Hickory Smoked Portobello & Porcini Meatloaf

Meatloaf. If you think "mundane" when you hear the word, you may want to think about kicking up your meatloaf game. As you peruse recipes in this blog, you may discover that meatloaf is a favorite meal around here. Many Dinner Plan-it twists on this family classic have made the cut over the years: BBQ Cranberry Meatloaf, Turkey-With-All-The-Trimmings Meatloaf (still an all time favorite!), Old Fashioned Pineapple Maple Ham Loaf...to name just a few of the meatloaf recipes you'll find within these pages. 

Yet another one has been in the works - and in my smoker - being tweaked to perfection over the last couple of months and is ready to make the scene. The definition of umami dances on your palate with this combo of smoked portobello mushrooms, dried porcini mushrooms, tender beef, and black fermented garlic via my Hickory Smoked Portobello & Porcini Meatloaf. Have you noticed mushrooms seem to make beef even beefier? Smoking the mushrooms first magnifies the flavors even more. Then you smoke the mushroom-y meatloaves for an ultimate meaty, beefy BOOM! 

Hickory Smoked Portobello & Porcini Meatloaf

Makes 4 medium-sized meatloaves

• 1 lb smoked portobello mushrooms (smoked a day or two before making the meatloaf), finely minced in food processor
• 2 T butter
• 1 T canola oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 4 cloves black fermented garlic (I buy mine at Trader Joe's), finely minced
• 3/4 oz dried porcini mushrooms, ground in a spice grinder (I get mine at Whole Foods) 
• 1 T porcini salt (found at Gourmet Delights online)
• lots of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20 for flavor!)
• 2 eggs, beaten

In a large skillet, melt butter and canola oil over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, and red bell pepper until soft, stirring frequently. When the veggies are soft, add minced smoked portobellos and ground dried porcinis. Combine well with the rest of the veggies, season with porcini salt and black pepper. Set aside to cool.

When the veggies are room temp, put ground beef and beaten eggs into a large bowl, add cooled veggies. Mix lightly, but thoroughly, with veggies evenly distributed throughout the mix. Divide into four portions and make four meatloaves.

Preheat smoker to 225 degrees, using soaked hickory chips. Only you know your smoker and the type you have. I have an electric chest-type smoker. I smoke meatloaf about five hours. Your time and temp may vary. I also cut squares of parchment paper to place the meatloaves on in the smoker - makes taking them out a cinch.

Why 4 meatloaves at once? One to eat, one to share, two to freeze for later!

Notice there is no bread in the recipe? That makes it naturally gluten-free and paleo friendly!

NOTE: Don't have a smoker? Roast the portobellos in the oven, cool, and proceed as above. Bake the loaves in the oven at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until done.

Sweet & Spicy Baked Butterbeans, Brisket & Bacon

The holidays are over and I'm still dealing with a few bits and pieces of the Ghost of Christmas Dinner Past. Admittedly, this was a friendly ghost...there's nothing spooky about a great big smoked brisket!

Ahhhhhh, the brisket. Not to brag here, but this was the best brisket I've ever smoked....hell, it's the best brisket I've ever eaten! For sure, I've upped my skills over the years, but it was the quality of that huge cut of beef that made all the difference. 

Have you been to Butcher on Butler in Lawrenceville yet? Thank goodness I found them. Right after coming back from our trip to the Bourbon Trail, I hit them up for some really good thick-sliced bacon to recreate the Bacon in a Glass with Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce we'd enjoyed at OBC Kitchen in Lexington, KY. Whoa! Best. Bacon. Ever! My version kicked some major bacon butt, too...again it's the quality of the meat. I knew right then and there where I was getting my Christmas brisket. (You can bet the bacon recipe will be hitting Dinner Plan-it soon.)

Okay, back to the brisket. I put the 11 1/2 pound deckle-on, spice-rubbed beauty on to smoke Christmas Eve. Christmas morning there was a miracle of a gorgeously smoke-ringed, juicy hunk of brisket waiting to be sliced for dinner. Opening the door of the smoker was just like opening a Christmas present!

After using the leftover brisket in sandwiches, brisket hash, and such, I had one last hunk...and I was looking for something a little different to use it all up. A one pot wonder perhaps...and so a nice pot of rich, hearty, smoky beans with brisket and bacon - and a little heat and sweet was born.

