have to use that this summer when I do a little BBQ'ing down south at my mom's place. Brilliant.

I am making sure that I am available next year or is there a repeat event coming soon?

Tim Keller

Rare Restaurant

tim@rarevancouver.com

Metro Restaurant

timkeller@metrodining.ca

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