Product Reviews : EDC, Flashlights, Tech, Coffee, Pens, Etc...
This is a fantastic recipe for lacquered bacon. It was from Alton Brown, I deviated a bit and added more brown sugar and my BBQ rub.
It’s super easy and very very tasty.
Matt is a Systems Development Director for a multinational franchise. Matt has lived and worked in Hawaii, Chicago, South Florida and currently resides outside of Atlanta. He enjoys his hobbies including Technology, Gadgets/EDC, Fountain Pens, Wetshaving, Clocks, Antiques & Coffee. He even roasts his own coffee weekly.
As time rolls throughout your life, don’t be afraid of change. Just as a tree goes through cycles so do we. It’s ok to be unsure of yourself at times. Soon the uncertainty will fade and we will be strong, sure and resolute once more. Our layers will shed just like the leaves of a tree… Unraveling parts of our humanity and our soul. Allowing others to distinguish our raw unfettered beauty – from what may have been seen before. Shine on my friends. Shine on. – Withoutink
Matt is a Systems Development Director for a multinational franchise. Matt has lived and worked in Hawaii, Chicago, South Florida and currently resides outside of Atlanta. He enjoys his hobbies including Technology, Gadgets/EDC, Fountain Pens, Wetshaving, Clocks, Antiques & Coffee. He even roasts his own coffee weekly.
Brining, is a great way to keep your poultry (or other meats) from drying out when BBQ’ing.
Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of other solutes. This leads salt ions to diffuse into the cell, whilst the solutes in the cells cannot diffuse through the cell membranes into the brine. The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis. The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix that traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from dehydrating.
I’ve been playing around with a brining recipe for poultry for awhile now. Last night I think I stumbled upon a winner.
The chicken was awesome. I brined it over night and smoked it for 4.5 hrs.
Here is my recipe
1 – Gallon of Water (I use filtered water)
3/4 – Cup of Kosher Salt
3/4 – Cup of Brown Sugar
1.5 – Tbs of Poultry Seasonings (I used one from penzeys.com) or any other brand
2 – Tbs of Garlic Powder
2 – Tbs of Onion Powder
1 – Tbs of Chili Powder
1/2 – Tbs of Green Goddess herbs (I used one from penzeys.com) – if you dont have, just add some dill & basil.
2 – Tbs of Cajun / Creole spice mix, any brand should do well
Mix everything in a large, clean stock pot and add your poultry to the pot.
Refrigerate over night
The great thing about brining recipes, is that you can add whatever you want & like. Remember, experimenting is half the fun.
Matt is a Systems Development Director for a multinational franchise. Matt has lived and worked in Hawaii, Chicago, South Florida and currently resides outside of Atlanta. He enjoys his hobbies including Technology, Gadgets/EDC, Fountain Pens, Wetshaving, Clocks, Antiques & Coffee. He even roasts his own coffee weekly.
Waterman Havana [full size photo] – This is a beautiful brown with a hint of purple. I recently inked this up in my Parker 21 Super that just returned from Ernesto Soler. He replaced the nib for me, as it was needing some love and attention when I received it.
As with the other Waterman ink I recently tested, this has some awesome flow and a really nice lubricating feel to it. The nib writes super smooth with the Waterman Havana loaded. It is an extremely well behaved ink, I didn’t notice any show / bleed through in my testing. I also didn’t note any feathering, except on the cheapest copy paper. Even then it was only minor. The ink has lots and lots of shading, you can tell it wants to be pushed. I haven’t had a chance to load it into my Flex pen yet, but I am certain I will. My Parker 21 has a Medium nib, which thankfully did show some shading.
I am really beginning to love Waterman inks, I wish they sold them in stores nearby me… sadly the bottled inks have been removed from retailers near me. This is a fantastic ink, which I highly recommend.
This ink is available on Amazon: Waterman Havana Brown 2oz Ink Bottle
Matt is a Systems Development Director for a multinational franchise. Matt has lived and worked in Hawaii, Chicago, South Florida and currently resides outside of Atlanta. He enjoys his hobbies including Technology, Gadgets/EDC, Fountain Pens, Wetshaving, Clocks, Antiques & Coffee. He even roasts his own coffee weekly.
Waterman Black [full size photo] – This is only my second black ink and of the two I really like it the most. Its a very deep true black. Waterman Black ink is nice and wet, but is very well behaved. This ink dries really fast and doesn’t seem to feather or bleed through paper at all, as far as I can tell. The ink lubricates very well and starts right away. No real delay in using it at all. There is a tiny bit of shading, which is fine since I rather prefer solid dark black. On the other hand my Diamine Onyx Black has a lot of shading and looks a bit muted.
I currently have this ink loaded in my Vintage Conway Stewart Dandy #720 fountain pen. I love the way it writes, and I know its safer than many other inks out there for this vintage pen. I do find some nib creep in the Conway Stewart, but I think that is because of the primitive feed. Nothing too much to worry about in other pens I have tested it in.
I have enjoyed this ink so much that I recently purchased Waterman Havana Brown. I suspect I will eventually own all of the other Waterman inks as well. The properties that make up this ink are ideal. This is an ink I can recommend, if you are looking for a nice solid ink!
This ink is available on Amazon: Waterman Black 2oz Ink Bottle
Matt is a Systems Development Director for a multinational franchise. Matt has lived and worked in Hawaii, Chicago, South Florida and currently resides outside of Atlanta. He enjoys his hobbies including Technology, Gadgets/EDC, Fountain Pens, Wetshaving, Clocks, Antiques & Coffee. He even roasts his own coffee weekly.
