The Spice of Life-Mr. Dash

This post has nothing to do with cooking but, has everything to do with life. I attended a funeral today of an ordinary salt of the earth man. The kind of man who changed a room as soon as he entered. The people that he touched and the lifes he affected blew me away. Of course I thought he was a great guy and I knew he was special. However, I had no idea of the magnitude of his life and all the people he had touched. As I listened to the speakers, preachers, and musicians I began to think about, "The Dash". On a tombstone their is a dash between the year you are born and the year you pass away. The people you meet, the books you read, the things you learn, and the lifes you touch make up that dash. As I witnessed the sorrow and celebration of his life I began to wonder what people would say about my life. Am I worthy of praise and accolades? One thing is for certain! I will do better, be better, and pattern my life so the people that fill my dash will think of me in a kind and revering way. I will be Mr. Dash! RItP Mr. Sloan and Thank You for Lighting Up Our World

Brats-Avoid the Explosion!!

At a recent family gathering I was cooking our old standby Bratwurst. I was pondering about how hard it is to cook a simple thing like brats without burning them. Whether its gas or charcoal the brats will eventually blister and juice will shoot out like a water hose. This is like Nitroglyceren when it hits the heat source and can make the brats flame up and become burned and charred. Try this. Put the brats on the bun rack and flip them every 10 minutes or so. After they have turned a little grey or less pink move them down to the actual heat source and roll them every few minutes. This will brown them up with out burning them. This trick also works great for Hotdogs. Hold the char please!!!

The Dip that'll make them flip!!!

The Super Bowl is coming up and so are the decisions about what to take. I have been making this dip for several years and its always a big hit.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 Boneless skinless chicken breast

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup Ranch dressing or Bleu Cheese

3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)

1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Bunch of Celery

Boil the Chicken in a saucepan in water with Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Salt. Cool to touch and shred like Barbecue.

Mix the cream cheese and ranch in saucepan melting the cheese. Careful not to scorch.

Mix Chicken and Franks Red Hot in Saucepan.

Now take a Pyrex dish and layer chciken and sauce mixture, then ranch and cream cheese mixture, top with Cheddar Cheese and Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is bubbly (45 minutes to an hour)

Slice Small Pieces of Celery like for Soup and Put on Top.

Serve with Frito's Scoops, Celery Sticks, and Ice Cold Beer!!!

Wounded Warrior Project: The Greatest Audience for Whom I Have Ever Cooked!!

I have cooked all over these United States. From Ribs in Knoxville, Fajitas in Tucson, and Rock Lobster in The Florida Keys....But, I have never cooked a morsel of food for a bunch more deserving than The Wounded Warriors. My good friend Jace Jackson has been cooking for The Wounded Warriors at Fisher House at Fort Campbell for a long time. The Fort Campbell Fisher House is a Home for families of wounded soldiers to stay comfortably while their loved ones are cared for at Blanchfield Army Hospital at Fort Campbell. Every Thursday they have a lunch for The Wounded Warrior project. Recently I was able to become involved with Fisher House and we were able to take a group from Dell up to cook for them today. What a humbling experience to see their smiling faces even after their bodies and minds have been damaged by IEDs and Bullets. It's no secret that I love to cook but, These Heroes will always be my favorite audience. If you get a chance to help our Military please do it. Huaahh!!!

Brats need jackets too!

When it gets to be Fall I am reminded of Football and cooler weather. What goes great with Football is Bratwurst and Beer. To keep them from getting cold I like to give them "Jackets". Pepper and Onion Jackets. Take a White Onion and slice it like its for burgers. Then cut the rings in Half. Take a Bell Pepper and remove the seeds and thinly slice them. Put 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in a skillet and sautee until the onions are translucent. As a finishing touch sprinkle some Sesame seeds on top. Now your Brats have jackets and they are ready to go for the cold weather.

The Master Becomes the Student!

One thing is for sure, You can learn from anyone, anytime, and anywhere. I profess to be a Barbecue and Grilling Afficionado but, I am surprised all of the time. I have a network of friends and family who are always grilling and innovating in there own right. On Saturday night my Brother-in-law showed me a box of Frozen Hamburgers from Kroger called Private Selection. For a change I had my wife pick some up. When I opened the box I saw a plastic bag full of Pre-fab Frozen burgers with marks cut into them to make them look like a hand patted burger. I must admit they looked just like any box burger I had ever seen.

But once I cooked the burgers and ate one I was blown away. The Flash freezing seals in the Angus Flavor and the internal ingredients danced on the tip of my tongue. What flavor and what a fine product! I had the Monterey Jack Chipotle but they have several flavors to choose from. I suggest everyone try them right away.

http://www.kroger.com/in_store/corporate_brands/Pages/ps_angus_burger.aspx

Insane in the Membrane

Have you ever eaten Ribs and had trouble biting through the paper like membrane underneath the bones? It is not good and it makes that succulent meat less special. The membrane can easily be removed and it is necessary for good quality ribs. Take a butter knife and slide the blade between the bone and the membrane and remove the membrane. It will peel off and you can pull it away from the bones. This makes the meat cook evenly and make thats paper like film gone when the ribs are ready to eat. After removing the membrane rub them with spices and put them on the grill.

