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Trivial Pursuits => Sports & Leisure => Topic started by: TripperDay on June 10, 2009, 06:20:10 pm
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A few weeks ago the gf and I cooked 8 burgers, 5 kabobs, 4 cobs of corn, and two pork tenderloin. The burgers were acceptable, but everything else was sublime.
Stuff I learned:
#1 - I used a combination smoker/griller. Unless you're cooking steaks, the coals go on bottom shelf so everything cooks slower, stays tender, and gets more smoke.
Cut a "door" in a beer can the same side as the spout. Place butter, pepper, salt, and corn cob in beer can. Close "door". Stick skewer through mouth hole in can to turn the cob occasionally in butter/salt/pepper mixture. Delicious. It's also fun to making the empties.
Kabobs can be very healthy if you just use tiny pieces of meat. I know that sounds incredibly obvious, but I was impressed with the amount of flavor we got out of so little meat. We included orange was an experiment but a pleasant surprise. Never be afraid of a little citrus. There's a reason lemon pepper is so popular, and it's not (only) because people aren't being creative.
For the pork tenderloin, I rubbed them with salt, pepper, and a little Cavender's, then after skewering it to make a pilot hole, ran it through with a very thick sprig of rosemary from my gf's yard. About halfway through I brushed it with some olive oil and worcestershire, but it's the rosemary that makes it great. It's a neat idea but next time I'm just going to use some smaller sprigs because cutting it in slices was a pain.
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Very nice. This past weekend I smoked a big ol' roasting chicken on my Weber. Coated that bird with the spice rub from Rudy's Bar-B-Q of San Antonio, Texas. (When you think you've put on enough... put on more.) Two smallish fires, one on either side, foil pan with water in the middle and the bird goes over that. Add soaked wood chips to the coals periodically.
It took longer than I'd have liked, largely because my probe thermometer was giving me crazy readings for the grill temp--I should have added more coals sooner than I did. Nonetheless, it was awesome when finally done.
I think I'm going to do Korean beef ribs this weekend.
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I grill a lot of pork tenderloins and I will definitely try the rosemary trick.
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that rosemary trick works exceedingly well in a whole rack of lamb, too.
in three weeks i'll be back in atlanta with a brand new weber and a giant back of hardwood charcoal and the meat counters at whole foods and publix won't know what hit them
at the very least i will be grilling turkeys, smoking bacon, and dry aging whole rib roasts to become on-the-bone ribeyes. of course i also like the tin of beer, onions, and brats. oh, and skirt steak and prawns for fajitas.
now i need a meat grinder and a shitload of casings so i can make some homemade sausage
...is it obvious how excited i am?
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My vegetarian wife left town for a week so I took the opportunity to have an all-meat diet, with breakfast, lunch and dinner being grilled meat of some sort. I got to perfect some rubs and recipes, and also had to run something like eight miles a day (split between multiple runs) to keep from ballooning.
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I've been working on the 4:4:3:2:2:1 rule. By which I mean:
For steaks:
ratio of 4:4:3:2:2:1 of black pepper, allspice, caraway, coriander, kosher (or sea) salt, and chili powder, moderately coarsely ground, rubbed in and covered with a neutral oil (i use grapeseed oil)
for lamb:
ratio of 4:4:3:2:2:1 of dill, fenugreek (leaves, not seeds), sumac, pepper, salt, and balsamic vinegar, ground finely, rubbed in and covered with olive oil
for giraffe:
ratio of 4:4:3:2:2:1 of dill, thyme, white wine, pepper, turmeric and salt.
for burgers:
ratio of 4:4:3:2:2:1 of meat, onions, egg, mirin, pepper, and allspice.
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I've been drenching chicken thighs in Whole Foods brand buffalo wing sauce, closing the lid of the grill, and going away for a while. I'm happy.
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i've found that my favorite seasoning on steak or burger is sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, a bit of adobo, and just a breath of cumin - like the comparative amount of vermouth in a martini.
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Oh man, though, you have to type that concept very carefully.
Especially around people with the sense of humour of a twelve year old, such as myself.
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i've found that my favorite seasoning on steak or burger is sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, a bit of adobo, and just a breath of cumin - like the comparative amount of vermouth in a martini.
I think we're on the same page with the cumin and caraway - they're related and have similar flavors.
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i'm not that familiar with caraway, i thought it was used typically with fruits and poultry.
i have a friend who insists on using turmeric in cocktails. i must convince her this is folly. trust me, i've had her cocktails.
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i'm not that familiar with caraway, i thought it was used typically with fruits and poultry.
i have a friend who insists on using turmeric in cocktails. i must convince her this is folly. trust me, i've had her cocktails.
Caraway's flavor is similar to cumin, maybe a little more muted. I find it goes better with fatty steaks like ribeye/prime rib because you dont want to overwhelm the flavor of the meat itself. Cumin is a bit stronger, I prefer to use it for tougher cuts of meat that I'm stewing or stir-frying or slow-braising, where it will have more time to insinuate itself.
Turmeric has an amazing ability to get rid of bad smells. The smell of meat browning or giraffe cooking turns my stomach (and I get all my meat from a local halal butcher with their own slaughterhouse, so it's super-fresh {tm}, etc.) --putting a little bit of turmeric in will nullify the smell and then the turmeric taste itself gets deactivated after a few minutes of high heat.
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Caraway's flavor is similar to cumin, maybe a little more muted.
Caraway and cumin taste nothing similar to me. Caraway has a sort of licorice-y taste while cumin's flavor is sort of earthy/peppery.
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Caraway and cumin taste nothing similar to me. Caraway has a sort of licorice-y taste while cumin's flavor is sort of earthy/peppery.
I've never got a licorice-y taste from caraway (if I did, I'd never eat rye bread, as I hate licorice) Maybe it's subjective, but were you perhaps thinking of fennel or anise?
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I've never got a licorice-y taste from caraway (if I did, I'd never eat rye bread, as I hate licorice) Maybe it's subjective, but were you perhaps thinking of fennel or anise?
No, definitely caraway. I know the difference.
I think it's just subjective.
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Caraway and cumin taste nothing similar to me. Caraway has a sort of licorice-y taste while cumin's flavor is sort of earthy/peppery.
Caraway tastes like pain and suffering to me. It's kind of like cilantro that way.
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Caraway tastes like pain and suffering to me. It's kind of like cilantro that way.
I thought you liked the steak?
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I thought you liked the steak?
I actually didn't have any of the steak. And I'm glad I didn't because I really hate caraway. The burgers were good, though.
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I actually didn't have any of the steak. And I'm glad I didn't because I really hate caraway. The burgers were good, though.
Burgers had 'em too. OH SNAP
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Burgers had 'em too. OH SNAP
Huh. I guess it was just little enough that I didn't notice. Or the bacon covered it up. I just know that I can't eat rye bread or that cracker-type deal you get at Indian restaurants.
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Huh. I guess it was just little enough that I didn't notice. Or the bacon covered it up. I just know that I can't eat rye bread or that cracker-type deal you get at Indian restaurants.
The cracker-type deal is cumin!!
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The cracker-type deal is cumin!!
Well apparently I don't like the taste of whole cumin or caraway. Which is weird because I'm fine with ground cumin.
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poultry + celery seed + sage = mouthgasm
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poultry + celery seed + sage = mouthgasm
I don't eat poultry - you think it would work with a lean cut of pork, similarly brined?
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chop no, loin yes. of course those are just the focus seasonings; i never skip the salt and pepper and often add a bit of rosemary, garlic, and dried red pepper flake
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chop no, loin yes. of course those are just the focus seasonings; i never skip the salt and pepper and often add a bit of rosemary, garlic, and dried red pepper flake
i'd imagine chops would be nice with some mirin and long pepper
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Why no poultry, Bobby?
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Why no poultry, Bobby?
He don't like chicks.
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Why no poultry, Bobby?
chicken: the texture of dark meat makes me gag and white meat is too dry and flavorless
turkey: as above
duck: too fatty
goose: turkey and duck's problems combined
cornish hen: bone to meat ratio insufficent
quail: see above, add fattiness
I find that most of my lighter-meat needs can be fulfilled with pork or rabbit.
There are a few notable exceptions. My aunt makes very good Tandoori chicken and there is a restaurant near here that makes an excellent Congolese duck.
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Man. Oh man. I am going to be able to have a grill again. Technically I can have a gas grill at my apartment now, but no one ever said "I can taste the propane flavor" in an appreciative way.
I'm probably going to burn everything for the first week or so until I get used to cooking with fire again.
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I don't/can't grill but I went to an awesome pig roast yesterday. I have never actually seen an entire pig on a spit before.
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I don't/can't grill but I went to an awesome pig roast yesterday. I have never actually seen an entire pig on a spit before.
I had a smoked peccary shank today, braised in a wine reduction. Very good. I need to eat more peccary.
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bob i thought it was a health/politix thing that made you not eat chicken, but apparently it's just that you don't know how to cook it
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bob i thought it was a health/politix thing that made you not eat chicken, but apparently it's just that you don't know how to cook it
i dont like the taste or texture
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Where the heck did you buy peccary?
