Blue Gartr Meal Time: Bacon optional? Bacon required.

[Day]

some of the things yall making in sous vide sound like it may just be easier/better to do it the regular way haha

[Daydreamer]

That's exactly why I asked about carnitas.

Although I will say there are certain recipes where I actually think sous vide potatoes is the best way to cook a potato...

[Zetanio]

Yeah I don't bother with the sous vide for large roasts anymore except defrosting. It's far far better in an oven/grill/smokers.

sous vide is best for small cuts or very very fatty/bone-in cuts like short ribs, oxtail that require long cook times but yield incredible results. Short rib was basically built to be cooked in sous vide.

For large roasts I use my Instant Pot if I don't have the afternoon to cook a roast properly. It doesn't the job about 90% as well in 30% of the time.

[Tokitoki]

In your opinion, are the carnitas actually better sous vide? I've only seen a noticeable difference if you're trying to keep them medium rare or close to that but carnitas are delicious when slow roasted and well done. Also I find some foods worse medium rare, the prime example being when I did a perfectly medium rare smoked brisket. It was super tender but hot garbage compared to most brisket as it just tasted like a smokey steak.



Agree 100% on this. I still remember my mom doing this with chicken kabobs with pineapple between each piece of chicken when I was younger. The area that touched the chicken was extremely porous. All that said, any idea if that enzyme breaks down if it's boiled? Maybe you could boil the pineapple juice then use it without worry?

The brisket thing may be due to the way fat breaks down at low temps. I only have some experience with smoking meat, but I believe the fats in pork shoulder and brisket start to break down at around 200F to make it that moist, tender meat that you usually find. I have yet to make a brisket that's actually moist and tender, though.

[Daydreamer]

The brisket thing may be due to the way fat breaks down at low temps. I only have some experience with smoking meat, but I believe the fats in pork shoulder and brisket start to break down at around 200F to make it that moist, tender meat that you usually find. I have yet to make a brisket that's actually moist and tender, though.

The brisket I did was perfectly medium rare, moist, and tender, it just didn't taste like good Texas brisket at all. I did a 3 day cook and all the fat was broken down completely so in this case I don't think that was the issue. 200F is the fast way to do it but you can definitely do it using much longer times at lower temps (with short ribs being a prime example of this). It basically just tasted like I was eating a good steak with a great flavor but the texture wasn't right at all. After I tried a bite I sliced it thin and baked it for a few minutes to firm it up and actually cook it at a higher temp and that helped immensely. The good places around here are all able to make extremely juicy meat that is more well done, but part of good brisket is it being fall apart while still having substance and high moisture content.

[Tokitoki]

I meant the internal temperature of the meat being 200F which would make it well done.

[dasva]

I avoid marinating most cuts, aside from pork shoulder, with pineapple because it breaks down the meat too much.

Pure pineapple/juice can be a bit too much for any real length of time but it's not as much of an issue when part of a sauce

[Elizara]

So okay, I thought I'd ask.

My sister's bday's coming up. The one time I TRIED to make a sheet cake for her birthday, she was all "YUCK!" so I want to do it right this time. (She did NOT like the mix cake I made, since I was trying to be nice! and she has said she doesnt' really like the wacky cakes I know all too well how to make) I found out she loves carrot cake, german chocolate cake, and dark chocolate cake. I'm leaning toward the dark choco since we have the ingredients and I wouldn't have to buy anything.

Would anyone have a rocking dark chocolate cake recipe that I can cut down to a 9X9 pan (there's only 4 of us in this house! And betcha a nickel Jared'll bring a cake later for a late bday celebration for her, so don't want to go hog wild here) that would work for that? Mind, I'll take photos. If you wanna know why no layer cake, I've never ever done that, and right now I don't have the luxury of messing up/having a broken layer. (I mean to remedy that if things get better, starting with mixes so I can get the tech down.) Not to mention considering the situation, that'd be WAY too much.

Also, I would respectfully request that this doesn't leave this board/the BG discord, please. I want to surprise her.

[Byrthnoth]

Hershey's special dark chocolate cake is stupid easy and always turns out well.

[Elizara]

I'll look that up Bry. Might cut it to one layer since I think that square pan's about that size, but that might work. Rather have her pleased and eat some. ^^

[Kaslo]

Gonna do a test cook on my new Offset Wood Smoker this Sunday! Just a simple rack of pork ribs. Gotta learn this smoker before the big Super Bowl cook.

[Tokitoki]

I strongly suggest you use a thermometer other than the one that's likely built into the door of the smoker. Mine was reading WAY off and screwed my last cook up. Thermometer that was built in showed about 150-175F, a digital in-oven thermometer I put in there was reading 225F. I had pumped up the heat to 225F according to the door thermometer before I put my own thermometer in and it definitely ruined the cook. Was probably cooking stuff at 300F for a while.

[Kalmado]

Mine doesn't have a built in thermometer so I bought one and it's definitely improved the quality of what I've cooked in the smoker.

[Zetanio]

I made a spicy beef and tofu stir fry of sorts last night but instead of putting it over rice I wrapped in a toasted large burrito tortilla.

I used:
Soy vay Hoisin Garlic - 2 tbsps
Rice Vinegar - 2 tbsps
gochujang - 1.5 tbsps
Whisked and then added what I thought was 5x too much of this https://www.amazon.com/El-Yucateco-X.../dp/B001EOMQ9E
Turns out it was the right mix.

I sliced the meat into 1cm strips (Frozen t-bone I got on discount, cut frozen)
Diced tofu into 1-2cm cubes
Got half a huge onion and cut the half along the fiber into three pieces and then across the axis in 2cm ribbons.

I heat up just enough canola oil to coat the skillet over high heat til shimmering/near smoking.
Dropped in onions, keep moving for the first 30 seconds or so. Let sit and turn heat to medium. Let onions overcook a bit on one side for texture and taste. Shake and flip a bunch to look impressive and then remove to a bowl.
Reheat pan to high heat.
Drop beef in, toss a pinch of salt. Forget about black pepper.
Get beef aligned and leave for 2 minutes, then shake and flip a bunch. Add tofu, let sit a second to quickly brown and then get moving. Add onions back. Add sauce. Keep everything moving while sauce slightly reduces and coats everything.
Kill heat and let sit.
Grab tortilla and burn the fucking hell out of the first side because the meat distracts you.
Flip and toast.
Remove to cutting board. Drizzle light may or w/e cream-based heat killer you wanna use (cream fraiche, sour cream, even ranch could work)
Pour like 1/3rd of the pan into the burrito and fuck up wrapping it real bad.

Shove into mouth and enjoy the burn.

[Tokitoki]

A+ recipe commentary.

[Kaslo]

Dropping some images from the pulled pork and bologna we made on the smoker yesterday.

Spoiler: show

[Zetanio]

that bologna has a first name.

[BaneTheBrawler]

it's spelled F-E-A-R

[Tokitoki]

That's not enough syllables

[Zetanio]

T A S T Y you fuckin silly goose.