When I finally properly smoked a Boston Butt to create a decent pulled pork, see previous blog, I wound up with a lot of meat!
I put leftover meat in Ziploc bags and stored it in the refrigerator. Now what?
Since we don't use bread products at Bill's Grille, the standard sandwich was out. But I discovered delicious, low-carb ways to use the meat for breakfast and lunch.
Breakfast
In a small two-egg fry pan, heat a little high temperature canola oil over medium heat. Add a quarter cup of your favorite barbecue sauce and a handful of left-over pulled pork. Stir to mixed well. When the sauce starts to bubble a little add two or three slightly beaten eggs. Keep stirring until the egg scramble is cooked and thoroughly mixed in. You're done.
Lunch
Same as breakfast except use more sauce and meat and omit the eggs.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
My Results for 3rd try Smoking Boston Butt
I put the bone-in Boston Butt at 5 am, thank goodness for my barbecue lights. I used apple wood and remotely monitored the smoker temperature and the meat temperature. I intended to let the meat temperature rise to 190 degrees. Smoker was set to 225 degrees. After 13 hours the temperature had risen to 185 and I took it out of the smoker at 6 pm - dark-to-dark smoking. After sitting for awhile, I pulled the pork apart using a fork. It turned out to be very tender and very delicious. Success at last - you just have to let it smoke and smoke and then smoke some more
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Smoking Boston Butt
Boston Butt is part of the pork shoulder that when smoked and torn apart produces shredded pork.
I've tried smoking a Boston Butt twice without success. Today is my third try.
Two things I'm doing differently this time; I bought a butt with bone-in and I'm smoking for about 12 hours or more.
I put the meat in a 5 this morning after marinating it in apple juice overnight.
We will see what happens this time - third times a charm, they say.
I'll be back tonight with the results - bet you can't wait!
I've tried smoking a Boston Butt twice without success. Today is my third try.
Two things I'm doing differently this time; I bought a butt with bone-in and I'm smoking for about 12 hours or more.
I put the meat in a 5 this morning after marinating it in apple juice overnight.
We will see what happens this time - third times a charm, they say.
I'll be back tonight with the results - bet you can't wait!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Bill's Grille Depression Era Cocktail
As we're all (almost all, that is) cutting back on our spending, it behooves us to reduce our spending on alcohol. I'm a single malt scotch drinker, which, of course, is the most expensive of whiskeys.
Eric Felten, the drink writer for the Wall Street Journal, had an article about the best in cheap, blended scotch. One of his top picks was Ballantines.
So I decided to try Ballantines - not great but drinkable. Cheap whiskey needs something to take the edge off it.
I was reading an excellent book by the English author, William Boyd, called Restless, which I highly recommend. There's a point in the book where two characters are in a bar drinking Whiskey Macs. I never heard of a Whiskey Mac, but the internet told me it was Ginger Wine and blended Scotch. Intrigued, I found and bought a bottle of Stones Ginger Wine. Stones is a bottler based in London, so consistent with the author, the wine, and the scotch this is definitely a British cocktail.
The recipes on the internet suggest equal parts ginger wine and scotch. I tried that with my cheap Ballatine and found it too sweet - I just want to take the edge off, not make a girly drink.
After some experimentation, I found that for me, the proper proportion is four parts scotch and one part ginger wine. So now we have:
Bill's Grille Depression Era Cocktail
Combine in a cocktail glass filled with ice:
4 parts blended scotch
1 part Stones Ginger Wine
Stir and enjoy.
Eric Felten, the drink writer for the Wall Street Journal, had an article about the best in cheap, blended scotch. One of his top picks was Ballantines.
So I decided to try Ballantines - not great but drinkable. Cheap whiskey needs something to take the edge off it.
I was reading an excellent book by the English author, William Boyd, called Restless, which I highly recommend. There's a point in the book where two characters are in a bar drinking Whiskey Macs. I never heard of a Whiskey Mac, but the internet told me it was Ginger Wine and blended Scotch. Intrigued, I found and bought a bottle of Stones Ginger Wine. Stones is a bottler based in London, so consistent with the author, the wine, and the scotch this is definitely a British cocktail.
