Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
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I haven’t thought much about the topic. I don’t see many people marinating steaks in the videos I watch, but a lot of people these days are into dry-aging. To do that at home, though, you need to sacrifice a lot of fridge space, I think, and the meat requires constant checking. Talk about a pain in the ass! Joule, by contrast, is just fire-and-forget, like slow-cooking. The two methods have some things in common.
Meat that gets marinated (such as chicken or seafood) is usually bland when it starts out. Beef already has its own distinct flavor, high-quality beef even more so, so that’s probably what John Kim is reacting to. You can add flavor to a steak while it’s sizzling in the skillet: butter, thyme, garlic, etc. can be spooned over the meat as it’s cooking. Another type of beef that might get marinated would be some sort of tough cut (like beef eye round), but in my opinion, 9 times out of 10, you’re better off just slow-cooking tough meat to get it tender.
So John is probably right that you should hold off on marinating high-quality beef. Watch some Sam the Cooking Guy videos on how to deal with steaks, and you’ll learn how to gauge doneness and not ruin a good cut of beef. Here’s one on ribeye. Sam is often an off-the-cuff cook, but he has a really good eye for how to cook steaks, and he’s not an insufferable snob like Gordon Ramsay.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/July/2021 @ 6:29 pm
“Hash tradition requires drinking a beer from inside new shoes. Yuck!”
So it’s less yucky to drink from stinky, used shoes?
“Sous vide” literally means “under vacuum.” It’s an immersion method of cooking where you dunk your bagged proteins (meats) into a heated water bath for X amount of time. The meat comes out fully cooked, but looking gray and scary, so you finish it on your skillet or grill with a quick sear (skillet on gas range is arguably better than grill for this purpose). Perfectly cooked, and perfectly seared. It’s an excellent method for cooking your meat all the way through, but you have to start way in advance of when you plan to eat.
Buy yourself a Joule (I have yet to buy one, but I’m going to), preferably one set up for 220V or whatever they use in the Philippines, fill a deep tub or bucket with water, put the Joule in the water (usually clip the machine to the side of the tub), turn it on, let the water come up to temperature, then put your meat in for the recommended amount of time (Joule comes with a phone app that suggests times and temperatures for different types of meat).
Arguably more popular than Joule is the Anova sous-vide device. If you can’t find a Joule, get an Anova.
You might have to buy a vacuum-sealer machine and vacuum-seal bags to go with your sous-vide device, or you can just use Ziploc bags. To get a near-vacuum with a Ziploc bag, put your meat in the bag, then dunk the bag in the tub of water. The pressure from the water will close the bag until it hugs the meat pretty closely. Don’t let water from the tub get into the bag. Once the bag is almost fully dunked, close the zip-top. Voilà.
I’ve never done sous vide myself, but I’m impatient to try it. The Joule is probably something for my Christmas list. I think it’s close to $300. Is that worth it? I think that, if you’re a carnivore, it is. You already know the pleasure of slow-cooking meats and stews and chili, and sous vide is just as easy to use. The only extra thing is throwing away the used plastic bags. Recycle.
Look up “sous vide” on YouTube, and you’ll probably see plenty of ChefSteps videos featuring the Joule.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/July/2021 @ 4:46 pm
I should add that, since you like your crockpot so much, you can use that, too. Cook it tender enough, and you can shred it, slather it in BBQ sauce, and have yourself a mess of pulled-beef sandwiches.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/July/2021 @ 5:52 pm
My favorite cut of the cow is brisket. I hope John Kim will be selling that. You can make a perfectly decent brisket in your oven if you wish.
Yeah, the drainage project appears to have been a joke.
Happy Birthday to your mom, gone but never forgotten.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/July/2021 @ 4:15 pm
Yeah, I watch a lot of Ryan George. He’s pretty funny for a raging Canadian liberal.
Traction seems to be a constant problem on these trails, especially when it’s rainy. I never have to worry about traction on Korean bike paths: everything is laid out in a simple, straightforward, and usually well-manicured way. You have my sympathies, although you do seem to enjoy these trails despite their dangers.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/July/2021 @ 6:17 pm
Well, you’ve lost a couple pounds already, so that’s an excellent start. You don’t really have that much farther to go. The trick, for both of us, will be maintaining our goal weight after reaching it.
Love the cartoon, but I think the punchline telegraphed itself. Too much buildup.
Beautiful pics as always.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/July/2021 @ 5:01 pm
Didn’t realize that was a Joni Mitchell song. And I don’t think I’d ever seen the lyrics laid out before. Interesting.
Life is as meaningful as you make it. From where I sit, your life contains plenty of meaning, and I always appreciate the insights you have about the Philippines and its people. Keep doing what you’re doing!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 18/July/2021 @ 8:31 pm
Taking a stand before the falls
“Cleaning the river,” indeed.
Congrats on the win. By now, you doubtless have a reputation as the local darts badass.
I’d hate walking a trail with soaked feet. You never get any blisters?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 17/July/2021 @ 5:49 pm
I hope she’s not scamming you.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 16/July/2021 @ 6:53 pm
Good luck with your own weight-loss campaign. It’s just ten pounds, so I bet you can lose that in a couple weeks. Sorry you’ll be going without your beloved beer, ice cream, and carbs, but once you’re back down to your target weight, you can hop back on that wagon. Just do what you can to shed the weight and keep it off (I’m talking to myself as much as I’m talking to you).
