What's Your Signature Dish?

[Troutman]

So what do you or someone close to you (family, friends, your dog) think is your signature dish? It may not be the most favorite thing you like to eat, but what is the most requested thing you cook that defines your level of cooking skill? It should also be something that you helped develop as a cook using someone's recipe and changing it to your liking. Or ideally something you cooked up all by your lonesome.

For you hot shots that think everything is your signature, then move on. Those who are simply going to say you cook a mean steak, take a hike. I'm looking for something with complexity that defines what it means to have something really good from your kitchen or barbecue pit.

For me it's stews and roasts that I love to cook. If I had to choose one that my family requests on a regular basis it would have to be Troutman's Country Chicken. Years ago I was watching old Julia Child cooking shows on PBS on Sunday mornings. On one occasion she cooked a coq au vin (or chicken in wine sauce), considered a peasant dish that classically uses a red Bordeaux wine in its braise. I tried it and hated it but I liked the idea so much that I started to play with similar ingredients using a dry white Sauvignon Blanc. I also tweaked the way I prepared the chicken (breaded, dredged, seasoned), played with the herbs and spices then thickened the sauce with corn starch and butter versus the classic French cream technique.

I typically serve it over a variety of starches with each one lending a slightly different note to the dish. You all have seen me do this several times, so of all the things I cook, Country Chicken is probably my signature dish.

What say you, what's yours??

[RonB]

Alphabet soup...

I'll add a real answer when I find a photo...

[USMCCrashCrew89]

For me it’s chicken and sausage gumbo. It’s my chance to showcase a lot of the little techniques that make the difference between a decent meal to one that gets raves about. Using homemade chicken stock, browning the chicken and sausage and then deglazing the pan to get those delicious savory bits into the stock, getting the roux JUST right, and getting the seasonings adjusted so it hits all the right notes. I use a combination of several different recipes with Isaac Toups’ serving as the base.

[Donw]

Getting the ROUX just right! Justin Wilson told the story that he knew the roux was perfect when it matched his old brown shoes. He later told how he lost those shoes and his roux was never right again.🙂

[Troutman]

Gumbo was actually second choice for me too. Yours looks delish!!

[Richard Chrz]

I asked my wife, as I have no idea. She said pizza. But I would lean anything Italian, I have put a ton of focus in building what I deem an excellent pizza over the last year. That tends to get the most love, but ribs and flank steak with chimi are not far behind. My pizza making has grown exponentially over the last year. I have tried off and on and made maybe 7 pizzas over the years, was never wowed enough to continue. But last year I challenged my self to up my pizza game. I have tweaked it a bit for my liking and handling, so I can essentially say tht this is now my own recipe, especially when I have smoked the toppings, I have taken own efforts to have tomato sauce made of the proportions of hand crushed standards I want. Etc..

[Richard Chrz]

smokin fool thank you for the kind words. Some day I will travel to Italy, all for the love of food. I am a insulin dependent type 1 diabetic. So, as much as I like to make it, I give most of it away to neighbors, family and friends. It works for me just to smell what the house smells like!

[Andrrr]

Setting a goal and consistently working at it to achieve it is so rewarding, especially when you get to eat it. Those are beautiful. What other crusts are you looking to learn?

[Steve B]

I like a traditional NY style crust and my wife likes Thin crust. Neither have I been able to make to my satisfaction thus far. But I'm working on them.

[Starsky]

Family and friends seem to really like my brisket

[ofelles]

Posolé Rojo
Started with an Epicurious recipe from 1999.Played with it over the years Called for pork country style ribs simmered and canned hominy. Changed to pork butt smoked and Rancho Gordo dried hominy. Adjusted the spices and chiles. Replaced the water with rich homemade chicken broth. It's a hit every time.

[barelfly]

Dried hominy for the WIN!!!!!!! Looks like a great bowl of posole!

[painter]

ofelles you have a recipe posted for that?

[ofelles]

painter I couldn't find it anywhere so I posted it here. Enjoy.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/recipes-technique-food-cooking/soup-chili-and-stew-recipes/1006232-posol%C3%A9-rojo

[CaptainMike]

It used to be paella, but my brisket chili gets rave reviews from anyone who eats it and I now feature it when cooking for a group. It takes most of a day to make it and I use dried chiles and smoked vegetables, then cook the whole mess in a Dutch oven in a smoker. It is not even close to (picante) hot and doesn't need to be so even kids like it. The layers of flavor are fantastic. In fact, this year's garden is going heavy on guajillo and poblano (ancho) peppers for that very reason. No pics, but y'all know what chili looks like.... Also, I will do your country chicken every once in a while. Man, that is a great dish!

[Richard Chrz]

That is a fantastic list of ingredients. I can almost taste it just by reading it,

[CaptainMike]

Richard Chrz I grabbed a recipe off of the interwebs and made it my own. The best chefs in the world are products of a similar process, i.e. learning from someone else and making it their own.

[DavidNorcross]

I must say that my coq au vin can hold its own. I often have requests for marsala. While not the most complex the chicken and sauce is seen as my "signature" and most requests.

[Richard Chrz]

Wow!

[Troutman]

Veal Marsala is a great dish 👍

[bbqLuv]

Looking good in the BBQ-Hood

[ssandy_561]

I make a pretty decent Macaroni Salad. I am always asked to bring it to backyard cookouts.

I took my mothers recipe, my mother-in-laws recipe and combined what I liked about both of them and made a few tweaks of my own and came up with a killer Macaroni Salad that goes great with BBQ.

I use both Hellmann’s Mayo and Kraft Miracle Whip. I painstakingly finely dice sweet red pepper and celery with my chefs knife. A food processor mushes them too much. A bit of apple cider vinegar gives it some tang. Salt, freshly ground pepper, granulated onion, celery seed and a touch of cayenne pepper are the spices I add. Just the right amount of hard boiled eggs takes it to the next level. And the only pasta in my opinion worth all this goodness is Mueller’s Elbows.

[ofelles]

That sounds like a great salad. I get a few request for mine also.

[CaptainMike]

It's amazing how such a simple dish, when well handled, can be transformed into something very special. My mother's potato salad is unrivaled.

[HouseHomey]

I make a great salad.

[Troutman]

Come on man ....

[bbqLuv]

Lettuce see the salad.
I have to admit I don't carrot all for it.

[CaptainMike]

I've heard your meatballs are pretty alright too.

[58limited]

Hard one. I make a great appetizer that is out of this world: bacon wrapped stuffed shrimp. What others request most often is my jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread. As far as an entree, my adaptation of TripleB 's Thai chicken is my current favorite and crowd pleaser: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ai-bbq-chicken

[TripleB]

Thanks for the shout out. What changes did you make? Always looking to up my game or try something new.

[58limited]

Very minor changes. Glaze has peach nectar, apricot jam, Asian chili garlic paste, and Stubb's original. I put the chicken bone-side down over the direct heat until it starts to lightly char then I move it to the indirect side skin side down. I baste about every 15 minutes with the glaze and throw a small handful of applewood chips onto the fire. When the chicken is within 30 minutes of being done I flip to skin side up and continue basting and adding the applewood chips.

[58limited]

I rearrange the pieces as necessary so that the ones closer to the fire don't overcook. The glaze really picks up the smoke and I keep the grill hot enough that the glaze gets a little char too. The skin turns out nice and candied.

[smokin fool]

Wow!!!!
Best question yet Troutman and it took some thought.
Agree a roast of beef is always a specialty but if I really want to hang one on people....
Chicken Cacciatore would be my specialty dish.
When I nail it guests are amazed if I do say so myself.
....other than that....Corn Flakes with milk....

[Troutman]

Chicken Cacc is a personal fav. Love to try yours.

[Skip]

Leftover Brisket Stew. Played around this winter when we had too much Brisket left after the Holidays and didn't want to freeze all of it. Used the Instant Pot. It turned out to be a cold weather favorite!

[Richard Chrz]

Oh! I would love to here more about that, I have half of a point sitting in my refrigerator waiting to be reassigned to another cook.

[grantgallagher]

Funny you asked it the way you did. For me its rabbit stew. I maybe make it twice a year. Considering you dont see it many places im sure that plays a big part into why people ask for it/about it. Pate made from the appropriate internals as an app. Anyways, tomato based gravy, nicoise olives a key ingredient. Little smoke on the rabbit if its easter and less chance if its christmas.

[Richard Chrz]

That looks fantastic!

[CaptainMike]

That looks wonderful! When I read that many paellas used bunny I found a source and started adding it. It really is quite good and adds a different texture to the dish. I found that my guests were high-grading the bunny so I started cooking more on the side!

[RonB]

A bowl of that would make me very hoppy.

[bbqLuv]

Now I would pair that with PBR.
I have not eaten bunnies in a long time.
Fry 'em up with milk gravy, biskets, and corn.