Watcha eating?

[2LaneCruzer]

If you Really want kick your Big Green Egg a notch try adding a BBQ Guru to it. You can control the temp and meat temps. I would not be without mine.

Roy

I've heard of the Guru, but hadn't thought about investing in it. Might help with some long cook times, like for briskit and pork shoulder. I'll take a look-see. Maybe Father's Day? BTW, we had our car club meeting last night, and I cooked some chicken wings and drumsticks on the Egg. Used my #2 Rubb and added a modicum of lemon pepper and got raves...I cooked enough that I thought I would get to freeze some up for later, but they licked the platter clean. Cooking was easy; put them on at 250 for about an hour, kicked the temp up to 300-350 for about 20 or 30 minutes; wrapped them in aluminum foil and that was that.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Bill,

The wife does 90% of the shopping and she buys some pretty decent rabbit food al things considered. She shops the local farmer's markets and specialty shops, and even at the big stores she buys only the organic etc. good stuff.

The only thing that ever seems to go bad in the fridge is she gets these 3 packs of english cucumbers, and there is often a sloppy chunk of that buried in a drawer in the fridge.

She uses Romaine and spinach in most of our salads.

Last nights was very, VERY tasty. NO restaurant can give ma a salad as good as my wife does.

She also does theb salad bar style, so I can overload on tomatoes, and meat, and olives, green onions, etc...

David

Ok fellows, if you really want a good salad, try this one. My wife makes it a lot in the spring and summer and it is absolutely the best. I can eat a bushel of it. Quite popular in rural areas here abouts; and it's no secret, so thought I'd share. I copied it from a cook book put together by a bunch of car guys; it's Sharn Jean's recipe (anyone want a copy of the cook book, send me your private email and I'll send it to you).

Sharn Jean's Wilted Leaf Salad

Ingredients

2 or 3 eggs, boiled and sliced

Bowl of fresh leaf lettuce, washed and drained in colander

One quarter cup sugar (approximate)

4 slices smoked bacon

several fresh green onions and radishes

One half cup cider vinegar

One quarter cup water

Boil your eggs, cool them and slice.

Fry the bacon crispy and remove the skillet from the burner.

Drain, cool and crumble the bacon, and set aside the bacon drippings.

Slice the onions and radishes.

Remove the drained lettuce from the colander to a large salad bowl, and sprinkle with sugar;

Mix the vinegar and water and add to the bacon drippings. Heat to boiling, and immediately pour over

the lettuce to wilt.

Add the eggs, onions, radishes, bacon bits and salt and pepper to taste. Toss and serve immediately.

(Note: you will probably want to adjust the sugar/vinegar to your own taste)

This is my particular favorite. It does require a bit of art, but you should be able to get it right after a couple of times. Make sure the vinegar/bacon drippings get very hot, and are poured over immediately. The lettuce should be as fresh and tender as possible. I have never eaten a bad batch.

After a hard day in the yard, just open up a cool beer, put a thick rib eye on the grill and get ready for ameal fit for a king. Time the steak, a platter of fried okra and the wilted leaf salad to come off about the same time. Doesn't get much better than this.

 

[sixdogs]

I'm still trying to find that perfect pizza dough, please post the recipe.

The above photo is the recipie with some changes. Notice on the bottom it says "substitute to". This is the correct recepie with one note. USE NO OLIVE OIL AT ALL. it's not needed and reduce the salt as I have noted.
You have to "proof" mix the yeast first with warm water and add as you mix it. Ask your wife if not sure.

For the six cup first recipie, it's six cups of flour, 1/2 tsp salt, the yeast and water. That's all.

The absence of oil gives the crust a nice chewy taste. The second and third measurements are for 8 cups and 10 cups of flour.
ususally I do the 8 or 10 cup to make a huge loaf of bread or two and a couple pizzas.



We use this flour from Gordon Food Service because it's high gluten and gives a chewy crust. You mix the dough, let it rise in a covered bowl for 25-30 minutes, punch it down and immediately make the bread and pizza. Do not let it rise again--it will rise in the oven.



Get flour on the peel or the pizza won't slide off. We use a baking stone and let it warm up good. Bake at 425 or so.




If I'm lazy I use this sauce in a jar from Costco. Low oil and salt and chunks of tomatoes, but it's easy to make your own. I add about a half shotglass each of imported grated romano first and grated parmesian second and then sprinkle some oregano on the top. Bake until it's done and the crust is chewy and wonderful and as noted is the best pizza dough I ever had. Sometimes I make it a little thicker and sometimes a little thinner. It will rise as you bake it.
Now, I'm on a self-imposed low salt and fat restriction but you could easily add a bunch of slices of sandwich pepperoni after the cheese and before the oregano.



You can also make a paper thin crust if you want so it's up to whatever you want to do. For a guy on a low fat and salt diet, this is the ticket. A glass of jug red wine, the wife nearby and the dogs cozily sleeping by my feet with one eye on the pizza and what more could you want? I rest my case.

 

[dmccarty]

I used McCormick Paprika in my last batch; it's relatively tasteless and barely a hint of being hot. It provides more in the way of color and bulk than it does in the way of taste...especially since the other added ingredients are so overpowering taste wise. I looked for Hungarian Paprika since it was recommended by others as their prime ingredient, but couldn't find anything local, so I just used the McCormick. If I ever get to the point where I make a lot of this stuff, I will need a source for ginger. It mostly comes in small, expensive bottles.

If your grocery store has an ethnic aisle, go over their and check out their spices. I can get huge amounts of whole Cinnamon sticks, Oregano, etc in the Mexican section for much less than what I would pay for McCormick. I THINK I saw Paprika when I last looked.

Later,
Dan

 

[sam5570]

I remember Sizzlean. The fat is the lure to the true bacon taste, mess with that and your taste buds will be disappointed. It was out in the late 70's It did have fat, but 50% less than bacon. Most people would consider it too dry but I liked it.
Move Over Bacon, There

that's it i remember the add saying move over bacon. we were buying it up in the late 80's best i remember. well tonight we had a hambuger steak and salad with a couple boiled eggs and rolls. it will be shoneys in the morning got to go down to bristlol get some thing's.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

If your grocery store has an ethnic aisle, go over their and check out their spices. I can get huge amounts of whole Cinnamon sticks, Oregano, etc in the Mexican section for much less than what I would pay for McCormick. I THINK I saw Paprika when I last looked.

Later,
Dan

Good suggestion. I'll check it out. Thanks.

 

[IslandTractor]

If your grocery store has an ethnic aisle, go over their and check out their spices. I can get huge amounts of whole Cinnamon sticks, Oregano, etc in the Mexican section for much less than what I would pay for McCormick. I THINK I saw Paprika when I last looked.

Later,
Dan

And, if your community has any type of Asian population, there is likely an ethnic grocery store that sells bulk quantities of many spices in plastic bags at very reasonable prices. There are also Indian/Thai/Vietnamese/Chinese mail order spice companies that can be very inexpensive for larger quantities too.

 

[sshaw]

Making some beef stew using locally raised grass fed beef. I remember Sizzlean. I ate a bunch of it, but I don't really remember when it went off the market.

 

[DFB]

Home made mac and cheese and a baked apple crip here after 3 hours of clearing snow today!

 

[creekbend]

We had BBQ chicken, potatoes, corn on the cob, and cornbread tonight. I haven't decided whether to make a cake or brownies for tomorrow's dessert.

 

[DABSGT]

I made some hamburger and vegetable soup. Good after being out in the cold and snow.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[MossflowerWoods]

My wife made an amazing crock pot mexican roast beef with Wegman's grass fed beef, and a tomato based sauce, serious yum.we had small tortillas, refried beans and a small side salad. I had a Yuengling B&T also...

She bought a new "Paleo" cook book that has all natural recipies in it, seriously every one so far has been good.
:licking:
David

 

[txdon]

Thanks six dogs. Got it and will be trying it, however I'll have to substitute applesauce for the olive oil and see what happens, I'm strictly no added fats/oils. So far in all the recipes the applesauce has been a good substitute.

 

[SPIKER]

it's hard to find anyone who don't love bacon.many years ago we could get from our local store a canadian bacon called [sizzlelean] it had no fat and had a great taste, not been able to find it in year's no one knows what i'm talking about when i ask.have you heard of it or tried it.

t is still available around here. We used to get it back in the 80's and 90s on & off. But it has gone way up in cost so went back to the regular stuff with MORE Bacon flavor

 

[sixdogs]

Thanks six dogs. Got it and will be trying it, however I'll have to substitute applesauce for the olive oil and see what happens, I'm strictly no added fats/oils. So far in all the recipes the applesauce has been a good substitute.

Re-read my post since you add zero--none--nada oil. Added oil takes away the chewy.
Do not add any olive oil.

 

[IslandTractor]

Thanks six dogs. Got it and will be trying it, however I'll have to substitute applesauce for the olive oil and see what happens, I'm strictly no added fats/oils. So far in all the recipes the applesauce has been a good substitute.

Most low fat diets do not eliminate olive oil. Is your diet following AHA or other established recommendations?

 

[TCJatko]

Most low fat diets do not eliminate olive oil. Is your diet following AHA or other established recommendations?

Agree that many oils (olive probably the most prominent) have beneficial effects and should be included in any diet.

