Black Bean And Pork Chipotle Burgers

If you don't grill year round, I'll bet you're itching to fire up the the old Weber! I'd venture a guess the mental wheels are already turning to pick the perfect inaugural protein. Chicken? Steak? Salmon? For most of us, probably the first thing you want is a damned good burger. After that annoying recent run of snow and cold, isn't a burger just the thing to put away all those chilly memories of winter? 

Since my grill gets lots of use during ALL seasons of the year (and includes non-stop sizzling hamburgers), I was craving something a little different than a traditional, first-of-the-season, basic burger. Maybe something with a little south of the border flair? I decided to mix up a ground pork burger with black beans for color and even more protein, some heat in the form of smoky chipotles in adobo, even more smoky flavor from a touch of cumin, and a TON of burger personality. Let the burger season begin!

Black Bean And Pork Chipotle Burgers

• 1/2 C canned black beans, drained and rinsed - mash beans coarsely with a fork
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/4 C onion, finely minced
• 1 t salt
• 1 t granulated garlic
• 2 T canned chipotles in adobo - use some of the adobo sauce, too
• 1 t ground cumin

Mix all ingredients well, but lightly. Form into 3-4 patties - depending on how big you like your burgers.

Fire up the grill and cook to desired doneness...I like my pork burgers well done. I'm old school like that.

I topped mine with a fresh salsa, slices of ripe avocado, and a few crumbles of queso fresco. Top yours just the way you want!

    

Carne Rojo (Shredded Beef With Red Chilies)

Happy Cinco de Mayo, all! What's the Mexican classic on the Dinner Plan-it table tonight? My version of a Mexican classic, Carne Rojo, over cilantro rice and garnished with black beans, crema, jalapenos and cilantro. There WILL be a molcajete filled with guacamole, too.   

This recipe may be a little too late for you to make it for tonight's happy celebration of the Mexican victory over the French in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla, but there's nothing stopping you from making it all throughout the year, is there?  

Are you wondering what makes Rojo red? A TON of chilies! I used Ancho, Chipotle and Guajillo peppers and threw in the additional rosy hue of three kinds of paprika for emphasis...sweet, hot and smoked. For both depth of color and flavor, next I added in ground espresso and ground cocoa nibs. Cocoa nibs added sweetness as well as depth and dark brown sugar added even more of a balance of sweetness against the heat of the chilies. Garlic, onion and kosher salt rounded out the rub.

I'd recommend making a double batch so you have plenty of leftovers for tacos or tostadas for the next night's dinner...IF there are any leftovers. Oh. Don't forget a damned good margarita to celebrate in style!

Carne Rojo
(Shredded Beef With Red Chilies)

• 3 lb chuck roast

Rub:

• 2 whole dried guajillo chilies, crumbled - get the dried chilies at Reyna's in the Strip District or even in the Mexican section of Giant Eagle, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's 
• 3 T ground espresso
• 3 T dark brown sugar
• 2 T granulated garlic
• 1 1/2 T kosher salt
• 2 t onion powder
• 2 t smoked paprika
• 2 t chipotle powder
• 2 t ancho chile powder
• 2 t cocoa nibs, crushed with a mortar and pestle
• 1 t hot paprika
• 1 t sweet paprika
• 1/2 t cinnamon

• 1 T canola oil
• 1 1/2 C water

Combine all the rub ingredients - crumbled guajillo peppers through cinnamon - and mix well. I used my molcajete for this step and ground the guajillo peppers and cocoa nibs together. You could easily use a spice grinder or just mix it all up in a bowl. This makes more than you will need, but save what's next for the next time you make this...there WILL be a next time.

Molcajete filled with Rojo Rub.

Put the beef on a baking sheet and put 2 T of the rub on the top side. Rub the rub into the meat thoroughly, pressing it into the meat and rubbing well. Flip the beef over and do the same thing on the other side.

Rojo rubbed chuck roast ready for browning.

In a deep enamel pot with a cover (one that just holds the beef is ideal, but a larger one is just fine, too), heat the oil on the stovetop. Once it is hot, gently place the rubbed beef into the pot. Brown on one side, then flip gently and brown the other side. Carefully add the water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover with the lid and simmer until the beef falls apart easily. It took 3 hours for mine to get where I like it. Yours may take more or less time, so keep an eye on it and don't let it dry out. If necessary (it wasn't in my case), add a little more water.

Using two forks, shred the beef into the pan liquids and either serve immediately or keep warm until dinner. Or make it a day or two before...you know how things are better the next day! 

Serve over rice or spoon into tortillas or just serve it up in bowls. I spooned it over rice and will use the leftovers for tacos tomorrow.  Don't you love a versatile and delicious recipe? I know I do.

Bacon Crusted Upside Down Pimiento Mac N Cheese

Yeah, yeah...I know...it's grilling season when we all go super healthy and eat nothing but lean meats and fish and rainbow colored veggies and kale salads and we all absolutely GLOW with all the vitamins surging through our bodies in preparation for bathing suit season. Nobody craves those bad-for-you, but oh-so-good, carb-loaded dishes from the blustery days of winter. Nobody but me, apparently.

Mac n cheese was my downfall over the weekend. Obviously I somehow didn't manage to get my minimum daily requirement (MDR) of golden cheddar and toothsome, perfectly cooked pasta over the last few weather-appropriate-for-pasta months. So I fixed that oversight! 

Of course, it wasn't ALL that bad...there was a healthy dose of pimientos mixed in to cover the veggie portion of this show. Vitamin C loaded pimientos - the essential ingredient of the down south favorite, pimiento cheese - counts as a good-for-you vegetable, right? Whew. In that case, pay no attention to the crisp and golden bacon bottom crust. LIKE YOU COULD!

How did I get that crunchy, golden, upside down bacon crust? My trusty old cast iron skillet. I lined it with thin strips of bacon, popped it into a HOT oven, cooked the bacon almost all the way through and then poured the macaroni and cheese mixture into the hot skillet. 

Hot skillet + Bacon + Oven = Crisp, crunchy, golden crust. A few minutes of rest, once the skillet came out of the oven, and Bacon Crusted Upside Down Pimiento Mac n Cheese became reality.  

Speaking of reality, remember that bathing suit season I mentioned earlier? No worries. There's LOTS of time to compensate for the mac n cheese transgression. There are almost three whole weeks to work this all off. Ooof.

Ready to cut into wedges and serve!

Bacon Crusted Upside Down Pimiento Mac n Cheese

• 1/2 lb elbow macaroni - you know I used a good gluten-free type to make this GF - cooked al dente
• 2 T butter
• 1 T cornstarch - check to be sure it's gluten-free to make this GF
• 1/2 t salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup milk - I use skim milk, but use what you like...there's so much cheese, what difference does it make?
• 10 oz. extra sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1/2  of an 8 oz container of Philadelphia Chipotle Cream Cheese spread - yes, you read that right...my secret ingredient for creaminess. If you don't like the heat, feel free to use 4 oz of regular cream cheese!
• 1  jar sliced pimientos, drained (you know, the bright red, squat jar Dromedary kind?) 
• 8-10 slices of THIN-sliced bacon

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Take a 9-10" cast iron skillet and line the bottom with with the strips of bacon. I did mine in a circular pattern and made sure the sides of the bacon strips touched. When the oven comes up to temp, pop the skillet into the oven and cook the bacon to almost done. Remove the skillet from the oven, CAREFULLY drain the dripping from the skillet.

While the bacon is cooking, in a saucepan, melt the butter and gradually add the cornstarch while whisking. When smooth, add salt & pepper. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Add the cream cheese and whisk until smooth, then add the cheddar and melt completely into the mixture; stir in the drained pimientos.

Add the sauce to the cooked, drained macaroni and set aside while keeping warm.

After cooking the bacon and draining the drippings, CAREFULLY pour the mac n cheese mixture into the HOT skillet right on top of the bacon in the skillet. Lower the oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 45 minutes. 

Remove the skillet from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes or so, then run a knife around the perimeter of the skillet to loosen the contents. 

Then take a large platter - larger than the cast iron skillet - and place the platter upside down over the skillet. CAREFULLY, using oven mitts, flip the skillet and platter over and let the contents sit for a moment before lifting the skillet. You should have a beautiful bacon-crusted vision of mac and cheese on the plate. Cut into wedges and enjoy!

Fresh Blackberry Chipotle BBQ Pork Chops

I have sinned. Although I try my darnedest to abide by the dogma of fresh, LOCAL ingredients, this burning craving for the taste of barbecue blazed in my summer-starved soul. 

In order to quench it, I actually had the audacity to buy fresh, gorgeous, sweet, thumb-sized, shiny blackberries to make blackberry chipotle BBQ sauce (for pork chops on the grill) when Lord knows they aren't in season around Western Pennsylvania. Not even close...the bushes don't even have blossoms on them yet! How DARE I?! 

Somehow, I think my error in judgment is worthy of whatever minor penance might be in the offing. 

Seriously, don't we sometimes take this whole thing just a little too far? Once in a while can't we abandon root vegetables and all varieties of cabbage after a long HARD winter, loosen up and live it up with a few out-of-season berries? I say yes! So we did. Deliciously. 

Chill out a bit and rush the blackberry season yourself, here's my recipe for Fresh Blackberry Chipotle BBQ Pork Chops. Oh...and I won't tell you've also committed the "local" trangression. That issue - and whatever your conscience demands - is between you and your CSA to work out!

Fresh Blackberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce for Pork Chops

• 2 medium chipotle peppers from a can
• 2 T adobo sauce (from the same can!)
• 16 fresh blackberries - nice BIG ones - or 32 smaller ones
• 2 t rice vinegar
• 1 t granulated garlic
• 1 T molasses
• 4 nice thick bone-in center cut loin pork chops 

In a gallon size zip top plastic bag, add all the sauce ingredients, seal the top, and smoosh (yes, "smoosh" IS a proper culinary term...you read it here first) everything together until completely mixed and (relatively) smooth. Then add the chops. Marinate overnight. 

The "smooshing" of chipotles, blackberries and other sauce components into a proper sauce.

Take the chops out of the fridge about an hour before you're going to put them on the grill. Grill over low heat so the sauce doesn't burn...too much. 

While you've got the grill going, throw on lots of fresh sliced veggies for a whole meal on the grill!

NOTE: Think you can only use this sauce on pork chops? Really good on chicken and turkey, too!

NOTE 2: When I use only 1 or 2 peppers from a whole can of chipotles in adobo, I sure don't throw out what's left. I put the rest of the can into a snack-size ziplock bag and pop it into the freezer. When I need a pepper or two the next time, I just pull the bag out of the freezer, pluck what I need out and put the rest back in the freezer until the next time. Easy. And thrifty!

Jalapeno Chipotle Pork Chops with Tomato Quinoa

Good old fashioned pork chops and tomato rice (like we made back in the 60's when we thought they were gourmet) just got a makeover. In my kitchen. No, they're still not a fancy dish by any means, but they're still some doggone good eating.

The old version consisted of pork chops, canned tomatoes, onion, green pepper rings and instant rice. Period. 

The makeover? A little heat of jalapeno and chipotle, a bottle of beer (gluten-free in my case, maybe a nice Mexican beer for you?), a little accent of cumino and cilantro, some roasted sweet corn and instead of rice (confession time, I only had black, red and arborio and didn't want to use any of those), quinoa stood in to get a whole new thing going on. There's something to be said for a jazzy new dish that's still familiar.

You might want to add a green veggie or a salad, but with peppers, onions, tomatoes and corn already in the mix, if time is short what's in the skillet is really all you need. On top of that, it's so easy I'm putting this one into the "quickie" category...after all, it goes together quickly AND it's a one dish diner!

Jalapeno Chipotle Pork Chops 

with Tomato Quinoa

• 2 T canola oil
• 4 nice sized, thick, bone-in pork chops - I like center cut loin chops
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 large jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 cans fire roasted tomatoes, UNdrained
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 t cumin
• 1/2 t dried basil
• 3/4 t chipotle powder (seriously, if you haven't gotten yourself a bottle of this smoky wonder-spice, get ON it!)
• 1 1/2 C quinoa - rinse well in a sieve under running water before adding to the skillet
• a 12 oz bottle or can of your favorite beer - gluten-free, of course, to make this GF
• 1 C roasted corn kernels (if you're roasting these yourself, dry fry in a skillet or buy already roasted corn in the freezer section of Trader Joe's (yep...MY choice!)
• a handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

In a large skillet (I use my trusty electric skillet), heat the oil. Season the chops liberally with salt and pepper and brown them on both sides. 

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl mix the onion through quinoa together thoroughly. Once the chops are browned, spoon a pile of the mixture on top of each chop and then distribute the rest of the mixture around and between the chops.

Carefully pour the beer between the chops, cover, reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour until the chops are tender and the quinoa is cooked. Check occasionally to be sure the liquid hasn't dissipated. If it's getting dry, add a little water (or more beer) and keep an eye on it.

Serve with a sprinkling of roasted corn and chopped cilantro.

Chipotle Maple Bacon Roasted Chicken With Winter Veggies

You know how I do "quickies" once in a while...get ready for another that's a one dish wonder of a dinner. The recent busy days of holidays and much to do had me creating many meals that were easy to put together, a complete and nutritious meal, plus totally satisfying on top of it all.
 
Take today's Chipotle Maple Bacon Roasted Chicken With Winter Veggies for instance...layers of Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, whole garlic cloves, red onion wedges, chunks of chicken breast, thick sliced peppered bacon all drizzled with a glaze of real maple, chipotle and orange zest. 

This is before roasting...the pic at the top is the glazed golden goodness of after roasting.

The whole meal took minutes to assemble - especially with that handy-dandy butternut squash that comes already peeled, seeded, cubed and ready to go. An hour in the oven, and dinner was on our dining table...it can be on yours just as quick as mine! 


(Okay. Maybe the post wasn't such a quickie after all, but making this for dinner will be!)

Chipotle Maple Bacon Roasted Chicken 

With Winter Veggies

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2" cubes
• 20 Brussels sprouts (or more if you wish!), trimmed and cut in half - or quarters if they're large...I'd recommend small ones, though.
• 2 cups butternut squash, get the already peeled, seeded and cubed butternut in the plastic containers...SO much easier!
• 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1/2 bulb garlic, skins removed, smashed gently (about 15 cloves all together)
• 4 slices THICK sliced PEPPERED bacon, cut across into 1/2" pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup, Grade B real maple syrup!
• 1/2  teaspoons chipotle powder - use less of you'd like less heat, more if you'd like more heat
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• zest of 1 orange save the rest of the orange for a salad or for juice for something else (cocktail perhaps?)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the glaze ingredients together - maple syrup, chipotle powder, granulated garlic and orange zest. Set aside.
 
Spray a large, shallow baking dish (a lasagna pan or large oval dish abut the same size is perfect!) with olive oil. Toss the chicken and all the veggies together and spread out in the baking dish. Add a good sprinkling of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter the bacon pieces over top and drizzle with the glaze.
 
Roast uncovered for about an hour or until the bacon is done and the top is nicely browned and the veggies are tender, but not overcooked. Soup's on!

Maple Chipotle Sweet & Spicy Smoked Pork Chops

Lazy days of summer are on the wane, while fall is ramping up to be quite the busy season! Gone (already!) are the slow Sundays of sitting by the smoker, feet up with a cold one in hand, listening to birds chirping in the trees and the gurgle of the pond. Sounds idyllic, doesn't it? In theory, it does - in reality, the summer was just as busy as this (impending) fall is shaping up to be and that scene was just a dream.

Busy or not, who doesn't love a good, simple recipe without a lot of fuss? I, for one, would be (and am) a fan of just such a recipe. How do you like that, I just happen to have one! Maple Chipotle Sweet & Spicy Smoked Pork Chops fill the easy prep/easy cooking bill quite nicely.

Four simple ingredients make up a wet rub: grade B real maple syrup (richer and with more intensity than Grade A), canned chipotles in adobo, minced fresh garlic and Kosher salt. That's it! Mix them up into a wet paste, rub into the chops, refrigerate overnight and smoke them over maple wood chips the next day. 

Even the smoking process is a basic one that leaves you with time for other things...like raking leaves that are starting to flutter from the trees or planting a riot of yellow, red and purple mums where fading summer blooms once were.

Bonus! Once those Sunday chores are done, sidling up by the smoker in a comfy chair on a cool, fall afternoon is a very pleasant, warm and toasty way to end your day...along with that cool one in hand!  

Maple Chipotle Sweet & Spicy Smoked Pork Chops

• 4 pork chops, 1" thick, bone-in, center cut loin chops

• 4 tablespoons maple syrup, grade B, if you can find it
• 3 tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo, 1 small one, plus sauce to make 3 tablespoons, mashed well
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Mix the wet rub ingredients together well. Rub into the pork chops and put them into a ziplock plastic bag. Be sure to put ALL the rub in with the chops, squeeze out all the air and seal. Refrigerate overnight.
 
The next day, take the chops out to bring to room temp before putting on the smoker.
 
Prepare the smoker and soak the maple chips for 1/2-1 hour. When the smoker is to temp, put on the chips and the chops and smoke for 2-3 hours, depending on your own smoker - all smokers are different.
 
Sit back, relax and enjoy!

Red Hot Brats

Red Hot Brats
(Remember were talking sausages here not spoiled children...these brats rhyme with "hots" not "hats.")

The other day I caught a promo for the Johnsonville "Don't Pierce the Brat" Music VideoContest. Under normal circumstances, I couldn't agree with the sausage company's sentiment more. Sausages on the grill should never be pricked or pierced in any manner - they should be handled gently as to not allow all those tasty juices to escape. Save the flavor for yo' mouth!

Except.  All this summer I've been pricking and piercing my favorite Johnsonville Stadium Brats before grilling to allow spicy, smoky, garlicky flavors IN. Yep...I stab the sausages all over (kind of therapeutic, actually) and marinate them in a spicy bath of fresh-sliced jalapenos and chopped garlic, smoky chipotle powder and apple juice - the juice carries the heat throughout the brat and the sweetness gives balance to the heat. Since the brats are fully cooked to begin with, they don't take much time on the grill at all so all that juicy heat stays right where it is.

Consider yourself warned....the heat these babies are packing is not for the faint of heart! In fact, a batch of these would be right up there heat-wise with a really spicy andouille sausage. Come to think of it, these would make a very nice addition to shrimp and sausage gumbo! (Note to self: make extra this fall for GUMBO!!!!) 

For now, though, I'll continue to enjoy them tucked into a bun (gluten-free in my case), slathered with a little mustard (Bone Suckin' Mustard is my fave) and crowned with some crisp diced Vidalia onion or even some sweet onion relish. You just might say I 'brot' the heat! Or maybe not. 

Red Hot Brats

• 1 package Johnsonville Stadium Brats, pierced on all sides with the tip of a sharp knife - BE CAREFUL!

• 10 ounce bottle of apple juice
• 2 LARGE jalapenos - sliced thinly into rings - leave the ribs and seeds intact
• 1 t. chipotle chili powder - available at Penzey's or the Latin section of the supermarket
• 6 large cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped coarsely

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a quart zip top bag, seal & mix well. Open and put in the pierced brats, squeeze out all the air and seal tightly. Let marinate overnight.

Brats hangin' out in their jalapeno, chipotle and garlic marinade. Ahhhhhh...

   
The next day, remove the sausages from the marinade, dry them with paper towels and grill until beautifully browned on all sides. Remove as soon as they're browned. Great on good buns with a smear of mustard and chopped onion or onion relish!

NOTE: These are pretty amazing on the smoker, too! Don't oversmoke them, though...just a light smoking - half an hour to an hour tops over applewood chips. Yum.

Butternut Chipotle Chowder with Ham

Soup's on!  That was a very welcome call to dinner over the last few days.  Hurricane Sandy, a.k.a Frankenstorm, sure did create havoc out there.  For those of us fortunate enough to have power, soup was just the dish to warm both tummies and spirits. It's a good thing I had a hambone ready to rock!

This is a stick-to-your-ribs kind of soup.  Hearty with potatoes, yet with a delicate balance of sweet butternut squash and tender leeks, spicy with the gentle heat of chipotles in adobo, and smoky with ham and bacon...it just hits all the right flavor and texture notes that make a great soup.

Have you peeked ahead at the recipe?  Did you notice there's no cream to thicken this chowder?  Not even a butter and flour roux?  The creamy, hearty texture comes from instant potato flakes!  Potato flakes help keep the calorie count fairly low...would you believe a big bowl of today's recipe has only 154 calories?  Not bad, huh?

Here's the recipe. Enjoy....and please stay warm and dry and safe.  

Butternut Chipotle Chowder with Ham

• 1 ham bone, with lots of meat
• 2 stalks celery, with tops & extra leaves, cut into large pieces
• 2 onions, peeled and quartered
• a handful of dried minced garlic - if you can't find it in the store, try Penzey's...I get mine at Costco.

• 2 slices bacon, thick-sliced, cut across into 1/2" pieces
• 2 large leeks, washed well and chopped (see washing method below)
• 6 red potatoes, unpeeled, diced small
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and diced small
• 2 stalks celery, small dice
• 2 small chipotle chile canned in adobo, minced, PLUS 2 T. adobo sauce

• 1 cup mashed potato flakes

Put the hambone, celery and leaves, onions and dried garlic into a large soup pot and just cover with water.  Bring to a boil and immediately lower heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot and let simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the ham starts to fall from the bone.  Remove bone & meat to a platter and reserve.  Take all the meat from the bone and shred.  Discard the bone. 

Then, using a spider or large slotted spoon, remove veggies.  Discard veggies.

In a large skillet, saute bacon until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.  Reserve bacon fat.  Add the butternut squash and saute until it begins to caramelize, but not until soft.  Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the ham stock in the soup pot.  Add the leeks and celery to skillet and continue to stir and cook until soft.  Add to the soup pot.
 
Add the potatoes, reserved shredded ham and the chipotles & adobo sauce to pot.  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil again.  As soon as it comes to a boil, lower the heat again to low and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and the soup comes together.  

Add the instant mashed potato flakes to thicken and give a chowder consistency.
 
Serve garnished with reserved crispy bacon and a drizzle of sour cream or Greek yogurt. 
 
If you want, separate the squash seeds and roast them at 350 with a sprinkle of Kosher salt and a sprinkle of chipotle powder and a spray of olive oil for about 10 minutes.  Stir and roast another few minutes until crunchy. Finish your garnish with the roasted seeds.  Better than pumpkin seeds!




NOTE:  Leeks are VERY sandy and it is difficult to get all that dirt and sand from between all the layers.  Back in the 70's Graham Kerr - The Galloping Gourmet - shared his method for cleaning leeks.  Works like a charm!  

He always started his leek segment by saying, "First, you take a leek."  Love his humor!  Okay, the method.  

Trim the dried, fibrous end of the leek off.  Then wash the root end.  Starting from about 1/2" above the roots, slice the leek in half lengthwise making SURE the leaves remain attached.  Turn the leek 1/4 turn and slice lengthwise again.  Spread the leaves apart - again, making sure the leaves stay attached to the root end and wash the leek under cold running water.  Be sure to get between each of the leaves and that you are removing ALL the debris..  When you're sure it's completely clean, dry it thoroughly and proceed to chop.  It may seem like a lot of trouble, but it's simpler than it sounds here.  And the leeks are squeaky clean!

Chipotle Apple & Bacon Smoked Meatloaf

We're smokin' again! Making hay while the sun shines...or something like that.  I wish I could say we were lounging on the deck, enjoying the gurgling of the pond with a cold one while tending the smoker, but that was not to be.  

Mark and I were like Aesop's busy ant getting ready for the winter doing the mowing, the leaves, winterizing the pond, moving potted plants from the deck to their winter home in Kimber's old room...you get the picture.  At least once the work was done, dinner was quite the reward!

What were we smoking?  Chipotle Apple & Bacon Smoked Meatloaf.  Now, some pretty fantastic stuff comes off our smoker on a regular basis (like the Spiced Apple Balsamic Smoked Pork Loin we did recently). Frequently, something really knocks our socks off, THIS went above and beyond even that!

 
Yes, the smoky, meaty, wonder that Sunday's smokefest produced is a simple meatloaf.  Okay, it might be simple to make, but the flavors are anything but boring.  This succulent merger of meats…ground pork and beef, studded with sweet apple chunks and onion, underscored by a double smoky duo of bacon and chipotle pepper and smoked over applewood...became something so much more than any meatloaf either of us has ever had before.  

Slow smoking, bacon and juicy apples helped to keep the finished product moist, yet firm.  From the pic, you may think there was a glaze involved in the process.  No glaze, just the beautiful color produced by smoke and time that painted the surface with picture perfect apple-y, bacon-y richness.     

You're probably thinking, "But wait, meatloaf on the smoker?  Doesn’t it ooze through the grates?"  Nope, no oozing.  I figured that one out.  Duh...aluminum foil over the grate with a few holes poked into it to let the smoke circulate worked perfectly.  Not exactly a genius solution, but an easy one.

If you don't have a smoker or if it's the middle of winter (and too cold outside to keep the temp up inside the smoker), just make it in the oven.  It won't have that through and through smoky goodness, but it will still be absolutely delicious. 

Give this one a try...sweet applewood smoke added a dimension so delicious to a plain old meatloaf that we'll be making it often around here.

 Chipotle Apple & Bacon Smoked Meatloaf

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
• 3 slices bacon, thick sliced, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 1/2 large onions, chunked
• 2 apples, peeled, cored & cut into 1/2" dice
• 4 cloves garlic, BIG ones
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups fresh whole grain bread made into fine crumbs, - use gluten-free bread to make this GF
• 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, LOTS
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper (Penzey's carries this and even McCormick does now, too!)

• 1 slice bacon, thin slice, cut in half across

While the food processor is running, drop the garlic cloves down the tube and process until they're fine.  Add the onions and process until fine.  Set aside.
 
Saute the bacon until it releases most of the fat.  Add the onions & garlic and the apple and cook until the onion is translucent.  Remove from heat and let cool.
 
Mix the meats, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt & pepper and chipotle pepper.  Mix lightly, but well.  Add the apple mixture and again mix lightly, but well.  Shape into two loaves.   (Making two smaller loaves lets them cook through more easily and gets more smoke flavor deep into the meat.  The other advantage is you can easily put one in the freezer to enjoy when it's too cold out to smoke!)  Stretch a piece of bacon of the top of each loaf to make it pretty and tell you what's inside.   

 

Lookin' all pretty and ready to smoke!

Prepare the smoker, using applewood chips, the way you normally would.  Place aluminum foil over the grate and poke a few holes through it.  Gently settle the meatloaves onto the foil.  Cover and smoke.  Maintain the temp around 225-250 degrees and add soaked applewood chips as necessary.  It took ours about 5 hours.  How long it takes will depend on the size of the loaves and the temperature so check along the way.
 
When done, remove to a platter and let sit for 20 minutes before slicing. 
 
Be sure to make some great sandwiches with the leftovers!