Kielabasa Diary

[trillium]

Trillium, are the silicon garlic peelers the same as the rubber tube ones? I tried one once without any affect. I hear that it depends on the garlic. The way I peel my garlic is after breaking it off the head, I chop off the root and if the skin doesn't come right off I give it a twist and then it usually does somewhat easily. If I'm only doing 4 or 5 cloves, it's no problem. It's just when I'm peeling 7 damn heads does it take an inordinate amount of time.

Yeah, those are the ones I meant. To tell you the truth, I've never tried 'em, but I have a friend who loves hers. 7 damn heads is a lot...when we had to peel a couple kgs of shallots and 1 kg of garlic for a year's supply of rempah for the freezer it wasn't very fun, so I feel your pain. Usually we do it together and hang out, drinking alcoholic bevereges helps too, but you probably already know that.

Have you tried the chop the root off and then smash the clove with your knife method? Since you're using a FP to mince it anyways, it shouldn't affect the taste too much.

regards,

trillium

[col klink]

Have you tried the chop the root off and then smash the clove with your knife method?  Since you're using a FP to mince it anyways, it shouldn't affect the taste too much.

Yup, and that works very well. I resort to that when I can't easily get the skins off with my fingers.

[Jinmyo]

General, I liked the Salumi tale.

[gknl]

Although my neighborhood Whole Foods peels the garlic themselves.  They sell an 8 oz. container (approximately 40-50 cloves) for about 2 bucks.  It keeps its potency for 3 to 4 days and is well worth it to me.

I peeled a whole bunch of garlice about a month ago, and they've been sitting in my fridge under some vegetable oil. Should I toss them?

Perhaps you should. Botulism makes those clippie things look pretty tame.

Since garlic is relatively cheap, I'd probably toss it too. But if you cook the garlic and oil, the toxins are destroyed. It's using it raw that usually causes the problems.

http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section3...apter28/28d.htm

C. botulinum spores are highly heat-resistant and may survive boiling for several hours at 100° C (212° F); however, exposure to moist heat at 120° C (248° F) for 30 min will kill the spores. Toxins, on the other hand, are readily destroyed by heat, and cooking food at 80° C (176° F) for 30 min safeguards against botulism. Toxin production (especially type E) can occur at temperatures as low as 3° C (37.4° F), ie, inside a refrigerator, and does not require strict anaerobic conditions.

[Kim WB]

Last night I did the first of the lipid tests and I matched the smoked pork fat versus duck fat in a potato roasting contest. I am sorry to say the duck fat won. You could hardly taste the smoke in the pork potatoes and despite the duck fat not tasting like anything when tasted straight, all of a sudden exploded with ducky scrumptiousness when roasted with something else. I was really stymied laste night becuase eating the two fats straight the duck didn't even come close. The pork potatoes were still good, but they weren't duck good. Cooking with the smoked pork fat is not that much better than cooking with regular bacon fat. Sorry. 

I LOVE this guy. Yes, married and have a most wonderful life, with more riches than most....but I LOVE this guy!!!

[CathyL]

What Kim said. Get in line, girl.

Generalissimo Klink, the thinking eGulletessa's hunk.

[Kim WB]

What Kim said.  Get in line, girl. 

Generalissimo Klink, the thinking eGulletessa's hunk.

Oh, that is so shallow! And if need be, I will travel with you to a French chateau, and fight it out over the evening gown competition! ( You need to know Joe millionaire, Cathy! )

Me, klink, and a hunk of kielbasa...that's what dreams are made of......( fade to Celine Dion song)

[Kim WB]

And if need be, I will travel with you to a French chateau, and fight it out over the evening gown competition!

Ha, she is so scared of me!!!

[LaurieA-B]

Me, klink, and a hunk of kielbasa...that's what dreams are made of......( fade to Celine Dion song)

Batgrrrl must not be around, or she would have totally kicked your ass by now. Maybe she's enjoying kielbasa.

[Schielke]

err, I am not sure if I should be reading into that keilbasa comment.

[col klink]

Um, Batgrrrl is making me log out . . .

[Batgrrrl]

Batgrrrl must not be around, or she would have totally kicked your ass by now.  Maybe she's enjoying kielbasa.

Yo yo YO, you ladies bettah keep your d@#% paws off the General!

I'm gonna be keepin' a close eye on this thread from now on. Gotta keep you ladies in line.

Edit: *burp*

Edited February 1, 2003 by Batgrrrl (log)

[col klink]

Um, sorry about that folks, Batgrrrl and I just finished watching American Pimp and she's a little possesive.

Oh oh, I betta get her her money! Not some of her money, not MOST of her money. But ALLLLLLL her money!

[CathyL]

And if need be, I will travel with you to a French chateau, and fight it out over the evening gown competition!

Ha, she is so scared of me!!!

In yer dreams, sister. Name the time and chateau. Better wear your best Wonder Bra.

[Just funnin', Batgrrrl...you I'm scared of. ]

[snowangel]

oh and have a more ergonomic handle. Your hand gets pretty sore if you don’t use a towel.

Have you tried pipe insulation around the handle?

Question: why do sausages bend and not lay flat once they are cooked?

[col klink]

Have you tried pipe insulation around the handle?

This was only my first time using it, but since there's a hinge in the handle and I don't have a permanent place for the stuffer (i.e. so I can mount it), it would be difficult to control with a pipe. But using a towel over the handle worked just fine.

Question:  why do sausages bend and not lay flat once they are cooked?

It depends on the casings, with synthetic casing you can get straight sausages but with hog casings you'd be hard pressed since to have over 60 feet of intestine be perfectly straight, you'd have a long hog!

[snowangel]

Have you tried pipe insulation around the handle?

This was only my first time using it, but since there's a hinge in the handle and I don't have a permanent place for the stuffer (i.e. so I can mount it), it would be difficult to control with a pipe. But using a towel over the handle worked just fine.

I was actually thinking of just pipe insulation -- that dark gray, foamy stuff that comes in shaped like that tubular spaghetti, only bigger. I think it comes in many diameters. It is slit on one side, and seems to have enough "roughness" on the inside to do a good job of staying put.

[col klink]

Ah, so you were. I have smoke on the brain! The insulation is not a bad idea.

[snowangel]

Ah, so you were. I have smoke on the brain! The insulation is not a bad idea. 

I won't even ask what kind of smoke...

[col klink]

Unfortunately these days, not the good stuff.

Or is it? I said that because I'm smoking these up today:

That's two briskets (one for a good friend down the street) and a rack of spare ribs. Egads it's been a long time since I've had spare ribs, I miss 'em! But I won't be for long.

As to the smoke, when I start the fire I'm usually crying a lot and every once I have to do a lot of work with the meats and you can't help but get a lot of smoke in your eyes and lungs and apparently it clouds up your judgement.

[snowangel]

Egads it's been a long time since I've had spare ribs, I miss 'em! But I won't be for long.

Me, too. Just last night I said to Paul "I need ribs." So, assuming that our above zero weather hits, I will get ribs.

So, the question. We have Weber kettle, have smoked stuff before (my, that comment is leading ). Hints on smoking ribs, please, from the General. I prefer "real" ribs, not those baby backs with virtually no meat to speak of (not to mention the why pay more for less idea).

[col klink]

Snowangel, the easiest ribs (and some of the best) aren't even ribs, they're cut from the shoulder and called "country style ribs." You'll often see them on sale at your grocery store, and when you do buy as many that will fit in your freezer. They have more fat and meat than both spare and back ribs and they do especially well when you smoke them. Despite tasting better, country style ribs don't give you quite the satisfaction of actually eating ribs, so as you already mentioned, back ribs or baby back aren't your answer, but spare ribs are. They lie somewhere between back ribs and country style in the amount of meat and fat. If your butcher is good, they'll trim off the half-sternum so it's easier to cut the ribs after you've pulled them from the weber. Oh, and before you put the (actual) ribs on, there's a membrane on the inside of the ribs that's best to remove before cooking. It inhibits flavor from rubs, brines and sauces and it's difficult to chew when cooked.

Whatever meat you choose, just remember to brine it first.

As for smoking in the weber, remember that you're using an indirect cooking method. The coals are on one side of the grill and the meat is on the other, and you don't need to soak your chips, chunks are better than chips and if there's no smoke, there's no flavor. If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask!

edit: most ribs take 3 to 4 hours to smoke. If more than 25% of the meat is pulling away from the bone, it's done. If you can, have a thermometer on the grilling surface next to the meat. You want to keep that around 225F.

Edited February 3, 2003 by col klink (log)

[snowangel]

Thanks for the info; it's nice to know that I've been doing it right. Just as soon as I get the snow shoveled of the weber, I'll do a side-by-side with country ribs and spare ribs. The fattier country ribs sound great. My butcher does a nice job of trimming them up -- he even removes the membrane!

[Dave the Cook]

I confess to liking the membrane, in modest amounts. It gets a papery crispness that's really interesting. I do puncture it liberally before brining, but I leave it on. It gets the rub, too -- but no sauce. Actually, I rarely use sauce anyway.

Edited February 3, 2003 by Dave the Cook (log)

[Varmint]

Had my kielbasa yesterday, and I can only say, "Klink, Klink, Klink, Klink!!!!"

In addition, 3 out of the 4 L'il Varmints loved it as well (the 2 year old thought it was too spicy). The 7 year old wanted more pepper!!

Finally, after cooking a Thai feast Saturday evening and drinking way too much, I also learned that Klink's kielbasa is a great hangover food.