Fire Up Your Grill for Breakfast- Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole

1 lb breakfast sausage (I use Jimmy Dean- use your favorite, or homemade pork or even deer sausage)
9 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 stick)
24 oz frozen hash browns (30 oz package minus about 1/5 package. 30 oz is too much), thawed
12 oz shredded cheddar cheese
salt, pepper

Preheat your grill to 350°.
Cook and break up sausage just until most of it is no longer pink (don't brown - leave some slightly pink.) You can do this in your kitchen or on your grill top with a cast iron skillet

Then...
Spread sausage on bottom of greased 9"x13" pan.
Add milk and melted butter to beaten eggs and pour over sausage.
Mix thawed hash browns with shredded cheese and some salt and pepper. Spread over casserole.
Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until top begins to brown.

Variations:
Ham and Swiss: Use ham chunks instead of sausage and swiss cheese instead of cheddar.
Tex Mex: Use Mexican cheese (or Monterey Jack) - can also add jalapeños to the egg mixture for more heat.

Deer Sausage

Deer Sausage
2 lbs. ground venison
1 lbs. of Pork Sausage  (Hot, Mild or Regular depending on your taste)
1 tsp. salt 
1 tsp. pepper 
1.3 cup of Old Plantation or other Sausage Seasoning
Combine all ingredients, make into patties and fry!

Breakfast Fatty

Breakfast Fatty
Two packages of Jimmy Dean Sausage.
1 Can of Corn Beef Hash
Sharp Cheddar
Bacon

Place ground sausage in a container and mix together adding your favorite rub or salt and pepper to taste.  Place the sausage in a 1 gallon zip lock bag and press until it spreads to all corners forming a square.  Cut the zip lock down the sides exposing the top of the sausage square.

To the side, weave a bacon mat. Place the sausage on top of the bacon mat, remove the remaining side of the ziplock bag.

In the center of the sausage add corned beef hash and spread evenly.  Top liberally with sharp cheddar cheese.

Gentle roll the sausage and bacon mat into a roll.  Encase the ends by firmly forming into a loaf.

Top with rub seasoning.

Place on smoker at 250 (medium) and smoke until internal temp is at 165 (about 2 hours).

Slice and serve with eggs and toast!

Pre cooked Fatty

See the finished product at out YouTube Video Channel : http://www.youtube.com/user/PleasantRidgeBBQ

Award Winning Ribs

First you have to trim the ribs. Start by removing the thin membrane on the backside of the rack.  Take a butter knife loosen the membrane at the corner by placing the dull knife under the membrane. Once you a have a piece separated, use a small piece of paper towel to grip and pull against the ribs until the membrane is removed.  This membrane prevents marinade and your rub from penetration the meat and is like elastic. Most people never remove this.

Now trim the diaphragm meat from the rib, that is that piece running down the center of the back that seems out of place.  Trim it away as close to the ribs as possible.  You can still cook and eat this as a sampler, but it takes away from your rack.

Know you need to soak the ribs in a marinade.  A simple marinade is Dale’s with apple juice and a bit of mustard.  Let them soak for at least 2 hours, but the longer the better and overnight is ideal.

Then remove from the marinade (pour marinade in a spray bottle), and pat dry with paper towel.

Coat with Olive oil and then apply your rub…there are several in the store, but I make my own…


Start your grill on smoke .. Place ribs on the grill for 4 to 5 hours on smoke. Use marinade in the spray bottle to spritz every hour for moisture.

Remove ribs and place in aluminum foil  that has been coated with butter and honey or molasses.  Place pretty side down, bones up .   Close foil and put back on grill. Turn temp to 350  or Medium for 45 minutes.  Unwrap and coat with your favorite BBQ Sauce and cook for 20 more minutes. 

Take ribs off and let rest for 10-20 minutes & enjoy!

Bacon Burger Dogs! A great College Football Season recipe

Bacon Burger Dogs
Bacon Burger Dogs were discussed at length on "The Cosby Show" in the 80's.  While we never saw Cliff and Theo Huxtable eating Bacon Burger Dogs, the concept was so impressive we have come up with our own version. You may want to consult your cardiologist or have a defibulator device on hand for this one.
Time Required:  For prep, it takes a while the first time you make them; allow an hour for 15 BBD's.  After that you get the hang of it.  Cooking time is 20-20 minutes.
Ingredients:

• About 6-8 ounces of ground beef per Bacon Burger Dog (BBD)
• One top-notch hot dog per BBD; use long-and-narrow dogs, not the shorter and plumper variety
• Two strips of bacon per BBD
• Sub/hoagie roll
• Ketchup and/or mustard; this is up for debate and depends on personal preference.  While hot dogs generally call for mustard-only, and hamburgers ketchup-only, many feel that the BBD can handle both.  Many also feel the BBD requires no condiments or possibly only chili or chopped onions.  Please excuse me for rambling, but this important topic deserves our time and consideration.

