Monday, June 29, 2015

Pulled Pork & Apricot Jalapeño Poppers!

Sunday Sunday on Long Island was a misty, rainy, slightly chilly after night of torrential rains.
This put the kibosh on some grilling plans so I started to improvise.
I know, I know, rain should not stop the grill, but sometimes the weather jut down right wears on ya. Hey, I have video of me running the pit on snowy 20 degree days so please, I ask for some slack.
Anyway - In the morning I opened the freezer and pulled out one of the vacuum bags of smoked meats we always have on hand and set about planning.
The food from the freezer was a one pound bag of pulled pork from our Memorial Day stash. The bag was placed in some boiling water to thaw and then into a crock pot with a little apple juice and a few dashes of our very own Southwest Sunset.
Right about lunch time the rain had given way to a fine mist and this meant that it was time to light some charcoal.
On the counter were a few ripe jalapeños which were quickly turned into our famous pepper boats.
Here is the ingredient list for this day’s Poppers!


Pulled Pork & Apricot Jalapeño Poppers!

4 Large Jalapeños / opened and seeded
2 Slices of Provolone Cheese
1/3 Cup Pulled Pork
2 TBS Apricot Preserves
Tango Spice Southwest Sunset
4 Slices Bacon

Place the pork in a bowl, add the apricot and a dash or two of Southwest Sunset. Blend well.
Divide the cheese into four pieces, roll and place in the jalapenos. Tp the cheese with even amounts of the pork. Sprinkle more Southwest on if you wish.
Wrap each pepper with a slice of bacon and add more Southwest.
Set your grill up for indirect heat, placing the peppers on the opposite side. Cooking times with poppers varies quite a bit with grill types, closeness to the heat, thickness of the bacon etc.
Every once in a while take a peak at your poppers, when the bacon is done to your liking the poppers are done.
These took about 50 minutes and we superbly awesome! The combination of the pork, Southwest Sunset and the apricot was outstanding!

As Always, Thank You For Reading!


Here are are few pics of the action

Line Up Your Ingredients!

Jalapeños Stuffed With Provolone

Apricot & Pulled Pork

Add Some Southwest Sunset

Give It A Mix

Top The Cheese With The Sweet Meats

Wrap In Bacon & Dust With More Southwest

Fire In The Hole

Weber Kettle Set For Indirect Cooking

Set On A Frogmat Ready To Cook

Almost Done

Time To Eat!




Posted by at 1 comment:

Monday, March 9, 2015

Rigatoni Pie!

Today I want to share with you a recipe for a great dish which I have now prepared twice after seeing it on the website Tablespoon. The one I saw was posted by Bev Cooks and after reading her recipe I knew I had to try this out.
My version of this soon to be classic dish has as few ingredients as I could get away with. All totaled all you will be needing are five ingredients.
One thing that you will need to cook this dish is a spring form pan, like the one you bake a cheesecake in.
I’d like to present to you...

Rigatoni Pie



Ingredients I Used: Feel free to use what you like.
1 Pound Ground Pork
1 28 OZ Can Crushed Tomatoes
1 TBS Tango Spice Rome Is Burning.
1 Pound Rigatoni / I used the No. 24 size
1 Pound Mozzarella Cheese /  shredded

Method:
Brown up the ground sausage, breaking it up into small pieces as you go. Pork will not have a lot of left over liquid, but drain off any that you find.
To sausage add the crushed tomatoes and the Rome Is Burning. Heat that on low for a while, no need to get it too hot, you just want to get all the flavors well combined.
While the sauce is heating on low in another pot boil some well salted water and cook the Rigatoni until al dente.
Here is the fun part, after draining the pasta place them on end in the springform pan. All the holes pointing up. This is a bit tedious, and helps if you hold the pan at a sharp angle.
Once the pan is full of pasta, spoon the sauce on top, swirling the sauce as you go to get some of the meat and sauce to go down into the pasta.
When you have spread the sauce on the pasta place the pan on a baling sheet to catch any escaping sauce and put it on the middle rack of a 400 degree oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, spread on as much shredded Mozzarella as you like, and sprinkle some more Rome Is Burning on top.
Place back in the over, bake for an additional 15 minutes, or longer if you would like more browning on the cheese.
When done, place the Rigatoni Pie on a cooling rack for at least fifteen minutes.
Run a spatula around the edge, then unclasp the springform, slightly turn it as you lift.
Viola! A very nice presentation and a wonderful tasting dish.
When you decide to make this dish, please let me know how awesome yours turn out.


As Always, Thank You For Reading!


Here are a re few pics of the action.

Rigatoni All Stacked & Ready

Add The Sauce!

Pour On A Little More Rome Is Burning!

Smooth It Out!

After The First Baking!

Add Some Cheese!

Just A Little More Rome Is Burning!

Fresh Out Of The Oven!

Out Of The Springform Pan!

Pasta, Saucy & Cheesy Greatness!

Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Pulled Pork Lasagna Roll Ups!

One of the best things about about having more pulled pork that you can eat in one meal are all the great recipes you can whip up with the left overs!
Our last cook on the Cabinet Smoker was a couple of pork butts, and we got the biggest butts we could find cuz I can’t lie, I like big butts.
Yesterday we had some company and as usually happens we all ended up in the kitchen to roll up some goodies.
Here is what went down

Pulled Pork Lasagna Roll Ups!



In the morning two pounds of pulled pork which was smoked with our one Twist & Shout was placed in a crock pot with a jar of Chi-Chi’s verde salsa, one diced yellow onion 1/4 cup Tullamore D.E.W. and a TBS of Tango Verde.
These ingredients got to know each other over the next two hours on low heat.
While that was bubbling along, we sliced up some Kerrygold cheeses. Three of their signature cheese were on the cutting board today. Blarney Castle, Dubliner, and Reserve Cheddar.
On strips of al dente the porkwas spread into a nice, thick layer then a slice of each type of cheese was added.
Roll these goodies up and place into a baking dish which has a layer of Hatch Green Enchilada Sauce on the bottom.
Pour a little more Enchilada Sauce on top then place into a 350 degree over for 25 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, place back into the oven for 10 minutes.
Take the dish out, let stand for 10 minutes then dig in!

As Always, Thank You For Reading!



Here’s a few pics!

The Usual Suspects!

Salsa & Pork - Nice!

Rolled & Ready!

Here Is One For A Neighbor!

Ready To Chow!


Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Tango Spice Midnight Rib Meat Gravy!

Today was a day to start off with a rib sticking hot breakfast to ward off the cold. Another weekend of cold weather and there is more snow on the way this afternoon.
Two weeks ago the Shirley Pit was smoking away with a few racks of ribs, both spares and baby backs. As always, when the smoker is rolling along we toss on enough to insure some tasty left overs are going to be stocking up the freezer.
Here is how we used one rack of the Midnight Espresso spares we smoked! The rack was wrapped after it was done and allowed to cool enough to pull all the meat off. The boneless meat was then vacuum packed and placed in the freezer for future use.
What was on the breakfast menu was Biscuits & Gravy - Tango Style!
I made the Tango Rib Meat gravy last night, let it cool then placed it in the refrigerater overnight. The meaty goodness was reheated it up this morning. Gravy is one of those magic foods which always tastes better then next day.

Tango’s Midnight Rib Meat Gravy!



Ingredients:
1 lb Midnight Rib Meat / chopped fine / ground pork size-ish
2 TBS Bacon Fat
2 TBS Butter
1/3 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Beer
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 tsp Tango Spice Gravy Blend**
3 Cups Milk

Method:
Place rib meat and bacon fat in a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat, saute for 5 minutes as the meat is coated.
Add the butter, stir until melted, then add the flour and keep stirring until it is well incorporated.
Pour in the beer and stir until it gets to a paste-like consistency.
Add the heavy cream stir it all together.
Add 1 tsp of the Tango Gravy Blend**
Start adding the milk, a cup at a time, while stirring until it gets to the thickness you like.
This was served over homemade Southwest Fresca Biscuits - recipe for that soon!

**Tango Spice Gravy Blend
All Dried Spices
1 tsp Fennel Seed
1 tsp Celery Seed
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cracked Rosemary
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
Place all in a food mill and process until almost powdered.

As Always, Thank You For Reading!



Here’s a few more pics!

Midnight Rib Meat & Bacon Fat!

Added Butter!

Toss In Some Flour!

Pour In Your Beer!

Stir It All Up!

Midnight Rib Meat + Beer = Yum!

Add Cream & Milk

Gravy Spice Added!

Biscuits Are Done!

Time For Breakfast!

Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Tango Kale & Chile Corn Bread!

Over the weekend the Winter of 2015 rolled on, bringing more snow and ice pellets and rain - blah blah blah.
So, for this weekend's cook I pitched a tent over the smoker so I could continue to get to know the new Shirley Fabrication pit.
On the meat side of the menu was chicken thighs for Saturday & pork butts for Sunday, with a few sides to go with it all.
One side item was a corn bread which was superb!
Yeah, I know, another corn bread recipe on the internet!
Well, his bread has a super taste, nice kick from some Southwest Sunset and is very, very moist.
I would ask you to give it a try then let me know how you enjoyed it.


Tango Kale & Chile Corn Bread


Ingredients:

2 TBS Butter
1 Sm White Onion / Chopped
2 Pkgs Corn Muffin Mix
4 Eggs
1 13 oz Can Margaret Holmes Seasoned Kale / drained
1 4 oz Can Green Chilies
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1/4 Cup Milk
2 TBS Tango Spice Southwest Sunset

Directions:
Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Melt butter in a skillet, saute onion until tender, allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, blend all ingredients until well incorporated.

Pour into prepared pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned.

Please give this recipe a try, then let me know how awesome yours turned out!

As Always, Thank You For Reading!
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Sunday With Shirley!

Once again this past weekend turned into a study in patience when it comes to the desire to be out in the yard messing around with the new Shirley Fabrication cooker. All week I had kept an eye to radar and it looked like Sunday was going to be a day with enough of a fair weather window to get some smoking done. The latest ice pellet storm was not set to show up until 5 PM so it was all good.

In the fridge were a few chicken leg quarters, some bratwurst, jalapenos, bacon, heck I even had some fig newtons to make some Fig Poppers.

Just enough good stuff to test out a cook in the warmer. I decided to use the charcoal pan in the warmer and instead of the firebox. I rigged up the charcoal ring from the WSM as an experiment. What the heck, always go for something fun on the first time out.

The ring from the WSM 22.5 fits in the pan real well. Inside is an old charcoal grate lifted by a couple of bricks. Put a paver inside to help create a sort of Minion idea. Worked out darn good.

On the rack above the charcoal I put the heat deflector that came with the pit and that worked out real well.

The chicken was coated with Tango Spice Chik N’ Rib Rub
The Fig Poppers were flavored with our Cajun Rub

During the cook the outdoor temps were a steady 30 to 32 degrees. It took about 30 minutes for the cold steel of the pit to steady out at 290 to 310 degrees. There were a couple if times when the pit temp got to around 340-ish, but I messed with the air intake / exhaust to get it dialed back in. I am happy to be getting some learning done on new pit during the winter, as I think in the warmer months it will be even easier than it is now.

Using the ring in the charcoal pan worked out great and I will certainly be doing that again.

The Fig Poppers took about a 90 minutes to get to the way I like them and they were spectacular.

The brats and chicken I left on there for 2 1/2 hours with both being very tasty and quite juicy. I could up the temps and do a hot & fast cook. which I will try soon.

The warmer box has been a great part of the Shirley Fabrication cooked and I look forward to many more ‘experimental’ cooks on it, as well as big cooks in the main chamber.


Here are a re few pics of the action.

Looks Bad Ass In The Yard!
The Weber Basket Fits Perfect
The Paver Makes The Minion Method Work
The Deflector Goes On The Bottom Shelf
The Top Two Shelves Get The Grub On

Beans & Brats & Fig Poppers Oh My

It All Looks & Smells So Great

Almost Time To Eat 

Dinner Is About To Be Served

Plate Full Of Goodness Thanks To
Shirley Fabrication

Now That's A Smoke Ring!

Good Eats Indeed!
Posted by at 4 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)