I just made and posted this to reddit and people lost their minds over it. London broil sous vide at 133 for an hour and a half. Served as is with no sear. Links below in case anyone wants to check out the hilarious comment section. Anyway, it got me thinking, what “unconventional” things do you like to do in the kitchen?
My other meat related trick is to embrace unilateral cooking. That is, cooking meat only on 1 side. This works great with thinner cuts. By cooking on 1 side only you can maximize the sear and can keep the other side less done. Especially useful on grills, I find.
Interesting topic but I’ll take your word for the Reddit comments
I hard boil eggs in a cupcake tin 12 at a time.
I torch cook fairly often and for many years came prepared to do so in hotel rooms (while working on the road) back when rooms didn’t include a kitchenette.
I cook in clay pots with my brother when we go camping.
Q: when you prepare your steak in a bag do you enjoy it as is or doctor it up once cooked?
I very much appreciate the link to the reddit comments, as they were able to sum up pretty much all the thoughts that popped in my head seeing this picture
Hell yeah! I never made a two burner, but I’ve built similar rocket stoves. I just moved up from cinder blocks to steel. Just one burner. My plan is to get it hot enough for a short period to get a wok to 650-700 degrees. Got it close to 500, but now I’m gonna get it hot, then plunk some charcoal chunks right down the chimney, stoke with a small fan and pray for 600-700.
I’ve done the charcoal chimney trick Alton brown showed on making a ribeye with the chimney as the broiler.
I’ve cooked in the Andes with the doble olla. It’s like two clay pots connected with one heat source.
Made dried beef on my roof in Ecuador. Still collect and dehydrate wild mushrooms. Caught, killed and cooked a (white lipped) peccary in the Amazon (well, my guide set the snare that caught it.) Caught and ate (delish) piranas in the Amazon, and bathed with them the next day. Dropped the hot stone into the gourd to make stone soup in S. Mexico. Caught , cut and ate fresh urchin roe (uni) in Mexico.
Cut my teeth on a branding iron. Okay, maybe not, that was Pete from “Fury.” I’ll sht if anyone remembers that show.
Yes… I got the idea from one your posts. I did some research, picked up some cinder blocks, put a tile cutting blade on my angle grinder and it was done in a few minutes. I think I will add another course of cinder blocks to bring it up higher, then cover it with some granite tile I have left over from my kitchen counter project.
I haven’t measured the temperature coming out of the thing, I just kind of “wing it”. Sunshine likes her steaks rare, so a quick blast of heat on each side and she is happy.
I’ll have to research this Alton Brown thing with the charcoal.
Sounds like you had a blast in the Amazon. I wish I could harvest one of the peccaries (Javelina) that frequents my yard, but they are a protected species – so no spearing the local wildlife.
I usually don’t get too knitpicky about temp; but I want the real wok hei this time. If I can’t get the rocket that hot, I might fabricate a wok insert for the Smokey Joe. My next hill to conquer.
I see tons of Javelinas when I come down there. I have a friend from Overgaard, AZ who says they were told the Javelinas wouldn’t get up the Mogollon rim; but they made it up there.
We were lucky to snare a female, so you the flavor wasn’t like piss pig. The pirana were surprisingly good. Coolest part were the river dolphins. Come right up to you. Bathing with piranas makes one nervous. You see them zing right past you because of the line on their dorsal, like little neon lines flying under and around you. Catching the little monsters is easy as pie, though.
A triple burner rocket stove. Dan, I gotta respect that action!
I only quit the cinder block thing because I found a steel tube one on Amazon for $25. Really well made, too. If I lived in AZ, I’d want plenty of outdoor cook space for summer.
Fury, My Friend Flika, Sky King, Texas Rangers, Rin Tin Tin and Sgt. Preston of the Mounties.
That was my Saturday morning for years.
Songbird to Penny, Songbird to Penny.
Come in, Penny!
I’ll keep it at two burner. I was just going to raise the base by one course of cinder blocks – make it easier on my back.
I stocked up on this granite tile when it was on sale. So, I’ll use it up somewhere. I figure a granite rocket stove may appeal to next owner?? Kind of like an outdoor kitchen theme??
I once saw someone on the Food channel (I think it might have been Mario Batali, in which case …oh well) who was demonstrating some kind of scallopini - sauté it most of the time on one side, and just a wee bit on the other. Plate well-sautéed side up. Thin enough that it was evenly cooked. Steaks I usually do reverse sear, and I only sear for visuals, and concentrate on one side. Sometimes with a little kitchen bouquet. With a torch. I do not have the capability to open a window and avoid triggering the building’s hard-wired smoke alarms. I do not have the infrastructure to be able to inflict scabs on my steak; that’s life.
Classy rocket stove. If nothing else, a prepper would dig it. Every time I drive in more rural parts around there, I see all kinds of mesquite laying around. I think “firewood” even when I’m in downtown Chicago.
You’ve probably heard about proofing bread, but I like to use my gas oven with just the pilot light on for melting chocolate overnight. I also use a bain marie over stove pilot lights to do the same.
