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[Funky Papa]

I just made my first batch of Sriracha chicken.

It was insanely good.

Nothing fancy, too. I simply left 1 kg of sliced chicken breasts marinating for an entire day in Sriracha with a dash of rice vinegar (no salt at all). Took about 200 grams for lunch and froze the rest. I'm shocked, shocked by how good it turned.

I have no pictures since I was in a bit of a tizzy, but I noticed a few things:

• I used OG Vietnamese Sriracha, which is hotter than the tangier and milder American version.
• Heating Sriracha in a pan is a good way to end with homemade tear gas. My poor, poor eyes.
• The marinate was amazing, not just because it tasted GREAT, but because it kept the chicken soft and moist all around, despite being well done (I really, really, can't stand undercooked chicken).
• Sriracha caramelizes itself upon touching the frying pan. It's very important to use quality cookware; otherwise it will leave a coal-like residue very difficult to clean. I used one of my crappy ceramic pans and now I'm regretting it.
• The result is really spicy. I suggest to serve it using a soft bread roll, a cheddar slice, some iceberg lettuce for freshness and a small amount of mayonaise to moist the buns (no filthy pun intended. Maybe).

If the Sriracha pulled pork I have in the slow cooker comes nearly as good as good as the chicken... oh my. I'm never eating plain rice and chicken ever again.

 

[CrankyJay]

I just made my first batch of Sriracha chicken.

It was insanely good.

Nothing fancy, too. I simply left 1 kg of sliced chicken breasts marinating for an entire day in Sriracha with a dash of rice vinegar (no salt at all). Took about 200 grams for lunch and froze the rest. I'm shocked, shocked by how good it turned.

I have no pictures since I was in a bit of a tizzy, but I noticed a few things:

• I used OG Vietnamese Sriracha, which is hotter than the tangier and milder American version.
• Heating Sriracha in a pan is a good way to end with homemade tear gas. My poor, poor eyes.
• The marinate was amazing, not just because it tasted GREAT, but because it kept the chicken soft and moist all around, despite being well done (I really, really, can't stand undercooked chicken).
• Sriracha caramelizes itself upon touching the frying pan. It's very important to use quality cookware; otherwise it will left a coal-like residue very difficult to clean. I used one of my crappy ceramic pans and now I'm regretting it.
• The result is really spicy. I suggest to serve it using a soft bread roll, a cheddar slice, some iceberg lettuce for freshness and a small amount of mayonaise to moist the buns (no filthy pun intended. Maybe).

If the Sriracha pulled pork I have in the slow cooker comes nearly as good as good as the chicken... oh my. I'm never eating plain rice and chicken ever again.

The chicken probably benefitted from the vinegar in the sriracha itself and the rice vinegar you added as a tenderizing agent. If you need to soften up the spiciness you could probably cut the sauce with butter.

 

[Funky Papa]

Trying to keep the calories in check The mayo and the bread roll were already an egregious excess on my part...

 

[Yes Boss!]

Made one of the cakes from the Momofuku Mulk Bar book. The one on page 93. It has vanilla chocolate chip cake layers alternatef with fresh passionfruit curd, cocoa crumbles, and coffee buttercream. Mini chocolate chips on top. Lots of fun!

 

[Funky Papa]

This pulled pork.

Jesus H Christ, this Sriracha pulled pork.

I'm going to let it cool down before taking some photos, but I just cannot believe how good it is.

Best purchase ever. All hail the programmable pot, savior of bachelors.

Now I need to find the time to make some pulled chicken.

 

[Funky Papa]

So yesterday I made pulled pork. It was the first time I ever tried and I had my concerns, since:

a) Well, I had never made pulled pork before.
b) I'm still new to this programmable electric pot thing.
c) I actually don't like pork that much. While I enjoy chorizo and cured cuts like jamón, I find the peculiar aftertaste of pork kind of gross.

In the end, nothing mattered. Because I made some bombass pulled pork.

First things first, I had no idea about how to cook some pulled pork, so continuing my sriracha obsession I used this particular recipe from the Sriracha Cookbook. It's very easy to follow, but it kind of surprised me how much time do you need to get everything ready, from getting brine and the rub to cooking the pork.

Anyho, here are the rub the the brine.

One thing I didn't like about this particular recipe is that it is definitely NOT diet friendly. Unless you are sugar cane bug, that's it. Both the rub and the brine use considerable amounts of brown sugar, which I plan to replace with some low calorie sweeteners in future attempts. Honestly, there's a crapload of sugar there, like, half a cup or something like that.

Although I followed the brine and rub recipes closely, I took some liberties with the rest. I added a big tomato because why the hell not, aswell as full glass of white wine and a metric fuckton of fungi (ok, a kilo), since I love mushrooms and they can be quite filling.

Given that my electric pot is not quite a slow cooker since it always uses some degree of pressure, I decided to set it to "stew" and enter the maximum amount of time allowed, which is three hours, keeping the pressure at the absolute minimum. Then I let it sit.

Pot and pork

The result was very, very good. Despite being cooked in "just" three hours instead of overnight, nearly all the fat from the pork had risen to the surface and could be easily removed with a big spoon. Pretty good if you are trying to keep your macros in line. The meat was so, so tender it basically broke itself into smaller pieces upon touch, making very easy to remove the remaining chunks of fat with my fingers (use some kitchen gloves, GAF, don't be gross).

The taste was intense, very spicy due to using Viet imported sriracha. American one would have probably resulted in some sweeter meat, but I prefer it this way. The meat is mouth watering tasty and there's NONE of that nasty pork aroma I mentioned in the beginning. It's abolutely stunning, really. The remaining veggies were at the bottom of the pot and had formed what it looks like a chunky puree of brined onions, fungi and tomato, well marinated in sriracha. I added a bit of it to the meat rations before freezing them and kept the rest in a bigger separate container for mixing with white rice (from now on known as AWESOME rice).

As for the test sandwich, I used some normal bread roll, a dash of soft BBQ sauce, a sliced sweet pickle and a decent amount of iceberg lettuce, since I kind of hate coleslaw.

Look at this handsome dead piggie. Look at it.

Some random observations:

• This particular recipe has a shit-ton of sugar. I need to find a way to replace it. Other than that, it's pretty diet-friendly.
• Pork shoulder is kind of fatty, so there's a surprisingly small amount of lean pork at the end. By my calculations, I got around three and half 200 grams rations of lean pork (and just pork, not counting veggies nor sauce) out of a kilo of pork. That's not a lot. Luckily enough, pork shoulder is cheap.
• Now I need to try this with chicken. I just found that 2 kg of chicken thighs costs €4 at the market, whereas 1 kg of chicken breasts goes for €4.5. I foresee a lot of pulled sriracha chicken in my future.
• I'm SO adding black/red beans the next time I make some more pulled pork.
• Programmable electric pots are the shit. Despite being an intense dish, my kitchen barely smells of anything. No fumes, no nothing. Had I use my old school pressure pot, the entire apartment would still smell of pulled pork.

I cannot say enough good things of my programmable pot. This thing is amazing.

 

[BlueBadger]

pulled pork.

Dear GAWD that looks so good help me.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Was going to make risotto but got lazy at the last minute and just decided to make pasta to go with my beef tongue ragu. Tongue was braised in a mixture of demi glace and beef stock with onions, garlic, and cremini mushrooms.

https://flic.kr/p/ofDGqshttps://www.flickr.com/people//

 

[Funky Papa]

Tongue is so, so good in stew. Have you tried it? It's my favourite "lowly cut" right along ox tail.

Edit: Stewed and then gratinated cow tongue is amazing. Oh my. I shouldn't get any ideas...

 

[nakedsushi]

^-- Agreed. Tongue is so good and flavorful. I love its texture when cooked well.

 

[Halo 2]

Tongue is so, so good in stew. Have you tried it? It's my favourite "lowly cut" right along ox tail.

Edit: Stewed and then gratinated cow tongue is amazing. Oh my. I shouldn't get any ideas...

I've only had tongue on a sandwich but it was delicious.

 

[Yes Boss!]

Poor-man Double Double. Perfect in taste...but missing the lettuce...so POOR! Grilled.

 

[Yes Boss!]

Bleu cheese, ham, pear tart:

 

[Rookje]

Any you guys sub to Chef Steps on YouTube? If not, highly recommended. I think I've seen every video now.

 

[Funky Papa]

Any you guys sub to Chef Steps on YouTube? If not, highly recommended. I think I've seen every video now.

I'm a huge fan of Food Wishes. His videos are not as pretty, but he makes everything look so damn easy. Chef John is the bachelor's best friend.

Too bad I'm on a diet.

 

[CrankyJay]

Some grilled flank steak, green onions, asparagus and balsamic marinated portobello mushroom caps.

Steak was rubbed in some garlic paste I made and fresh thyme from my garden, sprinkled on some Montreal steak seasoning.

