Dinner and Fire Christmas Eve 2021

▶️ Play Dinner and FireChristmas Eve 2021

It was floating around 50°F yesterday afternoon under heavily overcast skies. It was quiet with little going on anywhere nearby. I got the coals heating up just after 9:00AM and the 3-pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt is another name for it though I’ve no idea why) was ready to be placed inside the Weber Kettle. I hoped I had the temperature close to where I wanted it but was pretty sure I did not (I’d ruined my Thermoworks thermometer by leaving it attached to the grill and it melted the housing). Hope for the best.

Pulled Prok Coated in Dry Rub Photo taken December 23, 2021 at 12:41

About 3 hours later the pork was creeping towards 160°F whih was pretty good proof that it had been generally cooking at a lower than I had aimed for. Oh well, add more coats, spritz the meat, and go do errands for a while. That is when I found out with Lil, where the real action was: parking lots around grocery stores. It’s good I didn’t need anything (or so I thought).

When we got back the meat was cooking steadily along though slowly. That’s when I decided to wrap it and basically braise it for the rest of the cook. What I had hoped would be a 5 or so hour cook would end up being more like a 7-hour cook. That doesn’t include the resting time.

As the meat cooked we dove into the soup course, chatted around the Breeo Fire Pit, and drank more beer than we probably should have as we discovered that it is really hard not to just devour high-quality kettle potato chips.

More like a seven hour cook than a five hour cook which is what I was hoping for. But the pulled pork looks good. First bite was also good. But, remember let the meat rest for longer than you think it needs. We did not let it rest long enough.

--December 25, 2021 at 1:42 PM.

Cooking is always an experiment. Cooking over tempermental coals more so. But while we could see where it could have been better our afternoon and early evening dinner by a fire was still a sucess. The pulled pork was tasty, the coleslaw superb, and the homemade vegetable soup certainly hit the spot while we waited for the meat to finish cooking.

Breeo Fire Pit and Lodge Dutch Oven Dinner

▶️ Play Fire Pit and Dutch Oven Dinner

At least it isn’t windy outside. The temperature is in the upper 20s °F and the sky is overcast. That’s a big improvement from the previous day which through in freezing rain so all is about as good as can be hoped for as autumn gives way to winter.

With the Breeo putting out ample heat we managed to stay comfortably warm as we worked to get dinner prepared: Pork a la Normand, Spinach and Artichoke Pierogis, baked potatoes, and beer. Maybe a slightly unbalanced meal lacking a good salad course (I got lazy) but a good one. I’ve made, and written about, the Pork a la Normand before. I do suspect that an hour simmering is generally enough time but the extra 20 to 30 minutes cerainly doesn’t hurt. The baked potatoes absorbed some smokiness flavor into their skins but we had trouble cooking them through in the Weber Kettle even though it claimed to be hot enough (can’t trust the lid thermometer). Wrapping the spuds in tin foil and putting them next to the fire in the Breeo for the last 20-25 minutes did the trick. The pierogis should’ve cooked wonderfully on the sear-plate. After all, my egg rolls certainly did. However, they singed before they heated through. Maybe the plate was a lot hotter this time. I do not know. Finishing the pierogis off by pan-frying them in a cast-iron skillet over the fire in the Breeo worked.

Pork a la Normand (pork and apples)

• 1 Granny Smith Apple. Cored, peeled, cut into small pieces.
• 1 Modest-sized onion (I used about half of what was once a truly huge red onion and I think the flavor was wonderful). Cut into small pieces.
• 1 pound (likely a bit less) boneless pork loin chops. Cubed.
• 1/4 cup flour.
• 1 12-ounce can hard cider though I bet regular cider would be good too (beer also works).
• 1 Tablespoon black pepper (could’ve used a bit less though LIl loved it).
• 1 Teaspoon salt (could’ve used a bit more).
• 1 Teaspoon ground nutmeg (maybe a bit more next time).

Directions

1. Butter or oil (I used butter that I let melt) a preheated skillet or dutch oven bottom.
2. Cut the pork into bite-sized cubes (or so) and coat with the flour. Place the pork in the pan and sear it until it browns on all sides. Remove from the pan and put somewhere to keep warm. You’ll add it back in a bit.
3. Sauté the chopped apple and onion pieces until the onion starts becoming translucent. Add the seasoning and cider.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for a couple minutes before returning the pork cubes to the mixture. Cover and cook until the gravy thickens. This should take about 50 minutes (Note: seems like 75-90 minutes is better but maybe those times it was cooking at a lower temperature).

DIY Fire PIt Hearth and First Cook

The flames aren’t really obvious yet but we have made fire. It’s time to celebrate with a beer.

--December 7, 2021 at 3:19 PM.

