Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Anyone have trouble going to a restaurant?

Options
2»

Comments

  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,482
    Options
    First let me say great looking steak and food, second I did a post like this a year or so ago with about the same response.  I to only will order a steak out where I feel they will do it justice and some times I don't feel like cooking.  Having the the egg has mostly made me BBQ snob, here in KC there is a lot of BBQ places to eat, but some don't match up to what I can produce at home straight off the egg.  
    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • GoooDawgs
    GoooDawgs Posts: 1,060
    Options
    I find myself asking for the grilling technique whenever I go to prime steakhouses (taking clients out).   I'm always trying to find out who's keeping their prime,  dry-aged beef in a water bath back in the kitchen.   The waiter usually doesn't understand my questioning though...   I assume a fair amount do use the water bath method. 
    Milton, GA 
    XL BGE & FB300
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
    Options
    Im firing up my sous vide tonite for chix breasts ....speaking of water bath method...and with a few exceptions, chicken at a restaurant is rubbery, bitter charred overcooked and not enjoyable.   There is a place that started in Scottadale AZ and i think is now in Newport Bch, CA and Chicago that is called Bandera.  awesome rotisserie chix.  But for the most part my best chicken is hatxhed off of BGE or hatched off of bge after incubating in sous vide bath
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 14,617
    Options
    Absolutely no problem going to a restaurant at all.  Some are good, convenient, comfort food, some give me ideas, etc.  Love to try new places, holes in the wall, etc.  I don't compare myself to a restaurant, question how they do things or anything else that may conspire to ruin my experience.  It's more about if I want to cook or not or if I want some variety, something new.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BikerBob
    BikerBob Posts: 284
    Options
    When I lived near Atlanta, I went to the Varsity about once every couple of years to remember why I didn't go more often.
    Living on the coast, there are numerous good seafood restaurants serving fresh local seafood. They are worth a trip now and then. We ate BBQ yesterday because we were in town and it was lunch time. She said it was good, I said it was not too bad. It was dry and not smokey enough for me. Also they only had two sauces.
    Cooking on the coast
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Terrebandit
    Terrebandit Posts: 1,750
    Options
    No trouble at all.  I don't want to cook all the time. 
    Dave - Austin, TX
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    edited June 2016
    Options
    The only thing missing from having not set foot in our favorite steak house now for 10 years is the ambiance, white linen table cloths, napkins and of course being waited on by professionals. Now that I have found sous vide cooking to guarantee perfectly done steaks which are then finish seared on my small egg my steaks are as good if not better! On top of that now that I dry age I can buy a full sub-primal for the same price as one night at our old favorite steak house meaning 5 to 7 great steak nights for the same amount of money! Who needs white linen anyway...LOL
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • steelcityegger
    steelcityegger Posts: 149
    Options
    Great response guys.  I think the point got across.  We still get enjoyable meals out, I'm not a trained chef, but it doesn't feel like a lot of cooks are either.

    i need to look more into the sous vide.  Never have heard of it until reading this forum.  That much better or more consistent?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,677
    Options
    Well, after seeing that Applebee's has been using no-roll beef for their steaks, that explains why their steaks are awful.
    They are running a new ad campaign advertising wood fired grills. They claim to be using USDA Choice beef now.

    Of course I have no recent knowledge of Applebee's, I haven't dined there in over 10 years. 

    It is difficult to get a good meal out these days.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    steelcityegger said:
    Great response guys.  I think the point got across.  We still get enjoyable meals out, I'm not a trained chef, but it doesn't feel like a lot of cooks are either.

    i need to look more into the sous vide.  Never have heard of it until reading this forum.  That much better or more consistent?
    Not stealing any BGE thunder here - OK? so no slams. To put "sous vide" in easy to understand terms AND just about as easy - you seal your meat in a vacuum bag and then place it in a vessel of hot water which becomes controlled by an electrical unit. Unlike an oven or a BGE for that matter the unit  stays at the temperature you preset for the PERFECT internal meat temperature of your finished meat. One of the MANY advantages is the meat can not over cook! That also means if you planned dinner for 7:00PM but cocky-tail hour went in to overtime then your meal will NOT be ruined. Expensive sous vide units have been used now for years in fine restaurants and only in the past few  years affordable units have come into the market for home use. Personally I'm as sold on sous vide as I have been on BGE and will never be without a sous vide unit in my pantry!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • steelcityegger
    steelcityegger Posts: 149
    Options
    Thanks rrp! I havnt researched the forum, but is there a unit you recommend?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    Options
    No problem here. Must be the quality of local restaurants.. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Slabotnick
    Slabotnick Posts: 215
    Options
    We don't enjoy prime steakhouses for steak anymore. My wife whispered to me last time "this isn't as good as at home". Best compliment!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    steelcityegger said:
    Thanks rrp! I havnt researched the forum, but is there a unit you recommend?
    AMOVA...call me a cheap-ass - I don't care but the $169 version works fine for me! That even goes on sale occasionally if you want to watch for saving 20 bucks. As for the wi-fi, blue tooth capability I really could care less! \https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_5?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=anova+sous+vide&sprefix=ANOVA,aps,153
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • GoooDawgs
    GoooDawgs Posts: 1,060
    Options
    RRP said:
    steelcityegger said:
    Great response guys.  I think the point got across.  We still get enjoyable meals out, I'm not a trained chef, but it doesn't feel like a lot of cooks are either.

    i need to look more into the sous vide.  Never have heard of it until reading this forum.  That much better or more consistent?
    Not stealing any BGE thunder here - OK? so no slams. To put "sous vide" in easy to understand terms AND just about as easy - you seal your meat in a vacuum bag and then place it in a vessel of hot water which becomes controlled by an electrical unit. Unlike an oven or a BGE for that matter the unit  stays at the temperature you preset for the PERFECT internal meat temperature of your finished meat. One of the MANY advantages is the meat can not over cook! That also means if you planned dinner for 7:00PM but cocky-tail hour went in to overtime then your meal will NOT be ruined. Expensive sous vide units have been used now for years in fine restaurants and only in the past few  years affordable units have come into the market for home use. Personally I'm as sold on sous vide as I have been on BGE and will never be without a sous vide unit in my pantry!
    Hey Ron, 

    I just did a reverse sear on some NY strips tonight and used some oak and pecan wood while slowly getting them up to 130. (My best ever actually).  I'm thinking about getting a sous vide, but I keep thinking the steaks wouldn't get a good wood fire grill taste if I just cut them out of a bag and seared them.  Is there any truth that?   If internal temps were equal,  would the reverse sear on the egg beat the water bath?    
    Milton, GA 
    XL BGE & FB300
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    I don't know, but I know this - with sous vide you set the unit to reach the desired internal temperature and that is what you get - not over it - so no chance of over cooking.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
    Options
    I struggle at times because I worked in them for years earlier in my career. Some are run well.....some not. I don't enjoy really finding out this answer.

    I would rather cook it myself and mess it up....than have to deal with the risk of incompetency.....Where I come from, we don't have much of that however in our BBQ joints. Love the Buffet in this situation. 
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BrookieP
    BrookieP Posts: 135
    Options
    johnnyp said:
    We feel this way all the time
    I think our food is better, but I enjoy not grocery shopping and doing dishes. I go out to eat to avoid those two things. 
    XL BGE & 36" Blackstone
    Instagram: BGEBrooke
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Options
    Just as a small side note about SV. It is possible to over cook meats, in that they turn to mush. But the time frame is days, not hours. Just for fun, I cooked some chicken around 133F for 4 days. Edible, but by that time, most of the moisture was in the bag, not in the meat fiber. In fact, there was almost no meat fiber left, just something that turned to mush under a little pressure.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Options
    BYS1981 said:
    No problem here. Must be the quality of local restaurants.. 
    If you happen to live somewhere there is a thriving restaurant culture, big cites usually, but smaller ones like Portland, OR, there will be lots of amazing food. In the case of Portland, which I visited a few weeks ago, spectacular for the price. Got food at food carts and tiny cafes that were some of the best bites in my life. Day long smoked lamb w. Oaxacan molé over bean and rice, $8. My wife and I just looked at each other and gaped.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,026
    edited June 2016
    Options
    @gdenby I haven't really looked at what sous vides can do or how they function but I do have a question. So if I took frozen pieces of chicken and put them in the sous vide in the morning can I come home after work and just toss them on the egg for a quick sear? If that's the case can I do that the same way with pork, beef, etc and leave them in the sous vide for 10 plus hours during work? 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Options
    WeberWho said:
    @gdenby I haven't really looked at what sous vides can do or how they function but I do have a question. So if I took frozen pieces of chicken and put them in the sous vide in the morning can I come home after work and just toss them on the egg for a quick sear? If that's the case can I do that the same way with pork, beef, etc and leave them in the sous vide for 10 plus hours during work? 
    @WeberWho the problem with doing them too long is they can get mushy.  It would be perfectly safe but if you cooked them that long you might not like the texture.  

