Patio Daddio BBQ

Hot & Fast Memphis-style Pulled Pork

2012-02-23T22:09:00.056-07:00

Here is the process I typically use to cook a "hot & fast" barbequed pork butt, which then becomes the much more familiar pulled pork. The Memphis part comes from the dry rub that I use.

Way back in the early days of this blog I shared my hot & fast beef brisket process, and this is really the same thing, but with a cut that is obviously from a whole 'nother beast.

Traditional barbecue is typically cooked "low & slow" (a long time at a low temperature), but, as the name implies, it takes a very long time. With a hot & fast method (a shorter time at a higher temperature) you take the same basic steps, but you get to eat much sooner — typically in as little as half the time. The goal is to achieve the same quality end product in a much shorter time. To help quantify things, a 7-8 pound butt can generally take 10-12 hours to cook low & slow. Here I'll show you how I get the same result in five hours.

Among BBQ purists the usual response to a hotter and faster cook is, "Yeah, but can you tell the difference?" To that I simply reply, "No!" I've cooked both styles at home and in competition and the only difference I see is in the amount of sleep I get. It really is the same product in a much shorter time. If you're a busy family guy like me (or you like to get some sleep at competitions, like me), that makes all the difference in the world.

Let's get on the bidness end of some hot & fast hog!

Ingredients
7-8 lb Pork Boston butt
3/4 cup Memphis-style dry rub (recipe follows — makes more than needed)
6 oz Ginger ale
Canola oil spray

Memphis Dry Rub
1 cup Sea salt, medium fine (no table salt, please)
1/2 cup Unrefined evaporated cane sugar (no table sugar, please)
1/2 cup Brown sugar, golden/light
2 Tbs Sweet Hungarian paprika
2 Tbs Chili powder, medium heat
2 Tbs Granulated onion (not onion "powder")
2 Tbs Dry mustard
1 Tbs Granulated garlic (not garlic "powder")
2 tsp Dry thyme
2 tsp Dry oregano
2 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh
2 tsp Celery salt
2 tsp Ground ginger
1 tsp Ground coriander
1 tsp Ground cayenne (optional)

Method
Combine all of the rub ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well with a
whisk or stand mixer.

Trim the pork of any loose fat and season all sides with a fairly heavy coat of the rub (about 2/3 cup). Make sure that you season all of the exterior parts of the pork, including any portions between the muscles that you can get to.

Put the pork in a lipped pan with the fat cap down, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 12-36 hours (the longer the better).

About six hours before you want to serve, Fire up your grill/cooker for indirect cooking at 325º grate temperature using the smoke wood of your choice. I use Kingsford® Original (blue bag) with four small chunks of hickory and two small chunks of cherry.

Note: You'll need enough coals for a five-hour cook, or be prepared to add coals as needed. If you're using a gas grill, make a few smoker pouches.

While your coals are starting, uncover the butt and hit all sides with another light coat of rub (about two tablespoons).

When your coals are ready, put the butt on the cooker with the fat cap down.

Cover and let it cook for 3 hours at an average grate temperature of 325-350*. Here's how mine looked at two hours.

...and at three hours.

At the three hour mark (mine was 165º internal), wrap it fat-side-up in a triple layer of heavy-duty foil, adding the ginger ale. You want to wrap it as tightly as you can without the risk of piercing the foil.

Put it back on the cooker and cook indirect for another two hours. The finished temp should be about 203º in the thickest part of the butt. If it's below 195º, continue cooking, checking the internal temperature about every 15 minutes.

Note: Once it's wrapped you can finish the cook in a 325º oven. Yes, it's sort of like cheating, but nobody will know. If you're pressed for time, just increase the heat to 350º.

Remove the butt from the cooker, open the foil and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.

Pull the pork with a large fork in each hand (or by hand wearing gloves), discarding any noticeable pieces of fat. I season the pulled meat with a little bit of the rub and I add some of the wrapping liquid (skimmed of fat) to keep it moist.

Serve the pulled pork on a bun topped with BBQ sauce and some of your favorite slaw.

Enjoy, then enjoy some more!

Review: The Texas Brush

2012-02-22T17:22:00.036-07:00

Just about anyone who has used a grill more than once knows how important a grill brush is. A good brush is a must, and there is plenty of junk out there. Here I'll review the seriously turbo magnum Texas Brush.

We all know the familiar cliche that everything is big in Texas. Well, in the case of this brush that statement is no joke! Check out the dimensions of this thing!

In addition to its sheer size this beast has seriously aggressive carbon steel bristles. One side is fairly normal, but the other looks like it could be used to clean the treads of an M1 Abrams tank!

As soon as you take the brush out of the box it's obvious that it is well-made with quality materials. It weighs nearly five pounds and the wood is clean and free of knots or other defects.

You can see in the pictures that this isn't a high-tech piece of equipment. It's simply a 24" handle attached to a wooden wedge with a brush screwed into each side. They also offer a four-foot wooden handle, a metal handle, and two other varieties of brush head (stainless steel and brass). You can build your own at their site.

The Texas Brush works well, depending on your grill. The long handle, size and weight are good for large heavy grills. However, I think it's much too large and stiff for smaller grills, like a 22" Weber kettle. The effort required to get good cleaning will likely push the grill over. This is especially true on expanded metal grates like you see in the pictures here. The grill in the photos is 32" in diameter and weighs 80 pounds, and I was moving it on my driveway with the brush. Perhaps the brass bristle head wouldn't take as much effort. The coarse teeth do a great job of getting the gunk from between the wires on a standard grate.

Another drawback is the price. As I mentioned earlier it is well-made, but I don't know that I could justify the $49 for the "Texas Jr." model that you see here. You can pick up a standard broiler brush from the internet or a restaurant supply store for half the price or less. Perhaps the Texas Brush is superior in the long run, I don't know.

The bottom line for me is that this is a good choice if need to do serious heavy-duty cleaning on a larger heavy grill (or commercial broiler), and you don't mind spending the extra money.

Disclaimer: The brush was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of this review, but the thoughts expressed are entirely my own.

Safety Disclaimer: I would NOT recommend this for 80's big Texas hair!

The Spud Dog

2012-02-13T22:12:00.021-07:00

I was recently challenged to come up with a unique ballpark hot dog that would represent me and/or my region. Well, I'm always up for a good culinary challenge, so I present The Spud Dog.

This dog starts with a hoagie roll lined with melty cheddar cheese. Then I pile on some freshly made fries, caramelized onions, a grilled Kosher beef hot dog, sauerkraut and ballpark mustard.

The inspiration for this dog comes almost equally from me and my region. Of course Idaho is most known for our potatoes (we even have "Famous Potatoes" emblazoned on our license plates), so the fries were a given. We also produce our fair share of dairy and beef, including the famous American Wagyu beef from Snake River Farms.

The personal part of the inspiration is the onion, kraut, and the name. I was raised eating my German maternal grandmother's sauerkraut and pork which includes wedges of onion that steam and lightly caramelize as it cooks. As for the name, my wife called me "Spud" when we first met, as I was in Idaho and she lived in SoCal.

My usual testers, the ladies of the house, gave this serious props. Let me know what you think.

Ingredients
4 Kosher beef hot dogs (bun-length)
4 Good hoagie rolls
8 slices Medium cheddar cheese
4 cups French fries, fresh
1/2 cup Caramelized onions
1 1/2 cups Sauerkraut, room temperature
Yellow mustard, to taste

Method
Start your grill and grill the hot dogs to your liking.

While the dogs are cooking, split the rolls horizontally about 3/4 of the way through.

Line each roll with two slices of cheese, add an equal amount of fries to each, and heat them under your broiler until the cheese is just starting to melt.

Smear an equal amount of caramelized onions on top of the fries, add the grilled hot dog, cover with an equal amount of sauerkraut and mustard to taste.

Serve and enjoy!

Mango-Peach Death Wings

2012-02-05T11:33:00.028-07:00

I'm cooking twelve pounds of my Memphis Dry-Rubbed Wings for a game day party this afternoon, and I thought it would be fun to make a few hot and sweet wings for the adventurous folks. What started as an experiment turned out fantastic, if I do say so myself.

Don't let the name scare you. Yes, these are hot, but they're not rip-your-lips-off hot. Well, at least not until you hit about the fourth wing. As a case in point, our eldest daughter (13) ate one last night and wanted another. They really have a great balance of heat, sweet, and smoke.

The heat for these bad boys comes from Oakridge BBQ's Habanero Death Dust, and they are slathered with a silky sweet and slightly tangy glaze of mango-peach pepper jelly and melted butter. If you can't find the jelly, standard pepper jelly or an apricot-pineapple jelly (or a mixture of both) would be great as well.

If you are a hot wing fan, I highly recommend that you give these a try. They are honestly some of the best I've ever had.

Ingredients
8 Chicken wings, whole (or 16 wing sections)
1 cup Zesty Italian salad dressing (any cheap store brand is fine)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Habanero Death Dust, or your favorite hot BBQ seasoning
1/4 cup Mango-peach pepper jelly
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
Canola oil cooking spray

Method
Cut the tips off of the wings then cut them into sections, removing any excess skin and fat.

Put the wings and salad dressing in a gallon-size zip-top bag and slosh the wings around so that they are all coated. Seal the bag, removing the excess air and refrigerate four hours.

Drain as much of the dressing as you can from the bag (or move the wings to a new bag), and add 1/4 cup of the Death Dust or whatever seasoning you're using. Squish the wings around in the bag so that they are all coated, and refrigerate one hour.

Start your grill and prepare for indirect cooking over medium heat (325-350º). I used a combination of Kingsford® Competition Briquets and mesquite lump charcoal.

Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of Death Dust in a shaker.

Cook the wings indirect for 20 minutes, then flip them, spray them with a light mist of canola spray, and dust them lightly with the seasoning.

Cook 15 minutes more, then repeat the flip, mist and dust process three more times, every 15 minutes.

Combine the jelly and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the butter is melted, then whisk well to combine.

Coat each wing with the glaze and cook 10 more minutes.

Glaze each wing again and remove them from the grill to a platter.

Serve with the remaining glaze for dipping and enjoy (with caution)!

Spicy Grilled Hummus

2012-01-30T22:13:00.024-07:00

It's pretty obvious that my blog isn't what one would call a destination for healthy food options. However, I do occasionally stick my big toe out of my usual dude food box and venture into things that flirt with the healthful. This would be one of those rare times.

I will be completely honest and say that prior to making this I'd never tasted hummus. I know, I know... It just didn't appeal to me in the slightest. To me it had all the earmarks of something that only Birkenstock-clad folks eat. And, having now made it, I can't say that it's a favorite. My daughters (who apparently got some Birkenstock in them somewhere in the gene pool) assure me that this concoction of mine is good, but how do I know? They could be just stroking my ego despite my assurance that it wouldn't hurt my feelings if they thought it sucked.

So, here, try it and tell me what you think.

Ingredients
1 can (15.5 oz) Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/3 cup Tahini
1/2 cup Water, boiling hot
1 large Lemon, halved
4 large Cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 Tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin, divided
2 Tbsp Chives, minced (for garnish)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Sweet paprika
1/4 tsp Ground cumin
1/4 tsp Ground chipotle

Method
Start your grill and prepare for direct cooking over medium heat (325-350º).

Wrap the edges of a fine mesh rack with foil to ensure the chickpeas don't roll off while grilling. The girls and I have dubbed this "the bean corral".

Combined the chickpeas, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the oil in a medium mixing bowl and stir to coat.

Arrange the chickpeas, garlic and lemon halves on the rack. Keep the bowl handy for later.

Place the rack directly over the coals and cook until the chickpeas are golden and lightly charred, about 15 minutes, rolling them around gently with a spatula every five minutes.

Remove the rack from the grill and let cool about ten minutes.

Put the chickpeas in the original mixing bowl, squeeze the juice of the lemons into the bowl (no seeds, please), and squeeze the garlic cloves out of their paper into the bowl. Add the boiling water and salt and let soak 30 minutes to rehydrate the beans.

Add the tahini, cumin, paprika, chipotle and 1 tablespoon of the oil to the bowl. Blend to a semi-smooth consistency with an immersion blender, or process in a blender or food processor.

Put the hummus in a bowl, drizzle on the remaining oil and garnish with the chives.

Serve with pita chips and enjoy!

BBQ Central Radio

2012-01-25T10:18:00.010-07:00

Last night I was a guest on Greg Rempe's BBQ Central Radio program. We discussed how my blog came to be, my recent briq-to-briq review of Kingsford® Competition and Stubb's® Briquets, my Funky Cristo recipe, competition barbecue, and some other general topics.

You can catch the podcast of last night's show here. My segment starts at about an hour and 35 minutes (01:35:00) into the two-hour program.

If you've never heard the program, I highly recommend that you peruse the show archives and hear what you've been missing. Greg offers the only weekly show of its kind. It is truly the best-produced live-fire cooking show available. Tune in each Tuesday and hear the show live at 9PM EST on The Barbecue Central Radio Networks.

Note: The show is also available on iTunes. Just search for "BBQ Central Radio" (without the quotes).

Fire-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Corn Cakes & Apple-Rum Compote

2012-01-16T22:25:00.039-07:00

Pork tenderloin is a great, and often under-appreciated cut. It's fairly inexpensive, easy to cook, healthy (with about the fat of boneless/skinless/just-this-side-of-worthless chicken breast), and it's a wonderful blank canvas for all manner of experimentation. It doesn't take much to elevate this cut into something special, as I did here.

Pork tenderloin is very lean (thus the healthy part), so it really needs some help in the moisture and flavor department. A brine is a great way to bring both to the party. This cut is also a great candidate for a finishing glaze, sauce, or in this case, a fruit compote. How can you possibly go wrong with pork, apples and rum? It's a flavor trifecta!

