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

Salado 2017 was a blast...

caliking
caliking Posts: 18,727
Had the expected good time. So good to see the usual suspects , and some new ones. Lost count of the tasty bites I had today, but folks brought their A  games for sure.

Just a few  pics. Hopefully others will post more.
@foghorn serving some pork tenderloin sliders. Also did a beef loin with a VERY tasty sauce that I could have drank out of the tub. 

Apparently he won some wing contest last night. By sabotaging the leading contender.



@20stone getting his Bengali chicken action on.

I made brisket nihari (Pakistani beef stew/curry).



#1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
«1

Comments

  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,869
    Looks like a blast!  Sorry I couldn't make it this year.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • Spring Hen
    Spring Hen Posts: 1,578
    It all looks good but those brisket bites have my mouth watering!  The creek looks really high this year.
    Judy
    Covington, Louisiana USA
  • egger ave
    egger ave Posts: 721
    Your cooks were great, it was a pleasure meeting your wife and amazing to see how fast your son is growing up! 
    1 Large BGE, 1 Mini BGE, 1 Minimax BGE, Original wife and 3 dogs living in the heart of BBQ country in Round Rock Texas. 

    "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

    Albert Einstein
  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    That brisket nihari looks awesome.  Never had that before.  Must have been awesome.
    LBGE/Maryland
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    Lots of folks brought their A game including @Hotch, @EggObsessed, @When Do We Eat, @egger ave, @Tweety, and others. A great time. 

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    And the brisket Nihari, was awesome. 

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Come on...COME on...COME ON!!! How about someone posting some other pictures with identification of who the rascals are! I mean nobody is looking for pictures which will hold up in court...well...maybe...but you know what I mean! Like the old joke goes - when Mr. X suddenly woke up during a lightning storm and screamed " I'LL BUY THOSE PICTURES FOR $500!!!" and then he hopes his wife never heard him!!!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    yeah that brisket looks DAMN tasty.  hope you guys are all having a good time down there!
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    It all looks good but those brisket bites have my mouth watering!  The creek looks really high this year.
    Y'all were definitely missed. @Mickey could probably tell us if the creek is high this year, but I heard he moved to Florida.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Foghorn said:
    Lots of folks brought their A game including @Hotch, @EggObsessed, @When Do We Eat, @egger ave, @Tweety, and others. A great time. 
    +1


    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @egger ave - he's growing up too fast!

    It was great to catch up with you a bit. Loved the skewers you made.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    caliking said:
    @egger ave - he's growing up too fast!

    It was great to catch up with you a bit. Loved the skewers you made.
    If you had a LEM grinder on clearace sale it might up your game...lol
    1 left for you here in Galveston.lol
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • Another great time in Salado. Always my favorite. So nice to see everyone. Here are pictures of one of the chickens, and some of the little shrimp dealies that we made today.

    This is the first year I've tried using a flour sifter to create a uniform dusting of barbeque rub on the outside of the chicken. Worked really well.
  • bluebird66
    bluebird66 Posts: 2,717
    Looks like everyone had a great time!
    Large Egg with adjustable rig, Kick Ash Basket and various Weber's
    Floyd Va

  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    It was great seeing everyone again, and the food was great. 

    The post game was a nice time too, with thanks to @Foghorn and @pigfisher for putting the eggs to use, and everyone else who brought more food (must....buy...bigger....pants)

    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Yep. After @pigfisher 's poppers, I'm trying turkey bacon them next time.

    Much as I hate to say this, @Foghorn may be up for some kind of MVP Salado award. The guy won the Wing-off, cooked at the fest, and kept going for the after-party, all the while plying us with some great brews (especially the Wing-off judges).

    I hate that guy.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @Photo Egg if I pulled the trigger on every sale you sent me... I'd be divorced by now!! :)

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @When Do We Eat - those were great bites. Good seeing you again.


    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,869
    caliking said:
    Yep. After @pigfisher 's poppers, I'm trying turkey bacon them next time.

    Much as I hate to say this, @Foghorn may be up for some kind of MVP Salado award. The guy won the Wing-off, cooked at the fest, and kept going for the after-party, all the while plying us with some great brews (especially the Wing-off judges).

    I hate that guy.
    Typical Duke alum, in other words. ;)
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    It was great. And to top it off we just surprised my best friend Walter by stopping by Ace and surprising him with a large fest egg that his wife and I arranged yesterday without his knowledge. He helped me at each of the last two Salado fests and has cooked with me on my XL many times. 

