xenussister: You dere? lissener: yuh xenussister: We just listnin to the Dezurik Sisters! Very cool lissener: cool xenussister: Thanks for that. Chris loves it too, wants to get the album lissener: me too xenussister: Went to the store, bought lots of stuff. Going to tell you what I bought xenussister: one min though... xenussister: Beef brisket flat cut xenussister: Beef Chuck pot roast xenussister: Both very very big, we can make several meals of them xenussister: No lamb or pork tonight xenussister: Ok, spices... xenussister: Paprika xenussister: Rosemary xenussister: Marjoram xenussister: Sage leaves xenussister: bay leaves xenussister: Ginger xenussister: Cilantro xenussister: Onions (big white ones, several) xenussister: Celery, carrots xenussister: Garlic xenussister: 2 Limes, 2 lemons xenussister: Olive oil, Basalmic vinegar xenussister: Wine (cheap, but from France) xenussister: Beer (Corona again) xenussister: Onion Soup mix, Beef bullion, Chicken bullion (both kinds powder/granues) lissener: wow xenussister: Can of Hominy (29 oz can) xenussister: small can of Salsa mexicana (7 oz) xenussister: small can of Salsa Verde (7 oz) xenussister: Got potatos xenussister: What the fuck do I do with all of this? xenussister: Oh, whole chicken xenussister: Figure I can soak chickn like you suggested lissener: yuh xenussister: for tomorrow lissener: and the canned stuff you can have on hand, to make something with another time xenussister: or next day (how long is too long for soaking?) xenussister: k lissener: like that pork stew I was tellin you about lissener: overnight, soak xenussister: Andy's market had all those spices lissener: cool xenussister: They were all dried in packets, except ginger. That looks like an old man's gnarled hand xenussister: Haven't the faintest idea what to do with it, but I figured you'd tell me lissener: here's some general info on "brining"--soaking the chicken overnight for flavorizing lissener: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brining.html xenussister: k lissener: refrig the ginger; we'll have to use it in the next few weeks, sinc eyou got fresh ginger lissener: which is GOOD; dried ginger is useless xenussister: k lissener: very good: when you said ginger, I was like, Oh no, she got dried ginger; how will I tell her to throw it away? lissener: so very cool you got fresh xenussister: just put the ginger in the fridge lissener: cool. was reading the link I just sent; lots of info, but good info xenussister: I will lissener: so that will cover your chicken lissener: what's for tonight? lissener: brisket? xenussister: Just asked Chris, we're not especially hungry now so can wait an hour or so for it to cook, so, yes. I can cut it in half or 3rds. Too much to eat as is lissener: k lissener: this is a good one for roasting on a bed of vegs xenussister: k xenussister: This good to know: This is achieved by soaking the meat in a moderately salty solution for a few hours to a few days. xenussister: So I can't "oversoak" it lissener: right lissener: beef brisket soaked for a couple weeks is corned beef xenussister: Ah xenussister: Weird, since you told me that adding salt at the beginning of cooking dries out the meat lissener: yeah, but then I changed my mind, remember? xenussister: Ah, wait lissener: I was addled xenussister: I see it mainly recommends brining chicken, cornish hens, turkey, pork and seafood lissener: right xenussister: Beef, lamb, duck, and other meats with high fat content and bold flavors do not benefit from brining lissener: beef, i think, takes longer to make a difference, so brining for a quick cook is probly not worth it; brining it long enough to make corned beef is different xenussister: got it xenussister: I'll just worry about brining the chicken. It was cheap lissener: watching old CSI with elizabeth berkeley xenussister: We have kosher salt too lissener: phonny lissener: playing a slutty raver. In Vegas! xenussister: haven't seen that one lissener: spike reruns them; good for background noise lissener: you OK to get started? I'm gonna go watch for a while xenussister: Yeah, get me started. xenussister: I'll cut up ptatos, celery, onions, carrots, big chunks lissener: so chop up vegs lissener: yeah lissener: toss in oil, or mix with chunks of bacon, chopped small lissener: up to you; oil is easier, bacon fat is parbly flavoriery xenussister: k. got "pork bellies" lissener: ew, lol xenussister: :) lissener: that's unsmoked bacon lissener: shoulda got some lard! xenussister: will it work for bacon fat? lissener: yes, but less flavor xenussister: I have some of the bacon fat Chris got the other day, but I put it in the freezer. Can it go from the freezer into the pan? lissener: yes xenussister: cool lissener: so, either put it in a frying pan and brown the brisket, both sides xenussister: So a few(?) chunks of that in the skillet lissener: yeah lissener: then toss the vegs in it a little to, or drizzle it over them in the roasting pan xenussister: k. Dredge the brisket before putting it into the skillet to brown? lissener: no lissener: dredging is for stew xenussister: k xenussister: k lissener: adds flour to the gravy lissener: adds BROWNED flour to the gravy lissener: not nec for roast xenussister: ok lissener: see? it al begins to make sense, right? xenussister: yep lissener: so, HOT fat, brown the brisket lissener: then oil and/or fat drizzled over the vegs in the roasting pan lissener: also salt, pepper, marjoram xenussister: So, chop up a few pieces of frozen bacon fat, put in skillet, when enough oil, and hot, take out bacon pieces and put in brisket lissener: then brisket overlaid lissener: right lissener: so yo uhave two pans going: the roasting pan for the oven, and the skillet for browning lissener: right? xenussister: put chopped up potatos, carrots, celery, onion in roasting pan, drizzle with bacon fat lissener: yes xenussister: how much salt, pepper, marjoram? lissener: sprinkle salt liberally over vegs; reasonable amount, you know? xenussister: k lissener: same pepper xenussister: k lissener: maybe teaspoonish marjoram xenussister: ok, good lissener: simlarly sprinkled, tossed, etc. lissener: as you baste during baking, the spices and stuff will mix around and stuff xenussister: toss, taters/veggies with bacon fat, salt, pepper, teasoon of marjoram in roasting pan, put browned brisket on top lissener: yu xenussister: None of those go into browning skillet, right? lissener: don't actually have to brown the brisket; mostly just to add bacon flavor; you can save time and mess by skipping that part if you want lissener: will brown in oven lissener: no, not into skillet xenussister: ]k lissener: just fat lissener: browning is essential in stew, otherwise it'll all taste boiled lissener: less crucial in an oven roast xenussister: so, just need bacon fat for drizzle, no need to brown brisket or skilletize veggies. lissener: you, you can save the dirty skillet by just chopping up fat and letting it melt among vegs lissener: right xenussister: Bout how much bacon fat should there be (if I do go ahead and put pieces of bacon fat in skillet to melt). Couple tablespoons? More? lissener: more xenussister: I don't mind melting the bacon fat in the cast iron skillet, helps to season it anyway lissener: quarter cup? lissener: k xenussister: k, good to know lissener: more is OK too xenussister: k xenussister: Got it so far, now, after everything goes into roasting pan, brisket on top of veggies, what? Temperature? How long? Liquid? lissener: 350, hour or more xenussister: Wine, beer, water? When? Baste how often? Doesn't oven temperature go down everytime I open oven door? lissener: beer lissener: yes; that's why it takes more than an hour lissener: baste eery 10 or so xenussister: k xenussister: Just went to get what I wrote down earlier when I talked to you on the phone. "Cook for 15-20 min before adding any liquid, then drizzle about a cup of beer. In 15-20 min add more beer" xenussister: "Don't put a lid on it" lissener: right xenussister: When done (how to know when done? Meat thermometer?) take everything out with tongs" lissener: cup might be too much; don't rinse the meat, moisten the meat xenussister: Then you were going to tell me about gravy but you had to go xenussister: ok, half cup, keep checking to make sure bottom isn't burning? lissener: yeah, check every once in a while xenussister: I guess I will anyway if I'm basting, if there isn't any liquid to baste with lissener: thermom not nec with brisket; should be done in an hour or so, when pototaos are done, etc. lissener: right xenussister: For every baste, can I take the whole thing out of oven, baste on top of the stove then put back in oven? (Seems I'd burn my face and hand reaching into the overn every 10 minutes lissener: you can; I usually don't; whatever works for you xenussister: k lissener: 350 won't burn like 450 lissener: your call xenussister: good' xenussister: Basting almost seems like an art, would seem you have to move the meat, tilt the pan to get liqid onto spoon, then put meat back down. How much liquid (spoonfuls) to baste with? just enough to get the top wet? xenussister: You of course realize you're speaking to an ignorant person xenussister: lo? xenussister: Ah, we changed our minds about eating. We're both very tired, and now, Chris is hungry, so he's just making us some grilled cheese sandwiches. lissener: you don't have to move the meat lissener: just spoon up from around the edge lissener: or get a turkey baster xenussister: I think I have one of those lissener: just enough at a time to drizzle lissener: don't think of it as re-marinating every few minutes; just dribbling a little sauce xenussister: ok lissener: I always try to put on just enough so that not too much runs off lissener: I want it to stick, mostly, to the meat xenussister: What if, hypothetically speaking, I have frozen meat. Does it have to be thawed completely before cooking? See, we bought lots of meat at Costco, then went to Andys for other stuff. I'm going to have to cut up the brisket/roasts/steaks, some to keep out, some to freeze. lissener: to roast it should thaw first xenussister: k lissener: I usally do more of a stovetop potroast if it's frozen xenussister: Is thawed in microwave any good? lissener: i put a couple frozen chicken thighs, some beer, some noodles, some bacon, some peas or something, in a pot on the stove, on low for like 45 min lissener: then I eat it xenussister: Can do stovetop roast if frozen, good to know lissener: microwave cooks it a little bit, so I do that sometimes but I prefer not xenussister: k xenussister: You'll have to tell me how to do stovetop frozen roast, because I'll have a lot of it lissener: k lissener: raging bull is on TCM lissener: from Judy Garland to "fuckity fuckity fucking mcfucking cunt fucker!" xenussister: stop it! lissener: that last one was pretty impressive xenussister: yeah! lissener: had to hit the ball TWICE with the cue ball lissener: and you know I did all that on purpose lissener: http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/14/marine.columbine.ap/index.html lissener: your turn xenussister: Puter rebooted by itself xenussister: Hey, do you still have the conversation from earlier, like when I started listing the food stuffs we bought? If so, can you cut and paste it in an e-mail to me? i meant to save that xenussister: No coffee cup, weird. Try inviting me lissener: yes