Braai-Q

5 hours ago, cruzmisl said:

5698k, I agree. Wusthof and Henckel were the standard when I started in the kitchen. Paul felt obligated to "confess" he has them in his kitchen. It's all good Paul haha j/k.

 

Talking of standards, unless I missed it, I don't think that anyone has mentioned Lion Sabatier. I don't have a point of view on them either way, just that they're usually mentioned with Wusthof and Henckel. Wondered if they're not seen as being good enough?

1 hour ago, tekobo said:

Tee hee.  I feel like an interloper in this knife conversation but I have returned for a few reasons:

1. To thank @troble for starting this thread

2. To say that I woke up especially happy this morning.   For a few years I have been dogmatic about using my two go-to knives and nothing else.  It was great to be free of clutter but now I have decided that I will go into our knife store and pick out one to be a guest knife each month.  We have some we bought in Japan and some that we bought direct from a knife maker in India.  It will be fun to discover their various characteristics.

3.  To say that we will get a knife sharpener but I don't yet know which.  White smoke pending.  The Husband seems to trust the You Tube guy that he found.  Apparently he is a Green Bay fan like my husband.  It takes all sorts.  

I think this thread has taken on a life of its own. Sorry @Troble, hope you don't mind. 

I know the channel that you're talking about. Has Mr Tekobo been assigned to research willingly or was he ordered? 😆

2 minutes ago, Basher said:

Although you can spend £400- 500 on a Japanese knife, you don’t have to.
I just paid £75 for this petty Tanaka knife.

https://www.knivesandstones.com.au/products/tanaka-ginsan-nashiji-petty-120mm-with-ebony-handle
If you look around you can buy good Japanese knives made from top steel ( blue super) for £100. UK, USA, Canada, Australia.
Dive into the rabbit hole mate, you will love it.
I maintain that all sharp knives are good knives, the question is how long do they stay satisfactorily sharp?
I don’t mind drawing along a steel mid preparation, I don’t want to have to sharpen mid prep.


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Price ≠ quality. 

I think you have to be well researched to know what you're buying and what you want to achieve with a Japanese knife. I dipped my toe a while ago and quickly realised that this was such a slippery slope. It's why I said knives are a personal decision and I don't think you can decide on cost alone.

Agree on the knife sharpness - I don't trust my lack of practice to not mess up a good blade which is why I use the Lansky and was looking at the TRProf. Pointless having a good blade and lacking the means to properly care for it.

I feel myself being sucked into the rabbit hole again. 

15 hours ago, Syzygies said:

Wow. I'm beginning to wonder if the 196 USD I spent to have a Tojiro DP 3-Layer Chinese Cleaver 225mm delivered from Japan was chump change, and VG-10 steel is a compromise I shouldn't be making?

I think like most things with a following, this a rabbit hole topic!

15 hours ago, Syzygies said:

I can imagine spending 400 USD on a cleaver (Chuka Bocho), perhaps blue or white steel, if the difference would really be apparent. Or something like Bryan Raquin's Nakira 195 if it's ever back in stock. I suspect there are some strong opinions here...

Being a mathematician has trained me to hear when people fall into logical black holes. "Seasoning is polymerization, so let's use flaxseed oil" misses the other components of restaurant abuse. Getting a perfect edge on a knife? Such an obvious goal, it has to be wrong sometimes. A serrated edge is better at slicing, and serration is a matter of degree, even the edge after an 8000 water stone is irregular at sufficient magnification. I've been meaning to get a good USB microscope for knife sharpening, coffee grinding, to make these issues obvious. I certainly adjust my technique over the lifetime of a sharpening cycle, increasing my slicing motion as the edges fade. And a chip in a favorite knife? It's a feature, not a bug!

A bug? No, that's an Easter Egg. Well done for finding it, just don't tell anyone else and spoil the surprise. 

At what point does patina add value to a knife? Or does it ever? In classic cars, original paint and patina are authenticity and are sought after. Same applies to guitars. The concept of 'relicing' a guitar is something that I just don't understand. Well, I do but I don't and wouldn't pay for it. 