    I'm going to encourage him to join the forum. His sense of humor will fit in around here. He worked in a butcher shop when he was younger and is interested in participating in the next charcutapalooza.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,457
    Fun, food and friends, life is good!  Nice presentation of brisket nihari, did you precook the curry at home?
    canuckland
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    @When Do We Eat, that was the best chicken I've ever tasted. Period. 

    Please share the secrets so the rest of us can try to recreate it. 

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Oh, the chicken is easy. For the whole chicken, cut out the backbone (so it cooks evenly). Use sturdy scissors to do it. Get your fingers under the skin at the neck and and also at the tail end and also on the thighs. Put the rub under the skin using a spoon and then work it around with your fingers. I use Texas BBQ Rub "Original Rub." Put the chicken on the Egg, with the breast up. See the picture a few messages up in this thread.

    Brush the chicken on the outside with olive oil to keep the rub that you are about to put on stay on. My new thing is the flour sifter-- it helps you get a nice even dusting of rub on the outside of the chicken, and that makes it nice and brown.

    I cook chickens around 325 degrees F, over a plate setter. When the breast is at 165 degrees F I pull it off and let it cool a bit before carving. Legs should be a little hotter-- 175 or so. You can pull the chicken off a little earlier as it will cook a little more after you take it off the Egg. Use a thermometer you trust. I use a Thermopen. You don't need to turn the chicken over or do anything at all once you put it on the Egg.

    I pick the chicken up with tongs. The legs will flop around and possibly fall right off-- that's a sign that the chicken is done.

    I carve the chickens using the technique I learned in this terrific video: The Butcher Carves a Turkey. This makes a heck of a difference. 

    You can use the exact same cooking method to cook a delicious turkey. The real "secret" is to cut out the backbone, which cuts cooking time and also lets heat hit the meat from top and bottom as opposed to only from the outside (if you don't cut out the backbone). Getting the rub under the skin is also a really important move, since some people will take the skin off, and in other cases the skin will slide off, and if all you did was put rub on the skin, there goes your flavor.

    Everyone asks me, "Do you marinade the chickens? Do you inject them?" The answer is no. Do it the way I described here and you will get a very tasty and juicy result.
  • One more thing. I always like cooking whole chickens at an Eggfest because it shows newcomers how they can get a great meal from their Egg, with little muss and fuss, and at low cost. Trouble is, the thighs and drumsticks are too small to carve, so I end up serving the breast meat only (and taking home a lot of dark meat). I wanted to figure out a way to serve a lot of dark meat in a hurry and I hit upon the idea of using boneless thighs. It worked out just great.

    I bought a big package of thighs, with the bone-- and more importantly, with the skin. Then I cut the bones out myself. The result was big pieces of thigh meat, with the skin still on. I gave them a nice dusting of Texas BBQ Rub (Original Rub) on both sides and cooked them at about 325 degrees F, with a plate setter, and pulled them off around 175 degrees. It doesn't much matter whether you turn them over or not-- do it once if you want to. These carved up very well for sharing. You can put a whole one in a good roll and make a nice sandwich for yourself also.
  • Forgot to mention the cooking time for the whole chicken is about 1 hour and 15 minutes, something like that. At least an hour. Less than two. Go by what the thermometer tells you.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Fun, food and friends, life is good!  Nice presentation of brisket nihari, did you precook the curry at home?
    Blasphemer! :) Nope - made from scratch on site.

    Credit for presentation goes to @20stonespice. She figured out the garnishes to make the dish pop a bit visually. The pickled onion and lime helped cut the rich flavors of the nihari too.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • gmbbs
    gmbbs Posts: 110
    Thanks for posting your technique, Christian. Those thighs were so simple but so great. 
  • sancho65
    sancho65 Posts: 226
    We had a blast!! It was great to see our regular friends there and meet some new friends. Really enjoyed the Fest at Pace Park, very nice location! Big Thanks to the Ace and Paragon groups for getting it all together. Big shout out to @GMMBS for bringing out "Blue" and putting out Great pizzas!! He even let me make my first Egged pizza! I hope the pictures are in some order. 
    XL, Large, 2 Small's and Mini BGE Arlington Texas
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    @sancho65 definitely rocked the pizza. It was good to see you as well. 

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    caliking said:
    Fun, food and friends, life is good!  Nice presentation of brisket nihari, did you precook the curry at home?
    Blasphemer! :) Nope - made from scratch on site.

    Credit for presentation goes to @20stonespice. She figured out the garnishes to make the dish pop a bit visually. The pickled onion and lime helped cut the rich flavors of the nihari too.
    @20stonespice was also the spicetermind behind the Bengali chicken, a dish, I might add, that was cooked entirely on an egg (except for some onion sauteing that was done as prep)
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX