Christmas ideas?

[leechlake]

Like most of you I've accumulated a lot of cooking/smoking/grinding equipment over the years.  Some ends up stashed in cabinets around the house either never used or only used seasonally.  I've got a smoker, grinder, stuffer, 3 Crack Pots (I couldn't help it), egg poker (couldn't help it), vac sealer, Kitchen aid mixer,   pressure cooker.  Heck we even have one of those microwave machines and a toaster.

My mother in law asks for a list to be submitted on Thanksgiving every year.  They are very generous in their giving so I'd wager they spend $ 400-500 per person but I'd never want to put anything on the list that costs over $200, seems like bad form...

Any unique but useful things you guys can think of that would broaden my cooking enjoyment? 

[eyeguy 54]

gold covered egg poker maybe?? 

 

[highlife4me]

Sounds like you have most of the things a guy needs for a man's kitchen.  How about some of the accessories like an instant read thermometer, or a Maverick BBQ thermometer.  Various seasoning kits from sausage supply companies are always nice too.  Even vacuum bag rolls and wood chips can be a nice gift. A couple boxes of tasty micro brews to enjoy while the smoker is going is tough to beat.

[Duffman]

Thermapen

A tad on the spendy side, but I love that thing.

Saw a thread somewhere on instant read thermometers, and the overwhelming response was.............."Thermapen, enough said"

When dozens of folks respond with a positive review in three words or less, that caught my attention.

Cringed when I first saw the price, but I would buy another one in a heartbeat if the one I have fails.  

[Boar]

Ive pretty much the same, but someday id like to up grade my propane contsant monitoring smoker to a set forget it modle, ut I take alot of pride in the work it take to keep that constant temp.

a digital thermoneter probe.

i want a meat mixer. hate mixing by hand cause I need to answer the phone or somethng.

What I really would like is a rotisery..rowtisery....ro tis ery. you know  rotate the meat thingy. for my smoker.

[leechlake]

yes!!!  A rotisserie.  You nailed it boar.  Now I have to figure how to get the right size.

[Kidd]

If you like rotisserie style chicken, check out a Big Easy.  I have one and do all my chickens in it.  It's fast and does a great job.

Another thought would be a Digital Remote Meat Thermometer.  Something I would not buy for myself but would love to have someone else buy it for me. 

 

[Jim Almquist]

Rotisserie for the 26" Weber. My turkey is spinning out there right now. You get a set of charcoal baskets for each side and a pan with chicken broth in the center to catch all the drippings. This way you get lots of yummy gravy. I put chunks of hickory in the baskets along with the charcoal. It kinda smoking it but not as much smoke.

[delcecchi]

Couple of possibilities.  A automatic controller for a smoker, like weber smoky mountain.  Rotisserie for weber kettle.  A sous vide circulator.  

[Boar]

we used to have an old ronnco rotisserie that was way cool. cept for the 3 hour clean up. which is why we stoped using it.

[Jim Almquist]

The end product was awesome !!!!

 

 

 

 

[pikestabber]

The end product was awesome !!!!

 

 

 

 

Details, details! Brine? How often do you refill/add charcoal? Total time? Pulled at what internal temp and rested how long? That thing looks amazing!

[bobberineyes]

Ya boar hit a Homer with the spinner, not only turks but fat ol hams, chickens,  rib roasts.....the heck with the gift cards ,I need one..you listening Santa? 

[Jim Almquist]

18lb bird this time. No brinning this time but have in the past. This was a JenniO frozen and was brined somewhat at the factory. I loaded up the baskets and only added more charcoal once as well as chunks of hickory. This is about the smallest bird that I have done so I was surprised when I checked after about 2 hours that I was at 155. I shut down the grill by closing all of the vents. I needed to start the other food just because I thought it would take well over 3 hours. It was 165 when pulled and let it rest for 45 minutes before carving. Made a ton of gravy and some Yukon Golds for all of that awesome gravy.  

[Boar]

so howed it taste?????.....sorry dumb question.

[RebelSS]

yes!!!  A rotisserie.  You nailed it boar.  Now I have to figure how to get the right size.

I bet that came to mind while he was on his exercise wheel. 

[ThunderLund78]

Leecklake,

I'm in the same boat as you... my in-laws are WAY to generous, to the point where you feel awkward getting gifts like that.  They're empty nesters and they do alright for themselves, so they enjoy it; especially when it comes to the Grandkids.  They ask for a list every year, and I hate making it - but they're going to go out and spend the money anyway - or give you cash, which is even more awkward, in my opinion.  

Most of my kitchen toys have come by way of their gifting - so one thing I do (and my father-in-law loves) is to return the favor in some great food.  Have them over for some pulled pork or ribs, or throw them some jerky or summer sausage every now-and-then. All made with the equipment they gave you.

As for gift ideas, the one thing you can't give enough of is knowledge.  Do an amazon search for books on whatever your interest.  In staying with the food theme, two books I put on my in-law list this year are:

Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages by Stan and Adam Marianski

Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game by John J. Mettler

There's a TON of goof stuff out there.  One book that I got a couple of years ago that I REALLY enjoy is "The Wild Chef" from the editors of Field & Stream.  I haven't had a lot of opportunities to make stuff out of there yet, but it's more than a cookbook.  It's full of great tutorials, stories and history behind the recipes, etc.  The pictures are also great. Happy Holidays!

[Jim Almquist]

so howed it taste?????.....sorry dumb question.

Excellent taste and was very moist. The only down side is I had to make green beans the way the wife likes them with Swiss cheese and I like the cream of mushroom soup was better. They are good but not my favorite. 

[leechlake]

I'm the king of highjacking threads but you guys somehow got the Christmas Ideas thread and the Thanksgiving Thread all goofed up.  I'd love one of Jims turkeys for Christmas but if it sits under my tree for a week I'm thinking it's going to be spoiled and my dogs will eat it first anyway.  

My proudest hijack ever was Monster Mooses "horrible people" thread that turned into 89 pages of mouse kills.  Hall of Fame stuff right there.

Ooops-  I'm wrong Jim was showing an example of a Christmas gift idea, the rotisserie.  I take it back...

Edited November 28, 2015 by leechlake

[leechlake]

Nobody gives books anymore. Here's one. 

Waiting for White Horses

by Nate Jorgensen 

story of two hunting buddies in Walker MN area. Besides the hunting part is an awesome story also. If you have a good hunting friend I'd recommend it. I've given about ten as gifts

Edited December 1, 2015 by leechlake

[puddleduck]

1. Waiting for White Horses.  Best book ever.   And, it is set in Walker and Nevis area.   Strongly suggest this book and I am not a book reader.
2.  

[BLACKJACK]

Ive pretty much the same, but someday id like to up grade my propane contsant monitoring smoker to a set forget it modle, ut I take alot of pride in the work it take to keep that constant temp.

a digital thermoneter probe.

i want a meat mixer. hate mixing by hand cause I need to answer the phone or somethng.

What I really would like is a rotisery..rowtisery....ro tis ery. you know  rotate the meat thingy. for my smoker.

I bought a new Weber grill this year and bought a rotisserie with it, I love it!!! Now looking for accessories for the rotisserie.  More work on setup, trussing the chicken, etc. but the end result is delicious and moist. Turkeys and turkey breasts too!!  Stuff in basket works good too.  Get one, you won't regret it.

Rotisserie for the 26" Weber. My turkey is spinning out there right now. You get a set of charcoal baskets for each side and a pan with chicken broth in the center to catch all the drippings. This way you get lots of yummy gravy. I put chunks of hickory in the baskets along with the charcoal. It kinda smoking it but not as much smoke.

Didn't see your response before I responded. You are correct that the turkeys and chickens come out very moist, seems like the constant turning makes them self basting. And they do seem to cook faster, I think its because of the high heat to start out with, I usually have full baskets of charcoal to start, it gets pretty hot.

 

One tip to save your charcoal, when you're all done, set the rotisserie aside and shut your vents, you'll have lots of good charcoal to start with next time.

 

Never tried the gravy thing with the juices, seems like I always end up with a briquette or two in the water pan. I've found that the aluminum pans that you can buy at Home Depot are perfect, and cheap.

[Jim Almquist]

I use a cake pan with high sides to avoid the charcoal in the juice. Try it and it will be the best gravy EVER !