Ha! I tell you what Terry, our accompanying veg choices were remarkably similar, the plates look pretty much the same! I didnt look at how much I got but not much change from 31 quid. Back to cheap next week!
That is the one I went to. I’d have popped by if more time.
The butcher there before was an arse too, maybe it’s me! 
I’m not convinced that Supermarket lamb (NZ of course 
) wouldn’t please me any less being cooked this way. I may give it a go 
Mind you, it would only save about £7 on what I paid so probably not worth the risk 
I agree and Waitrose have a discount at the moment on their Welsh lamb. I nearly had a whole leg from there for 21 pahnd on Friday evening but knew I was going to Wanstead and it’s posh butcher. 
We were regulars in there and I used to get on quite well with him. Mind you. he was always moaning like fuck about all the old dears coming in to buy one chop, or two sausages. 
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Veg was pretty standard for our “roast” lunches; carrots, goose fat roasties, onion, Brussels (with runner beans and creme fraiche), and a whole garlic. Or in this case one clove of IoW elephant garlic…
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Roast garlic here too. 
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Roast carrots… 
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Another gratuitous shot at carving time: Juicy!
BBQ has completely changed my cooking. The yard has become an extension of the kitchen. I am finding that everything I try, tastes better and I’m really not exaggerating here; meat is just so much more flavouful and tender, and its great fun too. 
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Has anyone here built their own BBQ or Smoker out of an oil drum? I have a drum to cut up into something like this:
Any tips?
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I’d be tempted to make an offset smoker with a drum if I had one. Chimney on the left, fire box lower right. Google and you will see 
. An old propane tank may be even better!
Should be possible to do something that Cooks direct and indirect.
A bit like this? Chimney in the wrong place to my mind, would put it on the opposite end to the fire box.
Propane tanks are no problem, just wait for some pikies to rock up on a local car park, and a few days later there’s loads of them scattered around…
Yes, that sort of thing. Needs a thermometer at grill level, probably in the door. I reckon a bigger fire box would be a good thing, coz all bbq roads lead to brisket and whole pork butts and you are looking at 14 hour cooks.
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Also, I think the chimney needs to be at the opposite end to the fire box, so the heat and smoke are drawn across the food. Have a look at Franklin bbq, his TV show and various other you tube stuff he has done. He started in his back yard and now runs a revered BBQ restaurant in Austin. He has built smokers of all sizes and also has a book which I hope Santa is going to bring me. Has plans in there I think. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1607747200/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_0YX3Bb1KA4DCT
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Christ, some of these butchers sound like right entitled bastards. Imagine people living alone on a tight budget buying what they need instead of filling up their chest freezers in their detached double garages.
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Cutting up dead things seems to attract a certain type of person…
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BBQ time
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Today’s hunk of cow is a rack of short ribs, AKA Jacobs Ladder.
I asked for them to be kept in one piece as the last time I tried short rib they tried out a bit. I think I cooked them too low also, so today I’m going to try and get the smoker up to 140° and hope that powers through the stall. I think somewhere above 90° internal temp should result in the collagen and fat to render down.
140° may be tricky as the smoker is lossy. Will make a bigger fire and hope that works.
This is the underside with the tough membrane removed to aid smoke penetration:
A rub of brown sugar, black pepper, garlic powder, mustard powder, smoked paprika and salt applied
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