FOOD THREAD 1

Carnitas

Ingredients
3 lbs pork shoulder (or any other dark pork meat) cubed/chunked (around 1.5 inch cubes)
4 ounces lard
1 tbs salt
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet Sazon Goya (Corriander and Annatto)
chili powder (as much as your comfortable with)

1.) Cube pork and season with 1 tbs salt, chili powder, and Sazon Goya. Let sit for about 5 min
2.) Add lard to 4 qt pot and bring to medium high heat. You want at least 1/4 inch of lard covering the pot, you can add more lard to reach this level. In this case more is better.
3.)Add seasoned meat and stir. Add 1/2 tsp salt as it comes to a boil. (The meat is going to start to release liquid and steam, you want to cook away the resulting moisture.) When the liquid at bottom starts to clarify and look like melted oil, lower heat to medium.
4.) Fry meat in the remaining fat, stirring to make sure each piece is browned evenly.
5.) When you have a flaky light brown outside, spoon meat out and lay on paper towels.

(Try not toss the remaining pork lard out. Save remaining lard to make re-fried pinto or black beans. Also adds great flavor to Spanish rice)

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*I sanitized my board and knife after cutting meat. Went with pork tacos with shredded cabbage, and sriracha on a corn tortilla. Didn't feel like making salsa from scratch.

(Also for those of you who like green and red chili, this is the basic prep for the meat. Spuds are usually thrown in after removing some of the lard (for beans) and cooked with the carnitas. Then green chili, garlic and onion are added. Or a red chilli sauce is added then pot is left to simmer on low.) I'll post direction for chilli when i have more time.
 
There's a recipe for Prime Rib with Garlic Herb Butter making the rounds on social media. I modified that recipe today for an addition to the usual Christmas feast fare. Instead of the oven method I did a reverse sear on the Big Green Egg... it was excellent.
  • Prep the rib roast as per the original recipe.
  • Set up charcoal cooker and for indirect cooking and bring to 225° at the grid
  • Place pan with "v" rack and roast in the grill
  • Add smoking wood if desired (I chose to go with none)
  • Cook at 225° until the internal temperature is about 115° then remove and allow to rest
  • Set up grill for direct cooking and bring the grill temperature is raised to at least 500°.
  • Place the roast on the grid and allow to sear for a minute or so before rolling it to get an unseared portion of the roast on the fire.
  • Check internal temperature after the first few minutes. Pull the roast when the internal temperature reaches 125°.
  • Tent with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes. You should get a 10° rise in internal temp while the meat rest which would put it at the high end of the medium rare range.

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Christmas Eve has become the more enjoyable part of the Season for me. Four years ago on Christmas my Dad passed away, so I simply make it through Christmas Day for the kids and my wife and any others who happen to be around. So now, we have a nice dinner with family on Christmas Eve as well. We open presents and tell stories while partaking in the eggnog, cookies and other treats of the season. It is nice.

Here is the main dish for this evening's dinner. Reverse seared prime rib cooked on the Big Green egg... yep it was good. No protection although it clearly needed it.

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Any of you ever try Yagyu beef? I've got a buddy who is going to throw a dinner party and serve it. He's amazing at what he can do for food, but obviously not going to pick up the tab for $100/steak. Worth it? Well of course it's not worth $100, but the company, beverages, and stories will.

A5 WAGYU : MARCH 19
 
Any of you ever try Yagyu beef? I've got a buddy who is going to throw a dinner party and serve it. He's amazing at what he can do for food, but obviously not going to pick up the tab for $100/steak. Worth it? Well of course it's not worth $100, but the company, beverages, and stories will.

A5 WAGYU : MARCH 19

Yes, I have. Actually, if it is prepared properly, it is worth every penny. Do NOT cook it above rare or just barely into medium rare. It's unlike other beef. The fat will render at about 120 degrees. At 130 you've ruined the steak. It's very rich so small portions are the way to go. It's about $100/pound for American Waygu (Yes, there is one herd here in the US that is a pure strain). A $100 meal featuring true Japanese Waygu is about right, but do NOT expect a cowboy sized steak for that. There are only about 100 Waygu cows slaughtered per year, worldwide.
 
Mushroom Onion and Swiss burgers, High West Whiskey Double Rye, and some Black Flag for the background music.

 

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I would have taken pictures of the finished product but god damn, the roommate and I pounded it away. Almost want to make more to be honest.
 
Yes, I have. Actually, if it is prepared properly, it is worth every penny. Do NOT cook it above rare or just barely into medium rare. It's unlike other beef. The fat will render at about 120 degrees. At 130 you've ruined the steak. It's very rich so small portions are the way to go. It's about $100/pound for American Waygu (Yes, there is one herd here in the US that is a pure strain). A $100 meal featuring true Japanese Waygu is about right, but do NOT expect a cowboy sized steak for that. There are only about 100 Waygu cows slaughtered per year, worldwide.
Thanks for that....lookin' forward to a couple of weekends from now!
 
Not your kids' sloppy joes...

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Pineapple and jalapenos make it unique. All fresh ingredients, everything from scratch, including the rolls and french fries, which take two days to do right. I made 3-1/2 pounds of the filler.
 
Got a recipe?

This is a rough version, I do my recipes measured in grams so they are repeatable. This will make about 8 large sloppy joes

3 lbs ground beef (80/20, use high quality beef)
1 medium onion 1/4" dice
1 large green bell pepper 1/4" dice
1 tomato 1/4" dice (~1/2 cup)
2 large jalapenos fine dice ~1/4 cup
1/2 cup pineapple fine dice
2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
2 cups ketchup
2 Tbsp Tobasco or 1 Tbsp Siracha
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Salt and Black pepper to taste
Olive Oil for sautee

In a large skillet heat the pan, add olive oil and heat. Sweat the onions, bell pepper and jalapenos until they turn translucent. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain the fat in a colander and return to pan.

Add all the other ingredients except the tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue simmering for another 15 minutes. Season to taste and serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Tips:
Season at each step. If you wait until the end, it'll be fine, but the flavor doesn't develop the same
When you sautee onions and peppers, always start with the peppers, they take longer to soften than onions.
This is like marinara and chili, if you cook it one day, refrigerate overnight and reheat, the flavors meld making it better
 
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This is a rough version, I do my recipes measured in grams so they are repeatable. This will make about 8 large sloppy joes

3 lbs ground beef (80/20, use high quality beef)
1 medium onion 1/4" dice
1 large green bell pepper 1/4" dice
1 tomato 1/4" dice (~1/2 cup)
2 large jalapenos fine dice ~1/4 cup
1/2 cup pineapple fine dice
2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
2 cups ketchup
2 Tbsp Tobasco or 1 Tbsp Siracha
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Salt and Black pepper to taste
Olive Oil for sautee

In a large skillet heat the pan, add olive oil and heat. Sweat the onions, bell pepper and jalapenos until they turn translucent. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain the fat in a colander and return to pan.

Add all the other ingredients except the tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue simmering for another 15 minutes. Season to taste and serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Tips:
Season at each step. If you wait until the end, it'll be fine, but the flavor doesn't develop the same
When you sautee onions and peppers, always start with the peppers, they take longer to soften than onions.
This is like marinara and chili, if you cook it one day, refrigerate overnight and reheat, the flavors meld making it better

Thanks! I'll have to try these this week but maybe with some venison.
 
Yes, I have. Actually, if it is prepared properly, it is worth every penny. Do NOT cook it above rare or just barely into medium rare. It's unlike other beef. The fat will render at about 120 degrees. At 130 you've ruined the steak. It's very rich so small portions are the way to go. It's about $100/pound for American Waygu (Yes, there is one herd here in the US that is a pure strain). A $100 meal featuring true Japanese Waygu is about right, but do NOT expect a cowboy sized steak for that. There are only about 100 Waygu cows slaughtered per year, worldwide.

Re: Waygu

It's game on, Saturday after Easter. 14oz ribeye was the smallest cuts we could get; all of the 'cheaper' stuff was scarfed up within minutes after the site went online. Fortunate the the dude doing the cooking is fantastic!
 
Re: Waygu

It's game on, Saturday after Easter. 14oz ribeye was the smallest cuts we could get; all of the 'cheaper' stuff was scarfed up within minutes after the site went online. Fortunate the the dude doing the cooking is fantastic!

You should have plenty in a doggie bag. Waygu is so heavily marbled it is like eating a stick of delicious butter. I love a thick steak and could only eat about 8 oz at one time.
 
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