Does anyone enjoy cooking here?

[henno]

Sunday Lunch
Casuarina smoked Pilton Pork Saint Louis ribs and Memphis Slaw washed down with a few sherbets.

I spent yesterday smoking some St Louis ribs of my own! I bailed on the club champs and drank beer while watching the smoker and had a rad old time.

That will do the job for sure. The Kyrgios win will make things go down ever better.

[Daves]

I going to attempt the Triple Lindy this week.

I have a piece of Brisket, a Pork Butt and some Baby Back Ribs thawing. They will get a rub applied sometime later today and then into the smoker for a few hours. Then I will probably bag them up and put them into the Sous Vide for a day or 2. I am thinking finish them off in the smoker or the BBQ.

Using Sous Vide will allow me to refrigerate and then reheat when ready to use. I am also thinking of breaking down the Brisket and Butt into smaller pieces, so I don't have to use it all at one sitting. But I will need to recalculate the cooking times, I think.

And for food of a totally different ilk, I have subscribed to this YTube Chef and and I am really enjoying his style of cooking;

https://www.youtube.com/user/NoVeKitchenAndBar

And if you have yet to watch Chef John, do yourself a favour;

https://www.youtube.com/user/foodwishes

[Daves]

Almost there on Stage 2;

IMAG1958[1].jpg

So far I have smoked all pieces for 3.5hrs at around 225F with Apple and Hickory wood. Once finished in the Sous Vide, they will go, still in their Vacuum Bags, into the Fridge till needed. I will then reheat in the Sous Vide and then back into the smoker to finish off.

There a lots of good Sous Vide info sites, but I have found this to be one of the best;

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/...thod/sous-vide

[Daves]

And here is a very simple recipe if like Salmon;

Salmon Fillets
Chorizo Sausage.
Leaf Salad
Capperberries (optional)
Balsamic Dressing (optional)

Slice the Chirozo up how you like it. Add the Salmon Fillet and Chopped Chorizo into an Foil BBQ pan, season to taste, and put in your Smoker for about 20 to 25 minutes. Which Wood you use is not critical, I used Maple. Once cooked, spread over your leaf salad and add condiments as per your tastes. The Salmon comes out with a very creamy texture and is super moist and delicious.

Don't have a Smoker? Easily solved!;

[PeteyD]

Is it just me, or is that a ridiculously long method for cooking rissoles I can do on the Webber q in less than 10 minutes?

[Daves]

Is it just me, or is that a ridiculously long method for cooking rissoles I can do on the Webber q in less than 10 minutes?

This is next level, maybe 2 to a Weber "Rissole". Totally different taste, and quality.

[PeteyD]

Yea but who has time to take 10 hours cooking rissoles except old retired c..... oh.

[Daves]

Yea but who has time to take 10 hours cooking rissoles except old retired c..... oh.

Hey, I still have all my original body parts, so who are you calling an old c......!?

You are thinking Linearly. The Sous Vide cook can be done days before and then stored in the fridge till needed. The Sous Vide doesn't need to be watched over, so active time involvement is minimal.You just need to do a little planning.

[SundayHack]

Fired up the smoker today. Trimmed the ribs off some pork belly. Crispy skin belly and Smokey Bqq ribs. Best of both worlds. Day well spent. Now finished off with some of the wife’s sticky date pudding with a glass of Ron Zacappa. No wonder why I’m a fat bastard.

[henno]

Fired up the smoker today.

Me too. Got a pulled pork going at around lunch time, and am just finishing it up now. Tossed some buffalo wings on mid-smoke for a halfway snack.

[Daves]

I have been looking to update our BBQ. Our Beafeater Discovery has been terrific and still cooks great, but it is a dozen years or more old now and due for retirement. They still rate very well in reviews (mainly because they have very consistent heat across the grill) so I was thinking of just getting another one, though they are very much old style tech e.g. cast iron burners etc.

My other short list choice was a Weber, which still seems to top all the reviews, despite what BBQs Galore will try to tell you. And yesterday I saw that The Good Guys had 20% off on eBay, so I pulled the trigger on a Family Q on Patio Trolley for $600 and managed to wrestle my way through the construction of the bits and pieces with only a few cuts and bruises.

Now to work my way though the Accessories list for what I need to add?. A Half Hotplate and Convection Trays seems to be it so far.

[henno]

Now to work my way though the Accessories list for what I need to add?. A Half Hotplate and Convection Trays seems to be it so far.

Half hotplate yes. I also have convection trays but mostly because it came with the wire tray. I keep washing the convection tray and it works fine despite being beat up. One of the welds on the wire tray has already given way so I am pretty annoyed at that as they are way over-priced, like all weber accessories.

Before I had the wire tray, I used a tray from a cheap roasting dish and made a convection tray from folded over aluminium foil placed on the grill, then I cut slits in it with a knife. Also worked perfectly fine.

Don't buy the 'weber' branded drip trays. Cheap aluminium ones from bunnings fit perfectly at a fraction of the cost.


So in summary, I think the half hotplate is probably the only weber-specific accessory you really need.

[Daves]

Half hotplate yes. I also have convection trays but mostly because it came with the wire tray. I keep washing the convection tray and it works fine despite being beat up. One of the welds on the wire tray has already given way so I am pretty annoyed at that as they are way over-priced, like all weber accessories.

Before I had the wire tray, I used a tray from a cheap roasting dish and made a convection tray from folded over aluminium foil placed on the grill, then I cut slits in it with a knife. Also worked perfectly fine.

Don't buy the 'weber' branded drip trays. Cheap aluminium ones from bunnings fit perfectly at a fraction of the cost.


So in summary, I think the half hotplate is probably the only weber-specific accessory you really need.

