Come on, NHS, pull the finger out!

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Normally, I can’t complain about the NHS. It gives a very acceptable level of service and I’ve never been disappointed so far. The only downside of it, as far as I can see, is that it’s too bureaucratic and the left hand doesn’t even know the right hand exists at times.

I’ve been waiting for my post-vasectomy fertility test results. I’ve called the GP surgery twice and they’ve not gotten anything back. I was told by the cell path lab that it would take about 5 days to get the results back. That was 10 days ago. After calling the GP (twice), the Saffron Walden community hospital where the procedure was done in the first place (and being transferred to the coivemail of somebody who is on holiday until the end of August), the Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow (twice, and once after doing a Google search to get the phone number of the cell path lab from some random press release, because it’s not on the main hospital website) and finally being bounced around 4 or 5 people in the outpatient clinic of the SWCH again, I finally found somebody who could tell me that, yes, they have the results but, no, they can’t give them out to me because they need to be reviewed by a doctor. They’ll fax the results to him and get back to me sometime this week.

Oy.

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Time to change the countdown clock!

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Well, my birthday has come and gone, and it was a good weekend. In fact, it’s probably been one of the better weekends we’ve had in a while. We were originally supposed to have gone to the beach with Bean, but since Katy’s mom was still a bit fragile after coming out of the hospital, we’d decided to go up to Leicester for the weekend.

Katy took me out on Saturday for a quick brunch at Mrs Bridges in Leicester, shopped for some arts & crafts supplies for Bean (face paint, gouache, plasticine, etc) then we went to see the last Harry Potter movie and then we went back to the oldies’ house for a BBQ once Bean had gone to bed. The HP movie was better than I expected, even if they did butcher the book to make it fit into the director’s random plotlines at times. Still, it was good and I’m glad I saw it. It’s the end of an era though, weird to think that the franchise has been going on for over 10 years. Some people are reportedly going a bit doolaley about the fact that their “childhood days are now officially over”. Weird…

The BBQ was amusing. I’d asked Mel to get a cheap BBQ from B&Q, as they were having an end-of-season sale. I finally got Mel cooking!

Katy spoiled me a bit for my b’day. She got me a subscription to NGS and BBC Good Food magazine, some cologne, some socks and undies (don’t laugh, I asked for them!), The Last Supper DVD†, a BBQ cookbook, a Get-On-My-Horse fridge magnet and, of course, an Insanity Prawn Boy t-shirt and matching plush prawn :) I love my wife, especially because she accepts my bizarre sense of humour.

Now that my birthday is passed, the countdown clock on the blog has been set to tick down until xmas. Only 138 to go! Woohoo :)

All pictures are online: http://www.flubu.com/various_pics/birthday_2011/

†You know what you need Heather? You know what you really need?

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[Recipe] Pulled Pork!

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I’ve been wanting to try this for ages, and I finally got up the courage to try to make pulled pork. I had the butcher keep me a bone-in shoulder (aka pork butt) last weekend. When I weighed it this morning, it was a touch over 10 pounds :)

I trimmed the fat and skin off of it, coated it with lemon olive oil and then gave it a good coating of dust:

Meathead’s Memphis Dust Rub Recipe
Adapted from: http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/meatheads_magic_dust.html

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves, ground to a powder

I used the fast-cook method, if only because I can’t control the heat well enough on my smoker. Normally, the cooking time would be to allow 2 hours per pound at 225°F. Even though butts are very forgiving and temp control isn’t crucial, I also wasn’t keen on refueling my smoker for 20 hours.

After 4 hours of smoking at about 225°F with lots of smoke, adding a handful of soaked wood chips every 30 minutes or so, put the meat on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and pour a cup of water or apple juice into the pan. Cover the meat with foil and fasten the foil tightly to the edges of the pan so the meat is in a nice enclosed environment. Roast in the oven at 350°F for another 2 to 3 hours or until the temp hits 190°F and it passes the fork test.

When it hits about 180°F, collagens, which are part the connective tissues, begin to melt and turn to gelatin. The meat gets much more tender when this happens. And juicy. When it hits 190°F, it may be ready, and it may not be ready. But it’s time to check. If there is a bone, use a glove or paper towel to protect your fingers and wiggle the bone. If it turns easily and comes out of the meat, the collagens have melted and you are done. If there is no bone, use the “stick a fork in it method”. Insert a fork and try to rotate it 90 degrees. If it turns with only a little torque, you’re done. If it’s not done, close the lid and leave it for 30 minutes. If the internal temp hits 190°F but the meat is still not tender, reduce the heat in your cooker to about 190°F and hold it there for as much as another hour. It should then be done. If not, you’ve just got a tough butt. Wrap tough butts in aluminum foil and let them go for another hour, but don’t take them above 200°F or else the muscle fibers will start giving up moisture and toughen.

Leave the butt to rest for 30-60 minutes, then start pulling! Put the meat into a large pan to catch drippings. Pull the clod apart with gloved hands or forks. Discard big chunks of fat. If you wish you can slice it or chop it, but you lose less moisture by pulling it apart by hand since the meat separates into bundles of muscle fibers, hence the name pulled pork. Try not to eat all the flavorful crusty bits when you are doing the pulling, and distribute them evenly throughout. Make sure you save any flavorful drippings and pour them over the meat.

Adapted from: http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html

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[Recipe] Gumbo, gumbo, in the pot…

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Chicken, sausage and shrimp gumbo

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 large onions, chopped
3 bell peppers, seeded, chopped (red and green)
4 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
sea salt and whole peppercorns
1/2 cup dry white wine
leaves from two handfuls of fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
2 tins plum tomatoes with juice
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
6 smoked sausages, cut diagonally in 1/2-inch-thick slices
1.5 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound peeled prawns
Tabasco sauce, to taste

Combine chilli flakes, sea salt, paprika and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine consistency.

Brown chicken and sausages in a frying pan. This will add extra flavour. I used Hickory smoked sausages I get from the Giggly Pig lady, as they have a nice smoky flavour that really complimented the dish, and also have a bit of a kick, which also fit in nicely.

In a large cast iron pot, make a roux with the oil and flour (see below). Add chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, and chopped celery and cook until onions are soft and brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

Add seasoning, wine, tomatoes, stock, thyme, and bay leaves; bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

Add sausage and chicken, reduce heat and leave to simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid letting the roux catch and burn.

Add shrimp to pot and cook shrimp until just opaque in center, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Season gumbo to taste with Tabasco.

Garnish with minced parsley and serve with steamed rice alongside.

How to make a roux

1. Heat 1/2 cup of oil, or other fat in a heavy skillet over very low heat.
2. Gradually sprinkle the hot melted fat with the same proportion of flour and immediately begin stirring.
3. Stir the mixture constantly until it reaches the desired color, which may take from 15 to 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until it has cooled down a bit and there’s no risk of burning.
5. Add herbs, vegetables, or whatever your recipe calls for or store roux tightly covered in the refrigerator for later use.

Tips

1. A dark roux will thicken less than light roux.
2. If black specks appear in the roux, it has burned and you’ll have to start over.
3. If roux is made ahead and refrigerated, pour excess oil from the surface before reheating, or let it return to room temperature.
4. Gumbo tastes even better the following day, as the flavours will really develop.

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Sometimes, I really hate people

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People, en masse, are whiny and selfish. You give them free wine, and they complain about the lack of choice or where it comes from. You give them free movie tickets, they complain about the fairness of how you’re handing them out. However, if you ask them to participate in the organisation of events, the silence is deafening.

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Need a change of scenery

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I’ve been working at my current job for the last 6 years. It’s been mostly good, with some very high times and a few low ones as well. I’ve come to the realisation though that I need to start looking for something different, because I’m no longer happy doing what I’m doing. If money weren’t an object, I’d start my BBQ restaurant, or combine that with the B&B idea that Katy and I have been kicking around as a pipe dream for years. Alas, money is always an object, so I need to keep slogging at it until somebody makes me an offer I can’t refuse. Or I go postal at work. Whichever comes first, I guess.

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