mguerra

Re: berkshire vs. commercial butts We have a thread going, I think in the owners only area, about humane pork. One way to get it very inexpensively is from the high schoolers who raise them for the stock shows. Most of these pigs don't get bought at the livestock show. Most of them are raised pretty humanely at someones home. They are FAR cheaper than commercial humane pork! I'm getting one next week. If you really poke around, you can probably find an artesinal processor who can make some awesome specialty sausages, bacon, caul fat and charcuterie for you.

Re: berkshire vs. commercial butts That is one gorgeous Dane! As for purebreds, there is no dearth of them available from shelters and breed specific rescues. We get all our Coonhounds from rescues. For anyone who has the heart to do it, it is really rewarding to adopt an older dog, even one near death, to make their lives a little easier at the end. You wind up heartbroken, but you saved the dog from a sad demise. Funny thing, they ALL seem to love brisket and pulled pork!!!

Re: I was robbed again.. ;-( If they come in our house, there will be a confrontation. My wife likes her S+W .357 Magnum revolver. I keep a 1911 handy. The five coondogs provide the Early Warning System. And in Texas, the homeowner is king. The sheriff will come over, thank us for our service to the community, and head back to the house.

Re: I was robbed again.. ;-( Care to share the sjambok incident? Glad I was not on the receiving end of that one!!!

Re: Bronze Behemoth Game On! 2 Good video. I think I will run by the butcher shop and grab a chuck roll. The butcher was basically blind from some horrific cataracts which I took out just before Christmas. He is so freaking ecstatic he may comp me the beef!

Re: High(er) heat Prime Rib Most all roasts can be cooked at a fire temp any where from 300 to 450. It really is not that critical as long as you are cooking indirect. Just pull them off at your desired finish temp. It's pretty handy that the fire temp is so forgiving for nearly any roast. I have had some fires get up near 500 and still got a perfect roast result.

Re: High temp fast brisket Generally you wont get a crisp bark when the last stage of your brisket cook is in foil. I personally much prefer a foiled brisket, you get a juicier flat. Now, I have not tried this. Maybe when you are done with the foil phase, you could unfoil the brisket and return it to the grill for a short time to dry/crisp the surface. When I try it I will report. We do know about the concept of returning chopped point back to the fire for burnt ends, this idea is consistent with that notion. Normally when I pull a foiled brisket off the fire I leave it resting in foil for at least an hour and preferably much longer. Using this unfoiling technique to try to crisp the bark will obviate that trick. So when I try it I will immediately refoil and rest the brisket in foil for an hour or more.

Re: Burgundy Mushrooms Sounds awesome, thanks!

Re: Burgundy Mushrooms Would you be willing share the soup recipe?

Re: wood as fuel viewtopic.php?f=77&t=5105&p=44155&hilit=burning+wood#p44155 There are several other threads about this from the last few years.

Re: Ribeye Roast cook Did your roast cook take two hours or less? Last night we went to our friends who don't start cooking til you get there. So we spent plenty of time enjoying the wine, Dalmore, and the French, Italian and Dutch cheese/salami pairings. Our host cooked bison tenderloin on the gasser, that was pretty bland but OK. The tenderloin on the KK with hickory smoke we had on Christmas Eve was over the top awesome. I have been trying for three years to get my friend to convert to KK from his Ducane gasser. Anyway the Dalmore was the most luscious scotch imaginable, it was their Bordeaux expression, aged in three types of barrels for 30 plus years. The hostess whipped up lovely roasted eggplant slices with goat cheese, olive oil and herbs; and a splendid arugula and fennel salad. One of the guests was pressed in to service to stir the risotto for 45 minutes, his effort was well worth me standing there watching him do it! Penny made an apple cake with toffee sauce and whipped cream for a finale. The host and hostess presented me with a Christmas gift of Tobermory scotch which we sampled to great satisfaction! All in all a super New Years Eve.

Re: wood as fuel We covered this recently. Burn your wood down to coals in a separate vessel, then put the coals in the KK. These coals won't burn nearly as long as a basket of lump so you have to attend to the fire.

Re: Everyday Misc Cooking Photos w/ details Syz, have you done the hot fast brisket as described in the sticky? I have not perceived it to be too mushy, like a braised pot roast, just nice and tender and juicy. But you should use the technique you like best. Remember that the pre-foil phase can be done low and slow, medium, hot or whatever. I often do it lower and slower than a true hot fast to get a little more time in the smoke prior to foiling. The hot fast does get a smoke ring, the bark itself is not crusty, however. The foil makes the bark basically a damp rub. From now on I will be taking the fat cap off to get the smoke and rub on to the meat on that side, not on to the fat. Good idea. I never put any rub on the fat side anyway.

