Whatcha Cooking today?

[worth1]

Sounds to me like the mixing spoon holds from 1/4 to 1/3 cup of heaping brown sugar.
Or a handful.

[Tormahto]

While dutch ovens work, bean pots are ideal. The narrow neck of a bean pot means much less evaporation, so less adding of liquid (saved bean water from cooking dry beans from scratch). While this doesn't sound like a lot of extra work, removing hot bean pot covers after about the first 1 1/2 hours of baking, then adding liquid as needed, all in what can be an awkward fairly tight space, without bumping into something very hot, is the only way I'd do it.

I don't wish to go back to my avatar of Captain Hook.

[Danny]

We like baby bok choy too, tastes so green. Had a boneless pork roast rolled in seasonings and cooked slow in a dutch oven in the oven, rested it and then back into the pot and oven long enough to cook a cornbread dressing mix poured over it. Man, it was good! No pictures and not rnough left now to take a pic of ! Later, cold slices in a sandwich with some mustard was a great snack too.

[worth1]

Back to the Boston Baked Beans.
I have made a ton of them throughout my life and have eaten very few myself.
I simply don't like them but made them for people that do.
Yesterday I made a small pot of Lima beans with a small portion of leftover Christmas ham in it because I can't just eat ham on its own.
That's all I had all day.
Peanut butter and apricot preserves sandwich on Friday and a small hand cut pork steak on Saturday.
Stayed under the blankets for the rest of the weekend.
Tonight I have the deep skillet warning up for fried chicken thighs slathered with Gochujang and Korean hot pepper paste with a little Asian sweet vinegar.
Side of spicy ramen noodles.

[worth1]

If you don't want to fry chicken all you have to do is buy some from your favorite fried chicken place take it home and put you Korean style sauce on it.
But I like my own fried chicken.
My sauce ended up being equal parts Gochujang and Sambal Oelek.
Probably about 2 heaping tablespoons each at least.
2 tablespoons or so of mizkan rice wine vinegar.
1 Tablespoon of Polar soy sauce.
3 teaspoons of sugar brown or white your choice.
1 liquor shot of Kirschwasser.
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder.
That's about as close as I can get as to what I use to make this stuff.
And here it is and still Krispy and Krunchy.

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[Tormahto]

Traditional Boston baked beans would have small white "pea" beans, today it's usually the variety Navy, molasses, and salt pork. Your kind of cooking Worth, low temp and overnight.

Over the centuries, bacon has largely substituted for the salt pork. And onion, brown sugar, dry mustard, and a few other things (usually what the cook likes) have been added.

No pinto beans, tomatoes, and don't even think about hot peppers.

I spent 20 years walking around Boston, in my spare time while not at Fenway Pahk, looking for a bean pot. The only things I found were little tourist trinkets with "Boston Baked Beans" englazed on the side of the pot. These things would hold about a pint of beans. I once asked a local potter how much it would cost to make one. He said $100, with no guarantee that it would come out right. About 5 years after giving up, and no longer thinking about looking for a bean pot while entering a new store, there they were, 5 quart size, tan on bottom and brown on top glaze. I bought two, but later on figured I should have bought a 3rd just in case I drop something. Only after using them and washing them did I look on the bottom, a maple leaf with a faint "Made in Canada" molded in. Today, with the internet, I probably could find large bean pots in about 10 minutes.

Since I cook two pots at a time, I think I'll try adding apple cider to one of them, the next time I make them.

[karstopography]

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Jeff Bezos sells the traditional pots, at least they look the part although made in guess where, the PRC, but, anyhow, with the tan bottom, brown glaze top. Seems like I had true, or at least I thought they were the real deal Boston Baked Beans at Durgin-Park on N. Market street in Boston back in the last century. I see Durgin-Park has closed for good.

I have started reading about making Boston Baked beans the traditional way and I not sure I want to bite that off just yet. I could do them out on indirect heat on the Kamado Big Green Egg, that will hold a temperature better than an oven for several hours. I’ve got a bean pot from Columbia pictured above, not traditional for BBB, but traditional for I suppose Columbia, seems like it could be good for the Boston baked beans.

Seems like a lot of cultures have their own ways to make beans. Look up traditional Cassoulet from Languedoc, that’s a days long process. In fact, Cassoulet has been extended to decades. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassoulet I think Cassoulet sounds super good, but my wife hates duck so I’ll have to wait until if and when the next non duck hating wife comes along to make my own.

We had leftover pinto beans last night, seasoned with ground cumin, garlic, onions, bacon grease, green chilies and tomatoes. Wife made them Sunday, I made beef finger ribs and st.Louis pork spare ribs on the BGE Sunday and Cheeseburgers out there Monday night dressed with Burpee Boston Bibb lettuce from my garden. Beans go with lots of things. Sort of a blank canvas, beans are.

[brownrexx]

I like the idea of traditional pots but since I only cook the equivalent of 1-2 cans of beans, they are too big for me.

Last evening I used some of my white beans and cooked them on the stovetop. These beans were larger and not as firm as some of my other varieties and I was not happy with the result. They seemed mushy so we each ate a serving and the chickens can enjoy the rest today.

[worth1]

Ohio stoneware made in the USA
https://stonewareoutlet.com/2-quart-bean-pot/

[karstopography]

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Tabou

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Tabouli made with Quinoa.

Turkish flat bread.

Vegetarian tonight.

[worth1]

Left 6 chicken thighs 3 whole unpeeled yellow onions 3 smoked peppers and some garlic slices in a kettle with water at 170F all night.
We'll see how that turns out.

[worth1]

Got home and deboned the chicken.
It totally fell apart.
No big chunks of chicken but lots of chicken flavor.
Onions peeled and put back in.
No fancy vegetables.
Just chicken flavor.
Made homemade dumplings, ' Where did you think this was going?
Made a roux to thicken the broth.
Added powdered milk.
Dumplings to me aren't fluffy things that fall apart but remain chewy and flavorful.
Chicken and dumplings for the cold winter months.

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[worth1]

The dumplings are easy.
2 cups of flour.
1 to 2 tablespoons of Knorr chicken bullion.
Some green herbs of your choice.
1 tablespoon baking powder.
Enough water to make a stiff dough.
Drop in soup put lid on and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Very tasty.

[rxkeith]

tonight, it was a big pot of turkey soup with some wild rice thrown in.
i get packages of backs, necks, and giblets for 99 cents/lb. one butcher said
people don't want to buy them. they are great for making soup. put them on the slow
boil for a couple hours. get everything else chopped up, and ready to go. pull the turkey
out to cool, then de bone. throw in the veggies, herbs, and seasonings. throw the meat back
in, and eat.

english muffin bread is still rising. people will be calling dibs on the end piece.


keith

[GoDawgs]

Last night I spatchcocked a whole chicken and let it soak in a Greek style marinade overnight. Olive oil, lemon juice, white wine, fresh rosemary and oregano, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. It will be roasted for lunch today and tomorrow and maybe some evening munching. Dibs on the back which got marinated too after being cut out.

Pickles is making deviled eggs right now. Side veggie undecided at the moment.

[worth1]

I'm about to marinate a huge chuck roast with bone, in Port wine.
Took the whole bottle plus a sip for the cook.
Nice fruity refreshing taste.
It'll do this all night (not drink) then I'll braise it in the wine in my trusty enameled cast iron dutch oven tomorrow.
As a matter of fact it's marinating in the Dutch oven.
I have a fondness for Portuguese, Italian and Spainish type wines.
Not so much the snobby French.

[pepperhead212]

A couple of days ago, I got a venison shoulder from a friend, and rubbed it down with garlic, rosemary, and salt, and put it in a Foodsaver bag, and let it marinate 6 hours, before setting it in my sous vide for 12 hours at 135°, before smoking it for 4 hours. I took it to my friend's house yesterday, and everyone loved it, though it could have stayed in there longer - some sites had it being in the sous vide for 24 hours, so I'll try that next time. The very center, while it was fairly tender, it could have used more cooking, or cut thinner.
Venison shoulder, marinating overnight, to cook in this sous vide tomorrow. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Venison shoulder, after 12 hours on 135 degrees. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Something to smoke the venison with this time. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Smoking the venison. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Smoked venison shoulder, after 12 hours sous vide. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Tonight, I made a soup, using some of that smoked venison, and 3 types of lentils, plus adding about 3 c finely chopped mizuna. I pressure cooked the meat and the lentils first, along with the seasonings, for 13 minutes, then let it release naturally. Then added the mizuna, cooked for 2 minutes, releasing it naturally, then served with a couple of corn tortillas.
Adding about 3 c of chopped mizuna to the chili type dish I'm making, with some of that smoked venison. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Some lentil soup, with some smoked venison and some mizuna added. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[worth1]

Last night I have homemade shoestring potatoes and some leftover Korean fried chicken.
The potatoes are easy to make but take time.
Cut them into about 1/4 strips and fry on medium low until crispy through and through.
This depends on burner size.
But temperature should be below 300F i suspect.
Not greasy.
If you rush they get too dark on the outside before the inside is crunchy.
Once you have a good amount made drop in oil for an instant and back out.
Season with your favorite seasoning.

Once done correctly they can be put in a bag as a snack after completely cooled off.
No need to refrigerate.
I had mine with ketchup that had mizkan rice vinegar, chili powder and habanero sauce mixed in.

[worth1]

Pretty simple ingredients.
Chopped up onion chopped carrots crushed garlic black pepper sweating to the oldies in Sunflower olive.
Roast dried off and browning.
Once everything was ready I just plopped the meat back in on top of the Chopped vegetables and poured the wine back in.
Added a pinch of salt deglazed the skillet and poured it in with extra water to cover on top.
Lid on and in the oven at 300F.
Gotta tell you, the meat tasted fantastic raw.

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[worth1]

Once the liquid was letting off steam I took the lid off and turned oven down to 250F maybe less later like 200F.
This should allow the liquid to slowly reduce down below meat level.
Once this is accomplished I'll put the lid back on.
Will have to keep an eye on it.