Keltin's Random Cooking

Keltin

Keltin

New member
Just a thread for me to post various cook pics where a full fledged recipe may not be required. Since CRS is kicking in lately, this thread will help me have a central place to post pics I might want to remember later.

------------------------------------------------------

We had fried frog legs and alligator filet along with grilled frog leg and grilled alligator filet. The frog legs kinda fell apart on the grill, so I think they are better off being fried.

Also, we picked up a cheap disposable grill to see what it could do. These things have always fascinated me, and since it was on clearance for 1.99, I had to try it.

Pretty much sucks. Temperatures are very low, and it’s hard to cook on it. If you manage, then everything takes 3x longer than on a normal grill. I don’t recommend these. You’re better off using bricks and a wood fire or a bag of Kingsford with a grate or lattice of sticks.


Step1-65.jpg


Step2-59.jpg


Step3-52.jpg


Step4-39.jpg


Step5-30.jpg




Step6-21.jpg


Step7-17.jpg


Step8-14.jpg
 
Last edited:
Wow, those were fat little froggies, weren't they? Lots of meat - they look very good. I've never seen "certified Cajun" alligator steaks for sale - were they good? I have eaten alligator in New Orleans; I remember it being pretty good and a bit chewy. Nice batter on the froggies. And I love that serving plate.
 
SilverSage said:
This is a great idea! Peeps, why don't you start your own thread for yours?
Click to expand...
I post pics. But mine are no where near as good as you guys pics. Some of the pics I see others post are beautiful and artistic or adventurous (like gator and froggies!! LOL)! I just cook plain family throw it together put it on the table stuff.


How are you today SS? How was your dinner last night SS?
 
High Cheese said:
hey Keltin, does alligator taste like fishy chicken?
Click to expand...

The fried gator was actually very mild and surprisingly tender. The meat was white, so it must have come from the back I think. Nearly all the gator I've had before was much darker and was tail meat. Tail meat has a mildly dark flavor, but not fishy, and can be a little chewy.

This meat however was very mild, and while I hate to say it, tasted like chicken or pork loin. Same texture as a chicken breast or center cut pork chop. If I didn't tell you it was gator, I could pass this off as fried chicken breast or pork loin.

The grilled gator was soaked in teriyaki, and was a little tougher (as I expected) than the fried version. It picked up the teriyaki flavor very well; the meat is a veritable sponge for marinades.

Odd…….almost beats the point of eating gator - just eat chicken breast or pork loin. :lol:

The frog legs were really good. Incredibly juicy and were literally fall off the bone tender. The grilled ones had a noticeable gamey taste, but the fried ones were much milder. The fried legs didn't taste so much like chicken..….more like fried Cornish hen or Quail.
 
great pics and info, keltin! :a1:

the gator looks like veal.

have you seen the new show on the history channel called "swamp people"? it's about gator hunting.

i've had gator in florida years ago, but it was just fried tail "nuggets". like you said, it might as well have been brown meat chicken. a lot less dangerous to catch and butcher, too. :thumb:

btw, how deep is the water that frogs like to live in?
 
great pix, there, keltin, making me hungry!, gator's great chit! frog, too. we can get frog here easily, frozen, though i've nary noticed much alligator, 'cept 4 nugs. i should scoot 2 fla. 4 a few, dagnabbit! although requesting that 'iggle stock gator would be less than that.......
 
This is an interesting twist on an Asian stir-fry done strictly on the grill.

Using a “Chinese Brown Gravy” I got at Big Lots for $1.50 USD, I seared some pork sirloin chops (about 4 minutes a side). As they were searing, I prepped a disposable aluminum pan with Pam and some bean sprouts. A little salt and pepper on the sprouts, and then I put the seared pork on top of them. I covered it all with the Chinese gravy, and then covered the grill and let it cook for 10 minutes.

Brought it in and let it rest for 5 minutes and then served it with our sides. I was torn on the final plate pic, so I have one without the roll in the center (thus a hole in the middle of the plate) and one with it.

step1-66.jpg


step2-60.jpg


step3-53.jpg


step4-40.jpg


step5-31.jpg


step6-22.jpg
 
Went to a few Thrift Shops today, and saw this little gem - The Presto Burger Maker. I had something similar when I was a kid, and just had to have this one. And for $2.50, I consider it a steal. So, for lunch today, I had a new toy to play with!

All you do is plug it in and let it get hot (about 4-5 minutes). Then drop a 1/3 pound meatball into the center, then squish it closed and lock the handle.

The heating element is on top and has a ring/ridge going around the edge. The bottom plate is cast aluminum with a recessed ring in it. The ring on the top not only helps form the patty, but fits snuggly into the bottom plate thus heating it up for cooking on top and bottom simultaneously. Plus, when closed, there is quit a bit of steam which also helps the cooking process.

The bottom plate fits into the hollow base, and has holes for the fat to drip away. When you’re done cooking your burger, remove the bottom plate, and you can then dump all the fat that has collected in the base.

It comes apart in 3 pieces - top heating element, hollow base, and bottom plate. You can take the whole thing apart for easy and fast cleaning.

Granted, you can only cook one burger at a time, but it sure is fun. :lol:

I used the cheapest 77/23 ground beef I could find, and I have to say, this little gadget made a perfectly cooked, juicy, and very tasty burger. I’m impressed. I cooked this burger for just over 4 minutes, but I’m pretty sure it was done and ready to serve after only 3 to 3.5 minutes. Very fast.

DW just kind of rolled her eyes and mumbled something about yet another kitchen gadget……but she too was impressed with the flavor of the burger! And as long as I keep it clean and put it away, I think she can live with my new toy. :yum:

step1-68.jpg


step2-62.jpg


step3-55.jpg


step4-41.jpg


step5-32.jpg


step6-23.jpg


step7-18.jpg
 
QSis said:
OMG, Keltin! That pork loin looks MAGNIFICENT!!

Wow!

Lee
Click to expand...

Thanks Lee! It was really good and very tender. I cut it fairly thin and at an angle to maximize the surface area of each slice......which means better sandwiches! I've got quite a bit left for this week's sammies! :thumb:
 
Mighty fine looking burger. I like simple burgers.
I used to have one of those Presto thingies when I was a single dude.
 
That "oink, oink, oink" plate perfectly describes what my approach to this dinner would be...great dinner, Keltin.
 
Spatchcocked & Grilled Cornish Hen with a Peach Preserve glaze.

The glaze is made from:

1 jar Peach Preserves
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup White Wine
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Mix all in a pan and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Set aside covered.

Grill Cornish hen for 10 minutes bone side down, flip and grill 10 minutes skin side down, flip and slather on the sauce and grill for 10 minutes.

step1-78.jpg


step2-72.jpg


step3-65.jpg


step4-50.jpg


step5-41.jpg
 
Fried Frog Legs with Homemade Fries
 

Attachments

  • frog2.jpg
    frog2.jpg
    101.7 KB · Views: 219
  • frog3.JPG
    frog3.JPG
    49.1 KB · Views: 219
  • frog1.jpg
    frog1.jpg
    59.8 KB · Views: 224
Plump little buggers weren't they!?!? :lol:

It always amazes me how these fry up. You take a bite, and it's very hot and juicy inside, and the meat literally falls off the bone. So much different than a chicken wing.....even though the taste is similar. :yum:
 
Ever get curious and just throw things together and cook them to see what happens.

I do.

I had some Sweet Peppers (taste like Bell Peppers) left from the Cuban Cook. We were cooking beans and rice tonight with ham hocks, so I took a bit of rice and beans and stuffed a pepper. These are medium sized peppers.

I cut the top 90% through, but left some flesh attached to act as a lid.

I then stuffed it with the rice and bean mixture.

Added some oil to a baking sheet and cooked it for 20 minutes at 400 till the pepper was soft.

I laid sown some Ranch Dressing (DW’s idea) and placed the stuffed pepper on top.

It was good!

I’d do this again. Next time, I want some cheese in there. I can also see a ground beef, rice, and cheese (and maybe tomato) stuffing being good.

This was a fun little experiment that has yielded some ideas for future apps. Fun stuff.
 