Sweet & Spicy Baked Butterbeans, Brisket & Bacon

• 1 lb large lima beans, soaked overnight according to package directions - reserve the soaking water!
• 1/2 lb thick sliced slab bacon cut across into 1/4" lardons (yes, I got it at Butcher on Butler!)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 large jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) fire roasted diced garlic tomatoes
• 3/4 pound smoked brisket, cut into 1/2" squares
• 2 T instant coffee powder
• 3 T maple syrup - the real stuff, not fake pancake syrup
• 1/4 C blackstrap molasses
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 1/2 T Jane's Crazy Salt
• 2 T Mike's Hot Honey
• LOTS of fresh ground black pepper
• 4 C reserved bean soaking water - add chicken stock if you don't have a full 4 C

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Using a large ovenproof Dutch oven or large, deep enameled casserole dish, saute the bacon long enough to release the fat. Add the onion and jalapenos and saute until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. 

Cover the dish and bake for 4 hours. Increase the oven temp to 400 degrees, UNCOVER the casserole dish and continue baking another hour. 

NOTE: I went back to B on B for my good luck New Year's kielbasa to tuck in with some good ole Pittsburgh sauerkraut. When I picked up my order after waiting in a long line with other meatlovers in the know, the meat sticks were still warm from the smoker. Meat heaven!

Hickory Smoked Brisket, Slaw & Avocado Spring Rolls - TexAsian Style

You all know I've been putting the new smoker through its paces since I fired that baby up for the first time. Proteins of all ilk have done a turn through various wood smokes - orange wood chips, maple chips, hickory and even peach chips have flavored the bounty my smoker has seen. Veggies - corn, red peppers, potatoes, onions -  and even eggs have soaked up delicious smelling smoke in my backyard lately. That's a good thing. 

The downside is that there ends up being a whole LOT of smoked meat leftover even after sharing with relatives, friends and neighbors (and maybe even random strangers who happen to wander by the house on occasion). Even after sharing with nearly everyone I can think of, there's still a hefty portion to use up. 

Sandwiches were made with orange smoked chicken - both hot and cold. My mojo smoked turkey turned into hash. With hickory and maple smoked brisket there were quesadillas and nachos to create, smoked eggs became chipotle kissed deviled eggs and smoked corn was cut from the cob, sauteed in butter with chile powder and sweet red peppers, then finally graced with a generous shredding of cheddar that melted into gooey goodness. 

We've all done most of the above, haven't we? New horizons for precious surplus smoky meats needed to be conquered. What new smoky deliciousness could delight both taste buds and a sense of adventure? How about an Asian spring roll with a Texas twist? And so, the hickory smoked brisket spring roll with pickled slaw, red pepper, purple onion, avocado and cilantro with a sweet tart orange and tamari dipping sauce was born.   

Hickory Smoked Brisket, Slaw & Avocado Spring Rolls - TexAsian Style

• 12 rice paper spring roll wrappers 
• 12 slices hickory smoked beef brisket (Don't have home smoked brisket? Buy some at the deli!)
• 12 very thin slices raw red bell pepper
• 12 very thin slices raw purple onion
• 12 thin slices avocado
• packaged coleslaw mix
• pickle brine from a jar of your favorite sweet or dill pickles - I used Famous Dave's Spicy Pickles (nice sweet dill pickle with a KICK!) ALWAYS keep your pickle brine when you finish a jar of pickles to make quick pickles. Besides slaw mix, I pickle thinly sliced carrots, red peppers, cucumbers, tiny green beans, thin asparagus spears, onions...just about anything! Don't have pickle brine? Use the brine and keep the pickles in another container and when the slaw is done, put the brine and the reserved pickles right back in the jar!
• fresh cilantro leaves

• 1 C bottled hickory BBQ sauce 
• 1/4 C tamari or soy sauce (I used wheat-free tamari to make this gluten-free)
• 6 T fresh squeezed orange juice

Put 2 C coleslaw mix in a deep narrow bowl and drain the brine from a jar of pickles over top. Press the slaw down into the brine and let it sit while you proceed with the rest of the recipe. Don't throw away the pickles! Just put the brine back into the jar after "pickling" the slaw mix.

Next make the dipping sauce - BBQ sauce, tamari and oj. Set aside.

Now set up an assembly line. Find a shallow dish - a large pie plate or a 9X9 baking dish should work just fine - and fill it halfway with water. This is to soften the rice paper spring roll wrapper. Next line up the brisket and the rest of the filling ingredients for easy assembly. Also dampen a kitchen towel and lay it on your counter between the shallow dish and the rest of the assembly line. 

