Pig Pit Life

Ready for the Packer game. Go Pack! Go!

Sharing my grill-tastrophe with you all! 🔥  
 
This started out as blueberry-topped brie on a cedar plank with honey drizzled over the top.  Despite the looks, it tasted great on Triscuits and on apple slices.
 
Share your grilling disasters?  

What’s your go to when keeping it simple?

1. Preheat oven or smoker to 375.
2. Moosh (technical term) enough tater tots into a muffin pan to form a shell.
3. Season the shells with your favorite seasonings.
4. Bake to your desired crispiness.
5. Fill shells with pulled pork, green chile, jalapeños, shredded cheese, barbecue sauce, etc.
6. Place back into oven for 5-10 minutes, long enough to heat the shell fillings.
-ida

One of my favorite ways to cook chicken quarters.
1. Season chicken quarters any way you want.
2. Place chicken quarters on a cold pellet smoker grill and close the lid.
3. Heat smoker to 400 degrees.
4. Once your smoker hits 400 degrees, bake chicken quarters for 15 more minutes.
5. Turn off your smoker, leave the lid down, and wait until your smoker temp is below 200 degrees. Internal chicken temperatures should be around 175 degrees.
6. Pull your chicken quarters, cover them, and let them rest for 10-15 minutes.

How do you like to cook your tri-tip?

Enjoying a great Hatch Green Chile Bacon Cheeseburger

Smoked and Stuffed Bell Peppers

I enjoy grilling up a couple of thin ribeyes for ribeye sandwiches.

Blueberry-Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast on the Flat Top

Grilled Shrimp Scampi over DeCecco Egg Fettuccini

To Sauce or not to Sauce - My wife likes her sauces. What is your opinion?

Enjoyed a reindeer hotdog at a free concert in the park in Soldotna, Alaska.

Our Main Reason for Cooking BBQ

This morning, I was purchasing a cup of coffee. The young lady taking my order was sporting a Lumineers t-shirt and I commented how much I appreciate the group. She responded by sharing with me how a friend of hers knows the members of the band and knew how much this young lady liked them.
Her friend had the band sign a poster of their latest tour and sent it to my new barista friend.

She told me her friend didn't know at that time that she was experiencing deep depression, and the gift was vital in helping her to start turning the corner to getting mentally healthy again.

What we cook is fun and enjoyable, but I'm reminded that sharing the meal with others — eating and drinking together at the same table — is the important part. This act alone is one of the most important acts we as a barbecue community can do to serve those around us. Eating together creates a sense of belonging, hence being part of a community that you help to create.

Grilled Lemon Butter Halibut

Garlic Lemon Butter (Compound Butter)
* 5 Tablespoons of melted Kerrygold Butter
* 3 cloves of minced garlic
* 1 lemon - Juice of the lemon

Seasonings
* Kinder Seafood seasoning
* Actually Food’s Actually Hot Seasonings (optional - https://actually-food.com/)

Instructions
1. Brush halibut fillets with compound butter.
2. Lightly sprinkle the seafood seasoning on the top side of the fillets.
3. I’m addicted to the flavor and spiciness of Actually Food’s “Actually Hot Seasoning.” So I like to sprinkle their seasoning on my fillets.
4. Place fillets on a cedar plank (optional). Note: Wipe your grill grate with cooking oil prior to placing your fillets on your grate if you don’t use a cedar plank. I like dipping a paper towel with tongs into a bowl of oil to wipe down my grill grate.
5. I like to grill halibut using indirect heat and on a cedar plank. Grill until the fillets reach 118 °F / 48 °C.
6. Pull cedar planks with the fillets.
7. Lightly brush the top of the filets one more time with your compound butter. Make sure your melted butter is still warm.
8. Allow the fillets to rest for a few minutes under an aluminum foil tent.

Marinade Ingredients

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 garlic clove, minced
1 two-inch piece fresh ginger grated
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili powder (I'm biased toward New Mexican Red)
2 teaspoons of orange zest

Grill your halibut to a low internal temperature of 118 degrees, the equivalent of a rare steak, and allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Some people brush a very thin coat of mayonnaise on both sides of the fish. I suggest making your own mayo. It’s not too difficult to make.

This halibut will show up a few more times in my future posts with a much different background!

Tried out Tasteandsee.com’s recipe. Next time I’m going to add some lime zest to the marinade.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound shrimp, peeled, (I used medium-sized 26/30 shrimp)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
3 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey (or substitute pure maple syrup. Omit for low-carb)
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly cover shrimp.
Cover bowl and marinate for 15 minutes.
Turn grill to high and skewer the shrimp. Ensure grill is fully heated to high temperature before grilling the shrimp.
Grill the shrimp 2-3 minutes a side. When the shrimp turn an opaque pinkish color on both sides, they are cooked.
Serve with lime wedges.

Thank you! I love the barbecue vibe. Here’s to good friends, blues, & ‘cue each time your pit is lit. 🔥

Tried something different over the weekend. BBQ Brownie Sundaes with a pie crust-bacon crumble, white chocolate, and Carmel topping.

Meatless Monday’s

Ingredients

3 portobello mushrooms
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 small red onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons of Chardonnay wine, or as desired
3 tablespoons pesto
1 teaspoon of NM Red Chile Powder

Directions

1. Heat avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat

2. Saute minced onion and garlic until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

3. While stirring mixture, add wine into the skillet until the liquid evaporates. This usually takes between 1 and 2 minutes.

4. Allow the mixture to cool.

5. While your mixture cools, set up your grill with two cooking zones. Half the grill for medium heat and the other half with no charcoal (turn half your burners on if using gas).

6. Preheat and oil your grill grate.

7. Brush the top of your mushroom caps with avocado oil.

8. On a sheet pan or something similar, place the mushroom cap, cap side down.

9. Spoon mixture into the mushroom cap.

10. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the mushroom or lay a slice of cheese over the top.

11. Place the mushroom caps over the medium heat side of your grill for about a minute then pull them to the other side of the grill with no charcoal and place your lid on your grill.

12. Grill the mushrooms until the cheese on the mushrooms melts. About 10 minutes.

“The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook.”
— Julia Child

Hello, weekend! I’ve been thinking about what to grill & smoke all week.

Everyday is Friday in the Pig Pit. Looking forward to having friends and family over to enjoy good food and a few laughs.

Smoke Slaw
By - Project Smoke
RECIPE NOTES
* Yield: Serves 4 to 6
* Method: Cold or hot smoking
* Smoke time: 10-15 minutes Hot / 45 minutes Cold

INGREDIENTS

* 1 small or 1/2 large green cabbage, cored and quartered
* 1 small onion, quartered
* 1 large red delicious apple, cored and quartered
* 2 carrots, trimmed, scrubbed
* 2 stalks celery, trimmed

For the dressing:
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
* 1 teaspoon celery salt
* 1 teaspoon black pepper

RECIPE STEPS
Step 1: Shred the cabbage, onion, apple, carrots, and celery on a mandolin, in a food processor fitted with a shredding disk, or with a chef’s knife. Spread out the vegetables in a thin layer in a roasting pan. Tightly cover the pan with plastic wrap, leaving 1 corner open.
Step 2: The quickest way to smoke the slaw is in a hot smoker placing the slaw in a foil pan for 10-20 minutes. Be careful not to over cook the slaw. You can also cold smoke the cabbage and increase the smoking time to 45 minutes.
Step 3: Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, horseradish, celery salt, and pepper in a large bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 4: Stir the smoked vegetables into the dressing. Correct the seasoning, adding salt or vinegar as desired. Refrigerate the slaw until serving and try to serve within a couple hours.

Horseradish Coleslaw Dressing
Recipe By Steven Raichlen ( from EPISODE 104: RIBS ROCK THE SMOKER)

1/2 cup Hellmann’s Mayo), or more as needed
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Optional:
New Mexico Red Chile Powder to taste
In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, horseradish, sugar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and celery seed and whisk until smooth. Pour over the cabbage mixture and stir gently to coat. Cover and chill if not serving immediately.

I allowed the dressing ingredients to marry the night before prior to mixing it into my shredded cabbage.

I added red chile powder because I'm from New Mexico, and two, why wouldn't you add chile powder to your dressings. I like the mild kick from the horseradish and the slight heat from the chile powder.

Mail Call: Thanks to


for the stickers!