Chicken Wing Dip

Chicken Wing DipThis spicy baked dip tastes just like hot chicken wings, but without the mess. It is very addicting, and is perfect for football and tailgating season. Serve with tortilla chips. I take this whenever I have to bring a dish and am always asked for the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup pepper sauce, such as Franks® Red Hot®
1 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and hot pepper sauce until well blended. Mix in the Ranch dressing, chicken and Cheddar cheese. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. If oil collects on the top, dab it off using a paper towel. Serve with tortilla chips.

Montreal Steak Seasoning

2 tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1 TBS plus 1 tsp coarsely ground coriander seeds
2 TBS coarse (kosher or sea) salt
1 TBS plus 1 tsp dill weed
1 TBS plus 1 tsp paprika
1 TBS plus 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper)
1 TBS plus 1 tsp freshly ground (coarse) black pepper

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning Recipe

Tony Chachere's Creole RubI found this recipe on the internet, but originally this seasing was introduced to be by a good friend of mine. I find it to be a little bit spicey for most of my needs, but blended in with other rubs, it is really good. I can't always find it in stores, so that led me for a copycat recipe.

26 ounces salt
1 1/2 ounces black pepper -- ground
2 ounces red pepper -- ground
1 ounce garlic powder -- pure
1 ounce chili powder
1 ounce Monosodium glutamate -- (Accent)

Blueberry-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Bluberry-Bourbon BBQ SauceMakes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
½ cup bourbon
2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries
½ cup ketchup
½ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and just starting to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bourbon, increase heat to high and bring to a boil; cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in blueberries, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses and allspice; return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Peach BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS

2 cups ketchup
1 1/2 cup peach preserves
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 T clover honey
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T dijon mustard
1 T Peachtree Schnapps (optional)
1 T granulated onion
2 t black pepper
1 t granulated garlic
1 t ground ginger
1/4-t ground clove
1/4 t ground mace
1/2 stick butter, cubed and well chilled

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the butter. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. (You may want to have a lid handy to protect yourself and your kitchen from any sputtering.) Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. With a whisk, blend in the butter cubes, a couple at a time, until incorporated.

Makes about a quart.

--- developed by Paul Kirk for chicken

Pineapple Willy's Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce

16 servings 4 cups
40 min 10 min prep

Ingredients

1/2 large onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup Jack Daniels Whiskey
2 cups catsup
1/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1/3 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Directions

Combine onion, garlic, and Jack Daniel's Whiskey in a 3-quart saucepan.
Saute' until onion and garlic are translucent, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and light mixture; flame for 20 seconds.
Add all remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil, then turn down to a medium simmer.
Simmer 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
Run sauce through a medium strainer to remove onion and garlic bits if you prefer a smoother sauce.
Cool and enjoy.

Bread Machine Recipes

Recipes adapted for my bread machine.

Competition Beef Brisket Recipe

Competition Beef BrisketSmoker Temp: 225 degrees

Cook until 165+ internal
Double wrap in foil, cook to 205 degrees

One recipe called for the temp of cooker to be raised to 300 when you wrap in foil.

Slice thick enough so it doesn't fall apart, sauce and turn in!

Mixon Method Brisket (4.5 hours)

Brisket (4.5 hours)8lb brisket, trimmed up a little bit with my Rub on (using the Dr. BBQ idea of making a paste of the rub...awesome)

After letting it sit out for around an hour or so, it went straight into my smoker at 350

After two hours at 350, wrapped it up and poured a Dr. Pepper in there to keep it happy.

Another two hours wrapped at 350 it was reading 200 at the point. Left it on for another 30 minutes or so.

Total time on smoker: 4 hours 30 minutes. I let it rest out of the foil for about 30 minutes, then cut it up.

Bottom line is that it was great! I read a lot about this method before I tried it. Some posters say you wont get a smoke ring or smoke flavor...I had both. Consider another converted to the great mixon Method for Brisket.

