What's Bartman Cooking

[Brad English]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Ok, time to post more information on those Potato dumplings! Recipe!

[oasiscdm]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Nice, very nice KB

[kbartman]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Post pictures of the finished extravaganza!

Happy New Year!

okey bart,
aren't you happy you indulged in the WFO experience. i know i've never been happier.

Here the picks, not much of a extravaganza. Yes happy I am, I'll be much happier when construction is complete

[kanoer54]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

okey bart,
aren't you happy you indulged in the WFO experience. i know i've never been happier.

[Brad English]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Post pictures of the finished extravaganza!

Happy New Year!

[kbartman]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Happy New Year to all,

Today's menu:
Roast pork, sour kraut, potato dumplings, gravy, and a side of black eyes peas to keep the wife's southern roots happy, also for good luck .

[SableSprings]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Yes, the upside down cookie sheet works great to keep bottoms from burning when your oven's a bit hot. Actually, I use an inverted commercial half-sheet or full sheet pan since they are heavier duty and don't warp (much) when moved into the hot oven. Note that if you put breads directly on the inverted sheet pans, you'll want to use parchment paper as the breads will tend to stick (I suspect because there are more scratches on the sheet "bottoms").

I also use the inverted sheets when someone brings over something to test bake (using their own dish) and says, "Oh, I'm sure it's oven proof...I can't imagine that it would break or crack in your WFO." ...and yes, that's from a previous "bad" experience...

(and no, I won't sic PETA on you for cat/dog jokes...)

[kbartman]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

That's still useful information! That's the fun part about cooking with fire rather than in a home oven set at a specific temperature where you can exactly measure temperature and time in a recipe. I ilke the "live theater" aspect of open flame cooking!

It's good to have a target range for a new recipe, but then you have to feel your way through it.

Thanks!

Brad

The more I think about, I believe I started with a cold oven and once I got the fire establish and little browning going on the bird. I cut way back on the fuel and targeted a average temp shot with my IR thermometer around the oven while the bricks slowly regulated the lowered temps. Still in the learning stages. I think, if the bricks were fully saturated and with small fire, the temps would be a lot hotter. I hope I'm not adding confusion to the fire......Then again It may have been fire out and oven holding about 450F.

Just have fun and post what you remember...... as they say, there are more way then one too cook a cat....oops I mean skin.............mmmm
I see new a experiment in the future..........just kidding for all you politically correct cat lovers........... Maybe the wife's dog............LOL

Great to hear that you both have enjoyed the cooking by sight & smell instead of being tied to temp & time mandates from recipes.

I still get a big kick out of when a neighbor brings in some dish to try in the oven and specifies, "I need to have 425F for 15 minutes and then drop to 375F for..." My response is normally, "The oven's running a bit hotter than that, but we'll make it work. Then we start actually watching and talking about the process, i.e. Looks like it's browning, so let's turn it and put it up on an inverted cookie sheet. IMO - a lot more fun & useful in understanding what really makes for excellent food out of the WFO.

Sable,
Inverted cooking sheet, good idea. I'm assuming that is to lower the heat on the bottom of casserole. Great input thanks for the ideas. Hope your not a cat lover......

[SableSprings]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Great to hear that you both have enjoyed the cooking by sight & smell instead of being tied to temp & time mandates from recipes.

I still get a big kick out of when a neighbor brings in some dish to try in the oven and specifies, "I need to have 425F for 15 minutes and then drop to 375F for..." My response is normally, "The oven's running a bit hotter than that, but we'll make it work. Then we start actually watching and talking about the process, i.e. Looks like it's browning, so let's turn it and put it up on an inverted cookie sheet. IMO - a lot more fun & useful in understanding what really makes for excellent food out of the WFO.

[Brad English]

Re: Roast Chicken

That's still useful information! That's the fun part about cooking with fire rather than in a home oven set at a specific temperature where you can exactly measure temperature and time in a recipe. I ilke the "live theater" aspect of open flame cooking!

It's good to have a target range for a new recipe, but then you have to feel your way through it.

Thanks!

Brad

To be honest with you, I don't really remember. I'm thinking somewhere around 450F with small fire going. I think it was about 2 hours or when the meat began to separate from the bone. I'm usually not very specific or follow any set recipes in my cooking, I just like to create on the fly. no one recipe turns out the same, It always brand new experiment. New recipes I find, start only as my as guidelines. Experimenting and creating with my new WFO has been fun. I can't wait to finish construction so I can find more time to have for cooking.

[kbartman]

Re: Roast Chicken

How did you do the Roast Chicken? Temps and times! It looks really good!

To be honest with you, I don't really remember. I'm thinking somewhere around 450F with small fire going. I think it was about 2 hours or when the meat began to separate from the bone. I'm usually not very specific or follow any set recipes in my cooking, I just like to create on the fly. no one recipe turns out the same, It always brand new experiment. New recipes I find, start only as my as guidelines. Experimenting and creating with my new WFO has been fun. I can't wait to finish construction so I can find more time to have for cooking.

[Brad English]

Roast Chicken

How did you do the Roast Chicken? Temps and times! It looks really good!

[kbartman]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Very nice...did you make the pizza in the pan?

Nope just good cook....................Yes a well greased pan, used a rolling pin to make it round and put in a round cookie sheet pan. I let the dough rise and as it rose I pinched the dough up the sides to hold the fluffed egg mixture. Just a lucky experiment that went well...........

[mirassou]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Very nice...did you make the pizza in the pan?

[kbartman]

Re: What's Bartman Cooking

Thanks, Kurtloup



Oyster dressing......mmm..... Just brought back memories of my grandmother's oyster dressing although it wasn't in a chicken. It was in a pan from her oven ..........Great idea grandmother's dressing in the WFO maybe some in the chicken or turkey............. Bummer........... Mom thinks the recipe went with her.

Thanks Gulf, for the ride down memories lane.

PS
If you have your moms recipe I would like to give it a try if you don't mind.

Ok Guys,
I have to confess. I was speaking to Mom the other day and telling her about my oyster stuffing memories she quickly corrected me and explained they were baked oysters. I guess I just associated the bread crumbs with stuffing and dressing, anyway they were delicious. She said my aunt may still have the recipe and give here a call.

Had another Pizza party last night, we baked about 12 pies, I lost count. I think it was pretty successful, had one turn out as a scattered calzone, it was still very tasty and got eaten. The pie making got a head of the cook and they sat to long on the peel. I did have to rake the coals over the area to clean the scorched cheesy area.

I'm getting better at turning and cooking the pies, although I did flipped one like a hamburger and it came out unscaved. I know that's probably hard to believe, I'm still wondering how it did not stick when I promptly flipped it back............ I got to stop to planning all theses get together and get finish my oven.

Anyway this morning with all the left over fixings and some eggs was a deep dish, thin and crispy breakfast pie:
sausage
bacon
ham
mushrooms
green peppers
onions
spinach
tomato
cheeses and spices: