Pequod Posted July 15, 2018 Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 4 hours ago, tekobo said: Belated Happy Bastille Day @Pequod. Your cook looks really good. Question for you. Your daughter loved the Milk Street version. Did she love these more "authentic" versions or does she prefer the modified recipe from Milk Street? I plan to try it myself sometime. We would both rank these as: 1) Nigerian, 2) Bazaar (close second), 3) Milk Street. Not that the Milk Street version was bad by any means. I quite liked it. It’s a reasonable approximation of the real thing with readily available ingredients. However, there is a certain je ne sais quoi in the other versions. The real epiphany for me is that I have a spice shop nearby that sells high quality, authentic blends using the correct ingredients, not just approximations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted July 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 37 minutes ago, Pequod said: We would both rank these as: 1) Nigerian, 2) Bazaar (close second), 3) Milk Street. Hurrah! 37 minutes ago, Pequod said: The real epiphany for me is that I have a spice shop nearby that sells high quality, authentic blends using the correct ingredients, not just approximations. The Husband and I, having often spent hours trailing round a new city trying to find some special item and then finally finding it just a few minutes from where we started, have a theory. It is: "Everything you could ever want is usually within 5 miles of where you are." You just have to look. Not always true of course but it works very well as a good starting assumption. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 15, 2018 Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 8 hours ago, Pequod said: However, there is a certain je ne sais quoi in the other versions. Funny, I resemble that remark! But, I totally agree. I have a couple of specialty spices coming that I hope are that missing taste. Plus, I've ordered Nigerian Maggi cubes in hopes that they are part of the equation, as well. If not, then this will have been an expensive lark! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted July 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2018 11 hours ago, tony b said: Funny, I resemble that remark! But, I totally agree. I have a couple of specialty spices coming that I hope are that missing taste. Plus, I've ordered Nigerian Maggi cubes in hopes that they are part of the equation, as well. If not, then this will have been an expensive lark! This is really funny. I have not used a Maggi cube in years. We got told at some point that they were full of MSG and so abandoned them. You may be on to something though. I have not managed to get my stews to taste like back home since I stopped using back home spices. I hope you find the missing taste. I will share what I know when my Mum arrives with the ingredients and I try making some myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 17, 2018 Report Share Posted July 17, 2018 A minor setback - package tracking says my Maggi cubes won't arrive today as originally promised, but now on Thursday!! WAH!! Looks like it will be Friday before I can mix up a new batch and do some skewers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Picked up my Konro today and just had to do my Suya cook as the first cook. Yesterday I broke up some of Dennis' coffee and coco lump. This is just a sample of what I did. The 3 cookers. I happen to have some very well dried softwood and hardwood to start my fire. In the bottom of the SoloStove I put some of the softwood and a couple of pieces of hardwood, set that burning then added some coffee wood for this cook. I actually took some of it out before lighting and it worked just fine. Once the coffee wood was going I moved it to the Konro. A little air from the blower and the fire was good to go. Prepared some beef tenderloin for this Suya cook and let it marinate for a few hours prior to lighting the fire. Plated. Yum, almost on the edge of mouth over-burn for me. Perfect. Next might be chicken. The coals were still going after this cook so I used tongs and put them back into the SoloStove inside the KK and shout the KK down. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrus Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Looks brand new Mac, the cooker that is, very nice. Oh, a complementary meal too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 New this afternoon, works great but it's not a piece of art like a KK is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted July 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Gosh, I am soooo jealous @MacKenzie! The konro grill looks great as does the food. Was it a different way of cooking? How would you say that it complements/contrasts with KK cooking? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Yes! Do tell! Can’t wait to get my Konro. Wife will be surprised and pleased that I’ve covered my own Christmas shopping again. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 (edited) I was going to use the Konro to roast some tomatoes for lunch but didn't have the energy after spending a few hours sawing up limbs from some large fallen tree branches caused by a wind storm. Actually I was too pooped to pant. I think of the Konro as something similar to a fondue. It's for people who like to play with their food as it cooks. Next time I will light a bigger fire and one of these times I will try regular lump to see what happens but that coffee lump was very good. Didn't try the coco lump yet. @ Pequod, that means you can't use it until Xmas. Edited July 19, 2018 by MacKenzie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 (edited) Suppose I could get these into my Konro? You just know what the next job is....... Edited July 19, 2018 by MacKenzie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Actually I thought I get the suya spice a couple weeks ago, but yesterday the actual suya spice arrived from the Bazaar Spice Co. along with some sugar coated fennel seeds. I put some suya spice in my glass of V8 and it tasted pretty good. The spice I thought was the suya is actually Aleppo pepper. I think they added the Sugarcoated fennel as a thank you for ordering the Suya. Anyway now I have the suya all I have to do is defrost my skirt steak and cook it. Wish me luck lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 I don’t why my last answer came to this thread. But nicecook Mac it looks delicious! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Go for it, Bruce I will be watching. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 15 minutes ago, Bruce Pearson said: Actually I thought I get the suya spice a couple weeks ago, but yesterday the actual suya spice arrived from the Bazaar Spice Co. along with some sugar coated fennel seeds. I put some suya spice in my glass of V8 and it tasted pretty good. The spice I thought was the suya is actually Aleppo pepper. I think they added the Sugarcoated fennel as a thank you for ordering the Suya. Anyway now I have the suya all I have to do is defrost my skirt steak and cook it. Wish me luck lol Bruce, the Bazaar Spice suya pepper is excellent, and very similar to @tekobo's Nigerian suya pepper. You won't be disappointed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Funny, but they sent me some of the sugar coated fennel seeds too! Must be their version of a "lagniappe." My Nigerian Maggi cubes came yesterday, so now I'm set to whip up the next incarnation of my suya rub recipe and see if the 2-3 changes I have planned will find that magic sweet spot (Je ne sais quoi?") 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 21, 2018 Report Share Posted July 21, 2018 Well, while today's experiment didn't find the elusive "je ne sais quoi" in tekobo's spice mix, I have to say that it's pretty damn good regardless. The major changes were Nigerian Maggi cubes, Javanese long pepper, Grains of Salim, Indian chili pepper, and some Urfa Biber. In a side by side tasting of my previous batch (#1), this batch (#2) and tekobo's blend (T), I have to give the nod to Batch #2. By the end of dinner, my nose was running and the top of my head was sweating! Plated with local sweet corn (amazing!), some nice toasted cumin seed Basmati rice and side salad. The TJ wine (GSM - Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre) was a perfect accompaniment. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 21, 2018 Report Share Posted July 21, 2018 Awesome dinner, Tony, you are on a roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted July 21, 2018 Report Share Posted July 21, 2018 Wow Tony that looks really delicious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