Starting with a rice paper wrapper, assemble the spring rolls one at a time. 

Take a wrapper and submerge it in the water, turning it until it begins to soften. Gently place it on the dampened towel. Lay the filling in the center of the wrapper starting with a slice of brisket, then red pepper next to the purple onion, the avocado slice on top of that, a pile of brined slaw that has been squeezed dry and 2 cilantro leaves. 

Gently fold the bottom of the wrapper up snugly over the filling, then fold the left side over, the right side next and finally roll the whole package up to the top. You know, just like you're making a burrito.

That's it! It's a keeping-the-kitchen-cool, using-up-the-leftovers appetizer, lunch or dinner that feels like you're dining in one of Pittsburgh's newest and trendiest restaurants. So good!

NOTE: Feel free to use any other veggies you like...spring onions, carrots, fennel, asparagus...let your imagination flow free. Just keep the veggies sliced thinly. Well except for nice thin spears of asparagus. And pickle those suckers, too, in pickle brine!

Smoked Citrus, Cumin & Garlic Turkey Breast

Here's a heads up for ya, folks. Think of this as one of those big yellow "Work Zone Ahead" signs on the turnpike. Only this one would say "BBQ Overload Ahead." Yep, that's what happens when you get a new smoker. Well, that and BIG silly sauce stained smiles on the faces of neighbors and family from all that smoky deliciousness!

One of the BEST things about smoking is how easy it is...I think of it almost as the crockpot of summer cooking. Really. Seriously!  A little simple prep, throw it in the smoker with soaked wood chips of choice, check the internal temp of the protein on occasion and pull it out when it registers what you're looking for. Boom! If you put some fresh ears of corn in there at the same time, maybe even some par-boiled potatoes, mushrooms and/or tomatoes, you have an entire meal at once. 

Although the ease is one reason for my smoking enthusiasm, the crazy BBQ flavor is the deal sealer for me. Don't have a smoker? You can use a smoker box in your gas or charcoal grill. Don't want to invest in an expensive smoker? Do what we did around here. For $40 we initially bought an electric column type smoker at Home Depot that we used for years! After that, the same type - only a charcoal model from Lowe's - was our baby for another few years. That one was a whopping $50! Bottom line here is that you can get in on the ground floor of smoking for almost peanuts.

Okay, enough talking about smoking. Let's get goin' and get on the road to the recipe!

Smoked Citrus Cumin Garlic Turkey Breast

• a 2-3 lb boneless, skinless fresh turkey breast
• a quart bowl of smoker wood chips, soaked in water for at least an hour before putting the turkey in the smoker - I used a combo of apple and hickory chips

Citrus, Cumin & Garlic Butter:

• zest of 1 lime, 1 Meyer (or regular) lemon, 1/2 an orange (zest the orange BEFORE cutting in half)
• 1 t cumin
• 1 large garlic clove, pressed or minced finely
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 3 T soft butter
• 1/2 T kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Baste:

• juice of 1/2 the lime, 1/2 the Meyer lemon and the WHOLE orange
• 1 t cumin
• 1 t oregano
• 1 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1 T honey
• 2 T olive oil

A few hours before you start smoking (or the day before), butterfly the turkey breast. 

Laying the breast longitudinally in front of you on a cutting board, make a shallow cut down the center being sure not to cut through to the bottom. Next place your knife inside that cut and cut horizontally towards the left of the breast being careful not to cut all the way through. Do the same on the right side and open the breast up, laying it flat. 

Spread or pat the prepared butter in the center, leaving plenty of butter-less space around the edges. You want to keep the butter inside the breast as it cooks. Roll the buttered turkey breast from one side to the other and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the turkey breast 1-2 hours (or even overnight) and take out an hour before you want to put it in the smoker.

Turkey breast butterflied open and spread with Citrus Cumin Garlic Butter

Prepare your smoker and bring it up to 225 degrees. Once it's at temp, place the turkey breast in the smoker, inserting a cooking thermometer into the center of the breast (my smoker came with a probe built in - convenient!). Smoke to an internal temp of 165 degrees basting occasionally with the basting liquid throughout the smoking time. When the probe registers 165, remove and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing thinly. And enjoy!

NOTE: Once you start smoking, you may never have to buy expensive lunch meats again. Leftovers make fantastic sandwiches and salads! In fact, my next post will feature a recipe for leftover smoked brisket...stay tuned.

