Firemonkey

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat? Dennis just used the "dog ate my homework" excuse

Re: A little help What kind of charcoal were you using? When you say you had both vents open, do you mean the wheel was full open, you you opened up the slider? Big difference between the two. Since you had lots of sparks, I suspect you may have had the slider open? The sparking is more a characteristic of your fuel, than your technique. Some lump sparks much more than other lump, even different bags of the same brand can surprise you. If you find that your lump is spark prone, just close the slider before you open the grill. The limited airflow will keep the flames from raging as soon as you open the lid. You can certainly start with a half basket of fuel, and you can also re-burn the leftovers. I usually add just little more than I expect to use for a cook, and then let all the leftovers accumulate in the basket. That way, when I go out for a quick grill, most of what is in the basket is on its second or third burn, and thus very clean burning.

I just realized that I had not posted my impression of the coffee wood Dennis can provide. Better late than never, right I have tried the coffee wood from Dennis on a a few meals, and the initial smoke is definitely harsh, as Dennis described. Luckily Dennis had posted that you needed to burn it down, or I may have ruined a meal. A whiff of the initial white smoke from a chunk of this wood is enough to burn the back of your sinuses - one of the harshest I have found. BUT, once you get past the initial acrid smoke, it is very mellow - mellow like apple or alder with a little different "nose" to it. I was so intrigued with the coffee smoke, that as an afterthought I burned a couple of pieces in my firepit to add to a roasting cook where I had already added the meat. Again, I was taken by the acrid initial smoke, and that was when being burned in the coals from an oak fire! My curiosity had me grabbing a chunk out of the fire every minute or so, and taking it away so I could smell it on its own. The first few times I did this, it wasn't "ready", and I think I had the burn from that smoke in the back of my throat all night! This wood is good stuff, but you need to practice with it. You cant just toss it in like you might with some other wood types. I was talking to another member recently who used it like regular wood, mixed in with the lump to cook some ribs...and he said they were so smokey he had to throw a bunch away. For a quick grilling, you can toss a couple of pieces in the fire and let it burn off before you add the food. For a longer, low temp cook, you will definitely want to pre-burn it outside of the grill. In either case, since you are burning away more of the smoke, be prepared to use a little more than you may be used to. I also have a cast iron smoke pot, a la Szyzgies, but I am not sure that would help with this wood. I may try it on a chicken, if so I'll post back the verdict. I currently have apple, cherry, peach, hickory, pecan, grape, maple, alder and persimmon in my arsenal, and the coffee has a definite spot in the mix.

Re: Cheese Whiz, did you pre-burn the coffee wood from Dennis? I have tried the coffee wood from Dennis on a a few meals, and the initial smoke is WAY harsh. Luckily Dennis had posted that you needed to burn it down, or I may have ruined a meal. But, I have to admit that once you get past the initial acrid smoke, it is very mellow - almost like apple wood with a little different "nose" to it. It should be great on cheese! I was so intrigued with the coffee smoke, that as an afterthought I burned a couple of pieces in my firepit to add to another meal. This wood is good stuff, but you need to practice with it. You cant just toss it in like you might with some other wood types.

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat? I have tried injecting several times, and have never felt that the benefit was worth the hassle. I will brine, marinate and rub meats, and find the results I want, but injections are always a messy affair and offer negligible results for me. Beef here in the USA is also primarily angus. We have some cattle farms here in my state of FL, where grass will also grow all year. I also lived for a while in Missouri, and I have to admit, despite the temperate climate here, this local grass must not be very tasty for the cattle. Comparing FL cattle to Missouri cattle reminds me of a Humane society commercial - bony looking cows here in FL. The meat that Dennis posted looks like they have taken the process of "enhanced" meat a step further, by not only injecting stuff into the meat, but disguising it as marbling too! Interesting that it is frozen meat, maybe that is the only way they can keep the lard in place? I think I would pass on those steaks if I saw them in the meat case, for the same reasons I try to avoid the "enhanced" chicken and pork products. Tribeless, since you bring up injections for meats, are you familiar with the widespread process of the meat packers injecting meat before it leaves the plant? The practice is very widespread here in the US, and unless you try to avoid it, much of the chicken, pork, and sometimes even beef in a supermarket case falls victim to this. You have to look at the fine print on the package, where you will find "enhanced with up to 12% solution" The percentages are sometimes even higher than 12%. You have to really pay attention if you want to avoid the stuff: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006 ... d-boneless

Re: Gas Burner

Re: Gas Burner Never as a sear grill down on the basket handles That same piece of hardware flips over, and doubles as a upper grate. I use it like that all the time. The difference between the lower grate, and the sear grate down on the basket handles is about 3", so to me it is just easier to use the lower grate, and that way I can tuck the potatoes into the back corners as its time to open the bottom slide to unleash the fire and sear the steaks. The sear grill doesn't sit tightly against the grill so it moves around a few inches when its down on the basket handles.

Re: 2nd KK in Frisco Uh oh...Blackie there just got an instant inferiority complex.

Re: Gas Burner I do steaks and baked potatoes all the time. You can find plenty of pics in the everyday cooking pics thread. While you can do your potatoes on any level, I do mine direct, just naked potatoes rubbed with olive oil, and dusted with course salt. They take about an hour at about 400, and I flip them after about 30-40 mins. The direct heat gives a slightly roasted skin - not charred - just roasted and crispy. I prefer to use the lower grate for steaks and potatoes, rather than trying to move hot grates around to use the sear grill. Its only a couple of inches higher than the sear grill, and its bigger/more stable. Those few inches make a difference when its time to sear the steaks, as on the sear grill I cant get the internal temps I am looking for without going beyond a "crust" and into a "burnt" taste. YMMV...try it a few ways and see what works best for you. It is one of the easiest - and most relaxing - cooks around, so it will be hard to really ruin your meal. Enjoy a glass of wine or two as you smell the fire roasting the potatoes.

Re: Gas Burner As blasphemous as it may sound, especially 'round these parts, I think the guy wants to COOK with gas.

Re: Gas Burner If you find a seller, you may want to check with Dennis as to the compatibility. I think there was a change to the door size somewhere along the revision history.

Re: Faceting What material is that? At first i thought it was a chunk of smoke wood, and thought, man, it would be hard to toss that in the fire! now...be honest...how many of your minds initially processed the title of this topic title as face sitting

Re: Charcoal basket experiment Did you have difficulty maintaining the low temps on your previous attempts with a full basket of lump? Did this solve the issue? Would you mind trying it out with a hot cook? to see if you can do some grilling with less lump being used?

Re: Anybody seen these in the store? Just checked lowes.com - $699

Just saw a Bayou Classic ceramic cooker in Lowes. They had just put it out on display, so there was no price tag on it, but it looks just like a BGE, only with a fired swamp green glaze. Had a spring assist on the lid, came with dual side tables and a stand. One thing that stood out was the thickness of the metal in the top damper. It was like 1/4"thick - are BGE tops this thick too? Its clearly not a KK in build quality, but its always good to see the ceramic market sector expand. photo1.JPG[/attachment:3n392kh5] photo.JPG[/attachment:3n392kh5]

Paella Chicken, shrimp, chorizo, asparagus, peas, red peppers. Of course the usual onions, garlic, tomatoes and such too. I used brown rice, so I had to par-cook the rice in stock along with the shrimp shells, and a bit of toasted saffron for about 25 minutes. That way I could add it to the paella and treat it as white rice as far as cooking time/liquid required.

Re: Aged Strip Loin Steaks The steaks are on the KK lower grate, and the small grate is an accessory that was made by one of the forum members. Fetzervalve made it (search versagrill) but I think he finally sold all he had. BTW, those aren't sausages, they are really big baked potatoes!

Re: Aged Strip Loin Steaks I read an executive summary produced by the beef council that cited all sorts of studies. Everything you ever wondered about the process. Here is an excerpt about shrinkage: The full document is here: http://beefresearch.org/CMDocs/BeefRese ... 20Beef.pdf From the research, it sounds like there is some merit to the bags insofar as the finished product at longer intervals, but for me, the cost of the bags themselves, and a new vac sealer (since they wont work with a foodsaver) are outweighing the benefits.

Re: Aged Strip Loin Steaks I have been thinking about this.... add it to ground beef for burgers? I have tasted it from my 21-28 day experiments and it has a rich flavor...just a tad chewy I have done a rib roast for 7 days, and cooked it without trimming. I was not a fan of the flavor the outer layer had. It was hard to describe, but I didn't like it. Almost sort of metallic tasting. Dave - no mold, thankfully. If any of my family saw any mold whatsoever on that chunk of meat, I would have to eat it all myself! Wait....i have an idea.... I am actually glad there was no mold growth, I would be a bit squeamish about which molds were acceptable and which were not, and how far I would have had to trim to make sure i removed any trace. I noticed that the color stayed more burgundy than mahogany. Is the color a product of the time and temp (was 34 too cold?) or a product of the cut?

Re: Aged Strip Loin Steaks

I decided that I was long overdue for some good, aged steaks. The only place i can buy a nice dry aged steak locally is Whole foods, but I just could not bring myself to pay about $25/lb for them. So I did what any low-budget afficianado would do...I headed for the local warehouse club to buy the packer cut strip loin. It went in my beer fridge, which is ALWAYS set to the coldest temp, and ALWAYS holds temps at about 33-34 degrees. It also runs plenty, which will create good air circulation in there. I moved out some of the non-essentials (Soda, Gatorade, etc) and moved all the beer to one half of the fridge. The meat went into the fridge on a rack, over a baking sheet, on the top shelf and sat there for 15 days. Then I pulled it out, carefully trimmed all the outer crust away, and cut it into 8 mighty fine 1.75 inch steaks. I grilled up a couple of them for dinner, and they were simply outstanding. ANY steak you cook yourself, the way that you like them, on your KK will blow away even high end steakhouses. But when you get a good one, its magical. Dry aging pushes the scale way over toward the latter experience. Behold: After trim: 1 pound 10 OZ of trimmings... Steaks, in the inside fridge:

Re: Charcoal basket - Sear grill modification That will work, especially the ability to shorten the basket. How about also having a short vertical divider so yiu could sear on half the basket. If I am gonna sear stuff, it will for sure need more grill surface than the cylinder offers.

Re: Sweet Flavor.. Agreed. The coconut charcoal comes across as a mild sweet profile. Not sure if it is imparting an actual sweetness to the meat (like sugar would) or more the way our brains interpret the smell of the coconut smoke. So muchh of taste is actually smell...

Re: drybag dry aged meat project I thought one of the advantages to the drybags was that you would not need to trim after the aging, and thus would save some loss? Is this not the case? Have you tried aging without the bags to compare the results? If you still have to trim, what is the advantage to the bags? FWIR they added a fair amount to the price of the finished meat. With a clean, semi-dedicated fridge (no chance of spilling or dropping anything on meat) are the bags worth it?

Re: Full size KK cabinet with Cobalt Blue tile insert Ever thought of shipping the tables with no insert? I'm Thinking it might be cheaper to ship and let people source their own granite slab. A simple rectangle shouldn't be too expensive.