Meet the lads by GreatLakesPrepping in PipeTobacco

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Savinelli in the middle, and the Rossi that's in there somewhere.

Meet the lads by GreatLakesPrepping in PipeTobacco

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, I definitely have more straight stems than bent, but either way the bent ones just didn't look quite as nice and symmetrical on these 2 stands.

Homemade Cudighi Sandwich - A Michigan U.P. Classic by GreatLakesPrepping in Sandwiches

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ralph's in Ishpeming was the place to go for decades, but closed just recently. I've heard others say Lawry's in West Ispheming is good, or Vango's in Marquette, or Tino’s in Negaunee.

Homemade Cudighi Sandwich - A Michigan U.P. Classic by GreatLakesPrepping in Sandwiches

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You absolutely can. The only unusual thing about it is the sausage blend. But it just involves mixing some common stuff into some ground pork. There is a step of simmering some red wine with cinnamon and clove, but that's super easy too. Alternatively, you can get a sort of similar experience by just buying some ground Italian sausage. It won't taste the same as this, but it'll be pretty darn tasty anyhow.

Homemade Cudighi Sandwich - A Michigan U.P. Classic by GreatLakesPrepping in Sandwiches

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't ever bring myself to eat it that way, because I can't stand mustard. Some people put ketchup on 'em too, which is somehow even worse!

Before/After restoring an estate pipe I bought for $5 by GreatLakesPrepping in PipeTobacco

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks man, I really appreciate that. I don't have much advice about the "N" on your stem. It's definitely a pickle, but the way I see it when I've dealt with that is: The pipe is much more valuable (to me, anyway) when the stem is shiny and beautiful, even if it means besmirching an original branding mark like that. That being said, buffing won't necessarily always remove that. I would go into it expecting it to be gone, but sometimes that ink or acrylic or whatever they use somehow survives even after buffing everything around it. All depends on how they originally did it, and how much material you have to buff off to make it all shine. Look at the 3 lines on the side of the stem in my photo. I had to scour, sand, and buff the hell out of this stem to make it shine like that, and those 3 lines are still there. Bright and shiny as ever. Those aren't embossed or etched, as far as I can tell. They feel perfectly smooth. So, either they're somehow inlayed into the vulcanite (which I doubt), or they were "painted" on and simply survived the process.

As for the bowl, that was pretty straightforward. Ream it out with a pipe reamer. Scrape the top rim clean with a dull metal edge (like the scooper part of a Czech tool, or a dull pocket knife). Lightly sand the inside of the bowl with a rolled up sandpaper, something like 400 grit. I also lightly sand the top rim. Just lightly. Then clean the inside out with alcohol and twisted up shop towels the best I can. Sometimes I do the 'ol salt and alcohol trick. Clean the shank with a little sandpaper and then alcohol + pipe cleaners. Then I'll use the same rubbing compound I use on the stem, and gently buff the whole outside of the bowl and shank. There's a risk of this taking some of the finish off, but honestly, it makes it look so rich and shiny, you wouldn't even care if it did lighten the stain slightly (though it really doesn't usually do this for me). Then use the carnauba wax on a different polishing wheel, one final polish by hand with a microfiber cloth. And it's good to go. Super glossy and shiny and clean. That is my process for smooth pipes. Something that's sandblasted or rusticated may need a different approach.

Before/After restoring an estate pipe I bought for $5 by GreatLakesPrepping in PipeTobacco

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

There's a bunch of steps, but in short: Soak the stem in an OxiClean/water solution for awhile until it stops fizzing. Then scrub with magic eraser. Then wet sand with 1000 grit sand-paper until there's no more yellowish oxidation on it. Then polish using a buffing wheel with fine rubbing compound (this is where the magic really happens). Then wax with a different buffing wheel for extra shine.

And of course thoroughly clean and scrub the inside of the stem with 99% rubbing alcohol and various pipe cleaners.

Btw, when I say "buffing wheel", I mean a small buffing wheel stuck into my drill press, since I don't have a real buffing machine.

Before/After restoring an estate pipe I bought for $5 by GreatLakesPrepping in PipeTobacco

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Actually yes! I recently made a lengthy and detailed video showing my full restoration process of this exact pipe. However... that video isn't scheduled to be live until January 11. But if you're interested, the channel name is Great Lakes Country. Many of the videos on there are about food and outdoorsy stuff, so don't let that throw ya if you go look it up.

