Gravy's Cooking Thread
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Sanrith Descartes
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Rajaah
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Rajaah
Cook bacon on a cookie sheet lined with foil at 300-350. Just check it in 20 minutes or so and may need to flip. Just depends on whether it's gas or electric and how hot your oven gets.
When done cooking, drain the rendered oil and use it for something else, like pan fried sliced taters. It really is the easiest method that doesn't require you babysitting it. America's test kitchen says to put a little bit of water in the frying pan if you go that route, but I've not tried it. It's counterintuitive but apparently it helps facilitate Browning.
Smithfield is pretty good, stay away from Oscar Meyer (overpriced). We have better brands here in TX, and if I remember you live in a shitty state. Who knows there might be a local brand up there that puts out a nice product.
Get thick cut, and just look at the marbling to meat, should be able to find a decent pack that way. Costco brand isn't bad if you have one (Kirkland I think) especially for the price to quality. But I always go to a local butcher shop and probably get an even better product.
Tried this, definitely very different from pan frying and a lot less greasy. I'll go the oven method from now on. Added black pepper (no brown sugar) once it was done (before it dried) and that added a lot too.
Had it in there for 25 minutes and it got a bit too crispy so next time I'll probably try 15.
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Yeah, depending on your oven, placement of the sheet pan, thickness of bacon, there's this little window of chewy - perfect - overly crispy. If you figure out what temp and time is best for you, then it's all good. We've got a gas oven, and I'll typically run it at 300, middle rack. Takes maybe 20 mins, but serva timer for 15 so I don't forget to monitor. Really just depends on the bacon itself, though.
Glad it worked out for ya.
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Probably will at some point. We've been using the little Cuisinart one we got from a neighbor, and it's been pretty great for certain things: toasting bread / sandwiches, small batch fries, reheating things, and roasting veggies / baked potatoes.
I always put a piece of foil on the tray for clean up, but I'd imagine it'll do bacon just fine. I always kind of shit on them, but I'm finding uses for it, and it beats firing up the oven sometimes. Just a nice little, concentrated convection oven. Tempted to look at a bigger model come Black Friday.
Sludig
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might work better without foil, ideally the food is on a grate allowing air to circulate all sides
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That's because the fat on the bacon renders differently when you start it off cold. The same thing is true if you cook duck breast in a fry pan. I always start with the cold pan, put the duck breast in, let it get really hot, then finish it in the oven. The fat renders beautifully, nice crispy skin, and Bob's you're uncle. Bacon does the same thing.
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Yeah it's more of not wanting to clean the damn thing every time. For things like roasting veggies, the foil works fine. Tater tots and stuff, I'll do without the foil because cleanup is easy.
Wife had made a few gallons of chili the other day to give to neighbors and freeze. Ended up making a chilli Mac casserole with some. Found throwing a cold slice of that in the fryer was perfect for crisping up the noodles edges and reheated way better than the microwave. That was a necessary foil application.
Sludig
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Big box of beef bones with a little meat that would be hard to get off. was saving for dogs but s couple of them get the shits from it.
Think it's worth trying to make bone broth or stop begging else I can do with them all then freeze or store for use over a few months?
Think it's worth trying to make bone broth or stop begging else I can do with them all then freeze or store for use over a few months?
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Wouldn't be hard, just a big weekend project. Takes a while to roast, and then cook the stock down. If I had the space, I'd make my own, but alas I need a bigger kitchen and bigger deep freeze. House we live in is pretty small. It's why I haven't tried to brew beer. Sucks having a galley style kitchen, but we make it work. Still churn out great meals with limited facilities at our disposal.
If you got the freezer space I definitely do it.
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Lanx
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beef bones like ribs or we talking shanks? gotta freeze that and you can try to experiment w/ bone broth/pho/ramen
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Sludig
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Got any good guides?
Don't like pho, or really soups, just didnt know if I could make super dense broth that might be worth keeping to heat up and drink on cold days or use in something with broth that still makes more solid food in the end.
pharmakos
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Btw the trick to cooking venison is to cook it low and slow fried in butter and olive oil. Ratio of butter to olive oil is probably personal preference, but total amount of the two added together should be somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 of a cup per pound of venison. The butter helps a lot with the gamey taste, and low heat keeps it nice and tender. If you crank the heat like you would with ground beef it turns out tough and chewy. On my stove I set my burner to ~4 roughly.
Got my general recipes down for stuff like burritos or pasta (pretty sure even picky eaters who say they don't like venison would happily eat mine if they gave it a chance), but with this much venison I'm curious about other things I could try.
Especially that back strap. Would have to slice it up for it to work as chops/steak. Kind of curious about what I could do keeping it whole and doing a sous vide -> oven sort of thing.
Got my general recipes down for stuff like burritos or pasta (pretty sure even picky eaters who say they don't like venison would happily eat mine if they gave it a chance), but with this much venison I'm curious about other things I could try.
Especially that back strap. Would have to slice it up for it to work as chops/steak. Kind of curious about what I could do keeping it whole and doing a sous vide -> oven sort of thing.
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Gavinmad
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I just pressure can it after the bones have had a good long simmer, no need to spend the time reducing the whole batch down, no need for freezer space, and better shelf life. If they're pretty meaty bones then you're good to go as is, if they're reasonably clean then I recommend adding some junk meat scraps to the simmer (like stuff you wouldnt even bother running through a grinder) or if you want to get fancy some oxtail.
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Lanx
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I've not done much canning, but I guess if you're willing to take the extra steps, it's a great idea, especially with hurting for space. Can always clear some shelf room, freezer, not so much.