OT: Independence Day sides - have fun!

On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 01:45:47 -0700 (PDT), [email protected] wrote:

> Well, it's getting to be the 4th, and celebrating our national
> independence around these parts means firing up the grill/pit to burn
> some meat and filling up the cooler with the good stuff. This is
> *always* a favorite activity of mine, no excuse is actually needed.
>
> But one of my amigos commandeered this holiday a long time ago, so we
> go to his house for libations, food, and Americana music. He is good
> on the grill/pit, but LOUSY on the sides. But this year he is trying
> to impress a new female acquaintance of his, and wants to do something
> besides beans/taters/slaw for sides.
>
> (Although... come on... what is wrong with brisket, black beer, a pot
> of beans and potato salad, Texas toast and a good cigar?)

Not a thing, sounds good, although in Al you run the risk of
being run out on a rail for barbequeing a cow.
>
> These are sides I have made in one form or another for years at my
> house for me and when friends and family come over. I typed all this
> out for him, and have tuned it up my recipes a bit to make it easier
> for the group to follow. As with any cook, these aren't all my
> completely original recipes (except the warm dill potatoes) but
> inspired by the thousands of meals I have eaten and probably the same
> amount prepared at the pit for the last 35 years.
>
> I hope you guys try some of these out. They are really popular around
> here every time I fix them.
>
> Long a favorite here in S. Texas, the Atomic Buffalo Turd (stuffed
> jalapeño pepper) is a long time staple at barbecue get togethers.
> Hollowed out jalapeños are stuffed with cheesy seafood dip, shrimp,
> pulled pork, Monterrey Jack cheese, and all other kinds of "stuff".
> Wrapped with thin bacon, (never thick - it won't cook right, so cheap
> is good here) stabbed through with a toothpick to hold the bacon on
> and then smoked until the bacon is done.
>
> They have many kinds of holders to hold them upright so you can cut
> off the cap, hollow them out, then stuff. It works a lot better than
> halving them. Check out this page and scroll down:
>
> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ann-abt-holder
>
> Corn - especially at this time of year when corn is cheap, we cook
> corn in the shuck on the grill, then when done peel back the shuck to
> make a handle. Remove the silk, the brush with melted butter with
> chili powder in it. Excellent...
>
> Warm garlic/dill potato salad is always a favorite, and different from
> the normal heavy, starchy, potato/pickle fare. Cook about 2 1/2 pounds
> of the potatoes in foil on the pit, then allow to cool until just
> warm. An hour before the potatoes are done, take a bowl and mix a
> tablespoon (or two!) of warm butter with one cup of sour cream and 1/4
> cup of milk, and 1/2 cup of Hellman's mayonnaise, and if you have some
> good dill pickles, about two tablespoons of the brine. Add about 1/2
> teaspoon each of salt and pepper, one tablespoon of dried dill, and
> 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic. Whisk all this together and set
> aside. This needs to sit for about a half hour or so in the fridge.
>
> When the potatoes are done (and just warm) , slightly mash them to
> break them up and pour the mixture over them. The mixture should be
> out of the fridge for about 15 minutes or so to keep it from being too
> cold when you add it to the potatoes. This will keep the potatoes
> from being gummy and starchy, as will mixing when the potatoes are
> warm, not hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let them sit for 15
> minutes or so, then serve with crumbled bacon and dried parsley as
> garnish. Serve immediately.
>
> The potatoes will be excellent served cold as well as the second day I
> can usually pick up a slightly smokey flavor to the salad.

