eG Foodblog Tag Team IV: Marlene, Dave, snowangel - Cold Turkey, Three Ways

[Marlene]

Afternoon cocktails for grown ups. Don arrived back home just in time to save me. More on that in a minute.

The butt at 174:

What just occured was a lapse in watching the smoker. I hadn't noticed that the charcoal had gotten to far down. Then I noticed that the thermometer had only moved a couple of degrees after coming out of the stall. Don got home and added more charcoal and now all seems to be well and in fact the internal temp has dropped again.

[lancastermike]

Not to disagree with Dave but I look for 190.  185 average at differnt spots. 

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I'm hardly an expert. But I have to ask why there's a target temperature. What's happening between the time the stall passes and the time you reach 185 - 190 that won't happen more gracefully during a rest?

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I am no expert either. I find that at 185 to 190 the meat will pull in to shreds. At a lower pull I find it tends to more chunk. This is not an exact science. We are in agreement that once the temp starts to move rapidly up, the end is near. My stall usually happens around 170, when it makes that 15 to 20 degree jump I am ready to pull

Did you see this new cocktail that katie loeb posted on the new cocktail thread? I believe I am having one real soon, I mean a matter of minutes

Red Feather Boa

2.0 oz. Old Overholt Rye

0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice

0.5 oz. Luxardo maraschino

0.25 oz. (or one barspoon) Fee Brothers American Beauty Grenadine

2 dashes bitters

Shake with cracked ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Only using my own made grenadine

Edited February 12, 2006 by lancastermike (log)

[maggiethecat]

This is so great -- better than any cooking show or reality TV. It almost makes me want to smoke. Almost. It's seems so strenuous and arcane, like sailing or cricket witha new vocaubulary and all kinds of cool expensive technology. But man! Your meat looks magnificent. Bon appetit, ladies and Dave.

I'm eating leftover curry.

edited to add:  Why is my curry less spicy today?

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I brought this up here

Interesting reading, but the jury seems out.

Boy, I sure wish I'd been drinking Bloody Caesars! It's been a surprisingly tough day today, so I'm sublimating by cleaning my closets. Glutton for punishment, I know, but I'm also washing everything washable so my clothes smell as if they belong to my mythical ideal, a lady called Francesca. She's so elegant and composed -- a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Madame de Stael. As if! (as anyone who knows me can attest.)

Russell. SoCal is always good for me, and I truly believe that my getaway to LA was the number one reason for my success. That includes, of course, my children and the ways they spoiled me.

I still want a smoke bad when I'm having a drink -- alcohol or coffee. And five or six other times a day. I'm trying a cup of Lapsang Souchong as I type, and it's fabulous - as if it were my first cup of tea. It's the first real payoff since I dumped my smokes.

Taste is back! A couple of days before Jon's schedule, my mouth is full of virgin tastebuds, and it's really a whole new world. My bacon and eggs were more delectable then ever.

I caught all the flavor threads that infused the curry last night. Even my cuppa Joe was a revelation.

I'm trying to focus on what a blessing it is to receive a whole sense back,like living my fantasy about Lasix surgery and being able to see without glasses when I wake up.

Now I'm going to pour another cup of tea and wait to see theplating. Yum

[Marlene]

Now it seems to be stalled again at 174 so we'll wait for a bit to see what happens.

[snowangel]

Taste is back! A couple of days before Jon's schedule, my mouth is full of virgin tastebuds, and it's really a whole new world. My bacon and eggs were more delectable then ever.

I caught all the flavor threads that infused the curry last night.  Even my cuppa Joe was a revelation.

I'm trying to focus on what a blessing it is to receive a whole sense back,like living  my fantasy about  Lasix surgery and being able to see without glasses when I wake up.

Now I'm going to pour another cup of tea and wait to see the plating.  Yum

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Will the return of taste make it any easier?

I'm waiting for my taste to return. Today has been hard. Smoking while smoking is one of the hardest habits I've had to ignore.

[Marlene]

It's at 180. I'm going to pull it off the smoker and let it rest for an hour. We're hungry!

[Marlene]

Not to disagree with Dave but I look for 190.  185 average at differnt spots. 

