BBQ, Wine & The Good Life With SaucyJoe

Farts and Darts

2008-05-03T11:26:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, the Sullivans were invited out for a grilled meal of bison burgers at brother-in-law Adam Ardolino's place in Anamosa, Iowa. Saturday is dart night at the Ardolino's. So we were arriving early for this lovely grilled meal. The Dr. decided to bring a side dish; smoked baked beans. The smoked flavor is brought about by smoking a 1 lb ham steak. The baked beans are spiced up using yellow mustard, tangy bbq sauce and dark beer.

Smoking the Ham Steak:

Ingredients:

1 lb ham steak
Mustard Slather:
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup tangy bbq sauce
1 tblsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp beer

Ham Rub
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

Mix the slather ingredients in a shallow bowl and brush over the ham steak. Sprinkle the rub over each side of the ham.

Smoke the ham steak using apple chips providing the smoke. 1 hour at 220 deg F

Spicing up the Beans:

The beans are cooked in a medium crock pot. Add 1 large can of baked beans to the pot. Add 1/2 cup yellow mustard and 1/2 cup tangy bbq sauce. Cube the smoked ham steak into 1/2" pieces and add them to the crock pot. Chop up 1/2 an onion and add to the bean mixture. Cook on high heat for 1 hour and then turn down to low heat.

The beans were an excellent compliment to the bison burgers.

Of course digestion of baked beans and beef set up a gas generation system within each of us. The night's dart competition quickly became aromatic. Nevertheless, a fine time was had by all, odors not withstanding. The beans were a smoking success!

What a great promo!!

2008-04-14T08:55:00.002-05:00

You know, I'm a little disappointed that they didn't give me a call to help out with this momentous event! Sounds like half of the country was there cooking or eating! Can you imagine the aroma ... even twenty miles away?? I'll bet there was a spike in the temperature of the town. Probably changed the weather pattern for the area!

When your chief export is beef, what better way to promote your product than to have a barbecue! I had no idea that they exported so much beef to the United States. That steak I had last night may have been some of Uruguay's finest. Who knows. The grocery store sure doesn't advertise their suppliers.

Here's the story!

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - One of South America's smallest countries proved on Sunday it can hold the biggest barbecue in the world.

Some 1,250 Uruguayan grillmeisters sizzled up 26,400 pounds (12,000 kilograms) of beef Sunday, beating a 2006 record set in Mexico.

"It's all so beautiful. It's a record," Guinness World Records judge Danny Girton said after the chefs, in white hats and aprons, smoked and barbecued their way into the record book with help of 6 tons of charcoal and 1,500 metal barbecue stands.

The barbecue was so big that firefighters were called in to light the grills and make sure the flames did not get out of hand. It beat the previous record of 17,600 pounds (8,000 kilograms) of beef, Girton said.

Uruguay, a ranching and farming nation, last year exported more than US$1 billion (euro630 million) in beef — its chief export.

The load of meat cooked Sunday set off swirling clouds of aromatic smoke, as 20,000 spectators devoured the cuts quickly.

Blarney to Rest

2008-03-21T19:53:00.003-05:00

St Patrick's Day has come and gone. Just because it was on a weekday, a Monday!, didn't deter the Dr. At 4:00 AM, two of the three corned beef briskets were finishing in the oven. They started at 325 degrees F for an hour, then the temp was turned down to 250 degrees F for two hours. One brisket was presented to the folks who build printed circuit boards at Collins Printed Circuits, and the other was presented to the mighty Maintenance Crew at CPC. These folks do a fine job, working hard every day. So a portion of smoked corned beef seemed perfect for them all.

The reception of the smoked corned beef was everything the Dr. could have asked. Several folks commented that they had never had better corned beef. The briskets disappeared by 9:30AM. So the Dr. was definitely loooking forward to St. Patrick's day dinner at the Sullivan household.

Lovely Linda Sullivan had agreed to make boiled corned beef plus potatos and cabbage. So when the Dr. got home, the Irish aroma was wafting through the house. A real plus was that the cabbage cores had been left for munching. This is a real treat. Pick a piece of cabbage core, salt and much...fabulous!

The third corned beef brisket was quickly put into the oven for the same treatment as the other two; one hour at 325 degrees F plus two hours at 250 degrees F. Everything was ready for dinner at 7PM. Our guests were the Murrys, Dale, Michelle and Brandon fresh up to Iowa from southwest Missouri. This winte has been a shock for them, yet they still find ways to get out of the house and go through the snow.

St. Patrick's dinner was a smashing success! The contrast between smoked corned beef brisket and boiled corned beef brisket was interesting and delicious. Both briskets had much to commend them, and each should be tried.

Here is the smokede corneed beef.

Here is the boiled corned beef.

Enjoy that Irish fare!

Blarney's A Smokin'!

2008-03-16T13:00:00.002-05:00

The corned beef is in the Big Drum Smoker. I made a mustard slather containing 1/2 cup of yellow mustard and 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard. The dry spices include Corriander, Black Pepper and Garlic Powder. Everything rubbed in and placed into the smoker. The smoking wood is Oak. This is some fabulous taste.

The Blarney's Arisin'

2008-03-15T20:47:00.002-05:00

What a great year! St. Patrick's Day is the Spring Equinox this year. The Dr. is smoking corned beef. I bought 4 corned beef briskets, all square cut. Three of these are going to be smoked and one is going to the Lovely Linda for boiled corned beef and cabbage. Monday, St. Patrick's Day, is when the corned beef reign's supreme. One brisket goes to those fine hard working men of Collins Printed Circuits' facilities maintenance. The next goes for sampling by the folks at Collins Printed Circuits (basically, I'm taking it into work). The third stays at home for St. Pat's dinner.

So, for the three briskets for smoking, it was time to get the salt out of the corned beef. Corned beef is made to be preserved by salt. This is wonderful for boiled corned beef and cabbage because the cabbage absorbes the salt from the corned beef when the two are boiled together. I love boiled corned beef and cabbage, especially made by Lovely Linda. However, smoking intensivizes salt flavor, so we soak corned beef to leach out the salt. I soaked the three briskets in cold water for four hours, changing out the water every hour.

Then, it was time to marinate. I chose my favorite this time, Guiness. The corned beef briskets come with a spice packet, so I put those in the marinade. The briskets are large, so two Guiness per briskets was just right. Everything is ready for a long smoke tomorrow.

It's Texas Chili Time!

2008-02-29T18:32:00.014-06:00

Last week, the Dr. became ensnared in that great chili debate: Beans, or No Beans. The Dr., having spent his young adult life in Texas, learned what great chili tastes like. AND he says NO BEANS! However, there are many folks here in Iowa (including the lovely Linda Sullivan) who say BEANS WITH YOU! So the Dr. set out to show them the errors of their ways.

With the aid of Mild Bill's Spices, found at http://www.mildbills.com/ I found the recipe which won at last year's World Chili Cookoff Championship in Terlingua, TX. This recipe is titled 'Deb's Hot Rod Chili' by Debbie Ashman, just struck my fancy. Also, Mild Bill's sells almost all of the spices found in this recipe. So, I got on line and placed my order.

Now, Mild Bill's offers several different package sizes, and I didn't want to run out when making this recipe. So...I ordered in the medium package size (5 oz). You would think that someone with a Chemical Engineering degree and a lifetime of measuring things would understand how much he was ordering, BUT NO! In my defense, I have mostly been dealing with liquid measurements during my lifetime (mostly in the 12oz variety), and I didn't have a feel for solid measurements. Needless to say, when I got my order from Mild Bill's, I realized I could supply a small 3rd world country with chili for the next year! Here is a picture of all of the spices I ordered:

I'll tell you, I am delighted with the service and quality provided by Mild Bill's. The spices arrived in just a few days, and they were fabulous! The value for teh price was also very good. If I wanted to buy this much spice volume in any store, I would pay over $200. My entire order including shipping was less than $80. Now, on to the chili...

First, the meat...In Iowa, most folks use fine ground beef for chili meat. In Texas, most chili uses coarse ground meat, including lamb, venison, beef & pork. I decided to use bottom round beef, cut in 1/2 inch cubes. I bought tenderized bottom round beef and sliced it wile waiting endlessly for the Mediacom service desk to answer their phone (but that's another story). I decided to use my cast iron dutch oven for brewing this masterpiece, so I heated it up on the stove to 'grey' the meat(in other words, fry the meat until it is grey on all sides).

As you can see, the dutch oven's legs keep the ccoking surface above the cooking element. This helps even out the heat rising to the dutch oven. The cast iron of this dutch oven is thick enough to distribute the heat well too.

Cubed meat before and after 'greying'

I then added 8 oz of El Pato hot tomato sauce. Those of you living in Texas may be able to find this in the local supermarket, but in Iowa, I had to go down to our local Mexican restaurant and food market to find this smooth, flagrant sauce containing jalepenos, onions and tomatos blended into a sauce.

Combined with 15oz of beef stock, the mixture was brought to a medium boil.

Then the first dump of spices was added:

1 Tbsp onion powder*
2 tsp garlic powder*
2 tsp beef crystals
1 tsp of chicken crystals
1 Tbsp of Pacific Beauty Paprika*
1 Tbsp of Mexene Chili Powder
½ tsp cayenne*
¼ tsp black pepper*
1 package Sazon Goya*

NOTE: Mexene powder cannot be found in Cedar Rapids, Iowa! If you can't find it, add 1 par cumin, 1 part oregano and 1 part chili powder.

Here is the first dump:

Man! The smell was fabulous!

I set the temperature for a medium boil, and held it there for an hour. At the end of the hour, half of the liquid had boiled off. The spices had infused with the meat. Time to add the 2nd spice dump:

1 Tbsp of Mexene Chili Powder
1 Tbsp of Hatch Mild Chili Powder*
2 Tbsp Cowtown Light chili powder*
1 Tbsp Mild Bills dark chili powder*
1 tsp cumin*
¼ tsp white pepper*

Then another 45 minutes of medium boil which took most of the liquid from the chili! Now, I had to deviate from the recipe! So, I added a can of beer (surprise!), and got the 3rd dump ready.

1 tsp onion powder*
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp cayenne*
¾ Tbsp Cowtown Light Chili Powder*
1 Tbsp cumin*

Folks, you can't believe the fragrance of these spices!

Another 15 minutes at medium boil, and it was time to taste. Those of you who know the Dr. understand that he is folicly challenged. The first taste of ONE piece of meat set a sweat on teh crown of my head! Whoooo Doggies!

Then, it was time to put the dutch oven into the garage (temperature 9 degrees) over night.

The next morning, I heated the chili up in a crockpot and took it ot work. Soon, chili smells wafted through the office area.

One note: This recipe is for cookoff tasting situations. 2 lbs of meat is not enough for a decent sized meal for more than 5 folks. But, the heat was enough so that the folks in the office were content to just 'taste'.

Bottom line: Iowa folks can get to like that Texas Chili! Reviews were positive (the best chili I've ever had).

NO BEANS!

SMoking for Big Bros. - Finale

2008-01-28T13:49:00.000-06:00

Oh well. Not enough folks signed up to bring in sandwiches or soup to feed the masses predicted to turn out for a CPC luncheon. So the event has been cancelled, and the pork shoulder is going to stay in the freezer to await another occasion. Best laid plans, etc., etc.

The smoked pork loin roast was very tasty last night. So there was some consolation.

Until next time...

Dr. Dave

Smoking for Big Bros. Update

2008-01-28T10:17:00.000-06:00

Ten hours later, and the pork shoulder is done! I wrapped it in foil and then in cellophane, and it is now cooling its heels (shoulder?) waiting for Wednesday night. The plan is to finish the shoulder in the oven, shred the pork and keep it warm in the crock pot lightly coated with BBQ sauce. Cole slaw and buns will be assembled Wednesday night as well.

The Dr. is open to trying a sauce recipe if anyone has suggestions!

Dr. Dave

Arctic Smoking for Big Bros

2008-01-27T15:33:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

The Dr. is smoking for charity! Collins Printed Circuits is fielding 3 teams in the 2008 Bowling for Kids' Sake tourney. To raise cash, CPC is holding their second Sandwich and Soup fund raiser. The Dr. has signed up for pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw.

So, the smoking began today at 9 AM with the temperature at 9 degrees F. The bone-in pork shoulder came from WalMart (they actually have some pretty good meat).

Things look good and smell good spo far.

Updates will be forthcoming. Stay tuned!

Dr. Dave

The Dr. Has a New Toy!

2008-01-11T17:34:00.000-06:00

The Dr.’s New Toy

For about six month’s now, Dr. Dave has been lusting after a smoker built by Rocky Richmond in North Carolina called a Big Drum Smoker. I ran across his web site, BigDrumSmokers.com, and I liked what I saw. I also loved the testimonials from his customers including Steven Raichlen, author of many BBQ books like BBQ USA and star of the Public Television show BBQ University. Steven even bought a Big Drum Smoker for the show after trying it out. So, I WANTED ONE!

This holiday season, the opportunity to order a Big Drum Smoker presented itself, and I took it. Thanks to the IPT staff at work providing seed money plus encouragement, and the coincidental holiday travel of one of my colleagues (He drove right by Rocky’s mountain on Christmas vacation) eliminating shipping costs, I had a new smoker on January 2nd!

Since the smoker was delivered in sub-zero weather, it was immediately put into the garage for storage. However, the weather warmed to above freezing last weekend, so it was time to unpack the smoker. Here is what the smoker looked like all packed up:

Rocky definitely wanted to make sure that nothing was damaged in transit. There was over a garbage can full of packing material in and around the smoker!

Here is the smoker outside the wrap-ping:

As you can see, it looks like a tall oil drum. I ordered the extra tall version so I could smoke some bigger cuts of meat like turkey or ham.

Rocky is a good marketer. He sells wood chunks and logs. He also sells rubs. Inside the smoker, he included samples of both. The wood chunks are larger than those one finds in area stores. The wood types Rocky sells are Hickory, Apple, Black Cherry and Peach. These chunks are black cherry. I also tried Rocky’s pork rub, and I found it to be quite tasty.

The Big Drum Smokers come with wood grates and grilling grates. Both are suspended in the smoker and are far enough apart for good smoking without burning. Here are the grates as received:

Both grates are very sturdy, and the drum itself is of heavy gauge steel, promising many years of good smoking.

I put the smoker together and added the charcoal. Rocky recommends 12 pounds of charcoal for all day smoking. One thing which was not convenient, adding charcoal from an 18 pound bag of charcoal is very difficult. The smoker is deep and narrow, and I spilled coals into the bottom of the smoker. I’ll plan on pouring the coals into a smaller container and adding using that.

