For the following, I used this sun-dried tomato recipe as inspiration: Ingredients & Directions: Wash and stem ripened tomatoes. Slice horizontally, about 1/4 inch thick. Salt on both sides and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse. Lay on foil covered baking sheets. Cover lightly with cheese cloth. Place in sun for several hours, turning occasionally … [Read more…]
After a few hours of home plumbing renovations to our bathroom, which included replacing shower handles, entire valve body, faucet, etc., what’s next on the list of things to do? Bake a cake. Lately, I’ve been consistent of producing excellent grilled/smoked meats, so I figured on starting a series of articles on baking and cooking … [Read more…]
Next up on my series of baking and cooking articles is A Guy’s Take on Baking Sweet Potato Muffins – that was inspired by a recipe in the latest Better Homes and Gardens¨ magazine. As I’ve mentioned in my previous A Guy’s Take article, my skills as a baker aren’t the best. I admit that, … [Read more…]
Saturday I smoked pork rib loins and if you set aside 3-4 hours of your day and follow my directions, you can get the same results that I got … delicious, mouth watering ribs. I started by preheating the smoker – I used a vertical water smoker with charcoal as fuel. I then wrapped hickory … [Read more…]
It seems like many people are complaining about keeping an elevated temperature in their vertical smokers. I am no exception, so I decided to modify mine with an extra grate to vent the charcoal. In most vertical charcoal smokers, there is a bowl (bin or basket) that holds the charcoal. It usually sits either on … [Read more…]
I’ve always wanted to bottle a product that I’ve developed. I figured a piquant sauce is a good, easy start. I read about a recipe for a sauce that many restaurants keep on their tables for customers. It was a “piquant sauce” or spicy, tart sauce. Most of them were vinegar based, with spicy peppers … [Read more…]
I’ve been craving a good, smoked ham. Easter sounded like a good time as any to tease the senses for 4 hours. I had to really think about what kind and size of ham to purchase. Easter time of course has many sales that go on, you can’t go more than a few minutes without … [Read more…]
Beef chuck is probably one of the better cuts of beef to smoke. It usually has a decent amount of fat that helps to absorb the flavors of the grill. I took a few weekend hours to marinate and make this smoked beef chuck recipe. Here was my experience. I started by preparing the marinade, … [Read more…]
You will need the following ingredients: • 3-5 lb Chicken • Chicken Rub (optional) • 1 Can of Beer If you have gotten used to your smoker, you probably already know how it operates. This recipe is a basic one, so set up your smoker the same you would for any other smoked chicken. Preheat … [Read more…]
I decided that the plain temperature gauge or “heat gauge” as I like to call it, on the lid of the smoker wasn’t enough. It basically only shows “warm”, “ideal”, and “hot”. Here is a simple way of adding a thermometer to a smoker on your average non-expensive vertical smoker’s lid.