Maybe there is an opportunity to sell authentic patina - I'm happy to offer my services free of charge. It'll take about 2-5 years per knife but I can guarantee the authentic signs of use when returned... 

8 hours ago, 5698k said:

Tojiro is a great knife , and Masakage has some great knives also..both of which are less expensive than shun, about the same as global, but are crafted Japanese kitchen knives.

I know Tojiro (only seen a limited range in retail) and Masakage but never seen Masakage in the metal as it were. I think Blenheim Forge draw heavily on them design wise. 

8 hours ago, 5698k said:

I have the TS Prof K03 sharpener, it works beautifully, but it’s expensive. I’ve spent a lot on knives, so I guess it’s relative. A cheap sharp knife is way better than a good dull one. Learning to sharpen is critical in the endeavor of having decent knives.

I can’t go along with global, cutco, or especially shun for various reasons, the main thing is that there are Japanese knives out there for less money yet far superior in craftsmanship. If you go the victorinox route, you’ll be almost at the disposable end of the scale.


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I'm not saying that Global and Shun are the be all. Sort of my point in hitting the balance between being good enough to not worry about and being fit for purpose. In general retail in the UK, Sabatier and Wusthof together with Global tend to dominate. 'Japanese knives' seem to be seen as shorthand for quality standard whereas true quality in Japanese knives is another level and quite limited in availability as very few people see the value in spending north of £400-£500 on a single blade. Brexit has made things worse here with most of Europe refusing supply including Japanese Natural Stones. 

I think critically assessed, the Blenheim Forge knives will not stand up to scrutiny and there are better Japanese knives out there, of that I have no doubt. 

Where would you put your money in Japanese knives out of interest?

On 1/17/2021 at 9:38 PM, Wilsonj said:

Thank you!

Haha, I love looking at others cooks. Hopefully with time I can replicate some of them.

I bought the drive, as it was easier to do with shipping to Australia. However i've already noticed how solid the temp is on the BB. 

Yep, the stability and control has always been one of the most impressive aspects of it for me. 

On 1/17/2021 at 9:38 PM, Wilsonj said:

Would love a 19 for small cooks. I'm sure it starts up really quick. Maybe one day. Have to convince the missus on this one first....

I would limit your exposure to this forum as an act of self preservation. I only wandered in here with a quick question and ended up buying a 32KK. *

*There may be exaggeration for cheap comic effect.

I have quite a few knives and I guess it's like having an expensive car, ownership becomes a lot less 'care free' as the price increases and you're more careful where you park and so on.

It's not that I don't take care of what I own at any price point but I'm a lot less inclined to hunt someone down who broke the tip of an expensive Japanese knife getting the lip of a tin opened. Yeah, it happened and I'm still sore about it. 

I think there is also a law of diminishing returns at play where performance improvements are perceptual. Recommending a knife is quite personal and there are certain knives that my wife doesn't like that I love and it probably comes down to hand size above all. 

I tend to opt for knives for purposes but the paring, chef's knife and bread knife combination given by most chefs is good advice. 

I like Shun knives and have a few, I also have a Global Santoku knife which I tend to use for chopping herbs which has a lovely balance and action. It fits comfortably and while I have better blades, I have an affection for that in particular. Take a look at Victorinox Swibo - I very rarely see butchers without them and the plastic handles mean they're as hygienic as you'll get. Not expensive either.

I have some exotic Japanese knives but they probably don't fit your brief or budget and I think Robert is our Japanese knife authority judging by his tastes.

Roland Lannier makes some fun knives which are good. I particularly like his Luchador for the fun of them.

Blenheim Forge make some interesting knives and I have a Nakiri from them which is superb. I just wish they'd take the corner radius of the top edge down. I never cut myself on the blade but always nick myself with the tip. (I know it's designed for splitting but I get myself every other time). 

Bryan Raquin also produces some very lovely knives but they are very difficult to get hold of. They have a very large chef following. The brisket killer is a really lovely blade and I have been trying to get one after I tried it. I didn't end up buying it at the time because I was flying and I would have had to have checked it into the hold but didn't have a bag. I'd gone over to Paris for a meeting and flew (unusually) and the shop wouldn't do mail order. 