To start the coals, I used a large, cane shaped propane torch commonly used for burning weeds off of sidewalks. This torch reached right down to the fire grate and lit the coals with 2-3 minutes of burning.

Here are the lit coals in the fire grate near the bottom of the smoker:

I then placed 3 chunks of the black cherry wood provided by Rocky as can be seen below. Soon, the smoke was pouring out of the top of the smoker.

After letting the smoker smoke for about 5 minutes, I inserted the plugs Rocky provides for closing holes specifically drilled in the bottom of the smoker to control temperature. Before the plugs were inserted into the holes, the temperature was ~275°F. After 2 of 3 holes were plugged, the temperature lowered to 220°F and stayed there for the next 9 hours of smoking! This was absolutely amazing to me. What a great design.

In the meantime, I had prepared a 10 pound pork butt by brining for 2 hours in salt water and then rubbing using Rocky’s pork rub. This is a nice solid pork rub, not too hot and spicy, but plenty flavorful. Here is the bad boy ready for smokin’:

One of the finer things about smoking using the Big Drum Smoker is that the juices produced by cooking meat drip right onto the coals. We had a nice breeze blowing into the neighborhood, and in 15 minutes smoked pork smells were wafting amongst the neighbors houses.

I had set up the smoker out in the driveway, and this upset my wife, the lovely Linda. She doesn’t like having these types of things out in front of the house. I told her, “Dear, I’m bragging!”.
The pork but smoked for 9 hours with basting every 30 minutes. I learned one thing. In the winter, in Iowa, 220°F for the whole time will not bring the meat temperature up to the 195°F that is desired for pulled pork. I had to remove another plug so that the smoker temperature rose to 250°F in order to get the meat temperature up. I did this a little too late. Next time I smoke a pork butt in winter, I’ll smoke for the last 2-3 hours at 250°F and get the meat to 195°F for a longer time. Still, the pork butt was just fine for chopped pork.

Here it is finishing up on the smoker,

and below it is chopped ready for serving:

Look at that smoke ring! Brisket is next!

This was a bigger hit!

2007-11-05T22:32:00.000-06:00

I made my Texas Style Barbecue Sauce a couple of days before the event just to let the flavors mingle. It was getting hotter as it mingled, so I pulled out a backup sauce that was a little cooler on the taste buds. It was a hit! This is an easy sauce to make and it has so many possibilities. Just take a look at the ingredients and you'll agree!!

2 Cups of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce

1 Cup of your favorite salsa

1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar

Coarse Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Combine barbecue sauce, salsa and vinegar in a nonreactive sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Let cook until thick and flavorful. 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can serve it hot, as we do, or it can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours. Just bring it back to room temperature before serving.

Makes 3 cups

Texas Style Barbecue Sauce

2007-10-16T21:18:00.000-05:00

Half-Relays commences tomorrow in Grand Prairie, Texas ending in a rather large feast on Saturday night. We'll have brisket on hand with a very nice barbecue sauce recipe from Cooks Illustrated. A tomato based sauce with a good share of vinegar, a little heat and just a touch of sweetness. It's an aromatic joy to make and drove the guests crazy. We served the sauce last time warm on the side even though the recipe calls for room temperature. I'm going to make the sauce a few days in advance this time so it has time to mingle. I have a feeling there'll be a need for additional beverages.

Texas-Style Barbecue Sauce
Makes 1 3/4 cups

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup minced onion
1 medium clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups tomato juice
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon minced chipotle chile in adobo
2 Tablespoons molasses or dark molasses (not backstrap)
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat butter in small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until foaming; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and chili power; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add tomato juice, 1/2 cup vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chipotle, molasses and salt; increase heat to high and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 30 to 40 minutes. Off heat, stir in pepper and remaining 1/4 cup vinegar. Cool to room temperature before serving. (Can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)

Luuuke ... hic ... Get me another beer!

2007-09-27T21:40:00.000-05:00

Beware the Dark Beer!
Found this on the web a while ago and get a chuckle out of it everytime. This lovely knitting project takes eight cans of Guinness to make the helmet. That's perfect since the Black Cans of Guinness Draught come in four and eight packs. I wouldn't try making this after polishing off those eight cans though!!

Here's the link in case, in your dark haze, you convince yourself "oh ya, I can make that!"

Smoke Them Ribs!

2007-08-06T09:51:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of pork ribs on the planet. Whenever I ordered baby back ribs in a restaurant, the eating never seemed user friendly, and the effort expended getting the meat off the bones didn't quite seem worth it. I'm sure this attitude has resulted in poor performance whenever I've tried to smoke pork back ribs. My efforts have been frustrating both for the smoker and for the eater. The ribs have always ended up too dry or overdone. Since I take pride in turning out smoked food which tastes great, I have gone to great lengths to avoid pork back ribs.

