Show Us What You're Cooking! (SUWYC) - Volume 40, Winter 2025/2026

[jfmorris]

Well, Yvonne liked last nights pizza so much we polished off what was left for lunch, and she had the idea to make pizza again tonight. So about 2pm out came the two pizza crusts I froze last night, and about 7pm we started building two more. This time San marzano tomato sauce on both, diced up baby back rib meat, and veggies and cheese.

I got the crusts worked out to about 14 inches this time and much more uniform, thanks to the advice Richard Chrz gave last night.

I ended up putting them back to bake a couple more minutes AFTER cutting and finding things floppier than we liked. But that's ok. It's a learning experience! I can also say this is the first baby back rib pizza I ever made or ate!

[jfmorris]

I bought a 2 pound block of mozzarella at the store today "just in case" the pizza mood hits us again soon. I'll probably make more dough when it is time to feed the sourdough starter.

[cruiseplanner1]

Those look great. I am more of a traditionalist on pizza's but I bet it tasted good. Love the thin crust ones.

[jfmorris]

If Richard or anyone is following along, I've learned a couple of things. First - I think the bake temp at 500F is just about at the right spot. I think the 2-3 minute "par bake" of the oiled crust (I brush the top with EVOO) helps crisp things, then when you flip it to remove the parchment paper and top with ingredients, that oiled side is down on the cast iron pan in my case (or steel). Then I think it takes about 9 more minutes at 500F on the center rack to be done. In my oven anyway.

[Breslinbbq]

Made up some Hamachi tonight. 2 rolls (spicy & scallion) and 3 nigiri slices. Love the fish selection at meat and bone.

[Manxman]

Horseshoe gammon simmered in cola with onions, celery and carrots with cinnamon and black peppercorns then smoked over beech chippings and finished with a Mike's Hot Honey glaze sprinkled with Meathead's Pork seasoning.

[fzxdoc]

Wowza.

[cruiseplanner1]

Artwork there. Bet it tasted great

[ecowper]

oh snap, that's pretty

[ecowper]

I had this beautiful bone left from Christmas Day and needed something to do with it. I flipped open my awesome gift from my Secret Santa, Sando's "Heirloom Beans", and it fell right to Senate Bean Soup ...... clearly this was an omen ..... one ham bone, 16 oz of Rancho Gordo Marcella's, an onion, a bunch of water, a couple bay leafs .... and me being me, I doctored it with a couple slices of bacon, 3 garlic cloves, and a handful of black peppercorns. It's cooking away right now :-)

[ecowper]

yakima I have had it at the capitol during the years when I was contracting with FedGov. It is an amazing tradition. fzxdoc the traditional recipe is awesome, but some bacon, garlic, and black peppercorns just amps it up, as Meathead would say.

[BKYDBBQ]

My dad is chomping at the bit for the ham to be finished so he can make his annual pot of beans...

[cruiseplanner1]

Looks good. I am intending on doing a pot here maybe today with my leftover ham bone

[Jerod Broussard]

Cold front about to blow through and drop it down into the 30's and 20's so I can do some hot chocolate later tonight. For now Bush's Baked Beans, Country Style ribs, and Murder on the Orient Express.

[cruiseplanner1]

Love country ribs. And Bush's Grilling Beans Southern Pit Style are better tasting than any I have ever made, and I make them a lot.

[fzxdoc]

A perfect trifecta if I ever saw one.

Kathryn

[Finster]

Made a pot of lasagna soup..

[BKYDBBQ]

Finster Lasagna soup has been on my to try list for a while.

[Finster]

BKYDBBQ
We have it a couple of times every winter.
So much easier to make than an actual lasagna..

[bbqLuv]

Oh my word, OMW, sure sound good.

[Richard Chrz]

theroc inspired me with his oxtail Ragu.

I went freezer diving and came across 4 lbs of short ribs.

Got a deep braise on the short ribs, browned up the soffritto, some homemade tomato paste, garlic to cook up a bit togeher, then a cup of red wine & 2 cups beef stock to de glaze, added in some San marzanos, fish sauce. …a chunk of Parmesan rind..Finished with a bit of heavy cream, grated parm, then topped with parsley and more grated parm


‘While that was all simmering, I rolled out almost 2 lbs of a really heavy broad pappardelle noodles with semola, and eggs.

So good, so much umami, i kind of wish I had some anchovies as well,

[ecowper]

fzxdoc jfmorris I really love the simplicity of pasta in Rome .... carbonara or cacio é pepe is awesome .... but I also love American-Italian, too.

[Richard Chrz]

I think it really makes sense to not have as much meat on pasta. While I’ve never been to Italy, I tend to think of pasta in the same sense I think of rice in various cultures.

Pasta, and rice are affordable for a family to obtain or make, where I think in various cultures, and times, meat not so easy to access, store or afford, make the base of the meal around what is accessible and affordable, and add just a bit of the expensive additions.

Plus pasta can be so good without over loading it,

[ecowper]

Richard Chrz most certainly Italian approach to pasta comes from that place of pasta being cheap/affordable and meat being expensive. And the American-Italian approach is from a time of wealth and inexpensive meat.

[Dewesq55]

Puerto Rican perníl and mofongo




Chicherrónes for the mofongo



It's still resting. Plated pix later.

EDIT:
Plated pic

[ecowper]

I have a recipe for Pernil saved in Paprika that have in my “to do in winter” category …… now feeling that it must happen sooner than later.

[fzxdoc]

Great work! You had me at that chicherrónes photo.

I had to google Mofongo:
Mofongo is a beloved, savory Puerto Rican dish made from fried green plantains mashed with garlic, olive oil, and crispy pork cracklings (chicharrón) in a mortar (pilon), forming a dense, flavorful paste often shaped into balls and served with broth or stuffed with meats/seafood like shrimp, chicken, or octopus. It's rich, garlicky, and satisfying, tasting like savory plantain mash, and is a versatile staple.

K.

[Dewesq55]

Yes, fzxdoc, that's it. I'm afraid I neglected to take photos along the way of the mofongo making process. I have always used a food processor in the past but this year I mashed them in a large bowl with a metal potato mashed. It was a lot more work. The garlic didn't want to mash that way so I put the pieces in a mortar and pestle with a little salt and pounded it into a paste then mixed that in to the mashed plantains.

[Michael_in_TX]

I did Spinaker's Carnitas today: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...as#post1616283

I thought I had messed up as I misread the recipe a little and put both the pork and peppers in the orange juice marinade. Turns out, that wasn't really a mistake at all. (I've been fighting a mild cold since Christmas so my "with-it-ness" is not all there.)

I started with about a 9 lb pork butt and while I tried to keep the pieces the same size, it is really hard to do cutting around that bone, but I managed to six roughly-equally sized pieces. They and the peppers marinated for about 34 hours. I removed the pork, patted it dry and then added the second batch of Spinaker's rub.



I did a terrible job of patting it dry. I should have used a wire rack at the least to let the moisture drip off. As such, I lost quite a bit of rub adhesion. (Told you my with-it-ness is lacking lol.)

While I got my PBC going, I strained out the peppers but also reserved the orange juice. All of that went into the fridge for later.

Here we are on the PBC, some some chunks of post oak added to the KBB.



While the PBC did its thing, I made up some pickled red onions....



...and some roasted salsa verde (Kenji/Serious Eats' recipe).







I let the pork go for about three hours on the PBC. The thinner pieces were around 170 F, but the larger ones were just below 160 F. But I removed them at that point as it was already 5:30 pm (got off to a very late start). I didn't get anywhere the bark I would have liked. Something to work on for next time; that lack of rub adhesion probably had much to do with it.



After the pork had cooled to where I could handle it, I sliced it up. I began to worry that it wouldn't shred, even after the braise. In my dutch oven, I added the very-much marinated peppers, a bit of the orange juice, the sliced pork, and enough chicken stock to cover.



Into the waiting 325 F oven it went, covered, for 90 minutes. The pieces that had cooked more were decently shredding, but the other pieces were not. I let it go for an hour uncovered.

I then ladled out the pork and put that in a large container. I put on my cotton glove liners and nitrile gloves and went to work. To my relief, it shredded easily. Perhaps too easily....I was now fearing I was about to make mush!

In Spinaker's recipe, he strongly suggests you crisp up the pork in a pan. I consider this an essential step; it's not carnitas without it.

Looking good here....



I heated up some blue corn tortillas and plated everything up with my roasted salsa verde and pickled red onions.



This was great! My wife even thought it was one of the better things I've cooked in a long time. The pork is very flavorful, with ever-present notes of the cumin and chipotle chile powder from the rub. I was worried all that orange juice would make it taste sweet, but it didn't. I'm now eager to try Spinaker's other suggestion of using margarita mix instead of the OJ.

And homemade salsa verde is where it is at. Nothing from the store approaches it.

[fzxdoc]

In my opinion Spinaker 's recipe for Dutch Oven Máquina De Carnitas is one of the best here on The Pit. It's one of the top 5 dishes my family asks me to make.

You did a great job with it, Michael. I love Kenji's Salsa Verde with those carnitas--just the right amount of spice and pucker factor. That was where I learned to pour the newly chopped salsa into a hot skillet. Makes all the difference.

You made an amazing meal. Kudos to you.

Kathryn

[Spinaker]

Great work!
I will typically reduce the liquid in the dutch oven almost all the way down to really concentrate the flavors. When I do this in a dutch oven, by the fire, I let the coals really rip and she boils with a vengeance. No problem outside, but it might make a mess in a kitchen setting.

And yes, you have to sear on a griddle or cast iron pan. I also consider this to be essential, but I write it out as "optional" because the recipe is already a little daunting.

[HawkerXP]

PBC, PBC, PBC!

