Much like my days back in school, I keep half assed notes in a notebook.
I usually start a cook like gang busters, but I notice for many of them, note taking dwindles as the cook progresses.
Edit to add... by "cooks", I assumed you meant outdoor low and slow cooks..
Paprika gets used to track all changes to either the ingredients or steps of any recipe I make.
If/when I use the fireboard it’s solely for tracking cooks on the smoker to give me a better idea of how long various cuts of meat will take based on variables like fire setup, cook temp, type of smoker, outside temp, wind, rain/snow, wrapping, etc. I wish there were searchable fields to log all that into rather than just the notes though. Once I realized I should start documenting all that within the fireboard app it really helped me fine-tune finish times by reviewing old cooks and making a plan before the meat ever hits the smoker.
I have the Journal, Fireboard, and Meathead's spreadsheet. Over time I have stopped using all. Instead, I end the recipe in my recipe app with sample times. That helps me remember what time I need to start if I want the meat done near a certain time, and if the cook is progressing slower or faster than planned. Here is an example of what I put at the end of the recipe:
Example times: 11:00 Start smoker set for 250 11:30 Prep ribs 12:30 Ribs on at temp 250 2:00 Spritz ribs and rotate 3:00 Check temp of ribs and remove to wrap if 165-170F 3:15 Wrapped ribs back on smoker 4:15 Unwrap ribs and remove if 203-205F 4:15 Place wrapped ribs on counter to rest and prepare/heat glaze 4:45 Unwrap ribs, glaze, and put back on smoker 5:20 Glaze set and ribs are done.
Mine would be something recalled from memory…”Yeah, they take about six hours-ish.”
Followed at some point with, “They’re done when they’re done.” ;-)
That one is for my Mum. Because growing up, when asked when dinner would be ready…it was ALWAYS, “20 minutes.” It could be 10, it could be 20, I could be 97…but the answer was ALWAYS the same.
I would love to say I keep a log, or use the fancy log feature on my Fireboard... but I'm lazy. Instead, I hope I remember what I said when I posted it on SUWYC and hope search actually finds it.
I've kept a journal for the last 13 years (on number 3 now). I generally always record when I BBQ, but not every time when I just cook in the kitchen. Just sometimes. It depends on what I'm cooking. If it's the first time I cook a dish and it's fairly elaborate and unique, I record it. If it is a normal meal that I've made a number of times, then no. So there is usually a month or two between recordings.
I also record what is going on with the family at that specific time in the margin. Just quick, simple notes. The reason is that I know that my journals will be read by my kids when I'm gone and I want something that will pull them in and make it personal when they see their names. Something like, "Emily got a new job today at the pre-school that she really wanted. Very proud of her".
I also plan on using my journals and recipes to write a family cookbook. Probably within the next 5 years.
MAK 2 Star pellet
Big Green Egg
Fuego gasser
Pitboss ceramic griddle
Eastman Outdoors wok burner
Ooni 16 pizza oven
Cast iron chimenea with pizza steel
Breeo smokeless fire pit, with Titan rotisserie and Titan Santa Maria style adjustable grate
Oklahoma Joe Bronco
I use a homemade system driven by my Anal Retentiveness and experience and love for databases. I document every cook no matter how simple, complicated, and/or repetitive. I always learn something that benefits me in the end (which might say more about me than my system)! I have 672 of these. That Sirloin 06/02/2013 was to die for! GrillingHistory.pdf
Pit Barrel Cooker
Weber Master-Touch
Blackstone Omnivore 4 Burner Griddle
Thermoworks: Signals, Billows, Thermopens, Thermopops, Nodes, bunch of silicone stuff, and more!
OnlyFire Rotisserie w/ Basket attachment for the Weber
Vortex for the Weber
Both of Meathead's books!
Way too many BBQ related accessories, tools, and doo-dads!
Yeah, I'm not too good with writing things down. I assume, once I'm approved by Corporate Accounting for a license for Paprika, I may take better notes.
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
I tried to do this, especially when I first got the SNS Deluxe Kamado in the January 2021 giveaway. But... I got lazy and stopped keeping track of it. I'm doing good to just get outside and cook these days!
The Thermoworks app kinda serves as a log of my cooks, unless I do like I did when I first got the RFX system from my Secret Santa. I forgot to start a new session for weeks, and had this graph that ran for a month or more, with all these flatlines and crazy data points, as it spanned multiple cooks and weeks of not even cooking.
Yeah, I love Paprika…but I guess that I’m just not that committed to the data. Data that I almost certainly know that I wll probably never look at again. :-/
John "JR"
Minnesota/ United States of America
******************************************** Grills/Smokers/Fryers Big Green Egg (Large) X3
Blackstone 36" Outdoor Griddle 4-Burner
Burch Barrel V-1 Karubeque C-60 Kamado Joe Jr. (Black) Lodge L410 Hibachi Pit Barrel Cooker Pit Barrel Cooker 2.0
Pit Barrel PBX
R&V Works FF2-R-ST 4-Gallon Fryer *******************************************. Thermometers
FireBoard (Base Package)
Thermoworks ThermaPen (Red)
Thermoworks MK4 (Orange)
********************************* Accessories Big Green Egg Plate Setter
Benzomatic TS800 High Temp Torch X 2 Bayou Classic 44 qt Stainless Stock Pot
Bayou Classic 35K BTU Burner Eggspander Kit X2 Finex Cat Iron Line FireBoard Drive Lots and Lots of Griswold Cast Iron Grill Grates Joule Water Circulator
KBQ Fire Grate Kick Ash Basket (KAB) X4 Lots of Lodge Cast Iron Husky 6 Drawer BBQ Equipment Cabinet Large Vortex Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum Marquette Castings No. 13 (First Run) Smithey No. 12 Smokeware Chimney Cap X 3 Stargazer No.10, 12 ******************************** Fuel FOGO Priemium Lump Charcoal Kingsford Blue and White B&B Charcoal Apple, Cherry & Oak Log splits for the C-60 ************************************************* Cutlery Buck 119 Special
Cuda 7' Fillet Knife Dexter 12" Brisket Sword Global Shun Wusthof ********** Next Major Purchase Lone Star Grillz 24 X 48 Offset
Fireboard. And I can log all my cooks and look back at them. Almost every cook I have done in the last 8 years has been logged. It is really helpful for events when trying to figure out how much food to make for certain situations. I love that you can add notes to each cook with all your variables. Then you always have cloud access through your phone or computer.
Yeah, I mean part of it is just fun to do. I like being able to go back and look at cooks. It's fun to see the information. Cooking for large events can be tricky to remember, so that is really when it comes in handy. Purcsurfdog
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