October. Apples. Cinnamon. Bonfires. Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Barbecues. Wait, wait?

ABBQ (the extra A is for Autumnal…)

Yes, I have gone a little mad. And yes, I have embraced the “all year” kamado cooking philosophy. I bought a pork shoulder and some beef brisket to smoke in my ongoing exploration of all things kamado. I picked up a cheap metal smokerbox from Tesco to avoid having to throw damp woodchips directly onto the charcoal a few months back, and used beech woodchips I have in reserve for a few years.

There was a bit of time pressure as I was setting up the cook before leaving the house early-ish and the charcoal was taking its time to light properly. One electric firestarter later and we were off. I set up the kamado for indirect cooking and aimed for a target temperature of 100-120 degrees Celsius. I wasn’t precious about getting it perfect. I had to leave the house so whatever temperature it was reaching was what I would have to deal with. Adjusting temperature with the kamado is a bit of an art, and having learned from my mistakes with too many changes, I left it alone. The strategy paid off, and five and a half hours later we had a joint with an internal temperature of 92.5 degrees Celsius. A little over, but I can live with that.

The heat retention of ceramic barbecues is outstanding. I didn’t put much fuel in the firebox after over-fuelling on an earlier cook and regretting the inferno I made manifest. Even after a five-and-a-half hour cook, the temperature inside was a steady 100 degrees and I made the most of it by cooking some sausages. If I was more organised I would’ve cooked the beef brisket in the same session, but I’m still working out the best way of managing it.

Accompaniments

Cornbread is something I seldom have outside the United States. The recipes quote fine ground cornmeal which isn’t readily obtainable in the UK, but I had bought polenta a while back for the pizza paddle (it works much better than flour, if you have been as frustrated as I had with flour as an anti-sticking agent) and hadn’t got round to using much of it. It’s a shame though as it’s easy to make and a great accompaniment to barbecue and chilli con carne in particular.

I used a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction which worked well, although it was a little on the sweet side for my taste. There are a few potential additions that I might try next time, including jalapenos, cheese, and bacon. The recipe also suggests baking it in a cast iron skillet which would add an extra crunch to the crust. I went with a classic brownie tin which worked well.

What would barbecue be without sauce? I made a classic vinegar-y concoction with tomato sauce, white wine vinegar, sugar, tabasco, Worcester sauce, paprika, and mustard powder.

Going all in on the American home cooking theme, I made an apple and pear cobbler from my Texan cowboy cookbook. The process wasn’t dissimilar to a toad in the hole. The batter was added into a layer of melted butter already in the dish, and the fruit was added on top with space for the batter to poke through as it baked. It was a pleasant alternative to a crumble, and the texture was similar to Dutch apple cake. Delicious served with custard or vanilla ice cream.

Autumn Harvest

The weather has been a bit of a disaster recently, and with the sudden change from mild to cold and wet, the outdoor tomatoes were hit with blight and completely wiped out. Seeing so much fruit rotting on the vine was a bit of a depressing sight.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Once I got the tomatoes out of the way I rediscovered the cucamelon plants which they had overshadowed. I had assumed they were not growing well as they looked thin and weedy, but closer inspection revealed a bumper crop of fruit. The grape-sized watermelon-esque fruit are closer to tangy cucumbers in flavour, and can be eaten whole or added to a variety of dishes. I hadn’t realised how well they grow in this climate with minimal effort while seemingly not being menaced by slugs at all. I feel a repeat crop for next year coming on…

I did dig up a few potatoes too which were a welcome addition.

I’ll sign off with a delicious meal at Lemon Quay Bistro in Truro.