Well, this weekend, I found some pork spare ribs which looked too good to pass up! Spare ribs are much larger that back ribs, so I felt I had a good chance to NOT SCREW UP! Plus, I've had lots of success lately using a mustard slather to keep meat moist, so I was pretty sure I could smoke these ribs while keeping them nice and juicy.

I made a slather from:

1 part beer,
1/2 part olive oil,
1 part ball park mustard,
1 part yellow mustard and
3 tablespoons of brown sugar

I put these ingredients in a non-reative pan and let them simmer for half an hour to reduce some of the liquid. Then, I brushed all sides of the ribs (these came cut apart - another reason why I bought them) with the slather. I finished by sprinkling the ribs liberally with Saucy Joe's Ultimate Rub and set them in the smoker. Using apple chips for the smoke, and setting the temperature at 225 degrees F, I smoked those ribs for 2 1/2 hours. Then, I glazed them with a sweet BBQ sauce from (the more) Famous Dave's and smoked for another half hour.

These ribs were nice and moist, and they were plenty tasty! I'm thinking I've got something here! I have some pork back ribs in the freezer...maybe next weekend?

Anybody have suggestions for improvement?

Dr. Dave

Next Food Network Star - I wanted Rory!

2007-07-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make: I watched ALL of the episodes of the Next Food Network Star this year! I got so hooked!

I am not a 'reality show' fan. I have never sat through an entire episode of Big Brother or Survivor, but I tuned in to the first show of The Next Food Network Star this season, and they caught me!

It got down to the next to last show and Amy, JAG and Rory just killed! Amy was sent home, then JAG was outed as having lied on his credentials. He resigned and Amy was brought back.

The winner was voted on by fans on-line. I wanted Rory because she is now a Texas gal, and she had a great ribs recipe which made the cover of Bon Appetit. I figured we'd get more of the same on any show where she was the star. And, rats! She didn't win. So Amy Finley is the Next Food Network star. Look for her new show this fall.

Saucy Joe should audition for the next Next Food Network Star program!

Dr. Dave
(Going through NFNS withdrawl right now)

Love That Slather!

2007-07-30T16:37:00.000-05:00

Want some moist smoked meat? Slather on a mustard sauce! Whether it's pork, beef or chicken, the smoked meat is nicely browned on the outside and quite moist on the inside when a mustard slather coats the outside.

The basic slather is:

3 parts mustard
1 part oil
1 part beer (you can figure out what to do with the rest of the beverage)

Simmer on the stove for 15-20 minutes to mix and reduce the slather.

You can mix up the types of mustard, oil AND beer to match the meat you're smoking. Additional ingredients are left up to your imagination!

Slather first, then shake on your rub. This helps the rub stick to the outside of the meat without breaking down the surface meat tissue.

A good slather adds to the flavor, keeps in the moisture and soaks up the smoke! Plus, SLATHER sounds so cool when you say it!

When there's no time to soak

2007-07-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

I read this article in Cooks Illustrated magazine recently and wanted to pass it on to everyone.

Wood chips contribute smoky flavor to grill roasted and barbecued meats. To prevent them from burning, they must be soaked in water for about an hour. Having forgotten to soak his wood chips ahead of time, Don Camp of Philadelphia, Pa., found that a 15-minute soak in boiling water adequately hydrated the chips and protected them from the heat of the grill.

I can't remember how many times I have forgotten to soak the wood chips before grilling. It usually happens when I have a whole platter of meat ready to go. This will be a time saver. When reading this article I remembered that Dr. Dave uses the microwave to heat up the chips and water. His process may be even faster. I see some testing in my future!!

Abducted by Aliens

2007-05-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

Well that explains a lot!

Where has SaucyJoe been?

Why are there so many mysterious animal carcasses being found missing only the prime cuts of meat?

Since when is there a barbecue joint outside of Area 51?

I'm not really at liberty to explain. Mostly because they wiped my memory for the past month. No wait, that was just the Relays mind melt. (see pic)

Neeless to say, life is returning to normal and there's a whole slew of recipes heading your way just in time! The weather's lookin' real good and party season is starting up!!

Time for the Good Life ... Live long and Prosper

The Admiral Bird

2007-03-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

The Admiral Bird

Up until this week, February has been a frigid month here in Eastern Iowa. The average high temperature has been 6 degrees F and average low temperature 5 below zero! While this is not the ideal weather for a barbecue, it’s hard to resist the lure of the smoker. So, I have had many opportunities for arctic smoking. A couple weekends ago, following up on a pun from brother Ski Sullivan, I decided it was time to smoke the Admiral Bird.