Oklahoma Joe's Smoked Brisket Flat Recipe

Brisket: Nice smoke ring, and plenty juicy.Oklahoma Joe's Smoked Brisket Flat Recipe
courtesy Jeff Stehney, Oklahoma Joe's BBQ

1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (5 to 8 pound) beef brisket (flat cut)
4 cups oak or hickory wood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained
1 cup apple juice
1 1/2 cups your favorite BBQ sauce, for serving

Special equipment: spray bottle for apple juice
Combine all the spices in a bowl, mix well. Pat the spice rub onto the meat, making sure to heavily season the entire surface area of the brisket. Cover or wrap the brisket and let it sit at room temperature while getting the smoker or charcoal grill fired up. Do not leave at room temperature for longer than 1 hour.

The grill is ready when the charcoal has burned to a white ash. If using a grill instead of a smoker, arrange the coals on 1 side of the grill, leaving an area large enough for the brisket to cook indirectly with no coals directly underneath the meat.

When the grill has reached 200 to 225 degrees F, scatter 1/4 of the wood chips over the coals, close the grate, put the brisket on the grill and close the lid.

Maintain a 200 to 225 degree F cooking temperature inside the grill, adding coals every 2 hours or as necessary. Add wood chips and spray the brisket with apple juice every time you add new coals. Try not to lift the lid of the grill at any other time.

When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 170 degrees F on an instant read meat thermometer (after about 4 to 5 hours), remove it from the grill and double wrap in aluminum foil to keep the juices from leaking out. Return the brisket to the grill (or smoker) The brisket is finished cooking when it is very tender and reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F, about another 1 to 2 hours. Let rest for 45 minutes, then unwrap and slice. Serve with BBQ sauce on the side.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Canadian Bacon

Ingredients:
Boneless pork loin (size will depend on how much bacon you want to make.)
1 Tbl. Morton Tender Quick (or Basic Dry Cure) per pound
1 tsp. dark brown sugar per pound
1 tsp. garlic powder per pound
1 tsp. onion powder per pound

Directions:
Trim fat and silver skin from pork loin.
Cut into 3 to 4 pound sections.
Weight each section.
Make a note of the weight of each piece before measuring the dry ingredients.
Measure all dry ingredients for each section of meat based on the weight of each section, and thoroughly mix.
Example if you have two sections; one weighting 4 pounds and one weighting 3 pounds, measure all the dry ingredients for the 4 pound piece and place that in one bowl; and measure all the ingredients you will use on the 3 pound piece and put that in a separate bowl.
Rub the entire mixture on to the loin.
Make sure to cover all surfaces, and work the dry cure into any crevices in the meat.
Place loins into separate one gallon sealable plastic bags, and remove as much air as possible.
Cure meat in the refrigerator at 36- 40 F
My refrigerator was at 38 F.
Due to the thickness of the loin you will need to cure them for 6 days.
Once a day turn meat over.
You do not have to open the bags, if some liquid has formed give the bag a few shakes to redistribute the liquid.
When the loins are fully cured, remove loins from plastic bags and thoroughly rinse off.
Soak loin pieces in about three gallons of cool water for 30 minutes; remove from soak and pat dry.
Refrigerate uncovered overnight, or long enough to allow to dry and to form pellicle on the surface.
You may also see an iridescent sheen on the surface. *
Place loins into a 225 F preheated Bradley.
Apply maple smoke for 1:40 to 2:00 hours.
Continue to cook until an internal temperature of 140 F - 150 F is reached. The higher you take the internal temperature, the less moisture will remain in the meat.
It is important to take the internal temperature of each piece of loin. **

I now only take may Canadian Bacon to 140 F. The texture and moistness is much better. If you decide to use the 140 F temperature, make sure that your probe is in the thickest part of the meat. After it the meat reaches 140 F, slowly move the probe in and out. If there is a drop in temperature, leave the probe at that spot and continue to cook until the 140 F internal temperature is reached. If you have a good instant read thermometer, also use that to get your final reading.
Remove loins from smoker, and tent foil until loins are cool enough to be handled by hand.
Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least two days.
Cut into 1/8 inch thick slices and serve
(if serving with crackers you may have to quarter each slice.)
Additional information:
This recipe is a modification of Morton Tender Quick recipe and curing methods; and Mallard Wacker?s cooking guidelines for Buck Board Bacon.

You can add or subtract as many spices and flavoring you want to this recipe, as long as you maintain the correct amount of Tender Quick.

The dark brown sugar gives it a nice distinctive flavor, but you can replacement it with light brown sugar, or regular sugar or use maple granules.

