Recipes, home grown goodness, BBQing and food stuff
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="595721" data-time="1468134319">
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<p>Ok, ordering meathead .</p>
<p>How many of you still go to an old school butcher rather than just buy meat at a supermarket? </p>
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<p>It varies for me. One of the challenges of american style bbq is that it should use waste cuts of meat. $15 bucks a kg for rib 'shiners' ain't waste cuts any more - that shit is seriously expensive. More expensive than eye fillet in terms of meat recovery.</p>
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<p>Short answer:</p>
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<p>Westmere butchery does brisket (whole, bone in) a $5.kg. I have a relationship with them, and they deliver it to me, but I tend to smoke 15kg at a time.</p>
<p>Ellerslie butcher meats are insanely good, but not cheap</p>
<p>Mad Butcher does regular specials on pork shoulder</p>
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<p>for the NZZP house, we usually only smoke well priced meat. </p> -
You smoke 15kg at a time? That's awesome. I've smoked that amount of fish but never meat<br><br>
I don't really go to the mad butcher because we have Prestons , when I'm working in different parts of town if I see a butcher has won awards for their sausages I'll try and buy some . -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="595721" data-time="1468134319">
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<p>Ok, ordering meathead .</p>
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<p>There's not much there that isn't on the website. Tkae your time and read through everything he has there... buy the book to support, and if you want a physical artifact.</p>
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<p>I started mucking around with slow cooking meats american style about 5 years ago. Back then, you couldn't get it here in NZ - there was only one proper smoking joint. Now, you can't move in central auckland without faling over an american style meat joint. Great stuff, but bloody expensive.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="595734" data-time="1468138654">
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<p>You smoke 15kg at a time? That's awesome. I've smoked that amount of fish but never meat</p>
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<p>Yeah, it's a tight fit but goes well for about 24 hours at around 225F. The yanks haven't seen a bone in brisket - they dont know what it looks like. The meat is best fresh, but breaks down in to the freezer nicely .. tortilla with smokey peppery brisket is insane. Combine with home brewing, and it's not hard to see why I should be on the weight loss forum :|</p> -
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="595743" data-time="1468139152">
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<p>What smoker do you have? </p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.grillingcompanion.com/bubba-keg-grill/'>http://www.grillingcompanion.com/bubba-keg-grill/</a></p>
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<p>Bubba keg. Big, charcoal driven kamado style cooker. Twin wall steel, insulated. Did I mention two bottle openers? :D</p>
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<p>Insulated steel is great for a kamado, but twitchy. They are so well insulated if you overshoot the temp you are basically stuffed.</p>
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<p>Once you go kamado, you never go back. I cooked on webers for years, but by god the kamado concept is great for controlling temperature.</p>
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<p>Jegga - you wellington based? I had some beer from a mate who brewed something there. It was, erm, home-brew like. Old school, kit and kilo home brew, if you know what i mean.</p> -
Yeah I'm Wellington based and normally avoid beer nerds especially the ones who insist on you trying their brew but his were good . I tried about six different brews and they were heaps better than the crap my brother in law brews from scratch and acts you're some sort of philistine for not appreciating .<br>
Sounds like brewing there is s bit of a social thing too, it's not my kind of thing but he's made heaps of mates there. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="595750" data-time="1468140181">
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<p>Yeah I'm Wellington based and normally avoid beer nerds </p>
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<p>There are a few in Wellington! I love craft beer, but it's like wine and women - a binary scale. You either like it or not, go for it.</p>
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<p>Also, my homebrew is special as it is brewed by a group of bearded men. This makes it special and different :)</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="nzzp" data-cid="595752" data-time="1468140948">
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<p><strong>There are a few in Wellington</strong>! I love craft beer, but it's like wine and women - a binary scale. You either like it or not, go for it.</p>
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<p>Also, my homebrew is special as it is brewed by a group of bearded men. This makes it special and different :)</p>
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<p>Yeah, they are hard to avoid -MN5 should be along any minute to add his 2c worth.. I got one of these v cheap the other day and was thinking about adding refractory cement to the base to help it hold heat <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://cookingwithlillian.com/product/17-multi-functional-smoker-bbq-grill/'>http://cookingwithlillian.com/product/17-multi-functional-smoker-bbq-grill/</a>. </p>
<p>I don't use charcoal normally so this could be a way to get used to it.</p> -
<p>The problem with all of the thin walled cookers is loss of heat out the sites.</p>
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<p>Basically, I would strongly suggest you save your pennies and buy a decent kamado. WIth the thin wall, you will wind upw ith hot spots and cold spots, hard temps to hold, chew through charcoal and find it a difficult experience.</p>
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<p>I've cooked a lot on charcoal and there is a learning curve, but it is well worth it. Feel free to ask away - I know a fair bit about charcoal and cookers ... long story but I moonlight occasionally for a bbq store doing demos.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="nzzp" data-cid="595762" data-time="1468141911">
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<p>The problem with all of the thin walled cookers is loss of heat out the sites.</p>
