Author Topic: What's Cooking (Read 74064 times)

PeterJJames13 · « **Reply #540 on:** August 05, 2019, 10:38 AM »

Those Webers have great capacity, especially for the money. And they clean up real well. I'm still a BGE guy myself. Of course, I'm a BGE and Weber dealer and have both. But for larger direct cooks, can't beat those Weber Kettles. And I see you got the one with the ash management system - sweet pickup. You'll be able to grill quite a bit more with that than with the little Weber Smokey Joe you have there in the background.

DynaGlide · « **Reply #541 on:** August 05, 2019, 11:00 AM »

Quote from: PeterJJames13 on August 05, 2019, 10:38 AM

Those Webers have great capacity, especially for the money. And they clean up real well. I'm still a BGE guy myself. Of course, I'm a BGE and Weber dealer and have both. But for larger direct cooks, can't beat those Weber Kettles. And I see you got the one with the ash management system - sweet pickup. You'll be able to grill quite a bit more with that than with the little Weber Smokey Joe you have there in the background.

@PeterJJames13 The 26er is actually joining my fleet. I also own a 2006 2nd Gen dark blue Performer updated with the black metal table and a 2015+ taco lid, and a Large BGE. I cook just about every night all year round. My Performer was also second hand. You're right about these Weber's cleaning up nice.

If I could only have one, it would be the BGE. It's too versatile with a Ceramic Grill Store Adjustable Rig.

PeterJJames13 · « **Reply #542 on:** August 05, 2019, 11:04 AM »

@DynaGlide I don't think there's a better value in grills than the Weber Performer series. Pretty much half the price of the BGE with a much larger cooking surface. And the ignition is pretty nifty as well. Definitely not as versatile as an egg, but a solid performer (see what I did there?) no less. I'm out of room, but I would pick up a Performer in a NY minute.

Cheese · « **Reply #543 on:** August 11, 2019, 10:08 AM »

Here's an interesting article. Thanks to an Egyptologist & a Microbiologist this is a recent version of the "Way-Back Machine."

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1158264819503419392.html

An interesting side note is that our local grocer carries Einkorn flour.

GoingMyWay · « **Reply #544 on:** August 11, 2019, 06:02 PM »

Wow I can't believe someone actually made bread from that... and then ate it! I get paranoid about leftovers that have been kicking around for more than a couple of days!

Last night we made Shoyu (soy sauce) Ramen using a "quick" dashi recipe. We cooked pork spare ribs in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes to make the broth. The broth was seasoned with sake, fish sauce, and soy sauce.

We couldn't find plain fresh ramen noodles, so we bought a commercial fresh shoyu ramen for its noodles and discarded the broth packet. We also bought fresh yakisoba noodles to try on Monday. They look almost identical to ramen noodles, but I believe they are slightly different.

We made soft boiled eggs (dropped into boiling water for 6 minutes) and a soybean topping to go with the ramen.

We took some of the pork meat to make a topping for silken tofu.

This morning I had another fail. I was attempting to make eggs benedict using sous vide. I cooked the hollandaise and eggs for 45 minutes at 149 degrees. The sauce broke! I didn't really realize that the sauce had broken until I started spooning out the sauce onto the eggs and english muffin. By that that point it was too late so we just ate it as is. We were also missing canadian bacon, but it's just as well since the sauce was a big time fail.

My original plan was to use America's Test Kitchen's hollandaise recipe, which says to use softened butter instead of melted butter since that creates an emulsified sauce as opposed to trying to emulsify a broken sauce (with melted butter). I should have stuck to my initial plan, but I hadn't taken the butter out to soften and using the water bath seemed like the super easy way out. I know better for next time!

DynaGlide · « **Reply #545 on:** August 11, 2019, 07:57 PM »

@GoingMyWay You're much fancier than me. All of my meals consist of salt, pepper, meat, vegetables, and hot coals.