  Steps:

• Grab a handful of ground beef and spread it out flat in the shape of a square that is not as long as your hot dogs; you want about 6-8 ounces per BBD
• Place a hot dog on the beef and roll it up
• Press the beef together so the hot dog is wrapped up; the ends of the dog should stick out
• Wrap the burger/dog combo in two strips of bacon, so that the bacon runs diagonally around the Burger Dog
• Grill for 20-30 minutes over medium heat; you want the beef to cook without burning the bacon.
• Serve on a Hogie Roll

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Football means Brats!

One sure-fire way to make certain all your guests get a piping hot, juicy Brat is to create a simple bratwurst hot tub.

Brat Hot Tub Ingredients

• One 11 x 9 x 2 3/8 inch aluminum foil baking pan
• 2 - 3 beers
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, sliced

Directions
Put the pan right on the grill, pour in the beers and add the butter and onions. Then grill your Brats to a juicy, golden-brown perfection. Serve immediately to your hungry guests and place any remaining brats into the steaming hot tub. When folks are ready for seconds or thirds--or when stragglers show up late - grab a Brat out of the hot tub and enjoy!

Citrus Grilled Pork Chops

Most of us enjoy a nicely grilled and tender pork chop right off the grill. Full of great flavors and a subtle hint of smoky flavors. If you would like some smoke flavor added to your meat, may we suggest using apple, maple, cherry or pear wood chips. Simply soak the chips for 30 minutes in apple juice, drain, wrap in aluminum foil or use a smoker box and add them to your heat source. Once they begin to smoke, begin cooking your chops. Nice! Try this great "change-up" from the regular routine of grilled pork chops. It will add a great new twist to an already great grilled meat.

6 (1/2-inch-thick) boneless pork chops1/3 cup olive oil1/4 cup fresh lime juice2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro1 garlic clove, minced1/4 tsp dried hot red-pepper flakes

Note: If the red-pepper flakes are too hot for you, try using 1to 2 Tbs of fresh ground black pepper

Take your lime juice, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp salt, and combine them thoroughly. Next, add your olive oil slowly, stirring well. Now whisk in cilantro.

Prepare your grill for direct-heat (i.e. grilling) cooking over medium-high heat. Rinse and dry the chops and season with salt and pepper. Oil grill rack, then grill pork chops, covered, turning over once, until just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes total. Serve drizzled with some vinaigrette, and with remainder on the side.

Are my ribs ready yet?

How do you to tell if the ribs are ready. Take one slab of spareribs and one slab of baby back ribs and put them both in the smoker. When the baby backs are dry, the spareribs are done.

OK...just kidding. That's a bit extreme. But it underlines how hard it is to tell when ribs are ready. That's because ribs come in so many different weights and thicknesses. Not to mention the fact that keeping an outdoor oven at a precise temp is tricky. So here are some guidelines and techniques for telling when they are done.

Ribs should not fall off the bone!
Properly cooked ribs will not not not fall off the bone! The only ribs that fall off the bone are ribs that have been boiled and steamed and that process usually robs them of flavor because water is a solvent. Steamed and boiled ribs usually have a mushy texture. Properly cooked ribs will pull cleanly off the bone with your teeth, but they will still have some resilience and chew, like a properly cooked steak, but not be tough.

How to tell when they are ready

THE TIME/TEMP TEST: Every smoker is different and every slab of meat is different, so exact cooking time can vary depending on a number of variables. The goal is to get the meat to 180°F and keep cooking for about 30 minutes. To do that, I think the ideal cooking temp is about 225°F, hot enough to brown the surface and develop a bit of a bark, but not so hot that a lot of moisture evaporates.

On most cookers, when the oven temp is 225°F, it takes about three hours to cook a slab of baby backs and about five hours to cook a slab of St. Louis cut ribs or spares. They are slightly undercooked at that stage. I then put the sauce on and sizzle it in on a hot grill for about 10 minutes per side. See The Big Finish Video. This finishes the cooking. If you skip the sizzling step, add another 30 minutes of cooking time at 225°F. At higher cooking temperatures decrease the cooking time. For example, at 325°F, baby backs are done in only 90 minutes. At higher altitudes, increase the cooking time 20% or more. The key here is to keep the cooking temp under control, and that is the barbecue chef's craft.

That said, it should be noted that each slab is different, and some can take a good bit longer.

THE BEND TEST. This is the method I like best. I pick up the slab with a pair of tongs and bounce them slightly. If they are ready, the slab will bow until the meat starts to crack on the surface.

