Going Whole Hog. A Little Bit of History...

This video was posted over on the Stumps Forum and I thought you might enjoy having a look.

Cut, Chop, Cook

It is a documentary about Scott's Bar-B-Q in Hemmingway, South Carolina.  It is 14 minutes long, but it is worth your time.  

The movie tells a little about the history of Scott's and goes over the process about cooking a whole hog in a pit.  

I hope you enjoy...

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

This IS a Fattie your Grandma would have Made!

The thing that I love about a BBQ Fattie is that the possibilities are endless.  You can use any meat with any stuffing.  I have had a taste for stuffed cabbage lately, so, why not?  Here is a step by step method for making a Stuffed Cabbage Fattie...

First, I cleaned, peeled, and diced 3 small potatoes for mashed potatoes.  Only homemade here folks...

While the potatoes were cooking, I cleaned and diced 1 small sweet onion and some cabbage.  I caramelized in some olive oil, salt and pepper...

I cooked 1/2 cup of white rice to get 1 cup of cooked rice, then cooled down in the freezer...

Once cooled, I mixed with 2 pounds of ground pork, 1 tsp of minced garlic, and some salt and pepper...

Mixed it all up, placed in a plastic bag, flattened out, and put in the frig to firm up...

While the meat and rice mixture was chilling, I made my mashed potatoes, mixed in the cabbage potato mix, and placed in my "mold".  Once molded, I put in the frig to firm up...

For the tomato sauce, I sauteed 1 tsp of minced garlic and 1/4 of a small sweet onion with some salt and pepper.  Added 15 oz of canned sauce, brought to a simmer, and let cook down by 1/4...

While the sauce was cooking, I prepared the fattie...  I cut the plastic bag and placed the pork mixture on some wax paper.  Remember, wax paper is your friend...

Then, onto the middle rack of the Baby at 250 F with a piece of oak in the ash pan...

Flipped after 30 minutes and raised the temp to 300 F.  As you can see the seam came apart a bit.  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  It allowed the tomato sauce to get at the potato mixture inside...

Then, after another 30 minutes, I placed in a foil pan, covered with the reduced tomato sauce, and raised the temp to 350 F...

Finished product...

As you can see, it fell apart a bit.  But the flavors were there for sure.  Moist, juicy, with a hint of oak.  Good stuff.

Some things I will do differently next time:

1.  3 lb of ground pork
2.  I will wrap with a bacon weave
3.  More cabbage in the potato

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Pulled Pork Pizza on the Baby

One of the best non-traditional pizzas you can make is Pulled Pork Pizza.  There was a pizzeria around here that used to make it.  But, unfortunately, they are not around anymore.  So, I made it myself.

First, smoke yourself a pork butt.  Nothing fancy, just my usual rub...

Pull, add BBQ sauce, and mix...

Take some hamburger dill chips, drain and pat dry with a paper towel.  Spread the pork over a pizza crust, then top with the dill chips and diced sweet onion...

Cover with cheese.  I use Four Cheese Mexican Blend...

About 40 minutes in a 350 F smoker and you have something great!

Good stuff.  Tangy, sweet, and full of pork goodness.  Everyone should give this a try!

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

What to do with those Summertime Veggies?

Yes, it is that time of year.  More squash, zucchini, and tomatoes than you know what to do with.  Stuff them and roast them on the grill or smoker I say!

First, take some grape tomatoes and cut in quarters...

Then, dice some sweet onion and saute in olive oil with some garlic...

Cut your squash in half...

Scoop out the seeds, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper...

Mix your tomatoes with your garlic onion mixture.  Then add spices.  I choose Italian spices:  a little oregano, a little basil, and a little thyme.  Then I grate a thumb sized piece of Parmesan cheese into the mix, toss everything together, and stuff my squash.  Once stuffed, I grate more Parmesan cheese on top...

One hour on the middle rack of the Baby at 350 F and you have a nice summertime side for your meal...

We had nice baby backs with this meal...

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Crab Stuffed Steelhead on the Baby

I have been meaning to try out Jeanie's recipe for Crab Stuffed Salmon from Cowgirls Country Life.  This past weekend, I finally got to try.

First, my changes:

1.  I used Steelhead, which really is a type of salmon.
2.  I used Old Bay as my "rub."
3.  I added the juice of one lime to the crab mix.
4.  I used finely diced celery instead of scallions to the crab mix.
5.  No lemon wedges.

To cook, I brought the Baby to 350 F and cooked skin side down for about 20 minutes.

Filet, rinsed and patted dry...

My crab.  You can catch this on sale for $9.99/lb from time to time.  Great quality as well...

Slits cut for stuffing...

Crab mix, ready for stuffing...

Fillet, stuffed and ready for the smoker...

Middle rack, 350 F, skin side down, a piece of peach in the ash pan...

This fillet had about 20 minutes of cook time.  You know the fish is done when the white fat start to run from the fish and the meat flakes easily with a fork...

Served with some rice and a crab cake made with leftover crab.  More about that in another post...  ;)

This was a real hit for sure.  I think it screams for some fresh grated ginger in the crab mixture.  I am going to try that the next time.

Thanks for a great idea Jeanie!

Bill

Pork Steak, the Underrated Cut of Meat. First in a Series

Pork steaks, thinly sliced steaks from the bone end side of the butt, are a tasty treat that I like to cook from time to time.  They are horribly underrated and economical as well.  My butcher thinks I am crazy for buying them.  This post, the first in a series, will help to change that myth.  But, if they become popular, the price might rise...

First lesson, grilling.  I like it simple.  Granulated garlic, sea salt, pepper...

Put a light coat of each on both sides of the steak...

Get your grill screaming hot, then throw them on direct heat.  Flip after 3 minutes.  Yes, three minutes.  Remember, they are thin and the grill is HOT!

After the flip, 3 more minutes, then onto the plate to rest for 5 minutes...

Serve with your favorite side, macaroni salad in this case, and you have a quick easy meal.

Remember, 3 minutes a side with a hot grill gives you a nice juicy steak that is just past medium.  You'll be picking the bones for sure.

In the future, we will explore marinades, smoking, and other grill recipes.  Hope you come back to read all the posts.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Cooking for Novices Part 5: Grilled Steelhead and Salmon with Zucchini and Onions

Folks, grilling fish and veggies is not that hard.  It is a snap, especially with a larger cut of fish with the skin attached, such as salmon or steelhead.

First, the veggies.  I cleaned and trimmed a small zucchini and cut small slices.  I did the same with a medium sweet onion, then sliced in medium thickness slices.  My marinade is olive oil, honey, steak sauce (I used A1) and salt and pepper to taste.  After whisking, I threw all of the kids into the pool for a one hour swim.  This marinade is my go to grilled veggie marinade.  It works really well on mushrooms for sure.

Then, I took portions of a salmon and steelhead (the bottom piece) fillet, painted with plain yellow mustard, then sprinkled liberally with Old Bay seasoning...

I started a fire in the Backyarder, heated up the grates and scraped them down.  First, the vegetables on direct heat for about 5 minutes.  Then, I flipped them over and put on the cold side of the grill.  Then, i placed the fish, skin side down on direct heat.  I closed the lid and let everything sit cook for 12-14 minutes...

When the fish is looking flaky and the fat is rendering from the top of the fillet, you are done.  The veggies cook the rest of the way in the indirect heat with the lid closed...

The veggies are nice and tender crisp with a nice savory/sweet taste.  The fish was outstanding.  The mustard gives the fish a nice tangy flavor that goes well with the richness of the fish.  The Old Bay goes with any seafood in my opinion.  Serve with nice white wine and you have a great meal.  By the way, I prefer the steelhead (on the left) to regular salmon.  It has a richer, more complex taste.  It is usually much cheaper than salmon.  So, it is a win/win.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

To Foil or not to Foil, that is the Question... Spare Rib Cook Comparison

Well, I need to improve our rib scores.  We do well on taste and appearance, but two things hurt us:

1.  Tenderness
2.  We usually do baby backs and not spares

So, a bit of practice this weekend with some St. Louis Spares.

I decided to go with the 3-2-1 method:

3 hours on the rack
2 hours foiled with apple juice spritz
1 hour back on the rack with an apple juice spritz and glaze for the last 30 minutes

First, I rubbed two racks down, front and back, with some North Coast BBQ Smokers rub...

This is a great rub.  A bit of sweet, a bit of savory, and a bit of Memphis rub, all in one container.  Good stuff...

Then, onto the top rack of Ole Blue at 250 F...

After all was said and done, the foiled rack was the best by far.  Tender, juicy, moist.  Nice, slight apple flavor...  The bottom rack is the foiled one...

Nice pull back on the bone.  Just what I was looking for.

Foiled on the left.

I think we have to foil for sure for competitions.  I don't want too, but if we want better scores, I guess we have to do what everyone else does...

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill