Category Archives: Food

Food, Marinade

Marinade – Soy-Lime-Garlic

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Soy-Lime-Garlic marinade

Great for:

PorkBeefLamb

Base
2 cups Soy Sauce
2 cups Water
6 limes
1 cup BBQ Sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays)
2 cups Brown Sugar

Optional
Jalapenos to taste and heat; I add 4 whole to this mix
Garlic to taste; I add 2 whole cloves, minced
Green Onions; I add 6 chopped, but was out of them this time.
3 whole sweet bell peppers

Views: 116

Food, Marinade

Marinade – Soy-Ginger-Garlic

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Soy-Ginger-Garlic marinade

Great for:

fishChickenShrimp

Base
2 cups Soy Sauce
2 cups Water
2 cups Apple Juice
1/2 cup Ginger Tea
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Optional
Jalapenos to taste and heat; I add 4 whole to this mix
Garlic to taste; I add 2 whole cloves, minced
Green Onions; I add 6 chopped, but was out of them this time.
3 whole sweet bell peppers

Other
12 oz Whole Cranberry Sauce, happen to have it on hand; why not toss it in there

Marinade - Soy-Ginger-Garlic Marinade in blender

Add all base ingredients in  the bowl.  Add options ingredients to a food processor prior to adding to the bowl with the base ingredients.   Too much volume to all fit in a standard size blender, but could blend in two batches.

Marinade - Soy-Ginger-Garlic Chicken Thighs in Marinade

The finished product 4X thighs and legs

Grilled Chicken Chicken Legs
Grilled Chicken Chicken Thighs

 

Views: 94

Food, Photography, Smoking

SMOKING – Backyard, MN #smokingmeat

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homemade smoker Homemade Smoker

I have been thinking about starting to smoke again; it’s been far too long without a proper smoker.  I’ve made due smoke grilling ribs on a Weber kettle, but it just isn’t the same.  I have made and bought all sorts of smokers over the years.  The first few I made from old freezer units with a hotplate for heat/smoke sources.  I experimented with charcoal and wood burning in an offset chamber as well.  They all worked incrementally better as I gained more experience.

Bradley electric smoker Bradley electric smoker

My last smoker though was a Bradley electric.  It had a pretty slick wood biscuit feeder system.  You could smoke for hours; eventually the discard pan would run over.  I smoked a lot of homemade venison sausage and jerky in that unit.  I didn’t care much for all the plastic in build though and eventually the plastic around the temp control broke.

After that mishap, it was just the Weber and smoke/grilling  pork baby back ribs for a long while.  Fast-forward ten or so years; It was time to get another smoker.  I’ve done lots of research and have read posts from one end of the Interwebs to the other.  There is quite a variety of smokers out there: bullet charcoal smokers, barrel and drum charcoal smokers, offset side firebox charcoal smokers, cabinet style charcoal smokers, Kamado, egg, and ceramic  smoker/grills, propane gas smokers, pellet smoker/grills – the list goes on.

Electric Smoker

I had my eye on another electric smokers. This time I would look for something with a more quality metal build.  Theelectricsmoker.com  listed a total of three Masterbuilt smokers in their top 10 list, two of wood chip portwhich were #1 and #2.  I did a bit more research and liked what I

Wood chip port

saw.  Reasonable price point and the build quality seem to be better than the other electric I had used.   I especially liked the side port for adding wood chips.  The one issue I read about with these smokers is that the digital control units were flaky at best – a lot of people commented on this.  Sure there were likely thousands of people that had no issues, but that isn’t my luck.  I would get a flaky one and I just don’t want to deal with that.  I looked to the analog electric version, but that didn’t have the side port on it; I’d have to open the door to refill.   I was thoroughly disappointed at this point and began to look at others makes/models of smokers.

Propane Smoker

Masterbuilt 340G open
Masterbuilt 340G open

I was set on an upright cabinet smoker.    Given the reviews, I went back to Masterbuilt to take another look and started to look at their propane line.  One of my homemade smokers had a propane burner in and it worked pretty well from what I recall.   The Masterbuilt 340G 40″ ThermoTemp XL smoker caught my eye.  I immediately noticed that   there was a separate firebox door

from the smoking cabinet.  When you open the firebox door, the attached wood chip tray swings out

Masterbuilt 340G 40
Masterbuilt 340G 40″ ThermoTemp XL Propane Smoker

for quick/easy filling.  I really like the propane tank bracket on the right side as well.  This was an easy choice for my next smoker.  Sold.  After approximately 2 hours of assembly time and a 3 hour seasoning Saturday evening I was readying to go for Sunday morning.

First Cook

I prepared a selection of chicken legs, rack of pork baby back ribs and small brisket.  Chicken legs were rubbed with a creation of mine – little something  I call Magic Sprinkle.  It’s great on a hard boiled egg, steamed vegetables, avocados and it makes a nice rub for any sort of meat.  It has six ingredients: white pepper, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder and dried cilantro leaves.
Mesquite smoked chicken
Mesquite smoked chicken
The baby back ribs rub is one I’ve created over the years; it shares some of the ingredients of Magic Sprinkle plus a few more.  It consists of:  onion powder, garlic powder, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, paprika, dried cilantro leaves, cumin, white pepper, black pepper and Mrs. Dash original blend.
Mesquite smoked baby back ribs
Mesquite smoked baby back ribs
The brisket was rubbed with Weber Steak ‘N Chop seasoning and black pepper.
Mesquite smoked brisket

Mesquite smoked brisket

Mesquite smoked brisket Mesquite smoked brisket

Overall I am very pleased with the results. Looking forward to the next smoke event.

 

Views: 374

Food, Rub

Meat Rub

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Great for:

Pork Lamb Chicken

*This works for beef, but I am a firm believer is just salt and pepper rub for a nice chunk of beef.

Ingredients

  • 2x .25 oz Parsley Flakes (.5 oz total)
  • 2x .25  oz Cilantro Leaves (.5 ox total) – not pictured below
  • 2x 2 oz Ground Cumin (4 oz total)
  • 2x 3 oz Garlic Powder (6 oz total)
  • 2x 2 oz Paprika (4 oz total)
  • 2x 2-3 oz Onion Powder (4-6 oz total)
  • 2x 2oz Black Pepper (4 oz total) – not pictured below

Instructions

Empty contents of containers into large bowl and mix well.  Store in air-tight container for maximum freshness.  Apply a generous amount of yellow mustard to meat prior to applying the meat rub.  Grill or smoke to desired doneness.  Enjoy.

Views: 87

Food, Foraged Ingredients

Ramp Pesto

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Ramp Pesto

ingredients

  • 25-35 Ramps
  • 1/2 c Walnut Oil
  • 1/2 c Chopped Walnuts
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Clean ramps, blanch for 30 seconds; then plunge into cool water.
  • Pat dry and roughly chop, place in food processor; pulse a few times.
  • Add walnuts; pulse a few times
  • Add chopped ramps; pulse a few times
  • Add remaining ingredients and pulse to desired consistency
  • Store in air-tight container and put in freezer is not eating within a couple of days.

Enjoy with your favorite pasta.

Views: 24

Food, Suace/Dip

Creamy Jalapeño Dip

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Ingredients

16 oz Sour Cream
1 11 oz Can of pickled Jalapeño Peppers + Juice in can
Juice of a 1 lime
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
1 bunch of Cilantro, trim most of stem off
Fresh jalapeno peppers or serrano peppers to taste/heat

Instructions

  1. Add pickled Jalapeno peppers  and juice in the can to food processor or blender; blend
  2. Add sour cream, ranch seasoning, lime juice and Cilantro and blend some more.
  3. remove from food processor or blender and store in air-tight contain.

Enjoy with tortilla chips, on a taco or burrito and a whole lot more.  This is a very versatile dip.

Views: 27

Food, Foraged Ingredients

Ramp Butter

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Ingredients

  • 1 lb butter – salted or unsalted
  • Approximately 25-30 ramps – leaves and bulbs
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  1. Clean and trim raw ramps
  2. Bring pot of water to a boil; blanch ramps for 30 seconds
  3. Drop them in cold water after and pat dry
  4. Rough chop the ramps.
    A food processor will make the rest of the process much easier.
  5. Add half the raps to the food process and pulse. Add the other half and pulse again.
  6. Add butter a chunk at a time, pulsing after 2-3 chunks until all butter is incorporated.
  7. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and pulse some more
  8. Remove mixture from food processor and pack into storage containers of your choice. I simply wrap a good amount in parchment paper and then store in freezer bag.

Ramp butter is excellent on toast or a grilled baguette. I also use ramp butter in scampi; simply add some white wine to the butter. A pat of ramp butter atop you favorite steak is especially delicious.

Views: 53

Food, Suace/Dip

Basic [Hot] Vinegar Sauce

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How to Make Basic [Hot] Vinegar Sauce

The basic formula for a homemade hot sauce is usually a combination of peppers, white or apple cider vinegar, spices, other fruits and vegetables, and salt. Making your own sauces can be a great way to experiment and create new flavors.

Basic steps:

  • Clean and roughly chop peppers
  • Combine 2 parts vinegar with 1 part water in a pot
  • Add peppers and other desired ingredients to vinegar (we like adding sweet fruits and sugars)
  • Boil for 5-10 minutes
  • Allow to cool
  • Blend until desired smoothness is reached
  • If sauce is too thick, add a few tbsp of water at a time and blend until it is the right viscosity

Recommended Ingredients to use in Hot Sauces:

  • Peppers (Habaneros, jalapeños, bell peppers, and ghost peppers are great)
  • Garlic & onions
  • Tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, peach, apricot)
  • Apple cider (for sweetness)
  • Cumin
  • Turmeric
  • Olive oil (for texture)
  • Any other fruits and vegetables!

Views: 23

Brine, Food

Basic Fish Brine

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FIRSH BRINE

  • 1 quart cool water
  • 1/3 cup Kosher salt {about 2 ounces)
  • 1 cup brown sugar

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds meat
  • syrup or sauce for basting
Instructions
  • Mix together the brine ingredients and place your fish in a non-reactive container (plastic or glass), cover and put in the refrigerator. This curing process eliminates some of the moisture from the inside of the meat while at the same time infusing it with salt, which will help preserve it.
  • You will need to cure your meat at least 4 hours, even for thin cuts from fish. Larger pieces of meat may need 8 hours; a really thick piece might need as much as 36 hours in the brine. Never go more than 48 hours or your meat will be too salty.
  • Take your fish out of the brine and pat it dry. Set the meat on your cooling rack. Let the meat dry for 2 to 4 hours (or up to overnight in the fridge).

Views: 58