Fast Food

[MossRoad]

Tonight I grilled some thick boneless pork chops with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. I also put two slices of grilled pineapple on the rack above them and let them drip down on the chops. I basted the top of the pineapple with the sauce as well. While the chops were cooking I made some white rice and steamed some green beans that I picked from the garden today. Everything took about 10 minutes to cook. That was fast enough food for me. Mmmm!!!

 

[Bird]

O.K. I tried a spoonful of light Karo syrup. It had no flavor, just a little sweetness. I would eat it in a pinch but would rather see it made into pecan pie.

I agree. The light Karo is just sweetness. I even prefer the dark Karo for the pecan pies, although either one can be used.

 

[jinman]

Tonight I grilled some thick boneless pork chops with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. I also put two slices of grilled pineapple on the rack above them and let them drip down on the chops. I basted the top of the pineapple with the sauce as well. While the chops were cooking I made some white rice and steamed some green beans that I picked from the garden today. Everything took about 10 minutes to cook. That was fast enough food for me. Mmmm!!!

Oh, how I love grilled pork chops. I usually like mine basted in teriyaki sauce and with slices of fresh pineapple. Delicious!

 

[Bird]

Ah yes, grilled pork chops are mighty tasty. We used to buy the thick boneless ones, but sometimes they were just a little too thick to suit me, so the last couple of times, I've just bought a pork loin, chilled it just enough to make it reasonably firm, then sliced it to the thickness we wanted for pork chops before packaging and freezing. We sometimes marinate them in Allegro and sometimes only lightly sprinkle them with red pepper.

 

[jimmyj]

I used to buy boneless pork chops but now we mostly get the ones that look like little T Bones. They taste better I think, something about the bone in.

Mmmmm, pork chops.

 

[Bird]

I used to buy boneless pork chops but now we mostly get the ones that look like little T Bones. They taste better I think, something about the bone in.

Mmmmm, pork chops.

Yep, we're getting spoiled in lots of ways; boneless meats just being one of them. My wife doesn't want anything except boneless fish, chicken, pork, or beef, and I tend to go that way, too, but I do believe those meats cooked with the bone in are just a little better flavor.

If we go to a catfish restaurant, she only wants the boneless fillets while I prefer the ones fried whole.

 

[jimmyj]

Bird, funny you mention that about the boneless and you are so on the money. We only buy boneless chicken breast from the store now, and like you say, same with fish. Every few years we get back to raising turkeys and chickens for the freezer and we get reminded that there are still fantastic uses for a whole bird (soups, stews, meat pies).

 

[MossRoad]

so the last couple of times, I've just bought a pork loin,

Yep. That's the way we buy them now, too. The pork loin goes on sale pretty often for under $2.00 bucks a pound and when it does, I buy a couple. I usually slice off a nice roast or two then cut the rest into chops the thickness that we like. Its nice to have a freezer!

The last time we did that about two months ago the first one was fine. Then I opened the second one and it smelled like toilet bowl cleaner! No sooner had I slit the packaging my entire family came running in to ask what the horrible smell was. YIKES!!! I took it back to the grocery store immediately and told them there was something terribly wrong with it. They asked me to take it out of the bag I had put it in. I kindly told them that wasn't a good idea as it would probably clear the store. They gave me my money back AND told me to go pick out another one of the same size. Double money back guarantee on meat. Nice store. I've been using them all my life and this is only the second piece of meat we ever returned. Once when I was a little kid my mom spent some hard earned cash on some steaks (we rarely had beef back in the 60s) and when she got them home there was a cigarette butt between them. The butcher got fired.

This pork loin that was bad was not produced by our grocery store. It came pre-packaged from a large meat packing company that is nation-wide. Kinda scary, really. We are now considering buying a hog locally and having it butchered just so we know where it came from. We buy our beef from a cousin for the reason, too.

 

[MossRoad]

Bird, funny you mention that about the boneless and you are so on the money. We only buy boneless chicken breast from the store now, and like you say, same with fish. Every few years we get back to raising turkeys and chickens for the freezer and we get reminded that there are still fantastic uses for a whole bird (soups, stews, meat pies).

I usually get chicken brests with bones. I can de-bone chicken breasts without a knife. I put the skins and bones in a freezer bag for soup later. I also pull that little strip that comes inside the breast and put them in a freezer bag as well. When we get a bunch of those strips we make chicken fingers for the kids.

 

[Bird]

I can't remember us ever getting any spoiled meat at a grocery store. I remember, in 1973, when a brand new supermarket opened up close to us and the first time my wife went in there, she came home with soured milk and moldy bread. She returned those, and we went back to driving a little farther to the supermarket we'd been using.

Did you ever try boning a whole raw chicken yourself? I had to try it once just to see how much work it would be, and now I know. So I haven't done it anymore.

 

[jimmyj]

Moss, how do you debone the breast without a knife? Bone in is much more economical so if it's not hard I'd like to try it.

Bird, we've tryed to find boneless chicken day old chicks so we could grow our own but no luck so far!

 

[MossRoad]

...
Did you ever try boning a whole raw chicken yourself? I had to try it once just to see how much work it would be, and now I know. So I haven't done it anymore.

No. I've seen it done on several cooking shows. I never had a need to do it, though. What recipe calls for a de-boned chicken anyway?

I do occasionally purchase whole chickens and cut them up into pieces, but not very often. We can usually get pre-packaged pieces cheaper than the whole bird. Our grocery store almost always has quarters(thigh/leg) for way under a buck a pound. Wings are hard to find cheap now that wing restaurants are popular. And breasts with bones are on sale pretty often, too.

 

[Bird]

I like both white and dark meat chicken, and my wife wants only boneless meats, except for an occasionaly drumstick, so I just tried boning a chicken, then cooked it on the grill. Too much trouble. I don't know whether they still have them or not, but awhile back Sam's Club had boneless skinless thigh meat. But like most folks, I guess, we mostly buy the boneless, skinless chicken breats and occasionally the leg quarters.

 

[MossRoad]

Moss, how do you debone the breast without a knife? Bone in is much more economical so if it's not hard I'd like to try it.

Take the breast and find where they chopped off the wing. There is always a hole next to that joint. Shove your thumb in there and feel around to loosen up the cavity. Then you can slide your thumb in and down and open it up like an envelope along the long, thin cartilage side. Then its just a matter of peeling the large section of breast meat off the side away from the cartilage and the skin just sort of falls off on its own. After the big piece of meat is removed there is a thin strip along the cartilage. Again, I use my thumb to pop under it and slide along the back side of it to separate it from the cartilage. There is a stringy tendon at the base of the strip. I leave it on. Some folks trim it off the strip with a knife. Just buy a few breasts and dissect them. Once you see how a chicken is built inside and you have that mental image of where things are going to be located under the skin and meat it gets pretty easy. They are all pretty much the same except for size.

 

[MossRoad]

I like both white and dark meat chicken, and my wife wants only boneless meats, except for an occasionaly drumstick, so I just tried boning a chicken, then cooked it on the grill. Too much trouble. I don't know whether they still have them or not, but awhile back Sam's Club had boneless skinless thigh meat. But like most folks, I guess, we mostly buy the boneless, skinless chicken breats and occasionally the leg quarters.

When I bone out any chicken I save the bones and skins and such and boil them down for stock. Then I strain it out and pick out any meat that is left over and either throw the meat back in for soup or make it in to chicken salad. A little mayo and some pickle relish is all it takes.

 

[jinman]

When I bone out any chicken I save the bones and skins and such and boil them down for stock. Then I strain it out and pick out any meat that is left over and either throw the meat back in for soup or make it in to chicken salad. A little mayo and some pickle relish is all it takes.

Wow Moss! When your momma gave you the lecture about not wasting anything, you must have really taken that to heart. Good job!

 

[J_J]

You guys want boneless chicken, just throw it in a pressure cooker with the proper seasoning, and when it is done, the bones are on the bottom, almost. Yum Yum.

 

[MossRoad]

Wow Moss! When your momma gave you the lecture about not wasting anything, you must have really taken that to heart. Good job!

Nah! I just like chicken salad made with dark meat and my wife doesn't. So if I want it, I get to make it!!!

I bet I have at least three plastic ice cream containers full of chicken parts or chicken stock in the freezer right now.

 

[MossRoad]

You guys want boneless chicken, just throw it in a pressure cooker with the proper seasoning, and when it is done, the bones are on the bottom, almost. Yum Yum.

MMmmmm!

I love our pressure cooker. I use it for chicken, beef roasts and corned beef several times a year. But it is a small one that can barely hold one corned beef, or one small chicken. I just purchased a new 23qt Presto pressure canner last weekend. I plan to do some vegetable canning that cannot be done in a water bath for the first time this year. The pressure canner works as a pressure cooker as well, so I plan on pressure cooking some larger cuts of meat and maybe a couple chickens at a time. Can't wait.

 

[Bird]

I, too, like to cook a whole chicken in the pressure cooker. Then it's easy to remove and discard the bones and skin. From that point on, lots of possibilities. You've got the broth, if you need it for recipes. I like chicken salad sandwiches. I also like chicken and dumplings, chicken/vegetable soup, etc.

The first time I saw canned broth for sale, I could hardly believe they actually sold that stuff instead of people making their own.