I decided to combine recipes from two Steven Raichlen books, BBQ USA and Beer Can Chicken to smoke a 12 pound turkey and serve with Maple Redeye Gravy. I brined the turkey overnight using a Maple Brine Sauce, rubbed the turkey with a rub made from Kosher salt, ground black pepper, sweet paprika, sage, oregano and thyme. Since I had the Thyme, I got the beer. In honor of arctic smoking the Admiral Bird, I used a 32 oz can of Labatt’s Blue for the pedestal. It was 7 degrees below zero when I started the smoker at 9 AM, and climbed up to a whopping 2 above when I pulled out the done bird at 4 PM. I burned a lot of wood chips and 1 ½ gas cylinders keeping things cooking.

The bad thing is, I didn’t get any of the bird! I carried it out to a birthday party at Anamosa Slum Lord, Brother-In-Law, Adam Ardolino’s house, and I had to go make an appearance at the First Annual Collins Printed Circuits Dinner and Ball. I had a pretty nice meal and a beer, then I rushed back to Anamosa. By the time I got back, the turkey was bones. I was assured that it was fabulous. Trust me, it’s not the same as tasting for yourself. Anyway, the Admirable Bird was an arctic success. The recipe follows:

Brining Ingredients:

1 turkey (12 pounds, or so) thawed, if frozen
1 ¼ cups Kosher Salt
1 quart hot water
4 quarts cold water
1 cup real maple syrup
1 medium sized onion, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
10 black peppercorns
5 bay leaves
4 strips of lemon zest
2 whole cloves

Dissolve the Kosher Salt into the hot water in a large stock pot. Pour in the cold water, and then add the rest of the brine ingredients. Slide the turkey in and cover the pot. It helps to have something to weigh down the bird so it stays submerged. A water filled plastic freezer bag works nicely.

Keep in a cool place overnight (12-16 hours).

The Rub:

4 TBSP Kosher Salt
4 TBSP Sweet Paprika
2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp Ground Sage
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Thyme

Mix the ingredients in a shallow bowl, cover and keep until ready to rub the bird.

The Preparation:

· Remove the bird from the brine and discard the brine.
· Pat the bird dry inside and out.
· Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the rub into the body cavity of the turkey, and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the rub into the neck cavity of the turkey.
· Melt 1 stick of salted butter in a sauce pan.
· Discard half of the can of Labatt’s Blue (I’m sure you can figure out a good way to do this.). Steven says to pour it over the wood chips. Dr. Dave, I can assure you, did not do this.
· Using a can opener (church key type) make two additional holes in the top of the beer can.
· Spoon 1 tablespoon of the rub into the beer can. Don’t worry if the mixture foams up. This is normal.
· Holding the turkey upright with the body cavity at the bottom lower it onto the beer can so the can fits into the cavity.
· Brush the melted butter over outside of the turkey.
· Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the rub over the outside of the turkey.
· Stir 2 tablespoons of the rub into the melted butter and set aside.
· Poor the remainder of the rub into the neck cavity of the turkey.

Here’s the Admiral Bird standing tall, ready to enter the smoker:

Preparing the Smoker:

· Since it was such a cold time, I disconnected the propane tank the night before cooking and moved it into a warmer area so the gas wouldn’t liquefy. I re-connected it just before smokin’ time.
· Soak 6 cups of wood chips, preferably apple in water for 1 hour.
· Place the chips in a smoke box or aluminum foil pouch.
· Add water to the water dish.
· Place a clean aluminum foil pan in the smoker to catch the turkey drippings. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, as you will see later.
· Fire up the smoker, and heat to 210 degrees F.
· Stand the turkey on a lower shelf in the smoker or on the grill away from the heat. Place it over the drip pan.
· Smoke for 6 to 7 hours, basting the bird with the melted butter / rub mixture every 30 minutes.

The Smoker is Smokin’ below:

Maple Redeye Gravy

Ingredients:

About 2 cups of turkey drippings (See, I told you it was important!)
1 to 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
4 TBSP salted butter (1/2 stick)
¼ cup flour
¼ cup Madeira
¼ cup coffee
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP maple syrup
Kosher Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

· Strain the turkey drippings into a measuring cup
· Add enough chicken or turkey stock to make a total of 3 cups
· Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat.
· Stir in the flour and heat until its golden brown. (3 to 5 minutes)
· Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the Madeira (Have Some Madeira, My Dear – Red Skelton, early 1960’s), coffee, maple syrup and the turkey drippings with stock.
· Return the pan to the stove and bring to a boil over high heat, whisking steadily.
· Reduce the heat to medium and let stand until it is reduced to about 3 cups volume (6 to 10 minutes).
· Season with Kosher Salt and Ground Pepper to taste.

Bringing in the Admiral Bird:

Here’s the Admiral Bird in the smoker ready to go inside:

· Using a heavy duty set of oven mitts, lift the bird from the smoker.
· Have a buddy (my son Brandon fit the bill) grab hold of the can using a large set of tongs. Hold the can still.
· Gently lift the turkey from the can.
· Carefully set the can aside to cool. The liquid inside is very hot!
· Let the turkey set for 15 minutes.
· It’s ready to carve! Steal a piece for yourself before it’s all gone! 'cause...
You deserve some Admiral Bird!