 

[sixdogs]

Agree that many oils (olive probably the most prominent) have beneficial effects and should be included in any diet.

Correct and very important but for the pizza dough, no oil gives a chewier crust and a better pizza. I save the olive oil for other things like spagetti sauce or salad or whatever. Olive oil is the only fat I use.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

QUOTE]

Here you go!

Baby back ribs on the Big Green Egg or your own brand of smoker

INGREDIENTS

2 Slabs nice meaty baby back ribs, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
olive oil or Pam; spray can works best
Rib Rub
Turkey bake-in bag
chunk charcoal
CURED wood chunks for smoking; I prefer about 1/3 Mesquite, 1/3 blackjack oak and 1/3 pecan. Blackjack isn't available everywhere, so regular oak is OK. Hickory is good also. I never use green wood nor do I soak mine.

Lay the ribs in a cookie sheet, bony side up. Spray a fine coat of olive oil on the ribs and add a generous coating of your rubb. I use the #2 almost exclusively.

Turn the ribs over, spray the other side with the olive oil and generously coat the meaty side with the rub. Place into the bake-in bag overnight in the frige. I like to prepare them the day before if I can, but I don't always have that luxury.

I usually add a few chunks of wood to the smoker before I add the burning charcoal on top. I use the chunk charcoal in the Egg, and I start it using the chimney device so I don't have to use charcoal lighter. Add the hot charcoal to the smoker and place the rest of the smoking wood on top. I usually use about 2 or 3 medium size chunks of each on top of the coals. Mesquite is a great smoking wood, but it doesn't take a lot to make the meat bitter, so go easy with it until you learn how much to use.

When the coals are ready, I place the ribs on the grill bony side down. If I cook more than 2 slabs, I use a rib rack but prefer they lie flat. I also cook directly over the coals instead of indirect because I like them to brown a bit. If you insist on a brush on sauce, I recommend Woody's Cooking Sauce.

I set the smoker to cook at about 250 degrees Farenheit or a bit below. It takes about 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours usually for baby backs; much more and they will just fall apart. I start checking them after about 2 hours. The hardest part is deciding when they are done; when a toothpick penetrates the meat easily they are done; look for the ribs to starting pulling away from the ends of the bones.

I like to let them sit for a few minutes until they cool before slicing them up. If you are transporting them say to Grandma's house, wrap them in aluminum foil, and then in a beach towel or two and put them in your small beer cooler. They will stay warm for a couple hours.

Enjoy.

A few comments on rubs...There are a couple commercial rubs I like very much. The first is Bad Byron's Butt Rubb. It is an excellent rub, but it is too spicy for most folks, especially the kids. I also like Cain's BBQ Rub; it is milder and has a great flavor, but it does contain MSG. I have formulated my own rubs; the recipes are below. The # 1 is as close to Bad Byron's Butt Rubb as I could get, but here again, it's fairly spicy hot. The #2 is what I use almost exclusively any more; not too hot for the kids and everyone seems to like it really well.

Sorry, these recipes make a pretty good size batch, but I use a lot of the #2. If you want less, you'll have to go to the conversion charts and cut it down some. When I'm cooking just for myself and Sharn Jean, I usually add a little extra garlic directly to the ribs during the prep phase. There are a lot of prep variations I have used; I often will spread a couple tablespoons of yellow mustard on the ribs, gives them just a hint of vinegar, but here again, you can get too much if you aren't careful.


D.G.'s #1 Rib Rub

1 Cup Paprika
2/3 Cup Black pepper ( mix of regular and coarse ground)
1/2 Cup Granulated Garlic
3 TBSP Salt (fine sea salt; no Iodine added)
3 TBSP Granulated Onion
3 TBSP Chipotle Powder


D.G.'s #2 Rib Rub

1 Cup Paprika
2/3 Cup Black Pepper (mix of regular and coarse ground)
1/2 Cup Granulated Garlic
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar (light)
1/3 Cup white Sugar
1/3 Cup Ginger
3 TBSP Salt (fine sea salt; no Iodine added)
3 TBSP Granulated Onion
3 TBSP Chipotle Powder
1 TBSP Lemon Pepper

Here's a video typical of babybacks on the BGE. I have never tried the BGE rubb, but then again I have never seen it before. I'll give it a go when I find some...that's the only way to compare rubbs. I have a cabinet full of also-rans. Some are pretty good, but I still prefer my own.

Ribs on The Big Green Egg 4th July 2011 - YouTube

 

[3v0]

A summer sausage sandwich. Good summer sausage is hard to find in the southern US and this is only tolerable. The real stuff comes in sticks 2 or 3 feet long and big enough to fill a burger bun.