Webs’ Random Ideas

Don’t tell me that local fresh food isn’t feasible or even wanted by people. We just really haven’t thought about it much.

The picture shows one of three main isles and is the smaller one. Granted I snapped this in Lincoln Park Chicago where these are more popular, but still there is a want for this kind of food.

Just a great TED talk on the importance of food in our children’s diet at schools. The problem shown in this video is only going to get worse and it’s growing FAST.

I read on my friend’s blog a lot fo great tips for using the freezer more efficiently. And I started trying some of them out, but not to the level my friend is at by any means. Then just recently I came across this article in the NY Times:

IF I tried to sell you a new appliance that could help you save money, reduce food waste and get meals on the table faster, the only thing you’d ask would be “How much?”

The answer is “Nothing.” You already own it. For just as the stove comes with a hidden and often overlooked bonus — the broiler — so does the refrigerator: the freezer. Why not use it?

Basically the idea is to cook at home and freeze stuff you can’t finish rather than throw it away. If you freeze properly you can end up with a product just as good as when you originally bought or made it.

One tip I learned from the fishermen at Pikes Place Market in Seattle is to put uncooked fish in a freezer bag and fill it with enough water to just cover the fish. Put in freezer and it should keep for a long time and keep freezer burn off the fish. To dethaw just let the water slowly drain out in the sink by cutting or poking a hole in the bag.

Great tips and ideas are all over the tubes though. Just search and find out what works for you. Even if you learn about proper methods through trial and error, in the long run freezing will likely save you money.

Here are my tips to get the best out of your smoking experience:

1. I have Char-broil smoker, something that looks like this. You can make DIY smokers and I have heard people have good results from them, but I got mine to do some competition smoking. Nothing big, I try to do one a year. I picked my smoker up at Home Depot on sale for around $200. The meat from it has been worth every penny.
2. I use some kind of fruit tree wood every time I smoke, especially for bird or pork. The smokeyness is really sweet and adds to the flavor. What you want to do is use charcoal, natural wood or Kingsford and add on some wood chunks on, about 3-5 chunks every hour. I don’t use chips as they burn too quickly and I try to use wood in moderation. I use one of those chimneys to keep coals going for when the ones in the smokebox go out. The idea is to be ready to use the ones in the chimney to keep up the temperature.
3. Prepare the meat ahead of time. For birds, you might want to brine. I have found I don’t have to brine for as long as you don’t over cook the bird or cook it to fast, like I did last night, it comes out incredibly juicy. For ribs, you need to pull of the membrane on the back of the ribs before you rub or cook them. This is so that the rub gets into the meat and so the ribs cook properly and fall of the bone when done. For brisket, you want only about 1/2 to 1 inch of fat on the underside. For pork, all you need to do is rub it beforehand. I usually let the rub sit for about 4 hours before cooking for any type of meat, or over night if I am starting to smoke in the morning. Then let the meat sit out about 30 – 60 mins before cooking depending on size in pounds.
4. All meat should cook about 1.5 hours per pound of meat at a temperature of 225 in the area of the smoker where the meat sits. Keep in mind this is for my smoker… The temperature should not drop below 200 and should NEVER exceed 250. The closer to 225 the better. Knowing the internal temperature of the smokebox is CRUCIAL. For ribs, smoke for 3 hours and then wrap in foil and cook for 5 more hours wrapped in foil in the smoker. Obviously at this point you really don’t need to add more wood. You can do this with any other meat too, but I only do this ribs. Brisket you want to cook to about 180 – 190. Do not over, under, or cook too fast. This will quickly ruin the meat. Everything else is ready to eat at 180, just be careful you keep your thermometers away from the bones.

Sorry for the brain dump, but for anyone interested, this is the ins and outs of smoking. I learned from a wise old sage that was damn good at smoking… come to think of it he was good at drinking too. ;-P

Oh and BTW, even though I over cooked the turkey by cooking it too fast, all the family says it is amazing. Which is the great thing about smoking, you can screw up a little and still have great results.

If you have the urge to go to McDonalds and get an Ice Coffee, I have a better idea for ya. Give your good friend $2.15 and let him punch you in the face. Then you can say, “Wow that punch in the face hurt, but was way better than the McDonalds Iced Coffee!”

Needless to say I attempted one of those iced coffees this morning and it was disgusting. The McDonalds employee grabs a cup fills it up with ice, then about 1/4 of the way with creamer (bleghhh!) and possibly sugar (I think so but missed it), then adds flavor syrup (who the hell knows what’s in that), and then the iced coffee from a separate container. How long the coffee sits and congeals in that container I have no idea, nor do I want to know?

What happened to just a cup of ice with Coffee added to it?

I was walking back with my coworkers and just threw the thing out in a dumpster. They both looked at me and I said, “Well at least a multi-billion dollar corporation got $2.15 from me…” While DOF said, “I could of told you it was terrible.” Thanks! Great timing

I get the sense that McDonalds thinks they can add sugar to anything and make it taste good. Boy could that be farther from reality. The thing was disgusting and I’m sucking on TicTacs trying to get the taste out of my mouth.