The trick is to smoke the meat and not make the meat smoke
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Review

Artisan Bread - A Follow Up

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Two weeks ago when I wrote the blog entry ARTISAN BREAD IN 5 MINUTES A DAY I had only just begun to use this book. I am back to report that it is just too good, not too good to be true. I can’t tell you how nice it is to be able to reach into the fridge, pull out a ball of dough and in about 2 minutes you have a loaf of bread started. About two hours later, after a rise, a bake and a cool down your are cutting into fresh baked bread as good as any I’ve tried. This process really works well. You make a particular “master dough recipe” which can be stored for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. On baking day you cut off a piece of the dough and make the bread. Many recipes have variations for the types of bread you can make from the master dough recipe. The same loaf you get a baguette from, can make a delicious pizza crust from. In fact let me say not just delicious, it was the best pizza crust I’ve ever made or tasted. I’ve now made this bread for several people who are long time bakers themselves and they were blown away when they tasted the bread. Read More...
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Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

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This blog title is the title of an amazing cookbook I just picked up that sounds too good to be true, but so far it sure doesn’t seem to be. Now before you wonder why I am talking bread in my barbecue blog, just think about it: Bread plays a key part in most everything we eat. This book uses a series of simple starter recipes to create all types of breads from A to Z. With the recipes in this book I will be able to make rye breads for grilled paninis, pizza dough for grilled pizza, flatbreads, rolls, etc. Read More...
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Planet Barbecue

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I pre-ordered this book when it was announced in the early spring of 2010 and I couldn’t wait for it to finally arrive. When it did arrive I was knee deep in some other cookbooks and summer grilling magazines, so it took me a while to crack this book open andactually use it. Now that I have started using it, I am amazed at it’s scope and the wonderful variety of recipes. Steven Raichlen spent time traveling around the world in search of the best barbecue. The book has recipes from 60 different countries. Read More...
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Wicked Good Charcoal

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Wicked Good Charcoal is both the name of the charcoal I am going to talk about, and it describes my feelings about the product after a short time using it. For those of you not from this neck of the East Coast “Wicked” is slang which translates to “Very, very..” . This indeed is is very, very good charcoal and truth be told is probably the best charcoal I’ve ever used. But let’s get to the specifics, because while it IS wicked good, it IS NOT totally perfect. Read More...
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Cookbook Heads Up

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I picked up this cookbook the other day during a trip to the supermarket and I already have a dozen recipes picked out to make. This great summer supplement is filled with interesting recipes for items that are sometimes hard to make due to the availability of the right ingredients or they are regional in nature or hard to get just right. Sometimes it can be all three. One of the things that I like is this magazine isn’t just a collection of recipes, there is always a story behind the recipe. This story involves working out some of the problems in terms of getting the right ingredients and finding the proper cooking method. Even if I am not interested in a particular recipe there are often helpful sidebars about cooking techniques or the best brand ingredient to use, that still make the recipe a worthwhile read. They also have a few pages of quick tips that are great time or money savers. These tips can be worth the price of that issue alone. Read More...
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Webers Chicken & Sides

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I discovered not one, but two, new Weber cookbooks that had just been published this month quite by accident. I was on Amazon.com pre-ordering Steven Raichlen’s first new cookbook in 4 years called Planet Barbecue and I discovered these two new books written by Jamie Purviance. Let me just add as a sidebar here that Amazon makes it far too easy to get yourself in trouble. You go looking for one thing and they show you a dozen more you didn’t know you needed to have. If that is not bad enough: Then they put together a bundle where they save you money on two or three of the books purchased together. Here they had the Chicken& Sides which retails for $14.95 selling for $10.17. For $19.95 I got the Chicken and Steak books and free shipping. I ddin’t stand a chance and I didn’t even mention how easy one-click made things. Read More...
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Kingsford Competition Briquettes - Second Thoughts

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A few weeks ago in the oh so cleverly titled blog entry: Kingsford Competition Briquettes I wrote a blog giving my initial impressions about this new (to me) charcoal. I’ve cooked with them a couple more times now and this blog will be a follow up to those initial impressions. Read More...
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