tony b

The last nice day for a while - was almost 70F (raining and cooler today). So it was time to "spin a chook." Direct, 375F with coffee wood and peach chunks. Chicken was injected with lemon juice & zest, tabasco garlic marinade, poultry seasoning and lots of black pepper. Lemon halves were filled with dried rosemary and put inside the bird. Outside was rubbed with Slap Yo Daddy. Came out pretty! Plated with asparagus, mushroom and spinach risotto. Part of my plan in doing this cook was to take the leftover breast meat and make my chicken salad recipe with it.

If you want to be inspired, search the Forum for Dennis' prototype grates - pretty awesome designs. Unfortunately, they were cost-prohibitive for him to develop as a commercial product. We were all seriously bummed! 😥

Another nice day here yesterday, so the grill got fired up again. Dinner tonight was Suya Pepper beef ribs (Korean cut), with curry rice and some leftover au gratin zucchini. Ribs came from Porter Road. The ones at the top of the grill had Tekobo's rub on them and the rest were done with mine.

Seeing as March came in like a lamb here, figured I should cook some! Lamb chops with roasted spuds and sautéed asparagus.

Tasty looking cluck! Often times, simpler is better.

We're supposed to hit the mid-60s this weekend!! GRILLIN' TIME!! So, I broke down and did the full-on French mashed potatoes - sous vide (192F for 90 mins) with lots of butter, then riced, and finally ran through a fine mesh screen. Paired with a nice Frenched pork chop and a side of elotes (Mexican corn). Spuds were very smooth, but didn't quite hit the French Laundry standard. Needed a LOT more butter. I only used a 1/2 a stick for 3 med red potatoes!

Go with a pork butt/shoulder. Almost impossible to mess that cook up. Good way to learn temperature control.

No pizza stone? Don't forget to load up the pallet with as many boxes of coco char and coffee wood charcoal & chunks as will fit. Only way to get it.

We had a beautiful start to March here, (I'll take the lion at the end of the month!) - so on went the Tandoori chicken legs! Made a nice side of au gratin zucchini. Plated with some curry rice.

You could always inject it with the Balsamic marinade to get better penetration and shorten up the marinating time.

Sorry, everyone's seems to be in it for the $$ these days! I've attached the recipe. Pommes Puree - Cook's Illustrated.pdf

Similar to @Saucier post, here's Cook's Illustrated simplified method of making the "pommes purée." https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/9246-french-style-mashed-potatoes-pommes-puree Plus, if you cook the spuds in the sous vide with the butter and milk, as noted in this thread, it's even easier.

@ckreef - can't wait to see what new toy you've acquired!

Never gotten a reservation there = booked months in advance. Pequod ain't joking, be prepared to drop many Franklins per person on the full tasting dinner, plus your wine tab.

The velvet potatoes at the French Laundry use an insane amount of butter! And definitely run them through a ricer/food mill/chinois. Don't be shy with the butter - you'll be rewarded with amazing mash potatoes that you would never dream of drowning in gravy!

Best part of making mashed potatoes sous vide is that you're cooking the spuds in butter and milk/cream, with a bit of seasoning, instead of water that you dump out. Pretty much the only way I make mashed potatoes anymore. Only downside is the length of time it takes, so you have to plan ahead.

PERFECT!

I've done a few Peking Ducks, but that takes days of prep - involving multiple steps and you're still not guaranteed of getting the crispy skin that's sought after. For a simpler duck roast - go rotisserie, prick the skin all over to help render the fat out & slip your hand under the skin to separate it from the meat, use the basket splitter with the coals in the back and a deep drip pan on the front half to catch all the fat that will drip out! Cherry wood chunks and shoot for at least 375F dome. Duck, unlike chicken, should be served on the rarer side, or it will get tough.

We skated - the storm that they predicted for us today (5" - 8" of new snow) went south of us - woo, hoo!! Not complaining one single bit!

We had a nice break in the weather this weekend - highs in the 50s! Just a teaser for Spring though, more cold and snow on the way this week. Took advantage and grill up a nice steak dinner. A nice piece of pichana, rubbed with a mix of coffee/chile based rubs, direct on the lower grate with chunks of mesquite and post oak. Simple baked potato, sautéed mushrooms & shallots, with a nice side salad.

Indeed. Only probe of its kind out there. That's the single reason that I backed their Kickstarter campaign.

Thanks, Jon, but you can skip me this go around, as I'm set for a while from that last care package! THANKS!

With that burner setup, ckreef, you're all set to learn to homebrew!

Simple tricks for keeping spices fresh. When I buy the larger containers that I know will take me a while to go through, I usually break it down into 3 or 4 smaller packs and vacuum seal them. I'll try and remember your trick for the smaller ones.