Do you like to cook?

[shifty]

Originally Posted by flashed

shifty , we in C10clubGa have truck get togethers fairly often. You could cook for us .

Canton! I was in your neck of the woods on Friday, just off exit 16a on 575 buying a vintage bike.

Wish I still had my C10 but I know it's in good hands. Do y'all accept newer trucks too?

Smokin' meat takes a minute, do your meets ever last more than 4-5 hours?

[special-K]

Wes Hepp like to cook a thing or two. I wonder if he'll see this.

All I use is charcoal, real wood. I have two sized kettle style (also a table size), an offset, and a stand-up smoker. The outside kitchen is open year 'round. It just happens to be the N/W corner of my house where the grilles are. My fence goes to solid at the corner of the house about 8'-10' off of it. It's like a wind tunnel sometimes but that doesn't stop me. Well...... it has gotten to where I'm better with waiting another day now, I guess

Shifty, you're talking about the "Gearhead Gourmet" forum we used to have. It got dreadfully slow, but it might make it as a sub-forum now.

Originally Posted by Coley

....okay, I'm feeling a little intimidated by the quality of cooks here.

So, perhaps we have to ask a different question...in order to make me feel more comfortable, included and at home.

Who isn't much of a cook?...........lol

I know there a bunch of guys hiding out there right now that have been looking at this thread and keeping quiet!!

I'm not much of a cook. I just started with following instructions on taco seasoning packets. Steaming vegetables is a no brainer with one of those steamer thingies you put in the pot. The more you cook the better you get with timing things. Just look at things that can be easily heated back up and get them out of the way until you get better. I keep spices and seasonings of all sorts and play around with adding in this and that. There are endless ways to make tacos w/o using packets... but I still generally use those. Sauces and marinades are your best friends. Figure out how to make your own and you're doing even better.

High fructose corn syrup is another culprit snuck into our food system that isn't doing us any good. I avoid that.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by special-K

Shifty, you're talking about the "Gearhead Gourmet" forum we used to have. It got dreadfully slow, but it might make it as a sub-forum now.

That's the one!

Originally Posted by special-K

I'm not much of a cook. I just started with following instructions on taco seasoning packets. Steaming vegetables is a no brainer with one of those steamer thingies you put in the pot.

Ever since the kids got here, We've been getting into a lot of 1-pot dishes. Fire-and-forget. Stuff you really only need large grain/coarse/kosher salt and pepper, but if you have oregano and thyme you're golden. Lucky those two like to grow wild everywhere.

Chicken thighs play into it a lot. Like ... here's what I was throwing in the oven yesterday. In a nutshell:

- 5 skin-on thighs
- 1 can cannelini beans
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 a red onion
- Bunch of broccoli rabe (could use brocolli, collard greens, turnip greens)
- 2 cups chicken broth (I use the concentrate, Better than Bouillon)

Basic concept is the same with this dish, you just toss different stuff into it.

Pre-heat oven to 375. Slice the lemons. Slice or dice onions. Rinse the beans in a strainer to get the canned juices off.

Pull out the thighs. Salt and pepper both sides.

Heat up a large high-walled pot over med/hi heat, can be a dutch oven, whatever you got around that doesn't have plastic. spray or wipe a little oil in the bottom of it.

When hot, lay chicken thighs in skin-side down. Sear for 5-6 minutes until skin is crispy, flip, go another 5 minutes. Set to the side.

Chicken fat should've cooked out and still be in the pot. Toss in the onions, mix em around in it. Sprinkle a little salt on em (salting in layers). cook for 2-3 minutes until starting to turn translucent.

Add in the beans, broth, half the lemon slices, stir it in. If you have a hefty pinch of dried oregano and thyme, toss that in also. Pile your green vegetable on top of that, then re-add the chicken, skin side up. Pour the juice from the plate you used on top. top with the rest of the lemon slices.

Cook for 35-40mins. Done.

Lemon adds a good tang to things. Lets you get away with using less salt in your food. Acid amplifies salt.

[shifty]

Similar recipe but with an iron skillet and brussels sprouts, which I used to hate, but when they're cooked this way I like em. Obviously add less broth here, I like to use bacon grease and some bacon which gets nice and crispy when it came out.

I pull the chicken thighs and toss the veg in all the juices after cooking. Pics here before and after roasting in oven.

[Liz]

I feel like we are going back in time to gearhead gourmet lol.. looks delish

[CG]

We had dinner at one of my sons house and he had made some brussel sprouts. Baked them in the oven with a ton of seasonings. I hate brussel sprouts but when you cook the heck out of them and cover them with seasonings and oil and such that disgusting flavor gets almost covered up haha.

I do have to admit shiftys stuff looks good but ... Brussel sprouts

[Liz]

I never liked them until recently. Love them boiled and roasted. We did an au gratin dish with them at Thanksgiving. That was pretty good.

Peruvian Chicken in the counter roaster tonight.. smells amazing in here

[cypressbog]

I love to cook. If I did life over I'd be a Gourmet Chef. Just last month I looked at buying a restaurant in Playa del Coco, Guancastle, Costa Rica. I want to make a living where palm trees and ocean breezes are an everyday thing.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by cypressbog

I love to cook. If I did life over I'd be a Gourmet Chef. Just last month I looked at buying a restaurant in Playa del Coco, Guancastle, Costa Rica. I want to make a living where palm trees and ocean breezes are an everyday thing.

...just don't buy any chicken or beef from Venezuela....you might not get good value, lol.

C.

[shifty]

I too hate brussels sprouts. Here's a fool-proof winning recipe I got from an online newspapers that changed my mind and my kids even destroy them every time:

- Bag of brussels sprouts, trim off the roots, cut in half
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 3-4 slices of bacon
- salt/pepper
- Iron skillet

If you have leftover leaves that fell off the sprouts, keep em.

Pre-heat oven to 350, set to roast or convection roast if your oven has it.

Stack the bacon slices on top of each other. Slice in half longways. Then slice every 1/8 inch. Heat up skillet over med/hi heat. Toss in bacon. Spread it around. Cook until about halfway done and a decent amount of grease rendered out.

Push bacon to the sides of the pan, lay the sprouts in, flat cut-side down to the pan. don't touch them for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, they should be starting to get a golden brown. Salt a little bit then stir them around in the skillet, mixing in the bacon in.

Don't touch them for 3-4 more minutes. Squeeze half the lemon over them, then stir around in the pan again.

Toss them in the oven. Set a timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, pull them out and shake the hell out of the pan. Salt a little bit more.

Toss in the oven, timer for 5 minutes, take out and shake.

Do the oven roast for 5 minutes 1 more time, take them out, hit them with the other half of the lemon, salt and pepper.

What that should look like ... you should have some nicely browned sprouts, the leaves that fell off will be crispy like potato chips, slightly nutty taste.

BONUS! (start this beforehand)

Balsamic glaze to drizzle over the top - was it Tim earlier who said sauces are key? - this is super easy to make and tops these so well - a little salty/sweet/tart.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP water

Mix in a small saucepan over low/medium heat, mix this stuff together. At that heat level, it should come to a light boil after 5-7 minutes. Just let it sit there lightly bubbling and stirring every few minutes until its thick enough it lightly coats a spoon (it'll setup more after you remove from heat)

Let cool for 10mins. Keep refrigerated after the fact. Stays good for 3-4 weeks.

BONUS BONUS. Like bourbon? (I DO!)

- 4 leaves of basil
- 1/2 TBSP of the balsamic glaze
- 1.5oz Bourbon or Rye
- Ginger beer (Barritt's is preferred, it's not as hot) or ginger ale

Take the basil and smash (muddle) it into a rocks glass.
Add the half tablespoon of balsamic syrup.
Add your bourbon.
Stir, add ice, then add 1.5oz - 2oz of bubbly ginger beverage

(This is a riff on the 'Bufala Negra')

[cypressbog]

Brussels sprouts?

I find if you use a little EVOO sprinkled over the top just before cooking...they scrape into the garbage that much easier

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by shifty

Man, I'm thinking we might need to have a pit session with a bunch of board members.

Well theres a smoking competition in Macungie pa in August. I took a silver there .

[Liz]

Originally Posted by cypressbog

Brussels sprouts?

I find if you use a little EVOO sprinkled over the top just before cooking...they scrape into the garbage that much easier

Thats my line with Kale.. blech

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by Liz

Thats my line with Kale.. blech

Yeah, I'm with you on the Kale. It's gross. My wife likes it and keeps trying to get me to eat it because she says it's good for me. If that's what it take to live long then I'd rather die young. Although it's really too late for that.

[special-K]

You have to get brussel sprouts soft to be appetizing. Used to just steam them, cut in half, and butter. They're alright, mostly good for you. Then I started sauteing in olive oil with chopped garlic & onion with some Adobo w/cumin for Caribbean meals. Then came the cheese sauce! Everything good wif 'at! Night before last I has doing Talapia for a Cajun style supper. I did the halved brussel sprouts in a skillet with about 1/2" water cut side down, shook some syvia's Great Greens/Adobo w/cumin/Cajun seasoning, and let water cook off. The plan was to add olive oil, saute with onions & garlic. But I kept sampling the loose leaves and they tasted so good I ate most of my brussel sprouts before the fish and red beans/rice was done

[GOPAPA]

Not a cook by any means ,,but I do cook my own Acorn squash from time to time

I cut one in halves ,,drag out the seeds and lay them face down in a sause glass bowl with a half cup of water and cover them with plastic wrap .. put them in the microwave for 15 minutes ..take them out sprinkle brown sugar in them ,, easy to do and tasty ..done deal

[Maxim777]

I don't like cooking. I can, but I don't like. I'm happy to have a wife who cooks really great!

[chip46wis]

Im considered a good cook by family and friends.BBQ ,Hot dishes and GASP I still use a pressure cooker! Mom taught me that and its seems to be a lost method of cooking.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by chip46wis

I still use a pressure cooker! Mom taught me that and its seems to be a lost method of cooking.

It's not lost, just given a new name because people unfamiliar with kitchen implements equated "pressure cooker" with "explode in your face" (and constructing IEDs)

Now they digitized them and call them an "Instant Pot". Go look up "Instant Pot" and you'll find the new digital versions of the tool, does the same damn thing with the same method.

[richard2717]

Originally Posted by cypressbog

Brussels sprouts?

I find if you use a little EVOO sprinkled over the top just before cooking...they scrape into the garbage that much easier

exactly