Water Pan Smoking

Let's face it Meat is better when it's cooked slow and low. Sometimes life gets in the way and we don't have time to smoke. Problem solved....Let me introduce Water Pan Smoking. Simply said it is using Indirect Heat and Water in the Main Part of the Grill to Smoke meat in half the time. What I do is place a metal pie pan (not disposable type) in the grill with water in it. It goes under the meat that is being cooked. On the other side I build my fire with coals like I do when grilling regular style except I add some smoking wood to the top of the coals. The water in the pan makes the meat juicier and the water helps regulate the temperature of the grill and keep it constant. As the Box heats up the water boils and the steam helps keep the temperature constant. For a unique flavor the water can be substituted with Beer, Red Wine, or any other liquid. Sometimes you can add onions, garlic, or other spices to impart different flavors into the meat you are cooking. In this example I am smoking a Tri-Tip sirloin. I basted it with some Mesquite Marinade every 30 minutes and smoked it for around 2 hours. I removed it from the smoker at about 170 Internal degrees. The basting was super easy with The Sauce Tool http://www.thesaucetool.com/

Grill Grates: Presentation is everything so make the mark of a Champion.

The Grill Grate Kit

Grill Grate on the Grill

Still working on the Marks

 That looks like a W

Got it now!




Steel is extremely expensive and so is Cast Iron. More and more times now Grill manufacturers are coating their grill grates with chrome, porcelin, and other non-stick materials. This is good for a novice griller but, serious grillers want to make their mark on the meat they are cooking. When you go to a restaurant they always bring the plate out with Meat that has perfect marks and plate presentation. Now thanks to Grill Grates you can make these type of marks on any grill. The interlocking aluminum plates lay on the grill and give you great marks and many other benefits. Check them out here and let them know The Master Baster sent you. http://www.grillgrate.com/

Shish Kabob

Spring is here and so is hot weather. With hot weather comes time for Mama to relax. So Dad needs to cook the whole meal. There's not a better way to accomplish this than Shish Kabobs. Veggies, Meat all cooked on the grill. Mmmm Mmmm Good!!  Here's a few tips. Skewer the meat by itself. I prefer my steak Mid-Rare as I am sure you do too! I like my chicken Medium where its still juicy and just done. Veggies take longer to Grill so they do better on a skewer by themself. This is a trick that I have learned that others don't share. When it's all said and done remove the food from the skewers and separate it for all to enjoy.

How to cook Slammin Salmon

The Alaskan Salmon is born and bred in cold waters. Every spring the Salmon swim up stream to spawn. Much of this trek is through rivers that cut through the woods. Therefore it is fitting that we cook salmon on a wood fired grill. Cooking Salmon is easy. You don't need a mesh grill plate, you don't need foil, and you dont need a basket. You do need a hot grill and some grace. Place the Filet skin down for 6 minutes on a grill that is 175-225 degrees. Flip it over and remove the skin. (The skin is a good snack if you like fish and crunchy things). Turn a quarter turn. Flip over on other side. Wait 3 minutes and turn quarter turn. In 3 minutes remove from grill. Let sit for 10 minutes and squeeze 1/2 lemon over filet before eating....Not all grilling has to be barbecue.

Fish Tacos-Taste way better than they sound

Not Actual Photo..Sorry!!

Take some Fresh Tilapia and Blacken it in a cast iron skillet with Cajun Seasoning. Crumble and put it in a flour tortilla. Cover with sliced red cabbage, shredded cheese, quartered fresh avocado, half tomato slice, and Salsa ranch dressing. Very Good and Very Healthy

Playing with my Butts

Today I decided to smoke a little Boston Butt to take over to the In-laws tomorrow while we do some fishing. I took  an Injector and shot a little Apple Cider and Vinegar mix in the butt. Then I peppered the outside with some coarse ground pepper and put a little rub on the outside. I smoked the 3.5 lb Butt at 225 for 3.5 hours and foiled it up for another 1.5 hrs. After I took it off the smoker I let it rest in the foil for 30 minutes and then I pulled it by hand. I removed the outer bark and fat and put it to the side while I pulled the lean meat. I then took the bark and a small amount of the fat a put it in Momma's food processor and chopped it up into small pieces. I then returned it to the pan with the pulled pork and mixed it all up. Lastly I put a couple of tablespoons of Cider Vinegar and a little Worstershire sauce in the pork to keep it moist till we eat it tommorrow.  It turned out real nice.