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It may have already crossed your mind, what to do with spent Oak Staves and Oak Blocks after supercharging your fine spirits, and the answer is:
>>>>> BBQ <<<<<
So this is exactly what we are going to do with our spend oak from our StillDragon Europe: The Austrian Oak Trials.
Let's get things started with a charcoal ring filled with my favorite charcoal, Al Fakher Pure Natural Lemon Tree Lump Charcoal, usually used in Shishas and Hookahs. In case you are wondering, the used smoker is a Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5".
It will be an all day cook performed tomorrow (which is a national holiday here in Austria) at a grate temperature of around 121°C ~ 250°F, with the conclusion following after it has been finished.
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
Comments
I use the staves in my cold smoker for doing jerky and bacon and stuff. They are not really spent for a long time though, you can use them over and over for doing spirits, ours don't get changed out for a year or more.
StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand
Smoked mussels,ya have the misses sloberin all over my back she spies!
It is what you make it!
Such nice Pieces of Pork
Rubbed with self-made Rub
Lump on Fire
This is how it's done right and will last all day long (a total of about 6 kg lump charcoal + five Oak Staves & Oak Blocks), only the the top layer is smoldering
Meat onto the upper grate, you can see the foiled pan with clay saucer as heat shield and accumulator below, the Maverick temp probes will watch that everything goes well
Now we have to wait till the evening for the meat to reach an internal temperature of around 90°C ~ 195°F, no looking in the meantime (If you're looking you ain't cooking!) :)
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
Right now I am hungry and I hate you!!!
Knuckle of Pork just hit 90°C ~ 195°F and has been put into the oven for resting at 95°F ~ 203°F, if you only could smell it ... insanely mouthwatering! :@)
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
I just love it when all of the connective tissue starts to release during a nice slow cook.
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Pork Neck after hitting 90°C ~ 195°F
Knuckle of Pork well rested
Pork Neck after resting
Of course it can't go without Coleslaw, our special low-carb version based on Greek yogurt without mayonnaise
Let the Feast begin!
And the last one is always the money shot! $-)
Conclusion
What a blast! Pork candy explosion in your mouth! Juicy, crispy, spicy, it had it all!
Have a close look at that last picture. Ain't you just loving it having such a nice piece of fatty, meaty, crispy spiciness on your tongue?
Only a very light smoke ring, but a good touch of smokiness. If you like more color and a deeper smoke ring, use some more Oak Staves & Oak Blocks.
Thanks to our low-carb diet I don't have to have ANY regrets for such a meal in the evening, this does not put any weight on me at all, and that's the truth! :-bd
Thank you all for watching, this cries now for some booze to a relaxing post-feast-evening. :)
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
This is incredible! I swear I can smell it from here! ^:)^
Your Place to be >>> www.StillDragon.org <<< Home of the StillDragon® Community Forum
;)
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
Great photos sunshine. Pork looks great.
Everything i've ever read has pork down around 75-77C for well done, can you tell me where you came up with 90C and what the benefits are of the higher temperature cooking?
StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand
sorry, but I was not the cook or photographer, @SDeurope was... ;)
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
It's about getting it to the edge where it's slightly overdone but not dried out, usually it's best when "fall off the bone" tender, connective tissue completely dissolved, ready to be pulled ("pulled pork"), best result when it all plays together (juicy, fall off the bone tender, and crispy).
With the WSM 22.5" it's pretty easy, it runs a whole day with one charcoal charge, I dial in the temp by adjusting the three air inlets in the bottom part just a slit open, and don't even bother to check once during the day, and when the Maverick remote temp monitor starts to signal in the evening (when reaching an IT of 195°F) it's ready to be eaten! :)
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
WOW!! Great job @SDeurope Yum!
@punkin if you ever want to part with some of your spent bourbon dominos. I would love some please. I want to experiment with them in ale.
Give me an email mate, i'll post some up to you.
StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand
thanks heaps @punkin I will put an order in soon and I will grab some off you then.
@SDeurope Are you happy with your weber? I was looking at them a little while ago. They are darn expensive. Still undecided whether to buy one of those or build a woodfire pizza oven.
It's easy to handle and can run a whole day without any supervision, but I really would prefer a proper offset smoker to run on logs instead of charcoal. What bugs me most with the WSM is the process of preparing for a run (clean-out of the lower part which acts as ash catcher) for which you always have to disassemble the whole bullet. The same goes for loading / unloading the lower grate, which is just impractical.
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
Do a google search on UDS or ugly drum smoker @cunnyfunt . They are really popular, cheap and effective. They don't have to be ugly either. It's a matter of finding an old weber lid from a second hand one at the tip or council cleanup, or even gumtree and building on a 44 or smaller drum from there.
StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand
Maybe you didn't gain weight @SDeurope but just reading this thread has added a few pounds to me 8-|
@Lloyd, the trick is the low-carb diet and enough sport to burn off the excess of energy. We pretty much swap between regular nutrition and low-carb from time to time. It should be easy to try low-carb in China, all the superb fatty pork (I still remember the one we ate at our first meal together in that restaurant in the shopping complex vis-a-vis our apartment building in Shanghai), you just have to leave out the rice. :@)
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
But they look at me funny if I don't eat rice.
do as our kids do: let the rice fall under the table... :))
StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area
Eating NO rice in China? No f@cking way! :-O
Your Place to be >>> www.StillDragon.org <<< Home of the StillDragon® Community Forum
If you can still nab one, these kick ass. I have cooked a large pork butt over night without adding fuel. As well as cooking pizza at 500 to 600 degrees.
Pair it with a Auber smoker pid temp controller for +/- 5 degree accuracy for up to 8 hours.... Needless to say, i like mine very much and much cheaper then a Big Green Egg.
Char Griller
Awesome guys. Thanks
StillDragon - The First Modular Vacuum BBQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vycf6nmp_MY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty6eY9VUIgI
Holy Pitmaster! :-O
Your Place to be >>> www.StillDragon.org <<< Home of the StillDragon® Community Forum
Pyro LoO
StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America
Aaaaahhh, so that's how people who don't have motorcycles do it.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voCk-KQwSik
StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand