Pellet Smoker Chicken Salad

Another hot day today 103 deg. Look forward to tomorrow, a high of only 89! I got a chicken spatchcocked and in brining last night, an organic one. I got it on the smoker about 10:00 AM. I did it on smoke 180 deg. for a half hour then went to 325 deg. to finish to an IT of 180 deg. Being spatchcocked I find 180 deg. breast temp. the legs & thighs will be 185 deg. or a little higher.

I let it cool & then in the fridge until I was ready to make the salad. After lunch I removed the skin & chopped up the meat and assembled the salad.

The first batch I made my son thought it needed more mayonnaise and my wife didn’t like the onions. My grandson liked the first batch but when I ask if he wanted me to make some more, he said “but Grampa onions don’t go with chicken”! So I altered the recipe some, added more mayonnaise and toned down the onions to just one slice of onion diced small and some fresh chives from my garden. It needs some onion flavor.

My wife said it was perfect and I liked it. Now all I have to do is see if my son & grandson approve!

Printable Chicken Salad Recipe

The Chicken

Chopping the chicken

Ingredients

Mixed & ready to chill

Served on my Smoked Cajun crackers

Smokin Don

Apple, cheddar, and onion tart

I know this is a lot of photos for one little ole tart but several are to show the new tart pan my wife bought me. The first tart I did on my smoker I used my corning ware tart pan & mentioned I should get a metal one for the smoker. I should know better, when I mention I would like something she thinks it’s her duty, or she just likes to shop, to go out and buy me one. Ninety percent of the time she comes home with something different than what I had in mind.

The other day she came home & said I bought you a tart pan. A fancy one, non-stick, silicon handles and a removable bottom! All I wanted was a plane old tin tart pan! I wasn’t sure what the removable bottom was for, I guessed it was to remove the tart for a prettier display.

I prepared all the ingredients and got the tart assembled. I did it for 30 minutes on smoke 175 deg. I then went to 325 deg. & took about 35 minutes. On my Traeger I use the display temp. 325 deg. which would be about 350 deg. at grill level.

After the tart had cooled I decided to try & remove it to see how the pan worked. I sat it down over a small bowl to raise it out of the pan. Using two spatulas I carefully slid it onto a tray. I just about lost it; I don’t care for the removable bottom. I think I still need a plane ole tin tart pan! I can serve it right out of the pan.

I loved the tart but not sure all will like it. Onions are the dominate flavor so if you don’t like onions it would probably be good without, just add a couple more apples. I also think it could stand a little more cheddar than I used.

Printable Tart Recipe

New pan and ingredients

Onions cooking

Apple mix

Apple mix done

Adding the cheese

Onions added

Ready for the smoker

About done

Cooling

Raised from the pan

Ready to serve

My Piece

Smokin Don

Breakfast grits topped with Cheddar and an Egg

On pelletheads forum, we have had discussions on grits; how we like them and white verses yellow. Grits are an American dish coming from Native Americans. White and yellow grits are both coarse ground cornmeal; the color coming from white or yellow corn. Hominy grits were made from ground hominy but is a rarity today. Most of the white grits found today in groceries has been de-germinated for longer shelf life. Some yellow or speckled grits has not been de-germinated and will have a slightly different taste.

I have always used white grits and wanted to try yellow. All I could find locally were coarse ground cornmeal, Bob’s Red Mill, which would qualify for grits. I cooked up a batch using one cup of cornmeal, water, 3 TBS of bacon grease and 4 TBS of butter. I placed a good portion in a bowl, topped with some shredded sharp cheddar, a pat of butter, salt & pepper, and an egg. I placed this under a broiler until the egg was cooked. This made a good breakfast.

I have fixed grits & cornmeal probably more ways than most folks over the years. Grits are good just plain with lots of butter & salt, add about any kind of cheese you like. Top them with some grilled shrimp, BBQ chicken wings, or crumpled up bacon.

Make up a batch & pour in a loaf pan & let set up in the fridge. Then slice about 1/4 inch thick & fry until crisp in bacon grease, butter, or olive oil. You can also add bacon or ham to the grits when you cook them. One tip to cut down on the popping when you fry it is to coat it with flour first. Serve the fried grits with butter, salt & pepper or pour some maple syrup over it.

Fried mush is the same except it is made with cornmeal and I have done this on the smoker. And then you need some eggs & toast or biscuits with it, and don't forget bacon, ham, or sausage. Cornmeal & grits are versatile and only your imagination limits the way it can be used.

The grits cooking

Cheese and butter added

An egg added

My Breakfast

Smokin Don

Happy 4th and some chickens to eat!

Every since we have lived in Wapakoneta, OH the 4th celebration has been going to the St. Josephs picnic held at the county fairground. Rides for the kids, plenty of food tents, bingo, show down poker, a polka tent, craftwork, donated & sold by the church ladies, and beer. Then they always have a great fireworks display on the 4th at 11:00 pm.

They used to sell beer, in bottles iced down in animal watering tanks and you could walk around with it. After some rowdy events they now have a separate fenced in area you have to go to and the beer is on draft. We used to go out with the kids for supper and stay until the fireworks were over. I used to enjoy playing showdown poker and being able to get an ice cold beer when I wanted. The wife played bingo and visited, while the kids played.

After the food choices got larger, our routine was to stop and get the wife a lemonade shake up, then to get some good greasy fair fries topped with malt vinegar, then to the Red Barn where the FFA sells whole hog sausage sandwiches. Then we set at picnic tables to enjoy all. I think tomorrow it will be too hot for ole grampa to go. If the wife & kids go they will have to bring me a sausage sandwich.

I bought two chickens today, managers special for less than $4! I would use one for pulled BBQ and make chicken salad with the other. I got them spatchcocked and in brine for 4 hrs. I rinsed & dried them a little salt & pepper and put a pat of butter under each breast.

First I smoked a batch of Cajun crackers then got the chickens on smoke mode for about 40 minutes then went to 300 deg. to finish to an IT of 182 deg. about 2 ½ hours total. I basted a couple times with butter and added my apple butter sauce to one near the end.

One went in the fridge for making chicken salad tomorrow and I pulled the other. It went into a Crockpot with the sauce to heat for the sandwiches. I added a slice of provolone & under the broiler to melt for our sandwiches and grilled some romaine splashed with ELOO, red wine pomegranate vinegar & salt & pepper,

Hope all have a safe Holiday!

Printable Sauce Recipe.
I used the variation

Chickens

Here you can see the butter pats under the breasts

On the smoker

Ready to prepare

Making the sandwiches

My plate

Smokin Don

Smoked Meatloaf and garlic bologna

Anticipating 100 + deg. forecast for Thursday I did a meatloaf and some garlic ring bologna Wednesday. When I have room sometimes I throw on some ring bologna from my butcher Kah’s. I usually cut slits on both sides to get some more smoke flavor.

I can remember as a young kid my Mother would takes us in to Tubby Williams ice cream parlor for a fried bologna sandwich, ½ inch thick, at 10 cents each! My butcher Kah Meats used to make a great old fashioned bung bologna but quit since it wasn’t selling well. His ring bologna is now my favorite.

I love smoked bologna and I love garlic so this time I just cut a little deeper diagonally on one side and added some sliced garlic.

I made up the meatloaf and got it on smoke mode, then got the ring bologna made up & on, left on smoke mode for one hour then went to 275 deg until the meatloaf was 160 deg. IT. A little over 2 hours total cook time.

I let the meatloaf cool & tried the bologna; it was so good I ate about half the ring and all of the garlic slices.

The meatloaf was good but a little dry so won’t bother you with any details on it. Basically it was ground beef, sausage, salsa, sharp cheddar, seasoning, 2 eggs and some cracker crumbs. I dusted with smoked paprika. My wife heated hers up for supper and I had a cold meatloaf sandwich. She thought it was dry but it worked for me in a sandwich.

By lunch time tomorrow the bologna will be all gone!

Meatloaf ready to smoke

Bologna & garlic ready

After 1 hour of smoke

Baologna done

Meatloaf done

Smokin Don

My Philly Cheese Steak

Nothing fancy here just my version of a Philly beef steak sandwich. Sandwiches & light fare has been working well for these hot summer days. Sunday evening was a get your own night here. My son is off to school, the wife & daughter in law fixed salads and the grandson had tacos from Taco Bell; I gotta work on that kid!

This made it easy to prepare one sandwich for myself. I caramelized some Vidalia onions in my carbon steel skillet. I browned up some of the round sirloin tip in the same skillet. I divided it on both halves of a soft white hoagie bun. On one half went a good portion of the onions and two layers of sliced baby Swiss cheese on the other. Then under the broiler to get the cheese all bubbly & brown. Sure tasted good.

I first posted this on pelletheads forum. One said I needed to use cheese whiz, one from Philadelphia I think was offended by my calling it ‘Philly Cheese Steak’. From what I read if it is beef, usually eye of round or top round thinly sliced & sometimes chopped served on a bun with cheese added it qualifies to be called a Philly cheese steak.

For alls info, the first Philly beef steak sold at what is now Pats was with no cheese in the early 1930's later provolone was added and American cheese is also used. Cheese Whiz didn't come along until the early 1950's. Pat's & Geno's are the two favorites in Philadelphia, located across the street from each other. Both places offer provolone, American, or cheese whiz as well as other toppings. Both say cheese whiz is by far the most favored.

An easy sandwich that can be made with about any left over beef. My favorite cheese for any sandwich is Swiss cheese, then provolone, and sharp cheddar I like on burgers too.


Browning the beef



Sandwich assembled



Broiled



Ready to eat



Smokin Don

Two Beef Roasts

I wanted to do up a beef roast & slice up for sandwiches. I had not done a round sirloin tip roast for awhile; WalMart usually had some large ones and at a better price than my butchers. When I went for one Friday all they had were small ones, 2 to 3 lbs. I decided I would do two, one round sirloin tip roast and one eye of round. This would give me a good chance to compare & see which I liked the best.

I made up a rub of equal parts, gray sea salt, fresh ground pepper, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion and dried parsley. I coated both roasts well wrapped in saran wrap & in the fridge over night.

I made up an injection of 1 cup beef broth, 2 cloves of garlic smashed, 1 Tbs. Worcestershire and 1 tsp. Adolph’s meat tenderizer no MSG. I brought all to a boil then let cool & in the fridge.

I injected both roasts and saved the rest for basting. I tied the round sirloin roast. I did them on smoke 170 deg for 45 min. I then edged my temp up to 275 deg. for the rest of the cook. In just over 2 hr. total they were up to 138 deg. Pulled them tented with foil & a towel & let rest for ½ hour. Uncovered & when cool enough went in the fridge for about 3 hours. I basted twice during the cook.

I had planned on searing at the end but liked the way the crust looked so left alone. The round sirloin tip was a little rarer than I like but probably better for reheating. I think the sirloin was a little more tender than the eye of round and just a tad tastier; but all I have done have the line of gristle through it. I don’t mind when sliced thin in a sandwich but some people do. For this reason I will probably use the eye of round in the future. Both sliced up nice & were moist.

I browned up some for sandwiches Saturday evening along with some more wilted lettuce. I had my sandwich with some Dijon mustard & Claussen’s dill pickles. The lettuce was from my garden.

Ready for the smoker



Done and ready for the fridge



Sliced eye of round



Sliced round sirloin tip



This will make some good sandwiches



My sandwich & salad



Smokin Don