Category: Food

Ooni Karu 12

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4.5, 1/220 sec, ISO640
 “Ooni Karu 12” Cedar Park 2022

Our newest cooking gadget is the Ooni Karu 12 pizza oven. It’s a portable oven which uses charcoal, wood, or gas (with extra attachment). Today I used a combination of lump coal and wood, and the pizzas turned out pretty good!

The first pizza was a little scorched because I didn’t know how quickly an 850°F /454°C oven cooks a pizza! It only took about 20 seconds before the side that was nearest the back of the oven started burning. The next pizza was better, with a slightly cooler temperature (I bought an infrared thermometer from Harbor Freight) and more diligent rotating of the pizza. Our third pizza turned out almost perfect which means I am getting the hang of using the Ooni.

What made it a bit challenging was the fact that our normal pizza peel is too big for the Ooni Karu 12, so we had to improvise with a foil-covered cutting board and parchment paper to launch the pizza. FYI, parchment paper and pizza ovens do NOT mix. 😂

I also was using my regular barbecue grill spatula to rotate the pizza, which was okay, but not optimal. But we have an appropriately sized pizza peel on the way, and I think I will just practice with the spatula a bit more.

So, how did the pizza taste? Honestly, it didn’t really taste that much better than our regular oven-baked pizza. Maybe I need to use different charcoal and/or wood? This time I used oak lump coal and hickory wood. I’m not sure how much a difference it would make since there isn’t hardly any smoke.

Anyways, I am looking forward to making more pizza using the Ooni Karu 12. It’s a lot of fun, especially controlling the flame using pieces of hard wood. And seeing the dough puff up and the top of the pizza bubbling is really exciting. ♥️🍕

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4.5, 1/90 sec, ISO3200
 “Fig, Walnut, and Honey Pizza” Cedar Park 2022

Jewboy Burgers, Austin, Texas

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4.5, 1/110 sec, ISO640
 “Jewboy Burger” Austin, 2022

The next stop on my “Best Burgers of Austin” tour was Jewboy Burgers on Airport Blvd. I ordered “The Jewboy”, which is the basic cheeseburger, and I guess would be a good gauge of the burger menu. I loved it! The patty was grilled to perfection, with a bit of crisp on the edges. The potato bun was great, and the simple toppings of lettuce, pickle, and mustard let the flavor of the beef shine through. Really tasty!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4.5, 1/140 sec, ISO640
 “Jewboy Burger” Austin, 2022

I also ordered a side of crinkle-cut fries and latkes. The latkes were yummy, but the fries are what blew me away. They were perfectly crisp on the outside, yet creamy on the inside. These fries are maybe the best I’ve ever had! I don’t know if they are cut in the restaurant, or bought that way, but they really know how to deep fry them to perfection!

I’d rate the burger as an 8 out of 10, and the fries at a 10!

Burgers at Lebowski’s Grill, Austin, Texas

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4, 1/35 sec, ISO3200
 “Infusion with Bacon Burger” Austin, 2022

I’ve decided to check out some of Austin’s best burgers and the first one on my list was from Lebowski’s Grill at Highland Lanes bowling alley. Mariko and I shared the Infusion with Bacon, and a Buffalo Dude (substituting crispy chicken instead of beef).

The burger was large and messy, with plenty of dripping from the grilled onions, peppers, and jalapeno ranch. It was delicious! The bun wasn’t anything special, and the beef pattie looked like it came pre-made from the factory, but the taste was good, and went well with the toppings.

The Buffalo Dude was even bigger than the burger, with a hefty piece of chicken dominating the sandwich. If you like buffalo sauce, you’ll love this sandwich. We felt that it was a litte too much, though. The chicken was pretty good… not dry, and flavorful.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4, 1/50 sec, ISO3200
 “Buffalo Dude with Chicken” Austin, 2022

The fries were good. Nothing special, but they didn’t detract from the burger & fries experience.

I’d give the burgers here a 6 out of 10. Pretty good, but perhaps not enough for a special trip. It would definitely level up a night of bowling, though!

Drinks and Dinner

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Grapefruit Chu-hai” Cedar Park, 2022

We had a few people over for a birthday dinner this evening. We made some grapefruit chu-hais, with grapefruit juice, shochu, and sparkling water. Yummy! And it was fun to juice the grapefruits using the wooden citrus reamer.

I hope you had a nice day!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/35 sec, ISO3200
 “Potluck” Cedar Park, 2022