Tonight I played around with my new to me 26" Weber and made a porterhouse, zucchini, and hot dogs for the kiddos

BMH · « **Reply #546 on:** August 11, 2019, 09:48 PM »

Just got a outdoor wok https://www.amazon.com/Eastman-Outdoors-37212-Outdoor-Gourmet/dp/B0002OOMRG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1500432186&sr=8-2&keywords=outdoor+wok+burner&linkCode=ll1&tag=nomlist00-20&linkId=8abc3af0b403c3b027a6b234647ae3b5 to add to my Green Egg. Tonight was pork bellies, with stir fry vegetable and rice spice up with chili oil. Just amazing what you can do with 65,000 BTU and a wok. Best part no mess inside the house.

GoingMyWay · « **Reply #547 on:** August 12, 2019, 09:58 AM »

Quote from: DynaGlide on August 11, 2019, 07:57 PM

@GoingMyWay You're much fancier than me. All of my meals consist of salt, pepper, meat, vegetables, and hot coals.

Tonight I played around with my new to me 26" Weber and made a porterhouse, zucchini, and hot dogs for the kiddos

I like simple too! Love those diamond grill marks. I'm glad to see you posting some of your food pics on here. I know you mostly post the grilling pics on your Instagram.

Quote from: BMH on August 11, 2019, 09:48 PM

Just got a outdoor wok https://www.amazon.com/Eastman-Outdoors-37212-Outdoor-Gourmet/dp/B0002OOMRG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1500432186&sr=8-2&keywords=outdoor+wok+burner&linkCode=ll1&tag=nomlist00-20&linkId=8abc3af0b403c3b027a6b234647ae3b5 to add to my Green Egg. Tonight was pork bellies, with stir fry vegetable and rice spice up with chili oil. Just amazing what you can do with 65,000 BTU and a wok. Best part no mess inside the house.

I'm so jealous!! I've been wanting The Wonder Wok for the last 3 years! I think I asked my wife for one for my birthday last year, but I got another Weber grill instead. I'm in desperate need of that "wok hei" at home!

DynaGlide · « **Reply #548 on:** August 12, 2019, 10:48 AM »

@GoingMyWay Simple is out of necessity for me. With work and young children I think what I cook is more than most my age anyhow. I'm manning one of my grills almost every night of the week all year long. You're right I don't cross post much here. .I don't feel worthy compared to some of these meals I see. I'm very much a Ron Swanson when it comes to cooking and eating.

That 26" kettle is quickly becoming a favorite for me. My wife knows I won't get rid of the Performer because I have a rotisserie setup for it that she gave me a few years back. I am contemplating a 26" Performer custom though. . .

Since you're a Weber guy have you been to Village Hardware over by US-1? If not I won't spoil it for you. When you get there ask to see the basement.

Ceramic Grill Store sells a nice wok setup too that's worth checking out. I have a bunch of their stuff for my BGE that has gotten loads of use.

Cheese · « **Reply #549 on:** August 12, 2019, 11:50 AM »

Quote from: PeterJJames13 on August 05, 2019, 11:04 AM

I don't think there's a better value in grills than the Weber Performer series. Pretty much half the price of the BGE with a much larger cooking surface. And the ignition is pretty nifty as well. Definitely not as versatile as an egg, but a solid performer (see what I did there?) no less. I'm out of room, but I would pick up a Performer in a NY minute.

Well speaking about Weber Performer grills...here's the model I purchased in 2001. It's lived its entire life outside and other than replacing a grate now & then, it's never needed any other service. The reason for this post though is to let other Performer owners know that I've finally found a cover that I think will outlast the ORIGINAL Weber cover.

The ORIGINAL Weber cover lasted about 6-8 years, however Weber at some point decided to change the material and then manufacture them in China and the actual life span went down to only about 1-2 years.

I just received this from Grillstuff and I'm amazed with the quality. It's a very heavy urethane coated canvas that's 18 mils thick. Made in the USA, it's actually cheaper (and a lot heavier) than the Weber Chinese version.

https://www.grillstuff.com/products/weber-performer-charcoal-grill-cover-2004-and-older

PeterJJames13 · « **Reply #550 on:** August 12, 2019, 11:58 AM »

Quote from: Cheese on August 12, 2019, 11:50 AM

Quote from: PeterJJames13 on August 05, 2019, 11:04 AM
I don't think there's a better value in grills than the Weber Performer series. Pretty much half the price of the BGE with a much larger cooking surface. And the ignition is pretty nifty as well. Definitely not as versatile as an egg, but a solid performer (see what I did there?) no less. I'm out of room, but I would pick up a Performer in a NY minute.