▶️ Play DIY Patio Hearth and Breeo Fire Pit First Cook

The ground isn’t quite frozen yet but it is far from soft easily dug into. While I certainly could have placed the Breeo X Series 19 directly on the ground as I had done with the decades-old metal fire buket I’d been using I decided I wanted something a bit classier and better for the backyard. I don’t need anything large so I settled upon a 32 x 32 inches square hearth to serve as the base for the new fire pit which has an outer diameter of just under 24 inches. I imagine I could have just bought paver stones and plopped them on the grass but a little research plus what Lil confirmed suggested that putting the pavers upon a paver-sand base was really the way to go. I assume the base materials (two types of materials: a chunkier aggregate and something much more sand-like) a laid atop each other and the pavers on top of everything. I expect that improves stability and helps with drainage. It isn’t a complex project just difficult because you have to work hard digging up the ground: a hole that is 32 x 32 inches saure and 4 inches deep. Ground that isn’t quite frozen yet but is certainly closer to that state than not.

Making progress on the 32x32x4 inches hole.

--December 7, 2021 at 1:51 PM.

Paver base 1 material. I am pretty sure each bag weighed 50 pounds. We used one bag of base 1 and one bag of base 2.

--December 7, 2021 at 2:23 PM.

Spreading  out base 1 material. A bag holds just about enough for 32x32x1 inch sheet of material.

--December 7, 2021 at 2:23 PM.

Paver base 2 material. I am pretty sure each bag weighed 50 pounds. We used one bag of base 1 and one bag of base 2.

--December 7, 2021 at 2:27 PM.

After about an hour of work it’s time to lay the first paver down.

--December 7, 2021 at 2:33 PM.

One last paver to go.

--December 7, 2021 at 2:38 PM.

The whole project of laying out the hearth (patio) took about 90 minutes and most of that time was spent digging out the dirt. Pouring in the paver base materials and smoothing them out didn’t take that long. Tamping them down took almost no time at all. Laying the 4 16x16 inch paver stones took little time. It probably took longer to fill in the gaps with dirt and paver sand than it did to place the pavers themselves.

I must say I did feel a nice sense of success and satisfaction once the project was completed. All that remained was to fill the Breeo fire pit up with the right kinds of fire starter, kindling, and logs and get the first fire burning.

All done but for some tidying up.

--December 7, 2021 at 2:46 PM.

Split Pea soup, egg rolls, and my Father’s wonderful marinaded shrimp were on the menu for the inaugural meal over the fire. I used my TJM Metal Works Oriignal Mini Fire Anchor to hold the dutch oven over the fire. That worked but I can see why the Outpost Grill, designed to work perfectly with the Breeo, would be a better option.

There is nothing too special about any of the recipes. However, here they are should you care to try them. Of them all my personhal favorite is definite the shrimp.

Marinated Garlic Shrimp

My Fathet’s super tasty shrimp on the searplate.

--December 7, 2021 at 5:41 PM. .

In a small bowl, mix:

• 1 pound jumbo shrimp (16-20 per pound).
• 2-3 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

---

1. In a large bowl, mix shrimp with garlic etc. until shrimp well-coated.
2. Lightly oil cooking pan. Cook shrimp for 5-7 minutes, occasionally stirring. We cooked them on the searplate for a few minutes on each side (as if grilling).

Egg Rolls

It’s time to have an egg roll dipped in homemade honey mustard sauce.

--December 7, 2021 at 4:52 PM.

• Wonton wrappers (I used 7” square wrappers)

Use enough to create between 1/4 - 1/3 cup of filling for each egg roll:

• Shredded (red) cabbage
• Chopped carrots
• Frozen corn
• Diced new potatoes
• salt and pepper to taste plus whatever other spices you feel like.

Honey Mustard Sauce

• Equal parts mustard, mayo, honey.
• For each ounce of the above parts add 1/2 tablespoon vinegar (I only had balsamic which worked fine).
• For each ounce of a component part (eg if you used an ounce of honey you would use 1/8 TSP. Did not sum up the entirety of the component parts, in this example that would mean do not use 3/8 TSP.) use an 1/8 teaspoon cayanne.

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients together.

2. Steam the veggies for about 5 minutes. I used my microwave to do this. Just put them in a bowl, cover the bowl, and run your microwave on high. Of course, you can steam using a steamer basket or probably steam-bake the veggies.

3. Place between 1/4 - 1/3 cup of filling in each wonton wrapper. To seal the wrappers moisten your fingers and fold the wrapper over itself. If you accidentally use 2 wrappers things will be fine.

4. I baked my egg rolls on a baking sheet I put lightly oiled foil on. Lightly oil the egg rolls themselves. You could deep-fry (or maybe pan-fry) them instead. Bake at 425°F for 10-12 minutes.

5. You can freeze the egg rolls after making them and they’ll reheat just fine. It didn’t take long on the searplate of the Breeo.

Split Pea Soup

Taste test of the Split Pea soup by Lil.

--December 7, 2021 at 4:52 PM.

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup of dried green or yellow split peas
• 1 potato, chopped
• 1 quart of vegetable or beef broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Direction

1. In large saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon oil and add onion.
2. After about 5-7 minutes, add potato, peas, broth, and seasoning. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat.
3. Cook until potato and peas tender to bite.
4. In blender or food processor, whirl mixture, a portion at a time.