Ham for Ham Salad

July 18, 2013

I had a ham shank from my butcher Kah Meats to smoke for some ham salad. I went to Walmart this morning and as usual looked at some cooking stuff and bought a granite steam pot. When I got home my wife said what do you need another pot for? I said this one has a steamer insert and I can do up to a dozen ears of corn at once! I love the fresh corn steamed in the husks!

I was happy when I got home from the grocery, my grill grates arrived! Now I could get them seasoned some while doing the ham. I smeared the ham with some Saucy Sows sauce; the mustard flavor would be good in the ham salad. The ham shank was smoked and fully cooked so all I wanted to do was take it to 144 deg. IT and then grind it for the ham salad tomorrow.

My wife will make the ham salad, three things she does a little better than me, are crispy fried potatoes, Coleslaw and ham salad! But that’s all!

It was HOT out there cooking today, 97 deg. and 50% humidity. I got the ham on and the grill grates to season. I am chilling out now and getting ready to do some flat bread pizzas with my melted onion and tomato sauce on my new grill grates.

The Grillen Grates are made of anodized aluminum and claim to raise your grill temp from 100 to 200 deg.F A lot of the members of Lets Talk BBQ like them and give them rave reviews. You can cook on either side. The smooth side is like using flat grill.

My Steamer Pot and Grillin Grates

Ham Shank

Coated with the mustard sauce

On the smoker

Brats and Corn on the Cob

July 17 2013

It doesn’t get much better than brats and fresh corn on the cob. I had some fresh brats from my butcher Kah Meats and corn picked fresh this morning from Sutter’s little red wagon. Convenient too, both are close to my house. The only thing that could have been better is a little cooler weather; it hit 94 when I was cooking!

I stuffed a Vidalia onion to have on the brats along with, dill pickles, tomatoes and some Saucy Sows wing sauce. It is sweet pepper mustard with a little zing.

I had some white truffle oil butter left from doing popcorn for the corn along with parmesan, salt, and pepper. I also used some of the butter on the cheese rolls to toast for the brats.

I thought the onion and corn needed to hang out longer than the brats so I got them on my Traeger at 275 deg. for a half hour. Then the brats went on and back down to smoke mode for a half hour. I put the cast iron grate, from my Weber Q100, on for the brats. I have some grill grates in the mail coming.

I then went back to 275 deg. for a half hour then 300 deg. for the last half hour. I pulled it all off and toasted the cheese rolls for the brats. The cheese rolls were plenty wide so I split them and sliced off some of the top off to butter and toast for the brats.

It all hit the spot and my wife said she liked the Saucy Sows sauce on the brats. The truffle oil butter really added to the entire flavor for me. The white truffle oil is expensive; $12 for 8 oz. but it should go a long ways. For the butter just add 3 teaspoons to a stick of butter.

Onion, cored, sliced, some chicken bouillon granules and Penzey's garlic flakes

Some butter and Penzey's old world seasoning

Corn in salt water

On the smoker

All done

For the brats

My Brat and Corn

Wings Two Ways

July 14 2013

I had bought a package of eight wings to try the new Saucy Sows sweet mustard sauce on. My wife was going to a retirement party for her minister so it was a good time to do the wings. She is not crazy about wings like I am. I also thought the glaze I made for the kimchi meatloaf would make a good wing sauce so I could try both sauces.

I cut the tips off and separated the mid-section from the drumies and brined for two hours then air dried for two hours in the fridge.

I had seen a different way to do the mid-sections at ladyandpup.com. She slit them between the two bones on the under-side and kind of spread them out. I found my kitchen shears did the best job as in the photo below.

My Korean style sauce was ¼ cup Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce (Nuoe cham ga). It is sweet with just a hint of heat. 1 Tbs. of mustard, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of garlic flakes.  I used this sauce for the mid-sections. The drumies I dusted with Penzey’s Galena Street rub and the Saucy Sows wing sauce.

I put the wings in my Traeger for a half hour on smoke then went to 300 deg. for the rest of the cook. After 40 minutes at 300 I tossed the drumies in the Saucy Sows sauce then back on. After the temp came back up I sauced the mid-sections.  I pulled them after another 30 minutes, a total of 70 minutes at 300 deg.

I had some of my corn casserole with the wings and blue cheese dressing for dip. The drumies were just right, the mustard sauce didn’t come through well. They probably needed sauced again at the end, but I don’t like messy wings! My Korean sauce was good but next time will add some Korean red pepper flakes for more heat. The skin was a little tough, being split like I did they probably need to be done on higher heat and faster.

The kids got home from S.C. just as I was eating, was glad they made it safe. They were too tired to stay and eat so I gave them the rest of the wings and some of the leftovers from the week end cooking.

Sauces and ingredients

Drumies seasoned

Slitting the mid-sections

Ready to sauce

Resting

My Plate

Kimchi Meatloaf and Fresh Corn Casserole

July 13 2013

I had mixed kimchi in a beef burger and loved it so my next try with it would be a meatloaf. I searched the net for some ideas on other seasonings to add. I ran across a recipe from ladyandpup.com for a kimchi meatloaf sandwich topped with cheese on some good toasted bread. I decided I wanted to use her recipe. I changed some on her ingredients and the cooking method.

I used 1 ¾ pounds 80-20 ground beef and added a bacon beef burger I had. I had to use fresh baby bella mushrooms, I could not find dried. I chopped and soaked them in half and half. I left out the ginger and the corn starch.  I knew I could not find dashi so used a teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules.

I could not find Korean Gochujang for the glaze so I used Mae Ploy sweet Korean sauce, it was sweet but had a little heat to it.

I made up the meatloaf a few hours early and in the fridge. I think some chill time helps hold it together. I made up the corn casserole then put the glazed meatloaf in the oven at 485 deg. for 11 minutes to start browning and then it went in my Traeger heated to 325 deg. I put the casserole in the smoker too. Total cook time was 1 hour 20 minutes for an IT of 160 deg. for the meatloaf. I brushed on some more of the glaze after 1 hour.

I sliced the meatloaf for two sandwiches, topped with a slice of Swiss cheese and some Mexican blend shredded cheese. I placed under the broiler to melt the cheese, and had the bread toasting in my steel skillet. For me this is easier than browning the whole sandwich and having to flip.

I served the sandwiches with the corn casserole and some marinated tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers.

For me the sandwich was great. My wife who does not like kimchi even thought it was good.

Printable Corn Recipe

Link to Meatloaf Recipe: http://www.ladyandpups.com/2013/02/11/kimchi-meatloaf-melt-eng/

Meatloaf ingredients

Ready to mix

Chopped Kimchi

Loaf made

The glaze

Squash and onions for the casserole

Ready to bake

After browning in the oven

In the smoker

Resting

Sliced

My salad

My Plate

Pulled Pork Rice with Kohlrabi and Bok Choy

July 12 2013

It was another fun day here in Ohio, well all except for mowing grass! I had a new pizza sauce to try and my supper would be some leftover pulled pork, kohlrabi, carrots and bok choy with rice.

I got my onions, tomatoes and olive oil on for a three hour simmer covered with parchment paper before lunch.

Then it was the un fun job of mowing grass. At 2:00 I added the seasoning to my pizza sauce and cooked it down some more.

I then cut up some tomatoes, onions and cucumbers to marinate in vinegar and olive oil for Saturday’s supper. I then had some relaxing time, sipping some beer, until time to fix supper.

I got my rice in the rice cooker and cut up the veggies and pork to stir fry. I had a large kohlrabi I diced to about ¼ inch, sliced a small head of bok choy, chopped a small onion and sliced two carrots. I heated about two Tbs. of grape seed oil and added the onions, kohlrabi, and carrots adding some dried garlic flakes and a few drops of sesame oil. I cooked until getting soft then added the pork and heated through.

I then added the sliced bok choy and heated through adding some soy sauce. By then the rice was done so I added all from the skillet to the rice in the cooker, stirred to mix well and then let that all get happy on warm for about 10 minutes.

I served it with some good crusty bread and my gorgonzola butter. It tasted good! The only problem is I used up some left over pulled pork but now I have too much left over! I should have made a smaller batch!

Printable Pizza Sauce Recipe

Pizza sauce ingredients

In the sauce pan

After 3 hours simmering

Pureed sauce

Ingredients for rice

My Plate

Bacon Burger, Potato Salad and Corn on the Cob

July 11 2013

I was happy all day today! I had some bacon burgers from my butcher, my first dozen ears of fresh corn, and a new potato salad recipe to try. Don’t get much better! I also had a bunch of garden produce to use up and the next 3 days have cooks planned using them.

I just started making the potato salad when our daughter in law and grandson stopped in to drop off the dog and say good bye. They were off to Fort Mill S.C. for 4 days. They have a nice home there for sale if anyone is interested. Then my wife was off to her water aerobics so it was just me and the dogs!

The potato salad recipe was adapted from Bobby Flay, 1 pound of new potatoes, small bunch of green beans, 1 onion sliced thin. Dressing was ½ cup olive oil, 1/3 cup white wine vinegar, leaves from 3 rosemary sprigs, salt & pepper to taste. Puree the vinegar and rosemary and drizzle in the olive oil then strain.

I cut up the potatoes, nuked for 3 to 4 min. then drizzled on some olive oil and salt and pepper.  Then in a wire basket and in my preheated Traeger at 325 deg. for a half hour to brown up. I removed them and tossed with ¼ cup of the dressing and let rest. I par boiled the green beans for 3 minutes then in ice water to cool, added them, the onions and the rest of the dressing and tossed. Then it went in the fridge.

After I did the potato salad I picked out 4 small ears of corn for tonight’s supper and shucked the rest.

I heated some water on my gas burner and boiled for 4 minutes and then in ice water to cool. I cut it all from the cobs and scraped. This will be for Saturday’s supper. I put the 4 ears in some salt water to soak and did them in my steamer for 15 minutes for supper. Steaming is the best for corn on the cob.

I did the bacon burgers on my Traeger preheated to 325 deg. for a half hour then topped with Swiss cheese. I toasted the buns in my steel skillet. I made up my wife’s sandwich, Saucy Sows wing sauce, tomato, dill pickle and the bacon burger. Mine was the same without the dill pickle and two burgers for a double.

The Saucy Sows is a new sauce being made by a small home business from Jackson Center, Ohio. The wing sauce is mustard based, sweet, red peppers, but has a little zing to it. It was great on the bacon burgers.

All tasted great and the corn was tender and sweet, my wife ate 1 ½ and I had 2 ½ with my gorgonzola butter.

Produce

Potatoes browning

Potato Salad

Burgers ready for some cheese

My corn

My Plate