A new era in cooking for me...

[tRidiot]

Lots of mods for pellet smokers. I've been researching them, too. But I'm going to use an instant thermometer to check the steaks internal temps periodically so I don't overdo it.

We'll see how it goes.

Oh, and after about 2 hours of research, I just figured out what my appetizer is going to be. It's going to be incredible. I can't wait. Ya'll gonna have to wait for pics, though!

 

[okie362]

I've been using an Anova for a little over a year now. HIGHLY recommend it for lamb chops and pork chops. A couple days ago I did a rack of beef ribs (OK not a whole rack) in the bath at 152 for 24 hours then re-season and into a 400* oven for about 10 minutes to get a nice crust. Perfectly tender without being dry and overcooked. All connective tissue and collagen rendered nicely. I could have gone with lower temps and kept them medium but didn't want to keep them in for the 36-48 hours that would have required.

You will really enjoy the new toy!

 

[druryj]

Man, this looks like my next culinary adventure for sure! One of the best pork chops I ever thrung a lip over was prepared sous vide at a nice little place in Hot Springs, AR awhile back. I'm starvin' now from the pics by the way.

 

[Glock_21]

The Anova units are on sale periodically either from Amazon or directly from Anova.

It was a good investment for me. I really like the Anova "WiFi" model.

 

[tRidiot]

Yes, after I bought my Joule I found a couple of coupons for $20 off, and another guy on AR posted a $20 off coupon code (I dunno if those are stackable), and then yesterday Anova publishes a $50 off coupon for Mother's Day, which would make the Anova dang near HALF of what I paid for my Joule!

 

[kroberts2131]

TR, not sure what kind of smoker you are using but if/when you need a new one....look into the Masterbuilt electric smokers/MES. I was a DIE HARD stick burner guy for a long time but got one for Father's day last year and I smoke now more this past year than I ever did with my stick burner, combined. The customer service they have is top notch too!

I love doing a reverse sear on my steaks using the MES. I've considered doing the vacuum seal method but never got around to it.

 

[tRidiot]

I am using a Traeger pellet grill/smoker at the moment. It's one of the old, last Made In the USA models, the BBQ124. It's not bad, not the greatest, but it works well and I can do enough right now to feed my family and friends.

 

[tRidiot]

Well, it looks like everyone is going to be arriving late, after 7PM. <sigh>

I've got a good bit of the prep work done, so far.

Blue rare NY strip for the "blue hair" neighbor was cooked for 2 hours at 125, now chilled and back in the fridge. The medium well strips were cooked for 90 minutes at 150 to get them fully to temp. Now I've dropped the temp down to 132 and added in 3 ribeyes for the Y-chromosome attendees. The med-well ones will stay in and cook at least another hour - since they're strips, they will be fine with another hour or two cooking at the lower temp while the med-rare ribeyes should be perfect in 90-120 minutes. Then they'll all get iced, which will put me at about 4:30-5PM.

Corn on the cob is shucked and trimmed, ready to cook. This will be going on the grill with some tarragon butter - real butter, not margarine. First time trying tarragon, but this recipe was highly recommended. Also have some more corn to do in the microwave for anyone who doesn't want to try the grilled version with the tarragon.

Veggies cut into big chunks for a foil pack on the grill. Used some yellow crookneck squash and some zucchini, as well as some quartered baby portobello mushrooms. To this I will add some sliced red or yellow onion, fresh garlic, salt, pepper and Italian dressing or olive oil (haven't decided which route to go yet), with Tony's or Slap Ya Momma Cajun seasoning, seal them all up in foil and steam on the grill for 30-40 minutes. Good stuff.

Potatoes will be small redskin potatoes boiled till tender, cut into chunks, then brushed with a concoction called Mojo Mayo and grilled on the grill - hope they will come out crispy! They're supposed to, anyways, so we'll see!

As for the mystery appetizer... well, you're going to have to wait some more. Let's just say it's highly pork-based, so I think most of the fellas here will be fine with it! And no... no, it's not stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon or atomic buffalo turds or anything normal like that. This is a pretty unique idea I found last night, and then decided to put my own spin on. It's gonna be AWESOMESAUCE, that I promise you!

 

[tRidiot]

So here're the first steps in this new appetizer I'm trying...

First, some sliced smoked sausage and some thick-cut bacon.

Then, we put these together to form small hollowed-out containers we're going to put on the smoker...

But... what in the world else could we do with these??? Any ideas???


It's funny, these little things remind me of something... I can't quite put my finger on it. Let's see, short little containers with a flat bottom and hollowed out in the center to allow one to place something inside it... hmmm...

Oh, right! I've got it! Shot glasses! That's it!

Gentlemen... I give you

PIG SHOTS!

So now, we just have to figure out what to put INSIDE these little pork-derived shot glasses, no???

 

[dennishoddy]

Damm, headed to your house for dinner, don't wait on me, I'm sure the left overs will be fine. Lol
Pig shots, look tasty. I could see cheese in the center or something infused with liquor. Just what kind to pair it with escapes me at the moment.