Ribs
I used to say that I couldn’t be bothered with ribs, stupid fiddly bits of bone with not enough meat on them. Then I was introduced to the beef short-rib; first in Barbecoa, in London, and later in my own home.
3 in 1 Slow Cooker
About a year ago, I upgraded my single-person slow cooker to a 6.5L beastie. I’ve never regretted it, and have been getting good use out of it. Rather than have my little slow cooker on the go almost every day through winter, I can do a big stew, and then refrigerate or freeze portions, for reheating later. Plus, it makes easy work of turning a chicken carcass to stock.
Butcher Recommendations
Over on the British BBQ Society Forums, they have been compiling a list of BBQ-friendly butchers; which has since been converted into a Google Maps listing.
Economy or Marketing?
Most of the supermarkets have an economy brand. For Tesco, it’s “Everyday Value”; for ASDA, “Smart Price”; for Sainsbury, it’s their “Basics” range.
Pellet Costs
The grill that I use mainly is a Traeger Lil Tex Pellet Grill. It uses wood pellets as both a fuel and smoke source. The pellets are similar to those used for biofuel boilers, but need to be made from clean wood, with no bark or sweepings, and manufactured using food-grade (i.e. vegetable) lubricants, not mineral oil.
Pulled pork in the slow cooker
For a change, I decided to make some pulled pork in my slow cooker, rather than my pellet smoker.
Tesco Online
I live 10 minutes walk from a Tescos, so why would I order online from them?
Being sold a lemon
I love Lemon Curd. I like it as a baking ingredient, I frequently use it instead of jam, on a piece of bread, and a spoonful really brightens up a plain yoghurt. Yes, it is packed full of sugar, but used in moderation, I don’t see much wrong with it.
Garden Update
Since my last post, I really haven’t spent much time in the garden – between an injured leg (now recovered), a vacation, and – most recently – a bad cold, I have really been neglecting the poor thing. Taking a walk around today, I feel shamed.
Broad (Fava) Beans – After The Harvest
I harvested my last broad beans over 3 weeks ago, but have only just cleared the trough for further planting. Remembering to cut all the stems just above ground level, leaving the roots in place. This evening I’ll dig them well in, as they contain lots of valuable nitrogen.