Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
I dissed those chopped sandwiches, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t give one a shot.
I chopped lettuce, Swiss cheese, ham off the bone, dill pickle, and tomato. Then I mixed mayo with deli dressing (oregano oil), mixed it all together, and rolled it up in a wrap. The side follows Mosca’s Rule of Tomatoes.
It was good, but more of a pain in the ass than just making a wrap, and I didn’t like the little squares of cheese and ham. I won’t do it again, but I’m glad I did it once.
What a dinner. So many process in play, but none of them really needing any attention, just some occasional encouragement to be their best selves…
Dry brined and SV bone in pork chops with a ton of various fresh herbs and a bit of butter. 3 hours it was in the SV. While that was going I built a live fire for searing the Pork chops, out of BB Post Oak chunks. I had some extra dough around that I was not sure what to do with it, but I decided to drizzle oil, parm, and baked it in the Gozney XL, finished some fresh herbs, a fig balsamic, ad some fresh grated parm. Salad of arugula, carrots, radishes, drizzled with the fig balsamic and a bit of parm. With the fire seared lemon juiced over everything.
fzxdoc weather has been a bit more cool this week, and the kitchen (indoors & outdoors) were just in good harmony this week. I’m feeling very inspired right now, and just trying to have fun. I’m pretty lucky to have this opportunity to learn, I’m trying to do right by it.
I have about two or three recipes that I nail every single time I cook them. (Only took five years of practice....!) I'm excited that one of them is chicken wings.
My method is very straightforward and mimics many of yall's: I dry-brine the chicken wings overnight on a wire rack on sheet tray. I season mine on both sides with Meat Church's Holy Voodoo rub.
Then in a standard Weber chimney, I fill it to the top with KBB and light that for eighteen minutes. The coals go into a waiting Vortex in my standard 22" Weber Kettle. I put the grate on top and go retrieve the wings from the fridge.
I arrange them around the perimeter (24 wings fit perfectly, alternating drums and flats.) Once on, I place a chunk of pecan wood right over the coals in the middle of the grate. I wait about 30 seconds for it to catch, then put the lid on. The vents on both the top and bottom, of course, are wide open. I rotate the lid 90 degrees ever eight minutes. (I do not flip the wings.) At 25 minutes total they are perfect:
The skin is perfectly bite-through without being overly crispy. Internal temp is roughly 180-190 F.
I toss my wings in a traditional buffalo sauce. (My preferred ratio is 1/4 cup of Frank's Red Hot to 2 tbl unsalted butter.)
My wife prefer's her wings drizzled with Bachan's Japanese BBQ sauce. I really like seasoning them with Holy Voodoo as it comes through the intensity of the sauce but also complements it. (Especially with the Bachan's. The MSG in the Holy Voodoo matches with that very well.)
I decided I wanted a grilled cheese. I had some smoked gouda and some jarlsberg swiss. Then I remembered the tomato's. And the pickled peppers I made the other day. The cheese didn't get as melty as I wanted, but it was acceptable. Needed some tomato soup though. Next time...
LSG Adjustable Grill/Smoker, MAK Pellet Grill, Large BGE with Several Attachments from the Ceramic Grill Store, Weber Genesis E335 Gasser, Cast Iron Pans & Griddle, Grill Grates, Mostly Thermoworks Thermometers, Anova SV Stick, BBQ Guru Controller and Fan
Yesterday's experiment with Booth Creek's Wagyu Rib Fingers:
1) trim and cut to skewer size
2) apply Booth Creek Steak seasoning ( use sparingly as it's quite salty)
3) install on skewers
4) set up Weber kettle using SNS/ 1/2 B&B Oak Briquettes and 1/2 B&B Oak Lump
5) get temp to 250*-275* and monitor with Maverick Pro
6) couple chunks of mesquite for smoke
7) put skewers on side opposite coals and smoke for 90 minutes
8) remove skewers and place on aluminum foil
9) brush meat with mixture of 1/2 honey and 1/2 chili sauce and wrap
10) put packet back on smoker for another 90 minutes
11) take off and serve with your choice of sides
6) put skewers on side opposite coals and
5)
Channeling my inner Mosca with this one......Buffalo-Fried Eggs.
After the chicken wings last night, I wanted more so....this idea came into my head. At first, I thought about just doing scrambled eggs and then dousing them with buffalo sauce, but what if I "fried" the eggs in the buffalo sauce?
Well, here is what happens.
Get a non-stick skillet hot and then make two pools of Frank's Red Hot. My stove isn't overly level, so the pools merged pretty quickly. Crack in two eggs. Sprinkle egg with shredded cheese (I used Mexican as that is what I had).
Cook until your liking. I like mine where the yolks are set, but still a little runny.