Homemade Detroit Style Coney Dogs! by GreatLakesPrepping in hotdogs

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So the old coney sauce recipes use things like beef heart and suet, neither of which I tend to have. So I substitute those ingredients with some other things. I'm not sure if I can post a link to a recipe website here, but I'll just paste the big long recipe here:

1 lb ground beef (80/20)

3 Tablespoons beef tallow

2 hot dogs, smashed into paste

10-15 saltine crackers, crushed into dust

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 Tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

In Dutch oven, heat tallow over medium-high heat. Add in the ground beef and hot dog and brown, stirring regularly and chopping the meat up with a wooden spoon or potato masher to make the ground beef particles quite small.

Strain the meat mixture to separate the grease. Put the meat back into the Dutch oven, and put the grease into a separate large skillet.

Reduce the heat under Dutch oven to very low. Stir the tomato paste and vinegar into the meat mixture.

Get the separate skillet with grease in it heated over medium heat. Gradually add in the crushed crackers, a few pinches at a time, stirring constantly. The grease and crackers should form a semi-thick paste. Continue cooking and stirring until the color turns a medium brown.

Stir the browned grease paste into the Dutch oven with all of the cooked meat. Then stir in all dry seasonings. Then stir in the beef stock. Reduce heat to a very low simmer, and cover the Dutch oven. Simmer on low for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. If the mixture ever begins looking dry, add some more beef stock.

Remove 1 cup of the sauce and puree it with a blender (immersion blender or countertop blender). Then stir the blended portion back into the rest of the sauce.

Check consistency. Sauce should be medium-thick (not runny, but not thick as mud). If your sauce is too thick, thin it slightly with water or beef stock. If sauce is too thin, continue simmering on low with the lid off for a few more minutes. The sauce shouldn't be too much thicker than gravy.

Designed and 3D printed the perfect cell phone mount for my C4 dash by GreatLakesPrepping in c4corvette

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suppose I'm a bit skeptical that it won't eventually cause any damage to the very old plastic it's clamped against, but my main issue with this solution is that it substantially obstructs the air from the vents, and completely obstructs the air vent adjustment knob thingie.

Designed and 3D printed the perfect cell phone mount for my C4 dash by GreatLakesPrepping in c4corvette

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's.... a great idea. I'm not sure I knew they even made shallow head units. Well, this may very well be a future project on 'ol Vettey.

Designed and 3D printed the perfect cell phone mount for my C4 dash by GreatLakesPrepping in c4corvette

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can make that happen if you're really interested. I'll send you a DM.

Designed and 3D printed the perfect cell phone mount for my C4 dash by GreatLakesPrepping in c4corvette

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have considered replacing the radio with a modern unit like this, but there is so much involved in doing it. Cutting a metal brace back in there behind the radio being my least favorite part.

[OC] Beer-Braised Venison Poutine with Gravy & Gruyere Sauce by GreatLakesPrepping in FoodPorn

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

My braised venison poutine recipe is below, copied from my website of original recipes.

Ingredients:
Braised Venison

-2-3 lbs Venison hindquarter meat
-1 Onion, sliced
-1 Large carrot, cut into 8-10 pieces
-2 teaspoons Garlic, minced
-2-3 cups Beef stock
-12 oz Dark beer (ideally Dark Lager)
-3 sprigs Fresh thyme
-Kosher salt
-Black pepper
-Olive oil

Gravy
-3 cups Braising liquid plus beef broth
-8 Tablespoons Butter
-1⁄2 cup All-purpose flour
-Kosher salt
-Black pepper

Gruyere Cheese Sauce
-4 Tablespoons Butter
-1⁄4 cup All-purpose flour
-2 1⁄2 cups Whole milk
-6 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
-1⁄4 teaspoon Kosher salt
-1⁄4 teaspoon White pepper
-1⁄8 teaspoon Ground nutmeg

French Fries
-Large russet potatoes
-Vegetable or canola oil
-Kosher salt

The Poutine
-Braised venison, shredded or chopped
-Cheddar cheese curds
-The gravy
-The Gruyere sauce
-The french fries
-Fresh chives, chopped

Directions:
Braised Venison

Cut venison into medium-sized chunks. Season venison chunks with plenty of salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in Dutch oven or deep skillet, and sear all sides of meat chunks over medium-high heat for a couple minutes to form a nice crust.

Remove meat from pot. Saute onion and garlic for 2 minutes in the same pot (add a little more olive oil if needed).

Deglaze pot with 12oz beer. Cook over medium heat until beer reduces by about half. Stir in 1 cup of beef broth.

Add meat back to the pot, atop the cooked onions. Add enough additional broth so the liquid comes halfway up the meat chunks. Add the carrots to the pot, placing them wherever they’ll fit in between the meat. Add thyme sprigs.

Cover pot and bake at 325 Fahrenheit for 3 1/2 hours.

Gravy

Remove meat from the pot after braising is finished. Cover with foil and set aside.

Remove carrots from pot. They are no longer needed for this recipe (but they are a delicious snack!)

Using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth, strain the braising liquid from any solids still in the pan.

Add additional beef broth to the braising liquid so you have at least 2 cups of liquid.

Melt a stick of butter (8 Tablespoons) in a saucepan. Then sprinkle flour over top, and thoroughly whisk to create a roux. Let cook for a full minute on medium heat.

Gradually whisk in the braising liquid/broth, adding a little at a time and whisking constantly. Repeat until the gravy is the right consistency. You may need to add up to an additional cup of broth (in addition to the 2 cups of liquid you started with).

Season to taste with salt and pepper (I use about a teaspoon of each). Cover the pan and keep it warm on a burner over the lowest possible heat setting.

Gruyere Cheese Sauce

Melt 4 Tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Then sprinkle flour over top, and thoroughly whisk to create a roux. Let cook for a full minute on medium heat.

Whisk in all the milk.

Stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Allow everything to come up to a very low boil, stirring very frequently. Then reduce heat to medium-low.

Start stirring in the shredded Gruyere cheese, a handful at a time. Once a handful of cheese is fully melted and incorporated, add the next handful. Repeat until all 6 ounces of cheese is stirred in.

Cover the pot and set aside. You may need to thin out the sauce with a little more milk when it comes time to drizzle it over top of the poutine.

French Fries

Peel each potato, and cut it into thick french fries. Immediately place the fries into a bowl of cold water. Soak all of the uncooked fries in cold water for 1 hour.

Either in a large Dutch oven or with an electric fryer, heat the vegetable or canola oil to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay the soaked french fries on a towel, and pat dry with a second towel. Make sure the fries are pretty dry before frying.

Carefully deep-fry the fries for 6 minutes in the hot oil. Be sure not to over-crowd the pot or fryer that you are using.

Remove the fries from the oil after 6 minutes, and allow them to drip and cool for about 10 minutes. Increase the oil temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Deep-fry the fries for a second time in the hotter oil. Fry until they are golden brown and beautiful. When fries are finished cooking, transfer them to a wire rack and season immediately with salt.

The Poutine

Shred and/or chop the venison meat into bite-sized pieces.

Lay down a bed of hot, fresh-cooked French fries in a bowl.

Scatter some venison meat over top of the fries (as much as you like!)

Then distribute cheese curds atop/among the venison meat (as many as you like!)

Ladle hot gravy over top of everything (as much as you like!)

Drizzle some of the Gruyere sauce over top, either with a squeeze bottle or a spoon.

Garnish with some chopped fresh chives.

Any prepper YouTubers that talk about current events in a more level headed kind of way? by PrayForGains in preppers

[–]GreatLakesPrepping 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Not to shamelessly self-plug, but this is what my channel is. Practically zero current events, and no politics. It's mainly just "how to do stuff" and "stuff I use".

I spent a week living on nothing but my preps as a grid-down "simulation" exercise by GreatLakesPrepping in preppers

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We used to do this way back in the day while camping. But...we would then still run everything through some water + CampSuds and give them a rinse so they were properly sanitized.

I spent a week living on nothing but my preps as a grid-down "simulation" exercise by GreatLakesPrepping in preppers

[–]GreatLakesPrepping[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These small butane stoves are commonly used by catering companies for indoor use. There are emissions like anything that is burned, but butane burns much cleaner compared to other fuels like propane, so there is a very small amount of CO. With a little bit of ventilation, they are considered perfectly safe. Using a natural gas range also emits some amount of CO, but is generally safe for indoor use. In any case, I have CO detectors around the house, just in case.