Smoked Baked Beans

The other day I saw an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives where they were showcasing BBQ places.  One of them had smoked beans on their menu and since it was a couple days before I was going to smoke ribs and I had planned on having baked beans with them anyway, I thought.. I'm gonna smoke those beans!  Now, the downside to this is I should have put the beans in during the first hour of smoking the ribs and then just reheated them on the grill - but I didn't.  I don't believe I got as much of the smokey flavor in there as I could have.  But, that's ok.. these beans were still delicious and we ate every last bit of them!  It could have been the jalapenos.... or the bacon... yea, it's probably the bacon!!!

And I know.. should I really be calling them "baked" when I'm smoking them... shouldn't I just call them smoked beans?  Technically, yes, but hey, it's my blog and my recipe and I get to name it whatever I want.  If you make this, I give you permission to call it whatever you want - just make it :)

Smoked Baked Beans
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
16oz can Bush's Homestyle baked beans
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and diced (leave seeds for more heat)
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch squares
small aluminum disposable loaf pan

Directions:
Mix together the beans, jalapenos, molasses, mustard, garlic, and sugar.  Season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Pour into disposable aluminum pan and top with squares of bacon.  Place in a preheat smoker (225-240 degrees F) and allow to smoke for 1-2 hours.  Remove from oven and cover until ready to use.  If not using right away, reheat on grill or in oven.  Serve with some smoked balsamic ribs and enjoy!!

One Year Ago:  Queso Blanco Chicken Enchiladas
Two Years Ago:  Pasta with Sausage, Basil & Mustard

Smoked Balsamic Pork Ribs

It's been a while since I broke out the smoker.  Actually, I haven't had it running since we moved into our new house.  Blasphemy you say?  Well, I agree, and that is why I broke it out two weekends ago.  What better thing to christen it with than ribs, right?  And these ribs aren't just any ribs.. they are smoked AND they are covered with a fantastic balsamic/rosemary rub.  The flavors were amazing.

Don't worry if you don't have a smoker... the flavor of these ribs would be just perfect grilling them or even roasting them in the oven (email me if you want pointers on either way of cooking mentioned).  I might be a little bias though, as I adore balsamic vinegar and rosemary.  It's sort of like chocolate and red wine.. it's like they were meant for each other!

Smoked Balsamic Pork Ribs
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
3 large garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 rack pork ribs
For the glaze:
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
For the smoking:
2 bottles of beer (any kind will do)
mix of Hickory and Texas Roadhouse chips

Directions:
Mince and mash up garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.  Stir together with rosemary, brown sugar, vinegar, cayenne, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper.  Rub evenly all over ribs and cover with plastic wrap.  Marinate in refrigerator for 4-6 hours.  Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before you are ready to smoke them.

To make the glaze:  Add water, balsamic, and brown sugar to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Store covered until ready to use.

Preheat smoker to 225 degrees F.  Add your wood chips.  Add the beer to the water pan.  Place the ribs in the smoker and smoke for 3 hours.  Remove from smoker and brush some with half of the glaze.  Wrap tightly in foil and return to the smoker.  Continue to smoke for another 2 hours.

At this point, I threw mine on the grill and basted with the glaze, but you can easily just start eating them and use some of the glaze as a dip.  If you grill, preheat grill to 375 degrees, place directly over the fire and grill for about 4 minutes on each side, basting with remaining glaze.  Remove from grill and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Jalapeno Cheddar Grilled Chicken
Two Years Ago:  Caramelized Chicken Breasts with Garlic Rice

Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs

A few weeks ago, I was bested by a rack of St. Louis style ribs.  Ok, in all honesty, I was bested by myself and my lack of keeping my grill it's cleanest.  That's right, another 2 minutes to flare up action and this time, the gunk on the bottom of the grill was thick enough that everything caught fire.  (I am holding my head in shame, by the way) I put it all out before it could start anything outside of the grill on fire, but needless to say, it was so intense, it completely ruined dinner.  Lesson here kids, it's so very important to keep your grill clean!!!  The next morning Chris and I spent over an hour cleaning and scraping and everything else needed to get the grill back up in working condition.  Had I taken that time over the weekend before, I would not have wasted a whole rack of perfectly smoked ribs. (UGH!!  That hurt, trust me!!)