Spicy Smoked Corn Casserole

Oh, the excitement of a new smoker! Since our beloved stack type charcoal smoker bit the dust (ash?), I've had my eye on a Masterbuilt chest-type electric smoker. Amazon put the one I've lusted after on BIG sale (one day only) the Saturday before Father's Day...coincidence? I think not. 

Before I could give it a test run, Michigan beckoned. As I pulled out of the driveway, I glanced longingly behind at my yet-to-be-named smoky cutie and ahead at the prospect of time with those I love in Lansing. And hit the gas.

Not being the only family member with a yen for good BBQ, we all went to a favorite Q spot of Matt's called Meat Southern BBQ & Carnivore Cuisine. What a find! We started with Pickle Fries that are long shoestrings of dill pickles, breaded and fried and served with a side of homemade remoulade for dipping. Not content with just ONE appetizer from Meat's oh-so-tempting menu, we shared a basket of nachos mounded high with pulled pork, house-smoked bacon and chopped brisket, then topped with cheese, one of their own BBQ sauces, sour cream, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos and avocado. Transcendent. The nachos alone could have been a satisfying dinner and we only had a half order! 

Thank goodness we didn't stop with appetizers. The Meat platters came laden with perfectly moist, smoky brisket...sliced for me, chopped for Matt and Matthew's choice was the sweet n' smoky pulled pork. Mieke went with her favorite chopped brisket sandwich. Meat platters came with cornbread and 2 sides. And THAT is where I swooned. 

Nothing fancy at Meat Southern BBQ & Carnivore Cuisine...that's a GOOD thing!           BBQ beans on the left, succulent brisket and Spicy Cream Corn on the top. 

Now, it's been a while since I've recreated a dish I was particularly taken with, but the Spicy Cream Corn left me wanting MORE! Note that it's not called "creamed" corn. No, it bears no resemblance whatsoever to the loose, pale yellow, lumpy stuff from a can. This was CREAM corn. It had substance. It had heat. It. Was. Remarkable. So I came up with my very own version as soon as I got home.

What would go best with my version of Spicy Cream Corn? BBQ, of course. I loaded up the brand spanking new smoker with chicken...specifically 8 thighs, 3 breasts, 6 whole wings, 4 eggs (recommended by a BBQ'ing friend from Georgia - I'll be making deviled eggs with those!), and 5 ears of corn in the husk. Wouldn't smoked corn make the cream corn even better? It did!

Starting with smoky corn really made a difference in the finished dish. I decided to make the dish into a casserole (small individual cast iron skillets would make a wonderful presentation). For the heat (and creaminess) I used jalapeno cream cheese and a bit of chipotle powder; for color and flavor, sliced green onion and roasted red pepper; and for more smokiness, a "healthy" sprinkle of bacon crumbles across the surface. Nothing like reinforcing the smoke, right? 

Here you go...the recipe!

Spicy Smoked Corn Casserole

• 4 ears smoked corn, approx 2 C of kernels (you don't have to use smoked corn...you can use fresh, frozen or canned corn if you wish!)
• 4 oz. jalapeno cream cheese (1/2 of a tub) - if you want less heat, just use 2 oz. jalapeno and 2 oz. plain cream cheese. Don't want heat at all? Use all plain cream cheese.
• 2 T milk
• 1 green onion, sliced well into the green for color
• 1/4 C roasted red pepper, diced
• 1/2 t salt
• a hefty grinding of black pepper
• 1/4 t chipotle powder (this makes it smokier and hotter - use less if you don't like HEAT, more if you like the heat sweats)
• 2-3 T crisp, crumbled bacon
• softened butter - enough to grease the inside of your casserole dish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 1 quart casserole dish (I used a cast iron oval casserole).

In a medium saucepan, add the cream cheese(s) and milk. Stir over low heat until smooth. Add the corn, green onions and red peppers, stir well. Add salt and pepper, chipotle powder and stir well again. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish, top with bacon crumbles and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until bubbling. Serve with damned good BBQ!

NOTE: Next time I'm smoking some jalapenos to go into the mix!

One last thing....

Well, it wasn't actually "last." A Meat Bloody Mary WITH BBQ sauce is what I started with!

The Cowboy and the Dude Coffee-Rubbed Smoked Babybacks (Oven-style!)

Imagine the scene. A cattle ranch in the old west. Nearing nighttime. A sole coyote howls at the low-slung moon. Riding herd among the softly lowing cattle, cowboys come across a stranded wagon with a lone, derbied, pinstripe-suited, mustachioed gentleman who is clearly out of his element, sitting balefully upon a broken wheel. The cowhands take pity on the dude, fix his wagon and invite him to dine around the campfire that evening.