Re: Ribeye Roast cook As far as timing, you don't have to worry too much about that. You can hold your meat at a good hot temp for quite a while before serving. Just foil it, wrap in towels and put in a cooler. In fact if you have it finished a few hours ahead it gives you lots of time to do the other jillion things that need doing prior to guest arrival. On the other hand there is a real convivial joy to be pulling the meat off with your guests all watching; and more than that, having them smelling the wafting smoke. It can be a big part of the party ambience. Well, most roasts are done in about two hours or less, pork loins, beef tenderloins, rib roasts and so on. So if you really want it done right at or near guest arrival, start your cook one hour ahead. I mean, you don't take people straight from the front door to the table, do you? This will give you about an hour, plus or minus, to visit, imbibe, serve pre-food and so on. Then haul everyone out to the deck for the "unveiling"! We are hosted by some friends pretty often who never start cooking til all the guests get there. So pretty much the first part of the party is always in the kitchen, hanging with the hostess. But if you need or want it done ahead, do it and hold in a cooler.

Re: Ribeye Roast cook It is hard to sear at a high temp, then bring the temp down to cook. Especially if you are using the dome thermometer to get what you think you need as a sear temp. The dome temp will be considerably lower than the temp down at the fire level. So you will have a super hot fire if the dome temp is 500-700. Do this instead. Ignore the dome temp. Fill the charcoal basket, start a 2/3 chimney of charcoal and let it really get going. Dump this out on top of the basketful and spread to the size of your meat. Put the sear grill on the charcoal basket handles and sear the meat. That 2/3 chimney of hot coals will do it. You are not even ten minutes in to your cook, your meat is seared and your KK is not up to 500 plus degrees. Move the meat to your desired grill level, shut the vents down to a small opening and you will be able to keep your KK at your desired temp from here. Because you only started 2/3 of a chimney and you shut your vents down right quick, your fire won't rage out of control. For a really small piece of meat you can put a grill grid right on the charcoal chimney and sear it right on the chimney. I keep an old grill from one of my old metal grills for this purpose. Or they sell them at the home improvement stores.

Re: Pulled Pork? Yes, cook it to 185 to 205. Anywhere in there will do. Try it several ways and see what you think. It's all good.

Re: Standing Rib Roast Cook it to a defined finish temp. Period.

Re: Ribeye Roast cook This is one of the more luscious KK cooks. As Mad said, the technique is super flexible as to temperature of the cook, just pull it at your desired done temp. Bone in or boneless, just grab what they have! Do it indirect. In the same way that people think you are a freaking genius when you serve them KK pork butt, they also go insane for this one. I still get comments 2 years later on one I did for my Mom's birthday. I marinated that one in soy, worcestershire and garlic for 24 hours, cooked on mesquite. I just roasted it with no sear. This one is mandatory for the KK club.

Re: Heresy? I like the concept of capturing all that juice and will give it a try. One of the cool things about the hot fast brisket is getting all that juice from the foil. And just a quick reminder. If you disassemble your pork butt and remove all the fat and connective tissue before shredding it, keep all that discard. Put it in a pan or pot and render it down. Pour all that fat, juice and the crispy bits back in to the shredded pork. Outrageous.

Re: Christmas Pork "Waterford Lismore Nouveau Stemless" They look beautiful. I would like to lay a hand on them. Nice suggestion. Here is a spirits trick for the golf course. Get a test tube, we use glass cigar tubes. Buy a cigar that comes in one, whether you want the cigar or not. Fill the tube about 3/4 full with your spirit of choice, and put on the cap or cork. Get a 12 ounce styrofoam cup from the diner or at the turn and fill with ice and water, put on the lid. Shove your finger in the straw hole to tear it a little and then push your glass tube through and down in to the ice water. Put that in your golf cart cup holder. You now have a spirits tube in an ice bath, that is spill and splash proof in the golf cart. This is an awesome system.

Re: Christmas Pork Patron is OK, but there is better out there. Don Julio 1942, a little over $100./ bottle is superb. Don Julio Real, about $350. / bottle even more so. At these prices I drink about one bottle a year of the 1942, I try to get a few years out of the Real, only on an occasion when I can truly savor and enjoy the experience. For a go to tequila, Don Julio and Patron have some much more reasonably priced options. If you want an awesome spirits glass, the smallest Reidel O is a true pleasure in hand and on the nose. Unlike a Glencairn, it is ultralight and delicate, feels fabulous in your hand. Sometimes I set one on the counter and just look at it! http://www.amazon.com/Riedel-Spirit-Spi ... OTJVFQA0IN

Re: Christmas Pork Yeah, I have a bottle of Balvenie Doublewood which I enjoy immensely.

Re: KOSHER SALT VS. SEA SALT The relationship between the various salts is simplified by using weight, not volume. One cup of table salt is 10 ounces. Just use a kitchen scale to measure out whichever salt you use. Now, having said that, 10 ounces of Morton Kosher salt is one and a half cups and Diamond Kosher is two cups. If you have a kitchen scale, use it, it's more accurate than "weighing by volume".

Re: Christmas Pork Only very recently I decided to try single malt scotches. Wow, Talisker has a powerful punch! And I like it.

Re: Jack Daniels Maple Syrup Brined Turkey Cook - Video Someone asked me a question about brining and how much to make. You have to make enough to submerge the turkey. If you put the turkey in a bag and squeeze out all the air one recipe will do. If you use a big pot or other vessel like an igloo cooler you may need to double it. Remember the brine and the turkey need to be kept below 40 degrees for the duration! I put the turkey in a bag with brine and surround the bag with ice water in a cooler.