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SB Sunday throw down on the flat-top

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5 layer dip

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I'm never buying store bought cheesecake ever again. These little cheesecake jars easily make owning a sous vide worth it and it will pay for itself making these things.
They were even better than some cheesecake we had in Brooklyn a few years ago and that was considered one of the best cheesecakes in NYC!
No bullshit on the ingredients. No corn syrup, excess sugars, or preservatives. Just cream cheese, buttermilk, eggs, and reduced amount of pure cane sugar. Crust is crushed cinnamon graham crackers mixed well with melted unsalted butter and tamped down to pack it down at the bottom before filling.
176 in the SV for 90 minutes then let sit in the fridge overnight

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hell yeah man, that all looks killer!!!!! i'm gonna try those cheesecakes out for sure!!!!!!!! maybe this weekend..

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so i saw there was a big listeria outbreak...

Brands and the products they have recalled in the past week include:

SaveMart: Chicken Street Taco Kit
The Perfect Bite Co: Mexican Style Street Corn Bites
Stater Bros: Chicken Street Taco Kit
Fresh Express: Fresh Express Salsa! Ensalada Kit, Marketside Southwest Chopped Salad Kit
Albertsons, Safeway, Eagle, Carrs-Safeway, Pavilions, Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, Lucky: Chicken Taco Kits and Meals
Dole, Marketside, President’s Choice: Salad kits
Fresh and Ready, Sprig and Sprout, Jack and Olive: Torta sandwiches
Marketside: Bacon Ranch Crunch Salad Kit
Marketside: Bacon Ranch Crunch Chopped Salad Kit
Bright Farms: Bright Farms Southwest Chipotle Crunch Kit salad kit
Trader Joe’s: Chicken Enchiladas Verde, Cilantro Salad Dressing, Elote Chopped Salad Kit, Southwest Salad
Marketside, Ready Pac Bistro: Southwest Chopped Salad Kit, Bacon Ranch Crunch Kit, Fresh Mex Chopped Kit, Queso Crunch Salad Kit
Rojo’s: Black Bean 6 Layer Dip
Don Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s: Cilantro Lime Crema, Everything Sauce Fiesta, Cilantro Cotija dressing, Poblano Caesar dressing, Cilantro Dressing, Street Taco Express Meal Kit

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Celebrated my girlfriends Bday today... sous vide a t-bone and two tails @131*

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thats just wrong on so many levels!!!! how can ya ruin a good banana like that... that's a sorry excuse for a pizza!! :LOL:

gotta be a mushroom though right? bananas don't look like that.
 
Final test to determine if the RecTeq Bullseye is truly the all in one BBQ it claims to be and I want it to be.
It passed BBQ with A+
Flat top griddle A+
Searing at a very high temp B
And now, can it smoke? There's only one cut to determine this...brisket. If it can smoke a brisket then it can smoke anything

How it started

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After 8 hours and getting past the stall

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How it ended. Hell yeah!

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So I'm really super judgy when it comes to brisket, especially my own. There's a standard I feel needs to be met with brisket and am so happy the Bullseye can meet that standard.
I can always do better IMO. Haven't perfected it yet but have come close many times and came close again with my first run on it.
Checked all the boxes on bark, smoke ring, texture, and juiciness.

The flavor is tremendous! When my wife tells me "See, this is why I love your brisket and is the only brisket I'll eat" As she proceeds to take 3 slabs and goes radio silent for the next 10 minutes with the only sounds being mmmm, I know I did a good one. She's not a brisket eater at all.

