A new cooking thread...

justincredible Honorable Admin
37,969 posts 246 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 9:48 AM

In these unprecedented times, I assume people will be spending more time cooking at home. Let's start a new thread for discussing food/cooking.

I'm close to putting in an order for a pellet grill. I'm a notorious overthinker, so I have been going back and forth on which one to buy for several months now. I am most likely going with the Grilla Chimp due to size, price, and portability. Given it's just my wife and I 99% of the time, I think the smaller size will be perfectly adequate (that's what she said?).

https://grillagrills.com/grills/chimp-wood-pellet-grill/

 

What kind of food is everyone cooking these days? Are you still supporting local spots with takeout/delivery? 


8,788 posts 20 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 9:54 AM

Over the weekend, I made a roasted lemon chicken to last a few days. Wife and I also made a pot of chili and a pot of vegetable soup to freeze. 

Last night, wife made a pot of home made pasta sauce and noodles with ground beef. 

We usually make big pots of food, so we will continue to rotate those in the coming days/ weeks. 

There are a number of places doing carry out in Frederick, MD. We plan on placing an order for lunch one of these days. 

iclfan2 Reppin' the 330/216/843
9,465 posts 98 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 9:59 AM

I think you'll be good with 340. My Akorn cheap smoker has less than that. I've never heard of that brand, but it looks really cool. Have you heard much about them? I am in the market for either a new ceramic smoker or a pellet one for the versatility (and being able to leave the house).

I do have some pork country ribs to make burnt ends that I want to do soon. https://www.smoking-meat.com/december-3-2015-pork-country-style-rib-burnt-ends

I haven't gotten a chance to do much smoking, but I've been starting to juice a little bit, and also made homemade yogurt in my Ninja Foodie. 

justincredible Honorable Admin
37,969 posts 246 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 10:00 AM

Grilla is definitely reputable. They are designed in the US but are made in China, so keep that in consideration.

Fab4Runner Tits McGee
6,997 posts 64 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 10:53 AM

I've been very into beef stew this winter. I use Chrissy Teigen's Sleepytime Stew recipe with a few modifications. I halve small yellow potatoes and add them to the pot instead of making mashed potatoes to serve alongside. I also add a parmesan rind while simmering. At the end, I top with dumplings. So yes, there are white beans, potatoes and dumplings all in the same stew. What can I say, I like carbs.

We just stocked up on pork loin, chicken breast, ground beef and turkey, sausage and ribs, and we're kicking of quarantine with steaks tonight. I also plan to make lasagna (https://www.inspiredtaste.net/20339/cheesy-sausage-and-beef-lasagna-recipe) and a couple other pasta dishes over the next few weeks. 

TedSheckler Emporium Entrepreneur
4,023 posts 48 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 10:53 AM

I've been busy on the RecTec smoker the last few weeks.  Bought a 14lb pork belly from the butcher.  Half I made into pork belly burnt ends, the other half I cured for a week and made my own bacon.

 

 

 

Then did a beef tri tip on the smoker then reverse seared it on the gas grill.

 

 

Last weekend I did an apple stuffed pork loin with a bacon weave wrap.

 

 

justincredible Honorable Admin
37,969 posts 246 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 10:58 AM
posted by TedSheckler

I've been busy on the RecTec smoker the last few weeks.  Bought a 14lb pork belly from the butcher.  Half I made into pork belly burnt ends, the other half I cured for a week and made my own bacon.

 

 

 

Then did a beef tri tip on the smoker then reverse seared it on the gas grill.

 

 

Last weekend I did an apple stuffed pork loin with a bacon weave wrap.

 

 


iclfan2 Reppin' the 330/216/843
9,465 posts 98 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 11:20 AM
posted by TedSheckler

I've been busy on the RecTec smoker the last few weeks.  Bought a 14lb pork belly from the butcher.  Half I made into pork belly burnt ends, the other half I cured for a week and made my own bacon.

Those look great. I have done the pork belly burnt ends and they are delicious. That Tri-tip looks amazing. Any good websites ya'll use for inspiration? I follow Jessica Pryles (Hardcore Carnivore) on instagram and she puts out some good stuff.  

QuakerOats Senior Member
11,701 posts 66 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 11:42 AM

 

 

During the winter I usually get into more soups as well as pasta dishes.  I enjoy weekend cooking/smoking especially, making marinara sauce and meatballs, simmering roaster chickens or large turkey wings for chicken or turkey and wild rice soup, which are extra tasty if I get some smoke on them first.  I have made more veal dishes this year as well; love veal.  The better half made a fabulous osso bucco last weekend -  beef shanks instead of veal shanks, but still great. It looks like I will have more time to break out the smoker over the coming weekends, obviously, unless work continues to require a lot of financial modeling/forecasting given the current state of the affairs.  I think I have over 4 cases of good wine in the cellar, which helps to ease the nerves these days. Smoker tip – after finishing the big slabs of brisket, pork or chicken, I always throw on a crock or two of artichoke dip, marinated olives, and even almonds.  Give them the last hour on your smoker and wow, what a flavor boost.

TedSheckler Emporium Entrepreneur
4,023 posts 48 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 11:44 AM

I usually go with whatever I can find at the butcher or the grocery.  When I find something I put a lot of weight into how Malcolm Reed cooks.  He has a Youtube called HowToBBQRight.

QuakerOats Senior Member
11,701 posts 66 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 11:45 AM
posted by ptown_trojans_1

Over the weekend, I made a roasted lemon chicken to last a few days. Wife and I also made a pot of chili and a pot of vegetable soup to freeze. 

Last night, wife made a pot of home made pasta sauce and noodles with ground beef. 

We usually make big pots of food, so we will continue to rotate those in the coming days/ weeks. 

There are a number of places doing carry out in Frederick, MD. We plan on placing an order for lunch one of these days. 

 

Youngest son spent the night there last night --- 6 cars in the hotel parking lot.

 

 

QuakerOats Senior Member
11,701 posts 66 reps Joined Nov 2009
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 11:46 AM

 

By the way Ted, your vittles look great, especially the bacon!

8,788 posts 20 reps Joined Nov 2009
Tue, Mar 24, 2020 8:42 AM

Wife and I have been on a tear the last few days.

Over the last week, we have made:

  • Spicy pork belly with rice
  • Home made pasta with spicy sausage white sauce
  • A ham
  • Cheesy potato soup
Fab4Runner Tits McGee
6,997 posts 64 reps Joined Nov 2009
Tue, Mar 24, 2020 11:06 AM

Made beef and noodles last night. Plenty of leftovers. My husband is making tomato soup tonight, and I'll be making lasagna sometime this weekend. I also need to make some turkey burgers or meat loaves or freeze the meat by tomorrow.

I've been waiting on some bananas to ripen so I can make cinnamon swirl banana bread. 

We had burgers and fries on Sunday and steaks from our local butcher last week. 

OSH Kosh B'Gosh
4,424 posts 18 reps Joined Nov 2009
Tue, Mar 24, 2020 11:11 AM

We've enjoyed getting our 3 kids (6, 5, 2) involved in some of the cooking. Did some chicken on the grill the other night (so good to have the tanks full!). Kids got to make some chicken sandwiches which we baked. The next night it was a nacho "bar" for them to add whatever they wanted. They loved both.

They've also been helping mommy bake brownies and cookies.

33,369 posts 132 reps Joined Nov 2009
Tue, Mar 24, 2020 1:44 PM

Made two pastas this weekend:

  1. Grilled chicken pesto (Garlic Expressions) with sun-dried tomatoes.
  2. Homemade tomato sauce. Olive oil and 5 cloves of chopped garlic browned in the oil. Add about 15 CB popes Campari tomatoes and basil leaves. Then garnish with basil.

Both super easy, but a spin on the traditional store bought stuff. We used Angel Hair for both, but think it would be tasty with any type of pasta.

justincredible Honorable Admin
37,969 posts 246 reps Joined Nov 2009
Tue, Mar 24, 2020 2:14 PM

I'm going to do a 12 hour sous vide cook of ribs tonight and finish them on the grill tomorrow night for dinner.

thavoice Senior Member
15,437 posts 42 reps Joined Nov 2009
Thu, Mar 26, 2020 9:05 AM

I wanted to make a simple recipe from my youth that had just 4 ingredients.

Unfortunately one of them was evaporated milk, which was hoarded by all the old people and could not be found anywhere.

The Carnation instant breakfast powder worked in a pinch though.

 

justincredible Honorable Admin
37,969 posts 246 reps Joined Nov 2009
Mon, Apr 6, 2020 11:44 AM

Y’all can’t hang in my kitchen. 
 

Ironman92 Administrator
56,729 posts 164 reps Joined Nov 2009
Mon, Apr 6, 2020 12:04 PM

Been ordering out 1 or 2x a week and we get ice cream out 1x a week. My wife is a wonderful cook and loves to cook. I do the grilling 1-2x a week.

like_that 1st Team All-PWN
29,228 posts 321 reps Joined Apr 2010
Mon, Apr 6, 2020 12:07 PM

Just made ribollita for the first time yesterday.  Fantastic.

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