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I'm hardly an expert. But I have to ask why there's a target temperature. What's happening between the time the stall passes and the time you reach 185 - 190 that won't happen more gracefully during a rest?

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I am no expert either. I find that at 185 to 190 the meat will pull in to shreds. At a lower pull I find it tends to more chunk. This is not an exact science. We are in agreement that once the temp starts to move rapidly up, the end is near. My stall usually happens around 170, when it makes that 15 to 20 degree jump I am ready to pull

Did you see this new cocktail that katie loeb posted on the new cocktail thread? I believe I am having one real soon, I mean a matter of minutes

Red Feather Boa

2.0 oz. Old Overholt Rye

0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice

0.5 oz. Luxardo maraschino

0.25 oz. (or one barspoon) Fee Brothers American Beauty Grenadine

2 dashes bitters

Shake with cracked ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Only using my own made grenadine

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I really need to get some marachino. So is a barsppon different from any other spoon?

[lancastermike]

I really need to get some marachino. So is a barsppon different from any other spoon?

I am drinking this now and it is great. A barspoon is just a little smaller than a teaspoon. It is a long spoon for stiring

[Dave the Cook]

Did you see this new cocktail that katie loeb posted on the new cocktail thread? I believe I am having one real soon, I mean a matter of minutes

Red Feather Boa

2.0 oz. Old Overholt Rye

0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice

0.5 oz. Luxardo maraschino

0.25 oz. (or one barspoon) Fee Brothers American Beauty Grenadine

2 dashes bitters

Shake with cracked ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Only using my own made grenadine

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Pretty. Tasty, too (also made with homemade grenadine. And Wild Turkey rye.):

[Dave the Cook]

Taste is back! A couple of days before Jon's schedule, my mouth is full of virgin tastebuds, and it's really a whole new world. My bacon and eggs were more delectable then ever.

I caught all the flavor threads that infused the curry last night.  Even my cuppa Joe was a revelation.

I'm trying to focus on what a blessing it is to receive a whole sense back,like living  my fantasy about  Lasix surgery and being able to see without glasses when I wake up.

Now I'm going to pour another cup of tea and wait to see the plating.  Yum

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Will the return of taste make it any easier?

I'm waiting for my taste to return. Today has been hard. Smoking while smoking is one of the hardest habits I've had to ignore.

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Ditto, on all counts.

Which isn't to say that I'm not thrilled for you, Maggie!

[maggiethecat]

Will the return of taste make it any easier?

I'm waiting for my taste to return.  Today has been hard.  Smoking while smoking is one of the hardest habits I've had to ignore.

I'm not sure ,in my case at least, that anything short a lobotomy is going to make it easier. But I'm bigtime into listing the personal advantages of quitting (fewer ashtrays to wash, more money to dribble away on frivolity, etc) and the improvement in my sense of taste is nothing short of psychedelic. It will rock your world.

[snowangel]

It's never taken so long for me to smoke a butt. I'm about to have to resort to a flashlight to check the temp.

We're hungry too. It might be smoked venison as an amuse.

[snowangel]

How do I make grenadine?

[Marlene]

We took ours off with the aid of a flashlight. It's resting now.

[JAZ]

How do I make grenadine?

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Lots of advice in this topic in the Cocktails Forum.

[Dave the Cook]

It's never taken so long for me to smoke a butt.  I'm about to have to resort to a flashlight to check the temp.

We're hungry too.  It might be smoked venison as an amuse.

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I knew six hours was optimistic, and that I'd regret the late start. I just hit 140.

The floor is open for ad hoc appetizer suggestions.

[Marlene]

It really depends on what you have on hand. I'd say cheese and crackers but I don't know what else you might have there.

[maggiethecat]

Dave, do you have any of that gratin left over? I've been jonesing for it since I read about it, and I think it might be the go-to app, amuse, breakfast....

In fact, I'm cooking for myself tonight and I might make an individual gratin and call it dinner.

I've got some frozen potstickers I'd happily airlift to Atlanta.

[snowangel]

We took ours off with the aid of a flashlight.  It's resting now.

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Just wait until I can take photos.

The pork is off and resting. It's going to a late dinner on a school night. The kids might be eating in their jammies. I should have started this much earlier than 10:00 am.