[OC Sandy]

Finally got around to cooking the rib roast I bought for Christmas week. Smoked to an IT of 125°F then seared in the oven at 450° for about 5 minutes. Finish internal temp after a 15 minute rest was 134°. Right where I like it. Served with Hasselback potatoes and creamed spinach. I’m ready for a nap now. 😊

[fzxdoc]

Classic meal, perfectly done. Can't get any better than that. Your hasselbacks are even precision-sliced. My family would be all over them.

Kathryn

[bbqLuv]

Oven roast pecans

Batter for the candied Pecans



Melt the batter and, bring to a bubble for 3-4 minutes



Stir in the pecans


spread out on a cookie sheet and separate


Candied oven roast pecans so good
Sends blood glucose to new levels
Please be advised it is hard to stop once you eat just one.

[fzxdoc]

They look delicious! Will you gift some to your neighbors and friends, or just parcel them out to yourselves a bit at a time?

Kathryn

[barelfly]

Those wouldn’t last the day in my house! I wouldn’t be able to stop eating them as they sat on the tray!! Haha looks excellent!

[bbqLuv]

They have been gifted.
As a matter of fact, the more I give away the better for my A1c.

[TokyoBBQ]

Smoked scallops with coral included, some that came without it, all with Meathead’s buttery mignonette (except my store’s lack of tarragon meant the herbs were improvised) - my favorite of the day.
Smoked salmon with memphis dist was a near brish with disaster because we thought they were presalted but fortunately I was starving and tasted one, and a sprinkle of salt and a dash of maple syrup made them immediately disappear when served to the guests.
Tiny 1.1 pound roast beef of Hida, Gifu A5 rank, using Mrs OLeary rub, and a few small steaks of the same, was the highlight for several guests
One rack of side ribs with Memphis Dust, using as a sauce the Kansas City Red from Meathead’s new book, blueberry jam variant because no raspberry jam was for sale, and substituting potato shochu for bourbon. I was quite anxious about whether this sauce would work, but it was a huge hit, both Japanese and foreign guests raved about the sauce in particular, and today some had leftover steak with it (?!). I may have reclaimed fridge space over a commercial product with this one.
Garlic confit also went well with the steaks and roast beef.
Chicken souvlaki (smoked) and tsatsiki were also in usual good form.
Hamburgers and kyushu no nitrate fancy sausages as hot dogs were the highlight for the little ones, and adults enjoyed as well.
Potatoes and onions I did not cook well enough, in particular because of overestimating how hot the lower rack would be. No cooking was happening down there. But still very tasty with the various sauces on hand.

Almost forgot - the smoked cherry tomatoes were amazing! First time trying that too.
Long day of cooking but well worth it.

[ecowper]

Excellent feast!

[Johnny Booth]

Wonderful cook. Love the fusion of local foods with your BBQ. That’s what it’s all about. Local ingredients, BBQ style. 😎

[Spinaker]

This is so cool. I love seeing how they do things over seas. If I had the time to go anywhere, I think I would go to Japan. They have fascinating culture, architecture and food. Look out, cause one of these days, Sabrina and I are making the trip!

Great looking cook!

[BillyBriskets]

It’s my 6 year olds birthday and he’s been into the show “Is it Cake?” I’m surprising him with his own is it cake contest. I’m not at all a baker but I had a lot of fun making this.

[barelfly]

That’s a cool surprise for him! Hope you have a wonderful time celebrating!

[Johnny Booth]

Soooo, is it cake? 😁

[klflowers]

Yard bird again on the chimp. I didn't get a plated pics or the breasts; I really wanted to highlight a couple things. I used the chicken $hit rub and the shears wrgilb got me. The rub is fantastic. I smoked the entire spatchcocked bird whole, and of course the thighs and drums finished first. I used the shears mid cook to remove them. Thanks again, Bill! I also used the Thermoworks RX that RichieB recommended. I really like that system. My only issue is that the probes are pretty long and they have to be inserted deep into the meat. The thighs and legs were pretty thin so I couldn't get a good angle to get them in. In the pic, they extend to the bone so the reading was off. But the system worked flawlessly and accurately with an easy set up. So thanks RichieB

[Johnny Booth]

I discovered that on my PK if I position my bird so one side faces the heat source, then turn it to the other side about 1/2 way through, it puts the legs at ~180f and the breasts at 165f. I will also sear the bone-side to speed up a cook.

If your rig has a ‘hot’ side, this might work for you to help things finish evenly.

[bbqLuv]

Thrills my heart to cut it apart
Looks so good in the BBQ Hood.

[klflowers]

Johnny Booth this cook was on my grilla chimp pellet grill. No direct heat source, and it is pretty small so I never checked to see where the hot spots are

[Spinaker]

I attempted to smoke a pork belly and back ribs on the pellet rig yesterday. It went okay, for the most part, but she really struggled with the low temps in MN. Anything under 10 F and it just can't hold temps. I pre-loaded the pellet pot and over shot the cook temp to let it really heat up. After that, the temp just kept on dropping. Even with an insulated blanket and increased "Cold weather" P setting, she still struggled. I brought the pork belly inside after the smoker would not climb back of 205 F. I got plenty of smoke, but I had to finish the pork belly inside.

(I did get a cool snow picture though)