Throwing this out there in case someone has advice ……

I got a smoker this summer and have been having a great time cooking new (large) meals. But my kids are back at college and I can’t depend on my ex. How do you find people to eat your meals?

It’s a weird situation where it’s a huge pellet grill and smoking tends to focus on large pieces of meat, but not everything freezes well. I want to go gangbusters with feasts, just when I no longer have anyone to appreciate it. Anyone know if there is such a thing as cooking clubs, or something? How do you find one or how do you break into one as a single guy?

Fwiw

  • kids are back from college today, ex is coming over and ex-FiL
  • smoked duck with orange maple glaze
  • chicken for those not willing to try duck
  • rice pilaf
  • arugula salad with toasted pine nuts
  • I plan to throw chocolate chip cookie dough in a cast iron skillet for brownies and top with ice cream
  • originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee
    7·
    2 months ago

    Yeah I ran into the same issue with my family. I love smoking but not everyone does.

    Try cooking smaller cuts or amounts, or something like pork butt that you can eat fresh and then reuse the rest in a chili or something that does freeze well. I know you wanna feast - I love a good all-out too - but that’s not a sustainable way to live, honestly. We shouldn’t eat so much rich food so often, so I ended up making the big grill a once in a while thing and cooking small amounts more often.

    • AA5B@lemmy.worldOP
      1·
      2 months ago

      I spent several a month on salmon alone - same basic food but a different salsa each time. There’s nothing like the aroma of roasted poblanos blanketing the neighborhood, or the salsa it turns into

      The pork butt is fantastic: good in everything for the week and freezes well. But I really haven’t found anything else so versatile

  • Drusas@fedia.io
    2·
    2 months ago

    I’ve heard of cooking clubs being a thing, but I would imagine they’re a lot easier to find in urban areas and I’m not sure where you are. I hate to suggest Facebook, but I know a lot of people do use it for meetup groups like that. Then there is meetup.com–odds of finding a cooking club are low but not nonexistent.

    • AA5B@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      2 months ago

      Yeah, effing Facebook. I do have an account somewhere because at one point that was the only way to get family pictures and even news from my now-ex - that should have been a red flag