Dinner 2022

[weinoo]

2 hours ago, Duvel said:

 

I think for pit barbecue you are also striving for a constant & controlled cooking environment, but you certainly have to work for it.

 

The smoker I use - as I said: entry level - has automatic temperature control, timer, a reload feature for wood chips and feels pretty much like a SV setup.

 

To me, and that's just me, they're as different as night and day. Do you ever sit around a tub of water filled with plastic bags and a murmuring motor, drinking beer, watching football, and salivating because of the smell leaking out of the water? Do people gather around the tub of water all sorts of expectantly?  Are people nagging you to ask when the sous vide is done?

 

Just like with everything else involved in prepping and cooking and eating, whether it's getting a 7° angle on a knife's blade, or cooking a hunk of meat with a thermal probe inside so that it comes out "perfectly" (like, what's perfect?), I find that removing the emotional aspect from cooking only lessens the experience of feeding others; after all, in my world, that's what cooking is all about. Other's worlds are most likely different.

Edited May 3, 2022 by weinoo (log)

[Duvel]

10 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Do you ever sit around a tub of water filled with plastic bags and a murmuring motor, drinking beer, watching football, and salivating because of the smell leaking out of the water? Do people gather around the tub of water all sorts of expectantly?  Are people nagging you to ask when the sous vide is done?

 

 

I am with you when it comes to open barbecue as the center of a fun evening, and I think maybe I used the wrong term (barbecue instead of smoking) upthread. 

 

When discussing smoking (as in my new smoker) the entire process is as sexy or as communal as cooking sous vide. I put the protein in the machine, set the variables and let it run. And - just like sous vide - it'll probably take longer that I would last sitting next to it drinking beer with friends (and when it comes to alcohol, I am battle hardened by Chinese joint venture negotiations) 😜

[weinoo]

2 minutes ago, Duvel said:

When discussing smoking (as in my new smoker) the entire process is as sexy or as communal as cooking sous vide. I put the protein in the machine, set the variables and let it run. And - just like sous vide - it'll probably take longer that I would last sitting next to it drinking beer with friends (and when it comes to alcohol, I am battle hardened by Chinese joint venture negotiations) 😜

 

I think you need a Weber kettle!!  With hardwood charcoal, chunks of wood, wood chips, and more beer! Or bourbon, as the case may be.

[rotuts]

kettles are nice.

 

especially if you get the add-on 

 

temp // fan control;

 

SV like .

 

https://bbqguru.com/storenav?CategoryId=1

 

there ae many these days.

[weinoo]

40 minutes ago, rotuts said:

kettles are nice.

 

especially if you get the add-on 

 

temp // fan control;

 

SV like .

 

https://bbqguru.com/storenav?CategoryId=1

 

there ae many these days.

 

And this way, @Duvel can prove his wife right!

[Duvel]

46 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

I think you need a Weber kettle!!  With hardwood charcoal, chunks of wood, wood chips, and more beer! Or bourbon, as the case may be.

I used to have one - and loved it. Then I moved to Hong Kong … and the humidity rendered any new batch of charcoal unusable after days. Switched to gas by necessity and stayed for simplicity …

[Duvel]

4 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

And this way, @Duvel can prove his wife right!

She doesn’t need proof 😜

[rotuts]

gas , w decent temp info and control

 

and hard wood pellets 

 

works fine .

 

 

[Duvel]

6 minutes ago, rotuts said:

gas , w decent temp info and control

 

and hard wood pellets 

 

works fine .

 

 

I’ve done that, in HK, with Manuka chips. Worked nicely. But - just to iterate - now I’ve got a dedicated smoker 🥳

 

(need to show my wife it was a good investment)

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, Duvel said:

I’ve done that, in HK, with Manuka chips. Worked nicely. But - just to iterate - now I’ve got a dedicated smoker 🥳

 

(need to show my wife it was a good investment)

 

We might need to help your wife with an intervention!

