Hickory Smoked
Teriyaki Chicken
Big Fatty's

Ingredients:

3 lbs maple sausage
1 lbs. chicken breast tenders
McCormicks sweat & Smokey dry rub
Teriyaki sauce
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp onion & garlic powder mix
1/4 yellow bell pepper
1 stock shallots
1/2 carrot cut up
6 to 8 pieces of broccoli
1/4 cup Pecans (optional)

Take 3 lbs. of maple sausage and mix in onion & garlic powder to taste. divide into two equal portions and form a ball with each. Place each ball of sausage in individual 2 quart zip lock freezer bags. Lay flat and start pressing the sausage into flat squares the exact size of the freezer bags. This is best done with the air let out and bag zipped shut. once shaped place in refrigerator.

Rinse a package of boneless chicken breast tenders. cut into small cubes. cut up about a 1/2 cub of carrots. Cut up yellow bell pepper and shallots. Chop 3 cloves of garlic. Break Pecans in half. Put all of this into a freezer back and coat in teriyaki sauce. Place in refrigerator to marinate for about 1 hour.

Lay zip lock bags with sausage. Using scissors, cut the bags down each side and pull the top plastic away. Drain the teriyaki sauce from the chicken veggie mix. Place the chicken and veggie mix in a long pile in the middle of each sausage square. Gently roll the sausage up around the chicken & veggie mix to form a tube. Fold up the ends and close them so none of the internal mix falls out.

Using Olive oil, gently rub down each fatty. Use just enough to help adhere the dry rub. Coat the outer meat with the dry rub then gently wrap with bacon. Use tooth picks to help hold the bacon in place. The bacon should fold up and around to the top. The tooth picks can be removed half way though the smoking process. Shake on some garlic & onion powder on top of fatty's as well as some garlic.

Place the fatty's into the smoker and cook @ 230 - 250 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Turn the fatty's half way through the cooking process.

When the desired internal temperature has been reached pull the fatty's from the grill and let them stand for 20 minutes. Slice the fatty's in 1.5 inch slices and serve.

They will taste amazing!

Hickory/Apple Smoked
Pulled Pork
 

Ingredients:

Apple Juice
McCormick's Sweet & Smoky Dry Rub
Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix
Olive Oil
Yellow Mustard
Brown Sugar
2 6-7 lbs. Pork Butts

Trim most of the excess fat off the Pork butts.
Rub pork down with Olive oil.
Liberally coat the entire Pork Butts with yellow mustard. Shake on some Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto mix.
 Liberally coast the pork butts with McCormick's Sweet & Smoky dry rub.
pour some apple juice into a spray bottle and lightly mist the pork butts.
Sprinkle on some brown sugar all over the pork butts.
Shake on a bit more of the Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto mix.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. (12 hours or more).

Following morning early... I start at 4 AM.
Use a injector and inject the Pork butts with a fair amount of apple juice.
Let stand at room temperature for 1.5 hours.
Preheat the cooker to 225-230 degrees
Place pork butts in smoker fatty side up. Mist hourly with apple juice. Cook roughly 1 hour per pound. Turn the pork butts after 5 hours. When the pork reaches 175 degrees remove from smoker and place in aluminum tins. Add a cup to 2 cups apple juice for humidity and cover in foil. Place back into cooker. Remove foil when meat reaches 195 degrees. Drain the fat from the tin and add some apple juice.
Finish cooking until pork reaches 200 degrees. Don't worry! This is not too hot, in fact it will produce the most amazing pulled pork.

Cover with foil and let stand 30-40 minutes. This is a great time to put some beans into a pie tin and place in the smoker. Stir them every 15 minutes until pork is ready.

When pork is ready, using a forks, pull and shred the pork. Pull off any fat and put aside for your dogs. There should be very little fat. most of it should have rendered down. Serve with onion buns, beans, coleslaw and corn bread.

Hickory/Apple Smoked
Baby Back Ribs
 

Ingredients:

Apple Juice
McCormick's Sweet & Smoky Dry Rub
Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix
Yellow Mustard
Brown Sugar
3 Pork Loin baby Back Racks or more

Using a butter knife and paper towel. Remove the membrane on the back of the ribs. this is very important. Paper towel allows you to grip the membrane for removal.

