Archive for September, 2010
I know it seems odd, people celebrating half way to St. Patrick’s Day. Again, I feel that people are clinging to that last bit of summer. We all know the days are getting shorter, fall will be setting in soon. Holidays will be coming, sooner than we want them too. Then the long winter nights will be setting in. So why not celebrate something, anything, before those winter blues set in.
In honor of half way to St. Patrick’s Day, not only will I be eating corned beef brisket & cabbage, I will also be eating a smoked brisket that I smoked yesterday on my Brinkmann charcoal grill. It takes time and patience to smoke food. Life is easier with a real BBQ smoker. We don’t all have one and have to settle for a charcoal grill, or a propane gas grill. Charcoal grills are even easier to smoke food with. Gas grills that have a smoker built in are quite expensive. You can cook with a gas grill, with a smoker box or smoker pouches, but it’s not quite the same.
Well, Cead Mile Fialte. One hundred thousand welcomes. See you on St Patty’s day!
Today, I am going to attempt smoking a beef brisket on my grill.
I am used to cooking brisket indoors in a table top cooker. I have attempted smoking brisket on a grill once before. The meat had a lot of flavor, but was still tough, not tender.
I do not have a traditional BBQ smoker. I use my propane grill to smoke. It certainly does not work as well as a real smoker. Probably not as well as a charcoal grill either. I have a metal smoker box that I fill with wood chips. I have also been known to use smoker cans and smoker bags, as well as just making foil pouches filled with pre-soaked wood chips.
From poking around and seeking out advise, I’ve found out that you don’t need to out and out smoke the meat the whole time. You can wrap the brisket in foil at about 140 degrees F & add some juices to help it finish cooking. That was a step I did not perform last time. I am hoping that it will make my finished project a success. I mean what is cooking except science and experimentation anyway.
Here’s to science and smoked meat!!!!
Wish me luck!
It’s September. Thanksgiving is really only 9 weeks away. If you have been considering buying a turkey fryer to deep fry your holiday turkey, now is the time to do it!
Consider the fact that shipping takes time. And, please, consider the fact, that you want to use your turkey fryer now! You don’t want to take it out of the box, Thanksgiving morning, and think that you are going to make the perfect holiday meal.
You want to try it out now. Figure out how to use your new fryer. Get used to adjusting temperatures and using hot oil. Get used to slowly lowering unfrozen items into the fryer, so that you have no boil overs. Start out small. Use a basket and deep fry some fish. Use the poultry rack & deep fry a chicken. Get to know your new fryer.
You want to figure out where you are going to set up your fryer. Somewhere that is a level & stable cooking surface that is not in your garage and not on your wooden deck attached to your house. Find a safe location that you know the kids and the dog will not be playing. Have a back up plan in case of wind & weather.
Thanksgiving is a day of family, friends, food, and football. Not fire extinguishers and the local fire department. Though you should have an all purpose fire extinguisher on hand anyway. NEVER use water on a hot oil fire!!!!
By buying a turkey fryer now, & learning the nuances of it, come Thanksgiving Day, you will be a pro at the art of deep frying, and not a novice. You can practice using that conventional turkey fryer by doing other things besides deep frying. You can boil & steam in them too. You can make chili or gumbo. You can steam clams & lobsters. You can even make a whole bunch corn on the cob.
The point is to use the fryer now. Even a teenager is given time to learn how to drive a car before they are given a license. If you want your turkey dinner to be a success, you need practice first. Make some food. Have some fun. You have a little bit of time left to learn. And come the holidays in December, it will all be old hat.
Always remember…safety first! Have an extra propane tank handy. You don’t want to run out halfway through cooking your bird. And as I said, have an all purpose fire extinguisher near by, just in case!
You’ve heard of.09 Rockin’ the Beer Gut..we’re going to Deep Fry The 09 Tailgate.
Doesn’t matter whether you’re going to the football game, a NASCAR race, or The Kentucky Derby. Tailgating is an American obsession, and we’re darn proud of it. We like to eat, drink, and be merry at our sports functions and concerts. Ask a Jimmy Buffett fan if he’s got a gas powered blender in the car!
Seeing as deep frying is an American obsession as well, we’re going to deep fry the tailgate.
You don’t just have to take a grill to the parking lot. Deep fryers run on propane too. There are outdoor propane deep fryers that are small enough for just a few friends, or large enough to supply the biggest tailgate party around. You can even use your turkey fryer at a tailgate. Not only do they deep fry turkeys and other goodies, they are versatile enough to steam and boil with as well. You can make chili one weekend, steam lobster, corn & clams the next, and deep fry Buffalo wings the week after that. Sounds like a well rounded tailgate cooker to me.