For sharpening, I use Lansky but TS Prof has been on my list to look at as the Lansky system does have some shortcomings. 

Without knife craft skills, a better blade won't make you a better chef. I always recommend learning techniques and how to manipulate a blade. Makes you safer and better and some of these high quality blades can do some serious damage if mishandled. If you use the wrong blade and lose control... There are a few books that I found helpful or YouTube is always handy. I'm not saying this applies to you but I think if you've ever been in a professional kitchen and seen how a good chef despatches an onion, you instantly know where you can improve your own craft and blade choice is a part of that.

Hope this helps and let us know what you go for. 

Excellent work. Looking forward to pictures of the first cook.

Pretty cold here today at just on freezing and with pretty heavy snow so my enthusiasm for being outside doing a cook was not at its peak. 

So we decided to go for Okonomoyaki tonight. Can't claim credit as it was Mrs BQ on the grill. If you don't know the dish - this describes it and what goes into it. We tend to do Osaka (authentic style) and use all Japanese ingredients as substitutions do compromise it. We tend to do ours with a combination of sliced belly pork (have to get it from a Japanese butcher as our local butchers can't seem to get it looking like the picture attached, even when cut slightly frozen). 

Cooked on our teppanyaki grill which is the equivalent of a KK in terms of build quality and design. 

The domes are burger dome covers and are used to help generate steam which cooks the mixture through without burning the bottom.

You then finish with Kewpie mayo, Okonomiyaki sauce, Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), Aonori (dried green seaweed). They can be incredibly decorative but in my enthusiasm to dig in, I forgot to take a picture. 

I'm tempted to do a version in future with left over pork or brisket but will probably do it with a schichimi togarashi rub so the flavour profiles work together. I'll just buy it in versus making it from scratch. 

On 1/11/2021 at 10:46 PM, RokDok said:

Next time we saw him he was in a large pot expertly cooked , together with a tub of " Mannish Water" - a delicious broth made of entrails.

My wife won't eat goat and I think this sentence would put her off forever! 

On 1/11/2021 at 10:46 PM, RokDok said:

The curry goat was for my leaving do, together with a few cases of Red Stripe and some rum punch.

I can't help feeling that Mrs RD was thinking of Winston when she was cooking today - but she still ate a healthy portion.

Didn't have Scotch Bonnet unfortunately and one or two ingredients had to be subbed but it was pretty much to your recipe @Braai-Q, and delicious it was too so thanks for that.

Glad you enjoyed. Sounds like the substitutions didn't detract from the enjoyment. You'll have to give me your match report when you've got all the ingredients. 

On 1/13/2021 at 1:33 AM, Wilsonj said:

Hi all,

As the title says, my BB32 will be delivered some time this week.  I'ts like the birth of a new child.

This is my first charcoal BBQ, and so I feel like I'm jumping in the deep end. The phrase "all the gear and no idea" keeps bouncing around my head!! argh.

I'm hoping there is quite a bit of literature that comes with the unit, as I feel my learning curve is going to be steep.

Firstly, is there anything I really must have ?

Elbow length welding gloves ?

Something to "poke" the coals ?

I have long tongs and just bought a Fireboard 2 with fan. (Not sure how the fan is going to mount yet, but that will be for later...)

Also picking up a MAPP torch for starting the coals.

 

Is there a cooking guide ? eg what temps should I be heating the KK up to for steak, fish, sausages etc? When should I use half the coals, where should I cook, what level etc

Anything I really shouldn't do ?

I've got so many questions,

Oh, I'm hoping I can sell my rather newish 4 burner Weber gas BBQ some time. But as we have kids, sometimes they just want a couple bbq sausages cooked.

Seems crazy to stoke a KK for that. Do people have small gas bbqs for something like that ? Was thinking a cheap $300 "club" style flat bbq might be handy for that sort of thing.

 

Firstly, welcome. Secondly, excellent choice. 

Take a week to read the forum and you'll be excited, overwhelmed, hungry, very hungry, raring to go. 

Don't look at the food thread if you're hungry is my first piece of advice. 

In terms of mandatories, what do you like to cook? Probably the easiest point of departure to give you some pointers. 

