Varmint's Pig Pickin', Version 2 -- 9/4/05

[Varmint]

Menu, updated yet again.  I like the fact that we'll have a bazillion desserts.

Greens (Varmint)

Are you making the greens now? Great - I wasn't looking forward to cleaning them.

←

Nice try. That just means I'm responsible for buying the ingredients. The prep work and cooking are all yours, sistah!

[Carrot Top]

I did just come across a recipe in my old files for a Peanut Brittle Crunch Cake that might help the peanut lovers survive. Does that sound good to you?

←

Does that sound good? Does that sound good? Does a possum like to cross the road? Does pot likker go with day-old biscuits? Hell, yeah, that sounds good. It sounds fantastic!!

←

Eh. You charmer, you.

(Where's the smilie that has the smile where the face cracks open from smiling too hugely?)

We'll just have to see if we can make it so you can git you a piece or two.

(Edited because I forgot my Southernspeak for a moment. All those double "you" s and "y'alls" and "yerselfs". . .confusing lest it's spoken daily. )

Edited August 26, 2005 by Carrot Top (log)

[Jaymes]

(Edited because I forgot my Southernspeak for a moment. All those double "you" s and "y'alls" and "yerselfs". . .confusing lest it's spoken daily. )

Not to mention the plural of y'all, and the possessive. You'll have to practice before you get there.

Try this: "I just loved all y'all's covered dishes so much I liketa died."

[Gifted Gourmet]

And now for the most timely article ever: Gone whole hog in the Chicago Tribune this week .. soooo perfect for this thread!!

Something about a pig roast brings out everyone's party spirit

A pig and a pit equals a party.

Whether you call it a pig roast, a pig pickin', a hog roast, a luau or in Spanish, a lechon, a whole roasted pig not only feeds a crowd, it does so in an unforgettable way. There is something about the sight of meat slow-roasting over a glowing bed of embers.  "I think a pig roast is the last hurrah of summer. It is a reason for people to get together and enjoy themselves, and it's casual," John T. Edge thinks it's a Southern thing. "When I'm cooking a whole pig, I'm not thinking of it as a roasted pig," Edge said. "In North Carolina, it would be called a 'pig pickin'; in the [rest of the] South, it would be called a barbecue."

Very good article.. several pages on various rubs and sauces .. and even some John T. Edge insights!

[Varmint]

Blah blah blah 9 days blah blah blah 9 days blah blah blah.

We're at about 130 attendees, including kids. I'm likely to close future registrations at some point in the next few days. If I get the goat, which is looking good, then I can go up a few more people.

But they may not be able to get a deviled egg!

[Rachel Perlow]

But they may not be able to get a deviled egg!

←

Well, there's a simple solution to that: eggs are cheap, plenty of hands to help. I can boil more upstairs while working on the Jello mold on Saturday morning. Make more!

[debbiemoose]

But they may not be able to get a deviled egg!

←

Well, there's a simple solution to that: eggs are cheap, plenty of hands to help. I can boil more upstairs while working on the Jello mold on Saturday morning. Make more!

←

You people are scaring me...

OK, I'll get 12 dozen...that's 288 halves...hope someone's getting disposable foil pans or serving trays...

And Tracey, it sounds like you're making wonderful soaked peaches. Want me to get some yellow and some white, if both are available? Would be nice color/flavor contrasts.

[Marlene]

I'll add foil serving trays to my shopping list. I need some for the butter tart squares anyway. You're on your own for the lettuce or whatever you want to line the trays with though since I'll be shopping Thursday, and you'll likely want fresher stuff for Sunday.

Doillie things I could do.

[KatieLoeb]

I'll add foil serving trays to my shopping list.  I need some for the butter tart squares anyway.  You're on your own for the lettuce or whatever you want to line the trays with though since I'll be shopping Thursday, and you'll likely want fresher stuff for Sunday.

Doillie things I could do.

←

Doilies??!!?? We don't need no stinkin' doilies!! Just line the pans with some waxed paper ferchrissakes! We're easy. This is an outdoor Pig Pickin' not a Debutante party. Except for the pig, I mean.

