Pellet Fan
All Things Considered => General Discussion--Food Related => Topic started by: jdmessner on January 11, 2024, 11:52:19 AM
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After the big win by Michigan, I started thinking about the Super Bowl. Since I am not delusional enough to think the Lions will win it all, my thoughts quickly turned to the most important thing about any Super Bowl, the food.
The last few years I have brought food for a youth group Super Bowl party. Usually there are about 80 kids. Last year it was the pizza taco. An extra large pepperoni pizza was used as the taco shell and there were probably 8 lbs of filling.
This year I decided to keep the taco theme going with bacon weave taco shells filled with Mac and Cheese.
After extensive research and development, and high level discussions with my engineering consultant, I think I have a plan.
Each shell is made 3 bacon strips cut in half, so the weave is 3×3. The squares are being baked at 400° until the bacon tightens up a bit and can be placed on a wire cooling rack to shape the taco shell. Then it is back in the oven to crisp it up.
I have found I can post pictures directly by using the camera feature, rather than attaching them from a file. However I can only do one at a time. Please forgive the multiple posts.
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That sounds great, it really does.
Who doesn’t love bacon and filled with mac and cheese will be a huge hit.
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I did one shell as an experiment the other day. It turned out great, so I thought I was well on my way.
Today I thought I would kick it up a notch and do six. It did not go nearly as well. The squares did not fuse together and fell apart when I tried to shape them on the wire rack. I think the problem might be solved by rigging up a bacon press when they are first baked.
The next time I give this a try, I am going to try using another sheet pan on top of the bacon pan with a cast iron pan on top it for weight.
Pictured: Bacon press, rack set up, and my one good shell.
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Ever thought about filling with Western Mac-n-cheese?
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Ever thought about buying some of these and using them to cook the bacon?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FBNFPHG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've never done it, but after seeing what you were trying to accomplish was wondering why it wouldn't work. You may possibly need to drill some holes to let grease drip out.
What do people think of this idea to help out JD?
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Looks like it would work. But this style might be better as the grease would drain. https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Holders-Premium-Stands-Easy-Access/dp/B09PHDFQTZ/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1PM61NB349LHP&keywords=taco%2Bholder&qid=1705019158&sprefix=taco%2Bholder%2Caps%2C197&sr=8-5&th=1
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I think that a bacon weave taco shell is a marketable product. Take it to the Shark Tank.
I also think that WiPelletHead's find is perfect for forming them.
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I have the holders first suggested, they work well. The second is nice also.
I would use these if it were me, and when I bought mine had I paid more attention I would have bought these. See how the first two products are more sharply bent, and look at how these are more of a radius. For forming I believe these would be better and even if you used them as we do to put the shells in and warm, that radius I believe would allow the shell to open more allowing more fillings.
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Stylish-Material-RTT-Dishwasher/dp/B08RD5G7MG/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=VUH7R52GKSPT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KqpfwR_9wnXrClUfuO16mDBaVV9wbUwme9NdMElGF_-atx6SckbXl_UGppxjfKsPXd7Ox4PHO07-aFAwSPuqLw.6NhrKJqgJR3uEl5R2itUFn58E_ux6XTMrUGpIY7iFjQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=taco+rack+holder+stand&qid=1705021096&sprefix=taco+rack%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
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Great finds by WI and Big Dave.
Waiting for JD to jump back in here after he orders them and gives them a practice run. He has 4 weeks or so before the Super Bowl to practice.
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2 words...Meat Goo. Send me your address and I will mail you some that jimsbarbeque donated to the site. It has been frozen and vac sealed and I believe will still be viable. You should not have to weave and i would hope the shrink will be much more uniform & manageable!
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I would think the line would be micro fine between not cooked enough to hold shape, and over cooked to where disintegration becomes a serious factor!
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Bentley, the “Meat Goo” sounds great! Thanks for the offer. My wife (a.k.a. engineering consultant) and I were joking that we should come up with a stapler that uses food grade meat staples! The goo is better yet and will be a game changer!
The taco holders are also a brilliant idea. Thanks for all the different suggestions. Big Dave, I think you are right, the wider bottom ones are probably the way to go. I have seen them used for holding tacos, but never would have thought to cook with them. They should be perfect for forming the shells. My initial thought is to bake the shells upside down on the holders. Hopefully it will maintain the shape while allowig the fat to drain, rather than pool at the bottom. I will order some tonight and keep you posted as things progress.
I am grateful for a few snow days, which freed up some time to experiment. I figured there would be a learning curve. Typically, I wait till the last minute and get really frustrated when things don’t go as planned!
Kristin, what is the Western Mac-and-Cheese you mentioned? I haven't started thinking about that part of it yet, other than making sure the filling isn't too creamy and sloppy.
Thanks for all of your help!
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I would think the line would be micro fine between not cooked enough to hold shape, and over cooked to where disintegration becomes a serious factor!
I do believe that is going to be very true. The one that turned out, I kept a very close eye on. The two on the rack were over cooked because I was distracted and left them in for just a few minutes too long. Quality control will be job 1! I plan to do them in small batches, so I don't get too far ahead of myself. Hopefully I will be able to establish a routine and a rhythm that will help maintain consistency.
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Taco stands are ordered. Looks like it will take about a week to get here. I'll be looking forward to the experimental process!
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Whenever I'm cooking bacon, if practical, I cook it in the pit at 350°. The pit adds soooo much flavor. It may do the same when you're making bacon taco shells.
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Whenever I'm cooking bacon, if practical, I cook it in the pit at 350°. The pit adds soooo much flavor. It may do the same when you're making bacon taco shells.
I have been thinking about that. I do plan to experiment a bit with the grill and see how it goes. The only problem I see is if the bacon still needs to be pressed to get it to adhere, then the smoke would not come into play. If the meat goo and taco stands allow the shells to hold up on their own, smoking them would be the way to go.
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The meat goo is on the way...but I have been thinking it through and I am not sure it will help. It was one thing when I wanted to bind 3 or 4 pieces of beef together, one on top of the other. But bacon that is being laid side by side not enough surface area to make it bind. Will be curious if it offers you any help. As I have gone through it in my mind I cant seem to see the process through. I hope you are able to make it work!
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I am at a loss for words. I had a heart attack reading this.
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Western Mac is normal mac-n-cheese and then you cook hamburger, add a package of taco seasoning per direction (as if you were making hamburger tacos) and then combine the two. Ratio can be whatever you want. One to one might be a little too much meat, I think I did about 2 mac to one taco filing last time I made it . You just need to experiment to find what you like
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The taco holders arrived today and so has the Moo Gloo. Looking forward to experimenting soon.
Kristen, the Western Mac and Cheese sounds great. I would love it. However, I have been surprised by the taste preferences of some of the youth. Last year when I did the pizza, I was surprised how many just liked the basics, rather than extra stuff added in. I am leaning toward just good old plain Mac and Cheese.
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The taco holders arrived today and so has the Moo Gloo. Looking forward to experimenting soon.
Kristen, the Western Mac and Cheese sounds great. I would love it. However, I have been surprised by the taste preferences of some of the youth. Last year when I did the pizza, I was surprised how many just liked the basics, rather than extra stuff added in. I am leaning toward just good old plain Mac and Cheese.
Yes, people like what they are used to. A lot of times adding things in or changing the taste and they do not like it, not that is it bad, it just isn't the taste, flavor or texture their mind told them they should expect due to having Mac n Cheese or whatever for so many years done the same way.
I have found this out many times from cooking for people. I guess I am lucky I will try most anything and will change past recipes by adding or taking things out, just to see the difference.
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Awesome idea JD! I am pulling for the Lions all the way. Would to see them in the Super Bowl AND WIN!!
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I have Lions beating Bills in SB 57.
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I have Lions beating Bills in SB 57.
I noticed that in your picks. I would dearly love to see that match-up and result. However, I have been a Lion's fan long enough to know not to speak of these kinds of things out loud or put them down on paper. I don't want to be the one to jinx it!
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One of my neighbors is from Michigan and a big Detroit fan. Each week he will ask me if I am a Detroit fan this week. Being they are playing Tampa next I am a Detroit fan this week.
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I did a little experimenting with the weave last week, before the additional equipment came in. Originally, I was using three slices of bacon cut in half for six slices total for the weave, three up and three down. After my initial tries, I realized that each cut was a point of weakness in the structure of the weave and had the potential to come apart during the cooking process.
Then I had a rather brilliant idea, (at least for me). Instead of doing a standard weave, with six half pieces of bacon, I only cut one piece in half, for the center cross piece. I folded the remaining two pieces into an L shape to form the outside frame. I was then able to flip the center pieces over and under the frame to finish the weave. This did make the shell much sturdier. I am looking forward to further experimentation with the taco holders and the Moo Gloo, just not sure when I will get to it.
I also discovered I could make a small shell with just two slices of bacon forming the frame. I am thinking this would work well for Chaco-Tacos (chocolate fudge swirl ice cream in the bacon shell, with hard shell chocolate syrup and nuts on top). Full disclosure, I did make one and it was incredibly good!
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“ I also discovered I could make a small shell with just two slices of bacon forming the frame. I am thinking this would work well for Chaco-Tacos (chocolate fudge swirl ice cream in the bacon shell, with hard shell chocolate syrup and nuts on top). Full disclosure, I did make one and it was incredibly good!”
It DOES sound good! I could see that as a desert entry at the Royal. Bentley and Kristin might concur.
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I think it sounds great to eat, but I would never enter anything that could melt in a contest when you have no idea how long before the judges will get it! ITC1 pulled it off, and to this day I do not know how it did not melt. Or maybe they get stuff to the tables that fast!
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Here are the different stages of the weave. I thought I would try making a slury out of the Moo gloo, using four parts water as directed. It just became slimy and globy, almost like cake yeast when you first put it into water. It was very hard to apply with a pastry brush. I thought maybe a slury would give me a little more control over how it was applied. The next batch will be sprinkled with the powder and I will do one with no gloo at all.
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I think it sounds great to eat, but I would never enter anything that could melt in a contest when you have no idea how long before the judges will get it! ITC1 pulled it off, and to this day I do not know how it did not melt. Or maybe they get stuff to the tables that fast!
I was there in 2012 with him when he turned in the same dessert (the year after he got a perfect 180 in 2011). I remember he had to bring a freezer with him that we had in the Memphis trailer.
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I was having problems keeping the bacon weave together, even with the meat glu and the taco holders. What I really needed was another protein to adhere to the bacon. I thought I would try sliced ham. So far so good. Instead of weaving the bacon I used the ham as a base and folded the bacon strips on it, rather than weaving. The shell was a lot more stable and I only needed 2 slices of bacon. I am just getting ready to put it in the oven. I can let you know in about 20 minutes how it turns out!
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It looks like we may be on to something. They turned out okay. The real test will come tomorrow. A friend invited me over to watch some football. He lives about an hour away, so I can get an idea of how well they travel and hold up.
GO LIONS!
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They look good. Good luck with the test.
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That is Moo Gloo innovation. I could not figure out how it was going to adhere just to bacon. But I knew someone with higher SAT scores would know how to do it! Mark my words, some variation of this shows up at the American Royal in the next couple of years!
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The tacos turned out great. Getting worried about the game after the third quarter.
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2 completely different half's!
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Mine showed up yesterday, I'll be tracking this thread for additional information before I try them.
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Getting ready to start baking off the taco shells. As it turned out, I decided to go back to half slices of bacon. I had trouble when I tried to loop two pieces of bacon on the ham. I used a small spice shaker to distribute the meat glue.
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They surely lookk good. So let me get this straight, the taco holders are upside down and the ham with goo and bacon are draped over them?
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They surely lookk good. So let me get this straight, the taco holders are upside down and the ham with goo and bacon are draped over them?
You are correct. The stands gave good support but were not an exact fit. The engineering department (my wife) came up with a brilliant idea for the Mac and Cheese. She baked it in bread pans and cut the cheese into slabs. We just set the slab into the taco and wrapped it in aluminum foil, like a baked potato. The tacos are in a roaster and I will just need to heat them up.
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Can't wait to hear the feedback from those eating them
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Can't wait to hear the feedback from those eating them
I got a great response from the kids and leaders! It was fun watching their expressions when they found out what it was. Thanks again for the help. It took a lot more experimentation than I thought. However, in the end, I think I got it right. The Moo Gloo made it possible, and the possibilities with that stuff are endless! The SS stands worked like a charm, giving shape to the shells.
The roasters worked well heating up the tacos. There was one small problem. The side of the tacos that were sitting directly against the sides of the roaster got a little extra crispy, but I didn’t get any complaints! If I were to do something like that again, I would try to find a way to stack them away from the walls.
I ended up adding some sauces to go on the tacos. Hot sauce, KC BBQ sauce, chipotle, and a parmesan ranch. That added a little extra zing. I will add some pictures soon.
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Great job and Bentley is right, they will be everywhere soon enough.
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My wife got a new phone, so I can use her old one for pics. It is nice to be able to post more than one at a time!
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Were they pliable?
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Were they pliable?
Yes they were, it worked out well. There was enough shape to give the shells form, but they were flexible enough to manipulate a bit if needed.
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A friend of mine recieved tickets for his birthday to go and see the Atlanta Braves. Included with the tickets was a picture of one of their ballpark menu items. It is called "The Burgerizza", a 20 ounce burger with bacon and cheese, between two 8" pizzas. For some reason he thought of me and figured it might be an idea for next year's Superbowl party. It has possibilities. If I get the logistics figured out, I may try it for an end of school bash.
My thought is to ramp it up and go big. I have a 20" cast iron skillet and could cook the burger in the smoker. However, the first thing to figure out is how many pounds of burger would it take for a 20" hamburger patty. I would like it to be good sized and was thinking 10-15 lbs. My wife says 5-7 lbs. Has anyone made a 10 lb (or larger) burger or meatloaf that would help me put this in perspective?
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A major frozen hamburger manufacture says that their 1/2 lb. patties are 5" in diameter. Applying a little math would make one think that an equivalent 20" patty would weigh ~8 lbs. (area of 1/2 lb. 5" burger divided into area of 20" divided by 2.) I'm not sure how one would flip it. Maybe a pizza peel.
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I think first would be to decide how thick you want this burger to be. I would probably opt for 2 thinner burgers instead of one thick one, thinking by the time i got the center cooked the outside would be over cooked. A nice griddle would work great to cook them.
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Maybe this will help, I am making meatloaf for dinner, so I put it in a skillet first.
About 1600 grams or about 3.5 pounds of ground beef and pork. Tfal skillet 10.25" diameter, meat is about 1.25" thick.
I would think add another 2 pound to it, in a 14" skillet to shape and after cooking use 12" pizzas. Estimating the 3.5 pound I used in the picture, in a 14" would be 0.75" thick depending on how packed it was.
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I would think it would depend on how thick you want to make it.
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I would think it would depend on how thick you want to make it.
I am thinking around 2" thick, but that is just a stab in the dark.
Big Dave, thanks for the info you provided. It is good to have some data and a visual to put things into perspective.
The more I think about it, I should not need the frying pan at all if I am doing it in the smoker. I can just put the patty on a 20" pizza pan. This should be a whole lot easier than making the tacos!
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My guess as to amount of meat above is based on ~ 3/4" burger. For 2", it would be more like 21lbs.
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My guess as to amount of meat above is based on ~ 3/4" burger. For 2", it would be more like 21lbs.
Thanks, I appreciate your calculations. 20 lbs would be a lot. I have been guessing for the most part on the thickness. I think I will do a test run around National Hamburger Day, somewhere aroud the end of May. My thought is to go with 10 lbs of burger and see what happens for thickness and cooking time. I can make adjustments from there for the the end of the school year party.
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The date has been set for the trial run, April 14. We are going to self proclaim that we are setting the all time record for the biggest burger in the county. Since we are self proclaiming it, we won't need to worry about silly little things like facts.
I do have a question. Should binding agents be used, like eggs and bread crumbs? I don't want to end up with the county record for the largest Sloppy Joe.
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Myself I wouldn't add anything like that in. Some seasonings maybe. I used to make 1 and 2 pound burgers for myself and friends and never added any eggs or bread crumbs. Biggest thing is not drying it out. I used to mix 80% and 73% to help with that. I had even at times when I would find a good deal on bacon ends and pieces, freeze them some and grind to mix in to the beef mix.
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Myself I wouldn't add anything like that in. Some seasonings maybe. I used to make 1 and 2 pound burgers for myself and friends and never added any eggs or bread crumbs. Biggest thing is not drying it out. I used to mix 80% and 73% to help with that. I had even at times when I would find a good deal on bacon ends and pieces, freeze them some and grind to mix in to the beef mix.
Yeah, but a one or two pound burger is a lot different than a 10 lb burger. I would think you need some binders in there to keep something that big and thick together.
