
I can see your point of steaming over boiling....thanks!

churro wrote:Thanks, Zelph. I have a funny story about cooking a whole pig in a giant BBQ. When I was in college, I was ten years older than most of my classmates, so they assumed I knew how to cook a whole pig. There was a big celebration coming up, and I was nominated to cook the pig. Given about 7 hours notice, I was presented with a trailer-sized bbq grill, nearly a ton of charcoal and a butchered pig. I had classes to attend, so i got the rig cooking the way I though it might work, then turned it over to a friend to mind for 1 1/2 hors while I went to class.
When I returned, LOTS of smoke was coming out of the grill and my friend looked worried. We opened the lid and narrowly avoided the ball of flame that blew out of it. It came to light after that a drunken passerby had convinced my buddy to add several more bags of charcoal. The resulting inferno had rendered, then vaporized much of the fat in the pig, creating a booby trap for us.
We shoveled out most of the coals, let it cook another 4-5 hours and it actually tasted good!
The plan for our party so far is to serve ribs (steamed ahead of time, then grilled or smoked the day of the party), along with some sort of potato for dinner. It's pot-luck, so I don't have to do everything, just the main dish, maybe a desert: I'm thinkin' cobbler made from the rhubarb and peaches I just baked up and froze (got a deal on several boxes of peaches). It's nearly 6 quarts of fruit , so I figure it will make a big cobbler in a 14" dutch oven. S'mores will be the backup plan.
Folks will be camping out in the yard, so breakfast will be my gig entirely. The expectation is that folks will drift in a few at a time, so I figured coffee and cinnamon rolls are the first priority, followed by a layered casserole of potatoes, peppers, onion, bacon, eggs and cheese. Maybe I'll throw in some corn, squash or wild greens. The 14" dutch oven should work, but I'll do the 10" also, to be sure. Probably need to make 2 batches, as folks drift in.
Should be fun. I've cooked for as many as 50 before, with 2 helpers, so I should be able to navigate this.
I just got done canning a box of peaches, and have several more to do over the next few days, so Goodnight. Work, work
Yep. The ribs were a success. Several people admitted they were hoping I would serve that, since they had had my ribs before. I got lots of questions about the recipe, which is always a good sign. I also served some apricot salsa and guacamole I had frozen previously. Other folks provided potato salad, pasta salad and a truly delicious kale salad. For desert, my wife made birthday cake for one of the guests who was turning 29 yesterday, and the kids made s'mores. We all hung out by the campfire until 1 AM or so, trading stories and such.zelph wrote:Ok.....what is the end result of your gathering? Weight gain around the gut?????
That recipe sounds amazing. I like the idea of adding rabbit: rabbit is so lean and mild, and mutton so fatty and gamey, the marriage seems perfect. I make lots of stock from leftover bones, and have most of the spices on hand. I will try it.zelph wrote:This method sounds delicious with the anise and garlic:
Lamb, Madeira, Port
Ingredients
1 4- to 5-pound leg of lamb bone in (mutton may be used; see note)
2 cups port
1 cup Madeira
4 tablespoons dried rosemary
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon star anise, crushed
1 cup glace de veau or reduced rich veal stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)
Preparation
1. Put lamb or mutton leg in a large bowl or roasting pan. Mix together port, Madeira, rosemary, garlic and star anise and pour over lamb. Marinate 12 hours or overnight in refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove leg from marinade, reserving marinade, and put on a rack in a roasting pan. Put in the hot oven for 15 minutes; then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue cooking. Lamb should reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees; mutton, 140 degrees (lamb should take 1 1/2 hours; mutton will take longer). When meat is done, remove from oven and set aside to rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving.
3. Strain marinade through a fine sieve. Remove star anise and garlic and return to marinade, discarding rosemary bits, as they will turn bitter during reduction. Bring marinade to a simmer, add glace de veau and cook slowly until liquid is reduced by half. Add salt and pepper if desired.
4. Carve the meat and serve with the port-Madeira sauce.
If using leg of mutton, the marinating liquid should be increased in proportion to the weight.
Edit to add: Put 2 rabbits in with the mutton and make "wabbitton"
I knew your gathering would be a success...good food always makes for a fun gathering with friends and family. Time to start planning another one
You're doing just fineI won't complain, though. My mom buys stuff in hopes that it will inspire me to cook for her, and it does. We all end up happy customers, that way
The one that got me working on this recipe opened at 10 PM and served the post-bar crowd. It was packed from 10 PM until about 6 AM, and also served the best burgers I've ever had. There are more than a few stories connected to that night that I simply will not share on the internet!
wow, that's a great idea, cook your ownMy favorite way to serve this is to get everything ready ahead of time and then put a chimney charcoal starter 3/4 full of hot coals onto a few bricks in the center of the table, place a grate on top and let folks grill their own (do this outside). 30-45 seconds per side is enough, that way.