I got some kirby cukes at the last farmers market of the year...In about a weeks they'll be dill pickles

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1701722455.jpg

^^^ cool! For the first time in my life I bought expensive pickles recently. They were awesome. I bought some kirby's and put them in the brine after the pickles were gone and 2 weeks later they were just OK. Too much cucumber taste. But the original pickle brine can't be too hard to duplicate. A grapeleaf is in the brine. Mine are all gone but have fresh ones all summer.

Po' Boy Tower with two different remoulades, caper dill pickle and tomato horseradish

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1701910993.jpg

^^^ mmmmmm.......that looks fantastic, Shaun.....nice job!

Wow! That looks awesome!

This was a fun one and it turned out great. Copycat Caribbean Roast Pork Sandwich with black beans & rice from Paseo's in Seattle rated one of the best sandwiches in America.

Sandwich: https://www.seattletimes.com/news/recipe-for-the-paseo-sandwich-at-home-make-your-own-and-let-the-healing-begin/

Black Beans: https://www.potsandpins.com/blog/2010/07/paseo-black-beans.html


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1702133029.jpg

The recipe called for a bone in pork shoulder. I picked up a 3lb boneless Duroc shoulder and added a couple of ham hocks for flavor and collagen as the marinade becomes the sauce and it is delicious. I transferred the ham hocks to the bean pot after braising was completed then shredded the meat in the beans before discarding the bones. The flavor combo in the sandwich is fantastic - Toasted Baguette/ garlic aioli/ cilantro/ pickled jalapeno/ braised pork/ sauteed onions/ more cilantro/ romaine lettuce/ more garlic aioli. This was a huge hit with the family, completely worth the effort, and I'll definitely be doing it again.

I've been meaning to share this with other foodies on this thread.

We did the Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole thing in August. We had dinner at an amazing restaurant in Jackson Hole called the Blue Lion. They served bread with a mystery flavored oil prior to the entrees. We were all blown away with how good it was but none of us correctly guessed what it was. We all thought it may have some garlic in it but we were wrong. It was scallion oil. We'd never heard of it before and it was amazing. Haven't tried making it yet but here is a link that appears to closely represent what we had per the server's description.

https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/chinese-scallion-oil-recipe/

Thanks Baz and Mark, it was definitely super tasty and have made it twice since then. Like all sandwiches it's even better when wrapped for 5 minutes, just enough time for the magic to happen (would love to know the science behind wrapped sandwiches) but the shrimp were still warm to hot.

These are the kind of sandwiches I love, crockpot meat based. This must have been excellent and I will be shopping for a picnic shoulder this week.

The pickles are pretty much done, you can tell the brine has turned cloudy. Ill give them another day or two before refrigerating to stop the fermentation, so they can get dillier, and garlicier..

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1702160539.jpg

Some shots from some epic meals in Flushing

This brings tears.. of goodness and spice!!

L-R sliced fish with tofu in hot oil, CHONGQING CHICKEN (SICHUAN LA ZI JI) so good so spicy... you cant stop eating it...if you do the heat comes on strong... even with the Szechuan peppercorns (numbing), and cold cucumber salad... only the temp is cold ..


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1702160787.jpg

Hot Pot.. so good in cooler weather


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1702161081.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1702161081.jpg

In one of the videos I watched featuring this sandwich I note that I came wrapped which I considered, did not do, but would highly recommend. Also, be generous with the Aioli.

Black pepper beef chow mein tonight. Ever since making spaghetti all’assassina, I've been lusting after authentic chow mein with the same toasted/charred/crisped noodles and a proper smoky wok hei effect. Finally found real fresh lo mein so it was on. Sirloin, sliced and velveted with dark soy and grated ginger, red & green peppers, onions garlic. All done in stages in a hand hammered wok from Shanghai. And now I know why the local authentic Chinese restaurant said they don't make chow mein, it's too hard and takes too long. But I'm here to say it's worth it! Noodles were smokey, a little char which I can improve on and the whole dish was alive, that is it wasn't one note, each bite was its own flavor.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1702253092.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1702253092.jpg

Couple weeks ago one of the BOGO specials at Publix was their Extra Large size cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined with tail left on.

I eat them with cocktail sauce ala shrimp cocktail style.

YUM!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703130271.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703130271.JPG

Felt like an Oklahoma burger day. Real aged (crystally) English cheddar makes a huge difference. Getting a prime rib for Christmas I found out the butcher will grind any combination of meat I want so looking forward to some great burgers in '24. These were just market ground but still tasty. Not sure if I posted but I did dice up a lightly frozen sirloin and pulsed it a few times in the processor and that made an amazing burger, so tender and tasty. Apparently a protein develops if you over-process beef that makes burgers tough and less tasty so the least amount of grinding is best.javascript:winopen('upload.html')

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703371899.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703371899.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703371899.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703371899.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703371899.jpg

Did some baking for Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow..

Bourbon St Brownies..

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703372622.jpg

I may or may not have sampled one or two... must resist, They have to last until tomorrow afternoon..

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703372692.jpg

Table is set.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703389878.JPG
Flank steak is ready to be cooked, it's sitting in the fridge. Cake is baked and cookies cooked.
Merry Christmas guys and gals!

Burgers look amazing, as always, Shaun!

Brownies look incredible, Tim...well done with the Jack! ;)

Your table setting is beautiful, Scott! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Last minute dinner plan. It's hard to beat a good old fried Oklahoma onion smash burger. Been on my mind since Shaun's recent post. Some of my best yet. I usually use 80/20 ground chuck but Kroger had 85/15 on sale. Really couldn't tell any difference. Patties rubbed with soy sauce (as I always do with burgers) and seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Hit the onions with some Kosmos SPG prior to the flip. Used one slice yellow american and one slice white american. YUM!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703771401.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703771671.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703771671.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703771671.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703771671.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703771671.jpg

A nice end to the old year, and nice way to start the new..

The GF cooked up some Gumbo for me

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704133060.jpg

Nice pot of pozole on the cook top for New Years Day dinner.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704147072.jpg