Serve atop toast. Now, spray your spatula with Pam or these things will stick, resulting in this less-than-perfect plating:
What I didn't expect was that the buffalo sauce got real thick as the water evaporated and the sauce congealed with the cheese. This actually turned out to be a plus as it meant you aren't getting buffalo sauce soaked into the bread and/or running down your face. It also concentrated the flavor.
Despite what it looks like.....it was really good. Creamy, spicy, and comforting. A sprinkle of green onion would have been nice, though.
Incredible call by my wife to say, “Hey let’s have those taco pizza, pizza tacos again” (Currently called a Chrzaco)
But this was a new dough I had made for just such thing, and man I’m hooked on these. Taco’s just elevated in our home, at least during the summer. Seasoned beef with a taco blend i made up, fresh guac, romaine, shredded cheddar, sour cream, siracha, and a naturally leavened dough, baked in my Gozney
Last edited by Richard Chrz; August 10, 2024, 04:44 PM.
DaveD it was huge, it was surprisingly larger than I expected when I decided upon the dough grams, like by double, I made a special dough for this, and it way out performed my expectations in shaping size. So, this is truly 2 - 3 tacos, but the temp of the oven and pre heating,etc… the actual dough is done in less than a minute, maybe a minute and 1/2 at best, and is completely capable of carrying this, yet super soft and and amazing.
I of course love smoked meats of all kinds, but also like quick cooks like chicken portions, pork tenderloins, steak and fish. Really into cooking of all kinds.
My outdoor kitchen has a Lone Star Grillz Adjustable and it is wonderful. There also is a Pit Boss 5 Burner Ultimate Griddle and a Pit Boss Copperhead pellet grill.
There is an outdoor fire pit that has grilling capability and limited Santa Maria-style grill raising and lowering.
Tonight was my first use of my new fish basket for the grill and also my first attempt at a quick sear of some wild caught tuna steaks.
I intended to make another batch of my roasted pineapple tomatillo salsa to go on top, but Publix was out of tomatillos. I piveted to roasted pineapple poblano salsa. Worked out great. Roasted goodies:
Only the big piece of pineapple went into the salsa. The rest got blitzed up with some cilantro. I wound up adding one more fresh jalapeno to amp up the heat and freshness. The salsa turned out well.
Here we are with the tuna (and a gratuitous tomato) on the grill. My fire could have been hotter, but it worked out with some patience.
It all plated up very nicely with some rice and asparagus.
The inside of the tuna got a little more medium rare than rare. I'm assuming that was because it took a while to get a decent sear. I'll take it, though, for my first attempt. The tuna and salsa played very well together.
And we have enough tuna left over for tacos tomorrow!
I also struggle with getting a good sear on tuna over a fire. I want to try the 'afterburner' method, like what Meathead suggests with steaks. In my cast iron skillet, my tuna steaks are done 90 seconds a side.
Today I made a chicken dish we've been making for many years, a recipe my lovely bride came across years ago called Pollo Sabroso, which I'm sure I've posted here before. For years, we've just made this in the oven, baking at about 350/175 followed by a couple of minutes under the broiler to give it some crust. A few years ago I started doing the cooking on the gas grill, eventually trying a 2-zone approach, and it kept getting better. Tonight I did 2-zone in the SnS kettle with charcoal and an apple chunk, and holy moly, totally off the hook, best I've made by far.
Really simple: Make a marinade (details below), then put 4-6 bone-in, skin-on thighs in a large ziploc with the marinade, squeeze out as much air as you can while zipping shut, and work the marinade into the thighs from the outside (because the marinade would stain your hands for days if not wearing gloves). Let sit in the fridge for a few hours, turning the bag over from time to time so that the liquid gets uniformly distributed.
Marinade: 2 tbsp each red wine vinegar and (low-sodium) soy sauce, plus about 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp (or two packets) of sazon (my lovely bride makes her own), and 1-2 tbsp adobo powder. Honestly I eyeball all of the dry ingredients, so these are approximate. I want the consistency of the marinade to be almost a slurry.
Set up the kettle for 2-zone and get the indirect side to 275-300/135-150. Cook the thighs indirect until IT reaches 155-160/70ish. Have a chimney of lit coals ready to add and then sear the thighs for 30-45 seconds a side to give a nice crispy char, to taste.
Just a wee flare-up... but they were on there only half a minute.
Tonight I served with some Rancho Gordo pinquitos and zucchini, paired with a Rhino Chasers pilsner from Lost Rhino, a local brewery - a superb example of the style, accomplishing the holy grail of malty, but dry. Delish!
1980s-style tacos. Old El Paso. McCormick seasoning. Tomato. Cheese. (Granted, the El Yucateco didn't enter my life until years after I left home, but these were the tacos I grew up with.)
22” Blue Weber Kettle with SnS insert
Kamado Joe Jr with Kick Ash Basket
Char-Broil Smartchef Tru Infrared Gasser
Anovo Hot Tub Time Machine with Custom Hot Tub
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