Next year

[BKYDBBQ]

Several things planned for 2026 (not in order of priority)

- Finish outdoor cooking area on the new deck, get furniture for social area on the deck
- Finally build the cinder block pit
- Ribs, I make decent ribs but I want to be better and more consistent with them
- Improve my chicken game
- Focus on sides to go with the protein, canned veggies or boxed rice / pasta only works for so long
- Attend a couple of BBQ classes and hopefully an event or festival

[yakima]

I would add, receiving your lost in the USPS system, your 2025 Secret Santa gift.
I may be delusional.

[HawkerXP]

+1 on the sides, I know Mrs. H would appreciate me taking it "ALL" on occasionally.

[Michael_in_TX]

Like Oak Smoke, I've really found myself in a cooking rut in 2025. I found myself cooking the same old things over and over again. I've also found myself shying away from the big fatty cooks.....pork butt, brisket. I didn't do a single brisket in 2025.

Maybe my tastes are changing. Fat is flavor, as they say, but there are other flavors out there. I also want to cook more economical dishes....things that aren't $10/lb. I think that may be my focus in 2026.

Something I have enjoyed doing lately is taking a recipe that I see on YouTube that isn't from a BBQ'er and translating it to a grilling/smoking or at least pellet grill method.

And, I suppose like all of us, I've got to find a way to eat more vegetables.

[Oak Smoke]

I find myself looking at mote affordable protein. That is the roots of our cooking. Making cheap food incredible.

[Alan Brice]

Pork Loin, very reasonable. Sliced n Salted then frozen to be cooked as you like when needed. Pull the shrink wrapped slice(s) n defrost in hot tap water then sear, SV, whatever floats yer boat. Very lean, cooks in zero time. The other White Meat.
I promise you will wish you had defrosted more.

[Huskee]

I have some valuable high-end seafood advice: when thawing precooked shrimp, gently run under cool tap water in a colander for a few minutes, then shake the water off. Do not thaw in warm water. If you have time, thawing overnight in fridge is best.

Perhaps I need to pay close attention to this topic as well!

[HawkerXP]

I've got crab legs defrosting in da fridge as we speak.

[dubob]

Doesn't EVERYBODY defrost in the refrigerator for a day or 3? I've done that for decades. 😍

[Alan Brice]

dubob my tap produces 131 degree water so I will(depending on the size of the item and how I intend to cook) put the shrink wrapped item in a small bowl or container to ready for the grill, pan, or SV.
10-30 minutes n here we go.

[Michael_in_TX]

While continuing to think about this a huge change I need to make is in how I cook. I have been rushing through my cooking all last year. Getting it done as quickly as possible has been the order of the day.

Efficiency is great, but it takes much of the enjoyment out of cooking. At the risk of sounding like a modern self-help book, I've not really been present when I've been cooking. My mind is elsewhere, focused on the stuff I need to do after dinner. I need to curtail, if not stop that.

As much as I love my air fryer....oven....microwave.....I want to step back from that type of cooking for awhile, especially on weeknights. I want something interactive.....like tending something in a skillet or in a wok. Heck, even a smashburger is more interactive than some of the stuff I've been doing lately.

[fzxdoc]

This may be the Year of the Pellet Smoker Purchase. But then I've said that before. For 5 years or so, at least. Just can't seem to pull the trigger because I dread buying something that takes up real estate in my outdoor kitchen area that might probably offer only a light smoke flavor on the proteins. Mostly I want to play with one.

Kathryn

[Alan Brice]

Why? Lynn Dollar you already have The PBC! ;-{)>

[Draznnl]

DO IT Kathryn. Pull that trigger. The ease and versatility of a good pellet cooker will amaze you.

[Lynn Dollar]

Alan Brice Actually, I mis-spoke, its not a PBC, its a PBX and its a keeper. I'm very happy with that purchase.

[Draznnl]

2025 was the laziest cooking year I've had in decades. There was little experimentation or adventure. That is going to change in 2026. I will try some of the thousands of recipes I have stored in Paprika and other places. Heck, I might even post a few in SUWYC. And I'm going to look for reasons to experiment instead of excuses not to.

Have a happy year everybody. Here's to good, adventurous cooking.

[Alan Brice]

Nothing wrong with experimenting. Cook eats all mistakes. ;-{)>
Happy year to you Draz!

[Willy]

You mentioned oysters...scrub 'em and toss 'em on the barbie--much easier to shuck once they've popped open a bit from the heat of the grill and I've come to really like them cooked. I make a nice dipping sauce with melted butter, lemon juice, Crystal hot sauce (not really very hot at all so you can use a lot of it to get chile flavor), worchestershire, and grated parm. Start with about 3-4 T of butter and an equal amount of Crystal, with the rest in lesser amounts "to taste". Sorry to not be more specific but I've always just flown by the seat of my pants here.

The other thing I really like is rotisserie. I use a Weber Genesis gasser with three burners running lengthwise. Turn off the middle burner (cover with foil to prevent drips from clogging the burner holes) and spin some poultry--best way ever! Get a clamping basket and do chicken thighs or pork tenderloin. With a tumble basket you'll turn out great roasted peppers/"Hatch" green chiles with no turning or fear of burning. I can't live without my roto.

Happy cooking in 2026!

[SheilaAnn]

I’m not a Spring Cleaning person…. I’m an end-of-year purger. One thing I do…. UNSUBSCRIBE!!

plus, I will be culling the book collection…. I gotta do it!

[Oak Smoke]

The book culling is hard to do. I grew up loving books.

[SheilaAnn]

So hard! I’ve been culling for at least 10 years. Book count has grown…..