[Duvel]

20 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

We might need to help your wife with an intervention!

She knows … it’s the admitting part that “occasionally“ creates an issue. But - as in all good marriages - the key is compromise 🤗

[rotuts]

@Duvel 

 

well , tell her Kudos

 

for   ****  how ****   she kept the Ooni ' Home :

 

' more room to haul back great stuff '

 

 

[Duvel]

7 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Duvel 

 

well , tell her Kudos

 

for   ****  how ****   she kept the Ooni ' Home :

 

' more room to haul back great stuff '

 

 

Well … the Ooni wasn‘t an investment. It was earned by flying around Asia far too often. And she supported me by finding out that the cover of our gas grill is big enough to cover the Ooni, too …

 

[Kim Shook]

@mgaretz's Blasphemy Ribs are smoked at a constant temperature of 225F and are as tender and flavorful as anyone could want.  

 

@shain – I love the idea of spanakopita cups!

 

On Thursday, we had to drive across town and took the opportunity to give my favorite Richmond pizza.  Served with a “Dill Pickle” salad kit: 

 

Sounded strange, but tasted very good.  The pizza:

 

It isn’t perfect, but like I said, it’s my favorite pizza that I’ve found in Richmond.  And it does this:

 

😁

 

Dinner Friday was a complete heat-up meal – all from Trader Joe’s and Lidl.  And Greek themed:

 

From 12 o’clock – puff pastry bites with spinach and cheese (from Lidl), kalamata olives, falafel (Trader Joe’s), kibbeh (Trader Joe’s), and tzatziki (TJ’s).  Along with some garlic flat bread that I steamed in the CSO (TJ’s):

 

The spinach/cheese bites:

 

 

The falafel:

 

 

The kibbeh:

 

All of this was surprisingly good.  We had lots of leftovers and will be happy to eat this again in a couple of days. 

 

As much as I’ve been craving spaghetti and meatballs, Mr. Kim has been craving Mexican.  Went to our closest Mexican place on Monday night.  Not sure how authentic they are (one day I might be brave enough to try lingua tacos), but they are so fresh and good.  I had a burrito and a taco with beans and rice:

 

 

Mr. Kim had his usual – 3 enchiladas: chicken, cheese, and beef:

 

 

Sunday was a friend’s recipe for creamy tomato soup.  One of those “cheater” recipes that starts with Campbell’s Tomato soup and is transformed with other ingredients – half-and-half, sundried tomato pesto, and petite diced tomatoes.  We were having a phone visit with them and they were talking about this soup and some grilled cheese dippers that they had had the night before.  She developed this from another recipe that she also likes that includes things like Italian seasoning, onion powder, and cheese-filled tortellini.  We were tasting it the whole time that I was cooking it and decided to add the Italian seasoning, garlic, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, and sherry.  It was really good, but in the end, we decided that it needed more diced tomatoes and another jar of sundried tomato pesto.  They had found caramelized onion Monterey Jack at Publix and recommended it for the grilled dippers.  I got some focaccia and found the cheese and they went beautifully with the soup:

 

Last night – super easy dinner for me:

 

Some toasted leftover focaccia, the last two Easter eggs, and some deli Edwards country ham (we are definitely blessed down here😉).

 

 

[TdeV]

I'm still back on page 43 of this digest, so please forgive my not having noticed anything since early March. 🤣

 

Over on the Anova Precision Oven thread I queried about how to broil some pork shoulder steaks, results below.

 

 

Also I was prepping for company (always flusters me) and I couldn't remember if one is supposed to build a gratin with raw or cooked components, so I hedged my bets. Casserole made of Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes sliced thinly on mandoline, interspersed with small cauliflower florets, lots of thinly sliced leeks, and some Fontina cheese. Since I didn't know if I was boiling or baking I added 3/4 cup each milk and cream. It was dreamily tasty, though perhaps hard on one's arteries.

 

 

We did not need dessert.

 

[heidih]

1 hour ago, TdeV said:

I'm still back on page 43 of this digest, so please forgive my not having noticed anything since early March. 🤣

 

Over on the Anova Precision Oven thread I queried about how to broil some pork shoulder steaks, results below.

 

 

Also I was prepping for company (always flusters me) and I couldn't remember if one is supposed to build a gratin with raw or cooked components, so I hedged my bets. Casserole made of Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes sliced thinly on mandoline, interspersed with small cauliflower florets, lots of thinly sliced leeks, and some Fontina cheese. Since I didn't know if I was boiling or baking I added 3/4 cup each milk and cream. It was dreamily tasty, though perhaps hard on one's arteries.

 

 

We did not need dessert.

 

Gratin looks heavenly. I'd make a meal of it with a sprightly green salad. As to company flusters - try to remember they are your friends; not judges on Top Chef 

[Norm Matthews]

I will stay out of the smoker, BBQ, grill debate.  I wouldn't change any minds, nor will anyone change mine and that's OK with me.   We had "Italian Breaded Pork Chops" with green beans.  I was thinking fetucinni and Alfredo sauce but I asked Charlie if he'd rather have smashed potatoes.  He opted for rice and Southern milk gravy... the kind with lots of black pepper. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Sweet Italian sausage with giant Limas, fresh tomato, chard.    Just EVOO and kiss of garlic -> a fabulous bowl.   Will definitely repeat.

 

[kayb]

On 5/2/2022 at 12:41 PM, Duvel said:

I decided to venture into the topic of smoking and bought myself an entry level electric smoker. I was certain to sneak the purchase by the missus, but it’s difficult to hide a black monolith on the terrace that expels smoke at a visible rate for hours. She knows me so well: she deducted that 1) it’s probably another toy for cooking, 2) it probably didn’t cost much per se but 3) probably will lead to significant investments into more equipment and time in the foreseeable future. My wife 🥰

 

 

Anyway, first try with beech wood (German standard) and pork ribs. Flavor was good, both “dry” and sauced.
 

 

 

Needs a bit more tenderness and maybe a more complex and expensive setup 😜

 

 

I have a five-year-old, hundred-dollar Masterbilt similar to yours. The thermometer has long since disappeared, but my recollection is the temp fluctuates much like an oven’s does. That said, I get great results from it. Not sure results quality goes up in comparison to price.

 

@gfweb, do find it preferable to smoke first and then SV? I get excellent results using the opposite order. What am I missing?

[Ann_T]

Made French Onion soup for dinner tonight.

Got started a few days ago roasting the beef bones and making the stock.

Finished making it today.

I remember now why I don't make this soup often.  PITA.

[Norm Matthews]

17 minutes ago, kayb said:

 

 

I Not sure results quality goes up in comparison to price.

 

 

I can't think of a thing where the quality and price ratio are not inequitable.   

[gfweb]

@kayb I've never compared the two. My assumption, perhaps wrong, is that cooked meat will absorb less smoke than raw.

 

Somebody must know t he answer.

[Norm Matthews]

I don't know the answer but Aaron Franklin once smoked three briskets at the same time in a wood burning smoker. Two were wrapped after a couple hours and one was never wrapped so it got smoke for the full time (at least 8 hours almost certainly more) and when they tasted the three, the unwrapped one did not taste overly smoky  so there seems that there is a point where smoke stops penetrating.  The point of wrapping is to speed up the finish point  and apparently wrapping does not decrease the desired amount of smoke.

Edited May 4, 2022 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Paul Bacino]

White King Salmon 

Mamma's seasoning, Braggs 24, lemon , dill--pan fried deglazed with white wine

served with Fatty Garden asparagus and Tzatziki sauce

 

[Duvel]

Køttbullar with mushroom cream sauce & lingonberry jam, enjoyed al fresco (🥳) with mashed potatoes and buttery peas …