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I really have not been following until today. It sounds intriguing. Although I have never made a burger of that size if I did I would do the following. I would not use any binders such as eggs and/or bread crumbs. As to spices of course salt and pepper and any other that you normally use. If not sure how much spices to use you could always divide the hamburger into smaller portions add what you normally do and then recombine into a large bowl and mix together. If you are concerned about it drying out do not use lean beef. IMO the more fat the better, also what I have done in the past is mix into the beef finely chopped mushrooms, onions and cheeses. I have found that helps keeps it together however I do know not everyone likes those items. I also believe the temperature will play a major role. So ensure the pan is hot before you add any oil to it and I also brush mine with oil to help with the burger not sticking to the pan. Also do not forget to press in the middle of the burger before cooking and only flip once. This will help ensure the burger does not break apart.
Just my opinion and I apologize in advance if I went into to much details.
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If it is going to be very thick, I think the only way you cook it without burning top and bottom is to finish in oven. The reason I have never like huge burgers is, if cooked on a stove top, by the time the center is cooked, one side of the burger is going to be burnt! I don't care how many time you turn it.
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There's a place in San Antonio called Big Lou's that has a 12 lb burger. I remember seeing a story on the news about it a few years ago. My wife said they have a video of one on Facebook but I don't have an account to post a link. Those of y'all with Facebook might be able to see it.
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Here is the Big Lou burger
https://youtu.be/yYqvW_TC5bg?si=MOV6Cvto6jFBhx3m
Here is a different video from a guy and his daughter.
https://youtu.be/zi1MMXCuQLQ?si=WAcP8Ute0TbQM5Rb
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Thanks Dave! I didn't think to look on YouTube. DOH!! That's what I remember seeing on KSAT.
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I don't get it. Not that I care very much, but the burger in the first video starts out with a 6-pound patty. They may sell a 12-pound burger, but they didn't make one in that video.
Tell me what I'm missing.
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If I remember correctly they did the mixing of spices in two batches and then combined the mixed meat. It seems like what I saw was longer than the YouTube video but it was four or five years ago.
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No 12 pounder, you are correct. Someone screwed up the title. That burger looked good for 20 minutes on the griddle. Just never been the kind of person that wants a "slice" of a cheeseburger!
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Getting ready for the test run on the burger this Sunday. I think I have most of the details worked out. The place where I am getting the pizza is excited about the project. They are donating a 20 inch pizza pan for me to cook the burger on. Their pizzas includes up to three toppings for no extra charge. The top bun will be a BLT pizza. They are going to slice, rather than dice the tomatoes. I am thinking mushrooms, onions and green peppers for.the bottom one. They suggested pickles and assured me it was appropriate for pizza. I am still skeptical. Any thoughts on other topping combinations?
The last major logistical concern I had was how to flip a 20" pizza, without creating a huge mess. The pizza folks helped me brainstorm some ideas. I think we came up with a solution.
1. Remove the lid from the pizza bun that will be on top.
2. Slide burger onto the top pizza.
3. Take the bottom pizza bun and place it on the cutting board/serving tray.
4. Place the pizza pan on the burger in the box.
5. Have one person on each side of the top pizza in the box with the burger and pan on top.
6. This is the moment of truth. The four people in unison, flip the burger onto the pizza pan.
7. Slide the burger and top bun onto the bottom pizza bun.
8. Cut the burger in squares and serve.
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Picturing your execution of your plan, I am not understanding it, but as long as you do you are good. Hope you get some people videoing this.
For myself, I would put the bottom bun on the board, open the box of the top bun and put my burger on it leaving the pan on top. Then flip on to the counter, and find 3 or 4 spatulas/turners and have someone help slide them under the burger and lift it off the pan and set it on the bottom bun.
No matter what, people re going to love the effort and end result.
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Picturing your execution of your plan, I am not understanding it, but as long as you do you are good. Hope you get some people videoing this.
For myself, I would put the bottom bun on the board, open the box of the top bun and put my burger on it leaving the pan on top. Then flip on to the counter, and find 3 or 4 spatulas/turners and have someone help slide them under the burger and lift it off the pan and set it on the bottom bun.
No matter what, people re going to love the effort and end result.
I think we are on the same page. I probably spelled it out in more detail than necessary. The bottom line is it will be entertaining no matter what happens. I have always taken to heart the immortal words of Happy Kyne: "It's not food it's fun!"
Bonus points for anyone that gets the Happy Kyne reference!
