Whole Peeled USDA Prime Tri Tips
Whole Peeled USDA Prime Tri Tips
Buying Whole Peeled USDA Prime Tri Tip roasts in a cryovaced package is a great way to save $3 to $5 a pound and will save you a lot of time trimming off the fat cap. Peeled tri tips have the fat cap already removed.
My Costco sells USDA Choice grade and Prime grade Tri Tips. We, on the West Coast, are very familiar with this cut of beef which comes from the bottom butt sirloin subprimal. It is a small triangular muscle, usually 1½ to 2½ lbs per side of beef. But in other parts of the country many butchers have never heard of a tri tip and often try to pass off other cuts for them.
I personally do not subscribe to the theory that the "Fat Cap" provides great flavor and bastes the meat during cooking. This theory is also held by many concerning briskets and pork butts. All in all, you have two options when smoking/cooking meat with the fat cap. Fat cap up or down. Up in order to baste the meat or down in order to keep the meat from burning. Either way the fat cap prevents the seasoning from working it's magic in the portion of the meat that's covered.
The cryovaced package above contained 5 peeled tri tips. I not only prefer to have the fat cap removed for me but I also carry it one step further and always remove all silver skin. The center photo shows the peeled tri tips and the right side photo shows them after I've removed the silver skin. You won't be sorry for removing the silver skin because you can't chew or eat the silver skin and it prevents any seasonings from penetrating the meat. Before purchasing large portions of meat you should own a vacuum sealer. Properly vacuumed sealed and frozen meat will last many months in the freezer.
My recommend rubbing the trimmed tri tips with extra virgin olive oil and liberally seasoning them with my "Pete's Western Rub" found on page 169 of my cookbook "The Wood Pellet Smoker & Grill Cookbook". I vacuum sealed 4 of the tri tips and wrapped the 5th in plastic wrap which I refrigerated overnight to be smoked ... Smoked tri tip - it doesn't get any better than that!!
Low Carb Pesto Chicken Casserole
Low Carb Pesto Chicken Casserole
This Low Carb Pesto Chicken Casserole is a great way to add cauliflower to your repertoire of recipes. I must admit that I've never used Basil pesto over the years for anything so this was my maiden use of the product. I have however tasted many samples of ravioli at Costco which were served with pesto and enjoyed them. You'll enjoy this easy recipe which uses leftover chicken.
Ingredients:
- ½ smoked or rotisserie chicken, cubed
- 1 medium head of cauliflower cut into florets
- ¾ cup Basil pesto (I used Kirkland Basil pesto)
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese (divided)
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- ½ tsp pink salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF and spray a 9 x 13 inch foil pan with nonstick spray
- Place cauliflower florets in a gallon ziploc® bag
- Season the cauliflower florets with the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper
- Shake the bag until florets are fully covered
- Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper
- Roast the cauliflower florets for 18 - 20 minutes until al dente
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF
- Combine the pesto and heavy cream until smooth
- In a medium bowl, mix the chicken, cauliflower, pesto mixture, and 1½ cups Mozzarella cheese
- Pour all ingredients in the 9 x 13 foil pan
- Cover the casserole with the remaining 1½ cups of Mozzarella cheese
- Bake at 375ºF for 20minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted
Serve with a side of green salad
Low Carb Beef and Pork Shepherd’s Pie
Low Carb Beef and Pork Shephard’s Pie
This Low Carb Beef and Pork Shepherd's Pie is my tweak on the old classic recipe topped with a cheesy mashed cauliflower instead of the traditional mashed potato variation. I chose to use a combination of ground beef and pork sausage for that extra twist.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb 80/20% ground beef
- 1 lb Jimmy Dean Pork sausage
- 1 batch of cheesy mashed cauliflower
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 16 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick spray
- Brown the ground beef, pork sausage, onion, and mushrooms in a large frying pan
- Use medium-high heat
- Season with garlic, salt, and pepper
- Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl except the cheesy mashed cauliflower
- Add the meat mixture, vegetables and mix until well combined
- Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and spread evenly
- Add the cheesy mashed cauliflower over the meat mixture
- Spread the mashed cauliflower evenly
- Bake at 400ºF for 35 minutes until mashed cauliflower is golden brown
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving
Serve with a nice green salad
Low Carb Creamy Cheesy Chicken Casserole
Low Carb Creamy Cheesy Chicken Casserole
This mouthwatering Low Carb Creamy Cheesy Chicken Casserole will more than satisfy any cheese lover. In order to save time and work I sometime use half a rotisserie chicken from Costco. But this is a fantastic recipe if you have any leftover Hickory smoked chicken.
Ingredients:
- Half a Hickory smoked or a rotisserie chicken boned and cubed
- 16 oz fresh broccoli florets, steamed to al dente
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp granulated garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF
- Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick spray
- Steam fresh broccoli florets, about 10 minutes
- Cook mushrooms, onion, and red bell pepper in 2 Tbsp of butter and olive oil
- Creamy Cheesy sauce
- In a large saucepan add butter, heavy whipping cream, garlic, cream cheese
- Stir with a whisk until fully combined and cover over low medium heat until smooth
- Add 1 cup of sharp cheddar, Mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese
- Continue stirring until cheeses are fully combined in the sauce
- Spread the chicken evenly on the bottom of the casserole dish
- Cover the cubed chicken with the mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper
- Top the vegetables with the steamed broccoli
- Pour the sauce over the broccoli
- Cover the casserole with 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Bake at 375ºF for 40 minutes
Serve with sautéed yellow squash and onions
Low Carb Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower
This Low Carb Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower recipe is cheesy, creamy, and absolutely delightful. It's loaded with healthy fats and can be used as a side and/or a topping for many casseroles.
Ingredients:
- 1 large head of cauliflower cut into small florets
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions:
- Steam the cauliflower florets until tender (18 - 20 minutes)
- Mash the cauliflower in a large bowl or use a food processor
- Add the remaining ingredients
- Whip or pulse the cauliflower until smooth and creamy
- Serve the cheesy mashed cauliflower immediately or use as a topping on a casserole