You can increase the amount of applied smoke, but I like my Canadian bacon and pastrami lightly smoked. Keep in mind, that smoking a 225 F, your loins are going to reach 145 F -150 F in about 3 to 4 hours.

*OPTIONAL: At this point I used butcher's twine and tied the loin every 2-3 inches. This helps the bacon maintain a more rounded shape, and the even shape helps all parts cook more uniformly.

** I had two pieces in the smoker, and the tapered piece took 45 minutes longer to reach 150 F.

AB's Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Banana-Peanut Butter Pizza

Banana PizzaThis recipe was created one night at our house. After doing a whole bunch of make your own pizzas, we wanted something for dessert and just grabbed what we had in the pantry. Some peanut butter, bananas and some dark chocolate chunks that we bought for our dessert practice for Oinktoberfest. WARNING! This peanut butter is nuclear hot when it comes out of the egg.....you were warned. :)

Frozen Bread Dough
Peanut Butter
Fresh Bananas
Chocolate

Banana PizzaThaw dough, spread out on pizza peel.
Spread with peanut butter
Slice bananas and put on
Sprinkle chocolate

Preheat Big Green Egg to 500 degrees. Use plate setter and pizza stone.

Bake at 500 for 9-12 minutes.

Flourless chocolate cake with toasted hazelnuts and brandied cherries

Flourless Chocolate CakeThis over-the-top cake has impressive looks and moistness. Start the cherries ahead: They soak in brandy for a week and then in syrup for at least two days.

Servings: Makes 12 servings.

Ingredients

Brandied cherries
1 750-ml bottle brandy
1 1/2 cups dried tart cherries

1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Cake
10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced

10 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 large egg whites

Ganache
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

Whipped cream

Preparation

For brandied cherries:
Combine brandy and dried cherries in 4-cup glass container with lid. Cover and let soak at room temperature 1 week.

Bring 1 cup water and sugar to boil in medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool syrup. Drain brandy from cherries (reserve brandy for another use). Add sugar syrup to cherries and stir to blend. Let soak at room temperature at least 2 days. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store covered at room temperature.

For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 23/4-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper round. Place chocolate and 1 1/4 cups butter in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; stir until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water; cool to lukewarm, about 10 minutes.

Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl until very thick and pale yellow in color, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Gently fold chocolate mixture into yolk mixture. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites and remaining 6 tablespoons sugar in another large bowl until peaks form. Fold 1/3 of beaten whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 45 minutes (cake will be puffed and soufflé-like while baking). Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes (cake will fall in center). Run knife around cake sides to loosen; press edge of cake down to make level with center. Remove pan sides and cool cake completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.

For ganache:
Combine chocolate and cream in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove bowl from over water; let stand until ganache cools slightly but is still pourable, about 5 minutes.

Place cooled cake on rack set over rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1/2 cup ganache over top of cake. Using offset spatula, quickly spread ganache over top and sides of cake. Freeze cake 3 minutes. Pour remaining ganache over top of cake. Working quickly but gently and grasping pan bottom and rack together, slightly tilt rack with cake from side to side, allowing ganache to flow evenly over top and down sides of cake; smooth sides with offset spatula. Press hazelnuts onto sides of cake to adhere. Chill cake until ganache is set, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and keep refrigerated. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes before serving.

Cut cake into wedges. Garnish with whipped cream and spoon brandied cherries alongside.

Tres Leche Cake

Tres Leche CakeFor the cake:
Vegetable oil
6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
-- My Note: This works out to about 1 3/4 cup by volume
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces sugar
5 whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the glaze:
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half

For the topping:
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.
Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Cake BatterPlace the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.

Cake before toppingRemove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:
Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup. Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

Topping:
Place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed. Change to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Chris Lilly's Pork Injection

Pork injection
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire

Competition Chicken Brine

Brining ChickenChicken is not a tough piece of meat and cooks in a fairly short period of time, so you don't have to worry so much about temperature spikes (for fear of burning the outside, and undercooking the inside) as one would with a brisket or pork butt. Chicken is fairly forgiving meat to barbecue. They are cheap and plentiful so don’t be afraid to experiment with new methods. There is no doubt that brining before cooking any kind of poultry has very distinct advantages.

