Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
You're working that Performer like you've had it for decades, Varis! Nicely done!
What's for Dinner?
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Pretty much rocked it out of the park..... Freshly caught / boiled boiled Gulf shrimp cocktail, caprese salad with tomatoes and basil from the garden, Burrata mozzarella, with fig balsamic vinegar drizzle, steamed fresh peas with Tony’s, and the steak was perfectly done, rare with a little crispy char on the outside. Paired and washed down with a 2014 Hall Terra Secca Cab, wow!!, glad I have several more bottles. Ben and Jerry's as soon as the wine is gone.
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Tied up a boneless turkey breast and put it on the kettle. Turned out very moist and juicy (pulled it at 165*F and rested for 30 minutes).
Nothing better than smoking your meat when it is 100F outside I always say! The poppers were HOT! I admit that I ate a couple before I snapped this pic....... Ready for this weather to move on down the road. 100F at 7000ft EL feels like 110F by the way. But at least its a dry heave as they say........ LOL
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If you don't want to do it as a traditional London broil (Sicilian marinated steak (http://www.ilfustino.com/recipes/london-broil.aspx)), you could always use some butchers twine and tie it up into a more rounded shape and do some roast beast (https://www.afamilyfeast.com/top-round-roast/). I sear it and then put it in a foil pan (small lasagna type pan) with holes in the bottom to let extra jucies escape (so it doesn't rest in them) and cook it to about 130-135*F (using the weber kettle with the baskets of lit charcoal on both sides, leaving the middle for indirect cooking). Wrap in foil, let rest for 30 minutes and carve. Either way, I always use 1/2 price or less cuts to experiment with. Happy experimenting!
Edit: Duh on my part, buy it!
Edit2: Double duh on my part...make sure you cut it perpendicular to the grain or it will be very tough and chewy, thin slices are better (pencil thick or smaller).
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Celebrating the fact that I officially sent notice to my SRLM (Line Manager) that I am retiring from the "Lab" at the contract change happening in November. Last day of work will be October 31. Free at last, Thank God I am free at last! I am now officially burning leave and start tomorrow. No more working on Friday's and soon no more working on Monday's either. In celebration I made a nice Penne Pasta dish with Italian Snausage and my favorite jar sauce (Rao's).
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Congrats, Mike. I wish you well on the "countdown" special!
No pizza night last week, so had to do it this week. Bought ingredients and made my wife make it. 
I found a really nice recipe for calzone with a ricotta/oregano/garlic/other cheese filling. Didn't have a bunch of fresh oregano so substituted some fresh genovese basil. Even with a dough made only an hour or so before, turned out really well. Half of one was enough for dinner. The basil and garlic really came through. I used whole milk ricotta, so it was very rich. Next time I might throw in some diced red onion to help build a savory flavor in the filling.
I found a really nice recipe for calzone with a ricotta/oregano/garlic/other cheese filling. Didn't have a bunch of fresh oregano so substituted some fresh genovese basil. Even with a dough made only an hour or so before, turned out really well. Half of one was enough for dinner. The basil and garlic really came through. I used whole milk ricotta, so it was very rich. Next time I might throw in some diced red onion to help build a savory flavor in the filling.
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Haven’t made pizza in a long, long time. Fixed that tonight. Store bought dough, toppings, etc, but I have to say these were some of the best pies I’ve made.
Bucking the pizza trend! A little grilling action. Wifey had to work late, so, in addition to what's in the picture, I first made a couple of pounds of mussels for a snack before dinner. Steamed in butter, thyme, shallots, garlic, and ho-made Viognier. Then for dinner, I grilled green beans (plain), yellow squash (fennel topped with parsley), and grilled corn-off-the-cob (garlic, butter, and marjoram). The protein was a tuna steak, marinated in garlic/soy/lime/lemon juice, then grilled over very high heat (1.25 minutes per side). No complaints at the Sour Grapes' household.
Way to go Mike I'm getting jealous of all of you retired folks.
Haven't pulled out the offset smoker in a while, and since it isn't supposed to rain for a couple of days, and this bright orb is in the sky (I think they call it the Sun), I bought some chunk charcoal on my rounds today and a bag of apple wood chunks. Never really used this cooker with an accurate thermometer (one supplied is 100+*F high), so set one probe up in front the the turkey, one towards the back and one in the center of the fowl breast. This will be a nice exercise in fire management. If I get good at it I should be able to do six or so racks of ribs, though I'd have to jockey them around a lot (usable area is 16" x 32"). And "if you're lookin' you ain't cookin' " is the popular cooking phrase.
I have one almost identical to yours. Never seemed to master it or the associated temp swings on this thing. Still have it on the side of the house with a cover on it. I will never get rid of it. Not sure if it was operator error or rookie skill set. I should pull it out soon as like you say you can cook a whole lot of food on it. Maybe this coming October!
That's why I bought the kettle. Now that I'm getting a bit more experienced with it, I've watched a few videos and this one has a segment in it about fire management. I just looked at it again and realized I don't have a water pan up front, which would help moderate the temperatures a bit. Aaron is always talking about a clean fire, from what I'm noticing the best way to achieve that is to leave the fire box vents wide open, the top vent wide open, and manage the amount of fuel in the firebox. That way it's a clean fire, but your always tinkering by adding some wood/chunk charcoal every hour or so. The temperature probe app on my phone is great, I can sit down here in the dungeon on the computer and monitor my temperature. When your fuel is getting low the front probe drops like a rock (10 deg every 2 or 3 minutes). Then I jump up and add some fuel, just learning how much (last refueling I hit 405*F in the front, 325 in the back, obviously a bit too much fuel).
There is something to be said about a snake of charcoal in a kettle grill. Once the vents are set it cooks right along for 4 or 5 hours, I usually only open it up to move my sensor so it isn't directly over the burning coals.
Another decent fire management video for a small offset smoker. Does eventually talk about keeping the fire clean.
Edit: and it is so wind sensitive! I just watched it drop 30*F in about 1 minute. I went upstairs and noticed some gusty wind has started up (cold front went through last night). I finally got some of my wraps for my weber bullet out and draped them over the top of the smoker. Guess the next one will have to be heavier gauge steel. This one was a good price, though, it was my brother's cooker (ie. free).
Just added some charcoal:
Added the water pan:
Clean exhaust from the stack (other than the build-up around the rim from earlier cooking sessions):
Water pan has really moderated the heat after a fuel addition. 320*F out front, 295*F behind the breast. This hunk of meat was still somewhat icy in the interior, so racing the clock to hit 165*F (135*F now, should be no problem, famous last words).
This is just too much work for a Saturday, I need another beverage.
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