Big T's Big Green Egg Recipe Blog

Apple Tarte Tatin on Puff Pastry

2012-01-16T07:58:00.003-06:00

This updated version of our Tatin uses Puff Pastry and Gala Apples, it is tarter than the version using Delicious and Pie Crust.

Tarte Tatin should be made with firm dessert apples: many cooking apples will cook down into a purée. This recipe calls for apples known to be excellent baking apples like Gala Apples Acceptable substitutes include Fuji, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious which are not typically used for apple pies.

Ingredients

6 Tbls (half a stick) of unsalted butter

1 Cup Casper sugar

8-9 Gala Apples, peeled into sixes)

1 sheet frozen Puff Pastry (thawed)

Preparation and baking

1. Preheat Big Green Egg with Grid in place. When up to temperature place tatin pan on grid and dump in the Casper sugar; create a Carmel and remove from heat.

2. Remove Grid and replace with Plate Setter and Pizza Stone and close lid, stabilize temperature to 350 degrees. Place apples (fit tightly) and add butter.

3. Roll out pastry and tuck into edges of pan, place on pizza stone and close lid. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let set for 10 minutes.

4. Invert onto the companion serving plate by grasping the pan handles with hot pads, and turn them over together.

5. Gently lift the pan from the plate as the apples drop down over the puffed pastry. Serve warm; maybe with ice cream.

Roasted Chicken (Beer Butt with no Beer)

2012-01-15T08:30:00.002-06:00

The Emile Henry Roaster essentially works like a common beer butt roaster with a couple of very important exceptions. First it requires no beer to retain the moisture and second the design essentially allows the bird to cook from within as well as the exterior so you get a very evenly cooked bird. You still cook to temperature but the results are amazing and the clean up on this stuff is crazy easy.

Grilled (roasted actually) a 4.5 Lb. Free Range Chicken tonight, our maiden cook with the new Emile Henry Flame Roaster. FLAME® is Emile Henry's newest innovation in ceramic technology. Designed to work on the barbeque, (gas, charcoal, natural wood or electric cooking), in the oven, and under the broiler at temperatures up to 750° F (400 C). The Emile Henry Chicken Roaster is designed to hold up to an 8lb chicken with room to put potatoes and vegetables around the chicken at the base to soak up the delicious juices. What makes this cooking vessel so special?

· Juicy Chicken = reduced fat

· Retains heat, cooks from inside out

· Pouring spout

· Basin collects juice or offers room for roasting vegetables

Made of ceramic, the chicken roaster will cook your chicken more efficiently as the ceramic will maintain heat and cook from the inside as well.

Directions

This is the simplest it can possibly get…Rinse chicken, coat with unsalted butter and your favorite rub, we used Paul Prudhomme’s Poultry Magic tonight. Set your Big Green Egg up for Indirect (plate setter legs up) and stabilize the temperature just short of 400 degrees. Close lid and cook to internal temperature of 180 at the breast. Time varies by size of bird. Remove and let rest for 15 minutes, slice and serve.

Cherry Blueberry Pie

2012-01-13T16:58:00.001-06:00

We don’t do a lot of pie around our house but with the addition of our new Emile Henry Pie Dish, I just had to try it out. Now, this dish is designed to be used in the Oven or Microwave, however for this bake it was used in our Big Green Egg on a indirect set up. The results were an amazing pie with a few pictures here for your enjoyment. This pie has a LOT of filling; kind of a Hungry Man style I guess. The edges got just a little dark on this first pass and the bottom crust was perfect and the pie was AMAZING…By the way Good Housekeeping Magazine recommends the Emile Henry pie dish as one of their top pie making tools!

Ingredients

1 Pkg. Refrigerated Pie Crusts

½ Cup Sugar

2 Tbls. Cornstarch

¼ Tsp. Ground Cinnamon

2 Cans (21 Oz.) Tart Cherry Pie Filling

1 ½ Cups Fresh Organic Blueberries

1 Egg White

1 Tsp. Water

1 Tsp. Sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the BGE to 425 degrees; with plate setter legs up (indirect).

2. Press one pie crust into your Emile Henry Pie Plate.

3. In a large bowl mix your sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon.

4. Stir in the cherry pie filling and blueberries then spoon into the crust.

5. Cover the pie with the second crust and flute the edges. Cut a hole in the center and decorate as you deem appropriate

6. Place in Egg (I recommend using a cover for the edges to reduce burning, especially for beginning pie bakers like myself) and bake for 35 minutes (lid down) and check. Depending on your temperature control on the BGE it will be finished in 40-45 minutes on the outside. If it runs a little hot e.g. 450 just check earlier.