The Fireboard 2 is great. You won't need the fan as the temperature control is so good, but that's personal taste. The 32KK has so much fine control on it. 

I regularly fire up the KK to do small cooks, it's very economical and you'll find that you invent other cooks to go alongside. I did some sausages the other weekend, then threw on some aubergines and potatoes which I baked and then froze - can't beat the taste. Hardly used any charcoal and startup time to stable temperature is probably less than 30 mins. 

I have a 19KK to go with my 32KK so I can do different cooks at different temps or for small cooks, I tend to use the 19KK. 

21 hours ago, sagarwal said:

My 32” is finally here!  I am gonna call it The Texan.  I did a lot of research and looked at a lot of images before pulling the trigger.  Let me tell you, none of the photos do it justice.  It is absolutely stunning to look at in person.  The cobalt blue pebbles are gorgeous, as is the new metal lip on the upper lid.  I hate having to put the cover on.  If you have a picasso, you want to see it!  Once I do the burn in/venting, first cook will be carne asada and peri peri whole grilled chicken.  I cant wait!    Anybody need a used primo xl?

Looks fantastic. 

100% approve of the peri peri grilled chicken decision. A fitting welcome.

I just feel there is room for a KK in this setup: http://pompeiisites.org/en/comunicati/the-ancient-snack-bar-of-regio-v-resurfaces-in-its-entirety-with-scenes-of-still-life-food-residues-animal-bones-and-victims-of-the-eruption/

Fabulous! Thanks for sharing @Troble

Pizza and naan night tonight in our household. Pizza was good, Mrs BQ has been varying the salt content based on how long we have to prove the dough. I think there is a biochemist trying to get out. The reduction in salt content does reduce the elasticity or rather the bases when stretched out are more prone to tearing. Interesting how micro adjustments (reducing salt by a couple of grams) manifests itself so obviously. 

Topping was homemade passata (San Marzano home grown) with French goat's cheese, saucisson sec, caramelised onion, mozzarella and prosciutto.

The naan was a complete failure. I forgot to make the dough as I got distracted with a DIY job that was more complicated than originally thought so I think that'll be for curry night next Saturday. Been meaning to do it for ages. 

Had some brioche that was nearly stale and decided to do a bread pudding dessert. Brioche soaked in custard (made from milk, egg, Bourbon (Woodford Reserve in this case), vanilla essence. Add banana and pecan (my wife doesn't like nuts so had to forego), leave to soak for up to an hour prodding it to let the brioche absorb the custard. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and then bake for just under an hour at about 180 which was a good use of the residual heat in the KK. Serve with some vanilla ice cream.

2 hours ago, tony b said:

Very nice al pastor! 

Sorry, dudes, but $50 for a garlic press is a bit over the top. I'll stick to my Oxo. Plus, most chefs don't recommend using one in the first place (One of Alton Brown's infamous "unitaskers.") Most of the time, I just smash the cloves on the cutting board with the side of a chef's knife and a quick mince.

I got mine on some Amazon offer, 50 bucks is nuts. I use their spoons - brilliant for non stick. Was about £15 if I recall which is going rate for anything of that sort. Depends on what I'm cooking or how much of a hurry I'm in. I use the two bowl method to peel and then throw into a Bamix if I'm doing a lot or I do chef knive and crush method you use for marinades. It's a well made piece of kit, can't fault it.

6 hours ago, Troble said:

@alimac23 I will post a detailed instructions in the pork thread tomorrow when I can it from my computer. It’s not hard. Anyone can do it. The key ingredients are available from Amazon. I measured the skewer just now and it was 11 3/4 inches. I had to push it to the back of the KK for it to fit under the done but that was no problem. 
 

I’ll do the instructions tomorrow 

That meal looked awesome. Look forward to the instructions. If my wife sees your post, I fully expect a trompo stand to enter our lives in 2021!

Looks similar to a Shawarma in method.

11 hours ago, Troble said:

@Braai-Q truly awesome looking cook. I still need to get me a grill basket like you have another “gadget” that will need storage. I love the fact that the guy asked if you’re having a party, but when you’re cooking good food night as well make a lot and store it.
 

