Everyone who has a bit of knowledge about me, knows i enjoy cooking low and slow and if possible with smoke!
The hot days made me not want to cook inside so my/smoker/ grill was active, but chuck roast beef?
This is not a brisket and does not have much fat, so cooking it for 24 hours like i do a brisket would render it tough and inedible.
So my goal was a temperature internally of about 145 F - medium rare which means a higher temperature for a shorter length of time.
I wanted the flavor to be a bit traditional, so my normal beef rubs were not employed.
The rub for a 3.25 lb chuck roast of beef:
1 part salt
2 parts black pepper
1/4 part white, refined sugar.
Patted on the meat and left for a minimum of 6 hours.
The set up for the grill/smoker (which after 4 years of hard use is beginning to rust out):
a square of my wood of choice (Cherry in this case) with a hollow in the middle.
Hardwood charcoal (commercial brand).
I start the charcoal using one of those hand held starter which have paper as the starting material and the charcoal above.
Since my grill is 2 tiered, i covered the second tier with tinfoil to provide indirect heat and had a large pan of water on the first to provide moisture and still another direct heat barrier.
Add the charcoal to the center of my square and let the wood begin to catch fire.
Place the beef on the top rack with the water between it and the fire and close the grill.
I set my temperature to about 300 F (this is done by maneuvering the air intake and chimney closures in a way that i have become fairly good at).
Then i walk away only checking to insure the temperature remains at 300 F.
Large amounts of smoke are produced and the heat remains constant.
i come back in 1 and 1/2 hours to check the internal temperature of the meat...148 F
The meat is immediately removed and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting...
Perfect!
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
A weekend of cooking
Of course memorial day is a somber holiday,
saluting those who have given their lives in wars we have been involved in,
but it also marks the beginning of Summer and outdoor grilling (where it is not raining) is a must.
While i did a significant portion of grilling and slow smoking, Hamburgers and a Korean style short rib,
there was a major request, nay an insistence that i bring my Greek inspired Tapenade.
Not cooked, not grilled and served with crusty slices of a french baguette, here is what does it:
20 oz jar of pitted Kalmata olives with half the juice, minced
6 oz of black olives, drained and minced
1 tablespoon apple Cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 oz Tomato and basil feta, crumbles
4 oz plain feta, crumbled
saluting those who have given their lives in wars we have been involved in,
but it also marks the beginning of Summer and outdoor grilling (where it is not raining) is a must.
While i did a significant portion of grilling and slow smoking, Hamburgers and a Korean style short rib,
there was a major request, nay an insistence that i bring my Greek inspired Tapenade.
Not cooked, not grilled and served with crusty slices of a french baguette, here is what does it:
Tapenade
20 oz jar of pitted Kalmata olives with half the juice, minced
6 oz of black olives, drained and minced
1 tablespoon apple Cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 oz Tomato and basil feta, crumbles
4 oz plain feta, crumbled
1
tablespoon fresh basil, minced fine
Mix, add more olive liquid to the desired consistency
Mix, add more olive liquid to the desired consistency
half
is usually good, depending on if the feta cheese is drier or wetter.
salt
to taste many times not needed
let sit in the refrigerator and serve cold with crusty bread!
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Rubs and seasonings
those who eat my food, know i love rubs.
This especially true for my slow cooked smoked creations, but i also use them on a hot grilled item!
So what do you want to grill quickly?
Rib Eye Steak, Hamburger, pork chops!
For steak and hamburger, i use the same mixture:
Salt, paprika, ground dried smoked peppers (i use a mixture of jalapenos, habaneros and the long green, or red chili pepper) and black pepper.
The ratio is almost 1:1, except that i skimp slightly on the dry smoked chili mixture so not to make it too hot.
All coats the meat evenly before it goes on the grill.
A quick sear on both sides on a hot grill so the inside is just medium rare (okay i do mine rare, yes even the hamburger, but i make it with either my own beef that i ground or one from a store that they ground)
Never use pre-made patties because:
1) the patty is too thin and will overcook
2) is the source of most E coli outbreaks because they are made at the packing plant
The hamburger mixture is 85% meat-15% fat.
to get a "juice factor" you can use 80% lean-20% fat, but why? The extra fat might cause flare-ups, never a good thing.