[Marlene]

I'll add foil serving trays to my shopping list.  I need some for the butter tart squares anyway.  You're on your own for the lettuce or whatever you want to line the trays with though since I'll be shopping Thursday, and you'll likely want fresher stuff for Sunday.

Doillie things I could do.

←

Doilies??!!?? We don't need no stinkin' doilies!! Just line the pans with some waxed paper ferchrissakes! We're easy. This is an outdoor Pig Pickin' not a Debutante party. Except for the pig, I mean.

←

Right, except I was thinking of the no-slide factor. Won't the eggs slide on wax paper? And my butter tart squares will have doilies.

[Varmint]

OK, I'll get 12 dozen...that's 288 halves

This is so gross. OK, it's two gross!

That's it for the deviled eggs -- I was joking above, and 288 halves is more than enough. Actually, 240 halves is probably enough. Regardless, something tells me that if it's 288, there will be far fewer than that number to make it on the serving trays.

[Mayhaw Man]

OK, I'll get 12 dozen...that's 288 halves

This is so gross. OK, it's two gross!

←

We might have hit on the solution to the gas crisis.

[therese]

I'm not going to be able to make it to the festivities, but I am concerned that you've left something pretty important off the menu: boiled peanuts. Assuming any of the new crop's in yet, of course.

[Varmint]

We'll be cooking the barbecue over mostly pecan, but with some oak added if necessary.

The question I have is this: if I were to cook pork shoulders separately over pecan, oak, maple, and hickory, and served each to you, could you identify which is which?

I'm not sure I could, I must confess.

[ronnie_suburban]

We'll be cooking the barbecue over mostly pecan, but with some oak added if necessary.

The question I have is this: if I were to cook pork shoulders separately over pecan, oak, maple, and hickory, and served each to you, could you identify which is which?

I'm not sure I could, I must confess.

←

I think I could probably id 2 of the 4 on a good day if the wind were blowing just right.

It certainly would be fun to try

=R=

[Dave the Cook]

Under Ronnie's conditions, I think you might be able to separate the hickory and pecan from the oak and maple.

[Varmint]

We'll be cooking the barbecue over mostly pecan, but with some oak added if necessary.

The question I have is this: if I were to cook pork shoulders separately over pecan, oak, maple, and hickory, and served each to you, could you identify which is which?

I'm not sure I could, I must confess.

←

I think I could probably id 2 of the 4 on a good day if the wind were blowing just right.

It certainly would be fun to try

=R=

←

I don't mean distinguishing the smell of the smoke. I meant, could you distinguish by the flavor of the meat?

[zilla369]

Although, now that you mentioned it, why not quail eggs?  We could eat 2 dozen each! 

←

I know you were kidding, but - has anyone else ever had to peel a hundred-plus boiled quail eggs? I have. You do not want to go there.

Speaking of which: I wanted badly to go there (to Raleigh) but, alas, I cannot, as it turns out. My dad's coming to town on a medical mission (getting a second opinion) and I haven't seen him for a little over a year. I am sorely disappointed, once again (much as I love my Dad and am excited to see him). Hopefully, third time's the charm.

Because there's gonna be a third time, I know. I'm not even asking. I'm telling you, Dean. Don't bother to protest or deny. "Year after next in Raleigh" has been my slogan for two years and I ain't about to abandon it now.

[Varmint]

Although, now that you mentioned it, why not quail eggs?  We could eat 2 dozen each! 

←

I know you were kidding, but - has anyone else ever had to peel a hundred-plus boiled quail eggs? I have. You do not want to go there.

Speaking of which: I wanted badly to go there (to Raleigh) but, alas, I cannot, as it turns out. My dad's coming to town on a medical mission (getting a second opinion) and I haven't seen him for a little over a year. I am sorely disappointed, once again (much as I love my Dad and am excited to see him). Hopefully, third time's the charm.