The only thing the stranded traveler has to contribute to dinner is some mighty fancy coffee...he IS a dude, after all. The cowboys scoff at his maple cinnamon coffee. REAL men don't drink that sissy stuff and they turn up their noses. The cook, on the other hand, has an idea!

Cook added that fancy-ass ground coffee to his rib rub. Eureka! Those cowboys were amazed by the most incredible ribs they'd ever wrapped their lips around. 

The cowboys whooped and hollered, lifted the dude onto their shoulders and danced a little jig around the campfire under the starlit prairie skies. They were so happy!

Okay...so on a cattle drive there wouldn't be pork ribs. I'm sure there were beef ribs, though. The end. 

The Cowboy and the Dude
Coffee-Rubbed Smoked Babybacks
(Oven-style!)

• 1/4 cup ground maple cinnamon coffee (I get mine at Nicholas Coffee in Market Square) - if you can't get maple cinnamon, use a similar flavored coffee...pecan cinnamon, pumpkin spice...you get the idea, DUDE coffee!
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Colmans mustard powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

• 1 rack babyback pork ribs, silverskin removed (check online for a method to perform this maneuver...Google it...it's easy, but complicated to describe)

In a small bowl, mix all rub ingredients well - I mash mine together with a fork. 

Massage 1/2 of the rub into one side of the ribs, the other half on the other side of the ribs. Do this at least 4 hours before or overnight. Wrap them well in plastic wrap.
 
The next day, bring them to room temp and set the oven to 325 degrees. 

Take the plastic wrap off the ribs, rewrap them in heavy duty aluminum foil and seal well. Put the foil-wrapped ribs into a large roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet that will comfortably hold the ribs. Cook for 3 hours or until tender, just shy of falling off the bone. Remove from oven; open the foil, exposing the ribs completely.

Raise the oven temp to 400 degrees, put the ribs back in and let 'er rip for half an hour. Cowboy campfire goodness from the oven. YeeHAW!

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!

Plum Smoked Duck with Plum Wine Reduction

Duck...duck...duck...NOT goose! Duck. Smoked duck to be specific. Fine tuning it even more, duck marinated in Japanese plum wine (gekkheikan), garlic, Asian 5-spice, star anise, Szechuan peppercorns and tamari, then smoked over a combo of apple and cherry woods and served with a fresh plum and plum wine reduction. Drooling yet?

This was our very first venture into duck smoking so we kind of went into it blindly. (Just so you know, with great effort I'm resisting a duck blind joke. You're welcome.) I knew I didn't want to go the traditional orange route...so overdone, don't you think? But the classic combo of fruit and duck is a time-honored tradition for a reason. They were meant for one another!

The plan was to use sake as the marinade base, but when I found plum wine on the state store shelf, the rest of the flavors fell right in line. Plums are plentiful in the farm markets right now so Italian prune plums went on the list. The rest of the ingredients found their way from the pantry and spice rack into the solution and became one beautifully fragrant bath for our plump duck.

After hours of smoking the duck to a deep, rich brown lacquer, all that was needed was a simple sauce to highlight the the smoky, sweet flavor. You should have smelled the luscious, fruity, spicy aroma as it rose from the opened smoker! Heaven. 

Isn't he pretty?!

A simple reduction of the same plum wine mixed with crushed plums, organic orange blossom honey (ha! I did get the classic orange in there after all!), sharp Colman's mustard, ginger and garlic produced a gorgeous dark red sauce that accented the sweet, slightly game-y duck perfectly. You might even say dinner was plum delicious!    

Plum Smoked Duck With Plum Wine Reduction

• 1 5-pound (approximately) duck, thawed if necessary

• 3 BIG garlic cloves...or 6 smaller ones, smashed
• 1 star anise, crushed
• 3 slices fresh ginger root, about quarter sized
• 1 tablespoon Scechuan peppercorns, crushed
• 2 teaspoons five-spice powder
• 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce, Gluten-free to make this GF
• 1 1/2 cups wine, Japanese Plum Wine - also known as Gekkeikan

• 1 cup wine, Japanese Plum Wine - yep, same as above
• 4 very ripe Italian prune plums, seeded and quartered
• 1 teaspoon honey, orange blossom...or your own favorite
• 1 teaspoon Colman's dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• a hefty pinch of powdered ginger

The night before you want to serve this, combine garlic, star anise, fresh ginger, Szechuan peppercorns, 5-spice, tamari and plum wine in a gallon size zip top plastic bag. Squeeze out all the air, seal tightly and put it into a bowl that holds it snugly. (If it leaks, it won't be all over your fridge if it's in a bowl!)
 
The next day, take the duck out of the marinade and discard the marinade. Dry the duck thoroughly with paper towels. Pour the soda out of a soda can, add about 1/2 cup of plum wine, a hefty shake of granulated garlic, 1/2 t. - 1 t. cayenne, 1/2 t. mustard powder and 1 t. ginger. Yes, this will cook beer can chicken style! Fit the duck over the spice and wine filled can and carefully set aside.
 
Soak a combination of half cherry/half applewood chips for at least an hour. Prepare the smoker according to whatever smoker you use. When the coals are hot, scatter the chips.
 
Put the duck on the smoker and smoke for at least 6 hours - more or less according to your smoker and/or your preference. You know I'm loose about smoking instructions...every smoker is different! Remove the duck and let sit while you make the reduction.
 
REDUCTION (reDUCKtion?): In a saucepan combine 1 c. plum wine, the quartered plums, honey and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Let simmer until the liquid reduces by half. Strain the reduction through a small strainer, pressing the solids to extract all the liquid.
 
Slice the duck and serve with the beautiful sauce. This would also be wonderful with a chicken...and there's a LOT more meat on a chicken! (A turkey breast would work well, too!)

Peach Jalapeno Smoked Rack of Pork

In my neverending quest to learn the fine art/craft of smoking pretty much on my own (with some precious tips from Greg Blanton down in the fine state of Georgia), Mark and I set out to experiment with the peach chips recently bought at Cabela's. The orange chicken we smoked last weekend was a rousing success...would the peach pork work as well? Not going to keep you in suspense here, the peachy pork was just, well, peachy! 

When it comes to the chips, I really don't think the peach chips added anything to the flavor that apple or cherry or pecan wouldn't contribute. In teaching ourselves, one of the things we're learning is that the type of wood doesn't necessarily impart the flavor of what the tree produces. Peach doesn't impart a peach flavor, apple doesn't lend a true apple-y essence to the protein on the smoker. 

Wood simply (in my opinion) imparts a smokey flavor - some woods produce a stronger smoke flavor (mesquite/hickory) and some milder and sweeter (apple/pecan). It is the marinade and/or rub and/or glaze that truly determines any flavor that isn't smoke.

This recipe really layers the flavors. The first layer was a good garlic/jalapeno rub, the second a tenderizing peach, garlic and vinegar marinade, the third was the smoke of peach wood and fourth was a peach and jalapeno echo of a rich, sweet finishing glaze. 

To help get the flavors ALL through the roast, I pierced the pork all over with a small sharp knife to insure the marinade got into every nook and cranny and then let it laze for a few hours...kind of like a meat hot tub only cool and comfy. Nothing like pampering your pork before it gets all hot and bothered on the smoker! (Did I just say that?!)

A few pitted, fresh peach halves, onions, jalapenos and garlic were scattered around the roast for about an hour to impart some smokey goodness to them before turning them into a chunky sauce that's kind of a cross between a spicy chutney and a good peach salsa. With the addition of a little vinegar, honey and mustard to accent the sweet heat aspect of the dish even more, I call it Peach Jalapeno Chut-Salsa.

A final step of glazing the roast during the last half hour turned it into a gleaming beauty of a hunk of meat just waiting for its close up! Was this labor intensive? Yes. Was it worth it? YES! Even though it is more time consuming than most Sunday dinners, everything was done in steps throughout the day so it really wasn't bad at all time-wise.

Tender, juicy and smoky

The schedule went something like this: the meat went into the marinade and the chips started soaking early. They did their thing while we brunched and watched CBS Sunday Morning. (It's a Sunday ritual at our house.)

When the show was over, Mark got the smoker going while I prepped the peaches and veggies. The pork went on the smoker by 11:30 a.m. and everything was done by 4:30 p.m. 

In between, laundry, cleaning, making the rub and peach glaze, some shopping, putting together the salsa/chutney, a little yardwork and some neighborhood socializing, it all made for a relaxing, yet productive, day. In fact, one might just call it one peach of a day!

Peachy Jalapeno Smoked Rack of Pork 

with Peach Chut-salsa

• 2 pounds pork roast, a 4-rib rack of pork

Rub: 

• 1 1/2 jalapenos, leave seeds & ribs in for lots of heat, remove them for less heat - cut into 1/2" pieces
• 7 large garlic cloves, paper skins removed
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder

Marinade:

• 2 cups peach nectar
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic

Glaze:

• 1 peach, pitted
• 2 tablespoons stoneground mustard
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Chut-Salsa:

• 3 peaches, cut in half, stones removed
• 1 medium onion, peeled, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 jalapenos, whole
• 4 cloves garlic, whole, left in skins
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon stoneground mustard

Using a small, sharp knife, deeply pierce roast on all sides. Massage the rub into all the cuts, using all the rub, all over. When it is thoroughly covered, carefully put the roast into the ziptop bag that contains the prepared marinade. Refrigerate for 3 hours, remove from fridge and let it marinate another hour at room temp. 

Prepare smoker as you normally would using peach wood - if you can find it. I really don't think it makes a difference. Feel free to use apple, hickory or your own favorite variety. 

Once the smoker is ready to roll, put the roast on bone side down. Smoke the roast for about 2 hours before putting the peaches and veggies on. Let those smoke for about an hour, remove and let the roast continue to smoke for another 1-2 hours. 

The length of time it takes to smoke depends on your smoker. You know your smoker best, so use your own best educated smoking judgment for when it will be done to your own taste.

Glaze about 1/2 an hour before removing from smoker. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving.
 
Rub: Put the 7 garlic cloves, kosher salt & granulated onion into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.
 
Marinade: In a large ziptop bag, add peach nectar, 1/4 c. cider vinegar, 1 T granulated onion and 1 T granulated garlic. Set aside.
 
Glaze: Add the pitted peach WITH the skin on, 2 T mustard, 1 T vinegar, 1/4 C honey and Kosher salt to the food processor. Process until pureed. Add additional honey to desired consistency.
 
Chut-salsa: Finely dice the smoked peaches and veggies and add to a medium bowl. Add 2 T honey, 2 T red wine vinegar, 1 T Kosher salt and 1 T stoneground mustard. Mix well and serve as a condiment atop slices of pork.

Double Orange Smoked Chicken Thighs

Some travelers buy souvenir backscratchers or ashtrays wherever they go, for Mark and I we're always on the lookout for something new to bring to the menu back at home. 

Summer trips to Maryland? We score precious pound containers of fat lump crabmeat or sweet, can't-be-beat Silver Queen corn and always a melon or two. 

Michigan in the spring means (also fat) stalks of gorgeous green asparagus.  And I wish we could get up to Traverse City for cherry season!

Ohio? Goodies brought back from Westside Market in Cleveland, of course. How can you not lust after smoked and cured meats and sausages piled high in gleaming cases at the butcher stands, farm fresh cheeses and butters at the family-owned dairy cases and piled-high produce stands that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Last weekend we traveled to Oglebay Resort in West Virginia for the wedding of dear friends. What's nearby, but a huge Cabela's store that has one damned fine grilling and smoking section filled with not just grills and smokers, but grill baskets, grill woks, thermometers of all ilk...rows of sauces, marinades and rubs for fish, meats, poultry and veggies and spices to make any variety of jerky you can imagine. What drew us in, however, was the selection of wood chips and chunks for smoking.

Sure there was the typical mesquite and hickory, but, oh my, the apple and cherry and pecan and alderwood, peach and orange and even smoker chips made from Jack Daniels whiskey barrels! There were bags of chips and chunks, pellets and dust and logs in 2 pounds to 20 pounds packages. 

It was hard to walk out without a bag of everything they had, but we settled on 2 bags each of peach and orange chips. I'm still regretting not picking up a couple bags of the Jack Daniels! (My trip to Michigan at the end of the month will cure that with a stop at the store in Dundee!)

Our Sunday drive home included much discussion on what to smoke for dinner and with what new flavor. Chicken thighs smoked over orange wood was the hands-down winner.

Once we got home, I put together a marinade of orange zest, freshly squeezed orange juice, shallots, Grade B maple syrup, garlic, balsamic vinegar and chipotle chile powder to hit all the sweet, savory, tart, spicy, zippy and fruity notes we could imagine. 

To really gild the lily, I whipped up with a glaze of orange marmalade, balsamic vinegar, a touch of chipotle chile powder and granulated garlic to baste the thighs during the last half hour or so of smoking. The double (triple?) whammy of orange smoke and fresh orange in both the marinade and glaze scored raves from us both. Those thighs were heavenly!

Already we're planning what to make for the first time with peach wood. Right now...pending any possible whim...a peachy smoked rack of pork is the frontrunner.  We're even going to smoke peach halves alongside. I can almost catch the aroma on the breezes now....ahhhhh.

I sure am glad we're not into souvenir backscratchers - smoked meats are far tastier. Then again, one of those wooden backscratchers might add quite an interesting new flavor for the smoker! (kidding)

Double Orange Smoked Chicken Thighs

•  8 chicken thighs without skin

• 2 oranges, grated zest of one, juice of both (approximately 1/2 cup juice total), reserve unzested orange halves after juicing to toss on top of the coals for even MORE orange-iness
• 1/2 large shallot, finely minced (appox. 1/4 c.)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup, Grade B (it has much more flavor than A)
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, chipotle variety - Penzey's has it for sure, but you can find it many places

• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, chipotle again!

Marinade: In a large zip top plastic bag, mix the orange juice, zest, maple syrup, shallot, salt, pepper and chipotle chili power well. Gently add the thighs, squeeze out all the air and zip tightly. Distribute the marinade around the chicken and refrigerate until about 1/2 an hour before putting onto the smoker. You can marinate these as little as 2-3 hours or as long as overnight.
 
Glaze: Mix the marmalade, balsamic vinegar, chipotle chili powder and granulated garlic well. Set aside until ready to glaze at the end of smoking.
 
Prepare smoker as you normally would using orange wood - if you can find it. If not, feel free to use apple or another variety. If you don't smoke, don't worry! Just grill them! Once the smoker - or grill - is ready to roll, place the thighs on the grates. About half an hour before the thighs are done, glaze the first side, let them go for 15 minutes, turn and glaze the other side. Finish smoking until tender and cooked all the way through.
 
Remove from smoker (or grill) and enjoy!

Pastrami and Mother's Day Weekend - Both Were Smoking!

I LOVE Mother's Day! It's the one day of the year I (officially) get to celebrate the three things in my life I treasure most, my kids. Three daughters. Whew! 

It doesn't hurt that there are gifts involved either...AND a day free of cooking. Actually, it was an entire cooking-free weekend since Mark and I hit up the PGH Taco Truck for dinner on Friday night.

Kimber came home bright and early Saturday morning, while Mieke and Julie celebrated with the kids - those precious grandkids - in MI and WV. Regardless, phone calls and sweet thoughts connected us all. So Kimber and I did the usual mom/daughter activities. We shopped and we dined!

We kicked off the Saturday no-cooking weekend with brunch at Meat & Potatoes, followed by stops at the Strip District and opening day of the Firehouse Farmers Market, a quick (but productive) tour of Ross Park, dinner with Mark at Franktuary in Lawrenceville and later made the rounds of a few hot spots in town - including Kimber's first time at Tender. How did we cap off the night? SHOE shopping! What a perfect mom/daughter day!

Sunday brought more good food, only this time at home. Kimber flipped a few fresh blueberry, gluten-free pancakes for breakfast and a little later Mark fired up the smoker. A quick mix up of a simple pastrami-ish rub for corned beef brisket was the ONLY cooking I did all weekend. (Really, can you even call mixing spices cooking?) As much as I love to cook - and you know I do(!) - sometimes a break feels really good.

The pastrami? Incredibly delicious. Just a simple spice and brown sugar rub and HOURS over applewood chips produced a tender and moist, smoky and succulent piece of heaven. The perfect ending to a perfectly wonderful and wonderfully fun Mother's Day weekend. 

Pastrami Spiced Smoked Corned Beef

• 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• reserved packet of spices from the corned beef brisket package

• a 3-4 pound corned beef brisket, reserve packet of spices to use in the spice rub above
• 4 cups applewood chips, soaked in water for about an hour  

Remove the corned beef from the package and rinse well under water. Dry with paper towels and set aside.

In a small coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle, grind the mustard seeds, cardamom seeds and peppercorns to a medium grind. Transfer the spices to a small bowl, add the salt, reserved packet of spices and brown sugar and mix well.

Pat the spice rub over all sides of the corned beef. Let sit to almost room temperature before putting onto the smoker.

Prepare the smoker as you normally would, place the meat fat side UP and smoke the corned beef until tender. 5-5 1/2 hours more or less. Let rest at least 15 minutes and slice thinly. Pastrami Reubens with the leftovers anyone?

(The smoking technique is very general since I don't know if you're using an electric or charcoal smoker. If you smoke, you KNOW how to use your smoker to obtain the best results!)