What's for Dinner?

[Skinsfan1311]

Yeah, after a while, the depression begins to set in. Okinawa, as I recall, was only like 78 miles long and five miles wide at the narrowest part. Top speed on the whole island was 50 kmh - 30 mph. But none of us had cars. There is a reason why they called it "the rock" - nothing was there. They had a pretty good bus system though - the Okinawans did. Bus came every ten minutes all day long. But they were made for little people, seats were small and jammed in. But they were in excellent shape - clean. But after a while you get depressed. Some of the guys went home for Christmas. I thought they were crazy. $1200 air fare for a week or two at home? When you're only making $400 a month? I don't think so. Not to mention, you lose two days flying. I did take a week's leave and fly, space A, to the PI on my roommates's advice at one point, but that's another story. Anyway, I never intended to make a career out of it. Besides, I wanted to marry an American girl, and that wasn't gonna happen unless I got out.

Anyway...

Nice day yesterday for the first time in a long time - high around 53 and no wind.

Did ribs on the drum, salt & pepper rub, no binder, no water pan, no sauce. Just dry rub ribs. Poured a little rendered pork fat over the ribs at the very end, then turned upside down on the foil and wrapped the last half hour with a little apple cider vinegar and water. Pull back could have been better and would have been if I cooked these on my offset. Also, I messed up and tried to cheat with Lawry's seasoned salt in the rub which I forgot had sugar in it. And so I think the sugar interfered with the color - make it darker than I would have liked. I served sauce on the side. IMO the cook was perfect - tender, juicy, flavorful, all that good stuff. My harshest critic, my wife, said they were "very good." I said "What do you mean, 'very good'???" She said I make epic ribs all the time, so "I can't say they're epic every time." So I couldn't get too mad.

She said they had a bit too much pepper and could have used a bit more salt.

Pics are sliced, side view, clean bite, clean bone.

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They look pretty damn good!
Since I do 95% of the cooking, I'm a firm believer in the late, great, Julia Childs credo, " “No matter what happens in the kitchen, never apologize"

 

[Mark The Homer]

Another nice day. Low of 30 at dawn. But this time the high was around 62! Nicest day we've had in three months!

Smoked a chuck roast - in the drum once again. Choice angus. Wood was cherry and hickory. Used a water pan and a drip pan. I had dry brined it the night before, then applied a salt free rub (Meathead's Big Bad Beef Rub recipe from the amazing ribs site) just before putting it on the smoker. Started it at 225. It stalled at 147, so I double wrapped it tight in HD foil. Hardly any drippings in the drip pan, just a few drops, which is good - it means the juices are still in the hunk of beef. I kept moving the cooker temp up as the meat temp increased. I use what I call the 100 degree rule - keep the cooker temp at meat temp plus 100 so that it will move along. At this point, it was five o'clock, so naturally I poured myself a Double Dog. Since it was so nice, I sat on the front porch in the rocker, sippin' my beer, watching the smoker temp out back with my thermoworks smokex4 receiver. Some guy drove by in a Comcast van and looked at me and waved at me. I waved back. When the meat hit 205, I shut everything down so that the fire would die, and just left the wrapped beef in the smoker to hold. The meat crept up to 209, then began to back down. Kept it in there several hours. Meanwhile, it got chilly so I went inside. I cut up some peppers and onions and threw them, with some olive oil, in my cast iron half-moon pan which happens to be the biggest pan I have. I actually cooked them on the kitchen stove top - gas. Propane actually. On low. Like lower than lowest. Meat eventually dropped down to 140. I took it inside, unwrapped it and sliced it up. Lots of juice in the foil. I sliced it gently on the board with a very sharp knife. I skimmed the fat, then poured the juice into the meat. Served. My wife liked the beef but said I "burned" the peppers. lol Yes, I could have cooked them a little less, but they certainly were not burnt and didn't taste burnt. Next time I'll cook them less. And no, I did not apologize! For cryin' out loud!

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Another nice day. Low of 30 at dawn. But this time the high was around 62! Nicest day we've had in three months!

Smoked a chuck roast - in the drum once again. Choice angus. Wood was cherry and hickory. Used a water pan and a drip pan. I had dry brined it the night before, then applied a salt free rub (Meathead's Big Bad Beef Rub recipe from the amazing ribs site) just before putting it on the smoker. Started it at 225. It stalled at 147, so I double wrapped it tight in HD foil. Hardly any drippings in the drip pan, just a few drops, which is good - it means the juices are still in the hunk of beef. I kept moving the cooker temp up as the meat temp increased. I use what I call the 100 degree rule - keep the cooker temp at meat temp plus 100 so that it will move along. At this point, it was five o'clock, so naturally I poured myself a Double Dog. Since it was so nice, I sat on the front porch in the rocker, sippin' my beer, watching the smoker temp out back with my thermoworks smokex4 receiver. Some guy drove by in a Comcast van and looked at me and waved at me. I waved back. When the meat hit 205, I shut everything down so that the fire would die, and just left the wrapped beef in the smoker to hold. The meat crept up to 209, then began to back down. Kept it in there several hours. Meanwhile, it got chilly so I went inside. I cut up some peppers and onions and threw them, with some olive oil, in my cast iron half-moon pan which happens to be the biggest pan I have. I actually cooked them on the kitchen stove top - gas. Propane actually. On low. Like lower than lowest. Meat eventually dropped down to 140. I took it inside, unwrapped it and sliced it up. Lots of juice in the foil. I sliced it gently on the board with a very sharp knife. I skimmed the fat, then poured the juice into the meat. Served. My wife liked the beef but said I "burned" the peppers. lol Yes, I could have cooked them a little less, but they certainly were not burnt and didn't taste burnt. Next time I'll cook them less. And no, I did not apologize! For cryin' out loud!

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That looks great! I love smoked chuckies. They used to call it "Poor Man's Brisket", until the price went up. Our favorite chuck roast recipe is now "Mississippi Pot Roast" cooked in the crock pot. Put the roast in the pot, sprinkle an au jus gravy mix packet, (1 oz), Dry ranch seasoning packet, (or 1 oz), 5-10k pepperoncini's, a stick of butter, cut up in chunks and let 'er go for 7-8 hrs on low. No liquid needed. Sometimes I'll add a dash of liquid smoke and Worchestershire. I'll add some baby potatoes about 5-6 hours into the cook. The cooking liquid is Nectar of the Gods! Buttery/fatty goodness that's just begging for crusty bread to dip. The cooked roast freezes well too.

 

[skinsmarydu]

That looks great! I love smoked chuckies. They used to call it "Poor Man's Brisket", until the price went up. Our favorite chuck roast recipe is now "Mississippi Pot Roast" cooked in the crock pot. Put the roast in the pot, sprinkle an au jus gravy mix packet, (1 oz), Dry ranch seasoning packet, (or 1 oz), 5-10k pepperoncini's, a stick of butter, cut up in chunks and let 'er go for 7-8 hrs on low. No liquid needed. Sometimes I'll add a dash of liquid smoke and Worchestershire. I'll add some baby potatoes about 5-6 hours into the cook. The cooking liquid is Nectar of the Gods! Buttery/fatty goodness that's just begging for crusty bread to dip. The cooked roast freezes well too.

Now we're talkin'. Glad I didn't give my crock pot away now.
You're my hero.

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Now we're talkin'. Glad I didn't give my crock pot away now.
You're my hero.

I couldn't imagine not having one.
It's great for pork roasts and, for a change of pace, pork ribs.

 

[Mark The Homer]

We use ours for cooking corned beef. That sets up some unbelievable reuben sandwiches. Very popular at the tailgate. I used to make them at the pre-tailgate tailgate on Redskins Road if it was a late game. I even made one for the cop.

Come to think of it, St Patrick's Day is coming up. I'm one-eighth Irish, you know.

 

[Skinsfan1311]

We use ours for cooking corned beef. That sets up some unbelievable reuben sandwiches. Very popular at the tailgate. I used to make them at the pre-tailgate tailgate on Redskins Road if it was a late game. I even made one for the cop.

Come to think of it, St Patrick's Day is coming up. I'm one-eighth Irish, you know.

Same!
Well...the corned beef part. I'm not a huge fan of reubens, but Mrs Skinsfan loves 'em!

 

[Mark The Homer]

Maybe because you haven't had mine yet?

 

[Mark The Homer]

Another nice day yesterday. Low 27 at dawn. High of 62 again. I had a pork butt in the freezer I was saving - defrosted the day before. It's a little four-pound deal. I like the little ones - I can't deal with 10 lbs of pork with just me and the missus. What they do at the grocery sometimes is slice a 10 pounder into thirds, they slice it perpendicular with the money muscle, so there's at least a little money in each third. I like the middle third, of course, because it has the most money. So whenever I see one, I buy it. Boom.

There was nothing to trim on this, the fat cap was already thin. I used a mustard binder and a heavy amount of Malcom's THE BBQ RUB. It's great for pulled pork. Lots of brown sugar and other good stuff. Stuck it in the drum again, smoked it with post oak and cherry wood. Put it on mid-morning like around 9 AM. Cooker temp started at 225, but I had it get hotter as the pork heated up. It actually heated up to 300 at one point and I slowed it back down to around 275. When the pork hit 180, I double wrapped it in HD foil. I know some don't wrap, but IMO the bark is too hard if you don't wrap. By this time it was late afternoon and approaching evening so at five o'clock, my double IPA and I took our place on my rocker on the front porch. GET OFF MY LAWN!

When the IT hit 199, I just shut the smoker down and just left the butt in there wrapped tight, just like the night before. The IT creeped up to 202, then started to back down.

A few hours later, I took it off. Temp had dropped down to 152. I opened the foil. It fell apart when I tried to place it in the pan. Juicy, tender, all that. It was perfect. Even the missus liked it. No complaints. I pulled it with gloved hands. I think it's easier that way. Wife made homemade cole slaw. I like them on Pepperidge Farm slider buns. Small amount of BBQ sauce in the middle.

I'm gonna make Cubano sandwiches in the next day or two. It requires roasted pork, you know.

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Another nice day yesterday. Low 27 at dawn. High of 62 again. I had a pork butt in the freezer I was saving - defrosted the day before. It's a little four-pound deal. I like the little ones - I can't deal with 10 lbs of pork with just me and the missus. What they do at the grocery sometimes is slice a 10 pounder into thirds, they slice it perpendicular with the money muscle, so there's at least a little money in each third. I like the middle third, of course, because it has the most money. So whenever I see one, I buy it. Boom.

There was nothing to trim on this, the fat cap was already thin. I used a mustard binder and a heavy amount of Malcom's THE BBQ RUB. It's great for pulled pork. Lots of brown sugar and other good stuff. Stuck it in the drum again, smoked it with post oak and cherry wood. Put it on mid-morning like around 9 AM. Cooker temp started at 225, but I had it get hotter as the pork heated up. It actually heated up to 300 at one point and I slowed it back down to around 275. When the pork hit 180, I double wrapped it in HD foil. I know some don't wrap, but IMO the bark is too hard if you don't wrap. By this time it was late afternoon and approaching evening so at five o'clock, my double IPA and I took our place on my rocker on the front porch. GET OFF MY LAWN!

When the IT hit 199, I just shut the smoker down and just left the butt in there wrapped tight, just like the night before. The IT creeped up to 202, then started to back down.

A few hours later, I took it off. Temp had dropped down to 152. I opened the foil. It fell apart when I tried to place it in the pan. Juicy, tender, all that. It was perfect. Even the missus liked it. No complaints. I pulled it with gloved hands. I think it's easier that way. Wife made homemade cole slaw. I like them on Pepperidge Farm slider buns. Small amount of BBQ sauce in the middle.

I'm gonna make Cubano sandwiches in the next day or two. It requires roasted pork, you know.

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That sounds like the perfect day! I prefer the small butts, (insert smart-ass comment here), for the same reason because they cook faster. We still end up vac-sealing and freezing it meal-sized portions and pulled pork is my favorite on Nacho's. I've never wrapped one, but your comment makes sense. I like to mix the crunch pieces of bark through the shredded meat. I read on another board that some folks will only shred what they'll eat, and freeze the rest. I might try that.

 

[Mark The Homer]

We need a lunch thread.

Made that Cubano for lunch today. It was damn delicious. Maybe I forgot how good they are, but this was outstanding. There's no Cuban bread in the DC area that I can find and I'm not a bread baker. So through the years, I have been using Panera ciabatta which is pretty close, although it's a bit too dense. I use Chef John's recipe which is not perfectly authentic, but it's my favorite. It just tastes good! You gotta pre-heat the pulled pork so it's piping hot. Spread is 50/50 mayo/mustard with cayenne pepper sprinkled in. I forgot the money shot - the diagonal slice in half. Dammit.

Meanwhile I got a 4 lb chicken on the drum for tonight...

 

[Mark The Homer]

Put a 4 lb chicken on the drum mid-afternoon. Apple & onion stuffed inside and closed tight with mechanic's wire. Oil with pepper and garlic powder in the skin. Smoking wood was maple and apple chunks. Started the cooker temp at 225, then it worked its way to 275, then I backed it back down to 225. Just pulled it as the breast read 165 and the thigh read 178.

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Steak on the left.... hockey puck on the right.
I bought a boneless ribeye roast a while back, (on sale, of course), and sliced a couple steaks off of it before freezing.

 

[Mark The Homer]

I bought a really nice ribeye today at HT. Nice thick cut and nice marbling. Nice sized spinalis. Just the one steak. Non-FB Anne and I will share it at some point...

 

[Skinsfan1311]

I bought a really nice ribeye today at HT. Nice thick cut and nice marbling. Nice sized spinalis. Just the one steak. Non-FB Anne and I will share it at some point...

Our HT has a great meat department and they have a couple of good butchers.
With ribeye roasts, I don't bother with telling them a weight, I just have them bring out the slab and show them how much to cut.
They also takes competitors coupons. We get a Shopper's grocery flier in the mail that has a $10.00 off a $50.00 purchase coupon every other week.
I lucked out a month, or so, ago when HT had boneless ribeye roasts on sale. With the sale price, along with the $10.00 coupon, combined with the HT "$5.00 off of $30.00 purchase" coupon. I got an 8lb roast, cut from the Chuck end, for ~ $43.00.

 

[skinsmarydu]

Ok, so I've been "dating". It's weird to me, but it's a guy I've known for decades. He's been divorced for a long time, and I'm a widow, so there's that. It's a long story about how we know each other. He's "key grip" on movies, TV shows, commercials & such...did the first 5 seasons of "The Walking Dead".
HE TOOK ME OUT FOR SUSHI YESTERDAY AT LUNCH. I loved it.
I told him y'all had been coaxing me to try it.

 

[Mark The Homer]

Congratulations! Your life has just improved dramatically.

Plus, you got a guy to date!

Walking Dead is awesome. I know a lot of the show, like almost all of it, was shot down there in Georgia.

 

[skinsmarydu]

Congratulations! Your life has just improved dramatically.

Plus, you got a guy to date!

Walking Dead is awesome. I know a lot of the show, like almost all of it, was shot down there in Georgia.

Yeah, on the east side of Atlanta (I'm NE, near Stone Mountain). I've never seen an episode, not into zombies. He tells me things about the scenes, the big fire was apparently badass that damn near killed people.

He ordered, knew I liked salmon and tuna. I had to come home and take care of the kitties, went back over to his house. It was a great day.

 

[Mark The Homer]

Our HT has a great meat department and they have a couple of good butchers.
With ribeye roasts, I don't bother with telling them a weight, I just have them bring out the slab and show them how much to cut.
They also takes competitors coupons. We get a Shopper's grocery flier in the mail that has a $10.00 off a $50.00 purchase coupon every other week.
I lucked out a month, or so, ago when HT had boneless ribeye roasts on sale. With the sale price, along with the $10.00 coupon, combined with the HT "$5.00 off of $30.00 purchase" coupon. I got an 8lb roast, cut from the Chuck end, for ~ $43.00.

HT used to be the hands-down best place to buy beef. It was always, always excellent quality. If it said CHOICE, it looked like PRIME and tasted like PRIME. I never bought a steak there in ten plus years that disappointed. It was my go to. Way better than Safeway. Way better than Giant. Not even comparable.

But then they got bought out by Kroger a couple years ago, and the quality dropped off quite a bit. I mean the marbling. The beef is closer to the other stores now. You really have to pay attention and study the slice before you buy it. And if you're my age, you better have your glasses on! It can still be good, but it's not automatically awesome like it used to be.

Our Shoppers left quite a few years ago, and with them went the Shoppers ads. No more Shoppers ads in the paper. They don't send us fliers either. And if that's not bad enough, if I scrounge a coupon up somewhere and try to use it here locally, they say no. What??? What do you mean, no? I'd been doing it for years. But they won't take it because there's no Shoppers in our area anymore.

Maybe I should drive out to the airport and shop there.

 

[Mark The Homer]

Yeah, on the east side of Atlanta (I'm NE, near Stone Mountain). I've never seen an episode, not into zombies. He tells me things about the scenes, the big fire was apparently badass that damn near killed people.

He ordered, knew I liked salmon and tuna. I had to come home and take care of the kitties, went back over to his house. It was a great day.

You kind of remind me of my wife. She says the same thing - not into zombies. I'm not into zombies either, but it's just a great show. Great writers. Great actors. Great production. Great stories. That's what I want. That's all I ask. I don't care what it's about. I just want it to be good! And it is.