Archive for December, 2010
I will be cooking a prime rib for New Year’s Eve on my grill. After Thanksgiving and grilled turkey, we had a fresh ham done on the grill for Christmas and a deep fried turkey. I felt it was time for some beef on the menu so I decided to do prime rib on the grill for New Year’s Eve.
What is a grill anyway besides an oven with an open fire. It still works out with great results…sometimes even better because you can add some smokey flavor to the mix when you are cooking outside. If I had a traditional BBQ smoker, you know where the hunk of meat would be right now. Seeing as I don’t, I will have to settle for my Brinkmann grill.
I found some great tips from my friend, Meathead, at AmazingRibs.com. He seems to be an aficionado on all things meat, especially meat cooked outside. He has great rub info, and technique info that can help you get started. But as with anything, you always want to make it your own. I took his advice with “a grain of salt” and went bravely forward into the grill.
Whatever you are doing for New Year’s and\or whatever you are cooking, we at The Deep Fryer Depot would like to wish everyone a happy, safe, healthy, and prosperous 2011.
Cheers!
I watched an episode of one of Paula Deen’s programs the other day. It dealt with campfire cooking, but most of the cooking was done on, or in, an indoor hearth.
A gentleman was brought in from Colonial Williamsburg. For those of you not familiar with Colonial Williamsburg, VA, it is a restored village that stretches over 301 acres, and includes 88 original 18th-century structures. Hundreds of houses, shops and public outbuildings are reconstructed on their original foundations. Many people re-enact daily life from 18th century colonial America for visitors to witness. From blacksmiths to seamstresses, silversmiths and wig makers. They also cook, just like it was originally done back then. Open fires and cast iron cookware. Dutch ovens and cast iron skillets were placed over open fires, on heated bricks, or right in the coals for all cooking.
The gentleman on Paula’s show demonstrated a few traditional recipes from the time era. They stewed a bean dish in a Dutch oven hung over the coals. They made a beef and ale dish in a cast iron skillet. They also made an apple crisp for dessert also cooked in a cast iron skillet.
There are lots techniques that can be learned for Dutch oven campfire cooking. Civil War re-enactments, restored villages like Williamsburg, or Old Sturbridge Village are great places to see how colonial cooking was done. A great place to learn some of these techniques for yourself would be the International Dutch Oven Society. They have a newsletter with tips and a web site. They also have information about happenings, like schooling on Dutch oven cooking. Cast iron cookware, when properly cared for, will last for generations. That is a sound investment, in these tough times.
People really do not understand what service is any m0re. Majority of the time they do not really even listen to what you are saying. If you are asking a legitimate question of someone…shouldn’t you get a proper response the first time? I guess I must be old school because that is certainly not how it works today. People that work in stores don’t even know how to give you money back from a cash register.
My company with a particular web server. They re constantly making changes. They have changed their IP address and contacted me telling me that I needed to change this information. I contacted someone directly at the company…she looked into it for me, said that I was fine, that nothing needed to be changed, it did not pertain to me. Well, guess what? My site is now down, because when I contacted them 2 weeks or more ago, apparently the girl, really wasn’t listening. Now, my deep fryer web site is down. It is holiday season, and the server company is closed through the New Year. Isn’t that just so pleasant??? All because when I tried to take care of the problem ahead of time… someone just wasn’t listening.
The service end of business in this country has gone to crap. Nobody cares. Everyone just wants money and to be lazy. I came from a different group of people. There actually used to be pride in this country. I think it’s time for me to move somewhere else!!!!
I am temporarily in holiday limbo. It is between Christmas but before New Years and there is still work in between.
It is very hard to get back into the work groove, given the extreme nature of work, before the Christmas holidays. Now comes the after thought gifts, but still not as fast paced and hardcore. After New Years everything will slow to the normal pace if not an all out dull crawl as our economy is still not back to the norm, as the economists and many national reporters would like us to believe.
In the mean time I will just ready myself for the New Years Eve holiday-palooza. We are doing nothing fancy, and are just having dinner for some folks before they go on their merry way to other late night New Years functions. I am OK with that. I don’t need all the hulabaloo anymore. I’ve been from Guy Lombardo to Dick Clark and have even brought the New Year in sleeping like a baby. It’s funny when you get older how certain ideas and values change.
Anyway, I will be cooking a prime rib, on my Brinkmann grill this year for New Year’s Eve. We will be eating some fine nosh food, then moving on to some beautiful grilled beef, and hopefully, kicking everyone out so that we can have a nice quite ringing in of the New Year together.
A safe, happy and prosperous New Year to everyone!!!!!
Cast Iron cookware has been being used to cook with in America since the first ships arrived from Europe.
In ancient times most pots were originally made from bronze. Shortly after the invention of iron, “cast” iron was used to make cookware. Cast iron is liquid iron that is poured into a cast mold. The mold is made of fine sand that has been hard packed to hold its shape.
Most colonials had hearths of open fire to cook with or just cooked outdoors. Cast iron can be used over an open fire or right in the coals without damaging it.
