tony b

The aji and ghost pepper ones will definitely "get your attention!"

Well today was bottling day. To finish off the discussion above, I did find some mold on the surface of the red pepper batch, but not the others. Just scraped it off before I dumped the mash into the chinois to strain out the fibers and seeds. Next, mixed in rice vinegar with a pinch or two of salt and into the bottles. The aji (yellow) and chocolate ghost (brown) also got a bit of roasted garlic paste to add some flavor to balance out the heat. The red came out much milder than I was expecting, so it only got half as much rice vinegar as the hotter two, to not overly mask the flavor of the peppers.

You guys are getting it - it's a cross between a clove-like numbness and chile pepper heat, with some other nice side notes tossed in. I think it's similar to Szechuan peppercorns. I've been using this stuff in a lot of things since I got my bag earlier this year from Aussie. I have a flaked salt mix with 2 parts purple crack to 1 part salt that I shake on as I'm cooking. I also have a grinder with the straight stuff right by the stove as well and use it interchangeably with black pepper. Part of the reason that I named it Purple Crack, as I've found it quite addictive. Here's some pics of ribs, chicken and eggs done with the purple crack. All pics are uncooked so you can see how they stain food purple.

Indeed!

Cracked egg! (pun intended)

Sort of like MacKenzie's own house Chalet chicken?

I have used these and like them, plus it support folks with disabilities. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C3KO7X0 DAMN, no longer available!! These look similar. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MRF8FNL

Can't get it here, but others on the Forum have made positive comments about Lazarri charcoal. It's just the nature of some charcoals to spark more than others. I understand your concerns, given the wildfires in So Cal. What method are you using to start your charcoal?

I found that to be true, as well. Bought a couple of nice NY strips that were 100% grass fed. My dinner guest and I both commented that the meat was very tough. It had decent flavor, but was very chewy. I haven't bought any more of them. If you scope out Snake River Farms, be prepared for some sticker shock! They have great stuff, but it ain't cheap!

Never had a turkey egg (or seen one) before. I've had duck and quail eggs and other than size, there's not a lot of difference in taste/texture. Supposedly duck eggs are "richer" - whatever that means?

Of course there's salad, it wouldn't be an Aussie cook without salad!

I love to sleep in, but my dogs have other ideas! They want breakfast and to go out usually between 5:30am and 6:00am, but we go back to bed and finally get up around 7:30am most days.

Did it impart any raspberry flavor to the ribs?

Nice cook, Aussie! @Bruce Pearson - WTF are you doing up at 3am? Only legit reason is to start a whole packer brisket for dinner!

@Bruce Pearson - I kept mine in the refrigerator in the butter compartment for a year (I just looked at my original order in Amazon.) Even though I use it a lot, there was a lot of it in the jar, so it lasted me quite a while and I never noticed any spoilage. @MacKenzie - I chop it up as small as I can (it sticks to knife blades something fierce!) and mix it in with my butter and cream in the sous vide bag. It mashes out well with the potatoes, but does make your mashed potatoes kind of brown in color. Throw in some purple crack and really color things up!

SWEET!

I will - NOPE! Yeah, the black garlic cloves are almost like gummy bears in texture. I just got my 2nd order of them. I absolutely love them in mashed potatoes! Great suggestion, Robert. Haven't made a batch of red beans and rice in a while and I have both andouille and tasso in the freezer. Maybe Monday (when else? LOL!)

Beat ya to the punch, MacKenzie. We had a very light dusting here last night. At first this morning I thought we'd just had a heavy frost, but looking closer, it was snow. None in the yard or driveway, but on the roof, deck and on the truck parked in the driveway. And the high today was 28F. Yeah, winter's here! Didn't stop me from firing up the KK for dinner tonight - a nice pork steak. Sorry, no pics, wasn't in the mood to drag out the camera.

I do have to admit, they are one of my "guilty pleasures," as the crust is very good and there's loads of chicken chunks in it. The only fault, believe it or not, is not enough vegetables! I'd be OK with a little less gravy and more veggies.

Depends on the pie and the cake - I'll take a Red Velvet cake (my fav) or a German Chocolate one over rhubarb pie (hate it!) any day! Now if we're talking Dutch apple or pecan pies, then, maybe it's a toss up?

Love the "Mad Max" angle - especially the saw blades!! I see a lot of Santa Maria style tri-tips getting roasted on that baby!

And here I am having a Marie Callendar's frozen chicken pot pie for lunch!

Only happened once, but it was epic! Sort of like poor Jon's slip & slide adventure with the whole pie! The crust stuck and I jammed real hard with the peel, only to watch the cheese and topping slide half-way off the pizza onto the peel. Fortunately, I was able to get the crust off on the next jab and reconstruct the pizza back in the kitchen. Not the prettiest pie ever made, but at least I got to eat mine, unlike Jon!

I'd eat that steak in a heartbeat! And who doesn't love pie? Nicely done, Shuley!

Or, while trying to get the pizza back onto the peel to take off, watch as the cheese and toppings slide onto the peel, but the crust sticks and stays behind!