Category Archives: Dining

Best. Turkey. Ever.

November 24, 2011 epicureasian

My 2011 Thanksgiving turkey turned out to be a winner. I thought I wanted a fried turkey this year, but ended up throwing this bird onto the Weber grill to smoke for nearly 3 hours. Initially, I started with one bank of coals; but when I saw that temperatures weren’t rising after the first hour, I fired up a second bank in the second hour and that’s when things started cooking. I also included a pan of water in the grill to catch the drippings and keep the turkey moist.

This is a 14.5 pound Jennie-O turkey brined for 20-21 hours. It came off my trusty Weber 22″ grill smoky and succulent; perfect moisture, texture and color. I didn’t have to cover it to achieve that beautiful golden brown–it arrived at that color without drying out. It came off the grill when I determined temps to be in the 150-160 range, estimating that it would rise another 10 degrees when removed from the grill. After cutting into it, we marveled at the tenderness and juiciness of the bird from white meat to dark. It even boasted a smoke ring on the bottom half.

The taste was complex. Under the smokiness we detected all the garlic, pepper, salt, rosemary, and sugar from the brine. What also cut across all those complex flavors were the lemon wedges I stuck into the cavity; the meat nearest the cavity had a light smoky taste accentuated by lemon. Just wonderful.

2011 Turkey Brine recipe:

2 gallons of water
40 cloves of garlic, chopped (if not more)
6-8 sprigs/branches of rosemary, chopped (should come out to handful or quarter cup)
1.5 cups of salt
half a cup of brown sugar
quarter cup of coarse ground black pepper
quarter cup of garlic powder
1 medium lemon or lime, sliced (optional)

I love garlic and rosemary; I chopped enough of both to result in about 1-2 handfuls of each. Meanwhile, I add salt and sugar into a huge stainless steel stockpot (large enough to brine the turkey in). Turn the heat on high, then add 2 gallons of water. I boiled the brine until salt and sugar were dissolved before adding rosemary, garlic, garlic powder and black pepper. Stir then cover the stockpot, and turned off the heat. Throw in the lemons and let the mixture sit overnight, at least 6-8 hours, to let it steep. Remove the lemons before dunking the turkey into the brine the following morning.

Clear out some space for the stockpot brine and refrigerate for 20-21 hours. This brine may result in a salty turkey for some, so I suggest trying 16-18 hours brine time, or reduce salt measurement to 1 cup.

Bites and Finds, Dining

Reacquainted with a fave pearl: boba

November 14, 2011 epicureasian

I grew up with Filipino desserts that featured tapioca pearls known as sago. I’ve had them in hot drinks (sago at gulaman), cold drinks (halo-halo), and soups. This last preparation is generally known as ginataang halo halo, a coconut cream-based hot dessert featuring plantains, taro, yams, jackfruit, bilo-bilo (sticky rice balls) and tapioca pearls. (There is a variation of dessert ginataan known as ginataang mais, but possesses the texture of rice pudding and lacks the tapioca pearls.)

The Filipino dessert of which I have the fondest memories is taho, a hot drink made with liquefied sugar, soft tofu and tapioca pearls. It’s probably the only preparation of tofu I’d ever consume without hesitation–as long as the tofu has absorbed the sweetness fully. However, I have consumed taho with the tofu withheld upon request, and it is ultimately preferable to the tofu/sago mixture.

Nowadays, tapioca pearls have become part of a mainstream drink sensation known as boba tea, which originated in Taiwan. Of course, the main ingredients is the boba (tapioca pearls or bubbles) and milk tea. I’ve never been a fan of tea, so I steered clear of the lactose variation. Luckily, boba drinks expanded to include juices, smoothies and slushes. So I’ve been partaking regularly of these versions with the boba thrown in. Since my preference generally steers towards mango, I’ve been trying all sorts of combinations: mango pineapple, mango strawberry, mango banana or just plain mango. I’ve even had lychee slush with boba–and may have to ask for mango lychee one of these days.

The tapioca pearls vary in texture from dense and chewy to soft and gummy. A version of boba known as pop boba contains a flavored center in a normally chewy tapioca shell. Other popular addons include jelly (or nata de coco), flan and of course chopped fresh fruit. Of course, like halo-halo, the more addons the better! This passing familiarity with Filipino desserts is what keeps me hooked on boba drinks, and I’m glad they’ve taken hold here in the U.S.

