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March 31, 2006
BBQ Queens Big Book of Barbecue
What a nice surprise when the mailman arrived at The General's door with an oversized package. It was from our BBQ buddy Karen Adler of Pig Out Publications and BBQ cookbook author extraordinare. Now guys, don't be fooled by the title of her latest book "The BBQ Queens' Big Book of Barbecue" (Karen Adler)
These girls are fierce competitors in the BBQ circuit around Kansas City. If it makes you feel any better there is actually one guy on the team. This book already came with a lot of credibility because for the last three years I have religiously cooked out of her other book "Fish & Shellfish, Grilled & Smoked" (Karen Adler)
The thing that makes both books so exciting is the accompanying sauce recipes. The little woman absolutely adores these sauces. With BBQ season in full swing, you can't go wrong with any recipes in these books on your cookbook shelf!
Posted by The General at 10:59 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBackSavannah Crab Soup
Men and women cannot live on BBQ alone...at least in a coastal town like Savannah. Here is a recipe for Savannah Crab Soup that The General cooked this week. I would rate this a solid "B." Having committed to trying any recipe 3 times before tweaking it, we found the recipe to be lacking in spice...black pepper, perhaps some red pepper flakes or maybe some hot sauce. You will have to tweak it yourself, because I am going to give you the recipe as is.
2 T olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 C chicken broth
3 C beef broth
3-4 C potatoes, diced
3-4 C tomatoes, diced
2 t Old Bay seasoning (or other seafood seasoning)
1 Lb crabmeat
Parsley for garnish
Saute' the carrot and onion in the oil in a stock pot. Cook until vegetables are softened. Add the broth, potatoes, tomatoes, and seafood seasoning. Simmer just until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the crabmeat and parsley and heat thoroughly.
March 26, 2006
An Example of Indirect Cooking
Since The General talks all the time about indirect cooking, I thought that you would like to see an example. Smoked a couple of Boston Butts this week and the little woman got this great shot. Notice how the coals and the soaked apple wood chunks are on one side of the smoker, and the Butts are on the other. Also pay attention to the drip pan. It is underneath the rack directly under the pork and next to the coals. In cooking large cuts of meat, you always need to be careful about grease flare ups...so the drip pan catches the juices/fat and prevents flare ups...as long as you remember to empty the drip pan several times during the cooking process.
Here is a tip from the cook off circuit. The common name is 'spray bottle,' but it is also known as a 'mister.' Periodically, spray your meat with a mixture of 1 C apple cider vinegar and 2 cups apple juice and enough Worcestershire sauce to make the mixture dark. This adds moisture to your cooking process.
Some people like to restore cars, guns, etc...but The General has a new one! I restored my 26" Weber that was deteriorating in our backyard in Atlanta. The reason for the effort is that Weber no longer makes a 26" grill...only an 18" or a 22". Many thanks to the good folks at Weber customer service for making this happen.
Calhoun's Taste of Tennessee
Wanna eat some great BBQ in Knoxville? Try Calhoun's Taste of Tennessee! This is no ordinary BBQ restaurant. It sits right on the Tennessee River in the heart of downtown Knoxville.
Curtis Gibson, Director of Operations, was kind enough to host several events for the National BBQ Association convention last month. He definitely has the hospitality chip. He furnished us with some of the recipes from the restaurant. Thought you might like to try one. This is for a large quantity, so save it for when you have a party...or cut it down....
Spinach Maria
Ingredients:
41/2 C Milk
1/2 Yellow Onion (medium)
1 t Ground Mustard
1 t Granulated Garlic
1 3/4 t Crushed Red Pepper
1/8 Lb and 1 T Butter (melted)
3/8 C Flour
8 oz Cheddar Cheese
4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese
8 oz Velveeta Cheese
(5) 10 oz Boxes Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 1/2 C Grated Monterey Jack Cheese (for topping)
Procedure
- Heat milk and spices in a 4 quart sauce pan on medium heat to just below a boil (190*). Then reduce and simmer.
- Finely chop onion, saute' in 1 T butter on medium heat for 5-8 minutes, add to sauce pan.
- Combine the 1/8 Lb melted butter with the flour in a small saute' pan. (This is the first step of making a Roux which will thicken the sauce.) Mix until completely blended, cook on low heat 3-4 minutes to make Roux. Add Roux to sauce pan and mix well. Continue to cook until sauce thickens.