 

[CrankyJay]

Been looking to replace my teflon coated wok as the coating is wearing off, and it doesn't seem appealing to me.

Is there a good online resource for a hand hammered wok from China, or would I be okay getting this one from Williams Sonoma?

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/prod...ARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule

 

[Rookje]

Been looking to replace my teflon coated wok as the coating is wearing off, and it doesn't seem appealing to me.

Is there a good online resource for a hand hammered wok from China, or would I be okay getting this one from Williams Sonoma?

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/prod...ARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule

Why do you want a Wok?

 

[CrankyJay]

Why do you want a Wok?

have a williams somoma gift card to burn...would rather use this to stirfry than a sautee pan

 

[thespot84]

my understanding is that almost no western home kitchens are equipped with a range capable of properly holding a wok or producing enough heat for a wok.

 

[OnkelC]

The flank steak looks awesome! Thanks for sharing.

As for the wok, the thinner the material the better IMHO. So go for the cheapest one around.

 

[CrankyJay]

my understanding is that almost no western home kitchens are equipped with a range capable of properly holding a wok or producing enough heat for a wok.

How about a 65000 btu outdoor wok burner? Muahahaha

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003GISCDK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Cool video of a 120k btu unit

http://youtu.be/viEuOyrm-Ps

 

[Rookje]

The flank steak looks awesome! Thanks for sharing.

As for the wok, the thinner the material the better IMHO. So go for the cheapest one around.

I would get the cast iron one if you plan on using it on a high BTU burner outdoors. See these Thai ones here. Read Kenji's Serious Eats article too.

Could also look at a Wok Mon.

 

[CrankyJay]

Thanks for the input. Seems going with a WS wok would be a complete rip off....lol.

Probably best to spend my gift card on something else.

Just watched a whole bunch of youtube videos on thai street vendors cooking in woks, so awesome.

 

[nakedsushi]

Yeah, I wouldn't use your WS card on a wok. The wok I use is the 14" from wokshop.com and it's fantastic. It's nice and seasoned from years of use and has served me well.

I wanted something delicious, filling, and affordable for dinner, so I made a big batch of mujadara. Maybe too big of a batch now that I think about it, but I ended up cooking too many lentils, so had to adjust the rest of the ingredients up.


Caramelized onions, lentils, kale, and rice.

 

[OnkelC]

That's a great idea! how does it taste when reheated?

Burger here tonight:

 

[CrankyJay]

That's a great idea! how does it taste when reheated?

Burger here tonight:

Now that's a burger I could get into.

 

[Blablurn]

Greek food. How I love thee.

 

[OnkelC]

Gyros-Alptraum-Platte rockt!

 

[Yes Boss!]

Made a braided Babka with chocolate and orange zest and a bit of gran marnier.

 

[nakedsushi]

^-- That looks professional! How hard was it to make?

 

[Yes Boss!]

^-- That looks professional! How hard was it to make?

Really not bad at all. I used first a rich brioche dough and rolled it out huge-like:

Spread the chocoalate shaves mixed with butter and gran marnier and the zest of an orange:

Rolled up and ends cut off:

Sliced and gilled down the middle:

Braided with end "testers"

Baked with testers eaten:

Cooled:

 

[LocknessMobster]

Thread is always drool worthy *drool.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Finally had some time to cook a proper meal for mom and brothers since I don't live with them anymore:

Bought some pork chops from a butcher next to where I work:

I oven dried them at 170F for 90 minutes and seasoned with just salt. Then basted them in brown butter dashi (basically brown butter infused with dashi)

 

[magnificent83]

Finally had some time to cook a proper meal for mom and brothers since I don't live with them anymore:

Bought some pork chops from a butcher next to where I work:

I oven dried them at 170F for 90 minutes and seasoned with just salt. Then basted them in brown butter dashi (basically brown butter infused with dashi)

What's oven drying supposed to do? Just wondering since I haven't seen this technique before.

And those chops look amazing

 

[Auto-Reply]

This might be the best thread on NeoGAF... the best and the worst at the same time. I love it.

I'm also extremely jealous of Metroid Killers cooking/baking skills... godlike!

 

[Zyzyxxz]

What's oven drying supposed to do? Just wondering since I haven't seen this technique before.

And those chops look amazing

Running your oven at the lowest temp possible to dry the surface of the meat in order to get a better sear. Works better on convection ovens just got to be careful it doesn't overcook.

 

[Antiwhippy]

So I'm trying to think of a good way to pair pork spare ribs with brussel sprouts. I'm going to roast the brussel sprouts in olive oil with some salt, pepper and speck, but I dunno how to treat the spare ribs to go well with it. Maybe with something sweet and salty?

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Mushroom and spring pea risotto with smoked bacon

big slab of dry aged beef, rare. Caramelized onions, blitzed herb butter

 

[TequilaHero]

So I'm trying to think of a good way to pair pork spare ribs with brussel sprouts. I'm going to roast the brussel sprouts in olive oil with some salt, pepper and speck, but I dunno how to treat the spare ribs to go well with it. Maybe with something sweet and salty?

I'm not too experienced with ribs (wish I was, they can be fuckin amazing). Some people boil, then grill or smoke. Some sear first, then slow and low for a couple hours.
Maybe others can weigh in on that, but...
If you want sweet and salty, I'm a huge fan of the dry rub
**These are guesses. I never measure. You basically want close proportions of salt and sugar (slightly less sugar) and a healthy amount of whatever spices you have**

I made this one for Fourth of July:
A 1/2 cup (prob more) of good salt (kosher or similar)
1/2 C Brown sugar
Bunch of smoked paprika
Chili powder
Roasted Cumin (cast iron skillet for a few, then ground=delicious)
Fresh ground Coriander
Touch of cinnamon for the sexy

We put it on ribs and they were fantastic. Also put a smidge in the stuffed burgers. Damn good.

*Pro-Tip: Buy a new coffee grinder and only use it for spices, then only buy whole spices. The difference is huge. You can blend up rubs and spice mixes in seconds.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Hmm, I do love a dry rub, but seeing that I'll be eating with rice I usually like to make a little sauce with the main meal.

I think I'll go for a honey soy recipe that I know.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

So I'm trying to think of a good way to pair pork spare ribs with brussel sprouts. I'm going to roast the brussel sprouts in olive oil with some salt, pepper and speck, but I dunno how to treat the spare ribs to go well with it. Maybe with something sweet and salty?

Fish caramel. Some fish sauce, water (to cut the saltiness), some lemongrass+onion+garlic, a splash of lime juice and a good deal of sugar. Thicken it (but not so thick so it'll burn in the oven) and use that, haha.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Oh god yeah, I love that sauce, but it's too late. Didn't have lemongrass with me anyway.

I'll definitely keep that dry rub recipe in mind for some other time though.

 

[GiJoccin]

Mushroom and spring pea risotto with smoked bacon

do you have a recipe for the risotto? looks awesome!

so does the steak, but i know how to cook that

 

[Cosmic Bus]

do you have a recipe for the risotto? looks awesome

The base for two of us along with a portion for leftovers was:

1 cup arborio rice
1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 shallot
butter + bacon fat
s+p
Y'all know basically how to make risotto, yeah? Some recipes push it to 15-20 minutes total cooking time, I like to stretch mine closer to 40. Whatever works for you, as long as the rice is fully cooked.

Sautee about 3/4lb assorted mushrooms with a little sage, thyme, and chili flake, and add it into the mostly finished risotto. I also used some caramelized onion and fresh peas (just a couple minutes in the hot risotto is all the cooking the peas need). Mix in a bunch of grated parm and an optional splash of cream. Topped with chopped bacon, more parm, and a few fried mushrooms.

 

[CrankyJay]

So I'm trying to think of a good way to pair pork spare ribs with brussel sprouts. I'm going to roast the brussel sprouts in olive oil with some salt, pepper and speck, but I dunno how to treat the spare ribs to go well with it. Maybe with something sweet and salty?

I would change the Brussels sprouts to pair better with the pork. Google cider glazed Brussels sprouts with bacon for inspiration.

 

[BriareosGAF]

Initial harvest is in full swing in Maine finally.

Would be nice to bake something with the berries but the children just eat them too fast straight from the bowl. Will probably bread and fry the squash tonight, especially at that size. Kohlrabi will be mandolin-ed into a salad I imagine, with carrot and/or daikon and a light tahini dressing. Broccoli turned out well this year, even if we think some deer were nibbling on it earlier in the season...

 

[nakedsushi]

^-- Those zucchini are quite large.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Salmon cakes, pita, pistachio mint yogurt spread

buttermilk pull-apart loaf

 

[Antiwhippy]

I would change the Brussels sprouts to pair better with the pork. Google cider glazed Brussels sprouts with bacon for inspiration.

I'll keep that in mind for the future.

That was the first time I had brussel sprouts and I quite like them actually! There were some bitterness but it was more a savoury kind instead of being overbearing. Pairs wells with some salty speck and the sweet glazed pork.