Beef Short Rib Tamales

I have always wanted to cook tamales and figured i'd give it a try.  There's kind of a lot that goes into it, but these turned out pretty well.  As with anything I cook, I like to do it well.  I did some research on the internet, and here's what I came up with:

Ingredients:

• Beef short ribs
• Corn husks
• MaSeCa Corn Masa
• Beef Stock
• Chicken Broth
• Lard
• Baking powder
• 2 cans chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
• 1 can rotel tomatoes
• thick cut bacon
• Olive oil
• Fresh cilatro
• 2 cloves garlic - crushed
• 1/2 onion sliced
• Dry seasoning: kosher salt, black pepper, cardamom, chipotle powder, brown sugar, 1 cincamon stick, paprika, cumin, 2 bay leaves,
• Sides: yellow rice and black beans

I actually cooked this in two parts - day one and day two. 

Day 1: Braise the short ribs, do not shred but store in refridgerator in some of the braising liquid.  I bought about 1.5 - 2 lbs of short ribs and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  Add olive oil to a hot cast iron skillet and quickly sear each side until they are golden brown all around.  While searing, add the following to a dutch oven or crock pot:

• Chopped onion and garlic
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 3 strips thick cut bacon cut into 3rds
• 1 can rotel
• 1/2 cup fresh cut cilatro - dice it up a bit
• 1 cinnamon stick & 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cardamom

Place the braised ribs on top of ingredients, fill the rest with enough beef stock to cover the ribs, cook on low heat for 8 hours.  Once the ribs are done and falling off the bone, turn off the cooker and let sit for an hour or so.  Scoop the ribs, some of the ingredients, and some broth into a container and store in the refridgerator until ready to make the tamales.  I slow cooked my meat from 10pm to 6am, shut it down, and stored in the fridge just before leaving for work.

Day 2: Soak the corn husks, prepare the Masa, make and steam the tamales.  Part of the reason I want to cook tamales is because I purchased a 16 qt stock pot & steamer last week for the chili cookoff.  In this pot I add the corn husks and cover with hot, but not boiling, water.  Weigh the husks down with something so they are totally submerged in the water.  Soak the husks for an hour, or until very soft. 

While the husks soak prepare the masa.  In a medium bowl combine 4 cups of masa with 2 1/2 cups of warm water.  Mix until the masa forms a shaggy, dry paste.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the salt, baking powder and lard.  Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Reduce the mixer to low speed and add the masa mixture in 4 additions, making sure that each addition is well mixed before adding the next.  Slowly add 1 cup of the broth to the mixture and once combined increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes.  Test the masa by scooping a small ball and dropping it into a cup of water.  If the masa floats you have mixed it enough.  Mine didn't float yet, so I added the remaining 1/2 cup of broth to further mix the dough.  It will be sticky.  Test the mixture again by scooping a small ball of masa into a cup of water.  Once it floats it is ready.

To assemble the tamales begin my laying out one corn hush with the tapered side facing you.  Spread about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of masa into the wide end forming a 4-inch square.  Place 1  to 2 tablespoons of the shredded short rib meat in the center of the masa along with chopped chipotle peppers.  My wife doesn't like them quite as spicy, so I made half with peppers and half without.  Fold the corn husk in half to enclose the meat, then roll the husk to seal the tamale.  Fold the tapered end of the corn husk up and place the tamale seam side down on your work surface.  Tie off both ends with some cooking twine or a piece of the corn husk.  Repeat until all the tamales are made.

Once all the tamales are rolled prepare the steamer.  Place the tamales into the steamer basket with the unfolded end end facing up.  Be sure not to pack the steamer.  The tamales need room to expand as they cook. 

Cook the tamales over boiling water for one hour or until the masa comes easily away from the corn husks.  If the steamer runs out of water refill with boiling water.  As my sides I cooked up some yellow rice and black beans.  Place the tamale on a plate covering with some hot sauce if desired next to your beans and rice.  Tamales can also be frozen and reheated for future consumption!  Nothing better than good leftovers to whip out for a quick weeknight meal!  Below is a picture of a finished tamale cut in half.

Weekend Chili Cookoff Results

Overall I would have to say that this past weekend was a lot of fun and pretty successful in my opinion.  I had the Norton boys, Sean and Troy helping me out on Saturday, and I couldn't have done it without them.  Tom's Backyard BBQ placed 3rd out of 17 in the Amatuer category.  Here's the story of the weekend:

I fired up the egg and poured a black and tan right after work on Friday.  The rub I used this time around was a mix of Dizzy Pig Red Eye Express and Bad Byrons Butt Rub.  The wood chips I used were cherry

Around 6:30pm I fired up the weber to start cooking dinner.  Don't let anyone ever tell you that you only need one grill - case in point, Friday night. 

After an eight hour smoke or maybe a little longer I pulled the briskets, wrapped them in foil, and let them rest in a cooler over night.  On Saturday morning the briskets were unwrapped, sliced, and cubed for the chili.  Below is the start of my chili which includes cubed brisket, browned sausage, beef broth, onions, and Sam Adams Oktoberfest.

Below is my full stock pot full of chili which was right around four gallons worth.  We ended up having maybe a gallon left after the competition, so I made just the right amount in my opinion.  Let me also say that this was my first batch ever in this quantity, and I don't think it tasted nearly as good as my dutch oven chili which produces about a gallon.  Regardless, it was good enough to take home 3rd place with help from the Norton boys to sell it at the competition.

Left to right: Sean Norton, Tom Douglas, Troy Norton - Tom's Backyard BBQ.  This being my first cookoff, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I had the basics - table, tent, propane stove, tools, but that is about all.  Sean being the marketing guy in the bunch quickly noticed that we were by far the most under promoted / decorated team at the competition.  We parked next to Pure Roswell's team and another tent full of ladies decked out in full witches costumes, and we kind of stuck out like a sore thumb.  In the end, the chili spoke for itself and it was fun sneaking beers into 8 oz styrofoam cups in between servings.  Thanks again to Troy and Sean for making this a fun day!

My sales team - Sean and Troy

My wife and son - Meredith and Thomas

After taking 3rd place in Amateur category.  The beauty of the sparce set up was easy take down in time to catch kickoff of the Georgia vs. Florida game.  Georgia winning only made my Saturday that much better!

We'll be back next year coming after 1st place!

Friday Night Briskets

Busy Weekend Ahead - Roswell Chili Cookoff

This is a weekend i'm particulary excited about, and there will be plenty of activity on Tom's Backyard BBQ!  Action will kickoff on Friday night when I smoke 3 briskets for Saturday's Roswell Chili Cookoff.  Check back often for pictures, updates, and results!  If you want to sample some chili, attached is a flyer for the event.  I'm entered under the name "Tom's Backyard BBQ" and will be in a blue tent with a red tablecloth.

Curry Chicken

This was a pretty simple weeknight meal that turned out pretty good.  It was faster to just do this on the stove this particular evening, but next time I plan on cooking it in a cast iron skillet on the grill.

Ingredients:

• Chicken - drums & thighs
• 1/2 onion
• Green bell pepper
• Curry powder
• Mango curry sauce
• Brown rice
• Olive oil
• Chicken broth

Step 1: season your chicken drums and thighs with curry powder.  Slice up your onion and bell pepper and season with curry powder.  Add to sautee pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Sautee over medium high heat until chicken turns golden brown.

 Step 2: Bring 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth to a boil.  Add 1 cup brown rice.  reduce to medium low heat, cover, and simmer.  Cook until rice is done.

Step 3: Once the chicken is golden brown add a cup of chicken broth and maybe a little water until chicken is almost covered.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and let simmer for 40 minutes.  Once the chicken is full cooked add some mango curry sauce to the mix and let simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Step 4: Plate the meal by adding a bed of rice pilaf to a plate, add chicken and peppers / onions on top, and cover with some of the sauce in the pan.  Enjoy!

Bacon Mushroom Swiss Burgers

There's nothing really fancy about this meal, but it sure is good. 

Ingredients:

• Ground venison, pattied
• baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• think sliced bacon
• buns
• swiss cheese
• okra
• chopped garlic
• olive oil
• montreal steak & worchestershire sauce



Step 1: Slice the tops off of your fresh okra, and slice your baby bellas.  Patty your burgers and season with montreal steak.

Step 2: Sautee your mushrooms in worchestershire sauce, garlic, olive oil, and some water.  Sautee your okra in olive oil and garlic.

Step 3: Grill your bacon and burgers.  This is why I bought thick sliced bacon!

Step 4: Add mushrooms and swiss cheese on top of the burgers when they are almost done and allow cheese to melt.  Top with bacon and plate.  I also toast my buns on the grill and add mayonnaise.  Enjoy!

Roswell Chili Cook Off

Tom's Backyard BBQ will be competing in this Saturday October 27th.  Come out and show your support, and enjoy my Brisket chili recipe!

Black and Tan

9.5% IPA and Guinness

Beer review

Tastes like chocolate milk

Friday Night Date Night & New York Stips

Friday nights are often the nights Meredith and I do date night and I cook a nice dinner.  Tonight i'm grilling steak and enjoying several other things to go with it.  My weekend meals are not just about what we're eating, but enjoying the process.  Tonight is no exception.

Today on my lunchbreak I made a trip to Harry's or Whole Foods in Roswell.  Here's what I came home with:

• Fresh okra
• Elephant Garlic (larger than your normal clove)
• Fresh rosemary
• Baby bella mushrooms
• Potatoes
• New York Strip Steak
• Garlic Bread
• Jalapeno & Red Pepper stuffed olives - fresh
• Wedge of Blue Cheese
• Truffle Butter

Tonight's Drinks will consist of Grey Goose dirty martinis and a bottle of nice red to go with the steak.  I bought the blue cheese and olives so that I could individually stuff them and enjoy three different kinds of olives with my martini.  Blue cheese and crackers is also a great appetizer to compliment dinner.

I season my Strips with one of my go to seasonings and some finely chopped rosemary.  My seasoning is simple and consists of one part of each of the following: granulated garlic powder, salt, pepper, sugar.

The potatoes will be twice baked and the okra will be sauteed in olive oil and fresh chopped garlic.  I also sautee my mushrooms in a little red wine, worcestershire sauce, and olive oil. 

Cooking the steaks:

• Preheat the egg to 700 degrees and set up for direct cooking
• Cook the steak on one side for 2 minutes at high heat, searing it
• Flip and repeat for another 2 minutes
• For the final two minues I will rotate the steak so you get the nice grill marks cooking it on the side you did first.  Close all vents on the egg while cooking the final two minutes
• First, burp the egg to prevent backdraft and loosing all your arm hair!  After about 6 minutes your steak should be a nice medium rare to medium.  Cook an additional two minutes on the other side if you like it cooked more medium well.
• Plate the steak with the nice grillmarks up.  Spread some truffle butter over the steak and allow it to melt in for additional flavor. 

Cooked steak looks like cooked steak, but i'll post pictures tonight if it turns out really well.  Enjoy!

Grilled Jerk Salmon and Veggies

This is a simple, quick, weeknight meal that I made last night. 

Ingredients:

• Salmon
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Mushrooms
• Olive oil spray
• Jerk seasoning & sauce
• Trader Joes everyday seasoning

Step 1: slice squash and zucchini and cut mushrooms into quarters.  Place in foil pouch, coat with olive oil, and season with everyday seasoning.  Place over direct heat on preheated grill.

Step 2: Season salmon with jerk seasoning and place over direct heat on the grill.  I prefer my salmon to be cooked more medium with a pink center (not cooked all the way through).  I will typically cook the veggies for about 5-10 minutes before placing the salmon on the grill. 

Step 3: Pull the food and plate.  You can lightly baste the salmon with the jerk sauce while it's on the grill or have some on the side for dipping.  Enjoy!

Crab Topped Tuna over Asparagus & Garlic Knots

This is a meal I picked up in college and cook on occasion for Meredith.  It looks kind of fancy but is relatively easy to make.  It can also be cooked indoors using the stove and oven or outdoors on the grill.  Just to simplify things, there are 4 parts: Tuna, Asparagus, Garlic Knots, and the sauce / topping.

Ingredients:

• Tuna - get some good steaks for searing
• Asparagus
• Mushrooms
• Imitation crab meat
• Shallots
• Garlic cloves
• White wine (get something good for cooking and drinking)
• Parmesan
• Tube of biscuits
• Italian Seasoning
• Salt, Pepper, Sugar, Garlic Powder

Step 1: Garlic Knots.  Crush a whole clove of garlic and finely chop it (you'll need it for a couple parts in this dish).  Open the tube of biscuits and roll out each individual biscuit until they are roughly 9-12 inches in length, proceed to tie each one in a knot and tuck the ends underneath.  Coat the bottom lightly with olive oil.  In a small side dish create a mixture of olive oil, chopped garlic, and italian seasoning.  I have cooked these on a pizza stone in the BGE or in the oven, but cook at 400 degrees.  When they are close to being done you will use a grill brush or spoon to coat the top of the knot with your mixture you made previously.  Continue to bake until they are finished and a golden brown color.  You can also coat with some parmesan if you'd like.

Step 2: Sauce. Finely chop your shallot and add to a sautee pan with some of the chopped garlic.  Simmer with olive oil and some white wine until the onions turn translucent.  Add mushrooms and crab meat along with a little more white wine.  Continue to simmer until you have a sauce like mixture.

Step 3 & 4: Tuna & Asparagus.  This part cooks fairly quickly.  Prep the tuna by seasoning with salt, pepper, sugar, and garlic powder (1 part of each).  Prep the asparagus by lightly coating with olive oil and some of the seasoning mentioned.  Cook the Tuna and Asparagus simultaneously on the grill until the tuna is seared on both sides but red in the center (medium rare to medium) and the asparagus is cooked but still crisp.  If cooking indoors I prefer a cast iron skillet for the tuna and a non-stick pan for the asparagus. 

Step 5: Plate and enjoy.  Lay the tuna over a bed of asparagus and top with your imitation crab meat sauce reduction.  Garnish with some parmesan cheese.  Serve with the rest of your white wine and garlic knots on the side.

Tom's Fish Tacos

This is one of my favorite recipes that I have shared over and over again with friends and family.  The inspiration came from Pure Taqueria's fish tacos in Alpharetta, GA.  There are differences though and the secret is in the sauce!

Ingredients:

·         Corn Tortilla Shells

·         Mahi Filets (pictured above); or you can substitute Tilapia, Shrimp, or Oysters

·         Fresh Jalapeno

·         Cilantro

·         Coleslaw

·         Mayonnaise

·         Sour Cream

·         Chili Powder

·         Garlic Clove (or minced garlic)

·         Fresh Lime (or Lime Juice)

·         Sweet Chili Sauce (key ingredient for the Sauce! Typically found with asian foods in any grocery store)

·         Blackening Seasoning

Chipotle Sauce:

·         1/3 cup sour cream

·         3 tablespoons mayonnaise

·         2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice

·         1 tablespoon diced jalapenos

·         1 tablespoon minced garlic

·         ½ teaspoon chili powder

·         1/3 cup sweet chili sauce

Directions: Combine all the chipotle sauce ingredients in a small food processor and process until smooth.  The sauce will thicken slightly as it stands and will keep for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.  Add or remove ingredients as necessary based on your taste preference (the chili sauce is a key ingredient).  Let stand at room temperature while preparing remaining ingredients.

Fish Tacos:

·         Prepare coleslaw – I buy the dry coleslaw at Publix.  Put 2-3 cups of dry coleslaw in a small mixing bowl and then add 1-1.5 tablespoons of mayo, sprinkle of vinegar, salt & pepper, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.  Mix it all together until it tastes how you like it.

·         Season & grill Mahi filets – two filets is enough to feed two people.  Blacken the Mahi and throw on the grill for 5-10 minutes.  You can substitute any other flakey fish based on preference, or use shrimp, fried oysters, etc.

·         Prepare toppings – dice the jalapenos if you haven’t already along with the cilantro while the fish is on the grill.

·         Steam tortilla shells – we put the corn tortilla shells in a steamer insert that goes with one of our pots.  You can also dampen then slightly and then put them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.  You want them warm and moist when you prepare the tacos, but make sure they are not too soft or they’ll fall apart when you’re trying to eat.

·        Prepare the tacos – once the Mahi is cooked pull it off the grill and chop it up into small pieces.  Lay the tortilla shells flat on a plate, add the coleslaw, then the fish, spoon the amount of sauce you want over top, and then garnish with diced jalapenos and cilantro.

Side Item Suggestions: refried beans topped w/ feta cheese or Mexican rice; also goes well w/ Corona!

Pizza Burgers

I often get bored of cooking the same old thing, even if it's cooked different ways.  This is something new that we tried, and it turned out pretty good.

Ingredients:

• Ground veal
• Italian Bread
• Mozzerella & Parmesan Cheese
• Pizza or Tomato sauce
• Olives
• Mushrooms (baby bella)
• Italian Seasoning
• 1 egg & Breadcrumbs
• Side: eggplant, tomato, fresh basil leaves, parm, balsamic vinegar

Step 1: prepare the BGE for direct cooking & burgers

Step 2: mix ground veal, sliced olives, italian seasoning, egg, and breadcrumbs together in a bowl until all ingredients are mixed together well.  The egg helps everything bind together.  Form into breadshaped patties.  Begin heating pizza or tomato sauce over low heat on the stove

Side prep: cut eggplant into half inch slices.  Cut fresh tomato into thin slices. Top with fresh basil leaves.  Coat with balsamic vinegar and a light coat of olive oil.

Step 3: Grill the veal patties & eggplant.  While grilling, I will sautee sliced mushrooms in some white wine or olive oil until they are somewhat soft.  I will also cut the loaf of italian bread into thick slices.  Coat the bread it some olive oil or butter and toast them directly on the grill when the burgers are nearing completion.  Top the eggplant with parmesan and melt.  Pull everything once it is cooked / toasted.

Step 4: At this point I will place the patties in the small pan that goes with my toaster over.  Place mushrooms on top of veal patties, cover with pizza sauce, and top with mozzerella.  Place the pan in the toaster oven until the cheese is melted.

Step 5: assemble your burgers, plate everything and enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

These things are good - plain and simple!

Ingredients:

• Fresh Jalapenos
• Bacon
• Chorizo Sausage
• Cheddar, Mexican, or Cream Cheese - your call

I make these using a Big Green Egg tool specifically designed for this (http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggcessories/tools-thermometers-and-cleaners/jalapeno-grill-rack/), but you don't have to.  The BGE thing comes with a jalapeno slicer and corer which is pretty cool just by itself (not pictured but check the link).

Step 1: Preheat your egg or grill to about 350-400 degrees.  Direct or indirect heat, doesn't matter much as long as the temp is controlled.

Step 2: Cut the tops off the jalapenos and core them removing all seeds (unless you like it extra hot).  Brown the chorizo and mix in a bowl with the cheese.  Stuff each jalapeno individually and wrap with bacon.  I stick toothpicks through each one to keep the bacon in place.  Add to the rack.

Step 3: Cook about 15-20 minutes until bacon is fully cooked and somewhat crisp.  Enjoy!

Maybe one day he'll see me on TV

Tom's Brunswick Stew

The temperature dropped quite a bit this weekend and it's starting to feel more like fall.  This recipe is one of my favorites during the fall or when hunting season is right around the corner.  Regardless of when, it's always good and is easy to make in bulk and store leftovers in the freezer. 

This is also one of my go to friday night meals during hunting season.  Throw a leftover frozen carton in a pot over the coleman stove while you set up camp and you've got yourself dinner by the campfire 30 minutes after arriving.

Ingredients:

• About 1 lb or so of pulled or shredded pork.  I always use my leftovers from a boston butt that I smoked the day before, but you can buy a boston butt and cook it in a crockpot just for this purpose.  I would recommend a smoked butt so you have the smoke flavor and bark on the pork.
• 1 12.5 oz can chunked chicken breast
• 1 15 oz can white shoepeg corn (drained)
• 1 15 oz can creamed corn
• 1-2 14.5 oz can(s) fire roasted diced tomatoes (amount depends on consistency / texture you prefer - thicker stew: 1 can, more soupy: 2 cans)
• 1 bottle of Honey BBQ Sauce
• 1 chopped up sweet onion

Mix all ingredients into crock pot, stir together, and cook on high 4-6 hours or low if cooking all day.

Friday night Braves Playoff and Pork Chops

Tonight I watched Chipper Jones play his last game. He will always be one of my favorite baseball players!  Dinner was simple, bone in chops and quinoa.

Bone in pork chop, marinated 3 hours in publix mojo.  Season with lemon pepper.

Grill on BGE over direct heat for 5-10 mins.  Add placesetter and grill indirect at 400 degrees until pork reached 155-160.

Quinoa takes about 20 mins with zucchini and sweet potatoes mixed in.

Mexican Pizza

Mexican Pizza is pretty simple, yet very good!  You only need a few basic ingredients and cook it the same way you would any other pizza on the BGE.

Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough (I buy Publix dough that is premade)
• Taco Sauce
• Mexican Cheese
• Chorizo Sausage (brown before topping pizza)
• Diced jalapenos or bell peppers 

Step 1: Prep the BGE for Pizza.  Place setter should be inverted with legs down.  Use the 3 BGE ceramic legs to create a gap between your place setter and your pizza stone.  Bring temp up to 600-700 degrees.

Step 2: Roll out your dough, place on pizza peel and slide onto a preheated pizza stone.  Cook both sides of the dough until they are crispy and fairly firm.  The inside of the dough should still be raw, but you need the outside somewhat firm to support the toppings and easily slide off the peel when you put it back on the egg.

Step 3: Assemble your pizza with the toppings.  In this case sauce, cheese, chorizo, and jalapenos.

Step 4: Place the pizza back on the egg to cook for 5-10 minutes (depending on the temperature of your egg).  The hotter the egg, the more it will be like brick oven pizza, but the downside is that I tend to burn through felt gaskets quite a bit.  This is less of a problem with the new High Heat Gaskets they are now selling.

Enjoy your finished product!

A Day of Ribs

One Sunday I found myself at Kroger trying to figure out what I wanted to cook that afternoon.  Their rib selection looked very good that day.  I couldn't decide what kind of ribs I wanted to cook, so I ended up buying three different racks.  You will probably see rib recipes a lot on this page as it's one of my favorites to smoke, but here's a first about an afternoon of Beef Back Ribs, Beef Short Rips, and Pork Back Ribs.

Beef back:

·         Rub – weber Kansas city rub

·         Mop – beef stock, 1 cube beef bouillon, apple juice, hint of pineapple teriyaki marinade

Baby back:

·         Rub – Kroger had some store rub lightly coated, added extra Kroger texas bbq rub

·         Mop – apple juice ½ cup, pineapple teriyaki marinade ½ cup, honey

Beef short:

·         Rub – weber Kansas city rub

·         Mop – splash apple, splash pineapple teriyaki marinade, ½ cup Jamaican jerk marinade

The cook: I usually go with the 3-2-1 method.  3 hour smoke at 225 degrees using apple or cherry wood chips, 2 hours wrapped in foil with my mop inside to steam the ribs, 1 hour out of foil back on the grill to finish them.  For the last hour you can lightly baste your ribs with the mop or save it for dipping.

Finished Product:

Lamb & Venison Meatball Subs

I have come to find that I really like cooking lamb.  It tastes great, and there are so many different ways to cook it (ground, rack, chops, leg / shank, etc.).  One afternoon I wanted to cook something different and pulled this together.

Ingredients:

• ground lamb
• ground venison
• finely chopped onions & garlic
• italian seasoning
• hoagie buns
• shredded mozzerella (or provolone slices if preferred)
• Marinara or spaghetti sauce
• Side for this mean: fried whole okra

Step 1: combine 1 lb of ground lamb and 1 lb of ground venison together in a bowl with chopped onion & garlic and italian seasoning.  Mix all of the ingredients together and form into meatballs.

Step 2: cook the meatballs at around 350 degrees until internal temp reaches about 160 degrees or so (considered medium).

Step 3: assemble the subs by putting meatballs in hoagie buns, top with sauce and add shredded mozzerella

On this particular night we also fried up some whole okra as our side.

Lamb Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• Ground lamb
• Bell peppers
• Zucchini
• Diced fire roasted tomatoes
• Frozen spinach
• Fresh basil
• Feta cheese
• Shredded mozzerella

Step 1: Brown the lamb in a sautee pan and combine in a bowl with 1 can tomatoes, chopped spinach and basil, zucchini, and feta cheese.  I use a cheese grater to shred the zucchini before adding to the bowl.  Mix all ingredients together.

Step 2: Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the inside.  Stuff the peppers with the mixture but leave room at the top for mozzerella cheese.

Step 3: cook the peppers at around 350 degrees until they are soft and inside is done.  Once the peppers are cooked I add shredded mozzerella to the top of each one and let it melt for a couple minutes.  Pull them off and enjoy!

Beer Can & Lollipop Chicken

Beer Can Chicken is one of my favorite go to meals when cooking for a group of friends or family.  This is as simple as sticking a whole roaster chicken on a beer can set up, but i'm going to take it a step further.

Step 1: Brine! Brining enhances flavor and helps retain moisture.  I take a standard brine recipe fromt he internet and add a few things here and there.  My secret is to add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pot and saute with 1 onion sliced up, Southwest seasoning (purchased from Sams in my case), couple sprigs of Thyme, chopped garlic, and maybe a tablespoon of butter.  Sautee for about 4-5 minutes and then add 2-3 cups of water (you want enough water to be able to cover the amount of chicken you are brining).  Add 1/2 cup of sugar and a cup of salt and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes or so until all fo the flavors are absorbed in the mixture.  Once the bring is done I begin to add 1 cup of ice at a time, keep adding the ice until your brine is cold (anything hot will begin to cook the chicken).  Add your chicken and everything in brine (all ingredients, not just the water) together in a brine bag.  Tie a not and put it in the fridge for 6-24 hours.  I like to brine my chickent he night before.

Step 2: Prepping the chicken.  Remove all the chicken from the bag and let it rest coming up to room temp, just before i'm ready to cook I will season with some of the Southwest seasoning and maybe a little BBQ or Chicken rub I use.  Make sure to season the inside of the roaster chicken well too, not just the exterior.  I use the Beer Can Chicken set up sold at Publix - cheap and simple.  Crack open a beer, put it in the middle, add some seasoning to the beer can (starts to foam a bit), and the plop your roaster chicken right down over the beer can.

Prepping lollipop chicken takes some time and patience, but it's pretty cool once it's ready to eat.  You basically want to cut all around the bottom of the drum to the bone and peel the skin back until the bottom is just all bone.  Wrap the bone in foil so that it is clean, rather than black, once the chicken is fully cooked.  Again, I will season here more often with a BBQ rub or chicken rub, the southwest tends to be better on a whole chicken or chicken quarters.

Step 3: Cooking the chicken.  I will set up my Big Green Egg for direct cooking at a temp around 300 degrees or so.  The beauty of a BGE is flare ups are really not a problem once the lid is closed even with direct cooking.  The direct set up also allows for a crisper skin which is good on chicken.  You can see my grill arrangement in the picture, and I will stick my digital thermometer into one of the breasts on the whole chicken.  I cook my chicken until it reaches 160 degrees internal temp or until the juices run clear.  Near the end of the cook I will start to baste my lollipop chicken with some sauce (bbq, jerk, honey mustard, etc.) so that there is a nice caramelization once it's finished.

That's pretty much it!  Peal the foil off and eat it like a lollipop.  You can also easily dip it in sauce of your choice.  I'll cut the beer can chicken into whole breast, sliced breast, chicken wings, chicken quarter, and then a seperated drumstick and thigh.  This way everyone can choose what part they like the most.