Because there's gonna be a third time, I know. I'm not even asking. I'm telling you, Dean. Don't bother to protest or deny. "Year after next in Raleigh" has been my slogan for two years and I ain't about to abandon it now.

←

Zilla, you will be missed. And I make no promises other than to do my best to cook the bestest ever pig this year. It usually takes me a full year to determine whether I'm ready to do another round!

[ronnie_suburban]

We'll be cooking the barbecue over mostly pecan, but with some oak added if necessary.

The question I have is this: if I were to cook pork shoulders separately over pecan, oak, maple, and hickory, and served each to you, could you identify which is which?

I'm not sure I could, I must confess.

←

I think I could probably id 2 of the 4 on a good day if the wind were blowing just right.

It certainly would be fun to try

=R=

←

I don't mean distinguishing the smell of the smoke. I meant, could you distinguish by the flavor of the meat?

←

Understood...didn't mean to imply anything more than "randon chance" with my wind comment above

To clarify: I think I'd have a decent chance of recognizing the meat cooked with the 2 woods I most often cook with; hickory and pecan. I'm certainly not sure I can do it. But it wood (sic) be a fun thing to try.

=R=

[annieb]

Identifying the meat cooked with different woods? Easy. The one cooked over maple tastes like floors and the one cooked over oak tastes like chairs.

Now that I've got the graduate degree, all I need is a job and next year, I'm there!

[Toliver]

Now that I've got the graduate degree, all I need is a job and next year, I'm there!

←

Sorry to break the news to you but when (no "if") it happens again, it won't be next year but will be the year after that. It's an occasional event which is North Cackalackey for "I'll be danged if I can do this every year."

[weka]

One other thing -- if you haven't booked a room, then you best get it done.  Our release date is actually this Sunday, the 14th.  If you haven't reserved the room before Sunday, you'll have to pay full freight!

←

Hmm, I wonder if the Aug 12th date was a stealth tactic or an honest slip...

This veterinary student is getting more and more excited as she catches up on all the posts she's missed and thinking she needs a serious intake of french bread early this coming week to meet the potential bread pudding demand, as well as, a serious number of eggs. Let's hope their isn't a temporary market absence as Debbie raids it for her dev' eggs.

Hey all, I'm open to suggestions on variations from the traditional style - what all would folks like in their bread pudding? And please don't say okra!

Cheers -

Weka

[weka]

Oh, the shame....the shame.  I live two blocks from Varmint and one of the slowest to sign up.....the shame.

WE ARE IN...finally !

Beth & Ben

←

You barely beat the deadline! That puts us over 100, I believe. There is room for more, y'all. Plenty of room.

For the out of town guests or anyone who wants to help cook, we'll be having a "staff meal" at my house Saturday evening. Looks like fried chicken will be the main course. Lots of it! We'll have some biscuits, cucumbers and tomatoes, and whatever else we can rustle up while staying out of Dave's and Brooks' way. We can always use the two old burners in the loft, too. I'm sure Brooks wants some okra and tomatoes. I can do a couple of trays of ultra-simple peach cobbler, if I get some prep help.

All in all, I think we'll have a touch of fun.

←

I'll bring the okra, unless yours is just great . You should probably try to find a tomato or twenty, as ours have gone to hell. It'll be October before we see any more local ones.

I'm bringing a few shrimp, some oysters, and maybe some crabs if they look good. I'm quite sure that we can find something to do with them.

←

I have expertise in invertebrate medicine, specifically invertebrate euthanasia. It is a minor field of interest for a very small number of veterinarians. Really not kidding, but more importantly I like eating them all.

- Weka *veterinary student*

[weka]

Hush puppies are a la minute--meaning they require almost no advanced prep. (I'll be doing what I did last time and just premeasuring the mix into baggies.) Heather, if there's rendered pork fat from the greens, can you set some aside for me again for the puppies?

Dave, I'm happy to assist you with that expressive VD Stew. And anybody else who needs a hand can have it. I can hold my own in the kitchen after all.

←

I'll help out again with the realtime hush puppy production, if you like.

- Weka