Attachments

  • sp7.jpg
    sp7.jpg
    29.3 KB · Views: 207
  • sp8.jpg
    sp8.jpg
    31.5 KB · Views: 210
  • sp6.jpg
    sp6.jpg
    26 KB · Views: 217
  • sp5.jpg
    sp5.jpg
    41.8 KB · Views: 211
  • sp4.JPG
    sp4.JPG
    29.9 KB · Views: 209
  • sp3.jpg
    sp3.jpg
    36.4 KB · Views: 204
  • sp2.jpg
    sp2.jpg
    53 KB · Views: 205
  • sp1.jpg
    sp1.jpg
    34.7 KB · Views: 212
Say! those are delicious looking and even cute Keltin!
I like the way you put little pepper's hat back on.
 
A friend that I work with grew up in Sudan, Africa, in a small town/village on the outskirts of the major cities. I can’t remember the village name, so I’ll have to ask him again.

He’s 40 now, and grew up with no power or running water. They slept outdoors on most nights on small portable beds, and cooking was done on pots placed over an open fire on rocks.

Oh, and before you think "poor him", don't. He is an Engineer now, and works with me here with all the ammenities (Netflix, Blackberry, GPS, Internet, Cable, etc, etc, etc), but he absolutely LOVES his heritage and how he grew up, and speaks so enthusiastically of it. So much so, I want to do it the way he did!!! Today, he looks forward to making the trips back to Sudan once a year and recapturing that, and here in the US, he is a very active outdoorist that loves Soccer and he loves to go camping and fishing whenever possible.

Anyway, we were talking the other day, and I asked him about Potjies which are the African version of the outdoor Cast Iron Dutch Oven. It has three legs (taller than our DOs) and is used with coals from a fire just like a Camp DO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potjiekos

He’d never heard of a Potjie with 3 legs, but he knew the style without the legs once I showed him a picture. It’s a common cooking vessel in the area he is from.

He called his sister and had her go to an open air market and she grabbed a couple for us, one for him and one for me. Then, his cousin came to visit last week and brought them to us.

The pots she found are actually cast aluminum (not iron), and do not have the 3 legs, so they have to be used with rocks or bricks to keep them above the coals. But the lid is flat, so coals can be put on top for top-down heat.

Aluminum has a lower melting point than iron (aluminum = 1220 F, Iron = 2200 F), and is easier to work with by the locals. Not to mention that aluminum can be recaptured from a number of sources, so aluminum is the preferred metal for pot making in my friend’s area.

The pots my friend’s sister acquired were from a local man that makes these by hand with sand molds. They are rough. No sand blasted finish or polishing. Straight from the mold and to the cook for pennies on the dollar.

You can strike these and they ring true like a perfect bell. Fascinating.

For reference, this pot can hold right at 2 gallons of liquid.

Since cast aluminum is porous, I gave the inside a first seasoning with canola oil in the oven.

I plan to cook a typical African stew this weekend in it. I’ll be using beef, but my friend tells me lamb or goat is more popular. Uh, I don’t think DW will go for that, so I’ll use beef. :lol:

So, here is the outdoor cooking pot, still used to this day in Sudan, Africa.

By US standards, we’d probably look at the rough condition and call it an ornament, but as Magdi said, “No, there are no decorations like that in Sudan”. This is the real deal. A hand crafted cooking pot imported from a part of Africa that is still doing things the old fashioned way.

Side note: Magdi’s family does have power and running water now, and have had it for about 10 years or so, but they still use pots like this and cook outdoors.

To be continued.
 

Attachments

  • pot1.jpg
    pot1.jpg
    47.2 KB · Views: 195
  • pot2.jpg
    pot2.jpg
    48.3 KB · Views: 193
  • pot3.jpg
    pot3.jpg
    68.6 KB · Views: 186
  • pot4.jpg
    pot4.jpg
    47 KB · Views: 186
  • pot5.jpg
    pot5.jpg
    99.5 KB · Views: 191
  • pot6.jpg
    pot6.jpg
    54.6 KB · Views: 187
  • pot7.jpg
    pot7.jpg
    91.4 KB · Views: 195
  • pot8.jpg
    pot8.jpg
    60.5 KB · Views: 191
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top