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<p>Basically, I would strongly suggest you save your pennies and buy a decent kamado. WIth the thin wall, you will wind upw ith hot spots and cold spots, hard temps to hold, chew through charcoal and find it a difficult experience.</p>
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<p>I've cooked a lot on charcoal and there is a learning curve, but it is well worth it. Feel free to ask away - I know a fair bit about charcoal and cookers ..<strong>. long story but I moonlight occasionally for a bbq store doing demos.</strong></p>
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<p>My mate was doing that in oz with these <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.bradleysmoker.co.nz/'>http://www.bradleysmoker.co.nz/</a> he made some pretty good stuff with it. Not sure I could ever brine kingfish for three days like he did , mine only get 12 hours max , his smoked venison was pretty good though. </p>
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<p>I'm sure the thin wall is nowhere near as good, but it was cheap enough . The kamodo or similar is going to have to wait till the deck is finished.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="595764" data-time="1468142842">
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<p>My mate was doing that in oz with these <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.bradleysmoker.co.nz/'>http://www.bradleysmoker.co.nz/</a> he made some pretty good stuff with it. Not sure I could ever brine kingfish for three days like he did , mine only get 12 hours max , his smoked venison was pretty good though.</p>
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<p>I'm sure the thin wall is nowhere near as good, but it was cheap enough . The kamodo or similar is going to have to wait till the deck is finished.</p>
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<p>The Kamado Akorn from BBQs and More that NZZP described is the way to go. I got one on sale early in the year for under $600, it performs very similar to more expensive models and I didn't even go geek and replace the gaskets and stuff</p> -
<p>Yup thats the one</p>
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<p>I've finally gotten around to using my sous vide and I have to say it has exceeded my expectations.</p>
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<p>It actually has some similarities to charcoal grilling. Takes ages to come up to temp and accuracy of water is vital but once you nail that the results are pretty bloody good.</p>
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<p>Whats great is it takes away some of the pressure over getting your timings right.</p>
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<p>Had a bunch of people for dinner on Saturday and basically everything was cooked. Beef cheeks had been in the sous vide with some herbs, garlic, seasonings and oil for 8 hours carrots an hr shallots 30 minutes. cook the shallots in butter with the mushroom add some wine and balsamic reduce till sticky add the cheeks with all their juices reduce again and serve on a bed of mashed cauli garnish with carrot and chopped watercress sprouts open the syrah. </p>
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<p>To all intents I spent 30 minutes in the kitchen. Really intense flavours and mess free cooking. I could even have done the sous vide days in advance - as restaurants do.</p>
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<p>Bloody fan now</p> -
I've got some chillis ready for harvesting (well not that many) but need suggestions....
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<p>I have a small single plant with it's first lot of chillis</p>
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<p>I guess just how to keep them to use later or how to use them (ie do you just chop em up and add them for flavour) </p> -
<p>I thought yr Minister of Finance wasn't a chilli fan.</p>
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<p>I use chilli's in about 50% of what I cook. Usually in some form of sauce. The pestle and mortar is your best friend. 755 of the trick with south or SE Asian food is getting the base sauce right. They can keep in a jar for about a month (if you can wait that long). I don't eed a recipe as I do it so much but if you need help I can give you soime</p>
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<p>I figure you are after options to keep them longer.</p>
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<p>Harrissa mix dried chillis with toasted spices salt and garlic. Use the water you rehydrated the chillis in to get the desired consistency</p>
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<p>Dried - 4-6 hrs in a layer in a fan baked oven on about 80 degrees - you need the chillis to be deseeded. Unless they are the short fate type do this quickly bt trimming stalk and then (cut end down doh) rolling gently between yr hands so seeds drop out. The finished chilli should be quite brittle. You want to dry the chilli not cook it so low and slow.</p>
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<p>Smoking. I have done this successfully in a wok with a mix of tea, demerara and jasmine rice as the smoke element. As low a heat as possible for as long as possible. I'm lucky to have a convection oven which makes temp control easier. You then need to dry the chillis as above (but with reduced time)</p>
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<p>Chilli sauce Rehydrated chillis garlic salt blitz add white vinegar and some sherry (good quality yr after the oak flavour) Cut with rehydrating liquid to desired heat.</p>
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<p>Is that any help. Basically chillis don't last long enough at my place for storing them to be an issue.</p>
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<p>As a chilli aside. For those in Akl. Farros now selling assorted gourmet chillis including naga and scotch bonnet</p>
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<p>Make</p> -
<p>Yeah mate, just after options for keeping them longer, with a new small plant, dont wanna waste those flavoursome red devils they have grown! </p>
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<p>made some Lemon honey/curd today...my lemons are so motherfucking sour! </p>
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<p>Tastes damn fine though, home grown lemons, eggs from my chickens....just need to learn how to grow my own sugar haha</p>
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<p>I always have squeezed lemon/grapefruit juice in the freezer to add to water, but these lemons are quite brutal, and my little tree is a prolific grower! </p>