Shrimp Stir Fry

DMW · March 2014

Weather got nasty, winter wasn't done with us yet, so I did this inside on the stove. I'm hooked.
Which leads me to...
Which size wok should I get for an XL? I take it the Spider is the way to go to setup for wokking on the Egg? Any recommendations on woks?

Thanks,

Richard Fl · March 2014

I use a 14" or a 16" for my large. For the Xlrg I believe an 18/20 works well but have never had an xlarge. Here are some wok wamblings.

http://www.greeneggers.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=1277637&catid=1

Carolina Q · March 2014

I don't use the egg for wok cooks. I use my old Weber chimney starter with a wok ring stuck on top. That way I can use any size wok I want (in my case, 13-16"... this is a paper thin 13" CI).

cazzy · March 2014

Carolina Q said:
I don't use the egg for wok cooks. I use my old Weber chimney starter with a wok ring stuck on top. That way I can use any size wok I want (in my case, 13-16"... this is a paper thin 13" CI).

I will IM you my addy since I have no clue what you use your egg for! Ship it my way! :P

DMW · March 2014

Richard Fl said:

I use a 14" or a 16" for my large. For the Xlrg I believe an 18/20 works well but have never had an xlarge. Here are some wok wamblings.
http://www.greeneggers.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=1277637&catid=1

Thanks Richard, your comments in the post you linked to are a wealth of information, bookmarked.

Focker · March 2014

Cazzy, not everyone lights their eggs with Franklins. :P

You can do alot of wok cooks on a chimney with an 8lb bag of lump. Maybe 3 or 4 cooks with a spider in a large egg with the same bag. Ceramic isn't bringing anything to the table here.

For wok size, IMHO, anything larger than 16" is a waste. The more items and mass you add, the lower the temp drops when stir frying. Wok hei quickly becomes high heat sauteing.

Anymore, I use my 12" wok on the small, and cook each person's dish hot and fast.

DMW · March 2014

@Focker and @Carolina_Q Couple questions for you in regards to the chimney.

Does the diameter of the chimney limit the practical wok size? I'd like to go big. But if I can purchase the wok now and wait on the spider I might do that. I already have the chimney and a dutch oven camp table I could use to get it up off the ground. Definitely won't be doing that on the deck...

Carolina Q · March 2014

cazzy said:

I will IM you my addy since I have no clue what you use your egg for! Ship it my way! :P

Bring it on, man.

Just spatched an awesome chicken on the egg a few days ago. And a turbo butt a couple of days after that. Some cooks are worth the bother. Some are not. You will learn this... as you get beyond puberty.

Focker · March 2014

DMW said:

@Focker and @Carolina_Q Couple questions for you in regards to the chimney.

Does the diameter of the chimney limit the practical wok size? I'd like to go big. But if I can purchase the wok now and wait on the spider I might do that. I already have the chimney and a dutch oven camp table I could use to get it up off the ground. Definitely won't be doing that on the deck...

I have used my 16" wok on the Weber chimney starter. That would be as big as I would go.

In all seriousness, be careful. I used my old kettle as the base, and a welder's glove on the nondominant hand to hold the wok while stir frying. It is not a stable setup, but works if you take precautions. My 12" wok is a Pao wok, which I prefer on the chimney. With a Pao wok, you stir fry similar to pan flipping, with no need for utensils.

Carolina Q · March 2014

DMW said:

@Focker and @Carolina_Q Couple questions for you in regards to the chimney.

Does the diameter of the chimney limit the practical wok size? I'd like to go big. But if I can purchase the wok now and wait on the spider I might do that. I already have the chimney and a dutch oven camp table I could use to get it up off the ground. Definitely won't be doing that on the deck...

DMW, I'm sure it does. I rarely use anything larger than a 14" and lately, almost exclusively the 13" CI. 14" was plenty when I had a family of four to feed. When I used the wok on the egg, I put it directly on the lump, no spider required (though I'm sure I must have tried it).

cazzy · March 2014

Carolina Q said:

cazzy said:

Carolina Q said:
I will IM you my addy since I have no clue what you use your egg for! Ship it my way! :P

Bring it on, man.

Just spatched an awesome chicken on the egg a few days ago. And a turbo butt a couple of days after that. Some cooks are worth the bother. Some are not. You will learn this... as you get beyond puberty.

Don't be so sensitive Mike....I'm just busting your old saggy balls! :P Really though, there are a lot of things that it isn't worth the time to get the egg going for. The main one for me is steaks..

FYI...I eagerly await for my balls to drop.

cazzy · March 2014

FWIW...the chimney idea is pretty cool.

DMW · March 2014

Thanks for all the info. I saw ceramicgrillstore.com lists a 19" wok as working on the XL with spider. I'd like to go as big as possible since I have a family of 5 and we entertain frequently.

Focker · March 2014

Recently purchased Weber's rapid fire chimney starter which is smaller than the original, designed for Minion method startups on the kettle and WSM. Will give it a try when the weather warms up with the 12" wok, reducing lump even further.

DMW · March 2014

Hmmm...just started visualizing (with the help of a tape measure) a 19" wok. That seems like a bit of a monster. Now I've been reading wokology 101 at The Wok Shop and I can't decide what I want...

Focker · March 2014

@DMW,

Buy and read this book first, a true gem.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Breath-Wok-Grace-Young/dp/0743238273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395796430&sr=8-1&keywords=breath+of+a+wok

Grace goes into great detail about wok types in region, materials, culture, technique, recipes etc.

Carolina Q · March 2014

DMW said:

19"...seems like a bit of a monster.

Ya think?!

14" was more than enough for my family of 4. They are dirt cheap - buy a smaller wok and if it's not enough, you can always get larger one. I think I paid about $12-13 for each of mine (13/14/16")

Carolina Q · March 2014

DMW... and just because you have an XL doesn't mean you have to buy an XL sized wok. Or that you have to use the XL for that matter.

Focker · March 2014

DMW said:

Thanks for all the info. I saw ceramicgrillstore.com lists a 19" wok as working on the XL with spider. I'd like to go as big as possible since I have a family of 5 and we entertain frequently.

With a 16" wok and a family of your size, I would split it into two cooks. Everything is mis en place, so you would halve everything. A stir fry cook averages a few min, and the first cook will still be hot by the time the second one is done. With carbon steel, little time is wasted heating the wok for the second batch.

DMW · March 2014

@Focker‌ Thanks, just ordered Breath of a Wok. I'll wait to order gear until I get the book.

@Carolina Q‌ Understand I can go smaller and don't need to fill the space of the XL.

Focker · March 2014

No problem, you will enjoy the book. It is one of my favorites, right up there with Serious Barbecue by APL.

cazzy · March 2014

Good to see you over here contributing @Focker

Focker · March 2014

Thanks cazzy

NPHuskerFL · March 2014

Ahhh shrimp. Bout that time to hit up my guy down the road for some fresh Atlantic Mayport jumbo shrimp. Then a little Jimmy Buffett in the background some cold Corona and Key Lime and I'm set. @DMW‌ that looks like some crazy good eating!

NDG · March 2014

That shrimp stir fry looks great! Not sure about the XL, but for my Large I use a 16" carbon steel wok with metal handles from The Wok Store in San Fran. Ordered it online with their utensils - awesome product.

NDG · March 2014

*correction . . . store is called "The Wok Shop" in San Fran - www.wokshop.com

R2Egg2Q · March 2014

I have a 20" from the Wok Shop for usage in my XL:

I don't get to use it often as I normally cook for 2-4 but it was great for cooking at an a Eggfest.

fishlessman · March 2014

i have a 14 spun with long metal handle and a 16 hand hammered with the hoop handles. i much prefer the 14 and the long handle. if your near a large city find the asian restaurant supply place, in downtown boston i bought both woks for a grand total of 22 dollars. my stove has a wok burner on it and i use it almost every day from eggs to stiry, deepfrying, rice reheats. this week its been smoked ham with barley and beans made from a ham cook last weekend, reheated for lunches

khristyjeff · March 2014

Call the Wok Shop. They are very informed and can advise. I have a 14" carbon steel which feeds family of four easily. The XL can handle a much bigger size. Maybe you need more that one wok? Also, I wish mine had a handle, but it would have to be metal as the flames would burn wooden ones.

DMW · March 2014

khristyjeff said:

Call the Wok Shop. They are very informed and can advise. I have a 14" carbon steel which feeds family of four easily. The XL can handle a much bigger size. Maybe you need more that one wok? Also, I wish mine had a handle, but it would have to be metal as the flames would burn wooden ones.

Thanks @khristyjeff I'm starting to think 2 woks might be the end result, a 14" for just the family, and a larger one for when we have guests. I could also use the 14" inside on the gas stove if needed.

Canugghead · March 2014

We wok practically every day/meal on the kitchen gas stove, will go broke on lump charcoal if done on eggs! Thanks to the 900 CFM exhaust, the backsplash tiles of our 9-month old kitchen is still smooth (i.e. not sticky with grease) like new!

Shrimp Stir Fry

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