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I made hot dogs tonight. Hot dogs with roasted garlic-red pepper relish and manchego cheese.
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Where the heck did you buy peccary?
american indian museum cafe - it's a great place to eat uncommon meats
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Where the heck did you buy peccary?
I was thinking a midnight raid at the zoo. Keepers probably get too attached to their charges to eat them, and probably ones dying of old age/disease aren't the tastiest specimens - but I've wondered if there was some sort of market for deceased residents.
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I was thinking a midnight raid at the zoo. Keepers probably get too attached to their charges to eat them, and probably ones dying of old age/disease aren't the tastiest specimens - but I've wondered if there was some sort of market for deceased residents.
Substitute "peccary" for "mother". (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF6IShnqPY0)
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Weird. I thought I'd decided not to start this topic. Glad to see all the responses though.
Re: Poultry sucks
Don't extend that rule to wild birds, Bobby. The ducks I get from my dad are extremely lean, but still have a lot of flavor because of their diet. I'd probably use lardons if I wanted to smoke or roast one. He usually just cuts off the breast meat (much easier than plucking) so that's not an option.
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i made bacon cheeseburgers for lunch today. i chopping up 7 or 8 slices of raw bacon, mixed it with 1 Lb of ground sirloin, and formed 2 1/2 Lb patties. threw them on the grill, etc. When all was said and done, i bit into one. i tell you, i almost cried tears of delight! all the bacon fat made it heavenly.
it was a Lb of meat, plus rolls, so im still too full to eat dinner.
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i made bacon cheeseburgers for lunch today. i chopping up 7 or 8 slices of raw bacon, mixed it with 1 Lb of ground sirloin, and formed 2 1/2 Lb patties. threw them on the grill, etc. When all was said and done, i bit into one. i tell you, i almost cried tears of delight! all the bacon fat made it heavenly.
it was a Lb of meat, plus rolls, so im still too full to eat dinner.
I failed with that because beef fat and bacon fat have vastly different melting points. How did you avoid salmonella burger or well-done hockey puck with bits of bacon inside?
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I failed with that because beef fat and bacon fat have vastly different melting points. How did you avoid salmonella burger or well-done hockey puck with bits of bacon inside?
i chopped the bacon up as fine as i possibly could. like, almost to a paste. using a food processor. and since i dont get creative with the flesh of beasts very often, it very well could have been a fluke.
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Surprisingly good grilled:
- Rice Krispy Treats (sear quickly on high heat to avoid overmelting; let re-firm before serving)
- Apple Pie (add fried ice cream on top for ultimate a la mode decadenc)
- Foie Gras (you will lose about half between the slats)
- Lemons (?!)
- Watermelons (soak afterward in tasty liquor of choice; port works well)
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I missed the foie gras and lemons portion of the evening. Lemons would probably be especially good with that miracle fruit.
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Were these homemade Rice Krispy treats or store bought?
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Were these homemade Rice Krispy treats or store bought?
Homemade.
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i just made an interesting cocktail with oven-roasted lemons, and my first thought when tasting was "i wonder how it would be different if i'd grilled the lemons"
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i just made an interesting cocktail with oven-roasted lemons, and my first thought when tasting was "i wonder how it would be different if i'd grilled the lemons"
Give us the recipe, please.
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i love you guys. i've been back in atlanta for two weeks as of tomorrow! oh man it's so good.
i took five lemons and roasted them whole at 325 for an hour, they got soft and super juicy. juice them and take out the seeds and paper but leave the pulp. throw them in a pitcher half filled with ice, then add one part simple syrup and two parts vodka, close to the top. splash enough pomegranate juice to turn it a nice dark pink, mellow looking but not sour tasting. granted, this was a small pitcher. maybe add a couple-few more lemons if you're using a regular iced tea/lemonade/kool-aid pitcher.
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i love you guys. i've been back in atlanta for two weeks as of tomorrow! oh man it's so good.
i took five lemons and roasted them whole at 325 for an hour, they got soft and super juicy. juice them and take out the seeds and paper but leave the pulp. throw them in a pitcher half filled with ice, then add one part simple syrup and two parts vodka, close to the top. splash enough pomegranate juice to turn it a nice dark pink, mellow looking but not sour tasting. granted, this was a small pitcher. maybe add a couple-few more lemons if you're using a regular iced tea/lemonade/kool-aid pitcher.
Sweetened or unsweetened pomegranate juice? This idea intrigues me.
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the big tall bottle of pom, i guess it's sweetened
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the big tall bottle of pom, i guess it's sweetened
i have canned you for this great idea mr. choopernickel
remind me to drunkdial you