tony b

WOW! Would you consider cutting them in half? A 2# steak is an awfully damn big hunka meat. Going to need to cook that puppy low and slow to start with on the main grate, indirect, to get the middle to your liking without overcooking the exterior - unless you really want it "black & blue." Then, as Robert suggested, do a quick reverse sear on the lower grate - 4 x 30sec flips on the lower grate, with 90 degree turns to get your nice crosshatched grill marks. Can you do it sous vide? That's how I'd cook something that big/thick; then do the reverse sear on the grill. YMMV

Secret ingredient - https://smile.amazon.com/Red-Boat-Vietnamese-Virgin-Bottle/dp/B005J8DT0Q/

Getting closer to the magic shipping date!

Welcome to the Obsession! Can't wait to see those delivery pics! You will be blown away once you see it in person, as we always tell newbs, pictures don't do them justice. And, you've never cooked on anything like them either.

Tucker's advice is spot on - the foil/towel wrap into a cooler is THE trick for planning a big party like this. No need to sweat whether the Q is going to be done in time.

Baste explains that strange yellow color on the pork chop. Next time, make the baste with some Purple Crack.

One of those things that I've said for many years that I'd try and do - I even have a couple of books and the stuffer attachment for the KitchenAid. But now that my buddy has opened his sausage shop, I haven't felt the compulsion anymore.

At least there's no beets on that "burger." Was there Purple Crack in that ketchup, MacKenzie?

Pork burgers are fairly popular around here, especially at festivals/fairs - given all the piggies raised here. I prefer my ground pork in the form of bratwursts!

OK, now I gotta take a break and have lunch!

Yes, I like mine a lot. It is the ONLY solution for temperature monitoring on a rotisserie, being wireless. Is it "perfect" - No! It has a tendency to hiccup a lot (lose momentary connection between the probe and my phone (app) at least in the initial few minutes. But, that doesn't interfere with the true functionality of it. I've noticed that the last couple of software updates have drastically improved on the "Time Remaining" algorithm. It's much more efficient than before - previously, it wouldn't give you a reasonable estimate until well into the cook; now, it will give you a fairly good estimate within the first 15 minutes. A lot depends on how stable the grill temperatures are - if the grill temp is still going up, then the MEATER struggles with that in trying to estimate cooking time. But, if your grill is close to equilibrium cooking temps, then it does a much better job of calculating cooking times.

Thanks, MacKenzie. High praise indeed coming from you!

So, what do you do with leftover rotisserie chicken (see cook above)?? One solution is to make a white pizza! Was trying out the new Cooks Illustrated 1 hour pizza dough recipe (see March/April 2018 issue). Despite screwing up one of the steps, it came out OK. Homemade Alfredo sauce, leftover roti chicken, marinated artichokes, Kalamata olives, and fresh cherry tomatoes, dusted with a hint of Purple Crack. Hit it with lots of "pizza cheese" - a blend of mozzarella, parmesan and Romano. Cooked 12 minutes on a heat soaked pizza stone on the upper grate at 450F (was shooting for 500F, but lost patience!) Started out on the parchment paper, but after 4 minutes on the stone, I slipped it off. Up close and personal. Ready to eat! Bottom of the crust came out nice! I do have to say that it was pretty tasty for "leftovers!"

Nicely done!

That's what I was afraid of back when they were pricey. Reef scored his for $20, which would be OK in my book.

Yeah, Shuley, in the South, we refer to the evening meal as "supper." Mom would always tell me when I went out to play after school, "Be home in time for supper!" I have heard the mid-day meal called "dinner" before, but not very often; we called it lunch, like most places. In school, the cafeteria was often referred to as the "lunch room." It's funny - we all speak the same basic language - English, but it's not universal and quite regional!

Title of the thread says it all!

Yes, you should Aussie - they are an amazing piece of cooking technology.

Yummy!

I know what it feels like, as I've had a car/deer interaction - the deer actually ran into my car, which was not moving at the time. I was in line at the security gate at work and this male deer came running up the bank and the next thing I hear/see is a WUMP and nothing but brown on my windshield. He rolled off the hood onto the road, jumped up and ran off into the adjacent corn fields, but not without doing over $1200 worth of damage to my car! However, when I got into the parking lot under the lights, I could see bits of fur stuck around the bashed headlight! My "trophy"!!! LOL

Thanks! The skin came out OK. I was a bit concerned because the cooking temperature was a bit lower than I normally do for "crispy skin." I tweaked the upper vent for the last 20 minutes of the cook, but the dome temperature only rose about 25F (350F) and not near the 400F that I was hoping for. But, I was busy inside get the sides ready, so I wasn't babysitting the grill that closely.

That sliced open shot looks fine to me - a nice medium. But, if you like it a bit more on the rare side, yeah, a tad over. Here's a trick for next time doing your reverse sear. Flip the steaks every 30 seconds - twice per side, rotating 90 degrees each flip to get nice crosshatched grill marks. By flipping often, you build up the crust without much penetration of heat into the steak. A lot of this depends on the thickness, of course. A thicker steak can probably go up to a minute per side; but, the steaks in your pics should be in the 30 second range. This is also for using the lower grate, as in your pics. If using the sear grate, it's more like 15 seconds per side; and if using the main grate, bump it up to a minute per flip. Your starting temp of 115F should be OK using this technique if you were looking for med-rare. If you wanted rare, then drop down to 110F. YMMV - depending on how roaring that fire was.

In celebration of the last day of February (one month closer to Spring!) AND the fact that it was 62F here today - woo, hoo! A spun chook for dinner. And Yes, that the Meater sticking out of the chicken on the left side. Cooked @ 325F direct with smoker pot of cherry and maple. Pulled at IT of 165F. Plated with some Spring Risotto (leeks and peas) and roasted corn & parsnips. A glass of nice Chardonnay, of course!

And the BBQ Gallery chants - "Purple Crack, Purple Crack, Purple Crack!!!" Mix it one part coarsely ground Purple Crack to two parts Kosher Salt and season the meat to your liking. If you've not tried it yet, it can get a bit strong if overdone.