But for those of you that truly know me, you know I'm not going to let food get the best of me.  So, the next chance I got, I bought some more St Louis style ribs (at half price again, thank you!!) and gave it another try.  And I am so glad that I did!  These ribs were perfectly cooked and tasted fantastic!  Now, I did something funky when I opened up the smoker and by the time I got the ribs situated, I noticed my smoke had died down.  What does that mean exactly?  Well, it means that I did not have smoke at the most important time of cooking (the first hour), so I did not get that wonderful pink smoke ring on the meat.  But that is ok...the ribs were still smokey and wonderful.  I may not have perfected smoking just yet, but I'll keep practicing, TRUST ME!!

Oh.. and a little shout out to Chris at Nibble Me This for this recipe.  If it were not for his guidance, I definitely would not have had such a wonderful outcome!  Thanks Chris!

Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs
Inspired and greatly influenced by Chris at Nibble Me This
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 rack St Louis style ribs (trimmed - check out this video for tips)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons paprika
1/2 Tablespoon pepper
1/2 Tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup barbecue sauce

Directions:
Mix 2 tablespoons brown sugar, paprika, pepper, garlic salt, cayenne, oregano, onion powder, sage, and chili powder together in a small bowl until well combined.  Rub mixture over ribs and let rest for 1 hour.

Preheat smoker to 225-250 degrees F.  (I used apple wood chips, but you can use whatever you type of chip you want.)  Place the ribs (bone side down) in the smoker and let smoke for 3 hours.  Don't touch that door to check on them, let them just smoke uninterrupted.

Mix together the honey, butter, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.  Remove the ribs from the smoker and place on aluminum foil (meat side down).  Pour the butter mixture over the ribs and tightly wrap them in the foil.  Place back in the smoker and let smoke another hour.

Remove ribs from foil and reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the drippings.  Mix with barbecue sauce and brush on the ribs.  Finish ribs in the smoker or on the grill - this will take about 20-30 minutes.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Smokey Grilled Pork Chops

Guest Blogger: Smoked Tri Tip and Brisket

Once again, I'm truly honored to introduce today's guest blogger.  There are definitely blogs out there that make me go....wow, I wish I would be daring enough to do stuff like that!  And Larry's blog, Big Dude's Electric Ramblings, is one of those for sure.  He just recently posted instructional recipes on how to make (I'm talking stuffing people!!) your own sausage.  See, it's things like that, that make me go, dang, I need to be more adventurous in my kitchen!!  But alas, my fears hold me back, but I do get to live vicariously through others, thanks to the internet...and I'm ok with that!  AND, he has one of the most beautiful yards/grounds I've seen!

So, let's let Larry take us on a wonderful instructional journey on how to smoke tri tip and brisket... YUM!!!   And of course, since I have a guest, you know where I am... so make sure you come check out my Fire Day Friday post.  Today's recipe:  Steak Sandwiches with Chimichurri Mayo

Let me begin by saying how flattered I am that Jenn would invite me to do a guest post on her terrific blog.  She is a serious grill-meister and great all around cook.  Right after she asked me, it was my normal BBQ day and I thought a post about smoking would work well - I BBQ at least once a month and cook for friends and family as well as myself.

I really enjoyed reading about Kingsford's Barbecue University on the blogs of Chris at Nibble me This and Robyn at Grill Grrrl.  One that really stuck out on Robyn's blog was Chris Lily's brisket recipe.

My normal method is to brush on a coat of Worcestershire sauce then rub with Billy Bones Beefmaster, but I was out of it and wanted to give Lily's a try.  I tripled everything and used it on two whole briskets.

This is as posted by Robyn

Ingredients:

1 beef brisket FLAT (5-6 pounds)
1 Tablespoon beef bullion base (look in your soup stock aisle at the grocery store)
1 cup bee broth

Dry Rub Recipe:
1/2 tblsp salt
1/2 tblsp paprika
1/2 tblsp black pepper
1/2 tblsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

Directions:
I mixed the beef base with a little hot water to make it easier to run on the meat and I did it the night before the cook.  On cooking day, I removed the briskets from the fridge an hour before cooking while the smoker was coming up to temp.  About 30 minutes prior to cooking I added the dry rub then put them into the cooker at 225 degrees (forgot to take  a photo - it was 5:30AM after all).

I cooked them to an internal temp of 170 degrees, then put them in a foil pan, poured over a cup of homemade beef broth, covered it with foil, and returned to the smoker.

When they got to 190 degrees, I removed them from the foil pan, wrapped tightly with foil and rested for about 30 minutes.  One cooked in 10 hours and the other took a little over 11 hours.

For the Tri Tip, I once again used the basic process from John over at Patio Daddio.

Ingredients:
1 Tri-tip roast (2-3 pounds)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 Tbsp Plain yellow mustard
2 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp Beef base
1/2 tsp Garlic salt

Method:
I combined all of the ingredients, except the Montreal Steak Seasoning, in a small mixing bowl, mixed it well, rubbed it all over the pre-trimmed roast, and put in a plastic bag to get happy for 8 hours.

I removed it from the fridge an hour prior to cooking and just prior to putting it in the smoker, I added a medium coating of the steak seasoning -it was a little salty so I'll go lighter next time.

I cooked it to an internal temp of 125 degrees, removed it from the smoker and since it was done too early, I stuck it in a preheated cooler - I gave it 2 1/2 hours to cook, but it only took 1 1/2 hours.

When ready to eat, I took it to the grill and cooked it over high heat for about 5 minutes per side to add a crust - since it had been resting for an hour, no need to rest again.

Here's both pieces of meat before and after carving.

And my plate which included a salad, mostly from our garden, and some sauteed cremini mushrooms that need to be used.

The brisket was moist, tender, and tasty and I definitely prefer this cooking method, but without a side by side taste test, I couldn't say I preferred it to my normal.  I cooked the tri tip 5 degrees more than normal and it came out closer to medium than medium rare - perfect for Bev, but a little too done for me.  It was also moist, tender and the flavor was excellent - I think using the grill for crust addition worked out very well.  This was only the third time I'd cooked tri tip and the first time to smoke then grill, but it's just the reverse sear I used for other beef cuts.

I'd say a pretty darn good meal and I would have gladly served it to special company with perhaps the addition of a carb.  Have a great day and please stop by my blog at http://bigdudesramblings.blospot.com/ sometime.  Larry.

One Year Ago:  Penne with Beef & Bell Pepper

Alabama Barbecue Chicken

In honor of my pal, Stephen's (The Obsessive Chef) birthday today, my post is dedicated to him :)  And boy will he be so proud...

I brined!

I have been so hesitant to try brining again, as the first time I did it, the pork I brined turned out to be more like a salt lick then an actually edible piece of meat.  Ok, ok...I believe the problem was because I did not rinse the meat, but still... I was not in a hurry to try it again.

I put all those fears aside yesterday and brined a whole chicken.  Do I think it made a difference?  I don't know.  Next time, if I think about it before hand, I should keep half the chicken out of the brine and than cook it the same as the chicken in the brine...that truly will be the only way to tell.  BUT, because I know three bloggers that swear by it...and I trust these three bloggers with all their food advices...I'm going to say that it at least did not hurt the chicken.  For those of you not familiar with this process, brining is similar to marinating.  Brining using a lot of salt.  The salt basically works its way into the meat and cells to help keep the meat from dehydrating.

I will say that the brining helped with this chicken, but I also think that the flavors of the spice mix and sauce mix help that out too.  And let's not forget my patience at the grill.  I took advice from Chris at Nibble Me This who talks about indirect cooking all of the time.  I finally put that method to use too.  I started off with all three burners on and then turned the fire off directly under the chicken after about 8 minutes.  I had to adjust that heat from time to time throughout the grilling process, but the key is to keep the temperature in the grill at 350-375.  Whatever the reason....whatever the process...this chicken was fantastic.  Spicy and moist and incredibly delicious.

I think Chris even claimed - "it was the best chicken I have ever made" :)  I'll take that compliment!!