    I recall someone used ice water for this with the Anova.  With the wifi version you can turn it on from anywhere so if you have a pot of water filled with ice you can turn it on 4 hours or so before dinner time. 

    They actually have a unit now that has a cooler and a heater and you set the time for when it will come on.

    https://www.cookmellow.com/

    ...but it is 600 dollas.  

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,026
    Options
    SmokeyPitt said:
    WeberWho said:
    @gdenby I haven't really looked at what sous vides can do or how they function but I do have a question. So if I took frozen pieces of chicken and put them in the sous vide in the morning can I come home after work and just toss them on the egg for a quick sear? If that's the case can I do that the same way with pork, beef, etc and leave them in the sous vide for 10 plus hours during work? 
    @WeberWho the problem with doing them too long is they can get mushy.  It would be perfectly safe but if you cooked them that long you might not like the texture.  

    I recall someone used ice water for this with the Anova.  With the wifi version you can turn it on from anywhere so if you have a pot of water filled with ice you can turn it on 4 hours or so before dinner time. 

    They actually have a unit now that has a cooler and a heater and you set the time for when it will come on.

    https://www.cookmellow.com/

    ...but it is 600 dollas.  
    Thanks for the information @SmokeyPitt Much appreciated. The wifi and ice water sounds interesting. I can't even figure out my WiFi Stoker. So the WiFi sous vide might be awhile! =)
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Options
    AFAIK, you can go from frozen. The strength of the heating element might be inadequate to bring big hunks of frozen stuff up to safe temps fast enough. All the charts I've seen listing times and temps assume room temp. Adding an extra hour or more while the ice melts would make lots of recipes misleading. You might have to dig around, or experiment some to get precise results.

    The basics are simple. The food is surrounded by water kept within a very small temp range, around 1C or less. Being vac packed, all the juices and flavors remain concentrated. In some recipes, the food ends up pre-sauced.

    Some early restaurant applications were pre-cooked pouches that the mid-night crew just had to dump from freezer to water bath, and serve something very close to fresh.

    My 1st SV was a classic 72 hour bunch of short ribs, finished by a few minute sear on the Egg. Never had anything like it. The meat wasn't just tender, it sort of popped when bitten, with a rind of crisp around it.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,026
    Options
    gdenby said:
    AFAIK, you can go from frozen. The strength of the heating element might be inadequate to bring big hunks of frozen stuff up to safe temps fast enough. All the charts I've seen listing times and temps assume room temp. Adding an extra hour or more while the ice melts would make lots of recipes misleading. You might have to dig around, or experiment some to get precise results.

    The basics are simple. The food is surrounded by water kept within a very small temp range, around 1C or less. Being vac packed, all the juices and flavors remain concentrated. In some recipes, the food ends up pre-sauced.

    Some early restaurant applications were pre-cooked pouches that the mid-night crew just had to dump from freezer to water bath, and serve something very close to fresh.

    My 1st SV was a classic 72 hour bunch of short ribs, finished by a few minute sear on the Egg. Never had anything like it. The meat wasn't just tender, it sort of popped when bitten, with a rind of crisp around it.
    Thanks for the guidance! @gdenby
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Acn
    Acn Posts: 4,424
    Options
    BYS1981 said:
    No problem here. Must be the quality of local restaurants.. 
    +1 to this.

    LBGE

    Pikesville, MD

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
    edited June 2016
    Options
    OP asked, "Anyone have trouble going to a restaurant?"

    Never.  When I want to relax and be served, I go out.  When I want something I won't make for myself, I go out.  When I want something I know I can do better and I want it the way I make it, I stay home and make it.

    I have no trouble going out and no trouble not going out.

    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories