Bowling update 12-10-07

Hi Folks,
looks like the Sam-Train is back on track. haha

things were good this week for bowling

225

201

210



total series 636

for a 212 average over 3 games.

that's 2 weeks in a row of 600 series or better.



Anyhow i made some adjustments just a little late, but the strike zone is there right now.



ttyl



Sam

How much is that duckie in the window?

Hi,
one of the other realtors at my office is a proprietor of chinese take out. I knew he would know where to get good duck from.

He told me of this place called Q&Q Live poultry market.
(link has video)
1120 spring garden st, phila pa 19123
215-763-0230


He told me they prepare fresh.

well, i didn't know how fresh until I got there.

you literally, pick the live one from the cage, they weigh them right there, and you get the ducks , cleaned and ready to roast in a bag. Instant request, instant slaughter, for real.

they have male and female ducks. males are apparently bigger and yield more meat.

Anyhow, i chose 2 females. $16.00 each.

they have turkeys during the holiday season.

they also advertise they are Halal if you have religious restrictions.

See the images below for more info and a map.



Fresh duck! baby!

Sam

Actual Recipe for Peking Duck

Hi,
just for the sake of anyone trying to make peking duck at home

Ingredients:
1. young duckling.
2. Brown sugar (you can use the splenda blended brown sugar too)
3. Sea Salt, or Kosher Salt
4. Hoisin Sauce (doest have to be that brand , easy to find at asian supermarket, so even main stream supermarkets in asian section, where they sell ramen and other asian foods)


5. Garlic (i prefer fresh minced garlic, this is also sold at asian supermarkets in the refrigerated sections)
6. Pancakes: again, can be found in asian supermarket in frozen section near egg roll wrappers. for those who want hot fresh pancakes, there are a couple easy recipes. apparently easier to make than toritillas.
7. Green Onions. at least 1 bundle.

Other materials needed
1. 2.5 gallon slider bags
2. Beer can chicken holder

you need this to hold the duck in the middle of the big easy.

Note on asian supermarkets, if you live in a metro area where you know lots of asians live, but you can't find one, do a yellow pages search on for "asian supermarket"
this chain has a lot of locations around the USA.

ok, duck prep, if it is frozen, then de-melt in fridge 1 day before
take duck out of bag, and take out giblets from insides section
rinse with water and pat down with paper towel

Brine: this is the key process that helps all poultry stay nice and moist. No more dry breasts baby!
enough about breasts

In the 2.5 gallon bag, place duck at bottom
in Big mixing cup or bowl, but 4 tablespoons of brown sugar and water and mix until solublized and pour into bag
Place 4 tablespoons of salt into cup, and 2 tablespoons of garlic
Add water
and mix up, pour into bag.
You can also add some soy sauce, but i am always worried about things turning out too salty. but it hasnt yet.

Test, deviate a little, its ok.

Seal bag, and but into large mixing bowl , just in case it leaks. Another good tip is to use large binder clips from staples or wherever to close up all the extra space in the slider bag. Also get all the air out, that way your bird stays submerged better.



Other big easy users and briners have also used large coolers to store their birds during the brining process, this is ok, but you have to also pack ice into the cooler, because, it must be under a certain temp to avoid spoilage, and all of your guest getting the runs or something worse. food safety is key.

Ok, day of cooking, pull duck out of bag, pour out brine. i think it gross to reuse this for something else. it has served its purpose, so down the drain.

I put the underside opening onto the beer can rack, and center in grilling basket.

The drip tray will get a lot of oil dripping off. If you want some user have put food safe aluminum pans to catch the drip for gravies. I guess you could try making some soap with the lard, if you had the time or motivation. Duck soap, yeah... haha

I use the meat thermometer, and stick into the breast part.
pasted from USDA.gov
scroll down to the middle of the page and you see this answer:

Can Safely Cooked Duck and Goose Be Pink?
Cooked muscle meats can be pink even when the meat has reached a safe minimum internal temperature. If fresh duck or goose has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer, even though it may still be pink in the center, it should be safe. The pink color can be due to the cooking method or added ingredients. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook poultry to higher temperatures.

It should be safe, the US government telling me something should be safe...? cook that bird to 175. Safety first...

