tony b

Hey Sanny, welcome back. Missed your posts!

I've grown many varieties of basil plants over the years, including "lettuce leaf" basil, but this plant has the biggest leaves I've ever seen. I got the plant from Territorial Seeds and it's called Mammoth - no sh!t! My favorite thing to do with basil this big (stole this one from a good Italian place here in town) - wrap a nice log of cheese (1/4" square and 2" long - any good melting cheese - Jack, Mozzarella, Swiss, White Cheddar, etc.) inside the basil leaf. Then, wrap the whole thing inside a nice thin slice of salumi (prosciutto, salami, or soprassetta.) You can either put it under the broiler or on the grill (direct heat) for a couple of minutes on each side, until the cheese melts and the salumi starts to crisp up. I did 4 of these as my app while cooking dinner tonight. I used a chile pepper white cheddar cheese and hard salami, with a nice glass of Petite Syrah. Wonderful! If you don't have big ass basil, you can do the same thing with a couple of regular sized basil leaves.

^+1!!! There's no "right way" to cook a steak. It's whatever you like. I grew up eating medium-rare steak and just thought "that's the way they're supposed to be" - how could my Mom be wrong?

To clarify, unopened bags and partial bags stay in the garage. I have a large Rubbermade tub next to the grill where I keep enough charcoal for several cooks. (I own a split-level house, where the garage is on the level below the deck where the grill is and I'm a lazy putz!)

The winner was when she said, "... but I don't need to know." Ding, ding, ding!!

I just guessed, as that's what I used to do my frites the other night. Didn't want them fully cooked. Was thinking that you were doing the same - sort of par-cooked.

Lots of good charcoal out there, so no need to settle for crap. You've seen the Naked Whiz database. I am very partial to Weekend Warrior from Wicked Good Charcoal. The FOGO that Ken (Ceramic Chef) uses is also very good (and available on Amazon Prime!)

Thanks, MacKenzie! I was a bit worried until about bedtime. I will eat steak tartare, but only in a high end restaurant or if I make it myself and know the source of the beef.

I assume the SV was "standard" - 183F for 30 minutes?

Now I've seen it all. Lettuce on a hot dog? You silly Cannuks!

^+1. I've always been a rare-to-medium rare steak guy. Probably because the quality/grade of beef didn't lend itself to cooking to higher temps, lest it dry out and get chewy. However, I am betting that I could eat a Wagyu steak cooked to medium-well quite easily, but what a waste of all that luscious fatty goodness. YMMV

It's cheap scrap lumber, in particular moldings, sometimes even pieces that have been finished. Hence, the off-putting smells. Since most folks douse it with lighter fluid anyway, they never notice!

Great shots! Why wait til Sunday? You should have that thing unpacked and ready to go for tomorrow night!!

Thanks all, but trust me on this one, they were on the "blue side" of rare! I wouldn't normally have eaten them this rare if they had been "normal supermarket burger," but since they were a special grind, I rolled with it. Still alive and kicking today, fortunately!

Another crazy good idea from MacKenzie! Rocked it!

Yeah, that pulled pork takes it to the next level, almost like "Sunday Gravy."

Cool idea. What did you use for the tikka marsala sauce - jar or recipe?

I store my open charcoal in a rubbermaid tub on the deck next to the grill. No problems, as long as I get the lid snapped on tight.

OK, so I gave in and did burgers for dinner tonight. Not exactly smash, since they were pre-formed patties at the supermarket. However, they are made out of brisket (80/20 mix). Pre-staged. Then into a preheated cast iron skillet on the lower grate. Cheese? Yes, please. Some assembly required. Plated with double cooked fries. 1st cook in Sous Vide (183F for 40 minutes in a bag with duck fat), 2nd cook in the deep fryer with a mix of duck fat and peanut oil. Oh, and MacKenzie, that would be aioli next to the fries - the proper condiment - LOL! To be honest, need to practice a bit more using the CI skillet. Burger was too rare, even for me. Gives me an excuse to try again soon (it was a 4 pack of burger patties.)

According to the Naked Whiz's database, BGE lump is made by Royal Oak and just re-labelled. Cowboy is crap! (IMNSHO)

Thanks for the info. I have some Wondra in my pantry, so I'll check.

Good one. I took the bait - hook, line and sinker!

Excellent, as usual, MacKenzie and Happy Canada Day to all my buddies up North!!

Thanks, Charles! My biggest take-away was the "leave the edges alone" part. Never saw that bit of info before. Makes sense though.