7. Note to beginners not used to baking pies on the grill: If you can use ceramic feet under your pie pan or go legs down on the plate setter if you find the crust gets dark on the bottom.

Awesome Pie Recipe on the Egg using a Emile Henry award winning Pie Dish!

We're moving....so hang in there!

2012-01-04T19:54:00.002-06:00

I'll be posting a few favorites as the egg is being packed up for moving! Hang in there, the blog will be going strong again soon!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T16:07:00.002-06:00

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Secret Santa stocked my Big Green Egg spice closet!

2011-12-24T10:28:00.001-06:00

If you're a newbie or a well seasoned Big Green Egghead there is a high probability that you follow one or more forums about grilling or about BGE grilling specifically. One such forum "Greeneggers" has an annual g(optional) gift exchange. They use "Elfster" as the conduit for this great project. This year my secret santa went WELL OVER the $25 Limit and sent me this set of spices and rubs they use and recommend. There was so much in the box that when I was dumping out the packing to put in the trash I found yet ANOTHER bottle of rub that I had missed. All in all, it is so much fun to participate in this exchange annually. If you going Greeneggers you too can get in on the action next year. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to ALL from our family to yours!

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

2011-12-23T14:01:00.001-06:00

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This is essentially a VERY rich Potato Soup with Chicken. My original attempt at this was inspired by Chris at ‘nibblemethis.com’ that apparently got his inspiration from Copykat.com's clone of Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi soup. I added a cup of pre-cooked chicken to this recipe and substituted a AnehimeC Pepper complete my variation. The results are amazing...

Ingredients

€ 5 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter

€ 1 Cup, Sweet Onion, diced

€ ½ Cup Celery, finely diced

€ 3 Garlic Cloves, minced

€ 5 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour

€ 2 Cups Half and Half

€ 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

€ 1 Cup Whole Milk (or whatever you usually have in the fridge)

€ 3/4 cup carrots, shredded and then chopped

€ 2 Cups, Beef Stock

€ 2 Cups, Fresh Spinach, rinsed, stemmed and chopped

€ 1 Large roasted Poblano Chile; seeded and chopped (roast in the microwave after chopping)

€ 1 Lb. Potato Gnocchi

€ 1 Tsp. ground Thyme

€ ¾ Tsp. Black Pepper

€ 1 Tsp. Sea Salt

€ Strong ¼ Cup Corn Starch

€ 14 oz. Can, Pre-Cooked White Meat Chicken

€ Garnish: Homemade croutons (sweet wheat buns, cut into cubes and toasted lightly)

Preparation

1. In a large stew pot melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and sauté the onions, garlic and celery until the onions start turning translucent

2. Sprinkle in the flour while stirring and cook for a few minutes to make into a light roux[1].

3. Remove from heat and stir in the half & half, heavy cream and milk.

4. Return to heat and simmer until thickened and starting to reduce (about 15-20 minutes); Note: From this point on in the preparation the heat should be at simmer.

5. Add the carrots, stock, spinach, poblano, and seasonings the simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently until liquid have reduced.

6. While reducing these ingredients, boil water and cook the gnocchi until it floats to the top of the water; drain and set aside.

7. Remove 1-2 cups of the mixture and liquefy in a food processor.

8. Whisk in the starch and return mixture to the pot.

9. Add the cooked gnocchi, cooked chicken. Stir and let warm through.

10. Serve topped with homemade wheat croutons

[1] Roux (pronounced /ˈruː/) is a cooked mixture of wheat flour and fat, traditionally clarified butter. It is the thickening agent of three of the mother sauces of classical French cooking: sauce béchamel, sauce velouté and sauce espagnole. Butter, vegetable oils, or lard are commonly used fats. It is used as a thickener for gravy, other sauces, soups and stews. It is typically made from equal parts of flour and fat by weight.^[1] When used in Italian food, roux is traditionally equal parts of butter and flour.

Happy Holidays to all Big Green Eggheads!

2011-12-21T16:11:00.001-06:00

Tri-Tip on the Big Green Egg

2011-12-18T16:09:00.001-06:00

Going to spend most of the winter working out the kinks in my original recipe posts before going to publication...tonight we revisited Tri-tip Santa Maria Style...NOT CHANGES required! Wonderful results again!

Pork Pilaf

2011-12-11T07:57:00.000-06:00

Still focusing most of my energy on completing my Keep On Eggin' Grilling (cookbook) so I'm in a round of repeating recipes for improvements, new pictures, et al. Tonight we'll be enjoying this Pilaf made with Bulgur and Lentals with Pulled Pork. VERY tasty the first time around; still facinated by the performance of this Emile Henry Flamware...unbelievable cook and clean up.

Add a Red Bell Pepper and step it up a notch for presentation. This was more amazing the second day...

Chili Chowder

2011-12-08T19:53:00.001-06:00

KC Strips with Mac and Cheese

2011-12-04T19:46:00.000-06:00

Prep Time about 20 minutes, Cook Time: 40-50 minutes; recipe serves 6-8. The leftovers should make for some mean fried Mac and Cheese cakes! Tpnight we left out the Ham since we were having KC Strips (free range) from Missouri Legacy Beef with our Jailbreak Rub (recipe here on the blog).

INGREDIENTS

1 Lb. Elbow Macaroni

6 Tbsp. Salted Butter

5 Tbsp. Enriched Flour

1 Tbsp. Corn Starch

1 ½ Tbsp. powdered Mustard

¼+ Tsp. Cayenne

4 Cups 2% Organic Milk

1-12 Oz. Can Evaporated Milk

2 Cups Monterey Jack, shredded

1 ½ Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

½ Cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded fine

½ + Cup Sweet Onion, finely diced

½ + Tsp. Paprika

1 ½ Tsp. Kosher Salt

12 – 16 oz. Baked ham, diced (not smoked)

Ham and/or Pea Variation – Add ½ cup frozen peas; substitute deli sliced ham or eliminate the ham altogether.

TOPPING:

1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

¼ of cheeses from recipe

DIRECTIONS

1. Fire up the BGE to full flame and grid on the fire ring then bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Add macaroni and cook to al dente.

3. While the Pasta is cooking melt 5 Tbsp. butter in separate pot on the grid.

4. Whisk in the flour, cayenne, paprika, salt, corn starch, paprika and powdered mustard, stir until slightly browned (keep it moving constantly); simmer for several minutes making sure it is free of lumps.

5. Stir in the milk, evaporated milk and onion. Simmer for ten minutes then stir in 3/4 of the cheese.

6. Fold the diced ham and macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole pan.

7. Top with remaining cheese and Panko bread crumbs.

8. Remove grid and place plate setter legs down (indirect set up). Adjust temperature to 350 degrees. Place a pizza stone on the plate setter and then place casserole pan on stone. Bake for 40 minutes then remove from BGE and rest for TEN (10) minutes before serving.

Christmas Candy Recipes circa 1900...

2011-12-04T10:57:00.001-06:00

Pictured here is my grandfather Lewis Hopping a.k.a. HOP to one and all circa about 1950 outside his restaurant in Yorktown, Indiana. He passed about 43 years ago at the age of 83. He had a colorful career during his lifetime, restauranter, bootlegger (hey, he had to make money during the depression!) and pre-depression he was a confectioner (candy-maker) in Muncie, Indiana.

Recently I came across three pages of onion skin paper typed recipe lists I thought you might enjoy. They aren't really Christmas candy and the quantities are HUGE as you might imagine for a candy store. Some of these ingredients I can't even identify today on Google. Happy Holidays to all as we remember those we love and maybe there is a recipe on this list you can break down for the holidays...

I'm thinking of adding ONE final section to my pending cookbook for family recipies and putting these in there just for giggles...Keep On Eggin'

Sliders and Bushe's Beans

2011-12-04T08:46:00.000-06:00

Keeping it simple lately, repeating old cooks and taking it easy on the photo's recipe developement and blogging time. This is NOT a White Castle knock off, it's just regular ol' Sliders, made with Free Range Beef from Missouri Legacy Beef with some Country Bob's and Bushe's Baked Beans, cooked in my Emile Henry Flame Pot and using that cute little burger rack.

Paella

2011-12-03T08:22:00.000-06:00

Paella recipe from my upcoming Recipe Book...a great one-dish meal! A scrumptious variation on a traditional Spanish dish utilizing Saffron Rice, Veggies, Chicken and Shrimp. This dish was prepared in a vintage Dansk Paella Pan.

Big Green Egg Cookbook ... Teaser #1

2011-11-30T18:36:00.000-06:00

I am currently putting the finishing touches on my 300+ page cookbook dedicated to grilling on the Big Green Egg. It is NOT your typical BBQ book however, as there are very few BBQ, Low and Slow type recipes. Instead it is a compliation of 3 years of dinners prepared on the Egg...LOTS of variety and lots of one dish meals. The plan is to raise enough sponsors this winter to publish in a eBook format for Amazon, et al this summer! Stay tuned as I drop a page or two of samples over the next few weeks while I work away at formatting, etc.

Thankgiving was for family and Giant Jenga this year...

2011-11-27T08:05:00.001-06:00

No time for eggin this holiday weekend, visiting family and a few rounds of Giant Jenga were in order. The Eggin' will return when we return, weather permitting! Cannot WAIT to be home too! Happy Holidays!

Turkey on the Big Green Egg

2011-11-23T17:29:00.010-06:00

DO NOT FRET !!!! This is NOT rocket science for any newbies looking to do their first bird?

Simple and easy, its all about temperature...BGE heated up to 350 degrees with platesetter legs UP and Pie Pan between the disposable drip pan and the platesetter (keeps from scorching the juice). Place turkey on a V-Rack.

I used 36 ounces of chicken broth an onion, celery and carrots (broth for basting). After one hour, baste often...when temp hits remove.

This was a 13.8 Lb. Bird and it took exactly 3 hours. Consult recipetips.com for great cooking charts.

Happy TurkeyDay!

Butterball's Top Ten Turkey Mistakes
Over the past 30 years, more than three million callers have hit up the Butterball team with questions ranging from the small (How many pounds of meat will feed ten people?) to the panicked (What should I do if my turkey is still frozen in the middle and my dinner is supposed to start in an hour?). For turkey tips from Butterball, visit butterball.com or call the 50 or so experts who man the annual Butterball Turkey Talk-Line (1-800-BUTTERBALL; 800-288-8372, open November 1 through December 29).

Avoid These Thanksgiving Mistakes
1. Buying the wrong-sized turkey. This rule is nice and simple: Allow 1 1/2 pounds per person, which will also give you plenty of meat for leftovers.
2. Skipping a meat thermometer. The turkey can look and smell great, but if the temperature hasn't reached 180 degrees Farenheit in the thigh, and 160 degrees in the stuffing, you're going to be in for a bloody mess (or give your guests foodborne illness). Those pop-up indicators are great, but a reliable thermometer should always be your backup.
3. Not refrigerating leftovers within two hours. Socializing around the table can make you forget the leftovers sitting on the countertop, and bacteria love room-temperature meat. Set a timer on the stove for 2 hours. To be able to get back to the guests quickly, have containers or zippered food-storage bags ready, and recruit a few helpers to get things portioned out.
4. Winging it. It might sound fussy, but having a to-do list will actually keep you sane. Start making your game plan several days before Turkey Day.
5. Not allowing enough time to thaw your bird. This mistake is pretty common, but it's just basic math: Allow 1 day for every 4 pounds of turkey. Just put your frozen turkey (still in its wrapper_ on a tray in the refrigerator, and wait. If the turkey still seems slightly frozen, you can still throw it in the oven, but it will take a little longer. Be sure to use a meat thermometer to test doneness.
6. Overcooking. The guidelines given on the package or insert folder are just that -- a guide to help you plan your day, not a definitive timeline for when the turkey will be done. There are plenty of variables (such as a partially frozen turkey) that can affect how long it takes to cook the meat. Again, here's where that meat thermometer comes in.
7. Being a turkey bore. The guests may be the same every year, but your turkey doesn't have to be. Don't be afraid to shake things up with a different cooking method. Try deep-frying or grilling, cooking in a convection oven or a microwave, using a shallow open pan or even an oven-cooking bag.
8. Doing all the cooking yourself. Too many Thanksgivings have been ruined by hosts becoming martyrs for their meals. When you're stressed, guests feel it. Ask your attendees to bring a dish to share -- it will be a more meaningful dinner (not to mention giving the host a break). Have each guest bring a recipe for the dish they bring, and have a recipe exchange.
9. Experimenting with that new cooking method or pan on Thanksgiving Day. Yes, trying new recipes is good. But when it comes to turkey, it's always a good idea to have a practice run before the holiday.
10. Being a slave to the baster. Everyone wants a juicy bird, but basting is like pouring water on a raincoat -- the juices simply run off the turkey skin into the pan. Just spray or lightly coat the skin with vegetable oil or butter before putting the turkey in the oven will give you a gorgeous golden color and seal in the turkey's natural juices.
Paraprased from Kitchen Daily November 25, 2010

The Winner of the Emile Henry Pizza Stone giveaway is....

2011-11-13T20:49:00.000-06:00

Result: 27

The number above is copied from the result window in the Random Number Generator website used to select the winner of our give away celebrating our 400,000th hit on our blogsite. The person with the number 27 associated with their name has won a Emile Henry Flametop Pizza Stone.

The stone is being provided by Emile Henry to help us support and celebrate our 400,000th hit on this Blog site. Drumroll please........................and the winner IS............Joe Sperski from Leechburg, Pennsylvania! Congratulations Joe you owned number 27 and 28 in the randomly assigned number pool from all entries.

Thank you to ALL whom have subscribed, linked, emailed, commented, liked my FB page, commented on EH's site, et al. We have a ton of entries and I truly appreciate the comments made and all of the excitement generated.

Next Up....publishing my 320 page Keep On Eggin' cookbook of Big Green Egg Recipes! Watch for it...

Class, please open your BGE Cookbooks to page 104...

2011-11-06T19:29:00.001-06:00

Tonight's lesson...Linguine with Grilled Chicken Breasts and Asparagus.

A SLIGHTLY modified the recipe by not precooking the linguine and by seasoning the chicken with PP's Poultry Magic. After that...it's pretty much the same.

Coat 3 large chicken breasts with Paul Prudhommes Poultry Magic and Grill.

Remove from Grill and keep warm in aluminum foil.

Using a 7 qt. Emile Henry Dutch Oven, drizzle EVOO and add 2 healthy Tbls. Minced Garlic and

16 Oz of quartered Artichoke Hearts (rinsed and drained). Brown then add 1 cup of White

cooking wine and bring to boil. Add 2 cups of Chicken Broth and cook until it reduces by half.

HOWEVER...BEFORE you start the dutch oven, coat a pound of fresh asparagus with EVOO and Himalayan Pink Salt and grill al dente. Remove and cut into 1/2 - 3/4 inch pieces and wrap in foil then set aside.

Add 1 Cup of heavy cream and bring all contents to boil, add the linguine and cook until tender. Add a couple of ounces of Sun Dried Tomatoes, a dollop of Lemon Juice, a 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil, a 1/2 Cup of finely grated Parmesan Cheese and 3 Tbls. Unsalted Butter. Simmer while continuously stirring.

Remove and serve with slices of chicken in large bowls. Makes 4 really nice sized servings!

Emile Henry Pizza Stone Giveaway!

2011-11-04T17:05:00.003-05:00

Enter my contest to win a Emile Henry Flame Ceramic Pizza Stone!

In celebration of our 400,000^th hit Emile Henry has donated a Pizza Stone as a prize. To win you must complete at least two of the following things. Of course, the more you do the more changes you have to win.

1. JOIN or Subscribe/Follow this blog = 1 entry (recommend JOIN because my RSS feed is broken currently)

2. Go to my Facebook page Keep On Eggin’ and ‘Like’ = 1 entry

3. Go to the Emile Henry Facebook page and ‘Like’ then comment in the post about this contest = 1 entry

4. Post a ‘LINK” on YOUR blog site back to THIS BLOG and send an email with the link = 1 entry

5. Bonus entries…email me the closest number of blog posts that contain a reference to Emile Henry = 5 entries

The Pizza Stone is made of all natural materials and is manufactured using Emile Henry's proprietary Flame® technology. The Pizza Stone can withstand high oven temperatures. The glaze is micro-crazed contributing to crispy well-baked crusts, just like a pizza oven. The Pizza Stone is not recommended for use on the stovetop. You can cut directly on the glazed pizza stone without damaging or scratching the surface. The Pizza Stone is easy to clean with soap and water and is dishwasher safe. Designed for use: In ovens - conventional and convection; and can also be used under the broiler.

The Pizza Stone can be used on grills also; gas, charcoal, lump and natural wood. The Pizza Stone turns a grill into an outdoor pizza oven. Read the raving review from Good Housekeeping on the pizza stone.