Topper's Grilling Advice!

The primary goal of this site is to provide mature, meaningful discussion about the Vancouver Canucks. However, we all need a break some time so this forum is basically for anything off-topic, off the wall, or to just get something off your chest! This forum is named after poster Creeper, who passed away in July of 2011 and was a long time member of the Canucks message board community.

Moderator: Referees

User avatar
Topper
CC Legend
Posts: 18174
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 8:11 pm
Location: Earth, most days.

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

brine it, cook it low and slow.
Over the Internet, you can pretend to be anyone or anything.

I'm amazed that so many people choose to be complete twats.
User avatar
2Fingers
MVP
MVP
Posts: 7672
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2012 7:47 am

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by 2Fingers »

Top, ever since you told me how to properly fry mushrooms my wife is extremely happy. I don't even like mushrooms and only cook them for her but they smell good that I ALMOST want to try them.

Thanks for advice.
User avatar
Puck
MVP
MVP
Posts: 1135
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:40 pm
Location: Victoria, BC

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Puck »

5thhorseman wrote:So I've got a pig and charcoal bbq with a spit secured for a friends birthday party coming up soon. Thinking of brining the hog. Any suggestions?
Hey 5th... How did this turn out?
User avatar
5thhorseman
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5445
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 11:04 am

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by 5thhorseman »

Shit man, it was fucking awesome! But a hell of a lot of work. Brining wasn't needed as it was a pretty large hog, 93 lbs if I remember correctly.

If you're thinking of doing it, get ready for a long day. My buddy and I got up at 5am, charcoal started and pig on the spit by 6am. Done 12 hours later. Then all the cutting and serving. Leftovers galore even though we had 80 people. By the end of the night I was toast, and I'd hardly had a drink.

I'll try to remember to post a picture of the hog when I get home.
User avatar
Puck
MVP
MVP
Posts: 1135
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:40 pm
Location: Victoria, BC

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Puck »

Nice! I'd love to try cooking something like that someday.

I'm volunteering at Brewery and the Beast again this year. That event has all manner of stuff turning slowly over charcoal all day. Awesome food, and TONS of it.
User avatar
Topper
CC Legend
Posts: 18174
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 8:11 pm
Location: Earth, most days.

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

5 second rule only applies to panties
Over the Internet, you can pretend to be anyone or anything.

I'm amazed that so many people choose to be complete twats.
User avatar
Chef Boi RD
MVP
MVP
Posts: 28935
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2004 6:36 pm
Location: Vancouver

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Chef Boi RD »

Topper been experimenting with mushroom ragout recipes, ya got any suggestions.
“Tyler Myers is my guy... I was taking to Scotty Bowman last night and he was bringing up his name, and saying he’s a big guy and big guy need big minutes to play, he is playing great for ya… and I agree with him… He’s been exceptional” - Bruce Boudreau
User avatar
Topper
CC Legend
Posts: 18174
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 8:11 pm
Location: Earth, most days.

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

Cook your 'shroom separate. Get the pan hot on high, dry (no oil), toss in your 'shrooms, let them sweat and shrinks to concentrate the flavours then turn the heat down to just below medium and add evo. Get them just starting to brown.

Dried 'shrooms are good for stocks as they will release flavour as the simmer but they never quite reach edible textures. so discard them or put the stock in a blender.

Made carbonara for the kid tonight.... do you want anchovies in that? - "YEAH!"
Over the Internet, you can pretend to be anyone or anything.

I'm amazed that so many people choose to be complete twats.
User avatar
2Fingers
MVP
MVP
Posts: 7672
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2012 7:47 am

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by 2Fingers »

Top

Over the past couple of months I have bought some steaks, sliced it thin and then panned fried with only olive oil, salt and pepper.

First time it was awesome, so flavorful and tender, I was amazed at the simplicity of the cooking. Second time I bought a better cut and tried the same thing but it just did not come out well, I thought other than the cut of meat it was the same?

For just pan frying what cut would you recommend and other than olive oil, salt and pepper anything else?
User avatar
Topper
CC Legend
Posts: 18174
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 8:11 pm
Location: Earth, most days.

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

If you are cutting a steak into strips and then pan frying it you are doing two things wrong.

1) cut it after you cook it and have let it rest.

2) you are cutting parallel to the grain of the meat

The best cut of meat for this is flank, though skirt is also quite good. On a budget, go for inside round that has been cut for roulade or cut an inside round yourself. You want the grain of the meat parallel the long direction of the cut.

Bring the meat to room temp, salt and pepper, then a skiff of oil on the meat, into a very hot cast iron fry pan to brown, flip and brown the other side. Rest the meat 5 minutes on a rack over a plate, then slice strips across the grain. The meat must be RARE!

Fleur de Sel is great at this point. If you want, a splash of balsamic is nice. Stilton is fucking amazing.
Over the Internet, you can pretend to be anyone or anything.

I'm amazed that so many people choose to be complete twats.
User avatar
Topper
CC Legend
Posts: 18174
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 8:11 pm
Location: Earth, most days.

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

Basic Tomato Sauce

You can use fresh tomatoes or canned. If using canned, buy the ones that have only one or two ingredients, tomatoes and sometimes basil. DO NOT buy the canned tomatoes with a preservative. You'll end up with a chalky taste to the sauce. Some swear by San Marzano tomatoes.

If using fresh tomatoes, roast in the oven on a sheet pan or sweat in a pot to soften and then run them though a mouli mill to remove seeds and skin. Skin is indigestible, seeds are bitter. If canned, just run through a mouli mill.

In a bit of EVO, sweat chopped onion, add minced garlic and sweat, add tomatoes, basil (leaves and stems, chop the leaves but leave the stems whole) and white wine. There are flavour compounds in tomatoes that are only alcohol soluble and use white instead of red wine to avoid adding a tannin taste in the sauce. Top with water and simmer.

Reduce it to the consistency you desire. I usually take some off as soup and reduce the rest to a thicker sauce that I can use for pizza if I want or the few times we have a marinara sauce.

Careful with salt and pepper as the final product is reduced, you may want to worry about adding them when you use the final sauce.

I portion the soup and sauce into yogourt containers and freeze.

I'm always intrigued by the Italian affinity for tomatoes. The are from the Americas and were unknown in Europe until post Columbus times. Even then they were a feared member of the nightshade family. Potatoes and maize have similar history. When potatoes were introduced to the Italian kitchen there was no knowledge of how to cook them. Cooks were told to use them as a substitute for chestnuts and cook them in a similar fashion.
Over the Internet, you can pretend to be anyone or anything.

I'm amazed that so many people choose to be complete twats.
User avatar
5thhorseman
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5445
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 11:04 am

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by 5thhorseman »

I had to look up mouli. I use a similar contraption ... works okay as it can handle a good volume; it just leaks a bit.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/Garden/page ... 33279&ap=1
User avatar
Topper
CC Legend
Posts: 18174
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 8:11 pm
Location: Earth, most days.

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

5thhorseman wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 10:22 am I had to look up mouli. I use a similar contraption ... works okay as it can handle a good volume; it just leaks a bit.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/Garden/page ... 33279&ap=1
I had one of those, too much of a large uni tasker, gave it to a sister, she's dead now, I'm not taking it back.

In the restaurant we used the mouli mill for soups, sauces and even mashed potatoes.
Over the Internet, you can pretend to be anyone or anything.

I'm amazed that so many people choose to be complete twats.
User avatar
5thhorseman
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5445
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 11:04 am

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by 5thhorseman »

The Brown Wizard wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:16 am Was thinking of trying my hand at greenhousing and growing peppers. Been looking into these cobb stoves to start the growing season early. Look what you pay for fuckin peppers. Its like growing weed
I found peppers a lot easier to grow than I expected, but you need to start your seedlings in January and keep them under light/heat as long as you can. I have a mini-greenhouse inside the house with two tiers, two flourescents with natural light on each tier. Peppers are really slow growers and once you put them outside the growth completely stalls unless you can hold off until June.

Pick off all the flowers when they're young to make them grow bigger and produce a bigger yield. Regular green peppers (e.g California Wonder) are great but for red ones I'd use Hungarian Red. They're smaller but you'll get red peppers sooner. Black beauty is also a nice one go grow; deep purple colour.
User avatar
5thhorseman
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5445
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 11:04 am

Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by 5thhorseman »

Topper wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 10:29 am
5thhorseman wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 10:22 am I had to look up mouli. I use a similar contraption ... works okay as it can handle a good volume; it just leaks a bit.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/Garden/page ... 33279&ap=1
I had one of those, too much of a large uni tasker, gave it to a sister, she's dead now, I'm not taking it back.

In the restaurant we used the mouli mill for soups, sauces and even mashed potatoes.
Yeah, it is a uni tasker; got a lot of those jamming up the cupboards, though I'm planning to try it this weekend with red peppers. Roast on the grill to blacken the skin, put it through the mill and freeze for use in harissa sauce at a later date.
Post Reply