So you say you want to eat...

[Sgsolberg]

Since we’ve had a number of people trying to find good food sources for cheap, I thought it would be a good idea to compile a list of some tried and true recipes that would be good (both content and taste wise). I’ve got a few off the top of my head that I will try to add through the day.

Disclaimer: I am a bit of a chubby guy, so I generally work to keep the carbs down on my food. You skinny kids can add some bread/buns/potatoes etc to get more carb if you need.

Crockpot BBQ Pork:
3lb Pork roast (get something kind of fatty, $1.99/lb)
1 bottle of bbq sauce (cheap works, I like Famous Dave’s though, $1-5)
Tobasco/sriracha (If you don’t have this, God help you)
Salt, Pepper, other spicy seasonings (smell them, you’ll get the idea quickly)

Cut up the pork into large chunks (maybe ½ of a baseball size). Salt and pepper this liberally. Put a skillet on the stove with some bacon grease (once again, if you don’t have this why are you reading this?) and get it nice and hot. Sear the pork pretty brown, then toss it in the crock pot. Add 1 cup of water. Add about 8 oz of bbq sauce and a couple of tsp of hot sauce. Set it on low and leave it for 8 hours. When it’s done it will be fork tender and nice and lean but still juicy.

[Sgsolberg]

West Coast Salmon:
1 lb salmon (can be bought at Sam’s Club for $3.99 in MN)
Oil (olive oil works fine)
Soy Sauce
Ginger powder (nice for quick Asian influenced dishes)
Sriracha (If you don’t have this, God help you)
Salt, Pepper, red pepper flakes etc. (smell them, you’ll get the idea quickly)
-You will need a skillet that can go in the oven, or a nice grill pan, or a skillet and something to put the salmon on in the oven.
-This also works well with other fatty fish (Northern, Lake Trout, etc). There is no need to de-skin/scale the fish if you use salmon or trout)

Heat up your skillet nice and hot with some oil or bacon grease. Oil up your fish, then rub some of the Sriracha on it (get a nice thin coating over the entire top of the fish). Salt her up a little and add the ginger (a light dusting), pepper, and any other spices you like. Put the fish in your skillet skin side down. You should hear a beautiful crackling sound… After a few minutes, pour some soy sauce over the top of the fish. This will steam up a lot and help release the skin as well as soak into the top of the fish. Flip ‘er over. This will seem like a bad idea, but trust me. Let the soy blacken a bit. It’s ok. Then after you have a nice blackened crust, toss it in the broiler for a few minutes to finish cooking it through.

This is really nice with some rice and peas. The fish should be slightly spicy, but with a nice intense grill like flavor from the soy and sriracha carmelizing.

BTW: 1 lb salmon has 28g of Fat, 90g of Protein... just saying...

[Bloodninja666]

For apartment dwellers, a cast-iron skillet is your best friend. Here is my method of cooking a perfect steak on the stove top:


Take your meat out of the fridge in advance and let it warm to room temp.

Preheat your oven to 500F and place your cast iron skillet inside to heat up.

In the meantime prep your piece of meat. You only need 2 things- kosher salt and oil. Sprinkle the kosher salt liberally on the meat, then coat the meat with a small dab of oil. Do this to both sides.

Once your oven gets close to 500, remove the skillet and place it on the stove top on the highest flame possible. Let it continue to heat up for about 5 minute. Leave the oven on.

Now the skillet is hot as a branding iron and you're ready to sear. Drop the meat on to the hot skillet and do not move the steak. After 30 seconds flip the steak over and sear the other side for 30 seconds.

Now immediately remove the skillet from the stovetop and place it in the oven.

Depending on the thickness of your cut, this is where the art comes in. Generally let it cook 2-3 minutes, remove skillet and flip the steak over, then let the other side cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

If you have a meat thermometer, bully for you, we're looking for an internal temp of 130F. The is medium rare, the only acceptable way to eat a steak.

After your meat reaches the needed heat, remove it from the pan and let it sit for 5 minutes.



This is a best meal a city-dweller can make for himself. Don't even think about reaching for the A1 either...

It's also a good idea to open a window and remove the batteries from your smoke detecter before attempting this meal...

[Sgsolberg]

Now the skillet is hot as a branding iron and you're ready to sear. Drop the meat on to the hot skillet and do not move the steak. After 30 seconds flip the steak over and sear the other side for 30 seconds.

...

This is a best meal a city-dweller can make for himself. Don't even think about reaching for the A1 either...

It's also a good idea to open a window and remove the batteries from your smoke detecter before attempting this meal...

This is correct, and it works for most meats very well. Not moving the steak makes sure you get that wonderful seared taste. If you move it, you stop the process. If you salt the steak enough, you'll never need sauce again...

Also, all good sears will need the same sort of smoke detector preparation. I had removed mine and put it in a box in the closet at my last apartment.