wiredfool

In another one of those ‘I can’t believe that it took this long to actually do that’ things, I’ve actually done slow cooking in the bbq. I’ve had the thing since 99 or so, and only ever done quick, highish temperature grilling. But now, I’ve got some big hunks of meat in the freezer, and some of them have made their way onto the grating.

It’s a bit of a challenge, since the bottom air vents are rusted open, and there isn’t actually a thermometer in the thing, so it’s hard to figure out exactly where I am. But now I’ve got a remote oven thermometer, and a couple of binder clips and aluminum foil and I can control the airflow in.

The first thing I tried was a pineapple honey glaze on a pork loin roast. I wasn’t really expecting much from the roast, since when I’ve done them in the oven, they’ve been a little tough due to a lack of extra fat. The outer bits were tough, but has almost turned into a meat candy effect from the smoke and the glaze. Yummy. This one was done for 4 or 5 hours at 250-300 or so.

Next attempt was ribs. I had a hard time controlling the temperature, and they brined a little too long. So the thin bits of the meat weren’t quite where they should have been, and the bigger chunks could have used a higher heat for longer. These went 8 hours or more at somewhere between 175 and 250. The leftovers got steamed, and after 20 minutes being steamed, they were just about right. Falling apart, hot, and tasty.

Today, I’m trying the pineapple honey glaze approach again with a fresh ham roast. It’s running in the 275-325 range, since it’s got some good fat that I want to render off. I’m aiming for 4+ hours. But already, my hair smells like hickory smoke.

I can’t believe that it’s taken so long to think of this. Intentional flat bread, with garlic and olive oil, and a bit of salt. Sort of like fococcia bread, but not as well formed. The basic idea is to take pizza dough, not spread it so thin, and put some basic toppings on.

Dough — basic pizza.

* 1lb 8oz flour, mostly bread, a little white wheat or other.
* 1lb 3.5oz water, plus 1oz olive oil.
* 1tbsp salt, 1.5 tbsp yeast.

Mix, let sit for 20 minutes. Plop out on a oiled counter, fold a few times, put back in oiled bowl. Let rise, split into two balls about an hour before baking. Just before baking, spread out on a floured surface like a pizza, only thicker. Add olive oil, chopped garlic, and salt to the top, then slide into a 500 degree oven on a pizza stone. Bake about 12 minutes.