On-Topic & semi-OT: Our Easter 2011 Spread...

bubba tim

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Now that is a cook! Taking weeks to prep, smoke, cure, and present. BGE Charcuterie at it's finest. LC grabed me on my way in from work this evening to show me your post and to personally nominate you for the BTCMD Award. I truly understand what went into all of this and I am awed at the skills that took to pull this off. It is with great pleasure that I present you with Eggdoms highest award(yes, I know that bugs you)the BTCMD Award... :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:



Please send me an email with your mailing address so I can mail your award to you. Congrats again....

Hoss

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I am in AWE!

cookn biker

Stike, Over the top beautiful!! So many terrific flavors you both created, I love it. I'd been anticipating your creations.
I'd like the pickled beet and the bacon brittle recipes please.

Little Steven

Excellent sir! Was the dill the only green stuff?

stike

thanks steven.
we had greens, spinach, the beets were sitting on their own greens (i really wish i had a pic of them, looked amazing). also had asparagus, carrots, roasted potatoes, fruit salad..... hahahaha

holy heck, now that i write it out it seems a "bit much" :laugh:

but yeah, there were some veggies too.
heck, the pate' had an apple. wasn't that enough?

stike

thanks. recipes to follow a bit later.

the beets were from "american charcuteire", by V. Wise (i think it's out of print. LC told me about the book and i tracked one down)

the brittle was from "Good Meat". but essentially it is a basic one-pound peanut brittle recipe, but with 6 pieces (i would use 8 or 10 next time) of sweet bacon (pref home made) and 1 tsp red pepper flakes added in toward the end.

stike

thanks hoss....

stike

hahaha
thanks man. does it count if the cooks and prep are spread out over a couple weeks though? i saw that dude who did 65 pounds of stuff all at once :laugh:

the crowd was really carnivorous. here's an example, no exaggeration....

everything was done, the the food served, and i had told everyone to go ahead and not wait for the lamb. i'd timed the ham perfectly (as much luck as anything), but needed a half hour or more to burn off some drippings from the ham. dammit. shoulda foiled the platesetter. so, desserts are being served, everyone has marched through the line and had the ham and other stuff. but there were a few folks telling me they were still waiting on the lamb.

i finished it, took it into the dining room, and started slicing a few obligatory slices for the few folks waiting for it. one was a 7 year old girl who told me she couldn't wait for the lamb. it's her favorite. she's coming back for a birthday party in two weeks, and asked me to cook another

i gave her the first slice, and told everyone it was ready, but the desserts and coffee were being put out

i went out, hung with the crowd, job was done for the day. not a half hour later i went in, and this was what i saw on the lamb platter.



i'm not kidding. this was put out AFTER the 20 pound ham and all that other food. :laugh:

Mainegg

WOW that stamp has not been pulled out in a LONG time!! :ohmy:

stike

aw you. now stop that mushy stuff. you and i both know most of this is stuff i stole from internet cooking blogs

stike

had a porcelain one in the basement i had to part with.... legs and all.

but i still like this one better

stike

i had one young gal who walked by every time say something like "that's gross" "ew, the smoke is getting on me" "why do you make your own ham anyway?"

i cook what i want to eat, and if they go hungry, so be it. they don't have to come :laugh:

stike

no smoke on the gravlax, just cured. hence the "semi-OT" reference in the title. some folks get upset of you post OT stuff in the 'main forum' :laugh:

stike

lilac is mild. almost smells better for the cook.

stike

thanks.
yeah, the ham was great. not too salty at all, incredibly moist. i was flabbergasted. i mean, i'm used to a moist ham when done at home, but this was amazing. one thing i need to figure out is how to determine how much fat to trim. had a nice thick fat layer, but too thick for some.

loco_engr

WOW!

I assume the ashwhole that gave you a very bad time was not invited this time?

I needed a nap after reading your post! :laugh:

stike

long ago RTD and woodoggies inspired me to step up my pics. i still take some real bad ones, too. but a little composition and few second's effort, and they can be much better than what i used to do. thanks

stike

thank you, GG

stike

i dunno. they day goes fast, not a lot of folks i know, and we cook the whole time. no one to get really drunk with either, since we are so close that we drive home :laugh:

loco_engr

Pay Attention: :woohoo:

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=1080004&catid=1

stike

i injected the ham, and it cured ten days. one day per two pounds. lickety split.

this one cured all the way thru, too, unlike my tur-porken, or franken ham the first year. it only cured three inches in, and i had a snow white pork roast mysteriously inside of it. :laugh:

much of this stuff came from the book you recommended, "American Charcuterie". many thanks

Little Steven

It was just the six of you right?

stike

i did a light cure, 48 hours. salt, sugar, pepper, dill, juniper, coriander, thyme

i think the only claim to fame was my idea to seal it in the foodsaver and let the atmosphere do the work for me :laugh:

stike

yeah. veggies were non-BGE, so hence no pics. plus, i got tot take most of these pics before the big show, since most was done in advance. i think they woulda carted me off if i took pics of the asparagus. gave me enough grief taking a pic of the ham

stike

you fish with dad?
nice day. you are the smarter one of us two. we are still doing dishes. :laugh:

stike

thanks

as for the week off.... i have a deadline... can't even relax. i need a break.
still need to hang all the photos again and restock the bookshelves. ah well. plenty of time.

stike

i took a week off the week before the week before. then still had so much work to do, i worked all last week on toppa this. hahaha

i'm an idiot. :laugh:

stike

i'm jealous

stike

more like a nightmare!
:laugh:

stike

thx!