Apple Smoked Chicken Cacciatore
I always try to throw in extra Chicken when smoking/cooking a meal so I can freeze it for future quick and dirty Chicken Salads, Recipes, and Casseroles. Used some Apple Smoked Chicken for an easy Cacciatore dish.
Unlike the traditional Cacciatore recipes, this does not not require frying the chicken first. I just follow normal Cacciatore recipes and substitute leftover Chicken.
- Apple Smoked Diced Chicken
- 2 14oz cans of Tomato Sauce
- 14 oz can of Stewed Tomatoes
- Mushrooms (Fresh or canned)
- Celery
- Large Yellow Onion
- Green/Yellow/Red Bell Peppers
- Crushed Garlic
- Spices to taste
Sautéed Celery, Onions, Green/Yellow/Red Bell Peppers, and Mushrooms (if using fresh) in some Roasted Garlic EVOO, garlic, and spices to taste.
Mix the remainder of the ingredients.
Bring to a light boil, turn down and simmer for 30+ minutes allowing the flavors and spices to blend.
The Money $Shot$ … Apple Smoked Chicken Cacciatore on a bed of rice with an ear of Corn … Bon Appétit
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Grilled Cod Filet and Garden Fresh Zucchini
Cod filets provide a great low calorie alternative to other fish, poultry, pork, and beef. As Cod is lower in natural oils I decided to spritz the filets with Annie’s Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and lightly seasoned them with Old Bay Seasoning plus a few dashes of Veron’s Cajun Seasoning to add a little zing!
Rubbed a huge garden fresh Zucchini that I found hiding among stalks and leaves with EVOO and seasoned them with Fagundes Seasoning.
Preheated the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet BBQ Smoker-Grill with Pacific Pellet Gourmet BBQ Alder pellets to 400ºF.
Took about 18 minutes for the Cod filets to be done. Note how easily it flaked with a fork. The Zucchini however needed more like 35-40 minutes so they turned out more al dante then I would have preferred but were delicious none the less. Next time I’ll pop them in first and then the Cod filets.
The Money $Shot$ … A nice 4 oz Cod Filet, Garden Fresh Zucchini, Steamed Potatoes, and slices of Cantaloupe Melon … Bon Appétit
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Burgers and Rings on the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet Grill
What better way to enjoy a Sunday Football game then having your own tailgate party in your backyard? Set the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet BBQ Smoker-Grill to 400ºF for some Onion Rings, Wafer Cut Sweet Potatoes, Smoked Polish Sausages, Salmon Burger, and Ground Sirloin 1/3 lb Patties!!
At 400ºF the Wafer Cut Sweet Potatoes took 35 minutes, the sausages, Salmon Burgers & Hamburgers took 25 minutes, and the Onions Rings took 20 minutes. Simple yet elegant … The money $shot … A Cheeseburger with sides of Sweet Potatoes & Onion Rings accompanied by a Smoked Polish Sausage … Bon Appétit
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To Brine or Not to Brine a Turkey Breast
Forever and a day I’ve contemplated the age old question : ” … to Brine or NOT to Brine a Turkey …” Turns out that until I attended the California BBQ Association’s University “Authentic BBQ Advanced Class” it was always … NOT!! Well I have seen the light, tasted the results and it prompted me to definitely give brining a shot.
My local grocery store had Bone-In Turkey Breasts and Turkeys on sale so I gobbled up 3 breasts for a great price of $9 each – No matter what the weight. Picked out the largest ones and saved over $30.
Turkey Brine:
- 1 Gallon of Water
- 1 cup of Sugar
- ½ cup of Sea Salt
- 1/3 cup of Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ cups of Apple Juice
- Laury’s 12 oz Herb & Garlic Marinade
Into the fridge to brine overnight. A general rule to use for brinning is around one hour per pound. This breast was 9.4 lbs and was brined for 14 hours.
Removed breast from brine and rubbed on/under skin with EVOO and Jans Dry Rub. Preheated the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet Smoker-Grill to 230ºF with Hickory wood BBQ pellets.
Setpoint to SMOKE (~180ºF) for 2 hours. Bumped the temperature to 325ºF until the Internal Temperature hit 165ºF. Rested under a foil tent for 20 minutes.
You can see just how moist the Bone-In Turkey Breast turned out and the flavors were exquisite!! Can’t wait to use the leftovers to make a big batch of Turkey Tetrazzini …
The Money $Shot$ … Some Brined Turkey Breast, portion of Rice garnished with some tasty Gravy, a Salad with fresh ingredients from the garden (tomatoes and cucumber) … I may never smoke/cook another Turkey without brinning it first. If you’ve been hesitant to brine a Turkey and/or Chicken I recommend you brine one the next time and see for yourself the benefits of brinning!!
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Apple Juice Injected Boneless Pork Top Loin Chops
If you shop at a Costco outlet you’ve probably seen what they call “Boneless Pork Top Loin Chops”. Over the years I’ve done many things with them but this was my first experience at Injecting the Loin Chops. Chose to inject them with Apple Juice and kept the seasoning simple by using Garlic Salt and Pepper. Plastic wrapped the chops and and into the fridge for 6 hours.
While the Loin Chops are finishing their 6 hour rest in the fridge I cubed some taters, coated them with Annie’s Roasted Garlic EVOO, Fagundes Seasoning, and a Tbsp of Crushed Garlic. Coated a 9×13 pan with EVOO. Preheated the MAK 2 Star General Wood Pellet Smoker-Grill with Hickory wood BBQ pellets to 400°F. Inserted the potatoes for 45 minutes flipping them every 15 minutes.
After 45 minutes at 400°F I turned the MAK 2 down to 325° and inserted the Pork Loin Chops.
Took about 45 minutes for the Chops to reach an Internal Temperature of 160°F. This allowed the Roasted Potatoes to finished cooking at the lower temperature.
The Money $Shot$ … An Apple Juice Injected Pork Loin Chop, roasted potatoes, and a side of corn … The chops turned out exceptionally moist and flavorful. Injecting thick Pork Chops definitely enhances the outcome and will delight your guests.