We cook a lot of similar sides, but I haven't seen potatoes fixed this
way, I'm going to try this with some fresh dug red potatoes.
>
> Onions - cut medium sized (baseball) onions in half from end to end
> (not across the middle). Pop out about a tablespoon's worth of the
> inner most center. Fill this cavity with softened butter seasoned with
> chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook indirectly until very soft, cavity
> up. Serve with a fresh and generous grind of black pepper on the top,
> and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and parsley. Crumbled
> bacon sends these over the top, but certainly isn't necessary.
>
> Cabbage - cook very small head type (round, not leaf) cabbages
> (softball sized) following the onion recipe. And of course, add
> crumbled bacon to the finished product.
>
> Green beans - buy a .99 disposable grill topper at the sporting goods
> store, or punch a million holes in a foil pan from the inside out
> (turkey or chicken roasting sizes are my favorites). Take fresh or
> frozen green beans (partially thawed) and put them in a bowl. Coat
> generously with olive oil, a drizzle of sesame oil (optional) and
> kosher or sea salt.
>
> Pour out your beans on the grid, and cook on the hot part of the grill
> until done. For an extra treat, cut up (dice) one of the onion halves
> from above and put some of the onions in the green beans. When I am on
> my game I put sliced smoked almonds or freshly toasted sesame seeds on
> as additional flavor. A little crumbled bacon on top makes this a
> sure winner as well.
>
> An easy salad - buy baby Chinese cabbage at the supermarket. The
> heads should be about 8 - 10" long, no more. Cut the in half
> lengthwise. Brush with garlic infused olive oil on both sides. Grill
> face down. When the cabbage is just soft and you get some little
> grill marks, flip it over. Brush more garlic oil on the open cabbage
> face to run down inside the cabbage. Just a light brush will do,
> don't overdo it. Cook on the grill with until soft and you have some
> grill marks. Serve with a warm vinaigrette (store bought is fine,
> just warm it) drizzled over the warm cabbage, and dress with spicy
> croutons, black olive slices, grated Parmesan or a crumbled Feta
> cheese (Feta is perfect), and my favorite add, grilled whole cherry
> tomatoes brushed with the garlic oil.
>
> Mushrooms - I like Portobellos on the grill the best. In looking for
> Portobellos, try Sam's as the local stores around here keep them in
> stock for restaurants. Brush off a Portobello mushroom to clean it,
> never use water or rinse it off. Cut off the stem even with the gills.
> Remove the gills with a teaspoon and brush out the inside well.
> Lightly brush the mushroom inside and out with olive oil. Salt and
> pepper (the oil makes the seasonings stick) to your preference. Put
> small, clean and very dry cooked cocktail shrimp in the cavity where
> you cleaned out the gills. Cover the shrimp with cream cheese based
> seafood dip. Grill over direct flame with the stuffing up until the
> mushroom softens and the dip is warm/hot. Obviously, this is something
> you won't flip... since all the ingredients are cooked, you are only
> trying to get them very warm and the mushroom soft. I garnish with a
> couple of shakes of cayenne and plenty of parsley. For my significant
> other, I use paprika instead of cayenne. These are a meal in
> themselves and your friends will think you have been taking lessons.

Yep, Swmbo and myself have eaten a lot of meals that consisted only
of stuffed portobellos, the possibilities are endless.
>
> I could go on...

Please do.
>
> My grills and pits are a passion.
>
This years meat is going to be a young goat, who shall meet his maker
early Saturday morning and get covered in olive oil and dry rub until
time to cook. Maybe as a nod to Texas and beef, I'll put some ox tails
on the grill.

basilisk

You're making me horny!

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Well, it's getting to be the 4th, and celebrating our national
independence around these parts means firing up the grill/pit to burn
some meat and filling up the cooler with the good stuff. This is
*always* a favorite activity of mine, no excuse is actually needed.

But one of my amigos commandeered this holiday a long time ago, so we
go to his house for libations, food, and Americana music. He is good
on the grill/pit, but LOUSY on the sides. But this year he is trying
to impress a new female acquaintance of his, and wants to do something
besides beans/taters/slaw for sides.

(Although... come on... what is wrong with brisket, black beer, a pot
of beans and potato salad, Texas toast and a good cigar?)

These are sides I have made in one form or another for years at my
house for me and when friends and family come over. I typed all this
out for him, and have tuned it up my recipes a bit to make it easier
for the group to follow. As with any cook, these aren't all my
completely original recipes (except the warm dill potatoes) but
inspired by the thousands of meals I have eaten and probably the same
amount prepared at the pit for the last 35 years.

I hope you guys try some of these out. They are really popular around
here every time I fix them.

Long a favorite here in S. Texas, the Atomic Buffalo Turd (stuffed
jalapeño pepper) is a long time staple at barbecue get togethers.
Hollowed out jalapeños are stuffed with cheesy seafood dip, shrimp,
pulled pork, Monterrey Jack cheese, and all other kinds of "stuff".
Wrapped with thin bacon, (never thick - it won't cook right, so cheap
is good here) stabbed through with a toothpick to hold the bacon on
and then smoked until the bacon is done.

They have many kinds of holders to hold them upright so you can cut
off the cap, hollow them out, then stuff. It works a lot better than
halving them. Check out this page and scroll down:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ann-abt-holder

Corn - especially at this time of year when corn is cheap, we cook
corn in the shuck on the grill, then when done peel back the shuck to
make a handle. Remove the silk, the brush with melted butter with
chili powder in it. Excellent...

Warm garlic/dill potato salad is always a favorite, and different from
the normal heavy, starchy, potato/pickle fare. Cook about 2 1/2 pounds
of the potatoes in foil on the pit, then allow to cool until just
warm. An hour before the potatoes are done, take a bowl and mix a
tablespoon (or two!) of warm butter with one cup of sour cream and 1/4
cup of milk, and 1/2 cup of Hellman's mayonnaise, and if you have some
good dill pickles, about two tablespoons of the brine. Add about 1/2
teaspoon each of salt and pepper, one tablespoon of dried dill, and
1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic. Whisk all this together and set
aside. This needs to sit for about a half hour or so in the fridge.

When the potatoes are done (and just warm) , slightly mash them to
break them up and pour the mixture over them. The mixture should be
out of the fridge for about 15 minutes or so to keep it from being too
cold when you add it to the potatoes. This will keep the potatoes
from being gummy and starchy, as will mixing when the potatoes are
warm, not hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let them sit for 15
minutes or so, then serve with crumbled bacon and dried parsley as
garnish. Serve immediately.

The potatoes will be excellent served cold as well as the second day I
can usually pick up a slightly smokey flavor to the salad.

Onions - cut medium sized (baseball) onions in half from end to end
(not across the middle). Pop out about a tablespoon's worth of the
inner most center. Fill this cavity with softened butter seasoned with
chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook indirectly until very soft, cavity
up. Serve with a fresh and generous grind of black pepper on the top,
and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and parsley. Crumbled
bacon sends these over the top, but certainly isn't necessary.

Cabbage - cook very small head type (round, not leaf) cabbages
(softball sized) following the onion recipe. And of course, add
crumbled bacon to the finished product.

Green beans - buy a .99 disposable grill topper at the sporting goods
store, or punch a million holes in a foil pan from the inside out
(turkey or chicken roasting sizes are my favorites). Take fresh or
frozen green beans (partially thawed) and put them in a bowl. Coat
generously with olive oil, a drizzle of sesame oil (optional) and
kosher or sea salt.

Pour out your beans on the grid, and cook on the hot part of the grill
until done. For an extra treat, cut up (dice) one of the onion halves
from above and put some of the onions in the green beans. When I am on
my game I put sliced smoked almonds or freshly toasted sesame seeds on
as additional flavor. A little crumbled bacon on top makes this a
sure winner as well.

An easy salad - buy baby Chinese cabbage at the supermarket. The
heads should be about 8 - 10" long, no more. Cut the in half
lengthwise. Brush with garlic infused olive oil on both sides. Grill
face down. When the cabbage is just soft and you get some little
grill marks, flip it over. Brush more garlic oil on the open cabbage
face to run down inside the cabbage. Just a light brush will do,
don't overdo it. Cook on the grill with until soft and you have some
grill marks. Serve with a warm vinaigrette (store bought is fine,
just warm it) drizzled over the warm cabbage, and dress with spicy
croutons, black olive slices, grated Parmesan or a crumbled Feta
cheese (Feta is perfect), and my favorite add, grilled whole cherry
tomatoes brushed with the garlic oil.

Mushrooms - I like Portobellos on the grill the best. In looking for
Portobellos, try Sam's as the local stores around here keep them in
stock for restaurants. Brush off a Portobello mushroom to clean it,
never use water or rinse it off. Cut off the stem even with the gills.
Remove the gills with a teaspoon and brush out the inside well.
Lightly brush the mushroom inside and out with olive oil. Salt and
pepper (the oil makes the seasonings stick) to your preference. Put
small, clean and very dry cooked cocktail shrimp in the cavity where
you cleaned out the gills. Cover the shrimp with cream cheese based
seafood dip. Grill over direct flame with the stuffing up until the
mushroom softens and the dip is warm/hot. Obviously, this is something
you won't flip... since all the ingredients are cooked, you are only
trying to get them very warm and the mushroom soft. I garnish with a
couple of shakes of cayenne and plenty of parsley. For my significant
other, I use paprika instead of cayenne. These are a meal in
themselves and your friends will think you have been taking lessons.

I could go on...

My grills and pits are a passion.

Robert

On Jul 1, 7:37=A0am, Swingman <[email protected]> wrote:

> Ditto ... except for the cigar. Wished I could but don't want to start
> that again ... don't have the 30 years it took me to quit last time. :)

Well.... I don't smoke cigarettes anymore, and haven't for years. And
I only smoke about 2 - 3 cigars a week now. Less than that if it is
nasty hot and I am working outside all day. I tend to buy a higher
end smokes, and damnit, I just enjoy smoking them.

> Damn that sounds good, cher!!

A recent discovery by some, I first had stuffed/smoked japs in the mid
70s at a family barbecue put on by my sweetheart. She didn't last,
but the recipe did.

It was at that time I learned the vital importance of making sure you
were extra careful with your equipment when you went to pee if you
were involved in the stuffed jap prep. A hot, sweaty day, juice on
the fingers....


> Please do!

I have a great recipe that I came up with for a tart, dill flavored
cole slaw. I don't like the sweet cole slaw dressings, but then I
don't like the "drain pipe" taste that you get with some heads of
cabbage. It is strong enough to stand up well with smoked and spicy
foods, and has a different tasted than the usual cole slaw fare. If
you like cole slaw, I will post it.

> Not as passionate as I used to be, but I don't consider a Sunday
> complete without the pit or grill fired up.

I never realized until about 10 years ago when I started goofing
around on a barbecue forum how lucky we are to be able to smoke/grill/
barbecue whenever we want. I have two nice, small pits, and I don't
think twice about doing a brisket, turkey, chicken, pork butt/
shoulder, etc.


> On another note, take a look at this:
>
> http://www.e-woodshop.net/images/elpanchito.jpg
>
> Eggplant, stuffed with seafood, served in a bed of Spanish rice and
> guacomole salad, with a side of smokey beans.
>
> (eatcherheartout photo courtesy of Leon)

WOW.... now that was some nice looking plate of food! Have you tried
to make it at home?

> It's been awhile, Robert ... give us a holler next time you're in
> Houston and let's get the six of us together.

A long time, indeed. That sounds great Karl. We don't get there as
much as we used to since my sister is busy now with a college aged
kid. With her daughter gone away to college in Boston (nephew still
there) she tends to want all the private uninterrupted time with her
she can get.

Kathy and I have been uninvited to many a gathering in the last two
years, as has the rest of the family so she can maximize her time with
her daughter.

Anyway, thanks for the invite. We'll figure something out. I think
it would be a ton of fun to get together with everyone.

Robert

On Jul 2, 8:35=A0pm, Larry Blanchard <[email protected]> wrote:

> I smoke 1 to 2 a week. =A0Can't afford the high end ones, but with a good
> cup of coffee or a brandy most any will do.
>
> Do you get the "How do you do that without getting addicted and needing
> more and more?" questions? =A0I do.


Nah.... I have been smoking cigars off and on since I was a teenager.
No one except my friends know I smoke them.

As far as smoking good cigars, I love 'em. BUT.... I don't want to
pay what it would cost to smoke the really great cigars I like. I am
a sampler fiend and subscribe to several sites that send me deals 3 -
4 times a week.

