Happy Labor Day!

Scattered thunderstorms here.  Some around 8:00 AM; a second round around 2:30, and it sounds like another round may be coming.  Can't do much outside. 

Skirt steak and chicken going on the grill soon for fajitas. Steelhead IPA. Laying a cast iron pan on the coals to sear peppers and onions.

Happy Labor Day all!

T-bones, baked potatoes on the grill, grilled flatbread (a little bit of extra pizza dough) and grilled pears. 

 

Smits slightly cold

Hey, at least you got to see an old game by snaggle-toothed Justine during he US Open rain delay!

 

Hit the big river this A.M. Wife caught a nice bullhead I managed 1 nice gill. Doing pork chops and sweet corn on the grill later.

Best baked potato I've found. Take the biggest russets you can find. Pierce them all over with a fork. Rub them up with canola oil and liberal kosher salt. Bake them on the middle rack at 375 for 90 minutes with a cookie sheet under them to catch the drippings. No foil on the potatoes. Crispy skins and perfect insides ready for toppings.

bacon

chilibong

 

Not a fan of putting them in the oven but using Canola oil with a higher smoke point is the way to go. Personally, if I did it that way, I'd use Peanut oil.

 

I use real butter on the clean potatoes wrapped in foil on the grill. Other secret spices too. Rave reviews every time & I never make the same potato twice

spent the afternoon fixing a flat on the lawn tractor and gave her the end of season treatment while I was at it.  yippee.

get off my lawn!

I'm not complaining tho I've been on vacation since last Tuesday.  It's so rough.

All olive oil, all the time. Don't use the oven very often Use the grill almost 365 days a year.

Yeah but you can't use Olive Oil in the oven, unless you have a tornado for an exhaust fan.

 

I'm with you on the OO though

Olive oil and peanut oil are the only two oils I ever use. Each has benefits depending on the situation.

I have relatives with peanut allergies. I lived in Greece for 2.5 years. Olive Oil!!!!

I also lived in Greece for a couple years ( via the Air Force ) olive oil there is king for everything. From grilling to frying to salads, marvelous stuff, love it.

 

May just have to have a traditional Greek Salad tomorrow with very good olive oil dripped over it and dipping the juices with good bread, with a good feta cheese and a retcina wine. Many good memories from back then. With a big hunk of feta cheese and most likely some retcina wine and grilled lamb with olive oil as the baster, ahhhhhh yes. If only I could get good baklava (sp?)  here that would be the best.

I poke the potato violently, then microwave it for a few minutes.  Then I cover it in olive oil (or avocado oil, if we happen to be extra rich that month) and garlic salt and black pepper.  Wrap in tinfoil and grill with whatever it is I am grilling.  Same process, skip the microwave if I am getting out the smoker, then the long cooking time works fine. 

 

 

Sounds dirty!

it is

I for one am shocked by this revelation

Wouldn't it be better to cover it in oil first? Might not have to poke it so violently then.

 

 

 

 

Just got back from Oklahoma.  Ate at the Golden Arches Supper Club for our Labor Day meal.  In spite of all that, HAPPY LABOR DAY EVERYONE!

 

PS - missed seeing GC #6 roll from his back to his front for the first time by about 30-40 minutes. 

Oven. canola oil (low smoke point) Lots of salt. 375. 90 minutes. No foil. 

 

Cut that bad boy open. Butter, chives, green onions, chopped bacon, shredded sharp cheddar, cayenne pepper.

 

Good all by itself.

You forgot the sour cream.

       
       

Cooking that's more up Iowacheese's alley

There's even an official web site.

Goggling "balls" again?

 

 

 

 

The honest answer is that I heard a report about it on the news this morning.  Not that any of you will believe that, of course. 

These days I'm an IC fan first.

I've had sheep, pig, and goose balls.  Not bad at all.  Goose was probably my favorite. 

 

Honestly, you could bread and deep fry about anything and it would taste good. 

Grilled breasts for greek chicken sandwiches. I generally prefer Egyptian Feta. Tomatoes out of the garden and roasted corn on the cob were also featured. 

 

Side note: I don't understand why people don't make most sauces/dressings themselves. Tzatziki and Bleu Cheese dressing, for example, are dirt simple and so much better as well. They also save on preservatives when made from scratch rather than opening a bottle.

 

Some friends always rave about my Bleu Cheese and it's three ingredients dumped in a bowl and stirred. The Tzatziki is four (though I sometimes salt the cucumbers before dicing).

Yes, salt the cucumbers to draw out some of the water.

Brak is right.  Only I don't know why you would salt the cuke before cutting it up?  I slice it with a mandolin, then salt it violently. 

 

I thought everyone knew about that?

 

It might be more in the mood as well.

I'm sure the ball goggling is extensive.

 

If you're smoking meats, smoke some taters too.  Very tasty.

Great now Fudgeya is fantasizing about me while looking up balls.   Everyone needs a strange stalker

I've found it easiest to control moisture and salt content to peel, slab, salt, julienne, chop if I'm using the seeds, peel, halve, seed, salt, julienne, chop if I'm not. I do a very fine dice so if I salt a little heavy it's harder to correct without digging out the fine-mesh colander.

well why didn't you just say that then?

 

I just use a grater for the cucumber and it is easy to get rid of the excess water. A greek guy that I worked with at the base taught me how to make Tzatziki.

I want to see some videos of EKB cooking.