I hate Brussels Sprouts

(Hoby Bradfield) #1

So, I did a thing today… I have hated Brussels sprouts since I was a sperm and an egg… tonight, I got a wild hair and roasted some Brussels sprouts with some olive oil, Himalayan sat and pepper… paired that with some left over Instant Pot roast and a bit of salsa…
did I mention I love Brussels Sprouts??

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #2

We love to cook them in an iron skillet (quartered) in bacon grease or butter until scorched brown with salt and pepper. So good!

(Hoby Bradfield) #3

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about half done with dinner…

(Hoby Bradfield) #4

I thought about doing that too! Maybe next time!

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #5

Oh and if I’ve just prepped a bunch of bacon, with bacon crumbles on top.

(Hoby Bradfield) #6

That sounds pretty tasty too!

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #8

We have a guy friend who absolutely hates them. This summer when we had cookouts I made them in bacon grease/butter mix with salt and pepper, getting a brown on them while in the skillet. He said they’re not bitter and the only bs he will eat. We hate the bitter taste too. My mom used to just cook them whole in a pot with melted butter and they were always bitter. I think quartering them helps cook the insides too and maybe removes some of the bitter. Also, we start with fresh, not frozen.

(John) #9

They work well in a pan with bacon, onions, and garlic too.

Here is a recipe from a professional chef who posted this on another forum I used to frequent (Thanks, Rick).

I modified the below to about 1/4 the quantities and did all of the cooking on the stovetop in a large covered saucepan but it was still wonderful.

Preheat oven to 500F.

Place a large roasting pan over 2 burners.

Cut 1+ pound of bacon into lardons and add to the pan. (I used 1.5 pounds because that’s how the bacon I get is packaged.) Cook until crisp. Remove bacon to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

While the bacon is cooking cut 2-3 medium yellow onions into thin crescents. After the bacon is removed, caramelize the onions in the bacon fat. Remove onions to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

While the onions are cooking cut 4 pounds Brussels sprouts into halves. After the onions are removed, add the Brussels sprouts to the bacon fat and ensure they are coated well. A dollop of olive oil might come in handy here. Season liberally.

Roast the Brussels sprouts at 500F for 15 minutes. They should have developed a nice char. Remove from oven and add in the bacon and onion, mixing thoroughly. I chose to splash liberally with balsamic vinegar to aid in caramelization, but a lemon squeezed in would also bring the acid.

Roast for another 5-10 minutes until the internal cook is to your liking. Serve with grated Parmesan or other hard cheese.

As always, time and temperature may vary according to your oven, your pan, density altitude, moon phase, etc. so keep an eye on things

(Brian) #10

I’ve had many gardens over the years but this is the first one that I actually have little brussels sprouts on the plants! They’re tiny, the largest being about the size of a pea. But they’re growing!

A grandniece has affectionately named them, “power balls”. It kinda stuck. :slight_smile:

(Carl Keller) #11

Haha. Major points for spelling Brussels Sprouts correctly. Most people don’t add the last S on Brussels. I also hated them for almost my whole life… until I tried cole slaw with shredded BS instead of cabbage… and I loved it.

So when I started doing Keto I bought a bag of them and fried them up in some bacon grease, a few dashes of ranch powdered seasoning (my number 1 seasoning for meat and veggies) and some pepper, and they were excellent! Plus most keto food is lacking in Vitamin C and BS as well as broccoli can get you over 100% of your RDA in just a cup.

(Carl Keller) #12

I boiled some and they were definitely a little bitter. I sauteed them in oil and they weren’t. Just make sure you cut them in half and seer both sides.

(Carl Keller) #13

Apparently the BS we ate decades ago don’t taste the same as the ones that grow now. Just found this on google:

Over the last twenty years, farmers have mellowed the “unpleasant” flavor of Brussels sprouts by breeding a vegetable that contains fewer bitter compounds or glucosinolates. So, Brussels sprouts just taste better than they used to when we were kids. The rub is that glucosinolates help protect sprouts against pests.

(Hoby Bradfield) #14

You can thank the spell-checker and auto correct… not my natural intelligence… lol

(Carl Keller) #15

Well at least you are honest. I said it for most of my life without the extra S. :sunglasses:

(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #16

Absolutely love them.

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For best results, I make sure they’re smaller and similar sized, split in half, par boiled in salted water until 80% cooked, then pan sauteed with butter or bacon fat until tender. Lots of black pepper.

(Kristin) #17

This! I cook them in my cast iron skillet with bacon grease and put pieces of bacon in with the brussel sprouts. Salt and pepper added, of course.

(John) #18

That really is one of the cool things about eating with healthy fats - all of those vegetables you hated as a kid taste marvelous when you don’t worry about cooking with fat. Fat brings the flavor. Hollandaise sauce, cheese, bacon, olive oil, butter, lard, salt pork, fatback. All of the wonderful flavorings that used to be combined with vegetables before we all learned to just eat them raw or steamed because of the fear of fats.

(Christy F) #19

I think if you cut more off the stem at the base then score an X where you just cut off, drizzle with olive oil, cook how you like, then it should be good to go. I like a little balsamic/ olive oil mixture and then air dry those babies. mmmMmm

#20

It’s funny, I feel the same way, haven’t had brussel sprouts in years but I keep seeing ketoers raving about them. I bought a bag not too long ago, I suppose it’s time for me to man up and try them, again. If my taste buds changed like they did for everything else…

(Mollyann Hesser) #21

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I eat them in in this salad with homemade sugar-free dried cranberries, pistachios and mustard vinaigrette.