Smoking Meat (23 page)

2 to 3 lb fresh asparagus

1 Tbsp kosher salt (approx)

Balsamic vinegar (enough to partially cover the asparagus)

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

PREPARATION

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus spears, and use only the tender stalks. Place the asparagus stalks parallel to each other in a shallow pan, season with the kosher salt, and add enough balsamic vinegar to partially cover the stalks.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a gas, an electric, or a charcoal smoker, make sure to have enough wood chips or chunks on hand to produce smoke for about one hour.

Place the pan with the asparagus in the smoker for one hour. Do not overcook; the asparagus should be al dente (tender-crisp). Drain off the liquid in the pan after removing from the smoker, and toss the asparagus with the melted butter.

Bacon-Wrapped Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeños

Affectionately dubbed “ABTs” (atomic buffalo turds) at
www.smokingmeatforums.com
, these stuffed jalapeño peppers will disappear as quickly as you serve them. Each jalapeño is only a bite or two, and it’s hard to stop taking bites. To make the jalapeños less spicy, simply seed and devein them as usual, then soak them for 24 hours in Sprite. You’ll still get all the flavor, but with very low heat. Save the jalapeño-flavored Sprite for use as a mop on pulled Pork or brisket.

If you have any cream cheese filling left over, spread it onto a flour tortilla, top with shredded chicken, roll up, and cut into pinwheels.

8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or Colby-Jack cheese)

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

8 jalapeño peppers, seeded and split lengthwise

8 strips thinly sliced bacon, chopped in half

PREPARATION

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, and green onions with a large fork until evenly mixed. Stuff a jalapeño half with about 2 Tbsp of the cheese mixture (or enough to fill the pepper completely). Wrap the stuffed pepper with a half-slice of the bacon, overlapping the bacon on one end, and secure tightly with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet or rack. Repeat with the remaining jalapeño halves.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a charcoal, an electric, or a gas smoker, be sure to have enough wood chips or chunks on hand to produce smoke for about three hours.

Once the smoker is ready, place the stuffed peppers directly on the grate with about a ½ inch between each pepper. Smoke for three hours or until the bacon is crisp and the jalapeños are tender.

Bacon-Wrapped Boudin-Stuffed Jalapeños

My oldest daughter says these are irresistible. I couldn’t agree more.
Smoked boudin
is already slightly spicy, so stuffing it into jalapeño peppers doubles the impact. Make sure that the pepper and boudin are wrapped tightly with the bacon to prevent them from drying out during cooking.

1 lb
smoked boudin sausages

¼ cup beef broth

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

8 jalapeño peppers, split lengthwise and seeded

8 strips thinly sliced bacon, chopped in half

1 cup barbecue sauce (optional)

PREPARATION

Remove the casings from the boudin sausages and place the filling in a medium bowl. Mash the boudin with a fork, then gradually add the beef broth just until moistened. Fold in the green onions. Stuff a jalapeño half with about 2 Tbsp of the boudin mixture. Wrap the pepper with a half-slice of the bacon, overlapping the bacon on one end. Secure tightly with a toothpick, and place on a baking sheet or rack. Repeat with the remaining jalapeños.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a charcoal, an electric, or a gas smoker, be sure to have enough wood chips or chunks on hand to produce smoke for about three hours.

Once the smoker is ready, place the stuffed peppers directly on the grate with about a ½ inch between each pepper. Smoke for three hours or until the bacon is crisp and the jalapeños are tender. Brush with your favorite barbecue sauce for the last 10 minutes of cook time, if desired.

Bacon-Wrapped Tex-Mex-Stuffed Jalapeños

Southwest flavors emerge with the addition of fresh corn and cilantro. These go great with
Smoked Brisket Fajitas
.

8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or Colby-Jack cheese)

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

½ cup fresh corn, cut from the cob (or ½ cup frozen corn)

8 jalapeño peppers, seeded and split lengthwise

8 strips thinly sliced bacon, chopped in half

PREPARATION

In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses, cilantro, and corn. Stuff a jalapeño half with about 2 Tbsp of the cheese mixture (or enough to fill the pepper completely). Wrap the stuffed pepper with a half-slice of the bacon, overlapping the bacon on one end, and secure tightly with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet or rack. Repeat with the remaining jalapeños.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a charcoal, an electric, or a gas smoker, be sure to have enough wood chips or chunks on hand to produce smoke for about three hours.

Once the smoker is ready, place the stuffed peppers directly on the grate with about a ½ inch between each pepper. Smoke for three hours or until the bacon is crisp and the jalapeños are tender.

Fire Corn

This creamy, spicy corn is a great complement to a rack of baby backs or sliced brisket. Thanks for this recipe go to Bill (Bill in MN) of
www.smokingmeatforums.com
, who says this is a family favorite.

¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted

¼ cup cornmeal

10½ oz can creamed corn

10½ oz can corn niblets

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

4 oz can diced green chilies, drained (or, for extra heat, ¼ cup minced jalapeño peppers)

1
8
 tsp garlic powder

1
8
 tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp table salt

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Place the melted butter in a large bowl. Add the cornmeal and stir until well combined. Mix in the remaining ingredients and pour into a lightly greased glass baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350°
F
for 40 to 45 minutes. Check doneness after 40 minutes; it should be firm to the touch.

Smoked Corn on the Cob

Smoked corn in the husks brings a rustic appeal to the dinner table, and the smoking process makes sweet corn even sweeter.

6 to 8 ears of corn (husks on)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 tsp finely chopped fresh chives

PREPARATION

Pull the husks down without removing them from the corncobs. Remove as much of the silk as possible from the corn, then submerge the cobs in a deep pot of cold water so only the green husks are sticking out of the water. Let the corncobs soak for two hours, then remove them from the water and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Mix together the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture all over each corncob, then pull the husks back up to their original position. Don’t worry if the husks don’t completely cover the corn, since you want some smoke to get to the kernels.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a charcoal, an electric, or a gas smoker, be sure to have enough wood chips or chunks on hand to produce smoke for about one and a half hours.

Once the smoker is ready, place the corncobs directly on the grate, leaving a little space between the ears to allow the smoke to access all sides of the corn. When the corn has been smoking for 30 minutes, mix together the butter and chives and rub some of the mixture on the corn, getting it under the husks as well as you can. Repeat this buttering process every 30 minutes until the corn is finished cooking, about one and a half hours in total. Remove the ears from the smoker grate and serve immediately.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

My wife, Abi, has certainly mastered the art of making mashed potatoes that are perfectly creamy without being overly gooey. She says it’s all about mashing them while they are still very hot. This recipe gives her wonderful mashed potatoes a garlic flavor with oven-roasted garlic cloves. You’re going to like this one, I guarantee it!

1 bulb garlic

Cooking spray (or 1 Tbsp vegetable oil)

2½ lb red potatoes or new potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 tsp salt

¼ cup (
-
stick) butter

½ tsp salt

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper