It's grilling season.

[SixPACK]

Kind of in the gour boat, will drink thicker "manlier?" beers if out for business or going to a fancier place and don't want to look like a tool ordering Bud Light in fear they will think I am going to start playing flipcup on their tables. Even though I did order a "Not your fathers root beer" on my last luncheon (sorry for such the queer word, felt like it fit) and got a little buzzed before heading back to the office.

Kouki about to get pissed this is turning into a Beer Snob 2.0 thread..

back on topic....I want this.

 

[The Oi]

So are you really "up for anything"?

I'm DFW.

Bud Lite doesn't get the credit it deserves for being just as awful as Milwaukee's Best, Busch and Natty.

 

[natedagg]

Oh Christ.

You and @natedagg are such faggots.

Sam Adams is delicious. Just because it's a macrobrew doesn't mean it tastes bad. It just means you cunts have to claim it tastes bad.

High School called and wants its "good beer" back. I mean look, you are some sort of sober queer who has a dozen beers a year, so your lack of sophistication is really endearing. I am patting you on the back here, champ/chief/bro. I feel like you just walked in to a gunfight with a water pistol. You are out of your element and in over your oblong, outsized head. It's comical to watch you deconstruct your reputation in front of our very eyes. JIGO IS GETTING CRUSHED IN HERE.
-----------
So last night with the MIL in town, she only eats fish, so that's cool - challenge accepted. Gotta hook the daughter up with some chicken & apple sausage (local butcher), made some salmon that my wife had marinated in a teriyaki number (pretty standard - I love it but if anyone has any other bases besides this or honey/soy/ginger, please share). I grilled some asparagus too (with the sausage on the top rack dripping onto them), and then I tried something new: grilled swiss chard. The wife made some baby food out of fresh squash and since squash is huge, she roasted the rest.

http://www.nola.com/food/index.ssf/2013/05/grilled_swiss_chard_recipe.html

I did it with rainbow chard but exec summary: basic flavors - olive oil, lemon from one of my lemon trees, S&P, garlic, then you grill the stems like I did the asparagus and then grill the leaves for just a couple of minutes. I tossed them together with some parmesan cheese and it was great. Definitely will serve to company, with the only critique being "damn, I shoulda bought more of this shit." So keep that in mind if you give it a whirl - one bunch wasn't enough for 3, but would be good for 2 as a side.

I have been trying to get away from the carbs a bit more (until I unite with my pizza oven, of course), so I have been grilling up all kinds of veggies. I am not a huge salad fan - I feel like a good salad takes quite a bit of work/prep - so for me the grill is an excellent fit since it doesn't make a whole lot of dishes and I am always grilling up some flesh anyway. I guess my point is that if you are grilling, fear not tossing some veggies in the mix. It works out well and if you have a crowd, there's bound to be someone who really appreciates it.

And before I forget, an EXCELLENT easy side dish is what I call REAL pork & beans. So on a sunday, you all should be making bacon for breakfast, naturally. That should be a given. So save a couple of cooked strips and cut them up. Add to a can of tri-bean mix, add some bbq sauce, some spice (if you don't have a 2.5 year old daughter, that is) - I would go with Mantouks hot pepper sauce personally, and BOOM - you get the essence of what pork and beans SHOULD be. It's really a great side item for grilling and it has received critical acclaim from guests. ACCLAIM I TELL YOU.

Finally, we should rap on hot sauces for a minute here. If you like spice, I think it's really important to align the hot sauce with the food, so I would like to hear some thoughts about this. For example, I would never put the Tap Tap (Tapatio) on pizza, which for me I love Frank's Red Hot. But the Tap Tap rocks for southwestern things like burritos, tacos, etc. If you haven't tried Mantouks, it will change your life. A bit harder to find but a really unique flavor to add to your set. I also like to have around a hot salsa, but since I don't use it enough, I don't really have a local fresh one. I am not a huge fan of the workload, but there's a grilled pasilla-pineapple-red onion salsa that's amazing, but that's something that my wife does. I like salsa on my eggs over the hot sauces personally... So does anyone have any other hot sauce categories that I am missing? I think BBQ sauce is something that I would just spice up with red pepper or chipotle seasoning, but other than that, am I missing any of the basics here?

