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Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

Discussion in 'Diamond Gators' started by GatorLurker, Jul 28, 2016.

  1. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Tonight I’ll be grilling chicken halves. Coarse black pepper and Everglades seasoning with Pat’s Homade on the last two turns.

    Inside we will have a pot of fresh zipper peas, fresh pod okra, and rice pilaf.

    Off and on thundershowers most of the day but that will not hamper our enjoyment of ice cold longnecks and chilled wine on the back porch.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
  2. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Chicken has so many ways to be cooked over fire.

    Chicken halves is a great way to cook it. It has all the advantages of spatchcocked without the pretension. Since I normally plate in the kitchen and make no fanfare of carving at the table I see no real advantage to spatchedcocking. Now if I was carving at the table for a "fancy" dinner to show off some skills I might spatchcock. But who cooks chicken for a fancy dinner?

    Also chicken can be great cooked at medium high heat or smoked at low temperature. The only thing that I dislike about smoking chicken at low temps is that the skin doesn't get crisp enough to bite through and I am not wanting to skin the chicken to remove the fat under the skin and rewrap it to get that back. And chickens are too big to get under the broiler in my gas oven for a finish.

    Beer can chicken can actually be really good. Not my favorite way to cook it, but works in a pinch.

    When I make jerked chicken it takes at least three days. I first make my jerk sauce and marinade for three days. I use extra allspice in the marinade because I don't have a source of allspice wood for the cook. The cook is actually complicated and is more like a steak, but on a longer time span. First you need a good sear and then a longer cook indirect. For a steak it might be four minutes of sear for both sides and six minutes of indirect for a medium rare. With jerk chicken the times are much longer because you need a much higher final temperature. Usually takes close to an hour to get it right.

    So I am guessing your chicken halves are direct heat on a high grate on your BGE tonight. The classic way to cook chicken on a grill. Nothing wrong with that and always pleases. I bet it is moist and perfect.
     
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  3. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    I do use the BGE from time to time for chicken (mainly if I want to cook them indirect with the place setter). However when I’m grilling halves and plan to use Pat’s, Italian dressing, or even plain I use my DynaGlo charcoal grill and we are happy with the results.

    The DynaGlo is sold at Home Depot, it has two separate chambers, and they have independent trays for the charcoal that can be raised or lower separately. It’s the easiest charcoal grill to sear steaks on because of that feature too.
     
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  4. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Tonight is leftover yellow rice pilaf and pickled shrimp with fennel.
     
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  5. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Tonight we’re having the second half of Ms. Jan’s pot roast. To go along with it we’ve got a pot of fresh green beans and new potatoes and fresh cob corn.

    There will also be fried cornbread (for desert);)

    Pretty strong thunderstorm cells moving through our area today—but we’re still going to have our ice cold longnecks and chilled wine on the back porch.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  6. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

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    Did the corn on the cob microwave night before last - a LOT easier than the traditional method!
    :emoji_corn::emoji_corn::emoji_corn:
     
  7. BA69MA72

    BA69MA72 GC Legend

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    Gotta admit the corn on the cob doesn’t need much. Toss 5-6 cobs into a boiling pot of water for 8 minutes. Drain, return to pot and add preferred amount of butter and hot sauce. Stir until covered. Corn on the cob—done
     
  8. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Smoked corn on the cob is also really good.
     
  9. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    I’ve got a large pot of Taco Soup simmering on the stove for supper tonight. We swap it back and forth using ground chuck and shredded chicken. Tonight’s pot is with ground chuck seasoned with salt, coarse black pepper, and season-all salt while browning the meat.

    We use three beans—black, dark red kidney, and pinto. Other ingredients are vidalia onions, Rotel tomatoes, taco seasoning packets and Hidden Valley Ranch dip packets, whole kernel white and yellow corn, and will be topped with Sargento shredded Tex-Mex cheese. Scoop tortilla chips are also on the table.

    Ice cold longnecks and chilled wine are available as desired on the back porch.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  10. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Tonight is chicken fajitas as I have lots of the bell pepper rajas left over and only a little bit of the traditional poblano rajas left. Guess which one was preferred. Not even close for how great they were.

    The flank steak for the beef fajitas was really good and I pretty much followed the New York Times recipe. My main change was using soy sauce instead of Worchester sauce in the marinade. That was also where I followed the bell pepper rajas recipe that I am not so enamored with and won't make again. It is OK, but not like the real deal with poblanos ala Rick Bayless and countless Mexican chefs. Roasting and peeling the poblanos is a lot of work, but much of Mexican cuisine is a lot of work. There are precious few Mexican restaurants in the US that serve the cuisine at it at its best and most Americans think of Mexican food as cheap and won't pay for it done properly. Taco Bell is NOT Mexican food. Fonda San Miguel in Austin is one place that really does it right. Not cheap, but really good.

    So tonight I am trying the New York Times recipe for chicken fajitas but I already have the rajas made.
     
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  11. GatorLurker

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    Dinner tonight is up in the air.

    This morning it was Thai take-out.

    And then it wasn't.

    Whatever it is I am not cooking it.
     
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  12. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Last night my wife and I went out for a sit down dinner at a restaurant for the first time in ages. We went to Blue Gill.

    I had a Greek salad and my wife got something I have never heard of before: kingklip. It is a type of eel from far away from Florida. Funny that it would be on the menu because Blue Gill prides themselves on locally sourced ingredients.

    I did taste it and it was delicious.

    I actually ordered a beet salad (my wife hates beets so I only get them when we go out or if I use yellow beets) and the waitress misheard me. It was OK and the Greek salad was very good. They had a large private party in the other room and it would have been ages before I ate if I insisted on a beet salad.
     
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  13. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

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    In Oz, they call it beet root.
     
  14. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Tonight we’re having round 2 of Taco Soup. If it’s as good tonight as it was the other night then we’re in for a treat.

    Sometimes pots of soup just work out that way.

    It’s flooding here right now but it’s still ice cold longnecks and chilled wine on the back porch!

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  15. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Last night was Thai take-out.

    Tonight is brats and kraut. Actually it will be Johnsville brats and for those that want a second a Johnsonville sweet Italian sausage. My Publix only had one package of original Johnsonville brats.

    And why doesn't my Publix have any whole wheat "hot dog" buns? I much prefer them to white bread buns.
     
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  16. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    The only brand we ever can find here is “Nature’s Own” and it’s hit or miss whether they’re in stock or not.
     
  17. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    None of them either.
     
  18. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Tonight I’ll be grilling bone-in country cut ribs indirect over cherry wood smoke.

    Our sides will be fresh green beans and new potatoes and fresh yellow squash and vidalia onions.

    We have had a full day of sunshine, blue skies, and white clouds today. The back porch Yeti is restocked and ready to go. Adult libations are available as desired.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  19. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Today I’ll be putting a 10 lb shank ham on the BGE over applewood smoke.

    Our sides will be fresh stewed yellow squash and vidalia onions, a pot of fresh zipper peas and pod okra, and a pan of baked cornbread like Mama used to do.

    The back porch is open for entertainment and stocked with ice cold longnecks and chilled wine.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  20. GatorLurker

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    Tonight is tacos.
     
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