Alabama Barbecue Chicken
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Best-Ever Recipes
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
For the sauce - 
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the chicken -
1 whole chicken (2-4 lbs), rinsed and giblets removed
1/2 gallon water
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup hickory wood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained and sealed in a foil packet with slits cut out of the top
vegetable oil for the grill grates

Directions:
For the sauce - mix all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined and smooth.  Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.  Reserve half of the sauce for dipping - the rest of the sauce will be used to brush over the chicken after it has cooked.

For the chicken - in a very large bag set inside a large pot, add the water, salt, sugar, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Place the whole chicken in the bag and seal.  Allow to brine for at least 2 hours.  Remove from the brine and rinse thoroughly.  Pat chicken dry.  Remove the back bone and cut the chicken into halves or quarters.  In a small bowl, mix together the remaining pepper and cayenne together.  Season the chicken and place on a platter in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Place the wood chip packet directly on the primary burner.  Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat the grill until  hot and the wood chips begin smoking, about 15 minutes.  Turn all burners to medium-low. (Adjust the burners as needed to maintain temperature around 350 degrees F.)

Use a grill brush to scrape the grates clean.  Lightly dip a wad of paper towels in oil.  Holding the wad with tongs, wipe the cooking grates in the center of the grill.  Place the chicken skin side down in center of the grill, cover, and grill for 10 minutes.  Turn off the middle burner and grill another 10-15 minutes longer.  Turn the middle burner back on and flip the chicken over.  Grill for 10 minutes.  Turn the middle burner off again and grill another 10-15 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board or platter and brush with 2 tablespoons of the sauce.  Tent with foil and allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Remove the foil tent and brush with another 2 tablespoons of the sauce.  Serve and additional sauce and enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHEN!!

One Year Ago:  Italian Baked Pork Chops

Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza

Here's a fantastic way to use up some leftover pulled pork.  It's different from the regular pulled pork sandwich or taco idea.  We really enjoyed this pizza.  Even though the bbq sauce was maybe a bit too sweet for the pizza, it was still a killer pizza!

Of course, no matter how often I make pizza dough (ok, it's not like I make it every day or something), I still can't seem to perfect it.  I seem to have a problem when it comes to stretching the dough.  Mine tends to either stretch too much and break here and there, or I can't get it to stretch out enough.  I'm sure there is something I am doing in the process that is causing that, but I just don't know what it is.  If you have an insight as to why, I would greatly appreciate the advice.

Despite struggling with the dough, this pizza turned out incredibly good.  Then again, you can't really go wrong with pizza on the grill.  There is just something about it that makes me go... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!

Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 pizza dough ball
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup BBQ sauce (I would suggest going with something tangy and bold, the sweeter bbq sauces are just a bit too sweet for this pizza...at least that is my thought)
1-2 cups pulled pork (I think I just just a little over a cup, but didn't measure it)
1/2 sweet onion, diced and caramelized (you can slice them thin intead)
4 slices of bacon, diced and cooked until crispy
1 orange pepper, chopped or sliced thin (now I left mine raw and put them on the pizza, you can saute them or roast them first if you want)
1-2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

Directions:
Preheat the grill to medium high.  Stretch your dough and brush both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Now you can put the dough directly on the grill, but I haven't had the nerve to do that yet (always afraid the dough will sink into the grates) so I just put it on a piece of aluminum foil that has been sprayed with non-stick spray and put that directly on the grill.  Grill one side for about 3-4 minutes or until it's brown and crisp on the bottom.  Remove from grill and flip the crust over.  Now it's time to build the pizza.  Spread the sauce over the entire thing, leaving at least a 1/2 inch of the dough around the edges uncovered.  Top with pulled pork, then the caramelized onions, then the pepper, and finally top it with the cheese.  Put the pizza back on the grill and cover.  Grill until the cheese has melted and the crust is golden brown.  Remove from grill, slice, and devour!

 

One Year Ago:  Chicken Tortilla Pizza

Smoked Pork Butt

I know, I know...it's St. Patrick's day and I'm posting a recipe for smoked pork butt.  Not exactly a good St. Patty's day meal, but...my pork was Irish... yea, that's it... Irish pork butt...see, I'm all about celebrating the holiday :)

So, the other day I walked outside to get my grill ready for whatever I was planning on grilling that night, when I heard this strange noise coming from this sad little covered form sitting in the corner of our back porch.  I listened carefully and I heard this muffled voice say "hey...hey...you with the love for the grill.....remember me?  yea, me...the smoker you won and were so frickin' ecstatic about?  you know, the one that you used to use every weekend?  remember me???  hey, i'm talking to you....."  I tried to ignore the voice but it just kept going on and on... I think it even called me a few choice names that I dare not repeat, as I want to keep my blog on the PG-13 rating or lower.  Alas, I could not deny that what the voice said was true.  It had been early January since the last time I had used it, I'm sorry to say.  So with a little push from my smoker, and a little inspiration from Chris Grove at Nibble Me This, I decided I was going to smoke some pork in it.   And not just pork, but pork butt.  Something that I could end up shredding and making into sandwiches, quesadillas, nachos, tacos, pizza (check back next week for that recipe, by the way!!), etc.

With quite a bit of help from Chris G., I was able to make a mean smoked butt, let me tell you.  (plus, I get to keep saying smoked butt..hehehehe)  Without Chris G.'s instructions, I think I would have ended up ruining this, because the pork got up to about 158 degrees and stalled there for about 4 hours.  Had Chris not told me this was normal, I probably would have done something tragic and we may have ended up with another brisket tragedy!!!  So, thank you Chris....my pork butt owes you!!!

This was a wonderful way to make the pork and the pulled pork sandwiches we made out if it that night were fantastic!!  Topped with some homemade bbq sauce and some sriracha coleslaw (WHAT? did she say Sriracha coleslaw?  Why, yes I did...and if you come back tomorrow, you will see exactly how I made it!!)  it was a sandwich fit for a king.... or at least for the two of us!!

Smoked Pork Butt
Inspiration and guidance courtesy of Chris at Nibble Me This
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4 lbs pork butt (you can use pork shoulder too)
For the rub -
4 teaspoons seasoning salt (I used Country Bob's)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
Additional items for smoking -
Apple wood chips (make sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes)
2 bottles of beer

Directions:
Mix all the rub ingredients together in a small bowl.  Rub the mixture over all sides of the pork, even into the cracks (hehehe, butt crack) if you can.  Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Add the wood chips to your smoker and preheat it to 225-230 degrees F.  I added both bottles of beer to my water pan in the smoker, but you can do one and then one later during the smoking process if you want.  Place the pork butt in the smoker and allow to cook for about 1.5 hours per pound.  As Chris informed me, it's going to reach about 160-165 degrees and it will just stay there....like FOREVER.  But be patient, it will rise and then, once it reaches an internal temperature of 195-198 degrees, remove from the smoker, double wrap in aluminum foil, and return to the empty smoker for 1-2 hours.  Pull it apart by shredding it with two large forks.  Serve as pulled pork sandwiches, pulled pork pizza, quesadillas, nachos, tacos, or whatever your heart desires.  But most of all... Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Poblano Chicken

Smoked Yellow Chili Poppers

Ok, so these were supposed to be Smoked ABT's ... do you know what an ABT is?  Cause I really had no idea...  ABT's are Atomic Buffalo Turds!  LOL  Yes, I know, ewwww!!! (Seriously, Chris at Nibble Me This had to tell me what they were, I had no idea what it stood for)  I've actually made ABT's before (I just didn't know it), but have never done them smoked OR wrapped in bacon.  This time I had to do things just slightly different, you see, Chris' stomach has been arguing with him each and every time I've used jalapenos lately, so I wanted to be kind to him and decided to go with a flavorful, yet very mild pepper.

Anyway, since I had the smoker on (oh yes, I was smoking more then just peppers...gonna have to check in tomorrow to find out), I figured why not try some smoked jalapeno... er, yellow pepper poppers!  Of course since I was thinking of putting them in the smoker, I HAD to wrap them in bacon.  Now, I believe I should have used a leaner bacon because I had to stick them under the broiler for about 2 minutes to get the bacon crispy enough, but whatever, they were frickin' good.  AND, even though they lacked the heat of a true ABT, I would not be ashamed to serve them to smoked food lovers and/or experts.

Even if you don't have a smoker, you can still enjoy these wonderful little bites.  Just stick them under the broiler until the bacon is brown and crispy.  Or, stick them on the grill until they are a bit charred, tender, and the bacon is cooked.

Smoked Yellow Chili Poppers
(I received a little assistance from Chris at Nibble Me This)
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
5-6 yellow chili peppers (med-large in size)
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1-2 Tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
dash of garlic powder
5-6 strips of bacon

Directions:

Slice the peppers lengthwise.  Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds.  (you can leave the veins or scrape them out, since this is a mild pepper, it's not going to matter.  If you are using jalapenos, scrape them out...and you might want to wear gloves.)

 

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and a dash of garlic powder.  Stuff the pepper with the mixture.  Do not over stuff as the mix will expand.  Wrap each pepper in bacon.  You can use a toothpick if you need to to, but I did not have to.

Place in smoker that has been preheated to 225 degrees.  Smoke for 1 hour to 90 minutes, until the bacon has reached the desired crispiness.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Sloppy Joes

Smoked Beef Brisket......A Failure??

You are NEVER going to guess what I found at the store the other day.....go ahead, you can still try....give up???  BRISKET!!  WOO HOO!  I have been wanting to smoke brisket, but I know I've told you of my dilemma with the amount and the cost.  Well, someone was watching out for me because I just happened upon this 2lbs beauty!!  I was actually on the hunt for some trout and could not find it, so I started scouring the meat section to see what I could smoke instead....and what do you know..  a wonderfully small and reasonably priced beef brisket! THANK YOU!!!

With all that said, I have some disappointing news... I don't know what went wrong actually, I don't know if it was the cut of meat I bought or if I just didn't let it smoke long enough.  What I do know is that it was tough as hell!  Now, don't get me wrong, the flavor was FAN-FRICKIN-TASTIC...but since it was almost too tough to chew, that flavor was sort of wasted.  At first I think I cut it the wrong way - with the grain and not against it - and once I figured that out, it was a little better..BUT... I have had brisket before, I know how melt in your mouth tender it can be.  Either way, I am still posting this recipe, because this is my journey, right?  Good, bad, or indifferent, it needs to be document.  I liked the rub and the mop so well that I might use it again, just on a different cut of meat... maybe I'll do the Tri-Tip again, now THAT turned out WAY better then the brisket...how was I supposed to know???

Smoked Beef Brisket
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2lbs beef brisket
For the marinade -
12oz beer (I used Bud Light as that is what we have in the fridge)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the rub - 
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 3/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the mop - 
4 oz beer
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce (I used Frank's)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Mix all the marinating ingredients together in a small bowl.  Place the brisket in a resealable bag and pour the marinade over it.  Let marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours.

In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the rub.  When brisket is done marinating, remove from bag, discard marinade, and pat dry.  Rub the spices over all sides of the meat.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours.

Preheat smoker to 220 degrees.  Remove brisket from fridge and allow to sit at room temperature while the smoker is preheating.  I used apple juice in my water pan and Texas roadhouse wood chips.  Mix together your ingredients for the mop and set aside.  Place the brisket on the top shelf of the smoker and allow to smoke for 4-6 hours (this is where I think I failed.. I read that it's standard to smoke for 1 1/2 hours for every pound of brisket, so that's what I did, but I think I should have done it a tiny bit lower heat and for much longer of a time), mopping with the sauce every 30 minutes.  Remove from smoker and allow to rest a few minutes before cutting into it.  Eat as is or make delicious sandwiches with them.....if yours is more tender then mine, that is :)

Smoked Beef Tri-Tip

I know, I know...I can hear you all now:  "Not another smoker recipe... I don't have a smoker, why does she keep posting recipes when she KNOWS most of us don't have smokers?"  I'm sorry, my loyal readers, but this one is a MUST post.  Chris and I both agreed, this is by far the best meal that has come out my smoker.

And speaking of my smoker...have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE it???  No, well, there you go, I just told you then... I LOVE it!!  I have never had a charcoal or wood smoker, and I'm sure that there is something about those methods that could be even more satisfying then mine, but this Electric Smoker by Masterbuilt is one of the easiest things I've used.  And clean up is a piece of cake (mmmmmm...cake!!!).  I love that I can start up the smoker and in about 30 minutes (or less sometimes), it's preheated and ready to go!  No having to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to start the fire!  If you are looking to purchase a smoker, I highly suggest looking into this one.  (This is the opinion of Jenn's Food Journey only.  In no way have I been compensated for my review of this product.)

I got the idea in my head that I was going to make a smoked brisket.  So, I ventured to the grocery store and was once again shocked at not only how big.... wait... how HUGE the cuts of brisket were, but how expensive they were too.  OUCH!  I asked my butcher if he'd be willing and/or able to cut the smallest one I found in half.  I mean come on, 8lbs of brisket for just Chris and I...geez, oh, we'd be eating until next year!!  Anyway, he informed me that with the way they were packaged, he could not oblige.  FINE..whatever, I said Thanks anyway, you big jerk - Wait - Ok.. I said that in my head, but in reality I just thanked him politely and walked away.  Now the dilemma....I'm not spending $35 on a cut of meat but I really wanted to smoke something.  Do I go with something I've done before such as ribs or chicken??  UGH.....I don't know, I don't know!!  And then I saw the cuts of beef tri-tip sitting right next to the brisket.  Mmmmmm...Tri-Tip... I've had that at BBQ places before and liked it a lot...why not give it a shot?  A quick call to Chris verified that he was all for trying it, and I was sold.  I've never made tri-tip before.. not grilled, not in a crock pot, not baked, not anything... never never... so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  What I didn't expect was for it to turn out to be so wonderful!  A little sweet, a lot smokey, VERY tender...Perfect!  And as I said in the beginning of this post, this was the best thing to come out of my smoker yet!  Dare I say perfection????

Smoked Beef Tri-Tip
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 1/4 lbs beef tri-tip
For the rub -
1 1/2 Tablespoons Hungarian Sweet Paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the mop - 
2 Tablespoon your favorite barbecue sauce
3 Tablespoons apple juice

Additional items needed for smoking:
1-2 cups hickory chips (soaked in water for at least 30 minutes)
1 cup apple juice
1 bottle beer (I used Samuel Adam's Oktoberfest)

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the rub together.  Rub on both sides of the tri-tip.  Wrap in plastic and let marinate in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours.

Preheat smoker to 225 degrees.  Add the beer and apple juice to the water pan of the smoker.  Add the wood chips.  In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the mop and set aside.

Place the tri-tip on the top shelf of your smoker and allow to smoke for 2-4 hours (depending on desired doneness), mopping with sauce very 20-30 minutes, or until the meat registers 140-145 degrees (medium).  Remove from smoker and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting it.  Enjoy!

Smokey Grilled Pork Chops

****Before I get started on today's delicious post, I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Mom!!  Wish I could be there with you, Mom, but you'll be here soon enough and we can celebrate then!  Hope you have a fantastic day...Love you!!****

Ok, so what did I learn this time when I used my smoker?
1.  I learned that I needed bigger, thicker pork chops then what I had purchased...but unfortunately, they were the thickest ones I could find (grrrrr).
2.  I learned that mopping or brining would have helped to ensure these pork chops stayed nice and moist.
3.  I learned that from here on out, any time I use my smoker, I am going with my gut feeling!

Although these chops did not turn out exactly as I had intended them too, they were still very good.  The flavor was amazing!  The smokey sweet flavor of the apple wood chips blended well with the spicy rub and sauce.  I have changed a few things...things that I did wrong..things that I believe would work better.  I did over cook these just a tiny tiny bit, they were still wonderful, but they were a bit on the dry side.  I think if I had not thrown them on the grill in the end, they would have stayed moist, but I wanted them to have a darker exterior.  I think thicker chops would have made a difference too.  I also believe that if I had brined these (or even marinated them actually), they would not have been dry.  I guess my pal Stephen is right, sometimes meat just really needs to be brined!

So even though I have not had the best luck with timing when it comes to my smoker, I still LOVE IT!!  I can't thank Chris at Nibble Me This for the AWESOME giveaway gift!  And, I MUST keep working at getting the timing right because my mom and dad are coming for Thanksgiving and I want to smoke the turkey!!  I can't wait!

Now, I know most of you do not have smokers yourself, so you can easily do these on the grill.  You can still cover it with the spice rub and then mop the sauce on as it grills.  Ok, you won't get the smokey flavor like we had, but you will still get a good pork chop when it's all said and done!  Oh, and one more thing....I changed this recipe from how I did it, it should make everything much better!!

Smokey Grilled Pork Chops
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 bone-in pork loin chops 1-inch thick
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons beer
1 Tablespoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon Hoisin

Additional Items for smoking:
Apple wood chips (about a cup), soaked in water for 30 minutes
Apple juice or beer 2 cups

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the paprika, cayenne, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together until well combined.  Rub over both sides of each pork chop.  Allow to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  Pour buttermilk over the chops and continue marinating for 2-4 more hours.

In another bowl, mix together the honey, beer, Sriracha, lime juice, and Hoisin.  Set aside.

Heat smoker to 220 degrees.  Remove pork from marinade; discard marinade.  Place the pork on the top rack of the smoker.  Smoke for 30 minutes.  Mop both sides of the pork with the Sriracha sauce.  Continue smoking another 30 minutes, mopping with sauce every 10 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium high.  Remove pork from smoker and place directly on the grates (rub oil on the grates first) and cook directly over the fire for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the pork is cooked through, 160 degrees.  Enjoy!

****Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a $55 CSN gift certificate.  Check out the giveaway post here for all the details****

Smoked Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings...er...Drummettes

Confession of a novice smoker ... of meats that is:  I, Jenn of Jenn's Food Journey, confess that I finished these drummettes in the oven!  There, I said it, it's out in the open, no secrets...whew... I feel better!  I have found out, in the last two times I smoked, that sometimes what the recommended time is in a recipe can be WAY off.  I checked a few different sites with smoking recipes, just to see what the temperature and smoking time should be....all of them said smoke at 225 for 1.5-2 hours.  I smoked these almost twice as long as all those others, and they still weren't completely cooked through.  No worries, though, I actually liked having the skin be a little crispy....it was the perfect smokey flavor from the smoker and the perfect crispy skin from the oven...they were a thing of beauty, let me tell you!

Ok, so you don't have a smoker, no worries, you can do these in your oven...you could even use your grill to smoke them really.  Get some wood chips, soak them, wrap them in foil, poke a few holes in it....put it on the grill, shut the lid....viola! a smoker is born.   If you don't want that kind of a hassle...just throw these in a 425-450 degree oven and bake until cooked through (165-170 degree internal temperature).  These are worth trying, no matter how you cook them.  Ok, if you don't smoke them you aren't going to get that smokey goodness, true, BUT, you will get the sweet and spicy part and well, that's a pretty good thing too...trust me...these are mouth watering good!!

Smoked Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings (or Drummettes)
Adapted from dadgumthatsgood.com 
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
16-20 chicken wing/drummettes
1 1/4 Tablespoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Spicy Barbecue Sauce
3 Tablespoons apple juice

Additional items needed for smoking-
Texas Roadhouse wood chips (or apple wood or hickory will do), soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 cup each apple juice and water

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the pepper, onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder, and seasoned salt.  Sprinkle over the wings and toss to coat.  Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Add the water and apple juice to the water pan of the smoker.  Add 1 cup wood chips.  Preheat smoker to 225 degrees.  Place the wings on the top shelf of the smoker and cook for 45 minutes.  Turn wings and cook for another 45 minutes.

While wings are smoking, in a small sauce pan over medium heat, add the honey, barbecue sauce, and apple juice.  Cook until warmed through.

Remove wings from smoker and place in a disposable aluminum pan.  Pour the warm sauce over the wings and put back in the smoker on the 2nd shelf.  Allow the wings to cook another 45 minutes.  You can finish them off in a 450 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (165-170 degrees).  Get out the napkins and enjoy!