Recipes

October 11, 2016 Featured

Authentic Jerk Chicken Rub

Authentic Jamaican Jerk chicken – how can you make it easy?

I visited at one of the south’s most authentic jerk festivals to try to get some tricks on spices that will unlock authentic Jamaican Jerk flavor. I learned some basics:

Most often you’ll get leg quarters… With the skin scored… Jerk spice rub is typically a fiery blend of allspice, Scotch bonnet peppers and sometimes scallion, thyme, ginger, even rum. The folks i talked to in the video were big into escovitch (pickled vegetables).

The habanero is the standard scotch bonnet substitute- they are different, but the same species. When ripe, the Scotch bonnet looks sort of like a little squashed reddish orange paper lantern.

flickr-Jason Smith

After some research (tasty research) I adapted this rub and here’s how to make it at home…

Good news is the leg quarters are really affordable.. Start with that. I used half Chickens here but the breast is less forgiving than the dark meat – that’s why competition BBQ teams use thighs exclusively… I also used the remaining sauce in the small blender after coating chicken and added 4 tablespoons of cane syrup and 4 tablespoons of texas pete plus another habanero and blended to create a VERY hot but wonderful hot sauce. Great flavor.

JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN
4 chicken leg quarters

¼ cup canola oil

2 Tbsp whole Allspice Berries (pimento berries)

2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp salt

8 cloves

6 sliced habanero peppers

¼ cup cane syrup

1 green onion, chopped
Score chicken and heat smoker to 275°F. Brush the chicken with canola oil. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth and sticky. Use apple or cherry wood chips for a sweet smoked flavor and throw in a few of the whole allspice berries as well. Brush mixture on chicken and under skin. Smoke approximately 45 minutes – 1 hour. Remove chicken from the smoker when the temperature is 160°F and let it stand about 10 minutes so it will be at the targeted temperature of 165°F by the time you are ready to eat. Baste with additional jerk seasoning before serving.

August 14, 2016 Featured

Seafood Sauces Made Easy

Seafood may not be barbecue but a good fish fry outdoors with friends comes pretty close.

Seafood and barbecue both share some room on the plate for hush puppies (grab our free Sauces and Sides book for a solid hush puppy recipe). Not sure how hush puppies ever got into the barbecue category but I think it has to do with Jamaican festival).

Also barbecue and seafood are almost always served with a few sauces. Lately I’ve been feeling cheated at a few seafood houses for being stingy with the Tartar sauce so below (and in the video) are a few quick recipes so you can make cocktail sauce and Tartar Sauce in the comfort of your own home. The video also features a visit to one of my two favorite seafood shacks of all time: Bowen’s Island. The other is Tybee Island’s Crab Shack. Neither has ever short changed me on Tartar sauce.
Cocktail Sauce:

Combine your favorite Ketchup with horseradish to taste.
Dash of worchestichire (optional)
Dash of hotsauce (optionall)

Tartar Sauce / Seafood Sauces Made Easy

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
Allow mixture to set in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

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July 30, 2016 Featured

Grill the Perfect Beer Bratwurst

Brats Done Better

By Anthony Robert

Grilled Beer Bratwurst

Everyone has their own secret perfect bratwurst recipe. Not being from Wisconsin, I can’t tell you if this recipe is perfect or not. What I can tell you is this recipe has produced for me some very delicious bratwurst. I have heard people say the Secret to great bratwurst is to simmer them in beer first (Really? Gee no kidding?), or cook them slow or make sure the fire is the right temp.

In my experience, the secret is simply patience. How long to grill bratwurst depends on how you grill them. You can throw them straight on the grill which will take about 25-30 minutes or boil the brats in beer, wine or water for about 20 minutes. After boiling, then they are grilled for 4-6 minutes. Boiling them first (also called par-poaching) in beer first improves the flavor so dramatically its almost a sin just to throw them straight on the grill. Regardless, brats take a little while to cook thoroughly. If you rush, you could easily end up with a bratwurst that is burnt on the outside and not so done on the inside.

If not handled properly, the long cooking time often burst the brat’s thin skin letting all the glorious juices out, causing a dried up brat.

