tekobo

I had to keep this cook secret because it was for a surprise party for a friend last weekend. I am really pleased about how it turned out. Like @Syzygies, I have a soft spot for the chef Fergus Henderson. Ever since a friend gave me The Book of St John a couple of years ago I have wanted to make Fergus' quail stuffed suckling pig. It was part of a banquet menu that started with a huge and comforting cucumber, butterhead and lovage salad and ended with strawberries in wine. Everyone enjoyed everything but the pig was the star of the show. I picked up the pig from the farmer a few days in advance and had it hanging in my dry ager. I felt rather sorry for it and promised to make its death worthwhile. On the morning of the party I seasoned and browned the quail Then covered them in a 50:50 mix of creme fraiche and dijon mustard. Fergus' way of "seasoning the pig from the inside out". After the trouble that I had with keeping the first piggy that I did sewn shut, I asked the farmer to cut out a bit of the rib cage to make it easier to sew the pig up at the top end. I managed to get 11 quail into the pig. Sewed it up with a specialised butcher's needle and string. Was easy compared to my previous attempt with upholstery gear. Had to do a bit of manhandling to get the piggy's legs going in the right direction. It had been prepared for a hog roast and, apparently here in the UK that sees you having the legs sticking out. The pig was to be cooked in a pool of apple cider, topped up through the day. The ground under my KK is uneven and so I ended up turning the pig around and topping up with a full bottle of wine to keep the liquid from burning too much at one end. It cooked for 4.5 hours at 180C. After resting for about an hour, the piggy was ready to carve and eat. It was spectacular, having my friends cut it open like a wedding cake - sounded a bit different to a cake as the crackling crunched beautifully - and surprising them with the fact that there were hidden treasures within. Well worth the effort. Served with extra grilled quail.

Sounds like a great experience! Definitely a recipe for me to try soon. Looking forward to it!

And I would bet my bottom dollar that you wouldn't say that. 🤪

The brisket burger turned out great. After seven hours cooking I finally gave in and wrapped it. Came out looking mighty fine. No smoke ring but I only used a handful of pellets in the smoke pot. Remind me NOT to try to be fancy by laying my brisket in two different directions. Of course it was difficult to eat. The home made kimchi seemed a fitting accompaniment to the Wagyu. Today we will be eating the left overs with Nigerian jollof rice and fried plantains. Just the right size of brisket for two.

All fantastic looking cooks on this page. The winner for me is...the octopus! And the no-cook winner is the ceviche. Yum!

Thanks Robert, Tony. Simple seasoning definitely feels like the right way to go, as does wrapping. I won't sous vide but dry brining does sound like a good call. Will look up the video that you refer to Tony. I am starting to imagine a very tasty Wagyu brisket burger in my future and that feels good.

Hi. I ordered a Wagyu brisket online without really paying any attention to the weight. It was sold as a 1.6kg piece and is, as you would expect for that weight, skinny and small. Any ideas about how best to cook it? I thought I could treat it like the flat on a larger brisket and turn it into burnt ends but that would seem to be coating the flavour of something that should really taste quite good on its own. Grateful for advice.

You are going to enjoy just playing around with your KK when it arrives. The fun thing is that nothing ever has to stay the same and there is lots to learn and change to suit what you want to do. My preconception, having had a 23 and a 21 originally, was that I had to use the splitter to achieve two zone cooking. Now that I have a 32, and with @BOC's advice, I realise that the fire basket is infinitely "configurable": simply by moving the coals around to just where I want them. There is enough space in the 32's base to create separation without using the splitter if I want that extra flexibility.

That looks awesome @Basher. I would love to have somewhere like that close to me. That said, having a dry ager of your own spoils you for anyone else’s choices about how long to age and what you age. Hope your reno gets finished soon!

What fun! Welcome Lila. I hope that you and your husband love your new KKs when they arrive.

Nice week day lunch. Galician steak with sweet potato fries and salad.

Dennis, you posted this just as I was finishing my post above. Glad to hear the flipping the half grate is “approved”. Also helpful to be reminded that I could just go indirect on the lower grate over the splitter.

I’m not totally sure what you are talking about but I suspect you are talking about the half grate in the 32. If that is the case then I think I do what you have described by flipping the half grate over and having it on the right hand side of the grill when I want to be able to step down to the lower grate with the basket splitter in place. That said, @BOC opened my eyes to the fact that I don’t have to use the splitter at all and can simply pile my char where I want it. That makes things even more flexible. Sorry if I am not answering the right question but some pics to illustrate the problem would help. This is the config with the half grate flipped over and used on the right hand side of my 32. I too would like some advice from others as to how they do the step down with the basket splitter in place, if it is different to what I have illustrated here.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions @Troble. Super helpful. Good to know that flipping the pig was not a big deal. I work out too but I think I might ask for some help if I go that route! I am hosting a friend’s 40th birthday party next week and have a little piggy on order. We are allowed up to 30 in the garden now and it feels like a great opportunity to have a great looking centerpiece like a suckling pig. Will hang it in the dry ager for a few days to help to develop the flavour a little. I hope you found that brisket place in San Antonio and that it was as good as they made it out to be!

Wow! Now there's an awesome sight. Looking forward to the uncrateing.

Cooked the secreto hot and fast yesterday. Was a lot like skirt steak, on steroids. Bought some more immediately. Salt, pepper, a bit of garlic powder and a coating of chilli vinegar. 10 minutes in KK, flipping every 2 minutes. KK was not heat soaked. Ate with chips, salad and a hot tomato sauce. Delicious. There is a Steve Raichlen recipe online that recommends romesco sauce.

Hey there @Troble. How are you feeling? Guessing you must have hit the drinks hard once you had got the pig cook and all of your food out for the guests. I would have! Now, lots of details required to inform future pig cooks: How did you turn the pig? Why did you take the eyes out? Aesthetics or some other reason? How did it taste and what did your guests think? What would you change, if anything, about the cook? How long did you cook for and at what temp? How much did the little piggy cost? Oh yes, and how did you serve it? Was it pulled or did you cut it? Thank you in advance! I have a party to cater for soon and am considering my options.

Looking good, looking great!

The day has come! We are all really looking forward to this cook. All your preparation looks like it is coming together nicely. Have a great day.

Don’t tempt me Dennis! Those terra pebbles look great!

Shaping up nicely @Troble. We are all looking forward to your meal now. That piggy looks like it is just the right size. Can’t wait to see it cooked in a couple of days’ time.

Aha! Yes, I have watched the series, I just didn't remember Rodney's name. I really enjoyed it, thanks for the reminder. Yes, of course I wasn't expecting you to take my "feedback" as gospel. I just wondered about the difference in the type and size of animal that Rodney is dealing with when compared to yours and the tools he has when he comes to turn his cooks. I'll make a point of watching it with my pork chop dinner tonight. Yum.

This sounds like a level of complexity that you could leave out if you wish. I do not know what Rodney Scott normally cooks but my guess is it may be a much bigger whole hog. In that case he will likely have a frame for turning the hog with and the injection is worth the effort. I think that the flesh of a suckling pig is so tender that you don't really want to be messing with it too much. Salt and pepper or a gentle rub of your choice applied the day before and then cooked on its belly, giving the skin the chance to crisp up would be my choice.

This working from home lark makes it easier to do mad things like this. Cooked a 500g batch of corn Tuesday morning, ground it to make wet masa yesterday morning and then left it in the dehydrator for a few hours. Trays below show the dehydrated results. Got back to it this morning and ground a full batch in my small spice/coffee grinder this morning. I did try the blender but the result wasn't as fine. 400g of masa harina from 500g of corn. Will store in the freezer to keep it fresh (as per advice from Anson Mills for their freshly milled products). U

She loves you for it, I'm sure. Looking forward to pics of the piggy when you get it home.