I've never had a the pork take this long on the trusty Kettle. And, I've smoked in the cold before. I think the wind was a big factor.

But, the butt is off, and as a last thing, I opened all of the vents so that everything would burn off. If I don't, the juices that drip down and don't hit the drip pan get pretty solid and I have to work them off to get the vents to open.

Apps, Dave? How about bacon?

BTW, Marlene, good on you for doffing the coat to keep checking on the butt. When I wore a coat to do that, I had to have it, it smelled like butt for weeks. I loved it, but caught odd glances from others.

Maggie, are your potstickers homemade like the ones I have in my freezer? (7 pleats per side, thank you very much.)

My pillow is going to smell like smoke tomorrow.

[lancastermike]

It's never taken so long for me to smoke a butt.  I'm about to have to resort to a flashlight to check the temp.

We're hungry too.  It might be smoked venison as an amuse.

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Just took mine off after about 11 hours. I always try to expect 12 hours and if it is less that is fine. I always try to get it started early 5AM or so. I was delayed by the smow and we enjoyed some of those smoked sauages with provolone on Costco rolls

[MarketStEl]

Ladies, I'm sorry. I don't think anyone needs to apologize for or explain anything. I've used tons of shredded cheese, I just don't use it these days. I also buy tortillas for fajitas and quesadillas (and now I will for tortilla crisps); I simply don't know what they cost.

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I'm usually a shred-my-own type of guy, but there are times when already-shredded cheese comes in real handy. Especially if it's on sale for $1.99 a half-pound as it was the last time I made homemade pizza, about three months ago.

Yesterday at Acme, Mission flour tortillas were on sale for $2.49 for a package of 16 8-inch tortillas. I was buying them with nothing particular in mind, but now that I've seen that crisps recipe, I've got something to try.

For some reason, the major supermarket brands of cheese have been going on sale frequently lately. I usually prefer the "America's Choice" (A&P-family store brand) New York State extra sharp cheddar for most of my routine cooking; that has been selling for somewhere around $3.69 a pound for most of the last six months and is now $3.99 a pound.

[Marlene]

Well that was certainly worth waiting for! We pulled it from the smoker at 183, using a flashlight because it got a little dark here:

Foil wrapped it and let it rest for an hour:

Interestingly enough, when it was time to eat, it wasn't "pull apart". It was tender, and we got a nice smoke ring, but I'm wondering if there isn't something to Mike's theory. NOt having done this before, Don was concerned it wasn't done, but I assured him that the pink ring was supposed to be there and in fact was a very good thing.

We served it on squishy white buns with coleslaw. I cheated also and bought a coleslaw mix and made my own dressing. I'm not a huge coleslaw fan, but I like this one:

That sauce is a definate winner. Don loved it. I've got the bone in my fridge to make smoked pork stock with tomorrow.

I'm stuffed.

I need to give very special thanks to Daddy-A and Snowangel, for hanging out with me on AIM and holding my hand through every step of this process.

I have arrived. I am no longer a smokin virgin.

[snowangel]

I need to give very special thanks to Daddy-A and Snowangel, for hanging out with me on AIM and holding my hand through every step of this process. 

I have arrived.  I am no longer a smokin virgin.

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Aw, Marlene, I feel like a parent who has seen a child succeed!

Smoking meat is fun and it is easy.

Now, as to why it wasn't pull apart. I think you perhaps pulled it too early, but it appears that cold weather played havoc with the plans you, Dave and I laid. It was windy here today, which I think was my problem.

If you haven't cut up the whole thing, but rather just wrapped what you didn't eat in foil and figured you'd deal with it later, you can do what I did once. FOiled, in the fridge, and in a warm (225 oven) the next day for a few hours. Then I pulled it and all was right with the world.

I'm gettin ready to post.

[Marlene]

We cut it up and bagged it in a few smaller portions for freezing. It was damn good, but I agree, I think we pulled it to early.

Thanks sister-friend!

[Daddy-A]

I need to give very special thanks to Daddy-A and Snowangel, for hanging out with me on AIM and holding my hand through every step of this process. 

Congrats Marlene! Looks awesome. Welcome to the Butt Shredders club

A.