What's for Dinner?

[Boatboy24]

Oh yeah, forgot the sizzle vid. This was the third - and probably best - pie.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAr-kEVXIvw[/ame]

 

[GreginND]

Fresh baby beets from the garden. Made a nice curry.

 

[ibglowin]

Whats for Sunday Brunch!

Love this time of year. Tomatoes are still a few weeks out but coming on strong with all the heat we have been having. I picked my first pepper from the garden this AM, tossed in some basil, tarragon, lemon thyme all from the garden as well some onion and cherry tomatoes. Add a little grated Trader Joe's Cheddar-Gruyere blend and done! The pepper was labeled as "Garden Salsa" variety. Looked sorta like a Pasilla. Long, about 6 inches in length and not too much heat. Would go well with some sparkling bubbly for sure.

 

[ceeaton]

Ribs, yum. Also did two turkey breast halves on the smoker for salads this week, double yum. Will post images on Tuesday when I do two more racks of ribs, assuming it doesn't rain.

 

[Boatboy24]

Great looking omelette, Mike.

 

[Johnd]

Gotta grill on the 4th! 5 pound brisket flat and two racks of baby backs, brisket went on at 8, ribs at 9:30.

Prepped it all yesterday, slathered the brisket with Better Than Bouillon, then coated with dry rub, wrapped tightly in foil and refrigerated overnight.

Removed the membrane from the ribs, rubbed down in olive oil, coated with dry rub, and foiled in the fridge overnight.

BBQ Guru set on 240F, and mesquite chunks beaucoup, ribs will smoke for one hour before foiling for 3 hours, brisket will go into a foiled pan at 170, and stay there til it hits 195. If I've timed it right, the brisket will come off, and get wrapped in foil and towels for a rest, while the ribs come out of foil for another ride with some Sweet Baby Rays. I'm already hungry.

 

[ceeaton]

Started the ribs up earlier than Sunday since that batch was a little underdone in my opinion. Used the minion method with some apple wood mixed in with the charcoal. Maintained the temperature around 230*F. Also had to move the smoker three hours in since it looked like a T-storm was imminent. Storm never hit (yet) but it gave me some peace of mind (or is that piece of my mind). Second image was before I removed to "dry" them up a bit. Kids like the Sweet Baby Rays on the side (some use it, some don't). I add a 50/50 mixture of cider vinegar and water (maybe an ounce total) to the foil and it seems to really make a difference (forgot that on Sunday). Serving with some corn on the cob and whatever else my wife picks. Saw some wild raspberries while I was trimming in the back yard, maybe pick some of those and serve with some vanilla frozen yogurt?

Edit: the ribs were a hit, not one left for my lunch tomorrow! I guess I have to aim for overdone verses underdone, obviously perfectly done is the best. But when they can be a little overdone and they all disappear, it is a small victory in my book. I consider overdone as easily pulling them apart verses having to tear them apart. Underdone is having to cut them with a knife.

 

[geek]

Started the ribs up earlier than Sunday since that batch was a little underdone in my opinion. Used the minion method with some apple wood mixed in with the charcoal. Maintained the temperature around 230*F. Also had to move the smoker three hours in since it looked like a T-storm was imminent. Storm never hit (yet) but it gave me some peace of mind (or is that piece of my mind). Second image was before I removed to "dry" them up a bit. Kids like the Sweet Baby Rays on the side (some use it, some don't). I add a 50/50 mixture of cider vinegar and water (maybe an ounce total) to the foil and it seems to really make a difference (forgot that on Sunday). Serving with some corn on the cob and whatever else my wife picks. Saw some wild raspberries while I was trimming in the back yard, maybe pick some of those and serve with some vanilla frozen yogurt?

Edit: the ribs were a hit, not one left for my lunch tomorrow! I guess I have to aim for overdone verses underdone, obviously perfectly done is the best. But when they can be a little overdone and they all disappear, it is a small victory in my book. I consider overdone as easily pulling them apart verses having to tear them apart. Underdone is having to cut them with a knife.

That really looks good...

 

[ibglowin]

Ribs were had yesterday! Got a late start and didn't ribs on till 1:00pm. One rack of spare ribs and one baby back. Not pictured were some sausage links. I tried 3 different brands and all three were just so so. Looking for something more akin to a Texas Hill Country German link sausage that I grew up with and like what is available in most BBQ joints in TX. May have to see about importing some for the freezer this Winter. I tell you I have yet to perfect the timing when you cook the thicker spare rib and the thinner baby back at the same time. Last time I nailed the spare ribs but the baby backs were a little over done, this time spare ribs were a little underdone and the baby backs were perfection. Perhaps 3-2-1 for the spare ribs and only 2-2-1 for the baby backs next time. Used lump charcoal and a nice stick of pecan. Had roasted corn on the cob, watermelon salad and potato salad. All washed down really well in a 2016 Charles and Charles Rose'

 

[geek]

That looks awesome..!!

