Ribeye steak today.. broccolini, tomatoes and onions on the side.. Topped with peppersauce.
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Cook #1 of the weekend is in the books! 9# Boston butt converted into pulled pork goodness, with lots of bark mixed in! This one started around 11pm last night and ended about 2pm today. No wrap, an hour rest in foil, then pulled and into a crock pot for the pot luck and bonfire tonight…
This one was dry brined, then got a layer of MMD before going on the SNS Kamado.
Cook #2 starts at bedtime with a 14# brisket, currently dry brining. In quest of a continuous burn I am running the kamado with a full basket of charcoal until the next cook…
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Last night I made citrus braised chicken and fennel with Castelvetrano olives and Calabrian chilis. Special guest appearance by preserved lemon peel. This one was a beautiful mosaic of flavors. The tang of the citrus balanced the wonderful, laid back richness from the olive oil and dark meat chicken. Briny olives and gentle heat from the chilis complimented the sweetness of the cooked fennel. Best of all, it was easy to put together. 100% worth making again.
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Tacos a la plancha.
My usual flank steak marinated with equal parts lime juice, soy sauce, and canola oil for eight hours. Cooked in cast iron over high heat.....
(I think I kinda prefer flank to skirt....I love how the exterior flakes apart like that.) Also, nailed the doneness.
I served it with some homemade creamy jalapeño salsa (Chili Pepper Madness recipe: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/r...alapeno-sauce/), pinto beans, and made-today tortilla chips courtesy of HEB.
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Ok, cook #2 on the continuous burn has commenced! 14# brisket, pre-trim. Dry brined, and seasoned with a mix of Jim Goode’s Beef Rub, made salt free. It’s an old Texas rub recipe a friend gave me.
For this cook I put on the welding gloves and reset the SnS Kamado. I pulled out the SnS insert with the burning coals, filled the bowl with lump and pecan chunks, then poured the burning coals in the center and installed deflector and grates. I did this because I decided I didn’t want to have to refuel overnight….
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For fun, let's cook an entire gallon of milk!
Okay, for the first time in my life, I am making cheese....queso fresco, to be specific, and I followed this recipe at Villa Cocina: https://villacocina.com/queso-fresco
This looks harder than it is and it doesn't even look that hard. It takes about an hour and most of that is just waiting.
In a large pot over medium heat, bring a gallon of whole milk to 185-190 F. This will take about 30 minutes (at least on my electric burner). Use your Thermapen to monitor the temperature. Stir occasionally....but when it gets to ~170 F, start stirring constantly.
Once you hit 185 F, slowly stir in 2/3 cup of white distilled vinegar. Curds will nearly immediately form. Turn the heat off, and if using an electric stove as I am, remove the pot from the burner. Let sit for twenty minutes.
You'll come back to this:
Over a bowl with a strainer, lay in some cheesecloth and start scooping out the curds....
Once you've gotten all of the curds out that don't slip through a slotted spoon, carefully wrap up and enclose the curd-ball in the cheesecloth. (It will still be a bit hot, so use cotton liners under nitrile gloves.) Squeeze, gently (the cheesecloth I used was cheap and fragile), and try to get out as much liquid (whey) as you can. You're not going to be able to get absolutely all of it, but when it basically is just a small trickle, you're there.
Here's what mine looked like after I stopped squeezing. (You can barely tell there actually is cheesecloth wrapped around it, but it is there.)
Next, in remove the cheese from the cheesecloth and dump into a large bowl. Sprinkle in two teaspoons of salt. Lightly knead it with your fingers for about three minutes. (It will squeak a bit! So cute!) You'll notice it will become less granular and it will firm up. (Forgot to photograph this step.)
Finally, place some cheesecloth in a small pyrex bowl or form and dump the kneaded cheese into it. Press it in firmly. You want it compact.
Onto some parchment paper -- Rosana uses banana leaves in the video, which is apparently traditional -- carefully invert the cheese and you'll be greeted with this:
Carefully, wrap the cheese up in the paper and then wrap again in plastic wrap. At this point the cheese is delicate so be careful not to squeeze it or intent it. Place in the fridge for at least six hours.
After six hours, remove the outer wrappings and slice with a sharp knife into wedges....
I served mine for dessert with some blueberries and drizzled with local Texas honey.
This was amazing! I have had queso fresco -- even HEB Mi Tienda queso fresco -- and it didn't taste anything like this! It is so creamy, with just a little bit of tang. The texture is just perfect. So delicious! And so stupidly easy to make!
Give it a try.
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Mosca I almost did his queso fresco recipe, but it has an extra step where he cultures the milk with buttermilk. I'm going to do his version next so I can compare. (He also uses citric acid instead of vinegar.)
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Brisket update! 6:30am and 170 IT and into a foil wrap… on track to hit cambro before church.
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Had a hankerin’ for shrimp and grits. I didn’t have tasso, so did a combo of regular bacon and a spicy andouille. Used red peppers instead of tomatoes (tomatoes are better, imho). Extra sharp white cheddar grits.
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First cook in my new Stargazer 13.5” cast iron brasier: some kind of chicken with vegetables and then casseroled with stuffing and topped with cheese thing, pretty easy comfort food.
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I asked about making Mexican rice using salsa in another thread. I thought I had another jar of salsa, but I didn't, so I wound up using Rotel tomatoes and chilis. My wife loved it, but I thought it was a bit bland. I should have added some some tomato sauce or tomato paste.
The fajitas I made to go with the rice turned out good, but not great.
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Pretty simple cook tonight, thick cut pork chop and a baked tater. Reverse seared on the kettle with the vortex. I’m really digging that Harley’s Texas Seasoning, you can use it as a rub or just regular seasoning.
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