It's close for me but I'm also on a mission to change some ideas on it from Texas traditions.
Instead of post oak, I used mesquite. Instead of a multi part sweet and salty rub.... just black pepper, green chile, and garlic.
I'm trying to blend flavors of Mexico with Texas flavors and getting that real deal Tex Mex BBQ not many can pull off. Green chile is often reserved just for pork but when given a chance, can do some awesome shit to beef too!
I found a BBQ joint in Victoria,Tx. Has a Vinegar base sauce with brown sugar, I don't know if paprika or chili or hatch is in it. but I love it on everything, even boiled eggs for breakfast. Carry on, SS Oh, Munford's BBQ,Ha
 
👀You're gonna post that deliciousness and not give up a recipe?
C'mon Man!!!🤤

it's a good one for the dutch oven man!! deep flat bottom!!

cut the onions, like one or two per bowl... i cut three smaller ones for these two bowls. i like yellow or spanish onions, sweet onions tend to burn quicker.

caramelize the onions down in butter and a little oil just to keep the butter from browning. a teaspoon of sugar also helps in caramelizing too. it takes a while man.. like almost an hour.. keep stirring keep cooking don't em burn just get em real dark.

then add a tablespoon or so of flour.. blend it in, let it cook for a few minutes so there's no raw flour smell, starts to smell like an onion pizza!!
the put in a 1/2 cup of cognac or sherry to deglaze with. I only had bacardi 151 on hand so purto rician rum it was for me!! haha white wine is fine too... whatever you got to deglaze with really.. scrape with a flat wooden spatula or flat wooden spoon.. get all the bits scraped up the best you can, it ok if you don't get it all yet.

once the booze is evaporated off then add about four cups of beef stock. i like better than bullion and then just add water. also add salt and pepper and some fresh thyme. crank up the heat and stir it up and make sure at this point you do have all the bits scrapped from the bottom and it's smooth and clean underneath. bring that to a boil, then down to a slow simmer for about 20 minutes or so till you're ready for it.

then cut your baguette on an angle about 3/4 inch thick and toast them lightly under your broiler.
while that is toasting, shred your cheese... here's where you can get creative. i like a mix of gruyere, fontina, and swiss, but again you can choose what you like, all gruyere is just fine. you'll want at least 3oz of cheese per bowl of soup. i like extra so i go with about 5oz and pack it in!!

ladle in your soup mix, set in a couple pieces of toasted bread, then cram the cheese on top and broil till bubbly dark yumminess!!!!

and that is about as classic french onion soup as it gets man!!

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i made your cheesecake recipe last night man.... WOW!!!! i'm a fuckin baker now!!!!! damn bro these came out perfect in the sous vide!!! made a little banana cream compote to top with!!!

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i can't believe how easy they were!! only dirtied a mixing bowl and a measuring cup and that was it. and to taste that good on top of it!!!
 
Gonna try to sneak expense a Blackstone and some kind of bbq pit, if I'm gonna feed these fuckers proper I need things. There's a bunch of restaurants too, maybe a cool chef will let me use a spare prep station when they arent busy.
 
Does she have this one?

Because I was skeptical but I love the dang thing especially for making pico de gallo.
Just get it on prime day when it's only $19 ;)
Probably, or a slap chop or some other QVC crap for people scared of sharp knives and mandolines. Mandolines really freak people out for some weird reason lol. My wife wont even watch me using one. Gives her the heebie jeebies.
 
Love me some butt
Hell yeah! Who doesnt? 🤪
@Cool_Beans my youngest is packing up and moving out this weekend. He's a trained panfinger too. Finally got a job at a nice enough restaurant to afford to live on his own. He's still young, but hope he gets as good at cooking and life as you.
Thats awesome! It was a big accomplishment for me when i moved out of my parents house.
 
@Cool_Beans my youngest is packing up and moving out this weekend. He's a trained panfinger too. Finally got a job at a nice enough restaurant to afford to live on his own. He's still young, but hope he gets as good at cooking and life as you.
That is fantastic, you must be very proud..Congrats to the young Chef and to Mom and Dad as well! Send him my best.
 
That is fantastic, you must be very proud..Congrats to the young Chef and to Mom and Dad as well! Send him my best.
I showed him this thread and he was impressed. He geeks out over this stuff. Won't let anyone touch his knives kinda soup nazi vibe. I blame Gordon Ramsey for militarized kitchen mentality.

He asked if you cook with cannabis much?
 
I showed him this thread and he was impressed. He geeks out over this stuff. Won't let anyone touch his knives kinda soup nazi vibe. I blame Gordon Ramsey for militarized kitchen mentality.