Nothing against grilling and barbecuing, but you can deep fry just about anything. There are recipes for deep fried ribs, or even a whole roast beef. You can fry 3 chickens at a time in a turkey fryer. Get out there and deep fry! Beer, wings, and football are a natural combination. You can add all sorts of great stuff to your tailgate menu. French fries, onion rings, okra, you can even have a catfish fry.
If you feel that safety is an issue using a conventional turkey fryer, get yourself a Cajun Fryer. They are mobile, propane fired, and the flame goes through the oil in a contained tube. It will heat your oil sufficiently to fry anything. If any oil spillage should occur, it will happen at the front of the unit. Any flame is at the back of the unit. Therefore no oil & flame should ever come in contact. When you’re done cooking and ready for the game, if there isn’t time to cool the oil, there are ways around that. Just come prepared with a metal Gerry can, and have a radiator hose adapted with an end to connect to your oil release valve. Drain your oil, store the hot can somewhere that won’t be harmful to anyone still wandering the lot.Your fryer will cool down quicker too.
So, let’s get out there and deep fry the tailgate!
Tailgating at our house, unfortunately for me…is not about the football. Being a female is not the problem. The problem is, I live with a man that doesn’t appreciate the game. He’s a motor sports fan, but that’s o.k. 
because so am I. Just a tomboy I guess. I am stuck watching football on T.V. No tailgating with the big boys on game day for me. Even though I’m not on the football field, I still gotta get my tailgate on! I’m not the only one either. People tailgate for anything and everything. Rugby, soccer, baseball, basketball, horse racing, and concerts too.
I am a raceway tailgater. Race day is NEVER just a day. It is usually a whole weekend. That is a lot more meals to deal with & prepare for. It is not just before, and/or during the game. We’re talking, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for 2-5 days. I am about to swing into high gear myself. Over the next month and a half, I will be attending 2 NASCAR weekends, One NHRA weekend, and 2 other drag racing functions, plus a car show in between. It’s o.k., I like to cook, I love the races, but I think I’m spreading myself a wee bit too thin this year. One of these races used to be in August, so I had a break in between & we’ve added a grass snowmobile drag into the mix. At least that one is just a one day event. Maybe I’ll just pack a picnic lunch for that one.
As far as one of the NASCAR weekends goes, I will have a motor home with a refrigerator. Hallelujah! We still grill, slow cook & deep fry outside, and the beer still stays in a cooler, but having a fridge on a 5 day tailgate is nothing short of a miracle. Only need ice for the beer and not the food.
So, I am beginning to inventory, checking my tailgate bin over & starting to plan my tailgate menu. Making sure my grill & outdoor deep fryer are in tip top shape. Gotta fill my extra propane tank. Always make sure you have extra fuel, be it wood, charcoal or LP gas. Need to make sure I have enough frying oil as well. Can’t make Buffalo Wings without oil. Well you can, but, everything is better deep fried right?
You can tailgate anywhere. Just get out there and do it. You don’t have to go all out. Start small. Picnic lunch in a cooler if need be. Then, when you start to get the hang of it, time to get your game face on! Cook, grill, smoke, deep fry. Have fun with it. It’s not just about the game. It’s also about the food, the party, good friends, and great memories. Life is made for living… not for sitting in the living room just watching the game.
Growing up on the south shore of Long Island on the Great South Bay, it is inevitable that at one point or another, you will eat seafood. Fish, shellfish, & crustaceans. Raw, baked, steamed, boiled & deep fried. I grew up in a oyster & clamming community. Many of my relatives owned a shellfish boat, digging for clams, oysters, & scallops all day long, to feed their families and to sell to the local markets. Fish was also a form of bartering in my community. My grandfather was a carpenter, not a clam digger. He might do a job for someone that couldn’t pay for the work done, but my grandfather would come home & find fish, clams, oysters, even lobsters, waiting to be cooked up and fed to his own family.
The shellfish in my community, historically, were world renowned. The Blue Point Oyster Company was actually located in West Sayville, NY. Our surrounding fishing grounds were once teeming with oysters, clams & scallops. Many factors over the years have made our waters near barren. Over harvesting, not nearly enough reseeding, misunderstanding of star fish regeneration, brown tide, pollution, closing ocean waterways that flush out our waters and keep them clean.
Not everyone likes fish & shellfish, but growing up near water, it is impossible to not come near it. Deep fried clam strips, clam bellies, scallops and oysters were almost a regular Friday night meal for me. It’s much easier to go to a clam bars & get it cooked for you, but the recipe is simple enough to do at home. If you aren’t practiced in the art of shucking shellfish, you can always go to your local fish market and buy them pre-shucked.
Oil for frying
1 qt shucked oysters
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 3\4 cup cracker crumbs or dried bread crumbs
In outdoor propane deep fryer, counter top fryer, or stove top deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F.
