Posts by trentski

    When Heston had his restaurant at Crown in Melbourne, Dinner it was called. They had a dessert thing with spit roasted pineapple. They had a vertical wood fired spit in the kitchen, you could watch it through a window.

    Tipsy Cake with Spit Roasted Pineapple, worth going just for that, and the rest of the meal was amazing, closed now.

    I made the Serious Eats cast iron pan pizza on the weekend, made 1 in a 10 inch cast iron pan and the other in a tray with a slightly larger surface area, maybe 10 by 8 inches.

    So easy and so good, a thicker crust but very light and the cheese and sauce caramelises around the edges, so good.

    I got a Royal Kamado in 2012 and I have no trouble keeping set temps on it, in fact I am constantly amazed at how well it does keep a stable temp.

    I have a MB560 now because I never fully trusted the Kamado, but not because it gave me a reason not to trust it. When I'm cooking at 100C I have the top vent open a matchstick or two and the bottom vent open about a cm, If I'm roasting at 180C or so, the bottom vent almost wide open and the top about half.

    It should be that easy. it sounds like yours is leaking air, but you say it passes the smoke test, What temperature probe are you using and where do you put it?

    That's all from farmed civets now, and by farmed I mean kept in a cage and fed rubbish beans.

    It was originally good because the wild civets would only eat the best berries at the peak ripeness, or something like that. Once they were put in cages and fed whatever, the quality isn't as good, and the ethical concerns taint the coffee as well.

    Like almost every animal based tourist attraction in Thailand, the animals aren't treated well.

    I was going to say BigW, I got some from them recently. Their online shop is pretty good so if they don't have them on that then they must no longer be stocked.

    I'm seeing KMart and BigW have them, Spotlight could also be worth trying and there is always Amazon

    Glad I posted in this thread, had a bit of a light bulb moment.

    I don't like the smell of mangrove charcoal either, but I thought it was just charcoal I didn't like the smell of. :doh: I'm thinking maybe the 560 was a mistake, I don't like food cooked over charcoal. Then I read the posts and lightbulb goes on. I don't like low and slow with mangrove charcoal :dunno:

    I was down to the bottom of the bag anyway so I cleared the last of the hopper and threw it in the kamado, because hot and fast it's fine and grabbed some Heatbeads lump and coconut briquettes from bunnings today.

    Will try them with some chuck crest (cupim) that I got from the local IGA.

    Takes a couple of minutes to get it going with the Looft lighter then you leave it to do its thing while you get everything else ready, 20 minutes later you are cooking.

    If you light the kamado before you do your prep for everything else you won't be waiting for the kamado

    I've always wondered Captain, what happens to the coffee that you rub on the ribs? Don't you get coffee grit in your food, or does some magic happen? what flavours come through?

    I roast my own coffee and should be into the coffee rubs, but it just seems wrong :shrug:

    I make a flat bread from a recipe I found on the net and it is easy and delicious. Have to keep making bigger and bigger batches, the base batch makes 6 good sized ones or 8 smaller.

    The recipe link gives you a print option and you can upscale the recipe there, or click the 2x, 3x buttons at the top right of the recipe section.

    https://avirtualvegan.com/flatbread-recipe/

    If you can't bring yourself to visit a vegan website then I've copied the recipe below.

    I cook these over charcoal, takes a couple of minutes

    Ingredients

    • ▢ 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast , or instant/quick action yeast
    • ▢ approx 1 cup & 1 tablespoon / 255 mls warm water (not hot!) , divided (Somewhere between 95°F and 115°F is fine). You might not need all of it.
    • ▢ 2 teaspoons sugar , white sugar or cane sugar
    • ▢ 2½ cups / 310 g all purpose flour or bread flour , (strong flour in the UK)
    • ▢ 1 teaspoon fine salt
    • ▢ 3 tablespoons / 45 mls olive oil , or any other liquid oil like vegetable, avocado, sunflower etc


    ▢ If you are using active dry yeast you first need to activate it. (If you are using instant or quick action yeast skip to the next step). In a small jug or bowl, add the active dry yeast, the sugar and about 120 mls / ½ cup of the warm water. The water should be somewhere between 95°F and 115°F. If you drop some on the inside of your wrist it should feel warm but not hot. Stir it together and leave for 5 or 6 minutes. It will take about 2 to 3 minutes for the yeast to become thoroughly dissolved and 2 or 3 more for it to begin to show signs of life and start bubbling. Once that has happened you are set to continue.

    ▢ Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl. If you are using instant or quick action yeast add the sugar. Mix together. Next add the yeast mixture or instant/quick acting yeast and the oil. Stir it all together with a spoon then add just enough of the remaining water to form a slightly sticky dough (you might not need all of the water and you may need a tiny bit more). Keep stirring as you add it, then start using your hands to bring it all together. The dough will stick to your hands at first but keep kneading it around in the bowl until it comes together in a ball. If you prefer you can use a stand mixer but it's so quick and easy by hand that I never bother. If the dough feels too sticky, add a little more flour. It should only take 2 to 3 minutes of relaxed kneading to get a smoothish ball of dough. It doesn't need kneading as thoroughly as a loaf of bread might.

    ▢ Scrape the ball of dough loose from the bowl with your fingers and lift it out for a second, then with your other hand, pour a drop of oil into the bottom of the bowl. Put the dough back in and turn it all around so all sides have a layer of oil. Run a clean dish towel under warm water and wring it out, then place it over the top of the bowl. Leave on your kitchen counter for 1 hour.

    ▢ After 1 hour, lightly flour your work surface and tip the dough out onto it. Punch the air out of it, then form into an even round ball. Using a sharp knife, cut into 6 evenly sized pieces. Roll each one into a ball then use a rolling pin, roll each ball into a disc or oval shape about 3-4 mm thick.

    ▢ Heat a griddle, skillet or frying pan over a medium high heat for a few minutes until very hot. No oil is necessary. Gently and carefully place each flatbread on the hot surface (you can do more than one at a time if you have space). Stay close by as it all happens pretty fast. Watch as bubbles start appearing and it puffs up. After 2 to 3 minutes, use a spatula to gently peek underneath Once the underside is golden in places (or slightly charred if you prefer - just cook for slightly longer) flip it over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Wrap the cooked flatbreads in a clean dish towel to keep extra soft, or place on a cooling rack. Continue until they are all cooked.