He asked if you cook with cannabis much?
I thought about experimenting with it, but to be honest edibles never did much for my wife and I, so didn't pursue it.
 
🤤🤤🤤
First piece of meat I'm smoking when I get my new Pit Boss.
I effin love me some brisket🤩

You got some monster balls doing a brisket on a new pit!🎱⚽⚾🥎🏀🏐

I have to work my way up when using a new pit. First is whole chicken and fish then a slab of ribs so I get a feel of temp zones and accuracy. Once I know that I'm ready for the 14 hour marathon that's a brisket 😋
 
You got some monster balls doing a brisket on a new pit!🎱⚽⚾🥎🏀🏐

I have to work my way up when using a new pit. First is whole chicken and fish then a slab of ribs so I get a feel of temp zones and accuracy. Once I know that I'm ready for the 14 hour marathon that's a brisket 😋
Go big or go home right? 🤷🏻
 
🩲🩲🩲 Thanks Buddy! It was battle with that one starting at 3am and ending at 5pm but I finally got her done and won that fight🤘

that's one hell of a smoke ring you got!! i wouldn't even need a plate or silverware for that!! :D

how are you liking your new smoker? do you like it more than your old one?
 
that's one hell of a smoke ring you got!! i wouldn't even need a plate or silverware for that!! :D

how are you liking your new smoker? do you like it more than your old one?

TBH I'm really super surprised at how well it performs. I think my big smoker just needs an ignitor to get it back up and going but I'm in no hurry with how well this ReqTeq performs.
The only issues I've had is pellet grills can be touchy about some things and this one gets real bitchy about having a steam pot down in it to moisturize the smoke.
The auger and feed tube are about a foot long so on long smokes and when the hopper gets low on fuel the steam can backflow thru that auger tube, moisten some pellets, and clog it up. Then I have to take it apart and clear it and that's a hassle.
But other than that I'm super impressed with how well it does. I mean that's a pretty damn good brisket. Like you say text book and could compete with any BBQ joint in Texas IMO. And it's off a kettle grill!!!!

BTW I've been meaning to tell you and maybe give you a $$$ making idea after your work on my smasher plate and you've already built that beast smoker....
You can buy the business part of a pellet grill and then adapt them into a DIY/custom pellet smoker or grill. Pellet fuel is huge right now and there's metal workers here in Texas like at Yoder, doing this and selling their work for Thousands.
Dude I know with your talent and tools, you could do this too. All it really is, is an offset smoker and instead of a firebox, you install a pellet hopper and control box. You invest maybe $200-$300 and sell it for $1500
 
I think my big smoker just needs an ignitor to get it back up and going

oh that would be sweet if that's all it is!!!!!!!!

could compete with any BBQ joint in Texas IMO.

i was thinking the same thing when looking at it.. i've been to bbq joints where theirs didn't look that perfect!

wanted to ask you, can you readily buy a half brisket like that in your area? some places around here sell the point and flat separate but bro they want like $10 a pound just cuz it cut!! my normal best price i can normally get is $5-6 / pound but i gotta trim the shit out of it, probably toss out 10% in the first ten minutes. they start at 16lbs but i swear i'm under ten after a good trim. is that normal?

also don't shoot me for this but what is your opinion on freezing a trimmed and cut brisket for later? i have never heard of a frozen brisket but if it doesn't matter i could buy one whole, trim and freeze separate cuts to make it easier. to be honest cooking an entire one is almost like work for me and need a bunch of people just to eat it all!! haha

would love to be able to just smoke a flat like that and not spend $80.

and sell it for $1500

people really pay that much for plain jane pellet smokers? i have one in my head i've been wanting to build for years now, i want to take a 275gal oil tank and lay it on it's side and cut the lid off on an angle.

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you'd be able to spread out two pigs side by side with room for fixins!!!

my buddy and i are gonna build him one inside the engine compartment of a classic chevy truck. but no cab, just the whole front clip with big bubble fenders and hood and bumper and the hood is the lid with the smoker inside where the engine was. but with just a short flat bed behind it for wood storage and stuff. one day...
 
oh that would be sweet if that's all it is!!!!!!!!



i was thinking the same thing when looking at it.. i've been to bbq joints where theirs didn't look that perfect!

wanted to ask you, can you readily buy a half brisket like that in your area? some places around here sell the point and flat separate but bro they want like $10 a pound just cuz it cut!! my normal best price i can normally get is $5-6 / pound but i gotta trim the shit out of it, probably toss out 10% in the first ten minutes. they start at 16lbs but i swear i'm under ten after a good trim. is that normal?

also don't shoot me for this but what is your opinion on freezing a trimmed and cut brisket for later? i have never heard of a frozen brisket but if it doesn't matter i could buy one whole, trim and freeze separate cuts to make it easier. to be honest cooking an entire one is almost like work for me and need a bunch of people just to eat it all!! haha

would love to be able to just smoke a flat like that and not spend $80.



people really pay that much for plain jane pellet smokers? i have one in my head i've been wanting to build for years now, i want to take a 275gal oil tank and lay it on it's side and cut the lid off on an angle.

hvac-accessories-275vot-64_145.jpg


you'd be able to spread out two pigs side by side with room for fixins!!!

my buddy and i are gonna build him one inside the engine compartment of a classic chevy truck. but no cab, just the whole front clip with big bubble fenders and hood and bumper and the hood is the lid with the smoker inside where the engine was. but with just a short flat bed behind it for wood storage and stuff. one day...

Even more!
Check out the prices on these



From what I can tell is the propane grill and outdoor kitchen island trend is all but dead. The people who buy those hi end luxury grills are getting into pellet and they want something more than Trager and others who've outsourced to China.
They want USA made, high quality, heavy gauge steel, and craftsmanship. And companies like Yoder are absolutely cashing in on it.
Pellet makes anybody a pitmaster then on top of that you have BBQ U at places like Meat Church where people come from all over to learn how to BBQ. These rich folk wanna have their parties and produce a meal comparable to some of the best pitmasters they see on TV. Ten years ago that crowd was into sear marks and kabobs and now they're into real deal Texas style BBQ and it's insane how much they'll spend to do it and be able to brag about it.

Yeah freezing a brisket is kinda common especially after covid and the old buying limits. Just use your vac sealer and freezer grade bags.

So I can get brisket one of many ways at the regular meat market in the grocery store.

You have the whole packers in American wagyu, prime, and choice. These range from about $75-$150. Then you have the whole packer in choice with the deckle fat trimmed off and that's about $80.
Then you have market trim choice and that's what I buy.
It will either be a point or flat and it will be trimmed to near perfection behind the counter then wrapped on a tray and sold. I like this because first a packer is just too big for two people and second, yeah all that trimming sucks.

On a packer that size I might cut away 5lbs+ of fat then I gotta freeze the fat and put it in the compost bin the night before pick up otherwise all that fat will get all rancid in the bin and that's just gross and stinky, draws flies and all that.
And I don't even wanna get into how hard it is to trim when a brisky isn't ice cold. Like it's a race against time and I gotta chill it again if I don't do it fast enough and a good trim does take time. Better done in a cold meat market rather than an 80 degree kitchen lol.

I'll have to look and compare price per pound but for say a 5-8lb market trimmed choice flat I'll pay around $23 on the low end to $35 on the high end. Maybe up to $40 on a point.
I'm also not too sold on prime or wagyu. Sure they give more tolerance if not done to perfection but give me choice, consistent low temps 225-250 and a near transparent smoke and I'll make a choice cut taste prime especially the lower and slower I cook it.

I'm also not a fan of trying to do a whole packer because of the temp difference to done between a point and flat. The flat will always be done first so yeah I'm all for cutting it in half and doing one or the other.

Then this all changes if you get the brisky from a good butcher. Those will be angus prime and trimmed up packers. Looking at around $150 for the smallest brisket about the size of a slab of baby back and a full size packer trimmed up will be an ez $250. If you want Japanese wagyu then it gets insane at well over $1000 for even that smallest of packers
 
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