Wood is Good, Part Deux

Stuffed Chicken Breasts from Walt's, grilled on oak planks. The asparagus was a last-minute idea, with nothing except a little non-stick, kosher salt, and lemon slices on top. Served aside some basmati rice with garlic and sun-dried tomatoes mixed in.  We'll do this one again!!

Chuck M.

Boneless ribs!?!??!

So as I was trying to figure out what to
make tonight, I stumbled upon these. Boneless baby back ribs. My first reaction(though yes I've seen them before) was to say aloud, boneless baby back ribs??? My initial thought was the obvious, "no bone = no flavor". Then I did a double take when I asked myself if that in of itself was enough of a reason to pass on them as I have always done. Let me say I'm sure I glad I second guessed myself. So they took a bath in equal parts apple cider vinegar and apple juice along with some kosher salt for good measure. Rubbed down with sugar, kosher salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme powder, mustard seed powder, and paprika. Finished with a homemade apple cider vinegar/ketchup based sauce. Served with Old fashioned homemade cornbread in cast iron skillet (also done on the grill but finished in oven to brown top). Enjoy!

On a roll.......

Tonight was blue cheese burgers with a side of crab rangoon. 80/20 ground beef formed into patties. Seasoned and grilled. Finished with blue cheese butter (butter, blue cheese crumbles, garlic powder) on top and steak sauce on bottom. Rangoon was done with won ton dough (easy to make) and filled with a mixture of cream cheese, green onion, minced garlic, soy sauce, and worcestershire sauce. Served with sweet and sour sauce. Enjoy!

Grilled Skirt Steak

Decided on an old fav for dinner tonight, skirt steak tacos. Mixed up a quick marinade of soy sauce, olive oil, cumin, brown sugar, minced onion, minced garlic, and lime juice. Cooked over lump hardwood. Top pic is what I love to see on a snowy night; meat scented smoke rising from "Big Hoss"! Second pic is finished product. Served with warm tortillas and all the fixins. Glorious! Enjoy!

Hello All!

So I know I have been a ghost around here. It's been a crazy year. With the economic turndown, my family and I have had to relocate and start over. Just haven't had it in me to post anything. Well that's changed! We are now located in Manhattan, IL (slowly working my way south). Last night I made grilled chicken breast (marinated in zesty Italian dressing for an hour) finished with provolone cheese, lump Italian sausage formed into small patties, grilled, and also finished with provolone. Done over a mix of charcoal and lump hardwood charcoal. Enjoy!

Pizza Time At My House

A while back Chuck threw some pizzas on the website made with a crust referred to as Naan Bread, something his wife Eileen picked up near the local grocer's deli case.

Earlier this week I was cruising through the glorious Blue Goose (long may she reign among the grocers) and noticed, by the deli case as expected, some special pizza crusts that looked oddly like the kind of flat bread that comes from a stone oven.  Yep, it was Naan Bread.  And it looked good.

Pizza is always a fun thing to make.  When you and your significant other can't come to grips with what to make for dinner, pizza has a way of filling the void.  She can have whatever new world ingredients she wants, you can have a meat pizza.  Everyone's happy.  So I told myself then and there it'd be pizza one night this weekend. 

Picked up everything we needed Sunday morning, while Christina was still in bed.  Often I'm up much earlier than she is, and the best time to get some relaxed shopping done and out of the way for the day is in the morning.  I grabbed the Naans, enough fixing for a Pizza Margarita (basil, plum tomato, and fresh mozzarella) for her, and enough manly goodies for me - Bob Evans breakfast sausage, Boar's Head Pepperoni, and shredded cheese.  Good ole Contadina Thick and Zesty served as the sauce.  I also picked up a half dozen wings to deep fry on the stove.  There is something awesome about buffalo sauce, beer and sports.  I wanted wings as an appetizer to start off.  As expected, the bill was a little steep, but that's what happens when you go crazy with the proteins, I guess.


When Christina came home for the evening yesterday (bridal shower), her first words were "I'm starving".  Quick assembly, quick firing up of the Kingsford Blue Bag, and the deed was done.  I threw in a few unsoaked applewood chunks, not realizing that bread isn't like meet - it will absorb a lot of smoke quick and fast.

The final product would have been off the charts stellar, if I had left the applewood out.  We've got enough of everything left over for a re-do tonight.  My wife was disappointed with the bitterness of the smoke - tonight we'll redo with nothing but coal. 

But the Naan Bread - excellent - crispy, great pizza crust.  Chuck - good find!

Jeff H.