Topper's Grilling Advice!

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Blob Mckenzie
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Blob Mckenzie »

Do you serve that slop with a jug of royal red Pacific Blue ?
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Chef Boi RD
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Chef Boi RD »

C'mon beers, I've seen the cheeseburgers you eat at the Arms pub on coast meridian there. It may be slop but it's damn good slop. Ya just need a good couch, a tv and a remote control to stretch out like a beached whale post slow cooked beef ragu festivities, takes a couple hours of restivities and a good crap to get going again

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Blob Mckenzie
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Blob Mckenzie »

Got a five pound duck Topper . Wife wants to do an orange sauce . What is your recommendation ? Grill it or roast the prick in the oven ? I have some tiger prawns and mussels as well . Any good side accompaniments ? Wine pairing ? Or would you suggest something different than orange sauce for the ducky ?
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Topper
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

DO NOT GRILL.

At Dubruelle I helped out on a bbq class and we grilled duck breasts as part of it. Disaster as the fat renders out onto the coals and uncontrollable fire and smoke ensues. Somehow two of us managed to grill all the breasts to perfection but it was an adventure never to repeat.

Billowing plumes of smoke from a closed Weber, open the lid and blindly reach into the smoke with tongs to feel around for meat and start turning everything you bump into as fast as you can before the inferno flairs up and the lid has to be slammed closed to smother the flames.

My favourite way to do duck is to break it down into legs and breasts. I make a stove top smoker and smoke the legs and then confit them in olive oil. I'll then pan roast the breasts. I serve it with creamy shitake polenta and brussel sprouts with bacon and apples. I'll use the carcass to make a brown duck sauce for service. - A days work of prep before serving day.

Roasting may be an easier option. Take the tip of a sharp knife and poke the hell out of the skin so the fat will render out and make sure your roasting pan is deep enough to collect the fat. Save the fat, strain it and put it in a container in the fridge. Duck fat is a gift from the gawds.

I worked at a place that specialized in roast duck, we did ours 400F oven on a rack breast side up, 1hr, breast side down 1hr, breast side up ~45min. You can drain off the fat from the pan each time you flip the bird.

Can't say I've ever made orange sauce, but I'd guess at something syrupy, orange juice, sugar, julienne orange rind, cold butter to finish to make it glossy, add off heat and stir in as it melts. Maybe some grand marnier with the OJ.

Polenta - rehydrate shitakes and dice discarding the tough stem and where it meets the cap, saute fine dices onion and the shitakes in the bottom of a heavy pot with some herbs, add liquid (could be milk/cream or water) and bring to heat. You want to flavour the liquid like tea so let it gently heat for a bit but if you are using milk/cream you don't want it to boil. Once the liquid is flavoured slowly add the cornmeal "like rain" while stirring. Keep it on med-med/low heat and continue stirring until cooked. You want the cornmeal to cook out so it is smooth not grainy. It will be soft creamy porridge like. For creamy polenta 10 parts water to 1 part cornmeal (by weight). For example 1000grams liquid (~1 litre) to 100 grams cornmeal. I usually add a touch more liquid to compensate for evaporation while it is getting flavoured.

Remember that corn needs lots of salt. You can also make it ahead of time and nuke it.

Brussel sprouts - Use a sharp pairing knife to core the sprouts and separate the leaves then blanch for 7 minutes in a big pot of boiling salted water, removed the leaves to an ice bath. You may need to do this in batches so the water stays boiling. When cool, remove the leaves from the ice bath and put them on a towel to drain. Dice and fry the bacon until just crispy, add diced apples and toss. I like using Gala or Fiji because they don't go to mush, add the brussel sprout leaves and toss to reheat.

Wine for duck got with a lighter to medium body red. Pinot noir, Burgundy (Gamay), Dolcetto.
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by 2Fingers »

Top - do you use any electrical chopper for vegies?

looking at getting one but I have mixed reviews on how useful they really are?
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

FUCK NO!

Knife skills are what you need. Get yourself a good chef's knife. Stick with an 8" one, I like Wustof (classic series) and Global. Buy a knife steel and learn to use it.....and don't let anyone else use it on your knife.

This is my daily driver
http://houseofknives.ca/global-g16-chef-24cm-9-5-71g16/

Coincidentally, yesterday I went through my knives for their semi annual sharpening. I use these.
waterstone
and
honing guide

Christmas is coming, you can often pick up a good knife on a Christmas sale price, get something that feels comfortable and balanced in you hand. House of Knives has the 8" Wustof Classic Chef knife on sale for $110 and a knife steal for $20. 8" Henckel Pro series for $100.

Once you get a good knife, buy a bag of potatoes and a bag of carrots and practice.
http://theculinarycook.com/knife-skills ... s-of-cuts/

70% of our practical culinary school grade was based on our knife work. It can't be stressed enough. I cook what I cook because my prep time is likely a fraction of what it would take most people. All because of knife work.

If you feel you have too much money in your wallet and really want a treat, visit these guys
http://knifewear.com/
Shwiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnng
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Last edited by Topper on Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Rayxor »

Also, when you put it in the dishwasher, DO NOT PUT IT IN THE DISHWASHER.

Clean it by hand, dry it by hand, put it back in that spot where it isnt getting banged around with a dozen other utensils.

Here's another tidbit of info regarding the balance and "feel" of the knife and cutting boards.

http://kitchenknifeguru.com/knives/how- ... hef-knife/

Back to you, Topper.
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Topper
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

Wow, dishwasher and knife never enter the same thought pattern let alone realm of gravitational pull.

I do remember at culinary school a kid put one of the chef instructors carbon steel heirloom knives in the dishwasher. That was entertaining.

One thing from razor's quoted article, the weight and feel. I have a 10" Henckel Pro that is never used because the blade is a thick behemoth. I hate the knife. My 8" Wustof Classic, again a German style knife, has a thinner blade that works well. When I received the Global as a gift, it took awhile to get comfortable with because of its lightness and I can't remember how many times I nicked myself on the corner of the bolsterless blade.

I remember having a similar discussion with Aaron via pm as he was in the knife market a few years ago. I think he bought a Global G2 (8" chef) and a pack of bandaids. Maybe he'll chime in on how that knife worked out for him.

And stay far away from V groove sharpeners, They strip away too much metal and will shorten the life of your knife by decades. Put those shitty sharpeners in the dishwasher.
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Puck
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Puck »

Ditto on all of the above. Some friends 'helpfully' put my chef's knife in the dishwasher once.. ugh. Thankfully, in a single wash the only thing that happened was the wooden handle got pretty bleached out. I was able to restore it with a little finish oil.

I know what you guys mean about the thick heavy blades.. kind of unwieldy, and they often seem to crack the vegetable you're cutting because you've essentially hit it with a splitter.

That's interesting the idea of practicing with a potato. I tried a couple Shun knives at House of Knives last winter. The sales guy happily provided some potatoes and a board and I spent 5-10 mins reducing them to, I believe, brunoise. Seemed like a great knife to me. Great balance. Might have to grab one this year.

One last thing... my wife asked me to chop an onion for her the other day in prep for a pasta sauce. I did it and left it on the board. When she came back she claimed that I had finished the whole job faster than she could have peeled it. Similarly, I'd bet Topper could chop an onion faster than you could get out a 'chopper' and plug it in. Knife skills. They make all cooking better and more fun.
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Puck »

Top,

How difficult is that sharpening process with the stone and guide? It seems like the sort thing I might really screw up, but then again, I had a mobile sharpening service do quite a hack job on my knives (once).
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

The wet stone and honing guide make the job dead simple. I run a very shallow angle on my knives (sharper, needs honing more often with a knife steel), so the initial run with my knives took some time, yesterday I ran through a dozen knives in less than an hour.

This is how I set up on the island. I soak the stone for an hour in the pan of water and then have it handy to splash water over the stone to flush away the filings. The towel under the stone keeps the mess minimized. I run the stone under the tap between knives to further clean out filings.

Image

The honing guide was recommended by one of the instructors I had. As he put it, there is a 100% satisfaction guarantee on it so why not give it a try. I can attest, it works slick.

Once you get used to a real sharp knife, you won't pick one up without also grabbing a knife steel for a quick truing.

and oh ya, in the days leading up to practical exam I'd run through 20lbs of spuds and 10lbs of carrots practising my knife cuts. Two days before one exam I took a chunk out of the blade of my Wustof Chef knife when I cut through the spine of a rabbit. One of the instructors called a japanese knife master she knew and showed up in an hour, took my knife for repair and returned it the next day so sharp you'd bleed if you looked at it. i aced my knife cuts on that exam. yes they measure with a ruler
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by 5thhorseman »

I used to bring my knives to professional sharpening service (http://www.trucutsharp.com/) as it's only about $6 bucks a knife, but I wasn't happy with the angle. Next time I'll ask for a more shallow angle, but I might give the Lee Valley tool a go first.

Nice cutting board there; I've got the same. Another very worthwhile investment.
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Topper »

Ikea used to sell those boards for around $20 LOL

If only they still did.

Some truck based outfit used to come by Dubulle when I was there......instructors would give the students who cared a none too subtle nudge nudge wink wink, DON'T
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Strangelove »

Topper wrote: Ten-Hut
:mrgreen:

I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich!

:look:

I like to read these posts, reminds me of my dad, who was a great amateur chef.

Yeah, I most certainly did not follow in his footsteps....
____
Try to focus on someday.
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Re: Topper's Grilling Advice!

Post by Aaronp18 »

Topper wrote: I remember having a similar discussion with Aaron via pm as he was in the knife market a few years ago. I think he bought a Global G2 (8" chef) and a pack of bandaids. Maybe he'll chime in on how that knife worked out for him.
Global is the shit!

Such a difference using a quality knife, I use it for almost everything. Carving turkey is a breeze, veggies don't stand a chance, ever squished a tomato trying to cut it - yeah not anymore.

Splurge and get a REALLY good knife, well worth it. Definitely a learning curve and you will nick yourself but don't be a baby and just deal with it. It'll also eat up sponges until you figure out that you can't even feel the knife cutting into the sponge and you really have to pay attention.

Get the Global. Love how thin the blade is, we have a couple other Henkels that are decent but I go to the Global almost every time.
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