tony b

Got a nice break from the cold weather (it was actually above freezing and in the 40s this weekend!), and I was tired of looking at that whole pork belly in my freezer, so I finally broke down and made the porchetta. OMG! I don't know how I'm going to eat this without have a major coronary! And now, the food porn! First, you need a large piece of pork belly, skin on, fresh (not brined). This one is a whole belly (13.5 lbs) that I scored from a local butcher before the holidays. Here it is trimmed to fit the pork loin roast. The rest went back into the freezer to become bacon down the road. Smeared with boursin cheese w/garlic & herbs, homemade pesto w/pistachios, and sprinkled with dried sage. All dressed up and no where to go. The shot for Dennis. Onto the KK, indirect, with Guru set to 250F, with hickory and peach wood in the smoking pot. Alright Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up. Exterior was dusted with Hawaiian red salt, fresh black pepper and garlic powder. Done. Internal temperature 180F. And, finally the money shot. Insanely rich. Unctuous. A heart attack on a plate. My only disappointment was that the skin didn't crisp up enough (chicharon), more like pork taffy - it was very soft and chewy, literally sticking to my teeth! So, I cut the skin off and cubed it. Will try deep frying it to see if I can achieve chicaron bliss!

Hang in there, buddy! Nice job on the Canadian Bacon. Tell us about the cure you did on it?

I've always been a fan of using cornstarch on fried chicken (learned it in a chinese cooking class), but will give the baking powder trick a try. Nice weather tomorrow (by that I mean it's above freezing!), so I was planning to fire up the KK anyway.

Yeah, what he said. My only add would be that if it's a windy day, I don't open the Guru damper all the way, maybe 1/2. Don't sweat small differences in cooking temperature (+/- 25F), all that matters is the internal temp of your meat in the end. That's the fun part of this adventure, learning all the techniques and tricks to add to your culinary tool box - low & slow, hot & fast, Texas crutch, reverse sear, etc. It's all good! BTW - nice looking roast there! Looks like you're well on your way!

Craig, did you get the ANOVA? Great tool for both the kitchen and the brew room in my case. I use it to get my strike water to the exact temperature that I need.

I'll probably be a lazy putz, too! Been too damned cold to stay outside to fire up the KK. Maybe tomorrow, warming up to the mid-20s - Woo, Hoo!

If you don't post pictures, we might have to "raid your dormatorium."

Welcome to the KK family. I'll try and refrain from oblique references to that Frank Zappa tune (one of my favs! I refer to the dogs as my "pigmy pooches.") Sounds like we'll be learning more from you than vice versa! Don't forget to post pics of the virgin cook. It's a "rule" here (No Pic, It Didn't Happen!) My vote for 1st cook is to roast a whole chicken. Ceramics do an outstanding job on whole/spatchcocked birds.

Thirty Below Zero wind chills right now and I have a dentist appointment in an hour! Was rather "brisk" this morning taking out the trash (It's garbage day, too!) At least I wasn't the poor guy on the garbage truck! Can't wait to see the utility bills for this month!

Won't be doing any KK-ing for the next few days. After an exceedingly mild December, January has hit full force. 8 inches of the white stuff last night and the high temp tomorrow is only going to be MINUS 7F (wind chills in the 25F BELOW ZERO range). Winter's Here!! On the bright side, my Yellow Jackets thumped poor Miss St. on NYE. Enjoyed that one after the heartbreaker to the SemiHoles in the ACC Championship game. High hopes for 2015!!

Welcome. Don't forget to post pictures of the virgin cook. It's a tradition on this site. Jump right in and start cooking.

Understand the science, and as a fan of molecular gastronomy, I applaud OTB thinking, but this one's still a "crutch" in my book. Lots of tools in the box to get a good crusted steak that is uniformly rare - sous vide and frozen. Both have worked well for me. Here's a reverse sous vide steak (sear first, then into the bath) that I did back in October. Also back in October, I did the frozen steak cook - straight out of the freezer and onto the grill. I think the frozen steak has almost none of that "well done zone" under the crust and the sous vide one is pretty small, too! I know that Doc's another fan of "roasting" his steaks, so I will try it sometime, just to compare. That's the beauty and the fun of this adventure, trying new things (OTB, baby!!)

Dude, seriously, I was going to say the exact same thing in yesterday's post! Crazy minds think alike!

Thanks, but it was all the KK's doing, with an "assist" from the Guru. The only secret to a great pork butt is patience. Let the smoker do its thing. Rubs/injections are secondary.

You know that you're a hard core addict when you have to bundle up (stocking cap, gloves, and fleece-lined jacket) to get your "fix!"

Sorry, but I'd rather do it the "old fashioned way." Kind of like adding liquid smoke to a crock pot butt and calling it Q - cheating in my book.

Killer looking pie. I've never tried to do a deep dish, but might have to give it a go sometime, just for sh!ts&gigles!

Please explain adding the charcoal to the rub?? As I recall, Tatonka Dust has it, too. I've tried it, don't get the hype.

Patience is the key to searing scallops. They will release themselves from the pan/grate/whatever if you give them time to develop the crust. Turn them ONCE! Don't futz with them or they'll stick and fall apart. Another killer dinner, Wilberpan!!

I always season before vacuum sealing for sous vide - steak, pork chops, salmon, whatever. You might want to dust it again after you take it out of the bath before searing. Does 2 things, helps with crust development during the sear, and will help absorb some of the moisture on the surface of the meat, which will promote the Maillard reaction (too much moisture and you just steam the meat = no crust). I also like to save the juice in the vacuum bag for making a nice pan sauce or to deglaze the pan after sauteing mushrooms.

I call this masterpiece "Butts at Sunrise." Cooked a bone-in butt for NYE. Injected with Butcher's BBQ Pork, rubbed with CYM and Dizzy Dust. Rested overnight in the fridge. Onto the KK, full basket, indirect, w/Guru set to 250F, smoking pot with hickory and apple. Done. IT was bumping 200F. Might have gone a little more, but was pushing kick-off time for the Orange Bowl (Go Jackets!!) The money shot.

I bought this one at the same time, based upon the killer review it got at Cook's Illustrated. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008M5U1C2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Initially, I wasn't impressed, as it was very light weight (plastic handle). But, now that I've owned it for a month, I have to say that I "get it" from the Cook's review. Crazy sharp and easy to keep sharp with a steel. Just not a "work horse" knife if you have a lot of cutting/chopping to do (the light weight causes hand fatigue, since you're supplying alot of the force). But, for the price, it's a damned good knife, too (still love the one above more).

Despite the Artic weather, fired up the KK yesterday to do a whole chicken. Love me some roasted bird! Injected with Butcher's Herb and left uncovered overnight in the fridge to tighten up the skin. Brushed with oil and rubbed with S&P mixed with ground garlic and rosemary. Onto the grill (logo shot for Dennis). Used the split basket, cooked on the indirect half vertically @ 325F, rotated 180o every 30 minutes for 1.5 hours. Peach wood for smoke. Finished the last 30 minutes direct side, horizontal (15 minutes on top and bottom). Decent crispy skin. Juicy bird as usual on the KK. I still swear that no grill does poultry better than a ceramic one. Tossed on some asparagus as a side. Brushed with lemon olive oil, sesame oil, salt and sansyo pepper. Supper's Ready