Comments on: Roast Beef Hash a la Marketman

By: Apicio

Apicio — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:38:21 +0000

Ah so those cast iron pans and enameled kettles on which my images of campfire cookouts heavily lean on as props must have been standard furnishings of permanent wilderness camps. That makes sense then since only hardened souvenir hunters would be tempted to lift and take them on account of their weight and homely appearance. I watched a pioneer wagon cooking contest once and observed that all the contestants invariably used cast iron utensils for their entry. You would think that since they are lugging everything on their wagons where payload is presumably at a premium they would consider other materials but I guess the period flavor of these utensils also counts for something.

I have to confess at this point that I have never been gung ho about exploring the wilderness even as a young man. I donâ€™t even want to count (nor recall) that one time I went along with friends somewhere in the Algonquin (unfortunately not the NYC hotel) where dark clouds of black flies kept up at bay and cooped up in our tents all day long. However, I can play roughly the solo guitar version of Cavatina from The Deer Hunter.

By: kurzhaar

kurzhaar — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:48:51 +0000

As a postscript I do agree with Apicio that lack of a perfectly seasoned cast iron skillet ought not to deter you from experimenting with making hash. While cast iron is definitely a run-away favourite, I’ve made hash in stainless steel and carbon steel pans as well. Experimenting with hash is part of the fun. I love hash made with smoked trout or leftover roast duck, for instance.

Thanks to Marketman’s post, I was motivated enough this morning to turn the last of a home-made corned beef brisket and leftover Dutch yellow potatoes into an it’s-a-long-week-end-go-ahead-and-indulge-yourself hash. :)

By: kurzhaar

kurzhaar — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:36:23 +0000

Apicio, as an experienced backpacker, I’d beg to differ. Cast iron is rarely seen in backcountry camping unless weight was NOT an issue (e. g., you have a base camp being supplied for extended stays, or you have pack animals, or you are in canoes or the like, or just camping out of a car) and the cast iron pots are worth having. Where weight is an issue, most modern campers (myself included) do in fact use ultra-light gear.

Having said that, I’ve had the pleasure of cooking in cast iron (usually the do-all dutch oven) on long canoe trips or when car camping…everything from roasting fowl to quick breads and pancakes. Yes, if you’re canoeing and have to portage your gear on your back, it’s extra weight, but that becomes minor if you are portaging a couple of canoes and other gear as well. The longest portage I’ve had to do was just over a mile, but I don’t recall that it was all that bad. Most of the time the canoes carry the weight.

By: Apicio

Apicio — Sun, 24 May 2009 13:53:23 +0000

May I suggest that just because a particular cooking vessel is recommended for certain dishes for optimum results does not necessarily mean that you cannot obtain similar results using alternative utensils. There are few dishes that do require specific materials for acceptable results and indeed yield adversely when non-recommended materials are used. Paksew cooked in metal pot (worst is aluminum) readily comes to mind. Cast iron cooking utensils, I think, have been reliably popular because of its low cost, low maintenance and durability. The drawback as mentioned in preceding comments, is its great weight. But in spite of this, it is quite popular in roughing out situations where one would intuitively go for lightweight and easily portable substitutes.
Oddly enough they are almost always seen, these portage nightmares, in campfire cooking.

By: Sheila

Sheila — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:13:25 +0000

I luv left over viands specially adobo.. yum yum.. this looks more delish :)

By: chris

chris — Sat, 23 May 2009 12:58:27 +0000

re out of topic: go ako!

By: Martin L.

Martin L. — Sat, 23 May 2009 03:01:00 +0000

P.S. Just like a Wok has to be seasoned and never washed with soap!

By: marissewalangkaparis

marissewalangkaparis — Fri, 22 May 2009 23:33:11 +0000

OUT OF TOPIC: Chris here it is–GayeN and I met when she gave me some dried kamias and with Chris we want to EB. Cook a dish and EB. We are all from East MMla–so just in case: elit,TINA of Marikina;edna,renee, JadeM,belle of pasig;Tricia of White plains and margarette of libis::: we are looking for 3 more to eyeball with—of course,with your dish.
GayeN and I met and we were like old friends. I later gave her some sinaing na tulingan from the wonderful dried Pangasinan kamias she gave me and a little pancit palabok (of bettyq recipe–thanks bettyq). Interested? Please email me at marissejavier@yahoo.com. Simple EB lang ha?

By: Lilibeth

Lilibeth — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:43:39 +0000

Can I substitute the roast beef with left over roast leg of lamb that I have sitting in the fridge? My family hates eating left-overs so probably a make-over like this would make it more appealing.

By: marissewalangkaparis

marissewalangkaparis — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:28:33 +0000

Hmmmm….delish MM….and the cast iron stories….so good to be part of this family…