Meat hook... Yay or Nay?


 
timothy said:
On a related note: Does anyone remember an old cooking show on PBS with a Italian chef who used a spoon and a fork or maybe two forks like a spatula to flip food?
I always admired his dexterity.
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I often use two spoons in one hand for serving. You get your main dish and plenty of sauce at the same time. I do this for serving salad, pasta, carrots, potatoes... and anything loose
 
I was in my local ACE Hardware buying Christmas lights (one job I can't say I enjoy doing each year) and saw the Big Green Egg Pigtail for sale. I bit the bullet. It was a few less dollars than Amazon had it for. Haven't tried it yet but will this weekend for sure.
 
Welllll, doggies! I trust you used your “walkin’ around” money for it!
I did the two spoon thing for a while, just got tired of it I guess. As a musician, I am not in favor of people that think they can just grab a pair of spoons and beat them, real spoon playing is actually pretty delicate stuff, just like playing the bones. Look up “Percy Danforth” Mr. Bones. I saw and spoke with him once, what an amazing musician. Great teacher, sadly I’m sure he’s passed to the larger life by now.
 
I have 3 pigtails all right handers, 2 sizes, 1 very large 1 for big stuff and 2 small , my daughterinlaw is left handed and cant manipulate them very well, I have meant to get her a left handed 1. they are great when browning/frying food with breading on them as it wont knock the crust off, fried green tomatoes act keep the good stuff on. Never had any problems with moisture running out of a piece of meat yet, turning bacon in a crowded skillet is pretty easy
 
Had a chance to try the pigtail yesterday. So far I like it.

It works better with larger cuts of meat. Smaller items like wings are easy to poke and pick up, but harder to get off the hook.
 
I had to dull mine with sand paper, had a bur on the end and you would have to sling bacon off, still wants to hang but not as bad as it did before the sand paper
 
So I know this is a fopa, but I realized I every once in a while will use my insta read thermometer to move or flip a chicken breast and thigh and it doesn't mess up the bark. This has make me think more about adding one of these guys to the tool chest.
 
I love fried squash and I cut it length ways, I use runion mix to flour it with, the pig tail and a non stick skillet makes the best fried veggies , coconut oil is a very neutral flavor and olive oil gets the nod most of the time, just remember if your left handed you wont like using a right handed tail , grew up have squash cut in rounds and then fried, try the length way some time you might just like it better lol
 
My follow-up to the pig tail I purchased a few months back.

Best I can offer is.... meh.

I don't use it often. Still prefer the tongs. I'll reach for it if there is a rub or skin I don't want to disturb with the tongs, but I find that once I stab the item I want to move, it is often challenging to get it off the hook, and I end up messing up the bark/skin anyway. That said, it's fun and looks cool.
 
I don't use mine every day but I feel it works well for me. Where possible I think I try to poke from the bottom and in the process of poking and removing I use a motion like turning a door knob or keylock cylinder... focusing on the wrist movement as Tony noted.
 
I got one that I bought years ago at BBQs Galore, when they were around here. I used it a little bit, but never cared for it. I feel like I have a bit more control with tongs and/or spatula. Mine is in my "hardly ever used bbq tools bin". Might have to get it back out and try it out again.
 
For butts, whole chickens, briskets, and large roasts, I use the pronged 'forks of death' that came with my Williams & Sonoma roasting pan
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I have a set of right handed ones.
A 12” and I believe a 17”.
I like them a lot.
My grill isn’t one of them easy spin ones and they help a lot.
I’m thinking about getting a left hand set also so I can properly use them with both hands.
 
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