Can I get some Big Green Egg stoke please?

[jamesp]

36 hr stock? Details please.

stock that simmers/reduces for 36 hrs? Its not rocket science

[Dantheman]

stock that simmers/reduces for 36 hrs? Its not rocket science

Pretty much.

Biggest pot you have
4-6 roast chicken carcasses
2-3 onions
2-3 carrots
4-5 ribs celery
2-3 bay leaves
Head of garlic
Tsp peppercorns
Cup of white wine if you have it

I do beef as well. Sub in an equivalent amount of roasted beef bones (ribs work great and are cheap), swap red wine for the white, and add a couple ounces of dried porcini mushrooms.

-Cover with water. 350* degree oven for about 2 hours, then drop it to 220*. Start it on saturday morning, pull it out sunday night. Give it a stir every 6-8 hours and top off the water as needed.
-Strain through colander lined with cheesecloth and chill overnight. After chilling it will probably look like loose jello.
-Skim off hardened fat and freeze in containers of choice. I like silicone muffin trays. Once they're frozen just pop them out and store in gallon ziploc bags. That way you can easily use a little or a lot as needed.

Stuff has intense flavor. For chicken soup you need to dilute it substantially with canned broth. It adds incredible depth of flavor to anything instantly--all manner of pan sauces and gravies, rice dishes, soups, long-simmered greens (collards, mustard greens, etc.), nearly endless possible uses. It's a culinary secret weapon.

edit: It also makes a fabulous hot beverage all on it's own.

[Tippster]

Dan, do you ever re-roast the carcasses before making the stock? It will turn the stock darker but oh man - you're nearly on the way to a demi-glace flavorwise. I also use a Bouquet Garni made with Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme, then just remove it after the first couple hours or so, since after that all that happens is that the herbs disintegrate without adding any extra flavor.

I learned from a Vietnamese lady that you should always par-boil beef bones before making stock (in her case for Pho.) Drop them in a pot of boiling saltwater and boil for just a few minutes until a foamy scum forms on the surface. Drain and rinse the bones, then add them to your stock pot. This will remove some of the grit and other goop that can give your broth off flavors.

[Dantheman]

Dan, do you ever re-roast the carcasses before making the stock?

Never bothered to. We buy a rotisserie chicken at Costco pretty much every week. When my stock supply starts getting low the carcasses start going in the freezer, and when I have enough they go from the freezer straight to the pot.

I learned from a Vietnamese lady that you should always par-boil beef bones before making stock (in her case for Pho.) Drop them in a pot of boiling saltwater and boil for just a few minutes until a foamy scum forms on the surface. Drain and rinse the bones, then add them to your stock pot. This will remove some of the grit and other goop that can give your broth off flavors.

Interesting, but I doubt I'll bother considering how good it turns out without the extra step. I'm all about keeping the process as simple as possible--shit goes in the pot, pot goes in the oven, done.

[Game Over]

Tipp- I have beef neck bones. Should I roast them first then par boil?

[irul&ublo]

Interesting, making stock in the oven.

[Dantheman]

Interesting, making stock in the oven.

Since I have a self-cleaning electric, it's hands-down oven FTW for any long-simmering application. If I had a gas oven I might be a bit hesitant about leaving it on for 1.5 days. At a minimum I'd want CO alarms in every room, and I'd look into whether my particular model was prone to having the flame snuff out spontaneously (thus venting unburned gas into the house and creating an explosion hazard). I know older ovens used to be prone to this but I'm not sure about newer ones.

[4matic]

Fucking bummer. Just found out I can't have a charcoal grill at the condo I'm buying. On to the gas grill thread, I guess. Damn. Have fun guys, keep on cooking the slow stuff. I'll keep on ordering my bacon from Oscars instead of making it myself.

Electric smoker. You won't regret it. I have this one. Only 18 inches square:

http://www.smokin-it.com/Smoker_p/smkmdl1.htm

[Pegleg]

Sorry if this is a repeat of an earlier discussion, but has anyone actually purchased and used a Char-Grill Kamado grill from Home Depot or Lowes? (Same unit at both with a different model number and stand configuration, $299 at Lowes and $329 with a bigger table at HD.) It's metal not ceramic, but the reviews seem to say that it performs pretty much like a BGE at 1/3 the price once you fix a minor air leaking issue with the lower intake. Seriously considering pulling the trigger on one very soon - $300 is a lot easier to stomach than $1,000, and after spending hours babysitting the temp on my cheapo offset smoker I'm ready for something a little more set-it-and-forget-it for those 12 hour smokefests.

[Danno]

Sorry if this is a repeat of an earlier discussion, but has anyone actually purchased and used a Char-Grill Kamado grill from Home Depot or Lowes? (Same unit at both with a different model number and stand configuration, $299 at Lowes and $329 with a bigger table at HD.) It's metal not ceramic, but the reviews seem to say that it performs pretty much like a BGE at 1/3 the price once you fix a minor air leaking issue with the lower intake. Seriously considering pulling the trigger on one very soon - $300 is a lot easier to stomach than $1,000, and after spending hours babysitting the temp on my cheapo offset smoker I'm ready for something a little more set-it-and-forget-it for those 12 hour smokefests.

your neighbors are ready for you to have a better smoker system too, so you'll smoke meats more often.

[Unkajunebug]

Sorry if this is a repeat of an earlier discussion, but has anyone actually purchased and used a Char-Grill Kamado grill from Home Depot or Lowes? (Same unit at both with a different model number and stand configuration, $299 at Lowes and $329 with a bigger table at HD.) It's metal not ceramic, but the reviews seem to say that it performs pretty much like a BGE at 1/3 the price once you fix a minor air leaking issue with the lower intake. Seriously considering pulling the trigger on one very soon - $300 is a lot easier to stomach than $1,000, and after spending hours babysitting the temp on my cheapo offset smoker I'm ready for something a little more set-it-and-forget-it for those 12 hour smokefests.

I was in the same boat. My family bought me a brinkman smoker a few Christmases ago. It had served it's purpose and I felt that I was deserving of something a little more fancy. Looked at the BGE, drooled, said someday, oh well.

After reading this thread and the online reviews I bought myself the Char-grill model for Father's Day from Lowes. Was thinking that it would be cool for the weekend cooks, when I'm not pressed for time. While it is crazy good for smoking (I've done 6 racks of ribs, a 10lb pork butt, 2 roaster chickens in the last 3 weeks) I have not even thought of going to the old gas cooker for the daily meal. It starts up and is ready to go in 10 minutes with the help of those little weber cubes. No flare ups, easy cleaning, no waste of charcoal when you shut it down. Best of all is how much better everything you cook will taste.

Go get it. You deserve it.

[Benny Profane]

Nice. But will it rust over time?

[Pegleg]

Trigger pulled. Ten days till delivery...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Char-Gril...6520/204151650

[Pegleg]

Nice. But will it rust over time?

I think the outside is coated in some kind of protective surface. From what I've heard, the real BGE is prone to having its hardware rust, so it's not an issue you avoid by going ceramic in any event.

[Unkajunebug]

Nice!

I guess some of the screws could rust over time but even they are powdercoated. The inside has been blasted with a heavy dose of smoke, so there is no rusting going on there. Just don't leave it out in the elements with the lid up, clean the ash bin occasionally and there should be no worries.

[Pegleg]

Nice!

I guess some of the screws could rust over time but even they are powdercoated. The inside has been blasted with a heavy dose of smoke, so there is no rusting going on there. Just don't leave it out in the elements with the lid up, clean the ash bin occasionally and there should be no worries.

I ordered the cover with it. It's going to sit on my patio year-round, so I figure having it covered is a good option (it's worked for my Weber for years - still looks like new on the outside).

[Pegleg]

The Char-Griller Kamado arrived and I assembled it last night (haven't fired it up yet). First impression: this thing looks very well-built. Assembly was easy, everything lined up properly and all the parts appear to be heavy duty and of good quality (table top is made of plastic, but that's to be expected and I might build a custom wood top to replace it at some point). The grill itself is surprisingly light - it's enameled metal on the outside and inside, with a layer of fiberglass insulation between. Looks like it'll be pretty darn airtight when the vents are closed. Looking forward to breaking it in over the next few days - they recommend a couple of hours at 400 degrees to burn off manufacturing residue and season the cast-iron grate first. The manual is very well-written and gives the impression that it was designed and sold by people who actually care about cooking. So far I'm impressed.

[Cruiser]

Need moar pics!

[Pegleg]

Need moar pics!

Coming soon... it was dark when I finished putting it together, and now it's supposedly raining for the next couple of days until I leave town to go camping this weekend. First chance to take pics and get it fired up will probably be next week.

[myles long]

Coming soon... it was dark when I finished putting it together, and now it's supposedly raining for the next couple of days until I leave town to go camping this weekend. First chance to take pics and get it fired up will probably be next week.

I have had my CharGriller for just over 3 years...many cooks later it is still going strong. I have found that it does cooks around 325-350 and 5-8 hours the best. It will probably do a longer cook a but I never really tried. Also bought a charcoal chimney that really helps to get it going. Also been cooking mostly by temperature on the grill and in the meat. I have been using this thermometer that works really well: http://www.amazon.com/Ivation-Range-...at+thermometer


Three years later the grill is holding up really well. I use a combination of a cast iron skillet with a cooling rack on top of it do do the in direct cooking for things like a pork shoulder

[Pegleg]

I have had my CharGriller for just over 3 years...many cooks later it is still going strong. I have found that it does cooks around 325-350 and 5-8 hours the best. It will probably do a longer cook a but I never really tried.

Great to hear. I've read online that folks are running it 12+ hours at 225-250 after some minor mods to seal air leaks (mostly around the lower intake vent); that's what I'm shooting for. Would love to be able to put a brisket on there at 10pm and come out the next morning to find it 2/3 of the way done, still sitting at 225. I'm told it's possible if you dial everything in. Looking forward to trying.

This forum has a ton of good info on mods and such - I'm going to pick up a Weber charcoal grate for mine this weekend, love the idea of being able to raise up the coals to get a really solid sear on a steak.

[myles long]

Great to hear. I've read online that folks are running it 12+ hours at 225-250 after some minor mods to seal air leaks (mostly around the lower intake vent); that's what I'm shooting for. Would love to be able to put a brisket on there at 10pm and come out the next morning to find it 2/3 of the way done, still sitting at 225. I'm told it's possible if you dial everything in. Looking forward to trying.

This forum has a ton of good info on mods and such - I'm going to pick up a Weber charcoal grate for mine this weekend, love the idea of being able to raise up the coals to get a really solid sear on a steak.

thats a great forum. I heard about the mods for doing lower temp cooks but just never did them yet. I have been experimenting more with the Turbo method - https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/...-shoulder-help

I have been experimenting with using a combination of kingsford competition briquettes mixed with royal oak lump and getting good results on the flavor.

[Cruiser]

Great to hear. I've read online that folks are running it 12+ hours at 225-250 after some minor mods to seal air leaks (mostly around the lower intake vent); that's what I'm shooting for. Would love to be able to put a brisket on there at 10pm and come out the next morning to find it 2/3 of the way done, still sitting at 225. I'm told it's possible if you dial everything in. Looking forward to trying.

It's more than possible if you get one of these: http://store.thebbqguru.com/weborderentry/New%20PartyQ . Otherwise you're gonna be up a couple of times during the night doing some vent tweaking in order to compensate for variations in outdoor temp and wind speed/direction. I've done it both ways and, while getting up wasn't anything close to a deal breaker, my wife prefers not to have the temp alarm go off in the middle of the night on the Maverick telling me to get up and go adjust the vents because my temp went outside of the range I'd set.

[myles long]

It's more than possible if you get one of these: http://store.thebbqguru.com/weborderentry/New%20PartyQ . Otherwise you're gonna be up a couple of times during the night doing some vent tweaking in order to compensate for variations in outdoor temp and wind speed/direction. I've done it both ways and, while getting up wasn't anything close to a deal breaker, my wife prefers not to have the temp alarm go off in the middle of the night on the Maverick telling me to get up and go adjust the vents because my temp went outside of the range I'd set.

that looks awesome..i have seen those specifically for the egg before but not a universal version.

[Cruiser]

The unit itself is universal (it's basically just a processor, fan, and a temp probe). It's the adapter for the intake that needs to be specific for your smoker. They have a section of different adapters on the website here: http://store.thebbqguru.com/weborder...by%20Component