Thai-Phoon Pork and Shrimp Burgers

I really can't decide what cuisine I like the best.  Is it Asian?  Is it Mexican?  Is it Caribbean?  Well, a weekend or so ago I was in the moon for some Asian flavors.  So, I give you, Thai-Phoon Pork and Shrimp Burgers.

First, I took two pounds of ground pork, 1 lb of diced, cooked shrimp, and mixed with 2, Tbsp of soy sauce, 1 Tbsp of sesame oil, 1 Tbsp of minced garlic, 1 Tbsp of sriracha sauce, 1 tsp of ground dried ginger, and 1 tsp of onion powder, then I mixed thoroughly and put in the frig to chill...

While that mixture was chilling, I marinaded sliced pineapple and sliced sweet onion in olive oil, garlic,  salt and pepper.

Once the meat mix had chilled, I broke in my new burger patty maker and pounded out some patties, then placed them in the frig to firm up...

Then, I lit some charcoal and got a screaming hot grill going.  Once it was hot, I placed the patties on direct heat and the pineapple and onion on indirect heat...

I flipped everything after 7 minutes and put some fresh Kaiser Rolls sprayed with olive oil and garlic on the top rack to toast...

While cooking, I mixed up some sriracha mayonnaise.  The mix was 1/4 cup of mayo and sriracha sauce to taste.  When done, I placed a burger with pineapple, grilled onion, and a dollop of sriracha mayo.  I even made some Asian Slaw for the side...

This was a winner.  The perfect mix of hot and sweet with Asian flavor.  I will be making this again for sure.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Mexican Roadside Turkey

This past Cinco de Mayo, I was just going to BBQ a turkey breast.  But, I we were invited to a friends for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, so I decided to go Mexican.  After a short search on the Internet, I found a great recipe for Mexican Roadside Chicken that I adapted to make Mexican Roadside Turkey...

Here is the recipe that I found: Mexican Roadside Chicken.  It combines vinegar, garlic, and various spices into a great baste for your poultry of choice.  The only difference is that I smoked the turkey and did not grill.

First, I made a batch of my stand by poultry brine:

BOS's Chicken Brine:

Ingredients:

1 gallon Water
¾ cup Kosher Salt
¾ cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Granulated Garlic
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
¼ cup Orange Juice
⅛ cup Worcestershire Sauce

Mix and bring to boil.  Cool and place in frig overnight.

I then let the breast go for an overnight swim.  The next afternoon, I pulled the turkey breast from the brine and patted dry.   Then, I rubbed olive oil all over to promote a crispy skin.  

While the beast was coming up to room temperature, I lit the smoker and brought to a temperature of 350 F.  Once at temperature, I put two pieces of pecan in the ash pan for some smoke.  While I was waiting on the smoker to come to temperature, I mixed my basting liquid...

I place the breast on the middle rack, skin side down and basted.  Then, I flipped over and basted the skin side.   I then basted after 30 and 60 minutes.  Total cook time to get to 160 F internal was 1 hour and 20 minutes...

When done, I double wrapped in foil and placed in a cooler to keep warm during the driver over to our friends place.  Sorry, no sliced pictures.  I can tell you that the bird was outstanding.  Moist and juicy.  the cider vinegar mixes nicely with the Mexican spices for a tasty treat.  I will be trying this with a chicken on the grill.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

World Bacon Championship, Part 4 of 4

We have made it to the last post in the WBC series, Bacon Dessert.  I kicked around many ideas for this category.  One idea was sweet dough wrapped pig candy, baked and drizzled with an orange sauce.  But, I wasn't happy with that.  But, a post from fellow blogger Chilebrown over at Mad Meat Genius provided divine inspiration.  We were going to make Bacon Crack.

Basically, bacon crack is English Toffee with bacon added.  We have had the toffee recipe in the family for years and I am an expert at making this sinful substance.  It always gets rave reviews when I make it, so lets take it up a notch.

How does one make English Toffee?  Very simple.  You take butter, sugar, water, and light Karo syrup, mix it in a heavy duty sauce pan.  Then, you heat it up until it is starting to burn, mix in your nut of choice, and dump the hot, molten mess into a buttered baking pan.  Once solidified, you put chocolate on top, spread to an even layer when melted, and let cool overnight.  Then crack into pieces, eat, and enjoy...

Ready for the heat...

Coals ready to go.  I liked how the charcoal added a slight smoky flavor to the toffee...

Starting the long process...

Bacon and nut mix, at the ready...

Just about there...

In the pan to harden...

Chocolate to melt, about three minutes later...

Spread and let sit overnight...

Then crack and eat.  How was it?  Perfect.  The toffee flavor was unchanged.  But, once you start chewing, the bacon infusion starts to meld with the toffee, chocolate, and nut flavors making for a tasty dessert bite.  I like the slight smoke flavor that preparing on the grill added to this toffee.  This is trophy worthy material.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

World Bacon Championship. Part 3 of 4

The third category in the WBC is Savory Dish, no desserts.  So, our choice is a Twice Baled potato.

First, we took some garden variety Idaho spuds and baked in the smoker, 1 hour, 375 F.  We rolled them 30 minutes into the cook...

Next, we halved and scooped out the insides into a mixing bowl.  Then we added sour cream, cheddar cheese, diced cooked bacon, and BBQ sauce.  What was the ratio?  I have not a clue.  I was going for creamy, cheesy, and BBQ flavor.  All I know is that we did not skimp on the bacon.  Once the filling was made, we put back in the skins, and covered with bacon and shredded cheese.  Then, back in the smoker for 30 minutes at 375F.

As you can see, probably too long on the smoker.  We will probably pull after 20 minutes at the competition.

How were they?  Good for sure.  It won't lose a competition, but it may not help you win.  I may be revisiting this entry in the coming weeks.  I am open to any suggestions if you have a savory, go to bacon dish.

Thanks for stoping by...

Bill