Shrimp Boil for Father's Day

What more could I ask for on Father’s Day but to be able to fix some good food and have the family enjoy it? My wife said she didn’t want me to have to cook but I said that’s what I like to do and that’s what I want. My favorite present was our 8 year old Grandson made me a greeting card on the computer and printed it out.

One of my favorite cooks is a shrimp boil. I had two pounds of raw shell on jumbo Texas gulf shrimp to use. I would add; potatoes, cabbage, carrots, an onion, garlic, a lemon, smoked sausage, seasoning and corn on the cob. I also made some take home and bake bread. I made some gorgonzola garlic chive butter for the bread and corn and melted some to dip the shrimp in. My seasonings were a Tbs. of salt, a Tbs. of Old Bay and a couple Tbs. of Zatarains crab boil.

They were saying rain so I set up my gas burner on the Smoking deck. I have a large pot with strainer that is perfect for a shrimp boil. I don’t usually add cabbage and carrots but I knew our veggie daughter in law would like them. I liked them too but will not use red cabbage the next time. It turned out blue and to me blue has to be the most un appetizing color there is for food! You would have thought all the years I have cooked I would have known that!

I told the wife we needed the checkered table cloth for this meal. This is almost a fool proof dinner; when it’s all done pull up the strainer, let drain, pour on a tray. Place it in the middle of the table for everyone to dig in!


Cooker ready to go

Ingredients

Shrimp

Veggies ready to cook

Served up

My Plate

Kimchi started and a quick Supper

Jun 14 2013

Today was a busy day. Yesterday I stopped at Krogers in St. Marys to get Mom some fresh fruit. I was taking her some food. When I got back in the car it was dead. I had forgotten the cell phone so called from Krogers for roadside assist. He was able to jump start me so headed back home and took the car to my Ford dealer. He replaced the battery; it was the original, 7 yrs. old so I got my money’s worth.

This morning I headed back to deliver the food, Mom was doing fine, and she is 91. On the way home I was driving a back road I like to take. It crosses the St. Marys River and some low area with ponds I see some wildlife and I used to play there as a kid. I hear a loud thud and look in the rear view mirror, a small doe deer is limping across the road. I felt bad; when I got to a stop sign I got out and looked at the car. There was no damage at all; I felt a little better that maybe she would survive. She must have run into the rear side I figured; I never saw her.

After lunch I cut up two heads of Napa cabbage to get some Kimchi started. It will be a good side for any BBQ. I had picked out two nice large heads; about 6 lbs. The center of both was bad so I had more waste than normal.

After I got the kimchi done I made up 3 sausage patties from a pound of fresh sausage from my butcher. I had some corn on the cob to steam and my wife made some broccoli slaw. That would be supper for us and the Grandson. It tasted pretty good.

The Grandson is coming down at 8 am and we are going fishing for the morning. He is staying over while Mom & Dad have a night out in Columbus and taking in a concert.

Kimchi ingredients

Cutting up the cabbage

Ready to mix

Ready to set for two days

Sausage patties after 1/2 hr. at 300 deg. I had some mustard on top

After another 1/2 hr. and cheese added

My Supper

Jun 16 2013

The Kimchi had set out at room temp for two days. I filled 3 quart jars and topped with water to cover. After a few days in the fridge to mellow out this will be ready to eat.

Tip for Hard Boiled Eggs

This is a tip I wish I had known long ago. I like to pickle eggs in left over Claussen dill pickle juice. I have tried everything over the years, everyone’s perfect method of boiling and cooling. All the methods I tried it was about 50-50 whether they would peel nice or not.

A while back some on the Lets Talk BBQ forum told me to steam the eggs instead of boiling, for 18 minutes. I have an Aroma rice cooker and steamer so I tried it. I just cooled them down with cold water and all peeled perfectly. They peel well no matter how you cool them; I even let some set overnight in the fridge and the next day the peeled perfectly.

If you don’t have a steamer a colander that fits in a pan and you can cover would work. I used to use a little folding steamer basket that fit different sized pans that would work well and is fairly cheap to buy.

Below are some photos of some I just did to pickle, they are ready after 4 to 5 days in the fridge.

Eggs steamed


Pealed


In the juice

Beef Rouladen

I had a flank steak and was hungry for some rouladen. Rouladen is a German dish made from beef round or flank steak pounded thin a thin coat of mustard then rolled with bacon, dill pickle and onions. I read where one woman said she did hers the day before she served it since it was always better the second day. This gave me an idea to do it over two days on my Traeger.

I made up the rolls Saturday. I cut the flank steak in half and pounded thin between plastic wrap. Next I put a thin coat of Lowensenf mustard on, salt and pepper; then two slices of my butchers beef smoked bacon, on the end I placed a Claussen dill pickle slice and some chopped onion then repeated. I rolled them and secured with toothpicks until I tied them. The grain was length wise on the roll so I was cross grain when I sliced them.

I heated up my Weber Q100 gas grill and my Treager on smoke mode. I seared them on the gas grill about 2 ½ minutes on each side. They then went on the smoker, on a grate over a pan where I added some beef broth and chopped onions. I did them on smoke 175 deg. for a half hour then went to 275 deg. grill temp until they were 145 deg. IT.

I tented them with foil and let them set about a half hour. I then placed them in a Pyrex dish added the pan juices and onions. After cooling they went in the fridge covered for overnight.

