World Bacon Championship, Part 2 of 4

Today's World Bacon Championship category is: Anything wrapped in bacon.  Now, I imagine that there will be a decent amount of Fatties and sausages wrapped in bacon that are turned in that day.  For those who don't know, a Fatties is ground sausage, rolled out thin, filled with a stuffing of your choice, rolled up, and encased with a bacon weave.  Here is one that I made.  A good choice for this competition, but I want to be different.  So, in order to get a little beef into our judges diet, I am going down the flank steak path.

So, I took two flank steaks, pounded them out and tenderized.  Then, I marinaded overnight in Stubbs Beef Marinade...

Then, I prepared two types of filling.  One was caramelized onion, Gorgonzola cheese, and sriracha sauce.  One was caramelized onion and garlic herb cheese...

Then, I removed the steaks from the marinade, laid flat, and spread the cheesy filling out on the beef.  Then I rolled up, closed with toothpicks, and wrapped with bacon.  Then, on to the smoker at 375 F...

 Pulled when done, about 30 minutes.  Then let rest, then sliced...

They were both very good.  I liked the creaminess of the Gorgonzola with the added sriracha kick.  Hope liked the mellow flavors imparted by the garlic and herb cheese.  We are still debating over which one to use as our recipe.  Rest assured, I believe we will score well either way.

What will a do differently next time?  A little less filling and I will make a weave to wrap around the outside instead of single bacon slices.

Either way, outstanding!

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Bachelor Night: Six Cheese White Pizza and Penguin Hockey

A few weeks ago, Hope went out for the evening.  I was going to perhaps go out with some friends as well, but I saw an opportunity to make something for dinner that only I like:  Six Cheese White Pizza.  An added plus was that the Penguin game was on (thank you for ending the lockout!).  So, I decided to stay home, have a few Sam Adams Winterfest brews, make a pie, and watch the game...

Here are the starting ingredients:

Yes, I know, store bought crust.  Usually it is strictly homemade around here but the Boboli, if you have not tried, is a pretty good stand in for sure.  If you notice in the right hand corner, the first ingredient:  enough garlic to knock a buzzard off a manure wagon, a dash of oregano, basil, and thyme, and olive oil to mix it all up.  I let this mix sit for an hour for the flavors to mingle.

Next, I spread the olive oil/garlic/herb mix thoroughly and uniformly over the top of the pizza crust...

Next, top with the Kraft Five Cheese Italian and a generous sprinkling of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (this is why Hope does not care for this pie...).  Then, on top, a generous helping of hot banana rings...

Into the oven, 15 minutes at 425, or until brown and bubbly on top...

A nice twist on this pie is to drizzle a small amount of Four Cheese red sauce on top.  It adds a unique flavor.  I did this with one slice and added fresh grated Parmesan to both.

With a beer, this was a perfect hockey night meal.  Unfortunately, the Penguins lost, but it was a nice night, all to myself...

As for the pie, you really should give this a try.  It is a nice change of pace from the usual traditional red sauce pizza.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill