tekobo

Yeah, I agree with Aussie, it would be good to see your cooks. My dad asked me to buy him an instant pot when he visited earlier in the year. He has had such fun with it. He complains that the recipes are for ingredients that he can't find in Nigeria but he substitutes stuff and was really proud of the goat ribs he cooked the other week!

The Husband loves Guinness and agrees that it tastes better in Ireland. Don't just go to the brewery, he had great fun in pubs when we did a driving tour. The Irish are so welcoming. In one visit he was quizzed about his football team (no controversy there, he follows rugby) and was given a nickname and on his second visit to another pub the barman was already pouring his Guinness out as he approached the bar. I've always said that I've enjoyed being Nigerian but next time around I would like to see what it is like being Irish or Italian.

Ha ha ha. Good to know that I discovered the shop vac even though I didn't know what one was. For UK folk, here is the link in case you are interested...https://www.domu.co.uk/vonhaus-25l-ash-vacuum. I am also interested in the fact that @orthopod threw us off the scent with his question and still hasn't told us much about his KK or when it is arriving!

Hmmm. Where does meatloaf come from? It is not something that is part of my culture and it seems uniquely American but you can't be the only ones who make it. Off to find out.

That sounds really good. This is my go to takeaway dish locally and it is just great. I've never taken a picture as I generally walk in the door, decant into plate and apply face. Yum!

Cool. Great to hear from you again @Bruce Pearson. You brighten our days with your positive outlook. And I have missed hearing about your latest shopping splurge. What? No new sauce hoard? How are you getting on with the stuff you bought??

Thanks all, very kind. I love the allotment. It would be great if I could work in an office in the winter and take a sabbatical every summer to play with seeds and soil. I did that this year but won't get the opportunity to repeat for a while and retirement is a way off yet. You retirees don't know how jealous I am of you. Hey @Tyrus, my team isn't doing quite so well this year. Any ideas about a mid to late season bet that we could enter into? Getting low on rub here.

Congratulations @orthopod! I absolutely love the 22" table top. What colour did you choose? I am looking forward to seeing it in situ. Whenever there is a conversation about cleaning KKs there are the brushers and the vaccers. I still have not worked out what a "shop vac" is. Is it a known thing in the US? Here I bought this really simple and effective vacuum cleaner. It was super cheap as well, under £30 if I remember correctly. The only maintenance required is to wash the filter out every 5-10 uses depending on the amount of stuff you hoovered up. You don't get much simpler or lighter than this:

I had beginner's luck with growing peppers on our allotment for the first time this year. We had an amazing summer and I harvested boxes and boxes of peppers and other good stuff from our new square foot gardening plot. This was last weekend's harvest, radiating happiness on a dismal, rainy day in October. I love peppers and have previously made up Thomas Keller's pepperonata recipe and froze batches for use through the winter. This year I decided to try this April Bloomfield recipe https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/apr/04/six-of-the-best-spring-side-dishes. I liked the results so much I have made the recipe three times so far this season. Here's the latest version. I never actually follow the recipe strictly but the concept is great and will sustain us through the winter. Peppers onto the lower grate of a hot KK. I think it was about 250C. First time I did this I kept the peppers in for about 35 -40 minutes, turning three times. Bad idea, the flesh got too dehydrated and I had a job to get the skin off. This time I left them in for just 25-35 minutes, taking the smaller ones off early. Part way through Into a bowl for about 10-15 minutes to make it easier to separate the skins. This time I also took out the seeds and stalks BEFORE grilling. Made them easier to peel and saved me the messy task of trying to get the seeds out cleanly from the hot soft mess that came out of the grill! Here are the tomatoes, roasted in the IDK oven because I didn't quite get the KK timing right. And best of all, bottled and sealed, ready to dispense summer's delights whenever I want. They are sealed but I also store them in the fridge to be extra sure they will last.

This is the only way I can use my current single Meater effectively given the limited range. It means leaving one phone outdoors with the KK I can then see details of the cook anywhere in the house on my other phone. Not ideal but it works. I am looking forward to the Block even though I don't think I will need four probes. Does anyone know if the Block will allow you to monitor your cook even when you are away from home? It is so long since I last read the blurb...

Great looking cook @tony b. My local Kurdish kebab place does individual lamb ribs, from the breast, marinated and then cooked relatively quickly on a skewer. Very tasty variation.

Tasty looking dinner @Steve M!

Errr..no?

Thanks Tony. I haven't ever done a fermented style sauce. Will give that a go. I think I will harvest over the next couple of weeks so would be grateful for more recipes if anyone else on the site makes hot sauces. One variation that has been good has been to slice and dehydrate some peppers. They come in handy for making a hot powder during the year and seem to keep their heat better for not having been ground straight away.

Really interesting @MacKenzie. Looks like an egg white pizza. I have never been a fan of "healthy" but I do have a load of egg whites left over from making pasta and your egg white base could be a good way to use them up.

I have a good crop of chillis this year. Not a huge number of chillis but given some of them are Carolina Reaper, Jamaican 7 Pot and Bhut Jolokia, I won't be needing very many to make a few blow your head off sauces. I have a number of go-to recipes but would like to try some new ones this year. Grateful for your favourite recipes so that I can try them out. Here is a mix of the ones I have used over the years: http://www.thegingercook.com/2010/09/homemade-sriracha-sauce.html - reliable and tasty sriracha sauce recipe http://www.firehousechilli.com/firehousechilliweb1_116.htm - I have only made this one once and cannot remember which I preferred, this one or the next. Guess I will just have to try again. http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/homemade-ghost-chile-hot-sauce/ http://www.wanderingspice.com/2013/05/20/tomato-and-preserved-lemon-kasundi/ - awesome tomato and lemon preserve, goes with everything. The chilli is incidental but good. https://www.chilliworld.com/factfile/chilli-sauce-recipes/belizean-habanero-sauce - a nice gentle, go to chilli sauce. I seem to remember having to reduce the liquid with this recipe.

This weekend I reduced the stock that the lamb shanks were cooked in and added the shredded lamb shank meat That would have been tasty enough on its own but it came out great with giant couscous and pomegranate seeds. Best of all the pomegranate came from a friend's garden at her house in Greece. Happiness all round. The recipe is here: http://www.foodthinkers.com/slow-cooked-lamb-shank-and-giant-couscous-salad/ Heston got more height into his presentation. Hey, who cares? It tasted great.

Wow, they didn't leave with much to chew on there!

Looking good @MacKenzie. I have been meaning to post the recipe but am onto my third go at trying it out different variations. Just picked some peppers today and will see how this try goes before posting.

Tee hee. You'd better not have been holding your breath. You would have expired by now! It's been much more fun watching you let off steam every time the word b---k was mentioned. I do hope they work out for you. I have really enjoyed having single MEATER thermometer. My brother paid for a block for me last Christmas. Assuming I won't get it until sometime next year now, after the backers' orders have all been satisfied.

Very nice looking indeed. I wonder what the buns are made of?

It'll be fab. And worth the wait.

Woo hoo. Very interested in how this works out for you.

I'm greedy. I want the ribs, the drinks AND the pictures of the ODK. Really nice looking set up @Steve M!

HEATHEN