In Germany rouladen is usually served with spaetzel and potato dumplings or boiled potatoes and red cabbage. I was having egg noodles and when I have beef and gravy I want mashed potatoes topped with noodles and the gravy over.

Sunday I made gravy in my Lodge cast iron chicken friar with butter, and flour adding the pan juices and some more beef broth. I added the meat rolls after removing the string, cut side down. I had enough gravy to almost cover. I got them on the smoker at 3:00 and would slow cook at 250 deg. grill level temp for an hour without the lid then cover for two more hours.

At 4:00 I got my potatoes peeled, boiled and mashed with a lot of butter; I kept them warm on low heat. I did the noodles to get done with the meat. I had some good crusty bread with my gorgonzola chive butter I toasted under the broiler. The meat fell apart when I tried to slice it, very tender.

I served my wife and after I got my pics of my plate and ate a few bites I realized I forgot to top mine with gravy! I added some and this was delicious. This will be a great dish for next fall and winter.

I had a German Dortmunder style beer with the meal.

Ingredients


One ready to roll


All tied


Searing


Done


In the broth overnight


Gravy made and ready for the smoker


After one hour


Serving


My Plate, gravy added later!


Update: Jun 10 2013
Here is a photo of my second meal and I remembered to add the gravy! You can also see how a slice looks since it was cold it sliced nice.

Summer Kitchen

I rolled up the second tarp, so my winter kitchen is now my summer kitchen. It was a nice day today and I spent a good part of the day cleaning my Traeger. It is now three years old and still looks pretty good. It was not that dirty and just did a quick scrape down of the inside and vacuumed. I had never cleaned the chimney so I removed it and scraped it out. It had close to a half inch of crud; a half round file worked well as a scraper.

I cleaned the outside with some Citrus cleaner and gave it a coat of mineral oil. It is now good for another year. The few mods I have done are 3 fire bricks around the fire pot, ¼ inch steel plate added to the heat deflector to correct warp and it acts as a heat collector, and I added a second shelf.

After I had it all cleaned up I fired it up and did the first half of tomorrow’s supper, beef rouladen.

Our son was working his second job so the daughter in law and grandson came down for supper. My wife cooked; she called all are orders in to Sandman’s carry out and picked it up. She is a great cook!

CS Style Ribs and Kraut Brats

Today’s cook was simple and tasted good on a cool June day. I got 4 nice bone in country style ribs at my butcher, Kah Meats. I saw he had some fresh kraut brats too; so I got three of them to throw on with the ribs.

I bought a pound of some good local made potato salad and thought I would try a little buttered corn in a skillet. We like fried corn so thought I would try it on the smoker.

I wet down the ribs with a drizzle of red wine vinegar and seasoned with my favorite Penzey’s Galena Street rub. I let them set in the fridge a couple of hours before cooking. I made up two Vidalia onions; stuffed with beef bouillon granules and some of my gorgonzola and chive butter to do.

I put the ribs, onions and brats on smoke mode 175 deg. for 45 minutes. Another 15 minutes added the skillet of corn and edged up to 275 deg.; 300 deg. Grill level. In another 45 minutes the ribs were done at 160 deg. IT. I had brushed on some BBQ sauce one rib for my wife; I like mine bare sometimes.

It all tasted pretty good, the corn did not get as browned as when I do it on the stove and the onion could have had a longer cook time. The kraut brats were delicious and would make great sandwiches.

I drank a bottle of Yuengling Bock beer with the meal; some of the best bock I have had.


On the smoker


About done


My Plate

Throw Together Italian Lasagna

We were going to get carry ins tonight but decided to throw some lasagna together and do it on the smoker. I needed to mow grass but it was too wet; at least that was my excuse! I had two pieces of Texas garlic toast frozen to use and we would have a side salad.

I went to the grocery and got a pound of Bob Evans Italian sausage and other ingredients I needed.

6 no boil lasagna sheets
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 quart Classico four cheese sauce
½ large green pepper, chopped
1 med. zucchini, sliced length wise
1 med. yellow squash sliced length wise
4 slices Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cups shredded Fiesta or Italian blend cheese
1 Tbs. dried garlic flakes
Italian seasoning
Salt and freshly ground pepper
A few shakes of red pepper flakes

Extra mozzarella cheese for on top and some thinly sliced fresh basil

I browned the sausage and threw in the chopped green pepper and onions, salt, pepper, a few shakes of red pepper flakes and some dried garlic flakes. I let it cool awhile.

I used a foil pan, a little sauce on the bottom, a layer of lasagna sheets, a layer of yellow squash, sausage mix over ¾ of it, half the sauce that was left and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.

I then repeated a layer using the zucchini. Over the last sauce layer I added salt, ground pepper and some Italian seasoning blend. I covered it with foil and in the fridge. I had an hour of relaxing beer time before cooking!

I had left the meat off of ¼ of it for our veggie daughter in law for leftovers.

I did it in my Traeger at 325 deg. grill level with the foil on for 45 minutes. I had some more beer time! I took the foil off after the 45 minutes, and added some extra mozzarella cheese. I added the sliced fresh basil the last 10 minutes. Total cook time was one hour 15 minutes.

My wife had the salads made and I covered it with foil while I toasted the Texas garlic bread in a hot skillet about 1 min. per side. We both loved it and I had seconds! For me it’s a keeper recipe.

Sausage, peppers and onions


Making the first layer


Ready for the smoker


About done


My Plate and salad