Lovely meal you and the Mrs put together. Happy New Year 

I think a grill basket is pretty easy to clean - contact area is much smaller due to the grain of the mesh and I find that they clean up well. If that helps persuade you. Also can be stored easily in the KK or hung off a hook as they're so light.

Happy New Year to you too.

16 minutes ago, Steve M said:

@Braai-QThose prawns looks awesome. Happy New Year!

I can confirm they were. Same to you Steve. 

Happy New Year everyone. Good to hear your folks are doing better @Troble - I wish them a continued and speedy recovery. 

We decided that we'd do some seafood for a change having been made hungry by @Basher on more than one occasion! We started out with Carlingford Oysters. I bought a chain mail glove some years ago much to the consternation and judgement of my wife. I also paired it with an excellent Rosle oyster knife which saw me shuck a dozen in under 5 minutes. A friend is an ER doctor at a hospital located in a wealthy area of London. He always jokes that stabbing yourself in the hand at New Years is a middle class festive ritual of choice. Since I showed him the chain mail glove, he has been telling his patients to buy one. Should have got a commission. He says he gets at least 20 casualties on a good night and even has a rating system, much like the oyster sizing system. I've refused offers of pictures - he says the hall of famers over 10 years in emergency medicine are a strong field. But anyway, back to the food. The oysters were great, no stabbings and we served them with a mignonette.

I ordered in some prawns that were on special due to the latest lockdown in the UK. The restaurant delivery driver asked if we were having a party. I apologised and just said that there were only two of us and that we were just pigs. We've got plenty of freezer space so they'll be spread out over the next few months. 

We did some King Prawns and large Carabineros which are very attractive and have a superb taste. Cooked simply and basted in garlic butter. I used a grill basket in the 19KK which fits perfectly to cook them all. It was -3 with a freezing fog and the cap on the 19KK had actually frozen shut so much so that I had to open the lower door to drive enough heat through the coal bed to loosen it. I leave it covered all the time too. As we were doing prawns, I wore flip flops as well which earned further consternation and judgement from my wife. Heated floor in the kitchen felt twice as good when I was back inside.

My wife deserves huge credit for her skills in preparation so this is my shout out to her. She also deserves credit for the strength of the garlic butter. Ever since I bought a Dreamfarm Garject garlic press, we seem to always end up eating more garlic as she loves playing with it. Vampires wouldn't have touched us yesterday. They probably wouldn't today either if I'm being honest. 

I think the meal was a high point of 2020. Start as you mean to go on. 

9 hours ago, tekobo said:

What no one warns you about are the new obsessions that you will develop as a result of owning a KK.

Hah. Or the 'expensive friendships' you develop on this forum! I think the enjoyment of the KK is elevated by the like mindedness and spirit of this community. 

9 hours ago, tekobo said:

 I spent yesterday evening cooking dinner on my new 32 and then finished off cooking three loaves of bread.  All on a dark, dank, night in the UK.  

It's -3 up in Suffolk and I did the roast chicken in the cradle. There was one point when I debated climbing in for a few rotations to keep warm. The temperatures are really testing my commitment at the moment. Admittedly, I was standing outside in flip flops but details schmetails.

23 hours ago, MacKenzie said:

Tekobo, between you and Dennis you have the rotissier system covered.  Excellent videos, maybe we'll see you at the Cannes Film Festival or the Sundance Festival. 

Are you kidding? After the multicam Zoom unloading experience, I fully expect Dennis to be going to @tekobofor the next series of cooking videos. Stephen Raich-who? 😀

8 hours ago, IndGrill said:

Hello folks. Long time admirer of KK and a visitor here on occasion. With all the extra time this year, have been visiting more frequently so it was time to join.

Not yet in the market for a KK but will get there I suppose. I am certainly interested in the charcoal buys in bay area so I will be watching for that.

Thank you Dennis and gang for a wonderful resource here and a very civil and welcoming forum.

Welcome. Any thoughts on size? If we're going to ensnare you, we might as well upsell you too. 

This will help with the confusion @tekobo. Good job.

I think there are a few fundamentals that once you understand (the fact that mounts are spring loaded and have flex in them for example), it's not that complicated. 

Rotisserie chicken happening here on Thursday as it happens.