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/July/2021 @ 7:41 pm
I simply can’t live the way you do, but hey, you do you, as long as no one’s getting hurt. Meantime, enjoy your lazy day!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/July/2021 @ 7:05 pm
Beautiful shots, as always. I guess doing the trail backward was a bit awkward (or not), but it looks to have been fun all the same. I hope that birthday cake being held by Fuck Buddy managed not to get smashed.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/July/2021 @ 3:34 pm
Mundane or not, just live deeply. You can find depth in the ordinary, and that’s just fine.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/July/2021 @ 3:58 pm
Enjoy the party, the BBQ, and the company! Thanks, as always, for the pictures.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/July/2021 @ 3:20 pm
Second place is better than losing entirely.
And that’s quite a healthy distance for a walk!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 10/July/2021 @ 10:58 pm
Sometimes, it’s good just to kick back.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/July/2021 @ 7:02 pm
When I did the 26K hike last weekend—in the rain and wind—my buddy JW insisted on resting several times. He’s experiencing foot pain that I don’t think he’s admitting to.* Were I hiking alone, yes, I’d go without a break for 26K. That’s really too short a distance to justify resting. And keep in mind the trails I walk are mostly level; I doubt I could hack what you guys do, especially in all the heat and humidity.
__________
*He was also wearing cotton socks on a rainy day. Idiot. Cotton is the worst for distance walking.» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/July/2021 @ 6:59 pm
Those maps always make the hikes seem much longer than the distances you report. Then again, I imagine the inclines along the way also make the hikes seem longer!
Cute kids.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/July/2021 @ 4:58 pm
Another victory! Good for you.
Enjoyed the pussy shot.
We grammarians are a catty bunch, it’s true.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/July/2021 @ 11:05 pm
Some of those hills look long, and some of that dirt looks dangerous to walk on. Great pics as always.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/July/2021 @ 6:51 pm
Looks to have been a tasty Fourth. A belated happy holiday to you. And clean that grill!
I wonder how Filipinos ended up celebrating the wrong independence day. Must be an interesting history.
Any erection that closes a street must be massive.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/July/2021 @ 5:02 pm
A very phallic post (post!) indeed. I like the “every 1000 steps” thing when you do it. While I still don’t think I have the clearest idea as to what is where in relationship to each other, I do have some notion of what lies within your “neighborhood,” so to speak. Things like “every 1000 steps” help to flesh that out in my head.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 04/July/2021 @ 6:29 pm
Congrats on the triumphal return to darts! May you partner up with Espie more often!
You just don’t like women over thirty, do you? Think you’re Clint Eastwood or something?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 03/July/2021 @ 11:12 pm
“Most Tex-Mex is tomato-based[;] I use chilies,” he told me matter-of-factly.
John Kim is definitely a foodie. Tex-Mex is watered down from Mexican, and the more Mexican a meal is, the less likely it is to have tomatoes. This is true of chili, for example. Original Mexican chili has no tomatoes and no beans in it. It’s basically slow-cooked meat in a pepper sauce, and it’s hardcore compared to what most mainland Americans laughably call “chili.” I keep meaning to make a batch of true chili myself one day; I certainly have the means and the material, so making it shouldn’t be a problem. Anyway, a tip of the hat to John Kim, who obviously knows his stuff. Respect!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 02/July/2021 @ 7:48 pm
Food looks good! Good luck to Jessa. And I’m glad the kinks have been worked out of the rent-payment procedure.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/July/2021 @ 4:53 pm
Well, you seem to be doing better. That’s good. Keep healing!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/July/2021 @ 12:46 am
I was thinking it might be nice to set up something above your A/C that’s very diagonal so that the drops from above make almost no noise at all. But if you’re happy with your current arrangement, then I guess stick with that.
The bar sounds like an exciting project. It’s really too bad you can’t get a permanent-resident visa that might lend the project a greater air of legitimacy.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 29/June/2021 @ 10:09 pm
Whoa. Get well soon! Looks almost like a nasty insect bite.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/June/2021 @ 4:05 pm
A filet mignon is a cut of a beef tenderloin, and it’s never going to be that big. Now, a Porterhouse, by contrast…
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 27/June/2021 @ 7:56 pm
«« Back To Stats PageWell, at least the eternal horniness didn’t take over and lead you down the wrong path this time. We’ll call that progress. Good luck to MJ as she figures her life out. In earlier times, I’d have suggested she move to the States, where her kids could get a semi-decent (and free) public education, but these days, I’d say she’s better off home-schooling.
My inner scold wants to say she should have made better life choices, like not getting knocked up by unscrupulous Westerners, but it’s too late for that. She has to live with the consequences of her decisions. And those consequences require money to feed them. How many Filipinas are in similar situations thanks to similarly stupid decisions? Should we tattoo “DON’T GET PREGNANT, YOU FOOL” on every woman’s forehead? That, or “USE BIRTH CONTROL.” That might not fly in a Catholic country.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 26/June/2021 @ 7:02 pm