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Favorite weeknight cooks after work??

ibanda
ibanda Posts: 553
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I have had my egg about a year now, and have cooked many of the most talked about items on the forum. I had really looked forward to the smoking aspect of the egg, and have done some great 5 to 12 hour cooks on the weekend such as baby back ribs, and boston butt/pulled pork.

As far as grilling goes I have have had great luck with chicken thighs, spatchcock chicken, and T-Rex steaks. The pictures of grilled fish on limes the last 2 days have looked fantastic and I have some fish in the freezer.

Any suggestions on what to grill during the week that can be on the table in 2 hours of less of prep and cooking time?
"Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
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Comments

  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Country Ribs. You can go raised direct, cook relatively quick and no need to mess with drip pan,etc. BUT still dine on real BBQ. They are cheap and great. One of my favorite, simple cooks.
  • Woah, LOTS of options, of course. I'll toss one out there: wings. Little prep. Cooking time varies with setup. Indirect at 400 takes about an hour, but with little attention needed.

    Even 2 hours sounds like a lot for a weeknight. I often like to do things that might take longer, but can be started one day and finished the next. Someone just posted about indonesian sate, which is an overnight marinade. I like to do jerk pork, which is another overnight marinade (also makes awesome sandwiches during the week for lunch at work). I made a batch of chili on Sunday evening, knowing that I wouldn't have time to make a meal tonight. All we have to do is heat it up on the stove tonight.

    Lots of things reheat very well. Pulled pork is one.
  • did some mac n cheese last night after being inspired by a newb, greeneggdave.

    also do steaks, planked salmon, chicken, grilled veggies, lasagna, pork tenderloin (stuffed or otherwise), roasts, maybe grilled pineapple or peaches for dessert.

    did some indian pudding for desert a month ago maybe, along with a pork roast.

    i'd post a pic of the puddin' but photobucket seems to have kicked the bucket.

    most of our cooks are weeknight cooks
  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    Pork tenderloins
    Stuffed Pork Tenderloins
    Burgers
    Brats
    HotDogs
    Wings
    Bone In or Boneless Chops
    Fish
    Pizza
    Egg'd Wok'd Food
    Stuffed chicken breasts
    Fajitas
    Steaks

    those are a few of the items we do on weeknights... :)
  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553
    Thanks Bacchus - I cooked country ribs last summer for my family they were great! I hadn't thought about them as a fast cook as I cooked them indirect and was also cooking baby backs for 5 hours that day.

    I will try them raised direct on a little faster cook.
    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,668
    i cooked this several times this last fall, tuna was cheap and i love the stuff. pizza is another favorite summer and fall but i dont need two hours, 53 seconds works for me :laugh: wok cooking is always fast and easy

    tuna steaks
    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=717673&catid=1

    pizza
    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=55&func=view&catid=1&id=411252

    meatloaf for sandwiches
    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=55&func=view&catid=1&id=712411

    oyster chicken
    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=55&func=view&catid=1&id=411297
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553
    Boilermaker Ben wrote:
    Woah, LOTS of options, of course..... .

    That's the thing I am sort of asking what can you cook on a grill, it's nearly unlimited, I just need to venture out a little, try some new things and get creative.

    I no longer feel like a rookie egger or cook. It has been a new experience in the last year to cook for people and have them not only like my cooking, but brag on it, and ask for seconds.
    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
  • Wok cooking. Prep takes some time, but my family loves fajitas and stir fry.

    Light the egg and let er rip - no temp adjustments needed, and actual cooking time is less than 10 minutes.

    Generally can do healthy that way as well.
  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553
    vidalia1 wrote:
    Pork tenderloins
    Stuffed Pork Tenderloins
    Burgers
    Brats
    HotDogs
    Wings
    Bone In or Boneless Chops
    Fish
    Pizza
    Egg'd Wok'd Food
    Stuffed chicken breasts
    Fajitas
    Steaks

    those are a few of the items we do on weeknights... :)

    My pork tenderloins haven't turned out all that great, I'm going to have to revisit that and try some different marinades.
    I cook a mean burger B)
    Haven't tried wings, fajitas, or stuffed chicken breasts, and haven't cooked porkchops in a long time.
    Can cook all the bass I can catch out of Dad's pond, going to really need to get crackin on fish!
    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
  • risoto on the mini

    boston053.jpg

    boston064.jpg

    boston065.jpg

    thighs slide show

    th_saturday076.jpg


    cheese steaks


    saturday063.jpg

    saturday064.jpg

    stuffed pork chops

    ribsandchicken071.jpg

    ribsandchicken072.jpg

    ribsandchicken079.jpg
  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553
    bash offline wrote:
    Wok cooking. Prep takes some time, but my family loves fajitas and stir fry.

    Light the egg and let er rip - no temp adjustments needed, and actual cooking time is less than 10 minutes.

    Generally can do healthy that way as well.

    I'm pretty good with a wok on my gas rangetop, I guess I am not seeing the benefit of running it on the egg. I have wok ring from Chubby's GrateMates setup for my small I guess I need to give this a try on the egg.
    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
  • Bonehead
    Bonehead Posts: 113
    I am not speaking from experience, but using a wok on the egg will get it much hotter than a gas stove will.
  •  
    Read the responses and there are some great ideas. I got to thinking, most of my cooks are way under 2 hours. unless you count actual time cooking in the egg.