Cigars are like anything else, just because they are expensive doesn't
mean they are good and just because they are inexpensive doesn't mean
they are bad. My favorite cigar right now is about $8 or so most
places. However, I got just go 25 of them for $2.85 each on
cigarbid.com. I also scored some Olivas at about a buck a stick
( !!! ) in Churchill sized long filler Honduran wrappers.

In my size (50+ ring gauge and about 5 1/2" and longer) I can find
smokes all day long for about $2 if I am patient.

A recent sampler offering to first time customers had a deal that had
10 premium sticks (no dog rockets!) for $26, delivered. The retail on
it was about $75 or so... so they were ending up about $7.5 a smoke,
plus shipping which made it about $8 each.

However.... they had an offer to all first timers that said they were
referred to get an additional $10 off their first purchase. That made
it $16 delivered for all ten sticks. A buck sixty a piece for an $8
cigar!

I had six of my buddies order them for me, so I made out quite well.
Best of all, I got another $10 of account credit for the referrel! So
I now have $60 sitting in my account for future purchases.

I like and appreciate a good, cheap cigar. But if you internet shop,
you can get some really good, enjoyable sticks for about $2 or so.
That being said, I sure like a really <fine> cigar, and getting a good
deal on it makes it taste that much better.

I have had excellent luck with cigarsinternational.com and cigar.com.
cigarsinternational.com has some killer combo packs, short sales,
blowouts, etc. On occasion they cut their prices to the bone. I
don't know if this link will work, but check it out:

http://www.cigarsinternational.com/html/sp-CA12-t.asp

They goof with the price, but it should be $10 for all 8, and then $15
with the carrier. They leave the ad up, but they change the price
from time to time to $29.95.

At $15 ( $10 + shipping) for those 8 cigars, it is a steal. Just
about any three of those cigars (and just two if you pick right!)
would add up to $15 any where else. BTW, I have that deal in my
hands, the the herf is extremely well made, and is even on their site
for $19.99 plus shipping. Why they would sell the cigars (ignore
retail $, on their site about $40) and the herf ($19.99 on their site)
for $20, I don't know.

I have another on the way, though.

Robert

On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:11:12 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

> Well.... I don't smoke cigarettes anymore, and haven't for years. And I
> only smoke about 2 - 3 cigars a week now. Less than that if it is nasty
> hot and I am working outside all day. I tend to buy a higher end
> smokes, and damnit, I just enjoy smoking them.

I smoke 1 to 2 a week. Can't afford the high end ones, but with a good
cup of coffee or a brandy most any will do.

Do you get the "How do you do that without getting addicted and needing
more and more?" questions? I do.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

On 7/1/2010 3:45 AM, [email protected] wrote:

>
> (Although... come on... what is wrong with brisket, black beer, a pot
> of beans and potato salad, Texas toast and a good cigar?)

Ditto ... except for the cigar. Wished I could but don't want to start
that again ... don't have the 30 years it took me to quit last time. :)

> Long a favorite here in S. Texas, the Atomic Buffalo Turd (stuffed
> jalapeño pepper) is a long time staple at barbecue get togethers.
> Hollowed out jalapeños are stuffed with cheesy seafood dip, shrimp,
> pulled pork, Monterrey Jack cheese, and all other kinds of "stuff".
> Wrapped with thin bacon, (never thick - it won't cook right, so cheap
> is good here) stabbed through with a toothpick to hold the bacon on
> and then smoked until the bacon is done.

<snip of good stuff>

Damn that sounds good, cher!!

> I could go on...

Please do!

> My grills and pits are a passion.

Not as passionate as I used to be, but I don't consider a Sunday
complete without the pit or grill fired up.

On another note, take a look at this:

http://www.e-woodshop.net/images/elpanchito.jpg

Eggplant, stuffed with seafood, served in a bed of Spanish rice and
guacomole salad, with a side of smokey beans.

(eatcherheartout photo courtesy of Leon)

As much as I like Cajun cooking, I don't know whether there is anything
on the planet as good as this dish at Los Gallitos Mexican Restaurant
here in Houston!

It's been awhile, Robert ... give us a holler next time you're in
Houston and let's get the six of us together.

And thanks for the recipes!!

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlC@ (the obvious)