Now if you can get it - use grass fed, organic, Angus...i recently purchased some at a favorite store (Trader Joe's) and i am hooked, but have done well with the regular hamburger.
Hot coals (with wood, always have some wood flavor)on half the grill and the other half coolish and you want to avoid flare-ups, they ruin the flavor.
If you start to have a flare-up, move your meat to the cool side of the grill until the flame is gone.
What about those pork chops i talked about?
I use a slightly different rub, similar to all the other pork rubs, but i reduce the sugar significantly.
Pork is a bit more complex and the chops should be then so the grilling is quick!
topping always make a burger, the others stand alone.
Burger toppings:
grilled jalapenos, chard, grilling onions - i like a fresh one as well.
Ice burger lettuce, red ripe tomato...i use mayonnaise, but go with what you want.
Always, ALWAYS toast the bun - i happen to like sourdough, but that is personal.
And there you have it!
My friends want me to do burgers all the time now and i have 3 engagements for memorial weekend.
This especially true for my slow cooked smoked creations, but i also use them on a hot grilled item!
So what do you want to grill quickly?
Rib Eye Steak, Hamburger, pork chops!
For steak and hamburger, i use the same mixture:
Salt, paprika, ground dried smoked peppers (i use a mixture of jalapenos, habaneros and the long green, or red chili pepper) and black pepper.
The ratio is almost 1:1, except that i skimp slightly on the dry smoked chili mixture so not to make it too hot.
All coats the meat evenly before it goes on the grill.
A quick sear on both sides on a hot grill so the inside is just medium rare (okay i do mine rare, yes even the hamburger, but i make it with either my own beef that i ground or one from a store that they ground)
Never use pre-made patties because:
1) the patty is too thin and will overcook
2) is the source of most E coli outbreaks because they are made at the packing plant
The hamburger mixture is 85% meat-15% fat.
to get a "juice factor" you can use 80% lean-20% fat, but why? The extra fat might cause flare-ups, never a good thing.
Now if you can get it - use grass fed, organic, Angus...i recently purchased some at a favorite store (Trader Joe's) and i am hooked, but have done well with the regular hamburger.
Hot coals (with wood, always have some wood flavor)on half the grill and the other half coolish and you want to avoid flare-ups, they ruin the flavor.
If you start to have a flare-up, move your meat to the cool side of the grill until the flame is gone.
What about those pork chops i talked about?
I use a slightly different rub, similar to all the other pork rubs, but i reduce the sugar significantly.
what i normally use ratio:
3
orange zest - eliminate for quick grilling burned orange is bitter
6
raw sugar - reduce to 2
1
garlic powder - eliminate for grilling burned garlic is bitter
6
paprika
1
1/2 annote powder
6
salt
1
1/2 dry hot pepper - use the smoked pepper mixture and increase to 3
3
ginger - fresh ginger is desirable, but dry works
2 cumin - cumin is eliminated - taste bitter burnedPork is a bit more complex and the chops should be then so the grilling is quick!
topping always make a burger, the others stand alone.
Burger toppings:
grilled jalapenos, chard, grilling onions - i like a fresh one as well.
Ice burger lettuce, red ripe tomato...i use mayonnaise, but go with what you want.
Always, ALWAYS toast the bun - i happen to like sourdough, but that is personal.
And there you have it!
My friends want me to do burgers all the time now and i have 3 engagements for memorial weekend.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Beef short ribs
They
are beef so should not be given a really sweet taste
They
are a tough meat, so cooking them low and slow is necessary
They
dry out, so one must cover them while cooking and it should be done in liquid,
braising, as it were.
Finish
off on a grill or broil!
Dry
Rub ratio:
·
2
black pepper
·
2
salt
·
2
paprika
·
1/2
hot pepper
·
2
ginger
Coat
the ribs with the rub and let sit for a minimum of 1 hour
Add
2 cups rose wine, cover tightly and begin cooking at 250 for 4 hours
After
4 hours, remove the liquid and begin to reduce it
add
2 tablespoon Honey,
1
teaspoon salt,
1
teaspoon dry Chipolte peppers, crushed fine
1
tablespoon tomato paste
after
the sauce has reduced by 1/2,
uncover
the ribs and begin to broil them for 10 minutes on the middle rack
remove
as much fat as is possible from the sauce and
thicken
the sauce to your liking with a flour roux
Serve with the sauce over the ribs
Capturing the heat
Or how i extract it from peppers.
My initial observations have been that the Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is soluble in alcohols, but when washing cut hot peppers in warm to hot water, some of the component is aerosoled and can make breathing a bit difficult.
I have also noted that the chemical formula contained nitrogens and have known that if the soil where you grow your pepper plants is high in nitrogen (think compost here), the heat index of the pepper is higher.
Okay enough of the chemistry lesson, lets just say that after 38 years as an analytical chemist, i knew what to do.
Now at this point in my life, i am labless and so can only use the tools in the kitchen everyone else can,
otherwise i would have used a Soxhlet Extraction device to do my extraction.
Ingredients:
2 glass jars with a plastic (Teflon is best) cover - you can use plastic, but NOT metal.
Hot Peppers, chopped, not blended
cheesecloth
GLOVES!
Safety glasses
Graves 190 proof (95% ethanol) grain alcohol
funnel
shallow glass or ceramic bowl
coffee filters
kitchen vent fan
An apron is recommended
For all procedures you must have gloves and glasses on!
The chopped peppers are put in a jar with enough alcohol to cover them by more than 1 inch.
The jar is shaken and let to sit in a cool dark place for 2 to 3 days, shaking the contents ever 12 or so hours.
This alcohol extract (which should be red) is placed in the refrigerator
This is filtered into the second jar and the peppers placed back in the first jar
Warm (~130 F) water is added to almost cover the peppers and shaken
This is filtered into the shallow bowl, covered with cheese cloth and left in a dark place to dry
(an oven with a pilot light is ideal)
After it is mostly dry (it should still have some liquid, usually 2 days) The alcohol extract is added to this bowl and allowed to sit another day to dry to the desired concentration.
Place back in the seal-able jar and refrigerate for use.
note everything used should be washed in a strong soap solution and do not touch any sensitive part of the body after! Unless you used gloves for washing also.
My initial observations have been that the Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is soluble in alcohols, but when washing cut hot peppers in warm to hot water, some of the component is aerosoled and can make breathing a bit difficult.
I have also noted that the chemical formula contained nitrogens and have known that if the soil where you grow your pepper plants is high in nitrogen (think compost here), the heat index of the pepper is higher.
Okay enough of the chemistry lesson, lets just say that after 38 years as an analytical chemist, i knew what to do.
Now at this point in my life, i am labless and so can only use the tools in the kitchen everyone else can,
otherwise i would have used a Soxhlet Extraction device to do my extraction.
Ingredients:
2 glass jars with a plastic (Teflon is best) cover - you can use plastic, but NOT metal.
Hot Peppers, chopped, not blended
cheesecloth
GLOVES!
Safety glasses
Graves 190 proof (95% ethanol) grain alcohol
funnel
shallow glass or ceramic bowl
coffee filters
kitchen vent fan
An apron is recommended
For all procedures you must have gloves and glasses on!
The chopped peppers are put in a jar with enough alcohol to cover them by more than 1 inch.
The jar is shaken and let to sit in a cool dark place for 2 to 3 days, shaking the contents ever 12 or so hours.
This alcohol extract (which should be red) is placed in the refrigerator
This is filtered into the second jar and the peppers placed back in the first jar
Warm (~130 F) water is added to almost cover the peppers and shaken
This is filtered into the shallow bowl, covered with cheese cloth and left in a dark place to dry
(an oven with a pilot light is ideal)
After it is mostly dry (it should still have some liquid, usually 2 days) The alcohol extract is added to this bowl and allowed to sit another day to dry to the desired concentration.
Place back in the seal-able jar and refrigerate for use.
note everything used should be washed in a strong soap solution and do not touch any sensitive part of the body after! Unless you used gloves for washing also.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Grilling Cod
Am i mad you say?
Yes, very definitely!
I wanted to grill some nice cod fillets i purchased recently, but cod is not a fatty fish, what to do?
Initially i thought of a mixture of bacon and chicken fat i had in the refrigerator from previous dinners (i save this stuff you know), but i saw some lower sodium bacon i purchased by mistake one day (my sight causes problems, okay?).
And so i looked at this cod and it was irregular, this will not grill well no matter what i do, so i trimmed it and diced the pieces and put it in some jasmine rice i was cooking.
