Cathy's First Brisket

Cathy's First Brisket

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp paprika

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp Montreal steak seasoning

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tsp Liquid Smoke

5 lb beef brisket

Beef Broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

Wash the brisket and place it in a large pan.  Combine first 10 ingredients and rub into brisket (both sides). Pour 1/4 cup soy sauce and Liquid Smoke on the brisket, seal the pan and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.

Sear the brisket on both sides over a charcoal fire until well browned, basting with the juices from the seasoning mix.  Place the seared beef in a large baking dish.  Add enough beef broth to cover the bottom of the dish by about 1/2-inch.  Add the remaining soy sauce.  Seal the pan tightly with aluminum foil and roast at 325^F. for 3-4 hours or until the meat is very tender (but not falling apart!).

Remove from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes.  Slice across the grain into thin slices and return them to the juices in the pan. 

This was awesome! 

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass

4 (1-inch thick) Chilean Sea Bass steaks

1/2 tsp garlic powder with parsley

1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

Zest of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp black pepper

Olive Oil

Butter and Lemon Juice, if desired

Prepare the grill.  We used charcoal tonight.  Pat the fish dry.

Combine the garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, lemon zest and black pepper and rub into the fish on both sides.  Brush with some olive oil before placing the fish in a grill basket and cook on the grill, turning once after about 7 minutes.  Cook another 7 or 8 minutes or until the fish is done and flaky.

Serve with melted butter and lemon juice drizzled over each piece.

I am not a fan of fish, but this was actually pretty darned good.  Nice and mild tasting with no fishy odor. John, of course, loved this!  Served with Spanish rice and sliced tomatoes.

Alabama Smokehouse Pig Burgers

Alabama Smokehouse Pig Burgers with White BBQ Sauce

White BBQ Sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pig Burgers:
12 slices thick cut hickory smoked bacon
2 pounds ground pork
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for grill rack
6 thick slices smoked Gouda (recommended: Boar's Head)
6 kaiser rolls, split
1 1/2 cups finely shredded green cabbage

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

Heat a large fireproof nonstick skillet on the grill. Add the bacon and cook over medium-high heat until the bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes, flipping once. Drain on paper towels. Reserve the rendered bacon fat from the skillet.

Patties:
Combine the pork, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat from the skillet. Mix well, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the size of the rolls.

Brush the grill rack with oil. Arrange the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once just until done, about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. During the last few minutes of cooking, top the burgers with equal amounts of smoked Gouda and put the rolls, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly.

To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of Alabama White Barbecue Sauce on the cut sides of the rolls. On each roll bottom, put some shredded cabbage, a cheese-topped patty, and 2 slices of bacon. Cover with the roll tops and serve.

As seen on Food Network, Recipe courtesy of Harold Cohen. These are delicious! I added bread & butter pickles, shredded romaine (instead of the cabbage), and sliced tomatoes and they were fabulous!

Cayenne Cinnamon Baby Back Ribs

Cayenne Cinnamon Baby Back Ribs

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 pounds pork baby back ribs

Your favorite BBQ Sauce, if desired

Preheat oven to 375F (or prepare your grill if you like to sweat). Remove the tough membrane from the underside of the ribs. Wash them well and pat dry.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, garlic powder, both paprikas, ground cinnamon, cayenne and salt. Place ribs on a double layer of tin foil (large enough to wrap around ribs) and season the ribs on both sides with the rub. Fold over foil and completely cover ribs.

Place ribs on baking sheet or roasting pan. Bake 1-1/2 hours or until meat starts to pull away from bones.Carefully open foil. Brush ribs with BBQ Sauce if desired. Return to oven (leaving foil open) and roast 30 minutes. Carefully turn ribs over, brush with more BBQ sauce and bake for 15-30 minutes more or until ribs are very tender and browned.

These are delicious! Falling apart tender and very flavorful.

Adapted from a recipe at steamykitchen.com