Christmas Cheer

[moon puppy]

Share what you like to share here. I'm taking my traditional 2 weeks off from work, Friday was very productive as I got 2 monkeys off my back that have been bothering me, all at one site out in California.
Here's our annual "Prime Rib" not USDA Prime but Choice. Pepaired al la Blazers style. "Blazers" being the restaurant my family owned and I grew up in.
Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Knor brand Au Jus gravy mix is the seasoning for the crust. This year I changed up a but and added brown sugar, man what a difference!
Added this shot to show what it looked like going in.

It's on the rare side (fine by me) so it cooks up nicely on reheat.

I can't get both girls in front of the tree and posing. Sometimes you gotta sneak up on them.

 

[Sharkmouth]

Yes, this is what I like, After all, sharks don't crave greens!

It is worth knowing your butchers. Let me explain. I got to several large supermarkets and get to know the head butcher and they are aware of my 'amateur' butcher skills. The prime rib roasts (primal ribs) come in three grades (actually four but the lowest is not for human consumption) instead of the far better grading systems elsewhere on this planet. Select is the lowest, then Choice, and last is Prime (being the best). Supermarkets here compete with each other so I was surprised to see "rib roast" on sale for $7 a pound at one and $10 at another. The butcher smiled and told me that the $7 cuts are select but he has a cut on the 'border' of choice so he got me that and I only paid for select saving me $3 a pound! Now, I only have to deal with a thick strip of hard fat between the ribeye cap and filet but the marbling was definitely choice grade. I 'could' ask the butcher at the other store to find me a cut near prime grade but these the butchers do put them aside for themselves.

Anyway, on to cooking. A technique that I tried so as to make a perfectly medium rare cook from edge to edge without spending an eternity at very low temperature is to cut off the ribs and tie them onto the ribeye cap to shield it from cooking too fast. I can then use 350 degrees to cook with a flash at 450 degrees to sear.

I didn't mention any toppings or seasonings? That is because I am simple and simply want to share a technique so the ribeye cap is perfect (too many online 'cooks, chefs, and experts' post photos showing this overcooked and gray). I plan to use Rosemary Salt, black garlic, and pepper... nothing else.

.

 

[Tim A.]

Looks good!
My wife would prefer I don't get near the stove.

 

[moon puppy]

I can then use 350 degrees to cook with a flash at 450 degrees to sear.

I preheat oven to 500 with the convection fan blowing, when the meat is ready and the oven hot. I pull the thermostat down to 200 and quickly put the meat in.
You can see the result.

 

[paddy]

Its a different world over here. I doubt many could afford a joint of beef like that .

Organic 28 Day Aged Trimmed Rib of Beef

An eye-catching and delicious centrepiece. Dry-aged next to a Himalayan salt wall to maximise flavour and tenderness, this organic and grass-fed beef rib joint is trimmed to perfection by our traditionally trained farm butchers. Season generously with sea salt and flash roast medium rare or take...

www.organicbutchery.co.uk

ok so this is 6lb but you get my point ....lol. I dont do Christmas, i dont have and friends or family as such and i live on my own so it would be a bit pointless

As for turkey ?

Woodland Bronze Turkey9-9.5kg

PLEASE NOTE: THESE TURKEYS ARE AVAILABLE FROM 20TH NOVEMBER. Available from 2.5kg-13kg. These Free Range Woodland Bronze Turkeys, feed on nettles, wild blackberries and freshly grown oats. They are a slow maturing bird for optimum flavour and texture. Due to their healthy outdoor existence...

lidgates.com

6kg = £187 or £13.50 a 1lb so thats about $15 a pound

Yes you can buy cheaper but food here is very much, you get what you pay for and you are better to not bother than buy supermarket. Things like Turkeys are deep frozen and may be up to 5 years old when you buy them, last year there was a load of trouble with them being rotten when thawed out :-(

 

[moon puppy]

Trust me, if it were not for my wife there would be no celebration here.
Local grocery stores around here put standing rib roast on sell for Christmas and Easter, I always stock up. This year it was about $10 per pound. They have other cuts of rib loin to catch the unsuspecting and we could order online to have expensive stuff delivered.
With my restaurant experience I know what to look for when selecting meat. I picked good on this one!

