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Did something a little different for dinner last night - alder wood planked salmon. Dizzy Pig Raging River, white onion and tomato (dusted with lemon myrtle). Direct, main grate, 325F. Grape vine pieces for smoke. Plated with roasted broccoli and scallions, with a nice chermoula sauce. Hasselback dinner rolls with garlic and green onion tops. Wine is a nice Chardonnay/Viognier blend.

Been prepping for this cook in my head fir months. Bought the meat Wednesday. Marinated it for two days. got the bone in leg of lamb even though my butcher told me I was crazy to do bone in on a rotisserie. I was very happy with the results. First time cooking a piece of lamb this big and let alone on the rotisserie. I may have slightly overcooked it but it the flavors were in point served with Mediterranean chickpea salad and homemade Tadziki Quite possibly the most fun/enjoyable cook of my life. Very happy with the first effort IMG_2572.MOV

Another Friday night steak dinner in lockdown! A nice Denver steak from the local butcher. Seasoned with Gunpowder and Dizzy Pig Raising the Steaks. Started out on the half grate (direct), then dropped down to the lower grate for the final sear. Mesquite chunks. Plated with air fryer potato wedges (sprayed with duck fat) and creamed spinach with mushrooms. Chimichurri sauce on the steak. Wine is a TJ's Malbec. My dog, Kipper, waiting, not so patiently, for me to take the pictures and give him a treat!

If you haven't tried the Franklin method for brisket, I highly recommend it. The key is once you clear the stall, around 165 - 170F, wrap the brisket in pink butcher paper for the rest of the cook (IT = 203F), then wrap everything (yes, leave the brisket in the paper) in foil, a towel and toss into a cooler for at hour or so. Then unwrap and enjoy a nice, juicy brisket. I won't shuck out the bucks for Wagyu, but I will pay for Prime grade. The only deviation, is if you want to make burnt ends, separate the point from the flat before you put it in the foil; then wrap the flat per the above. The cube up the point, season (wet or dry or both), put into an open foil pan and put back on the KK for about another hour. Meat Candy!

Put a blade roast on the KK to smoke for a few hours. When the IT reached 150F I took it off the KK. Put the roast on a bed of onions. Earlier did some carrots, just washed, cut and put them in the Vermicular to cook. It's nearly at pull stage but I need dinner so took a piece of the side and let the rest continue to cook. Plated dinner. The meat had the most wonderful flavour. I could have eaten a lot more. Tomorrow I should be able to do something nice with all that juice in the Musui.

Gravy!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've scored Prime grade full packers at CostCo before. I didn't look the last time I was in there, as I was just shopping for the Prime ribeyes.

Thanks Tony and Steve! Yeah, I have/love the Franklin book, and will be rereading it tonight. Have the correct butcher paper, which I haven't used before. But, any excuse to spend a few bucks to add another tool to the arsenal, right? Agreed on good meat. We're lucky enough in life that this is now a given. This brisket is from Marin Sun Farms here in CA, but...they are 100% grass fed, which is a big Franklin No No working against me, I think (next time I'll be sure to go grain finished). Our weekly meat CSA is also grass only...sooooo...gonna have to source some grain finished brisket. Shouldn't be too hard, just not as easy during virus times. I'll report on the brisket tomorrow!

Thanks Mac. That was my wife’s plate she likes Tadziki. I forgot to take a picture of mine 😀

What a great spin and the plated pixs looks delicious.

Absolutely! I modified it a bit from her original... 5 Fujis and three Granny Smith apples... Peeled, cored, and sliced.. it took me a lot longer until I got this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K1ZM7KZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And the dish I like is this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4UPUIC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Anyway, pre heat oven to 400f. In a dish, combine 1 cup of sugar, 2 Tbl flour. 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp allspice and mix well. Take the prepared apples and put them in a large bowl, slowly add the dry ingredients and toss well until combined. She included a recipe for dough, but added if cost wasn't a factor that the Pillsbury refrigerated ones were just as good... I cant imagine the cost difference being more than a dollar, but people were WAY more thrifty then... It isn't worth my time, as it isn't any better, so I use Pillsbury .. Anyway, get your dish and unroll one round and place it in the bottom of the pan. Add the apples and work them down as best you can. They will cook down. Use the second round ant place it on top, and pinch the edges shut. Cut some slits in the top. Take a sheet pan and line with foil to make clean up easy, and put in oven for 15 min.. Then lower the temp to 375f for an additional 85 minutes. If it isnt brown enough, leave it in longer until it suits you.. I have gone another 10 minutes I think. When you take it out, immediately remove the pie from the foil lined pan, or the caramelized drippings will adhere to the foil and you will have a mess. I just set it on a dinner plate and let it cool for a few hours or overnight... Helps to have a good pie server. I had a plastic Marie Calanders one for years, but finally broke it.. I recommend this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004OCMB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream of course LOL.. Home made is best. But I haven't done that in years... Good luck !

My 23” sat in one spot on an unreinforced deck for years. The deck started sagging there to the point I thought it unsafe. A guy came out today, added some new piers and 4x4’s and leveled it. What a difference, I don’t feel like I will roll off the deck there anymore! Definitely reinforce your deck for a KK. A failure could hurt or kill somebody.

With reduced stock and crud, I’ve got 3.5 cups of mighty delicious drippins! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey! Somehow an apple pie jumped up on the counter! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Giblets , neck meat, and “crud” ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They're wee tiny holes (3/32") and only 3 of them. Buy the cheapest 2 Qt CI Dutch oven that you can find. I paid $36 (including shipping) for mine and I've had it now for 7 years. Pretty good investment, if you ask me.

You're off to a great start. One thing I've noticed on brisket, the better grade of beef, the more I look like a chef genius. More so than any other cut. I like the looks of that black tile.

2 low and slow cooks this long weekend here in the states. Today is a pork butt with a rub from Oakland Spice Shop, which we highly recommend...one of those businesses with a rabid local following who might not make it through the virus. Tomorrow is brisket, which I don't have much experience with and will be doing some research on these forums later today. Last brisket was mostly not great as brisket, but worked great as a stew the next day.

Tonight I’ll spin a pork loin marinated in oak aged balsamic with white truffle. Then spiced with pepper- purple and black, garlic, chillie and paprika. Half an hour into the spin I’ll add the double bottom drip pan with spuds, onion and bacon. Not sure how this will go and the timing- maybe an hour with the 1 and 1/2 hour spin? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, had a bird in the freezer, so decided to try something new.. After all the shenanigans to get the white and dark done at the same time, icing the breast and all. I looked around and found this.. If you don't know about Guga and his two YouTube channels.. Pretty interesting and entertaining.... I like parts of this technique, and dislike others.. Did not like his way of gravy making, so kinda did it my own way. I cut up the. bird as he did. Vacuum sealed and baptized in 2 SV tanks as instructed. 150 for dark, 131 for breast. Both for 24 hrs. I took the carcass and wings and scraps, and chopped up a leek, celery, carrots, onions, garlic and a few bayleaves and peppercorns. Into a shallow pan @ 425 turning once at 45 min, and the letting it go another hour or so until it was well browned with a nice fond on the bottom. I scraped out all the awesome brown "crud" as Mad Max calls It and reserved in the fridge for later. deglazed the pan with water and put it all that was left in a pressure cooker, with water to almost cover. Brought to high pressure for an hour, then strained out all solids, stole some extraneous scraps from the solids, dusted with cajun spices, and had a snack I mean a feller has to keep his strength up! Took the stock and am reducing bit today, with the giblets and neck. When it is ready will thicken with a little roux if needed, and chop up the neck meat and giblets and toss them back in.. (along with the "crud") I do admit, my house smelling like heaven right now! This evening, will pull the turkey out, pop into the KK until deliciously brown, and along with some SV taters, feast away! I will let ya'll know how it comes out!

Looks yummy nice cook

I gotta say.. I have cooked turkey so many ways... This was AWESOME! GRAVY WAS BOMB!

Turkey done ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks. Only "for some reason" my next posts won't include the Vermicular Kamado base.

Can't beat that! Looks pretty incredible.

Cosmetic! If you're cooking anything that could boil over, stay in the kitchen and don't let it happen. For example, don't let beans boil over and make a mess everywhere, just because you're worried about Phytohaemagglutinin. You're supposed to be in a Zoom meeting? Not a good excuse. Actually, a great excuse, but it won't affect the outcome. What you don't want to do is get liquid through the outer side vents into the electronics, while it's plugged in. This could trip your house circuit breaker, and kill the Kamado's power supply. There isn't a warranty seal on the Phillips head screws holding the base together. The base comes off easily. The electronics inside are very solidly built, with several submodules that Vermicular could easily swap out for an easy repair. There's no circuit breaker or fuse visible inside the unit. The coin lithium battery looks to be more easily changed than the battery in a Zojirushi rice cooker. At this price, one can imagine that if someone was this incredibly, inexcusably, "can't even fog a mirror" stupid, they'd find that Vermicular has exceptional customer service. This is all hypothetical, of course. I have an active imagination. I just wanted to take a look inside. However, I think I'll hold back on posting for a week or two, to let Mac have her day.

Also, found a cool pie tote. You can cut up into six pieces, each piece get its own plastic holder and lid, then they all fit into a round container with a lid.. Ice chest and travel proof https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BPXUVU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I wish that was my dinner, mine is still in the pot.

Yes, a neighbor asked me if my late mother had an apple pie recipe.. So I dug out.. Bad new for me though.. I figured I would make one too... Now I love baking them.. Just got an nice Le Cruset dish.. The pie releases easily from the ceramic. Lots easier than glass.

OK, NOW I'm hungry!

Nice, MacKenzie, but I'll stick to SV poached eggs. This toy is a bit out of my budget, especially for as often as I'd probably use it (see the 2 pressure cookers in my cabinet!) LOL

Saucier that sounds delicious. I’ve seen a few of his videos and always liked his reaction to the taste. He spend 30% of his videos animating the tasting. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Stock reduced nicely! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The veges were a bit on the crispy side, maybe water base rather than oil next time..... but, that will compromise the crackle. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sure is looking tasty.

Most people would consider me a very good builder. I used to have five guys that helped me out but two of them no longer will work with me. They say I need to supply them with more and better tools. But what do they know? The guy on the bottom after just one day went home and never came back to get his check?