The Food & Drink Thread

[PP Mguire]

For some heat but still fairly simple whip up some of my fiery jalapeno poppers. If you do it in steps (prep the peppers, cook the sausage, mix the stuffing, fill the peppers, wrap the peppers, cook them, chow down) it is really easy to pull off. Heck, you can do them over a couple of days if you wanted to. I've cooked up the sausage and made the stuffing on one day, then cut the peppers, stuffed and wrapped them the next, and then cooked them on the third. Here's the recipe: Fiery Jalapeño Poppers

I actually was taught how to do poppers but haven't made them myself yet.

If you have a crockpot then you have bunch of other options. Throw a pork butt or a half loin in it on low for six to eight hours, drain it, shred it, then toss it back in with a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (or two) and let it simmer for a hour or two. Easy pulled pork BBQ. You can do the same with boneless skinless chicken breasts but they don't take as long to cook.

I'll be doing this next.

 

[Trotter]

This past Saturday's cook. I tried my first hot and fast brisket as well as my first prime brisket. I trimmed the brisket up the night before; a small one, 10 pounder, probably eight after trim. I injected it with Butcher Block Prime Brisket injection using beef stock instead of water with a little added Worcestershire sauce, then rubbed with Pit Boss Beef & Brisket BBQ rub, and let it rest in the fridge overnight.

I tossed it onto the Gravity 980 Saturday morning at 325F using B&B briquettes and some pecan chunks. I also chunked up the fat from the brisket and rendered it alongside the brisket. When I wrapped I used two sheets of foil and put in a mixture of about 1/4-1/3 c G.Hughes Sweet & Spicy BBQ sauce, a can of Campbell's Beef Consomme, and a little Worcestershire sauce. I figured that if it works for some of the Youtubers I watch then I will give it a shot.

The total cook time was about four hours, pulled it at 206 and probe tender. I strained the tallow and bottled it for future use. I save the cooked down pieces as dog treats for my helper as she seems to like them. I let the brisket rest in a 170F oven for about hours until supper. The fat cap could have been trimmed down a bit more and hot and fast didn't give me the smoke ring I usually get but the taste was awesome. I had some sprouts with mine but I made baked sweet potatoes and corn on the cob for everyone else.

I've said it before and I will say it again... this Char-Griller Gravity 980 almost makes brisket too easy.

 

[Trotter]

t's 420 so smoke 'em if you've got 'em. And since the only thing I smoke is meat then baby backs it is. Just don't look at the pan; it's one that is only used to ferry meat to and from the smoker.

I pulled three racks out of the freezer and put them to good use. They were rubbed with Rib Rack original sugar-free rub and smoked them hot and fast on my Char-Griller Gravity 980 using B&B briquettes and some cherry chunks. I double sauced them with G.Hughes Sweet & Spicy sugar free BBQ sauce.

And, yes, I said three racks... the third one didn't last long enough for the pic.

 

[PP Mguire]

Got some ZippFizz to see if it helps me at all. Stage 1, it's not so good. Will see if it works.

 

[Trotter]

No pics of supper this time as I was fighting the rain. I made a smoked spatchcocked chicken seasoned with Buc-ees Cajun rub, a baked creamed spinach casserole, and some baked sweet potatoes.

Spatchcocking is removing the spine from the bird using shears or a heavy knife, cutting down both sides of the backbone. Once the backbone has been removed you make a cut just in front of the breast bone on the inside of the bird (basically cutting the wishbone). You then turn the bird over so the breast is pointing up, and using both hands press down the center of the breast; this splits the breastbone and makes the bird spread out and lay flat. Doing this eliminates the cavity inside the bird thereby helping it to cook both faster and more evenly. I do this with both chickens and turkeys. The pic is of this past Thanksgiving turkey right after I took it out of the smoker.

 

[PP Mguire]

Got some ZippFizz to see if it helps me at all. Stage 1, it's not so good. Will see if it works.

ZippFizz tasted like ass and did nothing for me.

Made another milkshake, this time with chocolate ice cream. Delicious.

 

[Trotter]

I made me a brisket for my own birthday dinner. We went out to a BBQ place that I chose on Saturday and it was good, but their brisket wasn't as good as mine. I picked up a full packer on Sunday, prepped it, and then put it on to smoke Sunday night. This one cooked quicker than some of my other briskets and was finished at 5:50am. I held it in a warmed oven until it was time to eat. I did this one very similar to the one I posted on 13 April as my wife is not a fan of a heavy bark.

I decided to make some pulled pork today. I prepped it last night and put it in the smoker this morning. No pics (yet) but it is finished and currently resting in the oven.

 

[Joe C]

looks great!!
btw: Happy B-Day!!!

 

[kmanmx]

You guys making me want a smoker / kamado. I have no room for one though, and they're expensive. Maybe once i've moved into a place with a bigger yard.

 

[Trotter]

I got a new toy and finally got to give it a go this evening. I made chicken fajitas on my new Char-Griller 3-Burner Gas Griddle. Two pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs marinated in Kider's Fajita seasonings, two yellow onions, and three bell peppers. It turned out great and my wife was impressed.