For the starch in this dish I decided to try something completely new for me -- corn cakes. I used a medium-grind corn meal along with creamed corn to add a hearty and interesting textural component.

When you're shopping for pork I strongly recommend that you look for a natural product that doesn't include "up to a 12% solution of (insert chemicals here)". If you see a label with that kind of verbiage, warning Will Robinson! If that's all you can find, just skip the brine.

This may look like a lot of work, but it really isn't.

Ingredients
2 Pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 lbs each

Brine
1/2 cup Kosher salt
1/3 cup Brown sugar
1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 1/2 cup Boiling water
4 cups Ice
3 cups Apple cider

Rub
2 Tbsp Brown sugar
2 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh
2 tsp Sweet paprika
2 tsp Ground ancho chile
1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Ground ginger

Compote
3 medium Fuji or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced to 1/3"
2 cups Apple cider
1/3 cup Rum (I used Appleton)
1/3 cup Brown sugar
3 Tbsp Sherry vinegar
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh
1/4 tsp Groud cumin

Corn Cakes
1 cup Boiling water
3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill® Medium Grind Cornmeal
1 cup Creamed corn
1/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Vegetable oil
2 Eggs
1 cup All-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Baking powder
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/8 tsp Ground white pepper

Method
Combine all of the rub ingredients in a small bowl, whisk well to combine, and set aside.

Make the brine by combining all of the ingredients, except the ice and cider in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved, then add the ice and cider.

Remove any silver skin and excess fat from each tenderloin. Put them in a large baking dish or zip-top bag and cover completely with the brine. Refrigerate for at least two, but no more than four hours.

Combine all of the compote ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Blend the compote lightly with an immersion blender. You want to leave some small chunks. Cover and set aside.

About 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, remove the tenderloins from the brine and pat them dry with paper towels. Put them in a baking dish or on a platter and coat all sides with a medium coating of the rub then set aside.

Prepare your grill for two-zone cooking (direct and indirect) at medium-high heat (about 400º).

While you're waiting for the grill, make the corn cake batter by wisking all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

Cook the tenderloins indirect until they reach an internal temperature 140º, about 15 minutes, flipping once.

While the tenderloins are cooking, make the corn cakes.

Heat a griddle or cast iron skillet to medium-high, and your oven to warm (about 175º).

Make the cakes by pouring the batter in about 5" rounds on the griddle or in the skillet. Cook them until all of the large bubbles pop, then flip them over and cook about 90 seconds longer. Keep the cakes warm in the oven.

When the tenderloins have reached an internal temperature of about 140º move them to the direct portion of the grill and sear them for about two minutes per side. You're looking for a final temperature of 155º.

Remove the tenderloins to a platter, tent loosely with foil and let them rest for five minutes.

Cut the tenderloin across the grain into 1/4" medallions, plate on two corn cakes, and top with a good helping of the compote.

Serve and enjoy!

Review: Big Ranch, Big City Cookbook

2012-01-11T22:13:00.049-07:00

I love cookbooks, but I don't love them for the obvious reason. For me cookbooks are all about knowledge and inspiration rather than the recipes they contain. For me the recipes are the dessert, while the expertise and insight of the author are the main course. I don't so much want to learn merely the how, but primarily the what and why of the dishes. I also want the back-story and I want to be pushed to explore new techniques and try new things.

That's a tall order, and this cookbook does all of the above.

Given my criteria for a great cookbook, there are relatively few that fit my niche. When you add the fact that I'm all about hearty, rustic, and unpretentious "real people" food, it's even harder for a cookbook to fall into my sweet spot.

Let me just cut right to the bottom line and say that the Big Ranch, Big City Cookbook is simply outstanding. The range of dishes, stories and incredible photography are a serious treasure for cooks that appreciate authentic heart-felt food from an inspiring chef.

Lou Lambert comes from the stock of seven generations of West Texas cattle ranchers, and he is also a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He earned his chops working in restaurants in New York and San Francisco, including Wolfgang Puck's Postrio. He then parlayed his unique culinary approach into the development of his popular Texas restaurants Lambert's Downtown Barbecue, Lambert's Steaks, Seafood, and Whiskey; Jo's, and Dutch's Burgers and Beer.

As I said earlier, the recipes in this book are impressive, and that the photography is outstanding. Well, take a look at a small sample.

Slow-Smoked Pork Butt with Vinegar Barbecue Sauce

Mexican Ceviche Cocktail

Wood-Roasted Chicken with Mexican Chocolate Chile Rub

Beef Chiles Rellenos in Spicy Tomato Broth

Salt and Pepper-Crusted Prime Rib of Beef

Brunch Buttermilk Biscuits

West Texas Venison Chili

In addition to the authentic and inspiring recipes, the book includes a bunch of great stories from Chef Lou. They aren't just filler, but, rather, they give you a glimpse into the heart that goes into the food.

If you appreciate great authentic down-home unpretentious-yet-classy food made from the heart, go get a copy of the Big Ranch, Big City Cookbook!

Disclaimer: A review copy of the book was provided to me free of charge, but the thoughts expressed are my own, and I stand by them.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

2012-01-01T21:22:00.030-07:00

Who doesn't like onion rings? Well, I'm sure that there are plenty of folks that don't, but I'd of course be suspicious of them. These monsters are coated in an amber ale batter that provides a thick but nicely crisp exterior. In fact, they would probably be more aptly named "crunchy onion doughnuts".

Sure, making onion rings at home is a bit messy and sort of a pain. I'll admit that these were born of necessity. Yesterday I was grumbling under my breath as I scoured the freezer section of the grocery store. I typically opt for the easy way out in the form of Ore-Ida® Gourmet Onion Rings, but they had none. I decided to look at the silver lining. I'd get to do a little recipe development and I'd get a blog post out of the deal.

Here's what I came up with.

Ingredients
2 Large sweet onions, sliced into 3/4" rings
8 cups Buttermilk
1/3 cup Hot sauce (I used Louisiana brand)
2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
1 tsp Baking powder
2 cups Amber ale (I used Alaskan Amber)
2 Eggs
2 tsp Seasoned salt
2 quarts Canola or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Salt and pepper

Method
Add the buttermilk and hot sauce in a large flat-bottom container, and whisk well to combine.

Add the onion rings to the buttermilk mixture, arranging them so that they are submerged. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours, or overnight.

About 45 minutes before your ready to serve, heat the oil in a deep-fryer or a large heavy pot to 365º. I used an enameled cast iron Dutch oven.

While the oil is heating, batter the onion rings. Add the flour to a large bowl. One at a time, remove each onion ring from the buttermilk mixture, put it in the flour and coat all sides, knocking the excess flour off on the side of the bowl. Set each ring on a large sheet of wax or parchment paper.

Add the baking powder, beer, eggs and seasoned salt to the flour and whisk well to combine into a smooth batter. You want a batter that's barely more loose (thinner) than pancake batter. Add more beer if it's too tight (thick).

Line a large lipped sheet pan with wax or parchment paper, and insert a wire rack. Line another lipped sheet pan with paper towels.

Preheat your oven to 250º and put the paper towel-lined pan on the center rack.

Dip each ring in the batter until it's completely covered. Set the rings on the wire rack to allow the excess batter to drain.

Working in batches, fry the rings until they are nicely golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcrowd the fryer/pot.

Tip: I like to use a bamboo skewer to handle the rings while frying. It makes maneuvering them very easy, the wood stays cool, and they're disposable.

Season the rings lightly with salt and pepper immediately after they come out of the oil. Set them in the paper towel-lined pan in the oven so that they stay hot.

Serve and enjoy!

(Makes about 8 servings)

The Funky Cristo

2011-12-27T13:39:00.028-07:00

I dreamed this sandwich up as a new and unique twist on a traditional Monte Cristo sandwich. Our middle daughter Shelby shot some video of me making the beta version. She enjoyed it, and it's been a long, long time since I've done a recipe video, so I thought we'd spend a little daddy-daughter time and remedy that situation.

There are several variations of the standard Monte Cristo. It can be as simple as a fried ham and cheese, but it typically also contains sliced turkey and is dusted with powdered sugar. Many are served with jam or jelly.

To funkify mine I use good crusty sour dough bread, pepper-jack instead of the usual Swiss or Gruyere, and good dose of nicely spicy jalapeno jelly. The combination really works well.

Let me show you how all of this comes together.

Ingredients
2 slices Sourdough bread
4 slices Pepper-jack cheese (or enough to cover the bread)
4 slices Ham, thin
4 slices Turkey, thin
2 Tbsp Jalapeno jelly, medium
2 Tbsp Milk
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted

Method
Heat the butter large saute pan over medium heat until the butter is melted and starting to foam.

Cover the inside of each bread slice with the cheese.

Lay the ham on top of the cheese on one piece of the bread, and the turkey on the other.

Spread the jelly over the ham, then gently fold the two halves of the sandwich together to assemble it.

Whisk the egg and milk well in a flat shallow pan large enough to allow the sandwich to lay flat. Put the sandwich in the egg mixture for about five seconds, pressing down gently. Turn the sandwich over and repeat on the other side.

When the butter is melted and foaming, lay the sandwich in the pan and let cook 2-3 minutes, or until it's a nice golden brown color that resembles French toast. Gently flip the sandwich over and continue cooking until the second side looks http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifthe same as the first.

Remove the sandwich from the pan, place it between two double layers of paper towel and gently press down on the top to remove any excess butter.

Slice the sandwich in half, serve and enjoy!

Note: I have other recipe videos here.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:20:00.001-07:00

I double dog dare you not to laugh.

On a very serious note, let us all remember the real reason for the celebration and praise of this Christmas season.

I wish you all a very merry and blessed Christmas.

Review: Kingsford® Competition vs Stubb's® Briquets

2011-12-20T16:47:00.077-07:00

All-natural charcoal briquets have become increasingly popular over the past few years. That's especially true in the world of competition barbecue. This style of briquet is popular because it's essentially lump charcoal in briquet form. You get the high heat of lump with the convenience, uniformity, and predictability of a briquet.

Both the Kingsford® Competition and Stubb's® Briquets have been on the market for nearly three years now, but the Stubb's® product is new to me. I've been seeing quite a bit of banter about it on the various barbecue forums that I frequent, so I thought that it's time that I put these products to a briq-to-briq showdown.

As in my previous side-by-side charcoal reviews (the others are linked at the end of this post) I wanted this comparison to be as fair and impartial as I could make it. I don't have a laboratory, but I am an engineer, so I did the best that I could in a home setting. I ran side-by-side tests of two brand new off-the-shelf bags of each product. As you will see, I've weighed and photographed each product so that you can see exactly what I saw.

Let's see how these products compare.

I first weighed various quantities of each product. This will help quantify the bang-for-the-bag of each. It will also let us see how much of the product is left as ash, as we'll see at the end.

1 Briquet: 5/8 oz

5 Briquets: 3 3/8 oz

10 Briquets: 6 3/4 oz

1 oz

5 oz

10 oz

For the burn test, I punched two aluminum pie pans with an identical pattern of holes. I wanted to use a method that would contain the ash for a final weight.

I then arranged each of the briquets in each pan as similarly as I could. I used 12 briquets in each, in layers of six, four, and two. I put a single Weber wax starter cube in each pile.

I lit each cube and took pictures at various intervals.

From here on the Kingsford® Competition briquets are pictured on the left, and the Stubb's® on the right.

Note: If you're interested, the temperature when I started the burn was 39º and the humidity was 84%.

Houston, we have ignition!

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

20 Minutes

30 Minutes: 633º

702º

At 30 minutes I started taking temperature measurements. I used a TW8060 two-channel thermocouple thermometer that was provided by the great folks at ThermoWorks for the purpose of this review.

This thermometer, like their incredible Thermapen™ is dead-accurate, and with a range of -328 to 2372°F it seriously blows the doors off of the infrared thermometer that I used in my previous reviews. The long industrial probes allowed me to measure the temperature just above the coals where your food sits.

I stopped taking pictures at 120 minutes, but I continued reading the temperatures out to 180 minutes.

35 Minutes: 478º

539º

60 Minutes: 466º

424º

90 Minutes: 520º

341º

120 Minutes: 232º

180 Minutes: 140º

205º

92º

Here's a chart that shows the temperature readings of each product over time. The horizontal axis is time and the vertical shows the temperatures.

What about ash? Well, the results were surprising. The Stubb's® briquets produced nearly 250% more ash by weight than the Kingsford® Competition briquets. I was also surprised at the density of the Stubb's® ash. As you can see in the picture below, it held its shape fairly well, as opposed to the Kingsford® ash which collapsed.

1 7/8 oz

4 5/8 oz

The bottom line is that, while the Stubb's® product starts stronger, it loses its firepower more quickly and produces far more ash than the Kingsford® Competition briquets. There's more product by weight in each bag of Stubb's, but there's also much more that goes to waste.

I hope that you've found this review to be informative and helpful.

Obligatory Disclaimer: This is not a paid endorsement. It simply reflects my honest findings and opinions.

You might also be interested in my previous charcoal reviews.

Original vs Competition Kingsford® Charcoal
Old vs New Kingsford® Charcoal

Steakhouse Philly

2011-12-14T00:48:00.030-07:00

I know that you might be thinking, "Another Philly cheese steak recipe? Really?!" Yeah, I'll admit that I initially thought the same thing as I was putting this recipe together. However, let me assure you that this is a cheese steak that packs a top-shelf punch.

There are relatively few times when I have a mess of steak leftover. In this case it was due to me finding an absolutely killer deal on some chuck eye steaks. I bought all they had and figured that I'd worry about what to do with them later.

Let me digress for just a moment. If you've never heard of or tried a chuck eye steak, do yourself a huge favor and remedy that situation. Frequent readers know that I've occasionally preached the virtues of the flat iron steak. Well, the chuck eye is another little-known bargain cut that eats like a steak of at least twice the price. Both come from the chuck primal and are simply outstanding on the grill.

Now back to the task at hand -- a cheese steak elevated. Since this steak is so good I wanted to come up with a recipe that would be something special. Give this a try and let me know if you agree.

Ingredients
4 Good hoagie rolls
12 slices Pepper jack cheese (enough to cover the inside of each roll)
8 oz Grilled steak, sliced to 1/8"
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 clove Garlic, crushed
4 Large Crimini (baby Portabella) mushrooms, sliced to 1/4" (about 2 cups)
1/2 Large yellow onion, sliced to 1/4" (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/8 cup Dry red wine
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh

Method
Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and starting to foam.

Add the garlic to the pan, reduce the heat to low and let cook about two minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the garlic.

Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the pepper, onions and mushrooms. Saute until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are tender (about 10 minutes), stirring or tossing frequently.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the wine and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and cook 5 minutes, stirring or tossing frequently.

Add the steak to the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook just long enough to heat the steak through, about 5 minutes.

Line each roll with enough sliced pepper jack to cover it. Fill each roll with an equal amount of the steak mixture.

Serve and enjoy!

Review: Splash-Proof Thermapen™

2011-12-05T21:27:00.039-07:00

Let's face it, we barbecue and grilling folk are all about the tools and gadgets. We'll try almost anything that we think will improve our results. Because many gadgets are disappointing we also tend to be a skeptical bunch. So, when you hear a consistent and nearly unanimous consensus about a given tool or gadget, it speaks volumes. The Thermapen from ThermoWorks clearly falls into that category.

I'll be honest and say that, although I've heard many of the cooks I respect preach the virtues of the Thermapen for years, I've only recently tried one because the great folks at ThermoWorks asked me to take it for a spin. Until now I've been content with spending $10 - $30 on all manner of thermometer, only to be disappointed and start over. Now I know what I've been missing.

I think that there are relatively few things that cooks look for in a good thermometer. We want accuracy, a quick read, ease-of-use, and dependability. When I pull out a thermometer I want to know that I'll get consistent accurate readings with no hassle. I don't want to wonder if the thing is lying to me. This is especially true in competition barbecue where you've got hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on the line with very little margin for error.

I've had my Thermapen for a few weeks and it is an absolute dream come true. The thing is dead-accurate and reads in three seconds with pinpoint precision, thanks to its narrow tapered probe. I did a side-by-side test with boiling water and ice water and I was simply amazed at how fast it reads. Gone are the days of standing with my hand over a hot fire waiting for El-cheapo thermometer to tell me if my food is done.

Check out the specs on this bad boy!

Range: -58.0 to 572.0ºF (-49.9 to 299.9ºC)
Accuracy: ±0.72ºF (±0.4ºC) from -58 to 392ºF (-49.9 to 199.9ºC), ±1.8ºF (±1.0ºC) from 392 to 572ºF (200 to 299.9ºC)
Resolution: 0.1ºF/ºC full range (user reconfigurable to 1.0ºF/ºC)
Response Time: From 75ºF to 32ºF: ≤ 3 seconds to within 1ºF
Probe: 4.5" length, High Performance Type K Thermocouple
Display: 0.55" (14mm) LCD
Auto Shutoff: 10 Minutes (user reconfigurable to disable auto-off)
Environmental Range: -4 to 122ºF (-20 to 50ºC)
Battery: CR2032 (3V) lithium coin cell x 2, 1500 hours
Dimensions: 6.1" x 1.85" x 0.75" (153 x 47 x 19 mm)
Weight: 0.25 lbs (97g)
NIST-Traceable calibration certificate

Pretty impressive, no?

If, like me, you're tired of being like a rat on a wheel dealing with cheap thermometers, do yourself a huge favor and spring for one of these. Yes, I know, they seem spendy on the surface, but I guarantee that you'll never regret the decision. It really is as good as you've probably heard.

Likewise, if you have a cook in your life and you want a great gift idea, look no further. You'll be a hero to them for a long time to come.

Disclaimer: ThermoWorks provided me the Thermapen™ free for the purpose of this review, but the thoughts expressed are my own, and I stand by them.

Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Onion-Bacon Marmalade

2011-11-25T12:46:00.032-07:00

Most of us have a short list of foods that we've not eaten since we were kids. These foods were so repugnant that our palettes were permanently scarred. Near the top of my short list are Brussels sprouts. So, this time out I thought I would tackle something that I've eaten exactly once before in my life. My kids have never had them, so it was also an opportunity to either add something to their short list, or to expand their culinary horizons.

Brussels sprouts are mini heads of cabbage. But the problem with sprouts for me is that they're mini heads of cabbage. They taste like you took an entire head of standard cabbage and concentrated the flavor into something as small as a Brussels sprout.

In my research for this adventure I discovered that roasting or grilling sprouts mellows that pungent flavor and brings out whatever modicum of sweetness they have. I've roasted broccoli and I can testify that it does make a huge difference. Given that broccoli is in the same botanical family I figured grilling would be a good approach.

Even grilled, I felt that taming these little cabbage grenades would require something more. I did some flavor research and found that onions and bacon would likely be a great combination. This lead me to develop the onion and bacon marmalade that I posted earlier. In addition to the onion and bacon it brings a very welcome sweetness.

How did it work out? Well, I'm happy that I gave the humble Brussels sprout a second chance. They were actually pretty good. The flavor was still strong, but not in the showstopper way that they were as a kid. Oh, and my wife and kids loved them.

If sprouts are on your list, give these a shot.

Note: The cooking method was inspired by Alton Brown's recipe.

Ingredients
1 lb Brussels sprouts (smaller and uniform in size)
3/4 cup Onion and bacon marmalade
2 Tbsp Canola oil
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper

Method
Start your grill and prepare for direct cooking over medium heat (350º).

Trim 1/8" from the stem end of each sprout, and remove any loose leaves.

Put the sprouts in a zip-top bag, seal the bag halfway, and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Mix the oil, salt and pepper with a fork in a small bowl, add the mixture to the bag and shake the bag gently to coat the sprouts.

Pour the sprouts onto a platter and allow to cool until you can handle them.

Skewer 4 or 5 sprouts through the stem end onto each metal skewer, leaving at least 1/2-inch in between each sprout.

Grill for two minutes, roll each skewer 1/4 turn and grill two minutes more. Repeat twice more to grill the entire circumference of the sprouts.

Microwave the marmalade for 1 minute at high to warm it.

Remove the sprouts to a cutting board and cut each in half vertically. Put the sprouts in bowl and toss gently with the warmed marmalade.

Serve and enjoy!

Onion & Bacon Marmalade

2011-11-20T17:34:00.018-07:00

I've made onion marmalade before, but I'm grilling brussel sprouts tonight and I wanted something special to dress them. The thought is that the sweetness of the onion and the richness of the bacon will help balance the pungency of the sprouts.

This marmalade is very versatile, and it's also just this side of addictive. It's amazing on a warm slice of baguette with some goat cheese, as you see pictured here, but with the addition of some thinly-sliced leftover steak. It's also wonderful tossed into roasted potatoes.

This takes a while to make, but your patience will be richly rewarded.

Ingredients
4 lbs Yellow onions, halved and sliced to 1/4"
4 slices Thick bacon
2 cups Apple cider
1/4 cup Sherry vinegar (white wine vinegar is fine)
1/4 cup Brown sugar
10 sprigs Thyme, stripped from the stem (about 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
2 tsp Black pepper

Method
Heat a Dutch oven or large heavy sauce pan over medium-high heat.

Cook the bacon until it's just crisp, then remove the slices and set aside, leaving all of the rendered fat in the pan.

Add the onions and salt to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the onions soften (about 15 minutes).

Chop the bacon fine and add it and the remaining ingredients to the pan. Cook uncovered until the liquid is reduced to almost nothing, stirring occasionally (about an hour).

Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the onions are a rich medium brown color, stirring frequently (about 10 minutes). If it starts looking too dry, add water 1/4 cup at a time.

Remove from the heat, set aside, and let cool.

(Makes about four cups)

Cranberry-Orange BBQ Sauce

2011-11-14T22:13:00.019-07:00

Turkey season is definitely upon us. I'm always amazed at how much interest there is online in finding new and better ways to prepare and serve a better bird at this time of year. Here's my contribution to this year's madness.

Whether you brine your Thanksgiving bird, barbecue it, or just roast it old-school, it can always use a little boost. Cranberry and orange are an obvious combination that really works well with turkey, and smoked turkey all but begs for a barbecue sauce all its own. This sauce is a brainstorm that I had while contemplating how I might kick my typical smoked bird up a notch using classic flavors that would complement my brine.

The sauce is sweet and tangy, with the subtle flavor of holiday spice and a slight lingering warm heat from the white pepper. Serve this alongside your bird and watch the reaction.

Ingredients
1 can (14 oz) Whole berry cranberry sauce (jellied is fine)
1/2 cup Orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup Brown sugar
1/8 cup Honey
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
2 Tbsp Sherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Ground white pepper
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice (or allspice/pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 tsp Ground ancho chile

Method
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sauce pan.

Bring to a slight boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for five minutes.

If you're using whole berry cranberry sauce, blend the sauce well with an immersion blender.

Remove from the heat, set aside, and let cool.

Serve the warm sauce drizzled on your sliced turkey, or serve it on the side.

You can refrigerate the remaining sauce for up to a week.

Ultimate Rib Glaze

2011-11-05T13:05:00.029-06:00

This glaze is outstanding for adding a sweet and glossy finish to your ribs. It's almost neutral in flavor so that it will nicely compliment the flavor and color of almost any rib rub.

Barbecued ribs are typically served one of two ways -- wet (sauced), or dry (rub only). I like mine either way, but I don't often serve mine dry. Last weekend the girlies wanted ribs, and I wanted to use up some of my leftover Memphis dry rub, so I used it on three slabs of St. Louis-style spare ribs. The rub was great, but I felt that the ribs looked dull and that they needed a bit of sweetness and tang to compliment the rub. I wanted to add something that would bridge the gap between wet and dry ribs, thus the genesis of this glaze.

This isn't just for ribs. It would work very well on almost any barbecued meat.

Caution: As with any finishing glaze, you need to add this during the last few minutes of cooking and watch it closely. You want it to barely caramelize and not burn.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups Demerara sugar, or any raw sugar
1 1/2 cups Water
1/2 cup Red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Sweet paprika
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
1/4 tsp Smoked paprika
1/4 tsp Ground cayenne
1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Method
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sauce pan.

Bring to a slight boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until all of the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat, set aside, and let cool.

Brush or drizzle on the ribs during the last few minutes of cooking.

Add additional coats as you like.

You can refrigerate the remaining glaze for up to two weeks.

Bush's Gameday Grub: Brats with Funky Chow Chow

2011-11-02T15:04:00.031-06:00

In addition to Memphis Dry-Rubbed Wings I served grilled brats with a funky chow chow at my driveway tailgate party. Brats are a definite tailgate classic, but this chow chow really makes them something special.

A chow chow is traditionally a relish that is, well, relished in the South. This version is decidedly different, with a base of sauerkraut and onion, the added tang of mustard and a slight spicy finish, which is perfect on brats. My inspiration was to combine many of the condiments that one might ordinarily put on a brat and add a few twists to make something unique. It worked well and my guests enjoyed it.

I paired the brats with Bush's Original Baked Beans. The tender sweet beans were a great compliment to the snap and tang of the brats.

Ingredients
18 Brats
18 Buns
1 batch Funky Chow Chow (recipe follows)
3 cans Bush's Original Baked Beans

Funky Chow Chow
3 cups Sauerkraut, undrained (not from a can, please)
2 cups Yellow onions, diced small
3/4 cup Sweet pickle relish
2 Tbs Yellow mustard
2 Tbs Sugar
2 tsp Granulated garlic (not garlic "powder")
1 tsp Celery salt
1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
1/8 tsp Ground cayenne (optional)

Method
Combine all of the chow chow ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, mix well, cover and refrigerate at least two hours, preferably overnight.

Start your grill and prepare for two-zone cooking (indirect and direct) at medium heat (350-375º).

Grill the brats direct until they're nicely browned.

Move the brats to the indirect side of the grill and continue cooking until they reach an internal temperature of 165º

While the sausages finish cooking, warm the buns and heat the beans.

Nestle a brat in a bun, load it up with chow chow, and dish up a mess of beans.

Dive in and enjoy!

Thanks!

I would like to thank Bush Brothers for sponsoring my gameday cookout. I've long been a huge fan of Bush's beans, and they have been nothing but a joy to work with.

Bush's Gameday Grub: Memphis Dry-Rubbed Wings

2011-10-26T18:15:00.006-06:00

Last weekend I hosted a driveway tailgate party for our church youth group and our pastors. The party was sponsored by Bush Brothers, and we had a wonderful time of fun, food, and fellowship while we cheered on our hometown Boise State Broncos.

The weather was absolutely perfect for our cookout. It was calm and sunny with temperatures in the high 60's. We live relatively close to the stadium and in the flight path to Mountain Home Air Force Base just down the freeway, so we were able to see the four Air Force F-15's fly over as they completed their pre-game fly-by. Being an Air Force vet, it always stirs me to hear that thundering sound of freedom overhead.

It was great to be outside on such a beautiful day cooking and enjoying time with dear friends. The kids were all over the place (naturally) playing, climbing our tree, and tossing the football in the street. Of course I was manning the smoker and grill.

Here I'll share the first of two recipes that I created for the event. These Memphis dry-rubbed wings are great alongside a heapin' helping of Bush's Country Style Baked Beans. The rub gives these wings a perfect balance of salt and sweet, with just a bit of spicy goodness that works very well with the brown sugar in the beans.

Ingredients
10 lbs Chicken wing sections, defrosted
1 3/4 cups Memphis dry rub (recipe follows)
3 cans Bush's Country Style Baked Beans
Canola oil spray

Memphis Dry Rub
1 cup Sea salt, medium fine (no table salt, please)
1/2 cup Unrefined evaporated cane sugar (no table sugar, please)
1/2 cup Brown sugar, golden/light
2 Tbs Sweet Hungarian paprika
2 Tbs Chili powder, medium heat
2 Tbs Granulated onion (not onion "powder")
2 Tbs Dry mustard
1 Tbs Granulated garlic (not garlic "powder")
2 tsp Dry thyme
2 tsp Dry oregano
2 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh
2 tsp Celery salt
2 tsp Ground ginger
1 tsp Ground coriander
1 tsp Ground cayenne (optional)

Method
Combine all of the rub ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well with a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Divide the wings into three equal batches in gallon zip-top bags. Add 1/3 cup of the rub to each bag, seal and shake to coat the wings evenly.

Refrigerate the bags of wings in a lipped sheet pan for at least two hours, or overnight.

Start your grill or smoker and prepare for indirect cooking at 250-275º.

Oil your cooking grates well with canola oil spray.

Add two small chunks of fruit wood (apple or cherry) to the fire about 10 minutes before you're ready to cook. Wood chips soaked for 30-60 minutes will work well, too. If you're using a gas grill, make a smoker pouch.

Drain the liquid from the bags of wings. Add two tablespoons of rub to each bag, seal and shake to coat the wings evenly.

Cook the wings indirect one hour (I used my Ugly Drum Smoker).

Flip the wings over, spray them with a light coat of canola oil, dust them very lightly with rub, and cook indirect one hour more.

Just before the wings are ready, heat the beans in an large pot.

Serve and enjoy!

Check back later this week for my second gameday recipe. It'll take grilled brats to a whole new level.

Disclaimer: This cookout is in partnership with, and sponsored by, Bush Brothers & Company.

Gameday Grub With Bush's Beans

2011-10-18T22:58:00.035-06:00

Fall is upon us, and it's my favorite season. Of course fall means football, and I'm very pleased to be teaming up with the great folks at Bush Brothers to spread some gameday love and grilling ideas.

This weekend I'll be hosting a driveway tailgate party for our church youth group where I'll feature a couple of great grilling recipes that are tailor-made to accompany Bush's Beans. Bush's are my go-to beans, and I'm looking forward to bringing you what I hope are some inspirational recipes.

This Saturday the Falcons of the Air Force Academy roll into Boise to try to drop some bombs on our hometown (and #5 ranked) Boise State Broncos. It's homecoming for the Broncos, and it's also the first time that the two teams have met on the field. It's going to be an interesting game for me, given that I'm an Air Force veteran. I honestly can't pick a team to root for, so I'll weasel out and pull for both teams.

Stay tuned for the featured recipes. In the mean time, here are some tailgating and cookout tips that I hope will lend to the success of your next event.

Pre-prep(aration) is the key to stress-free success! Simply put, do as much as you can as far in advance as possible. Many dishes, like beans, composed salads (such as macaroni or potato), sauces, dressings, etc. can be made not just the day before, but a few days in advance. Of course, you should always follow good food safety and storage practices.
Disposable is your friend. I highly recommend the use of disposable containers when preparing your gameday grub -- especially if you're going on the road. Foil pans and zip-top bags will save you a ton of hassle and clean-up.
Have a plan and follow it. Run through the event and cooking schedule in your head and put a plan to paper. You have to know how you're going to manage your cooking space and the various cooking, holding, and serving times. You don't want to be figuring all of that out on-the-fly as you go.

Disclaimer: This cookout is in partnership with, and sponsored by, Bush Brothers & Company.

Pear & Fontina Galette

2011-10-08T17:12:00.020-06:00

Fall is my favorite season. I love the cooler temperatures, the burst of new color, and most of all, rustic and hearty fall meals. Pears are a plentiful this time of year, and this is a great light dessert that is just as at home on the grill as it is the oven.

This recipe is one of those that makes it look like you spent a ton of time, yet it's pretty much brain-dead easy. I tried the recipe both on the grill and baked. While the grilled version has a more outdoorsy flavor (of course), the oven version was just as good. After all, indirect grilling is basically baking over coals outdoors.

I used frozen pie crust to make the preparation simple with very little clean-up. You can certainly use homemade dough, but it's really overkill for this recipe.

Ingredients
2 Bosc or Bartlett pears, ripe (I used Bosc)
1 Frozen deep dish pie crust, thawed
3 oz Fontina cheese, sliced to about 1/4"
2 Tbsp Brown sugar
1 Tbsp All-purpose flour (you could use whole wheat)
1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup Apricot preserves
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp Water, divided
1 Egg
1 tsp Sugar

Method
Start your grill and prepare for indirect cooking at 375º, or preheat your oven to 375º.

Combine the brown sugar, flour and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl and mix well with a fork.

Peel the pears (optional, but I did) and cut them lengthwise into quarters. Remove the core from each quarter and slice them to about 1/4" into a medium mixing bowl.

Add the sugar, flour, and spice mixture to the pears, fold gently to coat the pears evenly, and set aside.

Arrange the cheese slices evenly in the flat bottom of the pie crust.

Pour the pear mixture into a pile in the flat bottom of the crust. You want to leave the sides uncovered.

Fold the very top edge of the crust up and flatten it to a consistent thickness. You want to create smooth sides.

Gently fold the sides over in sixths and pinch the extra dough together to form an appealing edge.

Whisk the egg and one teaspoon of water well in a small mixing bowl. Brush the edges with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar.

Cook indirect (or bake on the center rack) for 40 minutes, or until the crust is just golden brown.

While the galette is cooking, whisk the apricot preserves and 2 tablespoons of water in a small mixing bowl until smooth.

Drizzle the exposed pears with about three tablespoons of the thinned preserves and cook another 10 minutes.

Remove from the grill/oven and let cool 20-30 minutes.

Slice and serve with a drizzle of the remaining preserve mixture.

Enjoy!

(Makes 6 servings)

Note: This pairs (no pun intended) very well with a nice dessert wine. Or, skip the wine and serve it warm with some vanilla bean ice cream.

Homemade Habanero Kielbasa

2011-10-02T15:21:00.018-06:00

A few months ago I reviewed Oakridge BBQ rubs, and I loved them. So, when I saw that they were offering a one-time-only limited edition Habanero Death Dust rub I was all over it.

When I received the rub last week I immediately tasted it. Wow! This stuff packs some serious heat, but it's balanced with great flavor.

Here's how it's described on their site:

Oakridge BBQ's new Limited Edition Habanero Death Dust® features ultra-high quality ground 350,000 Scoville-rated Habanero chilies, smokey-hot Chipotle chilies, and 11 other herbs and spices. The aroma is earthy and spicy, with the fragrance of habanero chiles immediately present. The flavor profile starts sweet and savory with hints of raw cane sugar, molasses, and garlic then in about 3 seconds slams into high gear with the flavor and heat of habanero chiles.

I love good sausage, and I thought that this rub would be perfect for some uber-spicy homemade kielbasa, and I was right. Here's what I came up with.

Ingredients
2 lb Pork rib trimmings, or pork shoulder, cut to roughly 1" pieces/cubes
2 lb Pork sirloin, cut to roughly 1" cubes
12 oz Uncured bacon (I used Hempler's), chopped to 1"
1 cup Ice water
3 Tbsp Kosher salt
2 Tbsp Oakridge BBQ Habanero Death Dust
2 Tbsp Dry marjoram
1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
2 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh
1 1/2 tsp Granulated garlic

Method
Combine all of the ingredients in a very large mixing bowl and stir well to combine.

Split the meat mixture into three equal portions, put each portion into a gallon zip-top bag and refrigerate overnight.

About 90 minutes before you're ready to grind and stuff the sausage, move the bags of meat to the freezer, along with your meat grinder parts (I use grinder and stuffer attachments for my KitchenAid mixer).

Assemble your grinder for a small grind and set a large mixing bowl in an ice bath to catch the ground meat.

Working as quickly as you can, grind the meat into the bowl in the ice bath.

Cover the ground meat and refrigerate immediately.

Prepare your stuffer with your casing of choice. I used 33mm prepared collagen casings from Cabela's.

Working in batches, stuff the sausage into approximately four 18-inch portions, per your machine's instructions.

Refrigerate the stuffed sausage at least two hours before smoking.

Start your smoker and prepare for smoking at 275* with the smoke wood of your choice. I used cherry.

Smoke the sausage indirect until it reaches an internal temperature of 165* (about two hours).

Remove the sausage from the cooker and serve.

I served mine on a toasted roll with melted baby Swiss cheese, and I topped them with caramelized red onions and plain yellow mustard.

Enjoy!

Note: If you plan to serve the sausage the day after cooking it, simple let it cool at room temperature for an hour then refrigerate it in gallon zip-top bags.

Pork Carnitas

2011-09-21T22:57:00.022-06:00

Pork carnitas have long been on my "gotta blog" list and this past weekend I was given the perfect excuse to finally do it. Our church welcomed our new senior pastor and his lovely family to town and I had the privilege of serving them a meal as they started to move in.

Now, before I get some reasonably predictable replies, I know that these aren't authentic carnitas, which are typically braised in boiling fat or lard. These are indeed braised long and slow, but in a rich liquid of chicken stock and enchilada sauce. I wanted to skirt the line between ease of preparation and authenticity. I was very happy with the results.

Ingredients
5 lbs Boneless pork shoulder (or country-style ribs)
32 oz Chicken stock (I used boxed from Costco)
2 cans (15 oz) Mild enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas)
2 large Yellow sweet onions, peeled and quartered
6 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped rough
1 packet McCormick Grill Mates Mexican Fiesta marinade mix
1 packet McCormick Grill Mates Baja Citrus marinade mix
1 packet McCormick Grill Mates Backyard Brew marinade mix
1 cup Cilantro, chopped rough (optional)
3/4 cup Canola oil
1/3 cup Apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Smoked paprika

Method
Cut the pork into 2-inch cubes, removing any heavy fat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the marinade mixes, oil, vinegar, and paprika, and whisk to combine. Add the pork, toss to coat well, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a large heavy pot (preferably an enameled cast iron dutch oven), combine the chicken stock, one can of the enchilada sauce, onion, garlic, and cilantro if you want it (I left it out because we're cilantro-senstive). Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Gently add the pork and the marinade to the simmering liquid, cover, and bring back to a light simmer.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until the pork is fork-tender, about three hours.

Heat your oven to broil.

Using a Chinese wire strainer or slotted spoon, remove the pork and onions to a large roasting pan. Spread the meat evenly throughout the pan, breaking the pieces of meat in half into smaller one-inch chunks.

Drizzle the pork with the second can of enchilada sauce, and put it in your oven so that the the pork is about six inches from the broiler.

Note: I used a disposable foil pan so for ease of clean-up for the family I was serving.

Paying close attention, cook the pork under the broiler until the outside just starts to brown and crisp, about five minutes.

Serve with warm corn tortillas, fresh pico de gallo, and your favorite refried beans. I served my Funky Refried Beans.

Enjoy!

(Makes about 10 servings)

Dormet: Spicy Chicken Noodles

2011-09-16T14:00:00.006-06:00

I'm starting a new class of "dormet" (dorm gourmet) recipes that cater to college kids and military dorm rats (of which I was one for several years). These recipes will use common simple ingredients, brain-dead easy preparation, and microwave cooking. The goal is to produce near-restaurant-quality dishes with minimal expense and effort. It may be shocking, but dorm rats are generally poor and lazy.

I can't believe that it has taken me this long to start posting recipes like this. When I lived in the Air Force barracks I used to recreate all kinds of home-style dishes in a microwave. I even had a microwave pressure cooker that was invaluable. People thought I was nuts, but the results spoke for themselves. Hey guys, it's also a great way to impress the ladies *wink*. I'll have to scour the house to see if I can find some of those old-school recipes.

Enough yakking, let's get dormet with these crazy simple spicy chicken noodles.

Ingredients
1 package (12 oz) Chicken ramen noodles (chuck the seasoning packet)
1 Deli rotisserie chicken thigh
1 1/4 cup Chicken stock (low-sodium boxed)
1/3 cup Frozen pepper and onion blend
2 Tbsp Sweet chili sauce (or sweet & sour sauce)
1 packet (about 1 Tbsp) Soy sauce (from a previous take-out)
1 packet Red pepper flakes (from a previous pizza delivery)

Method
Break the brick of noodles into four pieces and put them in a medium bowl.

Add the stock, soy sauce and red pepper to the bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and poke a small hole in the center. Microwave for three minutes.

Remove the skin from the chicken, pull the meat from the bone and cut into small pieces using a spoon. Discard the skin and bone.

Uncover the bowl, stir the noodles to help break them up, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Microwave, uncovered, for two minutes.

Stir well and let stand five minutes.

Dive in and enjoy!

Tips:

Save all leftover condiment packets. They are a great source of free ingredients. For example, two of those little plastic tubs of fast food sweet & sour sauce will suffice for this recipe.
The chili sauce is dirt cheap (about $4.50 for 24 ounces), tastes much better than fast food sweet & sour sauce, and keeps almost forever in the fridge.
You can make a shrimp variation of this recipe by substituting bay shrimp for the chicken.
No red pepper? Use a few dashes of hot sauce.