TLDR: Jigo sucks; grilled rainbow chard is easy and delicious; grilled veggies are great for large crowds; baked beans are great if you make them "from scratch" as a side item for grilling; hot sauce is complex and we should rap about it;

 

[natedagg]

I'm DFW.

Bud Lite doesn't get the credit it deserves for being just as awful as Milwaukee's Best, Busch and Natty.

I'm DTFJW.

 

[gourimoko]

I'm DTFJW.

DTFJW?

I'm Down To Fuck Jewish Women (tonight)?

Definitely sounds like my kind of night.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Let's talk hot sauce, grilled salmon, and get back to Jigo's ass whupin'.

Right now I have a gigantic "cock sauce" brand sriracha and a bottle of hot sesame oil. Sriracha has snuck into the mainstream and can now be used liberally in American food. One part cock sauce to two parts soy sauce with a squirt of lime is awesome. But, investing in hot sesame oil is strongly recommended. It hits your tongue completely differently and lingers, especially if you use it after you cook. I also keep around this three pack:

You get a variety of taste options, it also makes a great cheap gift around Christmas.

Now, onto salmon. If you cook salmon slow and low while its wrapped in tin foil, you avoid that gross dry salmon with the white fat leaking out of the meat. Let's face it, overcooking salmon is an embarrassment to everyone involved. Another fun trick is semi-melted butter rubbed all over the skin and grilling on high direct heat. Wait for the butter to get cold again and congeal. Grill the salmon skin down only with the grill covered. If done correctly, you can get the skin as crispy as a cracker but the meat cooked through but medium rare. Ever see this stuff?

It makes regular white rice taste like sushi. I've been using it as a salmon rub as well, its my wife's favorite preparation for salmon. Of course salmon is so good it really lends itself to any cuisine of you don't overcook it.

I feel like I haven't covered something, but whatever...

 

[SixPACK]

For various reasons, including pizza, eggs, mixing your own sauces, Bloody Mary's, you have to keep these hot sauces in your fridge (I have about 7 diff. types, try and remember them all):

Cholula
Tabasco (all flavors recommended)
Tapatio
Franks
Sriracha
Cara Cara

and I always keep some kind of extremely hot sauce w/ Ghost peppers/extract to put a few "bottle shakes" in chili, sauces, bloody mary's...

 

[gourimoko]

@Randolphkeys , if you like Japanese flavors in home cooking then to go with your Wakame Chazuke, you should grab some other blends of furikake as well. Also, get some good shoyu not that kikkoman's garbage, but some blended shit or just blend your own (light and dark to taste). I use this recipe as a base for my yakitori sauces:

http://www.food.com/recipe/restaurant-teriyaki-sauce-133751

Gotta also grab some medium grain rice, wasabi paste, nori, Nanami Togarashi (Chili powder blend), and some rayu (chili oil).

Dunno if you also are into Korean flavors, but kimchi, and kalbi marinades are also great with similar but deeper flavors.

I eat Asian food probably 80% of the time these days, and Korean, Japanese and Filipino are definitely among my favorites.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Gouri, I have lived in a predominantly Asian neighborhood for about 10 years. I've been using trial and error with a lot of Japanese, Chinese, Pacific Island, and Korean products. Some are just butt nasty and I ruin dinner, but some become staples. I will look into Nanami Togarashi, I don't know if I ever picked that one up.

For Korean, its soooooo good, bro!

I always have kimchi around. Most Eastern Europeans transplants in the Midwest have no idea that sauerkraut wouldn't have existed without the Silk Road bringing kimchi to European traders. Real kimchi is amazing. I usually don't make my own kalbi barbeque because I have some of the best Korean barbeque joints in San Francisco in walking distance. They have all the weird fermented stuff in the little bowls, which I can't possibly reproduce at home. There are plenty of cuisines I've eaten and thought, "I wonder if I can make it at home." But fermented food is where I draw the line. Love it, but will never try and do it myself. One joint actually has high powered ventilation systems at each table and they barbeque the meat on real charcoal at your table. So, someday I will buy a jar of kalbi marinade but that is one BBQ treat I leave for restaurants.

 

[gourimoko]

Gouri, I have lived in a predominantly Asian neighborhood for about 10 years. I've been using trial and error with a lot of Japanese, Chinese, Pacific Island, and Korean products. Some are just butt nasty and I ruin dinner, but some become staples. I will look into Nanami Togarashi, I don't know if I ever picked that one up.

Yeah, having traveled throughout Asia, living in Hawaii and now in Cali, dating Asians, and finally marrying an Asian; I've really grown to appreciate eating Asian. (pun intended).

For Korean, its soooooo good, bro!

Yep, definitely in my Top 2 of Asian cuisines is Korean. Shit is amazing. My Korean-Japanese ex used to make Korean dishes for me all the time with her mom. Amazing food.

I always have kimchi around. Most Eastern Europeans transplants in the Midwest have no idea that sauerkraut wouldn't have existed without the Silk Road bringing kimchi to European traders. Real kimchi is amazing.

It is, especially when it's done right and it has that "pop" to it, almost like a fizzly kind of mouthfeel. I'm actually fond of all of the Korean mini-sides (I can't remember the name, my Korean friends would be upset), like the potato salad, bean sprouts, the little broccolini joints or whatever the fuck that is...

I usually don't make my own kalbi barbeque because I have some of the best Korean barbeque joints in San Francisco in walking distance.

I feel that. L.A. kind of sucks for getting good Japanese and I haven't spent enough time in Koreatown, but I hear it's phenomenal.

I hear that SF is pretty much the Holy Grail of Asian food in America (outside of Hawaii, obviously).

They have all the weird fermented stuff in the little bowls, which I can't possibly reproduce at home. There are plenty of cuisines I've eaten and thought, "I wonder if I can make it at home." But fermented food is where I draw the line. Love it, but will never try and do it myself.

I've always wanted to do the whole Shogun fermented meat on my porch thing, ever since I was a kid. I've had fermented and aged Alaskan salmon; omfg, best shit ever. I'm big on aged meats, especially good cuts of aged beef. The flavor is unreal and not something easily replicated.

One joint actually has high powered ventilation systems at each table and they barbeque the meat on real charcoal at your table. So, someday I will buy a jar of kalbi marinade but that is one BBQ treat I leave for restaurants.

Kalbi marinade is actually pretty easy, and it's so much cheaper to cook kalbi at home. My wife makes a kick ass marinade, which oddly enough, has Sprite as one of it's primary ingredients. Tastes like restaurant quality, tastes amazingly authentic, and it takes almost no time to make, especially if you're already going to be grilling.

 

[Randolphkeys]

I feel that. L.A. kind of sucks for getting good Japanese and I haven't spent enough time in Koreatown, but I hear it's phenomenal.

I hear that SF is pretty much the Holy Grail of Asian food in America (outside of Hawaii, obviously).

I've lived in San Francisco long enough to be sick of the general self-importance of the people around me, but I have to agree in the most humble way possible.

Kalbi marinade is actually pretty easy, and it's so much cheaper to cook kalbi at home. My wife makes a kick ass marinade, which oddly enough, has Sprite as one of it's primary ingredients. Tastes like restaurant quality, tastes amazingly authentic, and it takes almost no time to make, especially if you're already going to be grilling.

I just made Dr. Pepper marinade last week - one cup of brown sugar, four chipotles in adobo, minced garlic, a splash of vinegar and a can of Dr. Pepper. Reduce it on the stovetop for about a half an hour and let it cool.

Next time I barbeque I'm picking up some Korean sauce. I'll take a picture of it and report back in this thread. Now kalbi is the only thing I want, dammit!

 

[Ohdang]

Aren't beer drinkers just people with weak constitutions? Or just broken taste buds?

 

[Kouki]

no, beer is fantastic

made some quesadillas last night

marinated steak in olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, lime juice, fresh garlic, and a few chipotles + adobo

steak + "mexican cheese blend" + red onion, lightly sauteed + cilantro, served w sour cream and shredded iceberg lettuce

mmm

 

[SixPACK]

Grilled steaks, beer brats and some damn good rippers yesterday. Now grilling some lemon herb chicken 1/4's. Got real sick this weekend but keepin the grill goin

 

[Chardon]

A director at work said he grills crab legs. He said he would never go back to boiling them.