Dining, Recipes

Brisket accomplished

July 4, 2011 epicureasian

I got up later than planned on Saturday, around 8am. Which set me back on time to do the brisket bbq. I needed to stop by Home Depot to pick up a temperature gauge for our trusty old Weber kettle…and it was a purchase that paid off.

Initially, we were out of smaller options of untrimmed whole brisket at the supermarket, so the honey brought home a 14lb slab of beef. He seasoned it the previous night; I sliced it apart the next morning and reseasoned it. At 10:30am I put the point end (about 7 to 9lbs of fatty brisket) over some hot hickory coals and began barbecuing.

It wasn’t really until after 11am that I achieved desired temperature. The coals had burned too high (from 450F down to 350F) at the start and since I was frustrated with the process of going out in the midday heat every 10 minutes to check on the temps, I finally killed one of the banks. That got me below the 300F degree mark sometime after 12 noon and we were finally on our way.

The intent was to keep ambient temps in the grill between 200F to 250F. We worked out a system to refill with coals about every hour for about 10.5 hours. We watched movies all afternoon to keep us occupied while we waited on the brisket to finish, snacking on grilled sausages and potato salad in the mean time. Internal temps stayed around 160F in the later part of the day until I decided to add a small amount coals to the second bank to generate some heat and help speed up the bark-making process. At 9:30pm at 175F-180F we pulled the brisket off the grill and let it sit for another half hour. The honey grilled up some super sweet corn; then we sat down to eat.

It was truly the most sublime piece of meat that I had ever barbecued. Silky soft slabs of glistening beef fell apart as I sliced it. The slow cooking process achieved what we wanted; a rendering process that broke down the channels of fat in the meat to moisten and tenderize it. The honey declared it the best brisket we ever bbq’d–better even than Rudy’s.

And that’s how 2011 July 2 became the date of brisket accomplished.

Dining, Recipes

Brisket challenge 2011

June 26, 2011 epicureasian

For the past several weekends, perfectly smoked brisket continues to elude us. Regardless of cut or size, we still undercook or cook the brisket too fast. This current weekend we purchased a whole, untrimmed brisket from Kroger’s at 1.99/lb. Weighing in at under 10lbs, we put the behemoth (our biggest attempt yet out of 5 or 6) into our black kettle. Starting with two banks of coals, we eventually had to foil up the monster at the 3 hour mark.

Here’s our dilemma: we get too impatient and don’t let the brisket smoke long enough. Obviously, internet literature suggests at the minimum 90 minutes per pound if cooking in the 200-250 temperature range. At this rate, a 9-10lb brisket should cook for 13-15 hours. We haven’t been able to sit still long enough to cook a brisket all day. I’m minded to go back to the smaller cuts and keep an eye on the temperatures better. However, further reading reveals that competition bbq can be cooked up to 350F at a faster rate, then wrapped and put into a cooler to cook at rest.

I’m fairly certain that our Weber 22″ kettle isn’t at fault here (Alton Brown used terracotta flower pots for heaven’s sake!), though managing steady temperatures is certainly key. I have already bought a meat thermometer to keep an eye on the brisket, but perhaps a temperature gauge on the kettle itself might prove crucial to turning out a perfectly smoked brisket. Other adaptations we have made is resorting to rosemary branches to double as an apple juice mop. Cheap and disposable.

I believe my brisket rub is near perfect. I bottled up one of my concoctions a few weeks ago, and we have been using it consistently on beef. It is simply a mixture of paprika, garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder and brown sugar with some dried basil and hot pepper flakes thrown in.The taste is nearly perfect, though I think it could use a touch more sweetness. For this large brisket, I added more salt.

What we lacked aside from doneness on this current test slab was a good bark. Methinks our generous mopping was defeating the bark formation as well. At the 3 hour mark, only very small bits of end were blackened…of course foiling up the beast pretty much ensured no more bark formation. When I cut into the flat end at the 6 hour mark, unrendered fat formed a rind along the bottom cap, but boy it was still tasty. Personal note: DO NOT MOP until 2-3 hours in! A very generous smoke ring was evident in all the cuts we made. We did separate part of the flat from the point end, and at this stage, the meat steamed when cut. We got our tough chewy (but extremely flavorful) dinner bits, then wrapped up the remainder and set it into the oven to rest overnight.