Selection

It is preferable to cook chickens in halves, rather than whole. They take on a little more smoke and flavor and brown on both sides, which looks nicer. In you can apply a finishing sauce to both the outside and inside if you like. If you chose to present pieces of the chicken rather than the whole, carving these pieces will be easier if the chicken is already cut in half to start.

Some things to consider when selecting a good BBQ chicken:

Do not select the largest chicken you can find. These chickens are often very fatty and do not yield a lot of flavor in the meat.
Look for a chicken that has a skin, which is free of nicks, cuts and blemishes. This will help to ensure that your final product looks as attractive as possible.
If possible select a chicken which has not been previously frozen.
Although free-range chickens are more expensive, they are also more flavorful.

Trimming

Take the whole chicken and remove the giblets and neck from the body cavity. If you plan to serve the breast meat in competition it is preferable to try and keep the skin between the two breasts intact to retain moisture during cooking. To accomplish this, place the chicken with the breast facing up. Insert a knife into the cavity and cut through the rib bones as close to one side of the backbone as you can. Repeat this on the other side of the backbone, and discard the backbone. Turn the chicken over and press down on the breasts flattening the chicken out in the process (It might help to make a small cut on the inside of the breastbone. If you want two halves, just cut the chicken in half through the breastbone and backbone. Wash the chicken off in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Brining

Chickens nowdays are raised very quickly to a market weight using carefully formulated feed. These chickens do not have the flavor of those old-time barnyard hunt-and-peckers. There is no doubt that brining poultry leads to a more flavorful and juicy end product.

The brining process forces water into the muscle tissues of the meat by a process known as diffusion and osmosis. This additional moisture causes the muscle tissues to swell and hold more water. The resulting water in the muscle tissues will make the meat more moist and tender. Any spices herbs or other flavorings you add to the brine solution will get taken deep into the meat with the water.

The following is a tried and tested chicken brine recipe.

1 gallon water
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon each of dried tarragon, thyme, black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Start by boiling the water and then adding the salt and sugar, so that it will dissolve easier. Then add the spices to the hot liquid so that the flavors are extracted. Cool the brine solution.

Place the brine solution into a non-reactive container and immerse the chicken in the brine, weighting it down if necessary. (Use a heavy plate or a brick inside a ziploc bag as a weight). Place the container into the refrigerator and leave for 10 hours. You can also brine the chicken in an ice chest, by pouring the brine solution into the ice chest, immersing the chicken and weighting down. (Use ziploc bags filled with ice cubes, or "blue ice" to keep the brining solution cool during the brining process.

Upon completion of the brining time remove the chicken from the brine and wash twice for at least 30 seconds in fresh water. Dry the chicken with paper towels.

A few things that you need to be remember when brining:

Make sure your brine does not contain too much salt. The salty flavor of a brine is typically offset by using some kind of sweetening agent such as sugar, honey, maple syrup etc.
Do not leave the chicken in the brine for too long or you will end up with a very mushy and salty end product.
Make sure you wash the chicken in fresh water for 30 seconds, at least twice after you remove it from the brine.
Be careful about using acidic products in your brines as these will begin to ‘cook’ the meat and result in a mushy end product.
Brining must take place at temperatures of 40 degrees or below. Only place your chicken into the brining solution once it is cold. You can cool the brining solution in the refrigerator or by using ziploc bags filled with ice cubes.
Ensure that the brine solution completely covers the chicken during the brining process.
Some guidelines if you are not brining chicken halves are as follows:

Chicken Parts 1 ½ hours
Chicken Breasts 1 hour
Cornish Game Hens 2 hours

Seasoning

It is not necessary to season the chicken with salt prior to cooking, as it has already been salted throughout as a result of the brining process.

Take some Italian salad dressing or olive oil, and rub it all over and under the skin. Get you hands real far up there, all the way to the leg bone. Then, rub down with your favorite rub all under the skin also.

At this point you can also chose to inject your chicken with a marinade.

If you plan to let the chicken stand for any period of time, remember that you should put it back into the refrigerator to avoid bacteria forming.

Cooking

Effect of Smoke

It is recommended that you use lighter flavored woods when smoking chicken such as cherry and apple.

