Honing Your Skills

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oldschoolbbq

Legendary Pitmaster
Original poster
OTBS Member
Jul 16, 2008
9,359
204
NW Ohio - outside Toledo
I found a long time ago that recording your cooks,whether they are good or bad, will help in becoming more aware of what to do when cooking. Practice is a great part of cooking , but just throwing things in to cover a mistake is not cooking.

Your record book need not have everything you do on a cook, but it should have the ingredients and methods used to produce you meal(Smoke/Grill).

This can have weather,temperature(ambient) and cooker,wind or calm and anything else that would interfere with your cook.

Once noted , the next smoke/grill will be more enjoyable.

And when you have a good recipe,you can then share it if you wish.

Just a thought...
 
Yes I agree.  For me I use a computer program but a simple notebook works fine.  Once you create a log of your basic cooks the reference is invaluable. 
 
The key to success is Consistency and Repeatability...I have several notebooks that have my Recipes that are enjoyed...

With time and experience you all will be able to just look at a Recipe, Close the Book and go make it...The fun part of Recipe developement, look up or research a Style of Cooking something, then Play around with it...When you get it Right...It goes in the Book!...JJ
 
I had another thought,if you are doing a recipe for the first time, red the entird recipe and get you equipment and ingredients together first.

This is called Mas-en-plac(sp.), or everything in place, doing this will make your experience more of a fun event and not so much a job.

Have fun and...
 
As a couple whyo like to create we have found a great item to help us w/ recipes ,rubs sauces  etc.

 Buy a small dictaphone. (if you are not old enough to know what it is, look it up.) Hang it under a cabinet and use the foot pedal for hands free control.

As you cook and add ingrediants just step on the pedal and record items and amounts. If it's good write it down ,if not erase it.
 
This is an area that I am so guilty. I am one of the wing it cooks. I remember in my head what I did and what I want to change but I am getting older and really need to adhere to this process.  In my younger days I could remember a 7-8 step recipe without missing a beat. Today I can hardly remember the dang recipe LOL so this is something I really need to start.  
 
I always do that with a new cooking unit.

Maybe I am slow, but I have found it takes me about a year with a new cooking unit to get it right, depending on how often I use it.

I also do it with a new meat or even a new recipe.

Once I have it down, I slack off until different ambients bite me in the butt and remind me to get back to the log.  LOL

Great post, Oldschool!

Good luck and good smoking.
 
Maybe I am slow, but I have found it takes me about a year with a new cooking unit to get it right, depending on how often I use it.
Oh, thank goodness...my woman is always complaining 'but we just had this last week!' because I keep working on a recipe until I'm happy...I'm glad I'm not the only one!
 
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