Chef Kevin

Hi Bob,   You might want to also check out catering equipment auctions, ebay and even facebook marketplace.

Currently facebook has a bunch of buffalo slicers here is a link.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/106027109438276/search?query=buffalo slicer

or ebay  

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2332490.m570.l1313&_nkw=buffalo+slicer&_sacat=0

Of course it depends on your budget and how often you want to use a slicer but there are always food operations going out of business so you might pick up a bargain.

In my experience as chef a good brand like buffalo can last for 20+ years, so a second hand one can be a reasonable punt.

Regards

Kevin

Here is my latest Youtube video. I'm cooking whole seabass on my gas BBQ.  The sea bass is served with a simple sauce made from fennel, clementine juice and mayonnaise. Lots of tips about cooking whole fish on a grill so it does not stick.

How to BBQ Sea Bass

Thanks Adam 

https://youtu.be/YElJewRTXK8?si=dkAmc82IG2CI4Rcp

Here is a made from scratch pizza I made on my Landmann Fryton

https://chefkevinashton.com/2023/08/24/caramelised-red-onion-roasted-garlic-pizza/

During the month of August I am teaching a BBQ Master via Zoom.

As part of that I created an outdoor pop up kitchen in my little garden and put it all under a pop up gazebo because the weather has been so unreliable.

Here is a short video clip I made of some ofd my equipment.

My Pop Up BBQ

Thanks Wade, very useful information.

I have been given to chance to review a Landmann Fryton 4.1 (ultimate Bundle) for my Youtube channel and I am reaching to anyone who is familiar with this model to give me your opinions.

Thanks Kevin

Here is my honest review, I'd still appreciate and feedback from owners of this model.

https://chefkevinashton.com/2023/08/14/landmann-fryton-4-1-gas-bbq-review/

Like Wade said creating several heat zones on a charcoal grill is the best way of controlling the heat.

When I use my 12 year old rectagular charcoal grill I create 3 heat zones to better control the heat (see photo.

After all, if you were in the kitchen you wouldn't leave all the burners of your stove up high during the whole of the cooking process.

On 6/28/2023 at 7:58 AM, carl123uk said:

Yeah it came with a cover.

Night and day compared to my cheap homebase 6 burner it's replaced

Just need to research wether to use a smoker tube or box with it.

I would definitely soak some wood chips and place them in a smoker box when using a gas grill.

Your new BBQ looks great.

Best Wishes

Kevin

I'm thinking of buying a gas BBQ to go along side my charcoal grill.  Does anyone have experience with this particular model?

https://landmann.co.uk/collections/gas-barbecues/products/rexon-cook-3-1-stainless-steel-with-cover-pizza-stone

If I do buy, I will also buy a wood box to add some natural wood smoke flavour to the grilling.

Best Wishes

Kevin

An  aluminium plate cover like this might do the job if you are unable to find a ceramic planter base big enough.

https://www.nisbets.co.uk/vogue-aluminium-plate-cover/e893

You could probably drill holes in the side of the cover, to help air flow.

Best Wishes

Kevin

On 9/1/2020 at 3:41 PM, Wade said:

I learned my salmon smoking technique from Forman and Field in London and adapted their technique to suit smaller batch and home smoking. The step-by-step method can be found here www.woodsmokeforum.uk/topic/23-traditional-smoked-salmon-and-trout/ . I use this method for my commercial smoked salmon and it is also very easy to use at home. The gill plate is usually left in place to help support the weight of the salmon as it smokes - however this isn't usually possible with ready filleted sides. The skewer passes through the skin and the thicker meat and the hanging string (or butchers hooks) pass under the skewer.
Leaving in the rib cage also helps support the structure of the fillet and is very easy to remove once the fish has been smoked.

    

 

I know Forman and Field, a very well respected maker and seller of smoked salmon in London. I believed that had to relocate to make way for the redevelopment of the East End of London for the 2012 Olympic Games.  If you are able to buy your sides of salmon from a wholesaler like M and J seafood you might be able to ask them to leave the gill in.  As always I find your posts Wade to be very informative, thank you.

Really well described Wade. In traditional Scottish smokehouses they use butchers meat hooks to hold the salmon. The attached photograph is taken by John Ross Jr in his family's smokehouse.  In other countries like the Canada and Norway, they remove a couple inches of salmon flesh from the tail, exposing the skin and then make a knot from the skin to hang the salmon from.  Inverawe Smokehouse (also in Scotland) used to cut a whole salmon lengthwise in half and leave the bones and fins in place, then cure and smoke. I presume they did this to give the meat hooks something more to hang onto and perhaps increase their yield?

 I have even seen people use crocodile clips to hold the sides of salmon vertically.

Thanks Wade, I really appreciate your kind words about my BBQ videos.

I do feel people tend to jump into barbecuing without knowing where to learn the basics, so that's why I made the videos.

When I BBQ I like to create a "kitchen" outdoors so everything is to hand to avoid racing back and forth to the house.

I do have a handful of  Barbecue blog posts (with recipes) folks can find here Barbecue Cookery

I want to make further bbq videos and talk about "slow and low" other interesting subjects such as the snake method though due to the unsettled weather this might not happen until next year. I will be posting additional short videos such how to cut up a whole chicken in the next few days.

I do want to say how grateful I am for the continued warm welcome I've been getting on this forum, I too want to learn from you guys.

Best Wishes

Kev

Looks like a great catch!!

 For others reading this, the Green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus), are native to New Zealand so they are usually sold already cooked and frozen.

They are generally larger than the blue mussels native to the UK and New England seaboard.

Was your crab meat from native UK crabs or was it from the Blue Crab?

Crab meat from the Blue Crab is sometimes sold in the UK and usually pasteurised to give it longer shelf life. 

The Blue Crab (see photo) is native to Eastern US seaboard particularly around the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Unlike the meat from UK crabs the meat from Blue Crabs are all white and milder in flavour.  This makes it a great to stuff other fish or make crab cakes with.

Whether you are buying seafood for the grill or to cook indoors, buying seafood for many people is a hit and miss affair,

so I thought it might be useful if I share one of my blog posts about how to improve your seafood buying.

Just click on the photo to go to my post and learn what I do when I want fresh seafood.

The post also has some great links if you want to learn more about the different types of seafood and how to fillet fish.

Because the weather has been so hit and miss in 2020, I think most places will selling their BBQ equipment at a discount.

The scalloped carving knife looks okay for the price if you don't have one already.

As a Chef, I've used a lot of brands over the years but I would highly recommend the accuracy and quality of Thermapens.

Not to mention they come with a very useful guide.

https://thermapen.co.uk/thermapen-thermometers/138-thermapen-classic-marine-blue.html

Colin, it is the same in the restaurant business, fridge and freezers only break down in the summer time, usually on a busy weekend.  

Glad to see you have weatherproofed your barbie Colin!     👍

Given the very unpredictable weather we are having in the UK I thought a discussion about how we work around this might be interesting...........

When teaching people the basics about direct and indirect cooking on a barbecue I often recommend people "weatherproof their barbecue" by making a made up casserole type dish  the night before to be able to offer your guests food even if the rain makes you come inside. I'm still very new here so I hope I have added the link to my recipe correctly ? If you click on the photo it should take you to the full recipe on one of my blogs.  

                          Texas Chili with All the Fixings©Kevin Ashton 2004

I have also made a video version of the chili recipe that you can find if you click on the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrwYyC3aiNMrv31RagndWGQ

You should never wash meat before cooking it, I know many people still do because it is what their mum used to do but it only spreads whatever bacteria  is present.

I don't want to end up being the food cop on this thread because I'm a chef, but cooking any food from frozen, particularly meat is a bad idea, not just from a safety point of view but because you lose all the flavour as it thaws.

Good hygiene when barbecuing is as important as when you are in your kitchen. I'm happy to offer advice if anyone asks.

On 7/7/2020 at 5:25 PM, Smokin Monkey said:

Hi Chef Kevin, welcome to the Forum!

A big shout out and thanks for such a warm welcome.

On 7/7/2020 at 6:14 PM, Handyjayes said:

Hi Kevin, Welcome!

I look forward to reading some of your cooking skills.

All the best from Hamphire, UK 👍

A big thanks to everyone for making me feel welcome. I'm looking forward to getting involved here.

On 7/7/2020 at 4:56 PM, Nofingerprints said:

That salad looks tip top. Welcome to the forum.

I always make any vegetarian dish first so I can reassure any vegetarians that their food never touched meat.  My Warm Grilled Mediterranean Salad is always a big hit with all the guests so I have to make sure the meat eaters don't take it all...lol

If any one is interested here is a link to the recipe https://wannabetvchefblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/27/the-art-of-cooking-on-a-barbecue-part-three/