You guys keep killing me...

 

[ibglowin]

That looks awesome..!!

You guys keep killing me...

 

[sour_grapes]

Varis, another vote for cutting your teeth on a Weber if you can't get the trigger pulled on the big boy. I still lust for a ceramic kamado grill, but the Weber is good 'nuff for many, many things.

 

[ibglowin]

The one thing that the $99 Weber Kettle doesn't have and is very necessary if you want to smoke meats is a thermometer attached to the lid. You can of course buy a dual digital probe meat thermometer and use one for the meat and the other for the cook temp or you can do what I did and purchase one off of Amazon for about $15 and then drill a small hole in the lid and install it. Takes the guesswork out of your cooking temp for sure!

 

[sour_grapes]

Back from a vacation where I cooked every night for our entire party. Didn't quite plan it that way, but it turned out to make the most sense. We stayed in a rental house with a fairly nice and well-equipped kitchen and a gas grill, so it was feasible. (Lessee, there was grilled salmon, grilled chicken, baked pork ribs, tacos, and grilled ribeye steaks.)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I aimed for a splashy re-entry to home life. I made grilled veal rib chops, corn, and salad. I rarely buy veal, due to concerns about proper sourcing, but they looked too good to pass up. Marinated them in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and sage for a few hours, then grilled on high heat for ~3.5 minutes a side, and 1 minute total more on indirect, ending up at about 130F. I took the excess marinade, heated it to sterilize, then added a bit of lemon juice to make a pseudo-pan sauce. Before that, I grilled the corn, then cut it off the cob and sauteed it with butter, garlic, and fennel powder. Veggie was just a spring green salad, with ho-made dressing of lemon juice, fresh tarragon, olive oil, garlic, and white balsamic vinegar. And finally, dessert was a grilled nectarine.

I had some trouble deciding on the wine pairing. The intertubes cite everything from Chardonnay to Rose to Orange to light reds to Zins to Rhones to Cab Sauvs to Brunellos for veal rib chops. I shot for the middle and went with my 2013 WE LE Oregon Pinot Noir, which was a fine choice for the meat. (Didn't really go well with salad or dessert, but I guess I should have opened a white for that! :^)

As I have mentioned before, our rating scale for dinners is whether they are "restaurant-worthy," and at what level. IMHO, this was high-end restaurant worthy (thanks mostly to the meat).

 

[Boatboy24]

Nice to see pics of your creations, Paul!

 

[sour_grapes]

The weather was hot tonight, so another grill night plus some cold things. I made tabouleh (i.e., cold cous-cous) with lemon juice, oil, parsley, mint, tomato, and shallots. I also grilled Zucchini (and then, not for dinner tonight, but lunch tomorrow, grilled some bison burgers!). We also had a salad with ho-made tarragon/lemon dressing. But the star of the show was the pepper-crusted tuna, blasted on a super-hot grill for a short time (~2.5 minutes/side). Pictures say it all.

 

[geek]

I went to Walmart yesterday to buy something and spotted the Weber $149 version on the shelf, I think it's basically this one from Lowes which doesn't seem to have the thermometer either.

 

[ibglowin]

Yea, I don't believe any of the Kettles have a thermometer built in. Easy to add though.

I went to Walmart yesterday to buy something and spotted the Weber $149 version on the shelf, I think it's basically this one from Lowes which doesn't seem to have the thermometer either.

 

[Runningwolf]

The one thing that the $99 Weber Kettle doesn't have and is very necessary if you want to smoke meats is a thermometer attached to the lid. You can of course buy a dual digital probe meat thermometer and use one for the meat and the other for the cook temp or you can do what I did and purchase one off of Amazon for about $15 and then drill a small hole in the lid and install it. Takes the guesswork out of your cooking temp for sure!

I've learned not to trust most of the thermometers attached to the grills or smokers. I bought a separate remote one that works excellent I use in the grill and also my smoker. It has two probes, one for the internal temp of the appliance and one for in the meat.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IMA718/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Boatboy24]

The Premium and Master Touch models have a thermometer, enclosed ash catcher and a hinged grate. The 'Original' has no thermometer, a 'tray' for an ash catcher and a non-hinged grate.