A Big Kiss

It's definately fall in my area. The pastures are brown, the animals have their winter coats...the days are so short.

#38 is as handsome as ever. :)



The little ones are still growing fast...

After enjoying a treat of cattle cake, #38 shows his appreciation.....

His slimy rough tongue tickled my hand, I was laughing and squirming too much to get a good picture.

Garlic Chipotle Smoked Pork Butt

I wanted to give these mini cubes a try in flavoring this hunka pork. I crumbled one cube each of the garlic and chipotle into 3 cups of beef broth for my injection....

I received a tasty rub mixture from a smoking friend in Kansas City that goes by the name of Beer-B-Q...

The dry rub has a sweet but hot flavor, I can taste the brown sugar but it has a nice kick to it...

Into my drum .......

I let the pork smoke for 10 hours......

(those are my meatballs from earlier :))

I let the hunka pork rest for at least 30 minutes... It was really hard to do that. lol

The rub made a bark on the outside and had a nice sweet heat to it....

The inside was so moist and tender. I could taste the garlic and the chipotle... I'll be using those little cubes again in the future.

My smoked pork stash has been replenished. :)

Hickory Smoked Meatballs

I smoked a nice big hunka pork the other day and couldn't stand letting all that smoke go to waste. There was enough room in my drum to add something...... I opted for meatballs. :)


I made my favorite meatball/meatloaf recipe using..
ground beef
one egg
worcestershire sauce
ketsup
water
minced dried onions
beef bouillon
seasoned salt
onion powder
and bread crumbs








I sprinkled the meatballs with cracked black pepper....

Into the drum smoker with my big hunka pork and some hickory....

The meatballs took about one hour....

I had to taste a couple of them fresh from the smoker....

They were soooo tasty on top of my spaghetti!

They even had a nice smoke ring...

I'll be making these again soon. :)

Pork Loin, Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts and Twice Baked Potatoes

This might be my favorite way to eat brussel sprouts... I love em. :)



I drizzle the sprouts with olive oil, sprinkle with cracked black pepper and wrap in bacon...

Smoke in my drum with a bit of hickory....





add my twice baked potatoes for the last 30 minutes....




I pull the pork loin out at an internal temperature of 145 degrees, then let it rest for 20 min before slicing...

The smoked bacon wrapped brussel sprouts, twice baked potatoes, pork loin, salad and fruit...

It was kinda tasty!!

Catfish and Hushpuppy Time

I finally got the chance to cook up a few of the catfish I caught this summer...


Made a batch of hushpuppies too. :)


I add minced onions, jalapenos and corn to the hushpuppy batter....




Seasoned the catfish with a cornmeal mix....



fried til golden....





I used my old home made burner. It's made out of a piece of pipe, expanded metal, the burner from a hot water heater, and rebar for legs....



I ended up using a flashlight while cooking the last couple of batches... I need to put a light up on my patio!




After cooking I cranked up the gas and enjoyed the warmth....




The catfish and jalapeno hushpuppies were pretty tasty!

Now I feel like going fishing again. :)