Do not place too much emphasis on producing chicken with a deep ‘smoke ring’. The ring of color grading from dark on the outside to a pale pink deeper into the meat is not really a smoke ring at all. It is a chemical reaction of meat's constituents. The depth of color depends more upon the moisture of the meat than upon the density of smoke. It has no bearing on flavor and is not used as a judging criterion in competition.

Temperatures and Times

Chicken is not a tough meat and thus is not adversely affected by spikes in temperature. However the ideal temperature to cook chicken is approximately 250 to 300 degrees F. Cooking times may vary, but usually chicken halves will take 3 ½ hours. Place the chicken skin side up on the cooker and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F. Remember also that brined chicken cooks faster than unbrined chicken. If you are using a cooker that has multiple racks, place the chicken on the top rack so that when you mop any other items in the cooker, the mop does not drip onto the chicken and spoil the appearance of the skin.

Mopping

After an hour of smoking, brush the skin with Italian salad dressing or olive oil, and again after about 2 hours. This will help the skin from drying out.

Wrapping

It should not be necessary for you to wrap chicken.

Holding

Holding the cooked chicken in foil once it is cooked can help make the meat even more tender and juicy. However you do not want to leave the chicken wrapped for too long, as it will lose moisture in the process. If this does happen make sure that you reserve these juices and use them to baste over the chicken before you present it. If you do decide to wrap the chicken in foil do not put it back on the cooker, as it will steam in the foil and you run the risk of the chicken becoming mushy and falling apart. Place it rather in an ice chest and insulate with blankets or towels.

Presentation

There are a number of ways to present chicken. You can chose to separate individual pieces, such as the leg, thigh, wing or breast. Then you can present 6 of the same cut or mix and match your cuts so that the judges have the opportunity to chose what they personally like to eat. Whatever you decide to submit, remember to cut it up in such a way that the nicely browned skin covers the white chicken meat for a neat presentation.

If you want to just serve breast meat, which will be the easiest for a judge to eat, and if cooked properly will be moist and flavorful. Carefully cut the breast meat and skin away from the bone and cartilage of the carcass, then slice diagonally at an angle, into 6 slices. Gather the slices back together, and reassemble the breast meat as neatly as possible.

If you have overcooked the chicken, the breast meat will likely be dry and you might consider entering thigh meat, which will be moister.

Once you have cut the chicken into the pieces you want to present, baste with any chicken juices that have accumulated through the holding process or while you were cutting the meat for presentation. Spray with apple juice just prior to submitting, which will moisten the meat and give it a nice shine.

Drunken Apple Marinade

1 whole apple (Granny Smith)
1/4 cup of cider vinegar
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of apple juice
2 tbl of Worchestershire
2 shots of Maker's Mark
1 clove of garlic
2 tbl of your favorite rub
1 tbl of lemon juice
2 tbl of salt

Depending on mood I have added fresh cilantro and bay leaf to give it some herb flavoring as well. Hell it is BBQ do what you like.

There it is, I let it simmer on the oven for a good hour or two. Usually drink a couple of whiskey and cokes as I go. Then strain, let cool and marinade over night. I reserve the juice that is left in the marinating bag, boil it and use it as a MOP.

Fast Eddy Pork Injection

2 quarts water
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar

Rick's Sinful Marinade

It's just a basic beer mop that I took from Smoke and Spice and changed a bit. BBQBob named it Rick's Sinful Marinade. Here it is;

Rick's Sinful Marinade

12 oz. can of beer
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup of water
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned salt or rub.
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix the ingredients and baste as necessary, or add when wrapping at about 165*.

Rick

Wozniak Chicken Brine

1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt or 3/4 tablespoon table salt

from a recipe for 6 to 8 thighs

Chipolte Pulled Pork - Scored and Chunked

Rehydrating seasoningI got my hands on some "Chipolte Seasoning" from Sam's Club and I've been using it off and on in a bunch of recipes. I had the thought that I wanted to rehydrate it and make a "schmear" that I would use as a marinade and rub.

I used about a cup of the seasoning, with about a cup of water. Brought it to a boil and let it sit until cool. This rehydrated all the minced onion, garlic and peppers in the rub.

Scoring pork buttsI intended to pull this pork apart for sandwiches and chimichangas, and I really wanted a nice bark with big chunks for the sandwiches, so I scored the fat cap nice and deep and rubbed the butts down thoroughly.