Thanks henno, you have confirm my suspicions.

[henno]

Also recommend a good quality temperature gauge if you already don't own one. I have a Thermapen which gets used every single day of my life and is one of the best investments I have ever made for my cooking (over cheap probes that take ages to read as they heat up). I even use it for the temperature of my water for my morning coffee.

I also have an Inkbird IBT-6X which I use for roasts and such, as well as in the smoker. It has its flaws but is pretty great value.

[Daves]

Also recommend a good quality temperature gauge if you already don't own one. I have a Thermapen which gets used every single day of my life and is one of the best investments I have ever made for my cooking (over cheap probes that take ages to read as they heat up). I even use it for the temperature of my water for my morning coffee.

I also have an Inkbird IBT-6X which I use for roasts and such, as well as in the smoker. It has its flaws but is pretty great value.

Yep, I have a few already. I would love to buy a Meater if I can get one at the right price;

https://austore.meater.com/

[PeteyD]

Yep the hotplate is great. I make drip trays with alfoil but will look at the bunnings ones.

[henno]

Yep the hotplate is great. I make drip trays with alfoil but will look at the bunnings ones.

The bunnings ones I got are the perfect size in depth and width, and are probably 10mm too high but they work just fine and still slide underneath with ample room.

[Bigbad]

Also, get a pizza stone, they go really well in the weber!

[Daves]

I am currently in the middle of my first attempt at dry aging beef. I picked up a piece of Rib on the Bone that should give me two big steaks, once I clean it up of the the dry age crust. I am using these bags to do the dry age;

https://www.smokedandcured.com.au/banquet-bags/

I bought the Mid size bags but in reality the Small bags would have been plenty large enough, unless you want to dry age a full cut of meat.

I will probably get to 21 days based on progress so far, and may even be able push it to 28 at a pinch.

[Daves]

Also, get a pizza stone, they go really well in the weber!

Thanks for the thought. It would be on my list if I didn't already have a Pizza Oven.

[henno]

Also, get a pizza stone, they go really well in the weber!

Oh yeah, I have one of those also!

[Daves]

I am currently in the middle of my first attempt at dry aging beef. I picked up a piece of Rib on the Bone that should give me two big steaks, once I clean it up of the the dry age crust. I am using these bags to do the dry age;

https://www.smokedandcured.com.au/banquet-bags/

I bought the Mid size bags but in reality the Small bags would have been plenty large enough, unless you want to dry age a full cut of meat.

I will probably get to 21 days based on progress so far, and may even be able push it to 28 at a pinch.

I actually got to 32 days and could have gone longer. I was quite surprised by how well it dried. I have trimmed it and cut it up, ready for a cook up shortly. The off cut trim will go into some super hamburger patties in the future. I neglected to weigh the original piece, but from memory it was 1.1kgs+. End product was just over 700grams trimmed around about 900grams untrimmed.

IMAG2738.jpg

So I have gone looking for the next project. Today I sourced some Wagyu MS9+ Sirlion and some Picanha Wagyu MS9+ (Rump Cap).

IMAG2747.jpg

The Weber has been a revelation, I am super pleased with how it cooks a steak. I did some prime Strip Loin during the week and it was one of the best steaks I have eaten in a long time. And last weekend I did a BBQ mix of bone in Chicken Thighs, Lamb Cutlets, Fillet Steak, Meatballs and some Snags (all pre cooked Sous Vide) and they all came out great.

[Daves]

An update on acquisitions and latest "projects".

I did a fair bit of research on Air Fryers and identified how I could use it in combination with Sous Vide, and as an alternative to my Gas Smoker and Pizza Oven. Air Fryers are basically a small Fan Forced Oven. I already owned one (a Tefal Actifry) from years ago when they first came out. But it did not suit my purpose as it has a stirring arm that precludes using it as a roasting oven. I was initially keen on the KMart models, but they sold out over Christmas New Year and I could not find one anywhere. Then I spotted a larger 8 Litre model on sale at Spotlight, so I grabbed one. I have used it regularly in the last few weeks testing its versatility and effectiveness, and it has passed so far with flying colours. I have baked bread in it, cooked Pork Crackling, and a Homemade Porchetta for Christmas Dinner. Southern Fried Chicken, Buffalo Chicken Wings, a Seafood Basket combo, Roast Vegies and tonight I roasted a Boneless Leg of Pork.

I first cooked the Pork Leg in Sous Vide and this is where the versatility comes into the equation. With Sous Vide you have options on how a large piece like a Leg, Brisket etc comes out. You can cook it to a Steak/Chop type bite that is Rare, Medium Rare etc etc. Or you can turn up the wick and head more towards Pulled Pork/Beef/Lamb etc level of fall apart tenderness.

For this cook I has a 2.75kg Leg piece and there are only two of us. So I cooked more towards the Pulled Pork end of the spectrum and now we have a couple of kilos of pulled pork with crackling left over for future meals.

The Air Fryer crackles Pork Rind as well as any method I have used so far. The relatively small oven area maximises the crackling effect and you in fact have to watch that you don't have it too hot or you risk burning the Crackle.

A benefit of the Sous Vide cook is you end up with a large quantity of "pan juice" in the bag that is perfect for making gravy, after you tip off the top floating fat into your dripping jar. It also keeps the meat juicy and stops it drying out. I cooked the Pork at 70c for 24hrs and then placed it in the Air Fryer for about 45 minutes to finish it off.

The other Acquisition is still in its box, awaiting some supplies to use with it. I have bought an Electric Mincer to make my own Hamburger Mince and Sausages, and perhaps some Cured Meats later on down the track! I have some Dry Age trim in the Freezer awaiting an opportunity to make some Dry Age Burgers, Guga Style!