*Ceramic* BBQ/Grilling

I picked up pork ribs from FXB - I think 13 euro, although I can't recall the weight. There was definitely ample meat on them, as these things go. I'd definitely be pretty confident going with one of the upmarket butcher suppliers should get something superior to supermarket ribs.

I rubbed them, then baked indirect at 150 for a few hours, then slathered in BBQ sauce and finished off at a high direct heat. The Pitt Cue Co method is to do them much lower, at 105, for several hours at the indirect heat but here I do weigh up the time invested relative to the amount of finished product and usually find ribs are a poorer economy than a different cut. I think a fast couple of hours at 150 is more tolerable.

On the subject of fast cooks I also wonder about trying the "fast and hot" approach to briskets that we see championed in the U.S now in some quarters. As I've said before I really wonder does the access they have to seriously thick and fatty brisket help with this kind of approach. I fear if we did that with a slender high welfare grass-fed Irish brisket we'd end up with something pretty rubbery.

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At the weekend did a fair bit of cooking:-

Aimsir garden on Saturday.

The salads and flat breads were absolutely top notch, highly recommend. The meat options I was a bit underwhelmed by, although in fairness price-wise they were not megabucks.

High welfare heritage sausage coil - I think about 7 euro. Was tasty but unremarkable compared to comparable high end butcher products.
Chicken yakitori skewers - Likewise. Couldn't fault them but maybe it's hard for them to elevate something like this to levels people associate with Aimsir.
Pork jowl - This was about 16 euro and probably our own fault. We were expecting a centrepiece, this whisky-glazed marinaded piece of pork... But it transpires that pork jowl is 90%+ fat. It's meant to be like lardo, a kind of melt in your mouth type of fat you might want to eat. Except neither of us did, really. Only a tiny, tiny piece of pork cheek underneath all the fat. I guess our misunderstanding!

On Sunday bought a tomahawk in SuperValu, a little over 1kg for about 12 euro, was great value. I rubbed it, wrapped it, and reverse seared. It was sensational. Sometimes you get lucky with a piece of supermarket meat, I couldn't fault this.

Also mixed up about 1.5kg of beef koftas using a Sarit Packer recipe (From Honey & Co. cookbook). The secret is minced onion and garlic combined with milk-soaked bread. Tasty AF but there is no way to make a beef kofta look elegant.