Bratwurst Tradition

Due to the large German population, Wisconsin is known for their beer and bratwurst. Germans brought their bratwurst sausage recipes as they settled throughout the area in the 1800’s. Bratwurst is traditionally made from pork, although there are bratwurst that are all beef or other meats. In selecting which brand of brat to cook is a personal choice. Johnsonville is a popular national brand and is as good as any, unless you live around Wisconsin, where you can find many delicious alternatives.

Although gas grills are fine to use, bratwurst tastes the best when grilled over charcoal or wood. I have seen some fry bratwurst in a pan, but this reduces the taste to nothing more than a large breakfast sausage. Here’s how to grill perfect bratwurst

What To Grill

6 Brats

6 Good quality rolls (Semmel Rolls if you can find them)

1 whole onion

1 large Green pepper

12 ounces of beer

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon salt

How To Grill It

If you have a gas grill, the sideburner is perfect for this.

Cut the onion in half and slice. Slice the green pepper into 1/4 inch wide strips. In a 2 quart saucepan, sauté the sliced onion and green pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter for three to four minutes.

Remove 1/2 of the sauteed onions and green peppers and place in a bowl covered with foil to keep warm. (You can use these on the brats later) Leave the remaining onion and peppers in the pan.

Next add 1 bottle or can of beer and 1 cup of water and bring to a low simmer. Never boil bratwurst –it will break open the skins. A low simmer is when there is steam rising off of the water and no bubbles are coming to the surface.

You can use any beer, but full flavored Mexican beers like Corona or Tecate work great.Light beer is not recommended.

Simmer the brats on low heat for 20 minutes and remove. (Discard the liquid and peppers). Take your simmered brats straight to the grill. Be careful not to break the skin. Grill on a low setting. the key here is low and slow. Brats can be cooked either directly over the fire or indirectly, where the fire is on one side of the grill and the food is grilled over the unlit portion. This allows the bratwurst to cook with little risk of burning from flare ups.

Grill the brats for 4-6 minutes total, turning often until brown. They are now ready to serve.

Use only tongs to turn. Using a fork or anything else that can poke holes in your brats will let all the good juices out and result in a dried out brat. Flare-ups from the dripping fat will cause the outside to burn as well.

Condiments:

Serve on good quality fresh baked rolls (not hot dog buns) and top with the onion and pepper mix that you sauteed, or with brown or deli-style mustard — or all of the above. If you like Sauerkraut on your brats, Use the fresh Sauerkraut from the refrigerated section of the supermarket. I like to use the Bavarian style with caraway seeds. Heat it in a pan with some course cracked black pepper.

Bratwurst and Beer with sauerkraut is one of my favorite grilled foods. It is fun to cook and so delicious.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Robert
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Grill-the-Perfect-Beer-Bratwurst&id=3033711

July 25, 2016 Cook

Whole Lamb BBQ On a Spit

Whole lamb BBQ on a spit is a traditional way to celebrate Greek Easter. But we think it’s an impressive way to do a backyard BBQ whatever the day. So how do you spit roast a 40 pound lamb for your Holiday BBQ feast? I turned to my friends Pete Stamatis and Nick Hatsus MD and they walk you through the process in this video.

When I asked the guys about filming their cook I actually had thought I missed the opportunity ( I remembered after my Easter holiday). However the Greek Orthodox church celebrates the holiday later- so I was actually right on time. The Orthodox Church continues to follow the Julian calendar when calculating the date of Easter and there is a thirteen-day difference between the two calendars, the Julian calendar being thirteen days behind the Gregorian.

First step is to find a whole lamb and (like a hog) in this Walmart world you might have to search around for a local butcher. The internet is another option where I saw prices of $5.50 a pound hanging weight. Plus expect a $75 processing charge or delivery. Expect $275 to $350 for a 40 to 50 pound lamb. You’ll also need to store it cold until you are ready to cook (something to consider).

Then secure your spit roaster. Spitjack is the most popular vendor for roasting tools like these. They are located in Easthampton, MA and if you can’t get to their store you can get almost everything for the same price here. Their model CXB55 Lamb, Goat, & Whole Hog Rotisserie handles lamb and any beast up to 55 pounds or so.

Otherwise, you can rent one from a local all-purpose renter such as Taylor Rental. It’ll cost $75 to $100 for the day.

Seasoning on the lamb is done before and during the spit roast (with a baste). After the lamb is on the spit securely the chef will coat the lamb inside and out with lemon, olive oil and a rub of oregano, salt, pepper, rosemary and parsley. Recipe below.

Hardwood lump charcaol is preferred and once the coals are covered in a fine white ash set your lamb and spit across the cooking area. Keep the lamb approximately three feet above the hot coals. During the cook slowly lower, incrementally, the animal closer to the coals – not lower than a foot and a half from the flames. Baste the skin of the lamb occasionally during the cook with a combination of the rub, oil and lemon juice.

For one chef online with a 37 pound lamb. Cook time was 5 hr 20 mins.—and used 55 lbs Kingsford briquettes.
The lamb in the video was 40 pounds and took over 4 hours. The pit in the video is half closed – with a back to the spit – and that will be faster than a spit that’s open on both sides. Plus weather, type of fuel and wind will play a factor.

Hogs are traditionally cooked to a pull apart temperature of almost 200 degrees Fahrenheit. With lamb it should be cooked to your liking however you’ll want to hit internal temp of 150 to 160 Fahrenheit (in the thickest part of the thigh. The joints will loosen dramatically when you’re close. Use a meat thermometer to be sure and then remove from the roasting area and let it rest on the carving table for 10 to 20 minutes before carving.

Whole Lamb BBQ Spice

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Salt,
2 Tbsp. Pepper,
1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
4 Tbsp. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Dry mint
Zest of one Lemon and one Orange

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and reserve half to combine with olive oil for basting.
Basil, Rosemary, and marjoram are optional (or use the fresh sprigs tied together for a flavorful basting brush)

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July 14, 2016 Featured

Loaded Hasselbacks

If you love a good potato – this is a GREAT potato. Add just a bit of artistry, time, and care and you get the Loaded Hasselback. All the same starchy goodness of the original Hasselback (feathered buttery crispy) with a Gooey cheese and bacon surprise. Dang it. Just realized we forgot the green onions or chives. You should add that. The BBQ Trick is to use two wooden spoons as a slicing guide as to not separate the spud in pieces.

All in all the recipe is a lot easier than it looks. As always potatoes take time to soften so give em time to do just that BEFORE adding the cheese.

Bonus: watch the video until the end where we experiment with a Hasselback SWEET potato with bacon that was a great treat.

Loaded Hasselbacks

Ingredients

2 hasselbacked russet potatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
4 strips cooked bacon
Salt and pepper
Sliced jalapeno
1 sliced cherry pepper
Sliced cheddar cheese

Instructions

Place potatoes on a baking pan to avoid dripping. Season generously with salt and pepper. Tuck pieces of bacon between every other potato slice. Coat potatoes with oil and grill (lid down to roast at 425 degrees for 25 minutes; brush with more oil. Return to the grill and roast 25 minutes more before tucking pieces of cheese and red and green pepper (alternating). Roast until the bacon is heated through and the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes more. Grill until browned, 1 to 3 minutes. Season; brush with remaining oil. Top with green onions. Top with sour cream to taste.

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June 26, 2016 Featured

BIG Mac Fatty

Here’s a new twist on a big “fatty.”

A Fatty is basically a smoked BBQ meatloaf. And there are a lot of different kinds of them. See below for two different versions from GrateTV including a breakfast and Italian fatty. A few years ago the Bacon Explosion was a fatty that received a lot of hype for it’s over indulgent qualities.

The Big Mac is the world’s most iconic burger and there’s one trick to emulating that taste that has been embedded in our flavor library since childhood trips to Micky D’s. The “special” sauce. Starting with a “special” recipe from the BBQ Blueprint for the sauce (it’s also in the free Sauces and Sides book here) we took a few hours and created the fatty version of the McDonald’s Big Mac. It’s loaded with american cheese, pickles onions, special sauce, beef, and sesame seeds. Why did we wrap it in bacon too? Why not?

