Tag Team eG Foodblog: Light My Fire!

[Abra]

Doesn't blogging involve more dishes than typing? My poor husband, aka Dishbert, has been so glad when each of my blogs has ended. You guys are making a heroic effort, though, especially with the weather you all have been having. Just to get a geographic dig in, here in SEATTLE it's been in the 70s and sunny for several days now. Hey, why don't you put those dishes outside and let them get a free pre-rinse, courtesy of rainwater and gravity?

Beautiful butts, and "most creative use of a vegetable holder" award!

[snowangel]

The temp on my butt has DROPPED. It was 180, and is now 170. I goosed the fire up to 250. I just might goose it up a little more. It's like I'm learning a new grill/smoker.

[Smithy]

Doesn't blogging involve more dishes than typing?  My poor husband, aka Dishbert, has been so glad when each of my blogs has ended.  You guys are making a heroic effort, though, especially with the weather you all have been having.  Just to get a geographic dig in, here in SEATTLE it's been in the 70s and sunny for several days now.  Hey, why don't you put those dishes outside and let them get a free pre-rinse, courtesy of rainwater and gravity?

Beautiful butts, and "most creative use of a vegetable holder" award!

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Careful, there. If all y'all keep telling about how much work blogging is (oh yes, I remember) there won't be any more volunteers! You're supposed to make it look easy! Then, people who haven't blogged will say "heck, I can do that" so the rest of us can sit back and watch the struggle.

The temp on my butt has DROPPED.  It was 180, and is now 170.  I goosed the fire up to 250.  I just might goose it up a little more.  It's like I'm learning a new grill/smoker.

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Why would the butt temperature drop, if the smoker temperature didn't? Did the smoker temperature drop too, before you goosed it up? Most curious.

[snowangel]

Nancy, the temp on the Kettle did not drop. All I can think is that there is something with the collagen melting. Who knows.

But, further to this, I'll be damned. This is the oddest thing I've ever seen. The first photo is when the butt was at 160 and stalled.

See, the skin covers the top of the butt, right?

So, I checked it a few minutes ago (and about 50 dandelions ago), and look see!

Although the temp is up to 180 again, the skin just broke loose and shrunk. The thing is off the Kettle and in the oven (with the light on and foiled) for a bit.

This is so strange. I've never had the skin just break loose and do a serious shrink on me. Oh, well. The bone wasn't really wiggling, but the fork test said "remove me." The fork test also told me that this butt might have an odd and big bone. Truth will be told in a bit.

[lancastermike]

Pizza has been grilled here in soggy Millersville, photos and details to follow in a bit.

[mizducky]

This is so strange.  I've never had the skin just break loose and do a serious shrink on me.  Oh, well.  The bone wasn't really wiggling, but the fork test said "remove me."  The fork test also told me that this butt might have an odd and big bone.  Truth will be told in a bit.

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Oh my! Why do I now have visions of Fred Flintstone barbecuing odd chunks of dinosaur of unidentifiable species? I do hope you include a photo of whatever "odd and big bone" you discover upon dissection of this interesting creature! Inquiring minds need to know--it's for science!

[Toliver]

This is so strange.  I've never had the skin just break loose and do a serious shrink on me.  Oh, well.  The bone wasn't really wiggling, but the fork test said "remove me."  The fork test also told me that this butt might have an odd and big bone.  Truth will be told in a bit.

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Was the skin split and pulled back when you noticed the drop in internal butt temp? Or was this after the fact? I wonder if it was splitting and you didn't notice it and this led to the temp drop. Curious. I wonder if Col Klink is still around and can comment on this phenomenon...

And how was the final butt?

(psst...it's sunny here and is expected to be 99° by Wednesday)

[lancastermike]

looking due west from my yard, I've gotten used to this view

looking due east, could that be blue sky? Or is it a photoshop trick.

Farragut said, Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. I say damn the weather, pizza ahead

Pizza mis. Some of the usual suspects. Cheese, jack and parmesan, pizza sauce, pepeproni. But also some leftover pork butt, some leftover grilled potatoes and a little basil

It's dough,ya know. At this point they are fairly round and standing by.

They have lost their roundness in the transfer to the grill. Here is were I made my first mistake. I had the grill good and hot. But I wimped out, you can see I cranked them down at let it cool a little. I was afraid of burning. This was not the thing to do. I needed to let them on too long and needed to turn the heat back up to get any char.

I did take them off to top. Sauce, cheese and pepperoni, for Maggie. Grilled potatoes, smoked pork, basil and a litttle parmesan for me.

Back on to finish.

First two are done

I had one more piece of dough left.

shape is still lame, but I cranked the heat and got a better result

This one became pepperoni as well, pizza with a handle, maybe I could sell that idea to Pizza Hut.

Three grilled pizza

Pizza with a handle, plated.

Tonights wine one of the old standbys

A seemingly disinterested observer.

The pizza was good, I can make better on my stone. Grilled pizza is a work in progress. I was more worried about sticking and burning than getting a nice char. In the great gas versus charcoal I always say I can use gas to good effect. I think grilled pizza may call for a screaming hot charcoal fire. Rinehart suggests two fires, one hot to do the crust, and one less so to do the toppings. He knows a millon times more about it than I do and he is clearly right. It was good. But not what I'd hoped for. I need to practice this.

[lancastermike]

This is so strange.  I've never had the skin just break loose and do a serious shrink on me.  Oh, well.  The bone wasn't really wiggling, but the fork test said "remove me."  The fork test also told me that this butt might have an odd and big bone.  Truth will be told in a bit.

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Was the skin split and pulled back when you noticed the drop in internal butt temp? Or was this after the fact? I wonder if it was splitting and you didn't notice it and this led to the temp drop. Curious. I wonder if Col Klink is still around and can comment on this phenomenon...

And how was the final butt?

(psst...it's sunny here and is expected to be 99° by Wednesday)

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I have seen funny temps changes in pork butt. I would guess that the skin breaking loose moved the thermometer a little. A 10 degree true drop at the point it happened is not usual. Or pehaps, and I'm sorry I'm saying this, the butt cracked.

Edited May 16, 2006 by lancastermike (log)

[lancastermike]

(psst...it's sunny here and is expected to be 99° by Wednesday)

Thanks, I needed that.

[Marlene]

Grilled pizza definately takes practice I think. Still, nice job Mike.

Dinner tonight was fairly simple. I started by making the broccoli gratin.

Butter a gratin pan, or in this case, a Le Crueset tarte tatin pan, which sucks for making tarte tatin, but is great for gratins:

Over that goes a mixture of heavy cream, dijon mustard, cheddar cheese and parmesan

On top of that goes a mixture of garlic and onions sauteed in butter, dry mustard, dijon mustard and breadcrumbs, cooked until crisp, then add parmesan when the mixture cools:

Dry aged rib eyes. My normal proceedure is to brush with olive oil, sprinkle cracked pepper and kosher salt and paint with a little balsamic, but I found this balsamic glaze I wanted to try:

We used up the leftover roasted potatoes by simply frying them in some butter and garlic powder:

Dinner:

And of course, cake:

[lancastermike]

Da cake is Da bomb

[snowangel]

The pizza was good, I can make better on my stone.  Grilled pizza is a work in progress. I was more worried about sticking and burning than getting a nice char. In the great gas versus charcoal I always say I can use gas to good effect.  I think grilled pizza may call for a screaming hot charcoal fire.  Rinehart suggests two fires, one hot to do the crust, and one less so to do the toppings.  He knows a millon times more about it than I do and he is clearly right.  It was good.  But not what I'd hoped for.  I need to practice this.

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I kinda feel like I can do better on the stone, but I will try this again, but in less than gale-force winds. In the woulda, shoulda, coulda department, I wish I'd removed the crusts to top them.

And, trust me, hotter isn't necessarily better! I had way too much char. Clearly, grilled pizza is a huge learning curve, isn't it?

[snowangel]

One pork butt (bone in, skin on, almost 9 lbs): US$9.00

Charcoal: US$2.00 (estimated)

Wood chunks: US$1.00 (estimated)

Water for soaking chunks: who knows and who cares?

Having teenage daughter excited about getting her hands on that butt and helping pull it by hand?: Priceless.

Eating the pork?: Priceless.

Sorry for the crumby photos. It was just too alluring to mess around with the camera and make sure the photos were right. Nice smoke ring.

Oh, and as Paul will say later tonight: crawling in bed with a smoke infused wife of some 25 years: beyond priceless.

Although I had potato salad, no one ate anything but pork on buns with sauce. Why waste precious stomach space on veg?

[snowangel]

I want cake. Now. You really need to start delivering, Marlene.

[lancastermike]

I want cake. Now. You really need to start delivering, Marlene.

Me too, Marlene. E-mail me a piece over, please

[Marlene]

Da cake is Da bomb

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Thanks. I got lucky with the buttercream

I want cake.  Now.  You really need to start delivering, Marlene.

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You hate dessert. Remember?

[lancastermike]

Da cake is Da bomb

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Thanks. I got lucky with the buttercream

I want cake.  Now.  You really need to start delivering, Marlene.

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You hate dessert. Remember?

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I don't

Edited May 16, 2006 by lancastermike (log)

[Marlene]

I don't

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And more than any of us, you deserve cake. You've had awful weather for your first blog and yet you just keep going. You have been a great partner.

[snowangel]

Back to the saga of my pan. I did the baking soda and water thing. I would have worked much better had I not started to mow the pan and the pan boiled dry. But, it did get that mass of crud off. I just now have some other stuff to deal with, and stuff that Bar Keeper's Friend should easily take off.

[Smithy]

Back to the saga of my pan.  I did the baking soda and water thing.  I would have worked much better had I not started to mow the pan and the pan boiled dry.  But, it did get that mass of crud off.  I just now have some other stuff to deal with, and stuff that Bar Keeper's Friend should easily take off.

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Is it just discoloration, or can you still feel the crud? If it's just a stain on that surface (looks like enamel?) bleach may be your friend about now.

Mike, you really have been a trooper. We expect Susan and Marlene, seasoned bloggers that they are, to soldier on through the tribulations of weather, broken equipment, and the other unpredictable elements of blogging. You've been tried by fire, man, and passed.

I have to ask: is grilled pizza worth the extra fuss? What say you all?

[Smithy]

I want cake.  Now.  You really need to start delivering, Marlene.

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I want ALL of it. Marlene, how fast could you get to northern Minnesota? I'm closer than Susan.

Why is your LC tarte tatin pan bad for tarte tatin? And thanks for that gratin tutorial - I adore gratins, after Fifi got me started on them, but hadn't seen my way clear to gratineed broccoli before now.

[Grub]

Thanks for an excellent blog, guys...

I thought I'd made a mistake by trying to do pizza on the oven -- it didn't work out too good, heheh. You've inspired me to have another go at it.

Great stuff.

[snowangel]

Yes, pizza on the grill would be worth it, especially now that I have the damper/vent control. It would help if it wasn't gale force wind. I have learned a lot about this from my co-bloggers. Remove crust to top it. Remove crust to top it.

[snowangel]

I was just about ready to head to bed and I realized that there was yet one more task before I could smoke bacon over apple tomorrow.

I have a great source of applewood. One of my best friend's family owns an apple orchard. But, what I get isn't split. Hand hits forehead. Need to split applewood. Not all of bacon making happens in the kitchen or on the trusty Kettle.

A trip to the garage is necessary (we are lucky to have a double deep garage, so we can keep our cars in the garage, but have this extra garage on the backside -- insulated and with heat!) for a woodworking shop and general storage area).

First up, sharpen the axe.

Power tools rock.

Then, Pipes (Diana, who is lettering in weight training) does her thing:

Keeps kids off the street and off drugs.

Bacon tomorrow!