Bring Big Green Egg to tempNext I prepared my Big Green Egg like normal for doing a low and slow. Started a fire, and when it was burning nicely, added a couple chunks of hickory and some cherry I had from the farm. When it reaches 225 degrees, you're ready to add the pork.

Smoke at 225, until internal temp reaches 165-170 degrees, double wrap in foil and put back on Big Green Egg. Smoke until 195-200, or until bone pulls from meat.

Unwrap from foil, crank Big Green Egg and form a nice crust. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes and pull it apart with bear paws, forks or fingers.

Chris Lilly's Competition Ribs

4 slabs pork loin back ribs
First Stage Dry Rub:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/3 cup garlic salt
2 tablespoons onion salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 teaspoon cumin

Second Stage:
1/2 cup apple juice per slab
1/2 cup grape juice per slab

Third Stage:
3/4 cup First Stage rub
1/4 cup brown sugar

Finishing Glaze:
1 1/2 cup Big Bob Gibson Championship Red Sauce or your favorite red sauce
1/2 cup honey

Raw Preparation: Place slab of ribs bone side down on table. Slide knife under the membrane and against the end bone to separate the 2. With a dry paper towel, grasp the edge of the thin membrane and pull. The entire membrane should separate from the rib.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine First Stage rub and mix well. Generously apply rub onto the front and back sides of ribs. Gently pat to ensure that rub will adhere. Place ribs meat-side up on a broiler pan and bake for 2 1/4 hours.

Remove ribs from oven. Place each rib meat-side down on its own doubled aluminum foil square. Foil should be large enough to completely wrap rib. Mix the Second Stage juices. Pour 1 cup of liquid over each rib. At the same time wrap and seal each rib tight. Return to the oven for 1 hour.

Remove wrapped ribs from oven. Remove from foil and apply a medium coat of the Third Stage rub to the meat-side of the ribs. Place uncovered in the oven meat-side up for 30 minutes.

Remove ribs from oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Brush finishing glaze on both sides of ribs. Place ribs in oven for 10 minutes, or until sauce caramelizes.

Crabmeat Stuffing

I like to use claw meat in this recipe, it is sweeter that lump white meat and about one half the price.
This is a crab meat stuffing recipe not a bread crumb recipe, too many stuffings are all bread and little crab.

Yield - about 6 Cups

Ingredients
1/2 CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1 LARGE YELLOW ONION (Chopped)
3 STALKS CELERY (Chopped)
1 TBSP FRESH GARLIC (Minced)
1/2 CUP DRY WHITE WINE
1/2 TSP WHITE PEPPER
1/2 TSP GROUND CAYENNE PEPPER
1 TSP LEMON PEPPER SEASONING
1 TSP WHOLE THYME LEAVES
1 TSP WHOLE OREGANO LEAVES
1 LB CRAB CLAW MEAT
1 LB LUMP CRAB MEAT
2 CUPS SEASONED BREAD CRUMBS
1 TBSP LEMON JUICE
3 LARGE EGGS (Beaten)
1/4 BUNCH FRESH PARSLEY (Chopped)
3/4 CUP GRATED ROMANO CHEESE

Method
In a large skillet and over medium heat add olive oil, onions and celery; sauté until onions turn clear (about 5- 7 minutes). Add garlic, wine and all of the seasonings, simmer until the sauce reduces by one third.

Remove from heat, gently fold in the crabmeat and remaining ingredients; stuffing should be used immediately or refrigerated.

Plate Presentation
Spoon stuffing into crab shells or in a buttered baking dish. Garnish with thin lemon slices.

Louis' Crabcakes

Makes ten 4-ounce dinner-portion crab cakes.

2 cups best-quality mayonnaise (I use Hellmann's)
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dry mustard (I use Colman's English mustard)
6 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
2 pounds lump crabmeat, gently picked over to remove any shell without breaking up the big pieces of crab
3 cups bread crumbs, made in a food processor from a sliced and dried baguette
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup peanut oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Whisk the mayonnaise and egg whites together in a small bowl until well blended. Whisk in the Tabasco and dry mustard. Add the shallot and scallions and mix well. Carefully fold in the crabmeat so as not to break up the lumps. Gently fold in 2 cups of the bread crumbs.

