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Wok or not?

Baysidebob
Baysidebob Posts: 489
edited August 2012 in EggHead Forum
Anybody out there wok? The wife loves Asian food.I like it “OK” and if it keeps her happy....... What I really don’t like is driving all over town to different Asian restaurants, finding parking, paying for parking, waiting for service, etc. I figure If I had a wok (and learned to use it) she’d be happy and I could drink enough beer to be happy too. I have a spider for the large BGE. What else do I need and how do I use it? Is it worth trying?
My actuary says I'm dead.
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Comments

  • Phoenix824
    Phoenix824 Posts: 243

    I love to Wok.  I bought my Wok from "The Wok Shop".   http://wokshop.stores.yahoo.net/casthahapwok.html

    They were great and very helpful.       The cooks are easy.    You need to make sure you prep everything before you start to cook.    No time to cut veggies and meat when it is going.    You just need a wok, a long spatula (wooden) (plastic will melt) (Metal with scratch the seasoning of the Wok) and the spider which you already have.       I just heat the egg wide open until I hit close to 500,    shut the bottom vent to about a inch and the cook is all done with the dome open.     Cooks are fast and fun.     

    Steve Van Wert, Ohio XL BGE
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  • bud812
    bud812 Posts: 1,869
    Get it, you won't regret it. Then hit the farmers market & have a great fresh meal. When you are woking you don't have much time to drink beer though as it goes fast. Check out the Wok Shop listed above & have fun.

    Not to get technical, but according to chemistry alcohol is a solution...

    Large & Small BGE

    Stockton Ca.

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  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
    Woks are great! They are quite useful outside of asian food cooking too. Plus you will be surprised at how great your food will taste. It's super fast meal making!
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,463
    I'd wokked on my stove for decades, and it was almost as good as the good Chinese restaurants (ie NOT the "buffets").  
    Once I started wokking on the Egg, where the proper high temps could be achieved, there's no looking back!  (arm hair is over-rated, anyway...)

    _____________

    Remember when teachers used to say 'You won't have a calculator everywhere you go'?  Well, we showed them.


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  • Baysidebob
    Baysidebob Posts: 489
    Get it, you won't regret it. Then hit the farmers market & have a great fresh meal. When you are woking you don't have much time to drink beer though as it goes fast. Check out the Wok Shop listed above & have fun.
    Hmmm............  Pre-planning required here.  Beer while slooooowly bringing her up to temp.  Maybe some straight shots lined up on the deck rail for the cook.  What (80 proof or above) goes well with wok?  Must hit that fine line between amiable and saying what I really think.
    My actuary says I'm dead.
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  • ChokeOnSmoke
    ChokeOnSmoke Posts: 1,942
    edited August 2012
    Tons of people wok on this forum.  All you need to go with your spider is a wok and something to stir it with.  The biggest challenge for me was to get the wok properly broken in.  Once I did after about 8-10 cooks, no more sticking food.  Just clean it with some kosher salt and a wet paper towel.
    Packerland, Wisconsin

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  • Baysidebob
    Baysidebob Posts: 489
    Tons of people wok on this forum.  All you need to go with your spider is a wok and something to stir it with.  The biggest challenge for me was to get the wok properly broken in.  Once I did after about 8-10 cooks, no more sticking food.  Just clean it with some kosher salt and a wet paper towel.
    Watched a bunch of vids on seasoning woks.  We have and carbon steel pans and cast iron dutch ovens and pans.  Seasoning is part of the fun with a new piece.  The goofy part is that no matter how well one seasons a piece, it just gets better and better with use.
    My actuary says I'm dead.
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Search "wok" and "village idiot" on this forum. You'll turn up a bunch of excellent info
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • Phoenix824
    Phoenix824 Posts: 243
    Search "wok" and "village idiot" on this forum. You'll turn up a bunch of excellent info

    +1   VI was the one who turned me onto Woking
    Steve Van Wert, Ohio XL BGE
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  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
    Since you already have the spider, I would get a 14" "D" handle from cgs or wok shop, a spatula and a metal spoon.  If you plan on also using on a stove, the round bottom needs a wok ring $2 or get a flat bottom.  A 16" IMHO is overkill and harder to handle when cooking.

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1139410/woks-gazette-some-ramblings#latest
     
    1 You get to cook at a higher heat on BGE with the wok thus keeping the flavors sealed in the various items you are woking.
    2 You keep the heat out of the kitchen, and IMHO here in Florida that is a great thing.
    3 Many of the dishes that I cook have meat in them that have been previously cooked on BGE and the smoke flavor is from that cook.
    4 Spatchcocked chicken is great as an ingredient for chicken fried rice. Pulled pork works in pork fried rice.
    5 Think of it as a different method to cook, like many of us use Dutch Ovens as a different vessel to cook in.
    6 Wok cooking opens up a whole new world of recipes, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and the list goes on through out the Pacific.
    7 You can cook many side dishes faster and better flavor than a regular pan.
    8 It is fun. Let me know if I can be of more help! Been wokking for 30+ years. Let's Wok & Woll!
     

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  • yellowdogbbq
    yellowdogbbq Posts: 389
    Don't forget to get a good pair of welding gloves to preserve some are arm.
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  • Baysidebob
    Baysidebob Posts: 489

    Richard Fl

    thanks for the link.  I discovered the wife has a 14" wooden handle wok.  I'm good to go.

    My actuary says I'm dead.
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Not to dis the BGE, but a $25 LP turkey burner burner will get your wok hotter than you'll ever need it without all the work of firing up the egg.   You can light it, heat up your wok to wok hei temperatures in a few minutes.

    Mine is similar to this (image stolen off google images, gotta give credit where credit is due):


    image
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • Baysidebob
    Baysidebob Posts: 489

    "Wok Cooking Made Easy" arrived from Amazon yesterday. Looking through the recipes Wife noticed we had all the ingredients for “Spicy Indian Pork”. The ingredients list for that particular recipe omits the amount of ginger but we solved that by looking at the previous page. Wife did all the prep work and lined up everything in bowls in order of cooking. She even went to the Indian store for naan bread and Korea-town for better utensils. For me it was a no-brainer. This is not sit back and suck them down cooking. One brew during heat-up was it. That’s OK, the night is still young. This particular recipe is spicy and forehead sweating hot. Cucumbers are a good side.

    Conclusion: My 14“ wooden handled wok on the spider is the way to go for me. My left had was un-gloved the whole cook and I had no problem lifting the wok to toss contents or release a bit of heat. The cook went much more quickly than predicted in the recipe. No matter, it came out screamin’ good. First cook with a new technique turned out well. I’m taking that as a sign from God.

    1.JPG 144.1K
    2.jpg 126.2K
    3.JPG 180.7K
    My actuary says I'm dead.
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  • R2Egg2Q
    R2Egg2Q Posts: 2,136
    Looks good Bob! Well done!
    XL, Large, Small, Mini Eggs, Shirley Fabrication 24x36 Patio, Humphrey's Weekender, Karubecue C-60, MAK 1-Star General, Hasty Bake Gourmet, Santa Maria Grill, Webers: 14" WSM, 22.5" OTG, 22.5" Kettle Premium, WGA Charcoal, Summit S-620 NG

    Bay Area, CA
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Not to dis the BGE, but a $25 LP turkey burner burner will get your wok hotter than you'll ever need it without all the work of firing up the egg.   You can light it, heat up your wok to wok hei temperatures in a few minutes.

    Mine is similar to this (image stolen off google images, gotta give credit where credit is due):


    image
    Agree completely. Been a woker for years on my fourth or fifth hand hammered carbon steel wok, one has metal handle, one has two metal handles, one has wood, two are oversize flat bottom. 
    I modified the side burner on my old Broil king with a smaller version of the turkey "fire starter" shown above by nolaegghead. 
    Use the egg to make the best asian ribs while the veggie side takes minutes on the side burner. Whatever "woks" for you!  
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • Doc_Eggerton
    Doc_Eggerton Posts: 5,321
    Ham, egg, potato breakfast, done on the wok ;-)

    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

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  • Baysidebob
    Baysidebob Posts: 489
    Ham, egg, potato breakfast, done on the wok ;-)
    Oooh baby!  I now have a reason to fire her up in the AM!
    My actuary says I'm dead.
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  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    Great looking wok cook Bob, I think I need a book since yakisoba and vegetables with choice of meat can only get me so far on the wok.
    Seattle, WA
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  • Baysidebob
    Baysidebob Posts: 489
    Great looking wok cook Bob, I think I need a book since yakisoba and vegetables with choice of meat can only get me so far on the wok.
    "Wok Cooking Made Easy" from Amizon works so far.  Just recipes, no technique like seasoning the wok etc.  Plenty of that on U-Tube.  Includes Indian, Korean, Japanese, you-name-it.  Nothing overly complicated.  I did find that mine came in way under the time stated in the recipe.  Charcoal is HOT.  Being able to grab the wooden handle and back it off from the heat was a great help.
    My actuary says I'm dead.
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