But a stupid one.
At lunch today, I got a yen to smoke something. In the smoker. Not a
pipe. So shut up.
I picked up a chicken at the market and set it into a bowl with lemon
juice, soy sauce, and ginger. Then I made a fire in the pit with
pecan twigs that have fallen from the trees in my yard. I got it good
and hot. 475F by the thermometer in the cooking chamber. Hot, like I
said. Then I dumped most of a 10-lb bag of lump charcoal into the
fire box and adjusted the air baffle. When the temperature had
settled at ca. 250F, I set the chicken on the (wiped down) grill in
the cooking chamber and did some yard work. It was about 3 p.m. when
I started cooking the bird.
I covered the chicken neck, the gizzard and the heart with water and
began simmering them on the stove.
I set out some portulacas, I hauled some weeds to a remote corner, I
hung a basket with a bougainvillea (and some volunteer shiso plants),
I sorted through a horrible tangle of four garden hoses (don't ask), I
moved a stack of landscaping bricks, I sprayed the weeds next to the
deck, I hung a hummingbird feeder, I watered the potted plants, I
watered the herbs, I watered the day lilies. Then I stoked the fire
with more twigs and charcoal and went for a swim. It's hot in Cow
Hill. We topped the century mark today. Again.
Again.
After almost cooling down in the pool (water temperature is 78F
today), I peeled a Vidalia onion and sliced some summer squash, salted
them, and set them in the smoker. After they'd smoked at 250F or so
for a time, I hauled them inside and set them in a skillet with fresh
oregano, fresh thyme, olive oil, and the stock from the chicken parts.
I set the pan in the oven at 400F and started a stock again with the
chicken neck. The heart went to the rat terrier; the gizzard to the
dachshund. They were delighted.
I minced three cloves of garlic and about 1/4 serrano chile and put
them into a ramekin with olive oil. I nuked the ramekin on high for
30 seconds. Nuked it again. Then I added the nuked "Mikey-mojo" to
some lemon juice and yogurt, gave it a whisk and called it a sauce for
the smoked chicken. When the squash was done, I hauled the pan out of
the oven, added the second stock, and set it on the biggest burner on
the stove to reduce the stock and cook the onion more..
That's where the stupid part comes in. As I was slicing an avocado, I
noticed that the liquid was about to boil dry. So...I dropped my
knife and grabbed the pan's handle.
It was HOT. Most of its 400F degrees were still present and currently
accounting for themselves.
I had it about three inches above the burner when the pain kicked in.
I couldn't drop it. It would ruin the dinner. Somehow, I was able to
haul it back to the stove top and let it fall. I turned off the heat
and ran cold water over my scorched hand. The cold water came out of
the tap tepid. Hot weather does that, you know. So I got some ice
and plunged it into a bowl in the sink (the one that used to have
chicken and soy sauce in it). I held my hand in the bowl till the ice
melted. I did it again. Again.
Dinner was really good. the chicken was delicious with the sauce and
alone. The avocado and cherry tomatoes in lemon juice and salt were
fine. Especially the avocado. The herbed, smoked and roasted squash
and onion were pretty good, too.
No blisters so far.
I'm going to ice my hand now.
modom