Some good practices we have been following is to rub the brisket prior the day of cooking, then make sure the slab of meat is at room temperature before placing on the grill. We’ve also been using liquid-filled drip pans in the kettle, usually water or apple juice–though I’m highly skeptical that the apple juice steam imparts any flavor to the meat.

Things we should apply but haven’t done: COOK TO TEMPERATURE, not time. (Anywhere between 180 to 200 internal temp is the general consensus.) Get a temperature gauge for the kettle. Get a remote temperature gauge for the meat. Don’t mop until a bark has successfully formed, sometime between the first hour and third hour. Test for tenderness: insertion and pulling out should be little to no resistance; if there is resistance, then it’s not tender-ready. When to foil? Anytime after the first half or only at the end to rest for 20 minutes. Keep the brisket as far away from the fire as possible–tough to do if you’re limited on rack space. Try mustard as a medium for applying the rub to. And finally, start early morning and expect to end late–especially for any brisked sized over 3lbs.

Despite our setbacks with smoking brisket, my potato salad recipe is nearly perfected. More on that later.

Dining, Reviews

Dining Malaysian

May 18, 2011 epicureasian

Secret Recipe Asian Bistro

The man and I took off for North Carrollton for an adventure in dining to sample the Malay/Singaporean cuisine at Secret Recipe. At first we thought it odd to order our food at the counter, but our host indicated we could take a seat to peruse the menu. We took our menu to a booth to give dinner some thought.

No menu confusion here! It appears that Secret Recipe has consolidated their menu, listing both their American-friendly options plus their Southeast Asian dishes all in one booklet. (Their takeout menu however still lists only the Americanized menu, and consists of Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese dishes.) In addition, nearly every dish had a brief description and a corresponding photograph, which made decisions a bit easier. Still…too many choices, so little time and tummy-space.

We opted to go straight to the entree choices, ordering nasi lemak, hokkien mee, sambal water spinach and the token eggplant with minced pork dish. Like most ethnic places I’ve eaten at, the dishes came out as they were cooked. We enjoyed the hokkien mee, a wet (not dry) noodle dish: super fine rice vermicelli in a shrimp sauce base tossed with squid, shrimp, and fish cake. Almost every bite hid a tiny sliver of green asian chili, and while it wasn’t a shocking heat, it built into a slow burn as we ate the rest. The dish even tasted better with a squeeze of lime.

Our water spinach and eggplant dishes came out next. I appreciated the water spinach dish; this Malay version was sauteed in sambal sauce, making the sweet greens even sweeter. Bright purple eggplant with minced pork held a hint of gingery sweetness as well; both my man and I were glad that it wasn’t too hot to eat, and happy that it was still firm and not overcooked. What we thought the dish lacked however was garlic, having found more flavorful renditions of this dish at other ethnic Chinese spots.

The last dish that came out was the nasi lemak. The portion size seemed more suitable to a single-serving, but the man and I agreed to split it amicably. I considered this dish the most distinctive of everything we ordered, yet so pedestrian. I liken it to diner or comfort food, home-cooked and unpretentious. Our nasi lemak came with a mound of coconut rice, curry chicken, sambal anchovies, fried anchovies, dry whole peanuts, a hard boiled egg and sliced cucumbers. Mixing the chicken with the coconut rice was something of an eye-opener, producing a “reverse” curry effect that gave me pause. Being the white boy that he is, my man devoured the egg, chicken and coconut rice, but left me with the anchovies, cucumbers and peanuts. I thought I got the better end of the deal, but then again, it’s an acquired taste.

After all the sweet-salty dishes, I had to order some shaved ice to finish the meal. Their ais kecang was too heavy on the ice and light on the ingredients: red beans, grass jelly, sweet corn kernels, and coconut milk. I imagine if it was a hot summer day, I would have enjoyed this dessert more.

Both the man and I agreed that while our orders didn’t produce the contrast in flavors we were hoping for, Secret Recipe’s southeast asian menu is worth further exploration. We’ll back to try out more of their staples.

Rating by epicureasian: 3.5 stars

EPICUREASIAN.COM