Oak Smoked Butcher Shop Seasoned Tri-Tip

posted in: Beef 0

How many of us have looked at those pre-seasoned meats in our local Butcher Shop or Meat Counter at the local Grocery store and wondered whether or not those seasoned, rubbed, marinaded, etc. cuts would be half a good as our favorite cuts rubbed at home?!  I for one had never taught to buy such a hunk of beef  until I wanted a nice Tri-Tip Sandwich before my Granddaughter’s softball game and didn’t have the time to rub, wrap, and fridge overnight.

So there I was at my Local Butcher Shop, Fagundes Meats, and since I enjoy the results when using their seasoning I picked up 2 nice Tri-Tips to slap on the MAK 2 Start General Pellet Grill.  Preheated to 225ºF using Oak wood BBQ pellets.

About 2½ hours later, when the Internal Temperature (IT) reached 142ºF, I puled the Tri-Tips and rested them under a tent of foil for 20 minutes.

Everyone has their preference for what IT you should pull a Tri-Tip and it normally ranges from 130º-150ºF.  I prefer to pull at ~ 142º-145ºF.  After resting for 20 minutes I used my home slicer to slice the Tri-Tip thin across the grain.   I have always enjoyed grilled Tri-Tip but Smoked Tri-Tip just adds that extra zing with the smokiness and the tenderness was beyond description.  My wife commented how it just melted in the mouth.  Shades of a scrumptious Roast Beef!

Simple fixings.  The Tri-Tip stands alone but I needed to have my daily portion of vegetables

The Money $Shot$ … A heaping portion of Tri-Tip on a soft French Roll.  Nothing beats munching on a great sandwich while watching the Granddaughter play softball … Truth be told – I spent more time watching my other Granddaughter playing at the playground than the softball game this time but – It’s all Good …

Would I buy another seasoned Tri-Tip from my Butcher?  You betcha!!  The Tri-Tips were tumbled in their commercial vacuum tumbler with Fagundes Seasoning and an appropriate portion of Hamm’s Beer.  Basically the same thing I would do at home with my Marinade Express.  The cost?  In my case it was the same price per pound as the price at Costco but they’re not seasoned.  The price of everything is going up, up, up these days and this turned out great for me.  Unfortunately, the price of all those other pre-seasoned cuts aren’t always as cheap.

Infra Red Roasted Chicken Drumsticks

posted in: Chicken 0

Nothing like the Char-Broil The Big Easy Infrared Combo Propane Cooker (SRG) for a quick and easy light dinner of Chicken Drumsticks with a side of Squash Casserole.  Rubbed some Drumsticks with Annie’s Roasted Garlic EVOO and Montreal Chicken Seasoning.  Skinned the Drumsticks and applied the EVOO and seasoning before replacing the skin.

Popped them in the SRG using some ½ rack drumstick holders.  SRG on HIGH with the lid open.

About an hour and 20 minutes later we had a light supper of Drumsticks and Squash Casserole.  I took the quick route for the casserole and used the microwave.   Don’t always need to a lot of fixings to compliment a few Yardbird part!!

SRG Chicken Breast Implants!!

posted in: Chicken 0

I didn’t know they grew them this big!!  These suckers looked like Turkey not Chicken Breasts!!  Marinaded a few of them in my Marinade Express using Kikkoman Teriyaki.  Vacuum sealed and into the freezer till needed.

Thawed out 2 breasts and found that an SRG Easy-Out Rack could barely hold one breast!

Look at the size of this thing!!!!!!!  Wonder how much $$ the Rooster had to pay for those implants  8->     Used my Maverick ET-732 probe on the largest breast.  Set the SRG to HIGH with the lid open.  Pulled when IT reached 165ºF.

15 minutes into the cook, I had to close the lid cause the Gardener showed up and I didn’t want the Humongous Chicken Breasts to be ruined.  It only took 15 minutes of the lid being closed to do a number on the skin but I figure no damage to the chicken breast.

Took 55 minutes to reach an Internal Temperature of 165ºF.  Ready to serve them up.

