Slow Smoked Brisket

Let's face it, my husband is a spoiled, spoiled man.  Believe me he knows it!  How many wives would prepare a smoked a brisket for Father's Day?  That's right kids, I didn't take him out to a restaurant to enjoy brisket or grill hot dogs or take the other easy way by slapping this baby in the oven, No I did it the real boss, hoss way over coals in my trusty little Weber grill. 

Don't be scared, because this was so easy thanks to McCormick Grill Mates Products.  See this little envelope of "Smokin' Texas BBQ" rub?  It's really a magical envelope of brisket love.  Because of this little envelope, I was able to spend an afternoon leisurely multi-tasking...smoking my brisket and spending time with my husband and children in the backyard on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.  And then, oh yeah baby, enjoy a fabulous brisket dinner with literally no clean-up!

First, before we get started, the first rule I learned when I became interested in learning to grill was grill maintenance and safety.  The one sure way to spoil any meal is to start off with a dirty and ill-placed grill.

If you are a seasoned master of the grill or are interested in grilling, place your grill in an area away from your house or out buildings, away from children play areas and an area free of clutter.  

Always start off with a clean grill.  Dirty grills can cause fires and not only ruin the taste of your food, but can make you, your family and your guests extremely ill.  

So Rule Number One, place your grill in an area clear from hazards and keep your grill C-L-E-A-N!

1 - 3.75 lb. beef brisket, trimmed.

1   envelope of McCormick Grill Mates Smokin' Texas BBQ rub

1   high-sided foil pan large enough to accommodate the brisket

Aluminum foil

Several handfuls of mesquite wood chips soaked in water for several hours

Rub in the McCormick Grill Mates Smokin' Texas rub on all sides of the brisket.  Place the seasoned brisket in the foil pan and tightly cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.  Refrigerate overnight.  Keep the brisket refrigerated until you are ready to place it on the grill.

In order to smoke/cook the brisket low and slow, it should be placed on the grill grate cold and not at room temperature.

Light the charcoal and keep the coals to one side of the grill and place the brisket on the opposite side of the grill to cook it slowly over indirect heat. 

Once the coals are lit, sprinkle some of the mesquite chips over the coals.  Ideally, I was trying to keep the temperature on the grill between 275 degrees F and 300 degrees F, which for the most part I was able to maintain.  In the very beginning, temperature on the grill spiked at 350 degrees F.  After closing off one of the vents a little to slow down how fast the fire was burning the coals, and adding a small pan of water on the grill, the temperature gradually dropped and I was able to maintain a temperature of 280 degrees F the remainder of the cooking time.

Was the foil pan for later use.

I checked on the brisket after one hour to check the grill temperature and to add more wood chips.  After 2 hours, I turned the brisket and continued to cook it for 2 more hours.  After the 4th hour, the internal temperature on an instant read thermometer read 160 degrees F which is what I wanted. 

The brisket was then placed in back in the clean foil pan along with the small pan of water and tightly covered with aluminum foil.  I add more lit coals and wood chips as the temperature on the grill was beginning to drop and continued cooking the brisket for another 1-1/2 hours. 

After removing the brisket from the grill, I placed the pan on a cooling rack and left it covered to allow it to rest for one more hour. 

This brisket cut like butter, was so moist and flavorful.  The McCormick Grill Mates Smokin' Texas BBQ rub was sensational!

So don't forget to stop by McCormick's Grillerhood and become a part of the a growing grilling social network!

Share with all of us your number one "Rule of Grilling"! 

Disclosure - I have been compensated by McCormick in all relevant communication mediums, including without limitations on Facebook, Twitter, any blog posts.

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Grilled Corn on the Cob with Whipped Barbecue Butter

Ah, the wonderful smells of spring and summer...the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, does it get any better?  Of course it does!  The aroma of those fresh finds from the Farmer's Market doing their thing on the grill.  It doesn't end there, oh no,  jazz up your bounty and then spoil your self silly enjoying the wonderful tastes with those you love and/or enjoying being around.I found this Bobby Flay recipe some time back and it's a staple during the summer months when fresh corn is plentiful.

Whipped Barbecue Butter:

2 tablespoons Canola oil

1/2 of a small red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder

2 teaspoons Spanish paprika

1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

1/2 cup water

1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

In a saute pan, heat the oil over high heat until rippling and almost smoking. Add the onion and saute until soft, 1 to 2 minutes, then add in the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Sprinkle in the Ancho powder, paprika, cumin seeds and cayenne.  Stir to thoroughly combine and cook for 1 minute. Add the 1/2 cup of water and cook until the mixture becomes thickened and the water reduces. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Place the butter in a the bowl of a food processor, add the spice mixture and Worcestershire sauce and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, scrape the mixture into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Bring to room temperature before serving and spread the butter over the corn while hot.

Grilled Corn:

4 ears corn
Kosher Salt

Heat the grill to medium.

Pull the outer husks down the ear to the base or completely off. Strip away the silk from each ear of corn by hand. If keeping the husks, (which I can't seem to do without ripping them to shreds my family prefers no husks) fold husks back into place and tie the ends together with kitchen string. Place the ears of corn in a large bowl of cold water with 1 tablespoon of salt for 10 minutes.

Remove corn from water and shake off excess. Place the corn on the grill, close the cover and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, or until kernels are tender or to desired doneness. A.J. we like ours a tad bit on the charred side.

Now, go forth and grill some produce!

 

BBQ Chicken Dip - Love in a Pyrex Dish!

I have taken my word verification off commenting since it has been such a pain in the backside for me and everyone else trying to comment on blogs.  If you have word verification on your blog, I am stopping by and enjoying your posts, but can't comment because I keep getting "Internal error" messages.

This mouthwatering dip that I lucked out and found at Plain Chicken while looking for fun tailgating food this past fall, will have your friends and family begging for more!  Torture them baby, you have to keep them wanting more so don't give up the recipe!  After all, some things, especially the really good food, should to remain a mystery. 

1 lb. bonesless, skinnless chicken breats, cooked and chopped
1 package softened cream cheese (8 ounce package)
3/4 cup your favorite BBQ sauce  (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Original)
1/4 cup Ranch dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups chredded cheddar cheese

1 green onion, sliced thin on an angle

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl combine chopped chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.

Pour mixture into a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish. Top the dip with half og the green onions and remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes then sprinkle the remaining green onion over the top and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes, until bubbly. 

Allow to set about 10 minutes and serve with your favorite cracker or chip.  Now sit back, relax and watch the most fascinating disappearing act right before your very eyes!

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Smoked Cornish Hens with Citrus Glaze

Remember way back when...you remember when we learned how to use the smoker?  Well, I still like to smoke...pork, chicken and beef.  Although pork is my all time favorite for grilling, barbecuing and smoking, I decided to stray off the beaten ham or pork path for Easter and smoke Cornish hens.  Once I saw this on Down Home with the Neely's, I just knew I had to give this a try.

http://www.skinnyscoop.com/

Cornish hens are cute, and when roasted or smoked, just right so juicy and amazing.  One of the caveats here, is they can be fully cooked in approximately 1-1/2 hours.  That's right boys and girls, you can rip the juveniles away from the chocolate and sugar and get some good smoked protein in them in a snap!

Here's what you need:

1 tablespoon of your favorite grilling dry rub.  Mine is :

             1/2 cups brown sugar
             2 tablespoons
             1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
             1 teaspoon smoked paprika
             1 teaspoon garlic powder
             1 teasspoon onion powder
             1 teaspoon salt
             1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
4 (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) Cornish game hens, washed and dried well
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 teaspoon crush red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon (depending on your taste)

Whisk together the dry rub, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Season the washed and dried game hens with the rub and arrange on a platter or sheet tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Get your smoker and coals ready.  You want to keep the heat at a constant 275 degrees.  Our Easter was fairly windy and I may have over compensated a bit.  (NOTE: I placed my oven thermometer on the grill to get an accurate reading of the cooking temperature.  It was pretty steady at 275 F, but I did manage to get it to 300 F.  The brief increase in temperature didn't seem to affect the cooking time, flavor or outcome of the hens.)

Place hens on the grill and cover. If you've soaked your hickory chips in water for about an hour like I did, throw a generous handful on top of the coals.  Smoke the hens for about 40 minutes.

While the hens are smoking, make the glaze.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter to melt, add the shallots and saute for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the chicken broth and orange juice. Bring to a simmer and let reduce down to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon and be slightly syrupy. Once reduced,  add the apple cider vinegar and hot sauce. Taste for seasoning.

Remove the cover and brush the hens with the glaze, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Cover the grill and smoke for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the hens from the grill, to a serving platter and let rest, covered with foil for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with some potato salad, Macaroni with FOUR Cheeses (later this week), baked beans, sour dough French Bread (next week) and Coconut Cream Cake (soon), no one will even remember the Easter Bunny!

Garlic and Herb Griled Chicken

One of my favorite things to grill is batches of these Roasted Garlic and Herb Chicken Breasts. You can use this method on any cut of chicken you like, it's just that good! The chicken is basted in a mixture of roasted garlic and herbs, then grilled to perfection. They’re great right off the grill and they are portable, which comes in handy with two teenagers and their friends around. They often grab something to eat when they’re headed out the door. Unlike batter coated chicken, which we enjoy around here, can often mask the true chicken flavor, this grilled chicken simply allows the chicken flavor plus the outdoor cooking flavor to make your taste buds pop.

I almost forgot! They’re totally delicious. Come on…let's fire up the grill.

Squeeze one head of roasted garlic into the blender.

Pour 1/4 cup of white wine into the blender.

Add 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley leaves, 2 tablespoons of fresh basil leaves, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

Pulse blender to combine and then stream in 3/4 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil.

Pour off your basting sauce into a container. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on the grill. Sear each side of the chicken for about five minutes and then move to indirect heat.

Cook the chicken about 10 minutes per side and then baste with Roasted Garlic Herb Sauce.

Allow to cook another 10 minutes, turn chicken and baste again. Continue grilling and basting chicken until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Stick in a fork in me, 'cause I'm done!

Cranberry-Barbecue Chicken Wings

I want to thank all of you for all of your wonderful and encouraging comments on the "Grilling Sauces" post. The Cranberry-Barbecue Chicken Wing Sauce was concocted about six years ago because of my love of cranberries. I happened to have a can in the pantry that summer that was probably leftover from the holidays. I stared at that can and tried to think of something I could do with it. Until I made these wings last night, I forgot how light this sauce was and how wonderful it smelled on the grill. I'm serious, if I did drugs, I'd do the smell of this sauce on the grill...does that make sense?

Cranberry-Barbecue Chicken Wings -

Place your chicken wings in a shallow dish. In a 2-quart sauce pan over medium-low heat, mix together 1 can of jellied cranberry sauce, 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Creole or brown grain mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons Louisiana Hot Sauce. Stir these ingredients until smooth.

Pour sauce over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Place wings on grill and reserve marinade sauce. Cook on medium-low heat on grill turning as necessary and brushing with reserved marinade sauce. Cook time about 25 to 30 minutes.

Keep eating until you've finished the last wing, groan, take a nap. I won't tell anyone. Seriously, once you take these wings off the grill, you will be attacked.