It was a nice and quiet New Year’s Eve that started out with a pound of raw Jumbo Shrimp that were prepared in shrimp stock and then served cold (as shrimp cocktail) [before I could get a pic, they were gone in mid afternoon]. Then, onto the 5 lb prime cut ribeye roast I obtained from a local butcher I frequent when in a northern Atlanta suburb. Seasoned it with Excalibur steak and roast rub. Then, reverse seared it to 129 in the oven at 225 degrees. Seared it in a CI pan. Yep, it was a good and quiet dinner. [BTW: I will be purchasing more of the Excalibur Steak and Roast rub and the Garlic/Butter seasoning used for the fresh broccoli. As both were secretly stolen from me. ]

I have now jumped on the Tex_77 train of cooking chicken marinated with and breaded with Chicken On The Run directly on the grill. I know this is heresy to my statement that the same chicken being the best when I fried them. Grilling is way better. Yes, I used some smoke during the cooking. But, that’s only an enhancement.

Found 6 lbs of filet scraps I vacuum packed in the freezer. Added 1.3 lbs of ribeye fat. Ground it with a 3/8th and mixed in a light combo of Pa’s/Better Burger/Garlic Butter seasonings with a sprinkling of Worcester sauce. Made up 18 six ounce patties and a sample patty. The result was “why didn’t I do this before?” A neighbor came over with a dram of Weller Antique 107 to share and after the test burger tasting, made 2 more. Hope all of you also had a good day.

Jonathon The shirt is top notch and is true to size. Thank you.

Since it’s overcast today, not too hot and the last of my cheeses were consumed over the weekend, I’m smoking 5 diff cheeses. Mozz, Swiss, Asiago, Pepper Jack and Sharp Cheddar. Yes, it’s over an iced filled aluminum tray.

Well, I have now verified that the Chicken on the run Marinade and Coating/Mix are legit. Did a test if 6 boneless chicken thighs and both items allowed them to be juicy, crunchy and tasty.

Well, decided to see if grinding the garlic (rather than boiling it whole), placing it in cheese cloth and dipping in warm water before squeezing out the juice is better. So, made Slovenian klobase with salt/pepper/garlic juice in a small 5 lb batch. The sausages are resting in the fridge until the temp drops outside to cold smoke them(Friday). Thinking this option is good because those sausages are permeating every crevice in the living area after I open the fridge.

Homemade French Onion Soup from scratch ( except for the gruyere, parmigiano reggiano and French Bread). Designed a new recipe that is pretty darn good. The cast iron dutch oven was 3/4 full before people starting requesting refills. Happy that I took a pic before it was all gone.

What to do when a dreary day that included snow flakes to fly. Cold smoked a pork tenderloin for 4 hrs. Then, sous vide it at 130 for 2.5 hours. Came out tasty.

Well, I tested out a new injector and the apple-cinnamon soluble on a 2 lb pork loin. Let the injection sit overnight, dried it off, applied plain mustard, homemade rub, wrapped it in bacon and put it in the smoker. Injecting the pork loin did not disappoint. It was totally juicy even after going over the 145 by 12 degrees. Normally, it would’ve been a bit dry. Nice small test. Have 3 more available for more testing.

What to do when people want different meats for dinner? You grill both: breaded chicken thighs using Chicken on the Run breading and lamb chops marinated in Hatch Chili Citrus Marinade. Then, sauté riced broccoli with onions and fresh garlic (failed to get a pic of this). There were no complaints around the table.

Just a thought for today on the first decent temp day in a looooonnnnnggg time.

Tried something new this year and tested making a 3 lb corned beef in a pressure cooker with Guinness, beef broth and the pickling spices for 80 mins. Took it out, wrapped it tight in plastic wrap from both ends and cooled it in the fridge. It ended up like butter, tight and very tasty. That test went well. Then cooked the veggies in the same broth for 5 mins in the same cooker.

Cold Smoked Double Pork Chop that’s seared. Made some eggs made in the same searing pan and added a couple flatbreads for sopping. Needed a little something for brunch after having a 4 people over for a bourbon tasting last night.

zbigjeff Vacuum marinated for 4 hours. Sous Vide at 122 for 3 hours. Seared it with a seerzall. Then, accompanied it with sautéed mushrooms, onions and broccoli and seasoned it with the butter/garlic sprinkles. Summary: I really liked the dry marinate of hatch chili with citrus. Just enough kick to let you know it’s there. But, not overpowered. Success!

Had a need to process aged cherry and roma tomatoes. So, I roasted 3 lbs of tomatoes, red pepper, carrots, onions and celery with the normal herbs of basil, oregano, thyme, s&p and 5 cloves of garlic. Used another tool (Vitamix) to puree all materials. Just had to accompany this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Hot Onion Dip (My version)
3-8 oz very soft cream cheese bars
1 cup high grade mayo like Hellman’s
1 cup sour cream
1.5-2 cups of diced sweet onion (2 medium sized)
1 cup caramelized onion (if you don’t have, it’s not necessary. But thought it would add more taste and had them onhand.)
2 cups of high level shredded parmesan (between 6-8 ozs) (set about an ounce to the side for a dusting on top before placing in oven.
1 cup of white shredded cheddar (about 4 ozs)
2 tablespoons of a hot sauce( I used Franks’s because it’s for a group)
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire
2 tablespoons of granulated garlic
3-4 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper. If you like pepper, add more.

Directions:

1. Place all (except the parm that will be used for dusting) into a mixing bowl and thoroughly combine.
2. Dump everything into a baking dish/crockpot insert or any oven proof vessel that will accept the quantity (probably 2 quart vessel) and then even it out.
3. Dust the top with the reserved parm.
4. Place into a 325-350 oven for around 35-60 mins. The mixture should be bubbly and darkened (mid-browned). The minutes of cooking may need to be adjusted due to the depth of your vessel. Note: You could place it in a 375-400 oven. But, you really have to watch it for “breaking the cheese”/force it to separate and that would not be good.
5. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10. Serve with any sturdy chip, sturdy vegetables, sliced apples or cucumber. I’m only using chips because it will be outside. Made a double batch that I cooked in a 4 quart crockpot insert.
6. Non cooking time for one batch is about 15 mins (20 mins if sipping wine or cocktails during the process). Can be made up days ahead and then cooked just before serving.
   

Two of my buds (Rose and Chuck) brought me back some goodies on their trip through Bardstown, KY. They also bought about 6 bottles and 5 used bourbon barrels for themselves. Nice having friends like this.

Thanks @DennyO-s for the herbs and process. I did everything the same up until the cook. This time I sous vide it for 20 hours at 160 and then rested it an ice bath and then fridge overnight. My guinea pig neighbors tasted the product with two thumbs up. It has a nice pepper bite and very tender. Thanks to all of you for the guidance.

It was just a bit warm outside. So, I decided to mix it up and grab from the Basil plant outside and sous vide a nice piece of salmon inside. Initially, I salted the salmon and left it in the fridge to firm up for an hour. Then, created a complex butter with basil, garlic and amish rolled butter. Slathered it all over the Salmon and sous vide it at 130 for 45 mins. Love it when a plan comes together.