THE TWIST TEST. Another technique is to grab ahold of the tip of a bone somewhere near the middle. If you twist, it should start to break free of the meat. This means the collagens in the tough connective tissues have melted and turned to gelatin.

THE POPUP TEST. A lot of books and websites say to wait until the meat begins to pull back from the tips of the bones, exposing about 1/4" of bare bone. Some folks call this the natural popup thermometer. Problem is that this is not necessarily a sign that they are ready. Heat can cause this shrinkage. Put ribs on a hot grill and they will shrink within an hour, but they won't be done. On the other hand, if you keep the temp under 250°F, by the time the meat pulls back, it is overcooked.

PEEK A BOO TEST. If you are unsure if the meat is ready, you can cut into it and sneak a peek. The meat in the center should be white and there should be no pink juices. Remember, if you have cooked with smoke, there will probably be pink meat near the surface, but the meat in the center should be white or tan.

THE TAST TEST. Some cooks pull one bone off the end, look at the meat, and then taste it. This works fine, especially because you get to eat the rib you removed! Problem is when the meat is not ready. Then you have to pull off another bone. Then another. Then there's nothing for the guests.

THE TOOTHPICK TEST. You poke a toothpick into the meat between the bones. When it slides in with little or no resistance you have a done rack of ribs. It's best to test various parts of the rack to be sure you have them done to your liking. With a little practice you can better judge the doneness of your ribs than the bend test.

THE THERMOMETER TEST. One way to tell if they're ready is with a digital instant read thermometer with a thermocouple and a really thin probe like the Thermoworks ThermaPen. Not all thermometers are reliable. A thermocouple thermometer works pretty well, but it is tricky. You need to poke the meat in several locations because it will be different temperatures next to the bone, midway between the bones, and on the ends.

Enjoy!

Boston Butt - Pulled Pork Recipe

1 Boston Butt about 5 - 8 lbs.
Yellow mustard (secret ingredient)

Rub Ingredients:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Paprika
3 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika
2 Tablespoons Coarse Pepper
2 Tablespoons Coarse Salt
2 Tablespoons Onion Powder

Mop/Marinade Ingredients -Equal parts:
Apple Juice
Apple Cider Vinegar
Pineapple Juice

The night before rub mustard over the pork and rub in the rub mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. The next day bring smoker to 225º If cooking with charcoal add apple or hickory wood to the coals and place pork on top grill. (or in oven or grill set for indirect heat). Monitor heat and keep it around 225º until pork reaches 185º to 195º internal temp. This will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound. Depending on the size of your butt this could take all day. About once an hour spray or mop your butt with the mop mixture. Remove pork and let cool for 30 minutes. Pull apart with fingers or forks and serve on soft buns with your favorite BBQ sauce and coleslaw.

For 'real' BBQ flavor this should be cooked in a BBQ smoker but if you don't have one this can easily be done in your oven or crock pot. You won't get the same slow smoked BBQ flavor but it will still be good. For the oven place you butt on a rack in you roasting pan, pour plenty of the mop in the bottom and cover. Roast at 250º until pork reaches 185º to 195º. (Check periodically you may need to add more liquid to the pan.) In the crock pot add 2 cups of mop and let it cook all day until it pulls apart easily. Be sure to drain any fat.

Pork Marinade

My competition pork marinade remains a secret, but often times during backyard BBQ I have found many very effective substances and ingredients to give your marinade some character.

If you simply plan to hit the store, there is nothing better than Dale's for a can't miss marinade. They offer a low sodium variety for those concerned with such matters. When creating your own marinade, a great liquid base is a can of original Coke. The sugars and carbonation have a wonderful effect on the meats. Dr. Pepper is also a favorite and the newly released Dr. Pepper Cherry with a KISSSSSSSSSS of cherry was used recently with great results.

Sounds strange but add a touch of apple, orange, or cranberry juice to your marinade. Pork is naturally a bland meat, so the acidic liquid will being a wonderful flavor to you pork.

Other basic tips:

Add a bit of our rub mixture, so the meat has the consistent flavor inside and out.

Mix your marinade seperately then pour over your meat. Don't simply pour the ingredients into the pan that contains the meat.

Ziplock bags work great and allow you to turn the meat to insure full coverage.

Make enough! Dont leave the pork exposed or half covered by the marinade. Mix enough to cover the entire batch of pork.

Once the marinade mixture is complete, place it in the fridge for soaking.

Once the marinade is complete, pour it up to use for basting or spraying on the meat during cooking. This keeps the meat moist during those long slow cooks and prevents waste of a good marinade.

Finally, when in doubt as to what to place in your Marinade...add a beer (no light beer). It helps to have at least two on hand. One for the marinade and one for the cook. Got some great marinade tips or ingredients , please share them in a wall post.