Official VMAX Owners Recipe & Cooking Thread

[Regular Guy]

I may have outkicked my coverage when I got married. When we first got married, my wife would burn water. Now she can cook just about anything and doesn't mind grilling. Actually, she probably prefers it! I've taught her how to grill and smoke so well that she doesn't even need me anymore, lol! She wanted some steaks the other night and this is what she made for us. It's nice to come home from work and have your wife take care of you. She spoils me! Right now as I type this, she has a Boston Butt on one of the smokers and is making beef jerky on another and I am about to grill some dogs on the Weber. Lots of smoke rolling here today. I swapped out batteries and took the bike for a spin and as I neared the house I could smell that wonderful smoke entering the helmet. Made me happy :biglaugh:

 

[VMAXXIMUM]

Please ignore the "chef" this and that. I typed this up for a magazine and they added "chef" I'm a humble restaurant owner and by my standards "just a cook". I mean what I say at the bottom, call anytime if you have any questions.
​

​

​

Porchetta By: Chef Christian Lanoie~Sonoma Bistro & WineBar​

Even though I am French Canadian, I grew up eating this Italian style Pork Roast. You see, my Uncle Bob and my dad were Honorary members of the “Italian Workingmen’s Club” in Woonsocket, RI. The club made Porchetta throughout the year. The club had them at birthdays, parties, club events, fundraisers, and holidays. In fact Christmas was the biggest Porchetta event of the year, it was a Porchetta cook-off. This is where my story begins.
Christmas 1984 is where it all began for me. My uncle Bob was one of the “Porchetta Masters” that would get together in the lonely deserted darkness to begin the slow and gentle process of creating Porchetta out of a Pork Butt. I turned 16 that October and Uncle Bob announced to me that I could join him for the Annual Cook-off. Naturally I was excited to participate. So on Christmas Day (At 3:00 AM) he pulled up to my house and let out two quick “Toots” of the horn. As always with Uncle Bob, on other early morning excursions, you had 2 minutes to emerge from the front door or you were out of luck. I however was ready, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. When we arrived at the club we joined the team of “Porchetta Masters”, a group of 10 friends ready to do battle. Because I was the only “Kid” in the group I endured some good natured ribbing as the men got their morning beverages…Beer!!! Yup, Heineken, Bud, and Moosehead’s were cracked open and flowing…QUICKLY I might add.
These men were friends, really more like family, Boning knives in one hand and a beer in the other. In retrospect, they were truly an extended family happy to be in each other’s company, getting drunk and making food. I am honored to have been part of it, and even more so to carry on the tradition of crafting a simple Porchetta. Each time I make one I honor my Uncle, whom never had children of his own, so he treated his nieces and nephews as his own. I honor the family because it was always about pulling people together to have fun, be merry, and EAT! So it is my privilege to serve it in my restaurant and to share the recipe with you.

​

PORCHETTA RECIPE​

Originally this recipe would have been used to cook a whole pig. Most of us do not have a whole pig or the families big enough to need one, so Pork Butts or Picnic Shoulders work the best. I recommend the Pork Butt, but if you covet the rind or skin the Picnic Shoulder is your ticket.
INGREDIENTS:
Boneless Pork Butt
Coarsely Cracked Black Pepper
Whole Fennel Seed
Kosher Salt
Garlic cloves-Peeled or not your choice 30 or 40 broken apart and loose peel removed
Butcher’s twine
Vegetable oil
Potatoes

Put your Pork Butt on the Cutting board and find the seam where the bone was removed, use your knife to continue cutting through the middle to open up the butt(Like a book) or you can have you butcher do this for you. Now cut a series of trenches vertically about ¾ of an inch in to the meat spaced about 2-3 inches apart. Stuff these trenches with the Garlic cloves. Liberally coat the meat with the fennel seeds, Black Pepper, and a little salt. Now close the book, roughly approximating the original shape and tie it with the Butchers twine.
Put the Butt in a deep roasting pan. Pick a pan that the meat just fits into. Add oil to the pan about ¾ or so up the side of the meat, it takes quite a bit so do not worry if it seems like a lot. Wrap the pan in foil and put into a 325 degree oven. It takes about 4-6 hours depending on the size. Set a timer to unwrap and baste the butt with the cooking oil after 2 hours and repeat every 30min. until it’s done. Simply use the oil in the pan and ladle it over the meat. During the last hour or so of cooking, cut you potatoes up into chunks. Put the potatoes in a Roasting pan season with kosher salt and Black pepper and garlic then ladle some of the beautiful Pork oil onto the potatoes, mix them up and roast them till they are done. When there was Porchetta these roasted potatoes were always close by.

