Sunday Eggin\'

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead · March 2010

Smoking another batch of cheese this morning. Got people that want to buy some this week and also have family coming for Easter, so this is it.
Time to SMOKE!

Once the cheese was off the grid, I got the smoker out and started with a good cleaning of the Egg getting ready for a day of cooking.
Then, it was full steam ahead doing stuffed Jalapeño pepper appetizers for the first go-round.

STUFFED JALAPEÑO PEPPERS
North Portage Smoke-Shack
From JB

1 lb. Country Style pork sausage
8 oz. cream cheese
1 C. Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
22 (or there about) Jalapeño peppers

1)) Wash the peppers, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds.

2)) In a skillet over high heat, brown the sausage, scraping and mashing to make for a fine product. Drain any resulting fat.

3)) Over Med. low heat, blend together the browned sausage, cream cheese and grated cheese.

4)) Fill the cavity of each pepper and bake at 425 F. for about 15 minutes on the Egg: Indirect on the grid or on a slatted pan.

I tried out my new grill pan...It worked real well. Thought I had a pic, either on the Egg or finished...But I can't find it, so here's one prepped and ready.

Then for dinner: Two meats (beef and chicken), sliced and hammered well, then into two marinades. By the way, both of these need at least two hours in the marinade.
Didn't do Little Steven's this go-round because of the timeframe. So I tried out a new one (I twisted it some) for the chicken...It was good, fast and EZ. I will do it again!

CHICKEN MARINADE:
Adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis
(This is enough for 4 to 5 lbs. of meat)
1/2 C. balsamic vinegar
1/2 C. dark brown sugar
1/4 C. honey
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 t. (maybe a bit more, dependent upon your taste) crushed red pepper
5 cloves garlic, crushed
5 sprigs fresh Rosemary (rub / roll it some to break it up)

I reserve the marinade, boil it into a thick sauce and then brush some on the chicken, just before taking it off the grid..

The BEEF MARINADE is my "go to" from years ago...almost 40 now!!! Sorry, I have NO measurements! Just a slug, a dash or two, a few twists and a glop, shake or a plop of: Soy, Wooster, fresh ground pepper and garlic to taste.

Kitchen help: Dylan, Rae and Toni.

Skewered chicken tenders and beef loin K-Bobs with onion, peppers and mushrooms..

Served it all up with roasted veggies, squash and potatoes! Sorry, it all went WAY too fast to get a platted pic!

Maybe next time! Maybe I need to hire a photographer!!??

triehle98 · March 2010

I am entirely jealous of the smoked cheese and ABT'S via your recipe ... those looked awesome

Car Wash Mike · March 2010

Where is the swiss? One of my favorites. Nice pics, don't bother with hiring some one.

Mike

Car Wash Mike · March 2010

Where is the swiss? One of my favorites. Nice pics, don't bother with hiring some one.

Mike

Donwon9999 · March 2010

Can you share your recipe for smokin the cheese?

I noticed you had turned the place setter upright and then extended the grill. What does that do versus using it with the place setter upside down?

Nice looking food by the way!

Mark0525 · March 2010

Chicken looks great. What kind of chicken is it,how long did you cook it and what temp? Did you marinade them over night? Sorry for all the questions. It looks like a nice easy cook, even for me...lol

Mark

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead · March 2010

Regarding the cheese: Check the “search” here on the forum for smoked cheese, there is a wealth of great input.
As for how I do it…I use a smoke generator made with a bean can, wood chips and a soldering iron. This method is so simple and failsafe…It’s almost embarrassing

!
The cheese starts as 1 lb.bricks that are cut in half, and then smoked for 1-1/2 to 2 hours with apple wood. I prefer going the 2 hr. mark, but you may want to start shorter depending upon you want / need of smokiness.
Once smoked, it needs to mellow for a week or so to get a nice flavor. I wrap each chunk in cellophane and them they go into a freezer bag, ready for the fridge.
I use my extended grid to get the cheese up higher in the dome, thinking it gets better smoke there. The platesetter (it could go legs up or down here) is used only as a “shield” and it may not even have to be used because of the low temp of the “bean can” generator and the low outside air temp here in winter...But it’s a layer of safety.
Happy Eggin’

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead · March 2010

It is pretty EZ and I have to thank Little Steven for the idea / method even if I didn’t use his marinade this go-round!
I used chicken breast cut (cross-grain) into about 1/2 to 3/4" thick slices and them flattened them, on the cut, between cellophane with the hammer.
At that point they went into the marinade and the fridge for just over two hours. I don’t think that an overnight would hurt anything.
Once out of the marinade and skewered, I cooked then direct with a dome temp in the 325 to 350 F. range for about 5 minutes per side. This is done with the dome closed, so after 5 min. check for even browning, turn and rearrange as needed for even cooking. Close the dome for another 5 minutes. Check for doneness.
I forgot to mention in the original post, that I reserved the marinade, boiled it into a thick sauce and then brushed some on the chicken, just before taking it off the grid. I may have to hit edit for that

.

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead · March 2010

Never have tried smoked swiss. I'll have to give that a try.

Big George's BBQ · March 2010

Very nice

Sunday Eggin\'

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