Collect Call from Martha Stewart ... Will you accept the Charges?

2007-01-24T16:09:00.000-06:00

I guess NASA read my blog about getting some better food up to the International Space Station crew since Space.com reported that Martha Stewart chatted with the ISS crew on Monday. Sunita Williams asked for any tips on how they could fix up the place to make some better meals. Stewart was very willing to travel up to the ISS and turn things around, but had to decline as leaving earths atmosphere would go against her parole. Guess she'll be directing things from ground control.

All kidding aside, I'm sure the Omnimedia machine could put the NASA engineers on their ear. Perhaps NASA needs a little more private sector help. In the upcoming years there'll be a lot of new countries making their way up into space. I think the winner won't be the country that can do it the cheapest, but the one that can bring their astronauts back the healthiest! The United States has some great veteran astronauts. Give 'em a good reason to head back up to the stars. Oh and save a seat for me! I should have the bugs on my outdoor grill worked out by then!! I'm still having problems with some of the foam insulation.

Roasted Chicken

2007-01-21T18:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, so this chicken I roasted was WAY yummy. First, I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees. Then, here is the pictoral of the steps:

Wash the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place chicken in the roasting dish, cut up veggies and place in and around the chicken. The veggies I used were garlic, onion, carrots, and celery.

Actually, before I stuffed the veggies in the chicken, I made sure to season the cavity with fresh basil, sage, garlic, and chives. After the veggies went in, I seasoned the outside with sea salt, 2 dried bay leaves (those actually went inside as well), dried basil, dried rosemary, and dried thyme.

I also added some wine to the roasting dish. The wine I used is Becker Vineyard Viogner.

I put the chicken in the 400 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Actually, at 45 minutes, I basted the chicken with its juices. It already looked yummy at that point!

45 minutes after that, it was ready. How did I know? The joints moved freely and the juices ran clear. Also, the little ready indicator had popped up. :D

It was so good and there are plenty of left overs for lunches to come. It was really easy, too. Next time, I may add some of the orange salt Saucy Joe and lemon slices gave me to make it a citrus chicken. Ooh, or I could use bar-b-que seasonings and make it a bar-b-que chicken... The possibilities on this are endless!!

Just like Mom used to make ... Only faster!

2007-01-18T16:00:00.000-06:00

A statement I can make and not get in trouble since my Mom was the person that turned me on to the product in the first place!

A couple of years ago while visiting my Mom she told me that we were going to have Pot Roast for dinner. As it was already 5:00pm I gave her a questioning look and she returned from the kitchen with a package of Hormel Roast Beef Au Jus. She told me "it tastes just like my Pot Roast." I gave her the benefit of the doubt and was surprised at the results. As the contents of the package are pre-cooked, 7 minutes in the microwave provides a piping hot entree that does taste like Moms' Pot Roast.

Since then I've made it a habit of having one or two packages of Roast Beef Au Jus in the fridge for the just in case comfort meals. I'll still make my own mashed potatoes as I'm not ready to give up on that. I haven't the heart to look at the Nutritional Chart on the side of the package as it may be full of disappointments, but I must say that the pieces of meat that come in the package are lean and free of the fat that you'd get in my four hour cooked Pot Roast.

Missing from the formula is the thing that we usually associate with Pot Roast. The Smell! The hours of torturous aromas that fill the house. Pavlov has nothing on me!! For that reason and for the sake of carrying on tradition I will continue to spend some quality time making good old fashioned Pot Roast, but if I'm in a pinch, I know I have a good backup plan!!

You can find Hormel Fully Cooked Entrees in the meat section of your grocery store. They are packaged in 17oz. and 30oz. sizes. With our crew of six, the 30oz. size works well.

Where to go this year??

2007-01-04T21:06:00.000-06:00

Alas, I feel as though I'll be spinning my wheels in January trying to get a plan together for the rest of the year. How exciting it is to see all that's available to cook!!! I just hope the family and friends are up to the experiments ahead!! It's going to be a great year of the Good Life with SaucyJoe!!

May we all have the Good Life throughout the year!!

Finish in the Oven!

2006-12-30T10:32:00.000-06:00

Last night reminded me once again that the oven can be an integral portion of preparing smoked meat.

The Sullivan family got home after an 8 hour drive back from northern Ohio (Thank goodness the speed limit in Illinois is pretty much regarded as a mild suggestion!), and smoked pork chops sounded awfully good. They were soon in the smoker. However, it was getting late, and the chops weren't done. They had plenty of smoke, but not a lot of heat. This is one of the risks of smoking in winter. So, I preheated the oven to 350 deg F and baked the chops for another half hour.

The result was very nice. The chops were very moist, and they had their full smoked flavor.

