Outdoor cooking and grilling!

[mechman]

How big was the butt? I've never had one go that long before.

 

[GFOviedo]

How big was the butt? I've never had one go that long before.

It was a little over 28 lbs. It went to 17 hours because I fell asleep around 1 am. I woke up at 8 am freaking out it was going to be burned, and it turn out even better than any of the previous ones.

 

[mechman]

Wow! That's huge!

 

[GFOviedo]

Wow! That's huge!

That’s why she said too!

 

[mechman]

It must have been one of those monstrous hogs! I just bought a butt and I went and looked at it's weight - 6.76 lbs. Granted, I have two kids out of the house at college now so I don't want a big one, but I don't think I've ever seen one larger than 15-20lbs.

 

[GFOviedo]

I actually had two of them. I buy them from a local farmer that breeds super duper large pigs. I paid about $80 dollars for both of them. One was cooked in the smoker and the other my wife made Chile Verde. I’ve got 6 people at my house and my mother-in-law just moved in as well. Plus we had family and friends over all of the time. We go through a lot of meat!

 

[JBrax]

Nothing fancy but no complaints.

 

[GFOviedo]

Looks delicious! I had pizza lol.

 

[JBrax]

Nothing wrong with pizza!

 

[GFOviedo]

True, but I rather have a homemade cheese burger!
Did anyone noticed Lowe’s had a 4 burner propane grill for $450 on sale? Regular price was $900?
Those sold out quick!

 

[phillihp23]

Cook daily on the new grills. Haven’t used the kitchen in two months.
Some pics I have on my phone... rotiserie chicken, breakfast, and shrimp fried rice....

 

[GFOviedo]

Nice! I made some carne asada and mango/jalapeño sausages yesterday. No pics though.

 

[mechman]

About two weeks ago I ran into a very good deal on a Kamado Joe Classic II. I had to jump on it as I've been craving a return to charcoal for quite some time. Haven't done anything with it outside of smoking some ribs last weekend. While they turned out excellent, I'm still waiting for it to warm up some before delving in fully.

On another note, my neighbor owns a heating and AC business and we were talking the other day about installing hoods in our garages. That way I could move the KJ into the garage along side the electric smoker. I already have the electric smoker vented to the outside so I don't think it would be too difficult to install a hood where that vent is now.

 

[GFOviedo]

That’s cool. I still BBQ and smoke during the CA winters.

 

[Sonnie]

Just got one of these in... haven't had a chance to try it yet... can't wait.

 

[mechman]

I'm a big fan of slow cooking steaks for an hour or so and then searing the outside lately. I've slow cooked them in the smoker, the oven and on the grill. I always sear them in the cast iron skillet. Best steak ever!

 

[Sonnie]

I cook them as fast as I can. The Otto I have cooks them to medium in about 4 minutes, but sears the outside perfectly.

There is another process I hear is excellent ... called sous-vide. I've not done it, but they are vacuum sealed and submersed in water at the temperature you want them cooked to... say about 135 degrees for medium to med-rare. You can submerse them for two hours and then sear them. I've seen a few videos on doing this and those who have done it claim it's the absolute best way to cook one if you have the time.

On the other hand... Ruth Chris uses the radiant heat at about 1700-1800 degrees and cooks their steaks in 2-3 minutes... charred perfectly on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Similar to what the Otto is supposed to do.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Anyone else take advantage of the short break from the Polar Vortex this weekend and cook outside? I grilled salmon and potatoes on Saturday afternoon, as we went from -30º on Wednesday to 52º on Saturday.

 

[mechman]

I cook them as fast as I can. The Otto I have cooks them to medium in about 4 minutes, but sears the outside perfectly.

There is another process I hear is excellent ... called sous-vide. I've not done it, but they are vacuum sealed and submersed in water at the temperature you want them cooked to... say about 135 degrees for medium to med-rare. You can submerse them for two hours and then sear them. I've seen a few videos on doing this and those who have done it claim it's the absolute best way to cook one if you have the time.

On the other hand... Ruth Chris uses the radiant heat at about 1700-1800 degrees and cooks their steaks in 2-3 minutes... charred perfectly on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Similar to what the Otto is supposed to do.

That sous-vide is similar to slow cooking and searing that I do - get the steaks up close to finished temp and then sear on both sides for about 45secs each.

Anyone else take advantage of the short break from the Polar Vortex this weekend and cook outside? I grilled salmon and potatoes on Saturday afternoon, as we went from -30º on Wednesday to 52º on Saturday.

Absolutely! I made some ribs in the KJ last weekend and I did steaks last night. We got about 8 inches of snow the other day and we're supposed to get about the same today. And then another plunge to below zero for a day or so. I really need to get a hood installed in my garage...