    My oven/range gets used very little ever since getting the egg. The nuke machine (microwave) is used to defrost or heat stuff up from a previous cook.

    Quick cooks for us are chicken, steaks, fish, pork.
    We also do real quick cooks. That includes easy cooks. Sometimes we just bake potatoes which make a wonderful meal.

    We cook a ham, buckboard bacon, turkey and other meats, eat the dinner then cut or slice to assist in making quick cooks.

    Thanks to a post a month or so ago we really enjoy meat, cheese (fontana and swiss)and tomaoto sandwiches. We use Buckboard Bacon, turkey, chicken, or deli sliced ham for the meat.

    Brauts,
    brats.jpg

    Tuna Sandwiches, (cheese and tomato are also fantastic or add some ham for a little kick)
    tunamelt_2.jpg

    tunamelt_3.jpg

    Pizza,
    pizza.jpg

    Chicken cooked over potatoes
    chickspud5.jpg

    Omlet and sides
    omletpineapple.jpg

    Dutch Oven Pot roast (a little longer cook)
    doroast7.jpg

    Pot of chili
    chili2.jpg

    Soups or Cioppino about 1/2 hour
    eggcioppinob.jpg

    Stuffed Peppers
    pepperncheese1.jpg

    bratstuffpepper.jpg

    Burritos
    barbacoaburrito2.jpg

    Taco Salad
    barbacoasalad4.jpg

    Cornbread (might have some chili to go with it)
    butter2.jpg

    Char Sui (about 1/2 hr)
    charsui4.jpg

    Stew
    stew.jpg

    Fajitas. This is before I had any accessories and I cooked the meat directly on the lump
    Fajita.jpg

    Well, that's enough for now, but the list is actually unlimited.

    GG
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    Spatchcocked Chicken Direct at 375/400 High in Dome..
    One hour 15 min's start to eat.....
    photo-9.jpg
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • Defrost the fish

    Ross
  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    Aw man. Lots of time to cook and experiment. I love it. And I wanna be a grandpa too!
    Nice cookin.
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • You all are making me feel like a total slacker! :unsure: I often get home quite late so I feel lucky if I can manage some fish, lamb chops/rack, or steak.

    I am so impressed with the weeknight cooks of so many eggheads. You all are soooooo dedicated.
  • 'bout 4/5 out of 6/7 for me.

    Doug
  • Maybe you need a personal chef?

    Mike
  • tough to do when you get home late but for me it is as much relax/therapy/medication time as it is cooking,
  • Actually Mike I think I need cooking classes and friends that are deficient of taste buds! :laugh:
  • Whats your secret on "a Mean Burger."
  • Kim's list is very good. only thing I would add is if you use used lump it may be slower to get to temp, but you can cook on it right away.

    That's what I use for all my after work cooks.

    For hot cooks like searing tuna, I use the mini and even with new lump, the mini is ready quicker.
  •  
    Just years... it all comes (passes) too fast.

    Wish I could cook as good as some of the stuff you have done, brisket comes to mind.

    Some guy here on the forum makes some dang good rubs that helps make it all happen.

    GG
  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553
    bill, your harvest chicken and stuffed pork chops look great.

    For the Harvest Chicken what 3 cheeses would you recommend and how long on the egg at 475? Or do you cook to meat temp?
    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
  • i cooked to temp probably 45 min to an hour ,, i used parmesan, locatelli and mozzerlla .. honestly i think any cheese would work.. bottomless pits do not like blue cheese but i think that would go great with the tomaotes and basil
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    Thanks for the reminder - I did this tonight.

    I take fresh sausages from the butcher. Tonight was kielbasa, but any mild sausage will work. Cut a few shallow slits on either side and give a good dose of your favorite BBQ rub. Tonight I used Poot's rub - one of my favorites.

    Cook direct at 300* until the sausages are 150*. Then a good coating of BBQ sauce and bump the temps up to caramelize the sauce and crisp the casings. Tonight's sauce was Blues Hog original.

    Absolutely terrific. Served with a side of ranch style beans. All in less than 40 minutes to light, prep, cook, and serve.
  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,759
    Do you own a cast iron fry pan?

    Blackened fish is an option & it ain't 1/2 bad either! :woohoo:
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009
    XL 2021 (sold 8/24/23)
    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
  • Bash
    Bash Posts: 1,011
    Kent,

    Would you mind sharing how you did the stuffed peppers right above the burrito? A link to a previous post or whatever.

    Looks great.

    Thanks,
    Richard
  • Roudy
    Roudy Posts: 431
    Hard to beat pork tenderloin as a weekday cook. It's lean, cooks in a short amount of time, tastes great with a wide range of sauces, rubs, and marinades. One of my favorites is QBabes Coffee encrusted tenderloin with the coffee red eye BBQ sauce. You'll probably want to prepare the BBQ sauce a day or two before, and definitely want to apply to rub the morning of the cook. I had forgotten how good this was until I made it again last week.

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/recipes/newRecipes/pork0351.htm