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Tonight's cook, before the impending snow storm (maybe up to 8+ inches of wet, heavy snow tomorrow afternoon through Tuesday morning), another interesting cut from Porter Road - Teres Major. Grilled direct on the lower grate, post oak & mesquite, rubbed with Gunpowder. Tossed on a slab of "grilling cheese" (aka haloumi). The challenge of this cook was the taper on the steak at each end, which necessitated frequent turns and moving around the grill as the coals developed hot spots, so as to not overcook the tips too much, while get the thicker center to a nice medium rare. Managed it well. The tips were about medium well, while the center was a nice medium-rare. Plated with crusty potatoes and side salad. Peruvian green sauce for the spuds and a mash-up steak sauce for the meat. Need to keep working on this potato recipe. I dialed back the cooking time, but they were still a bit too crunchy and not enough creamy interiors. I think the cut was too small. Next time, I'll do wedges.

Australia Day on the 26th of January so I’ve tried making our national dish..... meat pies. Left over ribs And pork. With a few spuds, roast garlic Chopped up and boiled down with beef stock And this has to be the greatest thickener for any sauce. It basically dehydrated granulated connective tissue. Once cooled, all went into puff pastry crust- a filo crust would be better, but this was worth a try. And finally baked. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lovely duck Tekebo. Have you tried duck soup, Czarnina. Go for four, I know it's up your alley because it calls for 4 cups of duck blood. Well maybe not that recipe, there are others though more conventional, but I do remember the "whole beast book" and thought it might be a match.

You jest @Tyrus but I did actually ask a poultry supplier for chicken blood once. Not for me mind, but for my father-in-law who wanted to make coq au vin. They never responded to my email. I waited a couple of years before I approached them again and made no mention of blood ever again. They answer all my emails now. The lesson? Don't scare folk with weird s**t on your first encounter. Save it for the second or third.

I've cooked Choice brisket and then I cooked a Prime and immediately noticed the difference between the two, the nod going to prime. Sorry I haven't had Wagu, sure it tastes awesome, but my cholesterol has been riding just below the Dr's tolerance and that's fine for me. Prime steak is a caviar, you can eat it slowly and enjoy the pleasure, wagu since I haven't had it could be more coined to sex, the pleasure of this experience maybe more defined, but the cost of that lady or "man" ( being gender friendly and all ) will haunt your wallet in the morning. So if it were up to me, it's prime, all the time. Hope that helped you Troble, although I get the feeling it didn't. Let me put it another way, , your at the track and you got two favorites to pick from, one's a horse from Kentucky (a breed apart, a stallion ) always comes in first if not always places at every race and his name is Prime. Then comes along this horse called Wagu, already there's a little vibe here, you know the names a bit off, (rhymes with Magoo) but his poop smells like perfume. Who you gonna bet on, I know some bug is biting your ear sayin, "bet on Wagu" and by the way, incidentally, and only by coincidence of course this horse is from, you guessed it, Montana. Now your repeating, Kentucky, Montana, Kentucky, Montana and your wondering what to do. Lucky for you I'm here, bet on a sure thing, follow the card and you can't go wrong. Brought to you by Amalgamated Meats Union 247, Louisville, KY

I've had good success using a ceramic rod of the same radius as the scallops (matching the bevel angle of course) until a burr forms on the back, then knock it off with the flat side on a stone. Same technique basically as on a chisel or plane blade.

After a very long quest to find a decent bread knife (I've been through at least 6), I am head over heels in love with this Japanese one that I recently purchased. Reasonable cost and cuts through crusty breads like butter! Suisin Inox Bread Knife 9.75" (25 cm) (korin.com) AND, it's 20% off now with this code: KSALE20

Be careful with that gunpowder Tony you don’t want to blow up you KK! Lol

I really need to start a list of these Syzygies-isms!

If that was right, he would never have moved past the BGE or KJ! [emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My current sharpening rig, $640, duplicated in two kitchens: Shapton Glass 4pc Set 500, 1k, 4k, 8k Shapton GlassStone 2000 Grit Shapton Sharpening Stone Holder Tojiro Sink Bridge Atoma Diamond Sharpener Super Fine - #1200 The belt-and-suspenders stone holding approach saves time. Some would say my diamond stone is too fine and should cost more, but I'm happy with this choice. I use it to regularly (often between knives) scrub my water stones clean. Flattening is a side effect. I also own a strop and diamond paste but I don't always bother, and I'm not sure I can tell the difference. Showering adequately daily beats showering brilliantly once a week. The main issue here is to make sharpening as easy as possible. The woodworking quickie is mine, so I can put stones away wet.

Hi @John T. Having never cooked duck breast this way before I wasn't prepared for the amount of fat that was rendered into the pan. I already had sides and sauce fixed for that day and so I did not take advantage of the lovely fat that came off the duck. Thanks for the tips. Next time! I worked in Yorkshire for about 13 years, flying up every week. Even the mention of Yorkshire makes me nostalgic. Different world now though. Less zooming and more Zooming. Mark and I sat smugly on our (now not so) new sofa and laughed at your description of life in the RD household. I have to say that I am pleased that he spends very little time on this forum. I dread to think how he would describe life in our house. Today I came home at about 1:30pm having been out running errands, filling up the hot compost bin on our allotment being one of them, to find him sharpening the Nth knife of the day. I gently told him he was in charge of fixing lunch today. I am not sure if his description of that event would be the same as mine.

I try to avoid commenting on individual cooks in this thread because it seems like you are disregarding the other cooks that have been posted. All lovely cooks since this morning but I have to say...I adore the look of those giant pork chops @jonj! Happy Straya day when it comes @Basher. Thanks for the reminder, it is also a Sydney friend's birthday so I shall get on the blower on Tues.

Last night's dinner was an homage to Jon B - chicken thighs with Dinosaur BBQ - Wango Tango and Wegmann's salt potatoes.

Dry aged tomahawk turned out great! My first dry aged steak, definitely had a different flavor and texture. The steak was over 3lbs so needless to say it’ll be steak and eggs this morning! Y’all have a great Sunday!

Simple proof of the value of a sharp knife. The Husband is responsible for fish prep round here and he and I were delighted with how cleanly this fillet of brill came off yesterday. O

Pork belly burnt ends and two slabs of heritage St. Louis ribs. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Spun some chook legs Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

Our food discovery of 2020 was just how much we like duck breast. While I was KK-less over the summer I found that cooking duck breast over my Solo Bonfire stove worked very well. There was limited smoke and what smoke there was stayed outdoors. The fat collecting channel also felt like a great innovation. It was so good that I thought this would be my go to method for all time. Then my 16" KK arrived and I tried the duck breast out in there with good results. This week I thought I would look up alternative recipes for duck breasts and, alongside a great recipe for blueberry mostarda, I found a great method for cooking duck breasts. It was in the book "Root to Leaf" https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0062283693/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_bi-cGbYZTK42X. Super simple. Put your duck breast skin side down in a cold pan. Cook on a medium-low heat for about 12-14 minutes, I did 15. Then turn over and cook flesh side down in the rendered fat for 2 minutes, I did 3. Rest for 5 minutes. So simple. No smoke. Indoors and warm. Done. My new go to method.

Yes, definitely high heat works best, but like I said, you have to monitor it carefully to catch it before it melts too much. I don't generally oil it, but no harm, no foul in my book.

I've eaten wagyu in Japan and really enjoyed it but have no desire to hunt it down and eat it again. The thing I have found with meat is that the breed and how the meat has been hung and aged makes so much difference. If I were you I would try wagyu once and then move on. Explore what's available from specialised farms and butchers. There so much to learn and enjoy.

We paid some guy who parks his sharpening van at a farmers market. He had equipment that could handle bread knives. Stunning difference. I needed to dull the tip, it was destroying our butcher block.

Define "real money" in terms of knives? In my book, it would be over $150. This one, with the discount is $38. So, what would you say is "Go cheap?"

Thanks, Tony. I was hoping you would add some tips.

Bacon wrapped meat loaf. Ground veal, pork and hamburg with diced ham and salami de genoa. Diced carrot, fresh thyme, bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, worcestershire sauce, s&p, sauteed onion, buttermilk and a splash of hot sauce. Glaze with Ketchup, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, white balsmic and a splash of hot sauce. Smoked in KK to an internal 145-50 over apple chunk. Pictures, but nothing sliced, sorry the kids were waiting. With stuffed potatoe bombs.

The $18 dolla plus tx special. I spent a bit a time on it, an hour. Changed out the edge profile because there wasn't much of one there, it was sort of a filed down and resembled a roll. 1/8" stock, so the belt sander went into the vise and it was cleaned up for an edge. Worked it on the stone for a 1/2 hour or so and gave it a slice to test, it'll carve a roast nicely now. It is an odd long knife from a different era, but I think it'll work, definitely took an edge.

I don’t think you should spend real money on a bread knife, they can’t be sharpened properly. Go cheap, and replace when necessary. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I disappeared down a rabbit hole thanks to this thread. Having spent half a day last week checking batteries, fluids and so on regarding my cars that I can't drive (due to lockdown and the weather), I decided to make myself feel better and decided to run to some knife upgrades. I may have gotten carried away. Not that something like that has ever happened to anyone on this forum before. One of the first upgrades arrived yesterday. It's a work of art and I'm not sure whether I'm going to be cooking or admiring it more. Picture enclosed. As a question for the group - does anyone have a recommendation for a bread knife? At worst, it'll have to slice sourdough and we've always used an old Laguiole (closest match is this). It works ok but the handle isn't very comfortable and feels far too small in my hand. What does everyone else do?

For me, it's a splurge purchase - special occasions. I can get Prime grade beef at CostCo for very reasonable prices per pound - just a couple of bucks more a pound than Choice Reserve at my local supermarket and less than a 1/4 the price of American Wagyu. Example, CostCo prime ribeye cap is normally $16.99/lb, Snake River Farms gold grade wagyu for the same cut is $99/lb. No way the wagyu is 4x tastier than the prime. Just sayin'

Whether or not I should believe everything I read on the internet, I found this article very helpful when I first started researching sharpening stones. It’s a bit dated so there may be some new players, etc. but thought I’d share for those interested. https://www.knifeplanet.net/best-sharpening-stones/ I still haven’t made an extremely purchase since most of my knives are medium hardness (shun, wusthof, misen and a few other off brands that don’t require anything too special). But I have a couple of 20cv knives coming next week, so I’m really appreciating the discussion on the thread as I have been revisiting this lately. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm going to have to try this.

Missing my komodo I am at work for 7 more weeks 😩

Wow, I'm on the brink. Just because I can sharpen freehand doesn't mean I should. I like precise control.

Not much different here. Got a custom knife coming...will certainly share on the knife string when received in a couple of weeks (20cv stainless). Got one for my wife too so she can do as she wishes with hers since we have some differing opinions on upkeep [emoji51] also bought a fire board pro...plan to get a pit bull from guru for the fan down the road if needed. My retail therapy is done for now. My first cook kind of depends on when I receive it. I still have to put the pavers in it’s permanent home and that will be sometime in March/April depending on when spring hits here. If I just get it before St Patty’s, it’ll be Pastrami. If I get it before probably brisket, and chicken wings...but I’ll be itching to give the rotisserie and early work out too. What’s your plan for first cook? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hate to be the one to tell you but that's not going to change once your cooker is delivered. There will always be more cookbooks, specialized ingredients, new tools etc etc. Other forum members antagonizing you to buy this/that doesn't help haha. It's a good thing though. The experiences are priceless and so are the fruits of your labor [emoji4] J.

Thanks @tekobo, but I'm afraid my hopes to cook these legs your method have been dashed. Mrs RD is going to put them in a roasting tray with some rootish vegetables. To that end we've just come back from the allotment with parsnip and leeks. I did wonder whether they might need a little more fat though and was going to put them in with some clarified butter. Our raised vegetable/salad bed outside the kitchen is made with oak sleepers which have rotted after only ten years, and I am going to need to remove the soil, the adjacent fencing, the sleepers and embedded lighting, lay concrete foundations and then build the walls in brick. Mrs RD had only just given me the benefit of her building experience and wisdom of what I should and should not be doing with this project when I opened the fridge door and took out the duck legs to season and score them only to be told that that was not the way they were going to be cooked today. I think she feels sorry for me now and is quietly doing her knitting by the fire and I haven't been told off for anything whatsoever for the last ten minutes. I have just shown her the pictures of your duck and have now been informed (verbally) that I may purchase some duck breasts next week and attempt to cook them as you have. All is serene in the RD household.

Cold last night so no outdoor photo. KK pork chops with Jamaican jerk rub.

Returned to the scene of the crime today for the release of the next beer in the series. Lunch was Vladimir Poutine (beef stroganoff with cheese curds on house made french fries) and Green Dragon (New Zealand Pilsner). Followed by "dessert" - Double Maple Coffee Gazprom on the left and Caramel Pecan Gazprom on the right. The Gazprom is a maple syrup infused Russian Imperial Stout finished in Bourbon barrels that the brewery has been doing for a number of years now and it's always released in January. These 2 beers are "one-offs" of the base with the addition of extra maple syrup and cold brewed coffee in the one, and; caramel and pecan additions to the other (first year for this one and it's amazing!) It's all part of Barrel-aged January at the brewery. The last one in the series is being released this Wednesday - Percussive Maintenance - Gazprom with shaved and toasted coconut (like a macaroon.) You KNOW that I'll be there!

Gonna try to reverse sear a tomahawk ribeye tonight! Currently lightly glazed with olive oil and a decent dusting of Himalayan salt. I’m a little nervous and excited, fingers crossed!

Believe it or not it’s raining in San Diego. Supposed to rain for most of the next week and we may get double our annual rainfall for the year in one week. Can’t wait to see fat it does to my plants that being said I moved my cook indoors so it’s a non KK cook, but good old fashioned roasted chicken. Rubbed with melted butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic & rosemary cooked over red, yellow & purple potatoes with carrots and sweet onions. Dusted with truffle salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and rosemary started it off at 425 for 30 minutes then brought it down to 350 for 60 minutes. Looks great, house s sells great. I’ll use one of the extra chickens to make some chicken soup tomorrow to eat during the rainstorms this week

Would that make @Jon B. the "Cornell Chicken?" 😁

Looks like your son is a great backup and can step in at a moments notice! I used to play water polo...until my horse drowned.

Repeat after me - I WILL NEVER PUT MY KNIVES IN THE DISHWASHER!!! (Note: this is one of those "line in the sand" positions that you sometimes have to take with the significant other!) Not only is it very bad for your knives (blades getting nicked up banging into the other silverware and dishwasher detergent is very harsh on carbon steel and can even pit stainless), but it's dangerous - very easy to get cut/nicked by a blade when removing from the dishwasher.