My Father's Day gift 2016

Jun 19 2016

Hope all Dads had a great Father’s Day, ate some good BBQ and food with family!  I had a pretty nice week-end and we had great weather.

Our daughter came for the week-end. Saturday I had two guys in putting new roofs on my two sheds and they finished by late evening.

Our son took us all out to eat Saturday evening. We went to a pizza place about an hour away. They have wood fired pizza ovens there and it was delicious. We had some appetizers and then a pepperoni, red pepper and onion regular style pizza and a Detroit style pizza. It’s a little like a deep dish but is made in a square pan with crispy gooey edges.

I had Sunday brunch for all. After we ate my wife gave me a present. We usually just get our own but she had seen I had a Camp Chef iron griddle in my wish list on Amazon and got that for me. In one way I have her trained right! The kids had already given me a cast iron garlic roaster and a stainless bacon fryer early.

I got the griddle seasoned this afternoon. I first sprayed it all over with some Pam and let that cook off. In 10 minutes I was getting 600 deg. on the griddle. I let it go for 20 minutes and then let it cool down.

After it cooled I gave the cooking surface a thin coat of lard and heated it up again for 20 minutes. It should be ready to do some good smash burgers on it this week.

BLT's and Corn on the Cob

Jun 14 2016

Every summer I anxiously await my first BLT with some good garden quality tomatoes. For quite a few years now a local produce stand has brought in early tomatoes from Tennessee about mid-June.  They are at least a month ahead of local tomatoes and they are good.

I went to my butcher to get some pork cutlets to have with fried cabbage for our supper. On the way I went by where the produce stand sets up to see if he had tomatoes yet. The stand was up but no tomatoes. When I went into my butcher here he had some Tennessee tomatoes for sale. My supper plans changed; I got two of the tomatoes $2.99 a pound and a pound of bacon!

It takes no genius to make a BLT but whoever paired these together was genius. The sandwich was made before the 1900’s but no record of who started it.

I went to the grocery to get bread or buns and they had corn in the husks that didn’t look too old. I got four ears and found some French Brioche buns that looked good.

I cooked the bacon, almost a pound, on my Traeger and steamed the corn in my rice cooker. When the corn was done I made up our sandwiches. They were made of some Hellmann’s may on the bottom, two layers of bacon, a tomato slice, a layer of bacon, some Romaine lettuce, a layer of bacon and some mayo on the top bun. We had butter, Penzey’s Sandwich sprinkle and parmesan cheese on the corn.

That hit the spot and now when my garden tomatoes are ripe and we have fresh local corn it will be even better!

My sandwich

Chicken & Potato Tacos W/Salsa

Jun 13 2016

It was a nice day today; I got my Weber gas grill cleaned up early. I scraped it down, cleaned the grates and changed the drip pan. The grandson came down and helped me mow. It was just the second time he used my riding mower and did a great job. He watered my garden and flowers then we had some lunch. We had what was left of some venison summer sausage, some corn and Spanish rice. The grandson stayed a couple of hours playing games on the PC and then went home.

Supper tonight would be quick and easy. I had some leftover chicken and fried corn, about a cup of each to use, I added some sliced baby gold potatoes, 3 slices of Vidalia onion quartered and some green pepper. I would fry that up in my CI skillet, toast some soft corn tacos and have fresh salsa, store bought, and sour cream to add.

I did this on my Weber Spirit Gas Grill, not much advantage over using the stove top but I had my grill grates to toast the corn tacos on. I kept the heat out of the house and didn’t have to heat up a grill pan.

I heated up the grill on med. and it ran just over 400 deg. through the cook.

I heated the CI skillet on the stove top with some olive oil and butter; added the sliced potatoes, mixed to coat added salt and then it went on the grill for 10 minutes. I added the onions and peppers and cooked another 10 minutes stirring some. I added the chicken and corn for another 10 minutes. I then toasted the corn tacos a couple minutes per side and took inside to serve.

The wife and I both had two tacos, one with just salsa and one with salsa and sour cream. We liked them and the ones with sour cream were better. I think it enhanced the potatoes. Not your everyday taco but tasted good and used up some left overs!

Mo Rockin Chicken, Spanish Rice & Fried Corn

Jun 11 2016

All I can say is it was hot today, about 94! It was windy all day but the air was hot too! The grandson and I were going to mow grass but the grass will wait for a cooler day.

I was glad I had an easy meal planned. I had a whole fryer that I spatchcocked and brined overnight. The brine was a half-gallon of water and 1/3 cup of kosher salt. After 12 hours in the brine I rinsed and dried it and in the fridge to air dry about 4 hours.

Time to cook I coated it with a light coat of Hellmann’s mayo and seasoned well with some Savor’s Mo Rockin Chicken seasoning. It went on my Traeger that was heated to 195 deg. for some smoke. After a half hour eased up to 325 deg. grill level. It took 2 hours total to get to a breast IT of 170 deg.

I had some Zatarain’s Spanish rice in the rice cooker to serve. I had a new Lodge 32 oz. heat treated server bowl to try out. I had seasoned it one time. I had a bag of Birds Eye baby yellow and white corn to fry in it. I heated about 3 tablespoons of butter on the stove top and added the corn. I heated it for a few minutes then it went on the smoker with the chicken for about an hour.

I served all with some crusty dinner rolls. The wife and I are well suited for chicken, she likes the breast and I like the legs and thighs. Chicken was tender and juicy and my leg was bite through skin! I like that since you get to enjoy the seasoning!

Chicken after brining and seasoning

Chicken and corn about done

Ready to serve

My supper

Smoked Italian Meatball Spaghetti, Grilled Romaine & Garlic Bread

Jun 10 2016

I had seen where someone used Cheez It crackers in meatloaf in place of regular crackers and raved about it. I decided to try them in some Italian meatballs I planned to have for our supper. Our son and wife gave me one of my Father’s day presents early, a cast iron garlic roaster I wanted to try for some garlic bread. You just have to have some good garlic bread with spaghetti!

I made up the meatballs early; a pound of ground chuck, a tablespoon of Penzey’s Italian sausage seasoning, one egg and a cup of Cheez It’s crushed. I covered with plastic wrap and then in the fridge until cook time. I spent the afternoon trimming grass with beer breaks!

The grandson came down at 4:00 to water the tomatoes and flowers for me. He said he would stay for supper; he called his Mom and she said sounded good and would come after work, our son was working.

I put the meatballs on the Traeger on smoke 185 deg. for about 50 minutes. I then pre-heated a cast iron skillet with olive oil on the stove and then out on the smoker and put the meatballs in it for about 15 minutes to brown some. I had turned the smoker to about 275 deg. grill level. I added my sauce; Newman’s Own tomato basil sauce, and was in another half hour. Total cook time about 1 hour 50 minutes.

With an hour to go I had fired up my Weber Spirit on med. about 400 deg. and added the garlic roaster. I had cut the tops off of two whole garlic bulbs, added some olive oil and a little salt. I used the gas grill to toast some rolls coated with butter and to grill the Romaine sprayed with olive oil. I had my pasta cooking inside and ready to serve all at 6:30. I had some balsamic vinegar infused with honey for the Romaine and parmesan for toppings.

We all thought it was a good meal but the verdict on the Cheez It’s was save them for snacks!  No one liked the meat balls that well. The roasted garlic was a hit with the wife and DIL. I think because it is a milder garlic taste, I like a more sharp garlic taste.

Ingredients

Meatballs made

On the smoker

In the skillet

Sauce added

Garlic, Romaine & rolls toasting

Ready to serve

My salad

My supper

Pete's Tritip from his Cookbook

Jun 8 2016

I received a free copy of Smoker Pete’s cookbook from his publisher and did a review of it here. I wanted to also pick out a recipe from it to cook and post. I chose a tritip since I have only made two before. I got a nice one that was frozen from my butcher. I didn’t get it thawed in time for overnight in the fridge but got it seasoned and wrapped in the fridge for 8 hours.

Pete recommended his Western Rub for the seasoning. I didn’t make a batch but used all the seasonings on my tritip and it was a great choice. I would recommend it for any beef.

I cooked some bacon this morning on my Traeger for topping a spinach salad I made for a side. My other side was some baby gold potatoes cooked in a cast iron skillet with butter and added coarse salt at the end.

The recipe for cooking the tritip was to smoke at 180 deg. for an hour and then got to 325 deg. to finish the tritip to an IT of 140 deg. After the hour of smoke and going to 325 deg. I heated up an 8 inch CI skillet with some butter and added potatoes to cover the bottom then placed it in the smoker.

The tritip hit 140 deg. and hour and 45 minutes total cook. It hit 142 when I removed it, took inside and tented with foil to rest for about 15 minutes. In that time I placed the skillet of potatoes on the stove to brown them up some and added some coarse salt.

We all had bacon on the spinach salad, the wife and I had some sliced hard boiled eggs and I also had some thin sliced onions on mine.

I sliced up some of the tritip and it was a perfect med. rare; the way I like it. I served it, the potatoes and spinach salad with some bread and butter. The grandson was here and I had to nuke his meat to get it brown! The tritip was very tender and juicy, nice smoke ring and Pete’s seasoning was just right!

This was a pretty simple recipe as far as prep and cooking goes but you can always learn something new. I found I really like Pete’s Western Rub seasoning for beef. I am sure I will learn more as I try more of Pete’s recipes. I would recommend this cookbook to anyone who has a pellet smoker grill.

Click Here for printable salad recipe

The trimmed roast

Seasoned

Wrapped for the fridge

After 8 hrs. ready for the smoker

Bacon for the salad

One hour on smoke

About done

Resting

The spinach salad

Tritip sliced to serve

My salad

My supper

Bacon & Chicken Brat Kabobs

Jun 7 2016

I had the idea to wind some bacon with brats on a skewer; I had some chicken brats from my butcher that my wife likes so I used them.  We were baby setting the grandson too and figured he would like them. I decided to smoke them for an hour and do the bacon for a half hour then thread them on skewers and finish on my Lodge hibachi.

Our sides would be some Zatarain’s yellow rice and fried baby corn. I had the charcoal going in the hibachi and finished the brat kabobs on it. After making the kabobs I coated with a little Savor Spices Super Pig Seasoning.  While doing that I had the rice done and started the baby corn frying in some butter. I had a little problem with flare ups from the bacon grease. If I do these again I think I would finish them on my Weber gas grill for lees flare ups or cook the brats and bacon longer in the smoker.

I served the brats over the rice and we had bread and butter too. Tasted good; the bacon flavored the brats well. My wife said these would have been good on a bun with some sauerkraut. I agree and next time will do some regular brats for sandwiches.

After smoking

On the skewers

Browning on the hibachi

Fried baby corn

My supper