On Saturday I made escarole soup with leftover pork roast. My wife always says before dinner "That is too much escarole." And during dinner she always says "This is SO good." Yesterday my wife and I went to visit friends and they made homemade pizza and it was really good. Today I am making stuffed bell peppers. I don't know what I am cooking tomorrow or on Wednesday, but on Thursday all hell breaks loose.
Just got back from Illinois—tonight we are grilling hamburger steak from a fresh ground boneless chuck roast—baked potatoes and fresh romaine salad topped with vine-ripe tomatoes to go with— The back porch Yeti is loaded with ice cold longnecks and ready for company— Well, in light of the e.coli romaine lettuce recall I have changed our salad to simply a fresh garden mix salad—all is well—
I guess I’d have to say that our Thanksgiving meal was your typical panhandle/north Fl. menu— Smoked a turkey on the top rack and a whole ham on the bottom rack of an old “Cajun Cooker” smoker over applewood smoke— Ms. Jan did her Mama’s dressing—the secret to it staying moist to me is she first pressure cooks a small baking hen and both pulls it apart to mix into her dressing and she also uses that broth instead of water in making her dressing— She also had fresh turnips and mustards mixed as well as cream 40’s & petite butter beans mixed— The rest of our family added a squash casserole, a broccoli casserole, ho-made mac & cheese, a couple of those congealed salads, and yes, because we had greens—fried cornbread— I don’t eat sweets but the rest of them had plenty to pick from— The cooks always enjoy the ice cold longnecks available during the cooking time— Today we went with the ol’school Michelob Lights—
Yes—it’s a split shotgun season—Fri/Sat/Sun, then 2 weeks later Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun— We didn’t tag out first season so we’ll go back—on the + side, duck season is in when we go back—
I have relatives that live about one hour north of Green Bay. If you want a deer all you have to do is drive between dusk and dawn with a beater car. No season on that. Ducks are awesome to smoke. Probably my favorite.
Next time I will do that. On my grill we cooked a 22lb turkey in 2.5 hours. That was too fast, but it was perfect.
Yeah we spend 8-10 hours over low heat and let the smoke cook it. No matter how you do it, you MUST put the meat in a cooler after you pull it off the fire.
Yep—and wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil before you put it in your cooler— Also, your meat (whatever you’re cooking) is going to take on smoke for 4 to 5 hours—after that, not so much—or at least that’s been my experience—
Headed back to Illinois tomorrow for the second half of shotgun deer season and duck season-- Will be out of touch with the world of Internet and cell phone service for a week--be headed back the following Tuesday-- Y'all keep it interesting and have fun--
That is why some folks smoke for only the first few hours and then wrap in foil and finish in the oven. I can see doing that with a full brisket to speed up the process, but the things I usually smoke (pork shoulder/Boston butt, chickens, pork ribs, ducks) the time in the smoker isn't excessive to the point where I start to worry about bacteria growth before the meat comes up to temperature.
Back from Illinois again—kinda road worn so keeping it simple tonight—big pot of Taco Bean Soup simmering on the stove—the house smells good! The ice cold longnecks go down mighty smooth after a long road trip too...
5220– I’m sure it will always depend on who, what, and how it’s cooked to get an agreeable answer— For myself, as far as larger animals elk is good, but for my favorite recipes I prefer venison—bear and ram come out a lil’ strong for my tastes— Again depending on how you’re cooking it, as far as wing fare goes my favorite smoked bird is the Mallard—grilled, I like pheasant—and smother-fried, no question—quail is at the top of my list—it’s all good, but those are my favorites—
Making pork tacos today. To make them I braise a 5 lb boneless pork shoulder in Guinness with onions, garlic, allspice, cumin, bay leaves and oregano. I also make a paste of re-hydrated ancho and arbol chilies with lime juice and slather the pork shoulder with that, let it marinade for a while, and keep it on during the braise. After 3 hours at 350 F the pork shoulder shreds. I also made a green chili sauce with a recipe I got in Chimayo where I bought crushed pepper flakes. It is weird because it has meat and potatoes in in. It is very tasty, but not exactly what I am used to for a green chili sauce. Next time I will leave the meat out, but the potato is a great idea for thickening along with the usual flour. Thinly sliced radishes and chopped cilantro will be additional toppings. I think that I have some queso fresco around as well as some epazote for those that like it.
It does make a mess of the kitchen. I am on my second dishwasher load and we haven't had dinner as of yet.