Manufacturing of cast iron cookware became extremely popular in America in the late 1800’s. It was quite easy to manufacture and very versatile as cookware. Cast iron cooks more evenly over any kind of heat source. Indoor, outdoor, oven, stove top, grill, or camp fire. Even though it is slow to heat, it will retain it’s heat while cooking. You can cook anything in cast iron, from searing a steak, simmering stews and chili, to 
baking a cake. Almost any shape of pots and pans are made of cast iron as well. Dutch ovens, frying pans, skillets, loaf pans, griddles, etc. Some are actually coated in enamel now to add different colors to your world.
Most of the American manufacturers are gone now. Many companies have found it much more economical to have their cast iron products manufactured overseas.
Starting your family on a tradition of cast iron cooking is a smart decision for years to come that can be passed down. A well seasoned cast iron pan, when properly care for will last for generations.
If you are thinking of deep frying a turkey for the holidays, keep in mind the lucky foods that ring in the New Year. Apparently it is unlucky to have any type of fowl, or poultry for New Years. Because they have wings, it is supposedly significant of your luck for the new year flying away. So, if you are going to use your turkey fryer for the holidays, deep fry your bird for Christmas or even St. Stephen’s Day or Boxing Day.
This cranberry nut bread recipe has been a Christmas tradition in our house for years. We bake it in a cast iron cookware preferably a loaf pan. Chill, slice and serve Christmas morning with cream cheese.
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
11/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp grated orange rind
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 cup yelow raisins
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Cut in shorteninguntil mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Combine OJ and rind with beaten egg. Pour all at once into dry ingredients, mixing just enough to dampen. Carefully fold in chopped nuts and fruits. Spoon into 9×5x3 loaf pan. Spread corners and sides slightly higher than center. Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour. (clean toothpick and golden crust) Remove from pan and cool. Refridgerate overnight before slicing.
This bread is so good. I really love it on C
hristmas morning. My mom always made this and I continue the tradition. It is especially good served with a little cream cheese.
I pride myself on offering as much service to my retail business as possible. I have worked in retail since I was a kid. I was taught to treat customers a certain way. This should apply all the way around. How can you expect someone to be a repeat customer or get business through word of mouth when the people that you are giving your business to don’t care enough to process your order as soon as possible or even send you an email confirmation. It is even worse when you attempt to email them or phone them and they never get back to you. I have gotten involved with a company that sells tailgating supplies that I want to, in turn, sell to my customers. I have since placed an order with them and it has been 5 business days and I have not heard fro them and they have not even processed my order. It is holiday time and my customer was expecting this item for the holiday. The wholesaler that I have sent this order to have not responded to my repeated emails or phone calls. I guess I am going to have to drop this wholesaler and never use them again. I will have to try to find the products elsewhere or just not offer these items anymore.
I have a great relationship with all of my other wholesalers. I have spoken with them, I email them about a turkey fryer or Cajun fryer and they get back to me, usually within one business day. These are not only wholesalers, some are the manufacturers. They have all been very helpful. They want my business. I find it odd that in this day and age that a company can just blow off business in this way or are just expecting to make more money because now I will have to eat the order to compensate for the extra shipping costs that I will now have to pay in order to actually serve my customer.
Live and learn.
Christmas is great time to upgrade your favorite tailgater’s cooking equipment. If you know of some new equipment needed or something that is outdated and needs upgrading, now is a great time. Odds are, you are a tailgater too, and though you may not be the head cook and bottle washer, there is a good chance you know of the groups’ gear. This would be a great time to pitch in and get “cookie” some new gear.
Typically, grilling season is over for the summer set, and Thanksgiving turkey frying season is over. Little do they know that tailgaters do this sort of thing, almost year round. Grills usually go on sale at summer’s end, so this time of year is even better for great values. You can always wait until tailgating season starts up again next year, but why wait. If there is something the group needs now, why not go for it. New tailgating supplies make great gifts.
Get your tailgating club a Bayou Classic turkey fryer if they don’t already have one. They are multi-purpose outdoor propane deep fryers. They also stew, steam and boil.
Get an All-In-One. These units deep fry, boil, steam, grill, and they can be used as BBQ smokers too. Having units that serve different purposes helps save space when traveling to and from your venue.
Have a great tailgating season and a great holiday season too.
Deep fried turkey is not just for Thanksgiving anymore. Why not try deep fried turkey for Christmas dinner. If you already have a turkey fryer kit, you are set. If not, a turkey fryer is not an unattainable item. There are some that are quite inexpensive. if you have never deep fried a turkey before, an inexpensive one may be a good starting off point. Turkey fryers are not just for deep frying either. It is a big stock pot with an outdoor propane cooker or patio stove. You can steam, boil, stew, and simmer in the same pot that you deep fry in. It can be taken anywhere that you can take a propane grill. A turkey fryer is a tailgater’s dream, especially cold weather tailgaters. You can make stew or chili, even gumbo or jambalaya. Some stick to your ribs, keep you warm food, for those below zero days. A great gift item for your favorite tailgater.