- Cut the Velveeta, cheddar, and Jack cheese into small cubes, add to sauce pan. Continue to mix until all the cheese is completely melted and blended into the sauce (be careful not to burn the sauce while the cheese is melting). Remove from heat. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- Slow thaw the spinach in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Squeeze as much excess water as possible out of the spinach. Add spinach to cheese sauce, mix until completely blended. Transfer to an 11x9x2 casserole pan and top with grated Monterey Jack Cheese. Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes.
**This will yield 12 servings.
Let The General know what you think after you have tried this recipe!!
Posted by The General at 02:44 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBackMarch 21, 2006
How about a BBQ Odyssey?
In the past it was not uncommon for The General and his bride to take field trips to different BBQ restaurants. We usually started on a Saturday morning, and most of the time distance didn't matter. We would try to hit 3 or 4 BBQ joints during the day, and it would only stop when she loudly protested, "No more!!!"
I was going through some of my cookbooks the other day, and found a book called "The Grand Barbecue - A Celebration of the Places, Personalities, and Techniques of Kansas City Barbecue." You see, Kansas City, MO, considers itself the BBQ Capital of the World...rivaled only by Memphis, TN. It is home of the American Royal BBQ Contest held each October. The book went on to mention that there are actually BBQ guides to take you from restaurant to restaurant to sample the different BBQ cuisine. Had we not already been to the Royal on several occasions, I think I would take the little woman on this trip. What a BBQ odyssey this would be!
The way the book ends and turned out to be a learning experience for The General. I suggest this book to anyone interested in the history of Kansas City BBQ and in taking the ultimate BBQ field trip. For those of you bargain hunters out there the book is on sale for $4.95 at the link above...such a deal!!
Posted by The General at 03:11 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBackYesterday's Ribs
Cooked three slabs of ribs on the Weber for a friend yesterday. Thought I'd make your mouth water. See previous post for directions. These were baby back ribs I bought at Sam's Club.
What kind of grill or smoker to buy??
The General has been asked this question several times in the past week....guess this comes up with the advent of Spring! There is some basic criteria you need to follow in your decision to purchase a grill/smoker.
- First is that it should be able to serve as a grill and a smoker...where you can do both direct and indirect cooking.
- Second, it must have a cover or grill lid.
- Third is the most important...you must be able to control the temperature. (The General made that mistake a year ago when attending a Hearth and Patio Show. I bought the cheapest Cook Shack Smoker in order to save a few pennies... and it was the only model that one could not control the temperature. Guess what? I have used it only three times and never plan on using it again. Not that they don't build a good product, but without temperature controls it is worthless.) Temperature control also means that you can maintain a steady, level temperature.
- Number four is the use of the equipment. Are you going to cater with it or is it strictly backyard/home entertaining.
- Five is the budget and what you are willing to spend.
Now let's discuss what The General uses both at home, on the competition circuit, and in catering.
For home and competition, I still use a Weber. A Weber is a very versatile and low budget piece of equipment. I always can tell when someone has a bad case of the BBQ disease by the number of Webers in their backyard. If you purchase a Weber, be sure to purchase a couple of their cookbooks and cook those books from the front all the way to the back. Why? Because this is where you are going to build your skill set. You have to remember one thing. No tennis racquet ever won a tennis match. No set of golf clubs ever won a golf match. No 'super deluxe Model 2000 shiny stainless steel gas grill' has ever won a competition, nor will it make you a better cook...contrary to American marketing. (I call these "ego" grills.) Even if you have one of these, you need a "closet Weber" to practice on.
There is nothing wrong with a gas grill other than that The General has never experienced such intense heat. He clearly recognizes the fact that people like the convenience of gas grills for the sake of being able to go out and turn it on without any prep time. In fact, the little woman owned one when we met. When we got married, it was demoted to a corner of our basement. Many of the Webers now have a gas igniter that allows you to quickly light your charcoal...and The General would highly recommend that convenience. In fact, the next Weber I buy...and you will never know how many I own...will have that igniter feature.
Also don't overlook the Weber "Bullet." I think they call them Smokey Mountain Cooker...but on the competition circuit we call them "bullets" because of their shape. These are strictly for smoking hams, turkeys, etc. They come with a water pan to separate the meat from the fire and they add moisture to the cooking process.
Another consideration might be the "Big Green Egg." Although The General has never used one, we have friends on the circuit who swear by them. However, this advice comes with a small bit of caution. It takes a little longer to perfect cooking on it.
Let's go to the other side of the coin and look at the commercial products. The General owns two SPK-700 Southern Prides. Both of which are capable of cooking 700 pounds of meat at one time. The General has had a long relationship with Southern Pride and they really build a very substantial product. Why do I like it? It is propane assisted. This means I can keep a level temperature indefinitely without varying a degree. It is all indirect cooking with the firebox on the side (in the front). I only use two sticks of wood, unlike some of the smokers we see in Savannah that burn a whole forest. It has a convection fan that in essence turns the pit into a convection oven, and it is a rotisserie...self basting oven.
Following this criteria, you should be able to make a very intelligent decision about what to purchase. But remember, there are no shortcuts to success. The thing that we say in all the seminars we give is that you can be a little off on your food in the beginning, but you must remain consistent. How do you remain consistent?...by keeping notes on what you did. Don't tell yourself you will write your notes later, because later never comes. What good is it if you hit a home run one time, and you cannot duplicate it another time?
If you have particular questions about other types of smokers/grills, or specific models, please feel free to comment and The General will be happy to give his two cents worth!
March 20, 2006
Springtime in Savannah and a Great Fajita
The General has returned to Savannah after a long weekend of celebrations. It started with St. Patrick's Day here in our new hometown, Savannah, GA, which is host to the second largest SP Day parade in the US (about 400,000 people attended). Since the missus and I had never seen the parade (and have heard many stories about it) we decided we couldn't miss it. The weather was fabulous, the crowd behaved, and the whole event was spectacular...especially seeing the 3rd Infantry Division, recently home from Iraq, marching. Just fabulous!
We then went to a wedding on Daufuskie Island, SC. By boat from our house it is just about 30 minutes. But by land, it takes an hour road trip to Hilton Head Island and then a 45 minute ferry ride. Our dear friends' daughter was married in a destination wedding there. It is really a beautiful barrier island that is a great place to visit, but I can tell you that the General would have a hard time permanently living there...not one grocery store. Everything has to be ferried over! Imagine that!
With all this activity, the grill sat under its cover for the last few days, but now spring has sprung in Savannah. Almost the beginning of the baseball season and the grilling and smoking season is on for those who do not do it year round. In honor of this occasion, we took a ride through Bonaventure Cemetery, one of the oldest and certainly the most beautiful cemeteries in Savannah...if not the world. Take a look at some of the beautiful pictures the little woman took today. Those of you who are still existing in cold climates...might not want to look at them!!
Now back to The General's business at hand...smokin' and grillin'.... We had an already cooked and highly coveted Costco ribeye steak. That steak did not go to waste...it went into fajitas! My version of fajita consists of three sliced bell peppers of assorted colors, one medium sliced onion, minced garlic, your favorite blackened seasoning, and olive oil. Put the vegetables in a Zip Loc bag and put in enough olive oil to coat them and mix well. Add a couple tablespoons of the minced garlic and a moderate sprinkling of the blackened seasoning to taste. Mix well again. The steak was already cooked, so all I did was thinly slice it. The day was rainy, so I chose to cook my ingredients in a skillet on the stovetop, but I would have much preferred to be grilling them in my perforated pan.
Place the marinated ingredients and the beef in a skillet and cook on medium heat until the peppers get soft and the onion becomes translucent. Warm your tortilla until it is soft...but not dried out. Serve with your favorite accompaniments...we used medium heat salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
March 14, 2006
Carnival of the Recipes
Carnival is up at Dubious Wonder. Lots of good recipes for you to try!
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
This is another great side item. This recipe should come with the warning: Do not attempt at the home kitchen...unless you have extremely sharp knives. Even my Henckels Professional (that was just sharpened) was no match for the sweet potato. They are extremely dense and hard to cut into French Fry shape...but it is well worth the effort.
Once you have the sweet potatoes cut, place in a Ziploc bag. Add a generous mixture of olive oil, minced garlic, and grated Parmesan cheese. Flip the potatoes around in the bag, so that all pieces are thoroughly coated.
Preheat your oven to 450*. Place on baking sheet with a rack on top. If you don't have a rack, spray your baking sheet with Pam, so the fries don't stick. Let them cook for approximately 25 minutes...until crispy and brown. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and brush with a light touch of BBQ sauce ...and dig in. The General guarantees that you will not have any leftovers...they are really good and sorta healthy!
The General's Championship Chicken Plus an Upscale Version
This is the exact recipe that The General competes with and wins with on the BBQ circuit. You, too, can be a winner with this recipe!
For the Rub
Lemon Pepper works really well, but for competition you might want to try Mike Mills' Magic Dust as The General did last night. Mike is three times World Champion of Memphis in May and co-author of "Peace, Love and Barbecue." The recipe for Mike's Magic Dust is published in the book, but I decided just ordering the finished product is a lot easier than ordering all of the ingredients for our small test kitchen. Also, Happy Holla Rub is the one we always use in competition. Our good friend and mentor, Ed Roith, would love for you to order some of his rub! Or you can just use your favorite rub....
The trick here is to make sure that you get the rub underneath the skin. And always cook "skin on" chicken to prevent the meat from drying out too much. (Forget about health here, it is a matter of flavor!)
After you properly season the chicken, place in the marinade.
For the Marinade:
8 oz of chicken broth (I use Swanson brand)
24 oz Italian salad dressing
8 oz Grey Poupon dijon mustard
2 T minced garlic
Combine ingredients in a gallon size Ziploc bag.
Be sure to seal the bag tightly and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
Prepare your grill for indirect cooking. Remove chicken from marinade and check and make sure you did not lose too much of your seasoning in the marinating process. You may want to add more seasoning, but do not cake it. Remember rub is an accent flavor and should not be a predominant one.
Melt some butter and add a small amount of garlic salt to it. Have your injection needle handy. Inject each piece of your chicken with the mixture. You play with this to get just the right amount for each piece.
Close the cover of your grill and get smokin'. (This is the time to light up a good smoke...like a Padron 4000.)
The little woman likes my 'upscale' chicken.
To 'upscale' add bell peppers, salsa and Swiss cheese at the end of your cooking process. If you do this for a party, The General can almost guarantee you that you will get rave reviews.
Now, if you are cooking competition DO NOT use the upscale recipe...you will be disqualified for "marking" your entry! On the subject of competition, there is an additional step that we do not do at home, but always do in competition. It is called "letting your chicken waller." Jumpin' Jim on the BBQ circuit gave The General this tip years ago. What does "waller" mean? It means taking your chicken off at approximately 160* and warming your sauce in a half pan and placing the chicken into the sauce for about one hour. (The chicken does not go back in the smoker when it is 'wallering.') After one hour, return to the grill over indirect heat and finish the cooking process...and you are finished when the meat reaches 170* internal temperature.
Over the last few years, just about every successful team cooks chicken thighs because they are the juiciest part of the chicken and give you less risk for drying out.
Posted by The General at 11:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackChicken Presentations from Jack Daniels
Here is a link to our pictures of the chicken presentations at Jack Daniel's in 2001. See more info about Jack Daniel's.
March 13, 2006
KCBS
Want to get more involved and be better informed about BBQ? Join the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS). Email kcbs@compuserve.com
They publish a newspaper called "The Bullsheet." It has listings of judging schools, cook offs throughout the country, and a lot of how-to information.
Now you can really be informed about BBQ!
Green Beans with Bacon and Onion
The General has been going through "Costco Withdrawal" since we moved to Savannah. The nearest Costco store is 102 miles away in Charleston, SC and we have made a couple of field trips...but the little woman has put her foot down...No more!
This weekend I bribed a friend who was driving down from Atlanta to bring us some Costco steaks in exchange for dinner and overnight lodging. Is Costco's meat really any better? It's all a matter of opinion, and I believe it is.
While on the subject of Costco, The General spent a good part of the weekend reading and researching for new recipes in Costco's book "Entertaining the Costco Way." It is a superb book for entertaining because the recipes are for 8-10 people, and it gives many party ideas as well as great recipes. It also gives many manufacturers recipes which I trust more than just recipes printed in magazines, newspapers, and even some cookbooks. Manufacturers always want to display their product in the very best light, so we will buy more of their products.
Now back to the Sunday night dinner. Every slab of meat deserves some good sides. I tried a new green bean recipe and hit a home run. It was published in the charter issue "Cooks Country" from the publishers of "Cooks Illustrated."
Green Beans with Bacon and Onion
1 medium onion sliced thin
3/4 C chicken broth
2 t dark brown sugar
2 t salt
2 t pepper
1 lb. green beans, stem ends snapped off
2 T red wine vinegar
1. Fry the bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove from pan and place onto a paper towel. Break into small pieces.
2. Discard all but 1-2 T of bacon fat and cook onion until it is translucent. Add broth, brown sugar, salt, & pepper and bring to a boil.
3. Add beans, cover and lower heat. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender and the liquid has reduced. (About 18-22 minutes)
4. Stir in vinegar and adjust seasonings to taste.
**Be careful and keep your heat at medium or lower at all times, as The General almost burned the pan sauteing the onions. Boy, do I hate the stove in this house!!
Bon apetit!
March 11, 2006
Get Ready for St. Patrick's Day
I was told by my editor-in-chief (the little woman) that I couldn't do a posting on smoked turkey because it wasn't near Thanksgiving or Christmas. But I think a smoked turkey sandwich is great year round. So here is timely one!
Smoked Corned Beef Brisket! Rinse the brisket off under cold water and season it with seasoned salt or Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper...along with the packet of seasonings which usually comes with the brisket.
Set your grill up for indirect cooking. Let the charcoal get ashey gray, put the brisket on the grate (might not hurt to have a drip pan underneath the grill grate), and cover the grill.
Depending upon the temperature in your grill, it should take approximately six hours to achieve an internal temperature of 190*. But remember, temperature always prevails over time.
Get yourself some Jewish rye, some good coarse ground deli mustard, and Swiss cheese. Stack yourself a sandwich with the finished smoked brisket. You can make a sandwich press by covering a brick with aluminum foil. Take out your black iron skillet (or another skillet). Coat the skillet with butter using moderate heat. Place your sandwich on the skillet with the brick on top. Turn it at least once until the bread is toasty. You now have a pressed corned beef sandwich to die for. **If you have a George Forman grill, it works great as a sandwich press. Remember to spray the George with some Pam!
To accompany your sandwich and for a complete St. Patty's meal, get a head of cabbage and core out the center almost all the way through. Replace the core with a stick of butter and some Lea and Perrin's Worcestershire sauce. Put it on indirect heat also and let it cook until the cabbage becomes tender. If the leaves become too brown, you can wrap the cabbage with aluminum foil after it has had some time to absorb the smoke.
I am planning on doing this next week. Pictures will follow.
Posted by The General at 09:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackMarch 10, 2006
212*
At what temperature does water boil and why would you want to know it?? Here's a tip from The General. To check the accuracy of your thermometer, boil a pan of water. Place the probe of the thermometer into the boiling water and see how close it gets to 212*. It should read 212* exactly.
Not only have you checked the accuracy of your thermometer, but you have cleansed it. Thermometers used on different meats can cause cross contamination. If you don't want to boil water every time you use your thermometer, buy some alcohol towelettes and keep them near your grill and stove.
I believe in the past we have lost BBQ contests because we did not check the accuracy of our thermometers. That is why when we do compete we always use more than one and do calibrate them beforehand.
March 09, 2006
A Food Orgy
Yesterday was a perfect day in Savannah with crisp blue sky, gentle breezes and temperatures in the high sixties. A perfect day for a trip to the beach. The General and his bride had planned this outing a week ago with a friend who is concierge at a local hotel. It was her day off and what could be better than to welcome in the season by having lunch in clear view of the ocean?
A minor disappointment set in when we discovered that our favorite little hangout was closed. Our guest, being in 'the business,' suggested a place that a lot of her guests were raving about. Stingray's is a joint on Butler Ave. that boasts good seafood and beer. It has a decidedly Key West feeling to it and it lived up to its reputation. The seafood was perfectly prepared and we had a chance sit outside and enjoy the day.
Later, we ended up at one of our favorite spots for some iced tea and a dessert. North Beach Grill is snuggled in between dunes adjacent to Fort Screven and across from Tybee Lighthouse. What a great spot!You can actually see the big cargo ships entering and leaving the Savannah River from your table.
We started chatting with our waiter Matthew who happens to be the manager. He had just returned from the Fiery Food Show and it turns out that he and his partner have a line of hot sauces. Although we didn't go to the FFS we know many of the people who were there exhibiting. As the conversation grew, next thing we knew we had 4 bottles of their hot sauce to take home and try. They call their hot sauces the "Highway 80 -Sauce of the South." Interesting enough, Highway 80 goes all the way across the country from the tip of Tybee Island to San Diego, CA.....sorta like Route 66 but longer!
We got a lesson in the different flavors. Rob, Matthew's partner, told us that they were not as interested in the heat of each individual sauce as much as they were interested in enhancing the flavor . The General likes that idea. Hot sauce for just heat does nothing for me. Flavor with an additional kick of heat is what I enjoy. This is the exact opposite of past experiences where most people just use food as a prop for the hot sauce and the heat of the sauce becomes the main event. Ugh!
The General can't wait to give an update on how we use the different flavors: Mango Habanero, Jalapeno Tomatillo, Jabanero Sweet Onion, and Thai Curry. Rob explained that one of them can be even used as a dressing for salad and another is good on eggs. Stay tuned for The General's experimentation.
Our guest was staying for dinner, so a stop at the seafood co-op was in order. She had never had steamed oysters, so I bought some from Apalachicola Bay. I must say that I have perfected the process so they come out perfect every time. The ladies enjoyed every last one. Served with garlic butter, there was no chance a vampire would cross our threshold!
The General doesn't know when to quit...especially when he has an audience...I went on to prepare boiled shrimp, grilled scallops (a disappointment), saffron rice and butter beans.
The food orgy ended with three foodies well sated.
March 08, 2006
Examples of brisket entries in KCBS BBQ competitions
Bill, a fellow we met when the missus and I made our brisket presentation at the NBBQA conference in Knoxville last month, suggested that he and his wife, who are just beginning to compete, would like some help with presentations.
It is always the little lady's job in BBQ competitions to do the presentations. For those of you who are not familiar with KCBS (Kansas City BBQ Society) competitions, presentation scores are roughly 25% of the total. The idea is that the meat (entry) should look so appetizing to the judge that s/he can't wait to devour it!
In 2001 we had a chance to hang out in the judges' area at the Jack Daniel's Invitational and we took pictures of lots of entries.
In order to be invited to "the Jack" a team needs both skill and luck. The skill comes in by the team winning a state championship or a contest with a large number of entries (I think over 50, but I am not positive). The luck comes by then getting your name entered in the draw. The event site in Lynchburg, TN, cannot accommodate all of the teams that qualify, so the 'luck of the draw' comes into play.
Nevertheless, the teams competing at any Jack Daniel's contest are some of the best in the world.
So, here is a link to some of the brisket entries and the variety of styles is clearly evident.
March 07, 2006
Grilled Salmon
The General is branching out! I usually smoke fish using the indirect method. But the success of my recent grouper escapade, emboldened me to try it again.
I bought a fillet of Norwegian farm raised salmon at Sam's and marinated it using our favorite salmon marinade. Make sure you do not marinate the fish for more than an hour. I used our fish baskets again so that the fish would not fall apart.
I flipped it every 2-3 minutes and pulled it when it reached 135* internal temperature. Asparagus with hollandaise and sweet corn rounded out the meal. We were both pleasantly surprised.
Carolina Hot Dog Chili for Chili Dogs
The little woman has never liked Chili Dogs. When we lived in Atlanta, every once in a while we would sneak over to "The Varsity"...a mecca that serves their famous chili dogs, very greasy but wonderful onion rings, and fantastic frosted oranges. She always had to order her dog "naked." Never once in her life has she tried one...that is until this week!
Our neighbor, Wild Bill, brought over a dish of his "Hot Dog Chili." When he first told us that he was going to make it, the missus thought that it was chili made with hot dogs! Imagine that! Well, she smelled Wild Bill's chili, tasted it, and went back for seconds. Surprising the heck out of me, she said that would like try it on a hot dog! I had a bunch of quarter pound all beef dogs, and some good buns. I fixed one for each of us and suggested she add chopped onions and mustard! It was love at first bite...she is now a convert!
Here is Bill's Carolina Hot Dog Chili Recipe
1 1/2 lbs ground beef, extra lean
1 3/4 C water
1 C onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 C ketchup
1/4 t chili powder
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t cider vinegar
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 T hot sauce (Bill used Crystal brand Louisiana hot sauce)
Place the beef and water in a 4 1/2 quart Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat. Bring the water to a boil. Add the onion. When the water boils again, reduce heat to medium and stir to begin breaking up the meat.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir well until the tomato paste had completely dissolved and the meat is broken up.
Continue to stir the chili at a slow boil, stirring about every 5 minutes or so, until the mixture is thick, about 15 minutes. As the mixture thickens, you may need to reduce the heat to low to prevent sticking.
Thanks, Bill, for this great recipe!!
Posted by The General at 06:13 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBackMarch 05, 2006
Cajun Fajitas
In the process of cleaning out The General's home freezer (or the death chamber for most food I put in there), I found a 28 oz. chicken fajita kit. I have no idea how it got in there...neither the little woman nor I claim to have purchased it! It was complete with fajitas, bell peppers and much to my surprise only 6 oz. of chicken . I immediately saw the need to tweak it.
I then purchased more bell peppers and a pound of chicken tenders.
(You can save some money by buying your own chicken breasts, de-boning them and cutting them into strips. Or you could even do the same with chicken thighs which The General thinks is the juiciest and most flavorful part of the chicken. The General just wasn't motivated.)
I cut strips out of the bell peppers and added them along with strings of onion, and the extra chicken to the original ingredients. Now if you like things hot, add some seeded diced jalapeno. Combine those ingredients with a light coating of olive oil and Cajun's Choice blackened seasoning.
I reached for The General's trusty square teflon perforated grilling pan and placed everything in it. After the coals got ashy gray, I put the pan over direct heat and stirred frequently. Your chicken should always be cooked to over 160* (preferably 165*-170*). When the chicken reached that temperature, you know your dish is ready.
We used the small tortillas that came in the package, but they were really too small. We think an 8" round would be better. Add salsa, sour cream and guacamole to make this a cajun fajita.
We will definitely do this again...but we obviously won't purchase a "packaged kit." Who did buy it????
Posted by The General at 02:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackGood & Easy Gumbo
Sometimes you just get lucky! The General went to the local seafood co-op in search of some inspiration. I found some half sheets of paper with a recipe for gumbo along with a package of Gumbo base and felt adventurous...so I purchased all of the ingredients to make this recipe. The little woman and I have not had a whole lot of success recently in the "soup" category, so I did not hold out much hope for this venture. But, if I didn't get a home run, I at least got a triple with this one!
I am convinced that one could make a full time hobby out of shopping for Mississippi Delta/Louisiana spices, blackening ingredients, etc. Those people sure do know how to flavor food superbly!
Easy Gumbo Recipe:
1 1/2 lb. peeled shrimp
1 lb. smoked sausage
1/2 lb. claw crab meat
2 cups cooked white rice
2 5 oz pk Oak Grove Gumbo Base
7 cups cool water
In a 4 qt. stock pot stir in gumbo base and cool water until lumps are gone.
Heat to a slow simmer.
Add sliced sausage.
Allow to simmer 10 minutes (stirring occasionally).
Add shrimp and crab.
Allow to simmer 10 minutes (stirring occasionally).
Add cooked rice.
Remove from heat and allow to sit 10 minutes.
I made two mistakes when making the original recipe and I have corrected them in the recipe above. I only used one package of the Oak Grove Gumbo Base instead of two. It was still delicious with one, but the flavor will be more intense using the two. I purchased one pound of shell on shrimp, so I lost about a third of a pound when the shells came off. We both thought using one and a half pounds of shelled shrimp would give more of those little guys per serving.
We plan to have these ingredients on hand so that if we have some unexpected company we can whip up this tasty gumbo in a flash!
*The end result tasted better than the picture.*
Posted by The General at 02:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackMarch 04, 2006
Danish Baby Back Ribs
This week's Carnival of the Recipes is being hosted by Egoist and it has a Danish theme, so The General had decided to post about ribs...specifically Danish Baby Back Ribs.
The General's rib of choice is not the baby back rib - it is the St. Louis "2 and up" cut. (See earlier post.) I feel that this cut gives the most meat per bone and is the most flavorful. And this is the cut that I most often use in competition. However, if a catering client specifies "Baby Backs" then, of course, the General will oblige.
Many restaurants (Chili's comes to mind) have marketed the baby back ribs as the "only" truly great rib taste wise...have your own taste test and then you decide.
So, what is the difference between a baby back rib and a St. Louis cut?
The Ribman gives a great chart and clear explanations of the cuts from the hog.
And my friend Mark Thomas gives the definitive answer that has always puzzled The General. What is the difference between American and Danish baby back ribs? There is one more rib on the Danish ribs....13 instead of 12! The Danish hog is called the "Land Race." Mark went on to say that there are three defining points to the taste of pork ribs. The breed of the hog, what it is fed, and the age it is slaughtered.
In deference to the Danish theme this week, here is a recipe for a similar product to "Chili's Baby Back Ribs" (of course The General prefers his competition ribs recipe the best!)