The recipes on the internet suggest equal parts ginger wine and scotch. I tried that with my cheap Ballatine and found it too sweet - I just want to take the edge off, not make a girly drink.
After some experimentation, I found that for me, the proper proportion is four parts scotch and one part ginger wine. So now we have:
Bill's Grille Depression Era Cocktail
Combine in a cocktail glass filled with ice:
4 parts blended scotch
1 part Stones Ginger Wine
Stir and enjoy.
Holiday Turkey Recipes
There almost as many ways to prepare turkey as there are turkeys who try to cook them.
I haven't deep fried a turkey but I've oven-roasted, grilled (with and without a rotisserie), and smoked turkeys.
I prefer smoking for small turkeys and oven roasting for large turkeys.
I have found that left-over smoked turkey is juicer and better tasting than roasted turkey, but I don't know why.
I believe that overcooking a turkey is the most common mistake. If you cook a turkey to the recommended 180 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast, you have overcooked it and the meat will be dry, dry, dry.
I prefer injecting liquid over brining.
My injection liquid recipe follows.
TURKEY INJECTION LIQUID
Ingredients
• ½ cup Apple juice
• ½ cup Chicken Stock
• ¼ cup garlic infused olive oil ( I use Renaldo’s Organic Garlic Gold Oil)
• 1 Tbl lemon juice
• 1 Tbl chicken (or other) rub
Directions
Combine ingredients and whisk briskly to blend the oil with the juice and stock.
The night before cooking, inject the liquid into the turkey at 1 inch intervals in breasts, thighs, and legs. Cover and refrigerate.
Smoking a turkey
Many turkey smoking recipes suggest using a butterball or rubbing butter inside the skin after separating it from the meat. Baloney! Too many smokers are fat, beer-bellied, suspender-wearing, tobacco smoking gents who don't give a damn about what they eat or drink except that it be alcoholic, fatty, fried, or sweet, or some combination thereof. You don't need butter to smoke a tasty bird!
Select a hormone-free fresh hen between 10 and 13 pounds for smoking.
Use the injection liquid recipe the night before smoking.
Just before smoking, spray the bird with high-heat canola oil and sprinkle the turkey with the same rub you used in the injection liquid, and insert a few apple slices in the cavity.
Use a small amount of apple and hickory chunks for the smoke. Be careful not to over-smoke the turkey because the skin may get an awful tasting bark.
Smoke at a temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit until the breast reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, spraying the bird with apple juice every hour or so.
As always, let the turkey sit for awhile covered with aluminum foil.
Oven Roast Turkey
Only cook a fresh, hormone-free bird, preferably a hen.
Use the injection recipe and procedure the night before roasting.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Stuff the bird with your favorite stuffing or insert a few a apple quarters.
Lightly spray the entire bird with Spectrum high heat canola oil.
Place the turkey in an aluminum foil pan, breast side up.
Cover the entire top of the turkey with two or three layers of cheese cloth, then brush or spray the cheesecloth with canola oil.
Place in oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
After two hours, using either canola oil (early-on) or the juices collecting in the pan (later), baste the turkey soaking all the cheesecloth.
Note: you can use the giblets and neck to create a basting liquid and as part of the gravy, if you make it. To do so, place the giblets and neck in a medium sized pot, fill the pot halfway with water. Bring the pot to a boil for 30 minutes skimming off the floating debris.
Remove the turkey when the breast meat reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit and let sit covered for about 1/2 hour.
I haven't deep fried a turkey but I've oven-roasted, grilled (with and without a rotisserie), and smoked turkeys.
I prefer smoking for small turkeys and oven roasting for large turkeys.
I have found that left-over smoked turkey is juicer and better tasting than roasted turkey, but I don't know why.
I believe that overcooking a turkey is the most common mistake. If you cook a turkey to the recommended 180 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast, you have overcooked it and the meat will be dry, dry, dry.
I prefer injecting liquid over brining.
My injection liquid recipe follows.
TURKEY INJECTION LIQUID
Ingredients
• ½ cup Apple juice
• ½ cup Chicken Stock
• ¼ cup garlic infused olive oil ( I use Renaldo’s Organic Garlic Gold Oil)
• 1 Tbl lemon juice
• 1 Tbl chicken (or other) rub
Directions
Combine ingredients and whisk briskly to blend the oil with the juice and stock.