Coat ribs front and back with yellow mustard. Shake on Dired Tomato & Garlic Pesto mix. Apply generous amounts of McCormick's sweet & smoky dry rub. Put some apple juice in a spray bottle and mist lightly with apple juice. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Don't be shy with the brown sugar.

Preheat smoker to 225-230 degrees.
Smoke ribs for 2.5 hours. Mist ribs with apple juice hourly.
 

Remove ribs and place on foil. Splash on apple juice. Again don't be afraid to put some on there. Wrap foil around ribs and place back into smoker.
Cook another 1.5 hours then remove the ribs from the tin foil and place them back in the smoker. This is a great time to throw some beans in a pie tin and place in the smoker. Stir them every 15 minutes. Cook ribs for another 30 minutes to an hour until done. 

Hickory/Apple Smoked
Brisket

Ingredients:

1 Beef Brisket
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix
McCormick's Sweet & Smokey Rub
Brown Sugar
Olive Oil
Au-Ju Mix
Apple Juice

After you purchase your brisket let it sit in the refrigerator for 3 days to age a bit more.

When choosing your brisket carefully look at the grain. You want the grain to run horizontal along the length of the brisket if possible. If the best you can do is a angle grain that's ok just avoid a grain with a large curve to it. This will produce an inconsistent tenderness. Some parts of each slice will be tougher then others.

The day before the cook rinse the brisket and trim the fat. A good brisket will have marbling in the meat. This is what you want. You don't want a allot of external fat as it will keep the spices, rub and smoke flavors from permeating the meat.

Once the brisket is cleaned and trimmed, wipe down with olive oil. This will allow the spices and dry rub to adhere to the brisket. Shake on some Montréal Steak seasoning and some Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto mix. Put on the amount you wish. Don't be shy. Shake on liberal amounts of McCormick's Sweet & Smokey dry rub and then work it in with your hands. Once the rub is on shake on some more Montreal Steak seasoning and some Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto mix. Sprinkle on some brown sugar and rub into the brisket. Once both sides are done wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until the next morning. Mix up some Au-Ju over heat and then place in a Tupperware bowl until the morning. this will serve as a flavor injection.

The following morning take the brisket and Au-Ju out early. Let stand at room temperature for about 2 hours. After brisket has warmed up inject every couple inches with Au-Ju. Push plunger of flavor injector as you withdraw the injector. This will allow for good coverage. Pre-Heat smoker to 230 degrees. Traeger grill owners, once heated to 230 turn to "smoke" setting. Place brisket in smoker.

Cook for 2 hours on smoke then 3 hours at 230 degrees. Standard smokers 5 hours at 230 degrees. Mist with apple juice hourly. Monitor temperature. After 5 hours on the grill the brisket should be above 140 degrees.

Remove and place on foil. Mop with Au-Ju then sprinkle on spices and dry rub. Wrap in foil and add 1/2 cup Au-Ju to foil. Seal up and place back on smoker. Cook at 230 degrees until brisket reaches 180 degrees. Remove from foil and place back on smoker rack. Continue cooking until the internal temperature is 190 degrees. Remove brisket and let stand for 45 minutes covered with foil. This will allow the internal juices to re-distribute. Slice across the grain 1/8 " think. At this point I like to dip each slice in Au-Ju as I arrange onto a meat platter or plate. The brisket should have a nice thick pink smoke ring and should be very tender. See picture on right.

Hickory/Mesquite Smoke
Beef Roast

Brine:
1.5 - 2 Gallons Water
1 Cup Kosher Salt
1 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Worchester
2 Tbsp Garlic Salt
2 Tbsp Molasses

2 to 3 large roasts

Seasoning:
3 Cloves fresh chopped garlic
Coarse ground black pepper to taste
McCormick's Sweet & Smoky dry Rub
Garlic Powder or salt

Set 2 cups of brine aside...

Trim excess fat. Place roasts in brine and soak in cool place (refrigerator if possible) for 12 - 16 hours.

Remove from brine and rinse. Coat roasts in chopped garlic and coarse ground black pepper.
Coat liberally with dry rub. Use the 2 cups of brine set aside to inject the roasts with a flavor injector.

