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    I'm back

    Hi, I'm back. I didn't renew my subscription two years ago because I had learned pretty much all I needed to know. I bought just about everything this site recommends and brought it over in my luggage: Weber 22" kettle, Slow-n-Sear, Thermopop, a couple Super-Fast to give away as gifts, a Maverick ET-732, a Smoke (when I thought someone had stolen the Maverick but it turned out I had left it at a friend's house when I brought it over to use for the Thanksgiving turkey, so now I have two), Hovergrill, CharGon, OXO 8" chef's knife, a Premiala injector that I have never used, and Meathead's cookbook. I printed the cook records and filled them in. I made paraffin and cotton ball firestarters by hand because nobody stocks lighter fluid.

    I've learned how to make damn good chicken thighs, leg of lamb, and lamb lollipops. I can also make pork or chicken kebabs using the marinades. I once made a pork loin that turned out really well, and last week I did some steaks that someone bought. But all other meats are hard to find. Things have gotten better, and now you can get some traditional American BBQ meats like pork butt or brisket in Shanghai, but the price is through the roof. I did recently stumble out of the bar at 2am one night, and just down the street was a place where they had a bunch of whole pigs piled up, I made a note to go back there and see if I can get some ribs.

    My cookouts are well-known locally and everyone thinks I'm the king of BBQ, all because I can follow instructions from this website. I have this sweet outdoor terrace area on the roof between two buildings that is perfect for parties. The spring just sprung last week so it's cookout time again. I'm going to be cooking 2 or 3 weekends a month until it's too cold.

    So, AmazingRibs.com and the Tao of Meathead have been a big success story for me. Thanks for all of you who endured my endless strings of literal-minded questions back when I was learning. I really learned a lot and put it to good use. Now it's time to take it to the next level.

    A friend who owns a local bar (different from the other ones I've talked about in the past) asked me to do cookouts once a week at his establishment, and offered me some cash plus all I can drink for free. I didn't actually want to take the deal, but I'm at a point now where I need every bit of cash I can pull in, and I drank enough for free at his bar so I figure I kind of owe him. I'm trying to learn more about not just cooking for friends, but for larger groups. I did kebabs outside the bar a few weeks ago, and it was kind of a pain. It was from 9pm - 1am, and the charcoal fire won't burn that long. But if someone orders a kebab, I can't just light the fire, cook a couple, and then let it die out. It takes too long and is wasteful of charcoal. If I light one big fire, it dies out within an hour or so. So, I don't know what to do.

    I could just cook something else, but generally you have to eat my BBQ chicken/lamb right away, as if you let it sit for a while it gets cold and the wonderful juices turn into solid fat. Not that cold chicken isn't nice, but this is a fancy establishment. I could make burgers, but the Chinese have a different mental idea of where is appropriate for burgers and it wouldn't work at a bar. I'm at a loss.

    Anyway, it's nice to be back. There has been some progress on making American style BBQ known in my town, but I'll save that for other posts. Thanks for all your advice!

    #2
    Welcome back!

    Comment


      #3
      Welcome back. Was curious what had happened to you.

      you know you are probably going to catch crap for that first sentence lol.

      Comment


        #4
        Always more to learn! Just when you think you've got it all... lol

        Glad to hear you are going to be cooking a lot. It's a great hobby and icebreaker.

        Comment


          #5
          Have you considered going with wood and gas? Because what you will need is what you said: a way to turn it off and on. And that’s gas.

          Comment


            #6
            I thought you were Lost, but I'm glad to see you are back.

            Comment


              #7
              About that first sentence, no comment. Welcome back, was wonderin.

              Comment


                #8
                The first line should create some interesting responses!
                Click image for larger version

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                Comment


                  #9
                  i always wondered where you went. glad to hear things are going well.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Lost in China, I Agree With Mosca on The Fuel Choices❗️ To Me You're Trying To Run a Short Order Grill❓ You Might Want to Consider Daily or Weekly Features and Explore the Advantage of a Faux Cambro
                    For Finishing and Temp Control and Short Term Storage of Cooked Meals❓ That's My $00.02 Worth❗️
                    Welcome Back❗️ From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

                    Comment


                    • FireMan
                      FireMan commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Wow, 2 cents with a dollar sign included, very good.

                    • Powersmoke_80
                      Powersmoke_80 commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Is there a cent sign? Inquiring minds want to know.

                    • Lost in China
                      Lost in China commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Here are a couple for you to save: ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢

                      If you lose them, you can hold down ALT and type 0162 on your numeric keypad.

                    #11
                    I would work on cooking recipes where you can cook enough to hold for a couple of hours above 140F in a cooler with towels (faux cambro), unless the establishment has an oven inside that can be set to a low temperature to hold the meat at safe temperatures.

                    The advantage of items like pulled pork or even ribs is that you can easily wrap those in foil and hold them hot for hours in a cooler or warm oven. Don't think that will work well for kabobs, as the meat is just too small.

                    Comment


                      #12
                      One thing I've learned in life is that there is always something new to learn EVERY DAY. But then again my wife thinks I'm a dumb ass so what do I know?

                      As to lugging everything to China in your luggage, you must have a big suitcase if you got a Weber 22" in there !!

                      Comment


                      • FireMan
                        FireMan commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Either that or a small 22”.
                        BtW, should we take a poll. I’ll make sure it’s not rigged

                      • Lost in China
                        Lost in China commented
                        Editing a comment
                        When I added the three dimensions up, the number in inches was below the airline's checked luggage maximum dimensions. So I just opened the box, filled it with stuff until it was 50lbs, and then taped it shut and checked it as a piece of luggage.

                      • Lost in China
                        Lost in China commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Took a bunch of trips over a couple years to get everything, but I got it. You can see the happy day I got it back to my apartment here: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...-my-purchasing

                      #13
                      Welcome back Lost in China

                      Comment


                        #14
                        Let me ask this. Do they sell any sort of small propane powered gas grill over there? Here's my thinking. Cook your chicken thighs or whatever on the Weber, getting them nice and smoky, keep it warm in a cooler, and toss on the small gas powered grill to crisp up the skin for a minute or two per side when someone asks for one.

                        Comment


                          #15
                          Welcome back. I have been missing your posts.

                          Comment

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