Cooking aboard or outdoors

[Yobarnacle]

Yum!..Proper housekeeping on board, extends the 10 second rule considerably. Recommend swabbing the head last. 10 second rule gets real foreshortened if the mop water used to swab head, gets mopped around galley deck too.

[jamesgyore]

I couldn't agree more Yobarnacle... And thank you for the complement.

I spent about 2 hours cleaning the boat, in truth waiting for the down wind leg of our cruise before cooking. Figuring that if I could avoid a leg where the boat was healed I just might appear to be the Nigela Lawson/master chief/iron chief, I day dream of being.

I have a new found respect for chiefs/cooks on charter boats.

Encouraged by my earlier effort on the BBQ, late today for the purpose of determining the usefulness of an alcohol fuelled stove top, I've tried again.

Many of us who have a passion for cooking forget about BTU's and assume that cooking aboard is no different from cooking at home.

This afternoons experiment was to determine how to roast quail aboard (before trying something larger like chicken or duck), with only a deep frying pan rather than a transom mounted BBQ.

The mission... Can an alcohol fuelled stove top generate enough heat for long enough to roast meat.

I seams... Yes it can, but its a pig of a task on a moving boat.

I present... Roasted quail with boiled veggies in a saffron and white pepper sauce.

Again I've used butchers paper laid over the cabin top for a clean pic without distractions.

I have the friend and his boat for only another day. I hope to have the time tomorrow for a final more exotic dish that makes extreme demands of onboard facilities with few or limited resources.

If you've not yet guessed. I intend to produce a "cooking show" aboard my own boat when built.

[Yobarnacle]

Excellent. Stream the show on the net, even if you get a contract on broadcast TV.
Were the quail moist and tender? My quail and even more so with pheasant, are dry. Mores the pity! I know tradition says hang the meat. Well, I prefer digesting it myself. Let bacteria fend for themselves.

[jamesgyore]

Quail is generally dry, which is why it is usually oven baked and presented "crispy" with a very wet but thick sauce. Pheasant too, is a dry dish. It's the sauce that makes these dishes.

While I chose saffron and white pepper simply because I these in the pantry. A sauce of butter, bitter morello cherry pulp and muscat port would have been totally awesome with brown rice instead of boiled veggies for both quail and pheasant.

Even venison would do very well with a sauce of butter, bitter morello cherry pulp and muscat port.

I've never understood "handing meat"... Once it's dead and stopped twitching... It's dead! It's time to chop it up and cook it. IMHO.

[Yobarnacle]

I like venison stew. Lotsa carrots and onions. Just carefully trim the tallow off before cooking, and skim off the tallow that floats up anyway.
Eat with hot crunchy fresh baked bread. Make crusty by painting with egg white and finely ground corn meal, and put a cake pan of water in bottom of oven.

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by jamesgyore

I was rather inspired by the pics in this thread so I tried a little experiment.

I raided the pantry and the freezer (in case we didn't catch anything), enlisted a friend and his trailer-sailer and headed to Hobsons bay.

The mission... Can I cook something akin to what I'd cook at home in a confined space with very few resources.

I was armed with ingredients, a small frying pan and the most basic set of utensils and plates.

The results were far better than I hoped for. The most difficult task was plating up, as plate presentation went to hell. The day was rather a poor one with light rain and short chop making for a bumpy ride.

For the sake of the pic I had to use the 10 second rule quite a few times. I even lost a piece of bass over the transom while cooking on the rail mounted BBQ.

I present... panko crusted bass with a chilli lime mayo dressing fresh off the deck.

Any chance of getting that chile lime mayo recipe from you? Sounds like it would be good on other things than just fish.

Lime plus peppers/chiles of any sort is a winning combination. It isn't the right time of year for it right now, but my favorite dressing for corn grilled in the husk is cayenne lime butter:

one cube (stick; 1/4 lb) of butter, melted
juice from one lime
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

[Yobarnacle]

Bet Troy knows. For anybody else doesn't know, here's a secret. Chiles are alkaline. Acid cancels alkaline and vice versa. Most tropical areas traditionally use chiles, hot spicy dishes, because refrigeration is relatively modern. Likewise they frequently squeeze lemon on top the food. The lemon takes away a lot of the HOT and enhances flavor too.

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by Yobarnacle

I like venison stew. Lotsa carrots and onions. Just carefully trim the tallow off before cooking, and skim off the tallow that floats up anyway.
Eat with hot crunchy fresh baked bread. Make crusty by painting with egg white and finely ground corn meal, and put a cake pan of water in bottom of oven.

I lived with a Shoshone gal named Caryn for a couple of years when I was younger (no, not the Cheyenne I've mentioned before. Can I help it if I have a soft spot for Indian women?) I came home from work late one evening in the mountains of Idyllwild CA, and walked into the kitchen where Caryn was tending a humongous cast-iron frying pan. She gave me a big smile and said, "you'll never guess what we're having for dinner tonight."

I sniffed a couple of times and said, "venison." She was totally crushed that her surprise was blown. I guess it hadn't occurred to her that some blonde-headed whites also grow up hunting and/or eating game....

