Looking for poke input

C

Crash

is Blowin Smoke!
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Messages
1,059
Reaction score
316
Points
0
Location
Kailua, HI (Oahu)
I know I'll get raked over the proverbial coals for this, but I also know that all of the Brethren have amazing input.

Here's the situation. We have a poke contest this weekend in Hawaii. Ahi, Tako (octopus) and ....wait for it..... Vegetarian.

Directly taken from the Wikipedia site....here's the definition of poke.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poke_(Hawaii)

Due to the severe lack of BBQ comps out in the 808 (Hawaii), we are now competing for the third time in this competition. GC gets an all expense paid trip to Alaska to fish for Halibut and Salmon.

We've done very well in previous years in 2 out of the three categories. Just not enough to get us to the final table and on to Alaska to do some fishing.

Any ideas will be appreciated and I'll respect it if you wanna get all snarky....hell, this is a BBQ forum.
 
Pffft.....I thought it was a mis-type.

I thought you meant poke (POWK) as in "pulled poke". :becky:





Are you looking for help on how to improve your poke?
Cause....I got nuthin.....
 
Do I have it right? Theres actually no cooking involved in a POKE. Sounds interesting for sure.
 
I'm jealous. Mrs. SJ looooves poke (take it anyway you want)....and Hawaii

But on a serious note, are you asking for smoked veggie recipes?

I'm thinking that some guava-smoked avocado and/or some kiawe-smoked firm tofu should go in there.
 
If it lives in the water I aint eatin it sorry! ( Food allergies)
 
Crash said:
Here's the situation. We have a poke contest this weekend in Hawaii. Ahi, Tako (octopus) and ....wait for it..... Vegetarian.
Click to expand...

Am I missing something?
How does a vegetarian dish contain two animals?
 
pmad said:
Am I missing something?
How does a vegetarian dish contain two animals?
Click to expand...

As I read it, there are three categories:

Ahi (the traditional protein)
Tako (A crunchier protein) and
Vegetarian

The veggie poke would be tough, because you need something in between ahi and tako. That's why I thought avocado or firm tofu.

Now that I think about it, breadfruit might work, as well as taro.

But what about a smoked apple banana, diced into poke-sized pieces?
 
stephan said:
Do I have it right? Theres actually no cooking involved in a POKE. Sounds interesting for sure.
Click to expand...
Ahi and veggie categories can "technically" be cooked. Tako must be cooked. Anyone that serves cooked ahi as a poke will definitely be banned from the island. :loco:
 
SmokinJohn said:
I'm jealous. Mrs. SJ looooves poke (take it anyway you want)....and Hawaii

But on a serious note, are you asking for smoked veggie recipes?

I'm thinking that some guava-smoked avocado and/or some kiawe-smoked firm tofu should go in there.
Click to expand...
Any and all ideas welcome. Not just smoked ideas.
 
Crash, what about a mix of roasted indigenous root vegetables and the "typical" poke seasoning? Put a touch of fish sauce in it for an additional savory kick along with a small spritz of vinegar and you might have something. Then again, I've never had poke.
 
Oh man, I love me some poke, and it's Tahitian cousin, Poisson Cru. For the veg I'd probably go for something that is similar in texture to the fish, maybe smoked eggplant? Maybe a roasted winter squash? Hmm, you might replicate the tako with a pickled Bull Kelp? I'm totally reaching, but it sounds like a fun experiment. Good luck, hope you get to go after those 'but in AK.
 
Crash said:
Due to the severe lack of BBQ comps out in the 808 (Hawaii)....
Click to expand...

Pssst....

http://hilobaybbq.com/Page_10_UUDD.php

I think this is on the Big Island. If I had known about this last year, I might have come to see how I fare against my island brethren, and share some BBQ love (And grind on some poke).....can't make it this year, but probably in 2014...
 
Thanks.
Again, there is no such thing as vegetarian poke.

That aside, in order to serve the octopus raw, you need to tenderize it by beating it with a peeled daikon radish. It imparts flavor while tenderizing.
Then slice the octopus extremely thin and allow the citrus to "cook" it like ceviche.
Mix with tomato, red onion, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili pepper.

Just before serving, sprinkle with a nice course salt.
 
SmokinJohn said:
Pssst....

http://hilobaybbq.com/Page_10_UUDD.php

I think this is on the Big Island. If I had known about this last year, I might have come to see how I fare against my island brethren, and share some BBQ love (And grind on some poke).....can't make it this year, but probably in 2014...
Click to expand...

Yup, we did this one last year. In hindsight, it's way too expensive to ship our gear from Oahu to Hilo to compete for such a small prize fund......especially when Slap Yo Daddy shows up.

Still, it was fun.
 
poke is and always will be a touchy subject in hawaii. i ate very little of it but my wife was crazy about it. but even then could get rather critical. i would start by searching poke in hawaiin recipe books. tako can be made soft by pounding the heck out of it. then it can be raw but soft. i think on a zimmern show someone made the octopus soft by putting it in a inner tube and pounding it against the sidewalk.
does need some seaweed also or its a no go.
 
Mahalos for all the suggestions and advice. I have a game plan in place and will do a practice run tomorrow.

If anyone else has anything to add...feel free.
 
stephan said:
Do I have it right? Theres actually no cooking involved in a POKE. Sounds interesting for sure.
Click to expand...
Yes and no. Most fish poke is raw, most tako poke is cooked. Then again, I've seen raw tako poke and cooked fish poke as well. A lot of the vegetarian poke includes cooked veggies or even fried tofu.

Clear as mud....right?? :becky:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

PitRow
The tale of the week-long poke chops
Replies
6
Views
822
cowgirl
cowgirl
S
Garlic Bombs! :)
Replies
15
Views
540
Bluebird
B
Jason TQ
Ooni Koda 16 (Pizza things escalated quickly)
2 3 4
Replies
62
Views
4K
bowhnter
bowhnter
M
Looking for a vented outdoor Canopy
Replies
10
Views
603
Big George's BBQ
Big George's BBQ
smoke ninja
first cook on my Shirley patio and weeping ribs cook
2
Replies
32
Views
1K
ModelMaker
ModelMaker
Back
Top