Breakfast Fatty How To

March 23, 2016 Recipes

White Barbecue Sauce Recipe

BBQ Sauce

White Barbecue Sauce – Gourmet BBQ Sauce at Its Best
By Chris McCarthy

Barbecuing is not what it used to be. When growing up the only time that my family would start up the grill or smoker was in the summer and on the weekends. Today, people barbecue every night and all year round. Barbecue sauces have come along way since then as well. There used to be only a couple of choices at your local market. But now with the invention of “super” markets the amount barbecue sauces you can buy locally has grown significantly. For those gourmet barbecue sauces the web is probably the only place you will find these unique sauces. If you don’t live in the Alabama area the only place you will find traditional White BBQ Sauce like Big Bob Gibson’s is on the web or of course you can try to make it yourself.

In Alabama Barbecue traditional Sauce uses Mayonnaise as its base rather than tomato sauce, vinegar, or any of the other more typical barbecue sauce bases. It is clearly a region favorite. Bob Gibson of Decatur, Alabama is credited with the invention the white sauce back in 1925. Friends and family were first treated to this secret-recipe sauce on chicken and pork at weekend barbecues where boards were nailed to trees for tables. Today, this famous mayonnaise-based condiment is traditionally employed to baste chicken, seafood and pork.

White BBQ Sauce is as synonymous with the state with Alabama as the legendary “BAMA” football program. White BBQ Sauce’s intriguing flavor complements salads and is a superb baste for chicken, pork and turkey. You can also use White Sauce as an ingredient to add an extra kick to your favorite slaw or potato salad. However, because the racks of your local grocer are dominated by many incarnations of tomato-based sauces and white bbq sauce is such a regional anomaly, most people outside Alabama have not tested this concoction of flavor.

Like many barbecue sauces you want to apply this only at the very end of your grilling or smoking. It will breakdown and separate if it is heated too long. Use this sauce on chicken and turkey. It is also good on pork. Alabama White Barbecue Sauce has a tangy flavor that is a great addition to grilled foods.

White BBQ Sauce makes a unique experience. Use this recipe when grilling chicken; brush lightly over the chicken during the last few minutes of grilling. This sauce is also great for dipping; keep some sauce aside for passing at the table.

White BBQ Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

1 quart mayonnaise

3/4 quart apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/4 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Prepared horseradish

Lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a very large blender or food processor. Blend for 1 minute, or until thoroughly mixed and sauce is smooth. Pour sauce into a large container or bowl.

Chris McCarthy is the owner of InsaneChicken’s BBQ Sauce Catalog. InsaneChicken is proud to sell Big Bob Gibson White BBQ Sauce and a BBQ Sauce of the month club [http://www.insanechicken.com/bbq_sauce_of_the_month_club.html]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_McCarthy
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March 23, 2016 Featured

BBQ Chicken Done Crispy – Barbecue Tricks

Crispy skin on BBQ chicken can be a tricky thing. The slow roasted fat-rendering is just not something our fast paced world takes care to do. Plus if you’re attempting to slowly smoke poultry a lot of times you can end up with a rubbery skin. Some competition guys will remove, chill and shave the skins for chicken thighs… that’s a lot of work. Here’s a different method. I think it retains more fatty flavor too.

Salt The Chicken Under the Skin

It’s a trick to control the barbecue chicken. It’s easy but takes a bit of time. Four hours prep time to be exact.

The secret is in salting the pieces (you can spice the salt a bit see recipe below).

I call it a dry brine. Rub your spice blend into the meat UNDER the skin and lightly on the skin surface on all sides. Thenplace the pieces on a pan uncovered in the refrigerator to dry fro four hours. You can experiment with the time if you want but it has worked repeatedly for me with different sized pieces.

After four hours remove and if ther is any moisture on the pieces of chicken blot with towel (I did not see any when I did the video).

I used a water pan smoker (Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal) and cooked low (about 270 degrees) for about an hour with pecan wood smoke (wood chips). The result was a golden brown crispy skin that is tought to find without a rotisserie.

Crispy Skin BBQ Chicken

Internal temp was over 160 so after a quick slather of a sweet sauce I lowered the grate (use the bottom of the smoker without the middle piece or fire up your grill to HIGH) and seared the pieces over a direct high heat. Pay attention here this process is quick and flame ups happen quickly.

Be prepared to remove from the grill at any point.

The result was a crispy – bite through – succulent batch of bbq chicken. See the result in the video and “thumb it up” and subscribe if you like.

Crispy BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole cut-up chicken

Pecan wood chips for grilling

Dry Brine Ingredients:

2 tsp salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

Lip-smacking Homemade BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large clove of garlic, minced

1 medium onion, minced

1 Chipotle pepper, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

5 Tbsp dark molasses

3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp hot sauce

Mix 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp garlic powder together and spread on outside of each piece of chicken as well as underneath the skin. Place in the refrigerator for about 4 hours. This brining technique will produce a crispier skin while preserving moisture in the chicken during grilling. Put the chicken on indirect heat in a charcoal smoker and cook low and slow for about one hour, adding wood chips as necessary for flavor. I use pecan wood. While that is cooking, make the sauce. Heat oil in a deep sauce pan and add garlic and onions until they soften. Add Chipotle pepper and heat for 20 seconds before stirring in the remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes until thickened. When cool, strain out onion and garlic “chunks” if desired. After smoking for about an hour, move chicken to direct heat, cover generously on both sides with barbecue sauce. Cook for about 10-15 minutes turning constantly to char, basting with more sauce. Be careful as the sugar will burn, so move pieces as flare-ups occur. Serve with additional heated barbecue sauce on the side.

March 20, 2016 Featured

Slow Cooker BBQ Recipe Made Easy

Simple Crock Pot BBQ

If barbecue is done any way but outside and over coals you’ll always have the ‘Que “purists” all worked up in a lather – I always hear from them! :). Typically BBQ is outdoor cookin’. But there are ways to cheat a bit. The main ingredient is time. Got an easier way please comment.

Low and slow is the key. This slow cooker / crock pot barbecue recipe is so simple it’s hard to beat for your next informal group feast. Plus the cleanup is a cinch (you only dirty the pot and two forks)!

You will need to plan for 16+ hours of cook time but otherwise it’s easy. With the addition of just a loaf of white bread and pickles – it’s super affordable to feed a crowd.

SEE HOW TO BBQ VIDEO HERE

Makes 16 Servings:

5 lbs Boston Butt
21 oz. Barbeque Sauce (your favorite – we used Sweet Baby Ray’s)
2 tbl. Lemon Juice
2 tsp.Brown Sugar
1 onion – chopped
3 tsp. Creole Seasoning (Tony Cachere’s)
Loaf of sliced White Bread

Rub the meat with one teaspoon seasoning. Place the meat skin (if any) side down in the cooker. Heat on slow for approximately fifteen (15) hours or until soft enough to fall apart. See BBQ video.

Temporarily remove meat to drain all liquid from pot. Replace and pull apart into thumb sized chunks using two forks. Remove any unwanted excess fat and skin pieces. Add remaining ingredients and mix again. Do not over mix or completely shred ( some larger chunks will help final texture).

Heat / cook on low for approximately two additional hours.

Stir and serve with white bread.

August 22, 2015 Featured

Rosemary Skewers – Gettin’ Twiggy With It

In a previous post we suggested using ba

sil twigs as a nice addition to the smoker to add that “extra something” to your grilled meat. Here’s another barbecue trick.

You can use long, strong, rosemary twigs as skewers for your next elegant kebab.

This is a great reason to grow a large rosemary bush in your garden. They actually look and smell great and, in the right climate, they stay green most of the year. They even flower. I’ve seen many waist high rosemary bushes at restaurants and friend’s homes that produce great skewers.

Just strip off the leaves, except for a couple of inches at the tip. They add a rustic look and great flavor to the meat and veggies.

Twigs for skewers could work with many other herb plants. Experiment!

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