Gravy's Cooking Thread

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Gravy

Gravy

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BrutulTM_sl said:
Speaking of the above website. He convinced me to switch back from lump charcoal to briquettes.

How Charcoal is Made and How Charcoal Works
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25 years or so ago, I came across lump charcoal. My Dad had always used briquettes. At the time, lump charcoal was cheaper here in Missouri, because tons of it is made here. (As well as briquettes.) I had a great grill that was handmade, 3/8" steel, and the lump charcoal would hold temp in that bad boy for hours.

Once I moved on from the grill because it was just too damned heavy to move, and went to the lighter gauge grills, the lump didn't work as well, and I switched back to briquettes, or whatever was cheapest. Plus, it started to become fashionable to cook with lump and the prices went sky high.

tldr; I use what is cheaper now, which is usually briquettes.
 
lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

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My sous vide pork last night was bloody awesome. I finished it under the broiler with a bourbon sauce. Perfect temperature. Had it at 137 F for 7 hours, under the broiler for a couple minutes. So tender.
 
Crone

Crone

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
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Tried talking to the wife about getting an Anova, and she said we should get a smoker before we get a boiled meat bag thing.
frown.png


Although I can't argue against a good smoker? Suggestions? thoughts? I'll take her up on it!

Edit: Never smoked a thing in my life, but found this link. Any on the list been used by the chefs here?
smile.png


The 2014 AmazingRibs.com Top 10 Best Value Backyard Smokers
 
Gravy

Gravy

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Unless you are getting a Big Green Egg, or Komodo style cooker, I'd stay away from the single tasking smokers. They tend to rust easily, and rarely get used enough to justify the cost. Unless you are going to smoke every weekend.
 
mkopec

mkopec

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I got one of those cheap komodos from lowes, $350 and its great. Did up some ribs, pulled pork, cooked a beef eye of round roast on it by braising it for 4 hours, and had 2 pizza nights with it where we made 550F pizzas using a pizza stone. The thing is a beast. I still have my regular gas grill for shit like steaks and chicken breasts and whatnot, because the thing takes a while to get set up and running at temp, but what a great weekend cooking gadget. You can essentially use it as an oven in the summer months which is great if you dont want to heat up your entire kitchen by using your oven. I hear it maintains temps really well in the winter as well, so Ill be doing some smoking on it then too.

Amazon.com : Char-Griller 06620 Akorn Kamado Kooker Charcoal Barbecue Grill and Smoker, Red : Freestanding Grills : Patio, Lawn Garden
 
chaos

chaos

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I did some chicken breasts sous vide last night with mixed results, my fault not the Anova's. The chicken was at 149 for 2 hours or so. erfectly tender. I just had problems torching it. Need more practice torching to get the right kind of finish on this shit, or maybe just give up and go with the cast iron skillet sear, idk.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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lanx_sl said:
any quick TLDR myths he busted? (i'll probably check it out while i'm the airport)
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Myth busting might be a little exaggeration, but he has a lot of opinions that go against common BBQ wisdom. The idea that lump > briquettes for example, or that cast iron grills are superior to thinner grates (this is one that I have argued in favor of in this very thread), the idea that grill marks are desirable, and apparently the 123 method. I don't know if he's correct about all of this, but he makes a pretty good case which is more than most of these ideas are based on to my knowledge.
 
Abefroman

Abefroman

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chaos_sl said:
I did some chicken breasts sous vide last night with mixed results, my fault not the Anova's. The chicken was at 149 for 2 hours or so. erfectly tender. I just had problems torching it. Need more practice torching to get the right kind of finish on this shit, or maybe just give up and go with the cast iron skillet sear, idk.
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After I patted mine dry I brush them with some oil and then torch them. They get browned perfectly.
 
chaos

chaos

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Yeah maybe that is what I did wrong. I just pulled them out and went to town. Still tasted great though.
 
Ossoi

Ossoi

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I'm wondering if sous vide could be a good solution to my cooking needs.

I eat amounts of meat that people might consider excessive. I basically eat meat at every meal and usually cook 3 meals worth of meat the day before to take into work the next day. I tend to avoid chicken breast as its dry the next day. I usually prepare mince for work as it's easy enough to prep into something that is ok reheated.

Is sous vide gonna be useful for prepping food that tastes nicer and is less bland than my usual efforts? Am I going to be able to come home, put something in the sous vide, go the gym and come home after 90-120mins to food that's ready?

I basically want it to take care of all my meat cooking needs, whether for the same day, the next day or a few days in advance and I want to be able to both cook and enjoy foods that I don't cook currently
 
Sir Funk

Sir Funk

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It's perfect for your needs. Toss something in and it doesn't matter too much if you come back an hour later or 3 hours later. Cook 1 steak or 10 and it doesn't matter, just get a bigger bath of water. Prep after grocery shopping becomes the easiest thing, just toss whatever seasonings/marinades you want into individual ziplocs with your meats and throw them in the freezer. When it comes time to cook just toss the ziploc straight from the freezer into the bath and you're done.
 
Gravy

Gravy

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Abefroman_sl said:
After I patted mine dry I brush them with some oil and then torch them. They get browned perfectly.
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Have you tried using your Chicago Italian beef spices in with a roast? If so, what are the spices you use? Actually, regardless.

My eye of round turned out really well. Seared it in cast iron. 144F for 14 hours is good and great for sammiches, but for a dinner roast, I'd probably go 135-140 for 24 hours.
 
Lanx

Lanx

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chaos_sl said:
I did some chicken breasts sous vide last night with mixed results, my fault not the Anova's. The chicken was at 149 for 2 hours or so. erfectly tender. I just had problems torching it. Need more practice torching to get the right kind of finish on this shit, or maybe just give up and go with the cast iron skillet sear, idk.
Click to expand...
w/ or w/o skin?

Ossoi_sl said:
I'm wondering if sous vide could be a good solution to my cooking needs.

I eat amounts of meat that people might consider excessive. I basically eat meat at every meal and usually cook 3 meals worth of meat the day before to take into work the next day. I tend to avoid chicken breast as its dry the next day. I usually prepare mince for work as it's easy enough to prep into something that is ok reheated.

Is sous vide gonna be useful for prepping food that tastes nicer and is less bland than my usual efforts? Am I going to be able to come home, put something in the sous vide, go the gym and come home after 90-120mins to food that's ready?

I basically want it to take care of all my meat cooking needs, whether for the same day, the next day or a few days in advance and I want to be able to both cook and enjoy foods that I don't cook currently
Click to expand...
absolutely.

quick tip on dry chicken, brine the chicken for a day or so, left overs will stay moist and juicy for days, i'm assuming w/ your self-admitted meat consumption you buy whole chicken since it's cost effective. unless you're a chicken racist and only like one type of meat.

i said b/4 the most basic task you can do is come home from the supermarket w/ some steak, S&P it, vacuum it and put it in the freezer (of fridge if using in 2 days ish), this takes 2mins throw a random herb in there for fun. when you're ready to eat fill up a pot w/ water, sous vide your machine and throw in the package. 2hours should do, if it's frozen add an extra hour.

if you have it set for med-rare and you torch or cast iron it quickly at the end, it'll be in the top 5 or 10 steaks of your life and you can have it like this over and over. (no sauces, we are men here)
 
opiate82

opiate82

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lanx_sl said:
i said b/4 the most basic task you can do is come home from the supermarket w/ some steak, S&P it, vacuum it and put it in the freezer (of fridge if using in 2 days ish), this takes 2mins throw a random herb in there for fun. when you're ready to eat fill up a pot w/ water, sous vide your machine and throw in the package. 2hours should do, if it's frozen add an extra hour.
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I usually do 2 hours on a frozen steak and it is always perfect. 1 hour on fridge-temp steaks. Obviously no harm in going longer.
 
T

The Master

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chaos_sl said:
I did some chicken breasts sous vide last night with mixed results, my fault not the Anova's. The chicken was at 149 for 2 hours or so. erfectly tender. I just had problems torching it. Need more practice torching to get the right kind of finish on this shit, or maybe just give up and go with the cast iron skillet sear, idk.
Click to expand...
Modernist Cuisine has two preferred sear methods. Blowtorch is one, pan of oil hot enough to sear each side in 30s per side is the other. I prefer the latter for chicken, fish, and all but the tenderloin cut of pork.

@Crone: If you want JUST a smoker, a wooden box, a hot plate, old corks, a drill, and some creativity will serve you much better (and cheaper). There really isn't a need to buy a dedicated smoker. If you can find the Good Eats episode where AB makes a smoker out of an old wooden army crate you'll see what I mean. Cold smoking will require even more creativity, but is still doable.

I did the wet aging with sous-vide I posted earlier. It was a cheap on-sale flat iron steak. Literally the best steak I have ever eaten.
 
Ossoi

Ossoi

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lanx_sl said:
w/ or w/o skin?



absolutely.

quick tip on dry chicken, brine the chicken for a day or so, left overs will stay moist and juicy for days, i'm assuming w/ your self-admitted meat consumption you buy whole chicken since it's cost effective. unless you're a chicken racist and only like one type of meat.

i said b/4 the most basic task you can do is come home from the supermarket w/ some steak, S&P it, vacuum it and put it in the freezer (of fridge if using in 2 days ish), this takes 2mins throw a random herb in there for fun. when you're ready to eat fill up a pot w/ water, sous vide your machine and throw in the package. 2hours should do, if it's frozen add an extra hour.

if you have it set for med-rare and you torch or cast iron it quickly at the end, it'll be in the top 5 or 10 steaks of your life and you can have it like this over and over. (no sauces, we are men here)
Click to expand...
OK thanks, think I will invest in a sous vide after I move house in a couple of weeks. It's more skinless chicken breasts and leaner cuts of meat that I eat on the regular, as well as salmon. Those probably form the majority of my prepped meals for work. Steaks and duck breasts would be weekday evening options if I eat all my prepped meat and I'm still hungry. Chicken thighs, whole chickens and bigger cuts of meat would be weekend food options
 
Ossoi

Ossoi

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