Pies for School and some weekend munching...

So this weekend I tried a Buttermilk pie so I could donate it to the school my daughter attends.  It was wonderful.  We ate it in one day.  Here’s the recipe.  No pictures unless my wife still has the one on her phone but it looked classically southern and tasted wonderful!

Buttermilk Pie

Refrigerated Ingredients

3 Eggs

Baking & Spices

1/4 cup All-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla

Bread & Baked Goods

1 Pie crust, homemade or store bought

Dairy

8 tbsp Butter

1/2 cup Buttermilk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out pie crust in 9 inch, I used a frozen deep dish and it was great.

Whisk together sugar, flour, butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until well combined.

Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. (The center will jiggle slightly but will set. Remove and allow to cool completely before serving.)

In addition I think I finally have my no-bone country ribs perfected.  I use a Famous Dave’s rub on them, about 2 to 3 minutes on direct heat, turning once.  Then move to the side and baste with sauce.  Let them cook for about 8 to 12 minutes (this really depends on the density of the pork and how hot your grill/smoker is.)

I added some hickory to the coals and it gave it just a sweet smoky flavor.

My sauce is the same I have mentioned in other posts, whatever base BBQ sauce you like, add some sriracha and honey and away you go.  I will be working on some new sauce soon that I want to make with a base of apple butter maybe.

May try some chicken this weekend again with some hickory smoke.  I will be smoking a breast for Thanksgiving for sure.  Stay tuned for those pictures.  This was last years and it was wonderful!

My Wings

Grilled Chicken Wings

My Wing’s recipe I use is to soak them in a brine for about 4 hours or more in

• Water
• Olive oil or Canola oil
• Chicken bouillon (about enough to make a cup of broth or use a cup of broth is fine as well)
• Black pepper
• Garlic 

I put in the amount of water and oil that will cover the chicken well and shake in garlic and pepper until I can smell it fairly well.  I have used cut up onion and bell pepper before as well and it imparts some flavor but I never really see a big difference in that.  The main thing the brine does is provide moisture and tenderness through the cooking process.  The chicken will take on more of the saltiness and stay moist regardless of the cooking heat method this way.

Grilling Times

Wings, bone in, usually take about 30 to 40 minutes on the grill to cook thoroughly and remain crisp.  I do the first 8 minutes on direct heat turning once, then the remainder of the 30 to 40 minutes on indirect heat, only turning when I begin to baste them with the sauce I use.

This will work well with some smoking chips thrown on for flavor.  The smoke flavor won’t be strong but will accent the rub if the lid is left closed on your grill.  I like to soak the chips for 12 hours or more so they don’t burn off quickly. (If you are going to truly smoke them, do not use this process.  You’ll need to look up some smoking methods as the temperature and times will change some. The rubs and such should be fine but the cooking process is definitely different.)

The Rub
I like using Famous Dave’s rub on my ribs, pork and sometimes chicken, but I developed one for wings on my own that I need to work on again as I forgot the mixture levels. To do about 8 whole, uncut wings it uses

• Chili Powder – 2 tbsps.
• Paprika – 2 tbsps.
• Cayenne Pepper – 1 tsp.
• Chipotle Seasoning -1 tbsp.
• Onion Powder – 1 tsp.
• Garlic Powder – 2 tbsps.
• Black Pepper – 1 tbsp.

I usually put these all in a big Ziploc bag and shake it up real well. Then I add the wings and shake it again letting it sit and come to room temperature before putting them on the coals.

The Sauce

The last 10 minutes, I baste them with a sauce: once on one side and let cook for 5 minutes, then turn them over and baste the other and let cook 5 minutes.  The sauce is a blend of

•       Sweet Baby Ray’s Basic Sauce – 1 cup
•       Sirracha Sauce – 2 tbsps.
•       Honey – 2 tbsps.

These wings usually come out very crispy straight off the grill and have a great heat and sweet combination.

And with that, you got some wonderful crispy, smoky and spiced up wings. I hope you like it. 

Tweak the spices to your liking and you won’t go wrong.

Give it a go!

I stumbled upon an opportunity to enter a contest with my new story idea I have been researching.  It's located at http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/25th-free-dear-lucky-agent-contest-thrillers-horror?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=wds-csa-nl-161019&utm_content=889629_GLA161019&utm_medium=email

From the description so you know what i am talking about, "It is the 25th (free!) “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest and is on the GLA blog. This is a FREE recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes." 

I am very excited about getting to enter this contest and hopefully hear some feedback on my writing and story telling.

You should check it out too if interested in writing!

Rib Test

Finally did the ribs a weekend ago. I had enough sunlight with no rain to try it out.  I did a 2-2-1 method on them and they came out really tender with great flavor an smoke.  Not competition worthy by any means yet but I ate them all and my wife liked the,.

Did some wings which I think I have the sauce and rub perfected.  The sauce is basically a base BBQ with Siracha, butter, and honey.  Really comes up with slow heat and doesn’t burn but sits there and accentuates the wings.

I will be trying my hand at my first brisket next.  9 hours on the Brinkman Smoker with Mesquite,  If it comes out well then onto Pastrami.

Eventually I want to get some sausage equipment for my Kitchen Aid and start making my own sausage.  I also want to try my hand at a pork belly and make some bacon.

This is fun and tasty!

2 hours in

Paprika base with Chipotle, Brown Sugar and  and Cayenne

 Finished Product

Night before prep

Smokin', cookin' and the whole crazy thing...

It’s been a long time since I visited my thoughts here.  Lost interest in blogging and also just so dang busy with everything else I just never got to it.

Today I plan to re purpose this blog.  Lately I have been looking into a new hobby of competition BBQ: Cooking in general really with a focus on smoking and BBQing.  I just like to try new stuff and see if I can accomplish it.  My wife has been egging me on to start a page, in lieu of that, I figure this is just as good and will allow me to develop my hobby craft while recording it for posterity.

My first installment is to begin the planning for the weekend tests.  I will be purchasing some spare ribs, baby backs, country style ribs, and steak.  I will be smoking the ribs on Sunday.  The steak I plan to make my wife some Philly Cheese Steak sandwich while I work on some jambalaya all day on Saturday since she doesn’t care for that.

I have developed a rub which I want to tweak and will work on a sauce as well. I want to make a sauce that reminisces where I am from, the foothills of Tennessee so I may dabble in some apple butter seasoned sauce with a little heat to it.

So if you feel like watching this journey and learning some stuff with me, as I will be teaching myself and learning through failure a lot, then follow along.