Category: yoso-silly

No "CC", it ain't what you think! I've already mentioned the Missus' crazy obsession with "the garden", which is getting so much pampered care that if it could speak, the plants would refer to themselves in the "third person" or is that "vegetable"? I barely mentioned that I've got a couple of things growing as well; Thai Chilies, Serranos, and one plant that I bought as an impulse buy, a Ghost Pepper plant, Bhut Jolokia. The Missus was on plant deathwatch from the beginning as it takes a good long time to grow and the peppers also take a while to ripen. The sudden hot weather we've had recently, has had an affect on the peppers……

Still, we're both of the opinion that really hot weather makes a pepper even more spicy and our rather wonderful mild weather would mean some wimpy ghost peppers. So last night we tried one. Again, without thinking, I just cut open the pepper and sliced it into strips. We both had tiny slivers……HOLY SMOKE!!! Now I have had the Triple Atom Wings at Quaker Steak and have a bottle of Mad Dog Revenge that I use every once in a while and have stories about folks who wanted to try the stuff, but this was one of the spiciest/hottest things I've ever eaten. I instantly started having uncontrollable hiccups which lasted about 5 minutes or so. The Missus, raised on a good amount of Hunan food, can take even more than I can. She bit into a sliver….Her eyes opened wide, and She mouthed a silent "Ooooo". Her symptom was ringing in the ears. The taste is initially mildly fruity, then there a deep burn that lasts about 4-5 minutes….. The Missus decided to take the rest to work. One of Her chili-head coworkers tried a sliver…..the Missus saw a grown man cry in front of Her!

I'm really not into this "food as a contest" thing, so I'm still not sure why I bought the plant.

So, I'm thinking to make some of my wing sauce with a Bhut Jolokia, maybe some teriyaki. I'll probably drop some off at Sushi Yaro, I gave Sam a bottle of Mad Dog Revenge, which his customers seemed to…well, enjoy is not the right word. So then you'll be able to be "bakayarou" at Sushi Yaro. My friends will get a couple, but I'm figuring to have a few left over. Any suggestions for using this stuff?

Anyway, I'm now wondering if it really was that spicy? Maybe that one hot pepper was just a fluke….I better go have another….just to make sure, right? Those screams you hear from just East of the I-5 will probably be me.

I best have a nice, simple, warm-weathered meal first…….

Where There's Fire, There's……

Well, smoke of course. I've been wanting a small smoker for home use and the Missus finally gave in a couple of weeks ago. So every weekend I've been getting used to my new Weber Smokey Mountain, It's been fun. I'm just using no special gear, no special internal thermometer, just getting used to the smoker. I created two very basic rubs, one for chicken, one for pork, and am not changing it for a while since it has the flavors we appreciate.

I've found that creating really great barbecue is indeed an art because of everything that is going on. But, it's pretty easy to create decent barbecue……

There seem to be as many ways and techniques for smoking as there are  stars in the sky. I'm just kind of doing it my way. I'll change no more than one thing per session and I've figured out to make thing work for me.

Like everything else, barbecue has it's own jargon, but you know, I'm doing this to create ribs I like and it's often both ribs and chicken, I'll keep the water pan empty, lined with foil, use the Minion method cause I'm lazy like that, and use the "Texas crutch", wrapping my ribs in foil after a couple of hours…..placing the chicken on the lower rack when I wrap my ribs and adding one piece of apple wood for some additional smoke.

I've kind of got the chicken and ribs the way I like them…..and because you usually don't smoke in itty-bitty batches the Missus has been sharing with Her coworkers. One of them asked the Missus if I was a professional, which made me feel good….but San Diego ain't known for it's BBQ, so I'm not sure if that person ever had really good 'Q'.

This has been a blast, but my main goal is to do more Asian inspired stuff and eventually learn how to make Hunan La Rou, the famous smoked meat form Hunan.

The Missus has been enjoying the fruits of my WSM's labor…..so could a Sous-Vide cooker or immersion circulator be in my future? Stay tuned!

So here's some stuffs that I made recently……..

A cumin and five spice crusted halibut…with that Purple Cabbage Slaw.

A Garlic Shrimp Po' Boy.

This one went to the reject pile. It was totally "ma-la" – numbing hot. But the Missus rejected it because it wasn't "red" enough. So it's back to the drawing board with the Chili Oil Won Tons.

Still, it was really spicy….

I still get embarrassed when the Missus requests "spicy tuna". So I sheepishly submit this Spicy Ahi Salad.

If you decide to make this, don't forget the tobiko and the avocado. I served this on mizuna, which added a nice mildly bitter counter-point to the dish.

And finally……..

Tommy from Catalina Offshore recommended some fresh sardines, which had just come in that morning. The timing of which is excellent. It's that time again. Hopefully, by the time you read this, the Missus and I will be on our way to our next destination(s). So where are we going? Well, the photo leaves a clue.

I'll try to post once in a while while we're gone, but until then, everything is in the fine hands of Cathy!

Thanks for reading!