remi

Not really- I've cooked that many paella's over the years that I just wing it most of the time. I make up my own spice blend of smoky paprika, spicy pimenton and saffron threads. Always have a pot of stock next to the KK as I've found that the precise ratio of stock to rice can vary a bit. I make my soffrito with grated fresh tomato, but to be honest tinned also works. Good rice is obviously the key- and I've had great results with Bomba rice or Calasparra rice. What I have learnt is that in general less is more in terms of the flavours- so I no longer go for the maximalist paella which has chorizo, chicken and seafood. Rather- I either go for chicken and chorizo, or seafood with prawns, calamari and mussels. Every now and then it's nice to cook a paella negra with squid ink and calamari as the only ingredients- served with aioli.

Paella time here last night- always a family favourite. Made even better this time around with chorizo from a local boutique butcher…

Well, my birthday/ new niece visit has been a great success (let’s be honest, it was always mainly about my beautiful new niece!) My brother is waging a campaign at home to buy a Kamado of some sort, so requested brisket for our last night together in a bid to get his wife across the line. Decided to cook at 285F from the morning given we were aiming for dinner. Wrapped around 5 hours in, all done after another 2 hours. 3 hour rest. My usual sides of spicy salsa, horseradish cream, pickles, coleslaw, bbq sauce and smashed roast potatoes. I hope my brother is getting a nice bbq… Meanwhile, I’m on lettuce and sparkling water for the next week! Hope you’ve all had a good weekend.

Birthday dinner tonight, with the added bonus of my brother visiting from interstate with his new baby. Some oysters, snacks and cheese followed by a reverse seared standing rib eye roast with heirloom tomato and fresh mozzarella salad with non-kneed bread and a good bottle of South Australian Shiraz. Can’t ask for too much better than that.

Yeah- didn’t think it was worth using the trompo king for this amount of meat. Also more relaxing not to be out there slicing… easier to just bring it all in and serve up. More social that way.

Had family over and made up some lamb fillet and chicken breast souvlakis on pita bread, with some hot chips shoved in there Greek style! Served with various condiments, tzatziki and salads. Great success.

Maybe I'll try my next paella with linguica instead! Reckon the kids may well like some cacoila as well... good suggestions!

Sunday nights are non-stop activity around here, as with two school aged kids who are busy with many activities during the week it’s sometimes the only night to get any cooking done… So the KK was busy managing a chicken, chorizo, Roma tomato and green bean paella- while inside a bolognaise sauce was made, as well as choc chip cookies and brownies for the lunch boxes (and banana bread which didn’t make it into the final photo as it was still in the oven!)

Simple Paella here tonight with chicken and chorizo- with the smaller one more basic for the kids. I love cooking paella on the KK, and since we now have an induction stovetop inside isn’t really an option anyway! Originally paella was cooked over a fire, so it feels right. Always like having everything lined up ready to go, then it’s an easy and relaxed dinner to cook.

Just had my annual ‘boys night’ for some friends, and cracked out a brisket and some ribs with roast potatoes, coleslaw, espresso bbq sauce, smoky salsa, horseradish cream and pickles. Given it was dinner, I got things on early in the day and cooked at 285F. The brisket was interesting as it was a bit smaller at 4.2kg, and it powered through without much of a stall in 7hrs, so had a long rest before serving. Slightly sore head this morning, but an excellent night.

Yep- I received a 4-probe Thermoworks RFX system with a Billows fan for Christmas- have managed without for 5 years. But am looking forward to fiddling a bit regardless!

We usually have something fancy for New Years, and this year I purchased some lovely scotch fillet from a legendary Melbourne butcher who is about to retire- had him slice them nice and thick for a reverse sear. It was also a chance to debut the RFX probes I received for Christmas, and to make a first stab at a Bernaise sauce. All in all a great success. Happy New Year!

Roasted a chicken tonight based on a recipe by Samin Nosrat. Served with basmati rice, some veges and the green sauce from @Troble’s famous recipe. It turned out great- crispy skin and super juicy.

Simple cheeseburgers here tonight- wagyu patties from a local butcher, cheddar melted on top, swipe of relish and some pickle on toasted brioche buns- so simple, so good. Some chicken satay and lamb skewers and veges to add some interest.

We had a public holiday here today/ and had old friends over for lunch. 7kg brisket, cooked for 11.5hrs, 4hr rest. Meat church holy cow. Plenty of sides- smashed roast potatoes, no-kneed bread, coleslaw, espresso BBQ sauce, horseradish cream, spicy smoked salsa. Very happy guests, and very happy me!