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The game is afoot. I formed the patty this afternoon and will put it in the refridge overnight. It has 10 lbs beef, 6 eggs, and seasoning salt, with a little salt and pepper on top. The patty is about 1 inch thick and about 18 inches in diameter.
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We completed the trial run yesterday. Things did not go according to plan. As much as I wanted to use the smoker for the burger, logistically I thought it would be easier to do it on-sight in the oven. There was just one problem. When I checked to see if the pan would fit in the oven, I didn't slide it in all the way. When I saw the width was good, I assumed the rest of the pan would fit. I was wrong, the oven door would not close. I was not there when the error of my ways was discovered. Fortunately, my wife was able to call the pizza place and they were willing to cook the burger for us. This really saved the day.
I learned a lot, but there were still some unanswered questions. The biggest one is how long will it take to cook in an oven or a smoker, rather than a 550° pizza oven. Also, I realized all my elaborate plans on how to flip the burger and buns went out the windows. Using a peel at the pizza place made life much easier.
With someone else cooking the burger, I had no control of the cooking time. The restaurant got slammed with a brunch crowd before I got there, so I have no complaints. I was very grateful for their help. It was a little over cooked for my liking, but not bad. It was very juicy. There were some pieces with a little pink in the middle. Nobody complained. It tasted great. I really liked the seasoning salt we used. The local grocery store is known for their various rubs and spice blends. They did not disappoint.
All in all it was a good day. I was able to get 36 servings from the burger, which weighed 18.2 pounds fully assembled. I think we had 32 people, so it worked out well.
Here is a video of the assembly. More pictures to follow.
https://youtu.be/8VWPh6HMIhU?si=EUxeUngHizhVtR-T
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That looks great. Now you just need a smaller pan and a peel.
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That looks great. Now you just need a smaller pan and a peel.
Can't go smaller, I just need to figure out a better way to go bigger! My grill will hold the burger just fine. I was hoping to avoid transportation issues. It is a little over an hour travel time to the party. I think I can work that out.
Here are a few more pictures
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That looks fantastic and I know it has taken a lot of effort. Just a thought on flipping the burger. Maybe you could purchase one peel and borrow a peel from your pizza friend. Slip one on the bottom and one on the top one time to flip. You could also keep warm if you had one of those containers they use to bring hot foods to deliver pizzas etc.
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That looks fantastic and I know it has taken a lot of effort. Just a thought on flipping the burger. Maybe you could purchase one peel and borrow a peel from your pizza friend. Slip one on the bottom and one on the top one time to flip. You could also keep warm if you had one of those containers they use to bring hot foods to deliver pizzas etc.
Thanks for the comments! As you suggested, I now have a 22x22x8 pizza warming bag and a peel in my Amazon shopping cart. It wasn't easy to see in the video, but we ended up flipping the top pizza with a peel in an unfolded pizza box. This gave us a lot of control and it worked well. I feel good about how the assembly will come together.
I will probably have twice the people to serve, so I will need to do two burgers. This time the goal is to do a takeoff on a Big Mac, with a few extra goodies. I will cook the burgers in my grill at home, where I know there will be plenty of room. I can transport the burgers in the pizza warming bag and the temp should hold.
I don't know exactly which toppings to use, but I am starting to kick around a few ideas. There is around 5 lbs of bacon in my freezer that is leftover from the bacon taco shells. That seems like a no brainer to use. I am also going to try and melt down some bricks of cheese, to see if I can create two huge cheese slices for each burger. For the buns/pizza toppings, I am thinking pickles and onion for the bottom bun, and maybe pepperoni for the top. Throw in a little lettuce and spacial sauce and we should be in business.
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I am starting to make plans for the Gargantuan Big Mac. Has anyone attempted to recreate the "special" sauce? The easiest thing to do would be to just use 1000 Island dressing, but I think I will try a couple different recipes to see what I can come up with.
This is going to be my round. They are both supposed to be based on the actual ingredients of Mac Sauce by someone in the know:
Recipe 1 Big Mac Sauce
1 cup Mayo
¼ cup Sweet Relish
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 teaspoon Onion Powder,
1 tsp garlic powder,
1 ¼ tsp Paprika
1/8 tsp white pepper
2 TBSP Dusseldorf Ground Mustard
Recipe 2 Mac Sauce
½ cup Mayo
2 TBS Sweet Relish
½ Tbsp white vinegar
½ teaspoon Onion Powder, garlic powder, Paprika
½ TBSP Yellow Mustard
This is the latest plan for building the burger:
Bottom Bun: 20" Pizza with pickles and onion
10 lb. Burger
3 lb. Slice of American Cheese
Special Sauce
2.5 lbs. Bacon
Lettuce
Top Bun: 20" Pizza with Pepperoni and tomato
Repeat and stack on top.
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As it gets closer to the burger day on May 19, I think everything is good to go. I still have not tried making any Mac Sauce yet, but I do not think that will be a big deal. The only problem is, there is too much time between the practice run and the actual event. This means my mind is able to wander down some crazy rabbit holes. The other day, out of the blue, and without warning it hit me: A big burger needs a side order of extra large fries.
There are several videos on YouTube that show people making large fries using mashed potatoes. Some worked out better than others. I consulted with Larry about whether or not his latke recipe would work. He thought the mush would be too thin to fry in strips.
After pondering on that for a bit, I came up with an alternative that I may try. Instead of grating potatoes, I will substitute instant potatoes. This will give me control over the consistancy of the mush. If I make the fries approximately 18" in length, I can fry them in my cast iron frying pan. However, if I wanted to bake them, instead of frying them, I could make them even longer.
I did recieve word from the engineering department (my wife Sally), that if the large large fries work out, she would design a fry box to put them in. I love the engineering department!
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Starting the extra large fries experiment. I decided to modify Larry's latke recipe and see what happens.
I used 1 box of instant potatoes (13.75 ounces), rather than grated potatoes. I do think it will give me a better shot at hitting the right consistency for the mixture. I also used 1 egg, 1/4 cup bread crumbs (to try and absorb moisture and help as a binding agent), and just under six cups of boiling water.
The French fry is about 18 inches long, which is what I was shooting for. It's in the freezer overnight. We will see how it fries up tomorrow.
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WOW
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This is soooo inventive. I'm super interested in the final photographs. (Not that I'll ever attempt to duplicate your work.)
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Getting ready for the initial run. Going to use a chafing dish to fry in. Waiting for the temp to get to 350* F.
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Epic fail! Or at least I now know one way not to do it!
The fry started to disinigrate as it cooked. I ended up with a lot of potato pieces floating around in the pan that were a nice golden color. However the fry itself remained white and the center was still frozen. I saw this happen to a guy on YouTube, but he was more interested in making loud comments instead of looking at what he thought went wrong.
My next attempt will be to see if I can bake the fry first and then fry it to give it a bit of color. A friend also suggested broiling it. I don't know if real potates would make a difference over instant. I will give it a couple more tries before throwing in the towel.
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Real potatoes would have the starch in them. Maybe work on some smaller versions until you find one that works. I would see if I could find some potato starch, or even some tapioca starch to see if it may help hold them together.
Try it with some real potatoes, I know I have tried to make potato cakes from instant and they would not hold together even adding in an egg and some flour.
I have to say you are a very inventive person and thoughtful also, going through all of this to make the parties a hit.
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Real potatoes would have the starch in them. Maybe work on some smaller versions until you find one that works. I would see if I could find some potato starch, or even some tapioca starch to see if it may help hold them together.
Try it with some real potatoes, I know I have tried to make potato cakes from instant and they would not hold together even adding in an egg and some flour.
I have to say you are a very inventive person and thoughtful also, going through all of this to make the parties a hit.
He's an even better in person. Spent half a day with him in Detroit a year or so ago and had a great time.
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I think baking is a good idea. You may want to try an egg wash on it and then bake to see if i9t adds some color. Broiling after also sounds like a good idea. Or, if you have a big enough flat iron surface, bake and then fry/grill on the flatiron.
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Lou - That was a great day hanging out in the Motor City, I really enjoyed the Motown Museum. I hope we can reconnect sometime.
It looks like there is a new twist in the French Fry saga. I was texting with the youth director this morning about the fries. We have not had much of a chance to talk about this part of the project. I wanted to make sure I could pull it off before I said too much. Apparently he has also been thinking about fries and has secured the use of a fryer and is thinking about cranking out massive quantities of regular fries to go with the burger. This will make life much easier for me, especially given the recent results.
At some point I may go ahead and try the baking a fry, just to satisfy my own curiosity and to see if it will work. I do think adding potato starch sounds like a good idea. We'll see what happens, I am just not sure when!