 

[paddy]

My brother was a chef and he always said never buy frozen because with meat, when you freeze it the water expands as it turns to ice and ruptures the cells which alters the texture and the taste when its defrosted. I dont have a clue but it sort of makes sense to me.
I will go Mexican, probably fajitas

 

[jknaus]

Well this year we are going to the youngest sons place seeing as Chris and I are sick. At least I dont have Bronchitis like she does. Anyways the oldest boy cooks breakfast and the turkey dinner. Food is outrageously expensive here now. Fresh Capless Prime Rib Premium Oven Roast or Family Size Grilling Steak on sale for $20.99/lb.

James

 

[moon puppy]

Steak on sale for $20.99/lb.

adjusted for USD that's about what our normal price is. $10 a pound I stock up, I cut 16 steaks out of the other loin I got the other day.

We're going to my brother's on Christmas eve, he'll have his chili....then to Cindy's nephew's place on Christmas Day, he'll have lobster and crablegs because he's a vegetarian . Who am I to question.

 

[paddy]

As Brit with a TV ..... i would imagine you would just go out onto the prairie and bag a passing Bison or Buffalo ? then form a possie and ride into town and shoot up the Saloon ?

or is that stereotyping

 

[moon puppy]

or is that stereotyping

about as much as we think of London in Christmas time with a layer of snow and every walking around looking like Dickens characters.

 

[moon puppy]

then form a possie and ride into town and shoot up the Saloon ?

no shooting...more like this.

 

[paddy]

Funny you should say that, i have just been shopping in my thigh length Leather boots, my black cape and my hat on at a jaunty angle. With feather of course. Sword stick in hand and flintlock in my belt.

 

[paddy]

My brother went to the Falkland with his regiment and used to say the biggest fight of the war was between the parachute regiment and the Royal marine Commandos in Portsmouth before they set sail

 

[Rhino]

Hark, Harold the angel sings! Prime Rib!! WOOF! That's the good stuff right there!
Gas here is $1.96.9 a gallon. Meat prices are still ridiculous for Iowa, but everything is on a relative scale.

Teresa and I did Santa and Mrs. Claus at Whitter last Friday. We had a BLAST! I warned school staff that Santa may sound a lot like Red Green, and he did! We went through the morning Daycayer classes, and Kindergarten through 4th grade classrooms. We handed out candy canes and stickers to all the True Believers of varying ages. Little Brynlynn, from my classroom, played Elf for the smaller kids. I was SO proud of her!

Some of the questions kids ask the Claus';

You don't look like Santa Claus.
"How do you know? Have YOU ever seen me before?"

Mr. Chris has the same kind of Claus hat you do.
"Of course he does. I gave it to him at the North Pole. He used to work there. They were both made a long time ago, out of good stuff!"

Santa, do you know the names of all the Reindeer?
"Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Thunder, Fireball, Clairice, Two-Toes, Pokey, Pukie, Smokey, Spooky, Pookie, Jackie, Itchy, Holly, Molly, Dolly, and Chuck. There are lots of reindeer at the North Pole."

Santa, what do the reindeer like to eat?
"Well, kids, they eat grass hay, grains and lots of water. The LOVE candy canes, so if you see a Reindeer, be ready to share. Chuck likes spaghetti too."

Santa, where are the reindeer now?
"Oh, flying around here someplace. Reindeer overheat when they sit still so they have to keep moving to stay cool. Watch out the windows. You might see 'em!"

Mrs. Claus, do you ride in the sleigh?
"Only when we run errands and visit friends. I get cold in the sleigh. I don't like being cold. Nick has a nice warm suit. I mostly stay at the North Pole and keep the elves in line."

Santa, how old are you?
"I am old. As old as Christmas spirit itself. and almost as young as you!"

Santa, Can I be an Elf too?
"If you have been good, and don't weigh more then 65 pounds, Yes! Over 65 pounds, is too much for the sleigh. Go to www.northpole/elf.com and apply. You gotta be jolly and singing is a plus."

Mrs. Claus, is Santa nice all the time?
"This time of year, he gets a little grumpy, because he wants to make sure everything is ready for Christmas eve. He's a little bit naughty every once in a while. I make sure he gets lots of hot cocoa and cookies!"

Santa, how many kids do you bring presents to?
"Not every place in the world celebrates Christmas, see. Then, take away the kids on the Naughty List........
Around 500 million good little boys and girls get presents and candy from the North Pole every year."

Santa, how fast does the sleigh go?
Well, see the sleigh....... How can I explain this to ya? Hmm.....Do you know what a tesseract is? No? Okay. Ask Mr. Farrell. (the Whittier science teacher) Time and distance doesn't really mean much in the sleigh. There's a lot of science and physics involved, but maybe,.....oh.... .64 lightspeed? That's 291,065 miles per second, to you older kids. Santa's gotta hang on tight! All the presents get delivered in less than 14 hours by a regular clock.

Santa, what do I want for Christmas?
"Well, Owen, you've been pretty good, but GTA-6 is late, so not until next year." Owen's jaw about hit the floor. I gather kid intelligence in the lunch room, so I know these things. Little dork.

Santa, have I been good?
"You'll know for sure Christmas morning, Lillian!"

Santa, If I was on the naughty list, what would you put in my stocking?
"Well, Kiddo, I can think up some pretty yucky stuff, but I might go with moldy cheese and dog poop for really naughty kids."

Say "Ho Ho Ho!?
"I don't go 'Ho-Ho-Ho' that's a myth. Merry Christmas!!"

We would wave, lay a finger aside out noses and say "You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout......." wish each classroom a Merry Christmas. Stop for a chuckle and move on to the next bunch of students.

Teresa played a perfect Mrs. Claus and we pulled off the biggest Christmas coup in the Indianola Community School District! We even made the Whitter Elementary School Yearbook! Kurt Russell would have been proud.

We didn't take one picture of ourselves, because it wasn't about us. It was about the children.

Merry Christmas, mates!

 

[Rhino]

Funny you should say that, i have just been shopping in my thigh length Leather boots, my black cape and my hat on at a jaunty angle. With feather of course. Sword stick in hand and flintlock in my belt.

Dennis Moore? Leave them Lupins alone!!

 

[RichB]

Funny you should say that, i have just been shopping in my thigh length Leather boots, my black cape and my hat on at a jaunty angle. With feather of course. Sword stick in hand and flintlock in my belt.

Are those the boots with the 7" stilleto heels and matching leather corset under the cape?

Cheers,
RichB

 

[paddy]

Are those the boots with the 7" stilleto heels and matching leather corset under the cape?

Cheers,
RichB

No sir, thats my casual attire, for shopping i wear my formal

 

[paddy]

Rhino my good chap, Gas here is £1.50 a litre.... thats £6.81 a gallon or $9.11 USD a Gallon....

This why we drive small cars

 

[RichB]

My brother went to the Falkland with his regiment and used to say the biggest fight of the war was between the parachute regiment and the Royal marine Commandos in Portsmouth before they set sail

Post Falklands we had a Royal Engineers unit sent here from the Falklands to reintroduce them to civilization before turning them loose on the unsuspecting UK population.

It was only took a few days after their arrival that they were banned from the downtown drinking establishments and base mess bars for their "unruly behaviour". They were banished to the Base Curling Club building where they could fight amongst themselves.

Cheers,
RichB