The Money $Shot$ … The small breast, an ear of corn, and a small stack of French Fries.    The Chicken Breasts were extremely moist and the Teriyaki Marinade penetrated down to the bone.  That SRG is one Chicken Cookin’ Machine …

Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket

posted in: Beef 2

Been yearning to do a Brisket for the longest time but just never got around to it.  I didn’t have any good reason except … confidence and fear of the unknown!! …

Picked up a little 12 lb Brisket from my local butcher, Fagundes Meats & Catering. Rubbed it with Annie’s Roasted Garlic EVOO for the glue and applied some Fagundes Prime Rib & Roast Seasoning along with a liberal amount of pepper. Not sure why everyone calls for lots of pepper but they know a lot than I do so I done did sprinkle a bunch of pepper!!  Wrapped it in plastic food wrap and popped it in the fridge for about 2 days.

Removed Brisket from fridge an hour before cooking. Preheated the MAK 2 Star General Pellet Grill to 225ºF using Hickory wood BBQ pellets. Estimated 18 hours @225º and 3 hours Foil Towel Cooler (FTC).  Placed it on the Frog Mat covered grill with the Brisket fat side down.

Eating at 7PM so I put the Brisket in the night before at 10 pm. Here’s what it looked like when I decided to take a snooze at 1 am.  Made sure that the MAK 2 Star General pellet hopper was full before going to bed.

After sleeping with one eye open watching my MAK Remote Boss Controller I roused myself up at 6:30 am. The Internal Temperature (IT) was at 159ºF with a good bark formation.

Pulled the Brisket when Internal Temperature reached 197ºF. Five minutes shy of 18 hours!   This is right before a 3 hour FTC.

After 18 hours at 225ºF and 3 hours FTC it was time to slice up the Brisket and reap the fruits of my labor of love!

Note the nice smoke ring and bark!!

Chow time!!  Soaked me a few beans, threw in some fixings, and simmered them all day. Served with a side of Cole Slaw and of course, corn on the cob which goes with everything.

The Money $Shot$ … Bon Appétit!! …

Got my first of many OMG!! Our guests and my bride of 38 years could hardly get enough Brisket between all those OMG statements. I must admit that I hit a Grand Slam with my First Brisket. Very moist, tender yet firm enough to hold it’s shape, and the flavor of the beef was well complimented by a delicious bark.  Don’t really think I can improve on this effort except cook/smoke 3 Briskets next time. This Brisket was wolfed down …

Hickory Smoked Cheese in the MAK 2 Star General

posted in: Cheese 0

Spoke with the MAK Grills Support personnel to get the scoop on the temperatures of the Warmer/Smoking box of my MAK 2 Star General Pellet Grill, in order to smoke Cheese.   The ambient temperature in Central California will soon rise making it harder to smoke Cheese. Picked up some Cheddar and Gouda Cheese at Costco.

Cut the cheese down to size and let it rest on the counter top for a spell.  It’s good to let the cheese dry a little before smoking. Let it sit uncovered in a cool place (or even in the fridge) on wire racks for an hour or so. This forms a very thin skin or crust that acts as a barrier but allows the smoke to penetrate just fine.

Loaded the MAK 2 Star General Smoker box.

Setpoint to SMOKE using Hickory wood BBQ pellets.

Planning to smoke for 2 hours but an hour and 45 minutes into the smoke I decided to pull the cheese since a few chunks closest to the chamber were showing signs of melting a little.  Lesson learned:  Next time I will place a foil pan full of ice under the cheese to help in keeping the Smoke Box temperature down.

Here’s a view where I used an ice filled foil pan while smoking cheese in my Bradley Smoker.

In this closeup you can see a nice coloring of the cheese from the smoke and signs of a little bit of melting. I have used Apple when smoking cheese in the past but wanted to see the results of a bit of Hickory smoke. Let the cheese cool for about an hour or so before vacuum sealing.

Tasted a little of the Gouda before vacuum sealing and slapping the cheese into the back of the fridge for 2 weeks. The flavor of the Gouda was pleasant enough but I want to allow the smoke to penetrate deeper into the cheese. Have found that allowing the cheese to rest for at least 2 to 3 weeks makes all the difference!

Who cut the Cheese? …  Not me.  I will cut no cheese before it’s time …

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