Well speaking about Weber Performer grills...here's the model I purchased in 2001. It's lived its entire life outside and other than replacing a grate now & then, it's never needed any other service. The reason for this post though is to let other Performer owners know that I've finally found a cover that I think will outlast the ORIGINAL Weber cover.

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

The ORIGINAL Weber cover lasted about 6-8 years, however Weber at some point decided to change the material and then manufacture them in China and the actual life span went down to only about 1-2 years.

I just received this from Grillstuff and I'm amazed with the quality. It's a very heavy urethane coated canvas that's 18 mils thick. Made in the USA, it's actually cheaper (and a lot heavier) than the Weber Chinese version.

https://www.grillstuff.com/products/weber-performer-charcoal-grill-cover-2004-and-older

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

Those are nice covers. I've heard good things about the Kingkong covers as well from customers. There was a period a few years back where Weber covers were garbage. They changed material and would get VERY stiff and brittle over a short period of time. The newer (2017-current) covers seem to have fixed that as well. Bottom line is this - USE A COVER! Part of our offerings are grill cleanings and I can easily spot a grill that's been kept covered and one that hasn't. And for those that have gas grills (I'm a charcoal guy, myself), why expose your igniter to the elements?

DynaGlide · « **Reply #551 on:** August 12, 2019, 12:09 PM »

I can validate the crappy cover era. One i bought had holes everywhere within a year. New one feels like silk, time will tell how it does.

PeterJJames13 · « **Reply #552 on:** August 12, 2019, 12:18 PM »

Quote from: DynaGlide on August 12, 2019, 12:09 PM

I can validate the crappy cover era. One i bought had holes everywhere within a year. New one feels like silk, time will tell how it does.

They're literally like a pair of unwashed clothes - the covers can stand up on their own. Terrible. I think it turned a LOT of people off. Weber should have done something for their customers who bought one.

Cheese · « **Reply #553 on:** August 12, 2019, 12:22 PM »

Quote from: DynaGlide on August 12, 2019, 10:48 AM

Simple is out of necessity for me. With work and young children I think what I cook is more than most my age anyhow. I'm manning one of my grills almost every night of the week all year long.

Well @DynaGlide it doesn't get much simpler than this...last evening's eats.

Fresh Minnesota grown corn with lime butter and grilled skin-on chicken breasts. Nummy

I grilled extra corn to either make a corn salad or a corn pasta dish for Tuesday.

DynaGlide · « **Reply #554 on:** August 12, 2019, 12:38 PM »

Quote from: PeterJJames13 on August 12, 2019, 12:18 PM

Quote from: DynaGlide on August 12, 2019, 12:09 PM
I can validate the crappy cover era. One i bought had holes everywhere within a year. New one feels like silk, time will tell how it does.

They're literally like a pair of unwashed clothes - the covers can stand up on their own. Terrible. I think it turned a LOT of people off. Weber should have done something for their customers who bought one.

That's the one. I was really hesitant to buy another Weber cover after that experience.

GoingMyWay · « **Reply #555 on:** August 13, 2019, 11:04 AM »

Quote from: DynaGlide on August 12, 2019, 10:48 AM

@GoingMyWay Simple is out of necessity for me. With work and young children I think what I cook is more than most my age anyhow. I'm manning one of my grills almost every night of the week all year long. You're right I don't cross post much here. .I don't feel worthy compared to some of these meals I see. I'm very much a Ron Swanson when it comes to cooking and eating.

That 26" kettle is quickly becoming a favorite for me. My wife knows I won't get rid of the Performer because I have a rotisserie setup for it that she gave me a few years back. I am contemplating a 26" Performer custom though. . . Since you're a Weber guy have you been to Village Hardware over by US-1? If not I won't spoil it for you. When you get there ask to see the basement.

Ceramic Grill Store sells a nice wok setup too that's worth checking out. I have a bunch of their stuff for my BGE that has gotten loads of use.

The meal doesn't have to be fancy to be shared! Besides everyone loves to see a nice grilled piece of meat!

I've never heard of Village Hardware before, but it sounds like I'm gonna have to pay them a visit. Will that wok setup work with a Weber or only on a BGE?

Quote from: PeterJJames13 on August 12, 2019, 11:58 AM

Quote from: Cheese on August 12, 2019, 11:50 AM
Quote from: PeterJJames13 on August 05, 2019, 11:04 AM
I don't think there's a better value in grills than the Weber Performer series. Pretty much half the price of the BGE with a much larger cooking surface. And the ignition is pretty nifty as well. Definitely not as versatile as an egg, but a solid performer (see what I did there?) no less. I'm out of room, but I would pick up a Performer in a NY minute.

Well speaking about Weber Performer grills...here's the model I purchased in 2001. It's lived its entire life outside and other than replacing a grate now & then, it's never needed any other service. The reason for this post though is to let other Performer owners know that I've finally found a cover that I think will outlast the ORIGINAL Weber cover.

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

The ORIGINAL Weber cover lasted about 6-8 years, however Weber at some point decided to change the material and then manufacture them in China and the actual life span went down to only about 1-2 years.

I just received this from Grillstuff and I'm amazed with the quality. It's a very heavy urethane coated canvas that's 18 mils thick. Made in the USA, it's actually cheaper (and a lot heavier) than the Weber Chinese version.

https://www.grillstuff.com/products/weber-performer-charcoal-grill-cover-2004-and-older

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

Those are nice covers. I've heard good things about the Kingkong covers as well from customers. There was a period a few years back where Weber covers were garbage. They changed material and would get VERY stiff and brittle over a short period of time. The newer (2017-current) covers seem to have fixed that as well. Bottom line is this - USE A COVER! Part of our offerings are grill cleanings and I can easily spot a grill that's been kept covered and one that hasn't. And for those that have gas grills (I'm a charcoal guy, myself), why expose your igniter to the elements?

Any idea if this cover is any good: https://www.amazon.com/Weber-7151-Storage-Performers-Folding/dp/B00N65AIEO/? It's kinda weird. I got my new grill last September for my birthday, but I thought I checked and couldn't find any covers for models with a folding table. Maybe I just missed or this is new. I think I more likely just missed it.

Quote from: Cheese on August 12, 2019, 12:22 PM

Quote from: DynaGlide on August 12, 2019, 10:48 AM
Simple is out of necessity for me. With work and young children I think what I cook is more than most my age anyhow. I'm manning one of my grills almost every night of the week all year long.

Well @DynaGlide it doesn't get much simpler than this...last evening's eats.

Fresh Minnesota grown corn with lime butter and grilled skin-on chicken breasts. Nummy

I grilled extra corn to either make a corn salad or a corn pasta dish for Tuesday.

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

That corn looks great!

I bought 2 packages of english muffins to make the eggs benedict so I made some breakfast sandwiches to use up the surplus:

PeterJJames13 · « **Reply #556 on:** August 13, 2019, 12:02 PM »

@DynaGlide I just saw you mention the Ceramic Grill Store! Tom & Terri are awesome. I actually have an adjustable rig in one egg and a PS Woo in the other. Though my Woo has seen better days - may be time for a replacement. Nothing better than six racks of ribs horizontally on the adjustable rig smoking away!

Cheese · « **Reply #557 on:** August 13, 2019, 12:37 PM »

Quote from: GoingMyWay on August 13, 2019, 11:04 AM

Any idea if this cover is any good: https://www.amazon.com/Weber-7151-Storage-Performers-Folding/dp/B00N65AIEO/? It's kinda weird. I got my new grill last September for my birthday, but I thought I checked and couldn't find any covers for models with a folding table. Maybe I just missed or this is new. I think I more likely just missed it.

Man I'd be leery of purchasing that one. I think that's the same as my previous cover and it was horrible. The first 6 months are fine, then it starts to get brittle and it acts like shrink wrap and actually shrinks to the grill. It becomes difficult to remove. Then it starts to crack and the black exterior starts to flake off. Eventually when you remove it, it will stand up on its own, like a table.

Love the breakfast sandwich idea.