Jasmine rice i love - using a bit of sesame oil and cumin seed, roasting the rice kernels first, before adding water and green spices (usually parsley and chives). Adding the cod pieces when i added the water was perfect.
The fire was my first fire of the year, so i had to set it twice - once to clean out the winter and the next to cook.
The Cod was spectacular!
Yes, very definitely!
I wanted to grill some nice cod fillets i purchased recently, but cod is not a fatty fish, what to do?
Initially i thought of a mixture of bacon and chicken fat i had in the refrigerator from previous dinners (i save this stuff you know), but i saw some lower sodium bacon i purchased by mistake one day (my sight causes problems, okay?).
And so i looked at this cod and it was irregular, this will not grill well no matter what i do, so i trimmed it and diced the pieces and put it in some jasmine rice i was cooking.
Jasmine rice i love - using a bit of sesame oil and cumin seed, roasting the rice kernels first, before adding water and green spices (usually parsley and chives). Adding the cod pieces when i added the water was perfect.
The fire was my first fire of the year, so i had to set it twice - once to clean out the winter and the next to cook.
The Cod was spectacular!
Cod on a Grill
·
1
package of bacon
·
2
pieces of Cod, trimmed and halved
·
1/2
teaspoon salt
·
1/2
teaspoon ginger
·
juice
of 1 lemon
Mix
the salt, ginger and lemon juice together and slather the Cob pieces
wrap
the cod completely in bacon
Grill
the Cod on a coal fire (no flame) flipping the pieces every 5 minutes
allow
the bacon to cook to a soft doneness, it should not crisp
some
of the bacon will burn slightly when there is flame,
shut
the grill top to insure it is only
slightly
place
the cod in a pan and shut the grill top, keeping the temperature under 300 F
for 30 minutes.
Remove and serveTuesday, May 6, 2014
my take of Chicken wings
Healthy - not necessarily my main thing when cooking,
but often it turns out take way.
I this case, i do not like to fry in oil in a pan. If i had a small basket fryer, i might think differently, but i do not...
so in this case, i bake my wings:
there is one other thing to note, when i use my dried "chipolte" peppers, they are a blend of smoked peppers,
mostly jalapenos, but there are some habanero peppers and maybe a ghost pepper in the blend, all smoked and dried and blended to a fine grind and very, very dangerous.
but often it turns out take way.
I this case, i do not like to fry in oil in a pan. If i had a small basket fryer, i might think differently, but i do not...
so in this case, i bake my wings:
there is one other thing to note, when i use my dried "chipolte" peppers, they are a blend of smoked peppers,
mostly jalapenos, but there are some habanero peppers and maybe a ghost pepper in the blend, all smoked and dried and blended to a fine grind and very, very dangerous.
Spicy Chicken Wings
ingredients:
·
1
full package of chicken wings
·
2
eggs, beaten
·
1
cup panko bread crumbs
·
1
tablespoon paprika
·
1
teaspoon crushed red pepper, ground fine
·
all
the rub spices
·
Dipping
sauce components
Chicken
wings should be cut into pieces, drumete and wingete for use
the
tips should be removed to use for stock another day.
Dry
rub ratio:
|
Hot
Honey Barbeque sauce ratio:
|
·
4 ginger
|
·
1 honey
|
·
2 cumin
|
·
1 Barbeque sauce
|
·
1 dry chipolte peppers, ground fine
|
·
1/8 chipolte pepper, ground fine
|
·
4 raw sugar
|
·
1/2 fresh cilantro, minced fine
|
·
1 cayenne pepper
|
Cooling
Blue Cheese butter ratio:
|
·
1 salt
|
·
1 Blue or gorgonzola cheese
|
·
1 smoked salt
|
·
1 warm butter
|
·
4 paprika (smoked, hot or regular)
|
·
1/2 fresh parsley, minced fine
|
Rub
and dipping are mixed well and set aside before use
Wings
are coated and left in the refrigerator over night
bring
to room temperature, cover with foil and bake at 300 F for 1 hour.
remove
and let cool
Mix
the bread crumbs and paprika and red pepper
dip
each wing in the egg and then coat in bread crumbs
place
on a greased cooking rack over a pan to catch any drippings
Bake
at 400 F for 30 minutes
Cool and serve with dipping sauce
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