4 racks of Danish pork baby back ribs
Sauce
1 1/2 C water
1 C white vinegar
1/2 C tomato paste
1 T yellow mustard
2/3 C dark brown sugar
1 t liquid smoke
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t paprika
- Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat
- After coming to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sauce is thick (about 45 min)
- Preheat oven to 300*
- Brush sauce over the entire surface of each rib
- Wrap each rack tightly in aluminum foil and arrange the packets on a backing sheet with the seam of the foil facing up.
- Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat on the ribs has pulled back from the cut ends of the bones by about 1/2 inch
- Get your grill ready.
- Remove the ribs from the foil and grill them for 4-8 minutes until they just begin to char
- Right before you are ready to take the ribs off, brush both sides with the sauce
- Remove immediately or the sauce will burn
By baking the ribs in tightly wrapped foil, this recipe calls for you to steam them. This will produce a tender rib, but steam takes away flavor. That is why this recipe relies on the sauce being spread heavily over the ribs.
*The General always slow cooks his ribs to retain the flavor and gain the tenderness.*
March 02, 2006
Carnival of the Recipes
Carnival of the Recipes #80 is up. The BBQ General's lamb recipe was accepted! Go take a look at some of the great recipes!
March 01, 2006
Grilled Grouper with Dilled Cucumber Sauce
The General went to the Seafood Co-op yesterday and sprung for some $12.99 lb grouper. (The missus had invited our friend Alice for dinner.) What makes cooking fun is when you surpass your normal abilities and go beyond.
I have always used the indirect method for cooking fish by placing a sheet of aluminum foil over the grill grate and putting either butter or Pam on the surface of the aluminum foil to keep the fish from sticking.
Last night the grouper went over direct heat using the fish basket. Again, make sure your trusty can of Pam is around so you can spray the basket before placing the fish on it...no sticking for The General! I placed the fish basket over direct coals and turned it every 2-3 minutes. When I wasn't turning it, I kept the grill top on. Almost all cookbooks tell you to cook the fish until it begins to flake. I also check the internal temperature which should be between 130*-135*.
Here is a really simple recipe that will bring you great results! The little women loved it!
I adapted a recipe from our friend Karen Adler's book called "Hooked on Fish on the Grill."
First step: Coat fillets generously with olive oil. Then add a moderate coat of Chef Paul Prudomme's Seafood Magic to both sides of the fillets.
Cook the fillets using the basket technique described above.
Dilled Cucumber Sauce:
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 sprigs fresh dill or 1 t dried
1/2 t salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste.
Combine all above ingredients in a food processor. Refrigerate until fish is grilled and serve on the side.
Cast Iron
Heading home from Knoxville and the NBBQA conference, we got about 30 miles down the road and the General saw a billboard for the Lodge Outlet Store. This is a 'must stop' for any foodie.
Lodge manufactures cast iron cookware. As a child growing up in the South, your cast iron skillet was considered a treasure. Lodge also carries a full line of BBQ equipment and supplies. I was on the lookout for a 17" skillet that I saw used at the Caterers' Showcase on Friday night. It was a very nice presentation used for the baked beans.
We also found a novelty item for making fish-shaped cornbread. We have already tried this and it worked!
Another item in the store is what I call "grill baskets." Grill baskets allow you to be able to move fish (and other delicate items that will break apart) around on the grill and cook over direct heat. The missus wouldn't let the General replace his antique baskets even though I lusted for wanted them.
Here is an article extolling the virtues of cast iron cooking!
Temperature Prevails Over Time
The General finished his presentation on brisket at the NBBQA conference in Knoxville on Saturday and he wants to thank our new friend Scott for helping in the demo!
We brought home the brisket flat, and I cooked it on Sunday. Great flavor!
As I reflect on the recent classes I've done, the most frequently asked question seems to be, "How long do I cook it?"
Much to the surprise of the audiences, my stock answer is, "Temperature always prevails over time." Now why is this?
If you go by time, there is an assumption that every oven in America is calibrated the same. Much less, all the different variations of BBQ grills and smokers...some of which you can't even begin to control the temperature. If you are cooking in Denver, 5000' above sea level, meat is going to cook differently than in Savannah at 13' above sea level. In Tryon, NC, where the North Carolina KCBS State Championship is held, it's a thermal valley and I don't know much about science, but I think that means that the air is thinner. All I do know, it that our brisket and pork butts were done significantly earlier (7:30 am) than other contests when they should be finished around 10:30 am.
What I want to encourage all of you to do is to keep strict notes of your grill temperatures and the time it takes to cook your products. Then you'll KNOW how long it takes to cook it!
Posted by The General at 02:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