I tried a peanut oil rub on my turkey for thanksgiving, but the duck i didnt. why? i didnt want to over crisp it or burn the skin

Fire up the big easy and watch and wait.
a good product plug


looks dorky, but when you are grilling at night, its good to spot the temp gauge, and keeping your hands free.

once duck is done, which takes a nice 25 to 30 mins, carve the duck. the breast creates most of the meat yield. the SKIN, you must try and carve all the duck skin, with some meat. But still get all the skin.

I found that the legs and drumsticks get dry on all poultry i've done. its common in the big easy, since they are exposed and smallish. any suggestions for keeping wings and drums nicer for eating?

keeping food handling gloves around is good to get all the meat off the carcass. It feels pretty primal to tear apart a bird. You didn't hunt it down or anything, but you don't have to deal with shotgun duckshot either.

Some of the meat will look a little pink, but its cooked. If scared, then nuke it for 30 seconds just to stun it to your liking.

the duck yields enough meat for 4 people. and i would say 3 for some big eaters.
I would recommend against eating a whole duck by yourself because the hoisin sauce is pretty sweet and i think too much of a good thing, can make you nauseous

the pancakes frozen take 1 or 2 mins in the microwave, and come out nice. Or use above mentioned recipes.
Me and my wife are frugal(cheap), so we slice all the pancakes in half and use semicircle pancakes that way we get more servings. a whole pancake is too much dough, and not enough duck. at the restaurant this helps because they want to charge you for extra pancakes.

beforehand you can slice the green onion. You want to slice the onion in 3 to 4 inch pieces first, then run your knife down the long way to split the pieces. Also green onion is consumed raw, so no steaming or cooking these.

If you eat peking duck at the restaurant, the green onion interaction is key to complete the flavor.

get a 1/2 pancake, spoon some of the hoisin sauce, place 1 or 2 pieces of nice duck, a couple strips of green onion, wrap, and eat. repeat, repeat, enjoy

Soup is a nice compliment.
Fried rice
i hear some wines really compliment, the duck flavor.
I would expect nice lagers will go well with it too.

my mother in law doesnt like to waste, so the giblets, carcass and all bones, make a nice celery and duck broth for the next day.

Anyhow, that is pretty much it.

And i think the satisfaction of seeing how much duck meat actually comes out from a whole duck is nice. what you get charged for at the restaurant is really a crime. Only sang kee in philly brings extra duck meat out in a dish called duck with snow peas and XO sauce, but you have to fish around for little morsels of duck.

i think this recipe helps bring more utility to the big easy, and in home dining enjoyment.

Say to someone: Hey wanna come over for dinner? I am making duck. who says no to duck?

Big Easy, is literally big easy.

CB from a pro grilling website has a nice recipe as well for duck

Chef Sam :)

Bowling update

Hi
Yesterday was first day bowling since my mom passed

It was pretty good
256 the first game with 9 strikes in a row
But I had 2 open frames to start
If not it would have been higher

2nd game was 190
And 3rd was 210

256 series is best yet

All dedicated to mom chon

Sam

Juicy Breasts!

Everyone knows I am leg man, mainly because i find breasts to be dry and flavorless.

Well now things have changed



I recently did some research about a turkey fryer. I thought i needed to get an oil one, well, i found this little do hicky contraption.

it uses something called infrared technology. the wave heats the surface of what it hits, but not the air. cool.

but the key was something called brining.

Get2.5 gallon slider bags

Wash bird or meat, dry off with paper towel. put into bag. add seasoning like sea salt, brown sugar, garlic, cumin. etc etc. i used soy sauce for turkey and chicken

put into fridge or cooler. you still need a cold source, so use ice or ice packs.
wait 24 hours.

take bird out, put into fryer, turn it up, use enclosed thermometer, and when it hits target, stop heat, carve and eat.

SO easy. and SO SO juicy.

it has a drip pan to catch all juice, to save for gravy.

12 lb turkey done in 1.5 hours.
2 lb roast beef done in 1 hour
1.5 lb DUCK about 30 mins.

this is a picture of the duck, skin came out so nice, and alot more meat than what you pay for when you get a whole duck at chinatown.



get some frozen pancake from the asian grocery, hoisin sauce, and green onions baby!

and again, NO BURNS< NO SPLATTER.

another good link for a professional griller who uses the big easy

enjoy!

Sam