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Food Do you grill, bbq, smoke?

Discussion in 'Tilted Food' started by Borla, Aug 3, 2011.

  1. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    We do a recipe for Vagabond Baked Beans: Baked beans (we have the recipe for the BB from scratch, but canned works just fine), ham (can omit for vegetarian version), onion, apples, raisins (we substitute some craisins for more tartness), relish (dill, again for tartness), Dijon mustard, mustard powder, chili sauce, and catsup (we just use more chili sauce). I might've posted the recipe here, can't remember.

    But I've never tried cooking them in a smoker.
     
  2. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Most baked beans are either too sugary, too ketchup-y, or both, for my tastes. That recipe eliminated what I usually don't like about baked beans and maximized the rest. :D
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    I'm gonna have to see if I have some navy or Great Northern beans lurking in the cupboard.
     
  4. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX

    I agree totally. We alter the Vagabond Baked Beans recipe here & there for more bite, less sweetness. If I did the baked beans from scratch (the recipe is in the same cookbook), and used those in the VBB recipe instead of canned BB, it'd probably be even better. Hmmm....one of these days.

    One thing I like about the VBB is they can be a meal unto themselves. And they go great with anything cooked on the grill.
     
  5. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Cooking beans from scratch is easy. Like, rinse beans, add water, cook. Soaking is completely optional. I've got some black beans going in my slow cooker right now (outside, too, so I'm not heating up the house on a 90 degree day) for making cowboy caviar.
     
  6. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX

    Oh yeah, we (usually me) cook beans frequently--pinto, black eyed peas, green lima, white "butter" lima, black, etc. I prefer to soak them if they're dried , but that's more of a preference than a requirement.
     
  7. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    They also freeze really well, which ends up being much cheaper than buying canned.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  8. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    Now I'm really wanting to try the 'from scratch' BB recipe!
     
    • Like Like x 1
  9. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Tomorrow I am doing a massive Kurobuta pork shoulder. It's like 17lbs. Obviously it'll melt off some fat during smoking, but that is a beast of a shoulder compared to what I can usually get.


    Even better? In a roundabout way, it was free.


    I occasionally order from Snake River Farms when I want a really great cut of meat, or something hard to find. It is expensive, but the quality is exceptional. When I do big cuts of meat from there it is usually for a special occasion. Last week I ordered a big order from them, including a Kobe-style brisket and a Kurobuta Pork shoulder. My shipment was two boxes, one with all of the smaller cuts, and one with the brisket and shoulder. It was all set to deliver Friday. UPS screwed up somewhere along the way and didn't deliver the box with the brisket and the shoulder. I tried to contact UPS to go pick it up myself at the local warehouse (I've done that before with shipments I REALLY needed ASAP, or perishable stuff). It was too late in the day, and they don't allow pick-ups on Saturday. I called SRF, because I was worried that the meat would be ruined if I didn't get it until Monday (today). They pack it in a cooler, and in dry ice, but it has been in the upper 80s recently, and this mis-delivery meant three extra days. They told me to just throw the meat away when it arrived, and that they would rush me out a replacement order for delivery Tuesday (tomorrow) at no charge.

    UPS delivered the original shipment today. The brisket was still mostly frozen, and even the outer edges were nearly frozen, so I threw it in the freezer. The pork shoulder is still partially frozen, and the outside edges are still colder than they would be if it had been kept in the fridge. So I'm going to smoke it tomorrow since I can't really let it wait much longer. So basically, because UPS screwed up, I am getting two very large, very good pieces of meat for free. I would call SRF and have them cancel the second order, but it is already a few miles away and set for delivery in the AM, and mail order food cannot be returned and resold, even unopened.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  10. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Kurobota pork shoulder. Next to a fork to help you reference size. [​IMG]

    All rubbed up.

    [​IMG]

    That pan can usually fit an entire turkey with ease.

    Just threw it on the BGE a bit ago.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  11. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
  12. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member



    I am a bit of a purist when it comes to good cuts of meat, so I'm not usually one to advocate stuffing something like a rib-eye roast. However, I'd make an exception for that. It sounds incredible! I may have to steal that recipe.
     
  13. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    Steal away! I've eaten his food. He knows his bbq.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    [​IMG]
     
    • Like Like x 1
  15. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    Why was I thinking :confused: that you had one of the smaller BGE smokers? It's pretty good sized in that photo.
     
  16. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member



    No idea. A lot of people underestimate their size and what you can fit on them. When I bought mine it was the largest size they made at the time. They've since come out with one that is oval shaped that is even bigger.

    That shoulder in the picture is somewhere around 16-17lbs. The cast iron dutch oven is (IIRC) either a 6 or 7 quart one.

    The grid on the XL BGE's is 452 sq inches. You can fit a LOT on it. I've done 7-8 racks of ribs (on a vertical rack), a pork shoulder, and a brisket flat all at one time. Or grill 20-30 chicken thighs all at once. The main limitation comes when you try to stack stuff. Due to the shape, the edges of the grate don't have a ton of clearance above them, so you have to be strategic about putting the taller stuff in the center.

    For reference, here is one with six big chickens on it:

    [​IMG]






    I've heard tales of people picking up ones cheap off of Craigslist, sometimes due to missing hinges or hardware, which are easily replaced. A bargain hunter like yourself could find his way into one (albeit one that may need some love and affection to get smoking again) for a tiny fraction of the retail cost.
     
  17. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    Are you suggesting that I'm cheap?

    Your word choice has insulted me!

    No, I'm not insulted :D. I do keep my eyes open for them, but I never see any BGEs and very rarely even one of the copies. The big metal smokers that most people associate with BBQ & smoking, yes.

    Regarding the small BGE, I know someone who has one, hence my confusion.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  18. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I have a Delmonico steak going on the grill tonight.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  19. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    I'm suggesting that you are bargain savvy. :D
     
    • Like Like x 2
  20. omega

    omega Very Tilted

    Nobody has to suggest you are cheap....

    Now if you really want to save some money and get awesome smoke on, get an akorn. You'll save more money and not have to dick with broken hardware. Though how a BGE would even gave broken hardware is beyond my ken. But I have never owned one.