SPECIAL NOTE: When you are preparing this dish, if at any time you have questions this “Extended Family Member” is just a phone call away to help or guide you. Feel free to contact Chef Christian from Sonoma Bistro &WineBar on his cell phone (401)439-2609.

 

[Regular Guy]

Very cool. No need to be modest around here! I think it's awesome and I certainly appreciate you sharing this :worthy:

 

[Eugene Brad]

T bones on sale, gunna be doing some grilling. Have any of you guys used Spade L seasoning for beef? It's delicious, I just recently got turned on to it.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk

 

[Fire-medic]

The porchetta sounds delicious. I bet you had lots of fun learning at those celebrations. The young often don't realize what's going on until they are of adult age, and then they find out they now can carry-on the tradition.

I have a Cuban wife, and we owned a caja china, to make an entire pig in. My father-in-law helped me to learn about Cuban cooking, and my wife is a great cook. My mother-in-law used to make us camarones because she knew I liked shrimp. She made them in a tomato sauce, and they would come over to our home with Sunday dinner all-made, and they dressed-up to be here. It was a lot of fun. Both our son and daughter inherited the love of cooking from their Cuban grandparents.

I like to cook a pork tenderloin on a spit, with garlic cloves stuffed into cuts made into the meat, and salt, and pepper. You can add whatever other spices you prefer, basting as it cooks. I don't get too-demanding about the barbecue sauce I use for the basting.

 

[Eugene Brad]

We'll another successful grilling experience. I didn't have time to do it on the charcoal so went with the gas. Tried the parmesian onions for the first time they turned out awesome. T bones were perfect and the sun was shining.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk

 

[Regular Guy]

That all looks killer! E-mail me a plate of that asap!

 

[Eugene Brad]

So... Friday night, I've been drinking I gotta share what I did. I fried up some sausage. Made gravy with the drippinz. And then put the quick can style biscuits in the gravy to cook like dumplings. Sliced the sausage and added to the mix and let simmer low for about 7-8 min. The biscuits expanded a bit and I lightly stirred and submerged them in the mix. Then I cracked 6 eggs over top of that. From here you slow cook no stir untill the eggs a are to your liking and top with cheese.
Holy moly! Best heart attack breakfast dinner I've had in a while. The only thing I wish I would have done was get some fried taters involved but it started as a quick late night dinner so taters didn't make the ingredient list.
Try it!

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk

 

[Regular Guy]

That sounds excellent (or should I say EGG-cellent)! I could use a plate of that this morning!

 

[Hijinx1812]

Compared to all of the awesome recipes already posted, my post might be a bit of a cheater. I’m a warehouse supervisor for a very well known book publisher. As I was perusing our cookbooks one day, I came across the Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime book. I’ll tell you what, my wife and I have made quite a few of the dishes listed and haven’t been disappointed with ANY of them. If you enjoy cooking, I highly recommend picking it up. My daughter and I spend a lot of time together deciding which recipe we’re going to try next.

 

[Kronx]

Feeling frisky this weekend. Perhaps under the influence of various things. The picture just doesnt do this mess it's rightful place in my gastro history.

BBQ Brisket and pulled pork Nachos.
Sauteed onions in pepper and maple bacon and then a burbon de-glaze
Roasted Red Peppers
Habanero Beer Cheese

Point is... shit was good.

 

[VMAXXIMUM]

The picture might not do it justice but your description sure does.

 

[Regular Guy]

Feeling frisky this weekend. Perhaps under the influence of various things. The picture just doesnt do this mess it's rightful place in my gastro history.

BBQ Brisket and pulled pork Nachos.
Sauteed onions in pepper and maple bacon and then a burbon de-glaze
Roasted Red Peppers
Habanero Beer Cheese

Point is... shit was good.

Damn right! I make brisket nachos and PP nachos on occasion. Every time I do I wonder why I don;t do it more often. Seriously good shit unk:

 

[Regular Guy]

Compared to all of the awesome recipes already posted, my post might be a bit of a cheater. I’m a warehouse supervisor for a very well known book publisher. As I was perusing our cookbooks one day, I came across the Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime book. I’ll tell you what, my wife and I have made quite a few of the dishes listed and haven’t been disappointed with ANY of them. If you enjoy cooking, I highly recommend picking it up. My daughter and I spend a lot of time together deciding which recipe we’re going to try next.

Yep. Ree can cook her butt off! Most of her recipes are real easy and I've not made one of her dishes and been disappointed! I even watch her show from time to time, don't judge, lol! :biglaugh: