Blue Gartr Meal Time: Bacon optional? Bacon required.

[Tokitoki]

Zet, when you make chicken stock in the InstantPot, do you use a whole chicken, or do you use a carcass? Was debating making stock and wasn't sure whether I should make my oven-roasted chicken and then use the bones/carcass for the stock, or make the whole chicken in the instant pot per the stock recipe you posted and then season the chicken or make gravy after.

[Zetanio]

I use store bought to start. Cook the chicken. Strip it. Bones back in. Add bay leaf and carrots. Make stock.

Most importantly, just had cacio y pepe in Rome and it changes my whole world. 20 minutes later? Carbonara went and upped it again

[Tokitoki]

I really like cacio e pepe, but I've never had an authentic one. I'm very jealous.

[Zetanio]

Well, I'm back from Italy.

The pasta is as good as advertised. I still don't like pizza from Napoli. Roman pizza is the fucking truth though.

Honestly? I wasn't wowed by a lot of the entrees I had there. The pasta was for sure amazing but the entrees were kinda meh. This isn't just one restaurant/region either but spread across Lazio/Tuscany/Florence.

Rome also has some seriously legit water.

[Byrthnoth]

My favorite and most consistent thing in Italy was the street sandwiches with just tomato/basil/mozzarella. My experience is that Italians basically don't care how fresh the food is that they sell tourists (and maybe each other), so high turnover food is always the best bet because it is actually fresh.

I have had a few good entrees in Italy and surprisingly one of them was in a super touristy area (Jewish quarter of Venice.) Overall, I have been pretty disappointed in European food. The things that I do think stand up:
* France - Bread
* Italy - Pasta/mozzarella
* Spain - Pork
* Greece - Gyros
* England - Nothing (but Curry)
* Germany - Beer
* Czech Republic and Eastern Europe in general - cream-based pastries

If I was picking only one place's food to eat, I would probably go with the Czech Republic. Pretty good beer, pretty good pastries, decent meat, maybe a little light on the spices, but I can live with it.

[Zetanio]

I think France's food smokes Italy and the US from a basic level to a high level. No bad meals there. I ate all over the place for 10 straight days and the worst meal was still ridiculous and pretty damn cheap. Also their pastry game is way on point.

Italy's wine was pretty good but I'm nowhere near a connoisseur so it was all fermented grapes to me. Their pastries were good but I didn't feel wowed at all. The only real shocker was the Roman pizza. That's an Italian treasure and I'm gonna try to make that shit here.

[Fondue]

I got currywurst from about 10 different wiener stands around germany last week, I'm usually not a sauce guy but god damn that's my kind of street food

[Kalmado]

I'm wanting to smoke some baby backs tonight but am kind of short on time. Usually can get them done in 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Any way to get down to 2 1/2 without making them terrible? Ideas for temp?

[Byrthnoth]

I got currywurst from about 10 different wiener stands around germany last week, I'm usually not a sauce guy but god damn that's my kind of street food

For the unintiated, currywurst is a bratwurst with ketchup and curry powder on it

shit is disgusting and I wasn't aware anyone actually liked it

[Kalmado]

For the unintiated, currywurst is a bratwurst with ketchup and curry powder on it

shit is disgusting and I wasn't aware anyone actually liked it

I season my ribs with yellow curry powder. Is that gross? I love it personally.

[Fondue]

For the unintiated, currywurst is a bratwurst with ketchup and curry powder on it

shit is disgusting and I wasn't aware anyone actually liked it

how dare you

[Zetanio]

For the unintiated, currywurst is a bratwurst with ketchup and curry powder on it

shit is disgusting and I wasn't aware anyone actually liked it

ok fam i'm gonna go ahead and remove you as a food friend now.

[Salodin]

I'm wanting to smoke some baby backs tonight but am kind of short on time. Usually can get them done in 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Any way to get down to 2 1/2 without making them terrible? Ideas for temp?

Smoke 2 hrs and finish it in a grill or broiler for 15ish a side. Itll be cooked and have flavor and a crust. Its honestly not even that big a deal tbh other than it's a lot of effort to get setup for a slightly smaller return.

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[Kalmado]

Smoke 2 hrs and finish it in a grill or broiler for 15ish a side. Itll be cooked and have flavor and a crust. Its honestly not even that big a deal tbh other than it's a lot of effort to get setup for a slightly smaller return.

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My coworker is good with me leaving work to go turn on the smoker and get them started. I guess my dress cloths will smell of smoke when I return!

[mallister]

Smoke 2 hrs and finish it in a grill or broiler for 15ish a side. Itll be cooked and have flavor and a crust. Its honestly not even that big a deal tbh other than it's a lot of effort to get setup for a slightly smaller return.

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i prefer going longer, but really you should be fine doing this.

[Kirin]

Got some nice looking turkey thighs on sale and wife just passed the 2nd to last project presentation before her doctoral committee. Wanted to celebrate a bit.

Did them up in a brown rosemary + garlic sauce.

Dredged turkey in salt/pepper/paprika/poultry seasoning/flour mix.
Browned in pan for 5 mins/side medium high heat. (started skin side up)
Diced 1 clove garlic, sliced 2/3rds of a medium onion and 6 or so portabella caps.
Tossed those in with the turkey after flipping for the first time. Cooked for about 5-6 mins total until onions were translucent. (now skin side down)
Mixed 2 cloves crushed garlic with a few tablespoons of red wine, 1 cup chicken broth, half can of the cream of chicken soup, and 2 rosemary sprigs. Salt + pepper.
Poured that over the the turkey + veggies. Reduced heat to medium low, cover, and simmered for ~30 minutes.
Flipped the turkey back onto its original side with about 10 minutes to go on the simmer (skin side now up).
Served over white rice.

Skin may have been a little more crisper, and I need a larger pan for dishes like this, but it turned out really well. Turkey was cooked perfectly and broke out our new salt/pepper grinders from the wedding registry. Way better than the smaller McCormick disposable ones.

Spoiler: show

Seasoning the turkey:



Browning pre veggies:



Veggies:



Getting that simmer on:



Quick plating attempt:



Salt/Pepper grinders:

[Zetanio]

Chill chili



prepping peppers, jalapenos, onions and garlic



browning great ground beef from the farmers market. thawing the beef broth I had from cooking a ton of short ribs.



Reduced and finished product.



Dumped on top of a huge piece of cornbread before I smushed everything together.

[Kalmado]

Wife has stuck to seafood only and I haven't really eaten much meat outside of taco bell and a pizza here and there. Last night we made teriyaki salmon with (packaged) yaki soba, tons of veggies, and pre-cooked shrimp. Was very satisfying.

A few weeks ago she made chili using the ground beef meat substitute and I was pretty impressed. Obviously fresh ground beef from the market or what not tastes better, but I'm down with supporting her on this campaign. This week I'm going to make a pretty simple rice and beans with tomato and chilies.

[Zetanio]

i had an idea to make a substitute for ground beef using very firm minced tofu and some very crispy/burnt mushrooms minced as well. I love my recipe and I think those flavors would be pretty good, especially the mushrooms. Gonna be a LOT of mushrooms for this recipe though, like 4 lbs probably because of how much liquid they give up.

[mallister]

my 2nd ex wife made an amazing vegetarian chili. it sounds like heresy of the highest order but it was a legit threat. portabellas/black beans were the main ingredient and i can't normally abide beans in chili.