Drain the oysters. Pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with salt & 2 Tbsp. of water. Place crumbs into your Coating Buddy. Dip the oysters in the egg wash then place in the Coating Buddy & shake.
Place the oysters, a few at a time, about 1″ apart, in the fryer basket. Fry for about 1 minute or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the oysters until done. Serve with cocktail or tarter sauce and fresh lemon wedges.
For clams, substitute 3 doz. shucked clams (about 2 cups), use 1 egg instead of 2. Prepare and deep fry as above.
Tailgating season is getting into full swing. With the beginning of football season under way…and racing season still going strong. There is nothing like a great tailgate party no matter what the venue. Go small, go big, or just go home. We all know the stadium and venue food is expensive & not always that great. Why not bring food with you? Even if you just pack a picnic lunch. Then if you need to, you can grab a snack on the inside.
But, why not go all out…or at least part of the way? You can make food at home a day or two before the game & just fire up the Brinkmann grill and re-heat when you get there.You don’t need a giant grill unless you are planning on feeding a lot of people.
Everything can still be easily prepared in the parking lot. Some prep work can still be done at home, and all cooking done right in your tailgate spot in the lot. Make salads at home & make sure you have a cooler full of ice to keep it cold & a separate cooler for beer & soft drinks. A drink cooler will be constantly opened and closed. Don’t want those salads going bad.
Change up your menu too. You don’t have the same thing for dinner every night. Why have the same tailgate menu? Get creative. Ask your friends to bring stuff or ask them for suggestions. Bring an outdoor propane deep fryer, bring a bbq smoker, bring a traditional turkey fryer, but use it to make jambalaya because your team is playing against the Saints or have a New England Clam Bake at a Pats game. Have fun with it. Your menu doesn’t need to be same old same old. Go check out the tailgaters next to you. See what they’ve got cooking up. Not everyone is willing to share recipes, but most cooks are proud of their creations and are willing to tell you a bit. They might leave out a secret ingredient but you’ll get the gist. And even if they don’t want to share, at least you might get some new ideas of your own.
Today, 9\11\2010, in America, is a day of remembrance. Not only all of America, but especially here in New York. For those of you that don’t live in New York, or the surrounding areas, and in Pennsylvania & Washington DC, it may have been a little bit more surreal than it was here. That day & the days to follow, were horrific and heart wrenching. The rest of the country saw the devastation on TV and in the papers, and heard it on the radio. Here it was much more in your face.
Today, at The Deep Fryer Depot, we would like to take the time to remember all those that were lost to us that day, especially the brave souls that sacrificed their own lives, to save others. Please take a moment of silence today to remember!
As summer is winding down, I am looking around, and seeing everyone GRASPING onto that last bit as hard as they can.
The fairs, the festivals, the bbq’s, the car shows, not to mention the fervent tailgating going on. Even though people love the football, the games & the camaraderie, I believe that it is SO passionate in the beginning, because people know that summer is almost over. This may not be the case further south, but for us northerners, everyone is trying to squeeze that last bit of sunshine out of the season as possible. I love going to a game on a nice crisp fall morning as much as the next guy, but face it…watching a game or race on a beautiful late summer day while the sun is shining is better than a cold dreary day in November. Besides, rolling into the beginning of football tailgating season means that school is back in session, the days are going to get shorter, and soon all that holiday rigmarole is about to start. And that effects everyone.
For now, we just want to hold onto that last beautiful, blue sky, sunny, summer day. Get the Brinkmann grill going, smell the charcoal & steak in the air. Get the bbq smoker going, the aroma of mesquite and smoked pork butt fills your nostrils. Deep fry some Buffalo wings, crack open a cold one & share a day with friends, laughing, sharing, and not a care in the world. Who cares if I have an major exam coming up on next Friday. Right now, I have warm sun, friends, food & football!!!!
Goodman’s American Pie of Ludlow, Vt. is having a fundraiser on Sept. 25, 2010. The proceeds go to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This will be their 3rd year of Pizza Helping People.
The Goodman’s serve a unique form of pizza. Fresh ingredients, fresh made & cooked in a wood fired oven. Interesting pizzas…like the Arctic Cluck & Triple Bypass. But all you have to do is ask & if they have what you want, they will make it for you. They even have a dessert pizza…wood fired apple pizza. Yum.
The fundraiser has been relocated to Proctorsville, Vt. Pizza & beverages provided, just bring your own toppings. The pizza base is pre-made for this particular function, but they are made right there on the spot, heated up on the Brinkmann Grill. The Goodman’s have also recreated a smaller version of their wood fired pizza oven on the property. There will be a band, a kid’s korner, a 50/50 raffle & a silent auction. Again, all proceeds go to fighting MS.
Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease. To find out more about MS, visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx.
To make a donation to Pizza Helping People, please cal 802-226-7154.