The night before cooking, inject the liquid into the turkey at 1 inch intervals in breasts, thighs, and legs. Cover and refrigerate.
Smoking a turkey
Many turkey smoking recipes suggest using a butterball or rubbing butter inside the skin after separating it from the meat. Baloney! Too many smokers are fat, beer-bellied, suspender-wearing, tobacco smoking gents who don't give a damn about what they eat or drink except that it be alcoholic, fatty, fried, or sweet, or some combination thereof. You don't need butter to smoke a tasty bird!
Select a hormone-free fresh hen between 10 and 13 pounds for smoking.
Use the injection liquid recipe the night before smoking.
Just before smoking, spray the bird with high-heat canola oil and sprinkle the turkey with the same rub you used in the injection liquid, and insert a few apple slices in the cavity.
Use a small amount of apple and hickory chunks for the smoke. Be careful not to over-smoke the turkey because the skin may get an awful tasting bark.
Smoke at a temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit until the breast reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, spraying the bird with apple juice every hour or so.
As always, let the turkey sit for awhile covered with aluminum foil.
Oven Roast Turkey
Only cook a fresh, hormone-free bird, preferably a hen.
Use the injection recipe and procedure the night before roasting.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Stuff the bird with your favorite stuffing or insert a few a apple quarters.
Lightly spray the entire bird with Spectrum high heat canola oil.
Place the turkey in an aluminum foil pan, breast side up.
Cover the entire top of the turkey with two or three layers of cheese cloth, then brush or spray the cheesecloth with canola oil.
Place in oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
After two hours, using either canola oil (early-on) or the juices collecting in the pan (later), baste the turkey soaking all the cheesecloth.
Note: you can use the giblets and neck to create a basting liquid and as part of the gravy, if you make it. To do so, place the giblets and neck in a medium sized pot, fill the pot halfway with water. Bring the pot to a boil for 30 minutes skimming off the floating debris.
Remove the turkey when the breast meat reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit and let sit covered for about 1/2 hour.
Bill's Grille Coffee Rub
Ingredients
• ½ cup finely ground Starbucks extra bold (your choice of type) coffee beans
• ¼ cup ancho chili powder
• 2 Tbl sweet paprika
• 2 Tbl salt
• 1 Tbl Splenda brown sugar (some real sugar in this)
• 1 Tbl dry mustard
• 1 Tbl black pepper
• 1 Tbl dried oregano
• 1tbl ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well with a whisk, store in air tight container until use.
To use, lightly spray meat on all sides with Spectrum brand high heat canola oil. Sprinkle meat with rub and use hands to lightly spread the rub to ensure complete coverage.
Let the meat stand for about 5 minutes, allowing the oil to soak the rub.
If possible, sear the meat at high heat for 5 minutes on each side before commencing normal grilling.
Depending on the thickness of the applied rub, the finished meat will have a black crust.
Use only with beef or veal.
Note: This is a Bill’s Grille modification of “Bobby Flay’s Coffee Spice Rub for Strip Steaks”
• ½ cup finely ground Starbucks extra bold (your choice of type) coffee beans
• ¼ cup ancho chili powder
• 2 Tbl sweet paprika
• 2 Tbl salt
• 1 Tbl Splenda brown sugar (some real sugar in this)
• 1 Tbl dry mustard
• 1 Tbl black pepper
• 1 Tbl dried oregano
• 1tbl ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well with a whisk, store in air tight container until use.
To use, lightly spray meat on all sides with Spectrum brand high heat canola oil. Sprinkle meat with rub and use hands to lightly spread the rub to ensure complete coverage.
Let the meat stand for about 5 minutes, allowing the oil to soak the rub.
If possible, sear the meat at high heat for 5 minutes on each side before commencing normal grilling.
Depending on the thickness of the applied rub, the finished meat will have a black crust.
Use only with beef or veal.
Note: This is a Bill’s Grille modification of “Bobby Flay’s Coffee Spice Rub for Strip Steaks”
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