Foodies BS Thread.

Last night's dinner. Eggplant with mozzarella and tomato stuff. Garlic noodles in the side.

 

Melanzana!

 

Someone asked about buckboard bacon recently. Here's a frypan of it going on the stove right now.

 

Recipe?

 

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/10/buckboard-bacon.html?m=1

I loosely followed this one. The stuff you see above was made with a small boneless shoulder piece. It was delicious. Now that I think of it, pork belly is running close to $4/lb here at the moment. I might just make another big batch of buckboard bacon instead, as I can find shoulder for $0.99/lb.

 

All right all you foodie peeps. I need some help deciding on a cooking method for a 4lb pork loin.

I'm having a dinner party on Friday and I'm breaking rule #1, don't cook anything you haven't made before.
I have a really nice 4lb whole pork loin that I plan on wrapping in bacon and grilling somehow. I just don't know how I should do this.

No matter what, I plan on marinading the roast overnight and of course trimming off the external fat and any silver skin.

I'm thinking 2 Options:

1. Slow cook the loin throughout the day. When I get home wrap it in raw bacon and grill over very high heat on all sides to crisp up the bacon.

2. Wrapping the loin in bacon and grilling it completely on my gas grill over indirect heat around 300-350F for about 1-1.5 hours.

My concerns are with Option 1 that it gets over cooked. My concerns with Option 2 are that it's too tough because I'm not very experienced cooking larger cuts of meat on a grill.

What should I do to get a tender loin and a crispy bacon outside?
Also if you guys have any ideas for a light glaze to go over the outside that would be awesome. I am NOT a sugar person so I'd prefer something more savory and less like solid sugar on the outside LOL. Maybe something using beer would be cool

 

Screw the bacon. Hard sear it in a cast iron skillet to brown/crust the outside then into the oven until internal temp hits 137. Let rest for 10-15 minutes and the temp should hit 145. Slice and serve with whatever else you're using, like a sauce.

Edit: I would sear with butter and some aromatics like a rosemary sprig will basting regularly.

 

Option 2. Pork loin does not have enough (any) fat or connective tissue for slow cooking. Fast grilling is best. If the outside gets too dark before the inside is at 145 move it to indirect heat untill it reach temperature.

 

Sliders...pretty good, needed more cheese!

 

Ribeye cap, Brentwood corn, and cheesy bread. FTW!

 

Trying my hand at making Pad Thia tonight. Will try and take pictures but no promises.

 

Any updates?

 

Might be trying cauliflower crusted pizza this week. Not sure.

 

Oh boy, here you go... next step will be Oopsies and lettuce-wrapped burgers

 

I already eat lettuce wrapped burgers!

Dropped my carb intake as much as I can 2 weeks ago.

 

Good on you. There's definitely a lighter feel to the day when you don't do as many carbs, but now you're talking paleo diet... expensive to maintain unless you're out there shooting your own meat. So to speak

 

I still eat some, just not a carb overload every meal like I was. I didn't realize how many I ate until I started keeping track.

Carbs are cheap and I'm not able to go Paleo, but doing what I can where I can.

Dropping weight, so it's working.

 

Wanna lose weight fast? Corn dogs. I swear, I actually did this when I was about 10 years younger... don't think I would now because of the stress it puts on your body, but I ate 3 Foster Farms microwaved corn dogs per day, with mustard, and drank Vitamin Water (and beer) for 30 days straight. Lost 50 pounds, no shit. Everybody was amazed. So was I. Of course, it didn't stay off because I hadn't really changed anything for the better as far as ongoing diet, but it sure as hell worked as a super quick way to lose weight. Like I said, too old to risk it now, would probably have a heart attack from the sudden shift. But, it sure made doing dishes easy!

 

Three corn dogs a day? You didn't lose weight due to the corn dogs, you lost weight due to consuming ~1500 calories less than what an athletic person should intake in a day.

 

Right, but I think the reason it worked psychologically (was able to stick to it) is because I was getting a bit of carbs in the breading and a bit of protein in the hot dogs. That's my theory anyway. It was the lowest calorie item I could find that still supplied both.