Monday, July 11, 2011

Back in the USA

This week we have a double feature. I made it back home after 2 weeks in London (on July 1st) and did not have a Sunday supper since Monday was the 4th of July. So what better way to celebrate then a smoke out? We always grill out and have lots of friends over on the 4th and have lots of fun. This year was no exception and brings us to the first installment of our double feature.

The Fourth of July Smokefest
This year we did the meat and had the guests bring all the sides. Here was the menu:

fresh fruit
potato salad
coleslaw
shrimp cocktail
corn on the cob
5 lb beef brisket
7 lb pork shoulder

So why is it called the smokefest? What do you need? How do you do it?

Well you start with plenty of charcoal and wood chunks. You will also need a lot of time as the smokimg process is low and slow. It will take all day to smoke the brisket and pork shoulder.





Fire up the charcoal in the smoker and get things smoking before adding the meat.

For the brisket -
marinate for at least 2 hours using:
soy sauce
12 oz beer
salt
pepper
red wine vinegar
minced garlic
Put beef in large Ziploc. Mix all ingredients and pour over brisket. Remove from Ziploc and let stand at room temp for 30 minutes before grilling.



For the pork shoulder
rub
chili powder
salt
garlic powder
brown sugar
basil
black pepper
mix all ingredients and rub all over pork. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours. Remove from fridge and let stand for 30 minutes before grilling.

Once meat and grill are ready, it is time to smoke!!
Maintain a temp of 225 - 250 degrees for the cooking process. Remember this is a long process. The brisket will take about 1 hour per pound and the pork shoulder can take 1 1/2 hours per pound. When the brisket reaches an internal temp of 185 - 200 it is ready. Remove from grill, let rest 30 minutes before slicing. The pork is done when the internal temp reaches 190 - 200. Remove from grill, let rest 30 minutes then pull using 2 forks.
The meat should look something like this when finished. Today this took 6 hours for the brisket and 9 hours for the pork. A long day of smoking put so worth the wait.



Here is the pork after KZ pulled it. I think she may have strained a muscle before she was finished!



It turned out to be a great party and we fed 16 people! Now on to the 2nd half of the double feature:

The Return of Sunday Supper
This week included the usual suspects - Aaron, Rindy, Johnny, KZ and myself. After a 3 week hiatus, it was great to have Sunday Supper back to start the week off right. Johnny made a batch of his signature bloody mary mix and also brought along some shrimp cocktail. A and R brought along the beer chasers! KZ came up with the menu and also made the dessert tonight. I think she is starting to like cooking!!

menu
shrimp cocktail
grilled corn on the cob
farm fresh fruit
cheesy scalloped potatoes
grilled halibut
fruit medley cobbler with homemade whipped cream
recipe courtesy of USA WEEKEND and columnist Pam Anderson

grilled corn on the cob
ingredients
8 ears sweet corn, shucked
4 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp basil
black pepper
1/8 - 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
directions
add all ingredients to butter and mix with fork
spread on corn
grill 12 - 15 minutes over direct moderate heat, turning frequently

cheesy scalloped potatoes
ingredients
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2-1/2 cups milk
8 cups thinly sliced red, white, long white, or yellow potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
directions
For sauce, in a medium saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
Place half the sliced potatoes in a greased 3-quart rectangular dish. Top with half the sauce. Repeat layers.
Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 50 minutes more or until potatoes are tender. Let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 10 servings
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes: Prepare as above, except gradually add 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar, Gruyère, or Swiss cheese (6 ounces) to the thickened sauce, stirring until cheese melts.
Note: We used individual ramekins to cook the potatoes for individual servings instead of the 3 qt dish

grilled halibut
ingredients
2 1/2 lbs halibut,cut into 5 equal pieces
3/4 dry white wine
2 tbsp light molasses
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
salt
pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
1 orange, cut into 8 wedges
2 lemons, cut into wedges
directions
whisk together wine, molasses and ginger. Pour into shallow baking dish and add halibut. Turn to coat and let marinate for 20 minutes at room temp. Meanwhile prepare your grill. Remove fish from marinade, pat dry. Reserve marinade. Brush filet's with canola oil, salt and pepper to taste. Grill over direct moderate heat 3-5 minutes on first side. turn using large metal spatula and grill 3-4 minutes more. Add sliced orange and lemon and grill for 2 minutes. Remove from grill to platter and cover with foil to keep warm. In the meantime, boil the marinade for 2 minutes. Pour over fish and serve.
fruit medley cobbler with homemade whipped cream
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 cups of sliced fresh peaches or nectarines, or whole blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combination of fruits (or a 12-ounce package of frozen berries)
1 tablespoon sugar
Directions
1.Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, and heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Put butter in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan; set in oven to melt. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven.
3.Whisk flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add milk; whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour batter into pan, then scatter fruit over batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tb. of sugar.
4.Bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

That concludes this weeks edition of Sunday Supper. Enjoy and we will see you next week!

Cheers from the gang!




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