While smoking purists may disagree, the strategy of Finishing in the Oven has pretty wide acceptance. After all, the goal is to provide a smoke flavored meal in as little time as possible, right? And while I thoroughly enjoy sitting by the smoker drinking some beer and nurturing a nice cut of meat to full smoky doneness (doneness?), the experience is not as pleasant when the outside temperature is 20 degrees F and the wind is blowing 20 mph out of the north. So, 1-2 hours of smoking, depending on the cut of meat, followed by a 1/2 to 1 hours in the oven at 350 deg F works for me.

This strategy is advocated by the Cooks Illustrated authors of Steaks, Chops, Roasts and Ribs who have smoked pork butt for 3 hours and finished in the oven for 2 hours, effectively cutting the time in half. Their pork butt pulls apart for sandwiches just like one which has been smoked all day.

I have tried this strategy when I want to provide a large cut of smoked meat for a party, and don't have a lot of time just before the party. I smoke the meat on the weekend before the party, not going for being fully smoked, just getting a full smoke flavor. Then I wrap the meat in aluminum foil and put it in the freezer. The day of the party, I thaw the meat in the fridge. I bake the meat while still in the foil for 2 hours at 325 deg F, and it is ready for a hungry crew!

So remember, if you don't have the time required for a full smoking experience, Finish in the Oven!

Christmas in Ohio!

2006-12-28T17:37:00.000-06:00

Several of the sullivans immigrated to northern Ohio for the Christmas holidays. As Dr. Dave, his family and Mom Annie are preparing a meal of leftovers from the week's cooking, some reflection is in order.

As we were preparing to head on over to Ohio, we got a call from Mom Annie's back neighbor telling us that Mom was in the hospital with a mild stroke. Grandson Greg was just getting in the car for his trip to 'Grandmom's', so he, wife Angela and son Bryceton shot on up to hold the beachhead until reinforcements arrived. The Iowa Sullivans (Dr. Dave and family) got the family cat, Ozzy, into the vet, and headed east the next day.

By the time we arrived, Mom was home and doing well. Gladly, her stroke was mild, and she had almost all of her faculties. So we began the holiday festivities.

Christmas Eve:

Smoked Pork Tenderloin:

Dr. Dave took time out the weekend before to smoke a 5lb pork tenderloin using the Tennesee Whiskey recipe found on the Saucy Joe's website. When the tenderloin was at the end of it's smoking time, the tenderloin was removed, wrapped in foil and frozen. It didn't thaw too much in the cooler on the 9 1/2 hour journey, and was ready for cooking on Christmas Eve. We placed it, still in foil, into a baking pan, and cooked at 325 deg F for two hours. The meat was tender, and the smoke flavor was very evident. The next day saw pork tenderloin sandwiches being consumed at a high rate. Thank goodness there are a few left for tonight.

Christmas Day:

Mimosas happened. Bryceton opened everyone's presents!

Prime Rib was the fare for Christmas dinner. Mom put it in the oven at 500 deg F for 15 minutes, then turned the heat to 325 deg F for 2 more hours. The prime rib was medium rare, and delicious! Mom tells me that my great grandmother, Mum Moore, would put a prime rib in an oven pre-heated at 500 deg F then turn the oven off and leave the rib to cook for 5 hours as the oven cooled. This sounds like some indirect ccoking we do in the smoker, but the temperature staring out is too high for my stuff. Linda says she's game for trying it.

The kids left the next day to visit Angela's folks in Riverside, Iowa (remember Captain Kirk's home town?).

Boxing Day:

Dinner for the day after Christmas was Dr. Dave's BM Tonic Beef Brisket. This beef was also prepared and smoked earlier, frozen and cooked in the oven for two hours at 325 deg F. The BBQ sauce was Famous Dave's (no relation, I wish!) Texas Pit BBQ Sauce. The meat came out very tender with all of the brisket taste we have come to love!

The next night, we again proved that BEER CAN CHICKEN RULES!

Mom Annie had a beer can chicken rack, which isn't absolutely necessary, but helps out.

We got a 3 LB Will Purdue chicken (good stuff!), A Chopolte Pepper olive oil from International Collection and French Herb Roasting Rub from McCormick. We brined the chicken for an hour in cool water and salt (1 cup per gallon), then brushed the oil on the chicken inside and out. The Feench Herb roasting rub was applied ot the inside and outside of the chicken. Half of the can of beer was 'discarded', and two teaspoons of the rub were poured into the can. Also a teaspoon of chili powder and a teaspoon of Cayanne pepper were added to the can fro a little heat. The peppers don't influence the final meat flavor too much, so don't worry about adding too much to the can.

Since Mom's grill is put away for the winter, we stood the chicken on the can in a baking pan in the oven and baked for 1 1/2 hours at 325 deg F. I will tell you, we almost fainted from the fabulous flavors coming out of that oven! The McCormick rub and the chipolte olive oil fumes filled the house. This recipe actually smelled better than it tasted, and that is saying alot! After baking, the chicken just fell off the bone! It was scavenged pretty well, but there are a few tender morsels left for tonight!

Tomorrow, we head back to the hinterlands of eastern Iowa, carrying many a fond memory of Christmas in Ohio!