Nice Weather, What's Cookin'?

[expatbill]

With this unseasonably beautiful weather, what have you been cooking outside? I've been sprucing up my smokers, sanding ,grinding and applying a fresh coat of high temp pain. However, I have been doing a lot of grilling on the Performer, burgers, a spatchcocked chicken, a couple of ribeye steaks, and grilled chicken breasts for a chicken caesar salad. Not all on the same day of course, now it looks like we are in for a period of seasonal weather,up here, that could mean snow.

[reg]

Well Bill we have had some incredible weather here, many records broken. Cooking wise a lot of grilling including a new burger mix that pretty much knocks the sox out of everything I have ever done. We like to grill a lot of chicken, sausage, chops and the odd steak. We grill at least three times a week throughout the year. We also cure a lot of bacon and quite a bit of pastrami. Just recently did some boneless short rib pastrami that was pretty amazing.

On Tuesdays we have a little 'tasters' event at a local bar and I did smoked deviled eggs and a bunch of poppers. Just a fun day where every week two different people bring in some finger foods. Last Thursday I did up a 10 racks of ribs for the guy I use to work for at the Hilton. Sure love using that Southern Pride 500 I can tell you. I love to cook so I'm always doing something no matter what the weather is

Don't think it will be to long before I start some longer cooks, brisket and shoulders

Reg

[expatbill]

That sounds great, without giving away your secret recipe how about a little insight on that burger? Do you make your own sausage? You wouldn't happen to have a recipe for an Andouille sausage spice mix to share?. Keep that SP smokin!

[reg]

Hi Bill, yes I make a lot of sausage, fresh, semi cured and dried but have never made an Andouille. I know that somewhere in my piles of paper that there is a recipe that I got off of a southern site but I would have to go and find it then post it if you like.

I really don't have a secret recipe but use ingredients that I often make, for instance in the burger recipe I use my home cured bacon as my fat in the 25% amount. For the beef I used 75% the cut is AAA boneless short rib but at $5/lb it is expensive, well maybe maybe not considering all the ground beef recalls lately. The cost of each 6+oz burger is actually $2 so if you look at it from that perspective it is not too bad in price. My other ingredients are (for a three lb bach including the bacon)1 1/2t kosher salt, 1t black pepper, 2 eggs, 1T worchester, 1/4 cup beef stock (my own), 2t MSG and 1/2 cup bread crumbs (my own that is seasoned)

I grind the beef and the bacon through the 3/8th plate twice then mix until it barely comes together. If you mix it too much they will get tough. Because all the meat is handled very carefully they can be cooked to med rare or to medium. I have tried them on the flat top (I have a cast iron plate for my grill) but like them done direct over med heat. My only garnish is carmelized onion that is cooked off in beef stock. For my taste this is by far the best burger that I have had recently

There you go

Reg

[reg]

I should have mentioned that I share pretty much any recipe asked for including what I do in comp BBQ. I did stop posting recipes a few years ago after being criticized by a complete amature on a technique in curing pastrami. Good enough to teach it in culinary college but not good enough to explain the technique here lol. Oh well

Reg

[kevinv]

hello:

mostly we have been doing steak, chicken and burgers.

hope the weather holds this weekend. I got my big que out, and want to do up a roast beef on a spit, with sides. today we are doing burgers and dogs for my oldest daughters birthday.

[expatbill]

Nice weather? phooey! so much for that...it was -25 here Saturday night. Anyway, I picked up a Cottage Roll today, The first time that I bought one, I wasn't sure what to do with it. I think that it's pretty much unique to Canada, or maybe Ontario. It's a sweet pickled, boneless shoulder, probably a picnic. The first time that I did one, I put it on the smoker with crab apple wood for about 8 hrs as if it was a Boston Butt. It really came out nice, it's basically a tasty, juicy smoked picnic ham. Sliced it up, served it on fresh bakery rolls with a grainy deli style mustard, very, very good

[swinginblackjacks]

Did some ABTs, grilled corn on the cob and strip loins on the Weber kettle on Saturday - beautiful afternoon.
Yesterday, while clear, was a might crisp. Did some pork chops in mojo marinade and the last of the corn on the gasser anyway.

[expatbill]

Can't wait until we can get some real fresh sweet corn.

[swinginblackjacks]

Can't wait until we can get some real fresh sweet corn.

I hear ya - what I got was one of those 5-packs from the supermarket. It was not the best, but canned would slip through the grill.

[reg]

Speaking of sweet corn, my wife was down in Cleveland two weeks ago and picked me up a jar of salsa but not your average everyday salsa, instead it was roasted red pepper, sweet corn and black bean salsa, incredible stuff, the jar is gone already. I'm a huge fan of salsa's so can you imagine a home made salsa consisting of grilled off pepper, grilled corn, black beans, lightly cold smoked tomato (tomatoes take smoke like 90) green bell peppers, a little jalapeno along with a good seasoning blend, oh my !

Corn, I can't wait

Reg

[expatbill]

I make a salsa with roasted corn, red peppers, black beans and Ro*Tel tomatoes. My uncle in Colorado sends me several "care packages" every year consisting of chilis, chipotle powders, and other smoked chili powders from a local pueblo. I like to cook a lot of Mexican and Tex-Mex, what a difference fresh ingredients make. I was thinking about cooking outside today, but with the snow, I believe I'll wait.