hey: i got a crock pot for christmas...whatthehelldoIdowithit? can I sear a pork roast and drop some sunchokes, parsnips and such in there...how long should I give the veggies?

crockpots are awesome for anything you need to cook low and slow. You could totally sear a roast in a pan and then finish it in the crock. The longer you leave vegetables in, the more prone they are to fall apart into mush.

crock pots are great for soup.

yeah, I was thinking no more than 2 hours, its only a two quart, so I don't want to run it dry, either.

Any kind of dried beans in a crockpot are the shit.

I just made this last night:
http://www.recipezaar.com/Amazing-Chicken-Curry-192064

sounds good and easy. My mom would shake her head at the boneless skinless thighs.

Was it spicy?

Looks like it could use a healthy dose of chili paste.

I forgot the jalapeno, but otherwise tasty. I didn't buy boneless chicken thighs. I bought the regular thighs and cut out the bones and peeled off the skin. Cooked up some basmati rice when I got home in my rice steamer, and voila... insta-dinner for the next couple of nights.

yeah, looks like it needs heat to me too. think I will be making lasagna tonight, I made too much marinara the other day...gotta do something with it. I like the raviolis, may have to do some mushroom blend with white sauce on em.

Beachy:
get a pork butt or shoulder
i cup vinegar
1 packet taco seasonings
2 small cans green chiles
2 small cans jalapenos and carrots/onions mix
low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 5-6 hours

Serve on tortillas with salsa verde, red onion, tomatoes, fresh cilantro and limes

This is a can't fucking lose for a big crowd, and the prep is less than 5 minutes.

I'm too lazy to search for that bloody mary jonks. Would one of you mind throwing it up in this thread?

I used to vacillate between creamy horseradish and prepared. I'm digging the prepared horseradish (read, not creamy).

Also, I just triple the recipe and keep it in a shaker in the fridge.

Campbell's is our favorite tomato juice for bloodies.

Those sharpening tutorials will take you down the right path, Phil.

For what it's worth, my setup is two water stones leftover from the woodworking days. I used to start with a marble tile (because I couldn't afford the $40 tempered glass plate most people used, and the marble was perfectly flat if a little brittle) with 600 grit wet/dry 3M sandpaper stuck to it with Super33 spray adhesive. You'd re-flatten your chisel face on that because it was guaranteed to be flat, and then work the edge with the two stones. You soak both stones in a little container of water for about ten minutes till they get saturated. Then as you work the chisels (or now knives) across them, you build up a slurry mixture of steel particles that are being sheared off and stone particles and water. It builds to a paste, and that paste does a lot of the cutting action for you. After re-facing on the wet/dry sandpaper, you'd put a new profile on the tip of the chisel at the right angle (we sure as shit didn't have the time or tools to meaure it accurately, but we were close) with the 1000# stone, preferably in a rolling clamp that holds the angle constant. Once it was the right depth and angle, you'd move to the 6000# stone and give it a mirror polish. That stone is soft enough to dent with your fingernail.

For the knives, I skip the 600 grit paper and go right to the first stone usually. Once they've soaked, I work the shaped side of the knife (same one that came with the edge) on the 1000# stone until I have removed the old edge completely. You can tell by the reflection in good light. It usually takes about 40 strokes a side, give or take. Consistency here is the key. Ideally it should be a nice flat angle all the way down. Now, you move to the 6000# stone, but you don't work the whole face. You increase your angle, so that only the very tip of the edge makes contact with the stone. And you work that edge very carefully (so as not to gouge the soft stone) until you've put a shiny, razor-sharp micro edge at the end of the bevel that came from the 1000#. So this new edge is at a slightly less-sharp angle than the first 40 passes you did, but it is of a finer grit (and thus cuts better), and is less brittle (because of the angle) so it lasts longer.


That's been working for me pretty well, but I keep refining it.

Something really close to my 6000# stone:

I'm gonna hafta try this as an easier alternative to the way I usually make carnitas for tacos, which is as follows...

Salt & pepper then sear pork on all sides. Then cover with a can of coke and a beer, a jar of jalepenos with carrots and onion, a couple sliced lemons, a couple cloves of garlic and some cumin. Add water to cover, and boil for about 2 hours. Let pork cool and then tear into chunks. Then, place on baking tray and bake in over basting with liquid until crispy. Serve on tortillas with onion and cilantro or some fresh pico de gallo.

i'm gonna have to try both of those pork recipes.

Thanks for the personal tips on knife sharpening kyle.

So how many strokes on average on the 6000# stone?

Uhh, probably more like 10 or 15. The resulting edge is probably half a millimeter wide, like a little mirror ribbon running along the edge. And again, the trick with that part is not digging into the soft stone and gouging it.

When I'm done, I rub the two stones together to re-face them a little, to combat the bowling effect and keep them flatter.

i would fuck this, no question

I made pork chops last night: rubbed them with a mix of dark brown sugar, lemon pepper, garlic powder and cumin. Let them sit ni the fridge for an hour or so and then brushed them with Walnut Oil before baking (too lazy to grill and I still need to get my vent working better to use my cast iron indoor grill more)

I topped them with the run off juices and a little flake finishing sea salt. Very tasty but I think the rub could have used some salt or Essence (out of) just to kick it a little more.

So you backbevel each time then or am I reading this wrong? Im lazy, and dont worry about the backbevel except maybe once in maybe 8 or 10 times I sharpen, is that a worry?

The hard part is the consistency of the angle.. but Im convinced there must be something you can jerry-rig in order to get the right one apart from just practice and experience.

IF you could build up the proper angle and then LAY the stones on top of that angle, you could then hold the knife in the usual horizontal position and just run it toward (not having to worry about keeping the right angle)- sort of like the way a lot of the sharpening systems do.

With woodworking skills, it seems you could easily do this.. you probably dont have to now, but for Phil.. might be a way to start..

P.S. I think I will have some food pron pictures for tonight, nothing special just a ny strip, some carottes rapees (crudites), and smashed potatoes... its snowing here and Im not in the mood to shovel.

That goldflake countertop - God I miss my grandparents' old house.

Hey, I'm fucking poor AND old- this old wreck of a house turns 80 next year, and the kitchen is the only room left I haven't redone.

oh and also, what angle do you use Capt? and what type of knives? japanese or german?

I love those chop & chop mats BTW. I usually use them on top of my cutting board when cleaning up meat.

He's got four Shuns

Easy breakfast this morning, migas

2 tbs of butter and some olive oil in a cast iron
2 corn tortillas shredded into chunks
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup poblano
4 eggs
As much shredded mixed cheese as you care to fold into the eggs
more corn tortillas steamed

over low heat, toss in the chunks, onion, and poblano, cook till onions are translucent.

Crack eggs into skillet, and scramble

Turn off heat and fold in cheese till...uh... cheesy.

Wrap in steamed corn tortillas, top with anything you want, salsa, pico, guacamole, or nothing at all.

no chorizo? You need to compare notes with Mama Tania!