Let stand at room temperature 1.5 hours. Preheat smoker to 225 - 230 degrees. Cooking time is Approximately 5 hours. Remove from smoker when meat get to 145 degrees. let stand 30 to 45 minutes coved in foil to allow the juices to redistribute.

This is a great time to put some beans & BBQ sauce in the smoker to warm. Sprinkle brown sugar on the beans. Stir both every 15 minutes. Slice roast and serve.

Another tip.. Take one roast and thinly slice. Put in a crock pot with a bottle of Sweet bay rays BBQ sauce, a bottle of beer and all the crap trimmings from slicing the beef. You can add some garlic and onion as well. cook on low over night about 8 hours and you will have some of the best BBQ beef you have eaten.

If you wish to freeze one of the roasts, do not cut into it. Wrap it in plastic wrap and foil and place it into the freezer. This will keep the meat juices in.
 

Hickory/Apple
Smoke Meatloaf

Ingredients:

Mix 2 eggs
2 Tbsp - apple juice
1 Tbsp - Worchester
1 Tspn - Mrs. Dash
Pepper - to taste

Combine
3 - 4 lbs. Hamburger
3/4 Bag of Hot-N-Spicy
Pork Skins
3 cloves chopped garlic
Mix well then add egg mixture.

Smoke @ 230-250 degrees (4 hours)
Mist or Mop with apple juice hourly
Remove from cooker last when there is 30 minutes left. apply Ketchup and place back in cooker.

Remove when:
(med) 145 Degrees
(well) 155 Degrees

Hickory/Apple Smoked
Bacon Wrapped
Crab Stuffed
Chicken Breasts
 

Ingredients:

1/2 lbs. Fresh Dungeness Crab
1 package of thin sliced bacon of your choice
2 Thick boneless Chicken Breasts
2 Slices chopped Bacon
2 sliced green onion
1/2 chopped garlic clove
1 bottle Zesty Italian dressing
Real Butter

Mix the following in a small bowl

1/2 lbs. Fresh Dungeness Crab
2 Slices chopped Bacon
2 sliced green onion
1/2 chopped garlic clove
1-2 Tbsp Zesty Italian dressing

Take 2 thick boneless chicken breasts, wash and cut off any fat. Using a sharp knife, cut a 1" to 2 " cut in the side of the chicken breasts. In a sawing motion, carefully open up a inner pocket the length of the breasts.

Carefully stuff the chicken breasts with the crab mix. Try to avoid tearing the chicken. Once stuffed, place in a Ziploc bag and pour  a cup of Zesty Italian dressing over the chicken. Shake and refrigerate for at least 1hour preferably over night.

Remove from refrigerator and Ziploc bag. Tightly wrap chicken breast with thin sliced bacon and let stand until near room temperature.

Preheat smoker/cooker to 225. I recommend a 50%/50% mix of Hickory and Apple wood pellets or chunks.

Place chicken breasts on grill. Traeger grills, put on smoke for the first 30 minutes then 280 to 300 degrees. Mist the chicken with apple juice a couple times during cooking duration. When the chicken reaches 40 degrees put your beans (sprinkled with brown sugar) on the grill and start baking corn bread. Chicken will be done when the thickest part is at 165 degrees.

Serve with smoked beans and corn bread with butter and honey.

Hickory/Maple Smoked
Bacon

Ingredients:

1 lbs. Thick sliced bacon of choice

This is about as easy as it gets. Place bacon on a pre heated smoker to 230 degrees. Smoke at 230 for approximately 2.5 hours or until bacon is browned the way you like it.

I said it was simple and the bacon will be amazing!

Pecan Smoked Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 lbs ground Beef
1 lbs maple sausage
2 bottles Prego red sauce
4 cloves garlic
Ricotta Cheese
2 lbs Mozzarella
6 Tbsp Cottage Cheese
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Dried tomato & garlic pesto Spice mix

Mix 1 lbs. ground beef and 1 lbs. maple sausage, 2 cloves garlic and Dried tomato & garlic pesto mix to taste in a bowl. Spread meat mix 3/4 " thick in a aluminum cooking tin. Place in smoker at 180 degrees for a couple hours chopping and stirring occasionally. Don't over cook, you just want to brown the meat and get in some smoke. Put 2 cloves of chopped garlic on the smoker.

Mix browned meat mix with 2 bottles of Prego spaghetti sauce of your choice. Stir in 2 Tbsp brown sugar. Place meat sauce in the smoker and simmer at 270 degrees for 45 minutes (total time). This well allow the flavors to meld. After 15 minutes stir in the chopped garlic from the smoker.

Boil about 12 Lasagna noodles for approximately 20 minutes or until done. Rinse noodles under cold water until cooled. Lay noodles out on wax paper and pat dry with a paper tower. Noodles should be a bit sticky to the touch not slippery. Spread Ricotta cheese on noodles.

Grease a casserole dish and spoon in a thin layer of sauce. Lay Lasagna noodles in side by side covering the entire bottom. Spoon in a liberal amount of meat sauce and cover with Mozzarella cheese. Repeat for the next layer. Then top with Lasagna noodles and a thin layer of sauce.  Cover in Mozzarella cheese and then sprinkle on some shredded Parmesan cheese to taste.

Place Lasagna in smoker and bring the heat up to 375 degrees. Cook for approximately 45 minutes to an hour or until the cheese is melted and the lasagna is bubbling on the sides.

Toss a garlic bread into the smoker and remove the lasagna. Let stand for about 20 minutes then retrieve the garlic bread and get your grub on!

Mesquite Smoke Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

3 lbs ground turkey
3 large sweet onions
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 16 oz. cans peeled crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
4 cloves garlic
1 16 oz can dark red kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp coarse pepper
6 tbsp chili powder
3 tsp cumin

Mix 2 cloves garlic with Turkey meat and season with salt & pepper to taste. Place meat in aluminum pan and into smoker @ 180 degrees. Stir often so smoke gets into meat.

Chop up veggies and place them into individual aluminum pans. Rinse the beans and mix them with the one 16 oz. can of crushed tomatoes in an aluminum pan. Put all pans in the smoker with the turkey meat. Put the remainder of the chopped garlic on a piece of foil and on the  smoker. Again, stir frequently to make sure smoke gets into the veggies and beans.

After 45 minutes remove peppers and increase temperature to 230 degrees. Smoke for another 1.5 hours. Remove everything and begin mixing it all together in a 6 quart crock pot. Make sure you drain the fat from the turkey meat. Add the spices, brown sugar, tomato sauce and paste.

Slow cook in Crockpot on low for 12 to 14 hours while stirring occasionally. Like it HOT? Add a few drops of  Da Bomb "The Final Answer" pepper extract. Be careful as this extract is 1.5 million scoville units on the heat index. It's very hot!

Enjoy your Chili!

 





Smoked then simmered low & slow!

Pecan Pellet Cooked
 Apple Turnovers
 

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith Apples
Cinnamon (30%) & Sugar (70%)to taste
2 tubes of Pillsbury Crescent Dough
Pecan Pellets

This is a no brainer but fun. Heat the grill to 270 degrees. Peel and cut up the apples. In a bowl add cinnamon & sugar to taste. 30% cinnamon to 70% sugar. Stir apples until the mix dissolves. Place apples in an aluminum pie tin and place on the grill.

Cook 10 about 10 minutes uncovered then put foil over the apple filling and cook another 15 to 20 minutes. Apples should be caramelized yet still a bit firm. Remove from grill and let cool.

Separate the Pillsbury dough placing 1/2 of it on a cooking sheet sprayed with Pam. Spoon the apple filling down the center of each piece of dough  and pile it high. Leave about a 1/4 inch border of dough. Sprinkle the apple filling with Cinnamon and sugar mix. Using the other 1/2 of the dough to cover the turnovers. On each one work your hands around the perimeter pinching the top dough to the bottom and try to roll it upward a bit so the filling stays in.

Place on the grill @ 350 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. Using the caramelized apple filling and a mop, spread the juices from the apple filling over the top of the pastries. Then sprinkle on some more of the cinnamon and sugar mix (lightly). Bake another 25 minutes or so and then remove the turnovers. Let stand to cool a bit and serve warm.