Food Thread

Would I have to spend $300-400 for a decent one? I'd really like to have one but that level is out of my budget.

Mine was $100 and change but I bought it years ago. I think with the quarantines and stuff meat slicers actually became scarce and shot up in price. I'd hold off for another couple of months if you want one.
 
Side note since we were talking about food equipment...

I've had a generic, no name vacuum sealer for years and packed thousands of fish with it. After last season it quit working, and I've been eyballing a popular model Foodsaver that a lot of my buddies use. It's about $200 on Amazon without the food attachment.

Anywhoo...in my town we have a thrift store that's like Goodwill only run by a local charity. I cruise through there about once a week because it's a great way to pick up inexpensive cooking items. Usually what happens is someone in their 80s dies and has a kitchen full of good stuff from the 50s and 60s back when shit was heavy duty and built to last. I've gotten tons on cast iron from Wagner and Griswold for literally pennies, old Anchor and Pyrex baking dishes, you name it.

I was cruising through there this weekend and see what looks a hell of a lot like the Foodsaver I want on the end of the shelf. Checked out and sure enough it was the exact model number and had the wet food attachment, the manual, and all the paperwork taped to it. Price tag said "$8, NOT TESTED." Took it up to the counter and it was 50% off in the whole store so I got out of there for $4, totally sure the thing wouldn't work. Plugged it in, and she worked like a champ. Vac'd and sealed about five bags and I'm pretty sure it's good to go.

I'm guessing someone's mom or dad died and their kids put everything in boxes and took it down there. Thank you to whoever it was.
 
Mine was $100 and change but I bought it years ago. I think with the quarantines and stuff meat slicers actually became scarce and shot up in price. I'd hold off for another couple of months if you want one.
Probably a good idea.

I've really gotten to enjoy buying pork belly and making my own bacon on the Pit Barrel. The price/lb comes out about even but I like the quality more.

What I do know is freeze the slab for about a half hour to stiffen it up and slice it by hand, but that's kind of a PITA.
 
Probably a good idea.

I've really gotten to enjoy buying pork belly and making my own bacon on the Pit Barrel. The price/lb comes out about even but I like the quality more.

What I do know is freeze the slab for about a half hour to stiffen it up and slice it by hand, but that's kind of a PITA.

Oh yeah, you need a meat slicer, bro. Mine is a little different than this one, but pretty close. For $115 it is worth it: https://www.amazon.com/Anescra-Remo...=1&keywords=meat+slicer&qid=1610381473&sr=8-8

I think the ones down in the $60 range have a lot of plastic. What salt do you use to cure that belly? Recipe?
 
Would I have to spend $300-400 for a decent one? I'd really like to have one but that level is out of my budget.
Would I have to spend $300-400 for a decent one? I'd really like to have one but that level is out of my budget.
With COVID shuttering a lot of restaurants, keep an eye on auctions. A couple places in Iowa City have gone under and auctioned off all their equipment. I did see a meat slicer in the list of items for one of the restaurants.
 
What salt do you use to cure that belly? Recipe?
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1.5 tsp pink curing salt (cheap on Amazon)
As much black pepper as you like (I like a lot)

I cut my pork belly slab into squares that are just big enough to fit in a gallon ziplock, any extra pieces just put in their own ziplock.

Coat the pork belly the mixture above, put it in the gallon ziplock and get as much air out as you can. Put it in the fridge for 5 days, flip it once every day. It'll pull a hell of a lot of moisture out so if you're not confident in your ziplock bag put it in a baking sheet in the fridge.

When the 5 days is up rinse it in the sink and dry it completely. Don't want any sugars on there burning during the smoke.

Toss it on your BPC and smoke it till it hits 150* internal. Slice it up to whatever thickness you want and it's done. You got bacon. It really is better than store bought but a little more labor
 
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1.5 tsp pink curing salt (cheap on Amazon)
As much black pepper as you like (I like a lot)

I cut my pork belly slab into squares that are just big enough to fit in a gallon ziplock, any extra pieces just put in their own ziplock.

Coat the pork belly the mixture above, put it in the gallon ziplock and get as much air out as you can. Put it in the fridge for 5 days, flip it once every day. It'll pull a hell of a lot of moisture out so if you're not confident in your ziplock bag put it in a baking sheet in the fridge.

When the 5 days is up rinse it in the sink and dry it completely. Don't want any sugars on there burning during the smoke.

Toss it on your BPC and smoke it till it hits 150* internal. Slice it up to whatever thickness you want and it's done. You got bacon. It really is better than store bought but a little more labor

Do you use hickory in the PBC?
 
Do you use hickory in the PBC?
I've used both hickory and apple doing bacon and either one is good.

One thing I've noticed is the smoke isn't as intense doing bacon since it doesn't take a ton of time to get to that 150* temp. Maybe if you went full on mesquite it'd get too harsh but otherwise it's pretty forgiving.
 
I've used both hickory and apple doing bacon and either one is good.

One thing I've noticed is the smoke isn't as intense doing bacon since it doesn't take a ton of time to get to that 150* temp. Maybe if you went full on mesquite it'd get too harsh but otherwise it's pretty forgiving.

Have you tried closing the vent a little and maybe plugging two or three of the top holes? Get that temp down and just let it take some smoke. How much is shoulder going for at Costco these days? Maybe this is a necessary experiment.
 
I'm making crockpot chicken gravy with rice.

4 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 packets of chicken gravy
1 tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon (chicken)
Chicken broth

Place chicken at bottom of crockpot, season however you like I use a Rada meat seasoning and garlic powder but salt and pepper work. In a bowl mix the soup, gravy, bouillon, along with broth together. Put however much broth you want depending how thick or thin you like your gravy (I use about 2 cups). Pour over chicken and let cook 4-5 hours. Shred the chicken, add more water or broth if you want thinner gravy, and cook some rice.

We are going to try this one over biscuits.
 
Have you tried closing the vent a little and maybe plugging two or three of the top holes? Get that temp down and just let it take some smoke. How much is shoulder going for at Costco these days? Maybe this is a necessary experiment.
I tried that once with a shoulder and I thought it turned out a little bitter. The smoke was pretty acrid, I think it was from choking the fire. The dude who designed the PBC was either pretty smart or really lucky to find the right settings.
 
I tried that once with a shoulder and I thought it turned out a little bitter. The smoke was pretty acrid, I think it was from choking the fire. The dude who designed the PBC was either pretty smart or really lucky to find the right settings.

Yeah, but a shoulder would be on there for a long time.
 
Be sure to look carefully at the pork belly to be sure it's good quality. I got one that was nearly all fat. It did have some lean meat on the outside but after smoking and cooling it, once I sliced it, It was nearly all fat. I tried to use it but had to throw it away.
 
Be sure to look carefully at the pork belly to be sure it's good quality. I got one that was nearly all fat. It did have some lean meat on the outside but after smoking and cooling it, once I sliced it, It was nearly all fat. I tried to use it but had to throw it away.
Wow, that sucks.

Usually with pork belly they can sometimes err towards the side of being a little too lean, but I've never had one that was too fatty. Did it come from a big processor like Smithfield/Tyson/Hormel or was it a local meat locker?
 
Mine was $100 and change but I bought it years ago. I think with the quarantines and stuff meat slicers actually became scarce and shot up in price. I'd hold off for another couple of months if you want one.
On the same topic, do you have a grinder?

I can get a lot of chuck and assorted cuts as they get close to date (which is actually better than fresh) for a decent price and it's tough to beat ground chuck for tacos, burgers, sauces, etc.

I've heard good things about the grinder attachment on the KitchenAid stand mixers, but Fryowa don't bake and I wouldn't need that monstrosity.
 
On the same topic, do you have a grinder?

I can get a lot of chuck and assorted cuts as they get close to date (which is actually better than fresh) for a decent price and it's tough to beat ground chuck for tacos, burgers, sauces, etc.

I've heard good things about the grinder attachment on the KitchenAid stand mixers, but Fryowa don't bake and I wouldn't need that monstrosity.

I do not have a grinder. If I had a grinder, it would lead to me making sausages at home and I don't need to make sausages at home. I got the slicer primarily to make Japanese and Korean dishes that require sliced meat.
 
Would I have to spend $300-400 for a decent one? I'd really like to have one but that level is out of my budget.

Yep. It's one of those items where a "cheap one" just doesn't cut it. I tried. Buy a professional quality unit or don't waste your money. The floor for a good one is around $250-$275
 
Wow, that sucks.

Usually with pork belly they can sometimes err towards the side of being a little too lean, but I've never had one that was too fatty. Did it come from a big processor like Smithfield/Tyson/Hormel or was it a local meat locker?
I got it at Fairway. Normally all their meat products are of great quality. I just got a bad one.
 

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