BBQ, Beer, Bacon and other amazing dishes!
Happy 4th of July everyone! If you love America as much as we do, you need to dust off the grill and fire it up. Nothing says America like a good old fashion backyard barbecue. If you are looking to make your barbecue over the top you need to try our best barbecue and grilling recipes. Check them out below.
Happy Memorial Day 2016! First and foremost, I want to thank all of the soldiers and veterans out there. Because of you guys and gals we can enjoy our freedom and we have the ability to celebrate Memorial Day. Thank You!
Memorial Day is the official start of the summer and nothing screams summer like, BBQ and grilling! To help out with your outdoor party, I have compiled a few tips, tricks and our best Memorial Day recipes to share with you all!
Last year I appeared on the TV show American Grilled. On that show I competed against Big Jim Stancil of Bareknuckles BBQ. We kept in touch after the show and started to chat about all things bbq and grilling. During one of those chats, he asked if I would like to go to the Jack Daniels BBQ Championship and help him out. I could not say no. Come on, it was the Jack! While there I helped Big Jim do a little grilling for the teams up on the hill. The dish that Big Jim made, was an elk burger topped with a bacon onion jam. Ever since that day, I have been dreaming of that bacon onion jam. It was slightly sweet, slightly salty and all around bacon-y. It was delicious! So this is my take on bacon onion jam. Thanks for the idea Big Jim.
Smoked Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Chorizo Meatballs is a really long name, but super accurate and perfect for this amazing appetizer. This is an awesome appetizer that is perfect for tailgating, cookouts, sports games or any day. The spicy, smokey and cheesey flavors are a great combination. If you want a great appetizer and have access to an outdoor grill this recipe is for you!
After Labor Day, I had a lot of leftover pulled pork. So I decided to use it to make my favorite dish, Pizza! I make pizza with all of my leftovers. However, this one was so good that I had to share. I used my leftover sauce, some thinly sliced red onion, green pepper for crunch and of course some delicious pulled pork. It was one of the best pizzas that I have made. I love it!
Today Thermoworks is releasing the new Thermapen Mk4. This is like Christmas over here at Savory Reviews. We love our Thermapen and Thermoworks products so much. Just like most people can’t wait for the new Apple products, we can’t wait for new Thermoworks products. The new Thermapen looks like the old thermapen, but has an auto-rotating screen, back-lit display and uses a common AAA battery. No more searching for 2032 batteries. We have AAA batteries everywhere. The Thermapen Mk4 is going to be the coolest tool in my BBQ arsenal. The best thing is that it is only $99. The classic superfast thermapens are still available and have dropped in price to $79. Check out our Full Review Here!
There is no dessert out there, that screams bbq, better than banana pudding. If you go to any hardcore bbq joint in the south they will have a banana pudding. It is a great dessert that is cool, refreshing and balances out the smoke of the main dish. So I decided that I had to have an awesome banana pudding in my repertoire. This banana pudding is amazing and I hope that you get a chance to make it for yourself.
I just got a new Traeger Smoker and I really love. The model is a Traeger Texas, and it makes some mighty fine Q. I am always working on ways to smoke more things. So when I picked up some huge mushrooms at the store, I figured that I should smoke them. This is a pretty traditional Italian stuffed mushroom recipe, with the exception of the smoke. I will tell you that the smoke flavor really added to the dish. They were freaking delicious!
Nothing goes with barbecue like a good ole Macaroni and Cheese. I have been trying forever to come up with a super creamy macaroni and cheese that I could serve with my barbecue. I think that I have finally found the perfect recipe. This recipe is simple, delicious and extremely creamy. It is basically the best macaroni and cheese that I have ever had.
I have been cooking a lot of brisket lately. It is my favorite bbq meat. I guess I am a Texan at heart. However, I have been cooking a standard competition style brisket in order to perfect my craft. But sometimes you just want to cook something different. So I decided I should try a salt and pepper Texas Brisket Wrapped in Butcher Paper. I developed a basic rub and cooked the Brisket over oak. The traditional Texas smoking wood.
Add the rub ingredients into a bowl and mix. Set aside. Make sure to weigh the ingredients. As you want equal parts salt and pepper by weight not volume.
Mix 1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce with 3 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake well. Set aside.
Trim the brisket removing most of the thick fat around the point. Then trim the fat cap so that it is about 1/4 inch thick.
Lightly dust the brisket with the rub. Trust me a little goes a long ways. Let the brisket sit out and come up in temperature while you get your smoker to 225 degrees.
Once your smoker gets to 225 degrees add the brisket.
Spritz the brisket with the Worcestershire sauce mixture every 30-45 minutes.
Once the brisket develops a nice dark bark it is time to wrap. I found that this occurs somewhere in the 165-180 degree range. This occurred about 8 hours into the cook. It varies each and every time that I do it. Basically you want a nice bark that has a nice dark color. Something that screams eat me!
Wrap the brisket in about 6-8 feet of butcher paper. Make sure that the paper is not coated or waxed. You want to use clean butcher paper that is not treated in any way, shape or form. I found a nice roll of butcher paper at Sam’s Club. You can pick this stuff up at most big box stores or restaurant supply stores.
Once the brisket is wrapped, place it back on the smoker until the brisket is probe tender. Basically you can slide a skewer easily through the brisket without any resistance. This occurred about 3-4 hours after I wrapped the brisket.
When the brisket is ready, remove it from the smoker. You will see that the paper absorbed some moisture but most of the moisture is in the brisket.
Basically the paper absorbed the moisture that would have made the bark soggy. The bark is amazing when you cook this way.
Slice the flat against the grain and then turn to a 45 degree angle and slice the fatty portion. Remember the fatty portion’s grain runs perpendicular to the flat portion’s grain.
This was by far the best brisket that I have ever cooked. It was tasty, tender and downright delicious. Dana agreed and basically called all of my other briskets OK. Thanks Dana.
The salt and pepper created a nice bark, the Worcestershire spritz enhanced the beef flavor and kept the meat moist and the butcher paper kept the bark crisp while keeping in all of the moisture. If you haven’t cooked a brisket like this you have to.
I love a good old hamburger. Nothing screams “America”, like a burger! I find that simple is the way to go. Ground beef with a good seasoning. I have been working on my seasoning for a couple of years. I have finally come up with the perfect go to seasoning. It is simple, but hits all of the right notes. This upcoming labor day, you have to try this seasoning on your burgers.
I have tried a ton of different combinations but have found that this combination of simple ingredients enhances the flavor of the beef the best.
In a bowl combine the ingredients. Stir or mix until well blended.
To use, form your favorite ground beef into 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 pound patties. Sprinkle both sides of the patties liberally with the seasoning.
Grill over direct heat until you see the juices start to pool on the top side of the burger. I used a set of grill grates to get a perfect sear. I must say that I have never gotten such perfect grill lines so easily. I will have a full review of the grill grates next week.
Flip and continue to grill until your burger reaches your desired doneness.
Remove and eat with your favorite toppings.
This Wednesday I will be competing on the American Grilled TV Show on the Travel Channel. The show airs at 9PM est. If you watch the Travel Channel this week you will see some commercials for the show. If you are look closely, you may be lucky enough to see this nice looking mug featured in the commercial.
Here is a quick little preview of my episode.
“Going Whole Hog” – Premieres Wednesday, July 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT
Host David Guas travels to the home of Thomas Jefferson – Charlottesville, Va. Besides being a celebrated university town, Charlottesville is also known for its budding food scene, local wine and rich culinary history. Virginia is a leading pork producer and this episode is all about the pig! Corey, Rex, Jim and Richard go hog wild, battling to take home the $10,000 prize at Jackson Park (part of the Virginia Civil War Trail) using ingredients like marmac cheese, Virginia wine and some rather “curious” cuts of pork. Guest judges include Lisa Bacon, a Virginia-based food writer and editor, and Famous Dave Anderson, owner of the BBQ chain Famous Dave’s. It’s a high-heat, high–intensity, battle for the cash and hometown pride.
The show was a blast to film. Hope you guys can tune in to watch.
Happy Father’s Day to all of the Fathers out there. Especially my Father Don and my Father-in-Law Bill. You guys are the best! Thanks for everything, especially helping out with Rex Barbecue.
I thought the best post for today would be my favorite grilling recipes. Nothing says Father’s Day like grilling with a beer in hand. So I hand picked my favorite Father’s Day Recipes to share on this the day of Dads.
There is nothing more luxurious than eating lobster. There is also nothing cooler than having a beer and grilling one over an open flame. Make this Father’s Day the best with a nice grilled lobster.
I know that most people in America have a gas grill. Therefore, this recipe is perfect for just about everyone. You get the flavor of smoke with the ease of gas. Set it and forget it while you throw back a couple of cold ones. Basically the best recipe you can make on Father’s Day!
If you are going to cook a burger, it should be the best burger out there. With a simple meat grinder you can create the best burger out there. This burger plain a roll will kick the crap out of just about any burger out there. You should celebrate Dad with the best freaking burger out there!
Every meal needs a nice side. This side is grilled and super tasty. Plus, it works as a side for just about any dinner entree.
You have spent all day outside, why go inside now for dessert? Yep, grilled peaches! Need I say more. These things are awesome, delicious and cooked outside.
I know that beer and grilling go together very well. However, I made a killer grilled cocktail that could change that. This grilled vodka lemonade is fantastic. It is a must try!
These are a few of my favorite grilled recipes. However, there are many more here.
Also if you may have forgotten a gift for Dad, check out my list of gifts for Dad here. While there are links to purchase these online, most are available at your favorite big box retailer.
Once again a big thank you to all of the Dad’s out there.