Big Green Egg

[Lioness~]

I’ll smoke salmon for a friend’s college daughter who is staying at the house for the summer.

Once the salmon is done I’ll do some brats and kraut for myself.

Guacamole from yesterday.

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You seem like a great chef

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I don’t eat meat nowadays. I was however raised of a mother in the restaurant and hotel business. So we ate a lot of fine meats. Your cooking looks really great.
I can bend sometimes as @LizKat.
Salmon is delicious and works well for me. Guacamole is wonderful, absolutely love it.

 

[Gutwrench]

How could that be so-so?! I hardly ever eat meat but I'd make an exception for that offering.

Yesterday at the lake some very fine Italian sausages were among the fare from the grill. They didn't even last long enough to get their pictures taken. So that's another thing I'd make an exception for in future. I forgot to ask the bro where he got them but next time I head up to their neighborhood I'm taking ice and a picnic cooler along.

You seem like a great chef

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I don’t eat meat nowadays. I was however raised of a mother in the restaurant and hotel business. So we ate a lot of fine meats. Your cooking looks really great.
I can bend sometimes as @LizKat.
Salmon is delicious and works well for me. Guacamole is wonderful, absolutely love it.

Awww, thank you both so much. The house guest isn’t fond of solid pork but likes baby back ribs a lot. I bought another chop and some ribs for her on the way home. She heads back to school next weekend so I’ll get the house back, yay!

 

[Gutwrench]

Yesterday’s ribs. They were gifts for two separate families so they’re smoked slightly differently.



Today I’m thinking grilled swordfish with a corn and cucumber salad. Yum.

 

[LizKat]

Today I’m thinking grilled swordfish with a corn and cucumber salad. Yum.

That does sound great.

I think you posted back in the spring that a misty sort of day was a good one to grill seafood... If that's the case, all I need is a grill... man, we are stuck in a groove here for a couple weeks now.

​

 

[Gutwrench]

Grilled tuna and swordfish with a corn and cucumber salad.

The tuna is overdone but the swordfish is pretty tasty. I’m partial to grilled swordfish anyway.

 

[Gutwrench]

I don’t recall doing pulled pork this year so I tossed a small one on the Egg. I’m not too excited about the product but I love the smell of bbq on a Saturday and I’ll have a couple meals out of it. But I need to go to the market for buns and cabbage to make the slaw.

 

[JamesMike]

I don’t recall doing pulled pork this year so I tossed a small one on the Egg. I’m not too excited about the product but I love the smell of bbq on a Saturday and I’ll have a couple meals out of it. But I need to go to the market for buns and cabbage to make the slaw.

Sounds like a good way enjoy a Saturday, just throw in some football, both kinds.

 

[Gutwrench]

Sounds like a good way enjoy a Saturday, just throw in some football, both kinds.

Yep! I’ll be watching the Iowa Hawkeyes get embarrassed by Wisconsin.

 

[Gutwrench]

Not much of a presentation. But flavor wise it turned out pretty good. I broke some rules.

 

[anika200]

Does anyone have a smoked salmon spread recipe they’d share.?

At the moment, I’m just going with cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and fresh dill. Okay...and smoked salmon. What proportions?? 8oz cream cheese, ??? Yogurt, ????salmon. I’m considering tossing in some capers but not sure.

HALP!

Here is my standard recipe I have developed over the years.

Fish spread.

Smoked Trout, you can substitute other kinds of smoked fish or plain cooked fish as well (like salmon).
Ingredients:

• 6-8 ounces smoked Trout fish, skin and bones removed of course. This is about (2-3) 8-12 inch trout depending on how much you eat while picking the flesh from bone.
• 1/2 block neufchatel cream cheese (1/3 less fat stuff) it makes it more spreadable, you can use regular see tips.
• 2 jalapenos - deseeded of course
• juice of one lime
• 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
• 1/4 cup Mayonaise, more or less depending on how creamy/mayo you want it.
• salt, pepper to taste

Puree with food processor until well blended or really whipped, it depends on you. I like mine whipped up.
Tips:

• Let your cream cheese come to room temp before you make this, especially if you are using full fat Philly Cream Cheese.
• Do the mayo, peppers, lime juice and old bay first in the food processor. This way you can really get the peppers minced up so nobody knows they are in the mix and the mayo also get whipped. — I have a sister who at the site of anything resembling a hot pepper will declare the dish “oh my gosh that is so hot” and starts fanning her mouth with her cracker free hand. This bypasses all that drama and people love it without knowing there are jalapeño peppers.
• If you want more chunky mix, like for cooked salmon not trout, just save some fish back and pulse it in at the end.

 

[Gutwrench]

Here is my standard recipe I have developed over the years.

Fish spread.

Smoked Trout, you can substitute other kinds of smoked fish or plain cooked fish as well (like salmon).
Ingredients:

• 6-8 ounces smoked Trout fish, skin and bones removed of course. This is about (2-3) 8-12 inch trout depending on how much you eat while picking the flesh from bone.
• 1/2 block neufchatel cream cheese (1/3 less fat stuff) it makes it more spreadable, you can use regular see tips.
• 2 jalapenos
• juice of one lime
• 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
• 1/4 cup Mayonaise, more or less depending on how creamy/mayo you want it.
• salt, pepper to taste

Puree with food processor until well blended or really whipped, it depends on you. I like mine whipped up.
Tips:

• Let your cream cheese come to room temp before you make this, especially if you are using full fat Philly Cream Cheese.
• Do the mayo, peppers, lime juice and old bay first in the food processor. This way you can really get the peppers minced up so nobody knows they are in the mix and the mayo also get whipped. — I have a sister who at the site of anything resembling a hot pepper will declare the dish “oh my gosh that is so hot” and starts fanning her mouth with her cracker free hand. This bypasses all that drama and people love it without knowing there are jalapeño peppers.
• If you want more chunky mix, like for cooked salmon not trout, just save some fish back and pulse it in at the end.

@anika200 - thank you so much. I’ve printed it and will give it a try some weekend. I appreciate the time you took to share it. You had me laughing about your sister....my step daughter is the same way.

 

[anika200]

@anika200 - thank you so much. I’ve printed it and will give it a try some weekend. I appreciate the time you took to share it. You had me laughing about your sister....my step daughter is the same way.

Well good luck with your trial run. I have not found anyone who doesn't like it yet. I guess to ramble on about it further make sure you deseed the jalapeños and I always scrape out the pepper ribs with a spoon unless you like it hot. Oh yeah and sometimes I double the cream cheese (depends on how many people or type of fish and you should probably start with 1/2 the old bay. It is always better a couple of days after it sits in the fridge.

I am still drooling over those ribs you made a couple of posts back, might try to make some this weekend.

 

[anika200]

I mean are we still using the BGE and is it working good? I was actually considering the new mini type egg from the same company.
I wonder how good it works being only 12 inches space I think and for $650 seems kinda nuts now that I write it out loud. haha.

 

[JamesMike]

I mean are we still using the BGE and is it working good? I was actually considering the new mini type egg from the same company.
I wonder how good it works being only 12 inches space I think and for $650 seems kinda nuts now that I write it out loud. haha.

The small one is good for a single person or for someone with limit apartment balcony space like a friend of mine. He uses it all the time.

 

[Gutwrench]

I mean are we still using the BGE and is it working good? I was actually considering the new mini type egg from the same company.

I wonder how good it works being only 12 inches space I think and for $650 seems kinda nuts now that I write it out loud. haha.

I don’t know anyone with one smaller than Medium but considered buying a Mini for my son who lives in an apartment.

$650 is for the Mini Max (13”), right? The Mini (10”) looks to be about $400. I didn’t know about the Mini Max until just googling. The only complaint I’ve heard about the Egg is that anything from the Medium down is too small. The Large is only $200 more and if you have the room and budget would recommend that. Otherwise that Max sounds really interesting.

 

[anika200]

$650 is for the Mini Max (13”), right?

Yes that is the one, I wonder if it would make good What? Gyro meat haha.I guess a whole chicken would be good.

 

[Gutwrench]

Yes that is the one, I wonder if it would make good What? Gyro meat haha.I guess a whole chicken would be good.

I’ve not tried gyro meat. I did Peking duck once. It was fun, but a lot of work.

 

[faust]

I don't mean to be a sourpuss or off-topic, but what is appealing about smoked meat to y'all? I can barely stand it. My favorite usage of pork ribs is from Chicago's Portillos restaurant chain. Thank the Lord that numerous Portillos outposts exist near me now that I live in California, because I'd probably not be eating ribs ever again. It's like I love corned beef, it's so good! But then people smoke it and ruin it into Pastrami, and people prefer Pastrami!? It's maddening to me.

Please help me understand why so many people love smoked meats.

I’ve not tried gyro meat. I did Peking duck once. It was fun, but a lot of work.

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Gyro meat, as a Chicago native, is the best thing on planet Earth. Tatziki sauce, sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, gyro meat(lamb/beef mixture in my case) wrapped in a pita is simply divine. I'm drooling just thinking of it. I might go get one from a nearby place, although they just don't taste as good as the ones I ate when I lived in Illinois.

 

[Gutwrench]

Gyro meat, as a Chicago native, is the best thing on planet Earth. Tatziki sauce, sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, gyro meat(lamb/beef mixture in my case) wrapped in a pita is simply divine. I'm drooling just thinking of it. I might go get one from a nearby place, although they just don't taste as good as the ones I ate when I lived in Illinois.

I like gyros very much too. If you find yourself in Minneapolis Holy Land Market on Central Ave is worth the visit. They have excellent weekend brunches too. It hasn’t ever been overly attractive but they’ve been fixing it up and the food is good.

 

[faust]

I like gyros very much too. If you find yourself in Minneapolis Holy Land Market on Central Ave is worth the visit. They have excellent weekend brunches too. It hasn’t ever been overly attractive but they’ve been fixing it up and the food is good.

I won't ever be in that part of the country again, but I've made a mental note in case the improbable occurs. Thanks!

 

[LizKat]

Gyro meat, as a Chicago native, is the best thing on planet Earth. Tatziki sauce, sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, gyro meat(lamb/beef mixture in my case) wrapped in a pita is simply divine. I'm drooling just thinking of it. I might go get one from a nearby place, although they just don't taste as good as the ones I ate when I lived in Illinois.

oh man when I lived in NYC I loved a gyro place somewhere around 103rd on Broadway. Their falafel was good but the gyros out of that shop were the stuff of dreams I still have decades later.

 

[anika200]

I don't mean to be a sourpuss or off-topic

Too Late now!

I have been thinking about your reply and do have a question. Do you like grilled foods, how about toasted foods or coal fired pizza with the blackish bubbles on the crust? Just wondering if it is an odor thing or actually your taste buds that makes you averse to smoked foods. I know when my mom had chemo for cancer she hated anything smokey thereafter.

 

[0388631]

Well the thing is using plain charcoal to cook won't give much of a smokey flavor. At high burn, lump charcoal does give off its signature scent, but when cooking low and slow charcoal it won't give much of a scent at all. Dry wood is what will give off a smokey flavor, and again it's dependent on contact time of smoke in the grill to the meat or foods in question. It's why you can hot smoke a fish at a lower temperature and use small wood chips to flavor it.

I'm lucky that I know people who can ship me crates of wood at no cost except shipping. And I can use wood off some of our fruit trees for smoking once I fully dry them out. Also, very lucky most of the people in this area offer their fruit and nut tree woods along with other stuff. There's probably about 30 woods I can think of that are food safe and known to have varied flavor profiles. It's always fun to experiment.

Most times I'll skip the smoke and go low and slow. Sometimes I'll even cheat and baste the bark on big cuts as it turns it into a gooey-soft chew and attracts intense smokiness. It's like an umami bomb.

 

[Gutwrench]

Smoking baby backs at 661 F. Only 6chair minutes left until I wrap in pink butcher paper.

 

[0388631]

I need some new thermal measuring gear.