blackening with cast iron.......

Sandbagger

I picked up a Bayou Classice revisable cast iron griddle. Check the link for the pan. Outside of knowing hotter is better, I have no clue on what is required to blacken fish, chicken or steaks. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks Tom
[ul][li]bayou classic round reversible griddle[/ul]

YB

Sandbagger,
KennyG sent me some Joe's Stuff a few years ago and it is great to blacken fish and other meats.
Larry
[ul][li]Joe's Stuff[/ul]

Bobby-Q

Hey Tom,
Blackening is a combination of the spicy creole seasoning and the intense heat of the pan. The spices all burn to the outside of the food and it helps to hold a little moisture into the meat by making that crust.[p]Good luck with it.[p]HTH

YB

Bobby-Q,
The last time I was going to blacken some catfish using my 160,000 btu burner and cast iron frying pan I touched the pan with a paper towel and it caught on fire...thats hot.[p]Larry

thirdeye

Sandbagger,[p]Following a couple of articles bragging Paul Prudhomme's method, I setteled on an outdoor cook with my propane single burner as the lower heat source and used my weed burner to heat up the cast iron skillet pan from the top.[p]Have your welding gloves handy. Have the butter in one hand and the steak in the other hand. It is a one-two punch and quite dramatic.[p]Looking at a menu from K-Paul's we got in '92, both the blackened Yellow Fin and the blackened Beef Tenders were $28. So it's worth playing with this style of cookin'[p][p]~thirdeye~

Sandbagger

Bobby-Q, I cut the handles off the pan and rigged it up to sit 1 inch above the lump...so trex type burn should be plenty hot...but, I do wonder what the temperature limits are on the pan.[p]I can do creole, plenty of cajun with the inlaws.[p]I got your ring done, it will go out tomorrow. Tom

Unknown

YB, thanks I'll check it out...T

Lawn Ranger

<p />Sandbagger,
I'm doing these again tonight. A la Chef Wil....Seasoned Ribeyes dipped in melted butter....set on a rack for the butter to harden....then seared on a cast iron griddle at 650 - 700. then treated as a TRex. Absolutely melt in your mouth good.[p]BTW, I stopped at Dutchman's in Fredericksburg yesterday (remember the New York Strips you did?) and stocked up on everything from bacon to Ribeye. Good stuff.

Sandbagger

thirdeye, I got three strip steaks sitting in the fridge for dinner tonight or tomorrow. I'm starting to think strips are better than ribeyes...am I nuts? [p]Almost time to go racing.....T

Sandbagger

LawnRanger, Ah dude, those steaks made me a believer, check my response to thirdeye. I got it rigged where the griddle is 1" above the lump. Tom

thirdeye

Sandbagger,[p]The wife is a little more fond of blackened dishes than I, so let your taste buds be the judge. But I do love playin' with fire! Here is a link that shows the steps of a typical cook. Enlarge the last photo to see the flames lapping across the griddle.[p]Many folks just dip or brush the product with butter but in addition I toss some chilled seasoned butter into the pan and follow it with the steak. A short flash fire is pretty common hence the welding gloves.[p]Hoping to see some pictures.[p]PS Since you have all that butter anyway, try a pat on top of the finished steak.[p]~thirdeye~
[ul][li]Morris Sizzler[/ul]

N'awlins

Sandbagger,

Propane burner, butter, whatever spices you like and a HOT pan. What I mean by spices does not mean a lot of cayenne - the blackening is the taste! You need the propane to make and keep the heat on the food you are blackening, propane will do this - for a fairly thick (1" or so) slice of fish 2 minutes per side is enough.

N'awlins

Sandbagger

thirdeye, is that just steel plate Morris is cooking on...T

thirdeye

Sandbagger,[p]I think it is just a seasoned plate. You'd think he would have run it through a brake and put a 1" lip on one side, or a couple of horse shoes for handles. [p]~thirdeye~

YB

Sandbagger,
Here is a picture of a steak KennyG was cooking when we were at Mr.Toads house.
Larry
[ul][li]Blacken Steak by KennyG[/ul]

Sandbagger

YB, Man - can you get too hot? Is that butter or grease flaming? I am going need longer welding gloves....Tom

Gene

thirdeye,I have an Uncle who told me something like thirty years ago that you could take a clean steel plate, don't rember the thicknesss, Put it on charcoal, get it very hot and put a Steak on it,turn it over when it let loose fron the Steel, and that it was very good. I ment to try it years ago but never got the steel.

thirdeye

Gene,[p]Foundry, power house and refinery workers have rigged up home-made griddles, hotplates and ovens too that are just steel. That's where the name Pittsburgh steak (black & blue steak)came from.[p]~thirdeye~

YB

Sandbagger,
There was nothing in the pan but the steak.The pan was red when Ken put the steak in...it was really good.
Larry

thirdeye

YB,[p]Great picture.

YB

thirdeye,
Thanks...We were really just playing.The other 12 or 13 steaks were cooked on the egg.Here is a picture of Ken cooking the rest of the steaks.We all took turns cooking a meal that weekend.[p]Larry
[ul][li]KennyG cooking steaks[/ul]

Spin

YB,[p]We did have a great weekend. Thanks for sharing the pics. We are ready to do that again.[p]Spin

YB

Spin,
I am ready also...Thanks for keeping the pictures on your site.Give Sue a hug for us.Here is a picture of you making pizza that weekend.
Larry
[ul][li]Spin making pizza at Toadfest[/ul]

DobieDad

YB,[p]Now that is really interesting to me. I've been following this thread and had concerns about getting butter well into temps where the protein burns. I really dislike the flavor produced.[p]I was wondering whether anyone substituted ghee, or clarified butter, in this process.[p]I think I'll give it a try as you have shown it, without any fat at all, and add butter, or a seasoned butter, as a topping to the finished steak.[p]Looks good to me! And thanks for posting that photo![p]DD

Bobby-Q

Sandbagger,
Coolness.[p]Please make sure it says attention Bobby if you would.

YB

DobieDad,
It's alot of fun cooking this way just make sure the cooker is on concrete.The 160,000 btu burner is a blow torch.When I cook blackened catfish the cast iron frying pan will turn red so you really need be be careful.
Larry

Wardster

Sandbagger,
I use the propane set up as well. However, I turn the pan upside down. This helps it retain the heat and give me a good surface to work on. Makes flipping and such much easier.