Main goal is more variety in cooking. I’ve got a lot of recipes and a ton of things I’ve made once or twice, but during the week I find myself with only a handful of go-tos. I want to get out of the rut and expand the weekly menu rotation.
Part of that will also require more advance planning, which will benefit many areas of life, not only cooking!
I’ll say what I probably said last year - cook more lean meats like fish and chicken, and grill more veggies. The flat top makes things like stir fries easy, but I need to do more than that. For the winter I would like to spend more time working on my wok and SV skills, since I don’t like grilling in the cold so much…. I’ve cooked exactly one recipe from The Wok and I’ve had it since August!
Kamado Joe Big Joe III
Pit Barrel Cooker
Camp Chef Flat Top 900
Weber Performer 22
PowerFlamer Propane 160
Meater +
Thermoworks Smoke
Thermoworks Thermapen
Temp Spike
I've been saying I want to cook a whole pig but still haven't done it. Pig roasts were always more exciting to me than Christmas and by birthday combined when I was a kid. That's going on my 2024 list.
As I get older, I'm realizing that I need more help from my kids when we all get together. A couple are getting better at helping me clean up after a cook, but I need more prep help. I got run over by a car in 2004, and ever since, my upper-mid back gets super sore when I stand at a counter and do knife work. That's more of a parenting goal than a cooking goal, but it will be good for all of us.
Johnny Booth I have 7 kids, 2 grandkids, and another on the way, so I think we can readily dispatch a pig small enough to fit in my Lang 48. Just don't tell my cardiologist. Smoker_Boy that is an option as well.
My wife and I are trying to eat ethically, locally, and responsibly from small producers. We've found nearby sources for pork, beef, lamb, and chicken and have invested in plenty of freezer space to buy shares of hogs and steers. I want to save money by butchering as much as possible here at home. I've butchered a hog and plenty of chickens right on my dining room table, and will more than likely get a whole lamb at Easter time.
In the winter it's a lot harder to find local produce beyond root vegetables, but we're committed to buying from the farmers' market as soon as it reopens. We're also focused on not wasting food, so I'll be taking the helm for meal planning and shopping to buy only what we'll actually use within a few days.
I plan on smoking my first brisket on my 22" Weber kettle. I've gotten good at smoking ribs and pork butts, but brisket intimidates me. I'm going to rip off the band aid and do it, though. I've got a nice little 10 lb packer from the half a short horn I bought in December that should fit the kettle perfectly. I'll post plenty of pictures.
Just tear that bandaid off and do a brisket! Check my Method write up on Brisket. I think it's pretty solid and you will turn out a good brisket first try.
Okay, I wrote this up for a friend who is a complete newbie to serious BBQ, but wanted to know how I cook brisket. I told him I had learned from Meathead, Aaron Franklin, and The Pit (ie here) and it was now all in my head. He asked me to please try to write it up, so I spent about 4 hours putting this down on paper. Here’s
My goals are to try and cook at home more often. We are always on the go or have evening meetings where it makes it hard for me to cook a decent meal. With this, I am hoping to leverage crock pot, SV, maybe even smoker for longer cooks that don't need constant monitoring through day. I work from home, so it's not like I am not at home to do anything, but work is demanding and doesn't leave a lot of time to get away.
Meal planning will also help me tremendously.
I got one of those Al Pastor vertical skewer things for Christmas, so I want to try that for sure. I want to try other cuts of meats on the smoker, grill, or flattop. I do great with ribs and pulled pork, decent with chicken, need to try other things. Want to work with vegetables more as well. And get back to trying to make bacon again.
I also need to get back into canning as it is nice to have fresh things in the pantry to use throughout the year. I'm almost out of spiced beets!
Anyway, lots of things I want to do, hope I have time for them all. Plus there's lots of great ideas from everyone else in here too.
Thanks for reminding me that I got one of those vertical skewer things as well, back one or two Christmas's ago, and have yet to use it! I came across it in my bbq box and wasn't sure I was looking at a day or two ago! I saw just the threaded spike that screws into the base, and wasn't sure why I had something like that until you reminded me just now...
Retired, living in Western Mass. Enjoy music, cooking and my family.
Current cookers Weber Spirit 3 burner with a full insert griddle added. A 22" Kettle with vortex SnS and OnlyFire pizza oven. A Smokey Joe and the most recent addition a Pit Barrel Jr with bird hanger, 4 hooks and cover. ThermoWorks Smoke 2 probe, DOT, ThermoPops and a Thermapen MK4. 3 TempSpike wireless meat thermometers.
I just stumbled on this. As some others have noted, having cook books that don't get used is really dumb on my behalf. So I'm thinking that's a good start to find something other than my typical cooks. Maybe more poultry and pork along with seafood. I'm just not a fan of fish other than shell fish. As I spout this I have a 2 plus # chuckie brining to be seasoned with BBBR on the Kettle with SnS. End result will be Poor Man's Burnt Ends.
Fried Chicken. I really want to make a good plate of fried chicken. I have tried a few times in the past and have made some decent fried chicken but nothing I was super happy with.
Also at some point I want to bring my MegaFeast concept to life. Basically it would start at noon and end at 6 PM. Every hour a new meat/food would be served. People can sign up for which hour they want to come so I don't end up with too many people any given hour. Thinking something like pizza at noon, chicken wings at 1, pulled pork at 2, ribs at 3, pork belly burnt ends at 4, brisket at 5, and steaks at 6 or something along those lines. Would have plenty of sides to go with all of them as well. Would be a ton of work but could be fun.
Like Carolyn, I also want to improve meal planning and prep. I have a friend who has mastered it, from my view. She works 4 10hr shifts as a PT, noon to 10pm, her hub is an undercover investigator who works all kinds of hours. They both "submit" choices for the week, and take turns cooking based on who is home and has time. She doesn't work Fridays, so makes a list of the recipes they want to do, what they need, AND what day/night/who cooks, and what needs prep in advance. Goes so far as to make a schedule of "thaw two chicken breasts", "shred swiss cheese", etc, and posts on their joint schedule. So, it's all ready when they are. She then puts in order to WalMart online near their house, and picks it up Sat morning. I need to do this, not just "I'm going to make .... this week," but "make ... Tues pm, enough for Wed lunch, and Mon pm need to 1)take out X to thaw, shred Y, set out Z spices and this pan/pot." Total prep, instead of semi-prep. I've done for years with work clothes, down to undies and shoes and pens and whatnot, so I can hop up in the morning and have it all laid out. Need to do same with food, like Carolyn I think will make better cooking, more healthy, and def less food waste. My dog will hate it, but she will survive.
+1 on food waste. I finished cleaning out the freezer today.
My aunt was a full-time house wife. She read the sales papers and went to different stores to buy the food for all of the meals for the week. She didn't have to plan when she would shred cheese, but she had the meals planned out and had supper ready every day when my Uncle got home. There was no food waste either. She had the portions for a family of 5 down pat. (She made the best fried chicken and bread pudding.)
Eat more healthy food. I love food and cooking but I have put on weight over the years sitting behind a desk. That and high blood pressure has me looking for a better way.
Eat more vegetables, beans, and lean protein. We are trying the Mediterranean diet. Adding salads to our meals. Cut out processed foods.
Portion control. Eat less at every meal. Cut out nighttime snacks.
Bread. I have always wanted to bake my own bread.
Live fire cooking. Get outside and master the art of cooking over live fire and wood coals.
Better planning and prep. We buy meat and veggies for the week then I just randomly pick something to cook. I need to plan better and start cooking earlier.
JCBBQ - I am sure I eat more BBQ than before I retired, so that was not contributing to the blood pressure, cholesterol, or weight. IMHO 80% of my issue was sitting still all day in a high stress job. 10% was smoking which was stealing O2 from my body and making me tired.
I'd like to get better at pre planning, and having "emergency" meals on hand. Meals that can be prepped ahead of time, and stored for later use. Things that would require minimal effort to get on the table in a pinch
Too many times we end up eating out because I've either not thawed something to make, or just don't have the gumption to cook after a day at work.
Of course, eating out will still be part of the program, it would just be nice to narrow it down to times we "want" to eat out, and eliminate the times we do so as an emergency plan.
Also would like to delve more into the world of soups. I feel like we could increase opportunities to eat a bit more healthy by making soups a regular part of the meal rotation..
+2 on that. We have perfected using a whole chicken. Carve it completely into parts after roasting so it’s easy to eat. Immediately boil the carcass, leftover veggies, and scraps for hours to make bone broth. Use the leftover breast for chicken salad, use the dark meat and broth for pot pie or soup. Save leftover broth in freezer. Use it for rice or a quick soup/gravy.
Finster ... Once I bought a pressure canner (NOT a pressure cooker), I started canning stews, beef and chicken for those times when neither of us feels like cooking. That canner was the best money I have ever spent.
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:
SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron Griddle
Grill Grate for SnS
Grill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:
Extreme BBQ Thermometer Package
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:
Thermapen MK4 (pink)
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:
8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
1. Better Freezer Food Wrangling methods:
I cook too much food for 2 people to eat. So I store the leftovers in the freezer. The grown daughters take them home for their own family meals, and we eat some for on-deck meals when I'm too lazy to cook. But I still make too much--as in 6 quarts of soup when 2 quarts would do. So I'm going to work on that.
2. Make Friends with the Pork Steak.
Since I was a little kid, I have hated pork steaks. I have always seen them as having islands of dried out pork surrounded by inlets of flabby fat and scary gristle. All of us kids would try to lure the family dogs to sit next to us on pork steak night so we could sneak it to them rather than having it served, cold, for the unlucky kid(s) to have to finish up at breakfast the next day while everyone else got bacon and eggs. Bad memories.
Re freezer management: do not freeze leftovers. Freeze raw materials, eat leftovers. IMHO, your real problem is the instant pot. It makes preparing too much too easy.
I will let myself out.
Hey Kathryn, looking forward to your testing. I'm not a pork fan, bacon doesn't count, and my mom didn't cook it much. I won't go into her occ Sunday leg of lamb, can't do lamb either to this day. Still, I seem to have some pork roasts/loins in my freezer, bc they seem economical and I imagine what I can do with them. I would like better choices than trashing annually and starting over. BTW, I love freezing leftovers. On days I'm hungry and not into cooking, they save the day.
I agree with acorgihouse , that leftovers from the freezer can make the difference between trying to convince my husband to eat popcorn and drink beer in lieu of a real dinner or actually having a real dinner set in front of him. Frozen leftovers save my bacon (pun intended) more often than not.
yakima , IP or not, there are just some nights when I simply cannot face cooking dinner. On those nights, my husband is happy to eat thawed reheated leftovers. Bless him for that!
I saw just the threaded spike that screws into the base, and wasn't sure why I had something like that until you reminded me just now...
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