GoingMyWay · « **Reply #558 on:** August 13, 2019, 12:48 PM »

Good thing I asked. I think I bought a Weber cover for my regular grill back in 2008 and that thing cracked probably within a year and eventually blew off in a wind storm. I never replaced it with any other cover. I'm fine living life on the edge going coverless.

The breakfast sandwich was super easy. I just cracked the egg into a small glass bowl so the diameter was approximately the same as the english muffin. Poked the yolk with a fork, seasoned with salt and pepper, and microwaved it for 30 seconds and then another 30 seconds kinda on and off again so as not to have the egg explode.

DynaGlide · « **Reply #559 on:** August 13, 2019, 01:29 PM »

Quote from: PeterJJames13 on August 13, 2019, 12:02 PM

@DynaGlide I just saw you mention the Ceramic Grill Store! Tom & Terri are awesome. I actually have an adjustable rig in one egg and a PS Woo in the other. Though my Woo has seen better days - may be time for a replacement. Nothing better than six racks of ribs horizontally on the adjustable rig smoking away!

@PeterJJames13 Before I even bought my LBGE I had a birthday, did my homework, and got the oval Ribs and Brisket adjustable rig setup with the extended option. I've never cooked without it. I just spent a day cleaning it up since I've been pretty bad about just letting the fire do the cleaning for me. It took a while but it turned out nice. Not back to new mind you, I'm not that anal about it, but I could start to see the shiny SS in some spots. I've never done 6 racks at once. Most I did was 4 I think. Maybe I need to pickup a third cooking grate from them

PeterJJames13 · « **Reply #560 on:** August 13, 2019, 01:36 PM »

Quote from: DynaGlide on August 13, 2019, 01:29 PM

Quote from: PeterJJames13 on August 13, 2019, 12:02 PM
@DynaGlide I just saw you mention the Ceramic Grill Store! Tom & Terri are awesome. I actually have an adjustable rig in one egg and a PS Woo in the other. Though my Woo has seen better days - may be time for a replacement. Nothing better than six racks of ribs horizontally on the adjustable rig smoking away!

@PeterJJames13 Before I even bought my LBGE I had a birthday, did my homework, and got the oval Ribs and Brisket adjustable rig setup with the extended option. I've never cooked without it. I just spent a day cleaning it up since I've been pretty bad about just letting the fire do the cleaning for me. It took a while but it turned out nice. Not back to new mind you, I'm not that anal about it, but I could start to see the shiny SS in some spots. I've never done 6 racks at once. Most I did was 4 I think. Maybe I need to pickup a third cooking grate from them

It's tight, but that third oval rack will fit! And they do clean up nice, given they live their life in grease lol.

My Woo is just literally shot - all bent up and distorted. When I got it, one of the tabs was bent. I called Tom and he swiftly offered me a replacement, which I politely declined. That was about four years ago and it's still going, but I don't think I can get more than one more year out of it.

I don't remember how, but my oval stone cracked in half. WIthout giving it a second thought, I bought a replacement asap. Something about their stones - I just like them. Even now, BGE has FINALLY caught up with their "Eggspander Kit", and it's a good seller of mine. It's a blatant ripoff of the Woo. ANd they came out with half stones etc as well. But I've had them for years well before BGE even thought about it.

I firmly believe their Spider is the sleeper in their lineup. I have and use those all the time. In fact, I use my large Spider and put the cast iron grate for the MiniMax (My new favorite BGE by the way) on it. Drops my steaks closer to the coals for searing. The beauty of the Egg and all these aftermarket accessories (Smokeware is another great company) is how creative you can get. Definitely pick up a Spider though - they're cheap enough and well worth it.

GoingMyWay · « **Reply #561 on:** August 14, 2019, 11:35 AM »

I thought I had posted this dish already, but I guess I hadn't.

Last night, I made Japanese Curry with chopped up chicken breasts in the pressure cooker. Sometimes we just have vegetable curry or sometimes we put chicken, beef, or beef tendon in. Usually we'll just use carrots and potatoes if we're serving the curry with a pork katsu cutlet.

It's really easy to make in the electric pressure cooker with the curry roux bricks. If you like Japanese Curry, this is a perfect dish for your Instant Pot @Bob Marino.

DynaGlide · « **Reply #562 on:** August 18, 2019, 03:14 PM »

I have 14lb of pork finishing up on the Big Green Egg. Once it hits around 200 I'll foil it and throw it in the cooler for some time at the pool until dinner.

PeterJJames13 · « **Reply #563 on:** August 18, 2019, 03:16 PM »

Looks good @DynaGlide - I like the adjustable rig as well!

GoingMyWay · « **Reply #564 on:** August 19, 2019, 03:13 PM »

Yesterday I made eggs Benedict again. This time I made sure to follow America's Test Kitchen's instructions.

Much better results! I also made fried potatoes.

Peter Halle · « **Reply #565 on:** August 19, 2019, 08:22 PM »

Quote from: GoingMyWay on August 19, 2019, 03:13 PM

Yesterday I made eggs Benedict again. This time I made sure to follow America's Test Kitchen's instructions.

Much better results! I also made fried potatoes.

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That is the first food thing that has looked appetizing to me in a week. Might have to try that later this week!

Peter

GoingMyWay · « **Reply #566 on:** August 19, 2019, 08:30 PM »

You definitely should make it! It was pretty easy to make too.

I got the eggs Benedict recipe from the YouTube video: .

For the fried potatoes, I just peel and cut up raw yukon gold potatoes. Then I cover them with plastic wrap and microwave for like 8-10 minutes. Then I fry in some butter in a skillet until they're crisp.

Cheese · « **Reply #567 on:** August 19, 2019, 10:48 PM »

Quote from: GoingMyWay on August 19, 2019, 03:13 PM

Yesterday I made eggs Benedict again. This time I made sure to follow America's Test Kitchen's instructions.

Much better results! I also made fried potatoes.

The eggs benedict look delicious, I'll also steal your secret for the fried potatoes.

Trying to find some lean ham/Canadian bacon for the eggs benedict has always been my conundrum.

Last evening I made Scallops on wilted Arugula with Balsamic Vinegar. Simple & delicious. After a 10 minute prep it becomes a 10 minute meal.

Six scallops are approximately 1/2#, while the arugula is wilted with fresh garlic, EVOO salt and pepper and a splash of balsamic. Toasted pine nuts are added as are shards of fresh Parmesano Reggiano. I could eat this 7 nights a week.

Make sure you dry the scallops throughly before you fry them, otherwise they'll release too much water and you'll never produce a frond.

SRSemenza · « **Reply #568 on:** August 20, 2019, 04:47 AM »

MMMM, I love eggs Benedict. I too have used the ATK recipe. Actually just about anytime you want to cook something, especially something tricky to get right ATK / Cook's Illustrated has figured out the details to make it work well.

Seth

GoingMyWay · « **Reply #569 on:** August 20, 2019, 09:46 AM »

Quote from: Cheese on August 19, 2019, 10:48 PM

The eggs benedict look delicious, I'll also steal your secret for the fried potatoes. Trying to find some lean ham/Canadian bacon for the eggs benedict has always been my conundrum.

Last evening I made Scallops on wilted Arugula with Balsamic Vinegar. Simple & delicious. After a 10 minute prep it becomes a 10 minute meal.

(Attachment Link)

Six scallops are approximately 1/2#, while the arugula is wilted with fresh garlic, EVOO salt and pepper and a splash of balsamic. Toasted pine nuts are added as are shards of fresh Parmesano Reggiano. I could eat this 7 nights a week.

Make sure you dry the scallops throughly before you fry them, otherwise they'll release too much water and you'll never produce a frond.

I believe I learned the trick of microwaving the potatoes before frying from America's Test Kitchen. We always buy Jones brand Canadian Bacon. Is that not available in your area? We sometimes buy a big bulk pack from Costco. I think the only other brand of Canadian Bacon that I've seen is Hormel.

Quote from: SRSemenza on August 20, 2019, 04:47 AM

MMMM, I love eggs Benedict. I too have used the ATK recipe. Actually just about anytime you want to cook something, especially something tricky to get right ATK / Cook's Illustrated has figured out the details to make it work well.

Seth

They do have some good recipes! I have a hard copy of the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. I use their recipe for chicken and dumplings and pound cake. I also use their recipe (tweaked slightly) for Hot and Sour Soup. Everybody really likes this version of the soup!