half sours

I'm experimenting with fermentation.  Pickling cukes.  trying to find that ultimate bite I had that one time in the east village.  The pickle was bright green and crunchy and the flavor really was fresh and not too salty, no vinegar and just a touch of sourness.  the subtle pickling spice enhancing the natural pickle.  Cnt find em here in TX.  Ba'a tempte attempts but is too salty and has other preservatives in there to keep on a shelf.
So on the heals of summer and fresh cukes abound.  I started going for it.  Here is what I learned so far.
If you are gunna go for this go large.  I pickle at least two dozen at a time.
use Two bunches of Dill, one beneath and on above the pickles.
1. Start by picking only fresh firm pickles...  with out these don't bother.  wait for fresh ones.
2. Bath them in ice water for an hour or even two if ya like.   This gets them even firmer and they perk up to a lively light green color.  Pickling them in this state retains this color and firmness.
3.  Use pickling spice mix or if you can buy bulk spices assemble your own for cheap. Yellow or brown  Mustard seeds, all spice, clove, juniper berry, tellicherry peppercorns, bay leaf, whole coriander... add a few bulbs of garlic.  (I just added fresh pequin peppers and cayenne peppers from my garden s well)
3.1  I just picked about five small green tomatoes from my patio tomato plant ad added them to the cold cukes)
4.  VERY IMPORTANT use only drinking water and pickling salt.  everything else will have impurities and cloud your brine or worse dull and soften your cukes.
5.  the standard I found was about 1 TBS salt to 1 Cup of distilled or filtered water.  I still think its a touch too salty.   So I am trying 3 TBS and five cups in this new batch of of these fresh cukes, green tomatoes and a few chiles...  the brine tastes amazing already.  you want enough salt in there to start the culture and get that healthy bacteria going
6.  fill a ziplock bag with water and place on top of your cucumbers and keep them submerged for three days on the countertop then into the fridge.  I place them in individual jars and place them in the fridge.  I may keep a few five days and up to a week this time.  see what happens.  usually saltier, more sour and probably less snap.  maybe even less color..  but I do know for sure after three days they are unbelievable.

TX Style BBQ Brisket

O.K. this is to cool...  I smoke briskets several times a year and its like a sport.  I can see why they compete.  There is so much care put into these babies.  and I am cooking these particular four giant packers for the one and only Ian Maclagan of the Faces, the newest inductee into the rock and roll hall of fame.  It's his birthday and a friend recommended me for the gig.  It was kind of last minute bu I hear his parties are epic.  they are expecting 100 or more.
I made ranch beans and TX style potato salad as sides + a home made BBQ sauce with espresso  (a little something I ripped off from Aaron Franklin of franklin's world class BBQ).
I like to use old mesquite when I can...  couldnt find it.  It is sweet after a long burn.  The young mesquite can be bitter.  However, I always love Hickory in a long smoke and chose Pecan wood to join it this time around...  I also like Oak.  Franklin uses  an Oak and Hickory blend.
My rub was a classic cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, course ground peppercorns, brown sugar, himalayan pink salt, and maybe a smidge of another thing or two....  I borrowed a bullet smoker from a friend because mine was too small for the amount meat I was smoking...  I needed to use both.  and they were a little different in their timing...  kepping the temp steady.  eventually i got the rhythm of them both down.  I check in every hour and half or even two and can start a new chimney and add new coals to the smokers fairly quickly.  They have been holding steady around 200...  I need 225 but I'll take steady a 200 if thats what it's giving me.  they are really large so they could take a while.  usually an hour and half per pound so...  I got them started at 4pm and I serve at 7pm till its gone.

I'll wrap them around 2pm and set them in my ice coolers on some towels...  and they should seal in the heat and keep them at temperature for at least 2 and half to 3 hours. At 4pm i'll get them back on the fire at the site and finish them for a couple of hours...  or maybe the big ones will need more time.? we'll just have to see.
Mac is an englishman but a Texan for many years now...  He has a several acres in Manor and this will be a field party of Austin musicians and cats on the scene...  I'm pretty stoked,  It's a lot of work...  but will be  lot of fun.  I am gunna nap now and do the 2hr naps til noon if I can pull it off.

Party was a success.  Mac is a sweet man and he has great friends.  The Party went late.  Best part was late night in the studio hangin and listening to tunes.  The brisket got rave reviews and that made me feel real good.  It was nice to be there.  When I got home though, I was exhausted.  Dead and beat up... I may never work a party alone again.  ever.  That was ridiculous.  I am still trying to recover and it's Monday night.
I needed two hot tub soaks and some deep tissue massage this morning just to get close to normal.

I'll probably do another brisket this weekend...  serve it with my pickles

mediterranean

Lamb chops, tabouli salad, and hummos

smoked sea salt, pepper and five spice and throw them on a hot grill...  dont burn em but get a good sear and flip...   dont over cook lamb.  this good cut needs to be med rare and the fat needs to cook to get melty yummy.

I like a tabouli with tons chopped parsley and mint.  cubes of cucumber and tomato in a lemon, olive oil and salt dressing.  that's it

Hummus I like lemony...  so I make sure there is plenty of that.  you can discover your own blend of good olive oil, cooked chick peas, garlic, salt (smoked is outrageous in this) tahini, and lemon.  blend in your cuisine art for perfect creamy hummus.  I like a healthy amount of garlic too.  not too much but I like to know it's there and mid level of tahini...  keep adding to get the flavor you like.  and keep tabs of how much so you know how to make it perfect for your taste buds every time.

that is all for now.  I'll be back with much more soon as I have discovered how to download my pics from my new phone.