[Yobarnacle]

This isn't a hunting blog, but a fishing rod and a gun is as important as a cast iron skillet for putting food on the table. IMHO
Personally, I prefer over/unders. 20 ga Rutger Red Label, 20 ga Savage double trigger, and a Savage combo, 223 ackley imp over 20 ga. Put a lot of deer and birds on the table with these.

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by Yobarnacle

This isn't a hunting blog, but a fishing rod and a gun is as important as a cast iron skillet for putting food on the table. IMHO
Personally, I prefer over/unders. 20 ga Rutger Red Label, 20 ga Savage double trigger, and a Savage combo, 223 ackley imp over 20 ga. Put a lot of deer and birds on the table with these.

I'm partial to side-by-sides, myself. Maybe because I've spent too much time watching Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoons...

My favorite is a battered old Brazilian-made 12g Boito sxs I picked up dirt-cheap from gunbroker.com, with two triggers. At the same time I bought a 20g Boito sxs in almost mint condition and gave it to my nephew Justin, as a token of appreciation for the time he had spent taking care of my parents.

I've been kicking myself ever since.... it's a very sweet old gun, for something that was an el cheapo even when brand-new.

[Yobarnacle]

i always carry 2 chamber adapters with me. Fit my 20 ga barrels. Available for 12 ga too. One adapter is 410 and other 22 LR. 410 is handy if birds flush right in front of me. Even 20 ga tears em up too bad at close range. so I keep one barrel loaded 20 ga, and other 410. The .22 handy for a squirrel, and I know people hunt deer with em. I like the 223 AI for long range shot on deer, and a 20 ga slug short range, hence my combo. Neat thing about a .22 in a shot gun barrel, it's silent.
Well, I'm hijacking the thread. Back on topic. Next post.

[Yobarnacle]

spicy corn muffins.
box of jiffy corn muffin mix, mixed as per directions on box.
Add to batter hand full of hot peppers seeded and diced and 1 can whole kernal corn, drained.
bake as directed.
served with cold butter pats
mmmmm

[hoytedow]

Originally Posted by jamesgyore

I was rather inspired by the pics in this thread so I tried a little experiment.

I raided the pantry and the freezer (in case we didn't catch anything), enlisted a friend and his trailer-sailer and headed to Hobsons bay.

The mission... Can I cook something akin to what I'd cook at home in a confined space with very few resources.

I was armed with ingredients, a small frying pan and the most basic set of utensils and plates.

The results were far better than I hoped for. The most difficult task was plating up, as plate presentation went to hell. The day was rather a poor one with light rain and short chop making for a bumpy ride.

For the sake of the pic I had to use the 10 second rule quite a few times. I even lost a piece of bass over the transom while cooking on the rail mounted BBQ.

I present... panko crusted bass with a chilli lime mayo dressing fresh off the deck.

Looks delicious!

[hoytedow]

Originally Posted by jamesgyore

I couldn't agree more Yobarnacle... And thank you for the complement.

I spent about 2 hours cleaning the boat, in truth waiting for the down wind leg of our cruise before cooking. Figuring that if I could avoid a leg where the boat was healed I just might appear to be the Nigela Lawson/master chief/iron chief, I day dream of being.

I have a new found respect for chiefs/cooks on charter boats.

Encouraged by my earlier effort on the BBQ, late today for the purpose of determining the usefulness of an alcohol fuelled stove top, I've tried again.

Many of us who have a passion for cooking forget about BTU's and assume that cooking aboard is no different from cooking at home.

This afternoons experiment was to determine how to roast quail aboard (before trying something larger like chicken or duck), with only a deep frying pan rather than a transom mounted BBQ.

The mission... Can an alcohol fuelled stove top generate enough heat for long enough to roast meat.

I seams... Yes it can, but its a pig of a task on a moving boat.

I present... Roasted quail with boiled veggies in a saffron and white pepper sauce.

Again I've used butchers paper laid over the cabin top for a clean pic without distractions.

I have the friend and his boat for only another day. I hope to have the time tomorrow for a final more exotic dish that makes extreme demands of onboard facilities with few or limited resources.

If you've not yet guessed. I intend to produce a "cooking show" aboard my own boat when built.

When you get the show I will watch it if it is available here.

[jamesgyore]

Hey there Troy,

Chilli lime mayo is rather easy.

While I prefer to make my own mayo, I used a good quality whole egg mayo on this occasion as I had no idea what appliances I might or might not have available to me and I wanted to honestly claim to have cooked the dish "as seen" aboard.

Combine approximately 200g (small jar) of whole egg mayonnaise with the juice of one large lime and two tablespoons of ground hot chilli. I would refrain from adding more chilli as the chilli will become a stronger flavour element when prepared in advance.

This type of mayo goes very well with fish, chicken, potatoe salad and quail.

Consider a simple grilled chicken burger using tenderloins with salad greens, avocado and this mayo. It will become a favourite.

Naturally, variants also work well, replacing the hot chilli with four tablespoons of cracked black pepper is also quite appealing and a particular favourite of mine.

I've purchased a 12VDC blender and microwave oven this evening for my boat project. A blender has a multitude of uses, especially vital for the manufacture of margarita's. The microwave is particularly useful for reheating meal components when cooking complex meals with only a single or two burner stove-top.