2. Divide the mixture into 10 equal parts of 4 ounces each and gently pat each portion into the round shape of crab cakes. Mix the melted butter with the remaining cup of bread crumbs and gently coat each of the cakes.

3. Heat the oil and 4 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the crab cakes for 3 minutes on each side or until nicely browned, turning once. Watch the heat. If the fat gets too hot, the cakes will brown on the outside before they are cooked on the inside. When cooked, drain the cakes briefly on paper towels. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200°F oven for up to 15 minutes. If the crab cakes stay in the oven any longer, they will dry out.

Skyline Chili

3 lbs. lean hamburger, don't brown, chop up)
2 qts. water
2 lg. onions, chopped
2 (16 oz.) kidney beans
29 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 tbsp. chili powder or more
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate squares
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 drops Tabasco sauce

In an 8 quart kettle combine hamburger, water and onions; simmer for 30 minutes. Then add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 2 or 3 hours, uncovered. Serve with steamed buns, hot dogs, onions and cheese or serve over spaghetti noodles, onions and cheese. Makes 6 pints.

Skyline Chili - Version 2

Skyline Chili is a chain of chili restaurants based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1949 by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides, Skyline Chili is named for the view of Cincinnati's skyline that Lambrinides could see from his first restaurant (which has since been demolished), opened in the section of town now known as Price Hill. It is also the "official chili" of many local professional sports teams, universities, and venues, including the Cincinnati Reds, the University of Cincinnati, and the Kings Island theme park.

1 qt. water
2 med. onions, finely chopped
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
5 whole allspice or 1/2 tsp. ground
1 1/2 tsp. red pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
3-4 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 lbs. ground beef
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 whole bay leaf
5 whole cloves
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Add ground beef to water in 4 quart pot. Stir until beef separates to a fine texture. Boil slowly for 30 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Stir to blend, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 3 hours. Pot may be covered the last hour after desired consistency is reached.
Chili should be refrigerated overnight, so that the fat can be lifted from top before reheating. Serve over spaghetti. Serve with oyster crackers.

3-way: spaghetti, sauce, finely grated Cheddar cheese

4-way: spaghetti, sauce, cheese, onions

5-way: spaghetti, sauce, cheese, onions, beans.

Honey-brined Smoked Turkey

Honey Smoked Turkey1 gallon hot water
1 pound kosher salt
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 pound honey
1 (7-pound) bag of ice
1 (15 to 20-pound) turkey, with giblets removed
Vegetable oil, for rubbing turkey

Combine the hot water and the salt in a 54-quart cooler. Stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the vegetable broth and the honey. Add the ice and stir. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side up, and cover with cooler lid.. Brine overnight, up to 12 hours.
Remove the turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird thoroughly with the vegetable oil.

Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.

Using a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke bomb. Place a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and gather up the edges, making a small pouch. Leave the pouch open at the top. Set this directly on the charcoal or on the metal bar over the gas flame. Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, and set the alarm for 160 degrees F. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour.

After 1 hour check the bird; if the skin is golden brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking. Also, after 1 hour, replace wood chips with second cup.

Once the bird reaches 160 degrees F, remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 1 hour. Carve and serve.

Koolicles - Cherry Kool-Aid Flavored Pickles

This is a very rough recipe from Chez on the BBQ Forum. I've noted it here and will revise recipe as I make it and adjust.

Pictures of process to follow when I make it.

Save half the pickle brine (about a quart of it)
1/2 gallon of strong cherry koolaid (2 packets koolaid and 1 cup sugar
Add the reserved quart of brine, making about 3 quarts of cherry brine
Split dills in half
Pack in jars
Pour the sweet cherry brine over them
Fridge

Smoked Cabbage

This recipe is really delicious and inexpensive. Something about having cabbage with your smoked meats that is really delicious. Why do you think coleslaw is so prevalent on BBQ menus?

Here's the ingredients and method, couldn't be much simpler.

2 heads cabbage
1 cup butter
Salt and Pepper

Cut cabbage into fourths place stick of butter in middle close firmly but dont let butter come out of top place heavy alumnum foil around place on smoker for about 4 hours until tender.

About 8 servings