Pitmaster T
Babbling Farker
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Location
- Texas
I do not know who to thank. Ever since I bought the MKT I have been looking for my or it's mojo.. maybe before. I think I may have found it... but I have to say... I am shocked no one was able to help me out.
Nearly a year ago I posted this video - [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf4FGVrdl-A&index=9&list=PL-FMdthfYNpRRIK_a_wY64CCBNgEQoIyr"]Test Kitchen - Flat Top BBQ - YouTube[/ame]
The results of that whole thing... meh!
Meat is expensive - we all know that. BBQ can be limiting. I bought the MKT because I didn't want to be limited TO BBQ. For those that do knot know, an MKT is a Military Kitchen Trailer used by the armed forces to feed troops in the field until about 2005. Since then they are surplussing them. I thought it was unique.
The Popdaddy's Jumpin' Jive Canteen (MKT-85) All Diesel Burners
I wanted my food to be unique. The video above shows the struggle. My BBQ is good, but I wanted to serve burgers too... and dogs. My burgers are great... but I wanted to serve bbq. The problem was in the video ---- the bread.
I also didn't want to kill myself making BBQ then sell it, and also set up and take down. One of those processes had to be easier. So I had always resigned myself to cooking a few bbq treasures, chilling them down (or freezing then thawing) and reheating on the grill per order. In the rather large chest I could also have my beef for hamburgers, maybe some links in a UDS somewhere... a pot of gumbo or chili... and so on. But never had that signature item that it all was built around.
I feel like a jack ass. You see I spent some time in New England where they have these things called GRINDERS. All my time in the south I never gave two ****s about SUBS. But Grinders... and they are the same thing but "Sub" never captured the imagination like the Grinders did.
So fast forward to this weekend. I was invited - or rather "voluntold" to captain a "Cook for your Class" contest. My school cooking against 12 other campuses. Don't worry I didn't win... it is 50 points out of 100 for food and the other is for decoration... theme.. tickets sold... a bunch of crap I am just not interested in. In fact.... losing kind of stung.... here is why.
The contest was for best PO BOY. I never had a Po Boy that I remember. Esentially its just a Sub, or Grinder... but when I read about IT - well, its about the bread and the rather redneck southern loveliness that goes in it. The best Po' Boy was an Asian Suishi thing so that should tell you our town is no less better at judging a po boy than anyone.
So essentially I was forced to make something out of my zone. BUT THE PRACTICE of farting around with it to make them for the crowd was the blessing beyond any prize.
You see I want to serve a certain kind of clientele. One that doe snot give a **** about what they look like; fat mother ****ers, well - maybe a few size 2 and below college hotties that burn off all those calories scrogging all day and night. So you can imagine I was not at all upset when the Asian sushi won.
But I got to work with a line cook with a chef background and we began talking about how the MKT could be laid out and the possibilities of BBQ Po' Boys/Burgers/Links and a few soup entrees. All with the target of being well rested on sale day because you smoked and chilled your BBQ ahead of time.
Here is AJ with the Bread. I looked at those and thought, there is no way i can make a sandwich out of that a fat ****er is gonna be happy with. But when we sliced them right.... boy... the room in those things! I then said... AJ so where do we store them... he said in a net above everything so the customer can see them. I have a warming drawer I made to hold the meat once it comes from the Cambro - but I could also simple toast on the grill of the customer wants... frankly... its not needed. you slice the bread open, set on butcher paper on the grill's cool side, fill with the hot meat, then crisp the cheese skirt - by the time all that is done, the bottom and top which have been flipped open and are on the grill are hot, hot, hot!
In this case we had to make a **** load of sandwiches at once... I had 6 buts wrapped in cling wrap in the cambro HOT.... and two down in the bottom of the cooler in case we ran out. We did... and breaking it apart, steaming and searing it on the flat top was easy.
The process was simple - plop a bit on (or in this case a lot), chop the large chunks with the dough knife, add a steaming liquid and cover if you are doing a lot ... come back and toss a few times - then I used Chris Lily's White BBQ sauce to moisten it up, scoop on the sandwich and add Buttered Onions. (These are Onion half rings, grilled to tender, then simmered in a pound of salted butter for a while).
To that our sauces were added, my Redd and Wett or my Hit Me Fred (mustard sauce), this toned down the richness of the sandwich for what comes after.
Now I never took a pic of my turn in dang it but here were some we fed to the crowd... BEFORE the slaw was put on top. The signature cheese skirt is on it. AJ my assist had been working a flat top for 20 years and had NEVER seen how easy it was to cook the cheese to gooey on one side and crisp and salty on the other. The po boys were a hit.
So - if you view the video above again, and maybe my Grilled Meatloaf video (the one where I make a meatloaf ahead of time, chill it in the paper then flat top it for a nice crust for a sandwich) - you can see my struggle is with the bread.
The whole thing cooking with a line chef - one that was as entertained at watching the cook at Waffle house as I was, got me a great future vision i can go with.
Nearly a year ago I posted this video - [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf4FGVrdl-A&index=9&list=PL-FMdthfYNpRRIK_a_wY64CCBNgEQoIyr"]Test Kitchen - Flat Top BBQ - YouTube[/ame]
The results of that whole thing... meh!
Meat is expensive - we all know that. BBQ can be limiting. I bought the MKT because I didn't want to be limited TO BBQ. For those that do knot know, an MKT is a Military Kitchen Trailer used by the armed forces to feed troops in the field until about 2005. Since then they are surplussing them. I thought it was unique.
The Popdaddy's Jumpin' Jive Canteen (MKT-85) All Diesel Burners
I wanted my food to be unique. The video above shows the struggle. My BBQ is good, but I wanted to serve burgers too... and dogs. My burgers are great... but I wanted to serve bbq. The problem was in the video ---- the bread.
I also didn't want to kill myself making BBQ then sell it, and also set up and take down. One of those processes had to be easier. So I had always resigned myself to cooking a few bbq treasures, chilling them down (or freezing then thawing) and reheating on the grill per order. In the rather large chest I could also have my beef for hamburgers, maybe some links in a UDS somewhere... a pot of gumbo or chili... and so on. But never had that signature item that it all was built around.
I feel like a jack ass. You see I spent some time in New England where they have these things called GRINDERS. All my time in the south I never gave two ****s about SUBS. But Grinders... and they are the same thing but "Sub" never captured the imagination like the Grinders did.
So fast forward to this weekend. I was invited - or rather "voluntold" to captain a "Cook for your Class" contest. My school cooking against 12 other campuses. Don't worry I didn't win... it is 50 points out of 100 for food and the other is for decoration... theme.. tickets sold... a bunch of crap I am just not interested in. In fact.... losing kind of stung.... here is why.
The contest was for best PO BOY. I never had a Po Boy that I remember. Esentially its just a Sub, or Grinder... but when I read about IT - well, its about the bread and the rather redneck southern loveliness that goes in it. The best Po' Boy was an Asian Suishi thing so that should tell you our town is no less better at judging a po boy than anyone.
So essentially I was forced to make something out of my zone. BUT THE PRACTICE of farting around with it to make them for the crowd was the blessing beyond any prize.
You see I want to serve a certain kind of clientele. One that doe snot give a **** about what they look like; fat mother ****ers, well - maybe a few size 2 and below college hotties that burn off all those calories scrogging all day and night. So you can imagine I was not at all upset when the Asian sushi won.
But I got to work with a line cook with a chef background and we began talking about how the MKT could be laid out and the possibilities of BBQ Po' Boys/Burgers/Links and a few soup entrees. All with the target of being well rested on sale day because you smoked and chilled your BBQ ahead of time.
Here is AJ with the Bread. I looked at those and thought, there is no way i can make a sandwich out of that a fat ****er is gonna be happy with. But when we sliced them right.... boy... the room in those things! I then said... AJ so where do we store them... he said in a net above everything so the customer can see them. I have a warming drawer I made to hold the meat once it comes from the Cambro - but I could also simple toast on the grill of the customer wants... frankly... its not needed. you slice the bread open, set on butcher paper on the grill's cool side, fill with the hot meat, then crisp the cheese skirt - by the time all that is done, the bottom and top which have been flipped open and are on the grill are hot, hot, hot!
In this case we had to make a **** load of sandwiches at once... I had 6 buts wrapped in cling wrap in the cambro HOT.... and two down in the bottom of the cooler in case we ran out. We did... and breaking it apart, steaming and searing it on the flat top was easy.
The process was simple - plop a bit on (or in this case a lot), chop the large chunks with the dough knife, add a steaming liquid and cover if you are doing a lot ... come back and toss a few times - then I used Chris Lily's White BBQ sauce to moisten it up, scoop on the sandwich and add Buttered Onions. (These are Onion half rings, grilled to tender, then simmered in a pound of salted butter for a while).
To that our sauces were added, my Redd and Wett or my Hit Me Fred (mustard sauce), this toned down the richness of the sandwich for what comes after.
Now I never took a pic of my turn in dang it but here were some we fed to the crowd... BEFORE the slaw was put on top. The signature cheese skirt is on it. AJ my assist had been working a flat top for 20 years and had NEVER seen how easy it was to cook the cheese to gooey on one side and crisp and salty on the other. The po boys were a hit.
So - if you view the video above again, and maybe my Grilled Meatloaf video (the one where I make a meatloaf ahead of time, chill it in the paper then flat top it for a nice crust for a sandwich) - you can see my struggle is with the bread.
The whole thing cooking with a line chef - one that was as entertained at watching the cook at Waffle house as I was, got me a great future vision i can go with.
