Slot Car Cooking

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I looked into it this morning, and it looks like it could be very interesting. Its 5 qt. so you aren't going to feed three folks ribs using it unless you do repeated operations. It looks like a full brisket might be cut in quarters and fit in there, and that would feed four or five generously. It seems to generate smoke the same way I do in an electric smoker. The smoke is in lavarocks that have real smoke permanently infused in the lavarock mix. I almost never use real wood for smoking, but for BBQ using my grill, I use chips and a sidecar for indirect heat.

[Florida_Slotter]

Rob,

I had a chance to really see the unit yesterday as we had race day at Pete Ross's place. He was kind enough to bring it out so I could look and see. I was impressed with the build quality of the unit and have now put it on "the list" - that would be the list of stuff Grandpa would like as a gift. So I might be getting one for Christmas this year. We shall see. But if I can do a quartered brisket in about 3 hours, that would be something good, besides the taste of the brisket that is.

Thanks for looking into it as I am just looking for input from anyone with experience with the unit. Pressure smoker is interesting.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Marty, did you ever get that pressure smoker thing?

[ChallengerGuy]

Here's my apple pie - I borrowed the pie crust recipe from Martha Stewart online - basically a butter pie crust. I rolled the mix thick and left two 6 inch rounds in the fridge overnight to roll out today.

The filling is also a variation on the Martha Stewart old fashioned apple pie. I just need reminders about what ingredients are needed for the filling and make a go of it. I mixed brown sugar (dark and golden) with white sugar to add some variation. The wow factor on this pie will come from the zest of a whole lemon and then the fresh squeezed juice added in with the apples, then nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugars. I left out the two tablespoons of flour by accident so I guess I will have to eat it all myself so as to save everyone from a ruined pie!

I baked it for an hour - my oven is not the best so for whatever reason, I always have to add time. They say you should zap the pie at 400 for 10 minutes prior to slower cooking for 35 but I don't think my oven cooperates like that. So, I just did 375 for an hour. The crust, as you can see, was my guide and it seemed to turn out OK, no burns. So, perhaps it got the slow cooking treatment, essential for the "old fashioned" style.

Here's a few shots:






Cheers,
Mike

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Excellent. Thanks for posting that.

About your oven... If you put a firebrick (the kind of brick used to line the inside of a chimney) in the bottom rear of your oven, it will make your oven much more accurate and easier to deal with. Just leave it there and it won't be in the way anyway. You can accomplish the same thing with a ceramic pizza stone, but they cost a great deal more than a single brick.

[ChallengerGuy]

Thanks, I will try that. It can't hurt, that's for sure. It's a gas oven by the way, if that makes any difference.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Works even better with gas, because the thermostat is wired differently. The idea is that the brick picks up temperature while the oven is pre-heating, and fills in the gap as the gas flame comes on and off while cooking. This results in a smoother, more consistent cooking cycle. It actually saves gas, too, which never mattered until recently. It was one of those impossible to excuse huge price increases, like diesel becoming more expensive than gasoline, even though diesel is a by-product of gasoline production.

[ChallengerGuy]

OK, that makes sense. Thanks for the great tip. Everyday I try to learn something new. This counts! Now that I have met my quota, I can relax.

[ChallengerGuy]

And here's my personal favourite, lemon meringue pie. Perhaps it because you can lick two bowls instead of one.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Looks great! You are welcome to post that one too, you know. This isn't invitational, after all.

[ChallengerGuy]

I thought this was the thread for posting. Send me a link if I am doing it wrong. Lol. Thanks!!

[waaytoomuchintothis]

This is it. You're doing fine. Now where's that lemon pie?

[Ember]

My lemon tree is splitting under the weight of fruit this year, so I've spent the last few days dealing with some of the excess.


Lemon butter/curd


Preserved lemons

Plus lemon sugar and lemon salt.

And I've hardly made a dent in the tree.

[ChallengerGuy]

Wow that looks fantastic. Lemons are the best. I should plant a lemon tree in my yard.

[Ember]

This one always produces lots of fruit, but the last couple of years they've been pithy and rather empty of juice. I've spent a bit of time on it this year keeping if fed and watered, and dosed up with tea leaves. The branches are strive to hold all the fruit and it's already full of setting blossom for the next lot. When I strip it I'll have go pick some of the fruit buds off for the health of the tree.